The Gary Null Show - 11.02.22

VIDEOS:

1. Mark Dolan: Covid has been the biggest “I told you so” in history (4:41)
2. Society is going to COLLAPSE (5:24)
3. Fear Psychosis and the Cult of Safety – Why are People so Afraid? (13:25)
4. MSNBC Midterm PANIC꞉ ‘It’s Going To Be a BLOODBATH’!!! (0:18 – 3:32)

Pycnogenol, gotu kola supplementation associated with decreased progression of atherosclerosis
D’Annunzio University (Italy), October 23, 2022

The results of studies published in Minerva Cardioangiologica suggest a benefit for supplementation with extracts of pine bark and the herb gotu kola in atherosclerosis.

In one study, participants with arterial wall atherosclerotic lesions and intima-media thickening (thickening of the artery walls’ innermost layers) received standard management, standard management plus aspirin, or standard management, aspirin and Pycnogenol® pine bark extract plus gotu kola extract daily for three years, after which atherosclerotic lesion progression, carotid artery intima-media thickness and oxidative stress were assessed.

At the end of the trial, 5.3% of those who received Pycnogenol and gotu kola had experienced atherosclerotic lesion progression in comparison with over 20% of the remainder of the participants. Cardiovascular events that required hospital admission were less than 4% in the supplemented group compared to over 12% in the rest of the subjects. Carotid artery intima thickness and oxidative stress were also lower in association with supplementation.

In the second study, 90 men with coronary artery calcifications received standard management alone, standard management and daily Pycnogenol, or standard management with daily Pycnogenol plus gotu kola. All participants received daily aspirin. Calcification was assessed at the beginning of the study and after one year.

While Pycnogenol plus standard management was more effective than standard management alone, men who received Pycnogenol plus gotu kola experienced a 10% decline in the number of calcifications by the end of the study, in contrast with a 34.9% increase in the standard management group. “This indicates that supplementation with the combined supplements blocks the increase in calcified areas and, possibly, in time may decrease the number of calcified spots,” Shu Hu and colleagues write.

Effects of pistachios on cardiovascular disease risk factors and potential mechanisms of action: a dose-response study.
Pennsylvania State University, October 22, 2022
Nut consumption lowers cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Studies are lacking about the effects of pistachios, a nutrient-dense nut, on CVD risk factors, dose-response relations, and lipid-lowering mechanisms.

We evaluated the effects of 2 doses of pistachios, added to a lower-fat diet, on lipids and lipoproteins, apolipoprotein (apo)-defined lipoprotein subclasses, and plasma fatty acids. To investigate the mechanisms of action, we measured cholesteryl ester transfer protein and indexes of plasma stearoyl-CoA desaturase activity (SCD).

In a randomized crossover controlled-feeding study, 28 individuals with LDL cholesterol > or = 2.86 mmol/L consumed 3 isoenergetic diets for 4 wk each. Baseline measures were assessed after 2 wk of a typical Western diet. The experimental diets included a lower-fat control diet with no pistachios [25% total fat; 8% saturated fatty acids (SFAs), 9% monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), and 5% polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs)], 1 serving/d of a pistachio diet (1 PD; 10% of energy from pistachios; 30% total fat; 8% SFAs, 12% MUFAs, and 6% PUFAs), and 2 servings/d of a pistachio diet (2 PD; 20% of energy from pistachios; 34% total fat; 8% SFAs, 15% MUFAs, and 8% PUFAs).

Inclusion of pistachios in a healthy diet beneficially affects CVD risk factors in a dose-dependent manner, which may reflect effects on SCD.

Poor quality sleep may be linked to heightened risk of glaucoma, irreversible sight loss
Sichuan University (China), November 1, 2022

Poor quality sleep, including too much or too little shuteye, daytime sleepiness, and snoring, may be linked to a heightened risk of developing irreversible sight loss (glaucoma), suggests a large UK Biobank study published in the open access journal BMJ Open.

The findings underscore the need for sleep therapy in people at high risk of the disease as well as eye checks among those with chronic sleep disorders to check for early signs of glaucoma, conclude the researchers.

While population screening may not be cost-effective, targeted screening of high-risk groups might be, suggest the researchers. And previously published research suggests that sleep disorders may be an important risk factor.

To explore these issues further, the researchers set out to ascertain the risk of glaucoma among people with different sleep behaviors: insomnia; too much or too little sleep; night or morning chronotypes (“owls” or “larks”); daytime sleepiness; and snoring.

They drew on 409,053 participants in the UK Biobank, all of whom were aged between 40 and 69, and who had provided details of their sleep behaviors.

Sleep duration of 7 to less than 9 hours per day was defined as normal, and as too little or too much outside this range. Chronotype was defined according to whether the person described themselves as more of a morning lark or night owl.

During an average monitoring period of just over 10.5 years, 8690 cases of glaucoma were identified.

Those with glaucoma tended to be older and were more likely to be male, chronic smokers, and to have high blood pressure or diabetes than those who weren’t diagnosed with the disease.

Short or long sleep duration was associated with a heightened risk of 8%; insomnia, 12%; snoring, 4%; and frequent daytime sleepiness, 20%.

Compared to those with a healthy sleep pattern, snorers and those who experienced daytime sleepiness were 10% more likely to have glaucoma, while insomniacs and those with a short/long sleep duration pattern were 13% more likely to have it.

Could a Japanese mushroom extract eradicate HPV?

University of Texas Health Science Center October 29, 2022

A study by researchers from The University of Texas Health Science Center suggests that an extract from a Japanese mushroom has potential to eradicate human papillomavirus – the leading cause of cervical cancer.

HPV is also accountable for around 95% of anal cancers, 65% of vaginal cancers, 60% of oropharyngeal cancers, 50% of vulvar cancers and 35% of penile cancers. .

As such, the team set out to assess the effects of active hexose correlated compound (AHCC) against HPV. AHCC is a substance produced by the shiitake mushroom, also called the Japanese mushroom, native to Asia.

AHCC is already available as a nutritional supplement, hailed for its immune-boosting properties. Previous studies, however, have suggested that the compound may improve the growth and function of cells that ward off infections and prevent tumor growth.

To reach their findings, Smith and colleagues enrolled 10 women to their study who had tested positive for HPV infection. Once a day for up to 6 months, each woman took an oral formulation of AHCC.

Five of these women tested negative for HPV infection after 3 months of AHCC use. Among three of the participants, it was confirmed that HPV had been completely eradicated after AHCC use had ceased. The remaining two women needed to take AHCC for the full 6 months to see results.

The team’s findings are “very encouraging,” according to Smith. “We were able to determine that at least 3 months of treatment is necessary, but some need to extend that to 6 months,” she says, adding:

“Since AHCC is a nutritional supplement with no side effects and other immune-modulating benefits, we will be planning on using 6 months of treatment in our phase 2 clinical study to have a consistent study treatment plan. This confirms our earlier preclinical research.”

Research suggests higher testosterone reference range for young men
University of Michigan, October 31 2022.

In an article appearing in the Journal of Urology, Alex Zhu , of University of Michigan and his associates asserted that the standard cutoff for testosterone deficiency of 300 nanograms per deciliter (ng/dL) is too low for men younger than 45 years of age. The study is “the first evaluation of normative, population-based testosterone levels for young men in the United States,” according to Dr Zhu and colleagues.

“There is an age-related decline in male testosterone production,” they wrote. “It is therefore surprising that young men are evaluated for testosterone deficiency with the same cutoff of 300 ng/dL that was developed from samples of older men.”

The investigation included 1,486 men between the ages of 20 to 44 years who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) of United States residents. Men who were receiving hormone replacement therapy were excluded from the study. The men’s testosterone levels were evaluated according to 5-year age groups. Testosterone levels that fell in the middle one-third of each group were categorized as normal.

For every 1-year increase in age, a 4.3 ng/dL decline in testosterone was observed. Normal levels of testosterone for men aged 20 to 24 years were categorized as 409-558 ng/dL, for those 25-29 as 413-575 ng/dL, for men 30 to 34 as 359-498 ng/dL, for 35-39-year-olds as 352-478 ng/dL and for 40 to 44-year-olds as 350-473 ng/dL. This resulted in age-specific cutoffs for low testosterone levels of 409, 413, 359, 352 and 350 ng/dL for each age group.

“Young men have different testosterone reference ranges than older men,” Dr Zhu, remarked. “Our findings suggest we should be using age-specific cutoffs when assessing testosterone levels in younger men.”

Why 80% of Us Are Deficient In Magnesium
Dr Mark Sircus, October 31st 2022

Magnesium deficiency is often misdiagnosed because it does not show up in blood tests – only 1% of the body’s magnesium is stored in the blood

Most doctors and laboratories don’t even include magnesium status in routine blood tests. Thus, most doctors don’t know when their patients are deficient in magnesium, even though studies show that the majority of Americans are deficient in magnesium.

Consider Dr. Norman Shealy’s statements, “Every known illness is associated with a magnesium deficiency” and that, “magnesium is the most critical mineral required for electrical stability of every cell in the body. A magnesium deficiency may be responsible for more diseases than any other nutrient.”

Few people are aware of the enormous role magnesium plays in our bodies. Magnesium is by far the most important mineral in the body. After oxygen, water, and basic food, magnesium may be the most important element needed by our bodies; vitally important, yet hardly known. It is more important than calcium, potassium or sodium and regulates all three of them. Millions suffer daily from magnesium deficiency without even knowing it

Symptoms of Magnesium Deficiency

The first symptoms of deficiency can be subtle – as most magnesium is stored in the tissues, leg cramps, foot pain, or muscle ‘twitches’ can be the first sign. Other early signs of deficiency include loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, and weakness. As magnesium deficiency worsens, numbness, tingling, seizures, personality changes, abnormal heart rhythms, and coronary spasms can occur.

Symptoms involving impaired contraction of smooth muscles include constipation; urinary spasms; menstrual cramps; difficulty swallowing or a lump in the throat-especially provoked by eating sugar; photophobia, especially difficulty adjusting to oncoming bright headlights in the absence of eye disease; and loud noise sensitivity from stapedius muscle tension in the ear.

Continuing with the symptoms of magnesium deficiency, the central nervous system is markedly affected. Symptoms include insomnia, anxiety, hyperactivity and restlessness with constant movement, panic attacks, agoraphobia, and premenstrual irritability.

“Symptoms or signs of the cardiovascular system include palpitations, heart arrhythmias, and angina due to spasms of the coronary arteries, high blood pressure and mitral valve prolapse. Be aware that not all of the symptoms need to be present to presume magnesium deficiency; but, many of them often occur together.

One of the principle reason doctors write millions of prescriptions for tranquilizers each year is the nervousness, irritability, and jitters largely brought on by inadequate diets lacking magnesium. Persons only slightly deficient in magnesium become irritable, highly-strung, and sensitive to noise, hyper-excitable, apprehensive and belligerent.

If magnesium is severely deficient, the brain is particularly affected. Clouded thinking, confusion, disorientation, marked depression and even the terrifying hallucinations of delirium tremens are largely brought on by a lack of this nutrient and remedied when magnesium is given.

Another good list of early warning symptoms suggestive of magnesium insufficiency:

Physical and mental fatigue
Persistent under-eye twitch
Tension in the upper back, shoulders and neck
Headaches
Pre-menstrual fluid retention and/or breast tenderness
Possible manifestations of magnesium deficiency include:

Low energy
Fatigue
Weakness
Confusion
Nervousness
Anxiousness
Irritability
Seizures (and tantrums)
Poor digestion
PMS and hormonal imbalances
Inability to sleep
Muscle tension, spasm and cramps
Calcification of organs
Weakening of the bones
Abnormal heart rhythm
Signs of severe magnesium deficiency include:

Extreme thirst
Extreme hunger
Frequent urination
Sores or bruises that heal slowly
Dry, itchy skin
Unexplained weight loss
Blurry vision that changes from day to day
Unusual tiredness or drowsiness
Tingling or numbness in the hands or feet
Frequent or recurring skin, gum, bladder or vaginal yeast infections
Magnesium deficiency is a predictor of diabetes and heart disease both; diabetics both need more magnesium and lose more magnesium than most people. In two new studies, in both men and women, those who consumed the most magnesium in their diet were least likely to develop type 2 diabetes