A combination of alpha lipoic acid, selenium and silymarin (Milk Thistle) can greatly improve liver function and overall health in people with Hepatitis C, thus averting the need for conventional drug therapy or liver transplant.
The return to breast-feeding in the US has had an unintended consequence: Rickets. This skeletal disease, which arises from vitamin D deficiency, is on the rise, and Centers for Disease Control experts attribute it to a combination of breast-feeding (breast milk is very low in vitamin D) and melanoma prevention efforts that encourage parents to keep their kids out of the sun.
The large scale NORVIT trial surprised the medical world by showed no meaningful cardiovascular benefit from lowering homocysteine with folic acid and B vitamins. Though the lead investigator confidently pronounced that the homocysteine hypothesis is dead, others are not so sure.
Linoleic acid and other polyunsaturated “good” fats can inhibit the growth of Helicobacter pylori, the bug that contributes to development of peptic ulcers. The research suggests that reducing saturated fat and increasing polyunsaturates may be a good way to control ulcers.
There are some major design flaws in the NORVIT trial, which suggested that there’s little cardiovascular benefit to lowering homocysteine with folic acid therapy. Don’t throw out your folic acid yet!
Many people who end up in doctors’ offices have nutritional deficiencies, including deficiencies in protein, B vitamins, and magnesium that markedly impact their overall health status. These deficiencies are easily reversed, if only physicians would think about them.
Originally developed as a fortifier for animal feeds, a yeast-fermentation product called EpiCor is proving highly effective in strengthening the human immune system against a whole range of common infectious pathogens. EpiCor is also very high in B vitamins, antioxidants, and minerals.
Despite its conservative orientation toward natural medicine, the North American Menopause Society annual meeting is a great place to catch up on the latest menopause-related research. Dr. Tori Hudson offers her gleanings from this year’s meeting.
US and European studies show that tobacco smoking increases risk of psoriasis, as does frequent consumption of alcohol. These correlations appear to be stronger in men than in women. Keratinocytes, the skin cells that produce the characteristic scaling of psoriasis, have receptors for nicotine.
Named for Pegasus, the flying horse of Greek myth, Sea Buckthorn plant (Hippophae rhamnoides) has been mainstay of traditional medicine in Eastern Europe and Asia for centuries. Its orange berries are very rich in Omega 7 fatty acids as well as vitamin E and other compounds speed the healing and support the integrity of the skin and other mucous membranes. It may have an important role in treating irritable bowel syndrome and other gut problems.
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