Category: Health Conditions

Supplementing with Red Rice Yeast Can Lower “Bad” Cholesterol

Supplementing with Red Rice Yeast Can Lower “Bad” Cholesterol

By some estimates, as many as 10% of people who take cholesterol-lowering statins experience troubling muscle pain, and many stop taking the drugs because of it.

Now a new study suggests that a dietary supplement sold in nutrition centers and grocery stores may be a useful alternative to statins for some. Common statin drugs include Vytorin, Lipitor and Zetia.

The newly published study included 62 people with high LDL cholesterol who had stopped taking statins because of muscle pain.

Half the study participants took three 600-milligram capsules of red yeast rice a day and half took
placebo capsules that were identical in look and smell to the red yeast rice.

People who took red yeast rice supplements and completed a 12-week lifestyle intervention program
experienced bigger reductions in LDL “bad” cholesterol than patients who completed the same lifestyle program but took placebo pills.

For more related information, learn about managing and understanding cholesterol.

Stop the Spread of Germs in School to Limit Colds and Flu

Now that children are headed back to school, it’s time to brush up on the best ways to avoid seasonal flu and other illness.

 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has published information on its web site to help parents keep their children healthy.

First, the facts:

  • Approximately 1/5 of the U.S. population attends or works in schools. (U.S. Dept of Ed, 1999).
  • Some viruses and bacteria can live from 20 minutes up to 2 hours or more on surfaces like cafeteria tables, doorknobs, and desks. (Ansari, 1988; Scott and Bloomfield, 1989)
  • Nearly 22 million school days are lost annually due to the common cold alone. (CDC, 1996)

Illnesses like colds and flu are generally spread from person to person in respiratory droplets of coughs and sneezes.  This can happen when droplets from a cough or sneeze of an infected person move through the air and land on the mouth or nose of people nearby.  Sometimes germs can be spread when a person touches another person’s respiratory droplets on a surface such as a desk and then touches his or her own eyes, mouth or nose before washing their hands.

The CDC urges parents to teach children the following common sense rules:

Avoid close contact
Avoid close contact with people who are sick. When you are sick, keep your distance from others to protect them from getting sick too.

Stay home when you are sick
Stay home from work, school, and errands when you are sick to help prevent others from catching your illness.

Cover your mouth and nose
Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing and then throw the tissue away.  If you don’t have a tissue, cover your cough or sneeze and then clean your hands each time you cough or sneeze.

Clean your hands
Wash your hands with soap and warm water for 15 to 20 seconds. That’s about the same time it takes to sing the “Happy Birthday” song twice.  When soap and water are not available, alcohol-based disposable hand wipes or gel sanitizers may be used.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth
Germs are often spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth.

Practice other good health habits
Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat nutritious food

The CDC website also provides recommendations for who should get the flu vaccine.

SOURCE:  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, http://www.cdc.gov/flu/school/

High Intake of Whole Grains Reduces Risk of Hypertension

A new study shows increased intake of whole grains and bran is associated with a significant reduction in the incidence of hypertension in men.

The study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, reviewed data from the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study involving 31,684 healthy men aged 40 to 75 without known hypertension, cancer, stroke, or coronary heart disease. These participants were followed for 18 years, during which 9,227 cases of incident hypertension were recorded.

Researchers found that whole-grain intake reduced the risk of hypertension by 19%, while intake of bran reduced the risk of hypertension by 15%.

Study authors believe these findings have implications for future dietary guidelines and prevention of hypertension.

SOURCE: “Whole grains and incident hypertension in men”, Flint, et al, Am J Clin Nutr (July 1, 2009). doi:10.3945/ajcn.2009.27460

Link Discovered Between Glaucoma and WDR36 Gene

In glaucoma, cells in the optic nerve die, preventing the brain from understanding what patients see, first in peripheral vision and gradually in all vision.  It is associated with high levels of intraocular pressure and connected to risk factors to and from a number of other conditions including stroke, herpes virus, hypothyroid conditions, and many lifestyle factors.

Researchers have thought for some time that there may be a tie between the WDR36 gene and glaucoma.  However, they’ve not been able to understand exactly why that gene has an effect and why some patients with that gene mutated or varied have glaucoma but other patients do not.

A new study indicates that glaucoma develops as a result of changes in several different genes, not only WDR36.   This explains the mixed results. The researchers found that 10% of glaucoma incidents arise due to genes that have been understood – the idea of simultaneous changes in several different genes explains much.

The function of the WDR36 gene is to help make specific molecules known as ribosomes that are instrumental in creating proteins to help optic nerve cells function properly.  If WDR36 changes and does not help produce ribosome, the entire process falters.  Another gene that is critical to the process is STI1 which adapts the ribosome-created proteins to a form that the cell can utilize.  So if WDR36 doesn’t produce ribosomes properly AND STI1 doesn’t “package” properly – the 2 mutations synergistically cause glaucoma.

Learn more about glaucoma

Researcher: Dr. Michael Walter and associates, University of Alberta, Department of Medical Genetics in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry

Published:  “Genetic Sleuth Solves Glaucoma Mystery”, University of Alberta Express News, March 20, 2009

 

 

Juicing Tips – What combinations of fruits & vegetables would be best to juice?

Overview | Enzymes | Recipes

Juicing Tips

We consider daily juicing of primarily organic vegetables and fruits to be an essential part of any long term healing program. Juicing provides a highly effective and efficient way for the body to be able to absorb essential nutrients into the blood and cells, taking a little as a few minutes for the body to start utilizing these nutrients.

Why is juicing so important?

    1. What are enzymes? The basic key to the efficacy of nourishing your body is the life present in food and of those intangible elements known as enzymes.  
    2. Why not just eat fruits and vegetables for our essential nutrients? Solid food requires many hours of digestive activity before its nourishment is finally available to the cells and tissues of the body. 
    3. Can juicing prevent disease? Many studies point out that a diet high in fruits and vegetables does in fact reduce the incidents of serious disease.
    4. Do vegetables contain protein? Although fruits and vegetables do not contain large quantities of protein, their juice can be a convenient carrier.
    5. What are phytochemicals? They are substances in plants that are linked to good health and to prevention of specific diseases. They are found only in fruits and vegetables, and juicing is a great way to get them.
    6. How much juice can be taken safely? As much as one can drink comfortably without forcing oneself. Recommended amount of juice per day is at least 1 pint per day. Some healing centers actually do 2-8 pints per day for therapeutic purposes.
    7. Can I store the juice I make? Juices should generally be drunk when prepared, since certain enzymes and vitamins break down pretty quickly in sunlight.
    8. What combinations of fruits and vegetables would be best to juice? There are many different recipes  See more info …, but in general at least 50-75% of the juicing should consist of greens (spinach, kale, chard, parsley, dandelion, watercress, broccoli, etc.)
    9. Can I still continue to eat fast food and sugar products? These should be kept to an absolute minimum as they use our precious resources to breakdown and digest, offering little in the way of healthy nutrients.
    10. Should I use only organic products? In general, yes. By juicing all non-organic products, we stand the chance of taking in concentrated amounts of pesticides used on the plants, thereby negating the value of daily juicing.
    11. What juicer should I use? There are a number of excellent juicers.  We like the pulp extracting omega juicers that juice without generating heat that can destroy some of the essential nutrients. At 80 RPM (most juicers work at 3600 RPM and higher), it essentially masticates the fruits and vegetables slowly, preserving the most nutrients possible. The disadvantage is that the process is a little slower, and cleaning takes a couple of more minutes.

What are enzymes?

The basic key to the efficacy of nourishing your body is the life present in food and of those intangible elements known as enzymes. Enzymes are complex substances that enable us to digest food and absorb it into our blood. They are the body’s ‘working force’ that act as catalysts for many essential life functions, such as separating the nitrogen from the air we breath, so we may absorb the oxygen. They act as catalysts in probably millions of chemical reactions that take place throughout the body. They are essential for the digestion and absorption of the food we eat and drink … for conversion of food to body tissue, and for the production of energy at the cellular level.

Enzymes become sluggish at cooking temperatures above 118 degrees, and are destroyed at temperatures above 130 degrees (microwaves completely destroy enzymes in your food).
Fresh juices are a wonderful source of enzymes. Food which has been cooked at temperatures above 118 simply don’t have the properly functioning enzymes to allow you to enjoy the full benefits of their nutrients.

Why not just eat fruits and vegetables for our essential nutrients?

Solid food requires many hours of digestive activity before its nourishment is finally available to the cells and tissues of the body. While fibers in foods are essential for helping cleanse our digestive tract, the removal of fibers in the extraction of juices allows essential nutrients to be absorbed within minutes instead of hours, and with little effort by our body.

Do vegetables contain protein?

Although fruits and vegetables do not contain large quantities of protein, their juice can be a convenient carrier. Simply add some brewer’s yeast, wheat germ, or whole grains to whatever you’re juicing. These give you protein without the fat that meat contains, and protein that is quickly and easily absorbed by the body.

What to Juice?

There are many different recipes but in general at least 50-75% of the juicing should consist of greens: spinach, kale, chard, parsley, dandelion, watercress, broccoli, etc.

Sample Juicing Recipes for Specific Eye Conditions

Cataracts, Conjunctivitis
We recommend carrot, spinach, celery, endive, parsley, blueberry, apple – not too much fruit.

Glaucoma
We recommend celery, carrots, cucumber, radish, turnip, parsley, beets, cabbage, raspberries, plums, apple (not too much fruit).

Macular Degeneration
We recommend broccoli, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, apples, raspberries, leafy greens

Best’s Disease

We recommend daily juicing of vegetables and fruits (preferably organic) – some combination of the following: ginger, garlic, leeks, parsley, beets, cabbage, carrots, celery, spinach, apples, grapes, raspberries, lemon, chlorophyll, wheat grasses (not too much fruit). See the discussion of best’s disease for other points

Optic Neuritis

We recommend: ginger, parsley, beets, cabbage, carrots, endive, chlorophyll, wheat grasses, berries (all organic preferably)

Other Conditions

Peptic Ulcers – cabbage juice promotes rapid healing of patients with peptic ulcers

Urinary Tract Infections – cranberry juice is well known to help with bladder and urinary tract infections

Heart Disease – also well known is the beneficial effect of pomegranate juice. Antioxidants (compounds that limit cell damage by fighting free radicals) contained in pomegranate juice may help reduce the formation of fatty deposits on artery walls. The antioxidant level in pomegranate juice was found to be higher than that in other natural juices, such as blueberry, cranberry, and orange juices.

Resources
N.W. Walker, D.Sc. “Fresh Vegetable and Fruit Juices: what’s missing in your body?”
Michael T. Murray, N.D. “The Complete Book of Juicing”

Paul Pitchford, N.D. “Healing with Whole Foods”

Research on peptic ulcers & cabbage juice
Research on UTI & cranberry juice