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Archive for General Health

Dangers of Soy – A Balanced View

Posted by Dan Hammer //

07/01/2020

Are there dangers of soy that can affect your health? Or is soy as beneficial to your health as the soy industry claims? I hope to provide a balanced view in this article.

However, I want to be upfront. I’m not a fan of soy or products that contain ingredients from soy.

I don’t like the taste of soy. And I try to steer away from processed foods that contain soy in their ingredient list. But my feelings about soy don’t justify whether there are dangers of soy.

Many vegans and vegetarians will use soy-based foods to get their protein needs. They will consume items like tofu, miso, tempeh, natto, and edamame. While many enjoy the taste of these foods, I do not.

And while I’m not a vegan or vegetarian, I get a lot of my daily protein intake from pea protein. I believe it’s a better source for protein. It is also hypoallergenic for most people and causes less stomach distress and bloating.

But I digress so let’s get back to the dangers of soy – a balanced view.

Older research in this area has produced some bad press for the soy bean industry. That soy affects your hormones, can cause trouble for your thyroid, and possibly be a contributing factor in certain forms of cancer.

So are these dangers of soy real? Read More →

CoVid19 and Vitamin D Deficiency

Posted by Dan Hammer //

05/08/2020

There is emerging research that is beginning to link CoVid19 and Vitamin D deficiency. The purpose of this article to to examine this emerging research. And to clarify the level of vitamin D in the blood stream that might present a risk, as well as a benefit.

First, some background on vitamin D.

In nature there are two forms of vitamin D. Vitamin D2 is found in plants and is called ergocalciferol. This form is hard for the human body to convert into an active compound. Because of this vitamin D3 is a better source.

Vitamin D3 is found in animals and is called cholecalciferol.

By themselves both forms are inactive. Our bodies have to convert them to an active compound. This is usually done by the liver and then the kidneys.

Your liver converts vitamin D3 to 25-hydroxycholecalcifoerol, which is then convert by your kidneys into 25-dihydroxycholecalciferol. This final conversion is what is measured in your blood serum. A simple blood test can determine is you fall into one of the following three categories for 25-dihydroxycholecalcifoerl:

Normal – would be 30 ng/ml or higher
Insufficient – would be 21 – 29 ng/ml
Deficiency – would be 20 ng/ml or less

A 2011 study of the US population found that 41.6% of adults are vitamin D deficient. But when viewed based on ethnicity the following was discovered:

69.2% of Hispanics were vitamin D deficient
82.1% of African-Americans were vitamin D deficient

This might be a significant factor in CoVid19 and vitamin D deficiency being a greater issue in the Black population groups. As well as Hispanics having a high risk when compared to the general population.

Now before we look at some of the emerging scientific articles, let’s briefly summarize why vitamin D might be so important in the CoVid19 health crisis. Read More →

Melatonin Benefits the Immune System

Posted by Dan Hammer //

05/01/2020

Long considered a “sleep hormone” new research is showing how melatonin benefits the immune system. In the current pandemic of CoVid19 one thing is clear. Those with a depressed immune system are more susceptible to this deadly virus.

And anything you can do to boost your immune system helps to protect your body.

As I’ve been searching for natural ways to boost the immune system, I came across information on how melatonin benefits the immune system.

Melatonin is a hormone. It is produced primarily in the pineal gland of the brain. But it’s also produced in cells of your immune system. And its main function seems to be in coordinating the communication within your immune system.

Scientists call this type of communication “cross talk.” tt’s designed to coordinate your body’s defense against a wide range of pathogens like viruses, harmful bacteria, and cancer cells.

This “cross talk” enables your body’s immune system to recognize harmful viruses and disease-causing bacteria and then work to eliminate them.

Unfortunately, with age and certain types of lifestyle choices, the immune system can become compromised or weakened. This is particularly evident with older people, who are at extreme risk to the CoVid19 virus.

Why is this important? Read More →

Bacteriophages Are Healthy Viruses

Posted by Dan Hammer //

04/15/2020

In the world of CoVid-19 we have learned that viruses can be dangerous and deadly. But are all viruses dangerous and deadly to human beings?

The answer is “NO!”

Bacteriophages are healthy viruses that can play an important role in protecting you from harmful bacteria. As well as boost your immune system. And provide protect from the viruses that can cause respiratory illnesses.

So what are bacteriophages?

Bacteriophages are tiny viruses that inflect harmful bacteria. They are so small that they are not even a single cell. Instead, they are just a piece of either DNA or RNA wrapped in a protein coat.

And they seek out and selectively eliminate ONLY harmful bacteria.

This method to destroy harmful bacteria through bacteriophages is not new. Science calls the study of this type of virus Phage Therapy. It’s history goes all the way back to before World War 1.

In the 1940s Eli Lilly and L-Oreal had developed bacteriophage “cocktails” that were used to effectively treat infections.

However, with the development of powerful antibiotics, Phage Therapy took a back seat. And for the most part forgotten.

This dependence on antibiotics has a downside.

They eliminate both the harmful and healthy bacteria. This leaves people vulnerable to other organisms especially when the antibiotic treatment is over.

Not the case with the use of bacteriophages as they only target and eliminate detrimental bacteria.

This means that the bad bacteria are destroyed, which allows the good bacteria to thrive.

Bacteriophages Are Healthy Viruses For Resetting Gut Health

This concept that bacteriophages are healthy viruses is reemerging as scientist learn how important your gut microbiome is to your overall immune system.

Currently, most scientists believe that 70 to 80% of your immune system is determined by your gut health. And the more your gut health is compromised the more your immune system is compromised.

Remember this statement: Read More →

CoVid-19 and Hydroxychloroquine

Posted by Dan Hammer //

04/01/2020

Over the last month there has been a lot of discussion regarding CoVid-19 and hydroxychloroquine, the drug used for malaria, lupus, and rheumatoid arthritis.

As the CoVid-19 virus spread across the world some nations and governments have been using this drug to treat their patients.

But it wasn’t until President Trump brought it up, at one of the Health Task Force news conferences, that this drug came to national attention here in America.

And the reaction to President Trump linking CoVid-19 and hydroxychloroquine as been mixed.

While President Trump has been extremely enthusiastic about the potential of this drug to save lives, the news media has not. Here are some of their March headlines when President Trump first mentioned this drug:

Why President Trump is at odds with his medical experts over using malaria drugs against Covid-19

Click Here to read the article

Malaria Drug Chloroquine No Better Than Regular Coronavirus Care, Study Finds

Click Here to read the article

There’s scant evidence so far for chloroquine as a COVID-19 drug — but there’s already a shortage

Click Here to read the article

And it continues even today with the news media bashing President Trump, and those who support his position, about the medical use of hydroxychloroquine for CoVid-19.

I thought it would be helpful to cut through the headlines, and agendas, and try to get to the facts about CoVid 19 and hydroxychloroquine. Whether it’s effective in helping people with this deadly virus or not.

Just recently the FDA has given an emergency-use authorization to chloroquine-based products to expand access to these drugs during the CoVid-19 health crisis. This emergency-use authorization allows patients with CoVid-19 to have discussions with their attending physicians about using these types of drugs to treat their illness.

While this doesn’t mean that the chloroquine-based drugs will prove to be effective, it does mean that there is enough information to cause the FDA and the Health Task Force to see this as a potential help in the prevention and recovery from this deadly virus.

Here are three headlines from scientific journals regarding the use of this drug for the treatment of CoVid-19:

Results from a Controlled Trial of Hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19

This study came out of Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University in Wuhan, China. It was a randomized study of 62 patients with half receiving a placebo and the other half taking 200 mg of hydroxychloroquine twice per day for 5 days.

According to Dr. Zhan Zhang, one of the lead researchers, “The data in this study revealed that after 5 days of hydroxychloroquine treatment, the symptoms of patients with COVID-19 were significantly relieved, manifesting as shorten(ing) in the recovery time for cough and fever.”

Those taking the hydroxychloroquine had a return to normal body temperature and cessation of cough one day faster then those in the placebo group.

It has been reported in the news that 4 patients had adverse results during the study. This is true but the 4 patients were in the placebo group.

UW treating COVID-19 patients with antimalarial drug — researcher calls it ‘very promising’

Researchers and physicians at the University of Washington in Seattle have been treating patients with CoVid-19 with hydroxychloroquine. According to Professor Rodney Ho, “There are certain stages of this disease when the drug may be helpful.” But he acknowledges that more research needs to be done in this area.

Which brings me to the final headline:

Penn Launches Trial to Evaluate Hydroxychloroquine to Treat, Prevent COVID-19

The Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania is launching three trials to examine:

If hydroxychloroquine reduces hospital time.
If hydroxychloroquine reduces recover time at home
If hydroxychloroquine can help prevent medical workers from contracting the disease.

We’ll have to wait for these trials to conclude to see if this drug can be effective in the treatment and prevention of CoVid-19.

CoVid-19 and hydroxychloroquine will continue to get attention from both the news media and the medical profession. One thing is clear. It has potential. And that potential needs to be discussed between the patient and the treating physician.

Before I close I’ll leave you with a recent interview conducted by Dr. Oz regarding this controversy

U.S. Doctor Shares New Results Of How Covid-19 Patients Are Doing On Hydroxychloroquine

Hopefully this information will help you and your loved ones have a better understanding of this drug. Especially if anyone gets infected with the CoVid-19 virus and needs medical attention.

Blessing Lives Through Nitric Oxide Therapy!

Dan Hammer

CoVid 19 The New March Madness

Posted by Dan Hammer //

03/22/2020

Welcome to CoVid 19 the new march madness. Here in the United States the month of March was all about the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championship.

People would fill out their brackets. And then spend hours watching basketball games from Thursday night through Sunday. This would go on until the field was whittled down to the Sweet Sixteen, then the Elite Eight, and then the Final Four.

Once the Final Four were set, there would be a break in the action until the final weekend of play.

Bars and restaurants would be packed.

People would gather in homes to watch the action.

Well not this year.

CoVid 19 is the new March madness.

I live in Illinois and our governor has just implemented what California and New York have implemented:

Settle In Place or “Stay At Home” order.

All non-essential workers are now asked to stay at home. All schools have been closed for the past week and will remain closed until sometime in April. All bars and restaurants are closed except for takeout or drive-thru.

And all sporting events have been canceled.

In fact all events over 50 are canceled and those less than 50 are encouraged not to meet.

Since we can’t fill out our brackets for the basketball tournament, I thought I would share with you links that provide up-to-date information on CoVid 19. Sites that are updated on a regular basis as this health crisis works it way through the United States and the rest of the world.

Click Here for a good overview of 2019 Novel Coronavirus or CoVid 19.

Here are additional links to help you stay current about CoVid 19: Read More →

Zinc Benefits Your Immune System

Posted by Dan Hammer //

03/08/2020

The reason why I titled this article zinc benefits your immune system is because this trace mineral is absolutely essential to a healthy immune system.

Currently our world is going through a major health scare due to COVID-19, which is a coronavirus. This is a new strain that seems to have originated out of China.

Now it’s important to note a couple of things before we get back to how zinc benefits your immune system.

Item #1 – Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that include the common cold. Some of these viruses are extremely deadly like the MERS-Cov and SARS-CoV. At least initially because people have not build up an immunity to them. This is why COVID-19 has had such an effect on the health of people. It’s a new strain that the human body is not used to, and doesn’t have an immunity to it. Which leads to the next item.

Item #2 – COVID-19 has been deadliest to older adults who have a compromised immune system. This is not to say that those with a good immune system will not get sick. But those who are younger, and have a more vibrant and active immune system, usually respond well to treatment.

So what does this have to do with how zinc benefits your immune system?

Well, as people age they suffer what is called “micronutrient malnutrition.” Micronutrient malnutrition is when a person lacks essential vitamins and trace minerals. This situation is common in older adults because they tend to eat less. And they have less variety in their diet.

Add to this the fact that today’s food supply is sorely lacing in trace minerals, and you can understand why the immune system of older adults are compromised.

A good example of this is a 2007 study of adults aged 55 to 87 who had lower plasma zinc levels when compared to younger adults. These older adults also had higher oxidative stress and inflammatory markers. This group of older adults were split so that half took a zinc supplement and the other half took a placebo.

After 12 months they were retested. The zinc group had a significantly lower rate of respiratory infections. And their markers for inflammation and oxidative stress were also lower.

More recently, a 2017 study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition demonstrated how zinc benefits your immune system. In this study they gave zinc-deficient nursing home residents either a zinc supplement or a placebo. After three months, the zinc group had an increase in their T cell numbers as well as an increase in their serum zinc.

Zinc Benefits Your Immune System – The Basics Read More →

Can Stem Cells Reverse Aging

Posted by Dan Hammer //

02/22/2020

In today’s article we’re going to look at the question: Can Stem Cells Reverse Aging?

But before we do let’s get a clear understanding on what stem cells are. Here is a direct quote from U.S. National Library of Medicine:

“Stem cells are cells with the potential to develop into many different types of cells in the body. They serve as a repair system for the body. There are two main types of stem cells: embryonic stem cells and adult stem cells.

Stem cells are different from other cells in the body in three ways:

They can divide and renew themselves over a long time

They are unspecialized, so they cannot do specific functions in the body

They have the potential to become specialized cells, such as muscle cells, blood cells, and brain cells”

For our discussion on the question can stem cells reverse aging, we are going to focus on adult stem cells that are currently in your body.

Now if adult stem cells have the ability to replicate and become specialized cells, then why do we grow old and lose function as we age?

And the answer is that adult stem cells are also impacted by the aging process. Meaning that over time they loose their effectiveness in both replication and becoming specialized cells.

Can Stem Cells Reverse Aging – 4 Key Strategies

This means that the key to adult stem cells reverse aging lies in keeping them as healthy as possible. And through recent research done by Life Extension and InSilico Medicine, there seems to be three plant-based nutrients that help to promote healthy stem cells. They are: 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 →

01/22/2020

In part one of the benefits of protein I helped you understand the need for protein. How it’s key to all areas of your health. In fact, I gave you 8 direct benefits of protein. And helped answer the question:

How much protein to you need to consume each day?

The answer to that question is one-third to one-half of your body weight depending on whose guidelines you want to use.

The key is to consume your protein in various meals since your body can’t store protein.

This means that you should consume 20 to 30 grams per meal. And the rest of this articles will help you figure out how to do just that.

Protein Shakes

Once of the simplest ways to get your needed protein is with a protein shake. Some people use whey protein. I prefer pea protein isolate since it’s hypoallergenic and doesn’t cause any bloating.

I would not recommend soy protein as it can interfere with key hormones in your body.

Below is an image of my base recipe. As you can see I get 30 grams of protein with this morning meal.