Heart disease, type II diabetes, arthritis and osteoporosis
Reviewing every degenerative disease would fill volumes, so only a few common conditions are covered in this chapter. No matter what your condition, supporting your immune system is pivotal in treating degenerative disease. An immune-modulating formula is discussed on pages 103–104.
In addition to taking this formula, find a health care professional who can test you for food allergies and dysbiosis. Stool, hair and blood tests can determine if you have (1) high levels of accumulated heavy metals in your system, (2) sensitivities to foods or (3) dysbiosis, which is an imbalance of the healthy and unhealthy bacteria and yeast in the gut, any of which may be weakening your immune system and draining your energy. See page 431 for a laboratory that can refer you to a health care provider in your area who does these types of tests. If you test positive for any of these factors, your health care practitioner can treat you on an individual basis.
In potentially life-threatening situations or when one is seriously ill, however, herbal formulas must be prescribed by a trained and experienced herbalist. To maximize the benefits of your treatment, your herbalist and Western physician should collaborate and communicate throughout the course of your treatment. If you are taking Western drugs, always tell your herbalist what medications you are taking. Likewise, always tell your Western M.D. if you are taking Chinese herbs. Resources on pages 423–431 will help you find a Chinese herbalist to treat you on an individual basis.
You can find patent formulas at your local Chinese herbal clinic or online at ancientherbsmodernmedicine.com. Patent formulas may be used to fill in the gap between the times when you can consult a doctor, or if a doctor is not available in your area.
Some people are born with a genetic predisposition to heart disease, but this does not automatically mean that you are doomed. If you are prone to cardiovascular disease because your parents died of a heart attack, but you eat well, do not smoke or use stimulants, if you exercise and deal with your stress, your chances of developing heart disease will be dramatically reduced. Examine the habits you may have learned in your family and take responsibility for the state of your own health. Become an active participant rather than a passive recipient in your health by eliminating the habits that can exacerbate any genetic predisposition you may have to disease.
From a Chinese medicine perspective, life itself can be seen as a giant cycle of Energy fluctuation. Most of us are born with certain constitutional imbalances. The imbalance itself does not mean that we are necessarily going to have problems. These constitutional traits and differences define each person's uniqueness. It is part of who you are as an individual. The imbalances you are born with represent a tendency and play a major role in determining the direction in which your health will evolve as you go through life. The key is to reduce or counterbalance your original imbalances instead of aggravating them, by living a lifestyle that is compatible with your constitutional traits. If you do this, you can maximize your health potential.
See a health care professional to have homocysteine levels checked
Deficiencies of B vitamins in the diet—folic acid, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12—raise the level of homocysteine in the bloodstream. Homocysteine is an amino acid that, when elevated in the blood, has been found to cause arterial damage and plaque. You can reduce your risk by eating foods rich in B vitamins or by taking supplements.
Folic acid (folacin): brewer's yeast, oranges, green leafy vegetables, wheat germ, asparagus, broccoli, nuts
Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine): whole grains, meats, fish, poultry, nuts, brewer's yeast.
Vitamin B12 (cobalamin): meat, fish, poultry, eggs, dairy products
Follow the guidelines for breathing and movement practices in chapter 16.
Modify your diet
Carbohydrates rapidly turn into sugar in the system and increase the secretion of the hormone insulin. Prolonged high levels of insulin dramatically increase the damage to blood vessels, which results in heart disease. You can regulate your insulin levels by eating regular meals to avoid dramatic blood sugar fluctuations, avoiding sugar and high carbohydrate consumption and eating a balanced diet of real, whole foods. See pages 431–433 for referrals for further reading about balanced diets.
The Role of Fats in Your Diet: In 1900, heart disease was rare in the United States. Between 1920 and 1960 the incidence of heart disease rose to become the number one killer in the country. During this time butter consumption fell from eighteen pounds per person per year to four pounds per person per year. Food manufacturers began pushing cheaper processed oils such as margarine and corn oil and other processed foods such as corn flakes. Manufacturers continued influencing the public until Americans' diets consisted primarily of processed foods.
A balanced diet of real, whole foods is the answer to heart disease prevention. Butter and eggs have always been part of a balanced diet. Butter is the most easily absorbed source of vitamin A, which protects you from heart disease. Vitamin A is necessary for thyroid and adrenal gland health—both of which play a role in maintaining the proper functioning of the heart and cardiovascular system. Butter contains lecithin, which assists in the proper assimilation and metabolism of cholesterol and other fat constituents. Butter contains antioxidants such as vitamin A, vitamin E and selenium, which protect against free radicals that damage arteries.
Hydrogenated vegetable oils containing trans fatty acids, such as margarine, shortening and polyunsaturated vegetable oils, which have been transformed from their natural state by heat and chemicals, have been shown to be a major cause of heart disease. For heart health, eat naturally occurring fats and oils and include essential fatty acids (omega-3 and omega-6) in your diet.
Chia seeds Salmon oil
Fish oil Sardine oil
Flaxseed oil Sea algae (spirulina)
Hemp oilTuna fish
Mackerel oil Walnuts and walnut oil
Pumpkin oil
Sources of Omega-6
Butter Meat
Cream Pumpkin oil
Eggs Safflower oil
Fish oil Sunflower oil
Flaxseed oil Turkey
Fowl Walnuts and walnut oil
Grape seed oil Wheat germ oil
Hemp oil
Lose weight
See chapter 19 for more on weight loss.
Quit caffeine, nicotine or other stimulants
Follow the guidelines for raising serotonin levels to quit addictions on pages 148–155.
Chinese herbs and Western supplements
You can use Chinese medicinal herbs in recipes for heart health. See chapter 21 for recipes. You can also take Chinese herbal formulas and Western supplements specifically formulated for heart disease.
Type I diabetes, known as insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM), accounts for approximately 10 percent of all diabetes cases, while type II, known as non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), is estimated at over fourteen million cases (90 percent of diabetes cases). Diabetes is generally classified as type I if an individual's pancreas does not secrete insulin. Type II is associated with insulin resistance or abnormal insulin secretion, resulting in obesity. It is believed that more than half of those suffering from type II diabetes have little or no symptoms and often are undiagnosed. Ninety-eight percent of adult-onset diabetes is diet related. You can take steps to avoid diabetes and to reverse insulin resistance (explained on pages 296–299), which leads to type II diabetes. Because the progression from healthy to insulin-resistant to type II diabetes is part of accelerated aging—which is a factor that affects everyone in varying degrees—you will find more on this subject in chapter 19 on antiaging.
See a health care practitioner to have your adrenal functions checked
High cortisol levels could be driving your sugar up and exacerbating insulin resistance. Cortisol is a stress hormone that is released in response to chronic/ long-term stress. One of cortisol's jobs is to mobilize blood sugar as energy for your body to use to deal with the stress. It does this, in part, by breaking down muscle and bone mass into amino acids that are converted into sugar. Insulin will be secreted in reaction to this incoming sugar in your bloodstream, and blood sugar levels will fall. If you are constantly stressed, the dual actions of cortisol and insulin will cause your blood sugar levels to rise and crash throughout the day. Taking 100 milligrams of phosphatidyleserine—available in health food stores—three times a day, with meals, can reduce cortisol levels and thereby decrease frequent blood sugar crashes.
Focus on stress management
Follow the guidelines for breathing/movement practices in chapter 16. Regular walking lowers stress—and insulin levels.
Modify your diet
High insulin levels are generally accompanied by high total cholesterol levels. Use monounsaturated fats in your diet. Monounsaturated fats raise HDLs—the good cholesterol. When purchasing oils, always make sure you buy
pure cold- or expeller-pressed oils. These oils have not been damaged in the refining process. Oils processed with heat are damaged and in turn will damage your cells, which will contribute to ill health.
Monounsaturated Fats
Eat at room temperature (do not heat)
Almond oil Apricot kernel oil Avocado oil Black currant oil Grape seed oil Hazelnut oil Mustard oil Oat oil Rice bran oil Sesame oil
You may cook with these fats
Extra-virgin olive oil Safflower oil Sunflower oil
In addition, Energetically Warm and Hot foods are good for type II diabetes if the patient does not have an overly Warm constitution or underlying Yin deficiency. Sulfur, contained in garlic and onions, is thought to lower insulin levels. Cinnamon, cloves and bay leaves have been shown in studies by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Vitamin and Mineral Laboratory to triple insulin's ability to metabolize sugar and remove it from the bloodstream.
For those with Warm constitutions or Yin deficiency, foods such as asparagus, mung beans, kudzu root, white wood ear mushroom and pumpkin are good. Quit caffeine, nicotine and other stimulants The use of stimulants increases levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which drives up insulin levels. To quit using stimulants, follow the guidelines on pages 148–155.
Chinese herbs and Western supplements
You can use Chinese medicinal herbs in recipes to balance insulin and blood sugar levels. See chapter 21 for recipes. You can also take Chinese herbal formulas and Western supplements specifically formulated for type II diabetes. As previously noted, the vast majority of Western pharmaceuticals are unidirectional in their effect—they either raise or lower a biological factor such as blood pressure, blood glucose level or thyroid function level. In contrast, many of the Chinese herbs are bidirectional, meaning that they regulate biological factors. If blood sugar is too low, a specific herb can raise it to within normal levels. If it is too high that same herb can lower it to within normal levels. For example, in the treatment of diabetes, blood sugar regulators raise blood sugar levels of individuals with symptoms of hypoglycemia, and will lower the blood sugar levels of individuals with diabetes.
Arthritis is one of the oldest and most common disorders that afflict humankind. It is an inflammation of the joint(s) that creates pain, swelling and potential structural damage. From a Chinese medicine perspective, arthritis is a result of invasion of the External Causes Wind, Cold, Damp, Heat and Toxins. It is also closely associated with the disharmony of Kidney, Spleen and Liver Energetic systems. At a certain stage of the illness, there can also be Blood and Phlegm stagnation involved. Generally in the earlier stages of the disease the External Causes are more pronounced and dominant. As the disease extends into the later stages, the deficiencies of Kidney, Liver and Spleen start to set in. Certain types of arthritis, such as rheumatoid and osteoarthritis, that are characterized by pronounced bone/cartilage destruction are treated with strong emphasis on Kidney Energy. Kidney Energy is responsible for the function and structure of bones. Even though rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis are two distinctively different diseases by Western medical diagnosis, they can be treated with the same strategy as they display the same disharmony—Kidney Energy imbalance.
Modify your diet
Decrease consumption of tomatoes, potatoes, bell peppers and eggplant, which can cause inflammation. If you do not see any change within one month, you may resume eating these foods.
Ginger reduces inflammatory chemicals called eicosanoids. In clinical studies ginger has been shown to provide better relief of pain, swelling and stiffness than the administration of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
Make regular moderate exercise part of your lifestyle
Exercise can elevate cortisol levels, which causes anti-inflammatory responses. Regular, moderate exercise helps maintain flexibility and movement in your joints and can help you maintain a normal weight to reduce the amount of pressure on your joints. To avoid stressing your joints, do not overexercise.
The ROM-Dance program is endorsed by the Arthritis Foundation, doctors and therapists to help keep joints flexible, promote a general sense of relaxation and reduce pain and limitations. ROM-Dance (range-of-motion exercises combined with the basic principles of Tai Chi) is a unique exercise and relaxation training program for people with pain and other physical limitations. ROM-Dance takes a few minutes a day to perform and is gentle enough for nearly everyone, including individuals in wheelchairs.
Practice regular detoxification
Detoxification can calm your system and reduce inflammation. Detox under the supervision of your health care practitioner. Follow the guidelines for environmental illnesses starting on page 166.
Chinese herbs and Western supplements
If you suffer from digestive discomfort, routinely, before and after each meal, take the digestive formulas on page 102.
You can use Chinese medicinal herbs in recipes to treat the symptoms of arthritis. See chapter 21 for recipes. You can also take Chinese herbal formulas and Western supplements specifically formulated for arthritis.
Osteoporosis is a degenerative disorder resulting from the loss of minerals, particularly calcium, from the structural matrix of the bones. From a Chinese medicine point of view it usually has much to do with the state of Kidney Energy. Kidney Energy not only helps the body to hold on to various minerals, but also helps to absorb and reabsorb these minerals.
See a health care professional to have your hormone balances checked
Progesterone builds bones, and estrogen keeps your bones dense. If you are a woman and your hormones are imbalanced, you are more likely to be losing bone mass. See a hormone expert for hormone balancing. Ask to have your adrenal function checked. High cortisol levels and low DHEA can cause bone loss.
Modify your diet
Get calcium from almonds, kale and parsley. Protein is critical for bone formation. When your blood is acidic, more calcium, which is alkaline, is taken from your bones to neutralize the acidity. Eat protein at every meal and increase your consumption of alkaline foods. Avoid refined foods, caffeine and sugar, which are acid forming, and eat fruits and vegetables, which are alkalinizing.
Make regular moderate exercise part of your lifestyle
Weight-bearing exercise such as walking, yoga and weight training has been shown to increase bone mass.
Get at least half an hour of sun exposure every day
Exposure to sun helps activate vitamin D in the body, which helps to improve calcium absorption in the digestive tract.
Chinese herbs and Western supplements
Minerals need an acid environment in the stomach to be absorbed. Do not take Tums, as it is not an absorbable form of calcium. Tums blocks your stom-ach's acid production, which is essential for the absorption of the calcium you need to build bone, nails and hair. Instead, routinely, after each meal take 600 to 1,200 milligrams betaine hydrochloride, depending on the size of your meal. If you feel a warm, burning sensation in your stomach, drink an eight-ounce glass of water and discontinue the use of betaine hydrochloride.
You can use Chinese medicinal herbs in recipes to build strong bones. See chapter 21 for recipes. You can also take Chinese herbal formulas and Western supplements specifically formulated for osteoporosis.