kebaldwin
Fri, Sep-29-06, 04:49
Start Building Immune Health Now for Colder Seasons Ahead
While the weather itself doesn't cause illness, more time spent indoors during the fall and winter months allows germs and viruses to spread more easily from person to person. Besides practicing common sense basics, like avoiding contact with sneezing, coughing individuals and washing your hands frequently, there are some nutritional supplements that may help. A recent study showed remarkable beneficial effects of the herb echinacea in regards to the common cold.
Fall is officially here. For those of us living in the northeast, we've already seen some night temperatures in the 40s. Freezing and inclement weather are on the way. Of course, with winter weather there's a clear increased risk of upper respiratory tract infections and the common cold. With this in mind, I thought it'd be apropos to start the newsletter off concerning possible remedies for this common ailment.
At the recent annual meeting of the American College of Clinical Pharmacology, researchers reported on the use of echinacea and the common cold1. Dr. Shah, from the University of Connecticut, indicated there are approximately 1 billion colds reported annually. He noted that about 20% of patients reported using various nutraceuticals for symptom management, the most commonly utilized being echinacea. Dr. Shah, along with other colleagues, pooled analysis of 14 randomized trials involving over 1,300 patients. The team reported the use of echinacea cut incidence of the common cold by 58% and shortened duration of the cold by 1.9 days compared to those who didn't use this supplement. My family and I have always relied on echinacea along with several thousand mgs per day of vitamin C, elderberry and other nutrients at the first sign of a cold, which I have found to be generally helpful.
There was a fascinating study published in the September 20, 2006 edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association2. In this population-based prospective study performed in Sweden, over 61,000 women between 40 and 76 years old filled out a food frequency questionnaire when first entering the study, then seven to 10 years thereafter. After adjusting for potential confounding factors, there appeared to be an inverse relationship with consumption of fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel and herring and risk of developing abnormal cellular growth within the kidney. The study found that women who ate fatty fish once a week or more had a 74% reduction in developing abnormal cellular growth within the kidneys compared to those who didn't eat any fish at all. Interestingly, lean varieties of fish didn't provide the same benefit. Fatty fish can have up to 30 times the omega-3 fatty acids and up to five times the level of vitamin D compared to lean fish. The study concluded that the consumption of fatty fish may reduce the occurrence of this abnormal cellular growth in the kidney in women.
In a related study published in the September 2006 edition of the journal Cancer, Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, vitamin D was analyzed in relationship to the subsequent development of abnormal cellular growth within the pancreas3. Two prospective cohort studies were initiated in the 1980s involving over 46,000 men and 75,000 women between the ages of 38 and 75. Diet was analyzed via a food questionnaire survey. In the over-16 years of follow up, it was found that higher intakes of vitamin D were associated with lower risks of developing abnormal cellular growth within the pancreas. Overall, there was up to a 43% reduction in this abnormal cellular growth in people taking at least 400 IU of vitamin D. Interestingly, researchers noted that taking more than 400 IU a day did not seem to reduce the risk any further, although there have been countless other studies showing clear benefits with higher intake of vitamin D. I have discussed this in many previous newsletters.
Another nutrient I feel is absolutely essential to be consumed in adequate quantities on a regular basis is the micro-mineral selenium. Selenium appears to work by significantly reducing oxidative stress. It's a critical component in some of the natural antioxidant enzyme systems in they body. There was a study published in the November 2006 issue of Clinica Chimica Acta regarding selenium4. A group of patients suffering with abnormal cellular growth in the mouth and oral cavity underwent blood sampling before initiating radiation therapy. Half of this group were then given radiation therapy alone, versus the other group, which was given radiation along with 400 mcg of selenium daily for six months. Both groups were then followed for six months.
The concentrations of selenium, all non-enzymatic anti-oxidants and enzymatic anti-oxidants were initially found to be lower in all patients with this abnormal cellular growth within the oral cavity (compared to a group of normal individuals). There was further decrease in the concentration of selenium and antioxidants observed in those who subsequently underwent radiation therapy. On the contrary, however, those who underwent radiation and received selenium supplementation showed a marked increase in selenium concentration and overall antioxidant status at six months compared to the radiation group. Authors noted that the observed result represents the antioxidant property of selenium through the improvement of the antioxidant defense system. They further note that selenium supplementation could be of great interest in protecting cells against oxidative stress.
Although I've been practicing allopathic medicine for almost a quarter of century, I still have to remind myself, and my patients, on a regular basis that our bodies do not require drugs such as Lipitor and Zoloft, but rather our bodies require and/or are comprised of vitamins, essential fatty acids, amino acids and critical minerals. Although many of us may think we get adequate amounts of these important nutrients in our diets, it is frequently not the case. Supplementing with an excellent quality multi-vitamin makes a lot of sense.
And, of course, it's also important to take adequate amounts of essential omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA from a molecularly distilled and concentrated source .
1. Echinacea cuts cold incidence.
2. Wolk. A; Larsson, S; Johansson, J; Ekman, P. Long-term Fatty Fish Consumption and Renal Cell Carcinoma Incidence in Women. JAMA. 2006;296:1371-1376.
3. Skinner, H; Michaud, D; Giovannucci, E; Willett, W; Colditz, G; Fuchs, C. Vitamin D Intake and the Risk for Pancreatic Cancer in Two Cohort Studies. Cancer Epidemiol. Biomarkers Prev. 2006 15: 1688-1695.
4. Narchonai Elango, Shila Samuel and Panneerselvam Chinnakkannu. Enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant status in stage (III) human oral squamous cell carcinoma and treated with radical radio therapy: Influence of selenium supplementation. Clinica Chimica Acta. Vol 373 (Nov. 2006), Issues 1-2, p. 92-98.
While the weather itself doesn't cause illness, more time spent indoors during the fall and winter months allows germs and viruses to spread more easily from person to person. Besides practicing common sense basics, like avoiding contact with sneezing, coughing individuals and washing your hands frequently, there are some nutritional supplements that may help. A recent study showed remarkable beneficial effects of the herb echinacea in regards to the common cold.
Fall is officially here. For those of us living in the northeast, we've already seen some night temperatures in the 40s. Freezing and inclement weather are on the way. Of course, with winter weather there's a clear increased risk of upper respiratory tract infections and the common cold. With this in mind, I thought it'd be apropos to start the newsletter off concerning possible remedies for this common ailment.
At the recent annual meeting of the American College of Clinical Pharmacology, researchers reported on the use of echinacea and the common cold1. Dr. Shah, from the University of Connecticut, indicated there are approximately 1 billion colds reported annually. He noted that about 20% of patients reported using various nutraceuticals for symptom management, the most commonly utilized being echinacea. Dr. Shah, along with other colleagues, pooled analysis of 14 randomized trials involving over 1,300 patients. The team reported the use of echinacea cut incidence of the common cold by 58% and shortened duration of the cold by 1.9 days compared to those who didn't use this supplement. My family and I have always relied on echinacea along with several thousand mgs per day of vitamin C, elderberry and other nutrients at the first sign of a cold, which I have found to be generally helpful.
There was a fascinating study published in the September 20, 2006 edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association2. In this population-based prospective study performed in Sweden, over 61,000 women between 40 and 76 years old filled out a food frequency questionnaire when first entering the study, then seven to 10 years thereafter. After adjusting for potential confounding factors, there appeared to be an inverse relationship with consumption of fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel and herring and risk of developing abnormal cellular growth within the kidney. The study found that women who ate fatty fish once a week or more had a 74% reduction in developing abnormal cellular growth within the kidneys compared to those who didn't eat any fish at all. Interestingly, lean varieties of fish didn't provide the same benefit. Fatty fish can have up to 30 times the omega-3 fatty acids and up to five times the level of vitamin D compared to lean fish. The study concluded that the consumption of fatty fish may reduce the occurrence of this abnormal cellular growth in the kidney in women.
In a related study published in the September 2006 edition of the journal Cancer, Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, vitamin D was analyzed in relationship to the subsequent development of abnormal cellular growth within the pancreas3. Two prospective cohort studies were initiated in the 1980s involving over 46,000 men and 75,000 women between the ages of 38 and 75. Diet was analyzed via a food questionnaire survey. In the over-16 years of follow up, it was found that higher intakes of vitamin D were associated with lower risks of developing abnormal cellular growth within the pancreas. Overall, there was up to a 43% reduction in this abnormal cellular growth in people taking at least 400 IU of vitamin D. Interestingly, researchers noted that taking more than 400 IU a day did not seem to reduce the risk any further, although there have been countless other studies showing clear benefits with higher intake of vitamin D. I have discussed this in many previous newsletters.
Another nutrient I feel is absolutely essential to be consumed in adequate quantities on a regular basis is the micro-mineral selenium. Selenium appears to work by significantly reducing oxidative stress. It's a critical component in some of the natural antioxidant enzyme systems in they body. There was a study published in the November 2006 issue of Clinica Chimica Acta regarding selenium4. A group of patients suffering with abnormal cellular growth in the mouth and oral cavity underwent blood sampling before initiating radiation therapy. Half of this group were then given radiation therapy alone, versus the other group, which was given radiation along with 400 mcg of selenium daily for six months. Both groups were then followed for six months.
The concentrations of selenium, all non-enzymatic anti-oxidants and enzymatic anti-oxidants were initially found to be lower in all patients with this abnormal cellular growth within the oral cavity (compared to a group of normal individuals). There was further decrease in the concentration of selenium and antioxidants observed in those who subsequently underwent radiation therapy. On the contrary, however, those who underwent radiation and received selenium supplementation showed a marked increase in selenium concentration and overall antioxidant status at six months compared to the radiation group. Authors noted that the observed result represents the antioxidant property of selenium through the improvement of the antioxidant defense system. They further note that selenium supplementation could be of great interest in protecting cells against oxidative stress.
Although I've been practicing allopathic medicine for almost a quarter of century, I still have to remind myself, and my patients, on a regular basis that our bodies do not require drugs such as Lipitor and Zoloft, but rather our bodies require and/or are comprised of vitamins, essential fatty acids, amino acids and critical minerals. Although many of us may think we get adequate amounts of these important nutrients in our diets, it is frequently not the case. Supplementing with an excellent quality multi-vitamin makes a lot of sense.
And, of course, it's also important to take adequate amounts of essential omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA from a molecularly distilled and concentrated source .
1. Echinacea cuts cold incidence.
2. Wolk. A; Larsson, S; Johansson, J; Ekman, P. Long-term Fatty Fish Consumption and Renal Cell Carcinoma Incidence in Women. JAMA. 2006;296:1371-1376.
3. Skinner, H; Michaud, D; Giovannucci, E; Willett, W; Colditz, G; Fuchs, C. Vitamin D Intake and the Risk for Pancreatic Cancer in Two Cohort Studies. Cancer Epidemiol. Biomarkers Prev. 2006 15: 1688-1695.
4. Narchonai Elango, Shila Samuel and Panneerselvam Chinnakkannu. Enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant status in stage (III) human oral squamous cell carcinoma and treated with radical radio therapy: Influence of selenium supplementation. Clinica Chimica Acta. Vol 373 (Nov. 2006), Issues 1-2, p. 92-98.