Healthy Living

Dr. Garth Nicolson’s lecture in Bellevue, WA – April 09, 2016

I had a chance to attend Dr. Garth Nicolson’s seminar.

• CV

I summarized his lecture in this page.

What is Hydrogen?

• Most abundant element in the universe.
  • Sun is made up primarily with Hydrogen – energy comes from the sun and the energy converted by plants and other organism.
• Simplest element with, one proton and one electron, non-toxic gas.
• Found in nature as H2

Below distinguishes Hydrogen from other antioxidants that you see on the market.

• It acts as powerful antioxidant but not too powerful, which is very important.
  • There are many antioxidants on the market today, but Hydrogen fits in a very unique place because it’s very powerful but not too powerful.  
  • If you take too powerful antioxidant, you actually inhibit certain natural functions in the cells that require oxalating capacity.
• It can reduce or neutralize dangerous oxidants.
• It does not affect normal cellular enzyme systems.
• It does not interfere with cell signaling systems.
  • Inside of each of our cells, variety of signals going back and forth between various parts of the cells such as cell membranes, nucleolus, mitochondria, and we don’t want to interfere those signaling systems.

Apple gets oxidized     ->     cells damaged -> browns

Normal cell gets damaged from oxidation     ->    Cell dies.

ROS is very dangerous, in fact the root of all evils, in terms of starting initial stages of cancer or initial stages of many pathogenic processes (diseases), so we got to be very careful about these guys, that it doesn’t get out of control.

All Chronic Diseases and Cancer start with excess cellular ROS (Reactive Oxygen Species).

ROS attack all components of the cells: proteins, lipids (cell membranes for example), carbohydrates, DNA and damage them.

This leads to pathogenic situation.

Bad Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) are damaging oxidative compounds in our body, and they need to be neutralized.

Bad Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) are normally counter reacted by normal defense mechanisms so that damages to our body don’t occur, but if ROS are abundant, they damage cells leading to pathogenic process.

Dangerous ROS need to be neutralized but we don’t want to take mild ROS.  Hydrogen is the best and only antioxidant to selectively attack only bad ROS.

Hydrogen attacks only the most vicious ROS.  You really want to neutralize only those and that what Hydrogen does.

Hydrogen neutralizes strong ROS, but leaves mild ROS which are important in normal physiology and signaling of cells alone.  You don’t want to neutralize these mild ROS.  Amazing thing with Hydrogen is that it leaves these mild ROS alone.  This is very important.   If you neutralize all these mild ROS, we have problem on our hands.

Hydrogen is very unique that it is strong antioxidant but not too strong to leave these important weak ROS alone.

Strong antioxidants actually go after weak ROS that are actually important for cell signaling and cell physiology.  This is not good.  So, if you read an ad, for example, claims that this new product from Amazon has got the strongest antioxidant activity of anything on the market, run away, because that means it’s the product that actually causes damage.

If you take very strong antioxidant, you can actually increase the rates of cancer, increase cancer mortality.  So for the people with cancer, if you take a strong antioxidant, it does the opposite of what you expect, it actually hurts you, it doesn’t help you.

When ROS damage cells, we need to repair the damage or prevent it. 

Hydrogen protects cells, tissues and organs.

Hydrogen:

• Reduces harmful oxidants and free radicals (ROS – Reactive Oxygen species)
• Decreases Oxidative Stress
• Decreases Inflammation
• Increases Healing and Wound Repair
• Regulates genes – Regulation is good for cells
• Improves Digestion
• Increases Anti-Oxidant Enzymes
• Has Nerve Protective Effects (protecting from strong ROS which damage brain and nerves)
• Improves Memory and Muscular Functions

Hydrogen is the safest thing you can take.  Hydrogen is absolutely safe.  High concentration of hydrogen has been used more than a century and proven to be safe.

There is no limit in amount of Hydrogen water you can take safely.  You can take as much as you’d like to take and still safe.  It doesn’t counteract with any medications you may be taking.  Whatever health condition you are, whatever treatment/medications you are taking, you can safely take Hydrogen water as much as you like.

Hydrogen water can be given to a new born baby.  No toxicity to it.

How many drugs or supplements can you say “absolutely safe” no matter how much or how you take?  Not too many out there.

Considering various components in cell, Hydrogen penetrates every compartment of cell including nucleolus, mitochondria and all other compartment of a cell. . 

Any other antioxidants may not penetrate well to the cell, others a little bit may get in but most won’t get in, some of them may actually modify some of the components like membrane of the cell which what you don’t want to do.

Nice thing about Hydrogen, being such a very small molecule, it just slips into cells very easily without changing the properties of membranes of cells and other things as well.

Hydrogen is strong Preventative Agent.  Hydrogen helps repair process.

• Ischemia/reperfusion (blood vessel damage/repair/recirculation)
• Improves functional performance of the heart
• Increase cardio-pulmonary resuscitation
• Reduces heart infarcts in rats
• Reduces/prevents heart failure in rodents
• Increases rate of recovery after heart failure
• Preserves grafts during organ transplantation
• Reduces mobidity during and after stroke

Clinical use of Hydrogen:

• Inflammation
• Autoimmune Diseases
• Obesity
• Metabolic Diseases, Type-3 Diabetes
• Skin Disorders
• Ulcers
• Hemodialysis, Peritoneal Dialysis, Nephritis
• Cardiovascular Diseases, Stroke
• Radiation Effects
• Neurodegenerative Diseases
• Cancer, Proliferative Diseases
• Infections, Sepsis
• Neuromuscular Diseases

Hydrogen and Inflammation and Autoimmunity

Inflammatory Diseases: Some Examples

• Inflammatory Bowel Diseases
• Inflammatory Muscle Diseases
• Atherosclerosis
• Allergies
• Asthma

Autoimmune Diseases: Some Examples

• Rheumatoid Arthritis = Studies shows that Hydrogen water reduce markers of Rheumatoid Arthritis.
• Sarcoidosis
• Vasculitis
• Multiple Sclerosis

These are Immune attack to our normal cells and tissues.

What happens is inflammatory regions such as wounds gets infected, our normal host immune cells produce number of chemicals mediators such as cytokines to start whole process of inflammation.  That inflammation can get out of control.  You’ve all seen sometimes inflammatory reactions really get out of control and that’s why you use anti-inflammatory topical.  Hydrogen itself is a good anti-inflammatory but it’s not too good, another words it allows some natural inflammation to occur but it will suppresses excess inflammation.

Immune diseases such as Rheumatoid Arthritis

We actually have Immune cells in our joints.  Inflammatory cells react and give out all these dangerous molecules which cause inflammation but actually it damages the joint itself.  If it goes untreated, joints will damage, another words you’ll have pain and swelling but eventually you’ll lose mobility of that joint.

There is study done – 20 patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis drunk Hydrogen water for 12 weeks, and Hydrogen water reduced markers normally present with Rheumatoid Arthritis, cytokines for example, is one of the markers of Rheumatoid Arthritis was reduced.   Symptoms such as pain and swelling and loss of mobility of the joints all got better with Hydrogen water. 

Early stage patients respond much better and that’s true with any disease process rather than waiting till very end of the disease process.  You can’t reverse permanent damage, but you can reverse the damages that are not permanent.

You should take Hydrogen water to prevent bad things from happening, and if bad thing happens, you can take it to reverse those bad things before it gets to the irreversible stage.

Hydrogen and Metabolic Syndrome and Diabetes

If you leave metabolic syndrome untreated, you may develop coronary artery disease, stroke and type-2 diabetes.

In Human, numbers of studies were conducted.

In result, Hydrogen water

• Reduces Oxidative stress of Kidney.
• Stimulate energy metabolism.
• Reduction of total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol
• Improves insulin resistance
• Improves glucose uptake by skeletal muscle

Hydrogen and Cancer Treatment

Hydrogen helps normal tissues to recover from damages from cancer treatments.

Sun burn is one of the radiation damage.  You can easily observe Hydrogen water help skin to recover from sun burn.

Hydrogen maintains normal level of Metabolites and Antioxidants during radiotherapy.

Hydrogen water maintains QOL (Quality of Life) after radio therapy.

Hydrogen and Skin and Anti-Aging

Hydrogen water can reverse skin damages.

Hydrogen prevents the aging process from happening.

Bathing in H2 Water (90 days)

• Significant decrease in neck skim wrinkles
• Type I Collagen synthesis stimulated

Drinking H2 Water

• Significant decrease in Oxidative Damage
• Increased inflammasome associated enzymes in periodontal tissues.

• Prevents UV increase in inflammation gene expression (reduce inflammation)
• Prevents thymine dimer formation by 50% (Hydrogen water prevents damage to DNA).

Aged subjects (60 years or older)

• Reduction in skin inflammation proteins
• Increase in procollagen I synthesis (increas collagen in skin).
• Reduction in UV-induced erythema (reduce redness of skin from UV damage).

Hydrogen and Sperm and Reproductive Medicine

Hydrogen increases sperm motility (reverse effect of aging).

Hydrogen and Exercise and Sports Medicine

As you exercise, you increase bad ROS. 

Hydrogen water is the best source to recover from damage.

Hydrogen water help reduce Lactic Acid.  Less trauma to muscles and less cramps.

Hydrogen help recover faster.

Advantage of Hydrogen

• High concentrations of Hydrogen are well tolerated – no or few side effects. No known toxicity of Hydrogen water.
• Easily diffuses across cell and mitochondrial membranes
• Doesn’t influence blood physiology (temperature, BP, PH, pO2, etc)
• Doesn’t disturb metabolic oxidation reduction reactions.
• Doesn’t affect cell signaling inside or outside cells.
• Multiple mechanisms of action (antioxidant, anti-allergic, anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptosis, gene regulation, etc)
• Cost isn’t a problem – Low cost compared to other treatments