LEPTIN TEST and Other Medical Tests That Can Save Your Life....by Dr Ron
Rosedale
Are you aware that you may have metabolic
dysfunctions ? What about LEPTIN RESISTANCE and INSULIN RESISTANCE? Most
probably. Just sharing.....
Dr Ron Rosedale: Founder of the North Carolina Center of Metabolic
Medicine; Rosedale Metabolic Medicine in Dencer,
Colarado.
....If there is a known single marker for a
longer life span, as they are finding in the centenarian and laboratory animal
studies, it is insulin sensitivity, or low insulin levels. When your cells are
not sensitive to insulin, your insulin levels go up.
What is the purpose of
insulin? If you ask your doctor, he or she will tell you that it's to lower
blood sugar, but I believe that's a trivial side effect. Insulin's evolutionary
purpose is to store excess energy for future times of need. It lowers blood
glucose levels for the purpose of storing it away, not regulating it. For our
ancestors, this was a good thing. Remember, our ancestors survived on whatever
food they could find, and they did not typically find food that elevated
glucose. They ate some fruits when it was in season, but much of the sugar was
burned in gathering it. High glucose wasn't a big problem back then! Very often,
they were forced to survive for days, weeks or even months on little food.
Insulin helped our ancestors store away nutrients for the proverbial rainy day
when they would need it.
Our diet is completely
different today. Food is plentiful, and high glucose is the norm, not the
exception. As a result, our insulin levels are typically much higher than they
were among our ancestors. When your cells are constantly bombarded with insulin,
they become insulin resistant, meaning they stop hearing insulin's important
message.....you are insulin resistance....creates a hormonal derangement that
has a catastrophic effect on your metabolism.....Makes you fat; bad for your
heart; cancer link; bad for your bones; ages you; memory problems; suppresses
immune system; higher basal body temperature; high triglycerides; obesity; IR
& LR;....and more.
...I lecture frequently to medical groups and I am
passionate about teaching other physicians that food is indeed the most powerful
medicine. I believe that physicians should strive to get patients on a good diet
and off drugs, whenever possible. It has become fashionable these days to quote
Hippocrates, who said, " Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food."
In my case, that philosophy is the cornerstone of my medical practice.
...I am also a well-known specialist in the field of aging, and
lecture on that topic as well. It is not unrelated to diabetes. In fact, my
interest in diabetes was sparked by the observation that diabetics suffered from
so-called diseases of aging, such as arthritis, heart disease, cataracts, and
even dementia at a much earlier age than normal. They even look
older at an early age. From that realization, it dawned on me
that the metabolic disorder of diabetes is a disease of rapid aging, and what we
consider to be the " normal " diseases of aging are in reality due to an
underlying disease of metabolic dysfunction.
...I have come to believe that leptin resistance is at least
related to, if not at the foundation of the majority of disorders related to
aging, including heart disease, diabetes, obesity, osteoporosis, arthritis, and
even aging itself. I know that many of you are probably thinking, how could one
hormone --- let alone a hormone that most of you have probably never heard
before --- be so important to health and longevity?
...Modern medicine
has focused on merely treating symptoms, such as high cholesterol or elevated
blood sugar, and not the true disease that underlies those symptoms, for that is
far easier.... and therefore more lucrative. My experience has taught me that
treating symptoms simply masks problems, and will almost make them worst, not
better. If you lower leptin ( and also insulin ) to healthy levels, you will go
a long way towards preventing and treating a main root of what we call the
disease of aging and, in fact, aging itself. I believe that the disease of aging
are not inevitable, and that they are aggravated, if not caused, by the
typically poor American diet.
De-Age Your Body With The
Rosedale Diet
...I am a metabolic specialist who has devoted my career to
treating diseases such as obesity, heart disease , and
diabetes.
Until then, the medical establishment had all but
ignored the role of diet in disease. It was already thought that a high fat diet
could increase cholesterol levels in the body, and after his research ( Dr.
Jeremiah Stamler, one of the first to study the correlation between elevated
cholesterol and heart disease. I had the privilege of working with him )
everyone jumped on the " no fat-no cholesterol " bandwagon. We were told that
the ideal diet was low in fat and cholesterol, and high in carbohydrates,
especially for diabetics, who were at greater risk of heat disease. We didn't
know about leptin yet, nor did we understand the role of insulin in metabolic
disease, nor did we differentiate between good fats and bad fats. I saw diabetic
patients on this so-called ideal diet get worse, not better. Worst of all they
were always hungry and couldn't stay on that diet. I asked myself why the
standard diet wasn't working? Why did most of them require more, not less
medicine on this diet? Why were they so unhappy and so hungry?
....One day it dawned on me that the high carb -- low fat diet that
was being prescribed to diabetic patients was precisely the wrong therapeutic
approach. The reason why now seems obvious, but a decade ago, it was
revolutionary bordering on heretical. Carbohydrate in any form other than fiber
is eventually metabolized by the body into sugar. In fact, it starts turning
into sugar as soon as it hits the saliva in your mouth. It doesn't matter if it
is a piece of fruit, a brownie, or a bowl of whole grain cereal, it still turns
to sugar. ( There are some carbs that are better for you than others, but
nevertheless, any carb that is not fiber eventually ends up as sugar.
)
Excess Protein Is Just As Bad
...If high carb wasn't the right approach, that left two other major
food categories on which to base a diet: protein and fat. It may surprise you to
learn that the protein that the body doesn't quickly use to repair or make new
cells is largely broken down into simple sugar, which increases sugar and
promotes insulin resistance. Furthermore, protein itself triggers insulin
production, which can worsen insulin resistance. ( That is why diabetics should
never go on a very high protein diet. )
...Having rules out
carbohydrates and protein, I decided to try putting my diabetic patients on a
high fat diet, but only using healthy fats, such as those you'll eat on the
Rosedale Diet. When I switched my patients to this new diet, I saw vast
improvements in nearly every case. In addition to losing a lot of unwanted
weight, patients were able to reduce or eliminate their medication. I was so
impressed with these results that I recommended the diet for my non-diabetic
patients who were trying to lose weight, many of whom were insulin resistant.
The weight literally melted off them, and most were able to keep it off. Years
later, after the discovery of leptin ( in 1995 ), I found out why my diet worked
so well. It lowered leptin levels quickly and effectively. I also discovered why
the other diets had failed. They didn't lower leptin levels nearly as well or as
effectively, in fact, they often raised leptin levels! ( Shockingly, most
diabetics are still treated with the high carbohydrate -- low fat diet. ) ...
Thus, the longtime nutritional advice of the medical profession to eat a high
carb, low fat diet is an oxymoron!
That's the
preliminaries.
Now for the Rosedale recommended tests. These are
tests I haven't known myself but it's important especially if you have Health
Challenging Issues or chronic HCIs. It may strikes you that other tests are more
important than others like HbgA1c vs Glucose; Basal Temperature ( very
interesting ) and lastly, you will never imagine is how not so important is
Cholesterol !
Have it downloaded. Read and reread it. Keep it for the
next generation. Pass it to your friends. Who else ?
I've added my
comments based on my past ignorant --- hope you don't mind....any further
comments welcome......Alan
Happy reading.
...I
also recommend, however, that you get the laboratory tests prior to starting the
Rosedale Diet and do the appropriate follow-ups after three months, six months,
and one year, or as indicated. Just as your doctor periodically checks your
cholesterol, I much prefer to follow other lab tests that I feel are far more
indicative of your overall health. These will provide concrete, irrefutable
proof of the program's beneficial effects on your overall health.
...Of
the sixteen medical tests described below, at least seven can be included as
part of the routine CBC, or complete blood chemistry, that should be done at
your annual physical. ( An asterisk * designates the tests that can be included
as part of this routine workup. )
...Because some tests require a
fasting blood serum sample, you will be instructed by your doctor to avoid
eating or drinking besides water for at least eight hours prior to having your
blood drawn. Several of the tests described below are outside the range of the
usual blood tests and should be sent to one of the handful of specialized labs
for analysis. ( See section for lab recommendations. )
[ Note:
Through my search in S'pore and Australia, and assistance from Rosedale's
office, I finally found the nearest to Malaysia is in India for the most
important test. Leptin test.]
....The tests listed below in what I
consider to be their order of importance.
01) LEPTIN
The most reliable test for monitoring leptin levels is
the radioimmunoassay ( RIA ), which utilizes an antibody that responds to leptin
in a fasting blood sample. This test will tell you whether or not you
have leptin resistance ( LR ). If your level is in the healthy range --- the
optimal fasting leptin level is between 4 and 6 ng/dL and up to 9 is acceptable
--- your cells are sensitive to leptin's signals. You're a fat burner as nature
intended you to be, and it is unlikely that you will have a weight problem. ( If
you lower your leptin levels to optimal levels, as you most certainly will on
the R'Diet, it is highly unlikely that you will continue to have a weight
problem even if you started out with one. ) Of course, we don't want leptin
levels to go too low, Anything below -4 ng/dL is a sign of either malnutrition,
usually accompanied by very low body fat, or a generic inability to produce
leptin that results in obesity. ( If a woman's leptin level falls below 3,
generally caused by very low stores of body fat due to inadequate food intake or
intensive exercise, she will stop menstruating. )
If your fasting leptin
level is 10 ng/dL or higher, you will most certainly benefit from the
leptin-sensitizing program outlined in this book. Most obese people have
extremely elevated leptin levels: 20, 30, even 40 ng/dL ! Yet within only two to
three weeks on the R'Diet, almost everyone experiences a dramatic decline in
leptin levels. At the same time, they eat less because they do not feel hungry
as often as they used to. They no longer experience food cravings and have
little difficulty following the diet. If your leptin doesn't fall as quickly as
it should ( younger people often have quicker results than older people ), you
need to be especially careful about following the diet and perhaps add extra
nutritional supplements. But if you follow the program, I promise that your
leptin sensitivity will improve and your fasting leptin level will
fall.
Leptin: 4 to 6 ng/dL optimal; up to 9
acceptable; 10+ high.
02)
INSULIN
The
most important test after leptin is fasting insulin, for this hormone is also
involved in how your body utilizes energy. Insulin is best known for its effect
on blood sugar. Secreted by specialized cells in the pancreas, called islet
cells, in response to increases blood glucose, insulin binds to receptors on the
surfaces of cells throughout the body and signals them to allow glucose to
enter.
Insulin regulates the energy needs of nearly every cell in your
body. In addition to clearing glucose out of the blood, it determines whether
that glucose will be used for immediate energy needs, whether it will be
converted into glycogen for use over the next few hours, or whether it will be
converted into fat for future needs. This explains why elevated insulin and
leptin resistance go hand in hand in promoting weight gain. It is also involved
in the synthesis of protein.
It is easy to overlook the manifold
actions of insulin because its blood sugar ---- influencing properties are all
you hear about from your doctor and the media. But let's look at it from the
evolutionary perspective. For most of human history, the challenge was uncertain
access to a food supply of any kind ( remember the Hunters Gatherers
era ). Storing nutrients for times of food deprivation was essential to
survival, and this is exactly what insulin does. Thus, insulin lowers blood
sugar secondary to its major role in trying to store excess sugar mostly as
fat.
Unfortunately, the fine-tuned processes that kept us alive
during times of scarcity are undermined by our present diet that keeps blood
levels of insulin constantly elevated.
One of the earliest effects of
excess insulin is weight gain, as it stimulates the storage of fat and the
burning of sugar. It lowers cellular level of magnesium, a mineral that relaxes
the arteries and improves blood flow. Insulin also increases accumulations of
sodium, causing fluid retention, resulting in high blood pressure. Elevated
insulin also increases inflammatory compounds in the blood that damage the
arteries and promote the formation of blood clots that may cause a heart attack.
It stimulates spasms in the arteries and arrhythmia in the heart. Furthermore,
it causes abnormalities in blood fats, including reductions in protective HDL
cholesterol and elevations in triglycerides and small dense LDL cholesterol. All
this translates into a significant increase in risk of heart
disease.
There's more. Excess insulin upsets hormonal balance and
increase the risk of polycystic ovary disease. It is even strongly linked to
cancer because of its role in cell proliferation. Finally, high levels of
insulin interfere with the normal activity of leptin with very few exception; if
you are insulin resistant, you are also leptin resistant.
The
best way to determine if you are IR is to have a fasting insulin test to measure
total and/or free fasting insulin in serum. Free insulin is the active form of
insulin, not bound to antibodies or other proteins, and levels will be slightly
lower than total insulin. Ideal level are less than 10 IU/mL...Anything above
this means you are IR---and the higher your level, the more severe the
condition. If your insulin is creeping towards 10, you have a window of
opportunity to take steps to improve your insulin sensitivity. If your level is
above 10, it is imperative that you do what it takes to get IR under control.
Because IR and LR are so closely intertwined, insulin levels response
beautifully to the R'Diet. As you adopt the diet, your cells become more
sensitive to insulin and your insulin level will drop. At the same time you will
be losing weight, reducing your risk of diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and
other ills, and setting the stage for a long and healthy
life.
Fasting Insulin: 10 IU/mL and below optimal;
over 10 high.
[ Some local labs doesn't have the facility. They may do it
for you by sending your blood serum to Singapore for a fees if you do the others
common tests with them. ]
03) HBGA1C (
GLYCATED HEMOGLOBIN )
Glucose interacts with proteins in a
process called glycation or glycosylation. When that protein is hemoglobin, the
iron-carrying pigment that gives red blood cells their color, the end result is
glycated hemoglobin ( HbgA1c ). ( We could measure glycation in other blood
proteins such as albumin, but this is the most economical and acceptable test.
)
The HbgA1c test, which measures the percentage of hemoglobin that is
glycosylated, is used by most doctors to estimate average blood sugar levels
over the preceding 120 days ( the average life span of a red blood cell ). If
your HbgA1c is 5.5 percent, this means your average fasting blood sugar for the
past three months was approximately 100 mg/dL. An HbgA1c of 8 % translates into
average blood sugars of approx. 200 mg/dL., and 11 % into approx. 300 mg/dL.
As opposed to measuring average blood sugars, this test really
reveals the rate of glycation, and glycation can be modified especially by
taking certain supplements. I have seen patients with similar blood sugars, yet
one may have a HbgA1c of 6 % while the other's is 7 per cent. This is very
important, for if diabetic patients can keep their glycation levels low they are
that much less likely to be afflicted with complications of the arteries,
nerves, eyes, and kidneys --- regardless of their glucose control. The
non-diabetic HbgA1c range is from 4.5 percent to 6 percent, and the lower the
level, the better.
There are several things you can do
to curb glycation and lower HbgA1c. First, lower your blood sugar by changing
your diet and improve your leptin and insulin sensitivity, Second, take targeted
nutritional supple ments. Finally, reset your thermostat and lower your basal
temperature ( by lowering leptin ), for higher temperatures accelerate
glycation. All of these very important changes can be made by implementing the
R'Diet.
HbgA1c: 5.4 or less percent optimal; 5.6 -
5.8 acceptable; 5.9 - 6.9 high; 7.0 or higher at risk of diabetic
complications.
[ You can have this test done at
Malaysian Diabetes Association for RM 18/-. It's opposite the UH.
]
04) GLUCOSE *
A fasting glucose test measures the amount of glucose, or
sugar, in your blood. Most of the carbohydrates you eat are broken down into
glucose and released into the bloodstream. Some of that glucose is burned for
energy. Excesses are either store in the liver and muscles in the form of
glycogen for short-term energy needs or converted into fat for long-term
storage.
Glucose testing is commonly used to screen for diabetes and to
monitor blood sugars in people who have diabetes. Most physicians consider
normal levels to be up to 110 mg/dL. A diagnosis of diabetes is made when
fasting glucose is higher than 125 mg/dL. Levels between 110 and 125 are
indicative of impaired glucose tolerance, often called prediabetes. I think we
need to redefine normal; normal is not necessary healthy. If your glucose level
is in the 70s or low to mid 80s, fine, but if it is in the 90s and above, you
need to take steps to address the underlying hormonal imbalances that are
driving your blood sugar up.
The R'Diet has a tremendous effect
on glucose levels. By avoiding carbohydrates and excessive protein and adding
more healthy fats to your diet, you can avoid dramatic spikes in glucose ( not
to mention insulin and leptin ) --- the stresses that these unnatural spikes
place on your energy-regulating system.
Glucose: 70 to 85 mg/dL optimal; 85 to 110 high; 110
to 126 very high; 126+ indicative of diabetes.
[You can do this
at home with your own meter.]
05) THYROID FUNCTION TESTS ( FREE T3, TSH
)
Any discussion of metabolism must include the thyroid, a
small gland located in the neck, straddling the windpipe. The thyroid produces
two hormones, thyroxine (T4), and triiodothyronine (T3). Although the gland
secretes much more T4 than T3, T3 is the more active of the two --- T4 is
converted to T3 in tissues throughout the body, mostly in the liver. Thyroid
hormone affects almost every cell in the body. It stimulates enzymes involved in
the oxidation, or burning, of glucose in the cells and controls the body's
metabolic rate and production of body heat.
When the thyroid produces
excessive amount of hormones, the body runs hot, like a car idling too high.
Body temperature is elevated, basal metabolism revs up, and fuel is rapidly
burned up. It wears down the engine and wastes energy. Enormous appetite,
insomnia, palpitations ( strong or irregular heartbeats ), trembling of the
hands, irritability --- these are all symptoms of excessive thyroid hormone
levels, or hyperthyroidism.
An under-active thyroid, or
hypothyroidism, causes an excessive slowdown in metabolism accompanied by too
low temperature, fatigue, slow heartbeat, high triglycerides, dry skin and hair,
cold hand and feet, depression, menstrual problems, and memory disturbances. Our
goal is to keep metabolism at the most efficient level so that the body can do
its work without wasting too much energy as heat.
Where does
leptin fit in ? It is the master hormone that helps to regulate the thyroid. In
times of starvation, leptin level falls, signalling the thyroid and other
hormones to switch into conservative mode. Metabolism slows down but becomes
more efficient, body temperature lowers, and vital nutrients are conserved.
Leptin resistance distorts the signals that this hormones sends to the thyroid
and the rest of your body, and may direct well-fed, even obese individuals into
energy accumulation and fat-storage mode.
There are several tests for
thyroid function, but I only use two. One is free T3, which measures blood
levels of the unbound form of the most active thyroid hormone. The other is TSH,
thyroid stimulating hormone. TSH is the stimulus from the brain that tells the
thyroid how much hormone to produce. The bulk of T3 is transported by
thyroxine-binding globulin ( TBG ). Only 0.3 percent of the T3 in the blood is
free, but that small percentage is responsible for the many biological actions
of thyroid hormone.
The ideal
blood level of free T3 is 2.2 to 3.0 pg/mL and, within this range, the lower the
level, the better, provided that TSH is within the healthy range of 1.5 to
3.50.
06) BASAL
BODY TEMPERATURE
Another way to determine your metabolic rate
is to measure your basal body temperature. This reflects your basal metabolism,
the amount of energy your body is using when you're at complete rest. An
elevated basal temperature is a clear sign that your metabolism is revved up and
your thyroid is running on overdrive.
BBT is best measured upon
awakening before you get out of bed and just before you fall asleep at night. It
requires a basal thermometer, which is more sensitive than an ordinary
thermometer. Digital basal thermometers are most convenient, but any basal
thermometer will do. Have the thermometer at your bedside before going to bed.
If it's a glass thermometer, shake it down below 96 degree the night before.
When you awaken, before getting out of bed and while still lying down, take your
temperature. Record it, and repeat for at least four to five consecutive days.
Go through the same process at night, after lying in bed just before falling
asleep. When you are done, remember to prepare the thermometer for your morning
reading. A digital thermometer will beep when the temperature has been
recorded.
The average BBT is about 97.8 degrees F. The 98.6
degrees you have always been told is normal reflects daytime temperatures, when
we are more active. In any case, body temperature varies slightly from one
person to the next. What you're looking for are trends and patterns. As the
hormonal signals that govern your metabolism become more efficient, your basal
temperature will likely go down. This decline will not be dramatic --- it may be
as little as 0.2 degrees or as much as a full degree --- but it will be a very
important sign that you're no longer wasting so much energy by generating excess
heat. That fuel is instead being used to regenerate your body.
BBT: 96.8 - 97.5 degrees F or less
optimal ( or decline of up to 1 degree F from baseline ).
[ You
will have to own a digital thermometer. Do it yourself.....under the tongue.
]
07) INSULIN-LIKE GROWTH
FACTOR-1 ( IGF-1 )
IGF-1 also called somatomedin-C, is the most reliable test for human
growth hormone. Growth hormone is produced in the pituitary gland, released in
spurts most abundantly during sleep and exercise. It's a very short-lived
hormone and within minutes is broken down in the liver into IGF-1 ( so-named
because its molecular structure and some of its actions mimic insulin ), and
remains in the blood for a day or two. Human growth hormone, as its name
implies, is partly responsible for growth. Levels build gradually throughout
childhood, peak during adolescence, and begin an inexorable decline by the age
of twenty. By the time you reach your sixties, you're producing less than 20
percent as much growth hormone as you did in your teens.
For decades,
IGF-1 concentrations were only measured in --- and growth hormone
supplementation was only given to --- children of very short stature. Indeed,
deficiencies of this hormone during critical stages of development severely
retard growth. However, a small study published in 1990 by Daniel Rudman, M.D.,
in the New England Journal of Medicine turned growth hormone into
an overnight celebrity. This study, which reported on the effects of six months
of growth hormone supplementation in older men, concluded that their
improvements in lean muscle mass, body fat, skin thickness, and bone density
were " equivalent in magnitude to the changes incurred during ten to twenty
years of aging. "
Many people, patients and physicians alike, have jumped
on the growth hormone bandwagon, regarding it as the foundation of youth and a
panacea for aging. I strongly disagree. I maintain that there is a reason why
growth hormone and IGF-1 levels fall as we age --- and fall most significantly
in those who live the longest. In caloric-restricted animals and those animals
genetically modified whose longevity is dramatically increased, IGF-1 levels are
almost always much lower than their shorter-lived peers.
IFG-1 is
a growth factor. It promotes the growth of cells, and this includes cancer
cells. There is a strong correlation between IGF1 levels and cancer rates. One
study showed a fourfold increase risk of prostrate cancer in men with the
highest IGF-1 levels compared to those with the lowest, and this was independent
of baseline PSA levels. Other studies have shown that IGF-1 stimulates the
growth of tumors of the breast, lung and colon and that lowering IGF-1 levels
retards cancer growth. Reducing levels of this potent cancer stimulator can only
bode well for health and longevity.
IGF-1 levels vary
dramatically according to age, but for people who are forty and older, the
typical range is 90 to 360 ng/mL. Your goal should be a downward trend,
regardless of your baseline level. I have followed IGF-1 levels in several of my
patients, and as they follow the R'Diet, IGF-1 levels decline. Similar to
insulin, the goal is optimal sensitivity, not higher levels. At the same time,
body fat drops, lean muscle mass increases, and bone density improves. In other
words, they achieved the same, in fact higher, benefits that the purveyors of
growth hormone offer --- without the risks. Improving leptin sensitivity
converts energy from cellular replication/reproduction ( increased risk of
cancer ) towards maintenance and repair ( increased health and life span
).
IGF-1 : for ages forty and
over, 90 to 360 ng/mL normal; optimal levels not yet determined, reduces " low
normal " preferred.
08)
NOREPINEPHRINE
Norepinephrine is a neurotransmitter that
facilitates communication in the sympathetic nervous system, which engages
during times of stress. This neurotransmitter along with epinephrine, prepares
you to fight or flee from perceived dangers. Your heart rate speeds up and your
blood pressure climbs. Glycogen stored in the liver is converted into glucose
for anaerobic use, and fatty acids are mobilized for a burst of energy, among
many other changes.
Without this crucial reflects it is unlikely that our
ancestors could have outrun predators or chased down prey. The problem is that
in modern life, most of our stressors do not require fight or flight. For the
most part, stress leaves us all revved up with no place to go. When you are
under a lot of stress, including the stress of leptin resistance, your
sympathetic nervous system goes into overdrive. This takes a toll on the system
and can lead to chronically high blood pressure and blood sugar, mental and
emotional stress, and increased risk of disease.
The
best marker of sympathetic nervous system activity is the blood or urine level
of norephinephrine. Normal levels for a blood test [ not urine test ]
are between 250 to 350 pg/mL. How can you keep norephinephrine levels
on a low keel? Well, you can learn to relax, avoiding responding to stress, and
you can lower your leptin levels by increasing leptin sensitivity. [
how about meditation, gigong, exercise, yoga, early nite nite before 10
pm, and the Metta, & B'Happy mode everyday? ] Leptin stimulates the
sympathetic nervous system. LR is associated with high thyroid, high blood
pressure, and elevated blood glucose and fatty acid levels; all are
manifestations of sympathetic nervous system activity. The sympathetic nervous
system also appears to be the mediator of leptin's effect on bone mass, and is
yet another reason to keep tabs on your norepinephrine levels.
Norepinephrine: 250 to 350 pg/mL good, low normal is
optimal.
09) HIGHLY SENSITIVE C-REACTIVE
PROTEIN ( CRP )
Inflammation is part and parcel
of your body's response to injury and disease. When cells or tissues are
damaged, fibrinogen and other inflammatory compounds that encourage blood
clotting are released to stem bleeding. There is a proliferation of immune cells
to starve off infection and growth factors to replace damaged cells. After the
crisis has passed, levels of these inflammation compounds should
subside.
However, sometimes inflammatory chemicals are elevated in the
blood of people who are not overtly sick or injured. This low-grade, chronic
inflammation is associated with increased risk of heart disease, diabetes,
cancer, autoimmune disorders, and other health problems.
One of
the best markers for system inflammation is highly sensitive C-reactive protein
( CRP ), a protein that is produced during inflammation. Studies spearheaded bu
Paul M. Ridker, M.d., a cardiologist and researcher at Brigham and Women's
Hospital and Harvard Medical School, have found that a high level of CRP is a
highly accurate predictor of future heart attack; people with the highest levels
have up to 4.4 times the risk as those with the lowest levels. CRP is also a
very reliable marker for IR and the risk of type 2 diabetes. In a recent study
published in JAMA, researchers discovered that the women with the
highest CRP levels were astounding 15.7 times more apt to develop type 2
diabetes than those with the lowest levels.
Evidence is also accumulating
that inflammation is closely tied to LR. As body fat increases, CRP levels rise,
for the fat cells themselves are a major producer of inflammatory molecules
called cytokines. In fact, leptin itself is from the cytokine family. The most
significant increases are with central or abdominal obesity, and as you now
know, this type of fat deposition is linked to LR.
Highly sensitive C-reactive protein: less than 1.0 optimal and the
lower the better
( Note: Request the highly sensitive CRP test, rather than the
standard, less sensitive CRP test. ) [ This test is available in Malaysia.
]
10) TRIGLYCERIDES (TGLs)*
TGL is
the medical term for fat. Most of the fats we eat, from healthful olive oil to
undesirable saturated fats, are in the form of TGLs. It's also the body's
dominant form of stored fat --- those love handles and saddlebags are primary
comprised of TGLs. TGLs are ferried around the body by water-soluble
chylomicrons, which pick up TGLs that are absorbed into the blood-stream after a
meal, and by very low density lipoproteins (VLDL) that are produced by the liver
to mobilize stored fats.
Your TGLs can be easily measured on a fasting
blood test. A level of 50 to 100 mg/dL indicated that you are capable of burning
fat efficiently, that your body is not churning excessive amount of fat into
your bloodstream or, more likely than not, a combination of the two. A TGL off
100 - 150 is moderate and over 150 is high, both red flags that you may not br
burning fat efficiently. Although they could be an indicator of liver disease,
pancreatitis, or low thyroid function, high TGLs are in most case a marker of LR
and IR. They are a clear sign that you're making lots of fat out of your sugar,
and that the fats in your blood are not being burned --- you're storing fat and
burning sugar.
A high TGL level is an independent risk factor for
heart disease ( perhaps because of its association with leptin and insulin ). In
fact, recent research suggests it's much more predictive of a heart attack tha
elevated cholesterol.
Although the normal TGLs range for most
labs is up to 150 mg/dL, I think this is too high. While I consider levels up to
125 mg/dL to be acceptable and around 100 mg/dL even better, the level most
reflective of optimal leptin sensitivity is under 100 mg/dL. If your TGLs are
elevated, I've good news for you: TGLs are extremely responsive to the R'Diet.
I've had patients whose initial THG levels os 2,000 to 3,000 mg/dL have dropped
down into the 200s in a matter of weeks after starting on the program. Cutting
back on non-fiber carbohydrates, eating more healthy fats, and in stubborn
cases, taking additional fish oil and niacin supplements work far better than
any drug on the market for lowering TGLs.
TGLs: 100
mg/dL optimal; 100 - 135 acceptable; 135+ high.
11)
HOMOCYSTEINE
Homocysteine is a byproduct of the metabolism of
methionine, an amino acid found in protein. In a process called methylation,
homocysteinie is rapidly converted into harmless amino acids. However, sometimes
the methaylation process goes awry, and homocysteine builds up in the blood.
This is bad news, for this amino acid is extremely irritating to the arteries.
It dampens the production of nitric acid, which protects the endothelial cells
lining the arteries and allows arteries to dilate, and sets the stage for
atherosclerosis. Homocysteinie also accelerates the oxidation of LDL cholesterol
and makes the platelets in the blood sticker, increasing the risk of blood clots
that may cause heart attacks or stroke.
If your homocysteine level is
elevated, you've more to worry about than heart disease. It also damages neurons
in the hippocampus, an area of the brain involved in memory and learning,
conferring a threefold elevation in risk of Alzheimer's disease, according to
some studies. Methylation is also crucial for DNA repair, so elevations in
homocysteine may illuminate underlying problems that may lead to cancer and
premature aging.
Most labs consider the normal range to be 5 to 15
umol/L. I suggest you aim for the low end of that range -- an ideal level would
be no more than 6 umol/L. Some studies have shown a progressive increase in risk
of heart attack when homocysteine climbs above 6.3 umol/L. Up to 7 umol/L is
acceptable, but when you get over 9 umol/L and especially up toward 13, you can
get into trouble.
Early studies suggest that homocysteine and leptin
are, if not inter-active, then at least coexisting: when homocysteine levels are
elevated, so are leptin levels, including the presence of LR. Fortunately,
lowering homocysteine levels is relatively easy. Cutting back on coffee and
methionine-rich meat will help to some degree, but getting adequate amounts of
folic acid, vitamin B12, and vitamin B6 is a sure ticket to lowering
homocysteine. The nutrient rich R'Diet supplies a good portion of your daily
vitamin needs, and the supplement program provides the rest. If your
homocysteine level does not respond to the suggested levels of these B-complex
vitamins, you likely have a genetic variation that requires more intense
supplementation. Simply increase your B-vitamin intake, and your homocysteine
will drop.
The recommended levels of the homocysteine-lowering vitamins
are 800 mcg of folic acid, 150 mcg of vitamin B12, and 75 mg of vitamin B6. ( If
you're older than age 55, consider increasing your vitamin B12 intake up to
1,000 mcg to compensate for age-associated declines in vitamin B12 absorption. )
If your homocysteine level is high, double your folic acid intake and increase
your vitamin B12 to 1,000 mcg. If that doesn't do the trick, you can go as high
as 5,000 mcg of folic acid and 2500 mcg of vitamin B12 and add 1,000 mg of
trimethyglycine ( TMG, sometimes called betaine ), which also facilitates the
methylation process. These vitamins are quite safe, but I wouldn't go too high
on vitamin B6, for prolonged use of very high doses has been implicated in nerve
damage.
Homocysteine: less than 6
umol/L optimal; Up to 8 acceptable; over 9 high; over 13 umol/L very
high.
12) BUN
(BLOOD UREA NITROGEN)*
BUN is a common blood test that measures for
urea nitrogen, a product of urea metabolism. When you eat protein, it's broken
down into nitrogen-containing amino acids. The nitrogen is removed and combined
with other molecules to produce urea, which eventually makes its way to the
kidneys where it's eliminated in the urine. If kidney function is compromised,
BUN levels rise above the normal range of 7 to 25 mg/dL.
Although this
test is routinely used to evaluate kidney function, I used it to monitor my
patients' protein intake. The average BUN hovers around 18 - 22 mg/dL. If a
person is eating too much protein, his/her BUN will be in the upper range of
normal. A common mistake people make as they adjust to the R'Diet is eating too
much protein. This is easy to do since fat and protein are often found in the
same foods, and many assume that if they're following other low carb/high fat
diets, they're okay. ( In reality, many "high-fat diets" such as the Atkins diet
are really high protein diets. ) A key principle of the R'Diet is moderate, not
high, intake of protein. Regular monitoring of BUN can help ensure dietary
compliance.
BUN:
17 mg/dL optimal; up to 21 acceptable; mothan 21 mg/dL high.
13) CREATININE*
Creatinine is a marker of kidney function. It's a breakdown of
creatinine, a constituent of muscle tissue. When the kidneys are functioning
properly, creatinine is excreted at a constant rate. If the kidneys are diseased
or damaged, however, excretion becomes less efficient, and creatinine builds up
in the blood.
A primary contribution to kidney damage is diabetes, and as
the cells become more sensitive to insulin and blood glucose levels normalize on
the R'Diet, creatinine levels often go down. The ideal range for creatinine is
0.7 to 1.0 mg/dL. (Levels vary among individuals depending on muscle mass;
creatinine is generally higher in men than in women.) Although up to 1.4 mg/dL
is considered within normal limits, levels of 1.3 to 1.4 mg/dL are indicative of
borderline kidney function. When levels are over 1.4 mg/dL, you are looking at
partial kidney failure.
Creatinine: 0.7 to 1.o mg/dL optimal; 1.1 to 1.2
mg/dl acceptable; 1.3 to 1.4 borderline; 1.4 and above high.
14) URIC
ACID*
Uric acid is a breakdown of the metabolism
of purines, which are produced in the body (they are the building blocks of DNA
and RNA) and are found in the diet most abundantly in fish, shellfish, turkey,
and some type of meat. When there is an overproduction of uric acid or an
inability of the kidneys to excrete it, uric acid levels build up in the
blood.
Until recently, elevated levels of uric acid were associated only
with gout. Chronically high concentrations of uric acid can collect in the
tissues and form sharp crystals in the joints, causing the intense pain and
swelling characteristic of gout. However, research over the past years has
determined that high levels of uric acid are also found in individuals with high
blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, diabetes, and weight problems --- all
signs and symptoms of leptin and insulin resistance. In one large study,
increased uric acid levels were found to be highly predictive of increased risk
of death from heart attack or stroke.
You would do well to keep your
uric acid level within the normal range of 3 to 7 mg/dL. And no, you don't have
to curtail your intake of purine-rich foods, which has been recommended to
patients with gout for years. The R'Diet is a much surer path to lowering uric
acid levels than the hopelessly outdated low-purine diet.
Uric Acis: 3 -
7 mg/dL normal; more than 7 mg/dL high.
15) LIVER ENZYMES (ALKALINE PHOSPHATASE, ALT, and
AST)*
In addition to its role in detoxification and digestion,
the liver plays multiple roles in metabolism. It store glucose as glycogen,
packages fats for storage and transportation, synthesizes proteins, and helps
regulate blood sugar. Therefore, we like to keep an eye on how the liver is
doing in the R'Diet.
A number of blood tests monitor liver function.
These include tests of certain enzymes, which are produced by all tissues in the
body but are most concentrated in liver and muscle cells. Enzymes are released
into the bloodstream when this issues are damaged or diseased. Minor elevations
in the liver enzymes are no cause for concern unless they remain elevated on
repeated tests. Commonly tested liver enzymes include alkaline phosphatase, or
ALP; ALT, also called SGPT; and AST, sometimes referred to as SGOT.
Liver
enzymes: alkaline phosphatase (ALP) 44 to 147 IU/l normal; ALT (SGPT) 5 to 30
IU/l normal; AST (SGOT) 10 to 34 IU/l normal.
16) CHOLESTEROL (TOTAL, HDL, LDL, and SMALL DENSE LDL)
The quest to lower cholesterol has reached epidemic
proportions in this country. More than 15 million Americans take drugs to lower
their cholesterol, and public health officials are urging another 25 million to
jump on the bandwagon. I think they're misguided, and I did like to tell you
why. Cholesterol is an essential compound that is required in the production of
steroid hormones such as testosterone and estrogen. It's also a key structural
component of every cellular membrane and is involved in the synthesis of vitamin
D and bile, which is required for the digestion of fats. You've probably heard
about "good" cholesterol and "bad" cholesterol. The truth is, there's no such
thing. Cholesterol is just cholesterol. It's a cholesterol molecule's transport
vehicle that makes it more or less problematic.
These transport vehicles
are water-soluble protein called lipoproteins. High density lipoprotein (HDL) is
the so-called good cholesterol. This large carrier shuttles excess cholesterol
to the liver where it's recycled ( because it's so important ) or excreted in
the bile. Low density lipoprotein is the "bad' one by virtue of its smaller
size. Although many doctors are unaware of it, LDL comes in more than one form.
The most harmful of all is small, dense LDL, fir its small size enables it to
slip into and damage the endothelium, or lining of the arteries --- an important
step in atherosclerosis.
A fasting blood test will measure levels of
total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, and, if specifically required, small, dense LDL and
other subfractions. LDL particle size including small, dense LDL is done by
certain specialty labs. Optimal levels for colesterol are considered to be less
than 200 mg/dL for total cholesterol, less than 100 mg/dL for LDL, more than 40
mg/dL for HDL, and less than 90 mg/dL for apo B. But frankly, I pay little
attention to my patients' cholesterol levels. Only when a patient presents with
a level in the 300s or 400s mg/dL. (almost always caused by an underlying
genetic defect predisposition ) will I be very concerned. I do not believe that
a high cholesterol levels is nearly as important as the medical profession has
brainwashed us into believing. It is merely a symptom of a larger underlying
problem. It is the metabolic hormones that regulate its amount and particle size
that are much more important.
Cholesterol levels are really a reflection
of how much your body needs to manufacture to repair damage and make steroid
hormones. If you have leptin and insulin resistanc, you're going to need more
cholesterol, and you're going to have lower HDL cholesterol, and higher LDL,
particularly small, dense LDL. when you correct the underlying hormonal problems
and fat burning processes by following the R'Diet, abnormalities in cholesterol
will also be corrected. Total cholesterol will go down and, more important,
protective HDL will rise while levels of the most dangerous small, dense LDL
cholesterol will go down.
Cholesterol: As far as I'm
concerned, yhis test is highly over-rated, and that only with extremely high
cholesterol (over 300 ) should worry about total cholesterol. I believe that
what type of cholesterol you have is more important: HDL cholesterol higher than
40 mg/dL; a high proportion of large LDL to small, dense
LDL.
************************************************************************************************************************************************
Getting Healthy with the Rosedale
Diet
* HEART
DISEASE
Heart disease is the # 1 killer of both men and women
in the U'States. Although the incidence of HD had been on the decline since the
'60s, it's beginning to creep up again. Since HD is so closely linked to obesity
and diabetes, this is not surprising.
I
consider the high incidence of HD to be " man-made " problem that is caused by
metabolic malfunction, not an inevitable disease of aging. It ought to be a rare
disease. Due to its close connection to obesity, leptin is also an obvious
culprit in HD. LR is also an independent risk factor for cardiovascular
disease, meaning that in and of itself, it can directly and negatively affect
your heart and arteries. Restoring leptin sensitivity will go a long way in
greatly reducing the risk of HD and extending your life.
* Carrying
excess fat around your waist and abdomen ( having an apple-shaped body ), a
result of and a telltale sign of LR, can put a severe strain on your heart, and
increases your risk of heart attack..
* LR increase the risk (
and can be a primary cause ) of IR, which also increase the risk of HD.
* LR can activate the fight-or flight response, causing blood vessels to
constrict, increasing blood pressure and putting extra strain on the heart, and
increasing the risk of stroke.
* LR can cause blood vessels to
go into spasm, a lesser known cause of heart attack.
* Elevated leptin
levels can promote the formation of blood clots, which increases the risk of
heart attack ( when a clot interferes with the blood flow to the heart ) and
stroke ( when a clot interferes with the blood flow to the brain
).
* Elevated leptin increases the production of chemicals that
trigger inflammation, which can promote the formation of plague, the cellular
debris that forms in the lining of the arteries, impairing the flow of blood.
* LR confuses your body about where to put calcium. Instead of
putting calcium in your bones, you will end up putting it in your arteries. You
will simultaneously get both HD and osteoporosis.
* Elevated leptin can
cause a thickening in the endothelium, the very thin inner lining of the artery.
This cause the artery to be less flexible with each heartbeat, raising blood
pressure and promoting clots. The endothelium is a very important part of your
circulatory system. It produces its own array of hormones to regulate its own
blood flow. Injury to the endothelium is the main trigger of inflammation that
results in plague. LR also impair the ability of the endothelium to burn fat,
thereby increasing fatty deposits in the artery.
The
Standard Treatment
The standard medical
treatment for HD is a high carbohydrate--low fat diet usually combined with
prescription medicine to lower cholesterol. To me, this approach is backward.
The medical fixation on lowering cholesterol reflects the typical " treat the
symptom, not the underlying cause " approach that is not only ineffective, but
in the long run, can be harmful. In recent years, statin drugs ( Lipitor,
Mevacor, Pravacol, and Zocor, and others ) used to lower cholesterol have become
among the most widely prescribed drugs in the world. Statin drugs, however, are
not without significant side effects. Foe example, statin drugs can deplete the
body of CoQ10, which is essential for providing energy to the cells of the body,
especially heart cells that need lots of energy. CoQ10 depletion can result in
muscle damage often associated with aches and pains ( a common side effect of "
statin " drugs ).
Since your heart is basically a muscle, it is probably getting
damaged also, impairing its ability to pump blood and increasing the risk of
congestive heart failure. In other words, over time, these drugs can weaken the
heart and impair its major function. Sure, in the short run, they may lower your
cholesterol, but in the long run, they can kill you.
For all the
" cholesterol causes HD " hype, it might surprise you to learn that cholesterol
has never even been proven to cause HD. Even if high cholesterol were slightly
correlated with HD, correlation and cause should never be confused ----
something else could be causing both. Statin drugs inhibit cholesterol
production, but they don't get to the root cause of overproduction of
cholesterol. Something is signalling the liver to produce more
cholesterol.
Symptoms are the way your body has learned over the eons to
deal with a disease. Extra cholesterol is being manufactured by the liver
because it's getting instructions to do so, but why? The importance of elevated
cholesterol is not that you have extra cholesterol, it's the fact that your
liver is getting a message to make it. You have to know why, and you have to fix
the why. The why could be that the liver is being smothered by too
much fat because of LR and cannot then get the proper instructions from insulin.
It could also be that your body, inflamed due to damage, is trying to repair the
damage. New cells have to be manufactured to replace the damaged ones, and no
cells can be made without cholesterol. What needs to be done is to reduce the
damage and correct the instructions being given to the liver, not impair the
body's capacity to repair it.
Cholesterol is also the precursor to
manufacture any of the important steroid hormones such as testosterone,
progesterone, estrogen, and cortisone. Far from being a villain, cholesterol is
required for life. Even though oxygen can " oxidize " you and form dangerous
free radicals, no one would ever suggest that you stop breathing! Oxygen is
required to keep you alive. So, too, is cholesterol. No life on earth can be
made without it.
Interestingly, it has recently been shown that " statin
" drugs might offer benefits not by lowering cholesterol, but by reducing
inflammation, and perhaps in spite of lowering cholesterol. Once again, it is
important to get the root cause of the inflammation, not the body's response to
it. There are a number of factors that can inflame your blood vessels and your
heart, such as having elevated glucose, leptin, or insulin levels. Following the
R'Diet will help solve this problems permanently and go a long way in reversing
and preventing HD. Within a matter of weeks, you will increase blood flow to
your heart and brain ( and the rest of the body! ) and you will start burning
fat in your arteries as well as everywhere else. You don't need to take drugs
for the rest of your live to keep your heart healthy.
The Rosedale
Rx
If you have been diagnosed with heart or blood
vessel disease, you should follow the R'Diet Supplement Plan Plus ( RDSPP ). I
recommend that patients with HD add the following supplements to what they are
already taking on the RDSPP.
Extra CoQ10: CoQ10 is included in the RDSPP.
My patients with congestive heart failure take 200 mg three times daily for a
total of 600 mg. CoQ10 improves your heart's ability to pump blood, which is
fundamental to your survival.
Vinpocetine: Vinpocetine is not included
in the RDSP. Vinpocetine is an extract of the periwinkle plant, Vinca
minor, the same plant that has given us potent cancer treatments for
childhood leukemia. For more than two decades, vinpocetine has been used in
Europe and Japan to treat stroke victims and people suffering from
dementia due to impaired blood circulation to the brain. It is also a potent
antioxidant.
Take one 10 mg capsule twice daily.
If you
have elevated homocysteine, I recommend the following additional
supplements.
Vitamin B12: For best absorption, use the sublingual form (
a tablet that melts under the tongue ). Take one 1-mg tablet
daily.
Trimethyglycine ( TMG ): This supplement can help convert harmful
homocysteine into harmless by-products. Take one 250-mg tablet twice daily. (
Some people may need to go up to 1,000 mg daily to achieve the desired result.
)
Folic Acid: This B-vitamin helps reduce homocysteine levels. Take one
400-mg tablet daily.
[ Do not ever take any drugs. It will degenerate
your metabolism. You will looks very old besides the long-termed side effects.
More sickness crops up and you will spent more to see more specialists. I've
gone through these paths. Don't do it. Yes, you can treat inflammations which is
the root cause with foods. I did it. So can you.]
*
DIABETES
The increased incidence in diabetes is as shocking as it is
alarming. This is a disease that should be very rare, yet it is commonplace,
even among children, and rapidly escalating. At one time, type 2 diabetes was
called senile diabetes, a reflection of the fact that it usually did not affect
people until they were well into their late decades. As more and more middle-age
people began to develop this disease, the name was changed to adult-onset
diabetes (no one middle-aged wants to be called senile!). Given the fact that so
many children are now getting adult-onset diabetes, medicine has once again
stuck a name onto a so-called new disease --- MODY, Maturity-Onset Diabetes of
the Young. This is a prime example of how the so-called disease of aing are not
related solely to chronological age, but to overall health.
Type 1
diabetes (also called juvenile diabetes) is a result of too little insulin, the
hormone that is produced to rising glucose or sugar levels. Without enough
insulin, blood sugar levels can climb dangerously high leading to organ damage
and death. Type 2 diabetes (discussed in the paragraph above) is an entirely
different story and accounts for 95 percent of all cases of adult diabetes. Type
2 diabetes is characterized by a condition called insulin resistance (IR), which
occurs when the cells of the body are constantly exposed to high levels of
insulin. Plenty of insulin is being made, but cells have become desensitized. In
the case of type 2 diabetes, the cause is more closely linked to a failure in
cellular communication, that is, how well your cells can "listen" to insulin and
leptin, than your age.
When your cells become resisitant to insulin, the
receptors on cell membranes no longer "hear" the signals from insulin. This can
cause catastrophic problems down the road, including blood lipid abnormalities,
high blood pressure, heart disease, and even cancer.
IR often goes hand
in hand with elevated leptin levels and leptin resistance (LR), and both
conditions are linked to eating too much of the wrong food. Lower your leptin
levels and your insulin problems will greatly improve.
* LR results in
deep pockets of fat in the waist and abdomen which "smother" the liver from
receiving proper hormonal signals, a very important one being from insulin. When
your liver become insulin resistant, it will make too much sugar, contributing
to IR, and diabetes.
* Elevated leptin also increases fight-or-flight
mode, which boosts blood glucose levels and production of cortisol (stress
hormone) by the adrenal glands, which causes blood glucose levels to soar even
higher.
The Standard Treatment
The current
strategy for treating either form of diabetes is to use drugs to control blood
sugar levels. I think this approach is backward. Contrary to what everyone is
taught, including your doctor, diabetes is NOT a disease of blood sugar, it's a
disease of insulin signaling. As the warden famously said to Paul Newman in the
movie Cool Hand Luke, "What we have here is a failure to communicate."
Diabetes is perhaps the quintessential disease of cellular miscommunication.
Type 2 diabetes should more appropriately be called insulin resistant diabetes,
the body is not effectively using insulin it produces. Once again, the real
solution is to treat the underlying causes of the problem, not the
symptom.
The conventional treatment of diabetes is typical of what
happens when you treat symptoms instead of the underlying disease. Drugs used to
treat diabetes most often cause more problems down the road than they help.
There's only one standard drug that helps to improve insulin sensitivity
somewhat: metformin, sold under the brand name Glucophage.
For decades, most
drugs used to treat diabetes lowered blood sugar by "whipping" your pancreas to
produce even more insulin, causing insulin resistant to worsen and further
damaging the already stressed cells that manufacture insulin (islet cells of the
pancreas).
Other drugs (such as pioglitazone, sold under the brand name Actos,
and rosiglitazone maleate, sold under the brand name of Avandia) purported to
restore insulin sensitivity work by lowering blood sugar levels in one of the
worst possible ways --- they create new fat cells to store the excess sugar. If
you weren't obese to begin with, once you've been taking these drugs for a
while, you will be. Sure, you lower blood sugar temporary, but at a steep price.
Being fatter will only increase your risk of many disease down the road,
including diabetes.
Diabetes is mostly a nutritional disease and must be
treated as such. The real "cure' for diabetes is to eat a diet that promotes
insulin and leptin sensitivity.
Friends,
Make sure you test
yourself.
Your HbgA1c MUST be 5.4 or less % is optimal; 5.6 - 5.8
acceptable BUT watch what you put into your mouth. DON'T accept Malaysian
Diabetes Association report. Trust the above. I was tested for 6.1%. It said
good. I told them no. They were dumbfounded! Next test, 5.8, I told them I'm
still diabetes and must improve my diet. Again, they were dumbfounded. My metta
to them.
Your glucose MUST be 70 to 85 mg/dL optimal; 85 and above is
NOT acceptable by my standard because it's very, very easy to creep up to become
DIABETES. I have being on this torturous path. Here is another sure sign. Belly
fats, big buttock, chipmunk cheek is a SURE sign of LR and IR. I also have being
on this torturous path. How? Remember PPMM ! I was "honored" with heart attack;
high blood pressure, angina, neuropathy, erectile dysfunction, not sleeping
well, and a "walking time-bomb" that is a very high risk of getting a stroke.
Don't trust the local reports. Trust Rosedale's guidelines and my
adapted local food "NF4L" from the westernized R'Diet.
Please, I beg you
folks to love your health for the sake of those you loves. Metta.
The Rosedale Rx
The good news is that type 2 (insulin
resistant diabetes) can not only be improved, but can be completely reversed. Even type 1 diabetes
can be greatly helped by following my program. With proper insulin sensitivity,
a relatively small amount of insulin is necessary to communicate its vital
messages of what to do with energy. As long as the diabetes --- or the dugs used
to treat diabetes --- have not completely destroyed the ability of the pancreas
to produce insulin, following the R'Diet will in most case reverse the disease. You will likely need to lower your dose of
many medications, including high blood pressure medications and insulin, and
many of you will be able to go off them altogether. This should be done only under your doctor's supervision.
Even if your pancreas is not
producing any insulin and you must always take insulin, you can still benefit
from my program. The diet and supplement regimen will gratly improve your
insulin sensitivity so that you can manage on less insulin. In addition, your
blood sugar will ne much less of a roller coaster, with fewer low sugar
episodes.
Moderate exercise is also a wonderful way to burn off sugar,
as long as you don't overdo it and overstress your body (which can raise blood
sugar levels).
[Friends, insulin is the only hormone in the body with
this function, that is, getting into cells. Two exceptions. Firstly, glucose can
enter without insulin into the brain. The second exception is most important in
the control of diabetes. When you exercising, the muscle
cells can remove glucose from the blood without insulin. This is one of the key
concept for a diabetic. Exercise.]
If
you've been diagnosed with diabetes, you should follow the RDSPP. I recommend
that patients with diabetes take additional amounts of the following
supplements.
Vanadyl Sulfate. Take 20 mg three times daily
for a total of 60 milligrams until blood sugar is under control. Discontinue if
sugar goes low after stopping your diabetic medications.
Extra Thiamine. Take one 50 mg capsule twice daily.
Extra Alpha Lipoic Acid. Take one 200 mg capsule three times daily for a
total of 600 mg. ( Always take lipoic acid with food; it's easier on the
stomach.
.
* OSTEOPOROSIS
*
ARTHRITIS
Parting messages...Dr. Ron Rosedale:
(01) A disease is
NEVER a disease of the individual part. Diabetes is NOT a disease of blood
sugar, osteoporosis is NOT a disease of calcium and heart disease is NOT a
disease of cholesterol. A disease is caused NOT by the breakdown of the part
itself, but corruption in the instruction of that part, a disruption in the
unity of the whole.
(02) We are all metabolically damaged to
some extend. None of us has perfect insulin and leptin sensitivity...it is for
that reason that I say we all have diabetes some more than others, and should be
treated as such.
[ how about.... heart disease; osteoporosis;
hi-blood pressure; dementia; arthritis; obesity; cancer; retinopathy problem
like cataract; erectile dysfunction; neuropathy problem like tingling, pins
& needles sensation, burning, itching, numbness and sometimes severe pain (
mostly not constant ); foot ulcers may leads to gangrene; renal problems (
kidney failure ); diseases of aging; etc ? ].
http://ca.groups.yahoo.com/group/SMI60Group/message/14182?var=1
