Posted by Dan Hammer //

05/22/2019

For a long time there has been a growing debate over the benefits of alkaline water. Recently I’ve had several of my clients ask me my opinion about using alkaline water to help improve their overall health.

My short answer to them is “No I’m not a fan of alkaline water as there are better ways to to improve your body’s pH levels.”

And my short answer usually ends in a longer discussion about this topic.

Now before we discuss this, I want everyone to know that I’m a big fan of an alkaline diet. Choosing foods that help you stay on the alkaline side of the pH scale is extremely important to your overall health. And I believe will lessen your risk for all forms of diseases.

I’ve written two extensive blog posts on this issue. Click on the titles to link to the articles:

The Acid Alkaline Balance – Part 1

The Acid Alkaline Balance – Part 2

But when is comes to alkaline water I do not agree that this is the best way to help your body stay on the alkaline side of the pH equation.

Alkaline Water – Natural Alkaline Spring Water versus Ionized Water

Normal tap water usually has a pH of 7. This is considered neutral. Less than 7 and it becomes acidic. Greater than 7 and it becomes alkaline.

Most bottled water that is marketed as alkaline water usually has a pH range between 8 and 10.

On average your blood’s pH is approximately 7.365, which is slightly alkaline.

There are two driving force for alkaline water:

To help improve your blood chemistry.
Most diseases cannot survive in an alkaline environment.

Which would make it seem like this type of water would be a good thing.

But here’s the problem.

The pH scale is not arithmetic but logarithmic. Logarithmic means that the values separating each unit are not of equal value along the scale but increases in proportion to their distance from a pH of 7.

For example, a pH reading of 8 is 10 times more alkaline than 7, but a pH of 9 is not 20 times more alkaline but 100 times more alkaline. If you’re catching on, then a pH reading of 10 is 1000 times more alkaline than a pH of 7.

Given this fact, what would seem like a small change in the acid alkaline balance and be no big deal is, in reality, a big deal to your body.

And here is the danger of machines that are used to create ionized water. People tend to go to the extremes.

If alkaline water at a pH of 8 is good for me, then why not at a pH of 10. Wouldn’t that be better for me.

And the answer is “NO!”

I have no problems with alkaline water that has a pH of 8 especially if this alkaline water is from natural sourcing that has key minerals in it.

In this case you’re only slightly alkaline and it can be a benefit, especially if you’re choosing foods that help your body maintain the alkaline side of the equation.

But here are the dangers of when the pH hits 10.

Alkaline Water – Dangers of pH 10

If you’re drinking water that has a pH of 10 then you’re drinking something that is 1000 times more alkaline. This creates two concerns.

Concern #1 – It can deactivate the activity of pepsin. Pepsin is one of the main digestive enzymes that you need to breakdown the proteins you eat. It also helps with nutrient absorption, protection against allergies, and helps to limit yeast overgrowth.

When low it can contribute to indigestion, GERD, acid reflux, heartburn, and potentially pancreatitis. Some of the symptoms associated with low levels of pepsin are abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhea, and nutritional deficiencies in B12 and Iron.

Concern #2 – It may also interfere with the acidity of your stomach acids. This is especially true for older adults. Your stomach acids are key for helping you breakdown proteins. As well as killing off bacteria and pathogens to keep your body healthy.

The pH of your stomach acids can range from 1.5 to 3.5. On the pH scale this range is huge. If your stomach pH is at 1.5, then alkaline water at a pH of 10 would most likely not have much impact.

But if you are an older adult whose stomach pH is around 3.5, then consuming water with a pH of 10 has a significant impact in causing your stomach’s pH to increase. This increase then interferes with your stomach’s ability to digest your food properly. When this undigested food goes into your small intestine, you get less nutrient absorption.

Alkaline Water – Final Thoughts

Drinking slightly alkaline water can be a good way to hydrate your body and provide you with some health benefits. If you decide to do this, then choose mineral water that is naturally alkaline because it contains needed minerals.

You can also make your own alkaline water by adding lemon to your water.

And if you’re drinking alkaline water to help cleanse your blood, then I would suggest adding Liquid Chlorophyll to regular tap water. One tablespoon per 16 ounces is a good ratio. This is a natural way to improve your blood chemistry while at the same time hydrating your body with needed water.

Blessing Lives Through Nitric Oxide Therapy!

Dan Hammer

3 Key Strategies for Effective Weight Loss

Posted by Dan Hammer //

05/15/2019

In my Yahoo News Feed there was a feature on Michael Watson, an 18 year old high school senior who has lost 115 pounds. Micheal’s story was also picked up by Good Morning America.

I would like to feature Micheal, and what he had to say, to highlight 3 key strategies for effective weight loss.

Effective Weight Loss Strategy #1 – Exercise

Most people think they have to go to the gym and work out on a stair climber or treadmill to help them lose weight. Or pay a personal trainer to motivate them to exercise hard enough to burn the needed calories. Here’s a quote from the Yahoo article on what Michael did:

“Watson, now a high school senior in Canton, Ohio, started by walking to and from school every day, more than 40 minutes round trip.”

For Michael it was a simple walking program. And he did it in segments. Once in the morning and once after school.

At the start of his Junior year in high school, Michael decided to walk to school instead of riding the bus. He did this 5 days per week. Rain or shine.

He didn’t jog to school. He didn’t run to school. He just walked to school.

A simple walking program that almost anyone can do.

By making the commitment to walk, Michael began his journey towards effective weight loss, which brings us to the next strategy.

Effective Weight Loss Strategy #2 – Progress Over Time

Michael didn’t lose 115 pounds in a couple of months. Michael lost the weight over time. He started in his Sophomore year and continue his efforts through his senior year. I like this quote from the Yahoo article:

“I’d see that I was 290 [pounds] and say, ‘Let’s get to 280, come on Michael, you got this,”

Michael didn’t set his goal at 115 pounds. He set small goals that helped him make progress over time.

As he reached the smaller goals that he set for himself, this built up his confidence. He saw and felt improvements to his looks and overall health. Which helped him set his next goal. And continued his progress over time.

But the key strategy that Michael implemented, that I believe made the greatest difference, is the next one.

Effective Weight Loss Strategy #3 – Diet

Michael changed his diet. Not a restrictive diet.

Instead he change the foods he ate each day. Here’s a quote from the Yahoo article:

“Watson also changed his diet, working with his dad to learn how to count calories and then forgoing his normal fast food meals for salads, oatmeal and soup.”

Michael switch his diet from fast food meals to plant based nutrition. And he acknowledges that it was hard at first. But became easier has he consumed more plant based food sources.

Michael discovered “The New Secret to Weight Loss!”

It’s powerful because what Michael did was change his microbiome or gut health.

He stopped feeding the microbes of his small intestine with the food they love: carbohydrates, animal protein, and vegetable oils. These microbes produce toxins and cause you to store fat.

As Michael switched to plant based food sources he began to change his microbiome. The new microbes flourished and provided him with more energy and didn’t store his food as fat.

Michael also found it easier to maintain this diet because the cravings went away. Instead his microbiome wanted the plant based nutritional sources.

He discovered that if you change the gut you change the outcome!

If you don’t know the new secret to weight loss, then I would suggest watching the following video I produced to help people discover what Michael discovered:

Your Microbiome Significantly Impacts Your Weight!

The video is below. It’s short and to the point. Take the time to watch it today.

Now that you understand the new secret to weight loss, you just need to implement the 3 key strategies that Michael did. If you do, then your chances of experiencing improved health will significantly increase.

Blessing Lives Through Nitric Oxide Therapy!

Dan Hammer

Are Dark Cola Drinks Bad For You?

Posted by Dan Hammer //

05/08/2019

It’s a simple question: Are Dark Cola Drinks Bad For You?

Depending on who you read you will get answers ranging from “No” to “Yes” to “Not in moderation!”

I’ll tell you upfront that I am not a fan of dark cola drinks. I personally believe that all dark cola drinks are a contributing factor to the health crisis in America. A health crisis that has seen a significant increase in diabetes and overweight/obesity issues.

And the reason for my belief has to do with the ingredients found in dark cola drinks.

As you can see by the image for this article I’m going to use a can of Coke to represent dark cola drinks. Here is the list as they appear on the can:

Water
High Fructose Corn Syrup
Caramel Color
Phosphoric Acid
Natural Flavors
Caffeine

Ingredients are listed in the order of greatest volume or greatest percentage of that ingredient in relationship to the overall product. Water is a good thing. Since it’s listed first that means it is in greatest volume. We’ll talk about water and its importance at the end of this article. For now, let’s focus on the next ingredient.

High Fructose Corn Syrup in Dark Cola Drinks

The process for making high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) out of corn was developed in the 1970s. It is a complicated chemical and enzymatic process that converts corn starch into HFCS.

HFCS has a final concentration of about 55% fructose and 45% glucose with the exact same sweetness and taste as sucrose.

Since consumers see the word “Fructose” on the dark cola can they associate it with fruit and assume that it’s healthier than sugar.

Dr. Meira Field and a team of investigators from the USDA decided to find out if this assumption was true. They fed rats a high amount of sucrose, which is composed of glucose and fructose. These rats developed multiple health problems especially when they were deficient in certain nutrients such as copper.

The big question was whether the health problems were caused by the glucose component or the fructose component.

They repeated their study with two new groups of rats. One group received high amounts of glucose and the other group received high amounts of fructose. The glucose group was unaffected.

The fructose group had severe, life threatening results!

The male rats developed anemia, high cholesterol and heart hypertrophy. Additionally, the male rats had delayed testicular development. The female rats were not as severely affected, but they were unable to produce live young. From this research, Dr. Field made the following statement:

“The medical profession thinks fructose is better for diabetics than sugar, but every cell in the body can metabolize glucose. However, all fructose must be metabolized in the liver. The livers of the rats on the high fructose diet looked like the livers of alcoholics, plugged with fat and cirrhotic.”

One additional note on the High Fructose Corn Syrup in dark cola drinks. As you can see by the nutrition facts there are 39 grams of sugar per 12 ounces of Coke. One teaspoon of sugar is equal to 4 grams. This means that there are almost 10 teaspoons of sugar per a 12 ounce can of Coke.

Would you knowingly put 10 teaspoons of sugar in anything that you eat or drink?

Caramel Color in Dark Cola Drinks

The process for making caramel color is pretty straight forward. It is obtained by heating sugar until a brown color and characteristic flavor develops. Sounds pretty safe.

However, according the the Center for Science in the Public Interest, caramel color is a potential carcinogen. This ingredient is actually regulated in the State of California. California does not allow more than 4 micrograms of this ingredient to be included in any product sold in their state.

Dark cola drinks have less then 4 mcg per serving. But if you’re drinking more than one serving per day, then you increase the cancer risk tied to this ingredient.

Phosphoric Acid in Dark Cola Drinks

This ingredient is used because it creates an acidic medium which enhances the absorption of carbon dioxide to give your dark cola drink more fizz. Fizz in your cola drink might be nice but what affect does phosphoric acid have on your body.

To start we need to look at the pH level of Coke caused by the phosphoric acid.

Coca-Cola is considered a “Super Acidifying Food” with a pH of 2.53

To understand this we need talk about pH. The pH scale measures the degree of acidity or alkalinity of a substance and ranges from 0 to 14:

0 is complete acid
0 to 6.99 is acidic
7 is neutral or the perfect balance between acid and alkaline
7.01 to 13.99 is alkaline
14 is complete alkaline

The lower on the scale below 7 the more acidic something is and the higher on the scale above 7 the more alkaline something is.

The pH scale is not arithmetical but logarithmic.

Logarithmic means that the values separating each unit are not of equal value along the scale but increases in proportion to their distance from a pH of 7.

For example, a pH reading of 6 is 10 times more acidic than 7, but a pH of 5 is not 20 times more acidic but 100 times more acidic.

If you’re catching on, then a pH reading of 4 is 1000 times more acidic than a pH of 7.

Given this fact, what would seem like a small change in pH and be no big deal is, in reality, a big deal to your body.

Although some organs and organ fluids (like the gastric region) have a higher or lower pH than what is normal for the body, your body functions best when the pH of the internal biochemical environment (blood, lymph and intracellular fluids) is between 7.365 and 7.390.

If you understand the pH scale above, then you can see that the body likes to keep itself slightly alkaline and in a very narrow range. Anything outside this range causes stress on the body. The farther outside this range, then the stress on the body goes up exponentially.

Since Coke has a pH of 2.53 it is almost 100,000 times more acidic than a pH of 7.

This has a huge impact on your system. Your body will use its alkaline minerals such as sodium, potassium, magnesium and calcium to neutralize the acid to return your internal biochemical environment back to normal.

Compounding this acidic problem, your body also maintains a balanced concentration of phosphorus, calcium, and potassium in the bloodstream. This provides the right combination for building new bones and maintaining old ones. The shock of incoming phosphorus with zero calcium causes the calcium levels in the blood to decline. This triggers your body to dissolve calcium from the bones to restore this balance.

This reaction, continued over time, can be a contributing factor for osteoporosis.

Natural Flavors in Dark Cola Drinks

Technically, natural flavors are chemicals or a set of chemicals extracted from a natural substance, usually a plant or animal, without any chemical modifications. Cola companies are not required to disclose what those chemicals are or the procedure that they use to create the “Natural Flavors.”

Caffeine in Dark Cola Drinks

This ingredient has the ability to stimulate mental alertness, overcome fatigue, and enhance endurance. Sounds great!

But, it’s an addictive chemical that comes with a cost to your body.

As a stimulant it can be accompanied by constriction of the cerebral arteries, rapid heartbeat, and high blood pressure. Caffeine also causes the release of adrenaline which increases blood sugar. The pancreas reacts by secreting insulin to stabilize your blood sugar by driving the sugar into the cells for oxidation and energy production. However, excess blood sugar in the cells will be stored as fat.

People who consistently consume cola drinks high in sugar with caffeine constantly create an unbalanced cycling process. This puts undue stress on both the adrenal glands and the pancreas. Over time this has an impact on their ability to function properly resulting in arthritis and diabetes.

Water in Dark Cola Drinks

This is the number one ingredient in all cola drinks. Thus, you might think that this is a good thing.

Given the consumption of soda in the United States, it’s interesting that experts estimate that 75% of Americans have mild, chronic dehydration. WHY?

Because most of the contents of a dark cola drink must be processed by the liver! All chemicals, artificial sweeteners, and most sugars especially fructose need to be metabolized by the liver. Most of the water in the dark cola drink goes to help the liver detoxify the body. This means that very little of the water actually ends up in the cells to help them function properly.

GMOs in Dark Cola Drinks

For the first time in looking at the ingredient list for Coke I noticed that they disclose the use of GMO for sourcing their ingredients. Most likely the corn used for the creation of High Fructose Corn Syrup.

There is a big debate on the use of GMO sources and how they effect the health of people. This by itself is a long topic of discussion. If you want to know more about the use of GMO in Coke, then please click here for a statement by the company regarding its use.

Now, I’m not saying that the cola industry is the primary cause of all health issues.

What I am saying is that many of the ingredients in dark cola drinks can be a contributing factor to a wide range of health concerns.

I find it interesting that as soda consumption has increased, along with an increase in processed foods that contain many of the same ingredients, there has been a correlating increase in obesity and metabolic health issues.

Blessing Lives Through Nitric Oxide Therapy!

Dan Hammer

Taurine and Brain Health

Posted by Dan Hammer //

05/01/2019

Recently I stumbled across an article that talked about taurine and brain health, especially as it applies to protecting brain cells from further destruction after a stroke.

As many film buffs know, two famous people in the movie industry recently died from a stroke. One was the actor Luke Perry. The other is the director John Singleton. Luke Perry was 52. John Singleton was 51.

Could they have benefited from taurine?

I don’t know.

But I recently did an article on taurine and its ability to eliminate certain types of heart arrhythmia. So it’s worth looking at the research on taurine and brain health to see if this conditional amino acid can be helpful in age-related cognitive concerns.

Taurine and Brain Health – The Basics

Taurine is an amino acid. Your body needs 20 different amino acids to maintain optimal health. And while all 20 are important, only nine of them are classified as essential. They are:

Histidine, Isoleucine, Leucine, Lysine, Methionine, Phenylalanine, Threonine, Tryptophan, and Valine.

These are classified as essential because your body can’t make them. They must come from your diet.

Taurine is not an essential amino acid because your body can make its own. But only in small amounts.

If your diet is rich in meat, fish, and dairy, then you most likely get enough of this amino acid to meet normal needs. However, as we age our taurine levels decline, especially its concentration in the brain.

Taurine helps your mitochondria, the “power plants” of every cell, function optimally in their production of cellular energy. It’s most abundant in your muscles, heart, eyes, and brain. Which would make sense since these organs need a great deal of energy to function properly.

Taurine and Brain Health – The Specifics

Taurine is a key amino acid in helping to protect, maintain, and optimize brain health. Let me first give you an overview and then we’ll specifically highlight 3 key elements of taurine and brain health:

Taurine helps to stimulate new brain cell growth.
Taurine helps to protect against a condition called excitotoxicity, which is harmful overactivity in the brain.
Taurine minimizes brain damage caused by head injuries and strokes.
Taurine protects your brain cells against environmental toxins like lead and organic pesticides.
Taurine helps maintain normal mitochondrial function within the brain to help sustain energy levels.
Taurine synergistically works with other neurotransmitters to help form memories and aid in retaining information.
Taurine helps to reduce brain inflammation especially in key brain health concerns like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.
Taurine helps to protect against damage caused by beta amyloid protein, which is a major contributing factor in the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.

That’s an impressive list of health benefits to the brain. And I would like to focus on three key items from the above list.

Taurine and Brain Health – Neurogenesis

For a long time it was assumed that once a person was fully grown they stopped producing new brain cells. That is no longer true.

Recent research shows that adults at any age have the capacity to create new brain cells. This process is called neurogenesis. And it’s a key element in preserving a healthy brain as you age.

Multiple animal and cellular studies on the use of taurine have demonstrated how this amino acid helps to activate brain stem cells, stimulate new brain cell production, and then is key in supporting their survival.

Taurine and Brain Health – Alzheimer’s Disease

One of the major contributing factors to Alzheimer’s disease is the toxic effects of beta-amyloid formation and the resulting inflammation associated with it.

In a resent study published in Neuropharmacology, taurine was shown to protect rat brain cells from the toxicity associated with beta-amyloid production. It seems that taurine can directly bind to the beta-amyloid protein to reduce its impact on cognitive function.

Additionally, taurine helped to protect brain function, reduce brain inflammation, protect against oxidative stress, and boost neurotransmission all leading to improved cognitive function.

Taurine and Brain Health – Diminishing Stroke Impact

Every year more that 795,000 people in the United States have a stroke. For those that do not die, the vast majority of them live the rest of their lives disabled, which impacts them and their loved ones.

Most of these strokes are due to an ischemic stroke were blood flow is reduced or blocked to a part of the brain because of a blood clot.

In animal models of ischemic stroke conditions, supplementing with taurine deceased the volume of brain damage by about 55% compared to animals that didn’t receive treatment.

Taurine’s ability to reduce oxidative stress and improve energy production were helpful in reducing the damage. As well as aiding in the healing process.

And the use of taurine also reduced brain swelling.

As I shared earlier you can get the amino acid taurine from your diet. However, if you’re like most Americans your diet is heavy in carbohydrate intake and low in protein consumption.

This means that supplementation can be a good option for increasing your intake of this amino acid. It is low cost and most good capsule formations will have 1,000 mg per serving.

One note of caution. Taurine is usually added to most energy drinks. I would highly recommend that you not use energy drinks to get your daily intake of taurine because the anhydrous caffeine and sugar used in these drinks create more health problems than benefits.

For additional information on taurine and brain health, please click here.

Blessing Lives Through Nitric Oxide Therapy!

Dan Hammer

Health Benefits of Olive Oil

Posted by Dan Hammer //

04/22/2019

Today we’re going to focus on the health benefits of olive oil. Specifically extra virgin olive oil. Not only is it a key component of the Mediterranean diet, it’s also recognized as a Biblical food. Here’s the Scriptural reference.

“For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing forth in valleys and hills; a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey.” Deuteronomy 8:7-8

Now what is key to our discussion on the health benefits of olive oil is that the version you want to consume is unrefined extra virgin olive oil. Back in Old Testament times of the Bible they did not have today’s manufacturing processes that can alter the olive oil by stripping it of the key nutrients you need.

These key nutrients are called polypenols. Here are the 3 key ones that researchers have identified in having the greatest health benefits:

Oleuropein
Tyrosol
Hydroxytyrosol

And new research in this area is showing that the polyphenol hydroxytyrosol makes up about 50% of the total polyphenol content of extra virgin olive oil.

In this article we’re going to focus on three main areas:

Cardiovascular Health
Alzheimer’s Disease
Bone Health

Health Benefits of Olive Oil – Cardiovascular Health

The number one killer of men and women worldwide is still heart disease. Anything that you can do to improve your cardiovascular health helps to lower your risk for heart disease.

In 2017 the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published a study to focused on the polyphenol hydroxytyrosol found in extra virgin olive oil.

There were 1851 participants. Both men and women. And the average age was 67. Additionally, they had to have had either type II diabetes or at least three or more cardiovascular risk factors like:

Smoking

Hypertension

Dyslipidemia

Overweight/Obesity

Family History of Premature Cardiovascular Disease

These participants were put into one of three groups:

Group 1 – Consumed a traditional Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra virgin olive oil
Group 2 – Consumed a traditional Mediterranean diet supplemented with nuts
Group 3 – Consumed a low-fat diet and acted as the control group

The group that had the best outcome, as it relates to lowering the risk for cardiovascular disease, was Group 1 who consumed a traditional Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra virgin olive oil. Here were their results:

56% Reduced Risk of a cardiovascular event, which included heart attack, stroke, or death from a cardiovascular cause.

On average, 9.5 years longer life after the age of 65!

Now some would say that their diet made the difference. And I’m sure the Mediterranean diet was helpful. But the difference between adding nuts versus adding extra virgin olive oil was overwhelming:

56% Reduced Risk of Cardiovascular Event and 9.5 Years Longer Life Span!

Now let’s look at the health benefits of olive oil as it applies to cognitive function.

Health Benefits of Olive Oil – Alzheimer’s Disease

The main cognitive health concern that gets most of the attention is Alzheimer’s Disease. Researchers have identified three main biomarkers associated with this disease. They are:

Beta-amyloid, which contribute to myloid plaque that interferes with cognitive function.
Tau Proteins, which also contributes to myloid plaque formation that interfere with cognitive function.
Synaptophysin, which is a protein marker for synaptic integrity helping to maintain cognitive function.

A Temple University study on mice, that were bred to be genetically prone to neurodegenerative changes similar to Alzheimer’s disease, show the potential for extra virgin olive oil to help protect brain health.

One group of mice were fed a standard diet. The other group were fed a standard diet plus extra virgin olive oil. After six months on their respective diets the following results were found:

The mice that consumed the extra virgin olive oil had a significant decrease in the destructive biomarkers of beta-amyloid and tau proteins. These same mice also had a significant increase in the beneficial biomarker called synaptophysin.

Not only did the extra virgin olive oil help to prevent Alzheimer’s disease issues, but it helped to initiate the brain cell’s ability to clear itself of cellular debris, which can interfere with normal brain function.

Health Benefits of Olive Oil – Bone Health

Hip fracture, especially in older adults, can be a significant health concern. In meta-analysis of several studies using just the Mediterranean diet, there was a 21% reduced risk of hip fractures.

This lead to a new study that tested the use of the Mediterranean diet with extra virgin olive oil. The researchers wanted to see if olive oil would be even more effective in bone health. The results of this study showed an additional 51% lower risk of hip fracture.

Now here is the key to enjoying the health benefits of olive oil as it applies to cardiovascular health, Alzheimer’s disease, and bone health:

It Must Be Unrefined Extra Virgin Olive Oil!

Unfortunately, here in the United States it’s estimated that 80% of the extra virgin olive oil sold does not meet the legal standards to be called “extra virgin.”

This means you need to be proactive in making sure that the product you use is not mass produced and refined or altered with other pro-inflammatory oils like corn, safflower, and sunflower.

It might cost you more to buy, but the health benefits are worth the investment.

Blessing Lives Through Nitric Oxide Therapy!

Dan Hammer

Health Benefits of Pomegranate

Posted by Dan Hammer //

04/15/2019

This article is going to give an overview of the health benefits of pomegranate. This amazing fruit is recognized in the Bible as one of the Blessings the Promised Land would provide for the Israeli people as they entered into this land. Here’s the Scriptural context:

“For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing forth in valleys and hills; a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey.” Deuteronomy 8:7-8

As modern day science continues to study this fruit, their research is showing that the health benefits of pomegranate center on two primary health issues:

Cardiovascular Health
Cancer Prevention

Let’s look at each so that you can see why this amazing fruit should be part of your daily diet.

Health Benefits of Pomegranate – Cardiovascular Health

Your cardiovascular health centers on the function of a tissue that lines all of your cardiovascular system. That tissue is called the endothelium.

This is a one-cell thick layer that lines the inside of all of your blood vessels. Your capillaries are just extensions of this endothelium. In fact, it is the largest tissue in your body. Let me give you a point of reference:

If you took your endolhelium out of your body and laid it flat out, depending on the size of the adult individual, it would cover the surface area of 3 to 6 tennis courts.

And the healthier your endothelium, the healthier your capillary function for improved blood flow.

Damage to your endothelium increases your risk for all types of cardiovascular disease. There are 4 main factors that damage your endothelium:

High Blood Pressure
High Blood Sugar
LDL Cholesterol or more specifically oxidized LDL Cholesterol
Nicotine

The health benefits of pomegranate focus mainly on preventing oxidized LDL cholesterol, reversing plaque formations that result from oxidized LDL, and enhancing the ability of the eNOS enzymes of the endothelium to produce higher levels of nitric oxide to dilate your blood vessels for improved blood flow.

Most statin drugs work to lower cholesterol and do a good job in accomplishing this objective. The problem is they do not work effectively in reducing the cause of plaque, which is oxidized LDL cholesterol. Oxidized LDL cholesterol creates inflammation that then leads to the formation of plaque. As this plaque grows over time, the inside of your vascular system narrows.

This narrowing then increases your risk for a stroke or heart attack.

Your body has natural mechanism to protect you from this sequence. And this is where the health benefits of pomegranate extract show up:

Protect LDL molecules from being oxidized
Moderate the effects of inflammatory white blood cells and their role in plaque formation
Boost your natural antioxidant systems to protect your endothelium from free radical damage
Initiate vascular repair systems to help remove oxidized LDL from your arterial walls
Enhance eNOS enzymes for greater production of nitric oxide

Additionally, a 2014 study showed that the combination of pomegranate extract with the cholesterol-lowering drug simvastatin significantly lowered both oxidized LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

For more details on the health benefits of pomegranate on cardiovascular health please click here.

Health Benefits of Pomegranate – Cancer Prevention

New studies are expanding the health benefits of pomegranate to cancer prevention. Pomegranate contains these key compounds:

Punicalagin
Luteolin
Ellagitannins
Polyphenols

These compounds help to initiate multiple pathways in cancer prevention. Primarily because they inhibit inflammation. But it goes beyond this.

Research in the health benefits of pomegranate, as it applies to cancer cells, has shown the following:

Block cell cycle – pomegranate can help to shut off the cancer cell’s ability to divide by targeting specific cancer genes needed for cell replication. But doesn’t effect healthy cells.

Induce cell death – compounds in pomegranate directly cause programmed death of cancer cells.

Blocks blood vessel formation that feed cancer cells – blood vessels are needed to support cancer growth in tumors. Pomegranate selectively blocks the needed growth factors to help limit the formation of new blood vessels in a tumor.

Preventing the spread of cancer – pomegranate helps to inhibit multiple factors, which then helps to prevent the spread of cancer to other parts of the body.

Two specific cancers that have promising studies in helping to prevent them and their spread are prostate and breast cancer.

And there are ongoing studies on how pomegranate can help in the prevention of leukemia, bladder, brain, cervix, colon, liver, lung, skin, and thyroid cancers.

Plus, there are additional studies that show pomegranate aiding conventional cancer treatments like chemotherapy. These ongoing studies seem to indicate that pomegranate enhances the cancer-killing effect of the drug while helping to protect normal cells.

For more details on the health benefits of pomegranate on cancer prevention please click here.

Personally, I’ve been using pomegranate fruit extract for over 10 years. I use it to help me enjoy the benefits as it applies to cardiovascular health. It’s good to know that it’s also helping me with cancer prevention.

Blessing Lives Through Nitric Oxide Therapy!

Dan Hammer

Health Benefits of Fiber

Posted by Dan Hammer //

04/08/2019

Earlier this year the health benefits of fiber became more than just a talking point when the results of the World Health Organization (WHO) released their study in The Lancet.

This study was a meta-analysis of 40 years’ worth of research on the health benefits of fiber. Specifically it was an attempt to determine the ideal amount of fiber you need to consume daily to prevent chronic disease and premature death.

The chronic diseases were:

Cardiovascular Disease

Cancer

Chronic Respiratory Diseases

Diabetes

This study included 185 observational studies that accounted for 135 million person-years as well as 58 clinical trials that recruited over 4600 people. And the result was this:

Daily Intake of 25 – 29 Grams of Fiber is Ideal

The researchers found the following statistical advantage to those who consumed this level of fiber on a daily basis:

15 – 30% less likely to die prematurely from any cause or a cardiovascular condition
16 – 24% lower incidence of coronary heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and colon cancer.

So how does this ideal daily intake of 25 -29 grams of fiber compare to the average American adult?

Well, here in America the average adult consumes 15 grams of fiber daily. This is about 40 to 48% less than the ideal about of fiber.

Professor Jim Mann, the lead author of the study, made this comment,

“Our findings provide convincing evidence for nutrition guidelines to focus on increasing dietary fiber and on replacing refined grains with whole grains. This reduces incidence risk and mortality from a broad range of important diseases.”

Health Benefits of Fiber – The Basics

Dietary fiber is found only in plant foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole-grain breads and cereals, nuts, and legumes (dried beans, lentils and peas). Although there are several forms of fiber, they are usually classified into two groups:

Soluble fiber can dissolve in water to form a gel-like substance in the digestive tract. This soluble fiber is beneficial in lowering the “BAD” cholesterol. Clinical studies have shown that diets containing 10 to 25 grams of soluble fiber per day can lower LDL cholesterol by 18%. Sources of good soluble fiber include oats, peas, beans, apples, and citrus fruits. Typically one serving of any of these foods will provide about one to three grams of soluble fiber.
Insoluble fiber cannot dissolve in water so it passes through the digestive tract relatively unchanged. This insoluble fiber helps to make your stools softer and bulkier and speeds elimination. Sources of insoluble fiber would include whole-grain foods, wheat bran, most vegetables and fruit with skin.

Typically, canned and frozen fruits and vegetables contain just as much fiber as raw ones. However, some types of refining processes may reduce the fiber content.

Current food labeling requires the amount of dietary fiber to be listed. It’s listed just below the “Total Carbohydrate” portion of the Nutrition Facts section of the product label. For a manufacturer to make fiber claims it must meet the following guidelines:

High Fiber: 5 grams or more per serving

Good Source of Fiber: 2.5 – 4.9 grams per serving

More or Added Fiber: At least 2.5 grams more per serving than the reference food

Health Benefits of Fiber – According to the Mayo Clinic

The Mayo Clinic has a healthy amount of material as it regards the health benefits of fiber. Here is their list:

Normalizes Bowel Movements
Helps Maintain Bowel Health
Lowers Cholesterol Levels
Helps Control Blood Sugar Levels
Aids in Achieving Healthy Weight
Helps You Live Longer

They especially note that increasing your dietary fiber intake “is associated with a reduced risk of dying from cardiovascular disease and all cancers.”

Now if you want to take steps to increase your fiber intake, then I would suggest reading my blog post titled “Fiber Intake and Cholesterol Reduction Part 2” as it contains 3 simple steps to increasing your fiber intake.

Your goal is to make sure you’re consuming 25 – 29 grams of fiber each day. If you do, then you can enjoy the health benefits of fiber while decreasing your risk for cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases, and diabetes.

Blessing Lives Through Nitric Oxide Therapy!

Dan Hammer

Health Benefits of Lipoic Acid!

Posted by Dan Hammer //

04/01/2019

I’ve written about the health benefits of lipoic acid in the past. But new research is showing how powerful this organic compound can be in multiple areas of your overall health and wellness.

Because of this I’ve decided to update my previous article with the current list of health benefits of lipoic acid.

Health Benefits of Lipoic Acid – Slowing Down the Aging Process

Sometimes referred to as alpha lipoic acid this vital “co-factor” for enzymatic reactions is critically important for optimizing energy conversion in your mitochondria.

Mitochondria are the energy factories of your cells. They play a huge role in the aging process. At least in theory.

First proposed in 1972 by Denman Harman, the mitochondrial theory on aging centers on accumulated damage to the DNA of mitochondria. This leads to increased free radical stress coupled with a decrease in cellular energy production.

Researchers have been working to delay mitochondrial aging through a variety of nutrients. One of those nutrients is lipoic acid and the following health benefits of lipoic acid have been noted:

Lipoic acid helps to optimize mitochondria function and reverses cell aging.
Lipoic acid may help to prevent cardiovascular disease, obesity, insulin resistance, and diabetic complications.
Lipoic acid protects against nerve and brain cell damage.

Health Benefits of Lipoic Acid – Cardiovascular Disease, Diabetes, and Inflammation

One of the recent discoveries shows how lipoic acid enhances the effects of insulin. This benefits glucose metabolism by lowering blood sugar levels. Thus helping diabetics better control their blood glucose levels.

Lowered blood glucose levels have two potential benefits on cardiovascular health.

First, when you reduce blood glucose levels you reduce the potential for oxidative stress or damage to the endothelium, which lines all of your cardiovascular system.

Second, it reduces the potential for the pathological cross-linking of glucose and protein to form Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs). These AGEs have been shown to accelerate many of the aging processes, especially those associated with cardiovascular disease.

A meta-analysis of 18 studies showed that lipoic acid can have a profound anti-inflammatory benefit. Specifically, it is associated with a reduction in C-reactive protein. This is an important bio-marker associated with vascular inflammation.

Additionally two other inflammatory markers were reduced: tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-6. Both are produced by excessive fat tissue. And they contribute to chronic inflammation that has been associated with obesity.

Lipoic acid’s ability to suppress inflammatory cell-signaling molecules helps to protect the endothelium, which lines all of your cardiovascular system, from plaque formations.

It’s these plaque formations that lead to the disease process known as atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis results in the narrowing of the vascular opening, which leads to an increased risk for strokes and heart attacks.

Research also shows how lipoic acid lowers total cholesterol and LDL or bad cholesterol. Both of these actions help to reduce the size and number of potential atherosclerotic plaque formations.

Additionally, lipoic acid enhances the effectiveness of endothelial nitric oxide synthase or eNOS. That’s a long word for the enzyme that the endothelium uses to create nitric oxide – the master signaling molecule of your entire cardiovascular system.

Nitric oxide keeps blood platelet cells from sticking together to prevent strokes and heart attacks. Nitric oxide also relaxes the smooth muscle of the vascular wall to keep your blood pressure in a normal range. Thus, nitric oxide is the body’s natural pathway for the prevention of high blood pressure.

When you add it all up, lipoic acid’s antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and lipid-lowering capabilities make it an ideal nutritional supplement to help protect the endothelium while enhancing the endothelium’s ability to properly produce nitric oxide.

All of this results in helping to improve blood flow while reducing the risk for multiple health issues.

Health Benefits of Lipoic Acid – Neuropathy and Cognitive Function

Neuropathy is damage to nerves and can be a significant health issue for those with diabetes. In multiple human studies, several of the health benefits of lipoic acid have centered on improving the symptoms of diabetic neuropathy.

It does this by helping to increase the velocity of nerve impulses in peripheral nerves. In some studies nerve-signal velocities for both motor and sensory nerves were increased in 30 days.

This then had a positive effect in reducing the symptoms associated with neuropathy like muscle weakness, numbness, and pain.

In both human and lab studies the use of lipoic acid has helped to slow down the progression of Alzheimer’s disease by helping to suppress inflammation and by preventing free radical damage.

Health Benefits of Lipoic Acid – How to Supplement Your Diet

The consumption of lipoic acid can occur naturally if we choose the right types of food.

If you’re looking for animal sources rich in lipoic acid then you need to choose those organs that are high in metabolic activity such as the heart, liver, and kidney. I don’t know about you but I’ve never eaten any of these sources and I don’t ever want to. If you’re not into organ consumption, then steak would be another good option but the leaner the cut the better.

Another alternative is to choose plant-based sources like spinach, broccoli, garden peas, brussels sprouts, and rice bran. These are better food sources since they also help you with other antioxidant properties, which can make a big difference in the aging process.

If you choose to use supplementation to obtain additional lipoic acid then make sure you use the “Right” form of lipoic acid. Lipoic acid comes in what are termed “mirror image” forms labeled “R” and “S.” Only the “R” form is produced and used by the body. However, inexpensive chemical manufacturing will produce equal amounts of “R” and “S” lipoic acid, which is then packaged as either “R/S Lipoic Acid” or “Alpha Lipoic Acid.”

Product manufacturers now have newer precision techniques that allow for the pure “R” lipoic acid to be produced. This has a much higher potency and provides twice the active ingredient as you would find in alpha lipoic acid.

If you decide to supplement then make sure that you choose a manufacturer that provides you with only the active “R” molecule. This will allow you to use a lower dose and get better results.

There is no set dosage for this nutrient. Most of the clinical studies used 600 mg. And most of the research in this area would suggest that 300 – 600 mg is both safe and sufficient.

Blessing Lives Through Nitric Oxide Therapy!

Dan Hammer

An Aspirin a Day – Not Any More!

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