Simple Secrets to Better Health

Vol. 1, June, 2006

Do You Nano?

In the 1970's, there was a popular movie called "The Graduate". In the movie, one very successful gentleman reveals to the young graduate his view of success in the future in one word - "plastics". If that were the case today, he would say "nanotechnology".

The June, 2006 edition of National Geographic magazine has an excellent article on nanotechnology. Here are a couple of notable quotes form the article-

"I sit before you today with very little hair on my head. It fell out a few weeks ago as a result to the chemotherapy I've been undergoing. Twenty years ago, without even this crude chemotherapy, I would already be dead. But 20 years from now, nanoscale missiles will target cancer cells in the human body and leave everyting else blissfully alone.I may not live to see it, but I am confident it will happen." Richard Smalley spoke these words on June 22, 1999. He died of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma on October 28, 2005. The 62 year-old Noble Prize-winning chemist was a nanotech pioneer.

"A tsunami is unnoticeable in the open ocean - a long, low wave whose power becomes clear only when it reaches shore and breaks. Technological revolutions travel with the same stealth. --Nanotechnology has been around for two decades, but the first wave of applications is only now beginning to break. As it does, it will make the computer revolution look like small change. It will affect everything from the batteries we use to the pants we wear to the way we treat cancer."

How small is a nanometer? A nanometer is one-billionth of a meter. That's like comparing the size of a marble to the size of the earth. A human hair is about 80,000 nanometers wide. In other words, a nanometer is very, very small. It means that research and manufacturing can now be done at a molecular level. Our bodies are great nanofactories. For example, they can assemble molecules of calcium in different ways to either get bones or enamel on your teeth. Relative to our bodies, today's scientists are relatively ham-fisted in nanomanufacturing. That is changing.

Can it improve my health today, rather than waiting 20 years till I'm sick? Yes, nanotechnology has arrived in dentistry and nutrition. The Simple Secrets to Better Health describes how periodontal disease and tooth decay are inflammatory diseases with the damage happening because the body's own immune system is breaking itself down in an uncontrolled inflammatory reaction. Also, how inflammation is what connects dental diseases to all the other inflammatory diseases like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, arthritis and some cancers. The Simple Secrets also explain how vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants from fruits, vegetables and nutritional supplementation are used by the body to reduce the need for an inflammatory reaction. With cardiovascular disease and cancer being our biggest killers and periodontal disease the most widespread disease on the planet, support of our nutrition has never been more important. In fact, it is in crisis. Enter nanotechnology.

For nutrients to be effective in the body, they must be absorbed as single molecules. Co-enzyme Q10 is a nutrient that is intimately involved in energy production in the body. Cells that demand high energy like heart muscle cells and periodontal tissues (your gums) are particularly affected by low CoQ10 levels. The difficulty with CoQ10 however, is that the molecules clump together in the digestive tract, which severely limits absorption as single molecules. It is like all of us tying oursleves together and jumping into a swimming pool. We would probably all drown. If we staayed separate and each had a life ring around us, none of us would perish. Pharmanex, a leading nutritional supplement manufacturer, has been able to wrap a little life ring around each CoQ10 molecule so that absorption is improved significantly. More absorption means more energy production potential. Anyone can figure out the benefits of more energy.

Will NanoQ10 cost more? Of course.
Is it worth it? Depends if you feel more energy, slowing the aging process, better weight management, reduced inflammation and bettter overall health is worth it.
Is it readily available? Most companies won't spend the money to research and manufacture it, especially if their priority is profit rather than your health.
Where can I get more information? E-mail us at support@dentalhealth.ca .

Yours for better dental health,
Dr. Ken Southward --- I nano. Do you nano?

Click to proceed to July's letter