Health Food Nuts

[Guest guest]

Hi Everyone:

I would like to pose a question or two that may generate some dialogue.

I have a brother that is a " health food nut " , he is always giving me advice on

what to eat, not to eat and etc. For " adrenal diseases " , he tells me I should

be supplementing my diet with " raw adrenal extract " , a long list of vitamins,

this and that " multi-level marketed " supplement, these herbs, the latest and

greatest, and on and on. He has cited different diets like: gylcemic index

diet, blood type diet, blood ph diet, and others. He believes that if the body

is supplied with all the needed nutrients, in the proper form, the body can and

will heal itself from anything. I can believe this to a degree. Going the

other direction if I was living on a diet of Wild Turkey, Lucky Strikes,

Coca-Cola, and Top Ramen, I believe I could grow myself into some kind of

strange disease.

I am somewhere in between these two extremes. I try to eat good food: home

grown beef, seasonal home grown garden stuff, as little processed and fast food

as possible, a multi-vitamin, etc. I limit all non-essential drugs, for example

I choose SleepyTime Tea over a sleep medicine. I breath regular air rather than

smoke. Drink well water. Yet I know junk filters in at times, I know I could do

better. I don't want to be a fanatic.

I have not noticed nutrition other than DASH mentioned before, so this leads me

to a few questions for the group.

Are there nutritional recommendations for hyperaldosteronism?

Are there foods or other things we should avoid?

What about things I call non-essential, possibly non-food items like coffee and

alcohol, etc?

Does anyone notice anything that complicates their symptoms?

You can probably think of some questions yourself.

I would appreciate your feedback.

Bless you all, Randy

[Guest guest]

I'm sure " you are what you eat " to a certain extent but I don't go

along with the concept that diet can cure absolutely all ills. I have

a deep feeling that some foods will be associated with a cancer risk

for example but I'm not sure that eating something else would cure

cancer. I wish we would find something that worked like that. We know

smoking causes lung cancer but I'm not aware that anything non-

invasive will cure it. The answer has to be prevention.

Fresh is best as far as taste goes. Home frozen comes second. I do

eat meat and enjoy it - and yes living on a farm does mean I know the

animals personally prior to them ending up on my dinner plate!

Some things make me sick - tea and coffee, some alcoholic drinks and

wheat/gluten. I can drink cola but I don't like it much so tend to

use it very occassionally as a " pick up " . When I do have a digestive

upset Indian Tonic Water is a real help but I wouldn't drink it every

day. I can drink a shot of Scotch Whisky without ill effect but only

drink a single when we have a special event. A bottle will last me

several years. Our spring water tastes fantastic compared to the

stuff that comes out of the taps in the big cities and I wonder if

there are residuals left in the water when it has been recycled

several times.

I think you have to tailor your diet to suit yourself as long as you

make sure you get the essentials that you need. Cutting out wheat as

well as gluten (you can get de-glutened wheat) made a huge difference

to my arthritis for example.

Sorry this is a ramble.

Helen in a rather cool and damp Scotland.

[Guest guest]

simply to to entrezpubmed and see what you can find that supports what he is

saying and I would only follow controlled trials.

Dont fool around with HTN with unproven treatments. There are too many proven

ones.

May your pressure be low!

CE Grim MD

Clinical Professor of Internal Medicine

Professor of Epidemiology

Board Certified in Internal Medicine, Geriatrics and Hypertenision

[Guest guest]

You have been given bad advice. Without salt in the diet aldosterone will not cause HTN.

I strongly recommmend you get the DASH diet and try the 14 day challenge and see what happens. They high K will make you fell better as well.

In a message dated 5/22/04 2:59:37, oarochette@... writes:

Hey,

I was told that no "diet" would assist me with my adrenal problems.  The only difference in my regular diet and my "adrenal diet" as it were is more potassium.  I was told to have at least one banana and potato a day.  My doctor actually wrote me a prescription for french fries to get my boss off of my back at work!  (It was even for an extra-large bag!  I didn't ask for this, either!)

Other than that, there were no diet changes for me.  Not much can correct hyperplasia of an organ or gland, it is already formed and working/failing.

Okemah Ann

May your pressure be low!

Clarence E. Grim, BS, MS, MD, FACP, FACC

Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology

Board Certified in Internal Medicine, Geriatrics and Hypertension

Focusing on difficult to control high blood pressure and high cholesterol especially in the African Diaspora

“Of all the forms of injustice, inequality in health is the most shocking and inhumanâ€:

Dr. Luther King, Jr.