A small study was conducted in 10 Greek postmenopausal women who had at least 3 documented urinary tract infections (UTIs) in the previous year or at least 2 UTIs in the last 6 months prior to the start of the study. Women were given 400 mg of cranberry extract twice per day (2 caps in the morning and 2 in the evening) over 6 months. Urine cultures were taken and proven normal before the start of the study and then every month during the study.
While taking the cranberry extract, none of the women had a UTI over the course of the 6 months and almost all of the urine cultures were sterile (normal). Three women reported mild gastrointestinal problems and their dose was reduced to 2 capsules per day and as a result, their gastrointestinal problems subsided.
Commentary: Cranberries, in the form of juice and capsules have been shown to be effective in previous prevention and treatment of bladder infections. Both cranberries and blueberries belong to the Vaccinium species which are rich sources of dietary flavonoids, including anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins. While the exact mechanism of the benefits of cranberries has not been clearly established, it is thought that the inhibition of adherence of the main bacteria causing infection, Escherichia coli, to the uroepithelial cells that line the wall of the bladder is the main action.
Reference:
Karefilakis C, Mazokopakis E. Efficacy of cranberry capsules in prevention of urinary tract infections in postmenopausal women. J Altern Complement Med 2009;15(11):1155.
For more from Dr Hudson go to www.torihudson.com
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Curcumin and Knee Osteoarthritis
One-hundred and seven patients with primary osteoarthritis of the knee were studied and included those with knee pain on a scale of at least a 5-10 in intensity, radiographic osteophytes and at least one of the following features: > age 50, morning stiffness < 30 minutes in duration and crepitus on motion. The majority of the individuals were overweight women with a BMI > 25. Study individuals were asked to discontinue their knee pain medications and were randomized to either ibuprofen 400 mg twice daily or Curcuma domestica extract, 500 mg four times daily for 6 weeks.
Fifty-two patients received C. domestica extracts and 55 patients received ibuprofen with 45 patients in the curcuma and 46 patients in the ibuprofen group completing the study. The mean scores of pain on level walking, pain on stairs, and functions of the knee were significantly improved when compared with the baseline values in both groups. There were no significant differences in those measurements between the patients receiving ibuprofen and C. domestica extracts, except pain on stairs was more favorable with curcumin and a greater degree of moderate to high degree of satisfaction with treatment in the curcumin group (90.1%) vs. 82.8% in the ibuprofen group. There was a bit better compliance with the ibuprofen at twice daily than the curcumin four times daily, but there were no patients who reported dissatisfaction in the curcumin group.
by Dr Tori Hudson
For more Blogs by Dr Hudson go to http://drtorihudson.com
Reference
Kuptniratsaikul V, Thanakhumtorn S, Chinswangwatanakul P, et al. Efficacy and safety of Curcuma domestica extracts in patients with knee osteoarthritis. J alternative and Complementary Medicine 2009;15(8): 891-897
Fifty-two patients received C. domestica extracts and 55 patients received ibuprofen with 45 patients in the curcuma and 46 patients in the ibuprofen group completing the study. The mean scores of pain on level walking, pain on stairs, and functions of the knee were significantly improved when compared with the baseline values in both groups. There were no significant differences in those measurements between the patients receiving ibuprofen and C. domestica extracts, except pain on stairs was more favorable with curcumin and a greater degree of moderate to high degree of satisfaction with treatment in the curcumin group (90.1%) vs. 82.8% in the ibuprofen group. There was a bit better compliance with the ibuprofen at twice daily than the curcumin four times daily, but there were no patients who reported dissatisfaction in the curcumin group.
by Dr Tori Hudson
For more Blogs by Dr Hudson go to http://drtorihudson.com
Reference
Kuptniratsaikul V, Thanakhumtorn S, Chinswangwatanakul P, et al. Efficacy and safety of Curcuma domestica extracts in patients with knee osteoarthritis. J alternative and Complementary Medicine 2009;15(8): 891-897
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Organic Foods Versus Non Orgnaic - the latest research
I want to premise this by saying that the below ONLY relates to fruit and vegetables. As Michael Pollan’s best selling book the Omnivore’s Dilemma points out organic animal farming in the United States is in many cases as bad if not worse than conventional farming from a health standpoint, let alone an ethical one. Grass feed (NO vegetarian feed is NOT the same as you can see from lots of the Whole Foods Market recent postings) and free range are the terms you want to look for when shopping for meat and eggs which show similar results to the below.
You know there is often a lot of debate around organic versus non organic fruit and vegetables, especially due to the higher cost. As has been shown some pesticides have carcinogenic properties and on a more subtle note they also have compounds which inhibit our body’s ability to absorb some of the minerals in food. On top of this we are also starting to see (as this study is evidence) that the nutritional benefits in organic foods far outweigh non organic most probably due to the health of the soil and different farming methods. As an example a study our medical team often quotes by Rutgers University showed that non organic spinach had 2% the level of iron found in organic spinach. Now if we start to look at food from a functionality or nourishing perspective (not just to satiate our hunger) and look at it as fuel for our engine, then the quality of what we put in becomes extremely important (not to mention removing the impurities mentioned before from pesticides).
Commercially speaking if the organic spinach mentioned above was a fuel and had 50x the concentration of its competitor we would not balk at paying an additional 20%. In fact economically we would still see a cost benefit from paying 5000% more! If we starting looking at food slightly differently and asking the question:
“Will this taste good and feed my hunger? Will it do anything bad to my body? And how much good proportionately will it do compared to that cheaper version?” In many cases our purchase decision will change. I know now I personally can’t even buy anything non organic because I know what they put in there and because if I am going to eat something I want the ultimate health benefit from it…. And my monies worth!
But that isn’t were the benefit ends. By moving your purchase dollar to organic farming we start to impact our planet. Like everything it comes down to money, but if food starts to be valued on nutrition or quality versus quantity farmers (as many of them already are) will need to pay attention. There is a reason Walmart has moved to Organic! And from a more universal perspective we start to see the perfection in the process where by nourishing the soil, not polluting the crops with chemicals we not only get healthier food but improve our environment. When we truly look at it long term and from everyone’s mutual benefit it is not only a logical solution but perfect.
http://www.grist.org/article/new-study-weighs-in-on-organicconventional-debate/
Become a fan of http://www.facebook.com/himalayancrystalsalt
By James Frame
You know there is often a lot of debate around organic versus non organic fruit and vegetables, especially due to the higher cost. As has been shown some pesticides have carcinogenic properties and on a more subtle note they also have compounds which inhibit our body’s ability to absorb some of the minerals in food. On top of this we are also starting to see (as this study is evidence) that the nutritional benefits in organic foods far outweigh non organic most probably due to the health of the soil and different farming methods. As an example a study our medical team often quotes by Rutgers University showed that non organic spinach had 2% the level of iron found in organic spinach. Now if we start to look at food from a functionality or nourishing perspective (not just to satiate our hunger) and look at it as fuel for our engine, then the quality of what we put in becomes extremely important (not to mention removing the impurities mentioned before from pesticides).
Commercially speaking if the organic spinach mentioned above was a fuel and had 50x the concentration of its competitor we would not balk at paying an additional 20%. In fact economically we would still see a cost benefit from paying 5000% more! If we starting looking at food slightly differently and asking the question:
“Will this taste good and feed my hunger? Will it do anything bad to my body? And how much good proportionately will it do compared to that cheaper version?” In many cases our purchase decision will change. I know now I personally can’t even buy anything non organic because I know what they put in there and because if I am going to eat something I want the ultimate health benefit from it…. And my monies worth!
But that isn’t were the benefit ends. By moving your purchase dollar to organic farming we start to impact our planet. Like everything it comes down to money, but if food starts to be valued on nutrition or quality versus quantity farmers (as many of them already are) will need to pay attention. There is a reason Walmart has moved to Organic! And from a more universal perspective we start to see the perfection in the process where by nourishing the soil, not polluting the crops with chemicals we not only get healthier food but improve our environment. When we truly look at it long term and from everyone’s mutual benefit it is not only a logical solution but perfect.
http://www.grist.org/article/new-study-weighs-in-on-organicconventional-debate/
Become a fan of http://www.facebook.com/himalayancrystalsalt
By James Frame
Monday, September 6, 2010
How Hormones Affect Heart Health for Women
While many women know that cardiovascular disease (heart attack and stroke) is the number one cause of death in women in the United States, most do not know how significant it is. If you add the 2nd, 3rd and 4th causes of death together they do not add up to the number of deaths from cardiovascular disease. Another important detail is that this increased risk does not really become a factor until a certain stage in life called menopause. Consequently, the majority of women go from having a very low risk of cardiovascular disease throughout their life until menopause, when it jumps significantly.
So why such a big jump in risk? What happens at menopause?
You are still eating the same foods, doing the same amount of exercise, and taking the same supplements! Many women can attest that more often it is not until they reach menopause that issues related to cholesterol, blood pressure or body weight become a concern. It begs the question, what happens?
It is the body’s declining production of hormones that significantly affects a woman’s health.
Due to the Women’s Health Initiative results in 2002 indicating that Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) could increase the risk of breast cancer and stroke, many women have been concerned about hormones in general. HRT was introduced over 40 years ago by doctors who knew the importance of a woman’s own hormones on health and believed that re-introducing them into the body, either synthetic or equine formulation, was the best way of reversing the ill effects from loss of hormones. Since then, we have seen that foreign hormones introduced into the body may have side effects, as well as concern over the amount of hormones introduced into the body, the form of administration and/or how long they should be taken. Another issue is the body needs to metabolize foreign hormones in order to make them available; consequently this can have an impact on liver and kidney function, in essence inversely affecting our body’s ability to detoxify. Also HRT is often just two hormones: estrogen and progesterone. It is typically not a patient-specific combination of all the hormones, which a woman may need.
What is understood and accepted is that throughout our life the body’s OWN hormones have supported a healthful state. This ability to support the body’s production of hormones is what makes Femmenessence so unique and exciting. Without introducing hormones into the body, it naturally supports the body’s own production of not one or two hormones, but ALL hormones.
So what do our own hormones do:
• Estrogen increases HDL “good cholesterol,” which reduces plaque build up and possible blockage in arteries.
• Estrogen reduces LDL “bad cholesterol,” which can cause plaque build up and possible blockages in arteries.
• Estrogen also maintains the elasticity of arteries and blood vessels. Triglycerides may contribute to hardening of the arteries or thickening of the artery walls, which increases the risk of heart disease.
• Progesterone protects arteries from spasms. Women’s arteries are much smaller than a man’s and spasms of heart arteries can adversely affect blood flow to the heart.
• Adrenal hormones like cortisol, testosterone, and DHEA, affect sleep, energy, hair growth, muscle growth, and weight just to name a few. Adrenal fatigue and the biological effects of stress, mediated by hormones produced in the adrenal glands, plays a major role in obesity and its deadly consequences, including inflammation, insulin resistance, hypertension, atherosclerosis, and other conditions that together constitute “metabolic syndrome.”
• Thyroid Hormones control how quickly the body burns energy, makes proteins and how sensitive the body should be to other hormones.
Not only does Femmenessence™ create the optimal hormone balance by positively impacting estrogen, progesterone, thyroid, adrenal levels, and reducing FSH levels, but in our double blind placebo controlled clinical trials we saw it increase HDL, reduce LDL, reduce body weight, reduce triglycerides, and empirically we have seen it improve blood pressure from long term use.
It is important to note that there is no such thing as a magic bullet and Femmenessence isn’t the sole answer. Exercise, healthy diet and emotional support are also important. Dr Christiane Northrup in the Wisdom of Menopause talks about the part emotional stress plays in this equation. “Emotions such as depression, anxiety, panic, and grief have been shown to cause constriction in blood vessels, thereby impeding the free flow of blood. And anything that causes constriction in your blood vessels makes your heart and your vessels work harder to do their job. I’ve seen happy, joyful women with high cholesterol counts live healthy lives into their eighties and nineties, while much younger women whose lives were characterized by depression, anxiety, or hostility might have the first sign of heart disease symptoms in their early fifties despite normal cholesterol levels.”
Using Femmenessence™ for 3-4 months continuously should be the first step in creating the balance that promotes a healthy heart. Ideally it would be combined with emotional support, a stress reduction therapy like meditation, and a top quality fish oil, Niacin, and possibly CoQ10 .
• Fish Oil: Decreases the risk of irregular heartbeats that can lead to sudden cardiac death. Improves blood vessel function, decreases triglyceride levels, lowers blood pressure, and decreases the growth rate of plaques that clog arteries.
• CoQ10: Used mainly in heart conditions: congestive heart failure (CHF), heart attack, heart valvular disease and heart muscle disease.
• Niacin: Very effective in supporting lipid levels.
Follow us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/naturalhealthint
So why such a big jump in risk? What happens at menopause?
You are still eating the same foods, doing the same amount of exercise, and taking the same supplements! Many women can attest that more often it is not until they reach menopause that issues related to cholesterol, blood pressure or body weight become a concern. It begs the question, what happens?
It is the body’s declining production of hormones that significantly affects a woman’s health.
Due to the Women’s Health Initiative results in 2002 indicating that Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) could increase the risk of breast cancer and stroke, many women have been concerned about hormones in general. HRT was introduced over 40 years ago by doctors who knew the importance of a woman’s own hormones on health and believed that re-introducing them into the body, either synthetic or equine formulation, was the best way of reversing the ill effects from loss of hormones. Since then, we have seen that foreign hormones introduced into the body may have side effects, as well as concern over the amount of hormones introduced into the body, the form of administration and/or how long they should be taken. Another issue is the body needs to metabolize foreign hormones in order to make them available; consequently this can have an impact on liver and kidney function, in essence inversely affecting our body’s ability to detoxify. Also HRT is often just two hormones: estrogen and progesterone. It is typically not a patient-specific combination of all the hormones, which a woman may need.
What is understood and accepted is that throughout our life the body’s OWN hormones have supported a healthful state. This ability to support the body’s production of hormones is what makes Femmenessence so unique and exciting. Without introducing hormones into the body, it naturally supports the body’s own production of not one or two hormones, but ALL hormones.
So what do our own hormones do:
• Estrogen increases HDL “good cholesterol,” which reduces plaque build up and possible blockage in arteries.
• Estrogen reduces LDL “bad cholesterol,” which can cause plaque build up and possible blockages in arteries.
• Estrogen also maintains the elasticity of arteries and blood vessels. Triglycerides may contribute to hardening of the arteries or thickening of the artery walls, which increases the risk of heart disease.
• Progesterone protects arteries from spasms. Women’s arteries are much smaller than a man’s and spasms of heart arteries can adversely affect blood flow to the heart.
• Adrenal hormones like cortisol, testosterone, and DHEA, affect sleep, energy, hair growth, muscle growth, and weight just to name a few. Adrenal fatigue and the biological effects of stress, mediated by hormones produced in the adrenal glands, plays a major role in obesity and its deadly consequences, including inflammation, insulin resistance, hypertension, atherosclerosis, and other conditions that together constitute “metabolic syndrome.”
• Thyroid Hormones control how quickly the body burns energy, makes proteins and how sensitive the body should be to other hormones.
Not only does Femmenessence™ create the optimal hormone balance by positively impacting estrogen, progesterone, thyroid, adrenal levels, and reducing FSH levels, but in our double blind placebo controlled clinical trials we saw it increase HDL, reduce LDL, reduce body weight, reduce triglycerides, and empirically we have seen it improve blood pressure from long term use.
It is important to note that there is no such thing as a magic bullet and Femmenessence isn’t the sole answer. Exercise, healthy diet and emotional support are also important. Dr Christiane Northrup in the Wisdom of Menopause talks about the part emotional stress plays in this equation. “Emotions such as depression, anxiety, panic, and grief have been shown to cause constriction in blood vessels, thereby impeding the free flow of blood. And anything that causes constriction in your blood vessels makes your heart and your vessels work harder to do their job. I’ve seen happy, joyful women with high cholesterol counts live healthy lives into their eighties and nineties, while much younger women whose lives were characterized by depression, anxiety, or hostility might have the first sign of heart disease symptoms in their early fifties despite normal cholesterol levels.”
Using Femmenessence™ for 3-4 months continuously should be the first step in creating the balance that promotes a healthy heart. Ideally it would be combined with emotional support, a stress reduction therapy like meditation, and a top quality fish oil, Niacin, and possibly CoQ10 .
• Fish Oil: Decreases the risk of irregular heartbeats that can lead to sudden cardiac death. Improves blood vessel function, decreases triglyceride levels, lowers blood pressure, and decreases the growth rate of plaques that clog arteries.
• CoQ10: Used mainly in heart conditions: congestive heart failure (CHF), heart attack, heart valvular disease and heart muscle disease.
• Niacin: Very effective in supporting lipid levels.
Follow us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/naturalhealthint
Thursday, July 1, 2010
St. John's Wort and Menopause by Dr Tori Hudson
Several studies of St. John’s wort alone and St. John’s wort with black cohosh have been able to demonstrate that these products are good options for perimenopausal and menopausal women with hot flashes, mood issues, sleep problems and quality of life.
In the newest of the St. John’s wort studies in perimenopausal/menopausal women, a total of 100 Iranian women with an average age of 50 participated in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial comparing St. John’s wort with placebo in the treatment of hot flashes.[1] 50 women received 20 drops three times daily of St. John’s wort extract (Hypericin) that contained hypericin 0.2 mg/mL and 50 women received a placebo of distilled water. The study duration was two months. Clinical exams and interviews were performed at baseline, 4 weeks and 8 weeks. Treatment effectiveness was measured evaluating frequency, duration and severity of hot flashes as the main objective of the study.
In women taking St. John’s wort, the frequency began to decline during the 1st and 2nd months, but showed more improvement during the 2nd month. There was no statistical change in hot flash frequency during the first month of placebo but did improve during the second month. Women who used St. John’s wort showed more improvement in hot flash frequency than placebo. The decline in duration of hot flashes was statistically significant at week 8 and the decline was much more evident in the St. John’s wort group. The severity of hot flashes was relieved in the St. John’s wort group during the 2 months of treatment and was more significant in the second month. Women in the placebo group did not show any significant decrease in severity of hot flashes during the 1st month, but they did have some improvement during the 2nd month, but not as great as those women in the St. John’s wort group.
Comments
St. John’s wort has emerged as an important clinical tool in treating perimenopausal/menopausal women—for hot flashes and/or depression and/or mood swings, and/or sleep problems either as an encapsulated standardized extract from 300 mg twice per day to three times per day, or a tincture/liquid extract ½ tsp 2-3 times per day, or in combination with other menopause therapies such as black cohosh, maca extract, kava or others.
Reference
[1] Abdali K, Khajehei M, Tabatabaee R. Effect of St. John’s wort on severity, frequency, and duration of hot flashes in premenopausal, perimenopausal and postmenopausal women: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Menopause 2010;17(2): 326-331.
In the newest of the St. John’s wort studies in perimenopausal/menopausal women, a total of 100 Iranian women with an average age of 50 participated in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial comparing St. John’s wort with placebo in the treatment of hot flashes.[1] 50 women received 20 drops three times daily of St. John’s wort extract (Hypericin) that contained hypericin 0.2 mg/mL and 50 women received a placebo of distilled water. The study duration was two months. Clinical exams and interviews were performed at baseline, 4 weeks and 8 weeks. Treatment effectiveness was measured evaluating frequency, duration and severity of hot flashes as the main objective of the study.
In women taking St. John’s wort, the frequency began to decline during the 1st and 2nd months, but showed more improvement during the 2nd month. There was no statistical change in hot flash frequency during the first month of placebo but did improve during the second month. Women who used St. John’s wort showed more improvement in hot flash frequency than placebo. The decline in duration of hot flashes was statistically significant at week 8 and the decline was much more evident in the St. John’s wort group. The severity of hot flashes was relieved in the St. John’s wort group during the 2 months of treatment and was more significant in the second month. Women in the placebo group did not show any significant decrease in severity of hot flashes during the 1st month, but they did have some improvement during the 2nd month, but not as great as those women in the St. John’s wort group.
Comments
St. John’s wort has emerged as an important clinical tool in treating perimenopausal/menopausal women—for hot flashes and/or depression and/or mood swings, and/or sleep problems either as an encapsulated standardized extract from 300 mg twice per day to three times per day, or a tincture/liquid extract ½ tsp 2-3 times per day, or in combination with other menopause therapies such as black cohosh, maca extract, kava or others.
Reference
[1] Abdali K, Khajehei M, Tabatabaee R. Effect of St. John’s wort on severity, frequency, and duration of hot flashes in premenopausal, perimenopausal and postmenopausal women: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Menopause 2010;17(2): 326-331.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom
As big supporters of Dr Northrup's work we are happy to announce that she has just revised her best selling book Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom which we often refer to customers to increase their understanding on how the body works. To get the most up to date version go to http://bit.ly/cCUjS7
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Maca - as posted on the forum What Nobody Tells You About Maca Root Powder – Dangers And Side Effects
Firstly thank you for your input Nan and Tim. Also I want to make a disclaimer that I am the CEO of Natural Health International www.naturalhi.com and we produce Maca-GO which is the ingredient in Femmenessence our women’s product and Maca-OG the ingredient in Revolution Macalibrium our men’s product. FYI these are NOT normal maca products they are concentrated, pre gelatinized and specific phenotype combinations of maca.
I think this blog is very interesting as it taps into all the good, bad and ugly in our industry in one. The below is not meant to be an advertisement for NHI but instead giving you some real insights into our industry and what we do, to try and do everything right. Our products only cover certain areas of health so I am a consumer just like you and I pick companies apart before I buy their products because I know what they can do if they chose to and are willing to go the extra mile. I am also going to post this on our blog http://naturalhealthint.blogspot.com so please feel free to ask me additional questions there.
The first point I would like to address is that statistically in medicine they estimate that no matter what product you use around 5-10% of the population will either have no reaction or an adverse reaction. So straight away even the best product on the planet 1 out of 20 people or even slightly higher it wont work. What we see with many products is even lower - say for example looking at women’s health – Black Cohosh (60% success rate), Red Clover and Soy (45%-55%) and many others which are even lower. Also these success rates fail to point out that while they may be 60% effective (ie 6 out of 10 women they work for) but they may only reduce symptoms statistically significantly eg 50%-60% instead of highly significantly. As an aside Hormone Replacement therapy has a 90% success rate and 80%-100% reduction in symptoms which is why so many women use it. Obviously it has lots of risks but when you see those statistics and understand how people can play with them it gives you an idea of the huge variance between natural products and pharmaceutical products. In relation to Femmenessence (Maca-GO) we had an 84% success rate and highly significant reductions over 80%. The other aspect that isn’t pointed out is which symptoms? Black Cohosh, Red Colver and Soy we see reduce hot flashes and night sweats but in Bio identical and Femmenessence we see changes in mood, vaginal dryness, mood and many other areas of health which relate to hormones.
Secondly who’s research. Let me assure you 99% of ALL research is paid for either directly or indirectly by a company. The question is who conducted the research? Was it a doctor in a clinic who works for the company or was it done by a third party who does not have a financial interest in the success of the product and has their own credibility to consider like a University. How many people was it done on? Did they do pharmacology and toxicology? Was there an ethics commit and credible board determining the methodology? What was the methodology of the trial and was it not just subjective like many herbal clinical trials are – by that I mean was there actually something tangible that we could measure like cholesterol, hormones, bone density instead of just how do you feel? Also was the research actually done on that exact product or someone else’s and they used it. And most importantly where was this research published? Was it in a peer reviewed credible medical journal or just written up by the company. Which third party doctors have then reviewed the research and given positive comments or even use the product with patients? What you will find with maca is nearly all the research was done on someone else’s product and companies are piggy backing off that research. The credible research you will see has been done by Dr Gonzales in Peru primarily on men and Dr Meissner on women. This research has been published in international medical journals. As an aside we had an ethics commit of over 12 experts in Europe, our trial was conducted by the Institute of Medicinal Herbs in Europe and our double blind placebo controlled clinical trial was conducted on hundreds of women measuring every hormone from estrodiol, progesterone, LH, FSH, thyroid etc to lipid, cholesterol, bone density and all menopausal symptoms. It was conducted at three geographically displaced hospitals with different socio economic groups. The research has been published in Menopause (which is published by the North American Menopause Society and group funded by mainstream and pharmaceutical companies which as you can imagine would be very discerning of natural products like ours) also Pharmacology and Toxicology and the International Journal of Biomedical Science. Taking it even further some of the most influential doctors in women’s health in the world have reviewed it and written about it such as Dr Christiane Northrup (Oprah’s Women’s Health expert), Dr Tori Hudson regarded as the top Naturopathic Doctor in the US for women’s health, Dr Toru Tabei in Japan, Dr Maryon Stewart in the UK and Jan Roberts best selling author, practitioner and expert in fertility in Australia.
Thirdly as Tim has emphasized where do the companies get their products? Most of the companies in our industry are marketing companies. They don’t do their own research, don’t have their own manufacturing and don’t grow their own herbs. Know who you are getting products from and where they get their products. Also are they organically certified, kosher, GMP, fair trade etc. depending on your beliefs and what is important to you. Natural Health International is vertically integrated in that we have our own fields, manufacturing and control the whole process. We are USDA, European Union and Japanese Organically certified as well as GMP, Kosher and Halal. We have joint ventures and mutually beneficial relationships in every country where we co own with the local people all operations. We value add in each country instead of exporting simple raw materials which increases the revenue into those countries and creates industries not just trade.
And finally what are the claims companies made based on? Which products, what research or what anecdotal evidence. In relation to maca anecdotally we have seen that if Peruvian’s with their genetics and gastro intestinal profile consume cooked, high quality maca, in food amounts (ie higher doses) for extended periods of time ie years - yes their hormones will be in balance (although there is no scientific evidence of this), they will experience improved fertility, energy and health. What we have seen with American’s is that generally they will see the same benefits (if they take it longer term as mentioned above) with the caveat that SOME will have gastro intestinal reactions, some will have other adverse reactions, some need much lower doses, many have other conditions which need to be addressed first. The important fact to point out is NO research on normal maca has been able to prove scientifically effects on hormones in peri and post menopausal women, increases in bone density, improvements in cholesterol and lipids except Maca-GO (Femmenessence). Why? We believe that to date the combinations of maca types used have been focused on men’s health, low concentrations and low bio availability. This doesn’t mean that we wont have research from other companies in the future like ours, it is just to date no one has been able to mirror our results which is why we have doctors, pharmacists and medical groups talking about and using Femmenessence and such mixed results with normal maca. But again as mentioned Femmenessence is only 84% effective which means 3 women out of 20 it doesn’t work for or have reactions.
I hope this information helped. I am definitely trying to get our information out there because I too believe this is an amazing herb and don’t want people to be disheartened if they get the wrong product for them. Personally I believe any women wanting to use maca for women’s health issues should use Femmenessence (there is one for younger, peri and post menopausal women). Any woman or man wanting to increased energy and a general super food for smoothies look to an organic, gelatinized maca powder specifically black maca as Tim pointed out. Any man with low hormone levels and cardiovascular health – Revolution macalibrium.
Regards,
James Frame
CEO
Natural Health International
I think this blog is very interesting as it taps into all the good, bad and ugly in our industry in one. The below is not meant to be an advertisement for NHI but instead giving you some real insights into our industry and what we do, to try and do everything right. Our products only cover certain areas of health so I am a consumer just like you and I pick companies apart before I buy their products because I know what they can do if they chose to and are willing to go the extra mile. I am also going to post this on our blog http://naturalhealthint.blogspot.com so please feel free to ask me additional questions there.
The first point I would like to address is that statistically in medicine they estimate that no matter what product you use around 5-10% of the population will either have no reaction or an adverse reaction. So straight away even the best product on the planet 1 out of 20 people or even slightly higher it wont work. What we see with many products is even lower - say for example looking at women’s health – Black Cohosh (60% success rate), Red Clover and Soy (45%-55%) and many others which are even lower. Also these success rates fail to point out that while they may be 60% effective (ie 6 out of 10 women they work for) but they may only reduce symptoms statistically significantly eg 50%-60% instead of highly significantly. As an aside Hormone Replacement therapy has a 90% success rate and 80%-100% reduction in symptoms which is why so many women use it. Obviously it has lots of risks but when you see those statistics and understand how people can play with them it gives you an idea of the huge variance between natural products and pharmaceutical products. In relation to Femmenessence (Maca-GO) we had an 84% success rate and highly significant reductions over 80%. The other aspect that isn’t pointed out is which symptoms? Black Cohosh, Red Colver and Soy we see reduce hot flashes and night sweats but in Bio identical and Femmenessence we see changes in mood, vaginal dryness, mood and many other areas of health which relate to hormones.
Secondly who’s research. Let me assure you 99% of ALL research is paid for either directly or indirectly by a company. The question is who conducted the research? Was it a doctor in a clinic who works for the company or was it done by a third party who does not have a financial interest in the success of the product and has their own credibility to consider like a University. How many people was it done on? Did they do pharmacology and toxicology? Was there an ethics commit and credible board determining the methodology? What was the methodology of the trial and was it not just subjective like many herbal clinical trials are – by that I mean was there actually something tangible that we could measure like cholesterol, hormones, bone density instead of just how do you feel? Also was the research actually done on that exact product or someone else’s and they used it. And most importantly where was this research published? Was it in a peer reviewed credible medical journal or just written up by the company. Which third party doctors have then reviewed the research and given positive comments or even use the product with patients? What you will find with maca is nearly all the research was done on someone else’s product and companies are piggy backing off that research. The credible research you will see has been done by Dr Gonzales in Peru primarily on men and Dr Meissner on women. This research has been published in international medical journals. As an aside we had an ethics commit of over 12 experts in Europe, our trial was conducted by the Institute of Medicinal Herbs in Europe and our double blind placebo controlled clinical trial was conducted on hundreds of women measuring every hormone from estrodiol, progesterone, LH, FSH, thyroid etc to lipid, cholesterol, bone density and all menopausal symptoms. It was conducted at three geographically displaced hospitals with different socio economic groups. The research has been published in Menopause (which is published by the North American Menopause Society and group funded by mainstream and pharmaceutical companies which as you can imagine would be very discerning of natural products like ours) also Pharmacology and Toxicology and the International Journal of Biomedical Science. Taking it even further some of the most influential doctors in women’s health in the world have reviewed it and written about it such as Dr Christiane Northrup (Oprah’s Women’s Health expert), Dr Tori Hudson regarded as the top Naturopathic Doctor in the US for women’s health, Dr Toru Tabei in Japan, Dr Maryon Stewart in the UK and Jan Roberts best selling author, practitioner and expert in fertility in Australia.
Thirdly as Tim has emphasized where do the companies get their products? Most of the companies in our industry are marketing companies. They don’t do their own research, don’t have their own manufacturing and don’t grow their own herbs. Know who you are getting products from and where they get their products. Also are they organically certified, kosher, GMP, fair trade etc. depending on your beliefs and what is important to you. Natural Health International is vertically integrated in that we have our own fields, manufacturing and control the whole process. We are USDA, European Union and Japanese Organically certified as well as GMP, Kosher and Halal. We have joint ventures and mutually beneficial relationships in every country where we co own with the local people all operations. We value add in each country instead of exporting simple raw materials which increases the revenue into those countries and creates industries not just trade.
And finally what are the claims companies made based on? Which products, what research or what anecdotal evidence. In relation to maca anecdotally we have seen that if Peruvian’s with their genetics and gastro intestinal profile consume cooked, high quality maca, in food amounts (ie higher doses) for extended periods of time ie years - yes their hormones will be in balance (although there is no scientific evidence of this), they will experience improved fertility, energy and health. What we have seen with American’s is that generally they will see the same benefits (if they take it longer term as mentioned above) with the caveat that SOME will have gastro intestinal reactions, some will have other adverse reactions, some need much lower doses, many have other conditions which need to be addressed first. The important fact to point out is NO research on normal maca has been able to prove scientifically effects on hormones in peri and post menopausal women, increases in bone density, improvements in cholesterol and lipids except Maca-GO (Femmenessence). Why? We believe that to date the combinations of maca types used have been focused on men’s health, low concentrations and low bio availability. This doesn’t mean that we wont have research from other companies in the future like ours, it is just to date no one has been able to mirror our results which is why we have doctors, pharmacists and medical groups talking about and using Femmenessence and such mixed results with normal maca. But again as mentioned Femmenessence is only 84% effective which means 3 women out of 20 it doesn’t work for or have reactions.
I hope this information helped. I am definitely trying to get our information out there because I too believe this is an amazing herb and don’t want people to be disheartened if they get the wrong product for them. Personally I believe any women wanting to use maca for women’s health issues should use Femmenessence (there is one for younger, peri and post menopausal women). Any woman or man wanting to increased energy and a general super food for smoothies look to an organic, gelatinized maca powder specifically black maca as Tim pointed out. Any man with low hormone levels and cardiovascular health – Revolution macalibrium.
Regards,
James Frame
CEO
Natural Health International
Monday, May 24, 2010
St. John's Wort for treatment of Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) by Dr Tori Hudson
The results of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial using St. John’s Wort for PMS sufferers were recently published. 36 women with regular menstrual cycles who were diagnosed with mild PMS were randomly assigned to receive St. John’s Wort tablets (900 mg/day and standardized to 0.18% hypericin and 3.38% hyperforin) or placebo for two menstrual cycles. After a one month no treatment cycle, women were crossed over to the opposite group, for two additional cycles.
Symptoms were rated using the Daily Symptom Report, The State Anxiety Inventory, the Beck Depression Inventory and the Aggression Questionnaire and Barratt Impulsiveness Scale. Numerous hormones and physiological markers were also measured in the follicular and luteal phases: follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), estradiol, progesterone, prolactin, testosterone, cytokine interleukins= IL-1B, IL-6, IL-8, interferon and tumor necrosis factor alpha.
St. John’s wort was statistically more beneficial than placebo in food cravings, swelling, poor coordination, insomnia, confusion, headaches, crying and fatigue. There were no significant effects of St. John’s wort compared with placebo in any of the biochemical blood measurements. St. John’s wort was not statistically more beneficial in anxiety, irritability, depression, nervous tension, mood swings, feeling out of control and pain-related symptoms during two cycles of treatment. However, these pain-related symptoms appeared to improve more than placebo towards the end of each treatment period.
Commentary: The results of this PMS study demonstrate once again, the benefit of St. John’s Wort for the treatment of PMS. In this study, it was determined their PMS was mild. The benefit received by women taking St. John’s Wort was achieved during the first menstrual cycle in which it was taken. While St. John’s Wort did not prove to be statistically better than placebo for mood and pain-related PMS symptoms, the pain symptoms did appear to improve more than placebo towards the end of each treatment period, implying that there may be more pain benefits with St. John’s wort after a longer duration of treatment. Several other studies have shown benefit with St. John’s wort.
Reference: Canning S, Waterman M, Orsi N, et al. The efficacy of Hypericum perforatum (ST John’s Wort) for the treatment of premenstrual syndrome. CNS Drugs 2010; 24(3):207-225.
Symptoms were rated using the Daily Symptom Report, The State Anxiety Inventory, the Beck Depression Inventory and the Aggression Questionnaire and Barratt Impulsiveness Scale. Numerous hormones and physiological markers were also measured in the follicular and luteal phases: follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), estradiol, progesterone, prolactin, testosterone, cytokine interleukins= IL-1B, IL-6, IL-8, interferon and tumor necrosis factor alpha.
St. John’s wort was statistically more beneficial than placebo in food cravings, swelling, poor coordination, insomnia, confusion, headaches, crying and fatigue. There were no significant effects of St. John’s wort compared with placebo in any of the biochemical blood measurements. St. John’s wort was not statistically more beneficial in anxiety, irritability, depression, nervous tension, mood swings, feeling out of control and pain-related symptoms during two cycles of treatment. However, these pain-related symptoms appeared to improve more than placebo towards the end of each treatment period.
Commentary: The results of this PMS study demonstrate once again, the benefit of St. John’s Wort for the treatment of PMS. In this study, it was determined their PMS was mild. The benefit received by women taking St. John’s Wort was achieved during the first menstrual cycle in which it was taken. While St. John’s Wort did not prove to be statistically better than placebo for mood and pain-related PMS symptoms, the pain symptoms did appear to improve more than placebo towards the end of each treatment period, implying that there may be more pain benefits with St. John’s wort after a longer duration of treatment. Several other studies have shown benefit with St. John’s wort.
Reference: Canning S, Waterman M, Orsi N, et al. The efficacy of Hypericum perforatum (ST John’s Wort) for the treatment of premenstrual syndrome. CNS Drugs 2010; 24(3):207-225.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Are you using the right type of Maca
By Peter Bablis D.C., N.D., LAc, Dip. Medical Herbalist, Homeopathy, Dip. Clinical Nutrition, PhD
As a college lecturer, integrative doctor, and medical herbalist, I have used as well as keenly followed the research into the herb Maca (Lepidium peruvianum) over the past five years. In my practice, and in keeping with the research of the late nineties, my focus has always been Maca’s use for men in relation to fertility and energy. I used a standard Maca powder for this application with fair success but had never really seen strong or consistent results in women except for improved general energy and wellbeing. However over the last five years, the focus of my lectures and use of particular products has shifted as I have become aware that not all Maca is the same.
About Maca
Maca is an adaptogenic herb cultivated exclusively in the central Peruvian Andes at 12-14,000 feet under harsh natural growing and weather conditions. Adaptogens are an extremely rare class of herb that modulates the body’s response by supporting it in dealing with physiological, biochemical, and psychological stressors1. So rare in fact that Russian researchers studying the mode of action of over 4000 plants found only 12 true adaptogens amongst them. Other common adaptogenic plants include Ginseng, Ashwagandha, Eleuthero, Holy Basil, Licorice, Rhodiola and Schisandra.
Maca has a wide range of active constituents including amino acids, glucosinolates, phytosterols, and alkaloids. But rather than trying to break down and standardize individual active constituents within Maca, it is more interesting to investigate the full spectrum of active constituents of specific phenotypes (Phenotype: the observable physical or biochemical characteristics of an organism, as determined by both genetic makeup and environmental influences) and the natural synergies of all the active constituents that exist in the individual
phenotype. Research has demonstrated that there are in fact 13 different phenotypes within the species Lepidium peruvianum (Maca) that exhibit different colors, have different analytical profiles and even in some cases elicit different physiological effects on the body2.The Importance of the Phenotypes of Maca Dr. Gustavo F. Gonzales from the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia in Lima, Peru has published some very interesting research regarding different Maca phenotypes in relation to men’s health1. As an example, his research has demonstrated that while the red Maca phenotype will reduce the size of a prostate, other phenotypes won’t, or may even increase the size, while black Maca is considered the strongest in energy-promoting properties3. In addition, Dr. Henry Meissner (Director of Research and Development at Natural Health International San Francisco CA) has published some potentially ground breaking papers on specific, concentrated Maca phenotype combinations. Known as Maca-GO® (or commercially
as Femmenessence), these combinations specifically affect hormone levels in post menopausal women4,5. In the double blind, placebo crossover human trials conducted by Meissner, he found that specific phenotype combinations and concentrated levels of all the active ingredients are critical to ensuring actual, measurable physiological effects on hormones, lipids and bone density6,7. Meissner’s research has further evolved this concept of different phenotypes by introducing three concentrated phenotype combination products for women depending on their stage of life. The Femmenessence MacaPause phenotype combination is designed to improve a
post menopausal women’s hormone production. This combination has resulted in statistically significant increases in estradiol (P<0.001), increases in progesterone and reductions in FSH (P<0.05), with highly significant reductions in menopausal symptoms as well as increases
in HDL “good cholesterol”, reductions in LDL “bad cholesterol”, triglycerides and body weight as well as increases in bone density8. The Femmenessence MacaLife phenotype concentrated combination is designed to reduce menopausal symptoms and modulate mood associated with peri menopause and the fluctuation of hormones during this stage of life and Femmenessence MacaHarmony is for younger women to address hormone imbalance and PMS and improve fertility9,10,11,12.
My Clinical Experience
In my clinic, I have seen first-hand the effect of using specific Maca phenotypes for specific populations. As opposed to just “feeling better”, my female patients have experienced actual physiological changes in hormone levels after using the different Femmenessence phenotype combinations. Addressing conditions ranging from amenorrhea, PMS and adrenal fatigue to menopausal symptoms and heart and bone health6. It is within this range of benefits, derived from combining individual phenotypes in specific ratios and concentrating the full spectrum of active constituents, that I have found surpasses normal adaptogenic Maca products, which are generally random combinations of the different phenotypes mixed together. Furthermore they are not concentrated, which may be beneficial for general wellbeing and energy but not for specific clinical uses. Alternatively, I have also used a different phenotype combination in men to reduce prostate size and another combination to counter adrenal fatigue2.
Quality Matters
Another factor in relation to Maca is the bioavailability and concentration of the active ingredients required to elicit physiological effects4,5,13. Quality of seed sources and soil content, as well as organic or biodynamic growing strategies and drying methods, all play a part in maximizing the quality of all active constituents. Interestingly, the higher elevation, region-specific quality soil (not necessarily from certain regions of the depleted Junin Plateau), and traditional sun-drying the crop at elevation over a period of three months (not in tobacco dryers in Lima), have all been shown to contribute to the highest quality raw material. In relation to manufacturing, Maca is a tuber and is naturally hard to digest raw. For that reason the native Peruvians traditionally cooked Maca the same way we would a potato. Scientifically this process of improving bioavailability has been addressed through gelatinization, with Meissner (Natural Health International) and La Molina University being the leaders in developing their own processes. Meissner has perfected the process to such a degree that Maca-GO® (Femmenessence) is 99.9% water soluble4.
As the natural products industry continues to evolve, it is critical that we combine the best of traditional knowledge, organic and biodynamic-type farming practices with the highest levels of science, manufacturing and quality control. All herbs are not created equal therefore it is important to investigate them in detail, support their use with pharmacology, toxicology and human placebo controlled clinical trials and use efficacious products with therapeutic levels that elicit real health benefits.
Reference:
1 Winston D, et al. Adaptogens. Herbs for Strength, Stamina, and Stress Relief. Healing Arts Press 2007
2 Gonzales GF, et al. Red Maca (Lepidium meyenii) reduced prostate size in rats. Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology 2005, 3(5) 14
3 Skyfield Tropical: Free Online Botanical Encyclopedia Maca (lepidium peruvianum): Botanical Characteristics
4 Meissner H.O., Mrozikiewicz P.M., Bobkiewicz-Kozlowska T. et al. Hormone-balancing effect of pre-gelatinised organic Maca (Lepidium peruvianum Chacon):
(I) Biochemical and pharmacodynamic study on Maca using clinical laboratory model on ovariectomised rats. I. J. B. S., 2006; 2: 260
5 Meissner H.O., Kapczy_ski W., M_cisz A. et al. Use of Gelatinised Maca (Lepidium peruvianum) in Early--Postmenopausal Women - a Pilot Study. I. J. B. S., 2005; 1: 33
6 Carter R. Clinical Effects of a Proprietary, Standardized, Concentrated, Organic Lepidium Peruvianum Formulation (Maca-GOÆ) as an Alternative to HRT 2007
7 Meissner HO, et al. Use of Gelatinized Maca (Lepidium peruvianum) in Early Postmenopausal Women—a Pilot Study. IJBS 2005, 1(1):33-45
8 Meissner HO, et al. Hormone-Balancing Effect of Pre-Gelatinized Organic Maca (Lepidium peruvianum Chacon): (II) Physiological and Symptomatic Responses of Earlypostmenopausal
Women to Standardized Doses of Maca in Double Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Multi-Centre Clinical Study. IJBS 2006, 2(4):360-374
9 Gonzales GF, Cordova A, Gonzales C, et al. Lepidium meyenii (Maca) improved semen parameters in adult men. Asian J Androl 2001, 3(4):301
10 Obregon LV. “Maca” Planta Medicinal y Nutritiva del Peru. 1 Edition Lima: Instituto de Fitoterapia Americano. 2001, 1-182
11 Chacon de Popovici, Gloria. Maca (Lepidium peruvianum Chacon), Millenarian Peruvian Food Plant, With Highly Nutritional and Medicinal Properties. 1st Edition.
Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos. Lima, Peru. 2001, 1-337
12 Chacon G. Pytochemical study on Lepidium meyenii. PhD Thesis. Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos. Lima, Peru. 1961, 1-46
13 Meissner H.O., Kedzia B., Mrozikiewicz P.M., et al. Short- and Long- Term Physiological responses of Male and Female Rats to Two Dietary Levels of Pre-Gelatinised Maca
Lepidium peruvianum Chacon). I.J.B.S., 2006; 2: 15
As a college lecturer, integrative doctor, and medical herbalist, I have used as well as keenly followed the research into the herb Maca (Lepidium peruvianum) over the past five years. In my practice, and in keeping with the research of the late nineties, my focus has always been Maca’s use for men in relation to fertility and energy. I used a standard Maca powder for this application with fair success but had never really seen strong or consistent results in women except for improved general energy and wellbeing. However over the last five years, the focus of my lectures and use of particular products has shifted as I have become aware that not all Maca is the same.
About Maca
Maca is an adaptogenic herb cultivated exclusively in the central Peruvian Andes at 12-14,000 feet under harsh natural growing and weather conditions. Adaptogens are an extremely rare class of herb that modulates the body’s response by supporting it in dealing with physiological, biochemical, and psychological stressors1. So rare in fact that Russian researchers studying the mode of action of over 4000 plants found only 12 true adaptogens amongst them. Other common adaptogenic plants include Ginseng, Ashwagandha, Eleuthero, Holy Basil, Licorice, Rhodiola and Schisandra.
Maca has a wide range of active constituents including amino acids, glucosinolates, phytosterols, and alkaloids. But rather than trying to break down and standardize individual active constituents within Maca, it is more interesting to investigate the full spectrum of active constituents of specific phenotypes (Phenotype: the observable physical or biochemical characteristics of an organism, as determined by both genetic makeup and environmental influences) and the natural synergies of all the active constituents that exist in the individual
phenotype. Research has demonstrated that there are in fact 13 different phenotypes within the species Lepidium peruvianum (Maca) that exhibit different colors, have different analytical profiles and even in some cases elicit different physiological effects on the body2.The Importance of the Phenotypes of Maca Dr. Gustavo F. Gonzales from the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia in Lima, Peru has published some very interesting research regarding different Maca phenotypes in relation to men’s health1. As an example, his research has demonstrated that while the red Maca phenotype will reduce the size of a prostate, other phenotypes won’t, or may even increase the size, while black Maca is considered the strongest in energy-promoting properties3. In addition, Dr. Henry Meissner (Director of Research and Development at Natural Health International San Francisco CA) has published some potentially ground breaking papers on specific, concentrated Maca phenotype combinations. Known as Maca-GO® (or commercially
as Femmenessence), these combinations specifically affect hormone levels in post menopausal women4,5. In the double blind, placebo crossover human trials conducted by Meissner, he found that specific phenotype combinations and concentrated levels of all the active ingredients are critical to ensuring actual, measurable physiological effects on hormones, lipids and bone density6,7. Meissner’s research has further evolved this concept of different phenotypes by introducing three concentrated phenotype combination products for women depending on their stage of life. The Femmenessence MacaPause phenotype combination is designed to improve a
post menopausal women’s hormone production. This combination has resulted in statistically significant increases in estradiol (P<0.001), increases in progesterone and reductions in FSH (P<0.05), with highly significant reductions in menopausal symptoms as well as increases
in HDL “good cholesterol”, reductions in LDL “bad cholesterol”, triglycerides and body weight as well as increases in bone density8. The Femmenessence MacaLife phenotype concentrated combination is designed to reduce menopausal symptoms and modulate mood associated with peri menopause and the fluctuation of hormones during this stage of life and Femmenessence MacaHarmony is for younger women to address hormone imbalance and PMS and improve fertility9,10,11,12.
My Clinical Experience
In my clinic, I have seen first-hand the effect of using specific Maca phenotypes for specific populations. As opposed to just “feeling better”, my female patients have experienced actual physiological changes in hormone levels after using the different Femmenessence phenotype combinations. Addressing conditions ranging from amenorrhea, PMS and adrenal fatigue to menopausal symptoms and heart and bone health6. It is within this range of benefits, derived from combining individual phenotypes in specific ratios and concentrating the full spectrum of active constituents, that I have found surpasses normal adaptogenic Maca products, which are generally random combinations of the different phenotypes mixed together. Furthermore they are not concentrated, which may be beneficial for general wellbeing and energy but not for specific clinical uses. Alternatively, I have also used a different phenotype combination in men to reduce prostate size and another combination to counter adrenal fatigue2.
Quality Matters
Another factor in relation to Maca is the bioavailability and concentration of the active ingredients required to elicit physiological effects4,5,13. Quality of seed sources and soil content, as well as organic or biodynamic growing strategies and drying methods, all play a part in maximizing the quality of all active constituents. Interestingly, the higher elevation, region-specific quality soil (not necessarily from certain regions of the depleted Junin Plateau), and traditional sun-drying the crop at elevation over a period of three months (not in tobacco dryers in Lima), have all been shown to contribute to the highest quality raw material. In relation to manufacturing, Maca is a tuber and is naturally hard to digest raw. For that reason the native Peruvians traditionally cooked Maca the same way we would a potato. Scientifically this process of improving bioavailability has been addressed through gelatinization, with Meissner (Natural Health International) and La Molina University being the leaders in developing their own processes. Meissner has perfected the process to such a degree that Maca-GO® (Femmenessence) is 99.9% water soluble4.
As the natural products industry continues to evolve, it is critical that we combine the best of traditional knowledge, organic and biodynamic-type farming practices with the highest levels of science, manufacturing and quality control. All herbs are not created equal therefore it is important to investigate them in detail, support their use with pharmacology, toxicology and human placebo controlled clinical trials and use efficacious products with therapeutic levels that elicit real health benefits.
Reference:
1 Winston D, et al. Adaptogens. Herbs for Strength, Stamina, and Stress Relief. Healing Arts Press 2007
2 Gonzales GF, et al. Red Maca (Lepidium meyenii) reduced prostate size in rats. Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology 2005, 3(5) 14
3 Skyfield Tropical: Free Online Botanical Encyclopedia Maca (lepidium peruvianum): Botanical Characteristics
4 Meissner H.O., Mrozikiewicz P.M., Bobkiewicz-Kozlowska T. et al. Hormone-balancing effect of pre-gelatinised organic Maca (Lepidium peruvianum Chacon):
(I) Biochemical and pharmacodynamic study on Maca using clinical laboratory model on ovariectomised rats. I. J. B. S., 2006; 2: 260
5 Meissner H.O., Kapczy_ski W., M_cisz A. et al. Use of Gelatinised Maca (Lepidium peruvianum) in Early--Postmenopausal Women - a Pilot Study. I. J. B. S., 2005; 1: 33
6 Carter R. Clinical Effects of a Proprietary, Standardized, Concentrated, Organic Lepidium Peruvianum Formulation (Maca-GOÆ) as an Alternative to HRT 2007
7 Meissner HO, et al. Use of Gelatinized Maca (Lepidium peruvianum) in Early Postmenopausal Women—a Pilot Study. IJBS 2005, 1(1):33-45
8 Meissner HO, et al. Hormone-Balancing Effect of Pre-Gelatinized Organic Maca (Lepidium peruvianum Chacon): (II) Physiological and Symptomatic Responses of Earlypostmenopausal
Women to Standardized Doses of Maca in Double Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Multi-Centre Clinical Study. IJBS 2006, 2(4):360-374
9 Gonzales GF, Cordova A, Gonzales C, et al. Lepidium meyenii (Maca) improved semen parameters in adult men. Asian J Androl 2001, 3(4):301
10 Obregon LV. “Maca” Planta Medicinal y Nutritiva del Peru. 1 Edition Lima: Instituto de Fitoterapia Americano. 2001, 1-182
11 Chacon de Popovici, Gloria. Maca (Lepidium peruvianum Chacon), Millenarian Peruvian Food Plant, With Highly Nutritional and Medicinal Properties. 1st Edition.
Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos. Lima, Peru. 2001, 1-337
12 Chacon G. Pytochemical study on Lepidium meyenii. PhD Thesis. Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos. Lima, Peru. 1961, 1-46
13 Meissner H.O., Kedzia B., Mrozikiewicz P.M., et al. Short- and Long- Term Physiological responses of Male and Female Rats to Two Dietary Levels of Pre-Gelatinised Maca
Lepidium peruvianum Chacon). I.J.B.S., 2006; 2: 15
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Why the right Salt is essential to your health
Comparing Table Salt, Sea Salt and Himalayan Crystal Salt
John F. Kennedy once said,
“All of us have in our veins the exact same percentage of salt in our blood that exists in the ocean and, therefore, we have salt in our blood, in our sweat, in our tears. We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea… we are going back from whence we came.”
As you know, all life evolved from the ocean and just like the ocean, your blood and every cell in your body contain salt and water. In fact, millions of years ago the ocean’s salt water, untouched by humankind and pollution, had an almost identical content and ratio of minerals that exist in your body today. Your body and the ocean’s salt water, as it was in the beginning, contain 84 minerals in what is believed to be the ideal ratio for your body’s optimal function. Each mineral in your body performs a variety of important roles, with the synergistic combination of all 84 minerals forming the foundation for true health and wellbeing. However, depleted mineral reserves in soils, non-sustainable farming practices, and pesticides that inhibit the uptake of certain minerals, mean that vegetables, fruit and animal produce are no longer the complete source of minerals that they once were.
Historically, people would add mineral-rich salts to their diet, but the salt that we add to food today is very different from those traditional salts, which contained a plethora of minerals. Instead common table salt contains just two minerals - sodium and chloride. Not only does table salt lack the full mineral profile that your body needs, but the structure, and the various chemicals that are mixed with sodium chloride, are actually detrimental to your health. Table salt is refined at extremely high temperatures, which alters its chemical structure and bio-availability. Furthermore it is chemically cleaned, bleached and treated with anti-caking agents. These anti-caking agents prevent salt from mixing with water and clumping in the jar. However, they have the very same effect in your body, hence won’t dissolve easily, which frequently results in a buildup of salt deposits in your organs and tissues. But there’s more - the two
most common anti-caking agents are sodium alumino-silicate and calcium aluminosilicate, both sources of aluminum, which is a heavy metal associated with Alzheimer’s disease and other health issues.
Instead of the mineral-rich salt that supports life, common table salt, a refined and impoverished version of the original, is actually harmful to your health. Its use has been linked to conditions including: high blood pressure, stroke, osteoporosis, arthritis, kidney stones, and stomach ulcers. The body must use a lot of its water reserves to metabolize refined table salt, leading to chronic dehydration on a deep cellular level. What’s more the body recognizes refined salt as poison and tries to excrete it as quickly as possible, causing a further burden on your body’s detoxification organs, especially the liver and kidneys. Knowing the vast array of health problems caused by common table salt, millions of people now avoid salt completely or look for healthier alternatives. However, avoiding salt is not the answer. Lack of salt and all the key minerals the body requires can also affect your health adversely. Linus Pauling, PhD, winner of two Nobel prizes said,
“All diseases of humanity can be attributed to the lack of minerals in our bodies…
You can trace every sickness, every disease, and every ailment, to a mineral deficiency.”
Essentially, every cell in the human body is dependent on the presence of sodium and potassium. These two minerals need to be in constant, dynamic balance so the cells can exchange energy. Your body is constantly monitoring these minerals and working to maintain their delicate balance.
Minerals are also a vital part of your cells, blood and lymphatic fluids. They are critical for all body functions, including muscular contraction, electrolyte balance, blood sugar regulation and pH balance - but you need all minerals, and in a form which your body can readily use.
Many people have started to use other types of salt such as sea salt or Celtic salt. However, while many sea salts may have more minerals than just sodium and chloride, rarely do they contain the full complement that your body needs. Nor are the structures and mineral ratios of sea salts ideal, with clinical research demonstrating that sea salt, like table salt, increases acidity and blood pressure. More importantly, sea salt harvested from today’s polluted oceans has the potential to contain petro-chemicals and unacceptable levels of heavy metals. Furthermore, many sea salts are refined in a similar process to table salt.
But there’s good news! Recently re-discovered is one of nature’s purest and most complete mineral salt sources on Earth. In the remote reaches of the Himalayan Mountains are the mineral salt crystals which were created 250 million years ago. A legacy of ancient oceans, trapped after tectonic plate movement and subsequent evaporation, Himalayan Crystal Salt contains 84 minerals vital for human health. These minerals include sodium, chloride, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iodine, iron, zinc, manganese and many more. Additionally, these minerals exist in ionic form, which means they can be easily absorbed. In order for your body to benefit from the minerals you take in, they must be extremely small. Their size is measured in angstroms. As a reference point, a sheet of paper is 1,000,000 angstroms thick. Even though minerals with larger molecular size will eventually be absorbed into your blood, the angstromsized minerals can be readily absorbed into individual cells and that’s where they are most effective. The best way for you to absorb these minerals is in a liquid form of Himalayan Crystal Salt called Sole. Sole (so-lay) is a super-saturated solution of Himalayan Crystal Salt in purified water - providing the ultimate infusion of ionized minerals in a highly bio-available liquid form. The minerals are now small enough to be able to pass into the cells, being immediately available as electrical potentials, or ENERGY. In German, the word Sole, which is derived from the Latin word “sol”, means sun. Sole means fluid sunlight or fluid light energy. More scientifically, this can be explained as better overall availability of electrolytes or charged ions, which conduct energy between cells and improve cellular function. Use of Himalayan Crystal Salt as a condiment or as Sole can lead to electrolyte-balance, balanced blood pressure, improved gastrointestinal function, balanced pH levels and increased energy.
It is important to point out that there are many salts which claim to be the Himalayan Crystal Salt, yet these may actually come from South America, Europe or exhibit a very different mineral profile. The easiest way to feel secure, knowing you have the Himalayan Crystal Salt with the exact mineral combination, the proven research and ultimate health benefits is to ask your supplier to provide you with an analytical profile of their salt which shows all 84 minerals in the proportions indicated in the Water & Salt book; also make sure that the source of the salt is Pakistan and that it bears the official seal of the Royal family to denote its region of origin.
By Carlin Saldanha N.D., MPH
Dr. Saldanha is a naturopathic doctor, nutritionist, herbalist, wholefoods chef, and yoga teacher practicing in the San Francisco Bay Area. Carlin also holds her Masters in Public Health and has dedicated herself to the fields of wellbeing, health education, prenatal healthcare, natural medicine, fertility, and women’s health for over 10 years.
John F. Kennedy once said,
“All of us have in our veins the exact same percentage of salt in our blood that exists in the ocean and, therefore, we have salt in our blood, in our sweat, in our tears. We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea… we are going back from whence we came.”
As you know, all life evolved from the ocean and just like the ocean, your blood and every cell in your body contain salt and water. In fact, millions of years ago the ocean’s salt water, untouched by humankind and pollution, had an almost identical content and ratio of minerals that exist in your body today. Your body and the ocean’s salt water, as it was in the beginning, contain 84 minerals in what is believed to be the ideal ratio for your body’s optimal function. Each mineral in your body performs a variety of important roles, with the synergistic combination of all 84 minerals forming the foundation for true health and wellbeing. However, depleted mineral reserves in soils, non-sustainable farming practices, and pesticides that inhibit the uptake of certain minerals, mean that vegetables, fruit and animal produce are no longer the complete source of minerals that they once were.
Historically, people would add mineral-rich salts to their diet, but the salt that we add to food today is very different from those traditional salts, which contained a plethora of minerals. Instead common table salt contains just two minerals - sodium and chloride. Not only does table salt lack the full mineral profile that your body needs, but the structure, and the various chemicals that are mixed with sodium chloride, are actually detrimental to your health. Table salt is refined at extremely high temperatures, which alters its chemical structure and bio-availability. Furthermore it is chemically cleaned, bleached and treated with anti-caking agents. These anti-caking agents prevent salt from mixing with water and clumping in the jar. However, they have the very same effect in your body, hence won’t dissolve easily, which frequently results in a buildup of salt deposits in your organs and tissues. But there’s more - the two
most common anti-caking agents are sodium alumino-silicate and calcium aluminosilicate, both sources of aluminum, which is a heavy metal associated with Alzheimer’s disease and other health issues.
Instead of the mineral-rich salt that supports life, common table salt, a refined and impoverished version of the original, is actually harmful to your health. Its use has been linked to conditions including: high blood pressure, stroke, osteoporosis, arthritis, kidney stones, and stomach ulcers. The body must use a lot of its water reserves to metabolize refined table salt, leading to chronic dehydration on a deep cellular level. What’s more the body recognizes refined salt as poison and tries to excrete it as quickly as possible, causing a further burden on your body’s detoxification organs, especially the liver and kidneys. Knowing the vast array of health problems caused by common table salt, millions of people now avoid salt completely or look for healthier alternatives. However, avoiding salt is not the answer. Lack of salt and all the key minerals the body requires can also affect your health adversely. Linus Pauling, PhD, winner of two Nobel prizes said,
“All diseases of humanity can be attributed to the lack of minerals in our bodies…
You can trace every sickness, every disease, and every ailment, to a mineral deficiency.”
Essentially, every cell in the human body is dependent on the presence of sodium and potassium. These two minerals need to be in constant, dynamic balance so the cells can exchange energy. Your body is constantly monitoring these minerals and working to maintain their delicate balance.
Minerals are also a vital part of your cells, blood and lymphatic fluids. They are critical for all body functions, including muscular contraction, electrolyte balance, blood sugar regulation and pH balance - but you need all minerals, and in a form which your body can readily use.
Many people have started to use other types of salt such as sea salt or Celtic salt. However, while many sea salts may have more minerals than just sodium and chloride, rarely do they contain the full complement that your body needs. Nor are the structures and mineral ratios of sea salts ideal, with clinical research demonstrating that sea salt, like table salt, increases acidity and blood pressure. More importantly, sea salt harvested from today’s polluted oceans has the potential to contain petro-chemicals and unacceptable levels of heavy metals. Furthermore, many sea salts are refined in a similar process to table salt.
But there’s good news! Recently re-discovered is one of nature’s purest and most complete mineral salt sources on Earth. In the remote reaches of the Himalayan Mountains are the mineral salt crystals which were created 250 million years ago. A legacy of ancient oceans, trapped after tectonic plate movement and subsequent evaporation, Himalayan Crystal Salt contains 84 minerals vital for human health. These minerals include sodium, chloride, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iodine, iron, zinc, manganese and many more. Additionally, these minerals exist in ionic form, which means they can be easily absorbed. In order for your body to benefit from the minerals you take in, they must be extremely small. Their size is measured in angstroms. As a reference point, a sheet of paper is 1,000,000 angstroms thick. Even though minerals with larger molecular size will eventually be absorbed into your blood, the angstromsized minerals can be readily absorbed into individual cells and that’s where they are most effective. The best way for you to absorb these minerals is in a liquid form of Himalayan Crystal Salt called Sole. Sole (so-lay) is a super-saturated solution of Himalayan Crystal Salt in purified water - providing the ultimate infusion of ionized minerals in a highly bio-available liquid form. The minerals are now small enough to be able to pass into the cells, being immediately available as electrical potentials, or ENERGY. In German, the word Sole, which is derived from the Latin word “sol”, means sun. Sole means fluid sunlight or fluid light energy. More scientifically, this can be explained as better overall availability of electrolytes or charged ions, which conduct energy between cells and improve cellular function. Use of Himalayan Crystal Salt as a condiment or as Sole can lead to electrolyte-balance, balanced blood pressure, improved gastrointestinal function, balanced pH levels and increased energy.
It is important to point out that there are many salts which claim to be the Himalayan Crystal Salt, yet these may actually come from South America, Europe or exhibit a very different mineral profile. The easiest way to feel secure, knowing you have the Himalayan Crystal Salt with the exact mineral combination, the proven research and ultimate health benefits is to ask your supplier to provide you with an analytical profile of their salt which shows all 84 minerals in the proportions indicated in the Water & Salt book; also make sure that the source of the salt is Pakistan and that it bears the official seal of the Royal family to denote its region of origin.
By Carlin Saldanha N.D., MPH
Dr. Saldanha is a naturopathic doctor, nutritionist, herbalist, wholefoods chef, and yoga teacher practicing in the San Francisco Bay Area. Carlin also holds her Masters in Public Health and has dedicated herself to the fields of wellbeing, health education, prenatal healthcare, natural medicine, fertility, and women’s health for over 10 years.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Tender Breasts and Vitamin E by D Tori Hudson
Cyclic breast pain, called cyclic mastalgia is one of the most common problems in menstruating women. A recent study has determined once again, the therapeutic value of vitamin E as a safe and effective treatment for cyclic mastalgia.
This study was a double blind clinical trial in 150 women in Iran. Two groups of 75 women each were evaluated for severity and duration of breast pain which was measured according to a breast pain chart and something called a Visual Analog Scale.
Chewable tablets of either vitamin E 200 mg tablets or a placebo were given twice a day for 4 months, and again, the severity and duration of breast pain was evaluated at the end of the second and fourth month. The results at two months for vitamin E were dramatically better than placebo in severity and duration, and appear to be achievable in about 70% of the women. The improvement was seen as soon as two months, and no continued improvement after 4 months.
Commentary: Other studies have been conducted in vitamin E and breast pain. In 1997, Khanna et al compared vitamin E with a drug called Danazol. Vitamin E reduced pain in 41% of the women in the studies and Danazol had similar pain reduction in 72% of the women. Clearly the drug helped more women, but the side effects of that drug are significant and one third of the women developed other side effects. Meyer et al did a study in 1990 but did not show any benefit from Vitamin E. Ernester in 1985 studied 201 women with mastalgia as it relates to fibrocystic breast disease. He concluded that vitamin E was not effective, but he was not evaluating breast pain as a distinct issue. In 2004, Bespalov et al studied 66 women with a combination of beta-carotene, vitamin E, vitamin C and garlic powder. There was a reduction in the severity of mastalgia, premenstrual syndrome, infrequent menses and menstrual cramping as well as a reduction in symptoms of fibromatosis in 75% of the women compared with 45% of women on placebo.
If vitamin E alone is not sufficiently helpful in reducing mastalgia, evening primrose or borage oil should be considered, as well as carotenoids, iodine, eliminating caffeine, lowering saturated fats in the diet and increasing fiber.
References
Parsay S, Olfati F, Nahidi S. Therapeutic effects of vitamin E on cyclic mastalgia. The Breast Journal 2009;15(5):510-514.
For more Blog's By Dr Hudson go to http://drtorihudson.com/
This study was a double blind clinical trial in 150 women in Iran. Two groups of 75 women each were evaluated for severity and duration of breast pain which was measured according to a breast pain chart and something called a Visual Analog Scale.
Chewable tablets of either vitamin E 200 mg tablets or a placebo were given twice a day for 4 months, and again, the severity and duration of breast pain was evaluated at the end of the second and fourth month. The results at two months for vitamin E were dramatically better than placebo in severity and duration, and appear to be achievable in about 70% of the women. The improvement was seen as soon as two months, and no continued improvement after 4 months.
Commentary: Other studies have been conducted in vitamin E and breast pain. In 1997, Khanna et al compared vitamin E with a drug called Danazol. Vitamin E reduced pain in 41% of the women in the studies and Danazol had similar pain reduction in 72% of the women. Clearly the drug helped more women, but the side effects of that drug are significant and one third of the women developed other side effects. Meyer et al did a study in 1990 but did not show any benefit from Vitamin E. Ernester in 1985 studied 201 women with mastalgia as it relates to fibrocystic breast disease. He concluded that vitamin E was not effective, but he was not evaluating breast pain as a distinct issue. In 2004, Bespalov et al studied 66 women with a combination of beta-carotene, vitamin E, vitamin C and garlic powder. There was a reduction in the severity of mastalgia, premenstrual syndrome, infrequent menses and menstrual cramping as well as a reduction in symptoms of fibromatosis in 75% of the women compared with 45% of women on placebo.
If vitamin E alone is not sufficiently helpful in reducing mastalgia, evening primrose or borage oil should be considered, as well as carotenoids, iodine, eliminating caffeine, lowering saturated fats in the diet and increasing fiber.
References
Parsay S, Olfati F, Nahidi S. Therapeutic effects of vitamin E on cyclic mastalgia. The Breast Journal 2009;15(5):510-514.
For more Blog's By Dr Hudson go to http://drtorihudson.com/
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