General Health Archives - Dan Hammer Health LTD

Eliminating Heart Disease Naturally Thru Nitric Oxide Therapy

Archive for General Health

Health Benefits of Lycopene

Posted by Dan Hammer //

01/22/2021

If you are a fan of tomatoes, watermelon, and pink grapefruit, then you’re enjoying multiple health benefits of lycopene.

Lycopene is the pigment in fruits and vegetables that make them red in color. This red pigment is part of the carotenoid family, which includes beta-carotene and lutein.

Lycopene is a very powerful antioxidant or free radical scavenger. And can provide the following benefits.

Antioxidant Health Benefits of Lycopene

As I’ve shared in previous articles, free radicals are unstable molecules that steal electrons from another molecule to stabilize themselves. This action creates a new free radical that then repeats this process. It finally stops when the last free radical steals an electron from a cell wall. This results in inflammation.

Antioxidants are your natural defense against this process.

Antioxidants are molecules that give away one of their outer electrons, which then stabilizes the free radical. The remarkable property of an antioxidant is that it does not become a free radical. It remains stable with or without the electron it gives away.

This means that antioxidants like lycopene can protect you from cellular damage. And significantly reduce the potential for inflammation. This makes the following health benefits of lycopene possible: Read More →

Benefits of Intermittent Fasting

Posted by Dan Hammer //

01/15/2021

Intermittent fasting continues to gain popularity. Because of this I thought it would be helpful to look at the benefits of intermittent fasting.

But before we examine the benefits, let’s understand what intermittent fasting is.

Intermittent fasting is an eating pattern that includes periods of eating followed by periods of fasting. And while there are several ways you can do this, the most common methods are the following:

The 8/16 Method – In this method you restrict your daily eating to an 8 hour period. Then fast for 16 hours. It is a daily program or eating pattern. The key is when you decide to take your first meal. Some people skip the breakfast meal and start eating around 12 noon or 1 pm. Their last meal would then be either 8 or 9 pm.

Personally I believe they would be better served by starting with breakfast at 8 or 9 am. Then making sure that their final meal for the day was at 4 or 5 pm.

The reason why I make this recommendation is that you will do a better job utilizing stored fat as an energy source during the sleep phase at night.

If you eat at 9 pm before sleeping, then the calories of your last meal will be used by your body, instead of your body using its stored fat. This process of using store fat while you sleep helps to reshape your body in a positive way.

Alternate Day Fasting – In this program you eat normal one day and then fast completely the following day. Most people make their dinner meal the last meal. Then 24 hours later start eating with their dinner meal.

A variation of this program is fasting once or twice per week instead of doing it every other day.

The 5:2 Intermittent Fasting – In this program you restrict your caloric intake to 500 to 700 calories for the day. And you do this on just two days per week. Most people make sure that the two days they reduce their caloric intake are not consecutive days.

Of all three programs, the 8/16 method is the simplest to follow. And the most sustainable to maintain.

Now that we understand the 3 main types of intermittent fasting, let’s look at the benefits. Read More →

Slowing The Aging Process With Fisetin

Posted by Dan Hammer //

01/08/2021

Slowing the aging process is relative to your age. When we are young we really don’t think about it. But once we hit the age of 35, and our bodies begin to decline in their health, the idea of slowing the aging process begins to enter our thoughts.

For many, once they reach the age of 60 they really begin to look for ways to help extend their life with good health.

There is a class of compounds called senolytics that have been used in experimental models to improve health and extend the lifespan.

One new compound that has shown great promise is fisetin. This is a flavonoid found in various fruits and vegetables like strawberries, apples, grapes, and onions.

In animal studies, fisetin has extending lifespan by approximately 10 percent.

Senolytic compounds like fisetin help your body clear away old and damaged cells to make room for new and healthy cells.

This removal of old and damaged cells is critical to your overall health because: Read More →

Improving Bone Health With Vitamin K2

Posted by Dan Hammer //

01/01/2021

Improving bone health is vitally important for adults over the age of 50. Commonly called osteoporosis, this bone loss can be a contributing factor in age related disability.

For example, in the United States approximately 25% of men and 50% of women age 50 and older will experience a fracture due to osteoporosis. And if this wasn’t bad enough, 20% of patients over 50 who suffer a hip fracture will die.

Most people believe that taking a calcium supplement will help in improving bone health. And while it may slow down bone loss, it does not prevent it.

Which brings us to the main focus of this article.

Research out of Japan shows that high doses of vitamin K2 helps to prevent bone loss and protect against fractures.

These clinical trials used 45 mg of vitamin K2 (menagquinone-4) in helping to:

Slow Bone Loss
Reduce Fracture Risk
and Build New Bone

In a two-year study, high doses of vitamin K2 helped older osteoporosis patients reduce vertebral fractures by half.

It’s important to know that your body constantly breaks down old bone and replaces it with new bone.

After we are born, and for the first couple of decades of our life, bone density increases. Then for the next couple of decades it plateaus. Meaning that the amount of old bone being replace with new bone is about the same.

However, around the age of 40 bone density begins to decrease. And for women experiencing menopause, the bone loss accelerates.

Bone density is influenced by two types of bone cells: Read More →

Reduce Flu and Colds Naturally

Posted by Dan Hammer //

12/08/2020

As we head into the winter months, is it possible to reduce flu and colds naturally? And the answer is Yes if you know how to properly combine a prebiotic with the right probiotics.

In fact, in a recent clinical study this combination of probiotics with a prebiotic reduced flu-like illnesses by 75% and colds by 39%.

And while most of the country is focused on the CoVid19 virus, it is important to note that in the 2019-2020 flu season, 62,000 Americans died from influenza. It is estimated that 70-85% of these deaths were in people aged 65 or older.

Colds and the flu are typically treated with medications to reduce the symptoms.

These medications typically do nothing to promote immunity. Or help boost your immune system to defend your body against the invading virus.

This is were probiotics can help.

75 to 80% of your immune health is determined by your gut health. Specific probiotic strains help to balance your gut flora to improve your immune system. Especially your immune system that helps you fight off the viruses that are responsible for the flu and colds.

This means that if you consume these probiotic species on a daily basis, then you can help maintain the needed gut flora to boost your immune system.

Several studies have identified five probiotic strains that help to reduce upper respiratory tract infections. They are:

B lactis (BS01)
L plantarum (LP01)
L plantarum (LP02)
L rhamnosus (LR04)
L rhamnosus (LR05)

Now some would think that you could reduce flu and colds naturally by increasing your consumption of these five key probiotic species.

But a more effective way to increase their presence in your gut flora is to give them an ideal food source. This is where the prebiotic comes in.

Prebiotics are indigestible plant fibers to you. But they are an ideal food source for your probiotic species. One class of prebiotics called galactooligosaccharides, provide plant sugars that remain in your colon. They then feed and promote the growth of these beneficial gut microbes to enhance your immune system.

In a randomized, double-blind study of 250 healthy adult volunteers these five probiotc strains were combined with the prebiotic galactooligosaccharides. The study lasted for 90 day and was conducted during the flu season. These volunteers were given either a placebo or this probiotic-prebiotic blend. And the following results were observed:

75% reduction in flu-like respiratory illnesses
39% reduction in the number of colds

And for those who did develop the flu or cold, the following was observed:

37% reduction in flu symptom severity
19% reduction in cold symptom severity
An average one-day reduction in the duration of the cold
A three-day reduction in the duration of coughs
And a 1.5-day reduction in the duration of all acute respiratory tract infections

I’ve written numerous articles on the importance of improving your gut health to improve your immune system. Here is another reminder that you can reduce flu and colds naturally, if you take the time to feed your gut with the right ingredients.

Blessing Lives Through Nitric Oxide Therapy!

Dan Hammer

Proteolytic Enzymes to Address Pain

Posted by Dan Hammer //

12/01/2020

Most people have never heard of using proteolytic enzymes to address pain, especially arthritic pain. This creates three key questions:

What are Proteolytic Enzymes?
Are proteolytic enzymes effective is addressing arthritic pain?
How to increase your body’s ability to create proteolytic enzymes?

Let’s start with the first question. Proteolytic enzymes are used by your body to break down and digest proteins. Sometimes they are referred to as peptidases, proteases, or proteinases.

In your body, these proteolytic enzymes are produced by your pancreas and stomach. They provide the following health benefits:

Digestion of proteins to improve overall digestion
May aid in reducing Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Helps to reduce muscle soreness
May have cancer-fighting properties
Effective in decreasing inflammation
May facilitate healing and speed recovery
Help to reduce pain

As you can see there are a lot of health benefits to this key group of enzymes. But the one we want to focus on is using proteolytic enzymes to address pain, especially arthritic pain.

According to the Center for Disease Control, there are over 54 million people that have arthritis. This is almost 25% of the adult population. And while there are several forms of arthritis, what is common to all of them is:

Chronic Inflammation and Fibrin!

In one of my previous articles, I discussed five food choices that contribute to chronic inflammation. The top three are:

Sugar
Gluten Containing Foods (anything with modern day wheat)
Processed Foods

For most of America, these three are consumed on a daily basis. All of them create inflammation in your body. Because they are eaten daily, the result is chronic inflammation.

What most people don’t understand is that chronic inflammation causes tissue damage. This tissue damages causes our body to produce a tough protein substance called fibrin.

Chronic inflammation results in excessive fibrin, which is a contributing factor in arthritic pain.

Which brings us to the second question:

Are proteolytic enzymes effective in addressing arthritic pain?

And the answer is “yes” for most people. When we are young our body naturally produces a large amount of proteolytic enzymes to help keep our joints healthy and free from fibrin.

But as we age our ability to create these proteolytic enzymes decrease. Part of the reason why is the pancreas doesn’t produce them at the same rate as when we were young. Additionally, our diet can affect this process, which we’ll talk about when we answer the third question.

Using proteolytic enzymes to address pain focuses on two main benefits:

Benefit #1 is the ability to decrease inflammation. Multiple studies have shown how proteolytic enzymes are effective in reducing inflammation. One type of proteolytic enzyme called bromelain has been shown to be effective in reducing pain, joint stiffness, and swelling in those who suffer from osteoarthritis.

These proteolytic enzymes also promote wound healing and help to accelerate new tissue growth.

Benefit #2 is how proteolytic enzymes break down fibrin. According to Dr. Max Wolf, proteolytic enzymes:

Break down protein in the blood that causes inflammation.
Removes fibrin, the clotting material that prolongs inflammation.
Helps to clear up edema (excess water) in the inflammation area.

Proteolytic enzymes eat fibrin and other scar tissue, which brings us to our final question:

How to increase your body’s ability to create proteolytic enzyme?

And the best way to do this is to eat foods that contain these types of enzymes. Two of the best sources are papaya and pineapple. Papaya contains the enzyme called papain. This powerful proteolytic enzyme has been used for thousands of years as a meat tenderizer because of its ability to break down protein.

Pineapples contain bromelain, which has been used by various cultures to address pain and inflammation, especially arthritic pain.

The following are also excellent sources for proteolytic enzymes:

Turmeric Extract
Devil’s Claw
Boswellia Extract
Ginger Extract
Rutin – which is a flavonoid
Citrus Bioflavonoids

If you don’t want to eat foods that contain these enzymes, or add them to your meal, then you can find supplements that contain these 8 key sources of proteolytic enzymes to address pain.

Just make sure the supplement comes from a reputable brand that tests their products for potency and quality.

Finally, we need to discuss safety and potential side effects. For most people proteolytic enzymes are considered safe. But because they are used to break down proteins they can have some side effects, especially if you’re adding them to your diet. This could include diarrhea and nausea.

For some there might be an allergic reaction or rash.

Some proteolytic enzymes may interfere with certain blood thinning medications. Because of this, it is always wise to consult with your physician and/or pharmacist to see if there are any drug interactions that you need to be aware of.

If you use proteolytic enzymes to address pain, then always start slow and gradually build up. And once you have experienced improvements, then you can back down to find the level that helps you maintain good health. And be free of the nagging pain associated with arthritis.

Blessing Lives Through Nitric Oxide Therapy!

Dan Hammer

5 Foods To Ease Arthritis Pain

Posted by Dan Hammer //

11/22/2020

If you have chronic inflammation, then you can use these 5 foods to ease arthritis pain. According to the Center for Disease Control there are over 54 million people that have arthritis. This is almost 25% of the adult population.

And while there are several types of arthritis. What is common to all of them is:

Chronic Inflammation and Fibrin!

Our food choices contributes to this chronic inflammation. In my article titled “5 Foods That Trigger Arthritis Pain” I identify the following:

Sugar
Gluten Containing Foods
Processed Foods
Blackened or Charred Foods
Alcohol

For most of the United States, the first three are consumed on a daily basis. All three create inflammation within your body. And if you eat them daily, then the result is chronic inflammation.

Chronic inflammation causes the body to treat this as an injury. This results in excessive fibrin, which is a contributing factor of arthritis and joint inflammation.

Fibrin has to be addressed. Because of this my next article titled “Proteolytic Enzymes To Address Fibrin” will help you understand how to eliminate this from your body.

In today’s article I want to help you understand how to choose foods that ease arthritis pain. There are 5 that I would recommend. They are: Read More →

Methylation and Gene Expression

Posted by Dan Hammer //

11/01/2020

There is emerging science on how methylation and gene expression are critical to good health and disease prevention. Now before we dive into this subject let’s define these words:

Methylation – this is a biological process where your body adds a “methyl group” or molecule to another substance to enable it to function properly.

Gene Expression – is the process the body uses to take the information encoded in a gene and use it to direct the assembly of a protein molecule.

Optimal methylation enables gene expression to properly occur. If gene expression is properly used, then the correct protein molecules are created to help people stay healthy.

Another way to state this relationship between methylation and gene expression comes from Life Extension:

“Methylation controls genes that must precisely turn “on” and “off” in order to maintain cellular health.”

This means that proper methylation is essential to maintaining your health and all the biochemical reactions that need to take place. Here’s one example how this works:

Methylation and Gene Expression – Excess Homocysteine

Homocysteine is an amino acid that causes inflammation of the endothelium, which lines all of your cardiovascular system. This inflammation has been associated with both circulatory and neurological concerns.

Proper methylation is used to detoxify homocysteine. This helps to keep its level in check.

As we age, the methylation process can be disrupted.

One of the reasons for this is the inability to convert dietary folate or folic acid into the biologically active formed called methylated folate or 5-MTHF.

Why is this called 5-MTHF? Because there are at least 5 steps the body uses to convert folate to this final form. Here’s the process: Read More →

The Power of ORAC!

Posted by Dan Hammer //

10/22/2020

If you don’t know about the power of ORAC to help you fight free radical damage, then it’s time that you learned. Free radical damage is one of the leading causes of inflammation and contributes to the aging process.

So let’s start with a definition.

ORAC is an acronym for Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity. That’s just a fancy way of measuring how effective a food is in delivering needed antioxidants to help your body fight free radical damage.

The ORAC Value is the number assigned to a food and represent its ability to provide antioxidants. The higher the ORAC value, the greater the number of antioxidants that food can provide.

Currently, the United States Department of Agriculture recommends a diet of fruits and vegetables that will allow you to consume between 3,000 to 5,000 ORAC units per day. This will help you maintain an optimal level of antioxidant protection.

Learning how to apply the ORAC value of foods is one of the most effective tools you can use to slow down the aging process. And help your body prevent degenerative diseases.

There are several key factors that cause our body to age. Free radical damage is one of them. Not only does it cause us to age prematurely, but it’s also a leading contributor to inflammation and the development of degenerative diseases.

Just the act of respiration to produce energy creates free radicals. Add in environmental factors, cooking techniques, and unhealthy habits like smoking, and your body is bombarded every second by thousands of unstable molecules called “free radicals.”

To become stable each free radical will steal an electron from another atom or molecule resulting in a new free radical, which then repeats the process. Eventually, this chain reaction ends when free radicals steal their electrons from your body’s cells causing cellular damage. Over time this results in, or greatly contributes to, the development of most diseases.

Antioxidants are one of the keys to stopping free radical damage. They are molecules that freely give away an electron and remain stable after they do so. This effectively stops the chain reaction and spares your body’s cells from potential damage.

And while fruits and vegetables can be powerful sources of antioxidants, wouldn’t it be useful to know which ones provide the greatest antioxidant protection or ORAC score? Read More →

5 Key Health Benefits of Cayenne Pepper!

Posted by Dan Hammer //

10/15/2020

I was talking with one of my long-standing clients and he reminded me of the health benefits of cayenne pepper. He uses this ingredient to help him with both digestive and cardiovascular health concerns.

And he believes that cayenne pepper has been a key ingredient for a long and healthy life.

He is not the only person who believe in the health benefits of cayenne pepper. Many consider this herb to be the “King of Medicinal Herbs.” For example:

“If you master only one herb in your life, master cayenne pepper. It is more powerful than any other.” – Dr. Schulze

“Cayenne pepper – prized for thousands of years for its healing power. Folklore from around the world recounts amazing results using cayenne pepper in simple healing and in baffling health problems. But cayenne pepper is not just a healer from ancient history. Recent clinical studies have been conducted on many of the old-time health applications for this miracle herb. Again and again, the therapeutic value of cayenne pepper has been medically validated.” – Dr. Patrick Quillin from The Healing Power of Cayenne Pepper.

Of these two quotes. Dr. Patrick Quillin is the more recognizable name. Dr. Quillin served from 1990 to 2000 as the Vice President of Nutrition for Cancer Treatment Centers of America. His 15 books have sold over 1 million copies and include the best sellers Healing Nutrients and Beating Cancer with Nutrition.

Before we look at the 5 key health benefit of cayenne pepper, it’s important to note its nutritional value. One tablespoon or 5 grams contains the following:

44% of the RDI for Vitamin A

8% of the RDI for Vitamin E

7% of the RDI for Vitamin C

6% of the RDI for Vitamin B6

5% of the RDI for Vitamin K

5% of the RDI for Manganese

3% of the RDI for Potassium

3% of the RDI for Riboflavin

And the active ingredient that gives cayenne pepper its potency as a medicinal herb is capsaicin. This ingredient also gives this herb its hot taste. The higher the amount of capsaicin, the hotter the taste.

Which is one of the reasons why people do not use cayenne pepper as part of their daily food intake. However, there are ways around this. But before we discuss this, let’s look at the following health benefits of cayenne peppers: Read More →