WEBVTT 00:00:00.240 --> 00:00:03.100 Prepare to have your health questions answered 00:00:03.100 --> 00:00:07.059 here on Safe, Effective Natural Solutions with 00:00:07.059 --> 00:00:10.419 Dr. Todd Binkley, owner of Binkley Healing Center 00:00:10.419 --> 00:00:16.140 in downtown Ventura. Now, here's Dr. Todd. Good 00:00:16.140 --> 00:00:18.239 afternoon. I'm Dr. Todd Binkley, board -certified 00:00:18.239 --> 00:00:20.780 doctor of non -force chiropractic and practitioner 00:00:20.780 --> 00:00:23.039 of functional medicine. Today, we're going to 00:00:23.039 --> 00:00:25.739 talk about some surprising risk factors. for 00:00:25.739 --> 00:00:28.120 hypertension, high blood pressure that you may 00:00:28.120 --> 00:00:31.379 not be aware of and should, as well as the connection 00:00:31.379 --> 00:00:35.679 between the gut microbiome and hormones. Is there 00:00:35.679 --> 00:00:38.119 anything that isn't affected by dysbiosis in 00:00:38.119 --> 00:00:40.280 the gut, by imbalances in the bacteria in the 00:00:40.280 --> 00:00:44.479 gut? Seemingly more and more research is definitely 00:00:44.479 --> 00:00:47.640 coming out every week, every month, every year, 00:00:47.759 --> 00:00:50.920 identifying further and further links between. 00:00:51.340 --> 00:00:53.679 the microbiome, the bacteria in your gut and 00:00:53.679 --> 00:00:57.079 other beneficial organisms in your gut and overall 00:00:57.079 --> 00:00:59.560 health. These guys are essential for breaking 00:00:59.560 --> 00:01:03.340 down nutrients, for keeping the bad guys in check. 00:01:03.500 --> 00:01:06.099 And some of the good bacteria and the bad bacteria 00:01:06.099 --> 00:01:08.159 are the same organisms depending on how many 00:01:08.159 --> 00:01:11.560 they are. So it's a finely tuned balance that 00:01:11.560 --> 00:01:13.579 you want to keep your immune system functioning 00:01:13.579 --> 00:01:16.239 at its peak and absorbing nutrients and preventing 00:01:16.239 --> 00:01:18.079 infections and a whole host of other things. 00:01:18.459 --> 00:01:22.560 Among them, these things... also affect the hormone 00:01:22.560 --> 00:01:24.640 levels. It affects your estrogen and testosterone 00:01:24.640 --> 00:01:27.060 levels and your adrenal function and progesterone, 00:01:27.120 --> 00:01:29.060 the whole gamut. So we're going to talk about 00:01:29.060 --> 00:01:31.560 that. And time permitting, I'll talk about some 00:01:31.560 --> 00:01:34.700 successful patients that I've treated for hypertension 00:01:34.700 --> 00:01:38.620 and hormone issues and problems in the microbiome. 00:01:39.069 --> 00:01:41.170 Before I do that, I'd like to remind everyone, 00:01:41.290 --> 00:01:43.590 or those of you who do not know, you can get 00:01:43.590 --> 00:01:45.769 past episodes. You can listen to previous episodes 00:01:45.769 --> 00:01:48.370 of this show anytime you like, on demand, on 00:01:48.370 --> 00:01:52.189 my website, BinkleyHealingCenter .com, as well 00:01:52.189 --> 00:01:56.049 as at Apple Podcasts and on Spotify and YouTube. 00:01:56.150 --> 00:01:58.670 So check out those past episodes, and I'd love 00:01:58.670 --> 00:02:00.629 to hear from you. I love it when you send in 00:02:00.629 --> 00:02:03.469 your questions. What do you like about this show? 00:02:03.870 --> 00:02:06.890 What would you like to hear more of? Is there 00:02:06.890 --> 00:02:08.870 a health topic or condition you'd like to hear 00:02:08.870 --> 00:02:11.449 more or know more about? If it's something you're 00:02:11.449 --> 00:02:13.469 interested in, then many other people probably 00:02:13.469 --> 00:02:16.469 are as well. So please email me your comments 00:02:16.469 --> 00:02:18.930 and questions, drbinkley at binkleyhealingcenter 00:02:18.930 --> 00:02:24.889 .com or text me at 805 -218 -3939. The ringer 00:02:24.889 --> 00:02:26.430 on my cell phone is always off, so you're never 00:02:26.430 --> 00:02:28.689 going to bother me. Just text me and I'll get 00:02:28.689 --> 00:02:31.110 back to you. And if you know someone, love someone 00:02:31.110 --> 00:02:33.550 who is not getting the care that they feel they 00:02:33.550 --> 00:02:35.409 deserve from the doctors that they've been to, 00:02:35.509 --> 00:02:37.930 I would love an opportunity to help them. One 00:02:37.930 --> 00:02:40.449 of the most common referrals I get is from somebody's 00:02:40.449 --> 00:02:43.069 nephew or niece or grandmother or sister that 00:02:43.069 --> 00:02:46.189 quote unquote has been to a dozen doctors and 00:02:46.189 --> 00:02:48.090 they're always told that everything is fine. 00:02:48.509 --> 00:02:51.990 Well, you know what? So that relative may think 00:02:51.990 --> 00:02:54.030 that they've tried everything, but really what 00:02:54.030 --> 00:02:57.169 they've done is they've tried 12 different doctors 00:02:57.169 --> 00:02:59.909 that all basically do the same thing. They're 00:02:59.909 --> 00:03:01.750 all just basically looking for something that's 00:03:01.750 --> 00:03:04.669 severe enough that it will warrant the expense 00:03:04.669 --> 00:03:07.810 and side effects of standard medical therapies, 00:03:07.909 --> 00:03:10.169 pharmaceuticals, that you don't just want to 00:03:10.169 --> 00:03:11.909 give out unless you have a good reason to do 00:03:11.909 --> 00:03:15.909 so. But what if you fall under that marker if 00:03:15.909 --> 00:03:18.150 you don't have the severe enough effects to justify 00:03:18.150 --> 00:03:22.270 the risks? and expense and potential harm of 00:03:22.270 --> 00:03:24.909 their big guns, then they tell you, you're fine. 00:03:25.030 --> 00:03:27.189 Come back, watch and wait. We'll see you next 00:03:27.189 --> 00:03:30.729 year, six months. Wait till it gets bad enough 00:03:30.729 --> 00:03:33.389 to use the toolbox, things that are in my toolbox. 00:03:33.669 --> 00:03:36.110 So what do you do until then? Well, you can use 00:03:36.110 --> 00:03:39.050 those same blood tests with a more narrowly focused 00:03:39.050 --> 00:03:42.469 metric, a narrower yardstick that measures early 00:03:42.469 --> 00:03:44.490 signs of stress on your liver, your kidneys, 00:03:44.590 --> 00:03:47.750 your heart, your immune system, and things that 00:03:47.750 --> 00:03:49.930 these are earlier. signs of stress, deviations 00:03:49.930 --> 00:03:52.069 from what your blood tests look like when you're 00:03:52.069 --> 00:03:53.969 in your 20s, in your teens, that everything's 00:03:53.969 --> 00:03:57.449 relatively perfect. You can use those things 00:03:57.449 --> 00:03:59.129 that are outside of that range and address them 00:03:59.129 --> 00:04:02.930 with better food, exercise, and supplements where 00:04:02.930 --> 00:04:05.909 needed. Identify nutrient deficiencies, nutrient 00:04:05.909 --> 00:04:09.169 deficiencies and or problems that can be remedied 00:04:09.169 --> 00:04:12.169 with supplemental nutrients for a period of time. 00:04:12.289 --> 00:04:16.220 And much of the time I'll get a... comprehensive 00:04:16.220 --> 00:04:19.100 blood test back. I usually order a panel that 00:04:19.100 --> 00:04:21.800 includes about 55 tests, which if your regular 00:04:21.800 --> 00:04:23.360 insurance doctor were to order that, it would 00:04:23.360 --> 00:04:24.959 cost your insurance company about $1 ,400 or 00:04:24.959 --> 00:04:28.240 $1 ,500. which is why they won't do it routinely. 00:04:28.519 --> 00:04:31.759 They're literally medically unnecessary unless 00:04:31.759 --> 00:04:34.600 your doctor suspects that you already have a 00:04:34.600 --> 00:04:36.339 medical condition. They're just confirming it 00:04:36.339 --> 00:04:38.360 with all of these tests. Then they're not going 00:04:38.360 --> 00:04:41.240 to do those tests. But you can find earlier signs 00:04:41.240 --> 00:04:43.740 of stress on the various parts of your body and 00:04:43.740 --> 00:04:46.399 then fix them with better food, exercise, and 00:04:46.399 --> 00:04:49.240 supplements and get you back to functioning normal. 00:04:49.339 --> 00:04:51.980 That's what functional medicine means. Identify 00:04:51.980 --> 00:04:55.379 places where normal function is not happening. 00:04:55.660 --> 00:04:57.800 as well as it should be, and then figure out 00:04:57.800 --> 00:05:01.240 a way to restore normal function, peak function. 00:05:01.300 --> 00:05:04.660 At whatever age or level of disease or disability 00:05:04.660 --> 00:05:07.660 you may be, there is often a natural, safe, effective 00:05:07.660 --> 00:05:10.620 solution that can be identified with proper testing 00:05:10.620 --> 00:05:13.860 and analysis, functional analysis of those tests. 00:05:14.540 --> 00:05:17.019 An interesting study was published in the Journal 00:05:17.019 --> 00:05:20.079 of American Medical Association Cardiology recently 00:05:20.079 --> 00:05:23.639 about the fact that a lot of people who have 00:05:23.639 --> 00:05:26.199 high blood pressure and diabetes and high cholesterol. 00:05:26.829 --> 00:05:29.529 are not aware that they have it. So results from 00:05:29.529 --> 00:05:31.430 the National Health and Nutrition Examination 00:05:31.430 --> 00:05:34.990 Survey spanning the years from 2013 to 2023, 00:05:35.329 --> 00:05:38.009 10 -year period, showed a significant portion 00:05:38.009 --> 00:05:40.949 of adults that have high blood pressure, diabetes, 00:05:41.149 --> 00:05:44.350 and high cholesterol continued to self -report 00:05:44.350 --> 00:05:47.410 being unaware that they had it and never being 00:05:47.410 --> 00:05:50.310 diagnosed until they found it on this test. And 00:05:50.310 --> 00:05:54.129 this is reported. So Dr. Rishi Wadhera of Beth 00:05:54.129 --> 00:05:56.850 Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Harvard. Harvard 00:05:56.850 --> 00:05:59.310 Chan School of Public Health in Boston wrote, 00:05:59.569 --> 00:06:02.750 given declining cardiometabolic health in young 00:06:02.750 --> 00:06:05.209 adults, it's concerning that approximately one 00:06:05.209 --> 00:06:08.449 in three with hypertension, two in five with 00:06:08.449 --> 00:06:11.230 diabetes, and one out of four with a high cholesterol 00:06:11.230 --> 00:06:14.170 level are unaware that they have these conditions. 00:06:14.769 --> 00:06:17.029 So that's really important. Young adults, people 00:06:17.029 --> 00:06:21.370 in their 20s and 30s, 20 % of them don't realize 00:06:21.370 --> 00:06:24.250 that they, 30%, 33 % of them don't realize that 00:06:24.250 --> 00:06:25.470 they have high blood pressure because they haven't 00:06:25.470 --> 00:06:29.009 checked it. 40 % don't realize that they have 00:06:29.009 --> 00:06:32.709 diabetes. And one in four, 25 % have high cholesterol 00:06:32.709 --> 00:06:34.910 and are unaware of it, even in their 20s and 00:06:34.910 --> 00:06:38.379 30s. So she went on to say that these results 00:06:38.379 --> 00:06:40.759 support the idea that the COVID pandemic had 00:06:40.759 --> 00:06:43.259 wide -ranging health effects, including indirect 00:06:43.259 --> 00:06:47.019 effects such as disrupted medical care, increased 00:06:47.019 --> 00:06:50.779 sedentary behavior, and worsening psychosocial. 00:06:52.069 --> 00:06:55.050 And they were especially surprised that the large 00:06:55.050 --> 00:06:58.949 jump was in adults 22 to 44 years old, 20s, 30s, 00:06:58.949 --> 00:07:01.670 and early 40s that were unaware of their high 00:07:01.670 --> 00:07:03.569 blood pressure. That percentage of people that 00:07:03.569 --> 00:07:05.970 didn't know that in that age bracket went from 00:07:05.970 --> 00:07:14.389 29%, 21, 22, 21 .9, 22 % in 2013. Up to 37 % 00:07:14.389 --> 00:07:19.290 in 23 -24. So in a 10 -year period, the fraction 00:07:19.290 --> 00:07:22.250 of people in their 20s and 30s and early 40s 00:07:22.250 --> 00:07:23.910 that did not know they had high blood pressure 00:07:23.910 --> 00:07:28.810 went from 22 % to 37%. And that drove, in part, 00:07:29.129 --> 00:07:32.829 the population -wide increase in high blood pressure 00:07:32.829 --> 00:07:35.860 since the COVID pandemic. So the takeaway here 00:07:35.860 --> 00:07:39.120 is all adults with risk factors, even though 00:07:39.120 --> 00:07:41.420 they're only in their 20s and 30s, should get 00:07:41.420 --> 00:07:43.980 their blood pressure and cholesterol and diabetes 00:07:43.980 --> 00:07:46.240 markers checked. Well, what are the risk factors? 00:07:46.259 --> 00:07:49.319 Being a little bit overweight, having stress, 00:07:49.540 --> 00:07:53.220 any kind of stress in your life, having a family 00:07:53.220 --> 00:07:55.660 history of these conditions. Those are the main 00:07:55.660 --> 00:07:57.579 ones. There are a few others. And of course, 00:07:57.579 --> 00:07:59.360 I'm happy to do that for you. Make it easy. Just 00:07:59.360 --> 00:08:01.839 give me a call and I'll check those. things for 00:08:01.839 --> 00:08:05.740 you. So also in the medical press, another interesting 00:08:05.740 --> 00:08:07.860 study about hypertension risk factor for high 00:08:07.860 --> 00:08:11.160 blood pressure is proton pump inhibitor use. 00:08:11.240 --> 00:08:14.079 Proton pump inhibitors. What are those? These 00:08:14.079 --> 00:08:18.180 are the medications taken to reduce stomach acid, 00:08:18.319 --> 00:08:22.319 mainly for people with heartburn and GERD. So 00:08:22.319 --> 00:08:25.220 Prilosec or Omeprazole and Prilosec, same drug. 00:08:25.240 --> 00:08:28.459 The most common selling one is Prilosec or Omeprazole. 00:08:29.150 --> 00:08:32.289 Also, Nexium Prevacid Protonics. These are all 00:08:32.289 --> 00:08:35.970 proton pump inhibitors. Proton pumps in the stomach 00:08:35.970 --> 00:08:38.789 are part of the mechanism your stomach uses to 00:08:38.789 --> 00:08:43.149 make stomach acid. So you want stomach acid. 00:08:43.350 --> 00:08:46.110 You may have heard that it's a good idea to alkalize 00:08:46.110 --> 00:08:48.590 your body, keep every part of your body alkaline. 00:08:48.629 --> 00:08:50.750 Well, that's true, except for your skin. It should 00:08:50.750 --> 00:08:53.769 be slightly acidic. And your stomach should be 00:08:53.769 --> 00:08:56.429 strongly acidic. You need your stomach to make 00:08:56.429 --> 00:08:59.320 really strong. you know, a cauldron of bubbling 00:08:59.320 --> 00:09:02.440 hydrochloric acid when you have food in it so 00:09:02.440 --> 00:09:04.899 that you can digest that food and assimilate 00:09:04.899 --> 00:09:06.779 the protein and other nutrients that's in that 00:09:06.779 --> 00:09:10.110 food. because if you don't, you won't. And that 00:09:10.110 --> 00:09:12.830 strong acid in your stomach is your first line 00:09:12.830 --> 00:09:15.350 of defense against any kind of invader, any kind 00:09:15.350 --> 00:09:19.470 of bacteria, virus, parasite, fungus, or other 00:09:19.470 --> 00:09:22.210 pathogen that's getting in your, and these things 00:09:22.210 --> 00:09:23.929 are in your food. Trust me, you don't even taste 00:09:23.929 --> 00:09:27.009 them sometimes. Most of the time, you know, when 00:09:27.009 --> 00:09:30.909 you feel sick, but acid kills bugs. So if you've 00:09:30.909 --> 00:09:33.009 got that stuff in your food, but you have, you 00:09:33.009 --> 00:09:35.210 ever seen it, or everyone's heard of a situation 00:09:35.210 --> 00:09:37.960 where Two people eat the exact same food and 00:09:37.960 --> 00:09:40.759 nearly the same amount. One gets sick and is 00:09:40.759 --> 00:09:43.059 hurling and the other one's just fine. What's 00:09:43.059 --> 00:09:45.379 the difference? Well, usually just the difference 00:09:45.379 --> 00:09:47.539 is how much stomach acid do you have? Because 00:09:47.539 --> 00:09:50.039 the stomach acid will kill off those bugs if 00:09:50.039 --> 00:09:52.019 you've got enough of it. It's a numbers game. 00:09:52.519 --> 00:09:54.580 And while we're on that subject, if you ever 00:09:54.580 --> 00:09:57.039 get to a place where you suddenly feel nauseous 00:09:57.039 --> 00:09:58.980 after eating something and you suspect that you've 00:09:58.980 --> 00:10:02.379 gotten food poisoning, do this. Immediately drink 00:10:02.379 --> 00:10:06.190 vinegar. Because acid kills bugs. It's not the 00:10:06.190 --> 00:10:09.750 bugs themselves that make you sick. When you 00:10:09.750 --> 00:10:11.750 get food poisoning, it's their metabolic waste. 00:10:11.850 --> 00:10:14.710 It's their wee that is the toxin that makes you 00:10:14.710 --> 00:10:16.830 sick and causes you to throw up to get that out. 00:10:17.070 --> 00:10:21.509 So acid, including vinegar, can kill that bacteria 00:10:21.509 --> 00:10:23.649 if you get enough of it. So usually if you feel 00:10:23.649 --> 00:10:25.990 a little bit sick, not quite ready to throw up 00:10:25.990 --> 00:10:29.149 yet, but you're feeling queasy, or maybe if you're 00:10:29.149 --> 00:10:31.049 just throwing up a little bit, then I would try 00:10:31.049 --> 00:10:34.289 to do about six ounces of vinegar. You can use 00:10:34.289 --> 00:10:37.470 any kind, but balsamic or apple cider vinegar 00:10:37.470 --> 00:10:40.200 are the easiest. to swallow. And you could do 00:10:40.200 --> 00:10:42.779 six ounces, I'm sorry, three ounces, which is 00:10:42.779 --> 00:10:45.460 about two shot glasses full, three ounces. You 00:10:45.460 --> 00:10:46.960 can do it straight if you don't already have 00:10:46.960 --> 00:10:49.139 burning of any kind in your throat. If you do 00:10:49.139 --> 00:10:52.039 have GERD or heartburn already, then cut it with 00:10:52.039 --> 00:10:54.720 water. Get about three ounces or add a little 00:10:54.720 --> 00:10:56.980 bit water to it if you need it. But if you don't 00:10:56.980 --> 00:11:01.080 already have any raw tissue in your esophagus, 00:11:01.120 --> 00:11:02.679 if you don't have that burning in your throat, 00:11:02.759 --> 00:11:05.210 then it's safe to drink. vinegar. And if you 00:11:05.210 --> 00:11:07.269 drink it straight, then you're more likely to 00:11:07.269 --> 00:11:09.129 kill off the bugs. If you're already curled up 00:11:09.129 --> 00:11:11.330 on the floor, then double that. If you're already 00:11:11.330 --> 00:11:14.830 sick, throwing up, severely infected, or if it's 00:11:14.830 --> 00:11:17.789 been, you just heard this and it's been a while, 00:11:17.809 --> 00:11:20.330 or if you forget, you remember what I'm telling 00:11:20.330 --> 00:11:22.710 you now a little bit too late, hours or even 00:11:22.710 --> 00:11:25.429 the next day, you're still really sick, then 00:11:25.429 --> 00:11:26.950 you can still drink the acid, but you're going 00:11:26.950 --> 00:11:28.629 to need to probably drink a little bit more of 00:11:28.629 --> 00:11:32.429 it. But this can knock it out. You can feel totally 00:11:32.429 --> 00:11:34.750 fine. This happened to me a few years ago. I 00:11:34.750 --> 00:11:38.669 was out, went to a local seafood place, which 00:11:38.669 --> 00:11:41.029 shall remain nameless. And I had some oysters. 00:11:41.210 --> 00:11:43.870 I had six oysters and they were delicious. But 00:11:43.870 --> 00:11:46.730 one of them tasted just a little bit off. And 00:11:46.730 --> 00:11:49.230 then I went to a friend's house for a little. 00:11:50.080 --> 00:11:52.740 get together afterwards. And about 20 minutes 00:11:52.740 --> 00:11:54.799 later, I started to feel a little nauseous. And 00:11:54.799 --> 00:11:57.080 I said, have you got any vinegar? And I drank 00:11:57.080 --> 00:11:58.740 some vinegar. And then I just went in and made 00:11:58.740 --> 00:12:01.320 myself throw up in the bathroom just a little 00:12:01.320 --> 00:12:03.659 bit. And, you know, 15 minutes after that, I 00:12:03.659 --> 00:12:05.340 felt totally fine, like nothing ever happened. 00:12:05.639 --> 00:12:07.919 I'm Dr. Todd Binkley. You're listening to Safe, 00:12:07.940 --> 00:12:10.580 Effective, Natural Solutions to Almost Any Health 00:12:10.580 --> 00:12:15.600 Challenge. We're talking about proton pump inhibitors, 00:12:15.740 --> 00:12:19.700 acid blocking drugs, and... Incident Hypertension 00:12:19.700 --> 00:12:21.919 in Menopausal Women. This is published in the 00:12:21.919 --> 00:12:25.279 Journal of the American Heart Association, June 00:12:25.279 --> 00:12:29.080 of 2025. And they showed that... Postmenopausal 00:12:29.080 --> 00:12:31.299 women who are taking these acid -blocking drugs 00:12:31.299 --> 00:12:34.639 have an increased risk and incidence of high 00:12:34.639 --> 00:12:36.740 blood pressure. So these drugs are the treatment 00:12:36.740 --> 00:12:39.639 of choice for esophagitis, peptic ulcer disease, 00:12:39.879 --> 00:12:42.980 GERD, heartburn. They're among the most prescribed 00:12:42.980 --> 00:12:46.820 medications in the U .S. In 2016, just one of 00:12:46.820 --> 00:12:49.159 these drugs was dispensed more than 70 million 00:12:49.159 --> 00:12:52.259 times in the U .S. And so a lot of people just 00:12:52.259 --> 00:12:54.139 get stuck on these drugs and take them forever 00:12:54.139 --> 00:12:58.019 or for years or for way too long. identified 00:12:58.019 --> 00:13:00.740 this risk factor in it. And there's been several 00:13:00.740 --> 00:13:02.279 other studies that showed that inappropriate 00:13:02.279 --> 00:13:06.779 PPI use, proton pump inhibitor use, whether it's 00:13:06.779 --> 00:13:09.720 just too long, prolonged use for no longer being 00:13:09.720 --> 00:13:13.139 in a situation where it's no longer needed, or 00:13:13.139 --> 00:13:15.720 just not getting a follow -up, not getting tested. 00:13:15.740 --> 00:13:17.700 Really, you need to test whether or not you need 00:13:17.700 --> 00:13:19.399 this acid blocking drug. And if you're not having 00:13:19.399 --> 00:13:21.419 GERD anymore, perhaps you should be able to wean 00:13:21.419 --> 00:13:23.620 yourself off of these things. eventually. And 00:13:23.620 --> 00:13:26.220 a lot of doctors just forget to do about that. 00:13:26.240 --> 00:13:27.840 They just keep writing the script indefinitely. 00:13:28.200 --> 00:13:30.860 And so many other studies have showed that prolonged 00:13:30.860 --> 00:13:33.740 use or inappropriate use of these drugs increase 00:13:33.740 --> 00:13:36.840 your risk of bone fractures and osteoporosis, 00:13:37.039 --> 00:13:40.659 pneumonia, kidney damage, especially in older 00:13:40.659 --> 00:13:43.820 people. And it also weakens your immune system. 00:13:44.220 --> 00:13:47.409 So partly by making it more difficult to digest 00:13:47.409 --> 00:13:49.629 and assimilate protein. Your immune system needs 00:13:49.629 --> 00:13:51.629 protein to work just like every other part of 00:13:51.629 --> 00:13:54.009 your body needs protein to heal and repair itself. 00:13:54.110 --> 00:13:57.110 Almost all of your cells are made out of protein. 00:13:57.669 --> 00:13:59.649 And so there's been other studies that showed 00:13:59.649 --> 00:14:01.750 these risk factors as well as gut infections 00:14:01.750 --> 00:14:04.809 and dysbiosis and imbalance between the good 00:14:04.809 --> 00:14:08.629 and bad bacteria, protein deficiencies and deficiencies 00:14:08.629 --> 00:14:13.350 of vitamin B12, iron, magnesium. and other minerals. 00:14:13.490 --> 00:14:16.090 So how does this, what is the theory? Why did 00:14:16.090 --> 00:14:20.230 the people, these postmenopausal women or menopausal 00:14:20.230 --> 00:14:23.929 and postmenopausal women end up with increased 00:14:23.929 --> 00:14:25.929 risk of high blood pressure? Well, nitric oxide 00:14:25.929 --> 00:14:29.889 is a potent vasodilator. Whole books have been 00:14:29.889 --> 00:14:33.309 written on how you can improve your heart health, 00:14:33.370 --> 00:14:36.269 reduce your recurrence and risk of heart disease 00:14:36.269 --> 00:14:41.220 by optimizing nitric oxide. because it's a vasodilator, 00:14:41.279 --> 00:14:43.159 meaning it relaxes your blood vessels so that 00:14:43.159 --> 00:14:46.879 they open wide, plays a critical role in blood 00:14:46.879 --> 00:14:50.700 pressure regulation. Well, nitric oxide is made 00:14:50.700 --> 00:14:55.100 in the stomach from nitrite. So the importance 00:14:55.100 --> 00:14:58.659 of this nitrate to nitric oxide pathway in the 00:14:58.659 --> 00:15:01.799 stomach is dependent on the presence of gastric 00:15:01.799 --> 00:15:04.580 acid. So you need adequate acid in your stomach 00:15:04.580 --> 00:15:07.919 to make adequate amounts of nitric oxide. So 00:15:07.919 --> 00:15:09.279 if you don't have enough acid, you're not going 00:15:09.279 --> 00:15:12.139 to have as much nitric oxide production as you 00:15:12.139 --> 00:15:15.559 otherwise would. And that's going to increase 00:15:15.559 --> 00:15:17.960 your risk of hypertension. So this is a study 00:15:17.960 --> 00:15:22.879 of 64 ,720 menopausal women in the Women's Health 00:15:22.879 --> 00:15:26.440 Initiative study, a huge study from 93 to 98. 00:15:26.559 --> 00:15:30.919 And after a mean follow -up of 8 .7 years, of 00:15:30.919 --> 00:15:36.299 these 64 ,700 menopausal women who didn't have 00:15:36.299 --> 00:15:38.899 cardiovascular disease in the beginning, 8 .7 00:15:38.899 --> 00:15:45.059 years later, 29 ,000 of them did have. So almost 00:15:45.059 --> 00:15:48.639 half of them did have hypertension. And the ones 00:15:48.639 --> 00:15:52.759 that were on a proton pump inhibitor like Omeprazole, 00:15:52.799 --> 00:15:56.080 Prilosec, Prevacid, Nexium, people who were using 00:15:56.080 --> 00:15:59.460 those drugs had a 17 % higher risk of hypertension. 00:16:00.839 --> 00:16:04.080 And the longer they were using the proton pump 00:16:04.080 --> 00:16:06.820 inhibitor, the increased incremental increased 00:16:06.820 --> 00:16:10.700 risk. So after one year, the risk was 13%, 17 00:16:10.700 --> 00:16:13.980 % after two years, 28 % after three years. And 00:16:13.980 --> 00:16:16.440 then the overall change in systolic pressure, 00:16:16.600 --> 00:16:18.659 the number on the top when your heart pumps, 00:16:18.860 --> 00:16:22.779 was increased significantly for new PPI users 00:16:22.779 --> 00:16:26.169 compared with those. who had never used it. So 00:16:26.169 --> 00:16:27.850 it starts right away. If you start taking these 00:16:27.850 --> 00:16:31.529 drugs, that risk is going to, you're going to 00:16:31.529 --> 00:16:33.809 have that risk factor in a very short period 00:16:33.809 --> 00:16:35.970 of time. Well, of course, it is important to 00:16:35.970 --> 00:16:38.210 protect the lining of the esophagus. The main 00:16:38.210 --> 00:16:39.929 thing that you have to avoid, in addition to 00:16:39.929 --> 00:16:43.750 not wanting the pain and damage to the esophagus, 00:16:43.789 --> 00:16:46.970 ultimately, if you have acid eroding the protective 00:16:46.970 --> 00:16:50.269 mucus layer that lines your esophagus and protects 00:16:50.269 --> 00:16:53.710 it from acid, then you're at higher risk of esophageal 00:16:53.710 --> 00:16:56.669 cancer. You definitely don't want that. So your 00:16:56.669 --> 00:17:00.049 stomach has even thicker mucus to protect it 00:17:00.049 --> 00:17:02.009 because the cells that produce that super, super 00:17:02.009 --> 00:17:05.450 strong acid are surrounded on all sides by other 00:17:05.450 --> 00:17:08.329 cells that produce this really strong mucus. 00:17:08.329 --> 00:17:11.089 So that acid would easily, without that mucus, 00:17:11.150 --> 00:17:12.789 it will eat right through the wall of your stomach. 00:17:12.849 --> 00:17:14.589 That's what an ulcer is. When that mucus layer 00:17:14.589 --> 00:17:17.910 breaks down and that acid starts to eat the wall 00:17:17.910 --> 00:17:20.369 of the stomach or the intestines, then you get... 00:17:20.759 --> 00:17:24.500 So similarly, if that acid leaks from your stomach 00:17:24.500 --> 00:17:28.619 back up into your esophagus, it can cause gastroesophageal 00:17:28.619 --> 00:17:32.440 reflux disease, GERD, or heartburn. But the important 00:17:32.440 --> 00:17:35.519 thing to know about that is stomach acid, you 00:17:35.519 --> 00:17:37.980 need high stomach acid. That's the normal condition. 00:17:38.140 --> 00:17:41.480 So having strong acid in your stomach isn't the 00:17:41.480 --> 00:17:45.299 cause of GERD or heartburn. The cause of GERD 00:17:45.299 --> 00:17:48.369 and heartburn is a leaky valve. between the stomach 00:17:48.369 --> 00:17:51.269 and the esophagus. You need that strong acid 00:17:51.269 --> 00:17:53.369 in your stomach, and you also need that valve 00:17:53.369 --> 00:17:56.690 to close tight so that it doesn't leak out of 00:17:56.690 --> 00:17:58.750 the stomach. So why doesn't that always work? 00:17:58.809 --> 00:18:01.329 Or how does that work? Well, there is a valve 00:18:01.329 --> 00:18:04.769 at the very end of the digestive tract that is 00:18:04.769 --> 00:18:07.990 always closed. It opens when you have a bowel 00:18:07.990 --> 00:18:10.859 movement and then closes back up again. But most 00:18:10.859 --> 00:18:12.660 of us have also had the experience that even 00:18:12.660 --> 00:18:15.140 though that valve's always closed, if you're 00:18:15.140 --> 00:18:17.740 in a rush to get to the bathroom in time, you 00:18:17.740 --> 00:18:20.880 can also voluntarily tighten that muscle down 00:18:20.880 --> 00:18:23.700 and lock it down tight to prevent something coming 00:18:23.700 --> 00:18:26.960 out before you're ready. So similarly, this valve 00:18:26.960 --> 00:18:30.019 at the higher end, close to the upper highest 00:18:30.019 --> 00:18:32.880 end of the digestive tract between the esophagus, 00:18:32.980 --> 00:18:35.059 where your food travels from your mouth down 00:18:35.059 --> 00:18:36.660 the back of your throat to the stomach, that... 00:18:38.359 --> 00:18:41.720 esophagus valve connection to the stomach. It's 00:18:41.720 --> 00:18:44.700 called the lower esophageal sphincter. It is 00:18:44.700 --> 00:18:47.099 always closed as well. You take a bite of food, 00:18:47.160 --> 00:18:49.160 chew, chew, chew, swallow it. That bite of food 00:18:49.160 --> 00:18:51.640 hits that valve. It opens to let the food through 00:18:51.640 --> 00:18:53.440 and then closes back up again. So it's always 00:18:53.440 --> 00:18:56.900 closed. But it's not closed super tight all the 00:18:56.900 --> 00:18:59.359 time because it doesn't need to be. What do you 00:18:59.359 --> 00:19:02.259 think triggers that valve to close down tight? 00:19:02.359 --> 00:19:05.450 You can't voluntarily control that one. But it 00:19:05.450 --> 00:19:09.470 is automatically set to lock down tight when, 00:19:09.650 --> 00:19:11.910 would you suppose? When you have strong acid 00:19:11.910 --> 00:19:14.730 in your stomach. That presence of strong acid, 00:19:14.809 --> 00:19:17.789 the lowering of the pH in your stomach, triggers 00:19:17.789 --> 00:19:21.049 an automatic response to tighten down that muscle 00:19:21.049 --> 00:19:23.450 to make sure none of that strong acid leaks out. 00:19:24.269 --> 00:19:27.109 So a lot of people eat their biggest meal of 00:19:27.109 --> 00:19:30.490 the day in the evening and then go to bed right 00:19:30.490 --> 00:19:33.049 after that or an hour or two later. They got 00:19:33.049 --> 00:19:35.539 a stomach full of food. and or maybe they're 00:19:35.539 --> 00:19:38.740 drinking some alcohol and they're tired and so 00:19:38.740 --> 00:19:40.500 their digestive system is sapping their energy 00:19:40.500 --> 00:19:42.640 because it requires a lot of energy to digest 00:19:42.640 --> 00:19:44.380 your food that's another reason it's not really 00:19:44.380 --> 00:19:46.019 that great of an idea to eat your biggest meal 00:19:46.019 --> 00:19:47.740 of the day and then go to sleep because then 00:19:47.740 --> 00:19:49.500 you're going to be using energy to digest your 00:19:49.500 --> 00:19:50.720 food that you could have been putting towards 00:19:50.720 --> 00:19:53.079 healing and repair which would otherwise be going 00:19:53.079 --> 00:19:57.059 on if that energy were available to do that when 00:19:57.059 --> 00:19:58.660 you're sleeping. But anyway, so a lot of people 00:19:58.660 --> 00:20:00.599 go to bed with a stomach full of food, maybe 00:20:00.599 --> 00:20:02.259 a little bit of alcohol or other things that 00:20:02.259 --> 00:20:04.619 make them relax in their systems and then lie 00:20:04.619 --> 00:20:07.579 down flat. And what do you think is going to 00:20:07.579 --> 00:20:08.940 happen? There's a lot of pressure. There's a 00:20:08.940 --> 00:20:11.640 lot more pressure when your stomach is full than 00:20:11.640 --> 00:20:15.180 if it's empty or relatively empty. And if you're 00:20:15.180 --> 00:20:18.220 taking anything that relaxes you and relaxes 00:20:18.220 --> 00:20:20.400 your muscles, it will relax that one too. It 00:20:20.400 --> 00:20:23.210 can make that. sphincter, make it more difficult 00:20:23.210 --> 00:20:25.869 for that sphincter to automatically stay locked 00:20:25.869 --> 00:20:29.329 down tight. And when you have heartburn or GERD, 00:20:29.410 --> 00:20:32.670 it feels like there's a geyser, you know, squirting 00:20:32.670 --> 00:20:36.009 acid up into your esophagus. It feels like sometimes 00:20:36.009 --> 00:20:37.490 it can go all the way up to the back of your 00:20:37.490 --> 00:20:41.269 throat because it only takes a tiny bit of acid 00:20:41.269 --> 00:20:44.289 to cause those symptoms. And you can eat the 00:20:44.289 --> 00:20:48.230 same thing, eat at the same time, and sometimes 00:20:48.230 --> 00:20:49.769 you have it and sometimes you don't. So people 00:20:49.769 --> 00:20:51.430 think, well, that can't be the cause or it would 00:20:51.430 --> 00:20:52.809 be happening every day. No, that's not true. 00:20:52.990 --> 00:20:55.269 What happens is over time, small amounts of acid, 00:20:55.369 --> 00:20:58.230 just a few drops, leak up into your esophagus 00:20:58.230 --> 00:21:02.710 and slowly erode patches of mucosal lining in 00:21:02.710 --> 00:21:05.369 your esophagus. So if there's places where there's 00:21:05.369 --> 00:21:08.009 not as much mucus as there should be and you 00:21:08.009 --> 00:21:10.349 get a little acid up there, if it hits that spot, 00:21:10.470 --> 00:21:13.009 then it'll hurt. And if the acid comes up and 00:21:13.009 --> 00:21:14.410 it's hitting a different spot where there is 00:21:14.410 --> 00:21:16.809 adequate mucus, then it doesn't hurt. And so 00:21:16.809 --> 00:21:19.769 you're not getting a strong stream. It doesn't 00:21:19.769 --> 00:21:21.450 take a lot of acid to cause those symptoms, just 00:21:21.450 --> 00:21:24.430 a little bit. And there's lots of ways to reverse 00:21:24.430 --> 00:21:27.710 that without taking proton pump inhibitors or 00:21:27.710 --> 00:21:30.410 any other acid blocking drugs. There are two 00:21:30.410 --> 00:21:33.250 other major classes of acid blocking drugs. So 00:21:33.250 --> 00:21:34.650 if you know anybody that's dependent on those 00:21:34.650 --> 00:21:37.029 things, I'd love to help them figure out a better 00:21:37.029 --> 00:21:40.319 way to prevent that. among other things, so that 00:21:40.319 --> 00:21:43.279 they can avoid this risk for, especially if they're 00:21:43.279 --> 00:21:46.059 a menopausal woman, avoid this increased risk 00:21:46.059 --> 00:21:48.539 of hypertension. But it's also going to help 00:21:48.539 --> 00:21:50.579 you reduce the risk of all these mineral deficiencies, 00:21:50.740 --> 00:21:53.339 B12 deficiency, and protein deficiency, which 00:21:53.339 --> 00:21:55.460 is critically important, and reduce your risk 00:21:55.460 --> 00:21:57.539 of getting an infection in your gut. So you want 00:21:57.539 --> 00:22:00.440 strong acid in your stomach. And one of the things 00:22:00.440 --> 00:22:04.539 that I, I even treat people with gastroesophageal 00:22:04.539 --> 00:22:08.400 reflux and heartburn. By giving them supplemental 00:22:08.400 --> 00:22:11.460 betaine hydrochloric acid from beets. You can 00:22:11.460 --> 00:22:13.299 get from beets the same acid that your stomach 00:22:13.299 --> 00:22:16.599 makes. And you supplement it. And it will cause 00:22:16.599 --> 00:22:18.339 that sphincter to lock down. So that you're not 00:22:18.339 --> 00:22:20.400 getting that leakage into the esophagus. That's 00:22:20.400 --> 00:22:21.859 one way that we can do it. And there are others 00:22:21.859 --> 00:22:24.819 as well. Well, I've had so many patients that 00:22:24.819 --> 00:22:27.279 I've helped with this. It's just too many to 00:22:27.279 --> 00:22:30.009 name. But just off the top of my head. So, well, 00:22:30.069 --> 00:22:31.829 first of all, there are other things you can 00:22:31.829 --> 00:22:33.750 do as well. So other things that anyone can do 00:22:33.750 --> 00:22:35.490 to reduce the risk, especially if they're getting 00:22:35.490 --> 00:22:38.849 the reflux at night, is make four hours pass 00:22:38.849 --> 00:22:40.750 between your last bite of food and when you go 00:22:40.750 --> 00:22:43.470 to sleep. So if you eat dinner at 6, finish your 00:22:43.470 --> 00:22:45.509 meal at 6, then go to bed at 10. If you're already 00:22:45.509 --> 00:22:48.029 going to bed at 10, then don't eat at 8 o 'clock 00:22:48.029 --> 00:22:50.430 or 9 o 'clock or 7 o 'clock. Try to eat four 00:22:50.430 --> 00:22:53.210 hours before finish eating, four hours before 00:22:53.210 --> 00:22:56.779 you lie down. Another thing is if it's really 00:22:56.779 --> 00:22:58.720 bad and you've tried that already and it's not 00:22:58.720 --> 00:23:00.619 working, sleeping on an incline, you can buy 00:23:00.619 --> 00:23:03.640 little wedge -shaped cushions that you can lie 00:23:03.640 --> 00:23:06.160 on in bed so that you're on just a slight angle 00:23:06.160 --> 00:23:08.559 so that you're less likely to get that leakage 00:23:08.559 --> 00:23:12.279 of acid into your stomach. And then you can take 00:23:12.279 --> 00:23:14.920 betaine hydrochloric acid to make that sphincter 00:23:14.920 --> 00:23:18.220 lock down tight. I had a 62 -year -old woman, 00:23:18.319 --> 00:23:20.839 I can remember now, that had this happening for 00:23:20.839 --> 00:23:23.920 a long time, you know, esophageal reflux, got 00:23:23.920 --> 00:23:25.619 her on the Betaine HCL, got it to where it was 00:23:25.619 --> 00:23:27.319 totally gone, didn't have a problem. And then 00:23:27.319 --> 00:23:29.420 years later, it came back and it was bad enough 00:23:29.420 --> 00:23:31.819 that she had an endoscopy and had some damage 00:23:31.819 --> 00:23:33.599 to the esophagus. So she really needed to be 00:23:33.599 --> 00:23:36.440 on a meprazole. But usually you take that first 00:23:36.440 --> 00:23:37.819 thing in the morning. So what I had her do is 00:23:37.819 --> 00:23:39.980 take that in the morning and then take the Betaine 00:23:39.980 --> 00:23:42.440 HCL with lunch and dinner. And that also helped 00:23:42.440 --> 00:23:45.460 her dramatically reduce, entirely get rid of 00:23:45.460 --> 00:23:48.000 the reflux again. and not become as dependent 00:23:48.000 --> 00:23:50.440 on as much omeprazole for the rest of her life. 00:23:50.539 --> 00:23:52.180 It looks like we're out of time. I promised to 00:23:52.180 --> 00:23:54.440 talk about the effect of hormones and the gut, 00:23:54.500 --> 00:23:56.660 the connections between the gut microbiome. Ran 00:23:56.660 --> 00:23:58.220 out of time. We're going to talk about that next 00:23:58.220 --> 00:24:01.420 week. Thank you for listening. As always, remember 00:24:01.420 --> 00:24:04.519 the condition of your body is always far more 00:24:04.519 --> 00:24:07.900 important than any condition you may be diagnosed 00:24:07.900 --> 00:24:10.420 with. Health is wealth. Invest in your most valuable 00:24:10.420 --> 00:24:16.000 asset, your body. Have a fantastic weekend. You've 00:24:16.000 --> 00:24:19.299 been listening to Safe, Effective Natural Solutions 00:24:19.299 --> 00:24:22.460 with Dr. Todd Binkley. If you have a health question 00:24:22.460 --> 00:24:25.180 you want discussed on the show, email your health 00:24:25.180 --> 00:24:29.019 questions to drbinkley at binkleyhealingcenter 00:24:29.019 --> 00:24:32.720 .com. Take advantage of this opportunity to ask 00:24:32.720 --> 00:24:35.319 questions for yourself and for your loved ones 00:24:35.319 --> 00:24:39.180 because our health matters. Join him next Friday 00:24:39.180 --> 00:24:43.200 at 2 p .m. for safe, effective natural solutions 00:24:43.200 --> 00:24:46.500 here on 98 .3 FM, The Word.