Home > Feedback / Testimonials / Archives > Newsletter Archives > Herbal Health September 2004 Natural Health Newsletter Issue 234 Sponsored by www.Insensual.com Toll Free for orders 1-866-467-6444 Issue Editor - Heather Bowman Herbs - Vitamins - Minerals - Magnetics - Candles - Aromatherapy - Holiday Gifts - Bath & Beauty - Essential Oils - Condition & Ailment Guide - Womens Health - Mens Health - Weight Loss - Health Books Green Tea Polyphenols: A Powerful Weapon Against Arthritis - Click here for full story. Milk Thistle: Should Western Medicine Finally Accept It? - Click here for full story. Folic Acid Might Be One Of The Best Ways To Prevent Disease - Click here for full story. Low Magnesium: A Principal Cause Of Inflammation? - Click here for full story. The Much-Needed Supplements Of The Growing Infant - Click here for full story. Our Sponsors Enter coupon code NL091304 when checking out to obtain discounts on your next purchase from http://www.Insensual.com Back to Top Green Tea Polyphenols: A Powerful Weapon Against Arthritis By Greg Arnold, August 11, 2004, Abstracted from Prevention of collagen-induced arthritis in mice by a polyphenolic fraction from green tea in the April 1999 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences The number of people with arthritis has doubled from 1985 (35 million) to 2002 (70 million) with 1 in 3 American adults clinically diagnosed with arthritis. Arthritis is the nations leading cause of disability among Americans over age 15, is second only to heart disease as a cause of work disability, and costs the U.S. economy more than $86.2 billion each year. Prescription drugs for arthritis is a multi-billion dollar industry (sales for the anti-arthritis drug Vioxx topped $2 billion in 2002) and those high costs may be the reason for increased research on alternative therapies for arthritis. Green tea is one such supplement receiving attention for arthritis. In a 1999 study, researchers sought to determine the effect of green tea polyphenols on the severity of joint degeneration in mice. Researchers gave six mice a solution containing green tea polyphenols and six other mice water that served as the placebo. When analyzing the joints of the mice, researchers found that green tea polyphenols dramatically reduced levels of inflammatory proteins consistently found in large amounts in patients with arthritis. The unique approach to the study was that it was not done on healthy mice but mice that were prone to developing arthritis, making the inhibition of arthritis in these mice all that more significant and a testament to the power of green tea polyphenols. Unfortunately, researchers did not specify the amount of green tea polyphenols given to the mice but that polyphenols made up 20% of the solution fed the mice. This makes it impossible to specify an amount of polyphenols that will exhibit an ant-arthritis effect, but the fact that green tea polyphenols did produce an anti-arthritis effect still provides a reason to not only start to incorporate green tea into your diet, but it also provides a reason to continue studying green tea as an anti-arthritis supplement. For more information and list of helpful products Green Tea Back to Top Milk Thistle: Should Western Medicine Finally Accept It? By Greg Arnold, July 19, 2004, Abstracted from Milk Thistle for the Treatment of Liver Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis in the American Journal of Medicine 2002; 113: 506-515 Chronic liver disease causes more than 25,000 deaths each year in the United States, with liver failure ranking tenth as a cause of death. With alcohol being one of the most common causes of liver disease (the other being viral hepatitis), chronic liver disease is a fully preventable condition. For those already stricken and those wishing to prevent liver disease, milk thistle may indeed be an effective treatment option. Milk thistles popularity in the United States is increasing, with sales increasing fifty-one percent from 1998-1999 and ranking tenth among all supplements sold in the United States. But even with this rising popularity, just how effective is milk thistle? Studies of milk thistle on animals have shown it to be liver-protective by helping prevent damage from aspirin, alcohol, iron overload and radiation. For protection against toxins, milk thistle competes for liver cell receptor sites so toxins are unable to bind to them. Milk thistles antioxidant properties lie in its ability to reduce free radical production. Studies of milk thistle in humans have to be taken with a grain of salt because of the small populations used. One study examining seventeen patients with alcoholic liver disease found milk thistle decreased markers of liver disease by thirty and forty-one percent while control groups improved only five and three percent, respectively.1 Milk thistle also decreased liver damage of women who were pregnant or on birth control pills.2 Western medicines procrastination in embracing milk thistle because of the lack of plentiful credible studies should not dissuade potential users. Its long history of use and high level of tolerability warrant milk thistles place as an adjunctive treatment both for the prevention and treatment of liver disease. For more information and helpful products click here Milk Thistle References: 1 Salmi HA. Effect of silymarin on chemical, functional and morphological alterations of the liver. A double-blind study. Scandanavian Journal of Gastroenterology 1982; 17: 517-521 2 Flora K. Milk Thistle for the Therapy of Liver Disease. American Journal fo Gastroenterology 1998; 93(2): 139-143. Back to Top Folic Acid Might Be One Of The Best Ways To Prevent Disease Reprinted with permission from Patrick B. Massey, M.D., Ph.D., The Alternative Approach, Daily Herald, August 16, 2004 The common B vitamin, folic acid, might well be one of the best ways to prevent disease and reduce medical costs. Folic acid is involved with protecting DNA from damage. It helps form hemoglobin, which ferries oxygen around the body. It has a role in producing serotonin, the brain chemical linked to mood and emotion. It is an essential vitamin that we get from our diets. Interestingly, folic acid seems to be better absorbed as a supplement rather than from food: Only about 50 percent of the folic acid in vegetables is absorbed, compared to 85 to 95 percent absorption from dietary supplements. Folic acid is most commonly associated with preventing neural tube deficits in newborn children. Neural tube defects, including spina bifida, are malformations in the skull and spinal column of a fetus during early pregnancy. Folic acid also has been associated with helping to prevent breast cancer, heart disease, stroke, colon cancer, lung cancer, blood clots and chronic fatigue - all at a cost of pennies per day. Some research even indicates promise against Alzheimers disease and Parkinsons disease, though more studies are needed. With such a powerful compound, one would think that the government and medical system would heavily promote its use. Unfortunately, when the prevention of heart disease, cancer, stroke and even neural tube defects is discussed, folic acid often is not at the top of the list (prenatal vitamins with folic acid are recommended during pregnancy, but neural tube defects develop in the first few weeks, often before a woman knows she is pregnant). Can daily consumption of folic acid really save lives and money? Consider that about 1,500 children are born with spina bifida each year and the annual medical and surgical costs exceed $200 million annually. The majority of cases probably could have been prevented by adequate folic acid in the diet. The total lifetime cost to a family of one infant born with spina bifida might be well above $1 million and the cost in quality of life is beyond measure. A daily dose of folic acid costs less than a gumball. In addition, if folic acid reduced the incidence of heart disease and cancer by only 5 percent, hundreds of millions of dollars and thousands of lives could be saved every year - again, for less than the cost of that gumball. The recommended daily intake of folic acid is 400 micrograms. Some studies have shown that slightly higher amounts might afford increased protection for heart disease and cancer. Folic acid can be found in multivitamins, beans, vegetables, organ meats, fruits and vitamin-fortified foods like cereal. Even though there are many ways to get folic acid, it has been estimated that 30 percent of men and 66 percent of women in the United States consume less than the recommended 400 micrograms. Taking more is not toxic, but mega dose folic acid might mask a form of anemia linked to vitamin B12 deficiency. Good information is available through the Centers for Disease Control at www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/folicacid. I believe the government and medical community should be doing more to actively support the use of a daily combination vitamin. Until that happens, dont forget your supplement! Click here for more information about Folic Acid and helpful products. Back to Top Low Magnesium: A Principal Cause Of Inflammation? By Greg Arnold, August 9, 2004, Abstracted from Low magnesium promotes endothelial cell dysfunction: implications for atherosclerosis, inflammation and thrombosis in the May 24, 2004 issue of Biochimica Biophysica Acta: The Molecular Basis of Disease After sodium, magnesium is the most abundant mineral in each cell. It is involved in over 300 different reactions in the body involving metabolism, protein and DNA formation. While magnesium is regarded as one of the most important minerals for strengthening bone, recent research has now found low magnesium to be critical in causing a more serious condition: the inflammation that plays a part in heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure. A new study has found that low levels of magnesium in the body interfere with the function of cells that form the barrier between blood and blood vessels. These cells, called endothelial cells, become dysfunctional when magnesium is low. Researchers cultured cells in different amounts of magnesium and found that the lower the magnesium level the more dysfunctional the endothelial cells became. Particularly, low magnesium increased the formation of interleukin-1, one of the main proteins present during inflammation. When these endothelial cells become dysfunctional, they enhance the clotting and plaque formation that are the hallmarks of the inflammation causing heart disease and high blood pressure. Unfortunately, the researchers did not convert the amount of Mg used in the cultures to milligrams. So this study, although useful, still leaves us wondering if the current Mg RDA of 420 mg per day for men and 320 mg per day for women is adequate. Click here for more information on Magnesium and helpful products Back to Top The Much-Needed Supplements Of The Growing Infant By Greg Arnold, July 14, 2004, Abstracted from Foods for Infants and Toddlers in the October 2003 issue of Food Technology Proper nutritional supplementation the first 2 years of an infants life can lay the groundwork for a healthy, growing infant or a slowly-developing one. Here are some supplements to consider; Iron. Iron deficiency is the most common known form of nutritional deficiency, affecting 3.3 million women of childbearing age and 240,000 children.1 In children, iron deficiency causes developmental delays and behavioral disturbances. Inadequate iron intake can deplete iron stores in children by 4-6 months. Recommended intake after 6 months is 1 mg/kg per day to maintain iron stores.1 Zinc. Zinc supplementation has already been encouraged to improve the health of the mother while zinc supplementation for infants is necessary to optimize growth, development, and immune function.2 Zinc levels have been shown to fall in infants after 6 months of age3 so supplementation must be maintained to optimize infant growth. Studies have used mostly zinc sulfate (as opposed to zinc gluconate or zinc acetate) and have reported good results with 10-20 mg per day but nausea and cramping at 50 mg per day.3 Vitamin D. The most severe picture of vitamin D deficiency is rickets. Yet despite numerous efforts at prevention, rickets is still being reported in the literature. The current recommendation of vitamin D by the National Academy of Sciences is 200 IU per day.4 Although vitamin D is made from sunlight exposure, the American Cancer Society has strongly encouraged limited sun exposure to limit skin cancer incidence. This has placed an even greater dependence on food and supplement supplies of Vitamin D. References: 1 CDC Mortality and Morbidity Weekly Report. Recommendations to Prevent and Control Iron Deficiency. April 1998, Volume 47 No. RR-3 2 Krebs NF. Zinc supplementation during lactation. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 1998; 68(2 Suppl): 509S-512S 3 Allen LH. Zinc and micronutrient supplements for children. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 1998; 68(2 Suppl): 495S-498S 4 Gartner LM. Prevention of Rickets and Vitamin D Deficiency: New Guidelines for Vitamin D Intake. Pediatrics 2004; 111(4): 908-910 Click here for more information about other supplements for Infants & Young Children and helpful products. 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