The fatty acid story

Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients,  Dec, 2005  by Roy B. Kupsinel

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The Omega-3 Miracle

by Garry Gordon, MD, DO, MD (H) and Herb Joiner-Bey, ND

Freedom Press, 1801 Chart Trail, Topanga, California 90290 USA; 800-959-9797; info@freedompressonline.com

Paperback, ISBN 1-8939 10-34-2, [c]2004

When you begin reading this blockbuster, The Omega-3 Miracle (O3M), you may find yourself rushing downtown--not to the video store but to the health food store to purchase a bottle of quality Omega-3 oil either from the cold wild fish or the flaxseed oil source. As I just wrote this statement, I recall that I recently awoke in the wee hours of the morning to see on the "left on" television, Dr. Garry Gordon talking about Islandic fish oils and Omega-3. He and Dr. Herb certainly do more than just talk about it in O3M!

O3M is a 159 page paperback filled with food for the mind! The authors have the art of writing with a smooth, easy and understandable flow. They bring out in simple terms what otherwise might be the complicated details of various documenting scientific studies. With their focus on Omega-3 oils, they weave into the text other important health factors in the healing process--a truly holistic approach.

Now, to whet your appetite, here is my chemistry synopsis. There are two sources of O-3s--fish and vegetable. The fish are the source of the oils with EPA and DHA; the veggies, primarily flaxseed, GLA. The GLA may then convert with appropriate enzymes to DHA and EPA. As with HDL and LDL, called the good and the bad cholesterols, one might consider that the O-3s are the good guys and the O-6s, when out of balance with O-3s, the bad guys. The O-6s come from the commonly used oils like corn, safflower, and sunflower oil, and cause the production of prostoglandins E-2 which are substances that incite inflammation in the body. The O-3s are anti-inflammatory. So, with the imbalance, one is likely to have inflammation within and various diseases from too much O-6s. A major problem with so many of us Americans is that we are not eating a diet that is balanced with the O-3s and high in O-6s. One example is that the beef from corn fed animals is high in O-6s. Some of the best fish are rainbow trout, Pacific mackerel, Atlantic herring, Pacific herring, sardines, Atlantic halibut, Atlantic salmon, tuna. However, one must be careful of heavy metal pollution and farm fish with PCB pollution. Not easy. You may supplement your diet with O-3s. The authors list "Resources" at the end of the book.

The O-3s are essential components of our cell membranes that allow nutrients to go in and waste products to come out. When the O-3s are replaced in the membranes by similar fatty acids, often from poor diet, the cell function is compromised, we too are compromised and become ill!

The introduction to O3M mentions numerous diseases and conditions that people have and may benefit from O-3s. Then chapter by chapter the majority of them are discussed along with the summaries of studies that mainly support the use of the O-3s. Let me present a list of most of the chapters with some check lists, as applicable and add other conditions from the introductory pages.

Heart: arrhythmias, bypass, angioplasty, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, stroke, angina

Cancer: colorectal, breast, prostate, pancreatic, cachexia (exhaustion)

Mental Health: mood, depression, post-partum depression, impulsiveness, violent behavior, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease

Children and Adult: impulsiveness, inattentiveness, hyperactivity

Pregnancy Outcome: visual development in infant, brain development in infant

Diabetes

Female Health: osteoporosis, premenstrual syndrome, menopause, painful menstruation (and in the same chapter) beautiful skin, eczema, psoriasis

Arthritis--Asthma--Eyes--Weight Loss Flaxseed Oil--the Vegetarian Omega 3 Choice Shopping Tips--Putting It All Together--Appendixes

Other Conditions: high triglycerides, anticoagulation therapy, autoimmune diseases, peptic ulcers, venereal warts, memory loss, dementia, suicide, violence, Lupus, fibromyalgia, ADHD.

In closing, I commend Drs. Gordon and Joiner-Bey on this masterpiece. I wish to add that I have been using for many years a vegetarian product called Udo's Choice Perfected Oil Blend with a balance of Omega 3, 6, and 9 oils. It is by FLORA and available in many health stores in both capsule and liquid form. Udo is author of the classic book, Fats That Heal, Fats That Kill.

review by Roy B. Kupsinel, MD

COPYRIGHT 2005 The Townsend Letter Group
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