Acid Reign
As we settle in for this years cold and flu season, deadly cases of pneumonia are not too far behind for some people. And a new study from a group of doctors in the Netherlands reveals that people who take acid-suppressing drugs, such as Prilosec, Prevacid, Tagamet and others, are at a much greater risk than everyone else.
It makes perfect sense, when you consider that stomach acid is one of the body’s natural defenses against disease. Destroy stomach acid and you allow both bacteria and viruses free reign.
Perhaps most alarming is how much higher the risk is: In the Dutch study, the risk of pneumonia was 89 percent higher for people using proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) and 63 percent higher for those using H2-receptor antagonists.
Dr. Wright has written many times about the myth of acid indigestion. Low stomach acid is often the underlying cause, making the acid suppression treatment ridiculous — and dangerous.
Compounding the problem is that both conditions — low stomach acid and pneumonia — are often not diagnosed accurately or soon enough. One more reason to look deeper for the underlying cause of acid indigestion and to get proper treatment.
In the meantime, however, if you are taking these types of acid-suppressing medications, you’ll want to be alert to the following symptoms on the heels of a cold or flu, as they could indicate that you have pneumonia. These include:
- fever over 100 degrees
- wet cough with phlegm production
- chest pain, usually on one side that is worse with deep breathing
- shortness of breath with exertion
Don’t hesitate to see your doctor if you think you might have pneumonia. Often underestimated, pneumonia and influenza hold the number seven spot in the top 10 causes of death in this country.
Confused About Cancer Risk
Q: I have heard that the risk of cancer is too great to make taking HRT a good option. But I’m wondering if the natural hormone replacement I’m starting to hear about is really any better when is comes to cancer risk. What do you think?
JVW: From the moment word got out in the mass media about the health risks of HRT, I have been answering this important concern for women — and I’m happy to do it.
While no therapy, even natural therapy, comes with a guarantee, I can tell you with certainty that your risk of cancer is significantly less using bioidentical hormones than the horse hormones in Premarin. In fact, of the thousands of prescriptions I have written for Triple Estrogen — the formulation I use with my patients — I have only seen two cases of cancer, and I believe those women most likely already had cancer before they began the therapy.
Let me explain, briefly, why the risk is lower. Of the three hormones that make up human estrogen — estrone, estriadol, and estriol — only estriol is not carcinogenic. This is why, when I helped formulate Triple Estrogen, I made sure to use the breakdown that best mimicked what is naturally found in a woman’s body: 10 percent estrone, 10 percent estriadol, and 80 percent estriol. Among the many differences between the horse hormones used in Premarin and the natural hormones found in your body is the strength of the carcinogenic forms of estrogen found in Premarin, which very likely accounts for the increased risk of uterine cancer that’s been found with mainstream HRT.
I always recommend that when a women is considering hormone replacement — even bioidentical hormone replacement — that she work with a physician who is well-versed in using bioidentical hormone replacement therapy. Check out the June 2003 issue of Nutrition & Healing for a more detailed explanation of hormones and cancer in the article titled Beyond Hot Flashes: How The Right Form of Estrogen May Help Fight Cancer, MS, and More. Current subscribers can download this issue by visiting the www.nutritionandhealing.com and logging in with the username and password listed on page 8 of your most recent issue. If you’re not already a subscriber, the website also offers information on becoming one.
What is EQ?
Henry Lemon, MD, coined the term Estrogen Quotient or EQ as a way to estimate a woman’s risk of breast cancer. It is the amount of estriol (the non-carcinogenic form of estrogen) divided by the sum of the amounts of estrone and estriodol (the slightly carcinogenic form of estrogen). In mathematical terms, it looks something like this: EQ = E3 / (E1 + E2). He hypothesized that if a woman’s EQ is low, her risk of breast cancer is higher. Just like with IQ, the higher the EQ, the better.
Yours in good health,
Amanda Ross
Managing Editor
Nutrition & Healing
Sources:
Laheij RJ, Sturkenboom MC, Hassing RJ, et al. Risk of community-acquired pneumonia and use of gastric acid-suppressive drugs. JAMA 2004; 292(16): 1,955-1,960.
