| Get Free Health Tips by RSS

Featured Posts

Autoimmunity, KyoDophilus, Alfalfa, and Zinc

My general doctor says that patients suffering from autoimmune diseases should not take herbs and supplements that boost immunity (since autoimmunity results from overactive immune responses that attack and harm various parts of the patients' bodies). In other words, when your immune system is already overactive, you are foolish ...

Read More

Hikes

List of Hikes I am adding short descriptions of the hikes I take in Canada and the United States. You will find all the photos from the hikes on http://www.flixya.com/user/affiliatebin, and you fill find three of my previous posts on 1) Toronto Waterfront, Leslie Spit, Cherry Beach, 2) Hiking Photos from ...

Read More

Desert Venom

Although a number of medical professionals still recommend applying a tourniquet to rattlesnake bites (and then briefly releasing the tourniquet every 15 to 20 minutes), Tony Nester, the author of Desert Survival Tips, Tricks, & Skills (Flagstaff: Diamond Creek Press, 2003), writes that most of the doctors he spoke to ...

Read More

Top Brands: Hiking Boots

[August 2010 Update: Last fall I bought a pair of Vasque Mantra hiking shoes on clearance at REI for $20. The Vasque Mantras are now my favorites, and I'll keep on buying them (but if you have high arches the Vasque Breeze Low hiking shoes will probably fit you better). ...

Read More

They Say Vegetables Don't Stop Cancer. I Don't Believe It.

This week the media told us all that a new study shows that eating lots of vegetables does not "significantly" lower cancer risk. (The study indicates that vegetables might provide a very small reduction in cancer risk, but that statistic may have resulted from reporting error and bias -- see ...

Read More

Buying a House in Arizona: Home, Termite, and Mold Inspections

First I'll tell you about the information you can get from the Arizona State Government. Then I'll tell you about my conversations with house, termite, mold, and fungi inspection companies in Phoenix and Mesa, Arizona. You can phone the Office of Pest Management at 602-255-3664 (and 1-800-223-0618). Or go online ...

Read More

My Anti-Cancer Diet

Also see my post Cancer Prevention Foods and Spices. And search the United States government's National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine web site and Mayo Clinc. Daily anti-cancer foods and supplements: 1) I bought one pound of Organic Connections beet powder for $23.80. (That's the best price I found). -- I take ...

Read More

A Fish and Vegetable Diet

We have heard about low-fat diets, gluten-free diets, vegetarian diets, and other approaches to healthy eating. Perhaps the best low-fat diet is not only gluten free, it's grain free. Grains tend to cause weight-gain problems, and grains can irritate your intestinal walls, resulting in inflammation and irritable bowels. (I have ...

Read More


June 1 – June 10, Get 30% Off All GoLite Products

June 1st, 2010

Update: Valid October 27 – November 7, 2010, 30% off all insulated jackets.

GoLite is celebrating National Trails Day by discounting all GoLite products by 30%: tents, packs, rain gear, running gear, and all the other hiking, camping and outdoors products in their collection. This site-wide sale is taking place from June 1 to June 10.

Use the coupon code “NTD2010″ at checkout on GoLite.com.

Tags: ,

Ulcerative Colitis, Olive Oil, Sesame Oil, and Fish Oil

May 15th, 2010

In his book The Anti-Inflammation Zone: Reversing the Silent Epidemic That’s Destroying Our Health, Dr. Sears tells us about the importance of pharmaceutical-grade fish oil, toasted unrefined sesame oil, and extra-virgin olive oil. Now research in Britain indicates that consuming two to three tablespoons of olive oil a day might prevent ulcerative colitis. But this conclusion remains tentative until scientists manage to replicate the results. See http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/healthday/638501.html.

Dr. Sears says to consume cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil, preferably relatively expensive brands that have a naturally peppery flavor: President’s Choice Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Tuscany has a peppery finish and seems reasonably priced. Still, you might prefer Dr. Sears’ oils. He sells his own select brand. Google it.

Related Posts

Tags: , , ,

Autoimmunity, KyoDophilus, Alfalfa, and Zinc

May 12th, 2010

My general doctor says that patients suffering from autoimmune diseases should not take herbs and supplements that boost immunity (since autoimmunity results from overactive immune responses that attack and harm various parts of the patients’ bodies). In other words, when your immune system is already overactive, you are foolish to boost its activity even further. And that is why I am surprised when I see health practitioners (including naturopaths) advise victims of colitis or Crohn’s disease to take alfalfa and Lactobacillus acidophilus.

Alfalfa boosts the immune system and can therefore interfere with immune-suppressive medications, such as mercaptopurine (6-MP) and azathioprine (the Mayo Clinic says flat out that patients should not use azathioprine with alfalfa). And the labels on bottles of Kyo-Dophilus (a probiotic containing Lactobacillus acidophilus) say, “Take KyoDophilus . . . every day to boost immunity.”

In fact a University of California clinical trial using Kyo-Dophilus (”a commercially available dietary supplement often used by individuals with inflammatory bowel disease”) was terminated in 2008 due to low recruitment. In other words, the doctors could not find enough volunteers.

I suspect that colitis patients sometimes find that Kyo-Dophilus provides some relief from the symptoms associated with lactose intolerance. Yet they would do better to stay away from milk products and Kyo-Dophilus, since Kyo-Dophilus will not cure their colitis-induced lactose intolerance, and since it will boost their immune response (possibly causing their colitis to flare).

Patients suffering from autoimmune diseases should not take Kyo-Dophilus, alfalfa, zinc, echinacea, ginseng, and shiitake supplements, and they should stay away from COLD-fx, too.

Also see, Ulcerative Colitis Advice

Tags: , , ,