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Herbal Health Natural Health Newsletter, August 2004, Issue 232
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Natural Health Newsletter Issue 232
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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 Enter coupon code NL080904 when checking out to obtain discounts on your next purchase from http://www.Insensual.com | | Back to Top | Grapefruit Seed Extract: A Natural Antibiotic Republished with permission from www.hsibaltimore.com, Health Sciences Institute e-Alert, July 23, 2004 Antibiotic resistance presents a challenge for any patient who has an ongoing need to fight bacteria. But what happens when a natural antibiotic is used? An HSI member named Juanita starts off an HSI Forum thread titled Grapefruit Seed Extract with this comment and question: I have used Grapefruit Seed Extract in the past for an infection with good results, but wonder if I could be creating a resistance problem further down the road if I dont take the GSE for a long enough period of time (such as suggested by prescription medications). My main issue with the prescription antibiotics is that they seem to wreak havoc with my system for almost 60 to 90 days after taking them, but I dont have that particular problem with GSE. In previous e-Alerts, HSI Panelist Allan Spreen, M.D., has recommended GSE, which he describes as a natural antibiotic made from an extract of grapefruit seed, developed from the observation that something in grapefruit (though not in other citrus fruits) keeps bacteria at bay for extended periods of time. In the e-Alert Be Afraid...Be Very Afraid - Part II (10/17/02), Dr. Spreen noted that resistance has not occurred against GSE. A member named Tami has found this to be the case after using GSE for some time. She writes: I can tell you from my experience, it seems to become more effective as I have used it more. I have recovered from sinus infections withOUT the antibiotics the doctors say you must have to recover from them, and now I regularly use the GSE nose spray and have not had a sinus infection for over a year! For someone who had gotten them 4-5 times a year for about 6 years, this borders on miraculous! A member named Graham follows up Tamis posting with this question: Can anyone tell me how to mix and use GSE to combat sinus? For information on mixing instructions click here GSE Mixing and Directions Tamis answer: For sinus, I buy the nasal spray, then Im not worrying about proper mixing. GSE Nasal Spray For general usage, Dr. Spreen recommends taking GSE in capsule form, following the suggested dosage on the label. He adds, The full-strength liquid GSE is bitter beyond comprehension, and must be diluted. The advantage of GSE is that there are different forms available, such as throat spray, ear drops, topical, etc. For more information and list of helpful products Grapefruit Seed
| | Back to Top | Chromium Picolinate May Reduce Depression Symptoms Republished with permission from NutraIngredients-usa.com, June 3, 2004 Taking supplements of chromium picolinate Chromium Picolinate could help people with depression manage some of the symptoms, including mood swings, carbohydrate cravings, weight gain, and lethargy, suggests new research. A double-blind, placebo-controlled human trial, presented yesterday at a conference of the National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH) New Clinical Drug Evaluation Unit (NCDEU), found that people with normally high levels of carbohydrate cravings experienced significant decrease in both cravings and depression after taking the supplement. This is the first indication that chromium picolinate may play an important role in the reduction of carbohydrate cravings in people with atypical depression, said John Docherty, president and chief executive officer of Comprehensive NeuroScience and principal investigator of the study. It also may offer a new treatment option for atypical depressed patients with carbohydrate cravings who find it difficult to stay on current prescription medication because of the common side effects of sexual dysfunction and weight gain, he added. Atypical depression is a common, but frequently undiagnosed, form of depression affecting up to 40 million Americans. It is characterized by a distinct combination of symptoms that include mood swings, carbohydrate cravings, weight gain, rejection sensitivity and lethargy. The findings broaden the potential applications for chromium picolinate, currently marketed primarily as an ingredient in weight loss or sports nutrition supplements. However Nutrition 21, which commissioned the study, is also researching chromium picolinates use as a diabetes management therapy, based on evidence showing that it enhances insulin sensitivity and improves blood sugar metabolism. In addition, the new findings build on a recent pilot study carried out at Duke University and published in the Journal of Biological Psychiatry (2003;53:261-264). It showed promising antidepressant effects in atypical depression. Malcolm McLeod, a practicing psychiatrist, who collaborated on the Duke University study, called chromium picolinate a real breakthrough in providing safe and simple relief of atypical depression symptoms, many of which currently go untreated. Demand for nutritional therapy for depressed populations is growing. According to the National Institutes of Mental Health, an estimated 22.1 percent of Americans ages 18 and older about one in 5 adults suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year. This figure translates to approximately 44.3 million people. The multi-center study of 113 patients found that daily supplementation with 600mcg of chromium as chromium picolinate, significantly reduced carbohydrate cravings compared to placebo, and improved other symptoms such as mood swings, fatigue and weight gain perception. The results also show that people with the highest levels of carbohydrate cravings had the most significant reduction in depressive symptoms. Researchers hypothesize that chromiums essential role in insulin function may be the link between chromium, carbohydrate cravings and atypical depression. Insulin has effects on metabolic function that may impact serotonin levels in the brain. Impaired insulin function, which leads to poor glycemic control, is linked to a number of health conditions including diabetes, where the increased incidence of depression is two times greater than in normal populations. Numerous clinical studies show that supplementation with chromium picolinate helps improve insulin insensitivity and diabetes. Additional data on chromium picolinate and carbohydrate cravings in atypical depression will be presented at the Collegium Internationale Neuro- Psychopharmacologium (CINP) in Paris in late June. For more information and helpful products click here Chromium Picolinate
| | Back to Top | Lutein, Whether Alone Or With Other Supplements, Improves Vision By Greg Arnold, July 13, 2004, Abstracted from Double-masked, placebo-controlled, randomized trial of lutein and antioxidant supplementation in the intervention of age-related macular degeneration: The Veterans LAST study (Lutien Antioxidant Supplementation Trial) in Optometry 2004; 75(4): 216-230 Age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) accounts for 45 percent of visual disability in the United States and is the leading cause of untreated vision loss in Western society. Although a genetic link to ARMD has been proposed,1 environmental factors such as smoking, known to decrease antioxidant levels,2 is also a strong factor for ARMD.3 Diet has also been thought to play a role. In Japan, their increased consumption of a more Westernized diet has also mirrored its concomitant increase in ARMD.4 Numbers like these have placed a premium on nutrition as a preventable factor in ARMD. One such supplement is lutein. Low lutein intake has already been regarded as a major risk factor for ARMD. Researcher in the Lutein Antioxidant Supplementation Trial (LAST) decided to see if Lutien could exert more beneficial effects on ARMD whether taken alone or in combination with other nutrients, specifically carotenoids, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. Researchers conducted a 12-month double-blind study and assigned 90 subjects to the following three groups. 29 subjects in Group 1 took only lutein (10 mg/day). 30 subjects in Group 2 took lutein (10 mg/day) with other antioxidants (2,500 IU Vitamin A, 15,000 IU natural beta-carotene, 1,500 mg Vitamin C, 400 IU Vitamin D3, and other antioxidants) Antioxidants. Group 3 had 31 subjects taking a placebo. Ophthalmic examinations were conducted at 0, 4, 8 and 12 months along with a questionnaire measuring activities of daily living, night driving, and glare recovery symptoms. Scientists observed the following results: -Both groups 1 and 2 experienced an improvement in pigment optical density. In eye chart equivalence, Group 1 improved 5.4 letters and Group 2 improved by 3.5 letters. -Both groups experienced a significant improvement in the glare recovery. -The placebo group did not have any improvements. For the researchers, Visual function is improved with lutein alone or lutein together with other nutrients and that lutein supplementation may be beneficial at all stages of ARMD. References: 1 Weeks DE. Age-related maculopathy: an expanded genome-wide scan with evidence of susceptibility loci within the 1q31 and 17q25 regions. American Journal of Ophthalmology 2001; 132: 682-692 2 Handelman G. Destruction of tocopherols, carotenoids, and retinol in human plasma by cigarette smoke. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 1996; 63: 559-565 3 Seddon J. A prospective study of cigarette smoking and age-related macular degeneration in women. Journal of the American Medical Association 1996; 276: 1141-1146 4 Maruo T. Changes in causes of visual handicaps in Tokyo. Japanese Journal of Ophthalmology 1991; 35: 268-272 Click here for more information about Lutein and helpful products.
| | Back to Top | Vitamin C Helps With Respiratory Problems By Greg Arnold, June 9, 2004, Abstracted from Vitamin C controls the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator chloride channel in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 2004; 101: 3691-3696 As for as antioxidants go, it is tough to find a better one than vitamin C (VC). The study of VC is far-reaching, with benefits seen with bone health, high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, periodontal disease, viral infections and eye diseases. But a new report from the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has added another benefit to the VC list, finding VC to be beneficial for respiratory conditions, particularly cystic fibrosis (CF), the most common lethal inherited disease in white persons. CF is a disease of gland function, involving multiple organ systems and resulting in chronic respiratory infections, pancreatic enzyme insufficiency, and associated complications in untreated patients. CF is caused by defects in the gene for cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR). The failure of epithelial cells to conduct chloride and the associated water transport abnormalities result in viscid secretions in the respiratory tract, pancreas, gastrointestinal tract, sweat glands, and other exocrine tissues. Vitamin C has been shown to be present in the respiratory lining fluid of human lungs, with its levels shown to drop with oxidative stress. A study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) shows the positive effect of vitamin C on the chlorine regulator membrane channel that is dysfunctional in cystic fibrosis (CF). Vitamin C induced the openings of CFTR Chlorine channels by increasing the length of time the channel remains open and increasing clearance of chlorine by 68%. Researchers concluded, The pool of vitamin C in the respiratory tract represents a potential nutraceutical and pharmaceutical target for the complementary treatment of sticky airway secretions by enhancing epithelial fluid secretion. Click here for more information on Vitamin C and helpful products
| | Back to Top | Vitamin E Benefits Athlete Recovery, Further Antioxidant Evidence Republished with permission from NutraIngredients.com, June 24, 2004 People who have high levels of oxidative stress due to chronic health problems might benefit from taking supplements of vitamin E in doses higher than the currently recommended daily intake, say experts in the US. They are not the first to call for changes to the established RDA levels in the US (15mg), which is based largely on data that is decades old and does not really explore the optimal intake for people who have depressed levels of micronutrients due to athletic exertion, heart disease, or simple lack of physical activity, according to vitamin E expert Maret Traber. Traber and colleagues at the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University recently reported that ultramarathon runners who used supplements of vitamins C and E for six weeks prior to their races totally prevented the increase in lipid oxidation that is otherwise associated with extreme exercise. But the type of metabolic damage observed in these runners is also often found after heart attacks, strokes, surgery and other traumas, said the researchers. The study, published in the 15 May issue of Free Radical Biology and Medicine (36(10), pp1329-41), provides more evidence for the value of vitamin E supplementation as an antioxidant that, at the least, can help prevent damaging lipid oxidation and some of the health concerns associated with it. The trial involved 22 runners who performed in a 50km ultramarathon. Half of the runners were given daily supplements of 1,000 milligrams vitamin C and 400 international units of vitamin E for six weeks prior to the race, while the other half ate only their normal, healthy diet. An analysis of biomarkers in the control group showed significant increases in lipid peroxidation following the race - these biomarkers were at levels that are often seen after someone has had a heart attack. The runners taking vitamins C and E were comparatively normal. This study clearly showed that supplementation with these antioxidant vitamins could help prevent the significant levels of lipid oxidation that are associated with intense exercise, said Angela Mastaloudis, co-author on the study. She added that the people who did not take supplements but had a vitamin E intake around the amount recommended by US health authorities did not gain those protective benefits. The findings may have ramifications far beyond people who undergo unusual exercise regimens. Oxidative stress and higher levels of lipid oxidation are seen in a wide range of health problems, ranging from diabetes to heart disease, stroke, Alzheimers disease, smoking and even obesity, the researchers said. We often cant do dietary studies with people who are very ill, due to ethical concerns, so we used marathon runners to learn more about the effects of stress and ways to prevent damage from it. These athletes in a race can have a 10- to 20-times increase in whole body oxygen consumption. However, this study does suggest that people who have high levels of oxidative stress and lipid oxidation due to other chronic health problems might benefit from supplements of vitamin E that are higher than the current RDA for this vitamin, Traber said. The research was published around the same time as a major conference on vitamin E, where experts sought to discuss findings to date and research needs for the future. Most participants agreed that not enough is yet known to recommend optimal intake levels. Traber argues that some of the newer theories on the vitamin have little evidence behind them but that its role as an antioxidant is widely supported. One of the things were finding more and more is that different antioxidants have fairly specific jobs that often dont overlap all that much. For instance, some claims have been made that vitamin E can play a role in preventing DNA damage, muscle fatigue, muscle damage or improved performance, and we simply dont find much evidence to support that, said Traber. But when it comes to preventing lipid oxidation and the health concerns associated with that, vitamin E may be of profound benefit. I think its pretty safe to say, at this point, that marathon runners should absolutely be taking supplements of vitamin E, Traber said. A larger question is to determine who else could benefit. Click here for more information about Vitamin E and helpful products. Do you have a question for us? If so please send in your questions to newseditor@insensual.com We will answer all email ASAP! | | Back to Top | For assistance or to purchase products by phone call toll free in the USA 1-866-467- 6444 or World Wide 1-307-577-6444 or e-mail your questions to newseditor@insensual.com. We will answer e-mails in the newsletter as space allows.
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