More Sizzlin' Suzanne Somers and My Swan(son) Song

I can't help but feel like I'm writing the outline for episode #3 of a TV miniseries starring Suzanne Somers. Actually, there's enough drama in her book Breakthrough: 8 Steps to Wellness to rival "Roots" or the "Thorn Birds," and her conclusion left me satisfied, yet anxiously awaiting a sequel.

If you haven't seen the previous two posts, I've been discussing Ms. Somers' aforementioned book, and today is my finale about this topic. She and more than a dozen respected MDs dish up a banquet of health information for everyone hungering for encouraging news about healthy aging, and are fed up with the poppycock (and I don't mean caramel popcorn and nuts) dispensed by their own physicians. Previously, I left you with a cliffhanger in which I avowed to discuss three more shocking facts I gleaned from this book, although there are many others. So I won't delay another moment...

Human Growth Hormone (HGH) Demystified--Mention HGH, and unaware listeners might label you a "druggie." Yet according to Dr. Thierry Hertoghe, the eminent expert on hormones who has been supplementing it for ten years since the age of 41, it does just the opposite of what many people think. The right amount of HGH won't grotesquely bulk up your biceps, nor does it cause cancer. HGH has powerful immune stimulating benefits! All the major characteristics of aging are due to a deficiency in growth hormone, which begins to decline around the ripe old age of 30. Sub-optimal levels result in crumbling backs and flabby muscles. Everything starts to cave in. Small wrinkles are a result of sex hormone deficiency, but saggy cheeks come from a lack of HGH. So it helps a person stand tall and firm up, as in younger years. He details how HGH positively affects a person's mood, too, and enables us to better cope with stress in all its many forms. In fact, according to Dr. Hertoghe, growth hormone is the supplement he'd be the least willing to give up for any reason. A simple blood test read by a doctor knowledgeable about anti-aging and bioidentical hormones can help determine how much you need.

Medical Education by Big Pharma--The big drug companies heavily influence the education of most of America's doctors, and like it or not, their primary objective is making money, not preventing disease. They want us to use their drugs at any cost, and physicians are all but brainwashed into writing prescriptions for them. If patients experience adverse reactions or never recover...oh, well, let's try another one. In fact, one highly respected former oncologist interviewed by Ms. Somers maintains that "66% of all department chairs at American universities have financial contracts with pharmaceutical device companies." The pharmaceutical industry in this country is about developing remedies they can patent, so you won't find much research on non-patentable natural cures. That's the #1 "reason" doctor's cite for refusing to recommend bioidentical hormones--no research. But plenty of studies have been conducted in Europe, where the wholesale purchase of freshmen physicians by Big Pharma isn't as commonplace. Breakthrough: 8 Steps to Wellness is filled with natural dietary supplement suggestions to try instead of harmful prescription drugs.  

Sex Hormones Benefit the Heart and Mind, Too--Frankly, some people find it liberating to be freed from their libido as they enter the senior years. They may believe that estrogen or testosterone replacement will only reactivate their sex life, while they're pleased as punch to be permanently out of the mood. But estrogen and testosterone do far more than heat up the night. Both hormones have a profoundly positive effect on cardiovascular and brain health. The right amount of bioidentical testosterone in both men and women decreases inflammation, protects bone density, lowers LDL while raising HDL cholesterol levels, enhances blood glucose balance, and improves memory. Strange as it seems, the heart has more testosterone receptor sites than any other muscle. Without adequate testosterone, the heart loses its power to pump. (That was big news to me!) The right combination of estrogen and progesterone has similar effects in women. Passion and romance can be viewed as the rewarding side effects of replacing these hormones. Insist only on bioidentical hormone replacement. Synthetic hormones made from pregnant horse urine (like Wyeth Pharmaceuticals' Premarin) and other unnatural ingredients are not compatible with human physiology. We recognize them as toxic substances, and they only add more burden to an aging body, causing cancer and untold health risks.

Not only is this the last post of the Suzanne Somers series, but it's also my "swan song" of sorts for Swanson Health Products. Friday is my final day as a writer for swansonvitamins.com. If you're familiar with my blog, you know that occasionally I weave in references to God and the Bible throughout my posts. Now, I'm leaving Swanson to be involved in the Christian ministry full time. I'll still be focused on health--just the spiritual aspect of it rather than the physical. I'll also be continuing my health counseling practice "12 Hours to Better Health," so for now you can reach me at Jani.Paschka@yahoo.com. Swanson has been a huge part of my day for nearly 13 years, and I'll most definitely miss it. I'm destined to set a new record as their most ardent and frequent customer ever, I believe! Keep reading the Swanson blog, as it will continue with fresh perspectives from other writers at Swanson, and I hear they're going to try and update it more frequently, too. Hmmm...I'm not even out the door and already they're making big changes--all for the good.

I bid you a warm farewell...I've enjoyed every minute of my time with you!