by Dr Alex Jimenez DC, APRN, FNP-BC, CFMP, IFMCP | Chiropractic, Veterans
Hundreds of thousands of veterans of the Persian Gulf War returned home with puzzling health issues that doctors couldn’t explain. Now, 25 years later, Gulf War Illness (GWI) continues to affect 25-32 percent of the 700,000 U.S. veterans who served in the 1990-1991 war.
The condition is characterized by symptoms such as chronic headache, cognitive difficulties, debilitating fatigue, widespread pain, respiratory problems, sleep problems, gastrointestinal problems, and other unexplained medical abnormalities.
Twenty years of scientific research has traced these symptoms to Gulf War chemical exposures and the drugs taken during deployment that were meant to prevent or counteract these exposures. However, the vast majority of these studies have focused on neurological effects, but none have fully explained the body’s pathways GWI uses to affect the brain.
Now, a study from the University of South Carolina has found a gastrointestinal link that could not only help explain the health issues facing veterans, but may also point to new treatment options.
Researchers found that the chemicals, etc. that veterans were exposed to altered the microbiome � the bacteria that inhabit the gut. The affected microbiota then produce endotoxins, which pass through a thinned lining of the gut (called a leaky gut) and into the blood where they circulate throughout the body.
These compounds trigger an inflammatory response that, in turn, initiates several neurological abnormalities commonly observed in GWI.
“Humans and animals have specific types of bacteria that help aid various physiological processes, including digestion, absorption, immunity and gut integrity, and when external factors change the bacterial composition in our digestive systems, we have problems,” says researcher Saurabh Chatterjee. “Obesity, metabolic syndrome, inflammatory bowel syndrome, and liver disease have already been linked with changes in bacterial composition of the gut.”
The study showed that not only did exposures to the suspected causes of� GWI lead to inflammation in the intestines, they also lead to inflammation in the brain.
“Usually, the gut is very selective about letting only certain elements from what we eat and drink into our blood � thanks to good bacteria,” Chatterjee explained. “But when the composition changes due to an increase in certain bad bacteria, this causes disruption to the mucosal lining of the intestinal walls � leading more intestinal contents to leak into the blood.”
Once in the blood, the toxins travel throughout the body and affect different organs, including the brain. Once in the brain, the toxins cause the inflammation and neurological symptoms that previous studies have extensively linked to GWI.
“We know that many diseases like obesity, liver disease, and inflammatory bowel syndrome can be cured or at least decreased by consuming good bacteria, like probiotics,” Chatterjee said. “Now that this connection has been established, it opens the door to new studies where GWI patients take probiotics for a longer period of time and, hopefully, see improvement in symptoms connected with metabolic syndrome, gastrointestinal disturbances, and maybe even neuroinflammation.”
Recent studies have indicated that gut bacteria have an impact on a wide range of health issues. UCLA researchers found that mice fed beneficial bacteria produced microbes known to prevent cancer. Researchers suggested ingesting probiotics like yogurt or probiotic supplements could help prevent cancer from developing.
by Dr Alex Jimenez DC, APRN, FNP-BC, CFMP, IFMCP | Integrative Functional Wellness, Integrative Medicine, Natural Health
The practice of yoga coupled with deep breathing eased the symptoms of individuals suffering from depression without the use of potentially harmful medication, according to a recent study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine.
Major depressive disorder or MMD, or depression, is a common mood disorder causing sadness and serious mental health issues. Depression affects about 16 million Americans each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Researchers from Boston University Medical Center who conducted the latest study concluded that twice weekly yoga classes in addition to home practice helped brighten the mood of participants not taking antidepressants and for those who claimed their medication wasn�t working.
Since antidepressants come with common side effects such as nausea and insomnia, experts say that this new study offers an exciting and safe alternative treatment to the treatment of this common disorder.
Dr. Delia Chiaramonte, director of education, at the Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, tells Newsmax Health that this new study solidifies the research that�s already been done examining the benefits of yoga not only for the body, but for the mind as well.
�There are multiple studies that suggest the benefits of yoga in people suffering from depression,� she says. �Exercise has also shown to have significant benefit in alleviating depression as well as meditative practices. Since the practice of yoga combines both physical exercise and meditation, in my opinion, it should be considered as an adjunct treatment for depression.
�It can be used alongside other forms of exercise, cognitive strategies, meditation, guided imagery and in severe cases, antidepressant medication.�
While the participants in the Boston University study practiced two to three 90 minute sessions of Iyengar yoga along with their home practice, experts say that a few minutes of daily practice can produce powerful results.
Iyengar yoga is a style that incorporates precise movements and alignments to balance the body and mind. Kundalini yoga, on the other hand, works on the energy systems of the body and can create equanimity in minutes to help battle depression, says Dr. Gregg Biegel, a certified Kundalini instructor, so you get more bang for your buck.
�People who are diagnosed with depression are almost always prescribed either short term or long term medication to combat their symptoms. But the harmful side effects of these drugs can sometimes make those symptoms worse,� he tells Newsmax Health.
�That�s like putting a Band-Aid on a severed artery. Scientists are now exploring alternative approaches to a healthier lifestyle without medication, and yoga, an ancient art that�s enjoying quite a revival in this stressful society, is a valuable tool.
�Human beings are complex emotional animals. Our behavior is directly controlled by the central nervous system, the autonomic nervous system and our glandular system. When these control systems are out of balance, you experience a wide range of emotions from nervousness to anger to anxiety and depression.�
The practice of yoga, says the expert, can help regulate and balance the body�s control systems by incorporating breathe and movement.
�Within minutes of practicing these physiologically powerful series of movements we call kriyas we can banish the blues and stave off depression,� he says.
While Kundalini yoga is considered to be the �fast track� to establishing equanimity between body and mind, it is important to study with a certified teacher, says Biegel. Since there as many styles of yoga as there are flavors of ice cream, find a class that suits your needs and preferences.
�Practicing yoga on a regular basis combined with eating a healthy diet and enjoying a positive lifestyle provides a natural alternative to medication in battling depression,� says Biegel.
by Dr Alex Jimenez DC, APRN, FNP-BC, CFMP, IFMCP | Chiropractic
Surgery is a common approach to treat carpal tunnel syndrome. But, physical therapy may work just as well, a new study indicates.
Researchers found that physical therapy — particularly so-called manual therapy — improved hand and wrist function and reduced pain as effectively as a standard operation for the condition.
Moreover, after one month, physical therapy patients reported better results than those who underwent surgery.
“We believe that physical therapy should be the first therapeutic option for almost all patients with this condition,” said lead study author Cesar Fernandez de las Penas.
“If conservative treatment fails, then surgery would be the next option,” said de las Penas, a professor of physical therapy at King Juan Carlos University in Alcorcon, Spain.
Also, one extra benefit of therapy over surgery may be cost savings, he noted.
Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs when the median nerve, which runs from the forearm into the palm of the hand, becomes squeezed at the wrist. It often arises from repetitive motions required for work, such as computer use or assembly line work.
Symptoms usually start gradually, with patients noticing numbness and weakness in the hand and wrist.
Surgery for the condition generally involves cutting a ligament around the wrist to reduce pressure on the median nerve, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health.
For this study, de las Penas and his colleagues followed 100 women from Madrid who had carpal tunnel syndrome. Half were treated with physical therapy and half underwent surgery.
For three weeks, the therapy patients received weekly half-hour manual therapy sessions — meaning therapists only used their hands. The therapists focused on the neck and the median nerve. They also applied manual physical therapy to the shoulder, elbow, forearm, wrist and fingers. On their own, patients performed neck-stretching exercises at home.
After one month, the therapy group reported greater daily function and greater “pinch strength” between the thumb and forefinger compared to the surgery patients. After three, six and 12 months, however, improvements were similar in both groups. All participants experienced similar reductions in pain.
Study co-author Joshua Cleland is a professor with the physical therapy program at Franklin Pierce University in Rindge, N.H. “Manual physical therapy may be just as beneficial in improving function and symptom severity as surgery despite the severity of their condition,” he said, noting that 38 percent of those in the therapy group had “severe” carpal tunnel syndrome.
“These manual physical therapy techniques are commonly used here in the United States as well and should become a standard of practice for physical therapists working with patients who have carpal tunnel syndrome,” Cleland said.
Dr. Daniel Polatsch is co-director of the New York Hand and Wrist Center at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. He treats several hundred cases of carpal tunnel syndrome each year, of which 15 to 20 percent require surgery.
Treatment should be decided on a case-by-case basis, Polatsch said. Mild cases may be treated with conservative approaches that can include splinting, injections, therapy and activity modification, he added.
“Surgery is necessary when there is muscle weakness or atrophy from the nerve being compressed at the wrist,” he said.
Polatsch added that this type of surgery is generally safe and effective.
Still, operations can have complications, said Cleland. He cited a previous research finding that “approximately 25 percent of individuals undergoing surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome experience treatment failure with half of those requiring an additional surgical procedure.”
According to the researchers, almost half of all work-related injuries are linked to carpal tunnel syndrome. And, more than one-third who undergo surgery for the condition are not back at work eight weeks later.
Because this was a small study focusing only on women, the study authors said that future studies need to examine men.
The study results were published in the March issue of the Journal of Orthopedic & Sports Physical Therapy.
by Dr Alex Jimenez DC, APRN, FNP-BC, CFMP, IFMCP | Diets, Fitness
Just a bit of vigorous exercise each day could help some children and teens reduce their risk of developing heart problems and diabetes, researchers say.
The new study looked at nearly 11,600 kids, aged 4 to 18, in the United States, Brazil and Europe.
The investigators found that replacing light exercise with as little as 10 minutes a day of intense activity may provide significant cardiometabolic benefits for young people who have relatively large waists and elevated levels of insulin in their blood. These are factors that put them at risk for developing heart problems and metabolic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes.
“The results suggest that substituting modest amounts of vigorous physical activity for longer-duration light exercise may have cardiometabolic benefits above and beyond those conveyed by moderate activity and the avoidance of sedentary behavior,” lead author Justin Moore said.
Moore is an associate professor of family and community medicine at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, N.C. He noted that more research is needed because additional factors that contribute to disease risk — such as diet and genetics — need to be taken into account.
“If such studies provide robust results, a relatively brief but intense dose of physical activity — perhaps as little as 10 minutes day, which is certainly feasible for most youth — could turn out to be part of a ‘prescription’ for children to achieve or maintain cardiac and metabolic health,” Moore said in a medical center news release.
The study was published recently in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.
by Dr Alex Jimenez DC, APRN, FNP-BC, CFMP, IFMCP | Natural Health
Lowering your salt intake could mean fewer trips to the bathroom in the middle of the night, a new study suggests.
Most people over age 60, and many even younger, wake up to pee one or more times a night. This is called nocturia. This interruption of sleep can lead to problems such as stress, irritability or tiredness, which can affect quality of life.
There are several possible causes of nocturia, including — as this study found — the amount of salt in your diet.
“This is the first study to measure how salt intake affects the frequency of going to the bathroom, so we need to confirm the work with larger studies,” said study leader Tomohiro Matsuo, from Nagasaki University in Japan.
“Nighttime urination is a real problem for many people, especially as they get older. This work holds out the possibility that a simply dietary modification might significantly improve the quality of life for many people,” he said.
The study included more than 300 Japanese adults. They all had high salt intake and sleeping problems. They were given instructions and help to reduce their salt intake and followed for 12 weeks.
The American Heart Association recommends that people consume no more than 2,300 milligrams (2.3 grams) of sodium daily. That’s about a teaspoon of salt.
Ideally, the AHA says, people shouldn’t have more than 1,500 milligrams (1.5 grams) of sodium per day. Table salt is made up of about 40 percent sodium, according to the AHA.
More than 200 people in the study reduced their salt intake. They went from an average of 11 grams per day to 8 grams a day.
With that reduction in salt, the average number of nighttime trips to the bathroom to urinate fell from 2.3 to 1.4 times per night. The number of times people needed to urinate during the day also decreased.
The drop in nighttime bathroom visits also led to an improvement in quality of life, researchers said.
In comparison, the nearly 100 participants whose average salt intake rose — from 9.6 grams per night to 11 grams nightly — had an increase in nighttime trips to the bathroom, from 2.3 to 2.7 times a night, the study revealed.
The study was to be presented Sunday at the European Society of Urology annual meeting, in London. Findings presented at meetings are typically viewed as preliminary until they’ve been published in a peer-reviewed journal.
Dr. Marcus Drake is a professor at the University of Bristol in England and leader of the working group for the ESU Guidelines Office Initiative on Nocturia. “This is an important aspect of how patients potentially can help themselves to reduce the impact of frequent urination. Research generally focuses on reducing the amount of water a patient drinks, and the salt intake is generally not considered,” he said.
“Here we have a useful study showing how we need to consider all influences to get the best chance of improving the symptom,” Drake said in an ESU news release.
by Dr Alex Jimenez DC, APRN, FNP-BC, CFMP, IFMCP | Natural Health
The World Health Organization estimates that 50 percent of the population will suffer from at least one allergy by 2050. Relaxnews spoke with Christine Rolland, director of the French association Asthme & Allergies, to help sort fact from fiction when it comes to allergies.
More people suffer from allergies in spring than in winter.
FALSE. People suffer from allergies all year long. You can be allergic to dust mites, animal hair, mold, foods or drugs, or have allergic asthma or skin reactions.
More people have allergies in the countryside than in urban areas.
FALSE. Allergies are more common in urban settings, notably due to a convergence of factors. One of those factors is air pollution, which also aggravates pollen allergies.
Allergies are increasingly common due to environmental factors.
TRUE. One theory suggests that reduced biodiversity in our environment could cause changes to the body’s intestinal and respiratory flora. This could, in turn, reduce tolerance, which ultimately defines an allergy. But there are other factors at play in the development of allergies, such as cigarette smoke (active and passive smoking), other types of indoor and outdoor atmospheric pollution, and changing dietary factors.
A skin-prick test can identify what you’re allergic to.
TRUE. Together with detailed questions about when allergic symptoms arise, skin-prick tests and, if necessary, an “allergen-specific IgE” blood test can help identify the allergen or allergens responsible. These tests can be carried out from an early age.
Indoor air is less polluted than outdoor air.
FALSE. The indoor environment is five to 10 times more polluted than outdoors. In enclosed spaces, several allergens can provoke allergic reactions (dust mites, animal hair, mold, etc.). These are accompanied by the “domestic pollutants” used every day in indoor spaces (smoking, cleaning products, air fresheners etc.). These pollutants can make the occupants of the space more vulnerable and increase the risk of developing allergy symptoms.
Older people can’t develop allergies.
FALSE. Contrary to popular belief, allergies can also develop in older people, at age 60 or even older. Unfortunately, their symptoms are often attributed to causes other than allergies, delaying treatment and the effective management of symptoms.
Allergies don’t have serious consequences if left untreated.
FALSE. What can seem like “regular” allergic rhinitis, for example (sneezing, stuffy nose, runny nose, itchy or stinging eyes), can develop into potentially serious bronchial breathing problems. In 30% of cases, untreated allergic rhinitis develops into asthma.
Antihistamine treatments allow allergy sufferes to lead normal lives.
TRUE AND FALSE. Treatment with antihistamines can bring effective relief from allergy symptoms, but this isn’t always sufficient. Depending on the type and severity of the allergy, allergen immunotherapy (desensitization) may be necessary.
by Dr Alex Jimenez DC, APRN, FNP-BC, CFMP, IFMCP | Natural Health
Do you have a cruise planned or are you thinking of booking one? They’re a great, relaxing, don’t-worry-about-a-thing type of vacation that millions of Americans love. And with about 30 embarkation points across the nation, chances are one is within easy reach. At most, a cruise port is probably only a short flight away.
Generally, a cruise is a very safe vacation and free from illness, but there are steps you can take to lessen the odds that you will be struck down by a stray bug or have an accident.
First, try to wind down a couple of days before your cruise. “Leisure sickness” occurs when the transition from the stress of work to relaxation is fast — as in leaving work one day and boarding a plane the next. If you were scurrying around finishing projects, the stress hormones that helped you meet your deadlines and also fight off illnesses, suddenly fade away as another hormone, cortisol, steps in to ease the stress. Unfortunately, cortisol lowers your immunity as it calms, and suddenly you come down with a terrible cold or a migraine headache.
Cruise personnel work hard to keep ships sparkling clean, but they can’t control everything. Although each passenger is asked health questions, such as “Do you have a fever?” it’s easy for someone with a virus to board — some aren’t even aware they’re sick.
Cruise ships by their nature include large groups of people in confined spaces, providing ideal conditions for flu, colds, and gastrointestinal illnesses to spread.
The norovirus has a particularly nasty reputation among cruisers. Every year, it sickens up to 21 million people, according to the Centers for Disease Control, but the fact is that fewer than 1 percent of cases occur on cruise ships. However, if a sick person boards a ship, the virus can quickly spread. Your best defense against norovirus as well as the common cold is to avoid touching spots that might harbor the virus, like elevator buttons and ship rails, and wash your hands frequently.
Even though your cabin may appear spotless, bring hand sanitizer or antibacterial wipes to clean the TV remote control, light switches, and door knobs as soon as you enter — all have been shown to harbor bacteria, just like in hotel rooms.
Motion sickness isn’t the problem that it used to be due to stabilizers on modern ships and the ability to navigate around storms. But if you tend to have motion sickness, you might ask your doctor to prescribe Transderm Scop, a transparent scopolamine patch applied behind the ear which is effective for up to three days. Over-the-counter solutions include Dramamine and Bonine.
Ginger quells queasy stomachs for many people, and some cruisers use a Sea-Band wristband, which applies acupuncture to sensitive points to ease queasiness.
Trips and falls are more common on ships than on land. Decks may be slippery from water, raised doorsills are common, and going down stairs while the ship is in motion can result in a nasty fall. Watch where you step, and use a handrail when taking the stairs.
While your ship may be clean, the ports of call can be dicey. Traveler’s diarrhea (TD) is the single most common illness contracted by people on vacation, and it can be caused by food contaminated with e. coli bacteria or noroviruses. It can also be caused by contaminated water, including ice. While in port, avoid drinks with ice and any uncooked fruits or vegetables. Wash your hands frequently, and carry a mini-bottle of hand sanitizer with you.
Carry sun tan lotion to avoid sunburn and bug spray to protect you from disease-carrying insects, including mosquitoes that carry the Zika virus.
Back on board, you might want to skip the hot tub. Several passengers in recent years have sued cruise lines for being negligent and allowing dangerous bacteria in their hot tubs. Lawsuits have claimed hot tubs tested positive for methicillian-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Legionella bacteria. Hot tubs, in general, are often found to contain coliform and enterococcus — fecal bacteria. Just say no.
While lavish all-you-can-eat buffets are tempting, don’t overindulge — at least not too much. Consumer Reports says that given the rich food and amount of alcohol available on cruises, they put passengers in the same category of high risk for sudden cardiac deaths as major holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas. Your cruise director won’t want to admit it, but most ships have a morgue.
It’s easier to limit food portions if you stick to eating in the dining room. In addition, you also avoid the risk of picking up germs from serving utensils used by dozens of other cruisers at the buffet.
Also, the sea air might not be as pure as you would expect. A German study found that the pollutants coming from a ship’s exhaust could mean that passengers inhale up to 60 times higher concentrations of pollutants than they would in natural settings. Lessen your risk by not staying on deck for long periods, and if you’re really concerned — or have asthma or other lung problems — you might consider packing a portable air purifier to use in your cabin.
by Dr Alex Jimenez DC, APRN, FNP-BC, CFMP, IFMCP | Natural Health
More older American women than ever are drinking — and drinking hard, a new study shows.
Most troubling was the finding that the prevalence of binge drinking among older women is increasing dramatically, far faster than it is among older men, the researchers noted.
The difference was striking: Among men, the average prevalence of binge drinking remained stable from 1997 to 2014, while it increased an average of nearly 4 percent per year among women, the researchers found.
Increased drinking and binge drinking can be a serious health problem for women, said study author Rosalind Breslow, an epidemiologist at the U.S. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
Women don’t tolerate alcohol as well as men, and they start to have alcohol-related problems at lower drinking levels than men, Breslow explained.
She pointed out that on average, women weigh less than men, and have less water in their bodies than men do. (Alcohol dissolves in water).
“So, after a man and woman of the same weight drink the same amount of alcohol, the woman’s blood alcohol concentration will tend to be higher, putting her at greater risk for harm,” Breslow said.
For the study, Breslow and her colleagues collected data on more than 65,000 men and women aged 60 and older who were current drinkers. Among these, more than 6,500 men and 1,700 women were binge drinkers.
Older adults, in general, are at greater risk of the effects of alcohol than younger adults, Breslow noted. “They’re more sensitive to the effects of alcohol, which can contribute to falls and other injuries, a major problem in older people,” she said.
As the U.S. population ages, the number of men and women 60 and older who drink will likely increase further, bringing with it more alcohol-related problems.
In the study, said Breslow, “we found that between 1997 and 2014, the proportion of older male drinkers in the U.S. population increased about 1 percent per year, and female drinkers increased nearly 2 percent per year.”
It’s not clear why this is happening, Breslow added.
“There is a great deal of speculation that baby boomers drank more when they were young and continue to drink more as a group. There is some limited evidence to support this speculation,” she said.
“We did find that more younger boomers, ages 60 to 64, both men and women, were drinking than people of the same age in past generations,” Breslow added.
Whether drinking is increasing among certain racial or ethnic groups isn’t something the researchers analyzed, she said.
But alcohol can have devastating consequences, particularly for older adults, Breslow said.
“Too much drinking increases your chances of being injured or even killed. Alcohol is a factor, for example, in about 60 percent of fatal burn injuries, drownings and homicides; 50 percent of severe trauma injuries and sexual assaults; and 40 percent of fatal motor vehicle crashes, suicides and fatal falls,” she said.
In addition, heavy drinkers have a greater risk of liver disease, heart disease, sleep disorders, depression, stroke, bleeding from the stomach, sexually transmitted infections from unsafe sex, and several types of cancer, Breslow said. They may also have problems managing diabetes, high blood pressure and other chronic conditions.
“Think before you drink,” she said. Adults over age 65 who are healthy and do not take medications should not have more than three drinks a day or seven drinks in a week, Breslow said.
“Based on your health and how alcohol affects you, you may need to drink less or not at all,” she added.
Another alcohol abuse expert also felt that the rise in binge drinking among older women was the most concerning finding in the study.
“We know that, overall, women are more sensitive to the negative health consequences of alcohol than men,” said Dr. J.C. Garbutt, medical director of the University of North Carolina Alcohol and Substance Abuse Program, in Chapel Hill.
“These consequences include liver disease, high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease and cognitive impairment — serious problems — and addiction to alcohol is possible as well,” he said.
Garbutt said he couldn’t explain the increase in binge drinking among older women.
“One would have to think there are major cultural factors at work, including the greater acceptability for women to drink, family structural changes, and perhaps greater access. But we really don’t know so it would be premature to speculate,” he said.
“Regardless, this speaks to the need to continue to educate the public about the harms of alcohol, including the increased risk to women and older individuals,” he said.
The report was published March 24 in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.
A study published last October also found the gap in drinking between men and women is closing.
Women across the globe are now nearly as likely as men to drink and to engage in excessive drinking, according to researchers with the National Drug and Alcohol Research Center at the University of New South Wales in Australia.
by Dr Alex Jimenez DC, APRN, FNP-BC, CFMP, IFMCP | Natural Health
Sometimes there is real danger in getting too much bang for your buck. That’s the case with B vitamins, says ConsumerLab.com, after the organization tested popular vitamins and found that many contained potentially toxic amounts of the vitamin as well as misleading labels.
The Food and Drug Administration recently warned that the daily values assigned to most B vitamins are too high and may be dangerous to your health. But although the FDA reduced the values, manufacturers don’t have to change their label to reflect the new guidelines until at least 2018.
CL, a consumer information provider, tested 49 supplements from the U.S. and Canada containing B Complexes as well as the eight individual B vitamins: thiamine (B-1), riboflavin (B-2), niacin (B3), pantothenic acid (B-5), pyroxidine (B-6), biotin (B-7), folate (folic acid, B-9) and cobalamin (B-12).
“We found that nearly all B vitamins currently have misleading information with respect to the percentage of Daily Values they provide,” says Dr. Tod Cooperman, ConsumerLab.com’s president and founder. “You are often getting more than you think, need or should want.
“Like most vitamins, B vitamins are essential,” Cooperman tells Newsmax Health. “There are eight different B vitamins and since your body can’t make them you must get them from your diet or from supplements. But while they can be beneficial in the right dose, too much can cause toxicity.”
B vitamins play crucial roles in our bodies. For example certain B vitamins have been found to be beneficial in reducing the risk of strokes and others may slow the decline in memory, cognition, and even Alzheimer’s disease, says Cooperman.
Deficiency in B-3 — also known as niacin — B-6, and B-12 can cause depression. Low levels of B-12 have been associated with increased risk of canker sores.
Sometimes people can’t get enough B vitamins from their diet and that’s where supplementation can be helpful. Older people who may be taking medicine to lower stomach acid, pregnant women and individuals with certain genetic mutations can fall into this category.
But taking these vitamins can be a double edged sword if the labels do not correctly reflect the accurate dosage contained in each tablet or the tablet contains what CL calls the UL or “upper limit” of vitamin value.
Folate, for example, is important in reducing birth defects of the spinal cord and is therefore a critical ingredient in prenatal vitamins. But at a high dosage, it may increase the risk for certain cancers.
Niacin, when taken at very high doses, can improve cholesterol levels but can also cause side effects such as skin flushing and liver toxicity.
“Too much B-6 can cause heartburn, nausea and photosensitivity,” notes Cooperman. “At very high levels it can also cause nerve damage and skin lesions.
“You need to be most careful with three of the B vitamins and those are niacin, B-6 and folate. These, in inappropriate doses, can be the most dangerous. Most people, especially vegans or vegetarians, get too little of vitamin B-12 from their diet, but fortunately it is the safest one to take. If that’s all you need, simply take B-12 supplements and skip the rest until the manufacturing labels on other forms of B vitamins adhere to the new FDA standards of Daily Values.”
CL did find that your best bet for getting the correct Daily Value in an all inclusive B-Complex vitamin was also the least expensive. Their top pick was Kirkland Signature (Costco) B-Complex which provides a least 100 percent of the Daily Value without exceeding the UL or upper limit values for a mere 2 cents a tablet.
For more specific information on which brands were tested, failed, or approved, visit www.ConsumerLab.com.
by Dr Alex Jimenez DC, APRN, FNP-BC, CFMP, IFMCP | Herbs, Natural Health
The herb ashwagandha, which has been used for centuries in Indian folk medicine to promote sound sleep has been proven effective by Japanese researchers.
Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) is a central herb in Ayurveda, the traditional home medicine native to India. Its Latin name — somnifera — means sleep-inducing.
Researchers at the University of Tsukumba studied the effects of various components of ashwagandha on mice by using a neurological test (EEG) to record activity in the brain.
A water extract of ashwagandha leaf, which was rich in the component triethylene glycol (TEG), significantly increased non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. It also slightly changed rapid eye movement (REM) sleep.
An alcoholic extract containing active withanolides, which are other active compounds in ashwagandha, showed no effect on sleep.
The sleep induced by TEG was similar to normal sleep. Furthermore, commercially available TEG also increased the amount of NREM sleep.
The researchers concluded that TEG is the active component that induces sound sleep, and that TEG can improve sleep without side effects. They believe their findings could revolutionize the natural plant-based therapies for insomnia and sleep-related disorders.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, up to 70 million American adults have difficulty sleeping. Sleeping disorders increase with aging, and affect almost half of adults 60 and older.
Ashwagandha is available in capsules in health food stores.
