Natural Wa y to Health
Dr. David Brownstein’s
Achieving & Maintaining Your Optimal Health
October 2010
Vol. 3, Issue 10
T
The Secrets to Fighting Arthritis
rue or false: Arthritis is a chronic disease
without a cure that will only get worse
as time goes on. The surprising answer is
“false.” In fact, there is a cure for arthritis.
In this month’s issue of Natural Way to Health,
I’ll show you why a holistic medical approach
is the most effective way to prevent and treat
arthritis, and why you must avoid conventional
drug therapies that are toxic and prone to serious
adverse effects.
The word “arthritis” comes from the Greek roots
arthron (joint) and itis (inflammation). It is a broad
category that can refer to the symptoms of many
different diseases (such as rheumatoid arthritis,
fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis, and Lyme disease).
It can occur either as an acute condition or as a
chronic illness.
The impact of arthritis on the population is
staggering: In the United States alone, 46 million
adults suffer from some form of arthritis. An
estimated 27 million adults have osteoarthritis
(also called degenerative joint disease), and 1.3
million are estimated to have rheumatoid arthritis
(chronic inflammation of the body’s synovial
joints).
Problems With Conventional Treatment
Conventional medicine currently has no consensus
on what causes arthritis. The logical question is: If
you don’t understand the cause of an illness, how
can you effectively treat it? Because conventional
medicine does not understand the cause of many
chronic illnesses (e.g., arthritis, chronic fatigue
syndrome, fibromyalgia, etc.), the long-term
conventional therapies presently in use are ineffective
and can often be toxic.
For over five decades, non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have been the primary
treatment for arthritic disorders. If this medication
fails, more powerful steroids or other drugs, such as
chemotherapeutic agents, are employed.
In my experience, the results of these drug
therapies are dismal. They may temporarily alleviate
the symptoms of arthritic disorders, but they do
little to halt or reverse the progression of the illness.
In addition, NSAIDs and the newer drug therapies
do not provide the body with what it needs to heal
In This Issue . . .
4 An Arthritis Success Story.......................................2
Over 50 percent of adults 65 and older are
reported to have arthritis. But it’s not just adults
suffering from this debilitating disease: Nearly
300,000 children have arthritis.
4 Problems With ‘Newer’ Arthritis Meds....................2
By the year 2020, 60 million Americans, or 18
percent of the population, will be suffering from
some form of arthritis. It is already the leading cause
of disability in the U.S., resulting in more than 5
million hospitalizations per year.
4 Antibiotics and Arthritis.........................................5
4 Treating Tomoka the Gorilla...................................3
4 Case History: Peroxide Beats Pneumonia................4
4 In the News: Nitrates and Thyroid Cancer..............6
4 Bad Diet Promotes Arthritis....................................7
4 Ask Dr. Brownstein.................................................8
Arthritis Success Story:
Back on the Bicycle
Patty was in generally good health until age
38, when, “All of the sudden I started to get
pains in my hands and feet,” she told me. “Next, I
began to have swelling and redness in my joints.
I went to a rheumatologist and he told me I had
rheumatoid arthritis. I was devastated. I went
from being healthy to feeling miserable, literally
overnight.”
I saw Patty for the first time two years after
her arthritis symptoms began. She came into my
office that first visit in a wheelchair; her fingers
were curled, swollen, red, and painful. Patty was
clearly miserable. She told me her goal was to
one day get out of that wheelchair and ride a
bicycle again.
Lab tests came up positive for a bacterium
called mycoplasma, which has been shown to
cause rheumatoid arthritis in both humans and
animals. I placed Patty on a low-dose antibiotic
regimen (minocycline), and a nutritional program
designed to optimize her own immune system
response. Although she suffered through
Herxheimer reactions (a temporary worsening of
arthritis symptoms), Patty made steady progress.
Approximately two years later, Patty was out
of the wheelchair, and she hasn’t returned to
it. Three years after that, Patty came into my
office with a big smile and showed me a picture
of herself riding a bike. “I told you that was my
goal,” she happily claimed.
I use that picture now when I lecture about
arthritis. Five years later, Patty is still on low-dose
antibiotics and a holistic treatment regimen, and
is doing well.
itself. In fact, because of the toxicity of these agents,
the opposite often occurs: NSAIDs can actually
inhibit healing and weaken the immune system.
Prolonged use of NSAIDs is, indeed, harmful. It’s
estimated that over 16,500 patients with rheumatoid
arthritis or osteoarthritis die annually from the toxic
effects of these drugs (a total that is similar to the
number of annual U.S. deaths from AIDS).
Furthermore, studies have shown that the prolonged use of NSAIDs inhibits cartilage formation
in arthritic patients, and actually worsens arthritic
conditions.
NSAIDs are also known to decrease blood flow
to the kidneys. It is a dirty little secret in medicine
that long-term use of NSAIDs is actually a leading
cause of kidney failure. And it is well known that
prolonged use of steroids (in large, pharmacologic
doses) and chemotherapeutic agents will eventually
suppress the immune system and make the body
more susceptible to illness.
What About ‘Newer’ Medications?
A newer category of arthritis medications are
called disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs
(DMARDs). These drugs are advertised to reduce
the rate of damage to bone and cartilage that is
found with NSAIDs. Examples include methotrexate,
Humira, Imuran, and Enbrel.
Each of these prescription medications works
by poisoning enzymes or inhibiting certain
inflammatory proteins in the body. However, these
inflammatory enzymes and proteins are not the cause
of the illness; rather, their increased production is the
consequence of the illness.
DMARDs have clear immune-suppressing
properties. Needless to say, they have been associated
with horrendous side effects, including fatal blood
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Page 2
October 2010
disorders (leukemia and lymphoma), serious
infections (tuberculosis and other bacterial and viral
illnesses), cancer, liver injury, demyelination of the
central nervous system, and cardiac failure.
Do these drugs have a place in the treatment of
arthritic disorders? The answer is “yes.” DMARDs
can cause immediate, powerful reduction of
inflammation and pain for some arthritis sufferers.
However, the drugs are overprescribed, and, if used,
should be used for the shortest course possible.
I’ve found little need for these drugs. Arthritis does
not occur due to the lack of NSAIDs, DMARDs, or
chemotherapy, which only cover the symptoms.
There is a better way to treat these chronic
conditions. My experience has shown that arthritis is
a result of nutritional deficiencies, including a poor
diet, as well as poor immune system functioning
resulting in bacterial, viral, yeast, and parasitic
infections that are known to cause arthritis.
Correcting nutrient imbalances and cleaning up
the diet, as well as treating underlying bacterial
infections, can effectively treat arthritis without the
need for DMARDs or NSAIDs. By following the
recommendations outlined here and in my book,
Overcoming Arthritis, you can treat this disease
without resorting to these harmful drugs.
Infections and Arthritis
The search for a bacterial cause for certain types
of arthritis has been going on for over 60 years.
Medical literature is replete with reports describing
how infectious agents cause chronic illnesses,
including arthritis. Among the illnesses that have
been associated with an infectious process are:
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Scleroderma
• Fibromyalgia
• Vasculitis
• Hashimoto’s disease
• Graves’ disease
• Polymyalgia rheumatica
• Polymyositis
• Psoriatic arthritis
• Juvenile arthritis
• Sjogren’s syndrome
• Lupus
• Multiple sclerosis
October 2010
• Crohn’s disease
• Ulcerative colitis
Indeed, numerous bacteria, viruses, and fungi,
including chlamydia and candida, have been
implicated in various forms of arthritis. And there
are many other infectious agents that have also been
shown to cause arthritis.
Mycoplasma, a bacterium, has been suggested as a
causative factor for arthritis in animals and humans
for well over 60 years. Mycoplasma was first isolated
in humans by Dr. Louis Dienes in 1932. In 1938,
Dr. Albert Sabin was able to isolate mycoplasma in
arthritic mice. However, the most famous animal
case of mycoplasma-induced arthritis occurred in a
gorilla named Tomoka.
Tomoka the Gorilla
In 1939, Dr. Thomas McPherson Brown published
a study in which he had successfully isolated the
mycoplasma bacterium from the joints of rheumatic
patients. Mycoplasma is very difficult to isolate and
grow. In fact, it took Dr. Brown over three months
and hundreds of experiments before he was able to
isolate the bacterium.
Dr. Brown felt that the commonly used arthritic
medications (at that time steroids and NSAIDs) were
not treating the underlying cause of arthritis. He
believed the underlying cause was an infection.
Continued on page 5
David Brownstein, M.D., is a boardcertified family physician and one
of the foremost practitioners of
holistic medicine. Dr. Brownstein has
lectured internationally to physicians
and others about his success with
natural hormones and nutritional
therapies in his practice. His books
include Drugs That Don’t Work and
Natural Therapies That Do!; Iodine: Why You Need It, Why You
Can’t Live Without It; Salt Your Way To Health; The Miracle
of Natural Hormones; Overcoming Arthritis; Overcoming
Thyroid Disorders; The Guide to a Gluten-Free Diet; The Guide
to Healthy Eating; and The Guide to a Dairy-Free Diet. He is
the medical director of the Center for Holistic Medicine in West
Bloomfield, Mich., where he lives with his wife, Allison, and their
teenage daughters, Hailey and Jessica. For more information
about Dr. Brownstein, please go to www.drbrownstein.com.
Page 3
Dr. B’s Case History of the Month
Hydrogen Peroxide IV Beats Pneumonia Infection
In each issue, I will share with you the story of one of
my patients and how sometimes simple alternative
approaches can solve major health problems. Names
and some details have been changed for privacy’s sake,
but the problems and their resolutions are real.
— Dr. David Brownstein
Sue, 62, had invasive, stage-4 breast cancer. She was
diagnosed four years ago, and was treated with both
conventional and holistic therapies. She was doing
relatively well until about three months ago, when she
developed a cough.
At the time, she was prescribed the antibiotic
Zithromax. Shortly thereafter, the symptoms
progressed to producing greenish sputum and
running a fever. Sue went to an urgent care center,
where a chest X-ray showed right-side pneumonia. She
was then prescribed Avelox, a potent antibiotic that is
effective for treating a wide range of bacteria.
After seven days on Avelox, Sue called me. “I am not
doing any better,” she said. “I can barely walk to my car.
I am short of breath after taking about 10 steps. I am
really worried about this.”
When I examined her, Sue had decreased breath
sounds on the right side. This indicated fluid in her
right lung. I suggested that she go to the emergency
room to get another chest X-ray, have her oxygenation
status measured, and receive intravenous antibiotics.
Sue declined.
“They’ll just give me more antibiotics, and I do
not do well with them. In fact, I feel worse with the
antibiotics. I feel like I am dying,” she tearfully said.
‘This Stuff Is Amazing’
One of the best therapies for pneumonia is
intravenous treatment with hydrogen peroxide, an
antimicrobial agent that has been used as an antiseptic
and antibacterial for over 70 years. Most of us have
used hydrogen peroxide on cuts. It has also been
shown to stop bleeding from small wounds.
I told Sue about hydrogen peroxide IV therapy,
which I have used for over 15 years. At my office, I
utilize over 20 different nutritional IV therapies, and
by a wide margin, intravenous hydrogen peroxide
provides the most satisfying results for infections.
Peroxide IVs were first used at the beginning of the
20th century by British physician Dr. T. H. Oliver, who
treated a group of 25 patients from India who were
Page 4
critically ill with pneumonia. Dr. Oliver’s patients had
a mortality rate of just 48 percent, which compared
favorably with the standard mortality rate of 80
percent for pneumonia in that era and region. Positive
results with intravenous hydrogen peroxide were
further reported by Dr. William Koch in Detroit. In
the 1960s, intravenous hydrogen peroxide was briefly
studied for its ability to remove plaque in arteries and
its usefulness in treating cancer.
However, during World War II, intravenous
hydrogen peroxide received a bad reputation when
the Nazis used high concentrations to experiment
on prisoners. Since then, the conventional medical
community has been adamantly opposed to hydrogen
peroxide therapies.
The peroxide commonly found in most drugstores
is a 3 percent solution. Highly concentrated hydrogen
peroxide is 35 percent; that solution can be toxic.
However, 3 percent hydrogen peroxide, when properly
diluted, is a safe and effective therapy for a host of
illnesses. It is particularly effective for treating lung
issues, like pneumonia, and bowel problems such as
irritable bowel syndrome and gastroenteritis.
With any intravenous therapy, there is a risk of
bleeding, infection, phlebitis, and blood clots. The
same holds true with hydrogen peroxide. Over the
years, I estimate that well over 20,000 hydrogen
peroxide IVs have been administered in my office —
and I have not seen one adverse effect.
I ordered a peroxide IV for Sue, and she called me
the very next day. “I am feeling so much better,” she
said. “My breathing is better. Even my bowels feel
better. This stuff is amazing. Can I do it again?”
I advised Sue to see how she did over the next
couple of days. If her symptoms did not continue to
improve, I told her to get another IV. Sue ended up
receiving one further hydrogen peroxide IV. After
the second, she felt like she had made a “complete
recovery.”
Sue’s case is not unique. I’ve seen patients with
everything from simple viral infections to serious
pneumonia to Lyme disease improve with intravenous
hydrogen peroxide therapy. In my opinion, this
therapy is at least as effective as antibiotic therapies —
without the side effects. Many patients suffering from
chronic infections feel their condition significantly
improved with the use of intravenous hydrogen
peroxide therapy.
October 2010
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the antioxidants required for optimal health and longevity.
Know How Antioxidants Protect You
These days, it seems that everything from soda to cereal is enhanced
with antioxidants. But don’t get caught up in the mass market
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antioxidants required to ensure protection against the cell-destroyers known as free radicals. If too many free radicals build up in
your system, they can interfere with the way your cells function,
causing a cascade of damage that accelerates aging and leads to
disease. Scientists now know that the “miracle” of antioxidants is
that they are our last line of defense against damage by free radicals, and in turn, can keep you healthy and youthful.
Experts Agree We Are Drastically Lacking
Exposure to pollution, toxins and processed foods, which bombard
the body with free radicals, has become an unavoidable part of life.
Unfortunately, most of us do not consume the right amount, or the
right types of the antioxidants we need for protection. This is due,
in part, to the fact that produce today is much lower in nutritional
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Continued from page 3
After isolating mycoplasma in the joints of
rheumatoid patients, Dr. Brown embarked on a
40-year mission of successfully using small doses
of antibiotics to treat different arthritic conditions,
including rheumatoid arthritis. His book, The Road
Back, describes his experience diagnosing and
treating mycoplasma infections in arthritic patients.
In the mid-1960s, Tomoka, a 5-year-old gorilla at
the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., developed
a case of rheumatoid arthritis. He exhibited signs
of extreme pain and would spend his days sitting in
a corner rubbing his joints. More than 20 different
conventional arthritic treatments used in humans
had failed with Tomoka. He failed to grow and there
were plans to euthanize him.
After all other options had been exhausted,
Dr. Brown was called in to evaluate Tomoka. He
commented, “It soon became clear that we were
seeing the first model of human rheumatoid arthritis
ever encountered in an animal.”
Tomoka was found to be infected with a strain of
mycoplasma. Interestingly, the gorilla had the same
strain of bacterium that his handler (who was also a
patient of Dr. Brown) was suffering from.
Holistic Arthritis Treatments
Many arthritic patients have common food
allergies such as dairy and gluten. Also, many arthritic
patients need to avoid nightshade plants such as
tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, and eggplant.
Nutritional supplementation is important.
Most arthritic patients have multiple nutritional
deficiencies, including lowered levels of vitamins
A, B6, B12, and C. Glucosamine sulfate can help.
Ensuring adequate levels of minerals such as
magnesium and selenium is also important.
Finally, detoxification should be part of any
arthritic patient’s holistic plan. Most arthritic patients
need detoxification from heavy metals such as
mercury. All of these treatments are explained more
thoroughly in my book, Overcoming Arthritis.
have an infectious cause, and that patients will
respond positively (often dramatically) to low-dose
antibiotic therapy and natural therapies that allow
the immune system to control infectious agents.
Many research studies have been published
supporting the use of antibiotics in the treatment of
arthritic disorders. I chronicle many of these in my
book. The positive responses I’ve seen in the majority
of arthritic patients convince me that an infectious
etiology is one of the main causes of arthritis.
Dr. Brown treated Tomoka with IV tetracycline
(the same treatment he was giving to his human
patients), and the gorilla gradually improved, gaining
full weight and strength. Within three years of
receiving treatments, Tomoka resumed a normal,
healthy life. And through the next 20 years there was
no recurrence of his disease.
Antibiotics and Arthritis
Since the treatment of Tomoka, gorillas around
the country have been treated in a similar fashion
with remarkable results.
In the past, I have advocated minimizing use of
antibiotics. You may now be asking yourself: “How
come you advise using antibiotics to treat arthritis?”
Based upon my clinical experience, I agree with
Dr. Brown’s conclusion that many forms of arthritis
Antibiotics are, in fact, over-used in our society.
They are misused in the treatment of viral infections,
ear infections, sinus infections, upper respiratory
infections, and a host of other illnesses. The overuse
of antibiotics can lead to drug-resistant bacteria and
yeast overgrowth, among other problems.
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October 2010
However, antibiotics have their place in medicine.
If you have pneumonia or bacterial meningitis,
antibiotics are appropriate and can be a life-saving
treatment.
Continued on page 7
Page 5
In the News: Reading Between the Medical Headlines
Where’s the Beef?
An article in The American
Journal of Cardiology estimates
that the use of a statin drug can
mitigate the increase in heart
attack risk from eating a fast food
meal. The authors state, “The risk
reduction associated with the
daily consumption of most statins,
with the exception of pravastatin,
is more powerful than the risk
increase caused by the daily extra
fat intake associated with a 7-oz.
hamburger with cheese and a
small milkshake.”
The authors of the study go
on to suggest that statins should
be given out as free condiments
(like ketchup and salt) at fast food
restaurants.
Now I have seen everything!
This is one of the most
ridiculous articles ever written.
The stretching and twisting of the
statistics in this article are mindnumbing and silly. With articles
like this, how can The American
Journal of Cardiology ever be taken
seriously?
The best that statins have been
shown to do is (possibly) decrease
the risk of a non-fatal heart attack
by 1 percent after 2-3 years of use.
Am I a fan of fast food
restaurants? No. However, if it is a
choice between a Quarter Pounder
and a statin, I say take the Quarter
Pounder, hold the pickles.
Nitrates and Thyroid Cancer
Researchers have found an
increased risk of thyroid cancer
associated with higher average
nitrate levels in public water
supplies. They found that there is
a 2.6 times greater risk of thyroid
cancer when people consume
water exceeding 5mg/L of nitrate
for at least five years. The highest
quartile of nitrate ingestion was
Page 6
found to have a nearly 300 percent
greater increase risk of developing
thyroid cancer, and a 20 percent
increased risk of developing
hypothyroidism (Epidemiology,
May 2010).
All thyroid disorders,
including thyroid cancer and
hypothyroidism, have been
increasing at epidemic rates over
the last 30 years. In fact, thyroid
cancer is the most common
My neighbors
‘don’t
like my
yellow lawn, but
lawn chemicals
are not good for
the environment
or your family.
’
malignancy of the glandular
system. Unfortunately, I have
diagnosed many people with
thyroid cancer.
How do nitrates cause thyroid
cancer? Nitrates inhibit thyroid
uptake of iodine by inhibiting the
iodine transporting molecule, NIS.
Nitrate is a common
contaminant of drinking water.
It is now commonly found in
many public water supplies due
to increasing nitrate application
for farming and fertilizing. Nearly
every brand of fertilizer sold in
the United States contains high
concentrations of nitrate.
Nitrates also occur naturally in
green, leafy vegetables, and nitrate
fertilizers have been shown to
increase nitrate levels in vegetables.
This study should be a wake-up
call for everyone. Using pesticides
and fertilizers in order to have
a “perfect” lawn has negative
consequences. These chemicals
will end up in our water supply;
and using nitrates to green the
lawn may actually be causing the
thyroid epidemic we are currently
experiencing.
What can you do? Stop putting
toxic chemicals on your lawn, for
one thing. My neighbors don’t like
my lawn (yellow in the summer
and not really green even in rainy
times). But remember, it is not
good for the environment or your
family to use lawn chemicals.
What else can you do? Make
sure that you have adequate
iodine levels. Also ensure that you
supplement with vitamin C, which
prevents nitrosation — the binding
of nitrogen to organic compounds,
which can cause the formation of
carcinogenic substances.
B Vitamins and Depression
A study published in the
American Journal of Clinical
Nutrition found an association
between B vitamin deficiencies
and depression. Researchers found
higher total intakes of vitamins
B6 and B12 were associated with a
decreased likelihood of developing
depression for up to 12 years. Each
10 additional milligrams of B6 and
B12 were associated with 2 percent
lower odds of depressive symptoms
per year.
In this study, vitamins B6 and
B12 were found to be beneficial in
preventing depression. SSRI’s do
not prevent depression, and, for
the vast majority of patients, are
poor-performing drugs for treating
depression.
The single best therapy for
depression is exercise. Combining
exercise with B vitamins is an even
better prescription for preventing
and treating depression.
October 2010
Continued from page 5
In the case of a mycoplasma infection, my
experience has shown that low-dose, long-term
antibiotic therapy can lower bacteria levels and
allow the immune system to heal injured tissue.
Mycoplasma is a unique form of bacteria that
does not have a cell wall. Therefore, it has to live
inside other cells. And it can live quietly in a host cell
for a long period of time before becoming active.
Antibiotics, on the other hand, do not work inside
cells. Therefore, a mycoplasma infection may require
the use of long-term, low-dose antibiotics designed
to inhibit the replication of the organism. Using
these antibiotics in low doses while simultaneously
supporting the immune system with appropriate
nutrients is a safe and effective way to treat these
infectious processes. I’ve rarely see bacterial
resistance, yeast overgrowth, or other antibioticassociated problems develop with this treatment.
Which antibiotics are the most effective for
treating arthritic disorders? It depends on what
organism you are treating for. Mycoplasma responds
well to the tetracycline family. An average dose of
100 mg of Minocin, twice daily, three days per week,
works well in the majority of patients.
If people are very ill, I often add in 250 mg of
Zithromax two days per week (on the off days from
Minocin). These doses are safe and effective for
treating mycoplasma and other cell-wall deficient
organisms.
When using antibiotics for any condition, I
recommend a good probiotic product in conjunction
to protect the body’s native flora.
Herxheimer Reactions
There is one problem that is more common
when treating arthritis with antibiotics. When you
use antibiotics to treat an infection, toxins are
released into the body as the organism is killed. If
the detoxification and immune system pathways of
the body cannot keep up with the pace of removing
these new toxins, the patient can become ill. This is
known as the Herxheimer reaction. Symptoms of
Herxheimer reaction include chills, fever, nausea,
vomiting, diarrhea, headaches, and muscle cramps.
To avoid a Herxheimer reaction, I give patients
natural agents that help detoxification pathways and
October 2010
the immune system function optimally. This is one
reason why a holistic approach is the most effective
way to treat chronic disorders such as arthritis.
Rather than relying on a single therapy, holistic
medicine draws on many therapies that not only
treat the underlying cause(s) of an illness, but also
optimize immune system functioning.
Despite what conventional medicine tells us, a
diagnosis of arthritis is not a prediction for a life
of misery. I have seen many patients significantly
improve or be cured using the holistic principals
outlined here.
So if you have arthritis, don’t give up; educate
yourself about safe and effective treatments that can
result in true healing.
Bad Diet Promotes Arthritis
There is no question that diet plays a large role
in the development and continuation of arthritic
symptoms. The standard American diet, full of
refined foods, is a pro-inflammatory regimen.
Inflammation is what causes the redness, warmth,
swelling, and joint destruction associated with
arthritis. Eating pro-inflammatory foods will not only
create the environment for arthritis to begin, it will
fuel the illness once developed.
What are these pro-inflammatory foods? Refined
sugar, salt, oil, and flour. Unfortunately, these are
staples of most packaged foods and much restaurant
fare — and nearly all fast food.
The first step in any holistic plan is to clean up the
diet. Eliminate refined foods. Eat a whole-food diet
including unrefined sugar, salt, oil, and flour, and as
much organic produce as possible.
Also, drink adequate amounts of water. How much
water? Take your weight (in pounds), and divide by
two. The resulting number is the amount of water, in
ounces, you should ingest daily.
It is impossible to overcome arthritis in a
dehydrated condition. Over the last 17 years, I have
seen many arthritic patients significantly improve
their condition just by re-hydrating. In fact, some
have completely recovered from arthritis simply by
maintaining proper hydration.
Page 7
Ask Dr. Brownstein
Dear Readers,
I will try to answer as many questions as I can.
However, because of the volume of questions, I
cannot answer each letter personally. Please include
your full name, city, and state when submitting.
If you have a question for me, please e-mail it to:
[email protected].
Dear Dr. Brownstein,
For years, I have had issues with high triglycerides
and low HDL levels. When my triglycerides recently
went very high (481 mg/dL), my physician was
determined to put me on statins. However, when
this was tried in the past, I quickly developed muscle
pain and stopped medication. For this reason, I do
not want go back on them, and have been trying to fix
my condition by diet. In the past, a diet low in refined
carbohydrates has positively impacted my lipid panel
and weight. I don’t have the time to research every
food, so I just elect to not eat anything from a box,
bag, or can. I also eliminate bread and potatoes.
One change that accompanies this diet is that the
chronically dry and scaly skin patches on my elbows
go away. Does this mean I have a food allergy? Or is
there another explanation for this beneficial change?
— Peter J., Stamford, Conn.
You’ve hit the nail right on the head: You can
fix this with diet. Statins are not the answer unless
you have a statin-deficiency syndrome. However,
statin-deficiency syndrome doesn’t exist. Statins are
not needed here; diet changes are. My book, The
Guide to Healthy Eating, details the importance
of eating a diet with whole foods and eliminating
processed foods.
There is no question that a diet low in refined
carbohydrates (breads, pastas, and cereals) and
higher in good, healthy sources of protein and fat
can benefit nearly any condition, including abnormal
lipid levels. The clearing of skin lesions by cleaning
up the diet is common, and to be expected.
Don’t forget to drink adequate amounts of water
— half your body weight in pounds. The resultant
number is the amount of water, in ounces, to drink
per day.
Dear Dr. Brownstein,
In the past, you have suggested using niacin to
control triglyceride levels, but warned that people
should avoid the “no flush” form of niacin. Can you
tell me what will happen if the regular type of niacin
is taken? What dosage is best to try?
— Katie M. , St. Louis, Mo.
Taking niacin with food can help control
triglyceride levels. Half an aspirin 30 minutes
before niacin can minimize a flushing reaction. The
flushing reaction from niacin (red face, warm skin)
is a benign condition that lasts about 20 minutes,
and usually abates after a couple of weeks of
regular usage.
There have been a few reports of liver damage
with no-flush or sustained-release niacin. Therefore,
you should be careful with the form of niacin you
are using. Furthermore, the no-flush form of niacin
does not have the best lipid-lowering effects of all
forms of niacin.
I have found niacin doses of 250-500 mg/day to
be effective for most patients, though some may
need more.
To your good health,
Please note: All information presented in Dr. David Brownstein’s Natural Way to Health is for informational purposes only. It is not specific medical
advice for any individual. All answers to reader questions are provided for informational purposes only. All information presented in Dr. David
Brownstein’s Natural Way to Health should not be construed as medical consultation or instruction. You should take no action solely on the basis
of this publication’s contents. Readers are advised to consult a health professional about any issue regarding their health and well-being. While the
information found in Dr. David Brownstein’s Natural Way to Health is believed to be sensible and accurate based on the author’s best judgment,
readers who fail to seek counsel from appropriate health professionals assume risk of any potential ill effects. The opinions expressed in Dr. David
Brownstein’s Natural Way to Health do not necessarily reflect those of Newsmax Media.
Page 8
October 2010