Q: What is the ideal dose of fish oil that should be prescribed safely in the following cases?
I have a patient, 32 years old, with Leiden factor, multicystic ovaries and thrombosis in her history.
My father is 84 years old with hypertension and severe essential tremor. Can I help him?
How about insomnia?
I have a 9-year-old girl with perinatal asphyxia problems in learning and difficulties in school.
When I added GLA for dysmenorrea, the results were not the expected ones as when I added soy for hot flashes.
A: The patient with Leiden factor has a genetic tendency to form blood clots. This is increased with the polycystic ovaries that are associated with insulin resistance. For this patient I would prescribe a strict Zone Diet very low in omega-6 fatty acids and about 5 grams per day of EPA and DHA. For your father, I would give basically the same dietary recommendations. The extra EPA and DHA will help significantly with insomnia. The 9-year-old would need higher levels of EPA and DHA (approximately 10 grams per day). Adding the GLA may have caused spillover into arachidonic acid. Stick with 150 mg of soy isoflavones and about 5 grams of EPA and DHA per day.