Dr. Joe Mercola & Dr. Mehmet Oz Delve Into Alternative Medicine Breakthroughs
Yesterday Dr. Joe Mercola was a guest on The Doctor Oz Show. Dr. Mercola, often called the “alternative health Guru” and Dr. Oz discussed the fact that that many medical doctors don’t believe in alternative medicine in “The Man Your Doctor Doesn’t Want You To Listen To” segment of the show.
Dr. Mercola believes that many medical conditions can be addressed through eating a healthy diet and taking natural supplements rather than taking pharmaceutical medications.
When Dr. Oz pointed out that Dr. Mercola sells supplements on his website and that some would say he only recommends supplements to sell them, Dr. Mercola said that for several years nothing was sold on his website, and it was operated from his own personal finances, but as it grew and the expenses of the website and newsletter grew exponentially, he chose to sell natural supplements to finance the site.
Dr. Mercola also said that nobody has died from taking his supplements, which is in stark contrast to the deaths caused by prescription drugs. He said that over 100,000 people die each year from properly prescribed drugs in the United States alone. He also said there was a study done last June that reviewed 30 years worth of records from hospitals that found 250,000 deaths from accidental use of medications and 30,000 deaths from improper or inappropriate surgeries.
Dr. Mercola said that he doesn’t believe in a “magic bullet”, but it’s the natural food supplements taken along with a healthy diet that produced the magic.
Dr. Oz commented on Dr. Mercola always being ahead of the medical profession in finding alternative health methods, and said he thought many were true and are beneficial. Dr. Oz then went on to discuss alternative medicine breakthroughs.
The first breakthrough was the use of coconut oil to treat Alzheimer’s Disease. Dr. Mercola said that coconut oil would not only treat Alzheimer’s Disease but would most likely prevent it as well.
The second was Ubiquinol. Dr. Oz said he had not thought of using it before, but Dr. Mercola explained that if one is taking Coenzyme Q10, they should also add Ubiquinol as they get older. He also said that anyone that is on a statin drug should be taking it. Dr. Mercola said that in many countries in Europe it’s mandatory that Ubiquinol be prescribed any time a statin drug is prescribed. It’s also useful for anyone suffering from fatigue.
Dr. Mercola stressed that supplements are not going to cure a problem without changes in lifestyle and eating healthy foods. He said the important thing to do was to eat the right foods and then supplement the diet with the proper supplements.
The third alternative medicine breakthrough was L-Arginine. Dr. Mercola explained that L-Arginine is a specific amino acid that is a protein, and that it helps open up blood vessels, which aids in conditions like poor circulation to extremities, including erectile dysfunction, and very high blood pressure. He said that L-Arginine can actually take 7 points of the top number of blood pressure.
L-Arginine is found naturally in salmon, oatmeal, chicken, walnuts and milk. Dr. Mercola said that his caution with milk is that it is pasteurized and that if you are going to use milk, it should be fresh raw milk from healthy grass-fed cows.
Dr. Mercola’s number one recommended supplement is Astaxanthin. Astaxanthin is a betacarotine derived from marine algae but far more potent than any other. Dr. Oz said that Astaxanthin is poised to become the next Vitamin D, in that Vitamin D is something that we all recognize that we need, and take supplements for if we don’t have enough of it.
When Dr. Oz asked Dr. Mercola why very few people have heard of Astaxanthin, his response was that it is faily new and has only been studied for the past 10 years or so. Dr. Mercola said that Astaxanthin is one of the most anti-inflammatories that we know of, which is important for arthritis, cancers and heart disease.
Dr. Mercola also said that using Astaxanthin can likely prevent cataracts, is useful for athletes, and is 50 to 60 times more potent than Vitamin E and Vitamin C. When asked how and when to take Astaxanthin supplements, Dr. Mercola said it is fat soluble and should be taken with food, especially meals with plenty of fat in them.
For more information on alternative health practices visit the Mercola Optimal Wellness Center website at www.mercola.com or Doctor Oz’s website at www.doctoroz.com.