August 2014 Newsletter
Restless legs syndrome and iron supplements… were mentioned together in a recent headline that caught my eye. It has become common knowledge that magnesium often helps restless leg syndrome but not iron. In the article that followed, recent research was cited that made a good case for taking iron supplements to decrease symptoms. A persistent fact that was NOT mentioned is that iron supplementation is complicated. The body is typically very efficient at conserving iron. For example, most of our iron is in our red blood cells. The spleen has a system of capillaries that become smaller and smaller as it filters out impurities in the blood. Red blood cells have a life span of one hundred and twenty days. Eventually, the capillaries in the spleen become so tiny that the red blood cell has to curl or bend a little to make it through, similar to putting your hand through a small hole or bracelet. When a red blood cell ages to the point that it becomes brittle, this action causes it to burst and the spleen then literally recycles the parts. This system also acts as a storage place for the blood. If the body ever needs more blood, for instance, as the result of an injury that causes significant bleeding, the spleen then dilates all the capillaries. This temporarily conserves red blood cells, as the blood is released instead of filtered through tiny vessels.
Like calcium, the body needs several supporting nutrients to help it absorb iron too. Women with fatigue are often tested for anemia and are then advised to try iron supplements. High doses of calcium supplements bind to iron and decrease absorption, but if too much iron is ingested, the body cannot easily eliminate the excess.
Men must be especially careful of taking iron supplements because of a unique genetic, hereditary condition called hemochromatosis. It is most common in descendants of Northern European countries. The frequency is not high, about five people out of every thousand. Undiagnosed, it can cause iron to build up in the organs, resulting in tissue damage, pre-mature aging, and DNA mutations (cancer).
Complicating factors are diabetes, smoking and heart disease. The daily recommendation for men nineteen years of age and older is about eight milligrams of iron. The average pre-menopausal woman needs more, about eighteen to twenty-two milligrams per day. It is rare for women to need more of a nutrient than men. Considering all these facts, iron supplementation to relieve restless legs syndrome must be approached with caution.
High fructose corn syrup (HFCS)… is a food additive to be avoided that I’ve been warning about for a very long time. Another study done by some British and American researchers has shown a correlation between nations with the greatest consumption of HFCS and a twenty percent higher incidence of type 2 diabetes. Repeat after me, it is NOT just the same as ordinary corn syrup.
‘Farts’ are healthy… an interesting new theory about digestive health that not only took me by surprise, it made me laugh. It is thought that the methane gas found in flatulence potentially kills cancerous cells. Unhealthy bacteria in the digestive system will produce large quantities of gas. Some foods that help maintain healthy digestive bacteria include vegetable fiber and fermented foods like borscht, sauerkraut, yogurt, kombucha tea, mycelium yeast, brewer’s yeast, and kefir.
Curcumin diarylheptanoid… is the main curcuminoid of turmeric, a South Asian spice that is a member of the ginger family. This bright, yellow, root-type spice is popular in the Philippines. Lately, it has been getting a lot of mention in health news headlines. One reason is that it has been shown to destroy esophageal cancer cells by a study done at Bowling Green State University of Ohio. A new study on curcumin extract of the turmeric root found that supplements made from it worked better to treat symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) than a common prescription drug. This was an eight-week long pilot study of forty-five subjects diagnosed with RA, who were split into three groups. After assessing all three groups, the first group was given five hundred milligrams of cur cumin extract once a day. The next group was given fifty milligrams of diclofenac sodium once a day. The third group was given a combination of both substances twice daily. At the end of the eight week period, all subjects were reassessed, and all three groups showed improvement. The group who took curcumin alone showed the highest percentage of improvement. Albeit a small, pilot study, it revealed the first evidence that curcumin could help alleviate the symptoms of RA. In addition, curcumin treatment did not correlate with adverse side effects.
I decided to explore this subject further. Curcumin is the main spice in curry, and has a warm, bitter taste. Different sources advised doses of five hundred milligrams per day, one or two times a day, increasing to four times a day, as needed for a total of 2000 to 4000 mg per day. It is an anti-inflammatory, cancer preventative, anti-oxidant, immune system enhancer, antibacterial and anti-viral, and blood thinner. Things it has been said to help are heartburn, stomach pain, diarrhea, intestinal gas, arthritis, stomach bloating, loss of appetite, jaundice, liver problems, headaches, bronchitis, colds, lung infections, fibromyalgia, leprosy, fever, menstrual problems, depression, water retention, worms, kidney problems, soreness of the mouth, and poor circulation. But before you jump in, let me give you the risks and potential complications.
Possible side effects include stomach upset, nausea and diarrhea (which is odd, because turmeric is good for stomach upsets). People with ulcers should avoid turmeric. If prone to gallstones, turmeric causes the gall bladder to contract. That will be problematic if there is a latent gallstone present that might be disturbed. People who take blood thinners should avoid turmeric. Considering the research, I recommend avoiding very high doses of turmeric. Five hundred milligrams per day seems like a significant dose, maybe double that for a while, but remain alert to any ill effects.
People do not decline mentally with age… scientists believe that the brains of older individuals are slower because so much information has been acquired and stored, it just takes longer to recall facts from such a large amount of data. Much like a computer, the more data that is stored, the more difficult it can be to access. Researchers say this slowing down is not the same as cognitive decline. The human brain works more slowly as it ages, but only because we have stored more information over time, not because it ever grows weak. This explanation works for me.
“The Activators”, our Relay for Life team… raised over eight hundred dollars last weekend for the American Cancer Society! Thank you for contributing to this success.
We are slashing prices… during August only; get 25% off ALL our nutritional supplements. Please call ahead if you plan to purchase supplements that we do not regularly stock, so that they can be ordered for you.
Like calcium, the body needs several supporting nutrients to help it absorb iron too. Women with fatigue are often tested for anemia and are then advised to try iron supplements. High doses of calcium supplements bind to iron and decrease absorption, but if too much iron is ingested, the body cannot easily eliminate the excess.
Men must be especially careful of taking iron supplements because of a unique genetic, hereditary condition called hemochromatosis. It is most common in descendants of Northern European countries. The frequency is not high, about five people out of every thousand. Undiagnosed, it can cause iron to build up in the organs, resulting in tissue damage, pre-mature aging, and DNA mutations (cancer).
Complicating factors are diabetes, smoking and heart disease. The daily recommendation for men nineteen years of age and older is about eight milligrams of iron. The average pre-menopausal woman needs more, about eighteen to twenty-two milligrams per day. It is rare for women to need more of a nutrient than men. Considering all these facts, iron supplementation to relieve restless legs syndrome must be approached with caution.
High fructose corn syrup (HFCS)… is a food additive to be avoided that I’ve been warning about for a very long time. Another study done by some British and American researchers has shown a correlation between nations with the greatest consumption of HFCS and a twenty percent higher incidence of type 2 diabetes. Repeat after me, it is NOT just the same as ordinary corn syrup.
‘Farts’ are healthy… an interesting new theory about digestive health that not only took me by surprise, it made me laugh. It is thought that the methane gas found in flatulence potentially kills cancerous cells. Unhealthy bacteria in the digestive system will produce large quantities of gas. Some foods that help maintain healthy digestive bacteria include vegetable fiber and fermented foods like borscht, sauerkraut, yogurt, kombucha tea, mycelium yeast, brewer’s yeast, and kefir.
Curcumin diarylheptanoid… is the main curcuminoid of turmeric, a South Asian spice that is a member of the ginger family. This bright, yellow, root-type spice is popular in the Philippines. Lately, it has been getting a lot of mention in health news headlines. One reason is that it has been shown to destroy esophageal cancer cells by a study done at Bowling Green State University of Ohio. A new study on curcumin extract of the turmeric root found that supplements made from it worked better to treat symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) than a common prescription drug. This was an eight-week long pilot study of forty-five subjects diagnosed with RA, who were split into three groups. After assessing all three groups, the first group was given five hundred milligrams of cur cumin extract once a day. The next group was given fifty milligrams of diclofenac sodium once a day. The third group was given a combination of both substances twice daily. At the end of the eight week period, all subjects were reassessed, and all three groups showed improvement. The group who took curcumin alone showed the highest percentage of improvement. Albeit a small, pilot study, it revealed the first evidence that curcumin could help alleviate the symptoms of RA. In addition, curcumin treatment did not correlate with adverse side effects.
I decided to explore this subject further. Curcumin is the main spice in curry, and has a warm, bitter taste. Different sources advised doses of five hundred milligrams per day, one or two times a day, increasing to four times a day, as needed for a total of 2000 to 4000 mg per day. It is an anti-inflammatory, cancer preventative, anti-oxidant, immune system enhancer, antibacterial and anti-viral, and blood thinner. Things it has been said to help are heartburn, stomach pain, diarrhea, intestinal gas, arthritis, stomach bloating, loss of appetite, jaundice, liver problems, headaches, bronchitis, colds, lung infections, fibromyalgia, leprosy, fever, menstrual problems, depression, water retention, worms, kidney problems, soreness of the mouth, and poor circulation. But before you jump in, let me give you the risks and potential complications.
Possible side effects include stomach upset, nausea and diarrhea (which is odd, because turmeric is good for stomach upsets). People with ulcers should avoid turmeric. If prone to gallstones, turmeric causes the gall bladder to contract. That will be problematic if there is a latent gallstone present that might be disturbed. People who take blood thinners should avoid turmeric. Considering the research, I recommend avoiding very high doses of turmeric. Five hundred milligrams per day seems like a significant dose, maybe double that for a while, but remain alert to any ill effects.
People do not decline mentally with age… scientists believe that the brains of older individuals are slower because so much information has been acquired and stored, it just takes longer to recall facts from such a large amount of data. Much like a computer, the more data that is stored, the more difficult it can be to access. Researchers say this slowing down is not the same as cognitive decline. The human brain works more slowly as it ages, but only because we have stored more information over time, not because it ever grows weak. This explanation works for me.
“The Activators”, our Relay for Life team… raised over eight hundred dollars last weekend for the American Cancer Society! Thank you for contributing to this success.
We are slashing prices… during August only; get 25% off ALL our nutritional supplements. Please call ahead if you plan to purchase supplements that we do not regularly stock, so that they can be ordered for you.