Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Fibromyalgia


Fibromyalgia affects an estimated 10 million people in the United States. Fibromyalgia is classically characterized by chronic pain, particularly muscle pain, restless legs, nerve pain, overall fatigue, sleep disturbances, brain fog or cognitive impairment, depression and painful tender points throughout the body.

Conventional medicine has yet to uncover the cause of fibromyalgia and only offers management of symptoms through pain medications and antidepressants.

Holistic Health Practitioners, on the other hand, looks to find the root cause of fibromyalgia and other chronic diseases, treating the problem at the root level to provide tools to help each individual restore their own health. As a Holistic Health Practitioner, I've helped many people recover from fibromyalgia. Below are the top ten root causes of fibromyalgia and what can be done to overcome them. 

1. Gluten intolerance 
Gluten has been liked to more than 55 diseases and is often called the "big masquerader." The reason for this is that the majority of gluten intolerance symptoms are not digestive in nature, but are instead neurological, such as pain, cognitive impairment, sleep disturbances, behavioral issues, fatigue and depression.

2. Candida overgrowth
Candida is a fungus, or yeast, and a very small amount of it lives in your intestines. When overproduced, Candida breaks down the wall of the intestines and penetrates the bloodstream, releasing toxic byproducts into your body and causing a host of unpleasant symptoms such as brain fog, fatigue, digestive issues and pain. Virtually every person who has fibromyalgia has or has had a problem with Candida overgrowth.

3. Thyroid
Thyroid gland function also plays an important role in the symptoms of fibromyalgia.  Getting  thyroid levels into an optimal range typically alleviates many of the symptoms.

4. Vitamin & mineral deficiencies
Magnesium, vitamin D and B12 deficiency are the most common vitamin deficiencies.  I have seen some symptoms completely reversed simply changing up the diet and adding vitamin and mineral supplements to help support the body. 

5. Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) and Leaky gut
There are more bacteria in and on our bodies than the number of our own cells. When  bacteria gets out of balance through use of antibiotics or a sugar-rich diet, we can lose our ability to digest and absorb nutrients, particularly B12.   This is a vicious circle, gluten can cause SIBO and leaky gut while at the same time SIBO and leaky gut can lead to gluten and other food intolerances. You must first "fix the gut"  if you have been diagnosed or suspect that you have fibromyalgia.

6. Mercury toxicity
I recommend that everyone finds a biological dentist and have their mercury amalgam fillings removed. Mercury is toxic to our bodies and can be one piece of the puzzle for those with fibromyalgia.

7. Adrenal fatigue 
Adrenal fatigue is a result of the chronic stress. Chronic pain is a stress to the adrenal glands, though it's typically not the initial adrenal stressor. The initial stressor is usually something such as food intolerances, Candida, mercury toxicity, or vitamin deficiencies. I encourage support tof he adrenal glands with adaptogenic herbs.

8. Glutathione deficiency
Glutathione is the most critical part of our body’s detoxification system. Glutathione gets recycled in our body — unless our toxic burden gets too high, or we lack GSTM1 and GSTP1, the enzymes needed to recycle and produce glutathione. Taking glutathione or the precursors (NAC, alpha lipoic acid, milk thistle) often help dramatically with fatigue.

As you can see from the above list, many of these causes are interrelated, and often there is no single root cause of fibromyalgia.  Finding the source of the problem can be complex.  However, the good news is, you don't need to suffer needlessly or mask your symptoms with pain medications and antidepressants.   There are methods to overcome fibromyalgia and live a semi-normal, pain free life.

Veronica
KISST Organics

Monday, August 12, 2013

Turmeric Extract 100% Effective At Preventing Type 2 Diabetes, ADA Journal Study Finds


A remarkable human clinical study published in the journal Diabetes Care, the journal of the American Diabetes Association, revealed that turmeric extract was 100% successful at preventing prediabetic patients from becoming diabetic over the course of a 9-month intervention.[1]
Performed by Thailand researchers, the study's primary object was to assess the efficacy of curcumin, the primary polyphenol in turmeric which gives the spice its golden hue, in delaying the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in a prediabetic population.
The study design was a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial including 240 subjects who met the American Diabetic Association's criteria for prediabetes. All subjects were randomly assigned to receive either 250 mg of curcuminoid or placebo capsules for 9 months.
Type 2 diabetes progression was assessed by measuring a wide range of parameters, including changes in the insulin-producing cells within the pancreas known as β-cells, insulin resistance, and the anti-inflammatory cytokine known as adiponectin, at four different times:  baseline, 3-, 6-, and 9-month visits during the course of intervention.
The results were reported as follows:
"After 9 months of treatment, 16.4% of subjects in the placebo group were diagnosed with T2DM, whereas none were diagnosed with T2DM in the curcumin-treated group. In addition, the curcumin-treated group showed a better overall function of β-cells, with higher HOMA-β (61.58 vs. 48.72; P < 0.01) and lower C-peptide (1.7 vs. 2.17; P < 0.05). The curcumin-treated group showed a lower level of HOMA-IR (3.22 vs. 4.04; P < 0.001) and higher adiponectin (22.46 vs. 18.45; P < 0.05) when compared with the placebo group." [emphasis added]
The researchers concluded:
"A 9-month curcumin intervention in a prediabetic population significantly lowered the number of prediabetic individuals who eventually developed T2DM. In addition, the curcumin treatment appeared to improve overall function of β-cells, with very minor adverse effects. Therefore, this study demonstrated that the curcumin intervention in a prediabetic population may be beneficial."
The full study can be viewed for free on the American Diabetic Association's Diabetes Care website: http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/35/11/2121.full

Discussion

Considering that at least 40% of the US population ages 40-74 are believed to have prediabetes, according to CDC statistics, [2] the health implications of this study are profound.
Curcumin, which constitutes approximately 3-4% of dry turmeric powder by weight, is affordable, safe and easily accessible.  Moreover, over 600 potential health benefits of curcumin (and/or turmeric) have been documented within the biomedical literature freely available to peruse on either the National Library of Medicine's open access database (pubmed.gov search: "curcumin"), or for your convenience, our intricately organized Curcumin database.
Recently, we highlighted research on curcumin's potential ability to heal the diabetic liver. (Read:Turmeric May Repair and Regenerate Diabetic Liver Function)  But this is really only the tip of the iceberg.  Below you will find the related sections on our Curcumin database indicating curcumin's value in a wide range of diabetic complications:
    Disease CategoryArticle Count
    Diabetes Insipidus
1
    Diabetes Mellitus: Type 1
9
    Diabetes Mellitus: Type 1: Prevention1
    Diabetes Mellitus: Type 2
13
    Diabetes: Bone Quality & Density
1
    Diabetes: Cardiovascular Illness
11
    Diabetes: Cataract
2
    Diabetes: Cognitive Dysfunction
6
    Diabetes: Glycation/A1C
2
    Diabetes: Kidney Function
4
    Diabetes: Liver Disease
1
    Diabetes: Oxidative Stress
2
    Diabetic Microangiopathy
1
    Diabetic Nephropathy
2
    Diabetic Neuropathies
2
    Diabetic Retinopathy
4
Considering the abject failure, if not also sometimes deadly nature of diabetic medications, turmeric (curcumin) provides an ideal alternative. We can only hope that medical professionals who treat prediabetics and diabetics will take seriously this study, especially considering that it was published in the American Diabetic Association's very own, highly respected journal.

source: 

green med info

What Really Causes Heart Disease


Inflammation in the artery wall is the real cause of heart disease. Simply stated, without inflammation being present in the body, there is no way that cholesterol would accumulate in the wall of the blood vessel and cause heart disease and strokes. Without inflammation, cholesterol would move freely throughout the body as nature intended. It is inflammation that causes cholesterol to become trapped.

Inflammation is not complicated -- it is quite simply your body's natural defense to a foreign invader such as a bacteria, toxin or virus. The cycle of inflammation is perfect in how it protects your body from these bacterial and viral invaders. However, if we chronically expose the body to injury by toxins or foods the human body was never designed to process,a condition occurs called chronic inflammation. Chronic inflammation is just as harmful as acute inflammation is beneficial.

What thoughtful person would willfully expose himself repeatedly to foods or other substances that are known to cause injury to the body? Well,smokers perhaps, but at least they made that choice willfully.

The rest of us have simply followed the recommended mainstream diet that is low in fat and high in polyunsaturated fats and carbohydrates, not knowing we were causing repeated injury to our blood vessels. This repeated injury creates chronic inflammation leading to heart disease, stroke, diabetes and obesity.

Let me repeat that: The injury and inflammation in our blood vessels is caused by the low fat diet recommended for years by mainstream medicine.

What are the biggest culprits of chronic inflammation? Quite simply, they are the overload of simple, highly processed carbohydrates (sugar, flour and all the products made from them) and the excess consumption of omega-6 vegetable oils like soybean, corn and sunflower that are found in many processed foods.

source:  

veg-out with linda

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Facts About Fast Food


36 Natural Alternatives For Infection

36 Natural Alternatives for Infection

Most people have issues with bacterial or viral infections from time to time. Unnecessary antibiotics ARE dangerous! Antibiotics damage the integrity of the microbial balance in the gut. The healthy gut microflora is 70-80% of the immune system. Impaired immune systems are less effective at healing the body.

Plant products have historically been consumed and utilized for their anti-microbial and health boosting benefits. Many plant materials are being researched for their therapeutic value for our immune health.

Here are 36 natural substances which have been studied to help to support our body's immune system to heal itself!


  1. Manuka honey fights serious infection caused by MRSA
  2. The inhalation of tea catechin appears to suppress MRSA infection in the elderly.
  3. Tea tree topical preparations are superior to standard topical regimen for the clearance of MRSA colonization.
  4. Garlic and tea have antibacterial activity against Klebsiella, as well as drug resistant strains of Saphylococci, Enterococci and Psedomonas aeruginosa.
  5. Water extract of garlic has antimicrobical activity against multidrug-resistant bacteria and Candida species, and many other microbials.
  6. The compound found within garlic known as allicin has antibacterial activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
  7. Probiotic therapy has therapeutic value in treating Klebsiella infection in children.
  8. Susceptibility to ear disease in children may be a result of deficiencies of zinc and vitamin A.
  9. Topical nanocrystalline silver dressing may provide an alternative treatment for MRSA infected wounds to oral antimicrobials.
  10. Cranberry may reduce the risk of urinary tract infections by inhibiting biofilms in the bladder.
  11. Probiotic strains from breast milk are superior to antibiotics in the treatment of infectious mastitis.
  12. Honey may have a therapeutic role in treating refractory chronic rhinosinusitus.
  13. Honeydew and manuka honey has strong antimicrobial activity against multi-drug resistant pathogens.
  14. Cinnamon verum bark has the highest antimicrobial activity, particularly against antibiotic resistant strains, of 13 essential oils tested.
  15. A number of plant oil extracts inhibit multi-resistant strains of bacteria and yeast.
  16. Clove, guava and lemongrass exhibit the highest synergism rate with antimicrobial drugs.
  17. Thyme and Eucalyptus oil have antibacterial activity against MRSA isolates.
  18. Compounds isolated from Bay leaf have anti-MRSA activity.
  19. The essential oil of dill and peppermint enhances the antimicrobial activity of nitrofurantoin against enterobacteria.
  20. Grape seed extract has bactericidal effects on MRSA.
  21. A combination of Citricidal (grapefruit seed extract) and geranium oil showed the greatest anti-bacterial effects against MRSA.
  22. Rosemary has activity against drug-resistant bacterial and fungal pathogens.
  23. Propolis exhibits antimicrobial effects on Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus strains resistant to various antibiotics and some microorganisms.
  24. Cumin essential oil exhibits anti-Klebsiella activity.
  25. Green tea exhibits anti-MRSA activity.
  26. Mango seed kernel extract may potentially be useful as an alternative therapeutic agent or an adjunctive therapy along with penicillin G in the treatment of MRSA infections.
  27. Wormwood, tarragon and eucalyptus contain the compound pipertone which reduces antibiotic resistance against Enterobacter cloacae.
  28. Alpinia galanga contains a compound with activity against multi-drug resistant bacteria.
  29. Elecampane (Inula helenium) has potent antisaphylococcal activity, including against MRSA.
  30. Lavender oil has antimicrobial activity against methicillin-sensitive and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
  31. Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG inhibits invasion of cultured human respiratory cells by macrolide-resistant group A streptococci.
  32. Lime has potent antibacterial activity against multiple drug resistant E. coli.
  33. Nigella sativa has anti-bacterial activity against clinical isolates of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
  34. Nutmeg contains a compound with potent anti-biofilm activity against oral bacteria.
  35. Olive leaf extract demonstrates antimicrobial activity against Campylobacter jejuni, Helicobacter pylori and Staphylococcus aureus [including meticillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA)].
  36. Cinnamon and Oregano, containing cinnamaldehyde and carvacrol, respectively, exhibit powerful antimicrobial activity against antibiotic-resistant strains of Campylobacter jejuni isolates.

source:
Greenmedinfo