The sweet taste is addictive, so any sweet taste will prolong the craving or drive. Sugar is just the most plentiful sweet we have, and we are surrounded by it. It is present in almost all social gatherings, and it is quick and easy to take on the run. Even fruit may be sweet enough to maintain the cravings.

As with any addiction, the longer you stay away from it, the less control it has over you. But, also like any addiction, the first bite brings back all the cravings again. It all starts with a decision that you won’t have any more. That’s the first and hardest step you will ever take. Then you need to figure out what to do in the future. Here are some suggestions:

1. Take your own non-sweet dish to the party

2. Always have nuts or a snack with you at all times to eat when you have no other choice, and the temptation is great.

3. Find like-minded people to associate with that will provide support.

Vitamin D has been shown to be considerably more important than just to help with bone and calcium metabolism. Recent research has revealed that it has a prominent role with the immune system. High levels in the 70 to 90 range would prevent almost half of all the breast cancer in the US, and would reduce all cancers considerably. In the 50 to 70 range, it will provide protection against many viruses and bacteria, including against the swine flu. It will also reduce the risk of auto-immune disease.

A level of 7 is exceptionally low. I usually place my patients on 5,000 IU per day and recheck a level 4 months later. If it is not coming up adequately, I would double the dose to 10,000 IU per day. Some people do not need more than 1,000 to 2,000 IU per day. Some conventional physicians are using 50,000 IU weekly or monthly to increase the levels more quickly, which is fine. There are dangers of increasing calcium levels in the blood at high levels, usually in the 120 to 200 range, which is hard to achieve.

D3 is what is measured in the laboratory. D2 is made by plants, while D3 is made by animals. I don’t think it matters whether you take D2 or D3.

One other thought, as you are looking for your joints to stop hurting: since you are also dealing with low thyroid issues, chances are that your weight is out of balance.  You may want to consider the Ease on Down Weight Balance program that I’ll be offering soon (we’re just trying to get some of the technical issues resolved before we launch).  This will be a tremendous help to you in getting your body into balance.

There are different options for teeth whitening. I would avoid the ones with fluoride or propylene glycol in them. Hydrogen peroxide is safe–is it a pro-oxidant, which is the reason for its effectiveness. Carbamide peroxide is just hydrogen peroxide with urea, so is equally safe.

The two safest things to do at home to whiten teeth are swishing your mouth with hydrogen peroxide, or the use of baking soda. Baking soda will also whiten teeth.

Excellent question!  Testing of fish oil capsules show that the mercury has been removed. But, as with any supplement, there are various qualities, and there may be mercury, lead or other toxic metals added to the oil during the manufacturing process, even though the mercury has been removed from the original fish oil. Hence, the saying, you get what you pay for.

The higher quality companies have a much better quality control program and much less toxic substances are found. Unfortunately, most of these higher quality supplements are only available through physicians.  I have found that in supplements, you get what you pay for.  This is why I made the decision to make a superb quality supplement available on my site, so that you can obtain it and know I have personally designed the formulation.

My cholesterol went from 282, June 2010 to 219. Chol density lipoprotein went from 5.2 to 4.8, HDL from 44 to 46, LDL from 160 to 158 and triglicerides from 121 to 75. So the niacin appears to be doing its job there , but I am concerned about my liver.
I can’t tell you how much I appreciate all you do.

I consider liver enzyme levels below 26 as being healthy. The normals typically go up into the 30s and 40s, which demonstrates the difference between alternative medicine interpretation and conventional medicine.

Because any number of toxins may make the levels rise, the best way to find out is to stop the Niacin, see the levels drop, re-initiate the Niacin and watch the levels rise again. There is a form of Niacin that will never cause liver abnormalities, but that form may not do what you need it to do. Since from my perspective there is no need for cholesterol levels in the 200s to go down, I don’t see the need to use anything that lowers the total cholesterol level. However, other options to lower cholesterol include gugolipids, red yeast rice, fiber.

Sweeteners: If you are addicted to sugar or sweets, then you need to avoid all sweets, possibly even fruits. Assuming you are not addicted to sugar, there are ‘bad’, ‘good’ and ‘best’ sweeteners. The ‘best’ sweetener is eating the whole fruit, and that is where most of the need for sweet flavor should be met. Juices typically remove the pulp, or fiber, thus making it more like a sugar drink, albeit better than soda pop.

Fruit Drinks: These fruits can be put in a smoothie and have all the nutrients they contain.

There are ‘good’ sweeteners. These include stevia and xylitol, and perhaps agave in small amounts. But because agave is fructose, and too much fructose is harmful to the liver, you need to be careful with it. Raw honey and whole cane sugar when used in moderation are also acceptable if your body works well with them. ‘Bad’ sweeteners include processed white sugar, aspartame, and Splenda. All of these are toxic to the body.

Processed Sugar:

• is inflammatory,
• feeds candida and cancer cells,
• causes acidity in the body,
• suppresses the immune system,
• increases triglycerides in the blood,
• leads to several mineral deficiencies,
• causes insulin resistance and diabetes

–is that enough? (there is much more!).

Aspartame: is wood alcohol, with an aspartate group and phenylalanine hooked onto it. The wood alcohol is toxic to the body, so the liver breaks it down into formaldehyde, another toxic substance, and then further into formic acid (the sting of the fire ant). I consider aspartame worse than sugar. Splenda has a chlorine group on it. Chlorine gas was used World War I to kill enemy soldiers. It was found to be so effective, it has been added to our water supply to kill bacteria. Chlorine, bromide and fluoride are in the same family with iodine, and all will interfere with the production of thyroid hormone.

More on the other stuff to come in future posts…

For the serious problems you describe, cardiovascular disease and lupus, you will need an alternative-minded physician with lots of experience.

Treatment will start with a good diet (no sugars, soda pop, processed food) to remove pro-inflammatory substances and potent supplements. IV chelation therapy with Magnesium-EDTA may be needed to reduce the risk of further vascular disease and blood vessel blockage. Aggressive laboratory evaluation for possible triggers of the autoimmune disease, lupus, may be necessary, as well as removal or treatment of those triggers, so the attack on your body can be slowed down or reversed. In the meantime, natural anti-inflammatories will be useful–MSM, boswelia, curcumen. We will be releasing a good one called Primivia Relief in the next 2 months.  It will be available through the store here on the website.

I wish you the very best in regaining your health and energy.  Dr. Stan

The emotional connections to health are too often ignored. In traditional societies, the heart is either associated with feelings (when the brain is associated with thoughts), or with thoughts, while the bowels are associated with feelings. Either way, feelings or thoughts will be manifest in a physical organ.

There are safe ways to help our organs, which I will share with you, but unless the basic issues at the stress level, especially dealing with the stress/abuse of a broken heart, are addressed, they are mere band-aids.

Find the joy you need and deserve; leave the past in the past; forgive, if possible; find a purpose bigger than the hurt.

For the heart itself, magnesium is probably the single biggest support for the heart-500 to 800 mg per day. If your broken heart is associated with fatigue, consider CoQ10, 200 mg per day, L-carnitine–1000 mg per day. If there are arrhythmias or high blood pressure, also add hawthorne berry.

Although things have been in a bit of an upheaval (I just accepted the position of Medical Director at Healing Solutions Medical Center in Sandy, Utah and consequently we are moving from Ohio clear across the country!), I am putting the final touches on a program that addresses your health AND your weight from a “healthy alternatives” standpoint.  That program will be available online, wherever you live, and I guarantee you will learn some amazing new concepts you have never heard before.  They will make sense to you, and they will help your whole body get into balance.

I do conduct private consultations, and in fact, now is a good time to set one up.  If you are interested, you may call my office at 801.565.3755.  The Healing Solutions Center was previously limited more to pediatric care, but now is available to all ages who are interested in healthy alternatives to drugs and surgery.

To your dynamic health and energy!  Dr. Stan