NEWS

One of my two guests this week on Healthy by Nature is a doctor to the Hollywood stars. He’s an MD that I met after he patiently waited his turn at one of my book-signing events. (Tune in to find out what embarrassing thing I said to the group not knowing there were 2 physicians in line!) We’ll take your calls. RECENT

RESEARCH:

Chocolate associated with depression: A new study focused on 931 men and women. They were not taking antidepressants. Their chocolate consumption was evaluated and they were screened for depression. So-called “normal” subjects ate only 5 oz of chocolate per month. Those who were borderline depressed ate nearly 8 oz (½ pound) and those with the highest depression scores ate an average of nearly 12 oz.¹

My 2 cents: “Associated with” or “linked to” are not the same as “cause and effect”. Fire trucks are always at the scene of a fire but that doesn’t mean they caused the fire. It could be that people with blue moods eat chocolate trying to feel better. That does work, but the effect only lasts about 3 hours. It could also be that more of the depressed folks were eating their chocolate in the form of sugary candy bars. That’s a problem because sugar directly and indirectly leads to depression. Some candy, snacks, and chocolate milk contain only a little bit of low quality milk chocolate. Phytonutrient-rich semi-sweet DARK chocolate is high in anti-oxidants and is associated with improvements in blood pressure and other measures of cardio health. It’s also high in the mineral magnesium, which as I show in my brand new article, is a major life saver in dozens of ways. Chocolate is a source of joy, so why not enjoy the real thing in reasonable amounts? There’s more. One new study showed that coffee may reduce the risk of depression in men² and two others showed that men who had higher amounts of the B-vitamin Folic Acid were less likely to be depressed. ^3,4

KITCHEN TIP

Ginger is a staple in Asian cuisine and is greatly valued as an herbal remedy for motion sickness (it may be even more effective than Dramamine®), nausea, and indigestion. It’s also a natural anti-inflammatory—for example you may feel the difference in your joints. Last week I suggested that you could purchase a green tea with ginger. Better yet, make your own ginger extract to spice up teas, smoothies, salad dressings and recipes. It’s easy. For under $2 you can buy a whole root from the grocery store produce department. Wash it off and cut it into chunks about 1” in length and put them into the blender. Fill or at least cover with water. (Filtered is best.) Blend until there are no lumps and then strain. Depending on the size of the root, you could make a quart of extract. Refrigerate the juice and freeze the portion that you won’t use in a couple of weeks in 2 or 3 small jars. Add to your tea to your taste but start slowly because it has a bite. (I use 2 TBS or so.) Read more about the herb and its safe use. As I’ve often said, you can overdo anything, even oxygen.

READER QUESTIONS

Q: Martha asked: (question shortened a bit) My 16 year old son took a baseball in the face and is in danger of losing 3 front teeth. What supplements at what doses can I give him to help these teeth survive?

A: What came to mind first was going to see a chiropractor that uses cold laser. Colostrum would be useful because it is so good for healing. Two or three scoops a day of the powder would be good in a protein shake but it might be easier to get him to use the lozenges because they are so convenient and yummy. A capsule of Dr. Ohhira’s Probiotic 12+ dissolved in the mouth at bedtime would provide friendly bacteria to fight off bad ones and keep the gums healthier. To strengthen the bone that anchors the teeth, I recommend BoneUp (by Jarrow Formulas) because it contains many nutrients needed to build bone and teeth as well as the exact form of calcium that is in bones. Follow label directions.

Q: No one asked: Why is the newsletter a bit late this week?

A: Usually I write the newsletter on the weekend but this weekend was my grandson’s birthday. My hobby is making cakes for special family occasions. He likes bugs, so I made him a bug cake. No, not with real bugs, but I can assure you it wasn’t exactly healthy even though we peel off and discard the brightly colored fondant. Husband Bill helped me put blinking lights under the melted sugar eyes! If you’re curious, it’s the photo at the top of page at this link. (That photo was taken at home before if rolled over in the back of the car on the way to the party. You may have heard my scream.)

Don’t suddenly stop medications. Consult a health practitioner that knows nutrition as well as conventional medicine. This email is educational only and not a substitute for professional advice.

Please stay well and help us spread the word that prevention is the best health care reform. You can help the show, as well as family and friends, by forwarding this email to them and encouraging them to subscribe to Health e-notes. You might also alert your FaceBook friends. Healthy by Nature Radio Show . L

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My books: Natural Alternatives to Nexium, Maalox, Tagamet, Prilosec & Other Acid Blockers. Subtitle: What to Use to Relieve Acid Reflux, Heartburn, and Gastric Ailments.

New Book: Aloe Vera —Modern Science Sheds Light on an Ancient Herbal Remedy.

¹Arch Intern Med. 2010 Apr 26;170(8):699-703. Mood food: chocolate and depressive symptoms in a cross-sectional analysis. Rose N, Koperski S, Golomb BA.
²Public Health Nutr. 2010 Apr 1:1-6. Coffee, tea and caffeine intake and the risk of severe depression in middle-aged Finnish men: the Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study. Ruusunen A, Lehto SM, Tolmunen T, Mursu J, Kaplan GA, Voutilainen S.
³J Nutr. 2010 Feb;140(2):338-47. The sex-specific role of plasma folate in mediating the association of dietary quality with depressive symptoms. Beydoun MA, Fanelli Kuczmarski MT, Beydoun HA, Shroff MR, Mason MA, Evans MK, Zonderman AB.
⁴Eur J Clin Nutr. 2010 Mar;64(3):289-96. Serum folate and homocysteine and depressive symptoms among Japanese men and women. Nanri A, Mizoue T, Matsushita Y, Sasaki S, Ohta M, Sato M, Mishima N.