The Next Revolution in Medicine
"It's the most important medical discovery of the last 50 years," claims a former heart surgeon. "In a few years, Nobel Prizes will be awarded to the scientists who are making these discoveries -- Unlocking the secrets of aging, cancer, heart disease, arthritis...and a whole list of medical problems."
What is this revolutionary discovery? It's the link between free radical (oxidative) damage and disease. And the former surgeon and heart specialist making these bold statements also claims a 99% success rate reversing heart disease--in patients who have been told they need angioplasty or bypass surgery--with antioxidant therapy.
Robert Willix, Jr. M.D., states his case very strongly, "There is a single cause responsible for aging, cancer, heart disease, stroke, arthritis, and a host of other ailments," he says - free radical damage. Dr. Willix calls nutritional antioxidant therapy the biggest medical breakthrough since Pasteur proposed the germ theory of disease.
New Respect for Nutrition
Many other medical experts are making equally strong statements about the relationship between nutrition and disease. In March 1994, The Alliance for Aging Research, a non-profit senior citizens group in Washington DC, announced that their panel of medical experts had concluded that "a diet rich in antioxidants is effective in guarding against heart disease, cancer, cataracts, and other conditions associated with aging."
Dr. Glen A. Halvorson, M.D., a practicing physician with a background in sports medicine and neuro-physiology, echoes Dr. Cavanaugh: "There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that malnutrition is our only disease."
Dr. Halvorson wasn't always sold on the benefits of antioxidant nutrition. "I was trained in the early '70's as a medical doctor to be skeptical about nutritional claims," he remembers, "The relationship between diet and disease was considered controversial, and despite growing evidence that nutrition could make a difference, many medical professionals insisted that we could get everything we need from our diet. Supplements were regarded as nothing more than a source for expensive urine."
Most of us may think that we eat balanced, nourishing meals. However, studies show that at least 80% of Americans do not get the daily recommended servings of fruits and vegetables. The most frequently consumed foods are coffee, white bread and sugar, in that order. Not to mention the shortfalls of the prevalent "fast food diet". Even if we prepare "well-balanced" meals, how can we be sure that the food is not nutrient- poor? Due to over-farming, chemical farming, processing, and refining, the nutrient content of much of our food is questionable. Thus, many believe that the majority of Americans are overfed and under-nourished.
The Case for Antioxidants
Volumes of research, however, began to change Dr. Halvorson's mind. "The potential benefits of antioxidants appear more obvious with each study on nutrition and disease," he now says. "Some experts even predict that antioxidants will revolutionize health care - that we'll be able to test your sensitivity to oxidative stress, treat you accordingly with specific supplements, and extend life longer than anyone currently thinks possible."
In Support of Supplements
"I take supplements because I believe we are malnourished, and there is enough evidence in favor of improved nutrition and reduced disease," explains Dr. Halvorson. "One free radical can damage a million or more molecules. It's a chain reaction like dominoes...with unlimited energy to seek and destroy, causing massive damage if uncontrolled. This damage is called oxidative stress."
Rust, Rot, and Aging
"Oxidation is literally decay. Oxidation in our environment is seen as rusting of metal, rotting of meat, browning of apples, and the brittle changes in old rubber. Oxidation in our bodies, like rust or rot, is thought responsible for premature aging, wrinkling of skin, hardening of arteries, stiffening of joints, formation of cataracts, development of cancer...
"Because of overexposure to free radicals, our bodies need outside help. Because our diets are inadequate, we need to take antioxidant supplements. Premature decay leads to premature aging, degenerative disease, and life-threatening illness."
Dr. Halvorson has personally been taking Pycnogenol®, one of the most powerful antioxidants available, for over a year, and reports relief from arthritic knee pain, swelling, and allergies, and a reduction in the amount of insulin he needs to control his diabetes. "In summary," says Dr. Halvorson, "my research and personal experience substantiates claims that Pycnogenol® is a potent antioxidant which boosts immune defenses, improves your health, and even rejuvenates aging skin."
The Revolution Has Begun
Quoted here are only a few of thousands of available sources - doctors, scientists, and researchers all over the world who are confirming the free radical theory of aging and disease. The question is - are you taking full advantage of this important medical breakthrough?
Don't Wait Another 20 Years
Is antioxidant therapy really the biggest medical breakthrough of the last 50 years? We believe it is, as do other prominent researchers and physicians. We also foresee that general acceptance of antioxidant therapy in the medical community will be slow. It may be another 20 years before the majority of physicians fully realize it's importance and potential.
Until then, we can sympathize with Louis Pasteur, father of the last great breakthrough in modern medicine, who was widely ridiculed for proposing that surgeons should wash their hands before operating.
For more information on the most bioavailable Pycnogenol® on the market email me at spierce@warpnet.net
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As Of 8/5/98