Category: Natural Health

Scientists have reported that brown seaweed, such as the kind used in traditional oriental miso soups, can help fight obesity!

Brown seaweed contains promising fat fighter, weight reducer

“Chemists in Japan have found that brown seaweed, a flavor component used in many Asian soups and salads, contains a compound that appears in animal studies to promote weight loss by reducing the accumulation of fat. Called fucoxanthin, the compound achieved a 5 percent to 10 percent weight reduction in test animals and could be developed into a natural extract or drug to help fight obesity, the researchers say. The compound targets abdominal fat, in particular, and may help reduce oversized guts, the scientists say. Their study was presented today at the 232nd national meeting of the American Chemical Society. Fucoxanthin is a brownish pigment that gives brown seaweed its characteristic color and also conducts photosynthesis (the conversion of light to energy). It is found at high levels in several different types of brown seaweed, including a type of kelp that is used in traditional Japanese miso soup. But fucoxanthin is not found in abundance in green and red seaweed, which also are used in many Asian foods, the researchers say.” (Emphasis mine.)

Note that “the compound targets abdominal fat, in particular, and may help reduce oversized guts…” Wow! I am for that! (Perhaps I am revealing a bit too much of a personal nature!) Anyway, another factor from a natural health perspective in regard to large “guts” is the liver. Sluggish liver function can lead to a larger mid-section. Liver cleansing, detoxifying, nourishing and reinforcing herbs for the liver are: Red Beet root, Dandelion root, Parsely herb, Horsetail herb, Yellow Dock root, Black Cohosh root, Birch leaves, Blessed Thistle herb, Angelica root, Chamomile flowers, Gentian root and Goldenrod herb.

We need to increase our Omega-3 Fatty Acids… but, a new book says that since we are eating the WRONG kinds of fats, we won’t get the benefits of eating fish and other foods that have more Omega-3s!

How Omega-6s Usurped Omega-3s In US Diet

“Has a little-known family of polyunsaturated fatty acids called Omega-6s, which has quietly permeated the Western diet in recent decades, nullified the impact of heart disease-fighting omega-3s? According to a new book, The Queen of Fats, Americans now have so many omega-6s in our bodies that eating fish to bolster our omega-3s may not do any good. Why? Because these two families of fats compete in our body’s metabolism. Or, as Susan Allport, the author of this new landmark book about the history, science and economics of omega-3s, published by the University of California Press (September, 2006), puts it: ‘It is not the fish we are NOT eating that is our problem, but the oils we ARE eating.’ How have omega-6s saturated the Western diet so completely and quietly? Ms. Allport’s heavily researched, fact filled book says that most of our cooking oils are heavily laden with omega-6s (much used corn oil, for example, has a 46 to 1 ratio of omega-6s to omega-3s; lesser used canola oil’s ratio, however, is only 2 to 1), and that whatever omega-3s there are in oils are eliminated if those oils are hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated to extend the shelf life of foods, as occurs in most food manufacturing.”

So, watch your hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated fat intake, and DO increase your good fats! It may take a while after these changes are made, but overall it will be a huge benefit!

An increase in ambient light in the morning can set you up for a more alert afternoon! These are the results of a Belgium study.

Bright Idea: Sunlight Curbs Afternoon Drowsiness

“Letting in a little extra light throughout the day may do more than just lift your spirits. It could make you more alert and help you avoid an afternoon energy slump. Ambient light influences brain functions and different aspects of human physiology such as circadian rhythm, heart rate, and hormone release. While these functions have been recognized and studies have looked at the part of the brain that induces these responses at nighttime, little has been known about daytime responses to light. But Gilles Vandewalle of the University of Liege, Belgium, and colleagues wanted to see if light exposure has similar effects on brain function during the day, when we are naturally exposed to light. The researchers exposed a group of people to 21 minutes of bright white light in the morning while they imaged their brains. Not only were the participants more alert, but responses in certain parts of their brain also got a boost. This boost was correlated with regions of the brain that are involved in alertness and some cognitive processes and can briefly prevent the sleepiness developed in continuous darkness, the researchers report in the Aug. 22 issue of the journal Current Biology.”

Natural resources are always best! And, it seems that even people that have extremely hard-to-treat asthma can benefit from Vitamin D3 in their diet!

Vitamin supplement could help treatment-resistant asthma

“Asthma patients who don’t respond to steroid treatment suffer repeated asthma attacks, and are at greater risk of dying from the condition. Researchers from King’s College London have found that vitamin D3 could substantially improve the responsiveness of these patients to steroid treatment, offering them hope of an improvement in their condition. Their results are published today in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. Asthma is usually treated very effectively with inhaled steroids but for some patients, taking steroid tablets is the only way of controlling their condition, and this can cause considerable side effects. Unfortunately a sub-group of people with severe asthma fail to show clinical improvement, even with high doses of oral steroids, limiting their treatment options.”

The steroid treatments were not as effective in these severe cases, but, then the researchers added Vitamin D3:

“However, the researchers found that when vitamin D3 was added to the culture medium along with dexamethasone, this defect was reversed and the previously steroid-resistant cells were able to respond to the treatment by producing IL-10 to the same extent as T-cells taken from steroid-responsive patients. Adding vitamin D3 to cultures of T-cells from healthy individuals or from steroid-responsive patients made these cells even more responsive to steroids than before.”

The Vitamin D3 made the treatment more effective! “‘Interestingly, vitamin D3 is at present occasionally administered to patients with severe asthma to help prevent steroid-induced osteoporosis. Our studies suggest that there is an additional potential benefit to this treatment.'”

What is a “meme?” Well, let’s let Joanne Hay from www.nourished.com.au explain it: “Broadly described in Wikipedia as a unit of cultural information that can be transmitted from one mind to another, a meme is a set of questions (usually five) we ask each other to stimulate conversation.” Joanne asked me to answer these questions for myself:

1. What is the most nourishing thing you frequently do for your self?

I was raised in Davidson County, North Carolina, on High Rock Lake. Our place (my parents and I have) at the lake was, and is, a refuge from all the pressures of the world. With abundant woods… animals; including squirrels, birds, deer, and other abundant wildlife, I love to go there and “un-wind” while swimming and listening to nature all around me. I feel that it “recharges me” it very fundamental, personal way.

2. For your health, what will you never compromise on?

I stay away from processed sugar at all times, and I try to drink as much pure water as possible.

3. Where do you get most of your health information?

From natural health books, textbooks, and the Internet. My favorite sites are listed on the “Blogroll” here on the “Traditional Naturopath” website.

4. What single whole food or supplement has turned your health around the most?

A had a serious bout with high blood pressure, and began taking the herb Coleus Forskohlii. My blood pressure dropped to perfectly normal and all symptoms went away in less than two weeks! It was an amazing experience, and reinforces to me that there are natural, non-destructive ways to overcome any sub-health condition!

5. What is your favourite natural therapy?

Being a Master Herbalist, I tend to look first at herbal remedies, however, I have always been impressed by what can be done with energy therapies and study Kinesiology (MRT) as well. Between these modalities, I have found tremendous benefit personally to me, and to my family and friends.

Here’s a link to Joanne’s article:

The Nourishing Meme

A new study indicates that a daily glass of orange juice can significantly reduce your chances of developing kidney stones.

Kidney stones? Have some orange juice!!!

“A daily glass of orange juice can help prevent the recurrence of kidney stones better than other citrus fruit juices such as lemonade, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have discovered. The findings indicate that although many people assume that all citrus fruit juices help prevent the formation of kidney stones, not all have the same effect. The study is available online and is scheduled to be published in the Oct. 26 issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. Medically managing recurrent kidney stones requires dietary and lifestyle changes as well as treatment such as the addition of potassium citrate, which has been shown to lower the rate of new stone formation in patients with kidney stones. But some patients can’t tolerate potassium citrate because of gastrointestinal side effects, said Dr. Clarita Odvina, assistant professor of internal medicine at the Charles and Jane Pak Center for Mineral Metabolism and Clinical Research and the study’s lead author. In those cases, dietary sources of citrate — such as orange juice — may be considered as an alternative to pharmacological drugs.” (Emphasis mine.)

Again, we see that natural sources of treatment can be more beneficial than harse drugs! Are we beginning to see a pattern here? Natural is the way to go! Note that the allopathic approach can lead to “gastrointestinal side effects,” while in the section I highlighted, it says, ” …dietary sources of citrate — such as orange juice — may be considered as an alternative to pharmacological drugs.” The “alternative” is considered to be “natural sources of citrate?” Doesn’t this seem backwards? Food is natural… drugs are not! The food source should be the FIRST choice, NOT the “alternative!”

“A new batch of drugs faces a barrage of lawsuits claiming that the drugs injured users and that manufacturers are to blame. More than 6,000 lawsuits have been filed in recent years against four drugs taken by millions of patients: hormone-replacement drug Prempro, birth-control patch Ortho Evra, anti-psychotic Seroquel and anti-seizure drug Neurontin. The plaintiffs claim drugmakers failed to disclose the drugs’ risks or failed to properly test them, or both. The claims are similar to those against Merck’s painkiller Vioxx, which faces 14,000 lawsuits. Unlike Vioxx, these drugs are still being sold, and the Food and Drug Administration considers their benefits worth their risks. The first trials have begun or are near for Prempro and Neurontin. Johnson & Johnson has started settling some Ortho Evra cases, plaintiffs’ lawyers say.”

More drugs get slapped with lawsuits

Again, the drug’s supposed “benefits” have to be carefully weighed against the harm caused by the inevitable side-effects of the drug. One reason I always try to find natural resources to help reinforce the natural immune system!

The drug pusher on the street is obviously “hooking” kids on drugs and is often arrested for his (or, her) efforts. But, what about large pharmaceutical companies? Are they “drug pushers” as well? Drug companies are getting “heat” from the coupon programs they are offering, which, when coupled with their commercials that encourage consumers to ask their doctors for drugs, may be “sucking them in” to becoming “users” of their drugs!

Prescription drug giveaways draw complaints

“Coupons ‘can increase the patient’s desire to take a drug that may or may not be the most suitable drug … This is not shampoo,’ said Susan Sherry, deputy director of Community Catalyst, a Massachusetts-based group that has joined 22 others seeking a Food and Drug Administration ban on the giveaways… The FDA has raised concerns. In a notice earlier this year, the agency said prescription drugs promoted with coupons or free trial offers may be seen as more widely indicated, more appropriate and/or less risky than they really are.'”

Drug companies make drugs, and drugs are their “product.” They aggressively market that product because they are in the industry to make money!

“Harvard’s Avorn said the coupon trend was ‘the same symptom we have seen in the drug industry for years – the ascendancy of marketing over science’ as companies fight for market share. ‘They are getting so preoccupied with marketing, and unfortunately they seem to be less successful in coming up with creative drug solutions,’ he said.”

Are you an “angry” person? Or, are you easy going and not much ever “gets to you?” I fall into the latter category. And, apparently that is a good thing… because a recent study indicates that longstanding anger issues diminish lung function.

Anger speeds decline in lung function: study

“Doctors in the U.S. recruited 670 men aged between 45 and 86, with an average age of 62 and followed them for an average of eight years. Participants’ levels of hostility were measured and rated at the start of the study and lung function measurements were taken three times during the follow-up. The men’s hostility scores were closely linked to lung capacity, after taking into account other factors such as smoking and education that could influence the results, researchers said. Those who became more hostile showed a more rapid decline in lung power than those whose hostility levels were lower. Anger and hostility will change neurological and hormonal processes, which in turn may disturb immune system activity to produce chronic inflammation, Dr. Rosalind Wright of the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, Mass., and her colleagues wrote in this week’s online issue of the journal Thorax, published by the British Medical Association.”

Note that anger also dimishes the immune system. Your emotional state definitely ties in to your physical health. Be calm, be happy, stay healthy! “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.” (Proverbs 17:22 – KJV)

“Juicers” like Jack LaLanne have been saying it for years… drinking natural juice is healthy! Now a study suggests that drinking juice may help ward off Alzheimer’s Disease.

Juices ‘may cut Alzheimer’s risk’

Drinking fruit and vegetable juices frequently may significantly cut the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, a study suggests. US researchers followed almost 2,000 people for up to 10 years – providing a powerful set of results. They found the risk was 76% lower for those who drank juice more than three times a week, compared to those who drank it less than once a week. The study appears in the American Journal of Medicine. Alzheimer’s is linked to the accumulation of clumps of beta-amyloid protein in the brain. There is some evidence to suggest that this process may be controlled by the chemical hydrogen peroxide. Various studies have suggested that polyphenols – chemicals available in many foods – might disrupt these processes and provide some protection against Alzheimer’s disease by neutralising the effect of damaging compounds called free radicals. Fruit and vegetable juices are particularly rich in polyphenols.”