Dear Readers,

Last week I wrote about “fountain of youth” hot spring waters which are super rich in minerals and sulfur compounds. These substances penetrate the skin and relieve muscle aches/spasms, arthritis and skin rashes. The warmth of the water increases circulation which helps detoxification and improves blood flow to the heart.

I realize some of you cannot travel so recreate the hot springs in your own bath like I do.  Mineral bath salts like “dead sea” salts are sold at bath shops. I like the scented “Mineral Essence” salts available at SeaSalt.com and for a strong (bur relaxing) detoxification bath, I buy the “Mustard Bath Salts” from Sumbody.com.

Below you will find a list of natural, dietary supplements that detoxify you as if you were in a hot spring. Detoxification is just a “cleansing” of the cells (or gut) and that helps unstick pollutants. You clear toxins through a variety of processes including one called “methylation.” You can take any, or all of these but ask your doctor first:

MSM: This provides the body with sulfur, and sulfur is one of the key healing elements in hot springs. MSM stands for methyl sulfonyl methane and it’s found in fruits and veggies. Some clinical trials suggest that MSM relieves osteoarthritis pain by building up the squishy stuff between your joints. Sulfur-based compounds such as MSM are thought to detoxify the liver (by raising glutathione), improve allergies/asthma and clean out the gut. This is sold everywhere.

Taurine: This natural amino acid is sulfur based, and sulfur as you just learned is beneficial to the body. Taurine may help people with high blood pressure, heart arrhythmia, high cholesterol and GI problems.  Taurine might help protect against macular degeneration.

Methionine: Another sulfur amino acid that helps you methylate, sold in health food stores. It helps build cell membranes, improve mood and joint pain. This goes on to form SAMe, another popular supplement.

B 12 and folic acid (or 5-MTHF): These B vitamins make it easier for your body to methylate and therefore, clear toxins. These Bs participate in a metabolic pathway pathway that protects us from breast and prostate cancer. Bs also protect the heart, blood vessels and nerves.

Magnesium: Hot springs contain a lot of minerals, including magnesium which goes right through the skin and eases muscle aches and pains. Magnesium is the basis for epsom salts actually, and is very soothing. Dietary supplements may improve mood, muscle pain and energy levels.

Silica: Some hot springs cast a gorgeous blue color, thanks to the high silica content.This trace mineral penetrates the skin and helps psoriasis, eczema and rashes. Silica supplements are a powerful bone builder and beauty tool because it helps form collagen. Think pretty hair, strong nails and supple skin. It may also help with varicose veins and hemorrhoids.

Did You Know?

Blood pressure medications need to be taken at the same time each day (or night) in order to maintain steady blood levels.

Dear Pharmacist,

My neighbor swears by apple cider vinegar and every time I complain about my health, she rants about the vinegar.  I haven’t tried it, but I have to say she looks fairly healthy and never gets sick.  Do you think there’s something to it?

–P.B.,  Lodi, California

Answer:  Vinegar has been used for centuries for many purposes including cleaning, killing weeds and pickling.  Apple cider vinegar (ACV) is sold as both a bottled vinegar, and a dietary supplement in the United States.  It is a popular folk remedy.  I don’t think that ACV cures everything, but I do find some studies intriguing.  I use ACV almost daily in my kitchen.

Apple cider vinegar is a fermentation product of pulverized apples.  It’s primary active ingredient is “acetic acid” and many holistic practitioners believe that a little acid can relieve symptoms of reflux disease and heartburn.  Sounds strange to you doesn’t it, but the bitter truth is that  symptoms of heartburn and reflux can sometimes be related to insufficient levels of stomach acid (termed hypochlorhydria) not high levels like many of you who take acid blockers assume.  So the acetic acid in ACV sometimes brings relief to people with certain digestive disorders. Nevertheless, I wouldn’t take ACV without your doctor’s approval because it could damage the delicate lining of your digestive tract.

Here are some other sweet uses for the vinegar:

High Cholesterol- An animal study published in the British Journal of Nutrition (2006) showed evidence that vinegar could lower cholesterol.  The scientists gave rats some acetic acid, and their cholesterol ratio improved. But they had permanent puckers on their face afterwards, go figure.

Weight Loss- A small study conducted in 2005 found that people who consume vinegar with meals feel fuller faster!   ACV also contains chromium which helps balance blood sugar and suppresses cravings for carbs.  Compounds in ACV appear to help a person break down fats easier too.

Arthritis- ACV is derived from apples which give us “malic acid.” This substance helps fight infections and also relieves pain. Malic acid may ease joint pain, fibromyalgia and gouty arthritis by dissolving uric acid deposits that form around joints.

Diabetes- This is ACV’s most promising effect.  Several studies have concluded that it may help control blood glucose.  A 2007 study published in Diabetes Care concluded that people with type 2 diabetes experienced about a 5 percent reduction in morning blood glucose levels.

Apple cider vinegar contains a lot of enzymes too, as well as minerals and vitamins.  The naturally-occurring compounds could theoretically interact with diuretics, laxatives, blood-thinners and medications often used to treat diabetes and heart diseases so run this by your physician before use.

To use ACV, just add 2 teaspoons to water each day and drink it or use it as salad dressing.  Look for organic, I prefer “raw and unfiltered.”

Did You Know?

Taking blood pressure pills at night rather than the morning can help offset side effects like dizziness, nausea and daytime fatigue.

Answer: I can see why this is confusing for people with arthritis.  As you know, glucosamine and chondroitin are used to build cartilage within the joints.  And in osteoarthritis, there is a deficit of cartilage in the joints, so these supplements are helpful. Any supplement that improves the shock-absorbing quality of the joints is useful to an osteoarthritic sufferer.  But the most important point here, is that osteoarthritis is basically limited to joint degeneration. Now, people with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) have what’s called an auto-immune disorder. It’s an inflammatory process affecting the entire person. Essentially, something goes wrong and causes the immune system to go berserk.  The body suddenly views itself as a foreign substance and launches attack on itself.  In RA, the joints are destroyed the most, even though the whole body is affected.

So if you give a person with rheumatoid arthritis any supplement which builds up cartilage, you are fueling the fire because the body can attack itself with more fury.  Glucosamine and chondroitin are definitely not for people with RA, but there are other natural substances which may benefit.  For example, anything that calms down the immune system or reduces inflammation would be great.  Things like Omega 3 fish oils, SAMe, Boswellia and Turmeric are just a few of many options.

Answer: Glucosamine is found in the body naturally, and is essential for the maintenance of tendons, cartilage, blood vessels, heart valves and other parts of the body.  In the store you will find 2 forms of glucosamine supplements, glucosamine “hydrochloride” and glucosamine “sulfate.”  The “sulfate” form is considered superior to the “hydrochloride” form because it provides sulfur to the joints which are already deficient in people with osteoarthritis.  Also, sulfur is essential for removing toxins from the body.  Overall, glucosamine sulfate is faster acting and far more impressive than chondroitin in it’s ability to support the gel-like nature and shock-absorbing qualities of cartilage.  It’s worth its weight in gold.Glucosamine is heavily promoted for osteoarthritis because research proves that over the long haul, it reduces inflammation and pain better than ibuprofen, naproxen and other non-steroidal medications frequently prescribed by physicians. In head to head double blind studies, it was shown that glucosamine addressed the cause of pain, while non-steroidal medications only provide symptomatic relief and may actually promote further joint deterioration. The best thing about glucosamine is that it won’t ruin your stomach like the non-steroidals do. The Arthritis Foundation issued a brand new statement and warned diabetics that taking glucosamine might increase blood sugar levels. The animal data strongly supports that warning, and human testing has begun. This doesn’t mean you have to stop taking your glucosamine, but you do need to monitor your blood sugar more frequently. Check with your doctor to see if you need more diabetic medication.  And if you are severely allergic to shellfish, glucosamine might give you a reaction because it is derived from the chitin of marine sea shells.Chondroitin is another story.  Taking chondroitin sulfate along with insulin is fine, but this supplement isn’t very helpful because the chondroitin molecule is too large to get into cartilage cells.  Some physicians feel that injecting chondroitin into the joints provides better penetration, however the results are not conclusive. People who experience relief with chondroitin sulfate might be improving because of the absorption of sulfur from this compound and not from the chondroitin itself. Most products on the market contain glucosamine along with chondroitin.  This combination isn’t going to hurt you but it’s not that much better than glucosamine alone.

DEAR PHARMACIST,

I suffer from gout and would like more information about this condition. What foods should I avoid, and what foods can help me?

L.B., New York, N.Y.

Answer: Even though the pain may be in your big toe, what you put in your mouth really does matter. People with gout often wake up with an extremely painful, swollen joint, usually the big toe, but it could be any joint. You might have a fever, too. Gout occurs most often in men, and the condition can spread to other joints as the amounts of uric acid increase in the body. Gout is associated with kidney stones, too, so getting to a physician is important. Now, if you wake up in the wee hours with gout, doctors usually recommend ibuprofen or naproxen to get you through the night because aspirin only makes it worse.

As far as foods go, meats, especially organs (liver, kidney, brains) raise uric acid levels, increasing your risk for gouty attacks and kidney stones. You should also eliminate sugar and caffeine and go easy on anchovies, shellfish, mackerel, mushrooms and yeast (baker’s and brewer’s).Another dietary consideration is to make your body more alkaline, and less acidic by eating more alkaline foods. Raw vegetables are a quick way to make your body more alkaline; lots of people juice them. People who go vegetarian make their body more alkaline naturally, so this is worth a try. There is some research to show that going alkaline can reduce arthritic pain.

One popular book on the alkaline diet is “The pH Miracle,” by Dr. Robert and Shelly Redford Young, www.phmiracleliving.comAt some point, you should look in your medicine cabinet. Some drugs and supplements increase your risk for symptoms of gout. For example, insulin, levodopa (for Parkinson’s) aspirin, niacin (found in supplements and in the drug Advicor), excessive Vitamin A, cyclosporine (calms the immune system) and diuretics (water pills used for high blood pressure) can all contribute to gout. Drinking alcohol matters too since your first attack may occur after excessive intake.S

Stress, overeating and bumping your toe have also been reported as factors in gout attacks.Colchicine is the prescription standard in treating gout and there are anti-inflammatory drugs your doctor can prescribe. Quercetin and bromelain are two natural and powerful anti-inflammatories which can reduce gouty attacks. Another simple supplement is a plant-based antioxidant, sold by your local health food store. Juice drinks are a tastier way to get the same type of antioxidants, which are very helpful at reducing inflammation and painful attacks.Obviously, if you have gout, life may not feel like a bowl of cherries but eating them can help tremendously. According to a popular folk remedy, you should eat a large cupful of cherries every day, fresh or frozen.