The doctor of a friend of mine with high cholesterol prescribed my friend large doses of Niacin to manage his cholesterol levels. I looked up some information about Niacin's effects on cholesterol and found:

    * LDL (Bad) can be reduced by 5% to 25%.
    * HDL (Good) can be increased by 15% to 35%.
    * Triglycerides can be reduced by 20% to 50%.

The most common side-effect is a "blushing effect" that lasts about 15 minutes after taking Niacin. This effect usually diminishes over time and can be avoided completely by taking the Niacin with food, aspirin, or an antihistamine. Niacin tablets come in two common formulas, Immediate Release (IR) and Extended Release (ER) which is also known as Slow Release or Anti-blushing. Research shows the the IR form is the most effective for managing cholesterol and that the ER form has the possibility of building up toxicity in the liver.

http://health.yahoo.com/cholesterol-medications/nicotinic-acid-for-high-cholesterol/healthwise--hw115042.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/08/science/08qna.html
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/niacin/CL00036

I want to share a few things I have learned as I’ve studied nutrition:

• Optimal nutrition includes both micro-nutrients (vitamins and minerals) and macro-nutrients (Proteins, oils, and carbohydrates).

• The definition of a vitamin, is something your body requires that it cannot produce on its own. Our bodies produce thousands of necessary substances from the building blocks of proteins and carbohydrates, but vitamins and minerals cannot be produced and must be included in our diet. Cats for example, can produce their own Vitamin C, but humans and Guinea Pigs cannot—we must get Vitamin C from our diet.

• Every individual needs different amounts of vitamins. For example, studies have shown that some people need ten times more Vitamin C than others.

• There are a few vitamins and minerals which can be toxic at high levels. Vitamins are either water soluble or fat soluble. Fat soluble vitamins stay in the body longer and can more easily reach toxic levels. The most common ones you should watch out for is Vitamin A (fat soluble) and Iron. Our bodies can convert Beta-carotene into Vitamin A as needed. It’s very difficult to get too much Beta-carotene  (your skin would turn orange before you get a toxic level), so that’s much safer than supplementing with Vitamin A. Studies link high levels of iron to heart disease in men.

• Severe vitamin deficiencies are widely recognized to cause serious diseases, like severe Vitamin C deficiency causes scurvy.

• Lesser vitamin deficiencies slowly cause degenerative diseases commonly associated with aging, such as arthritis, macular degeneration, Alzheimers, and even heart disease.

• Virtually everyone has some deficiencies of some essential vitamin and/or mineral. The FDA guidelines (Recommended Daily Allowances) prevent severe deficiencies, but do not supply the optimal levels of nutrients needed to prevent degenerative diseases. There are many nutritional experts who recommend 2x to 10x the FDA levels of many vitamins and minerals.

• There are basically two different strategies for getting optimal nutrition: 1) Determine exactly how much of each nutrient your body needs and then buy the correct amount of each nutrient (this is very difficult and costly to do), or 2) Buy a multi-vitamin/mineral combination which contains the optimal amount for virtually everyone (you might get more of something than your body needs, but if it’s safe and not toxic, that’s not a problem and this is a much easier and cheaper route).

• There is a big difference in the quality of vitamin supplements in the U.S. Many popular supplements don’t even dissolve in your intestines before they are expelled from your body and some even contain potentially toxic levels of Vitamin A!

• There is much that the medical community still does not know about nutrition. Every day the results of new nutritional studies are released. Occasionally, I highlight some of these studies on my blog under the Health category.

I view proper nutrition as an investment in my health. It’s far cheaper to prevent disease than to treat a disease!

A study sponsored by the Austrian Ministries for Agriculture and Health found that mice fed a genetically engineered corn developed by Monsanto Company produced fewer offspring than those fed conventional corn. Environmental and consumer groups, such as Greenpeace International and the Institute for Responsible Technology are calling for an immediate moratorium on GE foods pending further studies.

Interestingly, the Austrian study was widely reported in Europe, but not in the United States where only the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and the online industry outlet Foodnavigator- USA.com reported the findings.

New research has shown a significant correlation between fish oil intake during pregnancy and asthma incidence during childhood. Children whose mothers supplemented with fish oil during pregnancy were significantly less likely to be diagnosed with childhood asthma than children from non-supplementing mothers.

Current evidence suggests that asthma development may be associated with maternal intake of marine omega-3 fatty acids during pregnancy. A recent study was conducted to examine whether an increase in omega-3 fatty acid intake during pregnancy could affect risk of asthma in their offspring.

A population-based sample of 533 women with normal pregnancies were randomly assigned 2:1:1 to receive either four one-gram fish oil capsules/day providing 2.7 grams of omega-3 fatty acids, four similar looking one-gram capsules/day with just olive oil, or no capsules at all.

During the 16 years that passed since childbirth, the rate of asthma incidence was reduced by 63% and the rate of allergic asthma was reduced by 87% in the fish oil group as compared to the olive oil group.

Assuming that the intake of olive oil had no significant influence one way or another, these results support the theory that increased fish oil omega-3 fatty acid supplementation in late pregnancy may provide important preventive potential in relation to childhood asthma development. Additional studies on this subject are currently in progress, which should shed more light on the mechanism behind this promising discovery.

< American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 88, No. 1, 167-175, July 2008 >

Adequate nutrient intakes are required for the immune system to function efficiently. A good multivitamin can enhance the immune system by supporting the body’s natural defenses on both a structural and cellular level.

A recent article published in the British Journal of Nutrition summarizes the roles of select vitamins and trace elements in immune function.

Adequate intakes of micronutrients are required for the immune system to function efficiently. Micronutrient deficiency suppresses immunity by affecting antibody responses, leading to imbalances in the immune system. This situation increases susceptibility to infections, which increases disease and death risk. In addition, infections aggravate micronutrient deficiencies by reducing nutrient intake, increasing losses, and interfering with utilization by altering metabolic pathways. Inadequate intakes of micronutrients are common in people with eating disorders, smokers (active and passive), individuals with chronic alcohol abuse, certain diseases, during pregnancy and lactation, and in the elderly.

Micronutrients contribute to the body's natural defenses on three levels by supporting physical barriers (skin/mucosa), cellular immunity, and antibody production. Vitamins A, C, E, and the mineral zinc assist in enhancing the skin barrier function. Vitamins A, B6, B12, C, D, E, and folic acid, and the minerals iron, zinc, copper and selenium work synergistically to support the protective activities of the immune cells. Finally, all these micronutrients, with the exception of vitamin C and iron, are essential for the production of antibodies.

Overall, inadequate intake and status of these vitamins and minerals may lead to a suppressed immune system, which increases the risk of infections and aggravates malnutrition. Therefore, supplementation with a multivitamin that includes these micronutrients can support the body's natural defense system by enhancing all three levels of immunity.

< Br J Nutr. 2007 Oct;98 Suppl 1:S29-35. >

When I use bleach to clean it seems to weaken my immune system - making it impossible to for my body to fight off any airborne viruses. I can count on getting ill when cleaning with bleach.

While reading "Alternatives" (a newsletter whose author is Dr. David G. Williams) I discovered a wonderful disinfectant. I hear it's non-toxic, non-staining, and works great! I feel the need to share my discovery with anyone who cares about their general health.

The disinfectant is created by an ozone generator. The sanitizing system sells for around $169. Tersano, a company in Ontario developed the Lotus Sanitizing System.