SinusDietProgram

In the late 90s Loma Linda University’s School of Public Health showed that a low-fat, high-complex-carbohydrate diet can dramatically lower the frequency of migraine headaches.

The objective of the study was to reduce the fat consumption of the subjects to between 20 and 30 grams of fat per day, which is about 10-15% of total calories eaten. The results of the study:

“demonstrated clearly a very strong connection between high dietary fat intake and migraine headache. Patients who had decreased their fat intake had significantly lowered the frequency, intensity, and duration of their migraine headaches… One of the most important contributions of the study was to identify increased levels of blood fat as the common denominator of primary headaches. These findings linked together a multitude of seemingly unrelated headache triggers, all of which cause levels of blood fat to rise. This opened the path toward a radically new treatment of headaches based on specific lifestyle modifications to reduce blood fat levels and to restore the body’s natural biochemical balances necessary to prevent headaches.”

Diet-oriented practitioners are involved with identifying the connection between health problems and the foods people eat. This is not always a difficult thing to do, but somewhere down the line, when you can identify a problematic food or set of foods, the results of better health are well worth the effort. But it takes a commitment to changing the way you eat to get to the bottom of your problem.

BOTTOM LINE: To Reduce the chance of Migraine headaches, your best bet is to Eat Less FAT and more HIGH-COMPLEX CARBOHYDRATES in your daily diet.

Dr. Joseph Mercola writes…

More than 300 million people worldwide — about 6 to 7 percent of men and 15 to 18 percent of women — suffer from severe migraine headaches, yet to this day, it’s one of the least understood and poorly treated medical disorders.

Part of the problem has been that the experiences of those suffering from migraines vary greatly. Aside from throbbing, searing pain, which may or may not be one-sided, some experience “auras” prior to onset, while others do not. There may also be nausea, vomiting, fever, chills, sweating, and/or sensitivity to light, sound, and smells.

The pain can be extreme; some of the patients I’ve seen have actually considered suicide as a reasonable solution!

On average, “migraineurs” have one or two day-long attacks every month. But 10 percent get them weekly, 20 percent experience them for two to three days, and up to 14 percent have them more than 15 days a month. It comes as no surprise then that headaches cost the U.S. economy an estimated $17 billion a year in lost work, disability payments, and health care expenses.

New Research Offers New Insights into What Causes Migraine Pain

It has long been thought that the cause of migraines was due to vascular changes in your brain, from initial blood vessel constriction and a drop in blood flow, followed by dilation and stretching of blood vessels, which activates pain-signaling neurons.

However, new research finds flaws in this theory, as they’ve now been able to determine that migraines are not preceded by constriction and decrease in blood flow, but rather by an increase of nearly 300 percent. However, circulation then appears normal, or even slightly reduced, once the attack is in full swing.

Based on new research, a migraine is now thought to arise as a result of a disorder of your nervous system, most likely in your brain stem.

Although most regions of your brain do not register or transmit pain signals, a network of nerves called the trigeminal nerve system does. Pain is relayed through the trigeminal network to an area in your brain stem called the trigeminal nucleus. From there, it is conveyed to the sensory cortex in your brain, which is involved in your awareness of pain and other senses.

What first activates your trigeminal nerves, setting off a migraine, however, is still under debate, but is thought to be one of two things.

Some researchers believe that a wave release of neurotransmitters across your cortex can directly stimulate your trigeminal nerves, setting off the chain reaction that ends in the transmitting of pain signals.

Others place the root of migraine pain in the brain stem itself, as it is your control center for alertness, perception of light, noise and smell, cerebral blood flow, cardiovascular function and pain sensitivity — many, if not most, of which are part of the symptoms of a migraine attack.

Positron-emission tomography has revealed that three clusters of cells in your brain stem are active during and after migraine. According to this hypothesis, abnormal activity in those cells could induce pain in two ways.

These cells normally inhibit trigeminal neurons within your trigeminal nucleus by continuously giving out orders “not to fire.” But, if they do not function or communicate normally, it can allow your trigeminal neurons to “fire at will,” even when there’s no pain signals being received from your brain membrane or blood vessels.

Occasional dysfunction in these clusters of cells could therefore explain why some migraine sufferers experience sensitivity to light, sound and odors.

If these findings are correct, they offer a clue as to why migraine medications have been so largely unsuccessful in treating migraine pain.

Triptans (tryptamine based drugs), for example, work by binding to serotonin receptors in cranial blood vessels, causing them to constrict. Well… if your pain is not due to engorged blood vessels (as previously thought) and your blood flow is normal, constricting them is likely to do little good, and potentially a lot of harm. And, lo and behold, serious cardiovascular events, including heart attack and stroke, are side effects of these types of drugs.

What Typically Triggers Migraine Headaches?

There are many potential triggers, and what triggers a migraine for one might not trigger it in another. However, here are several of the most commonly reported triggers:

Food and Drink: Many people experience migraines when they eat certain foods, especially wheat, dairy, sugar, artificial preservatives or chemical additives. Cured or processed meats, alcohol, aspartame, caffeine, and MSG are common culprits.
Allergies: Including food allergies and food sensitivities, and chemical sensitivities.
Dehydration and/or Hunger
Changes in sleeping cycle: Both missing sleep and oversleeping can trigger a migraine.
Stress: Any kind of emotional trauma can trigger a migraine, even after the stress has passed.
Physical exertion: Extremely intense exercise or even sex has been known to bring on migraines.
Hormones: Some women experience migraines before, or during their periods, during pregnancy, or during menopause. Others may get migraines from hormonal medications like birth control pills, or hormone replacement therapy.
External stimuli: Bright lights, fluorescent lights, loud noises and strong smells (even pleasant ones) can trigger a migraine.
Weather changes, Seasonal changes, and changes in Altitude
Headache Medications: Causing More Harm Than Good

A debilitating headache may be one instance where you could justify popping a pill that would give you instant relief. But headache medications only work in 50 percent of people, half the time.

They also have intense side effects, including “medication overuse headache,” which often occurs when people take too much of a headache drug. Once you taper off the drug, you can also get rebound headaches that can be worse than the original!

Other side effects of migraines drugs include:

Ulcers and gastrointestinal bleeding
Stroke and heart attack
Muscle weakness
Dizziness
Nausea
Counter-intelligent as it may be, some migraine-fighting medications (such as Maxalt-MLT and Zomig-ZMT) also contain the artificial sweetener aspartame, which is a common migraine trigger…

Fortunately, there are better ways to treat migraines than pharmaceutical drugs.

Quick, Natural Tips to Relieve a Migraine

Preventing migraines begins by avoiding the triggers. Most often this means eating healthy whole foods (avoiding most processed ones) and managing your stress effectively.

Following my eating plan seems to reduce migraines by about 80 percent, although it does take some time to work. Avoiding wheat, grains, sugar and all fluids but water seem to be particularly effective.

Regular exercise will also help to keep migraines away by improving your response to stress along with the underlying inflammatory conditions that can trigger migraines.

Ideally, these are the things to focus on so that you can reduce your migraines altogether.

But if a migraine does strike and you need relief NOW, try:

1. Stimulating your body’s natural painkilling ability. By putting pressure on a nerve just under your eyebrow, you can cause your pituitary gland to release painkilling endorphins immediately.

2. Taking 10 teaspoons of cayenne pepper in a glass of water. Endorphins are released by your brain when the cayenne hits your stomach lining.

3. Using Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT). Newcomers who use this simple process by themselves achieve relief 50 percent to 80 percent of the time and, in many cases, the relief is complete and permanent. More sophisticated uses by an EFT expert may be required for some migraine sufferers.

4. Green apple scent. One study found that the scent significantly relieved migraine pain. This may also work with other scents that you enjoy so consulting with an aromatherapist may be beneficial.

Other useful techniques include:

Putting a cold compress on your forehead or behind your neck
Massaging your ears and ear lobes
Massaging the “crown” of your head — the ring of muscles that circle your head where a crown would sit
Some people even say that having a purring cat, which sends out low frequency vibrations, next to their head relieves migraine pain.

The point is that there are many, many, non-drug options out there, and finding the one that works for you is likely just a matter of trial and error.

“If it weren’t for the brief respite we give the world with our foolishness, the world would see mass suicide in numbers that compare favorably with the death rate of lemmings.” — Groucho Marx

“‘Having the new tools in medicine to look at some of these stress hormones, we said [to Dr. Fry], ‘Fly down, bring your Laurel and Hardy tapes, let’s sit down, we’ll place an IV in your arm and we’ll draw continuous blood samples while you’re watching the tapes,” Dr. Berk says.”

It’s been said before that laughter is the best medicine. Some people have sworn that having a good attitude and a load of laughs have cured them of their life-threatening illnesses. Is there any scientific validity to this idea of laughing and healing? Chinese doctors have been saying for thousands of years that attitudes affect disease. Anger causes stagnation, which can cause cancer and other tumors, according to Traditional Chinese Medicine. So it’s a very ancient idea. But what exactly does laughter do for you, and can it heal you?

Loma Linda University School of Medicine reported back in 1999 that one of its key researchers, Lee Berk, DrPH, MPH, discovered that laughter causes physiological effects that can lead to healing. Not only mind over matter, but really mind affecting matter. It’s no news that stress causes ulcers and heart attacks or that scared people can wet their pants. These are obvious connections between the mind, body and emotions. So what if we were to laugh and be happy — would this have the opposite effects of negative emotions? Chinese medical doctors say yes. Now western medical doctors are starting to agree.

Dr. Berk–associate director for the Center for Neuroimmunology, assistant research professor in the Loma Linda University School of Medicine, and assistant clinical professor of health promotion and education in the School of Public Health–believes that because a patient is more than just a disease, it’s important to look at the whole person when providing medical treatment.

Dr. Berk’s research into laughter’s benefits began in the late 1970s, when his studies on exercise showed that it not only boosted the immune system, it also decreased stress hormones in the body.

These findings led Dr. Berk and his colleague Stanley Tan, MD, assistant professor of medicine at Loma Linda University, to look for something else–something universal–that might also have the same effect. They hit upon mirthful laughter as a possibility.

They extended a research invitation to William Fry, MD, then a psychiatrist at Stanford University, who had researched changes in blood pressure and heart rate related to laughter.

Dr. Fry accepted the invitation.
“That was the initiation of everything,” Dr. Berk adds. “We looked at the data and we fell on the floor. It was mind-blowing.”

Since that time Drs. Berk and Tan have conducted controlled scientific experiments that have proven those early results.

They found first of all that laughter increases the immune system’s activity. Here’s how it works:

• Natural killer cells (the cells that attack virus and tumor cells) increase in number and activity.
• More T cells (which wait to be told to do something) are activated than normal.
• The antibody immunoglobulin A (which protects the upper respiratory tract) increases.
• Gamma interferon increases. This cytokine tells different components of the immune system to turn on.
• Immunoglobulin G (the immunoglobulin produced in the greatest quantity) and Complement 3 (which helps antibodies pierce dysfunctional or infected cells) increase both during laughter and the next day.
• The research also showed that in general, stress hormones–which actually constrict blood vessels and suppress immune activity–decrease in the body as a result of laughter.1

Norman Cousins, a one-time essayist and editor associated with the Saturday Review, who cured himself of a fatal illness by watching an endless stream of comedy films, said, “Laughter is a form of internal jogging. It moves your internal organs around. It enhances respiration. It is an igniter of great expectations.”

Cousins, the respected editor of the Saturday Review, had been given six months to live.

He’d been diagnosed suddenly with life-threatening ankylosing spondylitis, a painful, degenerative disease of the spine. Cousins, who was in constant agony and quickly succumbing to paralysis, checked himself out of the hospital, which in his view “was no place for sick people” and into a hotel where under the supervision of a doctor, he began taking extremely high doses of Vitamin C punctuated by a regimen of intense belly laughter.

Why laughter? It was the only thing that seemed to kill the pain. Cousins would start laughing by watching Marx Brothers movies and Candid Camera episodes on a rented projector. After several months, and day after day of laughter, Cousins walked out of the hotel. In the years since then, Vitamin C would be discredited, but laughter, it turns out, is another story.

Cousins’s “laughing cure” was greeted by the medical establishment with derision. How stupid. A man curing a life-threatening disease with laughter. Cousins even wrote a book about his experience, Anatomy of an Illness as Perceived by the Patient. Although the book helped launch the holistic health movement, decades would pass before medical researchers reopened the curious case of the Laughing Man.

A study by the University of North Carolina published in 2005 says women who are hugged regularly appear to have a lower risk of heart disease. A University of Maryland study shows regular laughter improves blood circulation and may protect against heart attack. Psychiatrist Joseph Richman’s study of depressed and suicidal senior citizens, showed laughter had a significant curative affect. A 2001 University of California study reported members of a choir showed significantly increased levels of immunity-building proteins just prior to performance and even more dramatically afterward. Clinical psychologist Dan Johnston says that simply smiling for no particular reason can have a positive effect on health and attitude. What these have in common is they’re all obvious and none require a prescription. Even AIG, an American insurance company is now running ads on U.S. network TV claiming: “Laughing will add ‘eight years’ to your life” – and as actuaries they should know. Laughing, it appears, did add 26 years to Cousins’s life.2

Apparently, laughter has a lot to do with relaxation responses, explained this way:

Two separate mechanisms cause the relaxation you notice. Muscles not directly participating in the act of laughter tend to relax while you’re laughing. That’s why little kids fall down during fits of laughter. It’s also why you seem to lose your strength when you’re laughing (just try carrying a friend–or any other heavy object–across the room when you’re laughing hard). When you stop laughing, the muscles that had been contracting relax. This is no different from what happens with any other physical activity. When you stop working muscles, their natural tendency is to relax. In combination, these two mechanisms produce a general pattern of muscle relaxation throughout your body.3

And now for more empirical evidence on laughter having healing powers.

One study showed that people using a biofeedback apparatus were able to relax muscles more quickly after watching funny cartoons than after looking at beautiful scenery. The importance of this natural relaxation effect may be seen in the fact that relaxation not only helps reduce stress; it also helps alleviate heart disease, headaches, chronic anxiety and other problems. For patients with rheumatism, neuralgia, or other conditions characterized by a spasm-pain-spasm cycle, the reduced muscle tension that results from laughter disrupts this cycle and reduces the pain experienced.

The limited research on stress-related hormones and humor has shown that laughter reduces at least four neuroendocrine hormones associated with the stress response, including epinephrine, cortisol, dopac, and growth hormone. This is consistent with research showing that various relaxation procedures reduce stress hormones.

The best evidence that humor boosts the immune system comes from studies where immune system measures are taken before and after a particular humorous event–usually a comedy video. But research showing that individuals with a better sense of humor have stronger immune systems is also important, since it shows the importance (for your health) of making the effort to improve your sense of humor.

The greatest amount of research to date has focused on immunoglobulin A, a part of your immune system, which serves to protect you against upper respiratory problems, like colds and the flu. Our saliva contains IgA, and this is often referred to as the body’s first line of defense against upper respiratory viral and bacterial infections.

The studies show that watching as little as 30 or 60 minutes of a comedy video is enough to increase both salivary IgA and blood levels of IgA. This has been shown for both adults and children.

mmunoglobulins M and G have also been shown to be enhanced as a result of humor/laughter. IgM is the antibody that arrives first as part of the humoral immune response. IgG antibodies are present in the greatest amount in the body, and are responsible for producing long-term immunity. When you are immunized for a particular illness, it is the IgG antibodies that are tested to see if the procedure has worked.

This same study showed that watching a comedy video produced increased levels of a substance called Complement 3, which helps antibodies pierce through defective or infected cells in order to destroy them.3

Paul E. McGhee, Ph.D., (pictured to the right) a pioneer in humor research, developed a program he termed The Laughter Remedy which laid the groundwork for the current interest in the health benefits of humor. After receiving his Ph.D. in developmental psychology in 1968, McGhee spent 22 years conducting basic research on humor and laughter while teaching at the university level. He has published over 50 scientific articles and 13 books on humor. McGhee wrote:

With respect to cellular immunity, watching a one-hour comedy video has been found to produce 1) increased number of B cells (this is not surprising, given the increased levels of IgA, IgG, and IgM, since B cells are responsible for making all the immunoglobulins), 2) increased number of, and activation of, T cells, 3) increased number of Helper T cells (the cells attacked by the AIDS virus), 4) increased ratio of Helper/Suppressor T cells, and 5) increased levels of Gamma Interferon. Gamma Interferon plays an important role in the activation of NK cells. It also contributes to the growth of cytotoxic T cells and the maturation of B cells. It is best thought of as a kind of orchestra leader that regulates the level of cooperation between cells in the immune system, and tells different components of the immune system when to turn on and off.4

Laughter has also been shown to stimulate B cells, natural killer cells (involved in cancer and other diseases) and T cells (immune cells produced in the thymus gland, instrumental in the body’s attempt to fight AIDS).

Humor has also been shown to increase levels of gamma interferon, a complex substance that plays an important role in the maturation of B cells, the growth of cytotoxic T cells, and the activation of NK cells.23 It also tells different components of the immune system when to become more active, and regulates the level of cooperation between cells of the immune system. Given the specific types of immunoenhancement resulting from humor discussed above, this effect on gamma interferon is to be expected.

Taken as a whole, it’s clear that there is something about humor and laughter that causes the immune system to “turn on” metabolically and do more effectively what it is designed to do–promote health and wellness in the face of internal or external threats.3

Sources:

1. Loma Linda University School of Medicine news, 2001 Loma Linda University
2. Nerenberg, Albert, Laughter as a cure for even the most serious illnesses, Canwest News Service, March 14, 2008
3. How Humor Contributes to Physical Health:, Nurses’ Learning Network
4. McGhee, PhD, Paul, The Laughter Remedy

The oldest, traditional health systems in the world agree that most illness is caused by, or is at least connected to, emotional problems. Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ayurvedic medicine and Tibetan medicine teach that each illness has an emotional component. Today’s grief is tomorrow’s lung disease; yesterday’s anger is today’s liver problem. Now, thousands of years later, modern researchers are starting to see this connection.

Dr. Joseph Mercola (mercola.com) has brought to light scientific proof showing that psychological problems lead to physiological changes. This is not New Age theory, it is scientific evidence.

Let’s say the recent mortgage crisis has caused you to lose your home, or you recently lost a close family member. Both of these territorial losses have signaled your body that you’re under stress and to “get ready for a fight.”

During this first phase, your coronary artery is actually made larger to get more of your blood flowing, and to help you win your upcoming “battle.” Once your conflict is resolved, perhaps you find a way to keep your house, or you talk through your feelings of grief over your loved one’s death, your body moves into the second, restoration phase, and will begin to restore your artery.

….this can lead to a rise in cholesterol, which occurs to “spackle” the nooks in your coronary artery. And it is around this time, during your resolution of your emotional conflict that a heart attack can occur.

The severity of your heart attack will be directly related to the length of time that your territorial conflict festered.

Stop Dwelling and Start Resolving Your Emotional Conflicts!

It is imperative that you tend to all of these emotional conflicts as soon as possible, as the research shows that if you go longer than nine months with a moderate to severe territorial conflict, it is likely you won’t survive the heart attack that follows.

A classic example is an executive who has felt his “territory” at work threatened by a younger workforce for many months or even years. Then, upon their retirement — when the conflict has finally been resolved — they experience a massive heart attack.

Now, here’s the kicker.

Sometimes a conflict is so extreme that you know you’ve been emotionally impacted immediately. But, oftentimes, you may have no idea.

In many cultures, we are taught to suppress our emotions, and to “grin and bear it.” Well, little did you know but those underlying resentments, arguments, regrets and guilty feelings can all manifest into disease in time. So please, find a method of real stress relief and use it regularly — whether you think you need it or not. My particular favorite is the psychological acupressure technique the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), as it’s simple to use and extremely effective.

What’s so great about Dr Joseph Mercola who brings this mind-body connection to light? He’s open minded and looks for truly natural solutions first for health problems. I highly recommend getting his email newsletters. He doesn’t believe in vitamin pills and he looks for reasonable alternatives to medications and surgeries, where appropriate. When I read this information about the emotional-physical connection to illness, I thought that this is an idea that should be passed along to you. It’s taken thousands of years for modern doctors to start to understand the connection between emotions and physical diseases, but at last we can start to view the human condition in holistic terms.

Trauma is one of the biggest components of physical health problems. If you have a chronic illness, while seeing your doctor, you should also be seeing a qualified mental health practitioner to explore and release your emotional trauma. The human body responds to emotional trauma with physical manifestations. On the most basic terms, most people can relate to these responses, for example:

• Nervousness causing stomach upset
• Fright causing heart attacks
• Stress causing chest pains
• Worry and stress causing ulcers
• Thinking about food makes mouths water

Emotional problems cause physiological changes, from narrowing arteries to increased production of gastric juices.

So the next question becomes: Can we reverse physical ailments by reversing our emotional trauma? There are a number of doctors who say “yes.”  One of the ways to do this is through somatic therapy (although there are other avenues as well). The goal of somatic therapy is to remove the effects of trauma. Transforming trauma includes being able to change the deep reactions that linger long after a traumatic experience– the fight, flight, freeze and dissociation responses which emerge automatically to protect us. While they are initially life saving responses they tend to create havoc over time.(1) Most major cities have psychologists and counselors who are trained in somatic therapy.

The Foundation for Human Enrichment explains the benefits of somatic therapy (also called Somatic Experiencing, or SE, developed by psychologist Peter Levine, PhD, author of Waking the Tiger) for resolving trauma that leads to both physical and emotional problems:

The very structure of trauma, including hyper-arousal, dissociation. and freezing, is based on the evolution of the predator/prey survival behaviors. The symptoms of trauma are the result of a highly activated incomplete biological response to threat, frozen in time. By enabling this frozen response to thaw, then complete, trauma can be healed.

Traumatic symptoms are not caused by the dangerous event itself. They arise when residual energy from the event is not discharged from the body. This energy remains trapped in the nervous system where it can wreak havoc on our bodies and minds. Wild animals have the ability to “shake off” this excess energy. The key for humans in dispelling traumatic symptoms lies in our being able to mirror wild animals in this way. Dr. Levine has developed a safe, gradual way to help trauma survivors develop their own natural ability to resolve the excess energy caused by overwhelming events.

While no book can give you all you need to alter your life, Waking the Tiger can at least open the door for understanding the role of trauma in stifling the mind and body, allowing you a new way of looking the relationship between mind, body and traumatic psychological events.

All of the information that has come forth to reveal the how the mind and emotions can cause physical illness leads to the question: Is it possible to reverse disease by using the power of the mind? In simpler terms, If the mind can make us sick, can it also make us well? The reader who is motivated to do so may care to look into the works of Carl Simington, MD and others of his ilk. Of course, there is a litany of New Age junk without any scientific merit, so you have to wade carefully through the waters by trying to look for solid scientific evidence and actual proof that a particular doctor’s technique is proven effective. But the journey is worth the effort if you are struggling with any sort of chronic illness, whether it’s cancer, asthma, headaches, etc.

Sources:

1. http://www.somaticsandtrauma.org/approach.html

2. Foundation for Human Enrichment 

Are Sinus Problems Driving You Crazy?

This is the world’s most natural solution…

by Vic Shayne

Millions of people suffer from sinus problems and don’t even know it. You get up in the morning and it feels like your head is in a vice. Your eyes may be puffy and your breath is an unspeakable phenomenon. If it’s chronic, which it usually is, then you’ve probably got a regimen to get rid of the stuffiness and pain, that includes aspirin, Tylenol or even something like Sudafed, as well as hot showers, steams or inhalers. What’s going on?

Too many people have problems with foods that create mucous and clog their sinuses.

The most offensive of these foods are:

• milk
• milk shakes
• cream
• ice cream
• cream cheese
• cheese

There are also other contributors to sinus problems, including foods that are processed (they come in a box), mayonnaise, potato chips, fried foods of all kinds, margarine, beer and wine. Or, you could have sinus problems from things you’ve inhaled, like dust, mold, dander, varnish, gasoline, nail polish, car exhaust, cigarette smoke or paint.

BECOME A SINUS SCIENTIST

But to get rid of sinus problems, you need to turn yourself in to a scientist of sorts. This means you have to create a process not of elimination, but of addition. First, go on a special diet wherein you don’t eat any of the offending foods I mentioned above, for two weeks. And don’t cheat or you have to start all over again. Do it for the sake of science! (and more importantly, your health). Then, every three days add only ONE of the offending foods that you normally eat, back into your diet. Wait two days and see if you get sinus problems. If not, repeat the process.

THE SINUS DIET

We have a sinus diet that gives you more details, if you are interested. Just email us and request our Sinus Diet and we’ll email it back to you.

UPDATE: Our Complete Sinus Diet is now online for Free – Click Here.

Milk thistle feeds the liver. So why is that important for you to know?

In an increasingly toxic world, we place growing burdens on the body’s detoxification system, the hub of which is the liver. Millions of compounds are detoxified within each liver cell, or hepatocyte. Inevitably, this wear and tear compromises liver cells and surrounding connective tissue. Hepatotoxicity is fast becoming a major health issue. In fact, many practitioners believe poor liver function caused by toxin accumulation or by liver-function decline may contribute to other seemingly unrelated illnesses, such as rheumatoid arthritis, eczema, migraine headaches and premenstrual syndrome, and may manifest symptoms of its own. As a result, milk thistle (Silybum marianum) is widely prescribed by herbalists throughout Europe and the Americas for liver protection.

Milk thistle, also known as St. Mary’s thistle and lady’s thistle, is native to Asia Minor, North Africa, southern Europe and southern Russia. It has been naturalized to central Europe, North and South America, and South Australia. The herb has dark-green prickly leaves mottled or streaked with white veins, blooms from June to September and can grow to six feet tall. Its medicinal properties are found in the small, hard fruits, sometimes called seeds but known technically as achenes, that appear after the plant flowers.

Read the rest of this story here

Nutrition Science News
Understanding Herbs
“Milk Thistle’s Liver-Protective Properties”
By Lise N. Alschuler, N.D.

Milk thistle is contained in VitaLiv 

“We tested compounds that are actually found in the blood, rather than the flavonoid in food before it is eaten, as only these compounds will actually come into contact with human tissues and have an effect on arterial health”, said research leader Dr Paul Kroon.

There are six classes of flavonoids: flavonols, flavones, isoflavones, flavanones, flavan-3-ols and anthocyanins. The scientists focused on the major flavonol in the diet, quercetin, the main sources of which are tea, onions, apples and red wine.

Previous IFR research has shown that quercetin is metabolised very quickly by the intestine and liver and is not actually found in human blood. For this study, Dr Kroon and his team analysed the compounds that enter the bloodstream after quercetin is ingested, absorbed and metabolised and used them to treat cells in a simple model of atherosclerosis.

“The effect is more subtle than laboratory experiments using the parent compound”, said Dr Kroon.

“But we can confirm that eating quercetin-rich foods may help prevent chronic inflammation leading to cardiovascular disease because the metabolites still have an effect on the cells lining the blood vessels”, said Dr Kroon.

The biological activity of flavonoids is highly dependent on their structure, and quercetin metabolites have very different activities from those of the parent compound.

“In order to assess the contribution of diets rich in fruit and vegetables to protect against cardiovascular disease, it is crucial that laboratory studies use the relevant compounds and most importantly, at concentrations achievable through diet”, said Dr Kroon.

This is one of very few studies that have used concentrations of quercetin metabolites that are achievable after eating quercetin rich foods, such as onions. It was the first study to investigate all the major metabolites. It was possible because the scientists synthesised the exact compounds found in the blood after eating a quercetin rich meal.

In the case of one inflammatory process, a lower dose actually had a larger impact. This indicates that if something is good for you, it does not necessarily follow that more is even better for you. Also, the lower dose was achievable through diet, for example by consuming 100-200g of onions.

People with high intakes of fruit and vegetables have been found to have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and it was originally thought this was due to the antioxidant nutrients in plant material. However, research failed to observe beneficial effects in terms of preventing CVD and recently interest has focused on the protective role that flavonoids may have. Flavonoids are polyphenolic compounds naturally present in fruit and vegetables.

The research, to be published in Atherosclerosis, was funded through a Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) Responsive Mode Grant to IFR.

Source: Institute of Food Research (www.ifr.ac.uk)

A great source of flavonoids is in FlavoC, and SuperGreens PhytoFood, both whole food supplements.

LOW TESTOSTERONE, LOW SEX DRIVE
Testosterone hormones are produced primarily by a male’s testes, but are also produced in small amounts by the female’s ovaries and the adrenal gland, an organ found in both sexes. After puberty, testosterone plays a key role in the regulation of the sex drive. Low testosterone levels causes a drop in sexual desire, and appropriate levels of testosterone increases sex drive and sexual interest in both sexes.

Progesterone is produced by only two sites in the body: the gonads (ovaries) and the adrenal glands, which produce it in tiny quantities as a precursor for the creation of over 100 identified types of other hormones. By contrast, estrogen is produced by the pineal gland, hair follicles, breasts, liver, adrenal glands, ovaries, and body fat.

COFFEE DRINKING BOOSTS ESTROGEN LEVELS
Drinking more than two cups of coffee daily may boost estrogen levels in women and could worsen conditions such as endometriosis and breast pain.

“According to the researchers, women who drank the most coffee had higher levels of estradiol, a naturally occurring form of estrogen, during the early follicular phase, or days 1 to 5 of the menstrual cycle.

“Higher estrogen levels would not be beneficial for women who for example have endometriosis, breast pain and family histories of breast or ovarian cancer, especially arising premenopausally.

“The study included nearly 500 women aged 36 to 45 who were not pregnant, breast-feeding or taking hormones. All women answered questions about their diets, smoking habits, height and weight. Researchers measured the women’s hormone levels during days 1 to 5 of their menstrual cycle.

“Women who consumed more than one cup of coffee a day had significantly higher levels of estrogen during the early follicular phase of their menstrual cycle. Caffeine intake from all sources was linked with higher estrogen levels regardless of age, body mass index (BMI), caloric intake, smoking, and alcohol and cholesterol intake. Women who consumed at least 500 milligrams of caffeine daily, the equivalent of four or five cups of coffee, had nearly 70% more estrogen during the early follicular phase than women consuming no more than 100 mg of caffeine daily, or less than one cup of coffee. This study provides a basis for believing that coffee consumption increases estradiol levels. While these effects are modest with one or two cups, they are more evident at higher levels of consumption.”
(Source: Fertility and Sterility October 2001;76:723-729)

ESTROGEN TOO HIGH, PROGESTERONE LOW
(Source for the following: Hormone Replacement Therapy When Is It Necessary? (Part 2)Tim O’Shea, mercola.com, 2004)
If estrogen levels get too high, progesterone can no longer keep the dynamic balance, which happens in American women who live their adult lives with pathologically high levels of estrogen. Three main reasons for the high levels:
• overrefined diet
• no exercise
• external toxic sources of estrogen : xenoestrogens

Refined carbohydrates, hard fats, empty foods and too much of it all raises estrogen to abnormal levels, as much as twice the normal, which are maintained for the better part of adult lives of most American women. Dr. Ellison of Harvard University found that estrogen levels are much lower in women who eat little and perform strenuous physical work, as in locales with non-industrialized lifestyle. The opposite is true for the American woman who eats too much and gets little exercise: abnormally high estrogen levels are the direct result. Menopause is a much bigger deal in industrialized countries, because estrogen decline is so radical – the difference between pre and post estrogen levels is significant. This hormonal rollercoaster dip is stressful, and the real cause of of menopausal discomfort.

Xenoestrogens — estrogens from outside the body. “Many external toxins have estrogenlike effects in the body. Most are petroleum derivatives. Xenoestrogens are in plastics, computer chips, PVC, pesticides, soap, clothes, DDT and other modern manufactured goods. There has been extensive zoological research in the area of xenoestrogen effects on animals and resulting birth defects. In studies of panthers, alligators, birds, turtles, seals, fish, and many other species from diverse parts of the globe, scientists are finding a common theme: feminization of males, decreased sperm counts, low male testosterone, and extremely high levels of estrogen in females, with plummeting numbers of offspring.

“Between 1950 and 1970, some four million pounds of the pesticide DDT, illegal today, was dumped into the ocean in Los Angeles. Examples of eggshell thinning, gonad shrinkage and feminization in males, overdeveloped ovaries in females, and failure to thrive are some of the defects found in seagull studies at UC Davis by Michael Fry. In 1981, Fry published his research in the journal Science. Shrugged off for years by the scientific community, Fry’s work is now being corroborated all over the world in dozens of other species.”

A lot of people have followed this Program for at least 14 days…
Remember: antibiotics, nasal sprays, antihistamines and steroids do not cure sinus problems; they only address the symptoms if they work at all.

Supplements to take on a daily basis:

• InflaPlex: 4 per day
• ImmuneSupport: 4 per day
• FlavoC: 6 per day
• DigestPlex: 1 with each major meal, maximum 2 per day

Follow this dietary schedule:
Each day eat only raw or slightly cooked vegetables. Eat a wide variety, consisting of more greens than other vegetables. Eat only these meats: fish, chicken, beef, lamb or turkey. Limit grains to brown rice. Eat at least one big salad (NO iceberg lettuce!) per day, but do not use any bottled dressings. If your salad is made with spinach, use only organically grown spinach, because non organic spinach is one of the most pesticide-laden of all foods. Make your own (see Salad Dressing below). Organic foods are the best choices, always, because pesticides on foods can contribute to sinus problems by poisoning you.

You may choose to grill your chicken and mix it in with your salad. You may add almonds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and/or pecans, but no other nuts.

Foods to avoid

• All breakfast cereals except organic oatmeal (do not add milk or cream)
• Margarine
• ANY oil except organic olive oil or organic flaxseed oil
• ALL fried foods (including french fries, chips, etc.)
• All drinks except filtered water, organic iced tea (green or black tea, but not flavored varieties)
• Iceberg lettuce
• Any canned or bottled foods and sauces, except plain olives or pineapple)
• Pasta
• Bread (except organic whole wheat)
• Tofu
• Hot dogs
• Sugar (use only honey as a sweetener)
• Artificial sweeteners
• Milk, cheese, skim milk, half and half
• Non-organic coffee (either regular or decaf)
• Eggs
• Bacon (organic or natural turkey bacon is okay)
• Soy milk, rice milk, oat milk or almond milk
• ALL nuts except for almonds and pecans
• Cheese substitutes, fake cheeses
• Pizza
• ALL junk food
• ALL desserts except fresh fruit
• Sour cream
• Ice cream, ice milk or Rice Dream or soy ice cream
• Any artificial drink (Crystal Light, Kool Aid etc)
• Wine, beer or other alcoholic beverages
• Foods cooked in oil
• Mayonnaise (not even a healthfood variety)
• Crackers
• Peanut butter or any other nut butter
• Chocolate
• Egg substitute products
• Cakes, muffins, croissants, cup cakes or pies

A few samples of approved foods:

• Organic butter
• Brown Rice
• Natural turkey, chicken, beef, fish, sea foods
• Vegetables
• Fruits
• Berries
• Whole wheat bread
• Home made soups without any ingredients on the “Avoid” list
• Home made salsa
• Organic tortilla shells
• Iced tea, hot tea
• Natural or organic turkey sausage and turkey bacon

Home made salad dressing:
Organic olive oil, fresh lemon and organic balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle onto your salad: sea salt, oregano and organic garlic powder.

Do not:

• Wear any perfume or use any perfumed skin products or cosmetics
• Use perfumed laundry detergent (try a brand such as Seventh Generation)
• Use any aerosol products (underarm deodorant, household sprays)
• Use any pesticides, bug sprays
• Paint anything or use any products that give off gasses (even if you can’t smell them)

Some other helpful suggestions:

• Change your air conditioner/heater filters
• Buy an air filter
• Filter your drinking and bathing water
• Avoid chlorine
• Keep your home vacuumed and floors mopped
• Change your bed linens at least once a week
• Keep your pets washed (you may even be allergic to them)
• Tell your mother or mother-in-law to lay off the perfume

Antibiotics may not be a wise idea…
“Although the majority of sinus infections are not caused by bacteria, antibiotics (which kill only bacteria) are the most commonly prescribed drug treatment. “The use of prescription antibiotics far outweighs the predicted incidence of bacterial causes of acute and chronic rhinosinusitis,” said researchers from the University of Nebraska after examining data from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey and the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey of people who had received medical care for sinus infections between 1999 and 2002… Many people expect a prescription and their doctors might be too hasty to satisfy this request when an antibiotic isn’t necessary. People who suffer from sinus infections have options besides antibiotics. Using a neti pot or bulb syringe to cleanse the nasal passages and sinuses is highly effective for treating both acute and chronic sinusitis. Identifying and treating food allergies and intolerances can also be helpful, especially for chronic sinusitis. (Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2007;133:260–5)” (Sinus Infections—Antibiotics Not Always the Answer: Kimberly Beauchamp, ND, Healthnotes Newswire, April 5, 2007)

The object of this Program is not to starve, but to eliminate foods that typically give people sinus problems. The suggested supplements contain foods and herbs that address: breaking down fats, addressing inflammation, protecting the cells of the sinus passages, and supporting the immune system.

This Program is not meant as a cure or a replacement for medical treatment and may be done in conjunction with and coordination with your medical doctor’s care. Our 14-Day Natural Sinus Relief Program has helped a lot of people, even those who have had a lifetime of chronic sinus problems.