Are You Eating Right?

My son told me a joke.  I'm sure I won't get it perfect here but it goes something like this:  A man walked into a Doctor's office.  He had a cucumber stuck up his nose, a carrot in one ear, and a banana in the other ear.  He complained, "Doctor, can you tell me what is wrong with me?!"  The Doctor replied, "Of course, I can.  You're not eating right!"  Funny.  I know.  But true.  Most of what is wrong with every human can be summed up in that statement:  You're not eating right!  There are so many examples of people who have turned their health around simply by changing their eating habits.  And books, upon books, about their stories.  So why don't we believe it and change?  It's too hard.  It's not fun.  It's not pleasurable.  But that's where we're wrong.  It is work, but it is enjoyable.

That's one thing I love about the Daniel's Fast!  You eat right and it's enjoyable!  Every thing that I have cooked as evoked this response from my husband:  "This is sooo good!"  It's like it's a surprise every time.  And the next time we do this I promise I will take pictures of these things I'm cooking.  They are really pretty!  I'm surprised!  So, for this post, I'm going to tell you about some of the things I've been fixing.

Let me say this first, I think I'm finally coming through the detox stage.  I finally was able to go to sleep last night without my low back, hips and legs hurting.  Praise God from Whom all blessings flow!  I've thought about the fact that the Fast is 21 days, or 3 weeks.  There has got to be a significance to that.  I'm absolutely sure there is a spiritual significance but I think there is a physical one as well.  Every dietary law that God had in the Old Testament had to do with our health.  I mean, think about it, God made us.  He made our bodies to work how they work and He also knows what is good for us!  If you ever read the book The Maker's Diet you will find proof of this.  Now God allows us to eat other things but the Principle that should control even that is Moderation.  So.... the 3 weeks?  From my experience, on a physical level, the first week is detox and water loss.  The second week is repair or healing and the third week is regeneration or growth.  There obviously is some blurring of the lines of demarcation between weeks and what is happening in our bodies as individuals, but, basically, this is the process.

So what are we eating?  First, some treats that might make it easier for you.  I love peanut butter.  One of my favorite snacks is an apple with peanut butter.  This is an excellent snack for a diabetic so I eat it even when I'm not on a Fast.  However, just regular peanut butter is not what you need.  Regular peanut butter has sugar added and other things.  Smuckers Natural Peanut Butter is just that.  Natural.  Peanuts and salt.  Because it doesn't have all the preservatives and such, it does separate.  All you do is stir it up (a little difficult but make sure you get it all stirred up) and then store it in the fridge.  Awesome.  I know there are other brands but I like Smuckers the best.  And you can buy that in any grocery store.  Another store-bought item you can use is Tostitos Baked Corn Tortilla Chips.  Here again, you are Fasting.  Don't pig out!  Dried fruit is wonderful!  Stay away from dried cranberries (Craisins) because they have sugar added.  Raisins, Figs, Dates, etc. are all great.  Try to find unsulphured apricots.  Need something to add a little sweetness?  Date Honey is your answer.  This is not store-bought.  Here is the recipe:

1 cup pitted dates, 1 cup water, 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Pour dates and water into a small saucepan, making sure the dates are completely covered.  You may have to add more water.  Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to low and simmer 45 - 60 minutes or until dates are very soft and broken down.  Allow to cool slightly, about 15 minutes.  Pour into a blender or food processor and puree until smooth.  Sprinkle in cinnamon and stir well.  Store in a sealed container in refrigerator.  Use in recipe, with sliced fruit, in oatmeal, etc.  Delicious!  Really.

Remember the book "The Ultimate Guide to the Daniel's Fast"?   That recipe is in it along with the recipes to these yummy items that we have cooked:  Banana-Fig Oatmeal with Almond Butter, Coconut Fig Bars, Black Bean Dip, Corn Muffins, Guacamole with a Kick, Tuscan Soup, Black Bean Chili Bake, and Chipotle Black Bean Burgers.   I have really enjoyed cooking during this time because my husband is pitching in and we are cooking together.....and cleaning up together!  What fun!

One note:  for those of you who have those in your household who are not participating in the Fast.  That can be difficult and can cause you some stress.  We have my uncle with us and he is not fasting.  He drinks his coffee (which doesn't really bother me) but when he toasts bread or pops popcorn that can be a little tough.  He is eating everything that we eat along with his "delicacies", which makes me have to pray a little harder at times.  Just a little.  Be encouraged.  Know that you are doing what is best for you and, if they partake of any of what you are preparing at all, at least they are getting something healthy. 

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

 Well.....we are in the middle of the 5th day and things seem to be going .... okay.  Actually I'm seeing some very positive things.  One of the very first things I always see when I'm on the Daniel's Fast is the decreasing of inflammation.  This is probably what makes people feel like they lose weight very quickly at the beginning.  It is, indeed, weight, but water weight for the most part.  But that increased fluid that we carry around is in the form of inflammation in our joints and it causes us some problems!  A huge part of the "normal" aches and pains that people have is due to inflammation.  Just imagine your body being a water balloon.  The more water it retains, the tighter and tighter the balloon (your skin and joints) gets.  Your hands, feet, and legs swell.  My ring gets tight and leaves an indention around my finger.  It gets painful to make a fist.  Clothes don't fit like they used to.  And you hurt all over more than anywhere else.  The Daniel's Fast is marvelous for reducing inflammation.  Your body is flushing out those toxins and your increased (hopefully) water intake helps with that process as well as getting rid of excess fluids.  Did you know that drinking enough water will help keep you from retaining water?  Amazing, isn't it?  We are definitely fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of our Creator!

In my searching for answers and for ideas and recipes to make the Fast more palatable, I found this book during our last Fast:  The Ultimate Guide to the Daniel Fast by Kristen Feola on Amazon.com. 

The Utimate Guide to The Daniel Fast by Kristen Feola  
I used some of the information in it sparingly at that time but I began reading it in earnest just prior to us beginning this fast.  It is a wonderful book with a lot of information about the fast, a multitude of recipes, meal planning, and shopping lists as well as a wealth of spiritual insights about fasting and prayer with scripture references and a daily devotion section to be used while you are on the fast.  I have been using that section every morning and it is really encouraging and uplifting.

The recipes are awesome.  I'm sure I won't cook everything in the book but I've already tried several and I'll share a few of them on here, as promised, but you really should invest in a copy of the book for yourself.  You will use it over and over again.

Before I get into that, I need to say something about the Bad and the Ugly.  One of the symptoms that I have had the last several times we have done the Fast is a terrible aching in my lower back, hips, and down my legs.  It was usually during these times that I would begin searching the internet for answers and I would think that I should have blogged about our Fast.  Well, true to form, it came....in waves.  I'm sorry to say that I still don't know why.  I do know, however, that I'm not the only one who has experienced these symptoms.  My husband, my daughter-in-law, my mother have all had a certain amount of these symptoms.  I have to confess that it was so bad last night that I had to take some ibuprofen.  I hate it but I was not going to get any sleep if I hadn't.  Prayerfully, that won't hinder the results of my fast too terribly.  Today has been a little better but I am still having pain.  Last night it went from my low back, down my hips, down my legs and even my big toes were hurting.  I don't know if it is from partial dehydration from not drinking enough water and if it is just a normal part of detox.  Who knows?  However, I do know, from experience that it will go away.

Back to the Good.  Yesterday, I made a wonderful Black Bean Dip from the book and I served it with semi-homemade corn tortilla chips.  (The "semi" simply means I bought corn tortillas and cut them into triangles and baked them in the oven.  The book says you can use Tostitos Baked Tortilla chips but I couldn't find them in the store.)  Here's the recipe:  1 Tblsp extra-virgin olive oil, I cup diced onion, I cup diced red bell pepper, 1 clove garlic, minced, 1/2 cup water, 2 15-oz cans black beans rinsed and drained, 2 Tblsp fresh parsley or 1-1/2 tsp dried, 1/2 tsp dried crushed rosemary, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp pepper.
Heat oil in a lg skillet over med heat.  Add onions and red peppers and cook until onions are soft and translucent.  (I wanted to eat those right out of the skillet.)  Stir in garlic and cook for 30 secs, stirring constantly so garlic doesn't burn.  Place water and 2 cups of beans in a food processor or blender.  Process until smooth.  Pour pureed beans into the skillet and stir.  Add the remaining beans, parsley, rosemary, salt, and pepper.  Reduce heat to low and cook 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Transfer to a serving dish and serve warm.  You can serve with Tortilla Chips, use as a topping for baked potatoes, and/or add 1/4 cup salsa.  I won't try to put the recipes on here of these two items for space sake but they were extremely yummy:  Apricot-Nut Breakfast Bar and Banana-Fig Oatmeal with Almond Butter.  If you want the recipes, comment on here with your email address and I'll be happy to share.  Or better yet, get the book!

Hopefully there won't be too much more Bad and Ugly and all I'll have is Good to report!  I am feeling better and my energy is returning!  The time I'm spending in the Word and in Prayer is wonderful as well.  I'm excited for what is to come! 

In The Throes of Detox

I must confess.  I wanted to title this post differently but I didn't want to be too shocking.  Suffice it to say, it would have been something like "Detox Hades".  I seem to be experiencing things sooner this time around than normal and I'm not really sure why that is.  Day 1 and 2 were the normal:  make sure there is bathroom close at all time (because I'm sure to be in there every hour or so), hunger pains and fatigue, to name just a few.  I struggle with making sure I drink enough water and I am sure that causes me quite a bit of grief.  I expected these first symptoms because I've experienced them before.  The night of Day 2 (last night) was a night to be remembered!

About 12:30 a.m. I awoke with an excruciating headache that made me feel like my head, neck, and upper shoulders were in a vise!  I tried to drink some water but could only manage a small amount.  I didn't want anything going into my mouth, much less my stomach.  Fortunately, I knew what was going on.  My body was responding just exactly like it was supposed to.  All of those toxins I'd been feeding it for months were letting go and releasing into my bloodstream and my body was screaming, "Stop!"  There is a point in long-term fasting of any kind where you will feel like you are in the battle of your life.  Thankfully, as I said before, I didn't want anything to eat or drink so I wasn't tempted to quit.  I know, from experience, things will get better.  So much better.

Misery does love company.  My husband was having a very restless night as well and we were both wide awake at 1:30 a.m.  And, being the sweetheart that he is, I got a good back and neck rub out of the deal.  We talked about what we were praying for in this fast and our goals for our lives.  I don't think I went back to sleep until about 4:00 a.m. and I'm not sure he ever did.  Our habit in the past when we couldn't sleep was to get up and go to work.  Working for yourself and from your home can make you do a lot of that type of thing.  I'm glad we resisted that urge.  Today has been a little rough because of the night but I'm expecting to sleep much better and for tomorrow, Day 4, to be much better.

I'm praying that, as I detox this body, that the increased prayer and study will detox my spirit as well.  What I really feel in my soul and spirit when I am going through these struggles is Hope.  Hope for the future.  Hope for better health to "spring forth speedily".  Hope for energy to do the things I need and want to do for God and my family.  And for others.  I'm thankful for that kind of Faith.  Eyes of faith that see beyond the struggle to what is to come.  And so, I'll stay strong even in the throes of Detox!

Why Fast?

"Then......thine health shall spring forth speedily...."  This portion of Isaiah 58:8 has always been one of my favorite promises in the Word of God.  Isaiah 58 is the chapter that discusses the Fast that God has chosen.  He is reprimanding His people for their motives and actions in performing the Biblical principal of Fasting.  Fasting is restricting food for a spiritual purpose.  God has specific intentions when it comes to Fasting.  It matters to Him how it is done... and why it is done. 

My husband and I have participated in corporate Fasts down through the years as well as personal Fasts on our own.  For the last few years we have done what is called the Daniel's Fast, which is based on the Fast that the prophet, Daniel, did as described in the book of Daniel, chapter 10.  Each time we did the Fast, I would wish that I had blogged about our experience after we were well into the Fast.  Thankfully (hopefully), I remembered that desire before we actually started the Fast. 

While Fasting is a spiritual discipline, and should be done for spiritual reasons, there are definite physical results and trials that one experiences.  That is the purpose for this blog series.  I am planning to blog about our experience on a spiritual level as well in my blog "His Plan For Me" at leslie-tritsch.blogspot.com but this blog is strictly about the physical aspects.  In performing the Fast in the past I have undergone several physical symptoms, that I wondered if anyone else had ever felt.  I searched for answers on the internet and was unsuccessful in locating them.  I have always been a person who wants to know "Why?".  There is always a reason.  Now, I do not profess to be a Doctor, a Scientist, or any Professional of the sort so all I will propose to do here is present the symptoms and, if someone else has experienced the same, at least they will know they are not alone.  More importantly, they will know that it is a natural occurrence, and not life-threatening. 

Another thing I do know is that no two people are alike.  All of our bodies are different and they react differently to the same stimuli.  I am, according to the Doctors, a Diabetic.  I can tell you for a certainty, my body reacts different to sugar levels than most other Diabetics that I know.  Therefore, please take anything I say in this series as my personal experience and do not base what you do on my experience.  As a disclaimer, I have to say, if you are a Diabetic or have other physical conditions, please discuss with your Doctor before starting any Fasting regimen.  Personally, I am not afraid to Fast.  Especially the Daniel's Fast because you do eat.  It is amazing to me the effect this Fast has on my sugar levels.  I am convinced that, if I were to stay on this Fast forever, I could cure myself of Diabetes.  I'm Type II and I do not take any medication, although it is prescribed.  I made that choice myself.  I was more afraid of what the medications were doing to my body than what the disease could.  Trust me, I've been fussed at more than a little about this.  I have been told, as a Diabetic, "don't eat fruit!"  That's just crazy.   "And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat."  Genesis 1:29.  I do believe that man has messed with God's creation with such things as GMOs, pesticides, and what-have-you, but what He made was good and it was good for food.  I eat all the fruit I want on the Daniel's Fast and my sugar goes down!


Just to clarify what the Daniel's Fast consists of, I will list the foods you are allowed to eat:

Foods to Eat on the Daniel Fast

• All fruit - fresh, frozen, dried, juiced, or canned.
• All vegetables - fresh, frozen, dried, juiced, or canned.
• All whole grains - amaranth, barley, brown rice, oats, quinoa, millet, and whole wheat.
• All nuts & seeds - almonds, cashews, macadamia nuts, peanuts, pecans, pine nuts, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, and sunflower seeds. Nut butters are also included.
• All legumes - canned or dried; black beans, black eyed peas, cannellini beans, garbanzo beans (chickpeas), great northern beans, kidney beans, lentils, pinto beans, and split peas.
• All quality oils - canola, coconut, grapeseed, olive, peanut, and sesame.
• Beverages - distilled water, filtered water, and spring water.
• Other - herbs, spices, salt, pepper, seasonings, soy products, and tofu.

The basis for this 21-day fast is found in Daniel 10:2-3.


We have just completed Day 1of the Fast and I will tell you what we ate and a few of the symptoms we have experienced.

For breakfast we had Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats (Bob's Red Mill is my favorite) with apples, raisins and pecans.  Yummy!  I usually cook a large batch of these so we can have breakfast for 2 days.

For lunch we had microwaved red potatoes, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with Kosher salt along with steamed broccoli, cauliflower and carrots, drizzled and sprinkled as well.  Quite tasty!

For supper we had the following recipe:

15-Bean Soup

(You can mix your own dried beans or you can buy pre-mixed dried 15-bean mix)
Include:  barley, peas, black peas, red beans, great northern beans, lentils, pinto beans, split peas, black-eyed peas, etc.)

Combine beans (2 cups), wash and soak overnight.  Drain.
Add 2 quarts water, 3 cubes of vegetable bouillon, 1 large onion, chopped, 1 clove garlic, minced, 1 tsp salt, 1 can tomatoes, 1 can Ro-Tel tomatoes.

I cook this in a crock pot until the beans are tender.  You can cook on the stove-top by bringing to a boil, reducing heat to simmer, cover and cook for 1-1/2 to 2 hours until beans are tender.

Simply delish! This is a recipe that I adapted to fit the Fast.  We have it several times during the 21 days.

We snack on raisins and almonds and maybe an olive or two.

What have we experienced so far?  Well, you would think that eating that kind of food you wouldn't feel any symptoms.  Trust me, you do.  Your body is accustomed to eating those "delicacies" that Daniel refused to eat.  Your body rebels.  I always experience an immediate change in my digestive system.  I will spare you the details.  This is from day one.  Thankfully, I know from experience, it gets better.  And the headache.  Probably from caffeine withdrawals but also your body is beginning to detox.  Drink lots of water!  This will help tremendously!  If you have trouble with the "taste" of water, try adding a squeeze or two of lemon to your glass.  You'll probably experience a little fatigue as well.  Water helps with that, too.

I can't promise that I will blog every day but I will every other day at least.  There are more symptoms to come.  BUT!  There are good symptoms to come soon!

Join me!  You won't be sorry.  This is one of the answers to "Why Fast?".

The Rest of the Story

Hopefully this post will complete this discussion series about Nitric Oxide, the important role it plays in cardiovascular health, and the amino acid, L'Arginine, that produces it in our bodies.  These final elements are also vital to a balanced Arginine product.

There is no question about the vast array of benefits our bodies receive from antioxidants.  There is a paradox with the French.  They eat more saturated fat but have less cardiovascular disease.  The antioxidants in red wine are suspected as being protective.  So am I telling you that you need to drink red wine in order to be health?  No, you don't have to drink red wine to compete with the French.  Actually OPC's from grape seed are excellent antioxidants!  Red grape juice is also a good source.  It is extremely important to note that LDL (or the bad cholesterol) must be oxidized to be inserted in plaque.  With antioxidants, they stay out of plaque!  Vitamins C, B, and E are also antioxidants. 

What are antioxidants?  They are simply substances that protect your cells against the effects of free radicals.  Free radicals are chemically active atoms or molecular fragments that have a charge due to an excess or deficient number of electrons.  Because they have one or more unpaired electrons, free radicals are unstable.  They scavenge your body to grab or donate electrons, thereby damaging cells, proteins, and DNA (genetic material).  The same oxidative process also causes oils to become rancid, peeled apples to turn brown, and iron to rust.  Free radicals arise from sources both inside and outside our bodies.  Free radicals are produced when your body metabolizes food, from inflammation, or by environmental exposures like tobacco smoke, pollution or radiation.  Our antioxidant systems are not perfect, so, as we age, cell parts, damaged by oxidation, accumulate.   Free radicals can damage cells and play a role in heart disease, cancer and other diseases.  Oxidation is the number one enemy in our bodies that causes disease.

Fulvic Minerals are also essential.  They are complete spectrum minerals.  They are processed by plants to the ionic or atomic level.  The Fulvic delivery system ensures complete absorption.  Fulvic Minerals increase enzyme activity, stimulate the immune system and aid in the assimilation and utilization of nutrients.  In other words, Fulvic Minerals have the ability to help us get all this other "stuff" into our system quicker and more effectively.  What you take in is not nearly as important as what you absorb, thus the importance of Fulvic Minerals.

Additional Fulvic Mineral benefits are:

• They increase oxygen in the blood
• They act as a free radical scavenger
• They supply vital electrolytes to your cells
• They restore electrical balance to your cells
• They enhance and transport cell nutrients.

All very important benefits, indeed!

The final ingredient(s) that complete any nutritional product naturally are super juices.  One of the benefits of super juices is they are antioxidants.  The first four that I will discuss (briefly), when taken from the very best sources that are available, gives you a tremendously potent source of antioxidants; however, L'Arginine itself is better than all of them as an antioxidant.

Super juices are broad spectrum antioxidants, they contain phyto-nutrients with multiple health benefits.  Phyto-nutrients, by definition, are those plant compounds which are thought to have health-protecting qualities.  In other words, they don't know how to explain it scientifically but they know they work.

•  Mangosteen Juice helps lower LDL cholesterol, helps prevent hardening of the arteries, helps regulate blood sugar level, helps reduce pain from arthritis, helps with allergies, helps reduce inflammation and lowers fever and helps strengthen the immune system and fight free radicals.
• Himalayan Goji Juice (the best source), helps maintain normal blood pressure, helps maintain normal cholesterol, helps maintain normal blood sugar, helps improve vision and supports eye health, helps boost the immune system, helps with menopause symptoms, helps with a chronic dry cough and helps strengthen muscles and bones.
• Brazalian Acai Juice (again, the best source), has essential minerals, helps improve energy and stamina, helps improve digestion, helps improve restful sleep, helps improve sexual functionk, helps maintain normal cholesterol levels and helps boost the immune system.  
• Tahitian Noni Juice helps decrease allergy symptoms, helps with depression, helps decrease arthritis symptoms, helps improve breathing, helps improve digestion, helps decrease high blood pressure and helps sharpen memory and increase clarity and awareness.  Mental clarity could mean that it would be good for dementia or alzheimers.

The final point I would like to make about this series is that the best form that any nutrient can be taken is liquid.  Why liquid?  First, for improved absorption.  The Physician's Desk Reference (PDR), which contains prescription drug information resources and includes dosages, interactions and side effects, and is widely used by the medical community, states that pills may only be 20% absorbed.  So, if one was to take a 5 gram pill of Arginine, 20% would only give 1 gram of absorption.  That would mean you would need to take 25 pills in order to get 5 grams of absorption.  Secondly, powders may not dissolve completely, and, thirdly, in order to avoid "pill fatigue".  Pill fatigue is a condition occurring over time to chronically ill patients who have to take a lot of medication, in which the patient stops taking pills because of the stress and monotony of constant pill swallowing.  With a liquid, you get the maximum absorption and, thus, the maximum benefit.

A word of warning:  when you decide to research L'Arginine on the web, you will likely come across an article from the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA) discouraging the use of Arginine based on a very lopsided study where L'Arginine alone was given to patients who had just had heart attacks and some deaths did occur.  The important thing to note here is that these patients were not given an Arginine product balanced with the other ESSENTIAL ingredients.  It is not recommended to take L'Arginine without other ingredients to balance it's effects.

And that's the Rest of the Story!

More Good Stuff

To continue our discussion of just what is contained in a balanced Arginine product . . . . .

We've discussed what the amino acid L'Arginine is and how it creates Nitric Oxide in your body and what that miracle molecule does for you.  We talked about the fact that it must be a balanced product for it to function correctly and be the most beneficial for health.  Vitamin D3 was the first ingredient we discussed . . in itself, a miracle drug, indeed.

Another ingredient in a balanced Arginine product is your B vitamins.  B vitamins help improve the function of NOS - the enzyme that makes Nitric Oxide.  Studies show that women who consume more B vitamins have half the risk of heart disease.

B vitamins also help rid the body of Homocysteine, which is a compound that builds up in B Vitamin deficiency.  Homocysteine is an amino acid produced by the body, usually as a byproduct of consuming meat.  Homocysteine is made from another amino acid, methionine, and then in turn is converted into other amino acids.  Elevated levels of homocysteine in the blood appear to make for an elevated risk of cardiovascular disease.  If you have a blood test and you look at Homocysteines, you have a good way of seeing if you have enough Vitamin B in your system.  Too much Homocysteines reduces the amount of Vitamin B.  Homocysteines inhibit the action of Nitric Oxide and they also may generate free radicals - causing oxidative damage.

The next ingredient in a balanced Arginine product is Omega 3.  Omega 3's are anti-inflammatory, they make blood vessels more pliable, they improve endothelial function, they enhance the production of Nitric Oxide, they increase HDL (the good cholesterol) and decrease LDL (the bad cholesterol). 

Do you see the connection with these ingredients and what Arginine does?  Most of the time you think of Omega 3's as coming from fish oil but there is always the possibility of mercury poisoning with fish oil.  There are good plant sources of Omega 3's as well.  Perilla oil and flax oil are good sources.  The anti-inflammatory properties of Omega 3's are very important.  If you've ever been diagnosed with anything whose name ended in "-itis" (that's ITIS), that denotes inflammation:  for example:  arthr-itis.

Next is EDTA.  Intravenous studies are underway by the National Institutes of Health.  EDTA has been available in oral form for years.  EDTA is a heavy metal scavenger.  It is unclear it's exact mechanism in atherosclerosis, but it has been proven to have an affect.  EDTA is a natural chelator.  Many doctor's have used IV chelation for years.  If someone is exposed to heavy metals via an accident, etc., those metals will show up in their urine, hair and blood; and IV chelation would be used to remove them.  If those metals are not removed and are allowed to sit in the body, they begin to settle in the body's major organs and may not show up in urine, hair, and blood.  The problem still exists, however, and deterioration of those organs result and ultimately destruction.  One example is heavy metal toxicity in the brain.

As I mentioned before, you can readily see how the ingredients I've discussed work hand in hand with Arginine and support it's function in the body.  There are still a few more ingredients to discuss as we discover more good stuff. . .

Vitamin D3: How Important Is It?

The question was posed in my last post of this series:  What is a balanced Arginine product?

A better question would be:  What does a balanced Arginine product contain?

Number One on the list would most definitely be Vitamin D3.

According to studies, Vitamin D deficiency is now recognized as an epidemic in the US and it's deficiency may be associated with Cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure and heart failure patients with CVD.  About two years ago, the Canadian Cancer Society recognized the Vitamin D deficiency problem there.  They encouraged everyone in Canada to take at least 1,000 IU's of Vitamin D every day, especially the elderly, because it had shown to lower the incidence of 18 different types of cancer by 60%!  According to Dr. Ignarro (Dr. Louis Ignarro, recipient of the 1998 Nobel Prize in Medicine and author of the book "NO More Heart Disease"), 1,000 IU's is not enough.  I encourage you to look at the website, http://vitamindcouncil.org .  This site is not selling anything, it is simply providing information only, about the research that has been done and is being done regarding Vitamin D and it's effect on many conditions, including cancer.  You'll learn on the site that by taking 200,000 IU's of Vitamin D3 every day for 7 days, you may stop the possibility of getting the flu.  In Canada, again, they encourage the use of Vitamin D3 instead of the flu shot.  It is much safer and much more cost effective.

What about the toxicity question?  Vitamin D3 is what you get from the sun.  In fact, you get about 10,000 IU's from the sun in a very short period of time.  Vitamin D2 is synthetic, is indeed toxic, and is usually prescription Vitamin D.  So, if it's what we get from the sun, why are people deficient?  With the scare about skin cancer, our lifestyles that keep us indoors, and the use of sunscreens, is there any question?  In parts of the world, if you stayed outdoors, completely naked, for all the hours of sunlight, you still wouldn't get enough.

  Vitamin D deficiency may be associated with arthritis, chronic pain, depression, inflammatory bowel disease, obesity, PMS, as well as muscular weakness.

It's deficiency may also be assiciated with Fibromyalgia, Crohn's Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, and Auto-Immune illness!  What do you notice about these conditions?  These are conditions for which  most doctor's don't believe there is a cure.  But, if they are caused by a deficiency, and if that deficiency is rectified, then what?  Vitamin D3 will probably win a second Nobel Prize - the first one was for it's discovery and the second will be from realizing just how powerful it is!

And, finally, Vitamin D3 deficiency is also associated with Cancer!  The Susan G. Komen website contains information about Vitamin D and it's effect on Breast Cancer.  Again, http://vitamindcouncil.org has much information about this as well.  Listed here are the top 17 kinds of cancer that are affected by Vitamin D3.

More About Nitric Oxide

These studies show what Nitric Oxide does:  lowers blood pressure, lowers cholesterol and triglycerides, improve diabetes, improves sexual function, reduces blood clots and strokes, improves heart failure, and more.

These are not just light reading magazines.  These are medically published clinical studies!

Nitric Oxide is produced from Arginine in the endothelium.  If you have enough Arginine, you'll have enough Nitric Oxide.  Dr. Ignarro says it takes about 5 grams (not milligrams. . . but grams - that's 5,000 milligrams) per day to stay healthy.  Most Americans get maybe 3 grams per day in their diet and they don't assimilate all of that.  If we need at least 5 grams and we get 3 grams or less, then we're going in the hole, and the worse our diet is, the deeper we are going in the hole.

And here's more clinical studies . . . . . improves wound healing, improves kidney function, improves memory and cognitive functions, increases human growth hormone, improves muscle growth and performance, and more. 

We've known for years that Arginine has been used for weight lifting and body building because it helps a person recover faster.  But those same weight lifters and body builders have been taking it in pill form, of which form your body only assimilates about 20%.  But Arginine helps ANYBODY recover faster.  However, it is NOT recommended that you take Arginine by itself.  You need a balanced Arginine product.  And we will mention that fact again.

L-Arginine can positively affect people with high cholesterol, high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, family history of CVD, high estrogen, smokers, chest pains, leg pains, easily winded, lack of energy and impotence. 

In looking at this list, why does estrogen cause a problem?  One reason is this:  in Lexi-Comp's Clinical Reference Library book, titled "Drug-Induced Nutrient Depletion Handbook", thousands of drugs are listed and every drug has a nutrient or nutrients that it depletes.  If you look up estrogen, you find that it eventually makes the arteries stiff because of the Vitamin C and the B Vitamins that it steals from your body.

So what is a balanced Arginine product?   Stay tuned and we'll find out . . . . .

Good News & Bad News

The answer is:  All Natural. . . . which is Good News . . . . . and . . . . Bad News!

                                                                                
The Good news is that it IS all natural and the Bad news is that you cannot "patent" a natural substance (like you can a synthetic drug).  That means that the pharmaceutical industry, and most of the medical establishment,  is going to be anti-natural.

Here's another quote from Dr. Cooke's book:  "There is magic within all of us.  It comes in the shape of a molecule known as nitric oxide.  A substance so powerful that it can actually protect you from heart attack and stroke."



I introduced the question in my last post:  ".....how can we make our bodies produce more?"  We've established that our bodies make nitric oxide.  And we know the vital role that nutrition plays in how our bodies function.  Nitric oxide is not a substance we can take by pill . . . . at least not indiscriminately.  A heart patient keeps nitroglycerin tablets nearby for when they feel a problem coming on.  This is basically nitric oxide.  It does the same thing, only it is more drastic than how your body normally manufactures it.

There IS something you can do nutritionally to enhance your body's own production of this miracle molecule!

The essential amino acid, L'Arginine, or simply Arginine, is what enables our arteries to produce nitric oxide. 

Here is a quote from the book entitled "The Arginine Solution", subtitled, "The First Guide to America's New Cardio-Enhancing Supplement" by Robert Fried, Ph.D., & Woodson C. Merrell, M.D. and James Thornton, M.D.   I quote:  "In the field of medicine and health, it is one of the revolutions of our time:  the discovery that the amino acid L-Arginine may be the "magic bullet" for the cardiovascular system."  Drs. Fried, Merrell, and Thornton claim that Arginine:  "opens clogged arteries, reduces the risk of Heart Disease, boosts potency with the natural alternative to Viagra, improves your immune system and more with this "miracle molecule" whose remarkable properties were validated by the 1998 Nobel Prize in Medicine."                                                                  

L'Arginine is a simple, essential amino acid that is not produced by the body, but that is found in our diet - primarily in red meat.  It is a protein molecule.  We know that red meat is fatty and has cholesterol, and, as a result, many individuals have cut back on their intake of red meat.  Another fact is that L'Arginine is somewhat difficult to break down from the diet.  In fact, we only assimilate about 20% of the L'Arginine that comes from the food we eat.  These facts are probably why, as Dr. John Cooke claims, Amercians are not producing enough nitric oxide in their blood vessels.

The question that many have in regards to L'Arginine, as with other supplements, is"  "Does Arginine interact with prescription medications?"

Can you eat red meat with your prescriptions?

If so, you can take Arginine with it.

L'Arginine is safe to take with:  Cholesterol-lowering drugs, aspirin or anticoagulants, calcium channel blockers, Digitalis or ACE Inhibitors and Beta-Blockers:  all associated with heart conditions.

What you may find is that, over time, taking Arginine may result in your needing less and less of these prescription medications.

It is always a wise thing to ask your physician prior to beginning any supplementation program.  The question to ask is, "Are there any contra-indications in the ingredients in this supplement with the medications I am currently using?"

A few words of caution:

You should never stop taking a prescription medication without your doctor's advice.  Usually, if you are on any kind of maintenance meds, you will need to be weaned off of these.

However, if your doctor is critical of you trying Arginine and working on a plan to wean you off the drugs, you may want to seek a second opinion.

Also!  Avoid nitrate type drugs, such as Nitroglycerin, or take your Arginine at a different time than these.  Avoid Vasculogenic drugs like Viagra for obvious reasons.  You will more than likely find that you do not need these type drugs after taking Arginine.

And, speaking of Viagra, Erectile Dysfunction, or ED, is just another form of cardiovascular disease -- below the belt.  And these quotes attest to that fact:

And that is the . . . . . . Good news & Bad news!

What In The World is Nitric Oxide?

So what is the answer?

How do our bodies produce nitric oxide?

And what in the world is nitric oxide, anyways?

If it's so good, how can we make our bodies produce more?

Let's examine The Science.  In this post we will look at and outline the research and science that supports Nitric Oxide.  We'll also look at the nutritional elements L'Arginine and Vitamin D3 in nitric oxide production.  Nitric Oxide has been called the "Magic Bullet".  Our bodies are obviously the gun because our bodies produce it.  But what pulls the trigger?

These three American Scientists won the 1998 Nobel Prize in Medicine for their discovery of the Nitric Oxide Pathway.  The Associated Press reported on October 12, 1998 that they won the prize "for discovering that the body uses nitric oxide gas to make blood vessels relax and widen - a finding that could pay off in treatments for heart disease."

Dr. Louis J. Ignarro wrote his book, "NO More Heart Disease", based on his more than 30 years of research.  The "NO" stands for Nitric Oxide but it also stands for NO:  meaning NONE.  The subtitles on the cover of his book reads:  "How Nitric Oxide Can Prevent - Even Reverse - Heart Disease and Strokes" and "A Program for Boosting Production of the Body's Own Wonder Drug."

Dr. Ignarro talks about winning the Nobel Prize and the benefits of L'Arginine

If you click on the link above you will be able to view a video clip of Dr. Ignarro speaking about winning the Nobel Prize and the benefits of L'Arginine on the cardiovascular system once it converts it to Nitric Oxide.


So, just what IS Nitric Oxide, or "NO"?

• It has been named "Molecule of the Year" by Science magazine in 1992. 

• It is produced by the endothelial cell linings along 100,000 miles of blood vessels and capillaries in the human body.

• It keeps the blood vessels open, elastic and functioning properly.

• 20,000 articles in medical literature since 1980 attest that "absolutely everything depends on it!"

According to Dr. John Cooke in "The Cardiovascular Cure", "Most Americans are not producing enough "NO" in their blood vessels."  If they are not producing enough "NO", then what is going to be the results?  If it is what keeps blood vessels elastic, then a lack of it will result in the hardening of those vessels.  If it is what causes those vessels to vasodilate, or relax, then a lack will result in constricted vessels.  If it is what allows for better blood flow to all parts of the body, then a lack of it will decrease that flow and thus deterioration will occur.  Where ever the weakest link in the chain is:  whether it's the heart, the lungs, the legs (as with PAD), the kidneys, or elsewhere, that's where the problem is going to be!

I hope you are beginning to get a picture of just how important this little molecule is to your health and, indeed, your life.  Maybe you're beginning to understand what in the world is Nitric Oxide!

Cardiovascular Disease Progression

I beg the indulgence of my readers. This information may be a little dull and boring but it shows the insidious nature of this disease that is so subtle, many times, in its approach, but so often deadly in its results. As I said in the beginning, much of the time, the first sign that you have heart disease is . . . . sudden death!











This picture shows a lengthwise cross section of an artery and actually illustrates the progression of cardiovascular disease. First, you have normal, healthy artery. Then early fatty streaks begin showing up which continue and grow. White and Red blood cells form an internal rupture within the endothelium (the lining of the blood vessels) and inflammation and calcification begin. A calcified shell forms around this lipid-rich plaque and, with scarring, calicified plaque develops. White blood cells accumulate to the point where the artery is vulnerable and there is a possibility of a rupture. This is what happend to Tim Russert. He didn't have much blockage (only about 40%) but it ruptured and, therefore, the first real sign of his problem was his death.

When a Thrombus and Myocardial Infarction occurs, doctors must go in and place a stent, which is a tube designed to be inserted into a vessel or passagway to keep it open. The other option is to put in a new vein or artery to bypass the damage.

How fast this progression occurs is determined by what we eat and what we assimilate!


Here we are comparing three cross-cut sections of arteries: First, a healthy blood vessel, where the endothelium is relaxed and the vessel is open. Second is a narrowed artery where constriction is occuring because of a lack of Nitric Oxide.

Nitric Oxide is what the endothelium produces to keep the arteries relaxed and vasodilated. This problem is compounded by the plaque build-up. But notice the third artery, where Nitric Oxide has been increased allowing for dilation. Even with the plaque still present, one can see how blood flow is increased!

In my next post I will discuss how our bodies produce this essential Nitric Oxide and what we can do nutritionally to enhance its production . . . . and . . . . . put a halt to Cardiovascular Disease Progression!

Endothelial Health

We've looked at the facts regarding the situation of heart disease in America today and now we begin to look at the science behind these facts. Why are we in this situation? What causes these problems. I'm no scientist. I'm not even a doctor. But the facts speak for themselves and there are some very excellent resources out there, available to the inquisitive mind. And, if you want a better life of physical health than, say, some of your friends and family have had . . . and maybe even yourself to this point. . . . let's take a look together.

Here is a cross cut section of an artery. The very thin lining inside the artery is called the Endothelium. This lining is only one cell thick, but if you took it out of all your arteries and spread it out over an area, it would be about the size of 6-8 tennis courts! This lining is where "the rubber meets the road", so to speak. This is where we have the ability to be healthy or unhealthy "cardiovascularly".

And where does your cardiovascular system not touch? Anywhere you bleed, if you are cut, is affected by your cardiovascular system and thus by your cardiovascular health!

If you have a nice, smooth, slick endothelium, then you have good artery flow. Especially if it is nice and pliable. If it begins to get stiff or clogged up, like with the plaque in this picture, then you have a problem.

The layer between the endothelium and the outer surface of the artery is the smooth muscle layer. What do you think happens if this layer constricts? For instance, if you are out in the cold and your hands, arms, feet and legs begin to get cold, what is happening? That muscle layer is constricting because of the cold, and is restricting the blood flow to those arteries because your heart, lungs, brain and other major organs require the extra blood flow.

You have about 100,000 miles of arteries in your body (some the size of your finger, some the size of spaghetti, and some the size of a 10th of the diameter of your hair!) You need all of your blood cells to be able to get through ALL of your arteries, so you need them to be soft and pliable: not constricted. Then, if you add the problem of plaque buildup, the blood flow is restricted even further.

I know you've heard the saying, "the Life is in the blood". It's true. It really is your life blood. And where blood does not flow because of whatever the problem, death occurs.

A healthy endothelium is like "Teflon": a smooth surface that enhances the flow of blood. Of course, we don't want "old teflon". What happens when teflon gets old? That's right. It begins to flake off and things start to stick to the surface. An unhealthy endothelium is like "Velcro", causing white blood cells and platelets to stick to it.


This book, entitled "The Cardiovascular Cure: How to Strengthen Your Self-Defense Against Heart Attack and Stroke" is written by John P. Cooke, who is an MD AND has a PhD, was the head of Stanford Medical Vascular Research at the time of the writing of the book and is now the head of Harvard Medical Research. I'll be using several quotes from this book as we go along with this series. As I said before, there are numerous resources out there: a host of books and hundreds of research papers have been written on this subject that we are examining.

I do not want to bore you, but I do want to impress upon you the seriousness of this apparent epidemic that plagues our country today. I also want you to know the why . . . . . and how YOU CAN PREVENT IT!

Next time, we will continue to look at how important to your life is your endothelial health!