• The Dangers of Pesticide Contamination
• Life-Saving Information About Your Prostate
• Can Whole Foods Reduce Allergies, Asthma and Skin Rashes? YES!
• Natural Options for Aspirin

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Dear Health Conscious Individual,

Welcome to House Calls with Dr. Cutler™!

In this week’s issue I will outline some of the dangers of pesticides. These harmful chemicals can enter your body through the skin, the air or ingested in foods, so make sure you’re taking the maximum precautions!

Plus, I have some life-saving information about prostate cancer. Don’t let this deadly disease—of which 218,800 NEW cases are reported each year—affect you or your loved ones!

And keep reading to discover how you can reduce your allergies, asthma and rashes by adding THIS to your diet.

Yours for healthy living,

Michael Cutler, M.D.
Medical Advisor, True Health™

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The Dangers of Pesticide Contamination

When it comes to knowing the dangers of insecticides and herbicides, there are noticeably no long-term studies on the effect of average exposure and chronic disease. Does that mean they are safe? I’ll let you answer that question after reading this information.

Organophosphates and carbamates are the more common active ingredients of household, garden and farm insecticides. They are highly toxic to all animals and humans—in high enough doses. These compounds can enter the body via skin contact, inhalation or orally.

Would you like to know what happens in acute exposure to organophosphate chemicals? Out of 54 children who went to a South African emergency department with insecticide poisoning, half were “decontaminated” prior to arrival and still the complications were quite severe. They included coma (31 percent), seizures (30 percent), shock
(9 percent), heart arrhythmias (9 percent), respiratory failure requiring ventilation (35 percent) and death (7 percent).

A prevalent environmental chemical cause of autoimmune hypersensitivity that goes undetected is 2,4-Toluene diisocyanate
(2, 4 D). It is used as a chemical intermediate in the production of polyurethane products (quite prevalent in America) and is extremely toxic in acute exposures.

Also, dioxin, which is an unintentional by-product of chlorine waste incineration, is prevalent and extremely toxic to humans. It bioaccumulates the further up the food chain you go—so that it is found in beef, milk, chicken, pork, fish and eggs (in decreasing order). Not surprisingly, dioxin levels in fish are 100,000 times that of the surrounding environment.

An Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report describes dioxin as a serious public health threat. Some estimate it to be as much of a threat as was dichloro-diphenltrichlorethane (DDT) in the 1960s before it was banned. But what about the safety of pesticides in smaller doses, over time? Do they accumulate?

Theo Colborn, Ph.D., who is highly published in the peer-reviewed literature on pesticides, gave some revealing insights into the persistence of these toxic chemicals in the body. He found that the herbicide 2,4 D (the most widespread herbicide) was detected in 50 percent of the semen samples taken from a group of Canadian men ages 20 to 59, and that the pesticide chlorpyrifos (CPF) was detected in 82 percent of the urine samples tested. These are just two that were tested out of more than 1,400 known pesticides that have been developed!

And you thought you were pretty safe from environmental toxins? Now that you know this, it may shock you to know that more than 60 percent of the poundage of all agricultural herbicides and up to 90 percent of a typical pesticide product is capable of disrupting animal (and presumably human) endocrine and/or reproductive systems.

Don’t forget that one of the major hormone imbalances underlying heart disease and diabetes is cellular resistance to the hormone insulin. Who knows, pesticides may be one major “hormone disruptor” causing the high prevalence of hypothyroid disorders. These synthetic chemical compounds are fat-soluble and therefore store nicely in human fatty tissues of the skin and deeper organs.

Remember, the brain is made up of 60 percent fat. To me, there is no question that pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and possibly even the genetically modified foods (implanted DNA that make the food kill off insects much like the insecticide itself) should be eliminated from the environment as much as realistically possible.

As you know, it takes wisdom to maintain optimal health in an ever-increasing toxic world. Most of you have enjoyed great health for many years despite the environmental chemicals in which you may have been exposed.

Yet for others who suffer from chronic conditions with “no known cause,” keep abreast of all the latest information related to your best health right here! And look for valuable advice in next week’s issue relating to testing for chemical contamination.

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Life-Saving Information About Your Prostate

Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers among males. According to research performed by the Center for Disease Control (CDC), more than 70 percent of all diagnosed prostate cancers are found in men aged 65 years or older.

The American Cancer Society reports that in the United States, more than 27,000 men died from the disease in 2007, with more than 218,800 NEW cases reported last year. Sadly, in the United States, prostate cancer is the third leading cause of cancer deaths in men. These chilling statistics indicate a need for lifestyle changes in order to prevent—and save the lives of thousands!

There are several signs indicating your prostate may be in trouble. If you experience frequent urination—especially at night… difficulty starting or stopping a urinary stream… blood in your urine… weak urinary flow… painful urination… or even erectile dysfunction, you should see your doctor for a prostate screening test.

It’s important to note that a man will not have alerting symptoms until the prostate is either enlarged by benign hypertrophy or by cancer. So, if you’re a man over 40, DON’T wait until you have symptoms to have the basic screening tests—the digital rectal exam (DRE) and the prostate specific antigen (PSA) blood test.

Furthermore, it’s important to be aware that in up to 25 percent of cases, PSA levels do not rise—meaning the test may not detect cancer that is present. Thus, regular testing is recommended. If your doctor finds abnormal screening tests indicating cancer, a recommendation for further testing will follow.

The tests may be one or more of the following: Urine Analysis (UA); Prostatic Acid Phosphatase (PAP) and other bio-markers such as the carcino-embryonic antigen (CEA); transabdominal or transrectal ultrasound (U/S); Intravenous Pyelogram (IVP); and eventually cystoscopy with transurethral biopsy of prostate tissue.

Once it is determined how far the cancer spreads beyond the prostate, and a tissue grade is assigned (Gleason score for how close to normal it appears under a microscope), then your doctor may recommend a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), bone scan or Positron Emission Tomography (PET) to image the size and spread of cancer.

Finally, if the evidence points to cancer that is still contained within the prostate, there is a decision to be made as to what type of treatment should follow. For clearly advanced stages of cancer, doctors recommend one or more of the following:

• Radiation with external beam or targeted 3D conformal beam
  (for accuracy)
• Radiation with internal pellets or implants (brachytherapy)
• Hormonal therapy with luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone agonists (Leuprolide, Goserelin and Buserelin)
• Hormonal therapy with anti-androgens (Flutamide and Bicalutamide)
• Hormonal therapy with adrenal-inhibiting drugs (Aminoglutethimide)
• Total androgen blockade (two above combined)
• Cryosurgical Ablation of the Prostate (CSAP)
• Surgery: transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP)
• Surgery: radical prostatectomy with variable extent of lymph node dissection

Each of the conventional treatments listed above have harmful side effects. For example, in the case of radiation therapy, permanent loss of sexual function is a side effect that is highly likely.

An interesting study lead by Richard Valicenti,M.D., assistant professor of radiation oncology at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia followed men for four years after radiation therapy for localized prostate cancer. The results? Of the 128 patients that had 3D conformal therapy
(a targeted 3-dimensional radiation beam), 33 percent of them reported significantly impaired sexual function. Of the 60 patients that had brachytherapy (radiation implants), 44 percent reported impaired function. And of the 26 who received a more rigorous treatment of external beam therapy plus implants, 74 percent of them lost sexual function!

Natural Alternatives
As an alternative to costly surgery, chemotherapy and radiation treatments, I’d like to share some powerful remedies proven to help fight prostate cancer. In many cases, aggressive natural therapy interventions make all the difference—without the harmful side effects—and many patients have been able to successfully reverse the effects of cancer!

• Serenoa Repens (Saw Palmetto) inhibits the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and blocks the adverse effects of estrogen in men. Furthermore, it has been proven to reduce the growth effect of prolactin on prostate cancer cells (prolactin increases conversion of testosterone to DHT).
• Pygeum Africanum (Bitter Almond) is an evergreen tree native to Africa with similar properties to Saw Palmetto. It blocks the effects of prolactin on prostate cells.
• Urtica Dioica (Stinging Nettle) extracts have been proven to decrease prostate cancer cells in the laboratory.
• Micronized Progesterone blocks conversion of testosterone to di-hydro testosterone (DHT).
• Lycopene (tomatoes) has been shown in several studies to be a potent antioxidant that favors prostate tissue and reduces prostate cancer.
• Selenium has been shown to cut mortality rates in lung, prostate and colorectal cancers.
• Vitamin D2 and Vitamin D3 have been shown to slow the progression of early stages of prostate cancer.
• Vitamins A, C, E, B6, and B12, folate, zinc, copper (low dose), Coenzyme Q10, quercetin, green tea, indole-3-carbinol, and omega-3 fatty acid are all proven to have immune system boosting effects.

Before any treatment options are decided upon, the risks of treatment should be cautiously weighed against the expected benefits. The truth is—surgery, radiation and chemotherapy do nothing to reverse the underlying cause of the cancerous growth.

Moreover, cancer will likely return somewhere else in the body if this is your only treatment strategy. In many cases, aggressive natural therapy interventions make all the difference—WITHOUT the harmful side effects!

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Can Whole Foods Reduce Allergies, Asthma and Skin Rashes? YES

High fiber, low animal protein, nutrient-rich, plant-based diets prevent and treat many chronic diseases. Allergies, anxiety, chronic fatigue, autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes, fibromyalgia, chronic pain, hypertension, diabetes, obesity and osteoporosis are ALL improved with such foods.

As it takes years to develop many illnesses, you can expect the more difficult ones to take from several months to a few years to reverse. The fact is most, if not all, medications can be eliminated through implementing the principles of true health. Here are some studies that show the benefits of whole food diets on such classic allergic conditions as skin rashes, asthma, hay fever and food allergies.

Researchers in a 2001 study done in Osaka, Japan, demonstrated that participants on vegetarian diets, who experienced skin rashes known as eczema, had “striking improvement” in just eight weeks because of their vegetarian diet.

In another trial reported in the Journal of Asthma, researchers followed 35 patients with moderate to severe asthma that went on a vegan diet for one year. These patients had been suffering with moderate to severe asthma for an average of 12 years and all of them were receiving long term medication, with 20 of them on intermittent corticosteroid treatments. Twenty four of the 35 patients, or 69 percent, stayed on the diet for a full year.

Of these 24 patients, 71 percent reported improvement at four months, and 92 percent of them reported improvement after one year to the extent that in almost all of these cases, medication was withdrawn or drastically reduced. Not only were their symptoms reduced, but they also experienced significant improvement in the allergy antibody markers, plus a reduction in cholesterol and triglycerides in their blood!

So now you can see the close relationship your diet can have not only on your overall health, but on specific ailments such as allergies and asthma!

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Q & A

Each week in the Q & A section of House Calls with Dr. Cutler™, I will share with you some of the many questions I get every week from subscribers to my monthly advisory newsletter, Easy Health Options™”. For more information on Easy Health Options™”, visit www.easyhealthoptions.com.

Natural Options for Aspirin

Dear Dr. Cutler,

I take an 81 mg aspirin each day for heart health. I also have arthritis. A friend mentioned white willow bark would be better to eliminate any side effects the aspirin might cause—what are your thoughts on this supplement?
—Sandra P.

Dear Sandra,

White willow bark is the original aspirin. The medicinal use of willow bark dates back to the Greek physician Hippocrates (400 B.C.), who advised his patients to chew on willow bark to reduce fever and inflammation.

It became really popular in the 1800s—so popular that it caught the interest of the German company Bayer. Bayer created a synthetic derivative called acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin) and mass-produced it. So, after consulting with your physician, you may want to consider replacing your aspirin with willow bark instead of adding it to your aspirin.

All the best!,
Michael Cutler, M.D.