HEALTH
Acid Reflux May Respond Better to Foods Than Prescribed Pills [2:15] Analysis by Dr. Joseph Mercola
May 03, 2023 – About 20% of Americans suffer from gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD, which has been associated with increased risks of Alzheimer’s, heart and kidney disease. Research indicates dietary interventions such as Mediterranean-style meals may be as, or more, effective than prescription proton pump inhibitors in controlling acid problems.
STORY AT-A-GLANCE
- Americans spend $13 billion a year on over-the-counter and prescription proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), the most popular anti-reflux medications on the market
- Acid reflux, also known as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), is a condition affecting about 20% of the U.S. population
- Consuming a Mediterranean diet may be as effective as PPIs in treating acid reflux symptoms; a Mediterranean-style diet focuses on fruits, healthy fats, lean meats, nuts and vegetables
- Often, you can restore your body’s acid balance simply by avoiding processed foods and sugar, eating real food and infusing your gut microbiome with beneficial bacteria from fermented foods or a high-quality probiotic
- A number of natural remedies, including apple cider vinegar, baking soda, ginger and slippery elm, can be useful to address occasional reflux problems and, in conjunction with diet changes, may eliminate the need for PPIs and other medications
[Ed.: Dr. Mercola forgot to mention a very important, and perhaps the most effective remedy for heartburn! It is fresh papaya and/or papaya enzyme. I use this one, and it is delicious too!]
Antiviral Effects of Nattokinase PETER A. MCCULLOUGH, MD, MPH™
Inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 and Bovine Herpes Virus-1 Demonstrated in Vitro
MAY 3, 2023 – Recently there has been intense focus on “natto” derived from the fermentation of steamed soy by bacillus subtilis. Nattokinase is a proteolytic enzyme used as an oral supplement by the Japanese for the chronic treatment of atherothrombotic cardiovascular disease. Now a recent study in the COVID-19 era by the Japanese demonstrated preventive antiviral effects against SARS-CoV-2 mutant strains and bovine herpes virus type 1. The mechanism appears to be proteolytic cleavage of viral proteins.
Oba and colleagues performed a series of experiments with various concentrations of nattokinase in preclinical models. They found: 1) nattokinase effectively stopped infection of human cells in culture from SARS-CoV-2 and bovine herpes virus type 1, 2) the proteolytic effect of nattokinase was heat sensitive.
While many around the world feel they cannot wait for large-scale randomized trials of nattokinase in the treatment of vaccine injury syndromes, they may not realize there may be an additional salutary effect—prevention of subsequent COVID-19 infections.
While it is too early to make therapeutic claims, there is no doubt that data on nattokinase is the most promising we have seen among all solutions reviewed to end the final stages of the pandemic crisis—long COVID, vaccine injury syndromes, and recurrent Omicron infections.
Are Fibrinolytics Key to Preventing Clogged Arteries? Analysis by Dr. Joseph Mercola
Way Better Than Aspirin for Blood Clots, Zero Side Effects
Linked to a decreased heart disease mortality and increased longevity in the Japanese population, it delivers improvements of up to 95.4% – why aren’t we using it in other countries when this bean (which contains the active ingredient) is everywhere?
STORY AT-A-GLANCE
- Lumbrokinase, serrapeptase and nattokinase are proteolytic enzymes that act as natural anticoagulants by breaking down fibrin that forms blood clots
- Fibrinolytic enzymes are antihypertensive, anti-atherosclerotic, lipid-lowering and anti-platelet agents, which also have neuroprotective effects
- Nattokinase at a dose of 10,800 fibrinolytic units (FU) a day for 12 months “effectively managed the progression of atherosclerosis and hyperlipidemia” in one study
- Just one 2,000 FU dose of nattokinase enhanced fibrinolysis and anti-coagulation, activating multiple fibrinolytic and anti-thrombotic pathways simultaneously
- Lumbrokinase is nearly 30 times stronger than nattokinase and 300 times stronger than serrapeptase; if you are using a fibrinolytic enzyme, my strong personal preference and recommendation is to use lumbrokinase
[Ed.: Before COVID-19 (BC,) I developed an old-fashioned blood clot made of real blood, not the kind of long, white fiberous clots found in autopsies from people who died from the ‘clot-shot’. My doctor put me on Cumadin/warfarin/rat poisoning. (Never mentioned nattokinase or lumbrokinase most likely because she never heard of them before…) After 28 months, my body began to reject the blood thinning medicine with chronic bladder problems. For this reason, I could no longer take the rat poison and began taking lumbrokinase and nattokinase, which immediately began to reduce the size of the clot! It is now gone, or almost gone (to be verified by another ultrasound.) I have been taking the nattokinase 4,000 FU and the lumrokinase 150 mg from a company called Double Wood Supplements. I had no idea what ‘FU’ meant, but learned that it stands for ‘Fibrin Units’!]
