Blaylock Brainhealth 2

● Secret of aging

● Free radicals ‘burn’

● Poor diets, poor repairs

● Diseases more severe

● Nutrient deficiencies

● Vitamins protect brain

● Beware vaccines

● The brain’s immune system

● Cholesterol connection

● High fat, high risk

● Statin drugs

● ‘Jellybean’ factor

● Women at higher risk

● Dangers of aluminum, fluoride

● Eat your veggies

● Omega-3 oils

● The beneficent blueberry

● Glutathione levels

● Safe hormone replacement

● Overdoing exercise

● Chelation

● Vitamins vs. cancer

● Eat seafood, watch for mercury

● Fix your DNA

● Vitamin D deficiency from lack of sunshine

● DHA and CLA

Save Your Brain: Protect Yourself from the Ravages of Alzheimer’s and Other DiseasesAfter age 40, most of us begin to worry about losing our memories and even worse, becoming demented. This is especially true once we reach our fifties.

But do we really need to worry? Yes and no.

Yes, because there has been an increase in the incidence of neurode-generative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and Lou Gehrig’s disease over the last two decades. Though medical scien-tists have no explanation for this increase, there are many strong clues.

No, because there is growing evidence that simple steps can be taken to significantly reduce your risk.

What Causes the Brain to AgeAs with most things in the universe, we have discovered that the

secret of aging lies in commonly occurring events in the body, some-thing shared by all cells. This common event is the accumulated dam-age to vital cellular components by free radicals.

Most of us have heard of antioxidants and that they are good for you. Antioxidants are substances that neutralize free radicals. So, what is a free radical?

Basically, free radicals are highly reactive submicroscopic particles that bounce around inside a cell like red-hot BBs, burning everything they touch.

Each cell is filled with delicate factories that perform all sorts of vital functions such as generating energy, making enzymes and other pro-teins, and storing information, as with DNA.

Free radicals chip away at these cell factories the way water dripping on a stone wears the stone away. In the beginning, the damage is so minute that little is harmed, but over time the cell’s function becomes impaired. The effects of this chipping away by free radicals depends on the types of cells affected and how severely they are damaged.

God also created a system to repair much of this damage, but our poor

The

Edited by Russell L. Blaylock, M.D.

Blaylock Wellness ReportJune 2004 Vol. 1, No. 2

Quick Facts

Living a Long Healthy Life

diets and constant exposure to environmental toxins severely impair this repair system.

As a result, diseases are appearing earlier, more often and to a much more severe degree. This is true not only for diseases affecting the brain but also for most other diseases, including diabetes, autoim-mune disorders, many cancers, arthritis, heart dis-ease and strokes.

All of these diseases share the same event: mas-sive production of free radicals over a long period of time and a depletion of the body’s antioxidant defenses.

Numerous studies have found that those with neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s dis-ease and Parkinson’s disease have chronic nutrient deficiencies long before the disease presents itself.

For example, most individuals with Alzheimer’s disease have low levels of vitamin C, beta-carotene, B1, B6, folate and vitamin B12. The latter three are particularly important, since they regulate a special series of metabolic steps in brain cells necessary for forming neurotransmitter chemicals and repairing DNA.

When these nutrients are deficient, a spe-cial chemical called homocysteine accumulates. Recent studies have found that a large number of Alzheimer’s disease patients have elevated homocys-teine levels.

Besides being a sign of impaired metabolism, homocysteine is in a class of special brain cell toxins called excitotoxins. These toxins literally excite cer-tain brain cells to death.

They are considered a central mechanism in all of the neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s dementia and Parkinson’s disease. Excitotoxins gen-erate large numbers of free radicals in brain cells and brain cell connections (synapses).

Vitamin E, C, the carotenoids and special antioxi-dants from plants called flavonoids all act together to protect the brain from free radicals and, hence, excitotoxicity.

Several studies have shown that increasing these antioxidants in the diet slows the course of Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease and may prevent the disease in some.

The Vaccination ConnectionOne of the world’s leading immunologists, Dr.

Hugh Fudenberg, has conducted studies showing that those who receive the flu vaccine yearly for three to five years increase their risk of Alzheimer’s disease tenfold.

He attributes this to the mercury in the flu vaccines. We know that mercury poisons many of the critical brain enzymes, even in very low concentrations.

In a paper published in a recent issue of the Journal of the American Nutraceutical Association, I discussed another connection to vaccines in general.

I demonstrated that when vaccines are given close together and in significant numbers, the way many doctors give them, the brain’s immune system is over-stimulated, resulting in destruction of the very brain cells we see destroyed in Alzheimer’s disease.

Numerous studies have shown that chronic activa-tion of the brain’s immune system is closely connect-ed to this terrifying disorder.

Many of these studies also have shown that the greatest risk is among those with impaired immunity. We know that as we age, the immune system becomes impaired, primarily because of poor nutrition.

In fact, several studies have shown that aged-relat-ed immune problems can be corrected with nutrients such as selenium, vitamins E and C, and the carot-enoids.

Of even greater importance is the finding that vita-min D3 plays a major role in preventing overreaction of the immune system, as seen in these diseases. While part of the immune system is impaired, anoth-er part is overactive. This imbalance causes the prob-lem. Nutrition can re-establish the proper immune balance.

The Cholesterol ConnectionThe manufacturers of the dangerous statin cho-

lesterol-lowering drugs were elated to announce that lowering cholesterol significantly reduced the inci-dence of Alzheimer’s disease.

The problem with the statin drugs is that they also increase cancer risk, lower critical levels of Coenzyme Q10 in the body and, in some cases, can

June 2004 The Blaylock Wellness Report Page 2

lead to a fatal muscle disorder. There are safer ways to lower cholesterol.

It had been know for many years that there was a connection between risk of heart attacks and strokes and Alzheimer’s dementia. We now know that high cholesterol intake is the common factor.

Several recent studies have shown that those with the highest intakes of cholesterol-containing foods had the highest risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

Connected to this observation was the discovery that persons who had inherited a special gene for a fat-carrying protein called APOE4 had a very high risk of developing Alzheimer’s dementia.

In fact, 80 percent of individuals having both of these APOE4 genes will develop the disease. Even having one of the genes for APOE4 substantially increases one’s risk. Having this gene also increases the risk of developing the “punch drunk” syndrome and even mad cow disease.

APOE4 is responsible for carrying cholesterol to the synaptic connections in the brain. The problem is that it does this less efficiently than the protec-tive form of the carrier protein, APOE2. Those lucky enough to have both genes for APOE2 rarely develop Alzheimer’s dementia.

To get some idea as to the impact of dietary choices and your risk, let us look at a recent study (Zutphen Elderly Study) that examined the diets of 476 elderly persons.

They found that those with the highest total fat intake had a 240 percent higher risk of developing dementia. High saturated fat intake increased risk 90 percent and high cholesterol intake increased risk 70 percent.

Fish consumption was associated with a 60 per-cent reduction in dementia risk. In another study, high meat consumption was associated with a 300 percent increase in risk. This should give some cau-tion to those following the Atkins diet.

The good news is that reducing one’s intake of cholesterol and increasing one’s intake of vitamin E appeared to turn off this dangerous gene, thus lowering risk. This finding also may explain the sig-nificantly lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease in those eating a Mediterranean diet. This diet is very low in

cholesterol and total fat content.

It is also of interest to note that high-cholesterol diets increase the activity of the brain’s immune system, which we have seen is also connected to dementia.

Statin drugs such as Lipitor lower cholesterol levels by interfering with a critical enzyme in cholesterol production called HMG-Co-A reductase. This allows the drugs to drastically lower cholesterol.

The problem with lowering cholesterol too much is that the brain needs some cholesterol. Impaired thinking is a common complication with statin drugs.

A safer way to lower cholesterol is to use a special extract of sugar cane wax called policosanol. This nutrient lowers cholesterol as efficiently as statins do, but with greater safety, primarily because it never lowers the cholesterol-generating enzyme more than 50 percent and does so indirectly.

This also substantially lowers the risk of heart attacks and strokes. A dose of 20 mg a day works in most people.

Sweets and Alzheimer’s DiseaseRonald Reagan had a habit of eating jellybeans

throughout the day. Knowing that high levels of sugar in the diet are harmful to the brain, I always won-dered if this at least contributed to his developing Alzheimer’s disease.

New evidence makes an even stronger link. In one study of 980 elderly individuals followed for four years, it was found that those with the highest intake of calories had a 50 percent increased incidence of dementia.

When high calorie intake was combined with high fat intake, the risk rose to 230 percent. This high risk occurred in those having the APOE4 gene.

So, why would eating a lot of sweets and carbohy-drates cause dementia? There are three reasons.

Sugar dramatically increases metabolism, and high rates of metabolism are the major source of free radi-cals. In fact, 95 percent of all free radicals come from metabolism.

Second, high levels of sugar in the body cause the sugar to react with various critical proteins, includ-


ing enzymes that repair DNA damage caused by free radicals.

And finally, when high levels of sugar are com-bined with high fat levels over a long period of time, cells cannot absorb the sugar needed to produce ener-gy — a condition called insulin resistance. A recent study found a high incidence of insulin resistance in those with Alzheimer’s dementia.

Other FactorsWhile the above are the major factors in the risk of

getting dementia, there are many other contributing factors, some more important than others.

For example, we know that women have a higher incidence of Alzheimer’s dementia and Parkinson’s dis-ease than men do.

It now appears that this is because women lose their reproductive hormones faster and to a greater extent than men. Estrogen and to a lesser degree progester-one have been shown to protect brain cells against a number of harmful effects, including Alzheimer’s dementia and Parkinson’s disease. Testosterone is also protective, but the levels in men fall much more slow-ly and less extremely.

Aluminum has been a suspect in Alzheimer’s dementia for many years. Studies of human popula-tions point to a problem, and experimental studies show that aluminum can produce all the same changes in the brain we see with Alzheimer’s disease.

Most of us are exposed to dietary sources of alumi-num including cookware, medications, baking powder, vaccinations, several foods (teas) and public drinking water.

Normally, people absorb very little of ingested alu-minum, but recent studies have discovered that those with Down’s syndrome and Alzheimer’s disease absorb a lot more aluminum than normal.

In fact, Down’s children absorb 11 times more aluminum than is normally absorbed. Children with Down’s syndrome have the same pathological changes in their brains as those with Alzheimer’s disease.

Ironically, several commonly consumed products dramatically increase the absorption of aluminum and increase its toxicity in the brain.

Fluoride, when combined with even small amounts of aluminum, produces dramatic destruction of the same brain cells that are destroyed in Alzheimer’s disease. In fact, as little as 0.5 ppm (parts per million) fluoride added to aluminum in water was found to pro-duce extensive brain cell loss in the hippocampus, the memory part of the brain. Most water systems add 1 to 1.5 ppm fluoride and all add aluminum.

The amino acid glutamate, as found in monosodium glutamate (MSG), also increases aluminum absorp-tion and deposition in the brain. MSG is added to most processed foods, usually under a disguised name such as hydrolyzed protein, soy extract, natural flavoring or even spices.

As with fluoride, glutamate is even more destructive to brain cells when combined with aluminum.

Another surprising culprit is citric acid. Lemon juice is high in citric acid, as are most citrus fruits. Adding lemon to tea, for example, increases aluminum absorp-tion from the tea (which contains very high aluminum levels) over sevenfold. This is why you should not add lemon to your tea.

Finally, consumption of large amounts of excito-toxins adds considerably to the damage caused by the other factors. Excitotoxins, mentioned above, dramati-cally increase free radical generation for a prolonged period after a single exposure.

If you eat processed foods, you are consuming large amounts of excitotoxins. These excitotoxins are used to enhance the taste of foods. Some foods add three and even four forms of excitotoxins, which is particularly dangerous since studies have shown they have additive toxicity.

People with neurological diseases, the very young and the elderly are at a special risk from excitotoxins. Pregnant women should never consume excitotoxin-containing food additives. The artificial sweetener aspartame contains the powerful excitotoxin aspartic acid.

Reduce Your Risk by Following These Steps:

Watch Your Diet

Most important is your diet.

You should eat low-fat foods — at least five servings


of fruits and vegetables (primarily vegetables) and no more than a slice of whole grain bread a day, along with a minimum of high-glycemic carbohydrates — and drink filtered fluoride-free water.

Carbohydrates are classified as to how fast they are absorbed and converted to simple sugars.

Those easily converted and absorbed are consid-ered high-glycemic; others are called low-glycemic carbohydrates.

The best diet is the Mediterranean diet, which is higher in protein (mainly fish), high in vegetables and extra virgin olive oil, and low in carbohydrates.

Seafoods can be high in mercury (methylmercury), so caution must be exercised. It is best to get your omega-3 oils from supplements.

Omega-3 oils are composed of two components, EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexae-noic acid). DHA is the most important for protecting and nurturing the brain.

In one study, those who consumed omega-3 fatty acid–containing foods once a week or more had a 60 percent reduction in Alzheimer’s disease. Interestingly, DHA has been shown to powerfully protect the brain from excitotoxins. The EPA compo-nent had little effect. Pure DHA can be obtained from most health supplement suppliers.

Another source of omega-3 fatty acids is from spe-cial eggs that contain high amounts of this beneficial fat. The highest contents are found in Christopher Eggs. The chickens producing these eggs are fed a special diet high in omega-3 fatty acids, which then enters the egg yolks. A single egg supplies 600 mg of omega-3 fatty acids.

Fruits and especially vegetables contain some of the most powerful chemical antioxidants found natu-rally. They also contain powerful anti-excitotoxic, anti-inflammatory, immune-modulating and antiviral components as well.

Eating at least five servings of vegetables a day also plays a major role in preventing these neurodegener-ative diseases. A recent study found that of 1,367 peo-ple over age 65 followed for five years, those with the highest intake of flavonoids from fruits and vegetables had a 51 percent lower incidence of Alzheimer’s dis-ease.

Of particular interest has been blueberry extract. In one study, it was found not only to slow the aging of the brain but also to reverse some of the aging changes. A more recent study found that blueberry extract could completely prevent Alzheimer’s disease in a hereditary animal model of the disease.

This means that blueberry extract might prevent the disease even in those inheriting both of the APOE4 genes. It is important to appreciate that these experiments were done using blueberry extracts and not whole blueberries. The extracts contain much higher concentrations of the blueberry flavonoids than found in a bowl of blueberries.

One of the hottest areas of research has been brain protection through caloric reduction by fasting. It has been known for almost half a century that animals placed on low-calorie diets live significantly longer than those on regular or, especially, high-calorie diets.

As we have seen, high-calorie intake is espe-cially harmful to the brain. Dr. M.P. Mattson, of the Laboratory of Neurosciences at the National Institute on Aging in Baltimore, Md., has shown how this works.

Previously, it was assumed that reducing calories reduces the number of free radicals produced by cells, which it does. Dr. Mattson and his co-workers also found that it greatly increased the concentration of two brain-protecting chemicals called nerve growth factor and telomerase.

These two chemicals can protect the brain’s cells against the beta-amyloid of Alzheimer’s disease, strengthen synapses and protect against excitotoxic-ity. In other words, they can protect against all the processes seen in Alzheimer’s disease.

The best results were found with fasting one day a week, exactly what was proclaimed in the Old Testament. Weekly fasting also helped correct insulin excess, something also connected with these diseases.

Take Antioxidants

While you should increase your intake of all of the antioxidant vitamins, including vitamins C, E, D, K, carotenoids and all the B vitamins, you also should supplement with additional antioxidants.

Some of the more powerful are the flavonoids, spe-


cial components isolated from plants. These include hesperidin, quercetin, green tea extract, artichoke extract, grape seed extract and bilberry, all available from natural supplement suppliers.

One supplement found to provide major protec-tion to the brain is melatonin. Most people think of it as nothing more than a sleep aid. In fact, it is one of the brain’s most important antioxidants and actu-ally increases the antioxidant enzyme content of the brain.

This is especially important because recent stud-ies have shown that these antioxidant enzymes are low in people who develop Alzheimer’s dementia and Parkinson’s disease. With aging, the amount of melatonin begins to decline, one of the reasons for the high frequency of insomnia in the elderly. If you notice you no longer dream, your melatonin levels are probably low. Low levels are rarely seen below age 45.

All cells contain a very powerful antioxidant called glutathione. It is especially important for protecting the brain, especially against excitotoxicity and mer-cury poisoning. Low levels of this antioxidant are seen in all cases of neurodegenerative disease, includ-ing Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Ironically, it is fairly easy to increase the levels of glutathione in all your cells.

The supplement N-acetyl-L cysteine (NAC) has been shown to dramatically increase glutathione levels. Magnesium, vitamin C, alpha-lipoic acid and a high intake of vegetables also increase glutathione levels. An additional benefit is that high glutathione levels also help prevent cancer. A high intake of MSG and other excitotoxins dramatically lowers brain gluta-thione levels.

Hormone Replacement, Good and BadHormone replacement is a touchy subject, primar-

ily because of the fear of causing cancer — prostate cancer in males and breast cancer in females.

You also might be aware of a study, reported recently in The Journal of the American Medical Association and carried widely by the media, that linked hormone replacement in women with increased risk of strokes and heart attacks and found no benefit in reducing the risk of dementia.

The general public does not realize that this was a very flawed study and never should have been accepted for publication by the journal. The way the experiment was set up was terribly flawed, but the main problem with the study was the fact that the type of estrogen they used, Premarin, has been known for a long time to be toxic to brain cells, as is the form of progesterone they used. In fact, though Premarin breaks down in the body into a multitude of brain-toxic compounds, this is the form most often prescribed to post-menopausal women.

Dozens of studies have confirmed that natural estrogens, especially the form known as estriol, are highly protective of the brain, especially against Alzheimer’s disease.

Estriol also has been shown to protect women from breast cancer. Premarin contains estradiol, a very powerful form of estrogen and one most associated with breast cancer.

Brain cells contain numerous estrogen receptors, which is why estrogens are so important to brain pro-tection from a number of assaults. Only natural estro-gens can provide this protection. Before supplement-ing, women should have a complete female hormone study done.

Kale, which most people think of as a plate decora-tion, also contains a natural estrogen compound that is highly protective of the brain in both males and females. It is too weak to cause hormone stimulation in men or women, but it provides the protection of estrogens.

Men generally do not lose their reproductive hor-mones as rapidly or as dramatically as women.

Yet, after age 55, most men have significantly lower levels of testosterone. Testosterone has been shown to be very protective of the brain, including against Alzheimer’s disease. Testosterone is derived from another hormone, called DHEA.

This hormone also has been shown to be very pro-tective of brain cells. DHEA levels also fall with age. One of the best ways to increase both DHEA levels and testosterone is simply to take DHEA.

I would advise men to have a male hormone lab test before supplementing with DHEA, and those with prostate cancer should not take DHEA or any male hormone.


Some men fear supplementation because of a theo-retical risk of prostate cancer, but studies have shown that rather than increasing risk, DHEA may reduce the risk. Also, most men with low DHEA levels feel better with supplementation and report increased libi-do. I would not recommend taking more than 10 to 15 mg a day. It should be taken on an empty stomach.

A Few More Things You Should KnowWhen brain cells are weakened, either by disease

or a lifetime of free-radical damage, they become much more vulnerable to injury by toxins of various types.

It is for this reason that you must avoid further injury by avoiding known brain toxins.

Avoid fluoride.

Fluoride is a powerful brain toxin, especially when combined with aluminum, as we have seen.

You should avoid fluoridated water, fluoride tooth-paste and fluoride-containing mouthwashes. Many natural brands are available.

Avoid MSG.

It is also critical that you avoid excitotoxins in food such as MSG, aspartame, hydrolyzed proteins, soy proteins, whey protein extracts, natural flavoring, tex-tured proteins, soy extracts and related names.

To do this you must avoid processed foods. If you can’t avoid processed foods, check labels for these dis-guised names.

Avoid pesticides.

Avoid pesticides and herbicides, especially within the home. A considerable amount of evidence links these toxins to increased risk of Alzheimer’s dementia and especially Parkinson’s disease.

Startling evidence shows that combining pesticides and herbicides greatly increases their toxicity to the brain, and in sensitive individuals even minute con-centrations can result in advanced and very rapid onset Parkinson’s disease.

Nutritional supplements, as outlined above, have been shown to protect dramatically against pesticide

and herbicide toxicity. Even so, I would avoid these poisons and choose natural pest-control methods.

Avoid vaccinations.

You should avoid all vaccinations, especially the flu vaccine.

With the growing threat of bioterrorism, public health organizations will be offering a whole host of new vaccines. I would avoid them all. In the previous newsletter I outlined ways to effectively combat bio-terrorism and daily infections without vaccinations.

Avoid aluminum.

Avoid all aluminum-containing foods (processed cheeses, teas with lemon, pancakes, biscuits and all foods using baking powder), cookware, medications, vaccinations and topical ointments.

Do not eat foods high in aluminum when eating or drinking citrus-containing foods and drinks (orange juice, lemon juice, grapefruit juice, etc).

Avoid mercury in fillings.

Do not let your dentist fill your teeth with mer-cury-containing amalgam (looks like metal) or in any way manipulate your fillings (tooth cleaning, etc).

If you have amalgam fillings, have them removed by a dentist trained in proper removal procedure. The International Association of Oral Medicine and Toxicology (IAOMT) trains physicians in this proce-dure and can give you the name of a trained dentist near you.

Exercise, but don’t overdo it.

Finally, you should exercise regularly but not aero-bically.

Aerobic exercises dramatically increase free-radical generation that can lead to numerous diseases includ-ing neurodegenerative disorders. Several studies have shown moderate exercise to be protective against Alzheimer’s dementia and other neurodegenerative diseases.

It is also important that you exercise your brain. Reading, memorizing lists of facts, engaging in intel-lectual conversation and other intellectual pursuits


has been shown to be protective. Neuroscientists call it “use it or lose it.”

By following these steps, even should you have a strong family history of dementia, your risk will be greatly reduced.

Ways to Remove Aluminum From Your Body

Chemicals that remove toxic metals from the tis-sues and organs of the body do so by a process called chelation, hence they are called chelators. One of the most effective chelators for removing aluminum from the brain is the experimental drug Feralex-G. One advantage of this drug is that it can be taken by mouth rather than injected. When combined with ascorbate (vitamin C), it was shown to pro-duce excellent reductions in brain aluminum levels. Unfortunately, the drug is not yet available.

A study done in 1993 at the University of Toronto found that patients given aluminum-chelating drugs deteriorated at half the rate of those given no treat-ment. Recent studies have found that using alumi-num chelation could reverse the pathological changes characteristic of Alzheimer’s dementia.

Until the new oral chelating drug is ready for mar-ket you may want to reduce your brain load of alumi-num by using the following supplements, also shown to significantly lower brain aluminum.

Magnesum citramate. Take 500 mg three times a day. Magnesium reduces brain levels of mercury and the citramate, a combination of citrate and malate, has been shown to significantly stimulate elimination of aluminum from the body. In this combination the supplements are even more effective.

Ascorbate (as magnesium or calcium ascorbate). Take 1,500 mg three times a day on an empty stom-ach. A recent study found ascorbate to be a very effective chelator of aluminum, especially when the aluminum was bound to brain cell DNA. Taking high-er doses of ascorbate with the magnesium citramate increased the removal of aluminum even more. This has been referred to as molecular shuttle chelation.

Malate. Take two 500 mg capsules three times a day on an empty stomach for one month, then two capsules a day thereafter. Malate was shown to be

one of the more effective aluminum chelators for the brain.

Pyruvate (as calcium pyruvate). Take 500 mg with each meal to remove the aluminum from your food. Pyruvate has been shown to effectively prevent alu-minum absorption.

Flavonoids. Eat a lot of fresh vegetables. Supplements containing flavonoids, such as quercetin and hesperidin, also prevent aluminum absorption. Chlorella helps remove mercury and lead and may remove aluminum.

These supplements are in addition to the antioxi-dant vitamins you normally take.

Nutritional News UpdateNutrition Helps Cancer Patients

A new study appearing in the June 2004 issue of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that children with leukemia who were deficient in antioxidant vitamins before chemotherapy treatment did considerably worse with chemotherapy in terms of complications and adverse effects than did children well supplied with antioxidants.

The latter had fewer infections, less nausea and vomiting, and went home from the hospital earlier than deficient children. This is important because the study found that a large percentage of these children were severely deficient in these vitamin before treat-ments began.

Despite a considerable amount of research and clinical evidence indicating that antioxidant vitamins protect all cancer patients from treatment complica-tions, oncologists still warn their patients not to take antioxidants for fear of antioxidants interfering with the treatment.

All of these studies, including this one, found no such interference. In fact, as I show in my book “Natural Strategies for Cancer Patients,” nutrition-al supplementation improves the effectiveness of che-motherapy and radiation treatments while protecting normal cells and tissues from injury.


Choosing the Right Fats Controls Inflammation

Another new study found that how you choose your fats can determine inflammation in the body.

Numerous chronic diseases are associated with inflammation, such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseas-es, autoimmune diseases (lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and autoimmune thyroid disease), asthma, pulmo-nary diseases, infections and all of the neurodegen-erative diseases (Alzheimer’s dementia, Parkinson’s disease and Lou Gehrig’s disease.

One accurate measure has been the C-reactive pro-tein (C-RP) test. I encourage you to ask your doctor to include this test in your next physical.

This study also looked at another indicator of heart disease, the fibrinogen level. Levels of both of these substances are determined by simple blood tests any doctor can order.

The study found that trans fatty acids (from par-tially hydrogenated oils) and high carbohydrate diets significantly increased these inflammatory markers in the blood, thereby greatly increasing the risk of hav-ing a heart attack or stroke.

Omega-3-fatty acids (N-3 oils), on the other hand, reduced these inflammatory risk factors.

Previous studies found that a high intake of N-6 oils, such as safflower, sunflower, soybean and corn oils, increased inflammation in the body and increased the risk of all these diseases. It is for this reason that you should increase your intake of the N-3 oils (omega-3 fatty acids) and decrease your intake of N-6 oils.

Because seafood, the major dietary source of omega-3 fatty acids, is also contaminated with signifi-cant levels of mercury, it is important to use high-quality supplements.

I prefer using pure DHA, the main component of omega-3 fatty acids. DHA plays a major role in brain health and has been shown to increase intelligence in newborns.

DHA can be purchased in most natural food stores. Another alternative is eating eggs high in omega-3 fatty acids. The chickens are fed diets high in omega-3 fatty acids, which is incorporated in the egg yolks.

While several brands are available, Christopher Eggs have the highest concentration, at 600 mg per egg. Eating even one egg a day gives you a consider-able dose of these healthy fats.

Vitamin C Reduces Harmful Effects of Fluoride on Unborn Babies

Recent studies have shown that fluoride can cause severe toxicity to the developing baby in a mother’s womb, especially injury to the child’s brain.

In fact, recent studies have shown that fluoride greatly increases free-radical damage in the develop-ing brains of newborn animals. In one study, high fluoride intake was associated with significant abnor-malities in the development of the skeleton and organs, and vitamin C was found to protect against all of these abnormalities. Vitamin E offered some pro-tection but was less effective than vitamin C.

This study offers mothers another way to protect their children from the toxic effects of fluoride in drinking water and foods: A prenatal vitamin contain-ing vitamins C and E and all of the other B vitamins, as well as minerals, can go a long way in protecting your baby.

The study also cautions mothers to avoid fluori-dated drinking water, fluoride toothpaste, fluoridated mouthwashes and dental fluoride treatments.

Selenium Dramatically Reduces Aggressive Prostate Cancers

A new study coming out of Harvard Medical School and reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute looked at the selenium intake of 586 men who had been diagnosed with prostate cancer. This was one of the largest studies of its kind.

The study found that those with the highest intake of selenium had a 48 percent lower risk of developing advanced prostate cancer, the most deadly stage.

It is important to note that selenium supplemen-tation did not prevent prostate cancer in this study; rather, it lowered the risk of the cancer getting out of control.

Other studies have shown selenium to be preven-tive, especially when combined with vitamin E.


Selenium in the diet is dependent on vegetable sources, which can be highly variable. This is because vegetables obtain their selenium from the soil. Vegetables grown in selenium-poor soils contain very little selenium.

Since most people buy their foods from super-markets, it is important to see where the vegetables were harvested and check with selenium soil maps. Most Western states have high selenium levels. Many Central and Eastern states have low levels.

Supplementation is the safest way to assure ade-quate selenium intake. The adult dose is 200 mcg a day. It should not be taken at the same time as vita-min C, since this vitamin interferes with absorption.

Restoring Enzymes That Fix Broken DNA

A tremendous amount of research is showing that many of the diseases associated with aging and even some diseases of the young are related to defects in special enzymes that can repair damaged DNA.

Most of this damage is caused by free radicals and occurs every minute of our lives. This chipping away at our DNA can result in enough accumulated dam-age to lead to such diseases as cancer, autoimmune diseases and neurological diseases (Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Lou Gehrig’s diseases). Virtually every disease that can affect people increases such DNA damage.

When we are young, these broken areas in our DNA are quickly fixed by these DNA repair enzymes. Unfortunately, many of the toxins we are exposed to,

as well as poor diets, significantly impair these repair enzymes. Fluoride is a powerful inhibitor of DNA repair enzymes and was known to be so even before drinking water was first fluoridated in 1945. Mercury, even in very small doses, is another powerful inhibi-tor of these enzymes.

Recent studies have shown that melatonin and curcumin can restore DNA repair enzymes as well as increase the levels of antioxidant enzymes, thus giving double protection. In addition, both are antioxi-dants in their own right.

Melatonin is a natural hormone secreted from the pineal gland that most of us think of as a sleep aid. In fact, new studies indicate that it plays a major role in protecting the brain. Since melatonin declines as we age, as we have seen in the discussion on Alzheimer’s disease, supplementation is important after age 50. The usual dose is 1 to 3 mg at bedtime.

Curcumin is a flavonoid extracted from the spice turmeric. It is one of the most powerful and versatile antioxidants known, in addition to its ability to aid in the repair of DNA. It also has very powerful anti-can-cer effects, both reducing the risk of cancers and stop-ping the growth of cancers once they develop.

Curcumin is a bright yellow powder that is oil soluble. You should dissolve 500mg in one tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and take it twice to three times a day.

Vitamin D May Prevent Multiple Sclerosis

A new study indicates that a higher intake of vita-min D may prevent MS, the crippler of young adults.


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Modern science has concluded that this terrible dis-ease is the result of the body’s immune system attack-ing its own nervous system. In this study scientists found that people having the highest vitamin D levels had the lowest incidence of MS.

It is known that vitamin D regulates the immune system (called immunomodulation) and tends to cool down the overactive immune reactions seen in auto-immune diseases such as multiple sclerosis.

Similar studies have shown low vitamin D levels in people having other autoimmune diseases such as immune thyroiditis, rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogren’s syndrome, lupus and Crohn’s disease.

Epidemiologists have noted that diseases such as MS are more common in northern latitudes than southern and have hypothesized a relation to sun exposure. Most of the vitamin D we require is gener-ated when our skin is exposed to the sun. With the widespread use of sunscreens and sun avoidance, vitamin D deficiency has become more common.

Recommended levels of supplemental vitamin D have recently been shown to be far too low at 200 to 400 IU a day. A recent review appearing in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that safety concerns with vitamin D toxicity are grossly exaggerated and that the daily dose should be 2,000 IU a day. It also should be noted that vitamin D has been found to reduce the risk of several cancers as well as diabetes.

Wrong Oils Can Greatly Increase Prostate Cancer Risk

Several studies have shown that increasing your intake of omega-3 type oils (fish oils) can significantly reduce the risk of heart attacks, strokes and several cancers.

A new study found that eating the type of oil that can be converted to omega-3 oils — alpha-linolenic acid, or ALA — can increase the risk of prostate can-cer by 70 percent.

This oil is found in most prepared foods, such as mayonnaise, creamy salad dressings, oil and vinegar dressings, beef and pork.

The problem stems from the fact that in order for ALA to produce the healthy anti-cancer oil, it must

be converted by an enzyme (delta-desaturase). This enzyme is often either not working or barely work-ing. We know that its activity is decreased with aging, high blood sugar, a high intake of N-6 oils and any chronic disease.

This means that a significant number of people are not able to convert the oil; as a result, the ALA shifts metabolism, producing disease-causing products (eicosanoids). Flaxseed oil is very high in ALA.

The problem with ALA is that it is easily oxidized when exposed to air or sunlight; that is, it becomes rancid. For this reason it should be prepared in nitro-gen during manufacturing, sealed from air and sun-light and taken only with vitamin E (as mixed tocoph-erols, also called natural vitamin E).

To avoid this problem, I would again suggest that you take pure DHA, since it has all the beneficial effects and none of the toxic effects. Antioxidant vita-mins also should be taken with DHA. Again, remem-ber to keep your supplements in the refrigerator.

Pearl of the Month:The special oil called conjugated linolenic acid,

or CLA, has been shown to promote weight loss by reducing fat production within fat cells (adipocytes).

A recent study found that it also promoted weight loss in animals made obese by MSG (monosodium glutamate). This is especially remarkable in that this type of obesity resists dieting, exercise and even near starvation.

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About Dr. Blaylock

Dr. Russell Blaylock edits NewsMax.com’s The Blaylock Wellness Report. He is a nationally recognized board certi-fied neurosurgeon, health practitioner, author and lecturer.

He attended the Louisiana State University School of Medicine in New Orleans and completed his internship and neurosurgical residency at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, South Carolina.

For the past 26 years he has practiced neurosurgery in addition to having a nutritional practice.

He recently retired from his neurosurgical practice to devote full time to nutritional studies and research.Dr. Blaylock has authored three books on nutrition and well-ness, including Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills, Health and Nutrition Secrets That Can Save Your Life, and his most recent work, Natural Strategies for The Cancer Patient.An in demand guest for radio and television pro-grams, he lectures widely to both lay and professional med-ical audiences on a variety of nutritional subjects.

Dr. Blaylock serves on the editorial staff of the Journal of the American Nutraceutical Association and is the asso-ciate editor of the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons, official journal of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons.

He recently retired as a Clinical Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery at the Medical University of Mississippi and now serves as a Visiting Professor in the Department of Biology Belhaven College.


Dr. Russell Blaylock

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