News

May

2013

Deep Sea Algae that Can Reverse Heart Disease?

By The Sherpa
When you think of antioxidant-rich foods, fruits and vegetables probably come to mind. But there’s another source of these healthful compounds – and it just may be the most powerful food of all.

You won’t find this potential superfood in your garden, though. In fact, you won’t find it on land at all.

That’s because this antioxidant powerhouse is a type of seaweed.

Proponents say that, when taken in regularly, it can cure everything from heart disease, to obesity, to hair loss.

But what is the science behind this super antioxidant of the sea?

Image: Nikemoto2511

Treasure from the Tide…

An edible brown algae that grows off the coast of Korea, China, and Japan, Ecklonia cava has been used for thousands of years as an addition to Asian dishes.

Yet its potential health benefits have only begun to undergo study.

Why would scientists think that this slimy stuff could improve health?

Well, first, seaweed contains a mixture of vitamins, minerals, and trace elements that closely resembles that of the human body. That means that the minerals and other healing elements found in Ecklonia cava are easily absorbed through the skin and digestive tract and into the blood.

Even more impressive, Ecklonia cava is incredibly high in polyphenols. These antioxidant compounds are found in other foods and beverages, including green tea, red wine, and berries.
[Read more: Natural Health Sherpa]

May

2013

Turmeric and Diabetes

One of my favorite medicinal herbs. It’s delicious as a spice or you can just use the capsule or extract. Mix a little bit into you’re favorite night cream to take advantage of it’s anti aging benefits for your skin.

From Wikipedia
Turmeric grows wild in the forests of South and Southeast Asia. It is one of the key ingredients in many Asian dishes. Indian traditional medicine, called Ayurveda, has recommended turmeric in food for its potential medicinal value, which is a topic of active research. Its use as a coloring agent is not of primary value in South Asian cuisine.

Phytochemicals found in turmeric have been investigated in preliminary research for their potential effects on diseases, such as cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, arthritis, diabetes and other clinical disorders. As an example of such basic research, turmeric reduced the severity of pancreatitis-associated lung injury in mice.

According to one report, research activity into curcumin and turmeric is increasing. The U.S. National Institutes of Health currently has registered 71 clinical trials completed or underway to study use of dietary curcumin for a variety of clinical disorders (dated September 2012).

In a post by Mike Barrett :
Research highlighting turmeric’s powerful health-boosting properties just seems to never cease, with some recent research showing yet again that the super spice can help to prevent diabetes risk thanks to the spice’s active compound curcumin. What’s more, the compound helps to prevent diabetes among those with prediabetes – indicated that extremely high blood sugar levels that could ultimately result in type 2 diabetes. Without a doubt, there is a clear connection between turmeric and diabetes.

Turmeric and Diabetes – Curcumin in Turmeric Fights Diabetes Risk, Even for those with Prediabetes

Published in the journal Diabetes Care, the study involved 240 Thai adults with prediabetes. The participants were divided into 2 groups, with one group taking curcumin capsules containing 250 milligrams of curcuminoids, while the other was given a placebo. After a 9 month period, it was found that 19 individuals of the 116-person placebo group developed type 2 diabetes, while none of the participants of the 199-person curcumin group developed the disease.
Source: Natural Society

May

2013

The Benefits of Diatomaceous Earth

by Elizabeth Renter

The Benefits of Diatomaceous Earth: What You Need to Know

DE is rich in minerals with about 85% amorphous silica and 20 trace minerals, according to NaturalNews. The silica is reportedly responsible for reducing the signs of aging, even reducing the appearance of age spots and improving skin elasticity.
You can use diatomaceous earth internally by mixing a few tablespoons in liquid or with your food. It won’t dissolve completely, so putting it in a thick juice or smoothie might be preferable. Taken daily, DE may help with:

Reducing inflammation and pain in joints
Improving skin and hair texture
Lowering blood pressure
Lowering “bad” cholesterol
Removing heavy metals like mercury, lead, and cadmium from the body
Detoxifying the digestive system of parasites

When you first begin using DE, you may experience constipation, so be sure to drink plenty of water throughout the day. Also, make sure you are using a high quality food grade diatomaceous earth product, as there are also many industrial grade versions available.

And,it can help alkalanize your blood, it makes a great detox and the high silica content can help build strong bones and keep wrinkles at bay. It’s really cheap too, you can get 5 pounds of it for less than 20 bucks!

Formation

Diatomite forms by the accumulation of the amorphous silica (opal, SiO2·nH2O) remains of dead diatoms (microscopic single-celled algae) in lacustrine or marine sediments. The fossil remains consist of a pair of symmetrical shells or frustules.

Discovery

In 1836 or 1837, the peasant and goods waggoner, Peter Kasten, discovered diatomaceous earth (German: kieselgur) when sinking a well on the northern slopes of the Haußelberg hill, in the Lüneburg Heath in north Germany. Initially, it was thought that limestone had been found, which could be used as fertilizer. Alfred Nobel used the properties of diatomaceous earth in the manufacture of dynamite. The Celle engineer, Wilhelm Berkefeld, recognized its ability to filter, and developed tubular filters (known as filter candles) fired from diatomaceous earth. During the cholera epidemic in Hamburg in 1892, these Berkefeld filters were used successfully.

Sources:
Natural Society
Natural News
Wikipedia

May

2013

Diabetes is an Eating Disease

By Ben Fuchs | Pharmacist Ben

Surprise, surprise, I’ve been saying this for years! Diabetes is an eating disease.

In an article Titled “Low Calorie Diet Helps in Type 2 Diabetes” by Kristina Fiore, Staff Writer, MedPage Today she states ..
Among patients with type 2 diabetes, insulin sensitivity and beta-cell function improved to a similar extent with a very-low-calorie diet as they did after bariatric surgery, a small study showed.

Insulin secretion fell from 13.8 mcIU/mL to 6.8 mcIU/mL (P<0.001) in the diet group, compared with a drop from 23.1 mcIU/mL to 12.7 mcIU/mL (P<0.01) in the bariatric surgery group, Judith Korner, MD, PhD, of Columbia University in New York City, and colleagues reported online in Diabetes.

C-peptide, a measure of beta-cell function, dropped from 3.59 ng/mL to 2.55 ng/mL (P<0.01) in the diet group and from 3.72 ng/mL to 2.95 ng/mL (P<0.05) in the surgery group, they noted.
“Contrary to our expectations, this study demonstrates that Roux-en-Y gastric bypass [RYGB] in subjects with type 2 diabetes does not result in greater improvement in beta-cell function compared with equivalent weight loss achieved over the same period by a very-low-calorie diet,” the authors wrote. “These data indicate that the changes in glucose homeostasis that occur within 2 to 3 weeks after RYGB are primarily due to very low energy intake, as opposed to specific surgically-induced hormonal effects.”
Diabetes is a lifestyle disease. Diabetes is a choice If you choose to have a diabetes, great! God loves you too. But if you don’t, all you need to do is reduce you caloric intake, especially calories derived from processed foods, i.e fast burning carbs, desserts, breads, pastries cakes candies, soda pop etc. Don’t bother with will power. Using protein supplements can make carb reduction easy. Get on the Ketogenic Diet. Use sugar metabolizing supplements chromium vanadium , B-Vitamins (especially thiamine and niacin), magnesium, zinc taurine and choline.

May

2013

Gray Hair and Vitiligo Reversed at the Root

The depigmentation associated with gray hair and vitiligo have the same “root” cause. Oxidation, which can be though of as the toxic accumulation of free oxygen wastes, in this case in the form of hydrogen peroxide, (a by product of an activated immune system) building up in the skin and hair follicles.

From a recent Medical Xpress Article
Hair dye manufacturers are on notice: The cure for gray hair is coming. That’s right, the need to cover up one of the classic signs of aging with chemical pigments will be a thing of the past thanks to a team of European researchers.

Vulkahn at the German language Wikipedia via Wikimedia Commons

In a new research report published online in The FASEB Journal people who are going gray develop massive oxidative stress via accumulation of hydrogen peroxide in the hair follicle, which causes our hair to bleach itself from the inside out, and most importantly, the report shows that this massive accumulation of hydrogen peroxide can be remedied with a proprietary treatment developed by the researchers described as a topical, UVB-activated compound called PC-KUS (a modified pseudocatalase). What’s more, the study also shows that the same treatment works for the skin condition, vitiligo.

“To date, it is beyond any doubt that the sudden loss of the inherited skin and localized hair color can affect those individuals in many fundamental ways,” said Karin U. Schallreuter, M.D., study author from the Institute for Pigmentary Disorders in association with E.M. Arndt University of Greifswald, Germany and the Centre for Skin Sciences, School of Life Sciences at the University of Bradford, United Kingdom. “The improvement of quality of life after total and even partial successful repigmentation has been documented.”

Best bet for prevention and reduction of depigmentation symptoms is eliminating oxidative stressors (e.g. problem foods, digestive issues, dysbiosis, dysglycemia) and a generous vegetable anti oxidants and supplements. Supporting glutathione production is probably a good idea. You can use precursors to glutathione (which deactives hydrogen peroxide) like glutamine, glycine and NAC as well as supportive supplements like vitamin C and alpha lipoic acid, selenium and sulfur as MSM.