Chronic Inflammation Archives - Page 2 of 3

Eliminating Heart Disease Naturally Thru Nitric Oxide Therapy

Archive for Chronic Inflammation – Page 2

Health Benefits of Quercetin

Posted by Dan Hammer //

09/15/2020

Today we’re going to talk about the health benefits of quercetin, which is a plant flavoniod that helps to address multiple health issues.

Quercetin is found in a wide range of foods such as grape skins, red onions, green tea, and tomatoes. And while this ingredient is naturally abundant in plant foods, most people do not get enough quercetin through their daily diets.

Part of the reason why is that the American diet is centered on high protein from animal sources. Or high in carbohydrates from processed grains, which strips out needed nutrients.

This is unfortunate because the research clearly shows the health benefits of quercitin on a wide range of concerns.

Cardiovascular Disease

The number one killer of all people is cardiovascular disease. Quercetin can be a significant help in this area. In a study of 805 men that ranged in age from 65-84 years old, those with the highest intake of quercetin were 68% less likely to die from coronary heart disease when compared to those with the lowest intake.

Other studies in this areas showed a reduction in death rates of 31% for women and 24% for men, when all causes were factored. And scientists attribute this reduction to several key factors, which include the following:

Reduction of dangerous accumulations of abdominal and liver fat.
Reduction in total cholesterol.
Reduction in LDL (Bad) cholesterol.
Increase in HDL (Good) cholesterol.
Reduction in blood sugar.
Reduction in blood pressure.
Increased plasma levels of nitric oxide.
Inhibits platelet aggregation to reduce potential for blood clots.
Inhibits the oxidation of LDL cholesterol.

This last benefit of inhibiting the oxidation of LDL cholesterol is significant because oxidized LDL cholesterol causes vascular inflammation that leads to plaque formation and the disease know as atherosclerosis.

In one human study, those who supplemented with just 30 mg/day of quercetin had a 28% reduction in LDL oxidation in as little as two weeks.

Cancer

The second leading cause of death in the United States is cancer. This is another area that the health benefits of quercetin show up. Numerous research studies have shown those with the highest intake of quercetin had a significantly lower risk for most of the leading causes of cancer. For example: Read More →

Blueberry Polyphenols Reduce Heart Disease

Posted by Dan Hammer //

04/22/2020

Several recent studies have shown how blueberry polyphenols reduce heart disease risk factors. Specifically these polyphenols inhibit the formation of foam cells that lead to atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis is the buildup of fatty deposits called plaque that narrows the arterial wall. The vast majority of heart disease is associated with this process. In fact, here is a simple overview of what happens:

The process starts when monocytes (a type of white blood cell) adheres to the endothelial cells that line your arterial walls.
These monocytes invade this one cell thick lining and develop into macrophages.
Macrophages are used by your body to engulf oxidized LDL cholesterol.
The accumulation of oxidized LDL particles in the macrophages form foam cells.
Foam cells then stimulate the body to produce smooth muscle cells and excess connective tissue, which leads to the narrowing of the inside of the artery or atherosclerosis.

If these foam cells are stable, then the risk for a stroke or heart attack is lower. But if these foam cells are inflamed, then the risk for a heart attack or stroke is significantly increased.

Given the above progression, there are two key points to stop the formation of plaque. One is to prevent the oxidation of LDL cholesterol. This is where a diet high in antioxidants can play a major role.

And blueberries are high in antioxidants.

The second area is were the polyphenols come in. Blueberries are rich in two types of polyphenols: Read More →

Natural Remedies for Rheumatoid Arthritis

Posted by Dan Hammer //

03/15/2020

I’ve had several clients ask me if nitric oxide therapy is one of the natural remedies for Rheumatoid Arthritis. And the answer is “No” because it doesn’t address the root cause.

Nitric oxide helps to improve blood flow and circulation. This can be helpful. But if you really want to address this health challenge, then you need to understand the following statement.

The root cause is chronic inflammation cause by your immune system, which mistakenly attacks your joints. Rheumatoid arthritis targets the lining of your joints. Initially this causes swelling. And over time it results in bone erosion and joint deformity.

Currently, there is no know cure for this condition. However, there are some natural remedies for rheumatoid arthritis that can help to less its impact.

In this article I’m going to give you my suggestions on how to address this issue. However, before I get started I want you to know that I’m not a doctor. And what I share is not intended to cure or treat anyone. My background is biology and exercise physiology. So I’m going to use my background to give you my thoughts on this issue.

Natural Remedies for Rheumatoid Arthritis – Two Keys

As stated earlier the root cause is chronic inflammation caused by your immune system attacking your joints. This helps us to clearly identify the two areas that need to be addressed. They are:

Chronic Inflammation
Your Immune System

Now, what I have to say next is really important to understand. Read More →

Are Vegetable Oils Bad For You

Posted by Dan Hammer //

02/15/2020

The question I want to examine in this article is: Are Vegetable Oils Bad For You?

And the answer depends on who you read. If it’s the medical community and the Federal government, then the answer would be “No.”

If you want my opinion, and the opinion of others who believe inflammation is the primary cause of almost all diseases, then the answer would be “YES!”

And here is the reason why I believe “YES” is the answer to the question are vegetable oils bad for you:

Vegetable oils are extremely high in omega 6 fatty acids, which turns on inflammation.

I talk about this in my article titled “Relief From Chronic Inflammation.” It’s called the Eicosanoid Pathway. The easiest way to understand the eicosaniod pathway is to view it as a light switch.

In fact picture your bathroom as having infrared lights. You know, the ones that when turned on you can immediately feel the heat on your skin.

If you want these infrared lights on, then you flip the bathroom switch to “ON.” If you want the infrared lights off, then you flip the bathroom switch to “OFF.”

The eicosanoid pathway works the same way. This pathway helps turn on inflammation when it’s needed. And once your body has used inflammation in a positive way, to help in the healing process, then it turns off this process.

To make this happen the eicosaniod pathways uses two signaling molecules:

One that is pro-inflammatory.
And one that is anti-inflammatory.

Pro-inflammatory signaling molecules are produced from omega-6 fatty acids. And anti-inflammatory signaling molecules are mainly produced from omega-3 fatty acids.

Which brings us back to the question are vegetable oils bad for you? Read More →

Bergamot Extract Lowers Cholesterol

Posted by Dan Hammer //

12/08/2019

Today I want to introduce you to a natural way to address cholesterol concerns by highlighting how bergamot extract lowers cholesterol. And without side effects.

In most cases the medical community will recommend taking a statin drug to lower a person’s cholesterol. And while statin drugs are very effective in doing this, they can have some significant side effects such as:

Statins reduce CoQ10, which is needed for energy production in every cell, especially the heart. There is a direct link to an increase in congestive heart failure with the increase use of statins.
Statins reduce vitamin K2, which your body uses to regulate calcium levels in the vascular system. As vitamin K2 decreases the potential for vascular calcification increases.
Statins reduce ketone production, which can then accelerate the aging process.
Increased risk for cancer: Breast cancer in women and prostate cancer in men.
Increased risk for diabetes.
Muscular issues like pain and muscle wasting.
Increased risk for cataracts.

In today’s medical world cholesterol has become the enemy. Yet healthy cholesterol levels are key to good health.

Why?

Because cholesterol is need for proper cell membrane integrity. In fact, without cholesterol you would just be a pool of living matter, instead of an upright thinking human being.

Cholesterol is also essential for your brain, which contains about 25 percent of the cholesterol in your body. It’s critical for synapse formation, i.e. the connections between your neurons, which allow you to think, learn new things, and form memories. So perhaps it’s not surprising that memory loss is widely reported in association with statin use. Read More →

Can Apigenin Prevent and Reverse Cancer

Posted by Dan Hammer //

11/15/2019

This article is going to explore the question: can apigenin prevent and reverse cancer? Apigenin is a natural flavonoid found in a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. Later in this article I’ll provide you with a table to help you choose the best sourcing if your decide to incorporate this ingredient into your lifestyle.

As a cancer survivor I’m always looking for ways to reduce my risk.

Recently, I’ve had several friends either directly suffer from cancer or have family members dealing with cancer issues. In 2016 there were approximately 1.6 million new cancer cases and almost 600,000 deaths in the United States. Hopefully this information will be beneficial to the millions of people who have cancer or have family and friends who have cancer.

In the image I used for this article on can apigenin prevent and reverse cancer you can see that this natural ingredient can provide the following benefits:

Anti-Cancer
Anti-Inflammatory
Antibacterial
Antiviral
Antioxidant
Blood Pressure Reduction

That’s a significant number of benefits but for this article we’re only going to focus on the anti-cancer component. Read More →

Avocados Lower Bad Cholesterol

Posted by Dan Hammer //

11/08/2019

The recent headline about how avocados lower bad cholesterol caught my attention. And the reason why is that the key to vascular health is addressing inflammation.

Vascular inflammation typically leads to plaque formation. This can significantly increase your potential for a heart attack or stroke.

Anything you can do to prevent vascular inflammation can help to reduce your risk for strokes and heart attacks.

One of the key contributors to vascular inflammation is bad cholesterol, which the medical community labels as LDL or Low Density Lipoprotein.

But the real cause of vascular inflammation is not LDL but oxidized low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and small, dense LDL particles.

By itself LDL does not damage the lining of your vascular system. What is call the endothelium.

Unfortunately, dietary choices create the environment for what are called free radicals. These are unstable molecules that are missing an electron in their outer orbit. To stabilize themselves they steal an electron from another molecule.

This process than creates another free radical, which continues this process until eventually damage is done to your cellular tissues. The result is inflammation.

In a recent 2015 study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, the participants who ate one avocado per day, while following a moderate-fat diet, had an average 13.5 mg/dl drop in bad or LDL cholesterol.

Avocados Lower Bad Cholesterol

Penn State University just released information to support how avocados lower bad cholesterol. Read More →

2 Natural Ingredients for Joint Pain

Posted by Dan Hammer //

10/15/2019

One of my clients asked me if there were any natural ingredients for joint pain. This person was concerned about the negative effects of certain pain relieving drugs like:

Acetaminophen or Tylenol – Click here for a review of health concerns.

Ibuprofen or Motrin – Click here for a comparison between ibuprofen and acetaminophen.

And since this person is over the age of 45, they have been dealing with joint pain for awhile.

If you’re like most people over the age of 45, then you are dealing with some level of joint pain. It’s estimated that in the United States about 29% of the adult population has arthritis. And if you’re 65 or older, then it’s about 50% of the population that suffers from arthritis.

For me personally, I experience joint pain in my left knee daily. Some days are worse than others depending on my activities during the previous day. I typically use 600 mg of ibuprofen when the pain gets to be too much. For me it addresses the pain and inflammation.

This made my client’s request for natural ingredients for joint pain timely and personal. And here is what I found. Read More →

5 Real Health Benefits of Cherries

Posted by Dan Hammer //

08/01/2019

There is a summertime fruit that is both abundant and has real health benefits. That fruit is cherries. Especially Bing cherries from Michigan.

I’ve always enjoyed the taste of cherries. And when my daughter brought some home from the grocery store, I was reminded on how much I enjoy their taste.

So much that I’m now making them a daily part of my diet.

Because of this I decided to do some research on the health benefits of cherries. And while I wasn’t surprised, I was definitely pleased at how nutritious this fruit is.

I’ve been eating cherries each day as an afternoon snack.

Instead of reaching for a bag of potato chips I’m filling a cup with Bing cherries. Here is the overall nutritional value for one cup:

97 Calories

2 grams of Protein

25 grams of Carbohydrates

3 grams of Fiber

18% of my daily need for Vitamin C

10% of my daily need for Potassium

5% of my daily need for Copper

5% of my daily need for Manganese

And while this nutritional profile is good, what’s even better are the polyphenols and antioxidants that make the health benefits of cherries real. Read More →

Reduce Chronic Inflammation by Targeting NF-kB

Posted by Dan Hammer //

07/22/2019

One of the keys to preventing diseases is to reduce chronic inflammation. The healing process always involves some level of inflammation. And once the healing has been completed the inflammation goes away.

However, in today’s modern world there are foods and ingredients that are consumed daily that trigger chronic inflammation. This is a low-grade form of inflammation that continues to inflame cells and causes them to age prematurely.

This chronic inflammation also causes abnormal genetic responses that contribute to age-related disorders. In the last two years scientists have uncovered a key factor in chronic inflammation. It is a gene-regulating protein complex called:

Nuclear Factor kappa B or NF-kB

This NF-kB has been shown to be a primary initiator of inflammation. And inhibiting NF-kB can be used to reduce chronic inflammation. But before we talk about how to inhibit this gene-regulating protein, let’s look a list of age-related diseases that improve when NF-kB is kept in check:

Cancer Development
Heart Muscle Alterations
Poor Wound Healing
Arthritis
Asthma
Brain Cell Degradation
Insulin Resistance

A Brief Overview on Chronic Inflammation

To understand how to reduce chronic inflammation one needs to understand the inflammation process. Here is a brief overview: Read More →