P-R

Parkinson's disease: 

and Manganese overdose:  http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/minerals/manganese/index.html

Parkinson's disease is a degenerative neurological disorder characterized by tremors, muscular rigidity, and slow movements. It is estimated to affect approximately 1% of Americans over the age of 65. Although the causes of Parkinson's disease are not all known, decreased activity of complex I of the mitochondrial electron transport chain and increased oxidative stress in a part of the brain called the substantia nigra are thought to play a role. Coenzyme Q₁₀ is the electron acceptor for complex I as well as an antioxidant, and decreased ratios of reduced to oxidized coenzyme Q₁₀ have been found in platelets of individuals with Parkinson's disease (49, 50). A 16-month randomized placebo-controlled trial evaluated the safety and efficacy of 300, 600, or 1200 mg/d of coenzyme Q₁₀ in 80 people with early Parkinson's disease (12). Coenzyme Q₁₀ supplementation was well tolerated at all doses and associated with slower deterioration of function in Parkinson's disease patients compared to placebo. However, the difference was statistically significant only in the group taking 1200 mg/d. Although these preliminary findings are promising, they need to be confirmed in larger clinical trials before recommending the use of coenzyme Q₁₀ in early Parkinson's disease. 

Iron is required for normal brain and nerve function through its involvement in cellular metabolism, as well as the synthesis of neurotransmitters and myelin. However, accumulation of excess iron can result in increased oxidative stress, and the brain is particularly susceptible to oxidative damage. Iron accumulation and oxidative injury are presently under consideration as potential contributors to a number of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease (36). The abnormal accumulation of iron in the brain does not appear to be a result of increased dietary iron, but rather, a disruption in the complex process of cellular iron regulation. Although the mechanisms for this disruption in iron regulation are not yet known, it is presently an active area of biomedical research (37).

Inflammation, oxidative stress and transition metal accumulation appear to play a role in the pathology of several neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson disease and Alzheimer’s disease. Because flavonoids have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and metal chelating properties, scientists are interested in the neuroprotective potential of flavonoid-rich diets or individual flavonoids. At present, the extent to which various dietary flavonoids and flavonoid metabolites cross the blood brain barrier in humans is not known (84). Although flavonoid-rich diets and flavonoid administration have been found to prevent cognitive impairment associated with aging and inflammation in some animal studies (85-88), prospective cohort studies have not found consistent inverse associations between flavonoid intake and the risk of dementia or neurodegenerative disease in humans (89-93). In a cohort of Japanese-American men followed for 25-30 years, flavonoid intake from tea during midlife was not associated with the risk of Alzheimer’s or other types of dementia in late life (89). Surprisingly, higher intakes of isoflavone-rich tofu during midlife were associated with cognitive impairment and brain atrophy in late life (see Soy Isoflavones) (90). A prospective study of Dutch adults found that total dietary flavonoid intake was not associated with the risk of developing Parkinson disease (91) or Alzheimer’s disease (92), except in current smokers whose risk of Alzheimer’s disease decreased by 50% for every 12 mg increase in daily flavonoid intake. In contrast, a study of elderly French men and women found that those with the lowest flavonoid intakes had a risk of developing dementia over the next 5 years that was 50% higher than those with the highest intakes (93). Although scientists are interested in the potential of flavonoids to protect the aging brain, it is not yet clear how flavonoid consumption affects neurodegenerative disease risk in humans.

The brain is particularly vulnerable to oxidative stress, which is thought to play a role in the pathology of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease (38). In a large placebo-controlled intervention trial, supplementation of individuals who had moderate neurological impairment with 2,000 IU of synthetic alpha-tocopherol daily for two years (equivalent to 900 mg/day of RRR-alpha-tocopherol) resulted in a significant slowing of the progression of Alzheimer's dementia (39). After Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia (dementia resulting from strokes) is the most common cause of dementia in the U.S. A case-control study examining risk factors for vascular dementia in elderly Japanese-American men found that supplemental vitamin E and vitamin C intake was associated with a significantly decreased risk of vascular and other types of dementia, but not Alzheimer's dementia (40). Among those without dementia, vitamin E supplement use was associated with better scores on cognitive tests. Although these findings are promising, further studies are required to determine the role of alpha-tocopherol supplementation in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia.
(The Linus Pauling Institute)

PMS:

Then there's PMS, pre-menstrual syndrome. You know, the emotional and physical stuff. The medical treatment of choice for PMS is what we call a hysterical-ectomy, been shortened to hysterectomy. That's a hundred year old treatment, and doctors do about 285,000 unnecessary hysterical-ectomies a year, but it makes Mercedes payments, so they do them. Even the AMA say they're unnecessary, but they don't take their licenses away. And people keep going to them. Can you imagine the poor woman in her 30's, she says, "Doc, you got to do something. Every time I go out to hang up the clothes, my neighbors kids run down to the basement screaming 'witch'. My own kids think I'm crazy, my husband's leaving me, I'm going to lose my job, you got to do something." Well instead of giving her some calcium, he says "Well, I'm due for a Mercedes payment, and I know I'm not supposed to do that surgery, but let me give you a hysterical-ectomy and we'll both be happy."

The University of California, San Diego, came out 3 years ago now and said, "If you just double the RDA of calcium intake, you get rid of 85% of emotional and physical symptoms of PMS." And when that came out, there were huge lines around the health-food stores, around the block, and people had sleeping bags, because they closed before they all got their calcium. And every person in line was a man. They were there for their daughters, and their girlfriends, and their wives, and things like that.
(Dead Doctors Don't Lie)

TOXICITY/POLLUTION:

Q:  Dr. Wallach, you talked about the effects of pollution in your studies.  How about the pollution that we’re getting?  Is this going to help us out any?

A:  We have problems with pollution as a human being, as our body will store toxic chemicals, both the organic chemicals like DDT and the minerals that are toxic, like lead and mercury, cadmium.  It stores in our fat and in our liver, which is the big filter in our body, kind of filters the blood, and for our body to get rid of these toxins, for our body to actually process them so they can get them out and not store them in our body, we require an enormous amount of vitamins and trace minerals to pull this off. 

We need antioxidants to protect us at the cellular level, which the granddaddy of course, is Selenium, the trace mineral Selenium, and then there’s Calcium and you have Zinc and you have Magnesium and you have Vitamin C, Vitamin E and Beta Carotene, Vitamin A, and you have the Pycnogenol and the grapeseed extract, and you have things like the green tea.  These will all help protect you from the specific toxins at the cellular level, and even Selenium alone will help you dump or get rid of toxic metals like mercury and excessive amounts of arsenic.  Calcium will be a great civic antidote for lead poisoning, and then you have all 90 essential nutrients which will help your liver process any stored organo-chemical, any of the DDTs or the TCB, agricultural chemicals and industrial waste that might get into your fat and your liver.  Your body will get rid of these if it’s healthier and it’s able to do all of the chemical processes that we need to do to get past all of these toxins in our body.  
(A Healthier and Longer Life) 

POTASSIUM:

Functions of Potassium
1. Necessary for normal growth.
2. Stimulates nerve impulses for muscle contractions.
3. Regulates fluids by working with sodium.
4. Stimulates kidneys to eliminate poisonous body wastes.
5. Aids in maintaining health skin.
6. Needed for healthy support of the adrenal glands.

Deficiency Symptoms of Potassium

1. Nervous disorders.
2. Insomnia.
3. Slowed, irregular heartbeat.
4. Edema.
5. Acne in adolescents.
6. Dry skin in adults. 

BIRTH DEFECTS/PRENATAL NUTRITION:

Q:  My next question is, my husband and I thinking about starting a family and we want to know the nutritional way to go.

Prostate Cancer:
The University of Arizona Medical School took 1300 people, put them on 250-500mcg Selenium, and for 10 years they looked at them for skin cancer.  And it didn’t help skin cancer, we know that, because Selenium doesn’t work for skin cancer.  Zinc, and Beta Carotene and Vitamin E works for skin cancer.  What they found out serendipitously, they weren’t expecting this, it just sort of popped out of the study, they were able to reduce esophageal cancer by 71%, they were able to reduce prostate cancer by 69% fellows, better than two thirds, they were able to reduce colon and rectal cancer by 64%, almost two thirds, they were able to reduce lung cancer, whether you smoked or not, by 48%, and ladies, in a parallel study from the University of California by the great Dr. Gerhardt Schrauser, he said you can reduce your risk of breast cancer, depending on the type of breast cancer, by 50-85%, by taking 250 to 500 mcg  (of Selenium) everyday.
(Trust Me. I'm a Doctor)

PSORIASIS:

is well known as a cosmetically disfiguring dermatitis (i.e., "the heartbreak of psoriasis"). Psoriasis is characterized by dry, well demarcated silvery, scaling plaques of all sizes that appear primarily behind joints (i.e., elbows and knees) and on the scalp and behind the ears.  Celiac disease type changes in the intestines lead to malabsorption of essential nutrients; do a pulse test to determine specific food allergens.  Treatment of psoriasis should include avoidance of offending food allergens, rotation diets, 
folic acid at 15-25 mg per day, 
vitamin A at 300,000 IU per day as beta carotene, 
lecithin at 2,500 mg t.i.d. with meals, 
flaxseed oil at one tbsp b.i.d., 
vitamin E at 800-1,200 IU per day, 
zinc at 50 mg t.i.d., 
copper at 2 mg per day, 
selenium at 500-1,000 mcg per day and 
betaine HCl and pancreatic enzymes at 75-200 mg per day.  
Topical herbal washes are of palliative value as is topical vitamin A & D creams.
(Let's Play Doctor! - Dr. Wallach and Dr. Ma Lan)

Note:
t.i.d. - three times a day
b.i.d.- two times a day

Gingivitis/Receding Gums:

Then, there's receding gums, dentists and periodontists will tell you that if you want to prevent and cure receding gums you had better floss and brush after every meal. If you believe that works, I have some ocean-front property in Montana to sell you. You all know your geography, you know that doesn't work. Now as a veterinarian, I've seen hundreds of thousands of animals of all kind, mice, rats, rabbits, dogs, cats, sheep, pigs, horses, lions, tigers, bears, and they don't get receding gums. And they don't floss. But they do get flunky breath, but they don't get receding gums. Boy if you want to smell something you just let a camel breathe on you. Well, the reason we don't have receding gums in livestock is because we've dealt with the Osteoporosis problem. Receding gums is not a deficiency of flossing, it is, in fact, Osteoporosis of the jawbones and the facial bones. So if you have gingivitis or receding gums, you have advanced Osteoporosis. Those bones around your teeth are melting away, little bit by little bit everyday. And if you take your teeth out at night and put in a glass next to your bed in that fizzy stuff, you have major, advanced Osteoporosis because all your bone has melted away.  (calcium)(see Osteoporosis).
(Dead Doctors Don't Lie)

Now a lot of my patients say, “Look, Doc, I have been taking 2000mg calcium everyday for 20 years, cause I knew it was good for me, yet I still have hypertension, insomnia, loose teeth, receding gums, low back problems, bone spurs, kidney stones, arthritis, osteoporosis, all the stuff you say I shouldn’t have. I’ve been taking 2000mg calcium everyday”. I said “Well what kind do you take?” He said “I take calcium gluconate, calcium citrate, calcium lactate, oyster shell, eggshell, I take things like Tums.” I said “Well, there’s your problem. If you take 1000mg calcium lactate, for example, you’re not getting 1000mg of calcium, cause 86%, 860mg is lactose, or milk sugar. Only 14%, or 140mg is metallic or elemental calcium, and let’s use 10% for usability factors, a fair number, plus it’s easy math, 10% of 140mg is 14. So if you take 2 of those calcium lactate tablets, each 1000mg, you’re not getting 2,000mg of calcium, you’re getting 2 times 14, or 28 mg. To get 2000mg of calcium from these 1000mg calcium lactate tablets, you would have to take 30 of those with each meal. Almost a full 100 tablet bottle of these calcium lactate tablets a day. And of course, at $5 a bottle for the cheapest one, you’re looking at $150 per month just for calcium. You’ve 59 more minerals to go, 16 vitamins, 12 essential amino acids, 3 essential fatty acids, so this is not an economical way to get your nutrients as elemental minerals. Also, if you took in 90 tablets of anything a day, you’re going to develop what we call B&F disease. B&F disease stands for belching and farting. You’re going to sound like an elephant out in the woods with a horrible gastro-intestinal problem. And of course you know you have B&F disease when your spouse has to throw a canary in the bathroom to know if it is safe to go in there.
(Trust Me, I'm a Doctor)

PHOSPHORUS:

Functions of Phosphorus
1. Metabolism factor for fats (phospholipids).
2. Required for absorption of niacin and riboflavin.
3. Stimulates muscle contractions, especially the heart.
4. Aids in the formation of bones and teeth.
5. Serves as a blood buffer to maintain pH.
6. Constituent of all nucleoproteins.
7. Part of enzyme system that oxidizes carbohydrates.
8. Building block for the myelin sheath of nerves.

Deficiency Symptoms of Phosphorus

1. Poor bones and teeth.
2. Arthritis.
3. Pyorrhea.
4. Rickets.
5. Mental and physical fatigue.
6. Loss of appetite.
7. Irregular breathing patterns.
8. Nervous disorders due to breakdown of myelin sheath.