January 3, 2010 at 8:23 am (Health News)
Tags: antioxidant, Cardiovascular, cholesterol, CoQ10, depression, digestion, statin, Vitamin D
The Physician’s Desk Reference along with the “Drug-Induced Nutrient Depletion Handbook” are the sources for the following information on nutrients that are blocked or reduced by some common medications.
Medication is often a logical and appropriate choice to treat many health conditions. However, opting for a nutritional or more holistic approach can also make very good sense. Either way, knowing how to offset these vitamin and essential nutrient deficiencies is empowering and practical information in re-establishing overall health.
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November 2, 2009 at 3:35 am (Health News)
Tags: ADHD, Alzheimer's, anti-aging, antioxidant, bone, Cardiovascular, depression, isotonic, ocd, SAD, Vitamin D, Vitamin K
A study conducted by the Department of Medicine at the Union Memorial Hospital in Maryland compared photolight therapy to the use of vitamin D on a group of subjects with SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder).
The randomized controlled trial found that after one month the subjects who received phototherapy showed no significant improvements in their vitamin D levels or in their depression. However, the group who received vitamin D experienced significant reductions in their depression and showed increased levels of vitamin D in their blood serum.
The study concluded that vitamin D3 may be a valuable treatment for SAD.
Multiple studies on the use of vitamin D for depression, anxiety and cognitive disorders have been listed at the Vitamin D Council site.
Isotonix® Vitamin D with K2 provides 5000 iu’s per dose of highly bioavailable vitamin D3 with the additional benefit of vitamin K2 for increased bone and vascular health. Many people who were disappointed with vitamin D in capsule form have enjoyed the ease of use and up to 95% absorption provided in this delicious drinkable isotonic solution.
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September 22, 2009 at 6:18 am (Health News)
Tags: ADD, ADHD, Alzheimer's, anti-aging, antioxidant, arthritis, curcumin, depression, glutathione, ocd, serotonin, Vitamin D
Curcumin is the most biologically active ingredient found in the herb, tumeric, which is part of the ginger family. 
Used for centuries in Indian cooking, this potent phytochemical (plant chemical) has been identified as an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-arthritic, anti-amyloid (inhibits abnormal protein deposits – like brain plaque), anti-tumor (causes apoptosis or cell death in cancerous cells) and enhances immune system function by increasing the production of glutathione.
If that wasn’t enough – there’s more!
A recent study published in Psychopharmacology on curcumin found that it behaves like a natural antidepressant by increasing serotonin as well as dopamine levels.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ( ADHD) and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), is often treated with antidepressants to balance MAO’s (monoamine oxidase enzymes). A safe and natural compound like curcumin could be a very welcome option for many.
Unfortunately, most natural forms of curcumin are not very bioavailable. By the time they pass from the stomach into the small intestine for absorption the active ingredient is quite degraded and has lost its potency. However, a naturally-occurring and patented form of curcumin has been developed called BCM-95®, which delivers six times more bioactive curcumin into the blood than typical curcumin.
Curcumin Extreme™ contains this optimal type of pharmacologically bioactive curcumin known as BCM-95® in a unique synergistic formula.
The Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease published study results recommending that vitamin D3 be used in conjunction with curcumin to prevent Alzheimer’s and cellular damage/destruction to brain cells caused by free radicals through oxidative stress.
According to Dr. Milan Fiala, study author and a researcher at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and the Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, “We hope that vitamin D3 and curcumin, both naturally occurring nutrients, may offer new preventive and treatment possibilities for Alzheimer’s disease.”
Isotonix® Vitamin D with K2 is a drinkable, highly bioavailable and active form of D3. Using Isotonix® Vitamin D with K2 along with Curcumin Extreme™ would be an excellent response to Dr. Fiala’s suggestion.
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August 16, 2009 at 6:42 am (Health News)
Tags: Alzheimer's, anti-aging, antioxidant, Cardiovascular, cholesterol, CoQ10, depression, multiple sclerosis, OPC-3, statin
The Wall Street Journal published the first allegations of cholesterol lowering statin drugs being associated with dementia. In the article, Dr. Orli Etingin (vice chairman of medicine at New York Presbyterian Hospital-Weill Cornell Medical Center) stated that Lipitor “makes women stupid.”
Dr. Etingin was referring to several of her patients using statins that were unable to focus, recall words and displayed other cognitive deficiencies. According to Dr. Etingin, the impairments vanished when use of the statin drug was discontinued and returned when the statins were reintroduced.
Two British experts in Alzheimers and dementia, Louise Morse and Roger Hitchins, note that the most common causes of memory loss they see in both men and women are due to depression, poor nutrition and statin drug use.
Some doctors have suspected that certain cognitive disruptions are triggered when statin drugs (like Simvastatin) cross the blood brain barrier and interfere with the central nervous system. Another possibility is that because the brain is composed largely of cholesterol, lowering cholesterol could slow thought and memory connections. Statins have also been linked to abnormal tau proteins forming in the brain, as seen in Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Lou Gehrig’s disease.
A new study may provide even more disturbing evidence as to the impact statins have on cognitive function.
This fascinating study published July 2008 in Glia by Dr. Steven Goldman and Dr. Fraser Sim discovered that statin drugs inhibit a specific type of brain cell.
These specialized brain cells are called glial progenitor cells. Glial progenitor cells function much like stem cells. They spring into action when the brain has experienced some type of distress and transform into any type of cell needed by the brain. These adaptive cells help restore white matter after strokes, infection, trauma, or inflammation brought on by the aging process, or diseases like multiple sclerosis.
Statins negatively impact glial progenitor cells by switching off their adaptive capabilities. After statin exposure the glial progenitor cells permanently became oligodendrocytes cells.
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March 30, 2009 at 9:58 pm (Health News)
Tags: Cancer, Cardiovascular, crohns, depression, digestion, IBS, multiple sclerosis, Vitamin D, Vitamin K, weight loss
Have you ever wondered exactly what a vitamin is? A vitamin is an organic compound which is needed by an organism for it’s life, growth, or metabolism and must be acquired via food or environmental sources.
Vitamin D is a very unique vitamin because it can be derived from food and sunlight. There is only one natural form of Vitamin D which is D3. However this naturally occuring form has three different names:
- Cholecalciferol - the form of D3 produced when sunlight lingers on bare skin and also available in supplement form.
- Calcidiol – a hormone precursor created in the blood from cholecalciferol. Vitamin D tests check calcidiol levels in the blood.
- Calcitriol- a hormone created in the kidneys from calcidiol and cholecalciferol with significant cancer-fighting abilities.
Many people who have had their Vitamin D levels tested are then written prescriptions for Vitamin D2. Vitamin D2 is called ergocalciferol or calciferol. Vitamin D2 is an inactive form created from fungus and, unlike D3, is not naturally occuring to the human body. The reduced bioavailability of Vitamin D2 makes it much more difficult for the human body to utilize.
Adequate amounts of Vitamin D3 have been shown to dramatically reduce serious health risks. The following chart provided by GrassRootsHealth.org shows specific correlations between measured levels of Vitamin D3 and deduced incidents of disease and cancer including:
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March 16, 2009 at 8:32 pm (Health News)
Tags: ADHD, Alzheimer's, depression, digestion, fibromyalgia, IBS, insomnia, ocd, serotonin, Vitamin D, weight loss
If you’ve wondered whether an emotional behavior may be rooted more in chemistry than physiology, you may be right. Serotonin has a powerful effect on our feelings and physical behavior. When serotonin levels are adequate we feel safe, happy, content, satiated, and have great impulse control. Serotonin deficiency syndrome is when levels are low enough to cause or exacerbate the following:
These behaviors and emotional states are not necessarily produced by a physical dysfunction in the brain. Instead, it may be based on a biochemical condition that can be traced back to the brain’s serotonin neural circuits which are hampered due to inadequate amounts of serotonin in the nerve pathways. A serotonin precursor called l-tryptophan (or tryptophan) can restore these biochemical transmissions to the serotonin neural receptors. L-Tryptophan supplementation is a safe and natural way of increasing low serotonin levels.
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February 11, 2009 at 7:54 pm (Health News)
Tags: antioxidant, depression, fibromyalgia, glutathione, insomnia, serotonin
Millions suffer from depression and feelings of sadness along with difficulty falling asleep. Incorporating a simple, natural amino acid like L-tryptophan may be just the ticket to an elevated mood and peaceful sleep!
Tryptophan is an essential amino acid which promotes seratonin and, in turn, melatonin balance. A common myth is that tryptophan is what causes sleepiness after eating turkey on Thanksgiving. The actual cause of fatigue is the body’s demand for increased blood flow to the digestive system to handle all the excess calories. Eating any type of large meal can cause sleepiness.
Tryptophan triggers seratonin and melatonin production. Seratonin is the “feel good” hormone which enhances mood and produces feelings of happiness. Melatonin regulates sleep cycles which are often out of order in many people’s hectic lives. Proper amounts of melatonin encourages natural sleep patterns.
Between 1982 and 2005 the FDA banned all forms of tryptophan due to contamination concerns. The only exception was a trademarked form of l-tryptophan known as Tryptopure®. Tryptopure is 99-100% pure and safe.
A study done in 2002 by the College of Medicine in South Korea found that seratonin and melatonin also reduce oxidative stress in the brain.
Unlike many over-the-counter and perscription mood enhancers and sleep aides, l-tryptophan can be used long term quite safely and produces no negative side effects.
Isotonix® L-Tryptophan is made from Tryptopure® and synergistically combines vitamin C, B-3 and B-6 improving the metobolism of this amino acid. Genuine isotonic formulas are extremely bio-available and 95% absorbed unlike capsules, tablets and liquid supplements.
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December 22, 2008 at 6:40 pm (Products)
Tags: Alzheimer's, anti-aging, antioxidant, curcumin, depression, glutathione, serotonin
I’ve posted several articles on the health benefits of curcumin, the powerful antioxidant found in the spice tumeric. The product that my husband and I take is Curcumin Extreme™ from Market America. So what makes Curcumin Extreme™ different from other curcumin products on the market?
BCM-95®
One of the issues with curcumin is that it is not very bioavailable, which means that your body can’t readily absorb it. Studies have shown that we can only absorb a small amount of curcumin when ingested. However, a special formulation called BCM-95® by Dolcas Biotech has been shown in clinical studies to be over 6 times more bioavailable than regular curcumin. BCM-95® contains the natural spectrum of the turmeric rhizome and is 100% natural.
Clinical study on BCM-95® bioavailability. (Additional studies available at www.bcm95.com)
Broccoli Seed Extract
Curcumin Extreme™ also includes 167mg of broccoli seed extract, a powerful source of sulphoraphane glucosinolates. Sulforaphanes support the normal production of Phase II liver detoxification enzymes including glutathione synthase, heme-oxygenase and catalase. Sulforaphanes also support gene transcription, the process by which genetic information is copied from DNA to RNA. They also support the body’s natural defense systems. Glutathione is the master antioxidant in the human body which serves to preserve and protect the brain and other body tissues by protecting them from the damage of free radicals. Furthermore, glutathione recycles vitamins C and E which are also powerful antioxidants.
Related research: Immunomodulatory activity of sulforaphane, a naturally occuring isothiocyanate from broccoli (Brassica oleracea). Phytomedicine vol. 14: 538-545, 2006.
Selenium
Selenium is a required cofactor for selenoproteins such as glutathione peroxidase. Selenomethionine is incorporated directly into proteins because selenomethionine cannot be distinguished from methionine during the translation of mRNA into protein. This serves as a storage form of selenium and is liberated upon protein catabolism. Selenium accumulates in the prostate, promoting the health of the prostate. Selenium supports immune function by promoting normal growth and development of T helper cells.
Related research: Selenium, selenoproteins and human health: a review. Public Health Nutrition vol. 4: 593-599, 2001
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