On Healthy by Nature this week: An Integrative Approach to Cancer Prevention and Treatment. My guests are Lise Alschuler, ND, FABNO & health journalist Karolyn Gazella. Join us at 1-800-281-8255. They are the authors of an impressive book, The Definitive Guide to Cancer, available in book stores. RealFoodGrocery.com also sells the book, or you can get this great reference for just $5 with the purchase of 2 boxes of Dr. Ohhira’s Probiotics (free shipping).

We’ll be talking about cancer next week too. If this is a subject of special interest to you or someone you know, please see the information and resources on my website at this link.

RESEARCH BRIEFS

• Increased risk of sudden cardiac death with low magnesium levels. After researchers followed 14,232 subjects for 12 years, they determined that those in the highest quartile (upper 1/4 of participants) of serum magnesium levels had an almost 40% reduced risk of sudden cardiac death compared to those in the lowest quartile.¹

My 2 cents: This new study demonstrates again what leaders such as Sherry Rogers, MD have said for a long time. Incidentally, “serum magnesium” is a relatively crude gauge of the body’s sufficiency of the mineral. I suspect the study results would have been even more startling if the scientists had been able to measure the more indicative “red blood cell magnesium” rather than just the serum (clear fluid) portion. Read more about magnesium.

• Acid-blocking drugs reduce magnesium levels. The authors of this paper used 4 cases to illustrate the problems that arise when drugs of the proton pump inhibitor class are taken for an extended time. One patient went into a coma after a collapse apparently caused by irregular heart rhythms. The others also showed serious irregularities in their EKG heart tests and their balances of other critical minerals. The problems arose when the drugs were taken for as little as 1 year.²

My 2 cents: Nexium®, Prilosec®, Zegerid®, Protonix® and Prevacid® are just a few examples of the many drugs of this type used for acid reflux and heartburn. The authors acknowledge that it has been generally known since 2006 that the proton pump inhibitors cause a depletion of magnesium. It should have been no surprise even back then because we’ve known all along that stomach acid is important to the absorption of magnesium as well as other nutrients. Put this study together with the one above and it doesn’t paint a pretty picture. The evidence is mounting that the concerns I raised in my book were indeed warranted.* It may be too late to sign up for my teleseminar on the subject tonight (Thursday 10/14/2010).

• Aged garlic extract may lower blood pressure. In a gold standard study, patients with uncontrolled hypertension received either placebo or 4 capsules of aged garlic extract for 12 weeks. The patients who had taken garlic reduced their systolic blood pressure by 10 points compared to the placebo group. The researchers concluded that the garlic reduced blood pressure “…similarly to current first line medications in patients with treated but uncontrolled hypertension.” ³

My 2 cents: You can imagine that if garlic is useful in such an extreme case (uncontrolled hypertension) it is also helpful in milder cases and for prevention. Note that this study used an “aged garlic extract”. The only one I know of is from the Japanese company, Kyolic, which has conducted over 600 studies on garlic for various health issues. I especially like their Blood Pressure Combination #109 because it contains two other powerful ingredients.

Don’t suddenly stop medications. Consult your health practitioner. This newsletter is educational and not a substitute for professional advice. The statements in this newsletter have not been evaluated by the FDA. This information and any products mentioned are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

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

My latest book : Aloe Vera-Modern Science Sheds Light on an Ancient Herbal Remedy

Copyright 2010 Martie Whittekin, CCN

¹Am Heart J. 2010 Sep;160(3):464-70. Serum magnesium and risk of sudden cardiac death in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study. Peacock JM, Ohira T, Post W, Sotoodehnia N, Rosamond W, Folsom AR.

²Am J Kidney Dis. 2010 Jul;56(1):112-6. Epub 2010 Feb 26. A case series of proton pump inhibitor-induced hypomagnesemia. Hoorn EJ, van der Hoek J, de Man RA, Kuipers EJ, Bolwerk C, Zietse R.

³Maturitas. 2010 Oct;67(2):144-50. Aged garlic extract lowers blood pressure in patients with treated but uncontrolled hypertension: a randomised controlled trial. Ried K, Frank OR, Stocks NP.