March 5, 2009

Everyone suffers the occasional bout of anxiety, but for about 19 million of us – more women than men – it’s frequent enough to interfere with daily activities. Why are women more prone to anxiety? A new study from the American Psychological Association suggests it’s because estrogen lowers the level of an enzyme believed to regulate anxious thoughts.

But there’s no need to worry about worrying: whether you have the jitters over a new job or you’re nervous about money or anything else, nature has its own pharmacy of little-known, but well-proven herbal remedies that can calm you down in a hurry, including:

California poppy. Lab tests show it promotes relaxation during stressful situations and inhibits the production of the stress hormone adrenaline. French researcher found that people with high anxiety were able to reduce their anxiety symptoms by nearly 25% in as little as a week. That’s why Germany’s reputable Commission E has approved an herbal remedy that made primarily of the gentler non-narcotic cousin of the opium poppy to treat nervousness and anxiety. “California poppy helps improve mood by reducing monoamine oxidase (MAO) in the brain, in much the same way prescription anti-anxiety drugs do, without the side effects,” says Pacific Palisades, California natural physician Hyla Cass, M.D., my co-author for 8 Weeks to Vibrant Health: A Take Charge Plan for Women.

Your best dose: California poppy comes in a liquid extract form. Because of the varying strengths, it’s best to follow manufacturer’s directions.

5-HTP. Your body uses 5-HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan) to manufacture the brain chemical serotonin – and a serotonin boost has been shown to alleviate anxiety. It also has a unique way of helping boost your body’s natural production of the sleep hormone melatonin. “I love 5-HTP because no other drug restores your body’s natural production of serotonin, even prescription drugs that simply block the serotonin cycle, but don’t fix the problem,” says New York City nutrition scientist Shari Lieberman, Ph.D., author of The Real Vitamin and Mineral Book. Studies from the National Institutes of Health lengthened the time subjects spent in anxiety banishing REM sleep by about 25%, making a huge difference in their ability to awaken feeling rested and refreshed.

Take 50-100 milligrams one hour before bedtime. If that’s not enough, increase by 50 mg. a day until you reach a maximum of 300 mg. The effect is boosted by a vitamin B-complex supplement.

Passionflower. In a recent Middle Eastern study (EDS: from Iran), 32 people suffering from general anxiety disorder took passionflower liquid extract or the anti-anxiety drug oxazepam (Serax. Similar to Xanax and Klonopin). Passionflower actually worked better and with no side effects. Plus, French scientists found that a preparation that includes passionflower relieved anxiety in 43% of subjects after just four weeks. “Passionflower removes the anxiety and tension that prevents you from relaxing without making you feel drowsy,” says Dr. Cass, author of Natural Highs. Dr. Cass says passionflower works best when combined with other herbs and nutrients like GABA, L-theanine, hops and B-vitamins. You can find the perfect blend in Dr. Cass’ Calm formula, available at cassmd.com or by calling 800-362-2950.

Your best dose: 100 mg unless in a combination formula where you need only 1/10 the dose.

Rhodiola. This arctic herb actually changes the way your body reacts to stress, making you feel relaxed and upbeat, says Columbia University psychiatrist Richard Brown, M.D., author of Stop Depression Now. Russian animal studies showed that subjects exposed to extreme stress chilled out an improved their performance by an astounding 159% when they had rhodiola in their systems! “It works to give you a boost when you need one and calm you down when you need to calm down,” says Dr. Brown.

Your best dose: Take 100-300 milligrams daily. Dr. Cass’ Energy formula contains 100 mg per dose, along with two other adaptogenic herbs. The best standardized product is Rosavin, available at health food stores.

–Kathleen Barnes

http://www/kathleenbarnes.com

Over the years, I’ve noticed those little wrinkles at the corners of my eyes and around my mouth.

I can rationalize those eye crinkles as laugh lines, and they honestly don’t bother me too much.

But the wrinkles around my mouth are something else. I hate them. I think of the as smokers’ wrinkles. But I’ve never smoked. It’s not fair, but they’ve started. I decided to nip them in the bud.

I found a few things that help. I’ll tell you there is no magic answer. But here as some methods that have worked for me:

* Omega-3 fatty acids: We all need them and fish oil is great for heart and joint health. It’s also great for skin health. Be sure you get a good products. I particularly like PharmaOmega’s ultra-purified fish oil products because I can feel the difference in my energy levels when I’m taking them. They also have no fishy smell or belchback, a real plus for me since I really dislike the taste of fish. I also like krill oil products because the tiny crustaceans are harvested in unpolluted deep cold waters and they have a good source of the antioxidant astaxanthin.

* Vitamin C: This ubiquitous nutrient should be in your regular vitamin regimen for a number of reasons, not the least of which is increased skin health. That’s because vitamin C helps your body re-build its stores of collagen, the fibers that kinds together the connective tissues of your body, including the underlayers of your skin. Studies show that people who eat a diet low in vitamin C have significantly more wrinkling, so an orange a day . . keeps your skin smooth. Most of the studies used ascorbic acid, just one of the elements of the complex vitamin C molecule. While ascorbic acid is cheap and available everywhere, I prefer to get my vitamin C from food and from supplements formulated from vine-ripened fruits grown in mineral-rich soil. I’ve taken a whole food vitamin C product produced by Innate for a couple of years now and I’m haopy with its many benefits, including skin plumping.

* Emu oil: My first two recommendations are for internal remedies for wrinkles. But if you want a quick fix followed by a longer term solution, you can’t go wrong with ultra-rich emu oil is one of the best kept anti-aging secrets in the world because it helps plump up skin, reduce wrinkles and reduce the inflammation that causes puffy eyes and eye bags. Dremu is one of my favorite brands because of the variety of products that address a multitude of sins. There’s Deception, a smoothing cream that provides instant results by filing in those fine lines. Its secret is tiny nanoprisms that refract the light to eliminate the visible shadow created by a wrinkle. Deception is a great quick fix while you’re working on the longer term solution with Dremu oil, a thick luxurious oil you apply at night that also relieves itching and even softens calloused feet.

Having youthful skin isn’t all that difficult. Try one of these remedies. Better yet, try them all. Not only will your skin show remarkable changes, that glowing skin will truly reflect your inner health.

–Kathleen Barnes
Natural Living Now

http://www.kathleenbarnes.com

Olive leaf extract is a staple in my medicine cabinet all the time, but even more so during cold and flu season.

That’s because it’s a broad spectrum anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal compound that knocks out whatever is ailing you.

That means there’s no need to know if that cold caused by a virus is deteriorating into bronchitis caused by opportunistic bacteria that can move in after you’re weakened by the virus.

If you’re anything like my husband, who thinks he is about to die of pneumonia at the first sign of a scratchy throat, olive leaf extract can be immensely comforting, not to speak of exceptionally effective whether it is a cold, the flu or something more serious.

Oleuropein, one of the active ingredients in olive leaf extract, has been shown to search out and inactivate harmful bacteria. Unlike synthetic antibiotics, it leaves the good bacteria alone, so you don’t risk swinging into dysbiosis or unbalanced gut bacteria by taking it.

In fact, olive leaf extract is one of the most effective treatments for dysbiosis recommended by Dr. William Crook, author of The Yeast Connection and other books on yeast overgrowth.

Oiive leaf extract is increasingly being used in Europe instead of synthetic antibiotics.

Because it helps strengthen the immune system many practitioners recommend taking olive leaf for several months for optimal immune system strengthening effects.

Dr. Ray Sahelian recommends 1500 mg or more daily. You can find scientific sources for the benefits of olive leaf extract at his website.

There are no adverse side effects from olive leaf extract, although some people experience a rather unpleasant flu-like effect often called die-off or, more scientifically, Herzheimer’s reaction, caused by toxins released by microorganisms killed by the extract. This usually passes within a few days.

Olive leaf extract has also been shown to:
• reduce blood pressure and cholesterol
• reduce inflammation
• improve blood sugar control
• have antioxidant effects that slow the aging processes
• boost energy
• improve symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome
• diminished herpes viral infections, including shingles

Olive leaf extract is available online and at nutrition outlets and health food stores everywhere. Be sure to get a product that is standardized to at least 15% oleuropein.

Although there are no known drug interaction or side effects, be sure to check with your health care professional before you use olive leaf extract or any other supplements.

—Kathleen Barnes
http:www/kathleenbarnes.com

by Dr. Robert Thompson, co-author, with Kathleen Barnes,

The Calcium Lie: What Your Doctor Doesn’t Know Could Kill You (InTruth Press, 2008)

Are you overweight? Is someone you love overweight?

No doubt your doctor has told you to eat less and exercise more while discreetly adjusting a lab coat to cover a personal paunch. Take a good look. Is your doctor an example of good health? If not, maybe your doctor doesn’t have the answer.

You’ve struggled. You faithfully get up at 5 a.m. every day for a morning jog. You’ve tried Atkins, South Beach, Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers. You gulp down chromium picolinate, 5-HTP, garcinia cambogia, hoodia, Alli and every fad supplement. You’ve probably had some success, but for almost all of us, the success is temporary. The weight begins to creep back on until you’ve regained all you lost and then some.

Why is that? Are we all weak-willed, unable to resist the temptation of the dinner plate? Is our willpower so lacking that we can’t even do the basic exercise of pushing away from the dinner table?

No! We are turning into a fat nation (Generation XL) because we are quite literally starving.
That’s right: In a time of unparalleled food wealth, we cannot get the nutrients our bodies need to function. Specifically, mineral deficiencies and imbalances, especially excess calcium intake, are leading us to metabolic failures of unprecedented proportions.

Starving for minerals

What are we starving for? Minerals. What are we stuffed with? Calcium.

Our society is obsessed with one of the most deadly medical myths ever perpetrated: That we need calcium in order to have strong bones. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Our bones are made of a dozen or more minerals, and calcium is just one of them. We need all of these minerals in the proper proportions

Most of us get way too much calcium and nowhere near enough of the others minerals we need, not only for strong bones, but for our overall health.

Calcium hardens concrete

Did you know that construction workers actually use calcium to harden concrete? That explains a lot about the harmful effects of excess calcium in your body.
It’s a vicious circle: We are starving for the minerals we need, and so we are driven through cravings to eat more and more food in an effort to get those minerals into our cells where they are essential for literally trillions of metabolic functions.

But our foods are low in minerals because of our mineral-poor soil and because few are vine ripened. So we eat more and more.

Our metabolism is slowed because of calcium excess, adrenal suppression and thyroid hormone resistance (Type 2 hypothyroidism).

Digestion is impaired; stomach acid is deficient or improperly released.

Protein is not fully digested and essential amino acids are not absorbed.

Amino acids can’t make it into our cells due to sodium pump failure. More cravings are stimulated by amino acid deficiencies and resulting neurotransmitter deficiencies.

Downward spiral

It’s a terrible, uncontrollable, downward spiral. Since we all know the well-documented risks of being overweight, it all seems so sad to think that we are killing ourselves in a desperate struggle to get the nutrients we need to survive and all the while we are admonished to get our calcium, diet and exercise.

Here’s the answer in short: Get all the minerals you need with the liberal use of unrefined sea salt.

I’m here to tell you that if you exercise like a hamster on the wheel and eat nothing but lettuce for the rest of your life, it will cause no permanent changes unless you treat your underlying metabolic imbalances by balancing and raising your mineral levels.

All meaningful weight loss must involve treating the underlying metabolic problem. Only proper mineral balance in the body can do this.

You’ll find a more detailed explanation of the effects of excess calcium on your weight and a host of other health problems in The Calcium Lie: What Your Doctor Doesn’t Know Could Kill You, my book written with health writer Kathleen Barnes. You’ll also find loads of material on our website, www.calciumlie.com.

–Dr. Robert Thompson is a physician practicing in Anchorage and Soldotna, Alaska.

Dec. 5, 2008

At this time of the year, respected researchers like Michael Holick, Ph.D. of Boston University say that 95% of us are vitamin D deficient.

That’s because our exposure to natural sunlight is so much less at this time of the year for obvious reasons that it’s impractical to walk around with face arms and legs exposed for 15 minutes when it’s 10 degrees Fahrenheit outside.

Now the American Dermatological Association comes up with the brilliant notion that we shouldn’t get our vitamin D from sunlight because it’s too likely to cause skin cancer.

This is part of a decades-long campaign conducted by dermatologists to hammer it into our heads that excessive sun exposure is hazardous to your health. I couldn’t agree more.

But you only need 15 minutes of direct sunlight three times a week to get your vitamin D from the sun.

At the median latitude in the United States (think of a line roughly from Washington to San Francisco), this is all you need. If you live south of the line, reduce your exposure by three to five minutes. If you live north of that line, add on three to five minutes. If you live in Alaska, you can probably safely tolerate as much as 30 minutes.

Take a look at my photo. I have very fair Celtic skin. I’m about as pale as humans come. I burn very easily, but I do not burn spending 15 minutes in direct sunlight three times a week.

The dermatologists need to stop panicking and look at the bigger picture. The health benefits of sufficient vitamin D intake are enormous.

Almost all of us need more of it.

Sunlight is simple. It’s free. And it’s vitally important to your health.

The human body can store enough vitamin D to last about three months, so about this time of year, we start feeling the deficiency. If you’re not into winter solstice sunbathing, a supplement will be fine to get you through the cold months.