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NOW Real Food® Marcona Almonds   
Date:
November 02, 2022 04:44 PM
Almonds are a popular ingredient in many Mediterranean dishes. They are originally from Spain and are known for their rich, buttery flavor. Our Marcona almonds are grown in California on a family farm. They are blanched to pReserve their pure, mild, buttery flavor and moist, tender texture. Here are some ways you can enjoy them! Salads - Add some crunch to your salad with NOW Real Food® Marcona Almonds. Their rich, buttery flavor goes great with greens and other salad ingredients. Desserts - Use Marcona Almonds as a topping for your favorite dessert. They add a delicious crunch that takes your dessert to the next level. Cheese and Fruit Pairings - Serve NOW Real Food® Marcona Almonds with cheese and fruit for a tasty snack or appetizer. The rich, buttery flavor of the almonds pairs well with both sweet and savory flavors. NOW Real Food® Marcona Almonds are a versatile ingredient that can be used in many different dishes. Their rich, buttery flavor is perfect for salads, desserts, and cheese and fruit pairings. Add them to your next dish for a delicious crunch that will take it to the next level!
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=6554) How to Protect Your Eyes with Nutrients: Lutein and Zeaxanthin 
Date:
August 02, 2022 03:10 PM
Your eyes are very important to you, and you should do everything you can to protect them. One way to protect your eyes is by consuming nutrients that help keep them healthy. Lets discuss two of those nutrients: lutein and zeaxanthin. These nutrients help protect your eyes from the sun's harmful UV rays and also help pReserve your vision as you age. So if you want to keep your eyes healthy and protected, be sure to add lutein and zeaxanthin to your diet! What are lutein and zeaxanthin, and what do they do for the eyes? Lutein and zeaxanthin are carotenoids that are found in high concentrations in the retina. They are believed to play a role in protecting the eye from damage caused by sunlight and other forms of radiation. Lutein and zeaxanthin also help to improve vision, especially in low-light conditions. Why should one protect their eyes from UV Light? UV radiation can cause various forms of eye damage, including cataracts, macular degeneration, and pterygium. Lutein is a natural pigment that helps to build a yellow layer in the eyes and protect them from the harmful effects of UV radiation. Zeaxanthin can help protect the the eye from macular degeneration? Macular degeneration is a leading cause of vision loss in the United States. Zeaxanthin can help protect the eye from this condition. Zeaxanthin is a pigment found in the retina, and it helps to filter out harmful blue light. This can help to reduce the risk of macular degeneration. How much should you be consuming each day? There is no set recommended daily intake for lutein and zeaxanthin, as research on the topic is ongoing. However, most experts recommend aiming for at least 10 mg of lutein and 2 mg of zeaxanthin each day. So if you want to keep your eyes healthy and protected, be sure to add lutein and zeaxanthin to your diet! These nutrients can help pReserve your vision and protect your eyes from the sun's harmful UV rays. Try to aim for at least 10 mg of lutein and 2 mg of zeaxanthin or more each day.
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=6422)
Date:
July 08, 2022 12:42 PM
What is olive oil and where does it come from Olive oil is a type of vegetable oil that is extracted from olives, the fruit of the olive tree. Olives are thought to originate from the Mediterranean region, and they have been cultivated for thousands of years. Olive trees are well-suited to the Mediterranean climate, and they produce a high quality of olive oil. The oil is then extracted from the olives using a cold-pressing process. This process helps to pReserve the flavor and nutrients of the oil. Olive oil is a popular cooking ingredient, and it is also used in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. It is a healthy source of fat, and it contains antioxidants that can protect against cell damage.
There are many benefits to using olive oil, both for cooking and for health. Olive oil is a healthy alternative to other oils, as it is lower in saturated fat and contains high levels of monounsaturated fat. In addition, olive oil contains antioxidants that can protect against cell damage. Some studies have also shown that olive oil can help to lower cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart disease. When used for cooking, olive oil can add flavor and depth to dishes. It is also a healthy way to cook, as it does not produce harmful chemicals when heated. Overall, olive oil is a versatile and healthy option that can be used in many different ways. How olive oil can improve brain function Recent studies have shown that olive oil can improve brain function. The main active ingredient in olive oil is oleocanthal, which is a powerful anti-inflammatory. Studies have shown that inflammation is a major contributing factor to cognitive decline. By reducing inflammation, oleocanthal can help to improve brain function. In addition, olive oil also contains antioxidants, which can protect the brain from damage. These properties make olive oil an ideal food for people who are looking to improve their brain health. The science behind olive oil and brain function Olive oil is a healthy fat that has been shown to have numerous benefits for the body, including brain function. Numerous studies have shown that olive oil can help improve cognitive function and memory, as well as protect against age-related decline. The beneficial effects of olive oil on brain function are thought to be due to its high content of monounsaturated fatty acids, as well as its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Additionally, olive oil is a rich source of phenolic compounds, which have also been shown to boost cognitive function. To get the most benefit from olive oil for brain health, it is best to use extra virgin olive oil, which contains the highest levels of these beneficial compounds. How to use olive oil for better brain health There is growing evidence that olive oil can help to improve brain health. Numerous studies have shown that olive oil can help to protect the brain from age-related damage, and it may also have neuroprotective properties. One way to get the benefits of olive oil is to take a teaspoonful each day. This can help to increase levels of healthy fats in the brain, which are essential for cognitive function. Another option is to use olive oil when cooking. This can help to improve the absorption of nutrients from other foods, and it also provides a healthy source of calories. Also, your body needs fats to manufacture hormones. Either way, incorporating olive oil into your diet is a simple and effective way to boost brain health. Olive oil a needed fat for the body to produce hormones. While fat has gotten a bad rap in recent years, the truth is that our bodies need fat in order to function properly. Fats help to insulate our organs, protect our joints, and produce essential hormones. And while there are different types of fats, olive oil is one of the healthiest choices thanks to its high levels of monounsaturated fatty acids. These healthy fats can help to lower bad cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart disease. In addition, olive oil is a rich source of antioxidants, which can help to protect cells from damage. So next time you reach for that bottle of cooking oil, remember that olive oil isn’t just good for your health—it’s essential for it. Olive oil is a healthy fat that has been shown to have numerous benefits for the body, including brain function. Numerous studies have shown that olive oil can help improve cognitive function and memory, as well as protect against age-related decline. The beneficial effects of olive oil on brain health are thought to be due to its high content of monounsaturated fatty acids, as well as its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Additionally, olive oil is a rich source of phenolic compounds, which have also been shown to boost cognitive function. To get the most benefit from olive oil for brain health, it is best to use extra virgin olive oil, which contains the highest levels of these beneficial compounds.
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=6415) CBD comes from Cannabis Sativa
Date:
October 09, 2020 10:17 AM
When looking for quality CBD, one must stick with known name brands like CV Science (PlusCBD), Hempceutix by Natures Plus, Leaf Therapeutics by Solaray, and Smart Organics. Unfortunately, it can be confusing choosing a CBD product because at the moment there are more than 400 brands of CBD. Inferior quality hemp products may:
Sticking with name brands that are known to be effective and hold to supplement industry standards are important, the above mentioned brands use CO2 extraction to pReserve all the active ingredients found in the Cannabis Sativa plant. Consuming a full spectrum CBD is important! A Quality Hemp derived CBD can help improve ECS Function:
Researchers have discovered 180 different cannabinoids found naturally in hemp, each are able to work in a different way in the body. Only a select few brands provide the full spectrum cannabinoids we need for better health. If you are looking to ease pain, reduce anxiety, improve sleep, and balance the body, consider using a full spectrum, Name Brand CBD product and feel the difference it can make in your life!
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=6367) Elderberry Immune Blend - The Power of Sambucus
Date:
February 17, 2020 04:39 PM
People need effective immune support every day. ViraPro can make all the difference by providing key immune vitamins and minerals well known for their effectiveness, along with clinically studied Haschberg Austrian Elderberry, freeze-dried to pReserve all the beneficial nutrients from the entire berry, to support a healthy immune system.* Whether your customers need daily proactive support or extra nutrients for an effetive, 7-day regimen, ViraPro provides an elderberry immune blend for optimal benefits.* ViraPro's elderberry immune blend:
ViraPro is a great supplement to support a healthy immune response especially in the winter months when sickness is the worst!.
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=6353) Combine turmeric and black pepper to boost health benefits ofcurcumin
Date:
May 14, 2019 04:08 PM
Black pepper and turmeric turn out to provide complementary effects, with the piperine in black pepper making it easier for your body to absorb and use the curcumin in turmeric. Piperine helps protect curcumin from inflammatory processes long enough for the body to use it. Curry powder, which contains both turmeric and black pepper, is perhaps the most obvious way to get bother piperine and curcumin in your diet. However, if you truly hate the taste of turmeric, there are supplements available that have both black pepper and turmeric in them. Key Takeaways:
"At the same time, it preserves turmeric from inflammatory processes that would normally break down the spice before it could be processed by the digestive system." Read more: https://www.naturalnews.com/2019-03-31-combine-turmeric-and-black-pepper-to-boost-health-benefits-of-curcumin.html
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=6315) Eat (or drink) your vegetables: Make smoothies to maximize the lutein in spinach
Date:
May 06, 2019 03:40 PM
Spinach, one of the healthiest vegetables available, and it contains a high amount of lutein. The best way to get this lutein is to blend it in a smoothie or add it to a green juice. Because lutein is fat-soluble and stored in the immune cells, the researchers for this study were looking for ways to boost lutein levels in the blood and take advantage of its many health benefits. The research team that came from Sweden used Spinach to understand this process and they processed spinach in various ways, examining various heating and steaming methods to best bolster lutein content in spinach. They found that heating makes spinach to lose its lutein content and the more it is boiled, the more lutein that is lost. They found that the best way to consume spinach to preserve its lutein content is to take it cold. Therefore that is why adding spinach to smoothies is recommended for maximum consumption of lutein in spinach. Key Takeaways:
"There are many different ways of preparing spinach, but a recent study suggests that blending it in a smoothie or adding it to your green juice is the best way to maximize its lutein content." Read more: https://www.naturalnews.com/2019-03-21-eat-or-drink-your-vegetables-make-smoothies-to-maximize-the-lutein-in-spinach.html
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=6266) A powerful compound in rosemary protects your brain from damage
Date:
September 14, 2018 09:52 AM
Did you know that Rosemary is rich in antioxidant compounds? This is good news given since it is good for stress relief, and a huge amount of people, including children, are currently experiencing stress. People stress about everything from financial issues, employment issues, and the state of our economy. It's not good enough to simply ignore stress. Doing so might result in additional problems like chronic pain, irregular periods, type 2 diabetes, erectile disfunction and much more. Key Takeaways:
"The noted survey indicated that almost a third of children had experienced physical stress-related symptoms, such as headaches, stomach troubles, and difficulty sleeping." Read more: https://www.naturalnews.com/2018-08-12-a-powerful-compound-in-rosemary-protects-your-brain-damage.html
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=5763) Is Your Body Too Alkaline Or Too Acidic? Here's How To Know
Date:
August 08, 2018 09:53 AM
Your body needs to maintain a neutral pH of 7.365 to remain in peak health. If your body becomes too acidic, as through too much consumption of meat, dairy, grain or processed foods, it can leach nutrients out of your system and cause inflammation, poor immunity and other ailments. Becoming too alkaline can also cause problems, including cramping, irritability and cramping. Generally, your diet should contain about 80% alkaline (fresh fruits and vegetable) and 20% acidic (everything else) foods in order to preserve the. A rural balance inside your body. Key Takeaways:
"It’s all about finding that optimal acid-base balance and more importantly, understanding when your body is imbalanced." Read more: https://www.thealternativedaily.com/is-your-body-too-alkaline-or-too-acidic-heres-how-to-know/
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=5699) The powerful neuroprotective properties of curcumin revealed in science study: Stunning 30 percent improvement in memory
Date:
July 01, 2018 09:54 AM
The component found in turmeric that gives the spice its brightly colored appearance is also directly responsible for helping enhance and preserve our neurological development. When given in doses of 90 mg each day, turmeric was shown to help improve memory in those who were suffering from some level of memory loss. The cognitive improvement is due to turmeric being high in curcumin, which makes it a natural aid in alleviating many cognitive deficiencies that happen due to age. Key Takeaways:
"The participants were randomly assigned to a placebo group or a control that took 90 milligrams a day of curcumin twice a day over the course of year and a half. Researchers measured everyone’s curcumin levels in their blood at the trial’s inception and conclusion." Read more: https://www.naturalnews.com/2018-06-28-the-powerful-neuroprotective-properties-of-curcumin-improved-memory.html
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=5652) Cognitive decline may be slowed by leafy greens
Date:
December 29, 2017 07:59 AM
New research out of Chicago's Rush University Medical Center have shown positive links between a daily serving of green, leafy vegetables and a cognitive function. This functional slip may even be slowed by eleven years due to green, leafy vegetables. The study lasted almost five years, and helped demonstrate this hypothesis. Most importantly, none of the participants showed signs of dementia before the study, so their cognitive function was still high before the study even if the average age was 81. Key Takeaways:
"According to a new study conducted by Chicago's Rush University Medical Center, just one serving of leafy green vegetables per day could help preserve memory and thinking skills as we get older." Read more: https://newatlas.com/leafy-greens-cognitive-decline/52737/
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=5460) Is there a difference between fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables?
Date:
July 04, 2017 09:14 AM
People might wonder of there is a difference between fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables. It was believed previously that frozen fruits and veggies do not have as much nutritional value as their fresh counterparts. It was also believed that during freezing, essential vitamins and minerals depleted. There was an article posted at The Guardian's website that stressed today's newer techniques that involve blanching before flash freezing have greatly improved nutrient retention in frozen fruits and veggies. Key Takeaways:
"However, an article published in The Guardian‘s website stressed that today’s newer techniques involving blanching prior to flash freezing have significantly improved nutrient retention in frozen fruits and vegetables." Read more: http://www.naturalnews.com/2017-07-01-is-there-a-difference-between-fresh-or-frozen-vegetables.html
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=4923) Olive Oil Can Help Preserve Memory And Prevent Alzheimer's
Date:
June 24, 2017 12:14 PM
Alzheimer's disease affects nearly 44 million people worldwide. According to a study done by researchers at Temple University in Pennsylvania, olive oil can help preserve memory and essentially prevent Alzheimer's disease. Dominico Pratico, lead researcher of the study, stated that olive oil helps reduce inflammation and activates a process in the brain called autophagy. Autophagy is a way that the cells in the body break down and clean out unwanted debris in the body. Mice were given olive oil in the study, and the mice that received the olive oil showed signs that the olive oil made their memory improve and lessened the signs of Alzheimer's. The researchers from this study plan to continue researching the effects of olive oil and Alzheimer's in older mice to see if they can eradicate the disease in mice altogether. Key Takeaways:
"When the team studied the brain tissue from both groups of mice, they noticed "dramatic" differences in nerve cell appearance and function. As compared to the mice that didn't consume the oil, the brain cells of rodents in the oil group showed a dramatic increase in nerve cell autophagy activation." Read more: http://doctor.ndtv.com/news/olive-oil-can-now-help-preserve-memory-and-prevent-alzheimers-1715610
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=4877) Omega-3 Fatty Acids Preserve Blood Brain Barrier
Date:
May 18, 2017 06:44 AM
The blood brain barrier is extremely important to our health. It can keep dangerous infections out of the brain. Without it the brain can be badly damaged which can even be fatal. Omega three fatty acids can help keep this barrier in place which is good. These can be found in many foods if you want more of them. They are found in fish and nuts for example. Those are great examples of where you can get them. Read more: Omega-3 Fatty Acids Preserve Blood Brain Barrier
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=4637) Are the MCT Oil Nutrition and Health Claims Backed Up?
Date:
May 13, 2017 08:44 AM
Coconut oil has experienced a huge increase in sales and taken the media bystorm in recent years. coconut oil can be found not only in specialty health food stores, but at most local grocers as well. Diets high in MCTs (65% of coconut oil's makeup) have been shown to improve glucose tolerance and reduce body fat accumulation when compared to diets high in LCTs. MCFAs have also been shown to preserve insulin action in, and insulin resistance in rat studies. When compared with other fats, coconut oil contains 2.6% fewer calories. Keep in mind however that all high-fat foods and oils are calorically dense and simply adding in more calorically dense food to a diet already ample in calories is not likely to result in weight loss.According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, virgin coconut oil has potential antioxidant properties due to certain plant nutrients it contains called phenolic compounds. Key Takeaways:
"MCT oil is associated with a whole host of health claims including weight loss, decreased risk of metabolic syndrome, lowered abdominal fat, lowered inflammatory markers, decreased triglyceride levels, and the ability to raise HDL (good) cholesterol." Read more: http://www.organicauthority.com/are-the-mct-oil-nutrition-and-health-claims-backed-up/
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=4603) Doctors Are Speechless: Boiling Only Two Ingredients WILL HELP YOU LOSE ALL OF YOUR BODY FAT RAPIDLY
Date:
April 04, 2017 04:44 AM
Losing body fat is not easy job to do, and it takes a lot to burn it off. When people lost weight they lose the water weight first but their fat still remains which makes them believe they aren't losing any weight. However, this video shows two key ingredients that will help will help burn fat easily. The two key ingredients are honey and cinnamon. They have a man in the video of his before and after pictures. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGRBK-w-LS4&rel=0Key Takeaways:
"People nowadays really care about their body weight. Women especially dream of losing weight quickly and effectively, but we often hear or see that they didn’t acquire the desired results. Body fat is something that is very difficult to get burned."
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=4346) Obesity could triple your risk of stomach cancer later in life
Date:
March 02, 2017 10:59 AM
A new report looking at what causes stomach cancer found three new somewhat surprising links: alcohol, processed meat and obesity. All three are linked with several other cancers, including colon cancer and breast cancer, but this is the first time they've been associated with stomach cancer. The report also finds more typical causes: smoking, eating food pReserved with salt, and infection with a bacteria called Helicobacter pylori. Key Takeaways:
"Those who gained more than 45 pounds also faced twice the risk of developing esophageal cancer, compared to those who maintained a healthy weight." Reference:
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=4057) Should Vegans Take DHA to Preserve Brain Function?
Date:
February 05, 2017 10:19 AM
Ever since recent studies uncovered that patients with dementia and Alzheimer’s have lower levels of omega-3 fatty acids and DHA, the question has been whether supplementing our diets with these nutrients will help fend off cognitive diseases. What really needs to happen are long term studies where the same patients are tested throughout the study to find out if the cognitive decline or nutritional deficiency comes first. Some more recent studies have shown that lower levels of DHA correlates to smaller brain size. So the question is, should we be supplementing with DHA to hold off cognitive decline? [video mp4="//nutritionfacts.org/video/should-vegans-take-dha-to-pReserve-brain-function/"] Key Takeaways:
""While normal aging results in overall brain shrinkage, having lower long chain Omega 3's may signal increased risk"."
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=3887) The 3 most exciting developments in sports nutrition right now, according to scientists
Date:
January 09, 2017 12:59 PM
When it comes to sports nutrition, there are three very exciting developments that have taken place in sports nutrition right now. The first development is nitrates, which help you to perform better and longer. The second development is collagen, which helps with tendon and ligament integrity as well as reducing the risk of injury. The last one is casein protein which can allow for prolonged muscle building if taken before bed. Key Takeaways:
"Once they make the switch, they say, not only are their race results and game-day performances better, they report sustained energy, better moods, and clearer thinking." Reference:
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=3761) don't overlook these 8 caution indications of vitamin b12 shortage
Date:
January 05, 2017 10:59 AM
One in four people have a B12 deficiency, so it is important not to overlook the warning signs. These signs include having trouble keeping your eyes open, feeling numb or tingly, and memory loss. Other indications include feeling shaky, yellow skin, and smooth tongue. Vision problems and feeling anxious could also be another warning sign of a B12 deficiency. Key Takeaways:
"Mineral deficiencies are more typical than vitamin shortages, statistics shows that a person in four grownups handles lack of vitamin B12." Reference:
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=3745) How To Preserve Your Mental Health As An Entrepreneur
Date:
November 27, 2016 10:59 AM
Life is stressful. It can be even more so when you are an entrepreneur with a lot of responsibilities. If you want to keep your sanity while running your own company, it is important to take some time for yourself. By having some quiet time right away in the morning, you are able to store up your energy and get yourself organized. You should also give yourself a break periodically and give your body energy in the form of food and caffeine regularly. You must also be able to walk away when others around you get upset instead of reacting. Key Takeaways:
"What’s the difference between a normal mind and a stressed mind? You would probably know if you are an entrepreneur trying to keep your cool nature wherever you go and behave consciously whenever you are distressed. Here are few tricks and tips to uphold your mental health as an entrepreneur." Reference:
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=3518) Why processed food may cause bowel cancer
Date:
November 22, 2016 12:59 PM
Researchers at Georgia State University has found a link between emulsifiers used to keep food fresh and bowel cancer. By feeding mice two common emulsifiers found in pReserved food, they found that their instances of bowel inflammation increased and created an environment in which cancer is more likely to occur. It is believed that the chemicals alter the bacteria of the gut and allow bad bacteria to grow, which causes inflammation. Key Takeaways:
"Common additives used in everyday foods including bread, margarine and sweets may be behind the huge rise in bowel cancer, scientists claim." Reference:
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=3488) 16 ways to reduce sodium intake to protect heart health
Date:
November 21, 2016 04:49 PM
Buying pre-made food from the store has become way more common than making dishes from scratch. In order to keep prepackaged food fresh, companies add a large amount of salt. This can play havoc with our bodies. While using fresh ingredients is the best alternative, there are things we can do to make pReserved foods from the store slightly healthier. We should always look for the lower sodium option when possible, and rinse foods with high sodium when possible. If we are mindful of our salt intake and lower it as much as possible, we can prevent heart disease. Key Takeaways:
"More than 75 percent of the sodium consumed in the U.S. each year comes from packaged and restaurant foods, according to the FDA. Excess sodium increases the risk of developing heart disease or having a stroke." Reference:
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=3483) Can Argan Oil Help My Skin Look Younger?
Date:
September 17, 2015 10:19 PM
Argan oil has risen to become a very important component when it comes to skin care. The trick lies in its composition. Unlike other products in the same class, it has a very unique composition. This oil has sterols, polyphenols, carotenoids, natural antioxidants and not forgetting essential fatty acids.
Below are some of the skin problems that can be cured by Argan oil:
Sunburn refers to dry scaly skin condition as a result of being exposed to intense sunshine. Argan oil is high in vitamin E content which plays a very big role in curing this condition. It helps prevent sunburns due to its moisturizing ability. However, in cases where the sunburn has already occurred it can be used to treat the condition. Due to this particular quality; vitamin E has been linked to preventing skin cancer.
As people age, the skin tends to lose its elasticity quality and as such wrinkles begin to appear. However, this oil helps to prevent and/or cure this problem. It does this by rehydrating the skin, hence restoring the skin’s natural elasticity properties.
Psoriasis is a disease that affects the skin. Its main symptoms are appearance of red patches on the skin covered with scales. The compounds present in argan oil help alleviate the problem through nourishing it with essential nutrients. As a result it helps the skin retain moisture, effectively treating the condition.
Have you ever experienced rashes that arise due to after-shave? This condition is very common in men after shaving as well as women after shaving their legs and/or bikini lines. These bumps are very uncomfortable and unsightly. Argan oil has been proven to heal this condition. Regular use of argan oil is not just for cosmetic purposes, but majorly for the general health of the skin. Its many unique natural compounds do not only pReserve and soften the skin but also help in healing various skin conditions.
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=3218) D-ribose:A Glance
Date:
July 24, 2015 02:39 AM
Ribose is a type of sugar which is produced in the body and is of medicinal value. This organic compound is very essential in our day-to-day lives because it boosts our energy levels. Apart from energy boost, ribose is also used to relieve manifestations of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), fibromyalgia, and coronary artery disease. It also prevents other symptoms like pain following a workout in individuals with a genetic condition known as myoadenylate deaminase deficiency (MAD). This vital body chemical can help boost exercise ability in individuals with another inherited disorder known as McArdle's disease.
D-Ribose How Does D-ribose Work to Boost Energy in the Body? The manner in which d-ribose works to deliver results is very simple and elaborate. It promotes the production of ATP (adenosine triphosphate), which is the primary source of energy for the body's cells. Healthy, active cells constantly top up their supply of ATP to get adequate cellular energy. Through increasing levels of adenosine triphosphate, the supplement can help speed up energy recovery, increase energy Reserves and Conclusion As you can see, your body needs to keep its production of (ATP) at its highest possible level for maximum energy production as well as physical performance. But sometimes the supply of actual ATP molecules may be reduced due to a number of factors including physical activity and health condition. This is where D-ribose, a natural ingredient for boosting ATP levels comes in. Reference: //www.lifeextension.com/Magazine/2008/5/D-Ribose-Energize-Your-Heart-Save-Your-Life/Page-01 //www.lifeextension.com/vitamins-supplements/item00972/d-ribose-powder
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=3181) Does Broccoli Really Fight Cancer?
Date:
May 27, 2014 05:23 PM
Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli is known to have numerous health benefits within the body. In addition, many studies have proved that broccoli has another element known as sulforaphane that has cancer-fighting properties. Benefits of broccoli A recent study by the Oregon State University, suggested that sulforaphane is a powerful antioxidant in broccoli and many other cruciferous vegetables do have the power and the ability to kill cancer cells, thus leaving the prostate cells unaffected. Sulforaphane is also another potent antioxidant that has the ability to inhibit HDAC enzymes known as histone deacetylase and play a vital role in suppressing tumor-like genes thus making a perfect solution to cancer treatment. HDAC in Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli is known to have numerous health benefits within the body. In addition, many studies have proved that broccoli has another element known as sulforaphane that has cancer-fighting properties. A recent study by the Oregon State University, suggested that sulforaphane is a powerful antioxidant in broccoli and many other cruciferous vegetables do have the power and the ability to kill cancer cells, thus leaving the prostate cells unaffected. Sulforaphane is also another potent antioxidant that has the ability to inhibit HDAC enzymes known as histone deacetylase and play a vital role in suppressing tumor-like genes thus making a perfect solution to cancer treatment. HDAC inhibition is another very promising cancer treatment and many researchers have found that it is associated with broccoli. Cancer is often characterized by the inappropriate cell growth, however, HDAC inhibitors has the ability of restoring cells to normalcy in terms of function and thus the most effective cure of cancer. Other studies have also demonstrated the cancer-fighting ability of the cruciferous vegetables. In the year 2009, Victoria Kirsh., of Toronto Cancer Care Ontario and her team discovered that eating vegetables and fruits in general was associated with the decreased prostate cancer risk, making it one of the best ways of enhancing health. This remarkable compound in broccoli is among the strongest anti-cancer elements in the body. It is important to recall that you cook your broccoli in the best way possible since this will pReserve the elements that helps in fighting cancer. In addition, Broccoli has myrosinase that helps in the formation of sulforaphane. You need to remember that Myrosinase is an element that can be destroyed through overcooking the broccoli. You should only steam it for 2 to 4 minutes. In conclusion, the above information should convince on the incredible ability to cure the cancer cells that are found within the body.
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=3127) Can Xylitol Help Prevent Tooth Decay As a Mouth Wash?
Date:
March 11, 2014 05:25 PM
Xylitol on tooth decay
Xylitol products Xylitol is a natural sweetener that is found in the fibrous part of plants. Products containing this substance such as tooth pastes, mouthwashes and sprays have been found to substantially reduce the amount of decay that is experienced by many people. Those who are looking for dental products such as mouthwashes may wish to make sure that the product they buy contains this Xylitol. The reason that this substance is so helpful is that it keeps sugars from breaking down in the mouth and sticking to the gums. Sugar is something which leads to bacteria and decay and needs to be prevented. This is the reason is still people that are going to find xylitol helpful in the prevention of cavities and decay. Benefits of xylitol The benefits of xylitol go beyond decay prevention however, the product can also help repair the enamel of the teeth. This is one of its other many uses. Those who choose to use this product in mouthwash will find that is has outstanding benefits for the individual and their overall dental health. Use products such as mouth wash that contain Xylitol and help stop tooth decay in its tracks. This is one premium product that can be used for oral hygiene. It is a great additive and one that can make a difference in oral health. Look for mouthwash containing Zylitol to help prevent tooth decay and pReserve oral health for the long term. Source
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=3056) Thyme Oil
Date:
February 26, 2014 08:51 AM
What is thyme
Benefits of thyme To begin with, it is an excellent disinfectant that is highly regarded particularly in aromatherapy for the protection against infectious diseases. Thyme oil is an antiseptic as well as an expectorant. When diffused into the atmosphere, it can be really beneficial in the treatment and as well as revealing the symptoms of bronchitis, sinusitis, pneumonia, coughs, cold and flu. The components in this volatile oil have also been proven to expel antimicrobial activity against a host of different bacteria and fungi. For thousands of years, this essential oil has been used to pReserve foods; protecting them from microbial contamination. In this way, using the oil helps people avoid various health issue associated with contaminated food. Thyme oil is also crucial in stimulating the formation of white blood cells as well as aiding in the oxygenation of cellular tissues; which helps in the removal of toxic wastes during illness. Thyme oil generally boosts your lymphatic system and builds your self-esteem and confidence in your ability to make quick recovery during illness. For a vitamin or supplement, thyme oil taken by mouth and can be very helpful in curing arthritis, stomach pain and a sore throat. It has also been used to treat skin disorders, movement disorders (dyspraxia) as well as parasitic worm infections. This oil can also be applied directly to the skin for swollen tonsils, hoarseness and sore mouth. In clusion I would like to caution you. Please note that there are lots of cheap, synthetic copies of essential oils. You, therefore, need to be careful when purchasing thyme oil and ensure that you get it from a trusted supplier to avoid getting a counterfeit product that may not give you the expected results. Sources
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=3037) Citrimax
Date:
December 20, 2013 09:14 AM
Citrimax is a global popular weight loss supplement drug which is believed to help in to burning of fats which are excess in the body since this fats are stored in the fat Reserves. It is one of the plant extracts from the South Asian fruit known as the Garcina cambogia which contains naturally occurring deposits of hydroxyl citric acid. This has been proved to be the source of appetite suppressant which results to the blockage of deposits of the fats enhancing metabolism. Benefits of Citrimax The tablets are believed to have been formulated and proven to be effective and preferably safe in clinical tests which have been conducted so far. Results have shown that these tablets can greatly suppress the appetite and to a greater percentage inhibits the production of fat in the body without any adverse effects on the dieter’s nervous system. The Citrimax are different from the rest of the body weight products because of the presence of the hydroxyl citric acid which normally fails to stimulate the central nervous system. Though there have cases associated with the nervous anxiety, Citrimax still remains to be a product with no risk at all since it does not cause drastic side effects. These tablets work by hindering the enzymes which breakdown carbohydrates into the stored fat in the body. It also promotes an increase in stored energy as to be in form of glycogen. It normally provides away of melting excess fats in the body. The Citrimax tablets Give an important impression in their usage since they work by altering the enzymes converting carbohydrates into fats since the carbohydrates stored as fats are used for energy and the body to store the same energy in form of glycogen which then is a channel of communication for the brain information which leads to turn off of hunger signals. .
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=2932) Ways to Keep Weight Off With Natural Sugar Regulators
Date:
July 13, 2013 10:06 AM
Weight loss Some of you might think that to lose weight, you simply have to burn more calories than what you take in. This is actually true, but within the body are different processes that affect the fat burning capacity of the body. A good example of this is the level of insulin. As you all know, the food you take in is converted into glucose, which is the body's source of energy. In order to transport the blood sugar to the various cells in the body, the pancreas creates a hormone called insulin to do the job. Therefore, the more glucose you have in your blood, the higher your insulin levels would be. This insulin surge is a bad thing, since it signals the body that there is more than enough energy Reserves in the body, thus, it can stop burning fat and instead start storing it. Another bad effect of this insulin surge is that once the blood sugar has been transported, the levels of blood sugar and insulin will drop down significantly causing a slump that makes individuals feel hungry.
As you can see, no matter how you good you are at counting the calories you take in and the calories you burn, your blood sugar levels have a major impact at how fat is stored in your body and also on your appetite. It is important, therefore, that you regulate the amount of sugar in your blood, and these natural compounds will be extremely helpful. Chromium
Chromium is a mineral that enhances the function of insulin in the body. This means that when you have chromium supplement in the body, your pancreas do not need to produce high levels of insulin to transport the blood sugar to your cells. Hence, your body will continue burning fat because it is not getting any signal of an occurrence of an insulin surge. The good thing with chromium is that it works well in regulating blood sugar levels from both end of the spectrum, instead of just focusing at driving sugar levels to one direction. Therefore, whether you are experiencing a low or high blood sugar levels, chromium will normalize your insulin functions so that you end up having normal blood sugar levels. Chromium can be found in broccoli, but it is available in diet supplements as chromium picolinate. Gymnema Sylvestre
Gymnema is a herb that is commonly found in Southern and Central India. It is best known to treat diabetes, thus it helps regulate blood sugar levels. According to studies, it has a sugar blocking property, which comes from the Gymnemic acids present in it. This acid, as they say, behaves like glucose, thus, when it attaches to the intestinal receptors, the absorbance of sugar from your meal is regulated. In effect, the production of insulin is also regulated. Today, there are Gymnema tablet supplements available in the market. Inulin
Another way to regulate blood sugar levels is by taking in some soluble fiber. Although classified as a carbohydrate, fiber is not digested or broken down by the body, thus, it does not contribute to the blood sugar levels. It also helps slow down sugar absorption of the body, keeping the blood sugar levels stable. Prebiotic inulin is a good source of soluble fiber. It is extracted from plants, such as chicory, garlic, dandelion, onion, and cornflower. Make sure you eat foods low in the glycemic index to reduce sugar spikes in the body. Maintaining a steady sugar level will help keep weight off and reduce binge eating.
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=2847) What Are The Health Benefits Of Quercetin?
Date:
April 18, 2013 07:37 AM
Quercetin is a bioflavonoid found in grains, leafy greens, vegetables and fruits, and has proven beneficial in the recent years. Plants often generate this flavonol to pReserve vitamins and guard themselves against cell injury, bacteria and parasites. Onions, red wine, tea and apple skins are particularly rich in quercetin, which can render several health benefits. Most of these benefits can be attributed to the antioxidant properties of quercetin. Here are the health benefits of quercetin. Heart Disease: The antioxidant properties of quercetin can reduce the risks of plaque development in the arteries, which is also referred to as atherosclerosis. Moreover, its anti-inflammatory properties can also prevent damage associated with LDL cholesterol; one of the major causes of heart disease. Since this antioxidant is naturally found in fruits and vegetables, regular intake of quercetin will help in enhancing heart strength. Hypertension or blood pressure can also be controlled with adequate consumption of quercetin. Protection against Allergies: The anti-inflammatory properties of quercetin have proven quite effective against many allergic reactions like allergic cough, hay fever, hives and asthma among others. It achieves this by inhibiting the production of histamine and other related inflammatory mediators. Therefore, it can reduce the risks of getting infected with various allergic conditions and help in speeding up recovery from these allergies. Possible Cancer Protection: Just like most antioxidants, quercetin has cancer inhibiting properties. The antioxidant properties of quercetin shield the cells against free radicals by reducing their growth and neutralizing their negative effects in the body. Some in-vitro studies have proven that it can control cancer cells development and may reduce the chances of contracting prostate, colon, ovarian and breast cancer. It can also help people suffering from chronic interstitial and prostatitis cystitis because it acts as an effective mast cell inhibitor. Cataracts: Quercetin can block the type of sugar which triggers the development of cataracts on your eye. Smokers or those who expose their eyes to excessive UV rays without wearing protective glasses may consider quercetin intake to reduce the risks of cataract formation. Improve Arthritis: Just like most anti-inflammatory drugs, quercetin can help people suffering from arthritis. It is believed that quercetin can reduce the pain and swelling that affects joints due to arthritis. According to some studies, change of diet from the normal western diet to a diet that focuses on vegetables and fruits with high quercetin can alleviate the symptoms of arthritis. Athletic Ability: Some studies show that consumption of quercetin twice every day enhances oxygen capacity and endurance in active women and men. The athletic ability improvement is attributed to the positive effect of quercetin on the cell energy processors, mitochondria. This effect coupled with the antioxidant properties of quercetin can boost the immune system and might lead to general health improvement. Other Heath Benefits: Some studies show that quercetin acts as a neutrotoxin hence can help in getting rid of neurological diseases. Since quercetin can help in free radicals control, it can also offer skin care benefits. It can also boost your immune system.
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=2835) Why Is George's Aloe Vera By Warren Labs Better Than Other Brands?
Date:
January 10, 2013 12:50 PM
Since time immemorial, the succulent Aloe Vera plant has been an eminent medicinal plant with a worldwide recognition. The soothing effect, rejuvenating irritated membranes, moisturizing the skin and easing constipation have been some of the undisputed health benefits that makes Aloe Vera gel a worthy supplement and cosmetic product's constituent. Recent research also shows that Aloe Vera extracts have a notable efficacy in lowering blood glucose and blood lipid levels. Studies however depict that the varied Aloe Vera species differ in some biochemical constituents and composition which makes some species better than others for a specific use. Georges Aloe Vera produced by Warren Labs specifically selects the species that are best suited for a given use. For instance, their George's Always Active Aloe Vera drink is made from Aloe barbadensis species which has been noted to be the most beneficial in rejuvenating mucal membranes that lines the GIT, effectively eases and prevents constipation without any irritation and also lowers blood lipid levels. Unlike other manufacturing processes employed by other Aloe supplement producers, George's Aloe Vera employs fractional distillation method to obtain the most beneficial constituents and gives Georges Aloe Vera drink the characteristic clear and thin feel. This process is primarily intended to get rid of the Aloe Vera's aloins and anthroquinones which irritate the GIT manifested by cramping and diarrhea. The distillation process also makes the drink easy to pReserve since most of the Aloe Vera's constituents which may necessitate special storage or addition of additives are discarded off. This yields a pleasantly tasting drink with no additives or preservatives added. For optimal health benefits of this supplement, the manufacturer recommends a consistent daily intake of 2 ounces twice a day, and thus a gallon pack is always enough to use for a month. However, even though most of the Aloe Vera's constituents which produce considerable drug interaction implications are distilled off, consulting your doctor before using the supplement while under medication is always worthwhile.
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=2808) Does Calcium Really Strengthen The Bones?
Date:
October 23, 2012 07:12 PM
Does it? Definitely, yes. Calcium, principally, is a fundamental component of the bones. Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the body; however, aside from its role to keep the bones healthy, it plays other different vital roles - for normal heartbeat; for muscle contractions and relaxation; for nerve and hormone function; and for blood pressure regulation. Since it has many purposes, calcium is always in demand. The bones are good calcium storage. When the body runs out of this mineral, the body will tend to use the bone as a Reserve. The bones are broken down to release the needed calcium. However, eventually, it will need to redeposit calcium to strengthen the bones. If the body is not able to replace this, the bones cannot be rebuilt that will result to bone-related diseases. Most commonly, this results to osteoporosis for the elderly, a condition where the bones become breakable and weak. In children, on the other hand, calcium deficiency can develop to Rickets syndrome, which is the softening of bones that can potentially lead to fractures and deformity.
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=2691) What is Vitamin Methylcobalamin B-12?
Date:
February 10, 2012 11:52 AM
Among the vitamin supplements presently available in the market, Vitamin B12 supplements are ones that a majority of people tend to excessively overlook. However, people do not know that this particular B vitamin is essentially need by their body to ensure that the nervous system continues functioning healthily, good DNA is produced and energy levels are maintained. What is Vitamin Methylcobalamin B-12? Vitamin B12 actually exists in four different forms namely Adenosylcobalamin, Cyanocobalamin, Hydroxycobalamin and Methylcobalamin. Among these forms of vitamin B12, the one that is most highly absorbed by the body is Methylcobalamin. This coenzyme form of vitamin B12 is considered biologically active. Since the deficiency of vitamin B12 can result of vitamin B12 can cause many problematic symptoms. The deficiency of B12, however, can be avoided with the consumption of Methylcobalamin B12 since it is absorbed by the body at a maximal rate. The body does not need to excesively metabolize this form of vitamin B12 in order to make it safe to be absorbed; therefore, it is almost instantly used up by the body. Typically the foods that vegans eat does not supply them with enough vitamin B12 from their diet, therefore, taking this coenzyme, biologically active form of vitamin B12 can help them cover up its deficiency. Why is Vitamin Methylcobalamin B-12 So Necessary? As mentioned earlier, the overall health of the body somewhat depends on the consumption of vitamin B12 as well. Similarly, anemia, nausea, lethargy, etc. are some health problems that can be caused because of the deficiency of vitamin B12. There are many other uses of vitamin B12, which can be more effectively fulfilled by Methylcobalamin. Carbohydrates, protein and sugar are effectively converted into energy with the help of this particular vitamin. This helps people avoid getting easily tired and worn out during the day.Red blood cells are formed with the help of this vitamin.This vitamin is needed by white blood cells so that they can ensure the immune system is functions efficiently.The vitamin is used by nerve cells so that they can keep their fatty layer pReserved.Cellular regeneration is promoted by this vitamin. People will also get easily fatigued, experience shortness of breath and feel numbness in their feet and hands if their body is deficient of vitamin B12. People can even suffer from pernicious anemia if their body becomes significantly deficient of this vitamin. The level of this vitamin in the body can also be lowered if people have undergone some digestive-related surgery or have used some drugs to combat gastric conditions. Typically, B12 injections containing methylcobalamin are recommended by doctors to patients whose bodies are in need of this vitamin. However, this particular form of the vitamin is also available in the form of supplementary tablets that are placed under the tongue until they dissolve up completely and are absorbed by the body. Vitamin B12 is therefore considered among the nutrients that the body essentially needs and it can be far more beneficial if people consume Methylcobalamin instead of the regular vitamin B12.
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=2569) What Is The HerbThyme Good For?
Date:
December 16, 2011 02:28 PM
What is Thyme?Thyme is the common name for the plant known as Thymus vulgaris. This herb has a sharp aroma. Its leaves are small and curled in appearance. Such leaves measure about 3 to 5 millimeters in length and 1 to 3 millimeters in width. The color of the leaves is green to gray on the upper part and pale green to whitish in the proximal part. This herb is abundantly found in several places in Asia, Europe and Mediterranean countries. And because of influences, nowadays, thyme is also widely cultivated in North America. It grows best in tropical areas with humid soils. It can thrive even in drought and can also grow in mountain areas.Thyme has many culinary uses as well as health benefits to the human body. During the ancient times, thyme is commonly used as an embalming agent. It is popularly used in Egypt to pReserve the mummies of their deceased rulers or pharaohs. In Greece, it was widely employed in temples because of its soothing and relaxing aromatic property. For the Romans, thyme is widely used as a flavoring to their cheese and liquors. It adds an aromatic flavor to the food or beverage, making it more palatable. Other traditions use this herb as incense for the dead to guide the soul of the dead and guarantee its journey into the next life. In addition, thyme also has an antiseptic property. During wars in the ancient times, this herb is popular as a topical application on wounds. Today, this herb can is also used as a mouthwash for sores and oral wounds. The active ingredient in thyme is called thymol. An oil extract of thyme consists of about 15 to 60 % thymol. The most promising property of thymol is its antiseptic quality. In fact, thymol is the considered to be the main ingredient of many popular mouthwashes and toothpastes. Before the discovery of many antibiotics, thyme extracts was popularly used as a medication for wounds and certain skin irritations. Also, thyme extracts can also be employed as an anti – fungal agent on conditions such as Athlete’s foot and toenail fungal infections. Commercially, thymol is also used as an ingredient among many hand sanitizers and cleansers which are alcohol – free and all – natural. Aside from it external use as an antiseptic, thyme extracts can also be made into tea and used as a relief treatment for respiratory problems such as coughs and bronchitis. And because of its antiseptic property, thyme extract made into a tincture has a promising effect to improve inflammations of the throat. This can also be used as gargles about three times per day to improve sores in the oral mucous membranes. It cans show improvement after three to five days of use. Another health use of thyme is that it can also be used to help in maternal labor and childbirth. Clinical studies have shown that thyme has an oxytocin – like property which can induce uterine contractions during labor. After childbirth, it can also be useful in facilitating a faster delivery of the placenta. Its antiseptic property is also useful in the prevention of maternal infections brought about by childbirth.
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=2544) Does Acidophilus Interfere With Antibiotics?
Date:
October 19, 2011 03:43 PM
As a term, acidophilus is used for describing various bacteria which aids in the process of human digestion. These different types of bacteria namely are: L. acidophilus, L Casei, L Bulgaricus just to name a few. Lactobacilus acidophilus is a single part of these mixtures however when it is mixed with other good bacteria it is commonly referred to as acidophilus. These good bacteria also known as a probiotics (bacteria that is used for beneficial purposes for the human health) has been touted to have many health benefits. In fact some of these health benefits have been known for thousands of years. Acidophilus is naturally found all throughout the body and is most likely made its way into our food hundreds if not thousands of years ago. It has the ability to ferment in which eventually humans figured they could and should artificially duplicate and alas we did. One of the main functions of acidophilus is to eat up sugar when placed in a rich sugar environment and they convert it to various substances like lactic acid. This is how it is able to pReserve food. It is able to lower down the pH of the food it is used in so that the flora is not as friendly to other bacteria. Yogurt is the most well-known example of food that uses acidophilus and that is where it gets that sour taste. Antibiotics Antibiotics simply mean if literally translated from its greek origins "against bacteria life forms" which is why it is commonly considered as an anti-bacterial substance. They are basically drugs that are used for the treatment for different types of infections which are caused by bacteria, the type of bacteria that are pathogens and not the probiotic ones. When our immune system fails in attacking and killing the bacteria that is attacking our body which does not happen often, we in turn will get ill and this is when we will need the help of antibiotics because that is its main function. The first ever antibiotic was penicillin, it was so amazing for a lot people that it was called the wonder drug when it first came in the mid 20th century. It was able to give hope to people that have infections that previously where life threatening but with the existence of penicillin they were alleviated of the symptoms in just a few days. Acidophilus and Antibiotics By now after reading what is above you will be able to conclude that Acidophilus can’t interfere with the work of Antibiotics. That is true because if anything the antibiotic will destroy the acidophilus because that is what an antibiotic does. It kills bacteria and unfortunately is not able to determine which are good and which are bad bacteria? So it will kill all bacteria that it comes into contact with. The recommendation is actually the other way around, avoid probiotic supplementation when you are taking antibiotics as well or if not make sure it is as far apart as possible to when you take antibiotics during the course of the day. This is why it is important to take acidophilus while on antibiotics. Never take both at the same time. Allow 4 – 6 hours between application of antibiotics when taking acidophilus. If you are on antibiotics, then grab yourself some probiotic acidophilus today!
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=2519) Is Sulfite Sensitivity And Vertigo Linked?
Date:
October 17, 2011 03:40 PM
Sulfites are chemical compounds which occur naturally in several animal and plant products. These chemicals are sulfur - based which is commonly used as food enhancer or preservative. Sulfites can effectively prolong the shelf life of food and also prevent discoloration of food. Foods which may contain sulfite include baked products, canned goods, junk foods, vegetable juices, fruit juices, apple cider, some teas and other processed food items. Sulfite - containing ingredients may include sulfur dioxide, potassium bisulfite or potassium metabisulfite and sodium bisulfite, sodium metabisulfite, or sodium sulfite. Allergic reaction to sulfite is not that rare. In fact, the Food and Drug Authority have established "1 out of 100 people" prevalence rate that is hypersensitive to sulfite and its products. Any person may develop allergic reaction to sulfites any time of his/her life. Studies revealed that the cause of such hypersensitivity is still unknown. More studies are still ongoing. Initial results have stated that the allergic effects can be mild or life – threatening. In late 1980's, the FDA released a memorandum on prohibiting the use of sulfite on fruits and vegetables that are commonly eaten fresh and raw such as lettuce, apples, guavas and the like. Regulations are also released for manufacturers to put labels on sulfite – containing processed food items. Sulfites also occur naturally among wines and beers. One theory revealed that sulfite allergic reaction may be caused by a significant insufficient amount of the enzyme necessary for the breakdown and elimination of such compound known as sulfite oxidase. This enzyme works hand in hand with the element molybdenum which acts as a cofactor. Nonetheless, asthma, nasal and sinus congestion, rhinitis, postnasal drip, headache and bronchospasm may also be experienced by the individual as an effect of sulfite consumption. In addition, vertigo may also be a manifestation of sulfite hypersensitivity. Studies have found that the allergic reaction brought about by the compound sulfite can significantly lower blood pressure thus resulting to decreased cardiac output which can eventually lead to insufficient tissue perfusion. Thus, dizziness is experienced or even loss of consciousness. Vertigo or dizziness is a kind of feeling in which your surroundings seem to be moving around even though there is no actual movement. In cases of severe vertigo, the person may experience nausea and vomiting. This will greatly affect your daily functioning since the person with vertigo may have difficulty walking or even standing on his/her own. This will significantly result to loss of balance and increase the risk of fall. There is no direct treatment of sulfite sensitivity. However, the symptoms can be alleviated in a palliative manner. The one and only way to prevent the occurrence of allergic reaction is to avoid food products with sulfites or food items which are likely to have sulfite content. Therefore, if you have sulfite allergy, you must be vigilant on what you eat. Carefully check labels of processed and pReserved foods and when eating out, politely as the waiter or chef if the food you like contains sulfite or ingredients which contain such chemical compound. Foods to avoid: Alcoholic beverages, Baked goods (pastries), Beverages fruit based, Condiments, Relishes, Confections, Frostings, Modified Dairy Products, Drugs, Fish, shell fish, fresh fruit and vegetables, gelatin, puddings, grains, jams, jellies, nuts, plant proteins, snack foods, soups and soup mixes, sweet sauce, and instant teas. To name a few. Look online to view a more details list of foods to avoid. This practically eliminates most of our favored junk foods we love to eat. Avoiding these foods may be hard but it is a healthier choice.
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=2511) Your Diet May Be What's Causing Your Acne
Date:
September 19, 2011 06:05 PM
Before discussing that, it is important to understand why acne gives rise to the symptoms that it does: lesions in the form of whiteheads and blackheads, pustules and cysts. While not necessary to discuss the biochemical details, the part that your diet has to play will not be understood without considering the effect of hormones on acne. The reason that teenagers in particular appear to be more prone to acne is that an increased production of hormones has an effect on the condition that causes the symptoms of acne. Fundamentally, acne is characterized by the infection and inflammation of a mass of oil and dead skin cells within the pores of the skin, particularly on the face, neck, chest buttocks and back. If we discuss each of these elements first, and how they are created, then the relationship between diet and acne will become clear. At a certain time in their lives, people experience a spurt of growth and develop sexually. This is initiated by the secretion of hormones, particularly of male sex hormones collectively known as androgens, and by various hormonal 'Growth Factors'. This stage of human development is known as puberty, although there is also an increase in androgen secretion by the adrenal glands just before menstruation and during pregnancy and menopause. Androgens such as testosterone are Reserved not only for the male of the species! An effect of androgens is to increase the rate of secretion of sebum from the sebaceous glands in the skin. The reason for this is unknown, though it has been hypothesized that its purpose is to waterproof the additional hair that is grown on the body at this time. Another suggested reason is as an olfactory warning to others to deter from sexual activity, in teenagers until their sexual development is complete, and in pre-menstrual, pregnant and menopausal women for obvious reasons. There is no substantial proof for any of these hypotheses, though the latter appears to make more sense than the former. Irrespective of this, androgens also interfere with desquamation, and the dead skin cells within the pores tend to fall off irregularly and in clumps. This mix of dead skin cells and excess sebum clogs up the pores of the sebaceous follicles. Once this plug becomes infected with bacteria, the immune system is activated, inflammation occurs, and leukocyte action leads to pus formation. That is what is known as acne. In order to determine how diet and acne are connected, it would be necessary to determine what components of our diet can either stimulate sebum production, or stimulate androgen secretion. If no such link could be found, then it would be fair to descry any connection between acne and the food you eat. However, there is a connection, and it is a positive one. In addition to their main function, insulin and a hormone known as IGF-1 (Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 that helps promote growth in children) promote the secretion of testosterone, a male hormone or androgen. Knowing, as we now do, that androgens promote the secretion of sebum, then anything that increases the levels of insulin or IGF-1 within the body will also lead to sebum production and hence to acne. What that infers is that any foodstuffs that increase the insulin levels in the blood can also lead to acne. This inference is supported in many ways. For example, it has been found that while drinking milk promotes a greater risk of acne, eating yoghurt does not. Why is this? It is known that milk can increase insulin levels because of its high sugar content. The effect of bacterial activity to produce yoghurt reduces the amount of sugars in the milk it is made from because the bacteria live on the lactose. The same argument applies to cheese, which promotes lower insulin levels than milk, if not as low as yoghurt. This being the case, then a diet low in sugars and carbohydrates should reduce the incidence of acne generally. Recent research has indicated that a diet high in refined carbohydrates and sugar increases both IGF-1 and insulin levels in the blood. This then creates a surge in male hormones which in turn leads to excessive sebum secretion and intermittent shedding of skin cells and so on to the growth of bacteria and acne. It is a logical progression, supported both by theory and by observation. So how should a person with a propensity for acne change their diet? Switch to fruits, vegetables and grains. Non-fatty meats are also acceptable, and .lots of fish and other seafood. Studies have concluded that diets rich in seafood lead to very low acne rates. The Japanese and coastal Chinese suffer very little acne in comparison with those taking a Western diet, particularly an American diet. One of the reasons for this is that omega-3 fatty acids help to reduce both inflammation and sebum production. The same is true of green tea that contains antioxidants that reduce the blood levels of dihydotetosterone and hence of sebum secretion by the sebaceous glands. We could go on, and list supplement after supplement that contain antioxidants and other substances that can reduce the production of sebum and hence of the symptoms of acne. Vegetable oils, on the other hand, with their high omega-6 fatty acid content, can drive up sebum production and the activity of the immune system and the inflammatory response. There are few doubts left that, while acne is not specifically caused by what you eat, diet can contribute to it and that acne and its severity can be eased by eating a diet low in carbohydrates and other sugar-promoting foods.
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=2442) What Are The Symptoms Of GABA Deficiency?
Date:
September 05, 2011 11:19 AM
Gaba Overview In this modern age many of our illnesses comes from the lack of certain substances, chemicals or enzymes just to name a few possibilities but the list could go on. They are called so many different things but they all have one thing in common and that’s being essential to our day to day bodily functions. In this writing we will look into possible symptoms of GABA deficiency. GABA or Gamma aminobutyric Acid Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is an essential neurotransmitter in the body. Its main function is as an inhibitor which mainly focuses on regulating neuronal excitability throughout the nervous system and another function that this chemical has it to aid in the regulation of muscle tone in human beings. In terms of its chemical makeup it is essentially an amino acid however it is very seldom to be called that in the scientific community. The reason mainly for this is because it is not an alpha amino acid and is never incorporated with a protein which what the term amino acid is commonly Reserved for in the medical science world. GABA, to keep things simple is mainly essential to the nervous system and brain health. It is responsible for the maintenance of our nervous system functions and some parts of the brain by allowing the nerves to complete the processes needed to get all the necessary chemicals to keep nerve functions healthy. GABA Deficiency and Symptoms As a neurotransmitter it has the ability to influence relaxation and aid in preventing anxiety when GABA levels are too low in the body there are a variety of unwanted effects that can happen. The reasons for GABA being too low in the body can possibly be two things, it can either be genetic or acquired reasons. Just to name some specific possible factors in GABA levels being low are chronic stress and chronic pain. Furthermore, inadequate sleep, caffeine excess, excessive electromagnetic radiation and progesterone deficiency may also further initiate the lowering of GABA levels in the body. With GABA being an essential neurotransmitter the first symptom that may arise with a lack of this brain chemical in the body is expectedly anxiety and depression. Many studies have shown individuals that suffer from some form of anxiety and depression commonly has low levels of GABA in their body and it has also confirmed that when subjects are supplemented with this brain chemical in an attempt to raise levels in the body they are alleviated of the incidence of depression and anxiety. Feeling panicky, nervous and having a low tolerance for stress are also possible symptoms and also have been shown in researches to be alleviated through GABA supplementation. The most common medication for people suffering from these symptoms is valium and as most of us know, even for those who haven’t used it, it has nasty side effects and one of them is addiction to it however more natural means of supplementing with GABA will be able to give the same desired improvements but with lesser side effects.
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=2419) What is Wild Yam Root And How Does It Help PMS And More?
Date:
July 25, 2011 02:44 PM
Wild Yam And Your HealthWild yam root refers to a group of tubers related to the common yam. While the common yam is consumed as a vegetable, wild yam root is known for its medicinal properties. It has been linked to many studies in the past few decades. It is a source of the plant steroid diosgenin, which is converted to progesterone in the laboratory. It has also shown to reduce cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Dioscorea villosa is the plant species often referred to as wild yam root, inasmuch as most products and supplements that are marketed as wild yam obtain extracts from this plant. Its positive effects on health are attributed to steroid-like organic compounds called saponins. Nevertheless, these saponins and other active ingredients of the root can also be derived in other closely related wild yam species. Rebalances Female Hormones Wild yam root is one of the most recognized plant species in the nutraceutical industry, especially in niches concerning the alleviation of hot flashes, night sweats, and other vasomotor symptoms. It is rich in compounds that precursors to human sex hormones, such as estrogen and progesterone. Whether modified or not, the compounds extracted from wild yam root display estrogenic activities inside the female body, and they can be administered through the mouth or skin. They work normalize fluctuating levels of hormones, as is the case during menopause. Counteracts Pain Chemicals The phytochemical content of wild yam room is anti-inflammatory in nature. Not surprisingly, it has been used in the treatment of inflammation-induced disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis, renal colic, ulcerative colitis, muscle cramps, abdominal pain, and inflammatory bowel disease. Wild yam root suppresses the releases of endogenous compounds responsible for the perception of pain in certain body parts. In addition, it also inhibits the excessive productions of immune cells that trigger hypersensitivity and immune disorders, such as bronchial asthma and allergic rhinitis. Boosts Bone Mineral Density Extracts of wild yam root are commercially touted to prevent bone loss characteristic of osteoporosis. Since the human bones are the primary Reserves of calcium and other minerals, they undergo a continuous cycle of demineralization to meet the mineral demands of other parts of the body. The process of demineralization that alters bone density throughout life is called bone resorption. It is influenced by other factors, such as sedentary lifestyle and mineral deficiencies. With a balanced diet, regular consumption of wild yam root has been reported to easily reverse bone loss. Reduces Overall Lipid Levels There is a growing body of literature devoted to the effects of wild yam root on overall lipid levels in the blood. Wild yam root supplements are believed to lower utilization of triglycerides in the liver, limiting the releases of cholesterol, low-density lipoproteins, and free fatty acids into the bloodstream. In addition, regular intake of wild yam root extracts appears to interfere with the breakdown of fats into easily digestible fatty acids and their subsequent absorption in the small intestines. This results in lower fat intake and healthier levels of cholesterol. What is stopping you from trying it?
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=2378) Control Cholesterol, Loose Weight, Regulate Blood Sugar, And More With Inositol
Date:
June 02, 2011 12:10 PM
What Does the B Vitamin Inositol Do for the Body? Inositol is an organic compound that functions within the human body in the same way as nutrients. Its vitamin-like activities are believed to be similar to other B vitamins. It plays an important role in the upkeep of cells, breakdown of fats, effects of insulin, activities of serotonin, and regulation of cholesterol, among others. It is usually obtained from plant-based food products that contain lecithin. Myo-inositol is the form most widespread in nature. It is also the form most active within the body as it has been associated with many physiological functions. It is no longer classified as an essential nutrient in that our body is capable of synthesizing it in adequate amounts. That being said, its vitamin-like activities and desirable health benefits have contributed to its popularity as a supplement. Reduces Cholesterol Levels One of the biological roles of inositol is to help regulate cholesterol levels in the systemic circulation. This nutrient even reduces overall lipid levels. It limits the conversion of very-low-density lipoproteins to low-density lipoproteins, or bad cholesterol. In addition, it promotes the releases of high-density lipoproteins, or good cholesterol, which contains lower amounts of lipids. By so doing, it lowers free fatty acids and other lipids in the blood and protects the blood vessels from lipid peroxidation. Modulates Serotonin Activities Inositol is directly involved in the activities of what we refer to as the happiness hormone, which is the neurotransmitter serotonin. In fact, this nutrient has very visible impact on the effects of serotonin on mood, appetite, sleep, and muscle contraction. Healthy levels of inositol increases the overall tolerance of the human body to risk factors and creates a general feeling of physical well being. Induces Weight Loss Fat metabolism relies on the presence of inositol, the reason why this B-vitamin-like compound is commercially touted to aid weight loss. Inositol participates in the chemical reactions that lead to the breakdown of fats. Consumptions of foods rich in inositol have shown to increase effective utilization of fat Reserves found in adipose tissues, such as the unwanted subcutaneous body fat. Proponents of supplementation believe that inositol induces breakdown of fats even while sleeping. Regulates Blood Sugar The hormone insulin is responsible for regulating blood sugar levels throughout the day. It sends signals to individual cells that promote the uptake of glucose from the blood. Glucose is of course what fuels cellular activities, and thus contributes to the metabolism of compounds utilized by cells. Inositol enables insulin to initiate signal transduction and communicate effectively with cells in the process. Improves Mental Disorders Inositol has long been linked to the improvement of mental disorders. It has been observed that individuals diagnosed with clinical depression have low levels of inositol in their cerebrospinal fluid. Supplementation appears to rebalance brain chemicals, enhance mood, and improve mental illnesses, such as bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety disorder, panic attacks, major depression, and Alzheimer’s disease.
Improve Your Health with Inositol.Grab some inositol today and improve your cardiovascular health naturally!
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=2318) What is Red Marine Algae And What Are Its Health Benefits?
Date:
June 01, 2011 04:21 PM
Red Marine Algae And Your Health.Red marine algae refer to a large group of seaweeds that contain phycobiliproteins, which give them their red coloration. They are simple organisms in that they do not have complex tissues in contrast with terrestrial plants. Many species of red marine algae plays an important role in the formation of coral reefs as they secrete calcium carbonate as well as provide nutrition for other marine species. Like plants, they are capable of making their own food by way of photosynthesis. And like most other seaweeds, they are excellent sources of vitamins, minerals, and other healthy organic compounds. Scientific Classification Rhodophyta is the taxonomic classification of all red marine algae. It is oftentimes considered a part of the plant kingdom, but more recent definitions of plant suggest red algae belong to a kingdom of their own. Rhodophyta is one of the largest groups of algae, second only to green algae. It consists of up to 6000 aquatic species that are widely distributed in the tropical, temperate, and even frigid zones. These species usually take up residence along the coastal regions and significantly contribute to the distribution, abundance, and ecology of organisms found in the extended perimeter of each continent. Historical Uses Seaweeds have become a part of the staple diet of many communities throughout history, and red marine algae are one of the best sources of human nutrition among all seaweeds. For thousands of years, different species of red algae have enjoyed significant presence in cuisines from all over the world. It is often consumed uncooked or added to salads. It is also an important ingredient in soups and stews. Ocean farmers have learned different techniques of domesticating crops of algae, and cultivation has been the solution to the growing demand of red marine algae in the past few decades. Industrial Applications Red marine algae have steadily grown in economic value since the 20th century. In addition to their historical culinary uses, their application now extends to medical science. Several organic compounds have been isolated from different species of red marine algae are now in wide use in the food and drug industries. For example, gelatinous substances are derived from agarophytes, any species of seaweeds that belong to rhodophyta. These substances are used in the production of beer, food pReserves, ice cream as well as papers, fabrics, lubricants, and other personal care products. Medicinal Value Red marine algae have a special place in antiviral research. Many species are now identified to contain organic compounds that are of medicinal value against several viruses. Decades-long studies have come to a conclusion that sulfated polysaccharides derived from red marine algae have an inhibitory effect on replication of herpes simplex virus (HSV). There is good evidence that one class of sulfated polysaccharides called carrageenan offer some protection against transmission of herpes. Furthermore, recent studies have revealed that sulfated polysaccharides are potent inhibitors of HIV-1 in cell culture. Red marine algae is an excellent source of nutrients found in the sea. Get some red marine algae and reap the benefits of this nutrient rich food today!
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=2316) Gooseberry Benefits Vision, Blood Sugar, Cholesterol And More
Date:
April 09, 2011 11:17 AM
Gooseberry And Your Health.Gooseberry is a group of fruit-bearing plant species that belong to the same family as currants. They are easily recognizable by their round berries that are either bright green or deep purple in color. While most of the cultivars produce fruits that are bitter in taste, gooseberries are often added to desserts and pReserved as jam or pickle. They are an excellent source of many nutrients, such as vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin B complex, phosphorous, calcium, iron, potassium, and magnesium, among others. Herbalists believe that the vitamin and mineral content of gooseberries do not significantly change after washing, heating, and other cooking preparations. Different varieties of gooseberries are widely distributed across the Old World, with species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia. The American species are also considered indigenous to North America although many dispute this claim. Each species have been linked to varying herbal remedies, but they all have similar genetic traits and nutrient contents. European and American cultivars are known for the following uses: Counters Visual Decline Gooseberry is often associated with the improvement of eyesight. There have been numerous articles about its medicinal potential in the treatment of cataracts, myopia or nearsightedness, and macular degeneration. The fruits are indeed a good source of biological precursors of vitamin A, and the juice extracted from the fruits are believed to contain phytochemicals that contribute to the upkeep of healthy cells found in the human eye. Reduces Blood Sugar Almost all varieties of gooseberry are believed to lower blood glucose levels. Proponents of its use as a therapeutic remedy for hyperglycemia point to the modulating effects of its organic compounds and metabolites on the hormone insulin. Gooseberry appears to increase production of insulin and improve glucose sensitivity of cells, the reason why it is also in use in conjunction with other common treatments for type 2 diabetes. Promotes Cardiovascular Health The organic compounds naturally occurring in gooseberry have been observed to show cardioprotective properties. First, they help lower serum cholesterol by interfering with the release of low-density lipoproteins, or bad cholesterol, from the liver. Second, they relax the smooth muscle cells within blood vessel walls, resulting in increased blood flow. Third, they strengthen heart muscles, promoting heart health. Improves Hair Loss The buzz around the ability of gooseberry products to control hair is supported by very encouraging results. It is believed that topical applications containing gooseberry extracts act on hair follicles, or hair roots, the part of the scalp that grow hair. Practitioners of folk medicine in Europe and Asia usually boil gooseberries, add the pulp to other ingredients to make paste, and apply the paste to the scalp. Scavenges Free Radicals Gooseberries are rich in polyphenols, with different species containing flavonoids, tannins, lignans, or their combination. Plant-based polyphenols are known for their antioxidant properties, which of course is important to neutralizing free radicals. Gooseberry is historically noted for its anti-aging effects, and modern research support this centuries-old with the discovery of its polyphenolic antioxidants. Give Gooseberry A Try Today!
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=2269) Is Pycnogenol a Good Antioxidant?
Date:
April 01, 2011 03:10 PM
Pycnogenol And Your HealthPycnogenol is the latest innovation in the antioxidant supplement industry. It makes use of oligomeric proanthocyanidins, select bioflavonoids, and organic acids that have been well investigated in a span of more than 30 years. As a trademarked product, it has been cited in more than 230 published works and systematic reviews that came into the conclusion that it is safe and effective. In fact, it is now an ingredient in over 300 health products. Pinus pinaster is an indigenous plant species of western Mediterranean from which the patented pycnogenol is extracted from. It is most populous in southwestern France, but it can also be found in large numbers in Portugal, Spain, Italy, and Morocco. Unlike new ingredients in some dietary supplements, pycnogenol is all-natural and completely derived from the Maritime Pine, which may well be known in the now-obsolete scientific name Pinus maritima. Neutralizes Reactive Oxygen Species Fast Antioxidants work on the principle of replenishing the antioxidant Reserves of each cell especially at times when our body is most susceptible to physical fatigue. Radical chemistry has taught us that reactive oxygen species, or ROS, are natural by-products of oxygen metabolism. There is nothing we can do to inhibit their releases, but our body does have a mechanism to neutralize them. Free radicals are one of the best known ROS and they are particularly reactive, causing a damaging chain reaction called oxidative stress. What makes pycnogenol different from other antioxidant supplements? It is the fastest-acting antioxidant out there with an absorption rate of only 20 minutes. In contrast with other known antioxidants, such as vitamin C and vitamin E, pycnogenol is believed to readily cross the blood-brain barrier, expanding its uses in the central nervous system. This is the reason why it has been suggested to be of value in treatment of known disorders of the nervous system. More importantly, it works up to a record-high 72 hours before it gets excreted by the body.
Fight Inflammation and Cardiovascular Disease With PycnogenolDisplays Potent Anti-Inflammatory Activities There have been numerous citations that pycnogenol is an effective inhibitor of inflammation intermediaries. It is postulated that it influences the productions and releases of eicosanoids that govern inflammatory responses. It has associated with the treatment of osteoarthritis, and preliminary results are encouraging. Also, it is believed that pycnogenol interferes with the effects of histamine via its receptors, and acts on mast cells responsible for mediator release. This is the reason why it is widely accepted as a viable treatment option for asthma, multiple sclerosis, allergic rhinitis, acute dermatitis, atopic eczema, and other skin conditions. Contributes to Overall Circulatory Health Pycnogenol is one of the antioxidants under scrutiny for its medicinal potential in the prevention of major diseases that afflict the circulatory and cardiovascular systems. For one, it has been observed to significantly lower systolic blood pressure, making it an effective therapy for hypertension. It has shown to alleviate chronic venous insufficiency and remove varicose veins. Moreover, regular supplementation of pycnogenol appears to improve performance in endurance athletes. Pycnogenol is an excellent herb to add to anybodies diet. Give Pycnogenol a try today!
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=2264) Can Magnesium Relax the Muscles?
Date:
March 04, 2011 04:27 PM
Magnesium The Miracle mineralThe biological role of magnesium is no longer the mystery it once was. Today we are well informed that the presence of minute quantities of magnesium in the human body is necessary for life. Moreover, a well balanced diet incorporating healthy levels of this trace element has been associated with lower susceptibility to fatigue, muscle weakness, and neurological conditions. Deficiency, on the other hand, brings on a long list of symptoms, including muscle spasms, insulin resistance, and even heart failure. It is an important factor of muscle health, and, not surprisingly, an effective muscle relaxant. Facilitates Muscle Recovery In the past few years there was a health concern in connection with the high incidence of magnesium deficiency among the general population, spurring the government to be actively involved in promoting the availability of elemental magnesium in the foods that we eat. Today with many food products fortified with magnesium, it is now becoming common knowledge that this dietary element is indispensable. What the average guy may not know is how important it is to the overall health of the muscles. First off, a significant fraction of magnesium is present in the muscle cells. The energy that you feel during physical exertion, which of course involves the muscles, is generated at the cellular level in the presence of magnesium. However, even when magnesium levels are depleted, each muscle cell still has to endure with the continuing muscular contractions, resulting in a slower rate of recovery. Prevents Muscle Fatigue Do be aware that longer hours at work take a toll on your muscular system. Doing the same things for long periods of time entails the repetitive use of the same muscles, straining these muscles and literally pushing them to the limit. Cumulative trauma disorder, or sometimes called repetitive strain injury, is in fact more common among individuals with low levels of magnesium, the muscles being more susceptible to stress as the body uses up its magnesium Reserves. The same is the case with staying up all night or engaging in activities with fewer rewards in that the nervous system plays a role in controlling your muscles. The role of magnesium in combating muscle fatigue transcends its presence in muscle tissues for it is also actively involved in keeping undesirable neurological responses in check. Strengthens Muscle Cells Magnesium is not an herbal remedy for muscle spasms, but a vital constituent of strong, healthy muscles. That being said, there are formulations that must be taken at recommended dosages to produce a relaxing effect on the muscles. This will of course relieve the symptoms associated with muscle problems, including pain, tremors, and stiffness. What must follow is the incorporation of this mineral to your diet or supplementation to ensure that your muscles are protected against their continued exposure to daily wear and tear. Keep in mind that supplying your body with magnesium translates to developing healthier muscles, whether you lead an active life or spend long hours at the workstation.
Have your had your magnesium today?
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=2247) Taurine - Essential or Non-Essential Amino Acid - You Decide?
Date:
February 17, 2011 10:56 AM
Amino Acid Taurine Is Essential For More Than You ThinkTaurine is an organic compound with acidic properties, which is synthesized in the pancreas in adults, but an essential amino acid in infants. Many neutraceutical products for infants are fortified with taurine, inasmuch as some newborns do not have the enzymes required to synthesize taurine. Taurine deficiency in adults results from deficiencies in other organic compounds, notably methionine and cysteine, which are its immediate precursors within the body. Helps in Brain Development It has long been postulated that taurine plays an important role in the human brain, especially in infants, protecting the nerve cells from possible neonatal damages. Taurine continues to affect the nervous system as we age, acting on gamma-aminobutyric acid, or GABA, and consequently enhances inhibitory synaptic transmissions. In addition, taurine is alleged to stimulate continuous activation of synapses characteristic of long-term potentiation, which memory and learning ability stem from. Stabilizes Glucose Levels Taurine is a powerful inhibitor of glycation, a process by which sugar molecules attach themselves to other biomolecules without the aid of enzymes, and thus subsequently impair the functions of these biomolecules. This process may take place inside or outside the body, but the substances that result from this process, which are referred to as advanced glycation end-products or AGEs, contribute to the formation of a number of major disorders in later life such as cardiovascular diseases, Alzheimer’s disease, age-related deafness and blindness, and cancer. Taurine keeps the cells from taking up AGEs from the blood, which is slowly excreted in the urine. Regulates Adipose Tissues It has also been observed that dietary taurine influences the metabolic pathways that give rise to the formation of adipose tissues, the fat Reserves of the human body. These fat depot appear anywhere in the body, but are commonly tied to the subcutaneous fats, those that we see on the belly, chest, arms, and thighs. Moreover, body fat percentage has been an indicator of obesity, which is central to the use of taurine in regulating adipose tissues. Influences Lipid Absorption Taurine is a major component of bile, the fluid produced by the liver, stored in the gallbladder, and secreted in the small intestines to aid in the digestion of triglycerides, cholesterol, and other lipids. Also, several studies point to the effect of taurine on the binding of proteins to lipids to form lipoproteins, compounds that have been notoriously labeled as bad cholesterol. Not surprisingly, taurine has been suggested to maintain healthy levels of blood cholesterol and prevent cardiovascular diseases. Fights Oxidative Stress Sodas have become a part of our daily diet today, but little did we know that they are risk factors for oxidative stress, the continued peroxidation of cellular structures. Fructose in sodas and other sweetened beverages is the most dangerous of all sugars, inasmuch as it releases by-products called AGEs, which are highly reactive to oxidation. AGEs do not get excreted right away and are instead absorbed by cells, leading to irreversible damages to neuronal and vascular tissues in later life. Intake of taurine removes this problem. Have you had your Taurine Today?
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=2239) Did You Know Lecithin is More than a Brain Food
Date:
February 15, 2011 04:16 PM
Lecithin, first discovered as the yellow substance in egg yolk, is now associated with a wide array of health benefits. It is in fact made up of a number of naturally occurring substances that all play an important role in promoting overall health at the right amounts. Today lecithin is made available as over-the-counter supplements and utilized for many different purposes in the food industry. Lowers Cholesterol Lecithin has been proven to reduce cholesterol serum levels. For one, it has a direct effect on the digestion of triglycerides and cholesterol from the foods we eat, blocking the pathway that breaks down fats into smaller particles and their consequent absorption by intestinal walls. Also, lecithin has been observed to attract free fatty acids in the bloodstream and move them away from arterial walls. More importantly, it inhibits the release of bad cholesterol and instead raises good cholesterol levels. Induces Weight Loss There are dietary supplements that make use of lecithin to assist weight loss. Since the amount of lecithin present in our diet contributes to the ability of the intestinal walls to break down fats, notably cholesterol, it practically flushes away unwanted calories. Lecithin is a part of a class of compounds called lipids, and, as a lipid, it is readily utilized by the cells to burn fats and power cellular functions. Supplies Energy Phosphatidylcholine, a major constituent of lecithin, is in the employ of every cell in the body as a form of protection and in cellular communication. It is one of the compounds that make up the lipid bilayer of cell membranes. Unfortunately, our systems use up more lecithin as a dynamic source of energy than what we supply our body, and this explains why we become more susceptible to stress. Protects the Liver Lecithin has always shown to be one of the compounds that promote liver health, and has been in use against certain diseases of the liver such as cirrhosis. This compound is responsible for speeding up the metabolism of lipids in the liver, and produce them only when needed, thereby removing the hazards associated with the buildup of fatty tissues that interferes with the functions of the liver. Helps during Pregnancy Choline is one of the most important compounds during pregnancy. It is in itself an essential nutrient with established daily value, being required to support healthy body functions, and lecithin is its best known precursor. Intake of lecithin before getting pregnant is recommendable as choline must be produced at sufficient amounts prior to conception to ensure healthy fetal development. Enhances Memory Lecithin, being a precursor of choline, is involved in improving brain function. There are neuronal processes that rely entirely on choline, whose absence in the nervous system results in decreased activity of these processes. In addition, it has long been postulated that the functional decline tied to aging is due to the depleting levels of choline in the body. Hence, it is prudent to replenish our choline Reserves by eating foods rich in lecithin.
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=2236) Can N-Acetyl Cysteine Boost Liver Health And Function?
Date:
February 10, 2011 12:31 PM
N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC) And The LiverN-Acetyl Cysteine or NAC is an antidote for poisonous effects of paracetamol overdose. It targets the cells in the liver, raising their capacity to deal with harmful metabolites. There are a number of researches well underway that scrutinizes a variety of medical conditions for which this compound could be of use. It is a known precursor of antioxidants and in itself a scavenger of peroxides and free radicals. Hepatocytes are the cells that take on most of the functions of the liver and account for more than 70 per cent of the liver’s total mass. These cells are responsible for the presystematic metabolism of drugs, also known as the first-pass effect, rendering most drugs innocuous before they are released into the bloodstream. The total amounts of bioactive substances that are distributed to the rest of the body are also largely regulated by hepatocytes, notably carbohydrates. In addition, they are involved in the biosynthesis of protein, cholesterol, phospholipids, and bile salts as well as the functional Reserves for protein. Hepatocytes and Toxins Certain drugs produce toxins when broken down by hepatocytes. A classic example is the metabolism of ethanol into acetaldehyde, which is a toxic compound, a probable carcinogen, and an air pollutant emitted by combustion of cars and tobacco smoking. While hepatocytes are known for their detoxifying responses to toxic substances entering the body, the metabolism of toxins actually takes up a great deal of time, resulting in certain toxins getting released into the bloodstream prior to first-pass effect. That being said, continued exposure to toxins wears down hepatocytes, and high concentrations of what we refer to as poisons is certain to bring damage to the liver. This is what happens during overdose of paracetamol, or acetaminophen. In an effort to metabolized excessive amounts of the drug, the liver cells produce by-products that are essentially poisons, which under normal circumstances can be contained well.
NAC and Glutathione ProductionThe major antioxidant synthesized by the human body called glutathione comes to the liver’s defense when toxic by-products are produced. Hepatocytes in particular are so dependent on glutathione in the quenching of toxins that it has been observed that any challenge to the manufacture of this endogenous antioxidant will ultimately result in liver failure. Glutathione is released by hepatocytes in large amounts especially during the metabolism of alcohol and drugs, but during overdose the ravaging activities of ethanol or drug metabolites overwhelm the detoxifying effects of antioxidant Reserves in the body. Simply put, the defense mechanisms in the employ of the body have limits. NAC resolves this problem. The presence of NAC in the body augments the liver’s ability to produce the needed amounts of glutathione to effectively counter the harmful properties of invasive substances. In fact, the liver completely recuperates in a matter of weeks even after life-threatening conditions given that NAC is introduced in the human body in time to avoid subsequent damages to other vital organs. Indeed its application has proven to save lives in fatal cases of paracetamol poisoning. N-Acetyl Cysteine is available at your local or internet vitamin store in capsule or tablet forms. Always choose name brands like Source Naturals to ensure quality and purity of the product you buy for better liver health. Have you had your NAC today?
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=2235) How can I Tell if I am Magnesium Deficient?
Date:
February 09, 2011 01:25 PM
Magnesium The Essential Mineral Magnesium is a dietary mineral that has established nutritional values in most countries. The presence of magnesium inside the human body involves many different chemical reactions, assisting more than 300 enzymes in their functional roles. That’s why we need to meet the daily recommended allowances for this dietary element, which has been calculated by the scientific community to supply the body with amounts adequate to support body functions. An Essential Mineral Not all enzymes are capable of producing the effects that they are programmed for on their own, and enzymes identified to rely on the presence of magnesium can be traced in almost all metabolic pathways. Molecules that comprise the structural units of RNA and DNA are extensively used as a source of energy of all cells, such as adenosine triphosphate or ATP. When enzymes utilize ATP for energy, they require another molecule that secures their binding to ATP, which is magnesium. In addition, ATP being the main source of energy that powers the functional roles of cells more often than not necessitates that it be bound to a magnesium ion to be fully activated. Absorption Problems
Magnesium is ubiquitous in nature, and green leafy vegetables are ideal sources of this dietary element as well as nuts, wheat, seafood, and meat. In spite of that, it has been reported that in the US alone more than 60 per cent of the population does not meet the recommended daily intake for magnesium. The availability of magnesium in our diet does not ensure absorption of this essential mineral, and a significant fraction is in fact excreted along with other waste products in the urine or feces. Interestingly, diet high in protein or fat actually interferes with the absorption of magnesium.
Magnesium DeficiencyA general feeling of malaise must not be taken lightly, for it is key indicator of magnesium deficiency. Magnesium is indispensable at the cellular level, and insufficient amounts of this element will certainly affect the way you feel, bringing about the perception of fatigue. If you feel weak all the time for no known reason, then it is recommendable to visit your doctor and find out if you have an alarming case of magnesium deficiency. Keep in mind that high concentrations of protein and fat in the foods that you eat contribute to malabsorption of magnesium, and subsequently malnutrition. Certain medical conditions are known to deplete your Reserves of elemental magnesium present in your body, notably diabetes mellitus. Drugs and medications also washes away the magnesium found in your diet and your body especially osmotic diuretics, cisplatin, ciclosporin, amphetamines, and possibly proton pump inhibitors. Continued exposure to stress and excessive intake of alcohol both result in the unhealthy drop of magnesium levels in the blood. While there are environmental settings that we may not be able to alter, we can certainly control what we ingest. Supplementation is the only surefire remedy for magnesium deficiency, but the best way to combat whatever symptoms you are experiencing is to seek medical advice.
It is Essential You Get Your Magnesium Daily!
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=2234) Spearmint Is a Powerful and Natural Remedy for all who use its leaves
Date:
September 09, 2010 12:59 PM
The spearmint plant is grown for its aromatic and carminative oil. This oil is referred to as oil of spearmint and grows well in nearly all temperate climates. The plant is often grown by gardeners in pots or planters because of its invasive spreading roots. The plant prefers partial shade. However, it is still able to flourish in full sun or even mostly shade. The plant is best suited for loamy soils that have plenty of organic material. The leaves of the plant can be used whole, chopped, dried and ground, frozen, pReserved in salt, sugar, sugar syrup, alcohol, oil, or dried. After the plant flowers, the leaves lose their aromatic appeal.
Spearmint is very similar to peppermint in the action that it provides. However, it is milder in its activity. Spearmint was the original mint that was used for healing. It should be noted that peppermint is actually a hybrid of spearmint. The Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans used the mint anciently for its medicinal value. This herb is very valuable. Most individuals are able to tolerate spearmint well. It is excellent for the gastrointestinal tract. One of its best helps is in soothing an upset stomach by soothing the stomach and intestines. Spearmint increases circulation in the stomach. It also helps to control vomiting that is a result of morning sickness during pregnancy. The oil that is found in spearmint leaves is responsible for working on the salivary glands to aid digestion. It also stimulates gastric secretions. The herb is a gentle and effective remedy for babies with colic. The herb also helps to relieve smooth muscle spasms, increase blood circulation, promote sweating, and relieve pain.
In short, the leaves of the spearmint plant are used to provide alterative, antiemetic, antispasmodic, aromatic, carminative, diaphoretic, diuretic, nervine, stimulant, and stomachic properties. The primary nutrients found in this herb are calcium, iodine, iron, magnesium, potassium, sulfur, and vitamins A, B-complex, and C. Primarily, spearmint is extremely beneficial in treating colds, colic, flu, gas, nausea, and vomiting. Additionally, this herb is very helpful in treating bladder inflammation, chills, cramps, dizziness, edema, fever, indigestion, kidney inflammation, kidney stones, spasms, and inhibited urine. In order to obtain the best results when supplementing with this, or any herb, it is important to consult your health care provider before beginning any regimen. For more information on the many beneficial effects provided by spearmint, please feel free to consult a representative from your local health food store with questions.
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=2184) Essential Enzymes Feel The Body To Good Health
Date:
March 19, 2010 07:08 PM
Most American diets are lacking in enzymes. The only way to get them is from live food or else through supplements. A mostly cooked-food diet needs a larger amount of enzymes from the digestive organs. This causes exhaustion and degeneration of the organs. The stress can be taken off of the pancreas and the entire system by supplementing with digestive enzymes. There are two types of enzymes: digestive and metabolic. The digestive enzymes work in the gastrointestinal tract to break down food into forms that can be assimilated and used by the body. Digestion takes up a lot of the body’s energy and needs the help of digestive enzymes in order to properly assimilate food. Overcooked food destroys enzymes. Additionally, foods may be lacking in enzymes due to pesticides, preservatives, pasteurization, and water containing chlorine. All of these are responsible for destroying enzymes. With age, our bodies manufacture fewer enzymes. It is necessary that the body has a proper balance of amino acids in order to manufacture enzymes. Metabolic enzymes work inside the cells in order to produce energy and detoxification. This type of enzyme is required for all bodily functions. Metabolic enzymes produce the energy that is required for the body to survive and thrive. A steady supply of enzymes is needed in order for complicated chemical reactions to occur in the body. Supplemental digestive enzymes should contain protease, which is responsible for breaking down protein into amino acids. Amylase is responsible for breaking down starch into sucrose, while lipase functions in the digestion of fats. Cellulase is needed to break down cellulose. Enzymes are responsible for improving the digestion and assimilation of food. They also help to improve assimilation of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and essential fatty acids. They also help the body break down old encrusted material on the entire digestive system. Enzymes can be taken after meals in order to improve digestion. Additional enzymes are necessary in between meals so that they are able to penetrate into tissues and break down undigested protein that can cause disease. They may also help prevent conditions like cancer, arthritis, and autoimmune diseases. Supplemental enzymes are usually needed because of poor eating habits that deplete the body of its own enzyme Reserve. Eating too much cooked food, processed food, wrong food combinations, pesticides, preservatives, and additives can lead to the destruction of essential enzymes. For more information on the many beneficial effects of enzymes, please contact a representative from your local or internet health food store.
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=2131) NADH 10 mg And 20 mg Enhanced with Bioenergy RIBOSE
Date:
December 10, 2009 04:23 PM
NADH 10 mg And 20 mg Enhanced with Bioenergy RIBOSE™
Based on a wealth of ongoing studies, we have a great understanding of the benefits of NADH. Not only is it an effective source of cellular energy, it is also one the body’s versatile electron donors—the molecule most frequently degraded during oxidation. Because of these characteristics NADH is, however, also very unstable with regard to light and oxygen, which leads to a very rapid loss of overall effectiveness. Additionally, poor lifestyle choices, such as the use of tobacco, excessive consumption of alcohol, drugs, and prescription medications, sleep deprivation, genetically-engineered foods, and a host of others can all inhibit the activity of NADH within the body. Hope is not lost, however. NOW® NADH contains a patented form of NADH from Panmol® - the first natural stabilized, stomach acidresistant form of this unique vitamin B3 supplement. Panmol® uses a patented process to naturally pReserve its effectiveness. The end result is a highly stable, and bioavailable NADH which can easily withstand the harsh, acidic environment of the stomach and digestive tract; a breakthrough in the battle against many of todays’ most chronic conditions. NOW® NADH is available in both 10 and 20 mg potencies. Both varieties have been further enhanced with 200 mg of Bioenergy RIBOSE™ to support its cellular energy support properties.* Who Stands to Benefit from NADH With a proper supply of amino acids and/or B3 vitamins (niacin) the human body is, in fact, capable of producing a limited Reserve of NADH. Under chronic strain however, the body’s need for NADH increases. As we age, the body’s ability to manufacture NADH becomes increasingly limited. With this in mind, the following groups stand to benefit the most from incorporating NOW® NADH into their supplement regimen.
• Those who work in stressful, cognitively-demanding professions
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=2115) Caralluma extract
Date:
August 24, 2009 11:32 AM
Caralluma is a succulent plant that is part of the cactus family. It can be found growing wild in Africa, the Canary Islands, India, and southern Europe, Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan. The herb has been used in Indian for centuries in order to curb appetite. It is a portable food for hunting and also an endurance enhancer. This herb was also used during periods of famine in order to curb appetite. The caralluma plant is part of the Apoxynaceae family. It has been eaten in rural Indian for centuries, raw, as a vegetable with spices, or pReserved in chutneys and pickles. It is often found as a roadside shrub or boundary marker. Caralluma has been used as a portable food and thirst quencher for hunting. Caralluma is mainly used for its ability to suppress hunger and appetite, while enhancing stamina. Tribesmen on a daily hunt will often only pack some caralluma to sustain themselves, which is why it is commonly known as a famine food in India. The working class in India used this plant not only as an appetite suppressant, but also to increase energy and endurance. Caralluma can be coked as a vegetable, pickled, used in chutneys, or eaten raw. This herb seems to block the activity of many fat-promoting enzymes in the body. It forces fat Reserves to be burned. One double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial on caralluma extract, which involved fifty people, showed significant reductions in all key indicators of weight loss. This plant is also believed to affect the appetite-control mechanism that is found in the brain. When we eat, nerves in our stomach send a signal to the brain’s hypothalamus. This is the appetite-controlling center. When the stomach is full, the hypothalamus informs the brain that it can stop eating. When a person feels hunger, it is the result of the hypothalamus sending a signal to the brain to eat. The interference with these signals, or even creating a sign of its own, is done by caralluma. Through this, the brain is tricked into thinking that the stomach is full, even if the person has not eaten. Patients who use caralluma have reported having more energy. Additionally, they tend to gain lean muscle mass while they lose fat. This herb not only reduces fat synthesis, but it also boosts the burning of fat. This makes more energy available for the body as a whole. The plant has no known toxicity or side effects. However, it is wise to consult a health care professional before supplementing with this, or any nutrient while on prescription medications. The entire caralluma plant is used to provide anorectic and energy boosting properties. The primary nutrients found in this herb are bitters principles, flavones glycosides, megastigmane glycosides, pregnane glycosides, and seponins. Primarily, this herb is extremely beneficial in dealing with low energy and obesity. It also acts as an appetite suppressant. For more information on the many beneficial effects provided by caralluma, please feel free to contact a representative from your local health food store.
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=2063) Honey And Your Health
Date:
July 02, 2009 10:59 AM
Honey is the perfect food, as it contains large amounts of vitamins, minerals, and is particularly rich in vitamins B and C. Additionally, it contains almost all vitamins of the B-complex, which are essential in the system for the digestion and metabolism of sugar. Honey is rich in minerals like calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, and silicon, just to name a few. This is especially true for the darker varieties of honey like buckwheat. Although the amount of vitamin C varies considerably depending on the source of nectar, some kinds of honey may contain as much as 300 milligrams of vitamin C per 100 grams of honey. Honey has been used for centuries to supply energy and rejuvenate the body. Athletes all over the world use honey in order to increase their Reserve of immediate energy. Due to its balanced sugar formula, honey requires no intermediate steps for proper digestion, making a rapidly supplied source of energy. A spoonful of honey is said to pass into the bloodstream and able to produce quick energy in ten minutes. If honey is taken with a calcium supplement, the glucose provided by honey can increase the body’s uptake of calcium by almost twenty-five percent. Even though many people see honey as just another form of sugar, it has a lot of advantages over refined, white, table sugar. One universal application of honey is its ability to promote the rapid healing of wounds. Honey is perfect for any kind of injury that involved breaking the skin, as it protects against infection and boosts the healing process. A good amount of clinical studies have found the wound healing abilities of unprocessed, with tests confirming that honey can exert a protective effect against all kinds of abscesses including gastric lesions and ulcers. Increasing amounts of research is confirming what ancients already knew about honey: that it has an impressive, natural antibiotic and antiseptic property. Research in Nigeria found that honey does exert an antibacterial effect on certain pathogens that cause cases of diarrhea. The ability of honey to stop proliferation of infection has made it a traditional treatment for wounds. Today, honey’s antibiotic action is in the process of re-discovery in the scientific community. Recent trials have found that honey exhibits a significant inhibitory effect on the helicobacter pylori bacteria that is thought to be one of the single most common causes of gastric ulcers. These tests determined that honey was better at stopping the action of H. pylori than several other antimicrobial agents. Another important use of honey is to treat a whole variety of respiratory ailments. Because honey has bactericidal, anti-allergenic, anti-inflammatory, and expectorant properties, the body is insured an immuno-biological defense and as the capacity to regenerate cells that are attacked. Results of one study found that honey facilitated improvement in cases of chronic bronchitis, asthmatic bronchitis, bronchial asthma, chronic rhinitis, allergic rhinitis, and sinusitis. The report on this study concluded that treatment of non-specific disease of the air passages with honey is efficient when the right honey type and method are used. It should be noted that honey should never be used to treat any condition if there is a pre-existing sensitivity to honey. Anyone who is allergy prone should determine whether they are allergic to honey before using it therapeutically. Honey is available in a wide range of forms including whole raw, pasteurized, and capsule forms for internal use. Look for your local or internet health food store for great name brands like Premier one and Montana big sky to ensure that you receive a quality and pure product to consume on a regular basis.
*Statements contained herein have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Honey is not intended to diagnose, treat and cure or prevent disease. Always consult with your professional health care provider before changing any medication or adding Vitamins to medications.
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=2028) Royal Jelly
Date:
June 23, 2009 11:02 AM
Royal jelly is an incredibly rich, creamy, opalescent, white liquid that is synthesized by the worker bees exclusively for the nourishment and cultivation of the queen bee. It is considered the most precious gift of the hive, as it extends the longevity of a bee’s life from six weeks to five years. Royal jelly is incomparable in its ability to enhance both physical and mental performance. Put in a simple manner, royal jelly promotes longevity by helping to maintain health, beauty, and youth. It is extremely potent, highly nutritional, and very natural. Royal jelly is extremely difficult for scientists to completely breakdown its components or synthesize its compounds. No matter how Royal Jelly is studied, certain components of the substance still seem to mystify even the most brilliant scientists. Because of this, duplicating what is thought to be the exact chemistry of royal jelly does not duplicate its effects in the human body. This means that only honeybees can make royal jelly. Royal jelly is rich in proteins and B-complex vitamins, especially pantothenic acid, which is often associated with reversing some of the major effects of aging. Although the chemical makeup of royal jelly may vary slightly according to the location it is found in, the United States Department of Agriculture has analyzed one gram of royal jelly and found in to contain vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, niacin, pantothenic acid, biotin, inositol, folic acid, and vitamin C. Royal jelly also contains vital fatty acids, sugars, sterols, phosphorus compounds, and acetylcholine. Acetylcholine is responsible for the proper transmission of nerve impulses and the proper functioning of the endocrine system. A lack of acetylcholine in the body can make us susceptible to a number of nerve disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and Multiple Sclerosis. Royal jelly can be purchased in a pure jelly-like material that must be kept frozen or refrigerated. It is also available in capsules, tablets, soft gels, and in honey chewable. Royal jelly is at its ideal best when it is combined with other natural beehive products and complementary botanicals. Because royal jelly spoils very easy, much research has been done on the ability to pReserve this key nutrient. One good way to present and pReserve royal jelly is within its natural medium of pure honey. By taking freeze-dried varieties of royal jelly, one can also obtain their supplemental dose. A capsulated, freeze-dried variety is an excellent and convenient way to ingest royal jelly. It is necessary to purchase quality bee products in order to obtain the potent and pure varieties of any type of bee food or by-product. It should be noted that a relatively small percentage of the population can experience a laxative effect from royal jelly or bee pollen. Additionally, allergic reactions can happen. However, they are quite rare. Some of these allergies are due to poor quality pollen, as it has been gathered from commercially sprayed flowers or improperly cleaned, dried, or stored. Anyway taking bee products should begin slowly, in small amounts to be sure that an allergic reaction will not occur. Natural bee pollen and royal jelly can be found at VitaNet ®, LLC health food store. Always purchase name brands to ensure that you receive a high quality and pure product.
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=2023) L-Methionine
Date:
May 02, 2009 11:41 AM
Methionine is an essential amino acid, meaning that it is not synthesized by the body, and so has to be taken as part of your diet. It also contains sulfur, one of two sulfur-containing amino acids that can form proteins, the other being cysteine. It is a precursor for taurine, which is an aminosulphonic acid, and not strictly an amino acid, which together with cysteine supports the health of your cardiovascular system and helps to eliminate toxins from the body. Maintenance of Cell Membranes It is also an important intermediary in the maintenance of cell membranes. Phospholipids are fat-soluble components of the cell membrane, phosphatidylcholine being a very important example. Also known as lecithin, this substance is derived from choline, itself biosynthesized in a chemical pathway involving S-adenosylmethionine. This substance is made in the body from ATP (adenosine triphosphate) and methionine with the help of the enzyme methionine adensosyltransferase. Known as SAM (or SAM-e), S-adenosylmethionine employs a number of metabolic pathways in its reaction, though generally aminopropylation, transmethylation and transsulfuration. These add aminopropyl, sulfo and methyl groups to a number of substances, the most common being the methylation of proteins, nucleic acids and lipids. Phosphatidylcholine is produced by the enzyme-catalyzed sequential methylation of phosphatidylethanolamine, SAM donating the methyl groups. The maintenance of the integrity of the cellular membrane by phosphatidylcholine is critical to all of the basic processes in human biology, including communication between cells, flow of information and bioenergetics. A by-product of this reaction is homocysteine, formed in the liver from the S-adenosylhomocysteine that SAM is changed to after donating methyl groups. Excess homocysteine in the blood can create the risk of myocardial infarction and cardiovascular disease. SAM is also of use in the treatment of depression and of arthritis. Muscle Development Creatine is a substance well known to athletes as being useful in provide short-term energy for high-intensity training. Although available in the diet, about 50% creatine used by the body is biosynthesized from methionine and two other amino acids, glycine and arginine. It allows a burst of energy lasting about 10 seconds, carried out without the use of glycogen Reserves or fatty tissue. Glycine and arginine combine to release ornithine as a by-product, and form guanidino acetate. SAM donates a methyl group to the latter to form creatine, about 95% of which is then stored in the skeletal muscle tissue. The stored creatine phosphate has the effect of allowing the muscle cells to hold more water, which also enables an enhanced level of protein synthesis, and hence an increase in muscle bulk, which also results from the increased blood flow resulting from the short-term high-intensity exercise that creatine allows. Creatine can also increase the levels of MRF4 (myogenic transcription factor), resulting in an increasing in the myonuclei provided by satellite cells to damaged muscle tissue, that not only repair damaged muscle fibers, but also increase their ability to grow. Detoxification of the Liver Substances that help the liver to process fats, or lipids, are known as lipotropic, and the important lipotropics in human biochemistry are imositol, betaine, choline and methionine. They prevent fat from accumulating in the liver, and methionine is also useful in its effect of glutathione. This is a substance that helps the liver to neutralize toxins, such as excessive doses of acetaminophen, and its supplies are regulated by methionine. Methionine and Autism Research into autism is closely studying the Methionine/Glutathione Transsulfuration Pathway. This pathway is a very important biochemical means of detoxification, whereby toxins are methylated and then excreted. This pathway seems to be disrupted in autistic individuals. Not only that, but disruption can lead to oxidative stress which results in many health problems. An example of this is the build-up of the oxidant homocysteine when there is insufficient Vitamin B6 to convert it into cysteine. This has been discussed previously, and is discussed again below. Miscellaneous Benefits Although research is in its infancy, it appears that AIDS sufferers also have decreased levels of methionine in their blood. It is believed that the process of AIDS could be linked to this, particularly the dementia that can occur as a result of the deterioration of the nervous system. It is also hoped that it can help with some symptoms of Parkinson's disease, and pancreatitis. Initial research into this use of methionine has been very promising, as are studies into its use for urinary tract infections. It appears to operate like cranberry in this respect, preventing bacteria from attaching to the cell walls and multiplying in the urinary tract. Methionine is believed to be essential for the formation of collagen, and for healthy pliable skin, hair, nails and other forms of connective tissue. For this reason it is often used as a supplement for the treatment of arthritis, although an excess should be avoided for reasons discussed above. S-Adenosylmethionine generates homocysteine during the biosynthesis of phosphatidylcholine, and this can cause cardiovascular problems. So stick to the recommended doses when you use methionine as a supplement. Used properly, and according to instructions, it offers many health benefits, and can also be used to bulk up your muscle tissue and give increased energy when you need it most. Dietary sources include fish, eggs, lentils, onions, garlic, meat, seeds, spinach and yoghurt. A good supplement would be from 800mg - 1000mg per day, and is best taken along with a B vitamin complex, or at least folic acid and vitamins B6 and B12, in order to prevent the increased generation of homocysteine. Methionine also promotes the excretion of estrogen, so is a possible supplement for women on oral contraceptives that lower the production of this hormone. The elderly might also benefit from a supplement although, if taken for any specific condition, your health professional should be consulted first, as they should be for any supplement. Nevertheless, methionine is a very useful supplement, and can be taken to prevent a large number of conditions. Research is continuing on its effect on AIDS patients, and Parkinson's, and it is hopeful that it will one day be recommended to help people suffering from these conditions.
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=2002) Strengthen The Liver and Kidneys With Leucine
Date:
April 27, 2009 02:08 PM
L-leucine is an amino acid that is used by the body to fuel exercise and muscle-building to provide you with that athletic edge that gets you ahead of your opponents. It does so in a number of ways, none of them specifically by the direct generation of energy as such. It is also an essential amino acid, since it cannot be manufactured by your body and hence must be taken as a supplement or as part of your diet. Foods rich in leucine include nuts, whole wheat products such as wholemeal bread, and brown rice. It is a hydrophobic amino acid, meaning that it does not like water. It is also one of three essential branched chain amino acids, the other two being L-valine and L-isoleucine, and offers many benefits to athletic performance that shall be discussed below It also helps to pReserve the body's stores of glycogen, used as an emergency energy source. Other than these properties, it possesses others, such as the maintenance of the nitrogen balance in the body. So how does it work to fuel your body while you are exercising? The answer is not as you might think. L-leucine doesn't increase your energy levels as creatine does when it elevates your ATP (adenosine triphosphate) levels. ATP is the molecule of energy that is synthesized in your body cells, and is then converted back to ADP, the diphosphate, with the release of energy in the form of muscular contractions. This amino acid is what is referred to as a 'limiting' substance, in that the other amino acids cannot do their jobs in your body unless you have sufficient L-leucine in proportion to them. Specifically, you need two parts of L-valine and two parts of L-leucine to one part of L-isoleucine for optimum usage of the food that you eat. Therefore you cannot just take the supplement without considering how much should be taken to ensure this balance. Excess will be wasted and a deficiency would fail to make proper use of the protein content of your food. If you suffer from a deficiency, therefore, your body cannot make best use of the protein in your diet to the extent that muscle tissue will not be generated during exercise. In fact it causes catabolism, or the breakdown of muscle tissue, resulting in a loss of performance and possible increase in fatty tissue as opposed to lean muscle. The only way to build muscle is take in sufficient nitrogen in the form of amino acids and protein, along with L-leucine to put that protein to best use. One of the major properties of L-leucine is in stimulating the synthesis of skeletal muscle tissue and by using a supplement, the protein balance can be positive after a workout. It has been shown that this protein balance is generally negative until specifically L-leucine is consumed. The way it works is to activate a muscle-generating pathway known as mTOR (mammalian Target of Rapamycin). mTOR is normally activated when the levels of ATP in the muscle cells is high, and when these levels drop then mTOR is deactivated. The activity of mTOR is sensitive to the concentration of L-leucine, and when the concentration of the amino acid in the body rises it informs mTOR that the protein in the diet is sufficient to manufacture skeletal muscle tissue, and so mTOR s activated. Exactly how this is done is unknown, but is a fact the mTOR depends upon both L-leucine concentration and also ATP levels. This amino acid also decreases catabolism through a number of different mechanisms, one of which involves increasing insulin levels. In fact, when insulin and L-leucine levels increase at the same time, there is a synergy that promotes the synthesis of new protein. Not only that, but the response of insulin to the presence of carbohydrates is enhanced, this resulting in an enhancement of your body's metabolism. The amino acid can also be used to help those suffering from kidney and liver problems because it increases liver protein synthesis. It is therefore a useful adjunct both to diabetics and those suffering from liver and kidney disease. However, because L-leucine is an essential amino acid with so many important properties, a deficiency can have specific consequences. Catabolism has been stated earlier as one such reaction to a deficiency, and others include decreased energy levels and irregularities in the levels of blood sugar. Everything about this substance is not good however, and when taken by itself in excess, it can reduce the amount of the other amino acids in the blood, particularly of the other two branched chain amino acids (BCAAs). This in turn upsets the balance of amino acids, and reduces further the ability of the body to produce muscle tissue until a balanced supplement is taken. Leucine also helps to maintain the nitrogen balance. It is essential for the human body to maintain a positive nitrogen balance, and L-leucine supports this. In fact, one study has demonstrated that after 12 hours infusion with L-leucine, nitrogen balance was improved by as much as 23%. A supplement alone is not always sufficient to maintain a positive nitrogen balance. It is generally essential that you rest your body for a sufficient length of time to allow protein to be generated. If you don't take the required amount of rest, a surplus of protein could be used to maintain energy levels rather than replace lost protein and maintain a good nitrogen balance. A positive nitrogen balance is essential for the generation of muscle tissue, such as in bodybuilding for example, since all proteins contain nitrogen and the net nitrogen intake must exceed the excretion rate. Not in gaseous form, of course, but in the intake of amino acids and proteins. The more positive your nitrogen balance is, the faster you will recover after exercise. It is essential for anabolic exercise. L-leucine, therefore, is a supplement that can help to maintain your current muscle mass while undergoing strenuous exercise, in addition to increasing it while resting. It offers other health benefits, one being helping to maintain clarity of thought in the aged. However, it is for its effect on muscular build-up and the athletic edge that provides that the supplement is most commonly taken.
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=1997) Digestive Essentail Enzymes
Date:
January 04, 2009 10:29 AM
Years of researching various health-promoting herbs, vitamins, minerals, and other dietary supplements has led to the conclusion that enzyme therapy is one of the most valuable ways to maintain and promote good health. Not very many of us actually understand the enormous role that enzymes play in health maintenance, with many of us actually being enzyme depleted due to the over-consumption of cooked enzyme-less foods and the under-consumption of raw whole foods. The human digestive system was designed for a diet that is full of raw plants and fruits, but many foods today are processed, refined, heated, and fragmented. By eating foods that have lost their own natural enzymes, the pancreas and other organs that supply digestive enzymes are over-worked. This results in enzymatic function in other areas of the body to become compromised, which leads to disastrous health implications. Replenishing enzymes through diet and supplementation is an easy way to make up for the typical diet that is full of mostly dead foods. The human digestive system is one of the most perfectly designed systems in the body, typically functioning without problems. This means that if we are eating the right foods in the right way, then we should not have to rely on antacids, H2 antagonists, proton-pump inhibitors, and laxatives. Burping, belching, and bloating, no matter how often they occur, are actually not normal. It is ironic that the human body has a system that is far more impressive than any other machine built by humans, but we suffer from breakdowns all the time such as abdominal cramps after eating, inordinate amounts of gas, sluggish colons, and an overall lousy feeling after eating. Statistics prove that we are not eating the right foods, and even if we were, many of us are not properly absorbing all of their nutrients because we consume huge amounts of sugar, drugs, caffeine, alcohol, and highly processed refined foods that prevent normal digestive processes. Being under constant stress and eating on the run, along with our unhealthy food choices, creates an environment inside our body that causes common cases of heartburn and indigestion, possibly leading to ulcers and colon disease. Enzymes are protein molecules that are responsible for thousands of physiological reactions that take place in the human body. They initiate and control almost every biochemical process that occurs in the body, with nearly three thousand individual enzymes being identified to date. Enzymes help our body to digest food, repair tissue, and eliminate dangerous toxins. Digestive enzymes break down food particles, which allows them to pass through the intestinal wall and enter the bloodstream. The enzymes that are found in the blood transform nutrient particles into tissue that is found in muscles, nerves, organs, and glands.
Enzymes also contribute to the process that stores sugar in the liver and muscle tissue and pReserves fatty tissue. Additionally, digestive enzymes are part of the chemical reaction that creates urea. Some enzymes even help to detoxify our blood and tissue by allowing our immune system to attack foreign material. Lastly, metabolic enzymes help create energy in our body on a cellular level by converting foot to energy, which then fuels nearly every mechanism in the body. Do you get enough enzymes on a daily basis?
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=1957) Essential Fatty Acids (omega-3) ( Primrose Oil)
Date:
September 11, 2008 09:04 AM
A deficiency in essential fatty acids can be linked to many ailments. When the body lacks linoleic acid in the diet, adverse symptoms result. Such symptoms include: acne, changes in personality or behavior, gallbladder dysfunction, slow healing wounds, cardiovascular problems, prostate inflammation, thirst due to excessive perspiration, arthritis, miscarriage, poor growth, kidney problems, muscle tremors, skin disorders, and sterility in males. Low contents or a lack of linolenic acid in the diet can also cause many adverse symptoms. These symptoms include poor growth, learning disability, tingling in the extremities, impaired motor coordination, and poor vision. When adequate amounts of dietary fatty acids are obtained in the deficient person, adverse symptoms will disappear. Unfortunately, long-term deficiencies of essential fatty acids can eventually lead to death. Because the human body requires forty-five known essential nutrients and requires linoleic acid more than any other, researchers estimate that the body needs at least three to six grams a day of linoleic acid in order to prevent deficiency symptoms. This is equivalent to one to two percent of your daily caloric intake. However, a much larger amount can be helpful to encourage and pReserve optimum health. Although the requirements are different for each person, factors such as stress, diet, and amount of physical activity that is engaged in daily must be taken into account. For example, an obese person who eats a lot of saturated fats will need a lot more essential fatty acids than a thin person who is cautious about the amount of saturated fats that are included in their diet. Saturated fats interfere with the absorption and metabolism of linoleic acid. A well-balanced diet will include primary nutrients such as vitamins B3, B6, C, zinc, and vitamin A. This will help the body to utilize essential fatty acids much more efficiently. It should be mentioned that the ability of lipids to hold high levels of oxygen has negative effects for those who are obese. By having increased oxygen in fat Reserves, one can experience lipid oxidation, which leads to free radical formation, which in turn increases many tissue pathologies. In order to avoid this process, a diet or supplementation that is rich in antioxidant nutrients such as vitamins A, C, and E is encouraged. Many factors can get in the way of fatty acid metabolism. These include a diet that is high in saturated fats and cholesterol, aging, alcohol, high blood sugar, viral infections, and aspirin use. It is recommended that people stay away from fats that have been altered from their normal, health-giving state to the point in which they actually cause damage to the cells of the body. In an ideal state, a person who is health conscious will avoid any foods that are deep-fried, as they are especially dangerous to the human body. However, because we are all humans, it is almost impossible to eat a perfect diet in this day and age.
Therefore, taking an essential fatty acid supplement is a great idea that is recommended by many health experts to offset the damage that is often done to your body by consuming the unwanted, yet inevitable, bad fats. Essential fatty acids can regulate hormone production in the body and stabilize ones emotional state if it is due to a hormone imbalance. Have you had your essential fatty acids today?
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=1888) Magnesium
Date:
August 09, 2008 11:37 AM
Recent studies have found the importance of magnesium as a nutrient and its impact on general and heart health. Nutritional magnesium is deeply involved in the production of energy, the uptake of oxygen, the function of the central nervous system, the balance of electrolytes, the metabolism of glucose, and the activity of muscles, including the heart. When magnesium’s importance in the heart muscle is closely examine, the microscope is necessary, as it gets right down to the cellular and molecular levels. Magnesium has an essential role in many of the functions of energy production and is an integral part of the energy and protein molecules, without which the heart would not have the proper energy to contract and relax. Magnesium is also essential in the construction of the cell membrane, as the heart is composed of cells and the magnesium plays a role in the strength of the heart muscle itself. When magnesium levels begin to get too low the body will try to adapt, but the basic functions of energy production and cell structure are affected. Without enough magnesium, the cell is unable to keep the proper number of high-energy molecules that is needed to function properly. It doesn’t just end there though, as just about everything starts to go once magnesium falls below a certain level, and then cellular damage can result. Sodium balance and electrolyte balance also start to change, while the cell is unable to have a fully integrated membrane system due to magnesium deficiency, calcium and sodium start to rush into abnormal areas for the muscle cells which can cause cellular damage. If a person is not getting adequate magnesium, they may go into a marginal state, which can be taken to a depleted state with a certain trauma or excessive physical, emotional, or mental stress. This depleted state can manifest as hypertension, high cholesterol, heart disease, and possibly even a heart attack. Magnesium requirements increase during times of stress which include exercise, mental and emotional issues, high noise, chemical toxins, and others. Requirements for magnesium also rise during healing from a bodily trauma such as an injury or operation. A low magnesium condition can be worsened by a high intake of calcium, as calcium can not be optimally utilized without the proper balance of magnesium, and a high calcium intake without magnesium will cause further drainage of any magnesium Reserves. Although calcium is necessary at the cellular level for muscles to contract, nerves to fire, and hormones to be produced and released, too much calcium and too little magnesium is a disaster. Another problem related to heart health is cholesterol, a fatty substance found in many areas of the body. Since cholesterol has gotten such a bad name, many people do not know that it is actually produced in all cells naturally and is important for proper bodily functions. Finally, one of the reactions that are involved in cholesterol production is called rate-limiting reaction, as it keeps control of the amount of cholesterol manufactured. The rate-limiting reaction requires magnesium, which can cause cholesterol to continue to be manufactured beyond the cells control if magnesium is unavailable, resulting in cholesterol buildup. As you can see, magnesium is vital to the body and if not obtained from your diet, should be supplemented through a vitamin supplement from a health food store. For more information on magnesium and its healthful effects on the body, feel free to contact your local health food store.
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=1860) Capsicum - Cayenne Red Pepper
Date:
July 28, 2008 03:06 PM
Capsicum also known as cayenne pepper has been known to the natives of the tropical Americas for thousands of years. It was first introduced to Europe by Christopher Columbus as Guinea Pepper and was originally used by Native Americans that were located south of the Mexican boarder as early as 700 B.C. The mixture of chocolate and red chilies was a taste treat that was Reserved exclusively for Aztec royalty. Although the exact origin of the word Capsicum is somewhat a mystery, it is assumed to be derived from the Greek word kapto, which means to bite. Capsicum is a fruit found on a shrub-like tropical plant that is technically considered a berry. The designation of it as a pepper can be traced back to Columbus, who compared its hot taste sensation with that, a black pepper. Gerard referred to Capsicum as extremely hot and dry in 1597 and prescribed it to those with skin and throat infections. The health practitioners of the 1800s used Capsicum to counteract rheumatism, arthritis, depression, and chills. Capsicum was used in the early 1800s as a potent and safe natural stimulant and was believed to be able to treat a large array of diseases. It was first used orally to treat tumors, toothaches, fevers, and respiratory conditions. This cayenne red pepper was introduced to England by Dr. John Stevens in 1804 when it became the catalyst component in many herbal blends. Additionally, herbal and medical practitioners used Capsicum in order to fight infection and sustain the natural heat that the body produces. After, it became very well known in American dispensatories and pharmacopeia. In 1943, The Dispensary of the United States recorded Capsicum to be a powerful local stimulant that produces a sense of heat in the stomach and a general glow over the whole body when it is swallowed. It does all of this without having a narcotic effect. Physicians in the twentieth-century recognized the medicinal value of Capsicum. This caused the herb to find its way to the American Illustrated Medical Dictionary, the Merck Manual and Materia Medica, where it is named a rubefacient, local stimulant, counter-irritant, gastric stimulant, and diaphoretic. Mexican Indians today use Capsicum as an intestinal disinfectant and protectant against contaminated food and, additionally, to treat fevers. In the world today, this cayenne pepper is no more appreciated and more widely used than in Mexico and a few other Latin American countries, which together are the original home of all the peppers. Practically every dish the Indians eat both in the morning and evening include Capsicum, just as it was 2,000 years ago. These peppers are a wonderful source of essential vitamins in a diet that is otherwise lacking of them. Capsicum is a source of health and vitality in many countries which include the Bahamas and Costa Rica, in which it is used to treat colic and indigestion, in Africa for vascular disorders, and in North America as a tonic and natural stimulant. Currently undergoing a large variety of studies, Capsicum has emerged with an impressive list of actions. Scientists are currently taking notice and looking at Capsicum with a new respect and interest. Capsicum can be set apart from powerful pharmaceutical stimulants and pain killers because it possesses the potency without the delirious side effects.
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=1844) How Important Is It To Have Proper Digestion
Date:
July 09, 2008 11:46 AM
The part played by food in the health of your body is to furnish it with the nutrients needed for the biochemistry that keeps you alive. The digestive process breaks the food that you eat down into a form that can be absorbed by your bloodstream, and from there to your liver which is your body’s chemical plant. That is where most of the biochemical reactions of your body take place, such as the manufacture of bile needed to break down fats during digestion. Most people do not take this into account when eating, and in today’s hectic world nourishment is the last thing on their minds, yet the one aspect of their lives that can provide them with the energy to carry on as they do. They eat to get rid of the feeling of hunger, and any old thing will do: a burger or a pizza, but rarely an orange or some cheese on wholegrain bread. Poor eating habits lead to poor digestion, which in turn leads to poor extraction of the nutrients from what we do eat, and therefore malnutrition. Yes, malnutrition! It is possible to suffer from that even though you fill your belly every day. It’s not the filling that matters, it’s what does the filling and how well it is digested. Proper digestion is very important to every living creature on this planet. The first step in ensuring that have a proper digestion function is to assess the quality of the food that you eat: a) What nutrients does your food contain, and b) Have you sufficient of the proper enzymes needed to break it down so that these nutrients can be extracted? Nourishing meals are just as easy to find and eat as junk foods, and it is just as easy to a breakfast containing a high protein and fat content as it is to eat a chocolate biscuit. A hard boiled egg with whole meal toast and yoghurt isn’t difficult to prepare for breakfast, and some tuna, or cheese and whole meal crackers make a nutritious lunch. These foods are easier to digest than the greasy high-fat foods that most people eat at lunchtime. Proper digestion requires relaxation, and eating when stressed or in a hurry creates the wrong pH conditions in your stomach, with hydrochloric acid production being suppressed and the production enzymes by the liver inhibited. Enzymes are essential to your health, and are types of protein that enable most biochemical reactions to take place. Without the proper production of enzymes, your food will pass through your body largely unchanged, and this indigestion can not only give you stomach pains but also weaken you because the nutritional value of your food is not being realized. You should take the time to eat, and not try to eat on the job: that is why so many high fliers end up with ulcers. Take time to chew, and mix your food with saliva which itself contains the enzymes amylase and lysozyme. Amylase breaks down starch into sugars, while lysozyme inhibits the growth of oral bacteria. The digestive system therefore begins in the mouth when you chew your food. The breakdown of food into smaller particles also produces more surface area from which the nutrients can be absorbed. Enzymes are very important to proper digestion, and your diet should include enzyme-rich food such as tropical fruits (pineapple and bananas), honey, and many vegetables. Yoghurt and lacto-fermented foods are also rich in enzymes, and many cooked foods also contain enzymes. An enzyme supplement can also be taken to top-up what you eat, and make up for any enzyme deficiency in your diet. Processed foods are fairly empty of good nutritional value, particularly enzymes, which is why so many people are so overweight: their food is a nutritional desert and their body keeps craving for food that leads to eating binges. For your food to be properly digested your stomach acid has to be at a certain pH. If you drink too much liquid when eating then the acid will be diluted, and you will not properly digest your food. A glass of water is fine but two or three pints of beer, or a gallon of fruit juice, will dilute the hydrochloric acid concentration in your stomach, and it will not be able to break down your food. Consequently, your digestive system loses much of the nutritional content of what you eat. Restrict heavy drinking of liquid to about two hours before and two hours after eating each meal for maximum efficiency. Many people find that they have to take not only vitamin and mineral supplements to replace those which are lost through inefficient digestion, but also other supplements such as enzymes and extra proteins. When food is processed or cooked, the process destroys enzymes. Since the body stores only a limited supply of enzymes, eating well cooked or highly processed foods continuously, places great strains on the enzyme Reserves, and ultimately the metabolic enzyme Reserves have to be used in order to digest your food. This diverts them from their proper purpose, and many of the functions of your body are disrupted. For example, your lose energy and your immune systems begins to weaken, making you feel tired and more susceptible to illness and disease. You should therefore try to eat foods rich in enzymes, or use an enzyme supplement. Natural raw foods are an excellent addition to your diet, and salads and fruit should be regular components of your meals. Obviously you must eat some cooked foods, but that does not mean that you should avoid eating fresh raw fruits and vegetables altogether. That is a recipe for a dietary disaster. Enzymes are extremely important components of your digestive system, as is dietary fiber. In fact if you eat a diet containing dietary fiber, some raw fruit and vegetables, and protein, either cooked or uncooked, you will be giving your digestive system a boost. If you are unable to maintain that, then enzyme supplementation, together with general multi-vitamin and mineral supplement daily, should help you to maintain a healthy digestive system. However, fiber is essential since without it you will become constipated, especially if you consume a lot of pulpy foods that mainly consist of water.
It is extremely important that you have proper digestion of the food that you eat, and that your body makes the best use of the nutrients that it contains. To achieve this, you have to maintain the correct pH of stomach acid, and eat foods with the nutritional content required by the human body. This means not overcooking a balanced diet containing protein, fiber, enzymes and other nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals (plant-based chemicals).
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=1834) Fennel
Date:
June 30, 2008 04:47 PM
If there has ever been an overlooked vegetable, it would definitely be fennel. Some people have an aversion to its licorice-like scent, while others feel as if fennel is a bizarre and obscure vegetable that they have no interest in learning how to prepare. However, those who have discovered it know that ignoring fennel is a waste of a versatile vegetable’s amazing flavor and healthful benefits. Even those who already cook with fennel might find that they aren’t taking advantage of its versatility. For example, many people use only the delicate, lacy parts of fennel as a flavor-enhancing garnish for soups or salads. Others stick to just using the green-white bulbs, while tossing the remaining pieces aside. However, there’s no season like now to start using and enjoying all the parts of fennel. Fennel is available from autumn until early spring and both its stems and bulbs have been found to contain many nutrients. Fennel spice, which is made from the vegetable’s seeds, can be found year round, as it is one of five spices in Chinese five-spice powder. One cup of raw, sliced fennel is a huge source of vitamin C, folic acid, fiber, and potassium. History has shown that fennel can be taken to alleviate bad breath, indigestion, intestinal spasms, cramps, and gas. It is thought that Puritans chewed the seeds in order to tame hunger during fasts. Recently, scientists have found that fennel contains antioxidants which promote good health. In order to gain these healthful benefits, be sure to purchase white or pale-green fennel that has clean, firm bulbs. The bulbs should not be split, bruised, or spotted, while the stalks that grow from the bulb should be relatively straight. Additionally, the vegetable’s fronds would be green but not flowering because blooms indicate that the bulb is past maturity. When consumed right away, fennel is at its best. But, it can be kept in the crisper for up to four days. Be sure to wash it before using its base in hors d’oeuvres, salads, and gratins. Also, make sure to Reserve its fronds in order to enhance dishes in a potent way. With such versatility in the kitchen, there is absolutely no excuse not to include fennel in your meals this season. Once you discover that fennel is both crunchy and slightly sweet, you will want to incorporate it into many of your daily meals. Thankfully, fennel can enhance many dishes and make them extraordinary. Here are some quick ideas for using fennel this season. You can thinly shave the desired amount of a fennel bulb and toss it with a bit of olive oil, fresh lemon juice, and a small amount of Parmesan cheese to make a fennel salad at moment’s notice. Another option is sauté sliced fennel with equal parts of onion and bell pepper in order to make a simple vegetarian side dish. One can take advantage of fennel’s ability to enhance flavors by adding fennel with tuna or grilled sea bass. Fennel can also be cut vertically, leaving bulb, stalk, and leaves intact and then brushed with olive oil and grilled until lightly browned. Another idea is to garnish your favorite vegetable soup with coarsely chopped fennel fronds.
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=1829) Ester-E
Date:
June 07, 2008 09:40 AM
Vitamin E is a known natural supplement and antioxidant that helps support the immune and cardiovascular systems. It is created by a natural process so that you can receive the purest form available. It is formed when natural d-alpha tocopherol is combined with a phosphate molecule. This combination protects the potency of Vitamin E until your body needs it the most. Ester E is processed so that its natural benefits are pReserved to give the body the most optimal benefit possible. This is why Ester E is the best form of Vitamin E available. Vitamin E is known to aid in the following actions:
* Preventing Alzheimer’s disease Vitamin E Food Sources:
* Nuts How Vitamin E Works: Manufacturers suggest that Ester E be taken along with a meal that includes some form of fat. This is because when fat is combined with Vitamin E, it is more readily absorbed. Since the supplement is fat soluble, this aids in delivery to the cells of the body. Vitamin E is an essential nutrient because the body cannot produce it on its own. If you are not ingesting the proper amounts of it in your daily diet, you need to take a supplement. It is important to remember that improper preparation, cooking and storage can result in the loss of Vitamin E from the food. Vitamin E is actually a combination of antioxidants, tocopherols and tocotrienols. Unfortunately, only alpha-tocopherol is actively maintained in the body. Therefore a supplement is needed to be sure the body is getting enough of the other ingredients that make up the complete Vitamin E. Why do we need Vitamin E? Part of its job is to protect Vitamin A and essential fatty acids from oxidation. When oxidation occurs in the cells, it breaks down body tissues. Vitamin E Benefits: Vitamin E has been found to aid in the prevention of heart disease. The oxidation of LDL cholesterol causes blockages in the coronary arteries. This often leads to atherosclerosis and heart attack. Vitamin E helps to prevent or at least delay these effects by limiting this oxidation. This has reduced the mortality rate due to coronary disease. In its complete form, Vitamin E may be effective in reducing the risk of breast cancer in women who are genetically predisposed. It is being tested for its effectiveness in not only reducing the incidence of breast cancer, but also in inhibiting breast cancer cell growth. Vitamin E is thought to protect the body against many forms of cancer due to its ability to increase immune system function. As an antioxidant, Vitamin E protects the body against the damaging effects of free radicals. These are believed to contribute to cancer cell production and the development of other chronic diseases. Vitamin E may also block formation of nitrosamines. These are carcinogens that form in the stomach from nitrites consumed through diet. Another possible benefit to optimal amounts of Vitamin E in the diet is the prevention of cataracts. The clarity of the lens of the eye contributes to the formation of cataracts, blindness and eye disease. Vitamin E is being found to aid in the prevention of eye problems in people of all ages. Vitamin E Warnings: Vitamin E can produce harmful side effects if it is combined with certain medications. Consult your doctor before taking any dietary supplement to be sure it is safe for your use. When taken as a supplement in its complete form, Vitamin E is nutritive and helpful in maintaining good health. Be sure when purchasing Vitamin E supplements that you are using Ester E for optimal benefits.
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=1812) Blue Green Algae a Super Food that is Foods Packed With Nutrients. Vegetarian Friendly
Date:
April 11, 2008 11:24 AM
In the USA it is harvested in Oregon, in the upper regions of the Upper Klamath Lake, although it is also available in many other parts of the world. Blue green algae are about the best source of vegetable protein and amino acids available to the human diet, although are now generally used as a supplement rather than as a primary food source. However, in spite of its name, it is not an alga at all: it is a bacterium: Aphanizomenon flos-aquae (AFA), known as cyanobacteria, after the Greek for blue. Nevertheless, bacteria or not, blue green algae offer exceptional nutritional benefits and also health benefits to people suffering from certain conditions. Here are the best of its benefits: 1. It is natural and therefore easily assimilated and digested. You get a very high useful yield from its nutrient content, unlike other foods where a large proportion can be passed through the gut unchanged. In fact a large proportion of the food you eat passes through your body unchanged, although that is mainly due to a lack of chewing! 2. It is very high in protein, and helps to maintain healthy hair, nails and skin. If you are on a vegetation diet this is an ideal source of non-animal protein (unless you class bacteria as animals!). If you want numbers, at least 60% of the solid content of this material is vegetable protein human-ready for use. 3. It is packed full of enzymes that aid digestion, and so ensures that not only is it itself fully digested, but also that you get the most nutritional benefit from any other foods you eat. A lack of enzymes is very common in the western diet, especially the North American diet, and if you take a regular supply of blue green algae, then you need not also take enzyme capsules. 4. It possesses cleansing and detoxifying properties, and so helps to reduce the incidence of headaches and allow you better and more restful sleep. Toxins can act on your body to cause pain, and is associated with the free radicals discussed below. 5. It is very high in antioxidants that destroy the free radicals in your blood and tissues. Free radicals destroy body cells and can seriously damage your health. Among the health benefits that blue green algae provide due to its antioxidant properties are: a) It supports the immune system and helps to prevent inflammation in your joints. It also enables you to fight off bacterial and viral infections quicker. b) It maintains the integrity of your body and skin cells, and reduces cell damage by free radicals. This has an anti-aging effect and pReserves the youthful appearance of your skin, resisting wrinkling and maintaining its firmness. c) Blue green algae help to prevent the free radical oxidation of the LDL lipids that transport cholesterol that cause the atherosclerosis that can lead to heart attacks and strokes. 6. It provides you with energy through its effect on your body’s metabolic conversion of blood glucose to energy within the mitochondria. This is partially due to its antioxidant effect and partially to the nutritional content of the bacteria. The bacteria are also a rich source of glycogen that is your body’s store of emergency energy. Your liver can use the bacteria to biosynthesize its own store of glycogen that your body can use if called upon for a sudden burst of energy. 7. The amino acids it contains are of low molecular size, and can cross the blood-brain barrier. It provides nutrition to the brain, and its high chlorophyll content helps to purify the blood. Its high content of trace minerals and naturally chelated minerals renders them extremely bioavailable, and able to provide a high degree of nutrition to the brain and other organs of the body. Blue green algae contain rhamnose that helps nutrients to cross from the blood to the brain, and then to the brain cells that need it. 8. Blue green algae have been shown to help memory and mood. This is likely due at least in part to its fatty acid content, and its effect on serotonin levels. These eight benefits are more than any other individual food source can provide, and in themselves justify the claim that blue green algae is the best individual food source there is. However, when we have a look at the active ingredients, and nutritional content of the bacteria, then it seems even more impressive. There is more to blue green algae than just a few vitamins and minerals. You can get these in any multivitamin supplement: this stuff is completely natural and all of its ingredients are completely compatible with the human digestive system. Many of the synthetic vitamins you find in boxes and tubs are only partially absorbed due to the form they are in. Either that or they need the presence of other substances before they can be assimilated. An example is calcium, which is next to useless without magnesium and vitamin C also being present to allow it to be incorporated in the structure of the bones and teeth. With blue green algae, every combination of substances that nature needs for them to work properly is there. Everything gets used and everything has a role to play. The amino acids and proteins have already been mentioned, and these unusual bacteria contain all of the trace minerals that are necessary for the amino acids and proteins to be properly used. It also contains a large quantity of beta-carotene (a natural Vitamin A precursor and strong anti-oxidant), and is also rich in Vitamin B-12 that most vegetarians are deficient in. It is therefore the perfect food for vegetarians and vegans. If you understand the health benefits of omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids, which blue green algae are also rich in, then you will understand how a foodstuff containing these fatty acids and all of the other nutritional substances listed above could be regarded as a ‘Superfood’. Blue green algae is probably the richest food available commercially to humans, but before you use it you should ensure that the content of blue algae in the supplement you purchase is clear and that you are purchasing a standardized amount in what you are purchasing.
Otherwise, it is difficult to see how anybody could go wrong with blue green algae, since it is indisputably an excellent source of protein, amino acids, vitamins and much, much more.
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=1752) Beta Carotene Is The Safe To The Liver Form Of Vitamin A
Date:
March 19, 2008 08:17 AM
The fact that beta carotene is stated to be a safe form of vitamin A suggests that vitamin A is in some way unsafe. In fact an overdose of vitamin A can lead to any one of a number of conditions, including nausea, jaundice, vomiting, abdominal pain and headaches. This vitamin is fat soluble, and so any excess is not easily washed out of the body but can build up in the tissues. Toxicity in the liver can occur at fairly low concentrations, and the toxicity of the vitamin is increased by excessive alcohol intake. However, toxicity only occurs with vitamin A already formed such as that obtained from liver. There are several forms of vitamin A, including the retinoid form originating from animal sources and the carotenoid forms that have a vegetable origin. Carotenoids are converted to vitamin A in the liver, but the higher the concentration of beta carotene in the body, the smaller the percentage that is converted to vitamin A, so beta carotene is a safer source of vitamin A than retinoids. It is only the finished form of vitamin A that is toxic, and beta carotene is therefore self-regulating in its production. This vitamin is stored in the body in the form of the alcohol (retinol) and of retinyl esters. Studies have indicated that as much as 95% if the stored vitamin is in the form of the ester. The liver is responsible for releasing vitamin A to the body as it is required. One of its better known effects is on vision, and the old wives tale that carrots help you to see in the dark has an element of truth in it. In order for it to aid vision, retinol is oxidized to the aldehyde, retinal, that forms a complex with a molecule of opsin, a light sensitive protein found in the retina. Rhodopsin, as the complex is called, is an essential component of the biochemical chain of events that lead to the perception of light. It is extremely sensitive, and enables you see in very low levels of light. In other words it is essential for good night vision, so carrots do help you to see in the dark! When a photon of light hits a molecule of rhodopsin, it leads eventually to an impulse being sent up the optic nerve to the brain. One of its properties is its reaction to white light. When rhodopsin is exposed to white light it loses its pigmentation, and hence its photoreceptor properties and can take 30 minutes to regenerate. That is why you lose your night sight if your retina is exposed to bright light. The more rhodopsin you can generate the quicker you develop night sight. The other biochemical processes of the vitamin include the synthesis of some glycoproteins and maintenance of normal bone density. Without vitamin A, calcium is not properly absorbed by the body and glycoproteins are involved in this process. A deficiency of vitamin A can lead to the abnormal development of bone and other health problems, so there are limits between the levels of vitamin A in the body that must be maintained: above or below these limits will lead to health problems, some of which can be extremely serious. Most of the biochemistry of vitamin A in the liver is initiated by the presence of alcohol, and otherwise it is though to passively store the vitamin until needed when it is released into the blood. There are several ways in which the presence of alcohol allows the liver to deplete its store of retinol, but generally there are a number of enzymes that, in the presence of ethanol, can render vitamin A into a water soluble form that is excreted by the urine. The benefits of vitamin A other than its effect on night sight and the healthy development of bone tissue, includes a powerful antioxidant effect that neutralizes free radicals that can destroy body cells. These free radicals are generated by the body’s metabolism in generating energy from blood glucose, and are also created through exposure to pollutants such as cigarette smoke and traffic fumes. They are electron deficient, so when they are generated they grab an electron from tissue close by which destroys the cells involved. This can lead not only to the appearance of premature aging as the skin cells are damaged but also to serious health problems such as atherosclerosis and some forms of cancer. Vitamin A helps to protect against these by destroying the free radicals before they can do damage. It also helps build up resistance against infections by supporting the immune system. Beta carotene is converted to vitamin A either by cleaving at the center of the molecule, or by breaking it down from one of the ends. This latter process is carried out in the small intestine, and the resultant vitamin stored in the liver in the ester form. Only a proportion of what you eat is converted to retinol ester in this way, and the more beta carotene you consume, the less is converted, so you can never suffer from an overdose of beta carotene-derived vitamin A. It might turn you yellow, but you won’t suffer from excess vitamin A since the excess beta carotene is stored in your body fat, including the subcutaneous fat Reserves. Alpha carotene can also be used in the synthesis of vitamin A, but not as actively as beta carotene. The best natural sources are fruits and vegetables, especially the red, yellow and orange varieties such as carrots and apricots, and also the leafy green vegetables, although supplements are also a convenient way of maintaining your beta carotene uptake. It is a much safer supplement than straight vitamin A for the reasons explained earlier. The supplement is not useful just for its antioxidant effect, but also for its ability to protect you from excessive exposure to the sun. While not as effective as a good sun blocker, beta carotene does provide some protection. There is no doubt that beta carotene is a safer way to maintain an adequate vitamin A uptake due to the fact that you cannot take an overdose, since an overdose of beta carotene does not translate into the same dose of vitamin A, and the change is self-regulating. It is therefore safer to obtain your vitamin A needs from colored fruits and vegetables or beta carotene supplements than from eating liver, from which the retinol is in a form that can cause damage in the event of consuming an excess. The old adage that you should never eat polar bear livers is a true one, and certainly has a provable scientific basis, so use beta carotene as your main vitamin A source for maximum health benefits in the safest possible way.
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=1725) Six Foods that Boost Heart Health
Date:
January 21, 2008 01:57 PM
The majorities of baby boomers are looking for a way to loose weight and lower their cholesterol. Both of these are two important factors in heart disease, which still remains the number one killer in the United States. The good news is that you can dodge heart disease through your food choices. Below are six foods that can help boost your heart health. Many studies have proven the variety of health benefits given by fish, ranging from joint inflammation in arthritis sufferers to brain development in babies. The omega-3 fatty acids found in fish support circulation and improve blood vessel function. Researchers have also determined that omega-3s can prevent heart-attack deaths as they stop the electrical disturbance that causes death and half of all heart attacks are due to these arrhythmias. Each week, you should eat one to two 3-ounce servings of fatty fish such as an Alaskan salmon, anchovies, herring or mackerel. By baking or poaching these fish at low heart you can help to pReserve the omega-3s. For vegetarians, omega-3 rich flaxseeds can be added to oatmeal, smoothies, or salads. For those who don’t care for fish there are omega-3 oil supplements available as well. Have you ever wondered why oatmeal is so good for you? In your body, this gluey beta-glucan, which is soluble fiber, binds to bile acids found in the intestines and stomach and excretes them as waste. In order to make more bile acids, the liver needs cholesterol and takes it from the blood. This results in lower blood cholesterol levels. You need 3 grams of soluble fiber each day to reduce your cholesterol by five percent. A cup and a half of cooked oatmeal is a good size serving that can be jazzed up in flavor with frozen berries, non-fat plain yogurt, almonds and much more. High-glycemic foods like potatoes, white bread, and white rice should be avoided because you get a harmful burst of glucose and insulin that’s harmful immediately after eating them. These bursts tire out the pancreas in the long run and increase the risk of diabetes and heart disease. Research also shows that having high-glycemic foods at one meal will make you even hungrier and eat more at the next, which is why these foods are associated with weight gain. People with excess fat are much more likely to develop heart disease and stroke even if there are no other risk factors. Because of this, focusing on true grains such as brown rice, quinoa, and barley and choosing them over refined grains as much as possible. Nuts are important for their unsaturated fats and their ability to help lower cholesterol. Walnuts actually contain omega-3 fatty acids, while almonds boost calcium, helping the heart muscle to contract, and Brazil nuts have selenium, which is a heart-protective antioxidant. About one ounce each day of nuts is good for you, but they do have a lot of calories so make sure to go easy on them. If you have a nut allergy, topping you salad with olives is a good alternative, as they contain unsaturated fats. Beans also contain soluble fiber like oatmeal which helps to reduce cholesterol and keep arteries clear. By choosing the protein from beans instead of meat, you can cut back on saturated fats which raise cholesterol. Eating beans four to five times a week is recommended, as they can be added to a lot of meals. If you don’t tolerate beans well, try adding kombu, a sea vegetable, to them to help break down the components that cause gas. Your body also does adapt to beans over time, so try building up your bean servings slowly. Food enzymes can help reduce gas as well so don’t forget to take your enzymes. Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and other berries all have strong antioxidant properties that can help fight heart disease and are also low in calories and high in fiber. Eating two cups of fruit each day for general health is recommended, but you should eat as many berries as you can tolerate. Free radicals can break down cholesterol that is flowing in your blood and make them sticky so to deposit on the arterial walls of your blood vessels. Fight this with antioxidant rich foods to reduce cholesterol build up.
Eating healthy is one step in boosting heart health and overall cardiovascular health. Exercise is also important in keeping your body strong and vibrant so one can live a healthier longer life.
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=1701) Big Pharma Plays God, Stealing and Altering Pant Compounds making Synthetic Drugs
Date:
January 02, 2008 02:24 PM
It has been claimed by the Nutritional Health Alliance (NHA) that the pharmaceutical companies are formulating their pharma drugs using natural plant-derived substances. This is not totally groundbreaking news, of course, since the whole pharmaceutical industry was based on natural products such as aspirin, derived from willow bark, and antibiotics derived from the penicillin mold. While there is nothing wrong with them doing this, there are signs of their increasing lobbying to limit the supply of supplements so that Big Pharma can monopolize the production and supply of all supplements and remedies, natural or synthetic. What is disturbing is that bills such as the Adverse Event Reporting Bill, passed by Congress in February 2007 as the Dietary Supplement and Nonprescription Drug Consumer Protection Act, could conceivably place greater powers into the hands of the large pharmaceutical companies to restrict the sales of natural products that are not part of their ‘approved’ prescription range. This Act requires users and distributors of over the counter and non-prescriptive natural remedies to report any adverse effects that they believe have been caused by the remedy they are using. What this does is to require untrained people to make medical decisions as to what is causing their adverse reaction. A patient taking several prescription drugs and a vitamin supplement might naturally assume that it is the vitamin that is causing their reaction, since they will believe the drugs to be safe. Hence they will report the vitamin supplement as being the cause. Since the act does not oblige them to report reactions from prescription drugs, then this opens the door for Big Pharma to hijack plant compounds, and then alter them to make synthetic drugs. The position of the FDA in all of this is dubious since that body has already made many decisions that favor the large pharma companies rather than the consumer, or producers of herbal remedies. However, there is also the opposite view that the supplement industry is unregulated, and some degree of control is long overdue. While it is difficult to argue against this, it is the form of control that is in question and also the reasons behind it. The pharmaceutical companies have long gained through America’s ill health, and it is to their advantage for Americans to become ill or suffer from the chronic diseases that come with a sedentary lifestyle and a diet of fast foods. The industry’s short-sighted approach has been to wait until people become ill and then treated them with expensive drug, rather than prevention that would ultimate lose them customers for their products. A happy and healthy community, regularly taking supplements that keep them fit and well, is not to the advantage of pharmaceutical companies that prefer a depressed, unfit and sick American population to which they can sell their products. Hence the smear campaigns in the press regarding ‘uncontrolled’ natural remedies, untold bills in Congress, and what could end up as the ultimate revocation of our freedom to consume the natural products of our choice. If we are taking two or three prescription drugs for a heart condition or to reduce the cholesterol levels in our body, and also an Omega-3 fatty acids capsule, we are urged to report the capsule if we have any side effects from the cocktail. Presumably on the basis that the drugs have been approved by the FDA, and so cannot possibly cause any side effects in us. A fish oil capsule is hardly likely to cause a heart attack, but many prescription drugs can if badly prescribed. However, it is the capsule that is likely to be fingered, banned and then included in a pharmaceutical product that is cleared by the FDA. Those that take over the counter supplements, vitamins and herbal remedies are a threat and it is difficult not to become cynical about the intentions of such Acts of Congress and the people behind them. True, the supplement and herbal industry probably does require some form of regulation, but to phrase this in such a way as to require medically untrained people to report what they perceive as being the adverse effects of supplements rings of an intention to regulate by restriction or even banning. When that occurs, Big Pharma will take these products and fashion them into expensive prescriptive drugs that are then approved for use by the FDA. What we were at one time able to purchase from our local health store we would now have to purchase at several times the price through prescription. The health benefits of natural nutritional supplements are well documented, and the industry are now using methods to ensure standardization of the active ingredients where possible. However, this is not always possible with foodstuffs that do not always grow in standardized ways. The Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) was passed by Congress in 1994 to protect and pReserve our rights to healthy supplementation of our diets with natural products of our choice. The FDA has systematically failed to enforce this and prosecute synthetic manufacturers who have not kept to the law. The FDA does not need new powers, but the funding to implement those already in existence. Lobbying in Congress by interested parties should not be allowed to undermine the rights of all Americans of the freedom to consume the products that will provide them with a healthier lifestyle. The DHSEA is all that is needed to pReserve this and to protect consumers from Big Pharma and their need to create conditions conducive to an increasing need for their products. Yes, the health supplements industry likely needs some form of regulation to ensure standardization of products as far as is possible, but the way to do this is not to place medical decisions into the hands of the untrained. Do not forget that these are natural products, available freely from nature in fruit, vegetable and animal products, and are not synthesized in a laboratory as many of today’s drugs are.
However, give them a free rein, and Big Pharma will hijack these natural products, change them and then sell them to us at highly inflated prices to do the job that already do for us: keep us healthy.
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=1684) Natural Sweeteners: Which One Should You Take?
Date:
December 09, 2007 03:23 PM
There are many natural sweeteners to choose from if you want to avoid sugar, but don’t want any of the artificial sweeteners over which there are a few questions. You can choose from xylitol, luo han, stevia and others, but before discussing these, let’s have a look at the problems with sugar, artificial sweeteners and the American sugar industry. Sugar as most people know it originates either from sugar cane or sugar beet, though by far the biggest American industry is in the cane. There are many different types of sugar, though that obtainable from cane sugar is sucrose. Sucrose is a disaccharide and carbohydrate, stored by plants as a Reserve energy source to be used when needed. Humans cannot directly use sucrose, and it is metabolized in the body to glucose which needs the hormone insulin to help convert it into energy. Insulin is produced in the pancreas, and a lack of it, or the body’s failure to use it properly, is referred to as diabetes. There are two types of diabetes: Type 1: A total lack or deficiency of insulin due to the pancreas producing insufficient quantities of insulin, or even none at all. This is often seen in young people and is generally cause by the immune system attacking the insulin-producing sells in the pancreas. The treatment for type 1 diabetes is to introduce insulin to the blood, normally by means of injections, plenty exercise and the adoption of a high carbohydrate low fat diet. Type 2: This is strongly associated with obesity and weight, and is due either to insufficient insulin production by the pancreas (but not as deficient as for Type 1 diabetes) or an inability of the cells of the body to properly use insulin. Type 2 diabetes does not always require insulin injections, and can be treated by exercise, diet and weight control. However, there are occasions where insulin injections are also required. It tends to affect people older than those with Type 1 diabetes and 90% of cases are of this type. Both types, however, are connected with an excess of glucose in the blood, into which most sugars are converted. A diet low in sucrose will go a long way towards helping people that suffer from either type of diabetes, and control of carbohydrate intake should include a reduction in the intake of sucrose in the form or beet or cane sugar. This accepted, then if you need a sweetener, a saccharide free natural sweetener would appear to be the logical choice. You could opt for a synthetic sweetener, but they also have their problems. There is evidence that saccharin could be a carcinogen, and ‘aspartame’ disease is not a myth. The other artificial sweeteners also have sufficient questions that natural sweeteners would appear to be the obvious choice. But which? That is the question. Let’s have a look at some and check out their pros and cons. The first is Stevia. This is a South American herb that is 400 times sweeter than sucrose and yet is very low in calories and does not affect diabetics. Used throughout most of the world, it has not been approved by the FDA as a food additive due mainly, it would appear, to lobbying by the American sugar corporations. This is understandable, since mass substitution of sugar by stevia in processed foods is entirely possible, but would cost the sugar corporations billions. However, it is available to purchase from health food stores, and does not appear to possess the problems that aspartame does. Unlike that sweetener, it can be used in baking and cooking, and is ideal for diabetics and people suffering from yeast infections such as candida. Such infections are aggravated by sugar in the colon, since yeasts love sugar, but they cannot survive on stevia. The safety of stevia has been proven through hundreds of years of popular use without any problems. However, there are others. Luo Han Guo is a sweet Chinese fruit of which extracts are marketed as a natural sweetener. The plant it comes from is the Momordica grosvenori, a member of the cucumber squash family that grows in the mountainous areas of southern China. The sweeteners it contains are called mogrosides that are terpene glycosides, of which there are five different forms, the main one being termed mogroside-5. The extract is available in the form of a powder consisting of around 80% mogrosides, and possesses around 250% of the sweetness of sucrose. This, too, can be used in cooking; because it is stable to heat and contains about 2% of the calories of ordinary sugar (one half teaspoon is equivalent to 25 teaspoons sugar). You can help 50 medicines go down for the same calories of getting one down using sugar! Not only that but, like stevia, there are no known side effects. It has been used for many centuries in Chinese medicine in the treatment of gastrointestinal conditions and conditions of the respiratory tract. Unlike natural sweeteners, luo han has been found to be useful in helping to manage diabetes since it does not cause insulin levels to rise and are not involved in energy production, so have no effect on your weight. The mogrosides from luo han are also under study as inhibitors of certain tumors, and might be able to inhibit skin tumor growth. Other possible medical advantages include helping to reduce atherosclerosis and heart disease, so would appear to be a useful sweetener to use in your coffee! Finally, xylitol. It was during World War II that Finnish scientists rediscovered xylitol that had been previously used in Germany as a sweetener in the late nineteenth century. The sugar shortage resurrected this substance that can metabolize without the need for insulin. Xylitol is a substance that is found in some fruits and vegetables and also in corn cobs. In fact, it is a product that appears in animal metabolism, and so is perfectly safe. It is known to help support the immune system, and to help reduce the effects of aging. It possesses antibacterial properties due to its 5-carbon ring and has been approved by the FDA. Xylitol can replace sugar in most of its domestic uses, including in baking and as a natural sweetener. It is also used extensively in chewing gum as a sweetener that does not cause dental cavities due the acid caused by bacterial attack on the sugar. However, one use to which xylitol cannot be put, nor any of the other natural sweeteners mentioned here, is in fermentation. Try these for your wine or beer and you will be very disappointed at the low alcohol level of your brew! This is also, however, one of the benefits of xylitol: it cannot feed the yeasts that cause candida or any other yeast infection. Although it is a saccharide, it is the same as the others in this respect. So, which of these natural sweeteners should you take? The choice is yours since each has its own benefits with very few disadvantages and certainly no recorded side effects that we know of. Use stevia for superior sweetening effects, and make up a concentrated solution of it in water for your cooking. Use luo han if you have gastrointestinal problems, and use xylitol if you want fresher breath and to protect your teeth. Use none for brewing or winemaking, and use any of them if you are diabetic. The choice is yours. These sweeteners are available at your local or internet health food store.
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=1651) Take Charge Of Your Health With Herbal Bio-Identical hormones
Date:
November 04, 2007 03:17 PM
Bioidentical hormones assist women in overcoming acute menopausal symptoms, while improving skin. They help by strengthening bones, keeping the mind sharp, promoting energy and well-being, and helping to pReserve vaginal tone and resist vaginal dryness. In men, these hormones add energy and vitality, while improving muscle tones and mental sharpness. Bioidentical hormones (BHRT) are exact duplicates of the hormones that are produced by the body. However, they are much more easily metabolized by the body into safe forms of estrogen than their counterparts, which stimulate toxic metabolites. When they are used in physiologic amounts, bioidenticals carry much fewer risks than synthetic hormones. However, despite the fact that research supports their use and proves them safe alternatives to prescription drugs, few physicians are actually using these hormones in their practices. Those patients, who wish to address menopausal and andropause symptoms, or to achieve lifelong hormonal balance in order to prevent illness, often do not know where to go to find a comprehensive bioidentical hormone replacement program. Instead, they read whatever they can to formulate a plan and purchase various products that are available over the counter, often spending precious time and money on programs and products that don’t do what they’re expected to do. One of the most common errors among people is putting together a program based solely on symptoms instead of first checking hormone levels. Symptoms may overlap from one hormone pattern to another. If you try to replace or augment specific hormones without having an accurate test of the levels first, your results will seldom be good. If your doctor is prescribing transdermal hormones, make sure to do a saliva self-test to measure your hormones levels as it is much more accurate and revealing than other types of tests. You can submit your samples to Mead Labs, where you will actually receive a telephone consultation from a health professional to interpret your results followed by a program of products prescribed especially for you from one of their medical professionals. With your own results, you can learn a lot about the exact state of your hormones instead of blindly guessing from symptoms which may be similar. For example, men may not need testosterone shots or transdermal patches, as the results may show estrogen dominance. The answer for this is not adding more testosterone, because the man could be converting testosterone into estrogen, but instead a program including special herbs and nutrients may be much more beneficial. No matter your gender, your health professional at Mead Labs will design a safe and effective program based solely on bioidentical hormones, herbs, and nutrients first. In the past years, when prescription, non-bioidentical HRT was used by any women with menopausal symptoms, there was no testing to find out what kind of imbalance was actually occurring. Proponents of BHRT are trying to ensure that this method of prescribing the same combination and amounts of medications to everyone is not used with natural hormones. Because hormone profiles and levels can vary significantly from person to person, even those people in the same gender, testing hormones levels and obtaining recommendations from a medical professional who is experienced in BHRT are the key points to ensure you benefit from this therapy.
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=1617) Lutein: A Plant Pigment That Provides Protection From The Sun
Date:
October 23, 2007 10:00 AM
Lutein is a plant pigment, and protects protection from the sun needed to prevent damage to the skin and eyes from its strong ultra violet (UVB) radiation. Lutein is a carotenoid and strong antioxidant that is found in red, yellow, orange and dark green fruit and vegetables such as broccoli, curly and sea kale, spinach, carrots peppers and squashes. It is also available from egg yolks, corn and some fruits such as pomegranates. It is the colored pigments, especially the reds, yellows and oranges, in which lutein is most found. Lutein can also prevent cataracts and provide benefits for age related macular degeneration. However, before discussing the benefits, it is necessary to discuss exactly what these conditions are and what causes them. Let’s have a heads up on cataracts first. A cataract takes the form of a clouding of the lens of the eye that leads to blurred vision and eventual virtual blindness when the cloudiness is extreme. It is not blindness due to problems with the nerves of the eye, but due to the lens become cloudy, and scattering light entering the eye. It is not a film over the eye as many people believe, but a cloudiness of the lens, and cataracts can normally be treated by removing the whole lens and replacing it with a lens implant – or a synthetic lens. It is not fully understood how lutein can help cataracts, but studies have shown that those take a large quantity of lutein in there diet have up to 50% less chance of getting cataracts that those that do not. It has also been demonstrated that men who ate broccoli and spinach regularly had a 25% less chance of getting cataracts. The same is true of those that include a lutein supplement of around 6 mg daily, although up to 20 mg is considered an effective dose. However, it not only through its properties in protecting against cataracts that lutein can help to pReserve the health of your eyes. It is also through its effect on macular degeneration. The macula is small part in the center of the retina that allows you to see central vision in high detail, especially close up when you use the center of your eye. Age-related macular degeneration, known as MD, affects your macula so that you can see fine round the edges, but your central vision is blurred. It is therefore difficult to drive, read or carry out tasks that need good central focus. You will find it next to impossible to thread a needle for example. It can come on very slowly, in fact so slowly that you never notice it because the change from day to day, or even week to week, is so small. It is not coincidence that lutein is concentrated in the macula, and that a lutein supplement can help to prevent macular degeneration. Lutein is believed to filter out some of the blue wavelengths of light, and it is the blue wavelengths that are though to cause free radical damage and oxidative stress to various organs of the body exposed to light, but specifically the eyes. That is why it is believed that lutein helps to prevent macular degeneration, and studies have indicated a good supplement to consist of up to 30 mg each day. It can also protect the skin from damage by UV radiation, and also prevents free radical damage to skin cells causing premature aging of the skin. The latter occurs through its antioxidant properties, while the former is because if its light filtering properties. It can not only filter out the blue light that can cause macular degeneration but also ultra-violet radiation that affects the skin and can cause skin cancer. There is a fine line between the blue and ultra violet wavelengths from sunlight, and both can contribute to certain medical conditions. However, the absorptive properties of lutein are such that it can absorb the more harmful of these. The antioxidant properties of lutein are important in their own right, and can help to reduce cholesterol deposition in arties and help to maintain a healthy arterial wall thickness. The same is true of any carotenoids that reduce heart problems, some cancers, especially of the cervix, stomach and lungs, and others that can be caused by free radical action and narrowed arteries such as strokes and brain hemorrhages. Although it is not one of those supplements considered essential, lutein is biologically essential in that it cannot be produced by the body. It has to be taken through the diet. There is no specific recommended daily allowance (RDA) because life can go on without it, but it does play a role in your everyday health. However, the average person has a lutein intake less than that needed to take advantage of its UV protection or antioxidant effect. As previously stated, the effective dose is considered to be 30 mg daily, and the average American intake is about 2 mg. That’s an awful lot of egg yolks or tomatoes you are going to have to eat! If you do intend to take your lutein from the natural source, then it much more easily assimilated into your body if not overcooked. Lightly steaming is the best way to prepare your vegetables for maximum nutritional effect. You can also take lutein as a supplement in the form of tablets, creams and drinks, and can also be found in other supplements that contain carotenoids such as lycopene and beta-carotene. Although not consider essential to life, do not underestimate the health benefits to be gained from a diet high in lutein, especially if you value the health of your eyes. All strong antioxidants provide you with health benefits due to their ability to destroy the free radicals that in turn destroy the DNA in your body cells, and disrupt the cells themselves. Combine that with their action as filters to the damaging rays of the sun and you have in lutein a plant product that is far reaching in the health benefits that it can provide you with. If you are looking for a lutein supplement, stop into your local or internet health food store for lutein is an over the counter supplement.
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=1603) Exceptional Ingredients For Exceptional Performance
Date:
June 02, 2007 02:52 PM
Anaerobic exercises, such as bodybuilding and strength training, as well as endurance based aerobic activities, such as marathon running and bicycling, are notorious for depleting the body’s Reserves of glycogen, protein, electrolyte minerals, water, and other vital constituents. And as simple logic will tell us, the harder one trains, the more they will lose in the process. Failure to properly replenish these nutrients immediately after training can result in fatigue, delayed recovery, accelerated lactic acid levels, mental sluggishness, and intense soreness. According to research, immediate replacement of electrolyte minerals and carbohydrates, along with easily assimilated protein is an effective way to maximize amino acid utilization, when preventing the onset of fatigue. NOW Electro Pro Energy Drink contains all the elements to ensure proper post-workout recovery. By combining a perfectly balanced mix of electrolytes, protein and simple and complex carbohydrates, Electro Pro serves as an ideal supplement for recovering after intense training and exercise.* PeptoPro This patented casein hydrolysate was scientifically formulated to provide athletes with a better source of protein for faster recovery, more efficient glycogen usage, better insulin response, and less fatigue. PeptoPro helps stimulate the body’s own natural production of insulin to help increase glucose uptake to hard working muscle cells. Its high dipeptide and tripeptide profile promotes fast absorption, and has been shown in human trials to accelerate muscle recovery. PeptoPro contains all 20 amino acids in the natural ratio of casein, a key factor in preventing muscle fatigue and muscle tissue damage because it is a predigested protein, PeptoPro is ideal for taking before and after workouts. Electrolyte Minerals During intense exercise, the body quickly exhausts its Reserve of electrolytes. If these aren’t replenished promptly, the body will fatigue at a very fast rate, and may dehydrate. Electro Pro contains calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium to help fuel even the most intense training session. Carbohydrates are vital when it comes to providing the glycogen that is needed to fuel and refuel today’s athlete. Electro Pro contains a unique blend of dextrose, fructose and rice Maltodextrin to ensure that the body has a generous fuel source. Every serving contains 32 grams of quality carbohydrates.
Electrolyte Energy Formula *These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=1561) The Awesome Foursome: Coenzyme Q10, D-Ribose, L-Carnitine, and Magnesium
Date:
May 18, 2007 01:06 PM
The Awesome Foursome: Coenzyme Q10, L-Carnitine,
D-Ribose, Magnesium
The “Awesome Foursome” of Coenzyme Q10, L-Carnitine, D-Ribose, and magnesium helps our hearts metabolize energy more efficiently and protects them from the stress of cardiovascular disease. This powerful combination of nutrients goes directly to the basic biochemistry of cellular energy metabolism. Now let’s take a closer look at how Coenzyme Q10, L-Carnitine, D-Ribose, and magnesium work in synergy to promote cardiovascular health.
Coenzyme Q10:
Energy Recycling through the Electron Transport Chain
Coenzyme Q10 is a powerful antioxidant that helps protect the mitochondrial membrane, mitochondrial DNA, and cell walls from free-radical attack. But its most important function in the body is its central role in energy metabolism.
Most – about 90 percent – of the ATP used by cells is recycled as food (fuel) and oxidized in the mitochondria. Fatty acids, carbohydrates, and, occasionally, proteins are carried across the mitochondrial membrane and enter the Krebs’ cycle, moving from step to step and spinning off electrons. These electrons are then handed off to the electron transport chain, where, in the presence of oxygen, the energy from the electrons is captured as a phosphate group is added to ADP to form ATP. This recycling of ATP is called oxidative phosphorylation, and the by-products of these pathways are CO2 and water.
In this fashion, Coenzyme Q10 acts as a gatekeeper of electrons, making sure they are carried to just the right place to pass on their life-giving energy.
What is critical, however, is the simple fact that without Coenzyme Q10 the electron transport chain would totally break down. And since the electron transport chain is (by far!) the largest contributor to cellular energy turnover, its loss would be catastrophic. It is also important to know that there has to be an excess of Coenzyme Q10 in the mitochondria to be maximally effective. Having just enough isn’t sufficient to do the job properly, and having a deficiency seriously affects the mitochondria’s ability to supply the cell with energy.
Cellular stress can cause Coenzyme Q10 deficiency, which places a severe strain on Coenzyme Q10 availability. People with heart disease, hypertension, gingival disease, Parkinson’s disease, and the other disorders we’ve discussed are known to be deficient in Coenzyme Q10. Whether these deficiencies are the cause or the effect of these varied medical problems, the end result is that they sap the life out of their mitochondria and reduce their energy supplies. You see, Coenzyme Q10 cannot function properly if electrons are not coming out of the Krebs’ cycle, and the Krebs’ cycle won’t work without the fuel that’s transported into the mitochondria by L-Carnitine.
L-Carnitine:
Transporting the Cellular Energy Fuel
Fatty acids are the preferred energy fuel for hearts and most other cells in the body. L-Carnitine facilitates the beta oxidation of fatty acids as energy fuel. And since fatty acids are the preferred fuel for energy recycling in cells, this action is critical to cell and tissue function. Unfortunately, L-carnitine is deficient in people with heart disease, peripheral vascular disease, lipid metabolic disorders, mitochondrial disorders, and many other disease syndromes we reviewed earlier. This L-carnitine deficiency disrupts the normal metabolism of fatty acids, reducing available energy supplies and leading to the accumulation of toxic by-products of fatty acid metabolism. L-carnitine supplementation revives fatty acid metabolism and restore normal mitochondrial function. But even this powerful improvement in cellular energy metabolism cannot up for the energy drain that comes from the loss of energy substrates caused by low oxygen delivery to the tissue. Only D-Ribose can do that.
D-Ribose:
Rebuilding the Cellular Energy Pool
As long as cells and tissues have plenty of oxygen, the pool of energy substrates in the cell remains high. And as long as there is enough L-carnitine and Coenzyme Q10 available, the process of energy utilization and supply can proceed unimpeded. However, the cellular supply of oxygen can be restricted by acute or chronic heart disease, peripheral vascular disease, any number of skeletal – or neuromuscular diseases, or even high-intensity exercise.
When cells are deprived of oxygen the mitochondrial energy turnover becomes inefficient. Remember, oxygen is required to let the oxidative pathway of energy recycling work properly. If the mitochondria are not able to recycle energy efficiently, cellular energy supply cannot keep pace with demand. But the cell has a continuing need for energy so it will use all its ATP stores and then break down the by-product, adenosine diphosphate (ADP), to pull the remaining energy out of this compound as well. What’s left is adenosine menophosphate (AMP). Since a growing concentration of AMP is incompatible with sustained cellular function it’s quickly broken apart and the by-products are washed out of the cell. The net result of this process is a depletion of the cellular pool of energy substrates. When the by-products of AMP catabolism are washed out of the cell, they are lost forever. It takes a long time to replace these lost energy substrates even if the cell is fully perfused with oxygen again.
Ribose is the only compound used by the body to refill this energy pool. Every cell in the body has the capacity to make ribose, but hearts, muscles, and most other tissues lack the metabolic machinery to make ribose quickly when the cells are stressed by oxygen depletion or metabolic insufficiency. Ribose is made naturally in the cells from glucose. In stressed cells, however, glucose is preferentially metabolized for the energy turnover and is not available for ribose synthesis. So when energy pools are drained from stressed cells, the cells must first wait for the slow process of ribose synthesis before they can begin to replace their lost energy stores.
Acute ischemia, like that which takes place during a heart attack, heart surgery, or angioplasty, drains the cell of energy. Even when oxygenated blood flow returns, refilling the energy pool may take ten or more days. But when oxygen deprivation is chronic, or when energy metabolism is disrupted by disease, there may be so much continual strain on the energy supply that the pool can ever refill without the assistance of supplemental ribose. Conditions like ischemic heart disease or congestive heart failure fall into this category. In these situations, supplementing the tissue with exogenous ribose is the only way the cell can keep up with the energy drain.
Magnesium:
Switching on the Energy Enzymes
Magnesium is an essential mineral that's critical for energy requiring processes, in protein synthesis, membrane integrity, nervous tissue conduction, neuromuscular excitation, muscle contraction, hormone secretion, maintenance of vascular tone, and in intermediary metabolism. Deficiency may lead to changes in neuromuscular, cardiovascular, immune, and hormonal function; Impaired energy metabolism; and reduced capacity for physical work. Magnesium deficiency is now considered to contribute to many diseases, and the role for magnesium as a therapeutic agent is expanding.
Magnesium deficiency reduces the activity of important enzymes used in energy metabolism. Unless we have adequate levels of magnesium in our cells, the cellular processes of energy metabolism cannot function. Small changes in magnesium levels can have a substantial effect on heart and blood vessel function. While magnesium is found in most foods - particularly vegetables - deficiencies are increasing. Softened water and a trend toward lower vegetable consumption are the culprits contributing to these rising deficiencies.
Supporting the Links in The Energy Cycle Chain – the Synergy
Clearly, each membrane of the “Awesome Foursome” is fundamental to cellular energy metabolism in its own right. Each plays a unique and vital role in supplying the heart with the energy it needs to pReserve its contractile force. Each is independently effective in helping hearts work through the stress of disease. And while each contributes immeasurable to the energy health of the cell, in combination they are unbeatable. Allow me to reiterate the step-by-step, complicated cellular processes involved to be sure that you really understand the rationale for using these nutrients.
The cell needs a large, sustained, and healthy pool of energy to fuel all its metabolic functions. Contraction, relaxation, maintenance of cellular ion balance, and synthesis of macromolecules, like proteins, all require a high energy charge to carry their reactions to completion. The energy pool must be pReserved, or these fundamental cellular functions will become inefficient or will cease to operate altogether. To keep the pool vibrant and healthy, the cell needs ribose. But even with supplemental ribose, the cell needs the efficient turnover of its energy stores to balance ongoing energy utilization with supply. That’s where CoQ10 and L-carnitine come into play.
The converse is also true. Even if the cell is fully charged with energy, cellular energy supply will not keep pace with demand if the mitochondria are not functioning properly. CoQ10 and L-carnitine work to keep mitochondrial operations running at peak efficiency, and one side cannot work effectively without the other. Even though CoQ10 and L-carnitine can make the energy turnover mechanisms work more efficiently, they cannot increase the cell’s chemical driving force, and their action will be only partially effective. Ribose on the other hand, can keep the energy pool supplied with substrate, but the value of energy pool repletion cannot be fully realized if the substrate cannot be maximally utilized and recycled. Ribose fills the tank; CoQ10 an L-carnitine help the engine run properly.
Magnesium is the glue that holds energy metabolism together. By turning on the enzymes that drive the metabolic reactions, magnesium allows it all to happen.
These four nutrients must be utilized by cardiologists and other physicians as they treat patients day-to-day. On my own journey, using Coenzymes Q10 for two decades, L-carnitine for more than ten years, D-Ribose for two years, and magnesium equally as long, I’ve seen this “Awesome Foursome” reduce suffering and improve the quality of life for thousands of patients.
The future of nutrition in conventional medicine is very bright, although the integration of nutritional supplements has been a slow and, at times, lonely process.
L-carnitine and Coenzyme Q10 are finally gaining the recognition they deserve. D-Ribose is emerging as a new player in the complex understanding of metabolic cardiology, and doctors are beginning to discuss the important role of magnesium deficiency in heart patients. As a practicing cardiologist for over thirty years, I see metabolic cardiology as the future for the treatment of heart disease and other complex disease conditions, as well.
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=1539) Supplements good for reducing stress and boosting energy!
Date:
March 26, 2007 02:05 PM
Vitality 101
More and more Americans are feeling overworked, overtired, and overcome by life’s demands. We just do not have the energy we need to meet our responsibilities to the people we care about. More importantly, we don’t even have the energy to have fun! It seems that a constant feeling of fatigue has become part of the American way of life.
Research has shown that the same processes that cause lack of energy can rob us of sleep, saddle us with excess weight, disrupt our hormonal balance, and create significant amounts of stress in our daily lives. Chronic stress can dramatically contribute to fatigue, sleep disorders, irritability, and anxiety. The research simply confirms what most of us already know – uncomfortable stress can really wear us out mentally and physically! It can take away the satisfaction of a job well done. It can take away our ability to believe in ourselves. And, sadly and maybe most importantly, continual stress can take the fun and joy out of life.
In a separate issue of Ask the Doctor, we discuss the energy and sleeping needs of people suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia. In this issue, I discuss the 3-step process I call “Vitality 101.” People do not have to accept pain, insomnia, or fatigue. It’s time for everyone to feel great and have a life they love!
Step 1 – Nutrition
Good overall nutrition is important for everyone! As a foundation product to support energy levels, a powdered drink mix is a pleasant, easy way to ensure that you are taking all of the necessary vitamins, minerals, and amino acids that you need to have great energy all through your day.
The following chart lists the most critical ingredients. You can see that almost all of the vitamins and minerals work together to help improve energy levels and overall health.
In addition to the powdered energy drink mix, it is important that you also take a high potency vitamin B-complex supplement. This should include niacinamide, thiamin, riboflavin, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, pantothenic acid, and choline, which are especially important to restore the energy production needs of your body. It is also critical to get enough water, as most Americans are chronically dehydrated.
Step 2 – Rest Your Body
Having trouble sleeping is one of the most troubling symptoms of stress. While the stress is wearing us down and making us tired, it’s also keeping us tense and unable tot relax. The result? That easy drift into sleep becomes harder and harder. And if we are lucky enough to actually get some shut-eye, stress will often wake us up, sometimes several times a night.
This occurs because excess stress suppresses the sleep center in the brain. It is important to break the “stress/insomnia cycle” early, before it results in pain and hormonal and immune dysfunction!
Because good quality sleep is how the body repairs and re-energizes itself, it may be helpful to use herbal products to promote good quality sleep. There are many natural supplements that are marketed as sleep formulas. To get the best results, it is very important that the right ingredients are in the sleep formula you buy. Look for a supplement that has a blend of herbs that promote deep sleep, such as valerian, L-theanine, hops, passionflower,
Step 3 – Manage Excess Stress Levels
In this fast paced world, it is important to learn to manage the stressor in our lives. Glandular extracts, such as raw adrenal extract, can offer natural support to help our bodies deal with the effects of stress and, in turn, can boost your energy levels. Exercise is another stress buster. Using your body physically is important for good health. Find something that is fun for you, however, or you are unlikely to stick with it!
Q. Does stress zap my energy in any other ways besides making me lay awake at night and causing me to be a zombie the next morning?
A. Most people are familiar with the body’s dramatic response to an emergency. The heart pounds, the muscles constrict, and the lungs expand – and while this is happening, we are capable of greater than normal strength and speed. This response is the body’s way of rescuing itself when faced with an emergency. We don’t have to think about it to make it happen. It’s automatic.
The same can be said of a chronic stress response. Whether we’re late for a business meeting because we’re stuck in traffic, or worrying about how we are going to pay for our children’s college tuition, our response to stress happens automatically. The difference between the two is that the body’s response in an emergency starts and resolves itself quickly. The response to being stuck in traffic may not.
The body makes the “stress hormone”, cortisol, to handle the normal stresses of day-to-day living. But in an emergency situation, the adrenal glands, located above the kidneys, secrete increased amounts of this hormone until the emergency passes. Then the body returns to its normal function. Unfortunately, however, chronic stress is more complex. When our body is subjected to increased amounts of the hormone, cortisol, for an extended time, it can lead to a condition known as “adrenal burnout” or “adrenal fatigue.” While it’s true that very large amounts of cortisol can have damaging effects on our hormones, too little cortisol doesn’t allow us to respond to stress properly. It’s really a matter of balance.
Q. How can I control the stress in my life and re-energize?
A. Many people who are under constant stress may have adrenal burnout. Adrenal burnout occurs when the adrenal glands are constantly producing cortisol in response to chronic stress. Over time, this exhausts the adrenal Reserve, meaning the adrenal gland can no longer increase cortisol production in response to stress.
The good news is that changes in our hormone levels can return to normal when stress is decreased. The key in learning how to deal with daily stress is to allow the body to return to its normal state. I discuss additional techniques for coping with stress in my recent book Three Steps to Happiness! Healing Through Joy (see my website, www. jacobeitelbaum .com, for more information). In addition to stress control, it is important to supplement your adrenals with a glandular therapy regimen to ensure healthy cortisol levels and adrenal function. Glandular therapy, which uses the concentrated forms of bovine (cow) or porcine (pig) glands, can improve the health of our glands. Pioneers in the field of endocrinology (the study of hormones) hypothesized that glandular extracts work by providing nutrients the body lacked and thus repaired the malfunctioning gland.
Adrenal Extract
If you are one of the unlucky folks with stressed-out adrenal glands, you should see great results from taking raw adrenal supplements. Be sure to buy adrenal extract supplement that contains both whole adrenal and cortex adrenal.
The best adrenal supplement should also contain vitamin C, vitamin B6, pantothenic acid and licorice. Licorice contains glycyrrhizin, which is broken down into glycyrrhizic or glycyrrhetinic acid. This compound inhibits the activity of an enzyme that turns active cortisol into inactive cortisol. While in high amounts (greater than 100 mg of glycyrrhizic acid/day), licorice administration causes hypertension, no such effects have been observed at lower doses. Experts have speculated that inhibition of the cortisol-converting enzyme may reduce cortisol-related symptoms associated with adrenal insufficiency. The adrenal glands use these nutrients to manufacture cortisone and other compounds. It just makes sense to purchase an adrenal supplement with these supportive ingredients.
Liver Extract
Did your grandmother ever tell you to eat your liver so that you didn’t get “tired blood?” Well, it turns out that she was right. Liver extract is another glandular extract that can help improve energy levels.
Liver extract is an excellent source of highly bioavailable nutrients including iron, B vitamins (especially B12), and other minerals. The stamina and energy-enhancing benefits of liver are widely touted. Liver extract has been shown to support healthy function of the liver and increase the energy levels inside our body.
Because heat will destroy the key components in the liver, a high quality liver extract supplement should be cold-processed and encapsulated to enhance speed and absorption of nutrients from liver. A high quality aqueous liver extract supplement should also contain vitamin B12 to support healthy blood iron and oxygen levels to energize.
Q. It will be great to get a good night’s sleep. Are there also any other natural alternatives that could help promote relaxation and increase my energy levels during the day?
A. Yes, there are. Rhodiola rosea is an all-natural herb that has long been used to help relieve stress and increase energy. Rhodiola has also been used to lift our moods, improve sexual satisfaction, and even help in certain nervous system disorders. First used in Siberia and
In clinical trials, the most effective Rhodiola rosea extract was found to contain 3% rosavins and 1% salidroside. While there are many Rhodiola supplements in health food stores, only those containing these specific amounts can provide the best results.
Lifestyle Treatments
Altered digestion, food intolerances, decreased energy, fatigue, cognitive problems, and sleeplessness create the need for changes in daily living routines. These can include alterations in diet; exercise modifications; alterations in activities of daily living according to one’s energy level; and sleep/rest management. All may require the assistance of a professional clinician, such as a chiropractor, nutrition specialist, physical and/or occupational therapist, mental health professional, or sleep therapist.
Conclusion
Super busy lives demand super strength nutrition. Begin each day with a powdered nutritional supplement after getting at least 8 hours of sleep each night. In addition to the nutritional beverage mix, a vitamin B complex supplement should be taken every morning. The nutritional drink mix and the vitamin B complex supplement will ensure that your body has all the vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and other nutrients to combat your fatigue. Taking a daily adrenal supplement, like the one discussed earlier, will provide the much needed (and often depleted) nutrients your body may be lacking, and help you recover lost energy. Rhodiola rosea, and ginseng can offer additional natural nutritional support in your busy life to boost your energy levels. These nutritional supplements can be used daily and you will feel energized to get through each day’s challenges and opportunities!
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=1496) Revita
Date:
March 08, 2007 12:27 PM
Revita, the most efficient hair growth stimulating shampoo available in the market is the final result of DS Laboratories efforts on cutting edge research. Revita is a powerful and unique SLS/SLES free combination of active ingredients specially designed to maintain scalp vitality and act on folicle dysfunctions in order to achieve best results in short periods of time. Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and Sodium Laureth Sulfate, commonly used low cost detergents in shampoos and cleansers, are linked to skin irritation, skin drying and hair loss due to follicle attack. Revita is Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and Sodium Laureth Sulfate free, providing a high quality scalp skin safe shampoo product. Revita was developed with a cost-no-object approach. Revita’s compounds have been chosen based exclusively on their properties, quality and efficacy (in the opposite of the majority of available products, which are usually developed with production costs in mind). The final result is a very high quality shampoo product with absolutely no equivalent competitor in the market. Revita combines costly first line compounds at high concentrations like Caffeine at 4.0%, Pyrus Malus (Apple) Seed Extract at 1.0% and Spin Traps (SOD Mimic) at 0.1% with other top level ingredients which make Revita a unique product in its class. To improve the efficacy of this synergic combination, DS Laboratories developed a unique “chemical free” extraction process that keeps original properties and clinical efficacy of final components. Through gentle mechanical compression, Revita’s compounds are obtained as pure and chemically pReserved active molecules. Revita starts acting on your scalp and hair follicle since the first day of use. The time you will need to note the first results will depend of the severity and duration of your hair loss. No matter how long or how intense your hair loss is, using Revita on daily basis will improve the vitality of your scalp, maintaining the quality of your hair and stimulating new hair growth. Through the synergic interaction of very effective compounds, Revita brings you a highly effective product designed to maintain scalp vitality and act on hair loss. By combining an antioxidant effect, anti-DHT properties, powerful hydrating molecules, hair growth stimulants and structural amino acids, Revita brings you the most effective hair growth stimulating shampoo available. Apple Polyphenol (procyanidin B2 and C1) - phytochemical concentrate found in the skin of unripe apples that acts as potent antioxidant. It protects cells against free radicals, reactive atoms that contribute to tissue damage in the body. These chemical compounds are being studied extensively in labs around the world for their health effects in major diseases including treatment of hair growth. Studies showed that after sequential use, an increase of almost 80% of hair diameter and an increase in number of total hairs was shown, with no side effects. In 2000, Japanese researchers presented their findings to the international community on the hair growth effects of apple polyphenols - specifically one known as procyanidin B-2. They identified two successful compounds- one from chardonnay grapes, and one extracted from unripe apples. The procyanidin B-2 fraction clearly outperformed the grape extract. "Procyanidin B-2 purified from apples," stated the research team, "shows the highest activity of more than 300% relative to controls." In the same year, in a double-blind placebo-controlled trial, nineteen men with male pattern baldness were studied with a daily topical application of a 1% procyanidin B-2 solution, extracted from apples. Ten other balding men served as controls, receiving a placebo solution. After 6 months, the study concluded: • The increase in number of total hairs and terminal hairs in the procyanidin B-2 group subjects was significantly greater than controls. • 78.9% of subjects showed an increased mean value of hair diameter. • "Procyanidin B-2 therapy shows promise as a cure for male pattern baldness." Following the revelations, an attempt was made to further understand the mechanism by which the remarkable hair growth effects occurred. The results were published in the prestigious British Journal of Dermatology: Procyanidin B-2, extracted from apples, promotes hair growth: a laboratory study, Br J Dermatol. 2002 Jan;146(1):41-51. In this study, the researchers concluded that procyanidin B-2 acts to diminish protein kinase C isozymes, which play an important role in the hair growth cycle. Procyanidin B-2 seems to promote hair growth by down regulating PKC in both the anagen (active growth phase) and telogen (resting phase) of the hair follicle. When the anagen phase is prolonged, and the telogen phase is shortened, increased hair growth results. Two more clinical trials and a total of seven published studies have now confirmed the surprising hair growth-promoting effects of apple procyanidins. Here is a summary of those findings: • Total Number of Hairs: Significantly Increased • Total Number of Terminal Hairs: Significantly Greater • Increase in Hair Diameter: 78.9% Positive • Ratio of Thicker (terminal) Hairs: Significantly Higher • Hair Follicle Activation: Intensive In the most exciting development yet, Japanese researchers released a new study late in 2005. Once again, procyanidin therapy was proven successful in regrowing hair in subjects with male pattern baldness. The new study, published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, confirmed the findings of earlier studies, showing clear improvement in the number of hairs and the density of hairs in the treated area. Building on the success of earlier trials, the study was extended to 12 months in the procyanidin group, and proved that longer term procyanidin therapy was even more successful than prior 4 and 6 month trials. Cooper Peptides - Cooper Peptides have two main properties: (1) potent tissue protective anti-inflammatory agents that limit oxidative damage after tissue injury, and (2) tissue remodeling activation agents, that is, the processes for removal of damaged protein and scar tissue and their replacement by normal tissue. Studies at numerous universities and research institutes have found copper-peptides to improve hair transplant success, increase hair follicle size, stimulate hair growth and reduce hair loss. Research scientists at the University of San Francisco Wound Center stumbled upon very interesting results. Their discovery was made while applying a synthetically formulated compound, Copper Peptide, to severe wound areas on several patients. During this process something unusual happened. Not only did the wounds heal about 30 percent faster, but a significant stimulation of the follicular cells occurred. As a side effect, these tripeptide complexes actually grew hair around the wound area. The discovery was so startling that they then applied the same Copper Peptide complex to a female patient who had suffered roughly 90 percent alopecia (hair loss) for years. After about six months of use, she had recovered almost 100 percent of her hair. Dr. Loren Pickart, the leading authority in Copper Peptide technology, describes it as being like a protein injection to the scalp. Tests were then conducted with chemotherapy patients and recent hair transplant recipients, all with great success in stimulating newer and stronger hair follicles. Spin traps – are very special compounds that were originally utilized in measuring free radical activity because they react with free radicals both in vitro and in vivo, producing stable complexes. The most commonly used spin trap and the standard which measures new ones is PBN - alpha-phenyl- N-tert butyl nitrone. Hundreds of studies have been conducted over the last ten years that have tested PBN and other “spin traps” in numerous conditions. Later it was discovered that these spin traps had powerful free radical quenching abilities in living systems and could treat a variety of conditions. Spin traps could provide unique protection against free radical damage that complements and enhances the activities of the classical antioxidants such as vitamin C and vitamin E. Spin traps modulate NF kappa-B regulated cytokines and inducible nitric oxide synthases that are implicated in pro-inflammatory disease conditions. A method for ameliorating a cellular dysfunction of a tissue such as the treatment of hair loss and stimulation of hair growth comprises administering a nitroso or nitrone spin trap to the affected tissue. These agents inhibit the reaction of superoxide and nitric oxide to produce peroxinitrite. Scientists discovered that nitrone and nitroso spin traps have properties in the body for ameliorating cellular dysfunction in tissue attributed, in part, to high energy oxygen and hydroxyl free radicals, and enhancing recuperation of the tissue. Alpha-phenyl-N-tert butyl nitrone (PBN) can be administered, for example, as an anti-alopecia agent to stimulate hair growth. Spin traps can be administered to the skin to be treated, such as the scalp. Depending on the type of hair loss or alopecia being treated and the conditions thereof, the stimulation of hair growth can usually be obtained by topical application, preferably repeated daily application. The utility of topically applied spin traps is not limited thereto, however, and the stimulation of hair growth can include an increased rate of growth, increased hair diameter, follicular neogenesis, and the like; inhibiting hair loss or alopecia from progressing. Ketoconazole - Topical ketoconazole shows itself to have an anti-DHT binding effect in the scalp. Nevertheless, it is likely that ketoconazole exhibits other methods to its anti-hair-loss effect. One such theory of ketoconazole anti-alopecia effects may be on its activity upon the removal of sebum, a fatty substance that accumulates in the scalp around the hair follicles. In addition, ketoconazole is an antifungal medication and is significant for people combating hair loss since acting as an antifungal agent it reduces scalp irritation caused by fungal colonization or infection. Reduction of the inflammatory process that occurs in male pattern alopecia is crucial. If we first examine the role of androgens, specifically dihydrotestosterone (DHT), we find that this hormone has been thought to slowly "choke" the growth of the hair follicle by inhibiting the function of an enzyme in the hair follicle called adenylate cyclase. Suffice it to say that when DHT concentrations remain high in the scalp, we see terminal (thick, coarse) scalp hair become reduced to vellus hair (fine, thin peach fuzz). On March 04, 2001, at the American Academy of Dermatology Meeting in Washington DC, scientists presented the findings of a study done on 1% ketoconazole shampoo which had good news for hair loss sufferers. In the study presented, one hundred male volunteers with mild to moderate dandruff and somewhat oily scalp, were using in a double-blind fashion either a 1% ketoconazole shampoo or a 1% zinc pyrithione shampoo, 2-3 times a week for 6 months. Analysis of the different parameters set up in the study shows that the hair diameter gradually increased with ketoconazole use (+8.46%) over a 6 month period, whereas the diameter showed a trend to decrease with zinc pyrithione use over the same period (-2.28%). The sebum excretion rate was reduced with ketoconazole (-6.54%) while it increased with zinc pyrithione (+8.2%) over the same period of time. The number of hairs shed over a 24-hour period was reduced by 16.46% with ketoconazole and 6.02% with zinc pyrithione after 6 months. Finally, the percentage of hairs in the anagen phase increased by 6.4% and 8.4% respectively during the study. The results are similar to a previous study done on 2% prescription strength Ketokonazole where it was shown that use of 2% ketoconazol yielded an increase in hair shaft diameter similar to what was achieved by the control group using 2% Minoxidil and a non-medicated shampoo. Rooibos - Rooibos or Red Bush Tea - a hardy shrub indigenous to the North Western Cape of South Africa – is an exciting new botanical ingredient with potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties well documented in medical literature. In alternative medicine Rooibos is often prescribed for nervous tension, allergies, stomach and digestive problems. Results from an independent study also showed a significant improvement in hair loss. Studies were initiated at an independent laboratory (Dermascan, France) to study the effect of the use of Rooibos in a hair lotion on a group of healthy persons who were suffering from the problem of hair loss. A 90 day trial was conducted comparing a hair lotion containing Rooibos with a placebo lotion. After 90 days results showed a significant increase of the hair growth in the lotion containing Rooibos compared with the placebo. An increase in the hair growth was observed with 89% of the volunteers with no undesirable reactions (irritation or allergy). The participants were next asked to fill in a questionnaire. When the results were tallied, 67 percent rated their hair loss as zero or low, 78 percent saw a low to medium improvement, 45 percent saw a low to medium regrowth of hair, and 63 percent considered their hair had become smoother and shinier. Conclusion: results show that most of the volunteers had a remarkable improvement in both the increase of hair growth and the decrease in hair loss. MSM - Sulphur is present in protein-rich foods containing high levels of the amino acids methionine and cysteine. These foods include meat, fish, legumes, nuts, eggs, and vegetables, especially onions. However, sulphur has recently become a popular nutritional supplement and topical treatment thanks to the discovery of methylsulfonylmethane, or MSM. The use of MSM as a nutritional supplement and topical application is relatively recent. An American chemist named Robert Herschler, began studying MSM in 1955. However, another man, Dr. Stanley Jacob with Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland, is considered by many to be the father of MSM. Dr. Jacob found that simple marine life like algae and plankton convert inorganic sulphur to organic sulphur compounds. These compounds are known as dimethylsulfonium salts. These salts are transformed into dimethyl sulfide (DMS), which is released into the atmosphere and is converted by ultraviolet light into dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). When DMSO oxidizes, it turns into MSM and is absorbed by plants that become food for animals and humans. MSM is a white, crystalline powder that is odorless and nearly tasteless. When taken as a dietary supplement, MSM proved to have the same health benefits as DMSO without side-effects such as bad breath, itchy skin, nasal congestion, and shortness of breath. Why does MSM help with the development of stronger hair? Various scientific studies have proven that MSM contributes a definite normalizing effect on body functions. The sulfur normally provided to the body by MSM is required for healthy collagen and keratin which are essential for healthy hair, skin and nails. MSM also has proven antioxidant benefits which can disrupt or alter damaging chain reactions of lipid peroxidation in the cell membranes. MSM has been widely used as a dietary supplement without any reports of allergy or intolerance related to its use. Supplements of MSM are comfortably assimilated without side effects. There are no known contraindications. Caffeine 4% - Active caffeine ingredient helps to regulate the effects of testosterone levels. Male pattern baldness is known to occur in individuals with sensitivity to testosterone, causing damage to hair follicles that eventually leads to baldness. Caffeine is a xanthine alkaloid compound that acts as a stimulant in humans. Caffeine is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant, having the effect of warding off drowsiness and restoring alertness. The independent study at the University of Jena used hair samples from the scalps of young men entering into the first stages of hormone-related hair loss. The study relied on a hair organ culture that used four different types of testing samples. The first was a nutrient-based sample, the second a testosterone only sample, the third was a caffeine only sample and the fourth a mixture of caffeine and testosterone. According to the research, the results showed that the samples containing the caffeine nutrient helped to stave off hair loss and encouraged new hair growth, while the sample that relied on testosterone only led to increased hair loss. But perhaps the most impressive was the testosterone and caffeine sample, which helped to prevent further hair loss. The results showed that using the caffeine treatment average growth was increased by around 46 per cent and the life cycle of the hair was extended by 37 per cent, when compared to the control study. Carnitine Tartrate - L-Carnitine, a vitamin-like nutrient, occurs naturally in the human body and is essential for turning fat into energy. Active energy metabolism is an essential prerequisite for the growth of strong and healthy hair. In biological systems ATP acts as the universal energy currency. One of the most potent bio-actives that significantly increases cellular ATP content is carnitine tartrate. Statistical evaluation demonstrated a significant increase in ATP equivalents in human hair roots treated with carnitine tartrate, showing that carnitine tartrate is an ideal ingredient for hair care formulations, providing energy for the optimal environment to produce strong and healthy hair. Throughout the test period ATP content within plucked hair follicles was determined twice daily using a commercially available test kit. Statistical evaluation of baseline adjusted values demonstrated a significant increase in ATP equivalents in human hair roots treated with carnitine tartrate. These effects were absent in the placebo group, thus underlining the stimulating activity of carnitine tartrate. The outstanding bio-activity of carnitine tartrate was furthermore demonstrated in a second study, assessing the effects after a single application of a shampoo formulation supplemented with carnitine tartrate. Again, ATP levels in plucked human hair follicles were significantly increased. Amino Acids: Ornitine, Taurine, Cysteine - Amino acids are the building blocks of protein, from which hair is created. They are assembled in the correct sequence by stem cells to form keratin, a complex and immensely strong hair protein. Vital amino acids have to be replaced consistently, as damage is accumulated over time. We can replace a combination of these lost amino acids directly into the hair, where they are shown to provide significant tensile benefits to the hair shaft. Hair is composed primarily of proteins (88%). These proteins are of a hard fibrous type known as keratin. Keratin protein is comprised of what we call "polypeptide chains.” The word, polypeptide, comes from the Greek word "poly" meaning many and "peptos" meaning digested or broken down. In essence, if we break down protein, we have individual amino acids. Many (poly) amino acids joined together form a "polypeptide chain". Two amino acids are joined together by a "peptide bond", and the correct number of amino acids placed in their correct order will form a specific protein; i.e. keratin, insulin, collagen and so on. The "alpha helix" is the descriptive term given to the polypeptide chain that forms the keratin protein found in human hair. Its structure is a coiled coil. The amino acids link together to form the coil and there are approximately 3.6 amino acids per turn of the helix (coil). Each amino acid is connected together by a "peptide bond". The peptide bond is located between the carbon atom of one amino acid extending to bond with the nitrogen atom of the next amino acid. In many individuals the extremities, including the top of the head, are the most difficult places to maintain blood flow. Follicles which are constantly deprived of blood, and therefore nutrients, cannot produce hair properly. Lack of proper nutrients, amino acids, minerals and vitamins can certainly hamper hair growth. L-Arginine is a semi-essential amino acid synthesized by the body from L-Ornithine. Arginine + Ornithine support protein synthesis because they are involved in the transport and storage of nitrogen. The usage of taurine corrects the "rigidification" of the connective sheath that surrounds the Pilosebaceous unit and hair follicles, specifically those affected by pattern hair loss. This is a novel and previously undisclosed angle on hair loss treatment that has yet to be touched upon in any of the medical literature or prior publications. The amino acid, l-cysteine speeds up hair growth and increases hair shaft diameter resulting in fuller hair. L-cysteine has been reported to facilitate longer hair growth, beyond what is genetically programmed. L-cysteine also provides potent antioxidant protection to the hair follicle. Users of topical n-acetyl-cysteine have reported hair regrowth. Emu Oil - The emu, dromaius nova hollandiae, is a flightless bird part of a group called ratites which also includes the ostrich and the kiwi. Modern Australians learned early on from the Aborigines the many valuable qualities in the emu and its oil. The earliest research studies in emu oil come from Australia, and Australia continues to export emu oil to this day. In the United States today there is a growing network of research labs interested in emus and their incredible oil. Emu oil is rendered from a thick pad of fat on the back of the bird that was apparently provided by nature to protect the animal from the extreme temperatures in its Australian homeland. Emu oil is deep penetrating and super hydrating to the skin - an all-natural tissue nutrient. Michael Hollick, MD, Ph.D., Professor of Medicine, Physiology, and Dermatology at Boston University School of Medicine conducted a study involving emu oil and hair growth. His study found that there was a 20% increase in growth activity of skin that received emu oil compared to skin that received corn oil. Looking at the hair follicles Dr. Hollick realized they were much more robust, the skin thickness was remarkably increased suggesting that emu oil stimulated skin growth and hair growth. Additionally, the study showed that over 80% of hair follicles that had been "asleep" were woken up, and began growing. Emu oil is anti-inflammatory, which may be in part why it stimulates hair growth. Emu Oil has also been shown to be a 5 alpha reductase inhibitor in target tissues when topically applied, which likely contributes significantly to its hair growth properties. A third important property of emu oil is that it is bacteriostatic. Emu Oil contains a multitude of Essential Fatty Acids (EFA) which helps to "feed" the skin. Consumers who suffer from natural forms of baldness have reported hair re-growth. Since Alopecia Areata only suppresses the hair follicle (vs. killing the hair follicle), emu oil may have an effect to assist with hair regrowth. Biotin – Biotin is a member of the B-vitamin family and a major component in the natural hair manufacturing process -- it is essential to not only grow new hair, but it also plays a major role in the overall health of skin and nails. The beneficial effects of biotin on hair may be linked to its ability to improve the metabolism of scalp oils. Biotin when absorbed by the scalp may promote hair growth and it is able to penetrate the hair shaft making it expand which actually thickens the hair cuticle. Biotin is used in cell growth, the production of fatty acids, metabolism of fats and amino acids. It plays a role in the Krebs Cycle, which is the process in which energy is released from food. Biotin is so important to hair health, that many dermatologists prescribe biotin supplements to their patients as part of their medical treatment for hair loss. After applying Revita with a gentle massage, you should leave it on the scalp from 1 – 2 minutes before rinsing. Then repeat and leave on the scalp for 3 – 5 minutes. If desired, follow with a high quality conditioner. For optimal results, Revita should be used at least 5 times per week. This formulation is contraindicated in individuals with a history of sensitivity reactions to any of its components. It should be discontinued if hypersensitivity to any of its ingredients is noted. Q. Is Revita safe ? A. Revita primarily contains compounds that are not only safe in topical use, but actually dramatically enhance overall skin health. The other active ingredients such as Ketoconazole have been tested in clinical studies and have been shown safe. Q: Can I use hair sprays, mousses, gels, etc.? A: Hair spray, gel, and other styling aids are not recommended since they tend to clog the hair shaft. However, you can use them while using Revita. Q: Can I have my hair colored or permed while using Revita ? A: While there is no evidence that coloring or perming hair can lead to or even worsen hair loss, it is generally not recommended for people with hair loss. If you are experiencing hair loss then perming and coloring hair is not recommended. However, this will not interfere with Revita. Q: What is SLS/SLES free ? A: SLS means Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and SLES means Sodium Laureth Sulfate, commonly used low cost detergents in shampoos and cleansers. They are linked to skin irritation, skin drying and hair loss due to follicle attack. Revita is Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and Sodium Laureth Sulfate free, and that means that Revita does not irritate you scalp and pReserves your hair follicale health. Q: Can I blow dry my hair after using Revita ? A: Extreme heat damages the proteins in the hairs making them fragile. Nevertheless, if you need or want to blow dry your hair, you can do it after using Revita. Q: Who is a candidate for Revita ? A: Ideal candidate is someone with little hair loss or at the beginning stages of hair loss, since it is much easier to prevent hair loss then to grow new hair. Someone who is concerned with hair loss prevention should start using Revita immediately. Q: What type of results should I expect with Revita ? A: When deciding to use Revita, it is important to have realistic expectations. Depending of severity and duration of your hair loss, it could take some time to see hair growth. In fact, during the first 2 weeks of treatment you may actually notice increased hair loss as old hairs are being pushed out and the hair follicles start growing new hair. Do not become alarmed with this and just stick to the treatment. Q. Does Revita have any systemic side effects ? A. No, when used as directed, Revita active ingredients have a long history of use both orally and topically. Q. Does Revita work for women? A. Yes. In most cases, the cause of hair loss in women is surprisingly similar to men. Fortunately for women, estrogen helps to protect the hair follicle from the destructive effects of DHT. However, many women develop thinning hair and loss due to fluctuation of estrogen levels and/or over production of DHT. Revita can help protect the hair follicle from DHT resulting in a thicker, fuller and healthier hair. Q. I am using other topical treatments. Can I use Revita at the same time ? A. Yes. Revita has no side effects and does not cross react with other topical treatments. You can safely opt to use Revita with other products, and we strongly recommend the association with Spectral.DNC for more severe hair loss or Spectral.RS for thinning hair. Q. Do I need to use Revita for a long time ? A. Once you have reached the desired results, you should continue to use Revita as your regular shampoo to maintain the revitalized hairs and a healthy scalp. Q: Is stress a factor in hair loss? A: When the body is under significant physical and emotional stress it is possible that the immune system will produce anti-bodies that attack hair follicles, and this results in bald patches or diffuse loss. Stress-induced loss will respond very well to Revita and you should keep using Revita as your regular daily shampoo to keep your scalp healthy.
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=1480) The Power Plant of the Amazon
Date:
March 02, 2007 11:34 AM
Enzymatic Therapy Amazon Herbs It may surprise most Americans to know that rainforest plants are the original source for one-fourth of the chemotherapy medications used today. Plants offer a plethora of beneficial compounds, and rainforests contain a superabundance of beneficial plants. In fact, plant medicines are the most widely used medicines of all types in the world. Over eighty-five percent of the world’s population uses plant and herbal medicines as their primary medicines. That’s 5.1 billion (5,100,000,000) people worldwide! While Americans overwhelmingly use synthetically manufactured pharmaceuticals to cure their ills, the vast majority of Earth’s inhabitants use healing plant medicines instead. One of the most powerful healing rainforest plant medicines is cat’s claw, or Uncaria tomentosa. This high climbing woody vine grows at the base of tall trees in the Peruvian rainforest. The plant’s claw-shaped thorns latch onto the trees and spiral further upward, nourished by the lush rainforest environment. For over 2,000 years, the Ashaninka, a tribal people of the Peruvian rainforest, have used the root of U. tomentosa to treat illnesses in the tribe, including asthma, bladder infections, infected wounds, arthritis, bone pain, bowel inflammation, and cancer. Q. I’ve heard about cat’s claw, but what does it do and how do I know which one is right for me? Cat’s claw might be one of the most confusing (and most effective!) nutritional supplements available in health food stores today. One reason that it’s so confusing is there are so many kinds of cat’s claw supplements-there are cat’s claw leaves, cat’s claw bark, and even cat’s claw twigs. While each of these supplements claim to help the immune system, it is the root of Uncaria tomentosa that is proven to impart the true cat’s claw health benefits. Scientists, who have extensively studied every part of the plant, discovered that extracts made from selected cat’s claw roots possess the healing power to treat and prevent diseases like cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, ulcers and degenerative diseases. In addition, it demonstrates anti-inflammatory, anti-viral and anti-microbial benefits. Adding to the confusion is the fact that not all Uncaria tomentosa roots actually contain healing properties. Healers in the Ashaninka tribe attribute the healing properties in cat’s claw to the “good spirits” that live in the plant’s roots. The Ashaninka healers, or sancoshi, are able to actually “see” the good spirits hidden inside the root of the plant before they harvest them. Some cat’s claw plant roots have the good spirits. Some don’t. If the good spirits are mixed with any cat’s claw root without good spirits, the healing power is lost. While there are no apparent differences in the plants or the roots to the untrained eye, only certain cat’s claw roots possess the power to heal. And, for a very long time, only the Ashaninka tribal healer seemed to be able to identify them. They call the good spirit cat’s claw Saventaro, or “powerful plant”. However, scientists who were given cat’s claw roots by the Ashaninka to study in the laboratory discovered that they could “see” the good spirits, too! Using high performance liquid chromatography, or HPLC, a laboratory process that identifies various chemical compounds, the good spirits of cat’s claw roots were revealed to be important medicinal compounds called pentacyclic oxindole alkaloids (POAs). Research has learned that POAs provide powerful benefits for the human immune response. Q. Why are good spirits, or POA’s, good for the immune system? Cat’s claw POAs work to keep us healthy by directly interacting with white blood cells, the backbone of our immune system. Our white blood cells are the disease fighting cells of the human body. These highly specialized cells fight diseases we catch, such as colds and flu, as well as diseases that start within our own cells, such as cancer and autoimmune diseases. There are many kinds of white blood cells; each has a specific job to do in fighting diseases. Certain POAs help white blood cells called macrophages work faster. The macrophages’ job is to engulf and digest foreign material. This means that macrophages can ingest m ore bacteria and disease causing microbes when they are exposed to POAs. The scientists also discovered that POA cat’s claw extract increases the production of a chemical protein called interleukin that is secreted by macrophages. This macrophage-secreted interleukin (IL-1) has important immune enhancing properties. IL-1 alerts resting white blood cells and spurs them into action. It also helps make other biochemicals that are essential to an activated immune system. POAs also help B cells. B cells are white blood cells that make antibodies that kill germs. Each B cell is programmed to make one specific antibody that is effective against one specific germ (such as a bacteria, virus, or fungus). When scientists looked at the number of B cells after they were exposed to POA cat’s claw root extract, they found that the B cells had increased significantly, resulting in an increased supply of antibodies. And perhaps most importantly as they relate to cancer, the POAs in cat’s claw root extract help increase the number of T cells, the true soldiers of the immune system. There are many different kinds of these white blood cells, including Helper T cells, Suppressor T cells, and Killer T cells. Increased Helper, Suppressor, and Killer T-cells can more effectively destroy cancer cells. Increasing the number of circulating T-cells is very important in a disease like AIDS as well. Q. Can cat’s claw and other plants in the rainforest really cure diseases? Isn’t that just folklore? It’s folk use and modern science combined-plants have long been known for their ability to kill cancer cells. In fact, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) has identified over 3000 plant extracts that can kill cancer cells. More than 70 percent of these plants are found only in the rainforest. Q. What is it about the rainforest that gives plants like cat’s claw these cancer killing compounds? Most of the time when we talk about rainforests, we’re talking about the tropical rainforests. While other forests, like the old-growth temperate forests of the Pacific Northwest, also have high rainfalls and tall trees, the tropical rainforests located near the equator are where most plant medicines come from. The Amazon rainforest in South America is the world’s largest, covering an area about two-thirds the size of the continental United States. Depending on the elevation and distance to the equator the Amazon rainforest receives between 160 and 400 inches of rain per year. The rain is spread pretty evenly from January to December-it’s always the rainy season-and the temperatures remain between 75-80 degrees Fahrenheit all year. This fertile environment continually recycles itself. When leaves fall from the trees, flowers wilt, and animals die in the rainforest-all of the nutrients are recycled back into the roots of the trees and plants. Because the rainforest reuses almost everything that falls to the ground, the plant growth is amazingly rich in alkaloids and other medicinal compounds. Researchers think these compounds and alkaloids, like POAs, protect the plants from illness and insect attacks. These are the very same compounds that protect us from disease. Q. When the Ashaninka harvest the cat’s claw roots, does it impact the rest of the plant? No. The Ashaninka work intelligently to keep rainforest cat’s claw plants perpetually healthy. The Ashaninka employ responsible and innovative harvesting techniques to keep the plants alive and tribal members healthy. Individual cat’s claw plants are never completely harvested. Only one third of the lateral roots are collected at any one time to allow re-growth by the remaining root. Once a plant’s lateral roots have been partially harvested, that plant is left to regenerate, and no more root is harvested from it for 10 years. Q. Why are the Ashaninka willing to share their cat’s claw? They are generous people. The Ashaninka see no benefit in hoarding cat’s claw for themselves alone. They also want to make sure that the plant’s healing properties continue on. As their homelands continue to be destroyed by deforestation, rainforest peoples are also disappearing. There were an estimated ten million tribal and indigenous peoples living in the Amazonian Rainforest in 1510. Today there are less than 200,000. Since the 1900’s more than 90 indigenous tribes have died out and disappeared. Each time a rainforest medicine man or woman dies without passing their arts on to the next generation, the tribe and the world loses thousands of years of irreplaceable knowledge about medicinal plants. With them, centuries of accumulated knowledge of the medicinal value of rainforest species have been lost. A good example of the impact of this loss can be seen in cat’s claw. When European explorers began venturing into the Amazon River basin, t hey were skeptical of the stories the Ashaninka people told them of U. tomentosa’s amazing healing powers. But when the explorers became sick with colds, flu, or other illnesses, they harvested cat’s claw root for themselves and gave the plant a try. Sometimes the explorers got better when they used the cat’s claw root, sometimes they stayed the same. Q. Why didn’t the cat’s claw root help all the explorers? Because some cat’s claw plant roots have good spirits-POAs-and some cat’s claw plant roots have tetracyclic oxindole alkaloids, or TOAs. While the POAs have very powerful effects in the immune system, the TOAs have different effects in the body, none of which help the immune system cells at all. All U. tomentosa plants look virtually identical, so it’s hard to tell if they have the healing POAs or non-helpful TOAs. What makes cat’s claw identification even more challenging is the fact that plants with POAs one year will have TOAs the next. Cat’s claw plants seem to change their alkaloid chemotypes at will, an incredibly powerful accomplishment for a plant to possess. Harvesting of cat’s claw roots that contain POAs is very tricky. Unless the person gathering the root extract is an Ashaninka sancoshi. These medicine men know which cat’s claw to use; they can actually “see” the good spirits hidden inside the root. When scientists studying cat’s claw discovered they could “see” presence of TOAs using HPLC technology, they were able to harvest cat’s claw root extracts with POAs that consistently helps people get and stay healthy. Q. Do some cat’s claw root extract supplements contain TOAs? Yes they do. And buying those products will only benefit the cat’s claw distributor; they won’t help you stay healthy. When cat’s claw root is harvested from the rainforest, responsible supplement maker examine the root with HPLC to make sure that only POA roots are collected. But, this identification of the chemotypes takes significant time and costs money. For these reasons, many cat’s claw distributors don’t include this important process in their harvesting. The POAs and TOAs are simply just mixed together and sold as a cat’s claw product with no mention of any alkaloid content on the label. Q. Why should I avoid TOAs? While the POAs in cat’s claw root extracts have numerous benefits to the immune system, the TOAs have different effects in the body, none helping the immune system cells. Most importantly, however, when POAs and TOAs are mixed together, the TOAs actually work against the POAs. TOAs reduce the capacity of POAs to beneficially modulate the immune system. Q. How can I be sure the cat’s claw I buy is POA cat’s claw? Read the label of the cat’s claw root extract product you are considering buying. If it does not clearly state that it is the high POA cat’s claw, then chances are that it’s not. Q. What do the Ashaninka receive in return for the cat’s claw harvesting? The Ashaninka and reputable distributors of cat’s claw root extract have established a mutual and ethical relationship. Both groups benefit from the sale of the plant material. Maintaining this relationship is important for both the tribe and the distributors. The distributors are paying a fair price for the raw material directly to the tribe. No intermediary is involved. This payment covers the raw material itself, a license-fee for the k knowledge of the plant, and a guarantee (from both sides) of a lasting relationship. Payment is also made for the protection of the rainforest. No deforestation is allowed. The area where the cat’s claw materials are processed is also leased and payment is made for this, as well. This arrangement allows the Ashaninka to make independent decisions in how to spend this income from sale of their cat’s claw plants. They have been able to make improvements in the tribe’s water supply and in their living areas. They are also able to obtain outside medical aid as needed and provide for education of their children. The partnership with cat’s claw distributors has created a sustainable resource for the Ashaninka. The tribe has been able to not only pReserve their rainforest, but also compete financially with unsustainable income sources offered by timber and agricultural firms. Q. Why is it important to pReserve the rainforest? The most amazing fact about these impressive medicinal plants is the vast number that5 has yet to be discovered. In fact, the rainforest’s abundance is one reason it is home to so many healing plants. Within a four square mile patch of rainforest, you could see 1500 species of flowering plants, 750 species of trees, 125 mammal species, 400 species of birds, 100 reptile species, 60 amphibian species, and 150 different species of butterflies. Unfortunately, not everyone looks to the rainforest for the same reasons. Many consider its real value in board feet and cultivated acreage. The forces pushing industrial development move quickly; experts estimate that we’re losing over 130 plant, animal, and insect species every day/ That amount to almost 50,000 species a year. A combination of logging, petroleum interests, cattle grazing operations, and, of course, our own consumer appetites are putting pressure on rainforest resources. The consequences are sobering:
By leaving the rainforest intact, however, and harvesting its many nuts, fruits, oil-producing, and medicinal plants, the rainforest has more economic value than if it was cut down for timber or to make grazing land for cattle. If managed properly, the rainforest can provide the world’s need for sustainably harvested natural resources on a perpetual basis. That’s what the Ashaninka are doing with their cat’s claw harvesting. Conclusion The discovery of medicinal plants is dependent upon healthy rainforests. When an acre of tropical rainforest is lost due to deforestation, the impact on the number of plant and animal species lost and their possible uses is staggering. We can all help the development of sustainable rainforest industries. By purchasing renewable and sustainable rainforest products, like POA type cat’s claw root extract, we are keeping rainforests alive and well. By benefiting from the innate wisdom of the Ashaninka people we are keeping ourselves just as alive and well. By honoring the science and the sacred of the world’s rainforests, like my friend the oncology nurse, the massive wealth and diversity will be there for generations to come.
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=1476) Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia
Date:
February 28, 2007 12:02 PM
This is a fast paced world. We are all busy; living our full lives, burning the candle at both ends. We all get tired. We all get sick from time to time and maybe even depressed. But the illness called chronic fatigue syndrome is not like the normal ups and downs that we experience in everyday life. People with chronic fatigue syndrome feel overwhelming fatigue, and often pain as well. This is an illness that does not go away with a few good nights’ sleep. It drags on and on and doesn’t resolve itself. It steals vigor and energy over months, and sometimes even years. In this issue of Ask the Doctor, we will talk about powerful vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and herbs combined in scientifically validated formulas that people with chronic fatigue syndrome or fibromyalgia can use every day. These nutrients help address some root problems of chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia by restoring energy and health to sufferers. Q. What is chronic fatigue syndrome? A. Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) also known as chronic fatigue and immune dysfunction syndrome (CFIDS), or myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), is a group of symptoms associated with unrelenting and debilitating fatigue. The profound weakness of CFS causes a persistent and substantial reduction in activity level. You feel too tired to do normal activities or are easily exhausted for no apparent reason. Besides extreme fatigue, symptoms of CFS include general pain, mental fogginess, flu-like symptoms, and gastrointestinal problems. A list of symptoms includes:
The number of symptoms and the severity of these symptoms can vary among people. The symptoms of CFS hand on or reoccur frequently for more than six months. Q. Are chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia considered being the same illness? A. Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a painful shortening of muscles throughout the body. FMS is basically a sleep disorder characterized by many tender knots in the muscles. These tender knots, called tender or trigger points, are a major cause of the achiness that people with fibromyalgia and CFS feel. Approximately 80 percent of chronic fatigue syndrome patients have received and overlapping diagnosis of fibromyalgia syndrome. For most people, fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome are the same illness. Q. What causes chronic fatigue syndrome? A. There are many causes that can trigger CFS. Current research is looking at the roles of neuroendocrine dysfunction, viruses, environmental toxins, genetic predisposition, food sensitivities, yeast overgrowth, faulty digestion, or a combination of these factors. For many people, CFS is triggered by a bout with a viral illness (like a cold or the flu), or even a stressful event. CFS is usually a mix of underlying causes. It is like a domino effect in that each problem can trigger another problem, and so on. For example, fatigue and poor sleep can trigger a weakened immune system, which can, in turn, trigger yeast or bacterial infections. Q. Who gets chronic fatigue syndrome? A. CFS is more common than you might expect. It strikes people of all ages, racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups. Approximately 800,000 people nationwide have CFS and over six million have fibromyalgia at any given time. It is important to stress that CFS is a real illness; it is not “just in your head.” Unfortunately, sufferers of CFS may find that many healthcare practitioners discount the symptoms of this illness or misdiagnose it as another disease. This can lead to additional emotional suffering. Q. How long does chronic fatigue syndrome last? A. The illness varies greatly in its duration. Some people recover after a year or two. More often, those who recover are more likely to do so three to five years after onset. Yet for some people, the illness seems to simply persist. There are rare cases of spontaneous improvement after five years without undergoing any treatment. However, this is very unusual. Q. What are the complications of chronic fatigue syndrome? A. The patterns of CFS vary from individual to individual. However, many common patterns of symptoms are seen in CFS sufferers. These symptoms and problems interact and create new symptoms and problems. For example, infections and disrupted sleep can lead to digestive, hormone, and immune problems. Infections The most notorious pattern seen in CFS is the one in which a person suddenly comes down with a flu-like illness that doesn’t go away. These viral or bacterial infections can suppress the body’s master gland, the hypothalamus. Since the hypothalamus controls the other glands, including the adrenals, ovaries, testes, and thyroid, suppression of this gland will lead to a subtle but debilitating decrease in the functioning of all glands and their hormones. Suppressed hypothalamic function from chronic infections can then trigger sleep dysfunction. Disrupted Sleep The suppression of the hypothalamus gland can lead to poor sleep because the body confuses its day/night cycles. Because of this, people with CFS have trouble staying in the deep, restorative stages of sleep that “recharge their batteries.” Poor sleep can cause immune suppression, which may lead to secondary bowel infections. The bowel infections seen in people with CFS can cause decreased absorption of nutrients, which can lead to chronic vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Q. Is there a cure for chronic fatigue syndrome? A. Treating chronic fatigue syndrome presents a significant challenge to people with CFS and their healthcare practitioners. Recently, a published placebo-controlled study ( of which I was the lead investigator) showed that when using an integrated treatment approach, over 85 percent of CFS and fibromyalgia patients can improve, often dramatically. The full text of this study can be seen at ‘www.endfatigue.com’. An editorial in the April 2002 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Pain Management noted that this treatment, which I developed, is now a highly effective and excellent part of the standard of practice for treatment of fibromyalgia. Since this treatment addresses many different problems associated with CFS/FMS, it needs to be individualized to each patient. Medical Treatments Medications that provide symptom relief are frequently the first line of treatment chosen by healthcare practitioners for the person with CFS. These include medications for pain, sleep disturbances; digestive problems such as nausea, depression and anxiety, and flu-like symptoms. However, medications have not been universally successful because they tent to put a bandage on symptoms instead of addressing the root problems. Because of this, medications may need to be supplemented by the other supportive therapies that can address the root problems. Supportive Treatments People with CFS/FMS may be depressed, given the catastrophic lifestyle disruption these diseases may cause. They may also feel guilt and frustration because their symptoms were not taken seriously for such a long time. Fear can be a factor as employment and family relationships may be jeopardized by this illness. Therapies that help people to relax and improve coping skills may be helpful and include counseling for emotional and mental health, cognitive behavioral therapy, sleep management therapy, and massage. Daily Nutritional Supplementation for Energy Good overall nutrition is important for everyone, of course. However, there are several vitamins, minerals, and amino acids that can have powerful nutritional effects for a person with CFS. All of the vitamins and minerals in a chronic fatigue/fibromyalgia formula should work together synergistically to help improve energy levels and overall health. Here are some key nutrients to look for in an energy formula: Vitamins, Minerals & Other Key Ingredients Vitamin A: Essential for healthy skin and mucous membrane integrity, healthy immune system responses and healthy bone growth and healthy reproductive processes. Vitamin A in the form of beta-carotene is an antioxidant and free radical fighter. Vitamin E: Helps to relieve pain in CFS patients. Can also improve night leg cramps, which interferes with sleep. Vitamin C: Enhances immune function by increasing natural killer cells, B and T cells. Can prevent chronic bladder infections by acidifying urine. Vitamin D: Regulates immune functions of monocytes and neutrophils. Neutraphils are white blood cells that ingest invasive bacteria, and act as the first line of defense once bacteria makes it past the skin barrier. Magnesium: Involved with immune support. Working with malic acid, enhances immune function by increasing natural killer cells. Magnesium is also critical for the relief of muscle pain. Inositol: Enhances immune function by increasing natural killer cells. Malic Acid: Working with magnesium, improves energy levels by improving cellular functions. Especially important in muscle metabolism. Betaine: Works with B vitamins to synthesize amino acids, and acts as a precursor to SAM-e. SAM-e (S-adenosylmethionine) is a naturally-occurring molecule in the body, and may have an effect on overall mood elevation. Amino Acids: Glycine, Serine, Taurine, Tyrosine are essential for the production of energy in the body. Also essential for brain function. Zinc: Supports the immune system by enhancing neutrophils activity and supporting healthy antigen-antibody binding. Selenium: Supports immune function by enhancing antibody production. Fructooligosaccharides: Provides nutrition for good bacteria in the intestinal tract, improving digestion and healthy microflora. All of the vitamins, minerals, and other nutritional supplements on the list are important to ensure recovery from chronic fatigue syndrome. To ensure that your nutritional supplement regimen contains all of these ingredients, look for a powdered supplement formulated specifically for CFS/FMS sufferers that can be reconstituted in a beverage of your choice. A powdered drink mix is a pleasant, easy way to ensure that you are taking all of the needed vitamins, minerals, and amino acids that will give you the needed energy to recover from your illness. B Vitamin Complex for Energy In addition to the powdered energy drink mix, it is important that you also take a vitamin B-complex supplement specifically formulated for people with CFS/FMS. The B vitamin formula, which should include niacinamide, thiamin, riboflavin, vitamin B6, folic acid, vitamin B12, pantothenic acid, and choline, is especially important to restore the energy production needs of your body, as well as for mental function. It is also important to make sure that the dosages are high enough CFS/FMS needs. The chart in the next column lists the B vitamins that are critical for people suffering from CFS/FMS. B Vitamins Effect on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Studies have demonstrated that people with CFS/FMS are often deficient in many of the B vitamins, which tends to worsen their symptoms of fatigue and mental “fogginess” and ultimately lead to a weakened immune system. B vitamins - Effect on Energy Thiamine (B1) - Essential in the process of energy production. This vitamin also removes lactic acid from muscles, which causes them to be sore in fibromyalgia patients. Riboflavin (B2) - Riboflavin (vitamin B2) is crucial in the production of body energy. Supports healthy gluthathione reductase activity, which helps maintain gluthathione, a major protector against free radical damage. Vitamin B2 itself also has antioxidant qualities. Niacinamide(B3) - Essential vitamin that is a component of the body’s energy furnace, helping to improve fatigue and “brain fog”. Pantothenic Acid (B5) - This vitamin improves adrenal gland function, which will boost energy levels. It can also aid in weight loss by decreasing appetite. Vitamin B6 - Working along with thiamine, this vitamin is critical in the process of energy production. Vitamin B12 - Important for brain function and nerve repair. Aids in relieving fatigue symptoms in CFS patients. Folic Acid - Aids in strengthening the immune system, and aids in mental clarity and concentration. Q. What other supplements can help me with CFS? A. Many people with CFS/FMS are suffering from adrenal burnout. Adrenal burnout occurs when the adrenal glands are constantly producing cortisol in response to chronic stress like that seen in cases of CFS. Over time, this exhausts the adrenal Reserve, meaning the adrenal gland can no longer increase cortisol production in response to stress. The good news is that changes in our hormone levels can return to normal when stress is decreased. However, in cases of CFS that return to normal can be made much simpler by using a glandular therapy regimen to ensure healthy cortisol levels and adrenal function. Glandular therapy uses the concentrated forms of bovine (cow) or porcine (pig) glands to improve the health of our glands. Pioneers in the field of endocrinology (the study of hormones) hypothesized that glandular extracts work by providing nutrients the body lacks and thus repairing the malfunctioning gland. Adrenal Extract If CFS has left your adrenal glands in a stressed-out state, you should see great results by taking adrenal supplements. Be sure to buy an adrenal extract supplement that contains both whole adrenal and adrenal cortex extracts. The best adrenal supplement should also contain vitamin C, vitamin B6, L-tyrosine, betaine, pantothenic acid and licorice. Licorice contains glycyrrhizin, which is broken down into glycyrrhizic or glycyrrhetinic acid. This compound inhibits the activity of an enzyme that turns active cortisol into inactive cortisol. While in high amounts (greater than 100 mg of glycyrrhizic acid/day), licorice administration causes hypertension, no such effects have been observed at lower doses. Experts have speculated that inhibition of the cortisol-converting enzyme may reduce cortisol-related symptoms associated with adrenal insufficiency. The adrenal glands use these nutrients to manufacture cortisone and other compounds. It just makes sense to purchase an adrenal supplement with these supportive ingredients. The Road to Recovery-Adequate Sleep Disordered sleep is the underlying process that drives many of the symptoms of CFS/FMS. The most effective way to eliminate pain in CFS/FMS is to get seven to nine hours of deep sleep each night. However, getting adequate sleep is easier said than done for CFS sufferers with underlying fibromyalgia symptoms. The muscle knots of fibromyalgia make it uncomfortable to lie in one position for an extended time, causing difficulty in returning to deep sleep. Because of this, people with CFS/FMS do not stay in deep stages of sleep to recharge their “batteries.” In addition, poor sleep can cause and be caused by the suppression of the hypothalamus gland, which causes the brain to think it is daytime instead of night time. It may be helpful to use herbal products to promote good quality sleep. There are many natural supplements that are marketed as sleep formulas. To get the best results, it is very important that the right ingredients are in the sleep formula you buy. Therefore, it is important to look for an herbal sleep formula that is especially formulated for people with CFS/FMS. The combination of herbs is important as each herb addresses a different aspect of sleeplessness and muscle tension. Ingredients - Effect on Sleep Wild Lettuce - Has been found to have sedative effects. Hops - Acts as mild sedative and has a sleep-inducing effect. Jamaica Dogwood Has been found to be mildly sedative and is often used for anxiousness. L-Theanine - Causes significant increases of neurotransimitter concentrations in the brain, which promotes muscle relaxion and improves sleep. Valerian - This herb has been clinically studied for its ability to improve sleep quality. Passionflower - This herb eases nervousness and insomnia. Putting It All Together After a good night’s rest, a powdered energy drink mix formulated for people with CFS/FMS should be drunk along with a well-balanced breakfast as discussed earlier. In addition to the nutritional beverage mix, a vitamin B complex supplement designed specifically for CFS sufferers, also discussed earlier, containing niacinamide, thiamin, riboflavin, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, pantothenic acid, and choline, should be taken every morning. The nutritional drink mix and the vitamin B complex supplement will ensure that your body has all the vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and other nutrients, to combat your overwhelming fatigue, pain, and “brain fog.” Taking a daily adrenal supplement, like the one discussed earlier, will provide the much-needed (and often depleted) nutrients your body may be lacking, and help you recover lost energy. Together, these four interventions: sleep formula; morning energy drink; energy B complex supplement; and an adrenal complex- can make an incredible difference that you should begin to notice within 2-3 weeks of starting this program. Conclusion Chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia are complex physical diseases with physical causes. The unrelenting symptoms of fatigue, pain, and mental fogginess can be overwhelming and frightening. Partnering with a healthcare practitioner specializing in CFS and utilizing different medical treatments, supportive therapies, and lifestyle changes are healthy ways to combat chronic fatigue syndrome. And taking nutritional supplements formulated specifically for people with CMS/FMS that help boost energy or help you get a good night’s sleep can give you critical control over the outcome of your illness and set you on the road to recovery.
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=1475) For Better Heart Health ...
Date:
February 06, 2007 12:57 PM
Nutrients Every Heart Needs
High blood pressure. High cholesterol levels. Ever increasing stress. All are factors related to the development of heart disease – the leading cause of death for both men and women. In fact, 1 in 2 women in the
Fortunately, heart disease is a problem you can do something about. Proven ways to prevent or mitigate the effects of heart disease include taking targeted nutritional supplements, making changes in the foods we eat, exercising most days of the week, drinking in moderation, eliminating tobacco use and adapting a positive attitude. Research shows that those of us who are often angry and depressed have more heart disease than people that live their lives with a more positive outlook.
In this Ask the Doctor, we’ll talk about specific nutritional supplements that are heart healthy, whether your goal is to prevent heart disease or reduce the effects of heart disease if you currently have it.
Q. I am trying hard to live a healthier life. But it all seems so overwhelming. How do I start?
A. It may help to know that you’re not alone in feeling overwhelmed. Lots of people feel this way. This is why the Centers for Disease Control and the American Heart Association are both urging people to prevent heart disease by identifying their individual health risk factors.
A risk factor is an indicator of whether or not you may develop a certain health condition. In heart disease prevention, there are two kinds of risk factors. There are risk factor you can control – such as diet, exercise, and the supplements you take. There are also risk factors you can’t change or control –your age, race, and gender, as well as your family’s history of heart disease.
Examples can be really helpful. Let’s follow three adults – Fred, Jane, and Earl – and determine their risk factors.
Low Risk
Fred is 32, single, has a job he loves, has an optimistic attitude about his life, and works out 5 days a week. Most days Fred’s diet is fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low fat. Occasionally Fred will eat a cheeseburger and fries when he watches the game with his buddies. Fred’s risk factors are his male gender and the occasional high fat content in his diet.
Moderate Risk
Jane is 55, a lawyer, married, and has a very stressful job. Jane eats lots of salads, fruits, and whole grains. However, her job requires her to work long hours which leaves little time to exercise. Jane is for the most part happy with her life, but her work stress had led to times of negativity. Her father had a heart attack when he was 56. Jane’s risk factors include her age (greater than 50), negativity from job stress, lack of regular exercise, and a family history of heart disease.
High Risk
Earl is 65, married, and has just retired from a job he hated. He spends most of his day watching TV and eating potato chips and other high fat, salty snacks. Earl has told his friends and family since he worked so hard for so long, he is sure to drop dead soon after retiring. He has high cholesterol and high blood pressure. Earl’s father had a heart attack and died when he was 73. Earl’s risk is his male gender, age (greater than 50), sedentary lifestyle, poor diet, negative outlook on life, high cholesterol and high blood pressure, and a family history of heart disease.
Q. OK, it’s pretty easy to see that Fred needs to watch his diet, Jane needs to exercise more, and Earl needs lots of help. But, which supplements should they take?
A. The Whole Heart Nutrition chart is an easy way to determine the supplements each risk level needs. As you can see, everyone wanting to prevent heart disease – Fred, Jane, Earl, you, and I – need to take quality heart formula multivitamin, garlic, and a fish oil supplement providing Omega-3 fatty acids. CoQ10 is also a smart choice for complete heart heath support.
Q. Why do we all need to take a “heart multivitamin”? Why can’t we take a regular multivitamin to prevent heart disease?
A. Since the human heart simply cannot function without adequate amounts of certain vitamins and minerals, it seems logical that a multivitamin would be the foundation of good nutrition for your heart. Heart-health formulated multivitamins provide the exact nutrients needed to prevent heart disease.
That’s why we need to take a specially formulated heart-focused multi-vitamin. The cells and the tissues that make up the heart must have vitamins C, A, and E, as well as B1, B6, and B12 to function. Folic acid, the little B vitamin that is so crucial in preventing spina bifida (a birth defect), breast cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease is also needed to keep heart muscles strong. The B vitamins and folic acid are very important to heart health because they help lower homocysteine levels. Homocysteine is a potential and emerging cardiac risk factor,
Magnesium is a mighty mineral and healthy hearts need it every day. Aloha lipoic acid, a fatty acid, provides protection against heart cholesterol and high blood pressure. Lutein and lycopene are all-natural nutrients and keep our arteries free from the buildup of plaque, a condition linked to heart attacks and strokes.
Multivitamins formulated with these exact vitamins, minerals, and nutrients will work with medications often prescribed to treat heart disease and provide the nutrition our hearts need.
Q. Don’t all multivitamins work with medications prescribed to treat heart disease?
A. Many multivitamin formulas contain herbs and other nutrients that can interfere with prescription medications, especially mediations prescribed to treat heart disease. One multivitamin does not fit all.
The more risk factors you have, the greater your chance of developing heart disease.
Q. What can garlic supplements do for Fred, Jane and Earl or other people with low to high risk factors?
A. Garlic supplements have a very long and very successful history of preventing premature death from heart attacks. Lately, however, there have been some conflicting news stories about supplemental garlic’s ability to lower high cholesterol and high blood pressure – the causes of heart disease and death. That’s because many different garlic supplements have been used in these studies – garlic oil, garlic powder, aged garlic extract, and supplements made from fresh garlic. They have all been studied clinically for their effects in heart disease.
The best garlic supplements (and the ones that showed the best effects in garlic studies) contain alliin, which is then converted to allicin. Allicin is the compound that lowers harmfully high cholesterol levels and dangerous blood pressure readings. Allicin is also responsible for garlic’s characteristic odor. Because alliin is very stable when dry, properly prepared and enteric coated fresh garlic preparations pReserve the allicin-producing action until the garlic mixes with the fluids of the intestinal tract. Fresh garlic extract’s enteric coating also prevents garlic breath. In contrast, aged garlic contains absolutely no allicin or allicin potential. This fact is probably responsible for the poor results noted in lowering cholesterol and blood pressure from aged garlic preparations.
The most effective garlic supplements are made from fresh garlic, enteric coated, and provide a daily dose of at least 10 milligrams (mg) alliin or a total allicin potential of 4,000 micrograms (mcg). Taking a once-daily garlic supplement that delivers 4,000 mcg of allicin will lower Jane’s and Earl’s high blood pressure and Earl’s high cholesterol, naturally and effectively.
Whole Heart Nutrition
Each additional risk factor requires additional supplements or increased doses for protection from heart disease.
Q. What about fish oil supplements? I know they can prevent heart disease but I’ve also heard they contain harmful substances, too.
A. You’re right on both counts. But, there are excellent fish oil supplements naturally loaded with Omega-3 fatty acids, powerful nutrients that prevent heart disease, that are also certified free of harmful contaminants.
In the 1980s, researchers first began noticing the native Inuit (Eskimo) populations of Greenland and
Research has shown that the Omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil supplements can:
-Reduce the risk of arrhythmias, lethal heartbeat rhythms that cause sudden death.
-Lower the levels of triglycerides, fats in the blood that can increase a person’s
risk of dying from a heart attack, even if a person’s cholesterol levels are normal.
-Slow atherosclerosis – the growth of harmful plaque on artery walls.
Atherosclerosis develops over many years. If the plaque growth is slow and
stable, chances are low that a heart attack will result. However, rapidly growing
or unstable plaques can rupture. The body responds with inflammation, which
causes blood clots to form. These blood clots block the artery and cause a heart
attack.
-Keep blood pressure levels low. Many people have high blood pressure for years
without knowing it. That’s because it has no symptoms. Uncontrolled high
blood pressure can lead to stroke, heart attack, heart failure, and kidney failure.
While 25% of Americans have high blood pressure, nearly one-third of these
people don’t know they have it. This is why high blood pressure is often called
the “silent killer.”
You can get all of this heart disease preventive protection from just 600-1800 mg of fish oil. It’s pretty simple to see why Fred, Jane, Earl, and you and I need to take fish oil supplements every day.
However, it is absolutely critical that the fish oil supplement you take is free of contaminants and guaranteed fresh! Make sure that the manufacturer of the fish oil supplement you buy is able to provide documentation of purity in their product. Supplements should contain no detectable dioxin (a widely used toxic preservative), DDT (a toxic insecticide), PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) or heavy metals such as mercury and lead.
Before you buy any fish oil supplement, ask the clerk if you can open the bottle or jar and smell the contents. A fishy smelling fish oil supplementation means it is rancid. Rancid fish oil is not going to help your heart at all and may actually hurt it.
Q. That leaves CoQ10. Why is it important for Jane and Earl?
A. CoQ10, also known as ubiquinone, is the premier heart supplement! CoQ10 is part of our energy producing system. It works directly in the mitochondria of each cell. Mitochondria are highly specialized structures within each cell and are often referred to as powerhouses. These tiny energy producers generate 95% of the energy the body requires. The number of mitochondria in a cell depends on its function and energy needs. The heart has very important functions and requires a vast amount of energy. Thus, the heart has a lot of mitochondria or little powerhouses.
CoQ10 is incredibly crucial to the health of our hearts. Especially to hearts that are pumping blood with too much cholesterol. But, in a dangerous paradox, CoQ10 levels can become dangerously depleted when physicians treat high cholesterol in their patients with certain medications. The so-called “statin” drugs (Mevacor/lovastatin and Crestor/rosubastatin are two examples) are powerful and medications prescribed to lower harmful cholesterol levels. However, one very harmful side effect they share is that they deprive cells of CoQ10. While some physicians are aware of this serious side effect and tell their patients to take at least 400 mg of CoQ10 each day, most are not. The result? Any good the statin drugs may be doing is actually negated by their depletion of CoQ10.
Q. How does CoQ10 actually work? Has it been studied in heart disease?
A. Yes, it has! CoQ10 has been extensively studied in heart disease. This natural nutrient is present in every nucleated cell in our body (the only cells that don’t contain CoQ10 are red blood cells). Heart cells, however, are absolutely loaded with CoQ10. Its job is fairly simply – CoQ10 is vital to the production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the compound our body uses for 95% of its energy needs.
In 1998, 144 patients who had been admitted to the hospital after a heart attack, participated in a CoQ10 study. Half of the patients received 120 mg of CoQ10 a day in addition to the usual treatments given to heart attack patients. The other half, the control group, received the usual treatments and a placebo, but no CoQ10.
The results showed that the group taking CoQ10 had less irregular heartbeat, experienced less angina (a type of heart pain), and had much better function in the left ventricle (the most essential chamber of the heart), compared to the placebo group. Total deaths due to sudden heart failure or another heart attack were also reduced in the CoQ10 group.
Q. What if I have already been diagnosed with Congestive Heart Failure? Will CoQ10 still help me?
A. CoQ10 has been proven in study after study to help slow down the destruction that occurs in congestive heart failure (CHF), a serious heart disease, and heal the heart muscles damaged by heart attacks. In fact, heart attacks often occur when the body’s CoQ10 levels are low.
In a CHF study, patients received 100 mg of CoQ10 or a placebo twice daily for 12 weeks. Before and after the treatment period, the researchers introduced a catheter into the right ventricle of the patients’ hearts to determine the degree of muscle damage CHF had caused. In the group who took CoQ10, the pumping ability of the heart improved significantly. The placebo group’s hearts did not. The researchers conducting the study recommended that people with CHF add CoQ10 to the other medications they need to take to stay alive and well.
Q. Are some types of CoQ10 better than others?
A. Indeed they are. CoQ10 products are not created equally. The key to this natural medicine is the quality of the manufacturing. Take a CoQ10 supplement that’s been used in research conducted by prestigious universities (it will tell you this right on the label). Researchers want the best CoQ10 for their studies. You want the best CoQ10 for yourself and your loved ones.
The best CoQ10 has to meet the following criteria:
1. Must be easily absorbed during the digestion process so that it can get into the
bloodstream.
2. Must reach the mitochondria in the cell.
3. Must be proven effective in studies.
4. Must be safe and free of impurities.
Q. It sounds as if CoQ10 is only for people with moderate or high risk factors. Can others benefit from this supplement?
A. Many people, including those like Fred with low risk factors or no risk of heart disease take CoQ10 every day. CoQ10 supplements may reduce your risk of cancer, prevent gum disease, and help certain nerve cells work more effectively.
Conclusion
Understanding your personal risk factors, making it better lifestyle choices, taking a multivitamin formulated for your heart, an enteric-coated fresh garlic supplement, fish oil supplement with Omega-3 fatty acids, and CoQ10 – the heart’s super-nutrient – can help keep your heart healthy and strong.
Helen Keller, the famous lecturer and author, who was both blind and deaf wrote, “The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot e seen or even touched. They must be felt with the human heart.”
Healthy hearts have the most opportunities to “feel” the best and are the most beautiful thing our world has to offer.
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=1449) Q. What effect do the POAs from cat’s claw root have on our immune system?
Date:
November 22, 2006 01:38 PM
A. Cat’s claw POAs work to keep us healthy by directly interacting with white blood cells, the backbone of our immune system. Our white blood cells are the disease fighting cells of the human body. These highly specialized cells fight diseases we catch, such as cold and flu, as well as diseases that start within our own cells, such as cancer and autoimmune diseases. There are many kinds of white blood cells; each has a specific job to do in fighting diseases. Certain POAs help white blood cells called macrophages work faster. The macrophages’ job is to engulf and digest foreign material. This means that macrophages can ingest more bacteria and disease causing microbes when they are exposed to POAs. The scientists also discovered that POA cat’s claw extract increases the production of a chemical protein called interleukin, that is secreted by macrophages. Interleukin (IL-1) has important immune enhancing properties. IL-1 alerts resting white blood cells and spurs them into action. It also helps make other biochemicals essential to an activated immune system. (90% of white blood cells are in Reserve) POAs also help B cells. B cells are white blood cells that make antibodies that kill germs. Each B cell is programmed to make one specific antibody that is effective against one specific germ (such as a bacteria, virus, or fungus). When scientists looked at the number of B cells after they were exposed to POA cat’s claw root extract, they found that the B cells had increased significantly, resulting in an increased supply of antibodies. And perhaps most importantly as they relate to cancer, the POAs in cat’s claw root extract help increase the number of T-cells, the true soldiers of the immune system. There are many different kinds of these white blood cells, including Helper T-cells, Suppressor T-cells, and Killer T-cells. Increased Helper, Suppressor, and Killer T-cells can more effectively destroy cancer cells. Increasing the number of circulating T-cells is very important in a disease like AIDS as well. European health care providers are often very comfortable integrating the use of herbal and nutritional supplements as vital components of their patients’ cancer treatments. In Austria alone, cat’s claw extract is used together with conventional treatment (chemotherapy, radiation, and/or surgery), to treat hundreds of cancer patients every year! A recent clinical observational study looked at POA cat’s claw extract in 78 people with very advanced brain cancer. All of the participants reported that the special POA cat’s claw helped them feel better, have more vitality, and reduced side effects (such as nausea) caused by their conventional cancer treatment. The researchers felt that POA cat’s claw extract may also prove to have benefit in extending the life span of people with these types of deadly brain cancers.
(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=1424) Why you need a Multinutrient Vitamin-Mineral Supplement? 
Date:
October 17, 2006 02:00 PM
Accidental, illness and chronic disease Burns, surgery, wounds, infection and broken bones increase the need for amino acids. Vitamin E, B6, and C, as well as minerals zinc, calcium and magnesium are all essential for cellular repair. Alcohol Alcohol damages the lining of the intestinal tract, liver and pancreas, all vital to digestion, absorption and metabolism of nutrients. Regular use of alcohol increases the body’s need for vitamins A, B complex, and C as well as minerals zinc, calcium and magnesium. Antibiotics Some antibiotics kill healthy bacteria and create deficiencies in B complex vitamins which can result in nervous disorders. Athletes Athletes consume large amounts of foods and undergo extreme physical stress which creates a wide range of needs for amino acids, B complex, vitamin C, iron and potassium. Bio-individuality Individuals, especially those with high physical demands such as athletes and laborers, may have nutritional requirements that exceed official amino acid, vitamin, and mineral recommendations. Body Reserves While the body is able to store vitamins such as A and E, autopsy data has shown that up to 30% of the population have “at risk” deficiencies of vitamin A. Coffee, Tea, and Spices May irritate and inflame digestive linings, reducing digestive fluids and the absorption of vitamins and minerals from foods. Convenience Foods Diets with a high percentage of highly refined carbohydrates such as sugar, white flour and white rice require greater demand for additional sources of B complex vitamins to process these carbohydrates. Crop Nutrient Losses Research has shown that intensive agriculture has overworked and depleted our soil of trace elements resulting in decreased vitamins and minerals available in food crops. Diets Unsupervised, abnormal diets which exclude entire food groups or even low fat diets can be deficient in vitamins and minerals. Vegetarian diets, which exclude meats and animal sources, must be careful to balance amino acids and include vitamin B12. Good processing Highly processed breads and oils, as well as frozen foods, may incrase shelf life of products but can lower nutrient levels, especially the important anti-oxidant vitamin A and E which defend against oxidation damage to all tissues. Light eaters Individuals who eat sparingly, including the average woman who maintains her weight at 1800 calories per day, have been shown to be low in thiamine, calcium and iron. Oral Contraceptives Oral contraceptives, taken by a significant percentage of women increase the need for folic acid, B6, C, riboflavin and zinc. P.M.S. Up to 60% of women may suffer from premenstrual tension such as headaches, irritability, bloatedness, breast tenderness, lethargy and depression, and have an increased need for amino acids and B complex vitamins. Smoking A smoker has greatly increased metabolic requirements for the important anti-oxidant and immune function provided by vitamin C. Stress Chemical, physical and emotional stress increase the need for amino acids, the B complex vitamins, and vitamin C and E.
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