Posted by Dan Hammer //

03/22/2019

An aspirin a day has now become a big controversy in the medical and pharmaceutical industry. What has been preached in TV ads, and at doctor offices, has been thrown out the window.

At least for a large segment of the population.

This controversy around an aspirin a day has created the following headlines. From Yahoo Health News we get:

“Don’t take an aspirin a day to prevent heart attacks and strokes: Doctors reverse recommendation”

Now if you didn’t read the article you would think this applies to all people. And that aspirin can’t prevent heart attacks and strokes.

The following headline from USA Today is more accurate to the newly published study:

“Low-dose aspirin has no effect, causes harm in some older people, study says”

Sounds a bit like Yoda from Star Wars talking about this new study.

Well before we talk about the study, I want you to understand that this controversy is not new. In fact, I created a YouTube video on this topic 6 years ago. And my opening statement is,

“There is a new medical controversy about the use of aspirin for the prevention of heart disease especially in the area of preventing heart attacks and strokes.”

I’ve placed this video below. As you can see by the title “Aspirin vs Nitric Oxide for the Prevention of Blood Clots”, there is a natural ingredient that your body produces that keeps blood platelet cells from sticking together.

Learning how to optimize your nitric oxide levels can help you naturally reduce your risk for heart attacks and strokes.

As Aspirin a Day – Current Study

Let’s get back to the current controversy about an aspirin a day and what this new study actually says. The title for this study is:

Effect of Aspirin on Disability-free Survival in the Healthy Elderly

There were over 19,000 people in this study with a median age of 74 years old. They were randomly assigned to receive either an aspirin or a placebo.

The study showed that the rate of death, dementia, or persistent physical disability was almost identical for both groups. For the aspirin groups it was 21.5 per 1000 people and 21.2 per 1000 people for the placebo group.

And compliance was not the issue. In the final year of this study the participation percentage was close to being identical. 62.1% for the aspirin group and 64.1% for the placebo group.

And here is the stated conclusions taken directly from this study about an aspirin a day:

CONCLUSIONS

Aspirin use in healthy elderly persons did not prolong disability-free survival over a period of 5 years but led to a higher rate of major hemorrhage than placebo.

As you can see from these conclusions, the authors of this study do not believe an aspirin provides any benefit to older adults in lowering their risk for disease. And that the use of aspirin increased the probability of experiencing major hemorrhaging.

Which is want the video I produced 6 years ago was all about.

Now there have been additional articles written to help people adopt lifestyle changes that will reduce their risk for heart attacks and strokes. Here’s one just posted on March 19, 2019 with the following headline:

Aspirin is out. Here’s how healthy older adults can prevent heart attacks, strokes without pills

And the 4 lifestyle changes the author recommended were:

Eat these foods (mainly plant based nutrition)
Regularly exercise
Keep a healthy weight
Don’t smoke

And while all of these recommendations are good, this author and the medical profession still do not list nitric oxide therapy as a valid way to help keep blood platelet cells from sticking together to naturally reduce your risk for a stroke or heart attack.

I’m a firm believer that nitric oxide naturally does what aspirin tries to do. But without the negative side effects. So watch the video above. This way you can make your own decision on what you should do to help lower your risk.

Blessing Lives Through Nitric Oxide Therapy!

Dan Hammer

Naturally Eliminate Heart Arrhythmia

Posted by Dan Hammer //

03/15/2019

The title for today’s blog post came from a client whose husband was able to naturally eliminate heart arrhythmia through a combination of taurine with l-arginine.

My client sent me a link to the PubMed article. You can click here to read it for yourself.

The title for this 2006 published study is “Elimination of cardiac arrhythmias using oral taurine with l-arginine with case histories: Hypothesis for nitric oxide stabilization of the sinus node.”

It’s a long title but has some excellent information on how to naturally eliminate heart arrhythmia.

In fact I found the abstract of this study to be fascinating for it looked at the nutrient deficiencies in the following cardiac arrhythmias:

Premature Atrial Contractions (PACs)
Premature Ventricular Contractions (PVCs)
Atrial Fibrillation
Sinus Pauses

And here were their findings:

Finding #1 – The use of 10 – 20 grams of taurine per day reduced PACs by 50% and prevented all PVCs but did not prevent pauses.

Finding #2 – When 4-6 gram of L-arginine were added this immediately eliminated all the remaining pauses and PACs. And with continued treatment maintained normal cardiac rhythm.

I’ve many clients who have experienced remarkable improvements with heart arrhythmia through the use of nitric oxide therapy. But not all have benefited.

So let’s look at this a little deeper to understand how this combination of taurine and L-arginine help.

Naturally Eliminate Heart Arrhythmia – The Basics

The word arrhythmia is used by the medical community to describe a disturbance in the normal rhythm of the heart. Some arrhythmias are mild and temporary. Others can be life threatening.

The most common arrhythmia is called atrial fibrillation. This effects the upper chambers of the heart and can effect the filling of your heart ventricles, which are the lower chambers of the heart. Usually the concern of atrial fibrillation is the potential for blood to pool in the upper chambers of the heart, which increases your risk for a blood clot. A blood clot that can lead to a stroke or heart attack.

A common, but minor rhythm disorder, is a PVC or premature ventricular contraction. This is when your ventricles or lower heart chambers contract prematurely. PVCs have more of an effect on your body since the lower chambers push out blood to either your lungs or body.

This is especially dangerous when these PVCs become rapid and uncontrolled because it interferes with your blood flow and can lead to death.

Both types of arrhythmias are primarily the result of a disturbance or interference in the electrical conduction of the heart.

Naturally Eliminate Heart Arrhythmia – The Taurine Effect

Taurine is a naturally occurring amino acid that is extremely beneficial to your brain, eyes, heart, and muscles. And while your body can produce taurine, sometimes you’ll need to supplement to help address specific health needs.

As related to the normal rhythm of your heart, taurine helps to regulate potassium, calcium, and sodium levels in your blood and tissues. It also helps to protect you from free radical damage. And specific to your heart, it helps to regulate the excitability of the myocardium.

Taurine also helps to restore energy.

Specific to arrhythmias it seems to dampen the activity of the sympathetic nervous system and epinephrine release.

Naturally Eliminate Heart Arrhythmia – The L-arginine Effect

L-arginine is a key amino acid needed for all people no matter their age or sex. L-arginine helps to fuel 7 different metabolic pathways that are essential to good health. If you’re interested is these 7 different pathways, then please watch the video below titled “The Truth about L-Arginine!”

As it applies to heart arrhythmia, l-arginine is converted by eNOS enzymes, which line your vascular system, into nitric oxide. This process seems to restore sinus rhythm because it helps to restore the ntric oxide needed for stabilization of the sinus node.

Naturally Eliminate Heart Arrhythmia – Final Thoughts

In doing research for this article I also came across two other ingredients that have good supporting literature as it applies to heart arrhythmia.

One is magnesium. I recently did a blog post on this key mineral and how it can significantly improve your overall health. Specific to your cardiovascular system it:

Helps lover blood pressure
Reduces the risk for a stroke
And facilitates the electrical circuitry of the heart

The other ingredient is the amino acid L-carnitine. This amino acid helps to prevent PVCs. And works in tandem with CoQ10 to produce the needed energy for a normal heart contraction.

If you experience any heart arrhythmias, then you need to see your physician. But if your arrhythmia is mild, and your doctor is open to giving you some time before any type of medical intervention, then try a combination of oral taurine and L-arginine as outlined in the study above.

Hopefully your outcome will be the same. Were the arrhythmia disappears and normal heart rhythm returns.

Blessing Lives Through Nitric Oxide Therapy!

Dan Hammer

Stroke – Gone at the Age of 52 Luke Perry

Posted by Dan Hammer //

03/08/2019

There has been a lot of press over the last week about the actor Luke Perry dying from a massive stroke. What makes this even more tragic is that Mr. Perry was only 52 years of age.

The image above was taken on March 31 of 2017. Who would have thought that less than 2 years later Luke Perry would be dead from a massive stroke.

Now I don’t know Mr. Perry. Nor am I familiar with his work.

But what I am familiar with is the devastating effects of a stroke. If it doesn’t kill you, then it will dramatically affect the quality of your life. And whether you live or die it will certainly impact your family and friends.

So rather than write another article about strokes, I’d prefer to point you in the direction of some educationally pieces I’ve done in the past to help educate you on the prevention of strokes. And what conditions to look for to quickly identify a stroke victim. And how to assess your risk for a stroke.

Below you will find links and images that will help you and your loved ones understand this important health topic.

Stroke Prevention – How Nitric Oxide Therapy Can Reduce Your Risk for Stroke

Please watch the video below to understand how nitric oxide therapy can help reduce your risk for a stroke. Then share this video with others.

Stroke Warning Signs – The STR Poster

Click on the image below and then download The STR Poster or print it off as a reminder on what to look for to quickly assess if a person has had a stroke. Please share The STR Poster with others.

The Stroke Risk Assessment Tool

Use the Stroke Risk Assessment Tool to help you determine your risk for a stroke. Just CLICK HERE to go to the blog post that contains this stroke risk assessment tool. Please share this with others.

I hope you find this information helpful.

Blessing Lives Through Nitric Oxide Therapy!

Dan Hammer

Keto Diet Pros and Cons

Posted by Dan Hammer //

03/01/2019

Recently I’ve had several clients ask me about the Keto Diet Pros and Cons. And to be honest I didn’t know enough about this diet to give them any guidance.

Because of this I’ve taken time to examine the Keto Diet Pros and Cons. And I’ve organized my research into the following categories:

What is the Keto Diet
Keto Diet Pros
Keto Diet Cons
Keto Diet My Opinion

Let’s begin this examination of the Keto Diet Pros and Cons with an understanding of what this diet is.

What is the Keto Diet

Originally the Keto Diet (called the Ketogenic Diet) was developed in the 1920s to help reduce seizures in pediatric patients with epilepsy. This diet is still used for this purpose. But in today’s world it has become a popular weight loss program.

Overall the Keto Diet is an extremely low-carbohydrate, low protein, and high fat diet. Specifically it looks like this:

5% of your calories come from carbohydrate non-starchy vegetables. This means that foods like grains, beans, fruits, and starchy vegetables (corn and peas) are excluded.
20% of your calories come from protein, which can include fish, meat, eggs, and cheese.
70% of your calories come from healthy fats, with good omega 3 fatty acids, like coconut oil, avocados, grass-fed butter, extra-virgin olive oil, unprocessed nuts, and grass-fed beef (still need to count this beef as part of your protein intake)

The purpose of this diet is to get your energy needs from fat and not carbohydrates. Typically, your body turns your carbohydrate intake into blood glucose for energy. When you eliminate these carbohydrates from your body, then you’ll switch to burning fatty acids for energy. These fatty acids are called ketones. Hence the same of the diet.

It usually takes your body about three weeks of carbohydrate elimination to make the transition to ketones for energy.

Keto Diet Pros

Now to get a good perspective on the Keto Diet Pros and Cons we’ll start off with the Pros. In examining multiple sites and articles, here are the Pros for this diet:

Reduces Insulin Levels

When you significantly reduce your carbohydrate intake, you significantly reduce your blood glucose levels. Insulin is used to move glucose into your cells for energy. Less glucose, less need for insulin. This can help diabetics reset their blood sugar levels and insulin sensitivity.

Reduce Inflammation

Most of the articles I looked at related inflammation to high levels of insulin circulating in the blood stream. And while high levels of insulin may play a role in inflammation, by far the two greatest contributing factors are:

Sugar (carbohydrates)

Omega 6 Fatty Acids

The proper application of the Keto Diet significantly reduces both of the factors, which can then significantly reduce inflammation levels throughout the body.

Help You Lose Body Fat

This is the main use for the Keto Diet in today’s marketplace. Research and anecdotal information indicates that the Keto diet can in fact help you lose body fat. One of the reasons why this occurs is that with an increase intake of fats, there is also increase in satiety. Thus you’re not as hungry.

Because you’ve dramatically decreased your carbohydrate intake, your blood sugar levels are stabilized and you have less desire for carbohydrates.

Also, carbohydrate and sugar laden diets cause people to retain water. Eliminate them from your diet and a lot of your extra water weight goes away.

Finally, most people end up eating less calories because they’re not as hungry or craving snack foods with empty calories. Overall caloric intake goes down. This helps to your body go after fat stores to make up the caloric difference.

Increased Fat Intake

Healthy fats are good for you. Especially those with high omega 3 fatty acids. Omega 3 fatty acids turn off inflammation. And helps to support heart health and cell membrane integrity.

Sugar Detox

Sugar and modern day wheat are the two biggest contributors to inflammation. Additionally high sugar intake messes with your blood sugar levels and can trigger the potential for type 2 diabetes. Plus sugar intake is also tied to cravings.

Keto Diet Cons

To continue our perspective on the Keto Diet Pros and Cons we need to examine the Con side of the equation, which are:

Difficult to Follow – Yo Yo Dieting

Because this diet is so counter to what most people eat, it can be difficult to maintain as a lifestyle. It usually takes your body a couple of weeks to adapt from using glucose for energy to ketones for energy. This can be challenging as your body experiences sluggishness and some brain fog.

Having the attitude that this diet is a bridge to better health can be helpful. Use the Keto Diet to help get fat of your frame and reset you insulin levels. Then go back to a healthy diet with more protein and moderate carbohydrates. This may help you maintain your health benefits.

Eating Fats That Are Not Healthy

The Keto Diet has a high fat intake. Some make the mistake of increasing their fat intake with foods laden with omega-6 vegetable oils. Omega 6 vegetable oils negatively affect your microbiome. And they are the main trigger that turns on inflammation.

Constipation

Because there is so little carbohydrates in this diet there is usually a lack of fiber coming into your digestive system. This results in constipation. So make sure your 5% of carbohydrates are leafy vegetables with good fiber content.

Renal Risk

More ketones in your system can put an additional load on your kidneys. And a high fat diet brings less water into your system so you may experience dehydration. I’ll talk about this in my opinion section of this article.

Brain Function

Your brain gets its energy from blood glucose. Carbohydrates are the easiest way to provide your brain with this glucose. When you switch to the Keto diet you may experience lack of focus and what some call “brain fog.”

Reduced Athletic Performance

In a 1996 study by Copenhagen University, they found that a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet resulted in lower athletic performance. And the International Olympic Committee also warns athletes to avoid low-carbohydrate diets.

Keto Diet My Opinion

In this debate about the Keto Diet Pros and Cons one factor that is not mentioned is the toxins stored in your fat cells. Your body protects itself from toxins by storing them in your fat cells.

When your body converts stored fat to ketones, these toxins are released back into your system. Especially at the beginning of the diet. It’s especially important that you drink plenty of water. I’d recommend adding Liquid Chlorophyll to your water to help detoxify your blood. Add 1 or 2 tablespoons per 16 ounces of water. And drink 3 to 4 of them per day.

Now my opinion is that there are other ways to improve your health. Especially because this type of diet is lacking in the needed soluble fiber to fuel the good bacteria of your gut. And since 80% of your immune system is determined by your gut health, this could be a potential con to the Keto Diet.

My suggestion would be to use this diet as a temporary program that helps you reset your blood glucose and insulin levels. Then increase your good carbohydrate intake to 20% and your good protein intake (especially plant based protein) to 30% and lower your good fat intake to 50%.

Blessing Lives Through Nitric Oxide Therapy!

Dan Hammer

What is Broken Heart Syndrome

Posted by Dan Hammer //

02/22/2019

Today I received an email with the subject line Broken Heart Syndrome. Because I know the sender I opened it.

And read it.

The topic was interesting enough that I thought I would make my final post for the month of February on this health issue. Especially since February is officially heart health month in the United States.

Now before we talk about broken heart syndrome, what might be a good example?

My friend used the example of Debbie Reynolds dying the next day after her daughter Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia for all eternity) had died the previous day from cardiac arrest. Many attributed the passing of Debbie Reynolds to a broken heart. However, the exact cause was a stroke followed by her death.

What is Broken Heart Syndrome?

So I was curious to know if this broken heart syndrome is a real medical event. Both the Mayo Clinic and the American Heart Association recognize it as a valid medical condition that can lead to death.

Like everything in the medical community it has a term. In fact it can go by several terms:

Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy
Apical Ballooning Syndrome
Stress Cardiomyopathy

The conditions of a broken heart syndrome can mimic that of a heart attack. This would include chest pain and shortness of breath. Sometimes disruptions in your heartbeat. Maybe even low blood pressure.

And although the exact cause is not completely clear, it’s thought to be a result of a surge in stress hormones. Especially adrenaline.

This would make sense since the broken heart syndrome is usually tied to an emotional response. Here are some potential triggers for this health issue (as taken from the Mayo Clinic):

News of an unexpected death of a loved one
A frightening medical diagnosis
Domestic abuse
Losing – or even winning – a lot of money
Strong arguments
A surprise party (I’ve a comment about this below)
Having to perform publicly
Job loss
Divorce
Physical stressors, such as an asthma attack, a car accident or major surgery

Now regarding the “surprise party” trigger. I’ll always remember the day my Dad turned 60. That was back when I was in college. My mom had planned a surprise party for my dad. She had gotten him out of the house. And while they were gone everyone came to the party.

We parked our cars a couple of blocks away and there were about 30 people at the party. The lights in the house were off. When the lookout person saw my mom and dad pull into the driveway everyone went quiet.

My Dad opened the door and let my Mom come in. Then he entered and turned on the lights. Everyone shouted “Surprise!!!” My father was shocked and immediately grabbed his chest. I thought he was going to have a heart attack.

Well he recovered from the shock and had a great time with family and friends.

But it was most likely a warning sign that nobody picked up on because 8 years later he died of a massive heart attack.

His chest pain was most likely due to a surge in adrenaline, which effected an already partially block artery in his heart.

Risk Factors for Broken Heart Syndrome

I also found it interesting that there are several known risk factors for this medically recognized concern:

Sex – Women are more susceptible to this then men.
Age – Broken heart syndrome occurs most often in people over the age of 50.
A History of Neurological Conditions – People with a head injury or seizure disorder have a greater risk.
A Previous or Current Psychiatric Disorder – Those with anxiety or depression issues have a higher risk for this issue.

And as far as any type of prevention for this issue, there was no real suggestions from either the Mayo Clinic or the American Heart Association.

Except to say that if you experiencing any of the symptoms, then call 911 and let the medical community help you sort it out.

A blood test can help your doctor determine if there has been any heart damage. An EKG will also help your doctor determine if you’re having a heart attack or just experiencing broken heart syndrome.

The good news is that your recovery is quick. Usually within days or weeks. And the probability of you having a second event like this are extremely low.

Take the time to make good food and lifestyle choices so that you can optimize your overall health and wellness. And reduce your risk for any type of cardiovascular event.

Blessing Lives Through Nitric Oxide Therapy!

Dan Hammer

Reduce the Risk for Heart Attack With Nitric Oxide Therapy

Posted by Dan Hammer //

02/15/2019

Do you want to reduce the risk for heart attack? And do it naturally? With Nobel Prize winning science?

Well the obvious answer to the first question is “Yes!”

And hopefully you answered “Yes” to the other two questions.

In this article I’ll help you understand how nitric oxide therapy can be a natural and effective way to reduce the risk for heart attack.

In 1998 the Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded to 3 American researcher who discovered how the lining of your cardiovascular system (what is called the endothelium) converts the amino acid L-arginine into nitric oxide.

Nitric oxide is the master signaling molecule of your entire cardiovascular system. Without it you would be dead. It’s that important to your overall health.

Specifically, nitric oxide relaxes the smooth muscle of your vascular wall to improve circulation.

And when the Nobel Prize was awarded in 1998, this set off an explosion of research in this area. There are now more than 100,000 peer-reviewed clinical studies in the area of nitric oxide.

One of the emerging benefits is how nitric oxide can reduce the risk for heart attack.

Reduce The Risk For Heart Attack – Nitric Oxide Therapy

Now to help you understand how nitric oxide therapy can be a natural way to reduce the risk for heart attack it’s important to understand some key statistics.

First, there are about 1.5 million heart attacks and strokes that occur each year in the United States.

And according to the American Heart Association, if you survive your heart attack, then approximately 26% of women and 19% of men will die within one year.

And the most common day of the week for a heart attack is on a Monday. And the most common time for a heart attack is during the morning hours between 4 am to 10 am when your blood platelets are stickier.

Well one of the benefits of nitric oxide is that it keeps blood platelet cells from sticking together. This benefit naturally reduces both your risk for heart attack as well as your risk for a stroke.

And when I Googled the question “What is the number one cause of heart attacks?” I got the following answer:

“Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the leading cause of heart attacks. CHD is a condition in which the coronary arteries (the major blood vessels that supply the heart with blood) get clogged up with deposits of cholesterol. These deposits are called plaques.”

This process is called atherosclerosis. It narrows the inside of your artery to reduce blood blow and significantly increase your risk for a heart attack. It also causes a drastic reduction in nitric oxide production.

Yet when you nourish this lining of your cardiovascular system, what is called the endothelium, with the right ingredients you can increase nitric oxide production.

This nitric oxide then relaxes the smooth muscle of your vascular wall to dilate the blood vessel for improved blood flow.

This then reduces your risk of a blood clot getting stuck in this narrowed area.

In my research for this article I also found some current and encouraging studies in this area on how nitric oxide can naturally reduce the risk for heart attack.

Reduce The Risk For Heart Attack – Current Studies

Here’s one from ScienceDaily that was published in the year 2018.

The title of the article is “Heart disease severity may depend on nitric oxide levels.” I’ve highlighted two lines in the summary.

First, “Researchers showed that nitric oxide may help commonly used heart drugs maximize their benefits while improving heart function.”

This means nitric oxide not only benefits your heart function but helps your medication work more effectively.

Equally important is the second line which states, “In turn, the study found nitric oxide deficiencies could underlie heart failure while tilting drug effects toward more harmful pathways and side effects.”

This means the lack of nitric oxide production could set you up for heart failure and increase your probability of side effects from your medications.

I also found this statement made by Dr. Jonathan Stamler, one of the lead authors of this study, to be an eye opener:

“Our work shows that the main receptors in the heart that respond to drugs don’t work without nitric oxide.”

To further echo this I found an article from PubMed titled “Nitric oxide and myocardial function in heart failure: friend or foe?”

Here’s a direct statement from the lead authors of this study:

“Many diverse and often contradictory effects of NO or NO donors on myocardial function have been reported which, until relatively recently, have been difficult to make sense of. However, there is now an emerging consensus that NO generally acts to fine tune and optimise cardiac pump function.”

And finally I want to leave you with this quote from WebMD as it regards nitric oxide and heart function:

“In the body, the amino acid arginine changes into nitric oxide (NO). Nitric oxide is a powerful neurotransmitter that helps blood vessels relax and also improves circulation.

Some evidence shows that arginine may help improve blood flow in the arteries of the heart. That may improve symptoms of clogged arteries, chest pain or angina, and coronary artery disease. “

As you can see nitric oxide can help to significantly reduce the risk for heart attack. And if you are on any type of heart medication, then nitric oxide can help that medication work more effectively.

Blessing Lives Through Nitric Oxide Therapy!

Dan Hammer

Key Supplements For Heart Health

Posted by Dan Hammer //

02/08/2019

One of the primary focuses for the month of February is cardiovascular health. Today I want to share with you key supplements for heart health.

Now you can do a Google search using the term supplements for heart health and you’ll find numerous articles.

For example WebMD recommends 6 different supplements.

And Better Nutrition recommends 9 different supplements.

And while the 6 from WebMD are good and the 9 supplements for heart health from Better Nutrition are good, there are 3 that are key.

Two of these 3 always make everyone’s list. One is seldom listed but equally important.

I’ve written about each of these in the past. For for this blog post I thought I’d pulled them all together for a quick review. If you would like more knowledge about each, I’ve linked them to my specific article about that supplement.

Here are my recommendations regarding supplements for heart health. I’ve listed them based on importance.

Supplements for Heart Health – CoQ10

CoQ10 is critical to the energy supply of the heart.

Within every cell are mitochondria. Mitochondria are the batteries or power generators. They convert the stored energy of the nutrients you consume into an energy form that your cells can use to perform their function.

CoQ10 is a critical component in the process of converting stored energy in your food into energy compounds your cells can use to do the work they are designed to do.

Without CoQ10 your cellular energy systems will fail and your cells will not function properly.

And here is why I place this supplement as they most important for hearth health.

As the pharmaceutical industry has observed, the use of statins (which interfere with CoQ10 production in the liver) leads to an increase in congestive heart failure.

This means anyone taking a statin drug needs to take a CoQ10 supplement.

Additionally, CoQ10 is also a powerful antioxidant to help protect your cells and cell membranes from harmful free radicals. This protects your cells from oxidative stress that causes inflammation, which then contributes to cellular dysfunction and most diseases.

Supplments for Heart Health – Omega 3s

Inflammation is the root cause of most cardiovascular health concerns.

Omega 3 oils like Coconut Oil, Avocados, Grass-fed Butter, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and Fish rich in Omega-3s actually help to turn off inflammation.

Due to food choices, most Americans eat a diet that has a 20:1 ration of omega-6 to omega-3 fats, which creates an environments for chronic inflammation. This chronic inflammation then increases a person’s risk for all types of diseases.

Especially heart disease.

This increased risk was pointed out in research conducted at Harvard University were they showed that omega-3 fatty acid deficiency ranked as the sixth highest killer of Americans. Actually claiming approximately 96,000 people per year.

If you want to reverse this deficiency, then you need to consume a diet rich in omega-3 and significantly reduce your intake of omega-6 oils.

Supplements for Heart Health – Vitamin D3

As the body of scientific research continues to grow, the number of health benefits from vitamin D3 also grows. Here is a brief summary of some of these vitamin D3 benefits as it applies to your cardiovascular system:

Helps to Maintain Calcium Balance in the Bloodstream – Vitally important to cardiovascular health is the proper maintenance of your blood calcium levels. This helps to prevent calcification of the vascular wall, which leads to arteriosclerosis. Additionally, your endothelial cells, which line all of your cardiovascular system, need calcium to be able to convert the amino acid L-arginine into nitric oxide – the master signaling molecule of your entire cardiovascular system.

Helps in Blood Pressure Regulation – Recent studies have shown that vitamin D3 may decrease the risk for high blood pressure. This would make sense since proper blood calcium levels are needed to initiate the production of nitric oxide from L-arginine. Since nitric oxide is the body’s most powerful vasodilator, it is used to relax the vascular wall to help control blood pressure.

Additionally, vitamin D3 inhibits the enzyme renin, which is released by the kidneys. This enzyme acts to increase blood pressure. By inhibiting this enzyme, vitamin D3 helps to maintain normal blood pressures.

High blood pressure is the number one risk factor for strokes and heart attacks so this supplement is a good choice to help maintain a normal blood pressure.

That is my list of the key supplements for heart health. Certainly others can be added but these three are my recommendations.

Blessing Lives Through Nitric Oxide Therapy!

Dan

Nitric Oxide Therapy and Heart Health

Posted by Dan Hammer //

02/01/2019

Over 20 years ago there was an explosion of research on nitric oxide therapy and heart health.

It started with the 1998 Nobel Prize in Medicine being awarded to 3 American researchers for discovering how the lining of your cardiovascular system, called the endothelium, converts the amino acid L-arginine into nitric oxide.

Nitric oxide is the master signaling molecule of your cardiovascular system. You couldn’t live without nitric oxide.

Fast forward to 2019.

Currently, there are over 100,000 peer reviewed clinical studies in the area of nitric oxide.

Yet still to this day, nitric oxide therapy and heart health is not recognized by the American Heart Association as a valid method for addressing cardiovascular concerns. You can go to their website and search “nitric oxide” and nothing will come up.

What will come up is an article titled “Cardiovascular diseases affect nearly half of American adults.” According to this article 46% of US adults have high blood pressure.

High blood pressure is the number one risk factor for strokes and heart attacks.

Yet nitric oxide therapy can be a natural method to bring blood pressures back into the normal range.

In his bestselling book NO More Heart Disease, Nobel Laureate in Medicine Dr. Louis J. Ignarro makes this statement on the cover,

“How Nitric Oxide Can Prevent – Even Reverse – Heart Disease and Strokes”

As Dr. Ignarro discovered, nitric oxide is created naturally in your body to help maintain normal blood flow. In fact, nitric oxide provides the following key benefits:

First, it helps to restore and maintain the health and flexibility of your arteries and veins.
Second, it improves blood flow by relaxing the smooth muscle of the vascular wall
Third, it keeps blood platelet cells from sticking together to naturally reduce your risk for strokes and heart attacks.
Forth, it accelerates the repair process to support natural healing.

As Dr. Ignarro states in his book,

“A tiny molecule called nitric oxide is produced by the body specifically to help keep arteries and veins free of the plaque that causes strokes and to maintain normal blood pressure by relaxing the arteries, thereby regulating the rate of blood flow and preventing coronaries. Nitric oxide is the body’s natural cardiovascular wonder drug.”

Nitric Oxide Therapy and Heart Health – The Million Lives Project

To help people become aware of this “natural cardiovascular wonder drug,” I’ve associated myself with The Million Lives Project. Their goal is to help 1 million people or more understand how nitric oxide therapy can be a natural way to address most cardiovascular health concerns.

And they have produced a series of videos to help educate adults on how nitric oxide therapy can address the following concerns:

Hopefully, this information on nitric oxide therapy and heart health can empower you and your loved ones to use a valid and natural way to improve your cardiovascular health.

Blessing Lives Through Nitric Oxide Therapy!

Dan Hammer

Can Probiotics Boost Cognitive Function?

Posted by Dan Hammer //

01/22/2019

We have an interesting question for today’s blog post: Can Probiotics Boost Cognitive Function

Maybe you’re not familiar with the term probiotics.

Very simply probiotics are good bacteria that help you recolonize your gut flora with the types of bacteria that promote good health.

You can obtain them from supplements, food, or both.

And there is plenty of good research that shows how probiotics aid in digestion as well as help in easing gas and bloating.

Now current research out of UCLA and other scientific organizations are showing a clear link on how probiotics boost cognitive function.

Here are several examples.

Probiotics Boost Cognitive Function – Studies

Scientists at UCLA designed a study to determine if probiotics boost cognitive function. They split their group of participants into two categories. One group consumed a placebo. The other group consumed a probiotic mixture. Both groups were subject to the same brain scans.

Both groups watched a series of pictures designed to stimulate an emotional response.

The brain scans of the placebo group showed activity in the emotional and sensory areas of the brain.

The brain scans of the probiotic group showed activity in the emotional and sensory areas of the brain. But they also showed brain activity in the pre-frontal cortex that helps to facilitate higher thinking and executive function.

Executive function is a term used to describe reasoning, thinking, judgment, and self-control. When this part of your brain (pre-frontal cortex) is engaged it helps you stay calm, be less anxious, and have improved clarity of thought.

In another study, researchers looked at the effects of probiotics on the cognitive functioning of elderly men with advanced stages of memory loss. There were 60 participants and they were split into a placebo group and a group that got a probiotic combination that contained L. acidophilus and B. bifium.

The group that consumed the probiotic combination showed significant improvements in memory testing.

Probiotics Boost Cognitive Function – Antibiotics

The use of antibiotics is wide spread. And as scientists explore the microbiome it has become apparent that antibiotics negatively effect your gut flora.

As most of us know, antibiotics help to destroy bad bacteria and fight infection. But antibiotics also kill the good bacteria. This has consequences to your overall health.

In studies on mice, antibiotics were used to remove good bacteria. This wiped out the good probiotics that help colonize their gut microbiome. Almost immediately the mice showed signs of memory loss. And their brain cell growth stopped.

When these mice were given a diet that included probiotics their brain cells started to grow and their memory and recall also improved.

These types of studies have shown a clear connection between gut health and cognitive function. Using probiotics to improve the good bacteria of the gut microbiome helps to improve memory and clear thinking.

Probiotics Boost Cognitive Function – Harvard Medical School

The Harvard Medical School also noted how probiotics boost cognitive health. In their article titled “Probiotics may help boost mood and cognitive function” they make the following statement:

“Research shows that the gut and brain are connected, a partnership called the gut-brain axis. The two are linked through biochemical signaling between the nervous system in the digestive tract, called the enteric nervous system, and the central nervous system, which includes the brain. The primary information connection between the brain and gut is the vagus nerve, the longest nerve in the body.

The gut has been called a ‘second brain’ because it produces many of the same neurotransmitters as the brain does, like serotonin, dopamine, and gamma-aminobutyric acid, all of which play a key role in regulating mood. In fact, it is estimated that 90% of serotonin is made in the digestive tract.”

They go on to point out several research studies that showed how the use of probiotic foods improved cognitive function in both Alzheimer’s patients and in women.

As you research this area you will find numerous studies that demonstrate how probiotics can not only improve cognitive function, but also help to balance hormones, boost your immune system, and reduce inflammation.

This makes the consumption of probotic foods like yogurt and sauerkraut more attractive. Or using a good probiotic supplement to help reset your gut health while boosting your cognitive function.

Blessing Lives Through Nitric Oxide Therapy!

Dan Hammer

The Health Benefits of Magnesium

Posted by Dan Hammer //

01/14/2019

Today I’d like to focus on the health benefits of magnesium. Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been writing a series of video scripts on how to address a Leaky Gut.

Once I produce this video series I’ll be sure to share it with you.

There are 5 key steps to healing a Leaky Gut and step five centers on the health benefits of magnesium.

Most of the literature about magnesium ignores this benefit.

So let’s start our discussion on the health benefits of magnesium by addressing how it can improve your gut health.

Magnesium For Improved Gut Health!

Magnesium is a crucial mineral required for the function of hundreds of enzymes in the gut to improve immunity, digestion, regularity, and energy production.

As your gut microbiome improves, magnesium aids in the production of healthy chemical compounds that can provide the following overall health benefits:

Helps Increase Energy
Calms Nerves
Treats Insomnia
Aids Digestion
Relieves Muscle Aches and Pains
Regulates Calcium and Potassium Levels
Is Important for Heart Health
Prevents Migraine Headaches
And Helps Prevent Osteoporosis.

One of the keys to improving your gut health and reducing the potential for a Leaky Gut is to reduce inflammation. Magnesium helps in a big way.

As your body uses magnesium to help you properly digest your food, this reduces the potential for toxins. Toxins create inflammation, which damages the lining of your small intestine.

Less toxins produced, less damage to the lining of your small intestine to decrease your probability of having a Leaky Gut.

Other Health Benefits of Magnesium

In addition to having a significant impact on maintaining good gut health, magnesium has three overall health benefits:

Benefit 1 – Needed for Cellular Energy
Benefit 2 – Necessary for DNA Synthesis and Repair
Benefit 3 – Combats Chronic, Low-Grade Inflammation

When you break these overall health benefits down, they play the following role in helping your body and organ systems function better. For example:

Bone Density – Half of your total body magnesium is stored in the bones. It’s needed for bone remodeling. This is a process that your body uses to break down old bone structure to reform new bone structure.

And your blood levels of magnesium are critical to your bone density. If deficient, then your body will take magnesium from your bones, which can decrease your bone mass to contribute to osteoporosis.

This also triggers pro-inflammatory cytokines to increase inflammation.

Cardiovascular Health – Magnesium has several roles in heart health. One is helping to maintain good heart rhythm. If your magnesium levels are low, then your become more susceptible to irregular heartbeats or what the medical community calls arrhythmias.

Magnesium also improves the function of your endothelium, which lines all of your cardiovascular system. This improvement helps to dilate the blood vessels for improved blood flow. And can aid in keeping your blood pressure under control.

Metabolic Syndrome – This is a group of health risks like abdominal obesity, high blood sugar, high blood pressure, and cholesterol concerns. When taken together, these health risks increase your potential for developing cardiovascular diseases like heart attacks and strokes.

Research studies have shown that magnesium can reduce the incidence of metabolic syndrome. Specifically, higher magnesium intake was associated with lower stroke risk. One study showed that for men who had the highest magnesium intake, they reduced their risk for stoke by 41%. This also applied to having lower rates of heart failure.

Health Benefits of Magnesium – Nutritional Supplements

While you can try to get your magnesium from the food you eat, the best way is to use a good nutritional supplement.

Make sure the magnesium supplement you choose is in either the citrate or chelate form.

Magnesium Chelate is highly absorb-able by your body. It’s the form naturally found in foods. Because it’s bound to several types of amino acids, this aids in restoring your magnesium levels.

Magnesium Citrate combines the magnesium with citric acid. For some this might have a laxative effect.

Now the dosage amounts vary with age and sex:

Age 14 – 18: 410 milligrams for men and 360 milligrams for women

Age 19 – 30: 400 milligrams for men and 310 milligrams for women

Age 31 and older: 420 milligrams for men and 320 milligrams for women

As you can see not a lot of difference based on age so make sure you’re taking at least 400 milligrams per day for men and at least 300 milligrams per day for women.

Since the majority of Americans do not get adequate amounts of magnesium in their diet, it would be to their best health interest to increase their consumption of this key mineral. Here are the top 10 foods listed based on highest intake of magnesium:

Food Source	Amount Need	Magnesium Intake
Leafy Greens like Kale or Spinach	1 cup	157 mg
Seeds like Flax, Pumpkin or Chia	1 ounce	150 mg
Legumes like Lentils, Beans, or Chickpeas	1 cup	120 mg
Nuts like Almonds or Cashews	1 ounce	82 mg
Whole Grains like Wheat, Oats, or Barley	1 ounce	65 mg
Dark Chocolate	1 ounce	64 mg
Avocados	Medium	58 mg
Fatty Fish like Salmon or Mackerel	Half a fillet (178 grams)	53 mg
Tofu	3.5 ounces	53 mg
Bananas	1 large	37 mg

You can decide which method is best to help you enjoy the health benefits of magnesium: food or supplements.

Blessing Lives Through Nitric Oxide Therapy!

Dan Hammer