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Menopause

In our culture, menopause can best be defined as the cessation of menstrual periods and fertility in an adult female. Often called the change of life, the word, menopause, actually means just that—the end of monthly cycles.

However, this very simple definition of a natural body process requires a good deal more explanation to thoroughly understand what is actually happening in a woman’s body.

Menopause.

Menopause Causes

When menopause occurs, the ovaries cease to produce eggs, which previously could result in pregnancy if fertilized. This happens because the body is producing lower levels of estrogen and other hormones that control female characteristics, such as breast development, menstrual cycles, body hair, etc. Hormone loss can be responsible for any number of uncomfortable or debilitating problems, relating to many different parts of the body.

Alternative Names

Most women experience their last period sometime between the ages of 40 and 60, with the average age being about 5l years. Menopause is said to specifically occur when a woman has been free of menstruation for a period of 12 months. Until that time, she is considered to be in perimenopause, a time span of up to 10 years in which menstrual irregularities and menopausal symptoms may occur.

A woman can also enter into surgical menopause at any age, if the ovaries are removed as part of a hysterectomy. When only the uterus is surgically removed, and the ovaries are left intact, estrogen and other hormones continue to be produced until natural menopause occurs in mid-life. Chemotherapy, as well as some auto-immune diseases, can also lead to surgical menopause.

Test and Diagnosis Considerations

Diagnosing menopause is relatively easy to do, and identifying specific stages and symptoms is usually not a problem either. Generally, doctors use medical history and symptoms to diagnose the onset of menopause. A blood test to measure the follicular hormone and estrogen levels in the blood can be done, but it is not a definite indicator of menopause. Obviously, doctors will do other tests to rule out certain illnesses if symptoms are severe. For example, neurological tests might be called for if memory lapses seem extreme.

It would seem that such a natural body process would be a somewhat painless and easy transition for most women. Unfortunately, the opposite is true. Studies show that up to 85% of menopausal women experience hot flashes, one of the most common, though certainly not the most serious of symptoms. True, some can sail through the period with minimal problems, but some experience these symptoms for the rest of their lives.

Menopause Symptoms

Menopause Symptoms.

These symptoms can be many and varied, and sometimes it might seem that almost anything can be blamed on menopause. The important issue here is that menopause is a function of the endocrine system, and thus, the entire body is affected, not just a woman’s reproductive parts. Let’s look at a list of probable and common symptoms, and the areas of the body that are involved:

Reproductive Problems

  • Decrease in sexual appetite
  • Vaginal dryness
  • Breast tenderness

Mental Problems

  • Memory loss
  • Depression
  • Concentration difficulties
  • Irritability
  • Bouts of forgetfulness
  • Fuzziness
  • Anxiety

General Aches and Pains

  • Headaches
  • Hair loss
  • Joint pain
  • Digestive troubles
  • Urinary tract problems
  • Weight gain
  • Difficulty sleeping
  • Hot flashes
  • Night sweats
  • Fatigue
  • Heart palpitations
  • Osteoporosis

Of course, one might argue that some symptoms would gradually lead to the surfacing of others. For example, if one is prone to sleep loss, then irritability and loss of concentration might result. Any or all of these symptoms could lead to depression, and so on. However, when one considers that menopause is supposed to be a natural body process, it does seem rather overwhelming that all these unpleasant side effects can and do occur!

Risk Factors

Since all women who live into their middle years and beyond will experience menopause, it is in their best interests to be informed about the various remedies for these symptoms. Basically, the remedies fall into four categories: Healthy Living, Home and Herbal Remedies, Further Alternative Treatments, and Drugs and Pharmaceuticals. The first three categories are the most preferred by the medical community, as the fourth one renders the highest risks and costs. Let’s examine each category and look at specific treatments for some of the symptoms.

Healthy Living & Prevention Tips

This category carries the lowest risk, and would be beneficial to anyone, including the menopausal woman. Obviously, there is nothing anyone can do to prevent menopause from occurring, but adopting a healthy lifestyle can do a lot to ease the transition into this new era.

  • A low-fat, high-fiber diet that is rich in fruits and vegetables will help maintain balance and help your body to resist those extra 10-15 pounds that often appear during menopause. Drinking lots of water will also help with dryness issues and keep you hydrated.
  • Specific foods that help to promote estrogen production are soy, beets, carrots, alfalfa, apples, cabbage and papaya. Eating these foods within a well-balanced diet can help with hot flashes and night sweats.
  • Exercise is key to a healthy routine. Walking, jogging, swimming or jumping rope are all simple exercises that cost little, if anything. Yoga and meditation are also excellent, and can help with depression and sleeplessness.
  • Avoid alcohol and caffeine as much as possible. If you smoke, stop.
  • Make sure that you are getting adequate amounts of vitamins and minerals in your diet, and/or supplements that you take. Vitamins B, C, D and E are especially important for good bone, skin, eye and brain health. Calcium is your best weapon against osteoporosis.
  • Try to consistently get 7-8 hours of sleep every night. This will ensure your overall well-being and help with memory problems, irritability and depression.
  • Pamper yourself a bit. Treat yourself to a day at the spa, a manicure or a new hairstyle. Shopping can also be very therapeutic and mood-elevating.
  • Seek out some new activities or interests. Get together with an old friend, or plan a party. Join a book club, or get involved with church activities—do something new and different, and you won’t have time to be depressed!

Treatment Options – Home and Herbal Remedies

When we look at this category, it seems easiest to divide the remedies into three groups: those that help with general aches and pains, those that help alleviate sexual dysfunction, and those that aid in dealing with memory problems and depression. The herbal remedies fall into two categories: non-estrogenic and phytoestrogens. Non-estrogenic herbs do not produce estrogen, but provide a supportive climate for hormonal glands so that they produce more estrogen. The phytoestrogens, like Black Cohosh, actually do produce estrogens.

Remedies for general aches and pains

By far, the most common complaint among menopausal women is hot flashes and/or night sweats. The drop in estrogen directly affects the hypothalamus, that area of the brain that controls body temperature. Blood vessels then dilate to try to control the heat, and profuse sweating and red, flushed skin are not unusual. Many women report wanting to tear off their clothes to relieve the discomfort. These remedies have been found to be somewhat effective, and not quite as drastic:

  • 20-60 mg. of Black CohoshMenopause Symptoms
  • Licorice powder
  • Soy (Soy nuts, tofu, tempeh, soy milk, etc.)
  • 3-4 gr of Chinese angelica tea (Dong quai)
  • Fruits and vegetables rich in vitamin C (broccoli, melons, berries, apricots, etc.)
  • Evening primrose oil
  • Wear cotton clothing to bed
  • Dress in layers
  • Use air conditioning in summer
  • Determine what triggers hot flashes and try to avoid (for example: alcohol, caffeine, etc.)
  • Drink a bottle of beer (The hops contain phytoestrogens)

Another common complaint during menopause involves sleep disorders, which generally translates into a lack of sleep. It is estimated that almost 60% of menopausal women experience insomnia at some point. Some of this may be due to the aforementioned hot flashes and night sweats, in which case some of the remedies for those things might help with the sleep issues. Apparently the fluctuations in hormone levels are what cause the sleeplessness—kind of like a ragtime band where one instrument hits a wrong note causing the entire band to be thrown off course.

Here are some remedies that can be effective when dealing with insomnia:

  • Try to keep as normal a sleep routine as possible. Rise and go to bed at the same time every day.
  • Keep the bedroom cool and dark.
  • Use your bed for sleeping, not watching television or playing video games.
  • Exercise as often as possible. Yoga is particularly effective in helping you to relax.
  • Avoid alcohol, nicotine and caffeine later in the day.
  • Eat a low-fat diet, and avoid foods that are high in carbohydrates late in the day.
  • Drink warm milk or chamomile tea before going to bed.
  • Dress in “cool” night clothes.

If things don’t improve, see your doctor or a sleep disorder specialist.

Osteoporosis

Menopause Heath Concerns
Osteoporosis is a serious disease that involves loss of bone mass. Because the bones are weakened, they become brittle and fractures may easily occur, sometimes affecting life style and life expectancy. Menopausal women are at increased risk for osteoporosis because they have stopped producing large amounts of estrogen, which protects the body from bone loss.

Preventive measures, or remedies to offset osteoporosis, should begin well before the onset of menopause. Taking 600 mg. of calcium with vitamin D twice a day, should probably begin when a woman enters her 40’s. Other remedies would include:

  • Exercising regularly. Weight-bearing exercise is particularly beneficial.
  • Not smoking, or stopping if you do.
  • Eating a balanced diet, rich in calcium and green, leafy vegetables.
  • Drinking alcohol not at all or in moderation.

Remedies for Sexual Dysfunction

One of the most debilitating effects of a lack of estrogen can be vaginal dryness. This can create a great deal of physical discomfort for a woman in a sexual relationship, as well as damage her self esteem. Hormonal changes can affect the walls of the vagina and the glands that provide lubrication, thus making intercourse a painful experience. Many strides have been made in this area, and the remedies listed below may be helpful:

Several gels on the market can alleviate dryness. Some of the brands are Astroglide, Koromex and K-Y Jelly. Surgical gels are also a good choice as they help prevent bacterial infection.

Gyne-Moistrin and Replens are creams that actually plump, or provide moisture to the vaginal cells, thus relieving dryness. They can be used both internally and externally to provide more comfort during intercourse.

  • Prescription hormonal creams and pills will be discussed in the Drug and Pharmaceutical category.
  • Vitamins A and E are important in maintaining vaginal health.
  • Vitamin E can also help with breast tenderness.
  • A Calendula douche can be helpful in treating vaginal dryness.
  • The urinary tract and vaginal muscles can be strengthened with pelvic floor exercises.
  • Dong Quai and Black Cohosh can help to achieve hormonal balance, thus alleviating dryness.
  • Take time to communicate your needs to your partner and be willing to experiment with new ideas in your sexual practices.

Remedies for Depression and Memory Problems

There is little question that all of us experience stress in our daily lives, but when hormones fluctuate during menopause, it can seem overwhelming. It’s no wonder that some women may experience moments of forgetfulness and have difficulty concentrating. Today’s menopausal woman is often a member of the sandwich generation. This refers to raising your own children while taking care of aging parents. Sometimes this occurs in a subsequent fashion, sometimes at the exact same time, but whenever it happens, it certainly adds stress to your life. In addition to all the normal responsibilities that most women shoulder—taking care of family, housekeeping, cooking, working at a job outside the home, financial worries, etc., it is no wonder that many women become depressed when menopause comes along.

There is no magic formula to fix these problems, but here are some remedies that may help:

1. Reach out to others and compare experiences . Join a support group through your church or community, or ask your doctor to recommend one. Studies have shown that support groups can be uplifting and helpful in solving problems or stress-related issues. A support group may also keep you informed about the latest research in specific problem areas. Also, a good online website is Redhotmamas.com.

2. Talk, informally, to other women going through menopause. It helps to not feel alone, and you might stumble on some new ideas that will benefit you. If possible, speak to a woman who is older than you, who has been dealing with menopause for several years.

3. Eat a well-balanced diet, exercise, and try to get 7-8 hours of sleep every night.

4. Certain herbs and minerals can be helpful in improving memory and achieving emotional balance. Vitamins A and B complex and the mineral, Selenium, fall into this category. St. John’s Wort, ginkgo biloba, garden sage and dandelion root also claim to help with depression. Common spices such as garlic, cayenne pepper and ginger seem to have phytoestrogenic properties.

5. Music and dance have proven to be powerful anti-depressants, especially when coupled with aerobic exercise.

6. Exposure to 10-15 minutes of sunlight every day provides emotional and physical benefits.

7. Of course, if you have tried some of these remedies and not had some measure of success, see your doctor. Depression is a serious disease, and should never be taken lightly. Your doctor can determine whether anti-depressant drugs may help, and/or he may refer you to a psychiatrist, psychologist, or other specialist.

Further Alternative Treatments (Supportive Remedies)

Some experts would argue that the following remedies for menopausal discomforts would fit better into the Home and Herbal category, or maybe not in any category at all! However, these practices have been found to be helpful in many instances in reference to pain and supporting emotional well-being. They include:

  • Massage
  • Acupuncture
  • Biofeedback
  • Hypnosis
  • Aromatherapy

The three categories that we have explored thus far—Healthy Living, Home and Herbal Remedies and Further Alternative Treatments, have almost no, or very little risk, and are relatively inexpensive. The final category, Drugs and Pharmaceuticals, will involve higher risks and greater costs.

Drug and Pharmaceutical Remedies

The most well-known treatment in this final categoy is HRT, or Hormone Replacement Therapy. This provides relief for almost all menopausal symptoms from hot flashes to depression and beyond. Generally speaking, women who have no uterus would be treated with estrogen, and women who still have a uterus would receive estrogen and progestins in a pill or patch form. This was pretty much the Utopia of menopause remedies, but unfortunately, it is now rarely used.

In 2002, the Women’s Health Initiative of the National Institutes of Health completed a study that found that incidences of breast cancer, strokes and heart attacks increased in women that underwent this treatment. Secondary side effects included blood clots, urinary incentinence and gallstones. At this point, the Journal of the American Medical Association recommended that HRT be used for as little time as possible, if at all, in treating menopausal symptoms.

However, Estrogen creams and tablets like Estrace and Vagi-fem are often used to help relieve vaginal dryness and make intercourse more comfortable. Estring is a type of flexible ring that inserts into the vagina to dispense estrogen into the vaginal canal. These medications provide a low dose of estrogen, but it should be noted that some of it is absorbed systemically into other body cells.

Brand Name Drugs

There are now several drugs on the market that are used to treat osteoporosis. Some brand names are Fosamax and Boniva. These drugs are bisphosphonates, which help prevent the breakdown of bones, and thus help to strengthen them. Often they are taken along with calcium and vitamin D. Some side effects include diarrhea, joint pain, weakness and gastric upsets. Injections of these drugs are available for women with esophageal problems.

Menopausal symptoms can be treated with a variety of prescription drugs, some which may seem surprising, given the symptom. For example, Clonidine is usually used to treat high blood pressure, but has been found to be helpful in alleviating hot flashes. Some anti-depressants such as paroxetine and sertraline also make this claim, as does Gabapentin, an anti-seizure drug. And of course, there are many anti-depressants that can be prescribed for mood swings, anxiety and depression.

These drug and phamaceutical treatments carry a higher risk, and generally, come at a higher cost, than the remedies in the first 3 categories. Overall, the medical community seems to feel that a combination of remedies from these categories, using those with the highest risk sparingly, is the best approach to alleviating menopausal discomfort. Research continues in hopes of providing the means to a more comfortable menopausal experience for today’s woman.

Vitamins

B Vitamins

The B Vitamins are a group of eight water-soluble vitamins that perform many important cell and body functions. Since these vitamins perform so many important functions they are essential for good health. This group of vitamins is also known as B-Complex. Because these vitamins are water-soluble they are not stored in the body. What this means is that B vitamins must be replenished each day.
Uses for Vitamin B
B-vitamins are widely available naturally from both plant and animal sources and are also added to many foods such as cereals. A regular healthy, balanced diet usually supplies the appropriate amount of B Vitamins to support proper body functioning. If this is not the case, supplements are also available. Supplements are offered both individually and in a B-Complex supplement which includes all eight B vitamins. The following is an overview each of these eight B-vitamins.

Vitamin B1

Also identified as: Thiamin

Benefits

Vitamin B1 improves circulation, supports blood formation, aids in carbohydrate metabolism, and is necessary to produce hydrochloric acid, which helps digest food. It also helps to maintain the normal red blood count, and promotes healthy skin. It protects against the damaging effect of lead poisoning, and prevents edema or fluid retention in connection with heart ailments. Supplemental thiamin can help protect against some of the metabolic imbalances caused by heavy alcohol consumption. It may help protect against Wernicke’s encephalopathy. This condition is a form of brain damage seen in some alcoholics.

Sources

The greatest food sources of vitamin B1 are yeast, brown rice, egg yolks, legumes, liver, nuts, peas, poultry, rice bran, dulse, kelp, spirulina, wheat germ and whole grains. Vitamin B1 is also found in fortified breads, cereals, pasta, lean meats, fish, dried beans, peas, and soybeans.

Deficiency Symptoms

Since vitamin B1 is required for the metabolism of carbohydrates, fats and proteins, a vast array of symptoms can develop due to deficiency. These symptoms can develop in multiple body systems including the gastrointestinal system, causing indigestion and constipation, and the central nervous system, causing reduced alertness, nerve irritation, pain, numbness and weakness. Cardiovascular symptoms can include weakening of the heart muscles, causing edema in the lower limbs and difficulty breathing. Deficiency in the U.S. is mainly seen in people who abuse alcohol because alcohol prevents the body from absorbing the vitamin properly.

Recommended Daily Allowance of Vitamin B1

Men – 1.5 mg., Women – 1.1 mg., Pregnant women – 1.5 mg., Children – 1.1 mg.

Vitamin B2

Also identified as: Riboflavin

Benefits

Vitamin B2 helps prevent and is used to treat migraine headaches, cataracts, rheumatoid arthritis, and a number of skin disorders such as acne, dermatitis, and eczema. In the treatment of anemia, adding Vitamin B2 to iron supplements has shown to increase its effectiveness. This vitamin is particularly helpful in counteracting the tendency towards glaucoma.

Sources

High levels of Vitamin B2 are found in the following foods: cheese, egg yolks, almonds, organ meats, whole grains, wild rice, soybeans, milk, spinach, mushrooms, almonds, and poultry. Vitamin B2 is usually added to cereals and flour products. Keep these foods stored away from light to protect vitamin content.

Symptoms of Deficiency

Vitamin B2 deficiency has a great effect on the metabolism of carbohydrates, fats, and protein. All three of these basic food elements require Vitamin B2 if they are to be properly used by the body. A deficiency of this vitamin results in symptoms such as burning and itching of the eyes. Blurring of vision may also occur. The lips also become dry, chapped and sore. The first signs and symptoms of deficiency are a sore throat and sores at the corners of the mouth. Worsening symptoms include a swollen tongue, seborrheic dermatitis, anemia and weakened nerve function.

Recommended Daily Allowance of Vitamin B2

Men – 1.7 mg., Women – 1.3 mg. , Pregnant women – 1.6 mg., Lactating women – 1.8 mg.

Vitamin B3

Also identified as: Niacin, Nicotinic Acid, Niacinamide

Benefits

Vitamin B3 is a component in many important metabolic functions of the body. In addition, it is also used as a drug in treatment of some disorders. Vitamin B3 helps to maintain a healthy skin. Niacin dilates the blood capillary system. This vitamin is also essential for synthesis of the sex hormones, namely, estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone, as well as cortisone, thyroxin, and insulin. It also maintains mental and emotional well-being.

Sources

Vitamin B3 is found in beef liver, brewer’s yeast, lean meats, poultry, fish, eggs, cheese, soybeans, nuts, whole grains, green vegetables, cooked dried beans, and milk.

Symptoms of Deficiency

Pellagra is a disease caused by a vitamin B3 deficiency. However, it is rare in the United States. Symptoms include loss of appetite, skin rash, diarrhea, mental changes, swollen tongue, and digestive and emotional disturbance.

Recommended Daily Allowance of Vitamin B3

Men – 19 mg., Women – 15 mg., Pregnant women – 17 mg., Lactating women – 20 mg.

Vitamin B5

Also identified as: Pantothenic acid, Pantothenic Acid

Benefits

Vitamin B5 plays an important role in emotional well being. This vitamin enhances the body’s production of cortisol, a hormone that helps control stress, anxiety and depression. Vitamin B5 is also important for maintaining healthy skin, nerves, glands and muscles, and helps to maintain the digestive tract and fight allergies.

Sources

Rich sources of Vitamin B5 include liver, kidney, yeast, egg yolk and broccoli. Other good sources include, chicken, fish, milk, legumes, mushrooms, sweet potatoes and whole grain cereals.

Symptoms of Deficiency

Naturally occurring Vitamin B5 acid deficiency in humans is vary rare. However when deficient diets were fed to volunteers the following symptoms were observed: loss of appetite, indigestion, abdominal pain, headache, fatigue, mental depression, sleeplessness, numbness and tingling of hands and feet.

Recommended Daily Allowance of Vitamin B5

4 to 7 mg. for adult men and women

Vitamin B6

Also identified as: Pyridoxide, Pyridoxine

Benefits

Vitamin B6 is beneficial if you suffer from water retention, and is necessary for the production of hydrochloric acid and the absorption of fats and protein. Vitamin B6 also aids in maintaining sodium and potassium balance, which is vitally important for normal body functions. Vitamin B6 also promotes red blood cell formation. In addition, this vitamin is required for the production of hydrochloric acid and magnesium. Vitamin B6 is also known to be helpful in the treatment of allergies, arthritis, and asthma.

Sources

Good dietary sources of vitamin B6 include chicken, turkey, tuna, salmon, shrimp, beef liver, lentils, soybeans, nuts, avocados, bananas, carrots, brown rice, bran, sunflower seeds, wheat germ, and whole-grain flour.

Symptoms of Deficiency

Irritability, nervousness and insomnia as well as overall weakness, skin conditions such as dermatitis and acne as well asthma and allergies might develop when vitamin B6 is deficient. Symptoms may include nails that are ridged, an irritated tongue as well as changes to your bones – which can include osteoporosis and arthritis. Kidney stones may also appear. A deficiency of Vitamin B6 may also eventually lead to loss of muscular control, migraine headaches, diseases of old age, and premature senility.

Recommended Daily Allowance of Vitamin B6

  • Infants:0 – 6 months: 0.1 milligrams per day (mg/day), 7 – 12 months: 0.3 mg/day
  • Children: 1 – 3 years: 0.5 mg/day, 4 – 8 years: 0.6 mg/day , 9 – 13 years: 1.0 mg/day
  • Adolescents and Adults: Males age 14 to 50 years: 1.3 mg/day, Males over 50 years: 1.7 mg/day , Females age 14 to 18 years: 1.2 mg/day , Females age 19 to 50 years: 1.3 mg/day , Females over 50 years: 1.5 mg/day

Vitamin B7

Also identified as: Biotin

Benefits

Vitamin B7 plays an essential role in the conversion of fatty acids and glucose into the fuel the body needs for energy. It also helps build and maintain muscle tissue, bone marrow and nervous system tissue. This vitamin is also thought to be beneficial to the health of skin, hair and nails.

Sources

Vitamin B7 is widely available in foods but few foods have a very high concentration. Milk, liver, egg yolk, legumes, nuts and a few vegetables are the most important sources of biotin. The natural availability of biotin varies greatly among foods.
Types of Vitamin B

Symptoms of Deficiency

Symptoms of deficiency include loss of appetite, nausea, hair loss, and scaly red rash around the eyes, nose, mouth and genital area. Neurological symptoms include depression, lethargy, hallucination and numbness and tingling sensation in the hands and feet. Since biotin is prevalent in foods, natural Vitamin B7 deficiency is rare.

Recommended Daily Allowance of Vitamin B7

Men – 200 mcg. ,Women – 150 mcg. ,Children – 100 mcg.

Vitamin B9

Also identified as: Folic Acid, Folate, Folacin and Pteroylglutamic acid

Benefits

Vitamin B9 helps the body produce and maintain new cells. It also offers protection against certain types of cancers and is important in protection against heart disease. Folic acid is the single most important nutrient for a pregnant woman and her developing fetus. Eating a diet rich in vitamin B9 will help to ensure healthful pregnancy for woman and the delivery of a healthy baby. Folic acid also improves lactation.

Sources

Natural sources of folic acid include fresh leafy green vegetables, such as spinach and turnip greens. It is also found in whole grains, starchy vegetables, dried beans and fruit.

Symptoms of Deficiency

A sore, red tongue is one sign of folic acid deficiency. Other potential signs include anemia, apathy, digestive disturbances, fatigue, graying hair, growth impairment, insomnia, difficult breathing, memory problems, paranoia, weakness, and birth defects in one’s offspring.

Recommended Daily Allowance of Vitamin B9

Men – 200 mcg. ,Women – 180 mcg. ,Women of childbearing age – 400 mcg.

Vitamin B12

Also identified as: Cobalamin, Cyanocobalamin

Benefits

Vitamin B12 plays an important role in the production of energy from fats and proteins. Vitamin B12 is also critical to the central nervous system. It maintains the sheath that surrounds and protects nerve fibers and promotes their normal growth. Since vitamin B12 shares a close metabolic interrelationship with folic acid, it is indirectly involved in the formation of red blood cells. Other functions and benefits include its role as an oxygen carrier, metabolizing fat, improving neurological disorders, and enhancing the immune system.

Sources

The richest sources of vitamin B12 are liver, kidney, milk, eggs, fish, cheese, meats and poultry. Vitamin B 12 is not found in many vegetables; it is available only from sea vegetables, such as dulse, and kelp. It is also available in and soybeans and soy products. In addition it is present in the herbs alfalfa, bladderwrack, and hops.

Symptoms of Deficiency

A deficiency of vitamin B 12 may cause a condition called pernicious anemia. It may lead to a poor appetite and retardation of growth in children, chronic fatigue, a sore mouth, a feeling of numbness or stiffness, loss of mental energy, and difficulty in concentration. Deficiency of vitamin B12 also results in neurological symptoms such as numbness and tingling of the arms and legs, difficulty in walking, amnesia, depression, disorientation and dementia, with or without mood swings.

Recommended Daily Allowance of Vitamin B12

  • Infants:0 – 6 months: 0.4 micrograms per day (mcg/day),7 – 12 months: 0.5 mcg/day
  • Children: 1 – 3 years: 0.9 mcg/day, 4 – 8 years: 1.2 mcg/day , 9 – 13 years: 1.8 mcg/day
  • Adolescents and Adults: Males and females age 14 and older: 2.4 mcg/day

References:

www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus
www.Ods.od.nih.gov

Herbs

Hawthorn Herb

The sweet-smelling Hawthorn herb comes from a thorny, hedge-like tree made famous in popular culture by the King Arthur legend.

The medieval hero, who presided over the Knights of the Round Table in 12th century Britain, is buried under a Hawthorn tree at his English grave in Glastonbury.

However, the Hawthorn tree, which can also be spelled with an “e” as “Hawthorne,” was popular among natural medicine users all the way back to the 1st century – way before King Arthur.

History of the Hawthorn Tree

The Hawthorn tree species, which is related to the rose family, was first grown during the 1st century in the Mediterranean basin which includes parts of Asia, Europe, and Africa. Its tangly, thorny branches were believed to have been used to create the crown of thorns that Christ wore on the cross.
Hawthorn Berry Benefits
Today, the Hawthorn tree is a staple all over the world, including in North America where it is used for hedgerows in order to create natural privacy fences. Fencing with this tree, however, is such a waste since it can be used with relative ease for cooking and curing ailments.

Hawthorn wood made it to America along with the first settlers from England. Because the tree first flowers in May, it is also known as the Mayflower. That nickname adorned the first boat that brought pilgrims to Plymouth, Massachusetts to settle the U.S. That boat was built from wooden planks cut from the Hawthorn tree.

The Hawthorne tree is known for its quick growth, long life span of 400 years, and its ability to grow under most any circumstance. The soil can be acidic or alkaline. The sun exposure can be partial or full. There are 1,000 different species of the tree and on average the Hawthorn grows 20 to 30 feet high and spreads about 8 to 15 feet wide.

Processing the Hawthorn Herb

The tree is so rich in healing properties that nearly all of its parts have been used in alternative medicine for thousands of years. Herbalists routinely use the veiny leaves, the small white buds, the sweet red berries, and the tree’s pink and white flowers which bloom twice yearly.

Processing the herb is unnecessary, although it is almost always dried, crushed and turned into powder form. However, it is perfectly effective to simply chew the leaves and buds raw and straight from the tree, as many did in the ancient days. The plant’s berries, which grow during summertime in green, white, pink or red hues, can be eaten straight from the tree as well once they are ripe. The ripest berries are dark red and nearly black.

Those who wish to mix the herb in homemade tinctures, balms, or other concoctions for medicinal uses can process the plant by drying, roasting or boiling the leaves, flowers, or buds and adding alcohol, glycerin and other ingredients.

If you buy the Hawthorn herb from a store or pharmacy, it will most likely have been dried and turned into a powder.

Mythical Powers of the Herb

The May flowering of the Hawthorne tree used to be considered a sacred event among pagans who believed that the tree had special protective powers.

In order to benefit from the magic power, ancient peoples indulged in a range of superstitious practices with the Hawthorn tree. For example, ancient Greeks burned Hawthorn wood at weddings and gave the blossoms to the bride and groom for their safety. The Hawthorn also protected the womb of the bride and encouraged fertility.

The leaves of the Hawthorn tree were placed alongside any newborn in a cradle to ensure their survival. The Hawthorn could protect the children and the house from demonic spirits and witches.

One reason Hawthorn was linked to the protection of kids and nuptials was because it was the symbol of minor Roman goddess Cardea. Cardea presided over marriage and babies, using the branches and leaves of the Hawthorn tree as her tools. She was called “White Goddess” likely after the white buds of the Hawthorn.

Eventually, the power of the goddess became associated with the tree itself. Cardea is not credited for creating Hawthorn, however. That credit goes to the God Thor, who created the tree with a zap of lightning, according to legend. Because of that, Hawthorn was also thought to protect people during thunderstorms.

Today, Hawthorn is still believed to have protective energy, but not the superstitious kind. Many scientific studies have led to proof that Hawthorn can have a curative effect on the body.

10 Uses of the Herb

Hawthorn herb is in fact quite protective – although not in the mythic ways mentioned above. The leaves, berries, and flowers of the Hawthorn tree are filled with different types of bioflavonoids which bestow it with healing power.
Hawthorn Berry Benefits
Bioflavonoids, also known as simply flavonoids, are plant pigments that have the same heart-protecting effects as the dyes in red wine. There are more than five different flavonoids in the Hawthorn herb, but vitexin and hyperoside are believed to be the most coveted. Also coveted are oligomeric proyanidins. These are long chains of flavonoids and have a greater and more diverse power than single flavonoids.

These natural chemical dyes, which give a rich, vibrant hue to the flowers and berries of the Hawthorn tree, also give the herb the following health benefits:

Good for the Heart

The herb contains chemicals which block enzymes that destroy heart muscle and tissue. Research trials have shown that individuals with congestive heart failure can experience recovery and heart muscle repair while taking Hawthorn.

The Hawthorn herb strengthens cardiac muscles and fights heart disease by causing the heart to pump blood more easily and vigorously. The arteries in the heart are able to relax under the influence of the Hawthorn herb so there is better blood flow to the heart. This also relieves heart pain.

Studies show that people suffering from heart failure do so because their hearts do not pump enough blood. This can lead to shallow breathing, chest pain, and a continual state of exhaustion because there is not enough oxygen or nutrients in circulation. The Hawthorn herb can lessen or erase all these symptoms because it increases the forcefulness and the speed of the heart’s pumping action. This enables people with heart ailments to exercise and do other daily work without over-taxing their hearts.

Those who simply struggle to breathe or who have minor heart palpitations can also benefit from the Hawthorn herb. The herb has been used for heart palpitations and other heart problems since the 1700s.

Good for Blood Pressure and Circulatory Problems

The natural chemicals in the Hawthorn herb block enzymes in the body which cause constriction of the blood vessels. When blood vessels are too tight, the blood must force itself against the vessel walls to circulate throughout the body.

However, when the Hawthorn herb prevents constriction and instead allows the blood vessels to dilate or open wide, blood pressure is greatly reduced. A flavonoid in Hawthorn called rutin makes the blood vessel more elastic so that it can flex as the blood is circulating. Blood flow throughout the body becomes more efficient, reducing blood pressure. High blood pressure is known as hypertension. The use of Hawthorn for hypertension has been practiced since the 1600s.

The easing of blood pressure can help people diagnosed with a range of related ailments, such as angina and arrhythmia.

People who suffer from angina have frequent chest pain because there’s not enough blood flowing to their heart area. Research shows Hawthorn berry extracts can relieve angina after less than one month of use.

Circulatory problems such as having cold hands or feet due to lack of blood to extremities can also be solved by treating blood flow with Hawthorn.

Good for Lowering Bad Cholesterol

The Hawthorn herb was found in clinical trials to increase the body’s ability to break down and remove cholesterol, whether that cholesterol was created by the body itself or was acquired through unhealthy foods. Specifically, this herb has the power to cleanse the blood of LDL, otherwise known as the bad cholesterol. In addition to that, the Hawthorn herb can stop the body from producing excess cholesterol in the first place – a preventative measure.

Good for Atherosclerosis

When fat and plaque build up and harden on artery walls, the arteries can become blocked. This ailment is known as atherosclerosis. The Hawthorn herb has the ability to dissolve and remove plaque buildup in the arteries.

Good for Getting Antioxidants

Oxygen in free radicals causes the body to age. Antioxidants are chemicals that fight oxidation of body tissue by free radicals. The Hawthorn herb has been successful in fighting oxidation and aging because the pigments in the berries and flowers contain tons of vitamin C, a natural antioxidant.

Good for Arthritis or Gout

The joint pain caused by arthritis can be alleviated by Hawthorn extracts because the herb helps the body retain more protein and collagen to support joints and allow joints to move with ease. When someone gets arthritis or gout, the inflamed joints generally lose collagen and protein. Hawthorn has been used to treat gout since the 1300s.

Good for Insomnia

The Hawthorne Herb is a natural tranquilizer and can help one relax or fall asleep. To treat insomnia, infuse hot water with dried Hawthorn leaves.

Good for Ending Water Retention

The herb is a diuretic that can rid the body of excess water and even flush out kidney stones.

Good for Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Many herbalists recommend boiling dried Hawthorne berries in hot water to make a tea that relieves irritable bowels and other digestive problems, like diarrhea.

Good for Sore Throats

A little known use of the Hawthorn herb is to drink a tea of Hawthorn leaves and berries to cure sore throats. The tea is an astringent which heals raw and sore areas and stops bleeding.

Dosage and Regimen

There’s a myth that one can never take too much Hawthorn herb, allegedly because the body will simply excrete what it does not need. This is incorrect. Herbalists advise users to take the lowest dosage recommended because Hawthorn works best when it slowly accumulates in the body over time.
Most sources and product labels recommend a dosage of Hawthorn herb that equals 200 milligrams daily for medicinal uses. It can be taken for an indefinite period of time. It is not recommended to consume more than 1800 milligrams of Hawthorn herb in one day.

Some advocates of Hawthorn recommend that consumers focus not on the amount of the overall extract or herb, but on the amount of flavonoids in the dosage. Seek to get between four and 20 milligrams of flavonoids per dose, if possible.

If your product lists percentages of flavonoids instead of milligrams, go for the one that offers at least 2 percent of flavonoids.

Because vitexin is the most popular flavonoid found in Hawthorne, you might see a percentage listed specifically for vitexin on your product. A 1.5 percent dose is good for this pigment.

For best results, take the recommended amount thrice a day for at least a month and a half.

Which Herb is Best?

Dried berries of the Hawthorn tree originally were more popular than flowers and leaves. Today, the opposite is true. Flowers have been scientifically found to contain more of the flavonoids which fight aging and strengthen the heart. In that respect, flowers or preparations using dried flowers are best.

All parts of the tree have some flavonoids, however. Berries are often preferred for Hawthorn tea, which is known for its bitterness. This tea was a popular substitute for coffee during the World War I era.

All parts of the Hawthorn are available in capsules, dried solids or liquid form.

Side Effects

Because the Hawthorn herb can act as a sedative, falling asleep after taking large doses is a possibility. Therefore, do not operate heavy equipment or drive after taking it.

Also, because the herb lowers blood pressure, it is possible in rare cases for a person’s blood pressure to drop so low that fainting is possible. This is rare, however, since the Hawthorn herb also makes the heart pump blood faster and would therefore create a balance that would yield normal blood pressure. An extremely large dosage would be necessary to lower blood pressure to a dangerous level.

Some people experience heart palpitations while taking Hawthorn. Others endure slight nausea or headaches.
There are no toxic effects of this herb. It is not known to counteract most prescription drugs. However, tell your doctor if you are taking Beta-blockers, Digoxin, Phenylephrine and Calcium channel blockers, all of which might be mildly affected by Hawthorn herb.

Legality

The Hawthorn herb is not classified as a controlled substance in any state. The all-natural herb is legal to privately cultivate and use everywhere. Consumers can purchase forms of the herb from vitamin stores or through online pharmacies without prescriptions.

Costs & Where to Buy

If you’d like to buy a small Hawthorn bush and grow the herb yourself, consider a brick-and-mortar nursery or even the online Clifton’s Nursery and Garden Center (cliftonsnursery.net) which sells small 5 gallon Hawthorn plants for $50.

For convenience, consider visiting a natural health foods store or vitamin shop for dried Hawthorn herb. Dried herb costs between $7 and $26 for a three-month supply. Some popular online vendors for Hawthorn include Amazon.com, HealthSuperstore.com, and GNC.com.

Sources

University of Maryland, Medical Center
Science Daily Magazine
Herbs, Hands, Healing

Vitamins

Multivitamins

Introduction

Forty percent of all Americans take their morning vitamins as regularly as they brush their teeth, convinced that these supplements will put a sparkle in their eye, a bounce in their walk and make up for the fact that their dietary intake over the last 12 hours has included a giant Whopper dripping with grease and a 13 ounce bag of potato chips. But will they?

Then there are people who are, perhaps, overzealous about their nutritional status. They take multivitamins too, and they also consume nutrition bars, health drinks, herbs, supplements and mega-doses of single vitamins in such quantities that medical researchers worry they may harm themselves.
multivitamin herbal uses

Healthy Food

While multivitamins do supply essential nutrients, medical experts agree that the best source of those nutrients is healthy food. If you are a nonsmoker who eats a balanced diet and exercises regularly, chances are you don’t need to take multivitamins on a regular basis. Doctors continue to recommend multivitamins for people whose lifestyle choices, overall health status or medication regimen make it difficult for them to absorb the nutrients in their food properly.

Aging, for example, reduces the body’s ability to absorb vitamins like B-12 and D; for that reason, physicians recommend that people over 60 take multivitamins. But even the practice of prescribing prenatal vitamins for all expectant mothers has fallen under scrutiny recently: there is some evidence that these supplements continued into the third trimester can lead to a rise in premature births while Vitamin A has been linked to birth defects.

Checking with Your Physician

If you and your physician decide that a multivitamin is right for you, keep in mind that the inexpensive kind on your pharmacy or supermarket shelf is just as good as the boutique brand you find in the health food store.

Read the labels carefully: information should include the dose of each vitamin and what percentage that dose is of the recommended daily dosage. Avoid megadoses: your daily intake should match the government’s Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI) and never exceed the upper limit (UL). Dosages will be listed as milligrams (mg), micrograms (mcg), or in the cases of Vitamins A, D, and E, international units (IU.) The acronym USP on the label means standards established by U.S. Pharmacopeia. Don’t buy anything past its expiration date: vitamins lose potency over time, especially in hot and humid climate.

Multivitamins are classified by the United Nations’ authority on food standards as food and sold without a prescription, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t treat them with the same caution and respect you use with other pills you take.

History of Vitamin Use

Long before the birth of Christ, Egyptian physicians came up with a novel cure for night blindness: slabs of cooked beef liver placed over the afflicted persontms eyes. As bizarre as this treatment may sound, it wasn’t too far off the mark. Beef liver is an excellent source of Vitamin A or retinol, known to play a critical role in vision; night blindness is one of the earliest signs of a Vitamin A deficiency.

It wasn’t until the eighteenth century, however, that a scientist first proved that it was a substance a particular food that produced curative effects, and that that substance could be given independently of the food. In one of the first clinical experiments in the history of medicine, Scottish physician James Lind showed that the ascorbic acid in citrus fruits prevented scurvy, a disease affecting collagen synthesis.

In 1911, the Polish biochemist Casimir Funk postulated the existence of essential nutrients which he called vital amines, later shortened to vitamins. He became the first scientist to isolate a vitamin, nicotinic acid (also called niacin or vitamin B3). Dr. Albert Szent-Gyorgy earned the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1937 for the discovery of Vitamin C.

The first multivitamin, made from vegetable and fruit extracts, was marketed by the Nutrilite Company in 1934. Today the nutritional supplement and multivitamin industry are among the fastest growing, are the most popular nutritional supplements, with annual revenues of around $20 billion.

What’s In a Multivitamin?

The term multivitamin is something of a misnomer, since the supplements generally contain minerals as well. A vitamin is a chemical compound the body cannot synthesize for itself but which is necessary in small amounts in order for the body to functions optimally.

Over the counter multivitamins come as tablets, capsules, chewable tablets, soft gels and liquids. (Intravenous multivitamins are only available by prescription.)

Multivitamins should be stored in a cool, dry place and kept far away from children.

Basic multivitamins usually contain the following nutrients:

  • Vitamin C (ascorbic acid): A water-soluble vitamin that plays an important role in the absorption of iron and essential for the formation of collagen in bones, cartilage, muscle, and blood vessels.
  • A Vitamin C deficiency causes scurvy.

B Vitamins:

  • Vitamin B1 (thiamine): Essential to a wide variety of body functions including electrolyte channels in and out of nerve cells, multiple enzyme processes and carbohydrate metabolism. A Vitamin B-1 deficiency causes beriberi.
  • Vitamin B-2 (riboflavin): Essential for normal cell function, growth, and energy production.
  • Vitamin B-3 (niacin, nicotinic acid, niacinamide.) A Vitamin B-3 deficiency causes pellagra.
  • Vitamin B-6 (pyridoxine): Essential for the synthesis of the neurotransmitters serotonin and norepinephrine as well as for the formation of myelin, the insulation coating nerve sheaths.
  • Vitamin B-9 (folic acid): A folic acid deficiency causes anemia.
  • Vitamin B-12: Necessary for DNA synthesis; also important in helping to maintain healthy nerve cells and red blood cells.
  • Vitamin B-5 (pantothenate): Necessary for the breakdown of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.
  • Biotin: Important to the metabolism of amino acids and carbohydrates; essential in the formation of fatty acid and glucose by the body. A biotin deficiency causes skin rash, loss of hair, high blood levels of cholesterol, and heart problems.

Additional Vitamins

  • Vitamin A (retinol): Vitamin A is essential to a great variety of physiological processes within the body, most notably vision and cellular growth. In amounts greatly exceeding the recommended daily allowance, Vitamin A can be toxic.
  • Vitamin E: An antioxidant.
  • Vitamin D: Maintains healthy blood levels of calcium and phosphorus. A Vitamin D deficiency causes rickets and osteomalacia.
  • Vitamin K : a factor in normal blood clotting. A Vitamin K deficiency causes bleeding that’s difficult to control.

Multivitamins also generally contain the following minerals in trace amounts: potassium iodide, cupric, selenomethionine, borate, zinc, calcium, magnesium, chromium, manganese, molybdenum, betacarotene, and iron.

The proportions of these ingredients vary with the formulation. Multivitamin manufacturers tend to segment their market by consumer life stage and, to a lesser degree, lifestyle choice. There are children’s multivitamins, multivitamins for active adults, multivitamins for less active adults, multivitamins for age 50+, multivitamins for vegetarians “ and so on. A multivitamin designed for a woman over 50 will not have the same composition as a multivitamin designed for a woman of 30: it will contain less iron, for example “ because a post-menopausal woman’s iron requirements are less than those of a woman who’s menstruating regularly “ and it may contain higher levels of zinc and Vitamin B-12. Multivitamins formulated for different consumer sectors reflect these kinds of differences.

The amount of vitamins an individual requires on a daily basis will be determined by her metabolic needs. A guesstimate comes from weighing biometric factors like height, weight, age, gender and physical activity. Averages for each consumer segment a particular multivitamin variety is marketed to determine the exact composition of ingredients in the supplement. Optimally a multivitamin should contain 100% of the Recommended Daily Amount (RDA) of each ingredient for the person who is taking it.

Do Multivitamins Work?

The scientific community has widely divergent views as to whether the regular use of multivitamins have a demonstrable effect on health status.

A 2002 report released by the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) reviewed ten years worth of scientific investigation into the health benefits of multivitamins and other selected nutritional supplements, concluding that they have an important role to play in maintaining good health since even a healthy dietary intake may fall well short of the RDA for many nutrients.

But a longitudinal health study released in 2009 concluded just the opposite. As part of the government-funded Women’s Health Initiative research effort, physicians from around the nation tracked the health status of 161,808 women. Forty-two percent of these women took multivitamins regularly. At the end of eight years, researchers compared the rates of breast cancer, colon cancer, heart attack, stroke, blood clots and mortality between the two groups and concluded there were no significant differences. The findings of this study were published in the February, 2009 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

The Truth About Vitamins

One of the great benefits of multivitamins are their convenience. The truth is that even those of us who know better don’t always eat healthily. We start out each day with the best of dietary intentions, but around two o’clock in the afternoon when our energy is low, to a lot of us that box of cookies looks better than that apple. A multivitamin supplement at least ensures that however far you stray from a balanced diet, you will still get all the essential trace nutrients you need.

Some people are just picky eaters. This is particularly true of children. Sure, if you were the perfect parent you would fight all those wars at the dinner table. Eat your broccoli! you’d scream at that recalcitrant child. It’s an excellent source of the vitamins K, C, and A! But ˜fess up: sometimes isn’t it just easier to let it go, safe in the knowledge that they’ll be getting those vitamins from those Flintstones gummies you slipped them this morning?

Multivitamins are also useful for people whose specialized nutritional needs make it difficult for them to get all their essential nutrients from their diet. These people include:

The elderly. Clinical vitamin and mineral deficiencies have been found in nearly one-third of all adults over 75. This may simply be due to the fact that many of them are no longer eating balanced diets: appetites decrease as we grow older; we tend both to eat less food and fewer varieties of food. The average 75 year old consumes 1,200 calories a day (compared to the 2,000 calories necessary to meet the RDAs for necessary vitamins and minerals.)

Nutrient deficiencies of particular concern to the elderly are iron, calcium, magnesium and zinc; b-vitamins like B-12 and folate, and vitamin D. Anemia is common among adults aged 85 and older, and as much as one-third of it has no underlying pathogenic basis but merely reflects inadequate dietary intake of iron. Calcium both lowers blood pressure and reduces the risk of osteoporosis, a disease of the bones that lowers bone density thereby increasing the likelihood of fracture. The absorption of B-12 from the intestinal tract is compromised in older adults because the level of acid in the stomach falls; B-12 deficiencies are associated with anemia and other blood-cell disorders, neurological disorders, and elevated risk factors for coronary heart disease.

Additionally, many of the medications prescribed most often for elderly adults like corticosteroids, anticonvulsants, thyroid hormone, antibiotics, laxatives and diuretics, interfere with the absorption of nutrients. Daily multivitamins provide a measure of protection against these effects.

Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women

Prenatal vitamins are formulated to contain the higher amounts of folic acid, iron and calcium necessary for a healthy pregnancy and optimal development of the fetus. Folic acid prevents neural tube abnormalities while iron decreases the risk of anemia. Additional calcium helps keep the mother-to-be’s teeth and bones healthy while the baby’s teeth and bones are developing. Some research seems to suggest that multivitamins during pregnancy may also decrease the risk of low birth weight.

Vegetarians and vegans. Iron may be a problem for those who don’t eat meat, but if you make your food choices carefully, you may not need to supplement your diet with a multivitamin.

Smokers. Research indicates that smoking depletes Vitamin C. Smokers therefore may need to supplement their Vitamin C intake. Vitamin C may improve circulation and provide some measure of protection against obstructive lung disease in smokers.

Heavy Alcohol Consumers. Chronic alcohol abuse leads to a myriad of nutritional and vitamin deficiencies, particularly in the B complex. Thiamine and folic acid are often prescribed as part of alcohol withdrawal treatment.

Multivitamin Precautions

A good deal of research in recent years has been devoted to exploring the dark side of popping vitamins. Problems arise from the belief that if 100% of the recommended daily amount of a vitamin is good, then 200% of the recommended daily amount of that vitamin is even better. This is not a problem with water-soluble vitamins like the B complex and ascorbic acid: whatever your body does not need will merely be excreted in your urine.

But it can present a hazard with fat-soluble vitamins like Vitamin A and Vitamin D which your body stores for some period of time, presenting the possibility that toxic levels may be reached. In fact many multivitamin manufacturers intentionally overestimate the dosage of their vitamin components, by as much as 50%, citing the need to extend the product’s shelf life.

The symptoms of Vitamin A overdose include hydrocephalus, severe headaches, vomiting, fatigue and constipation while symptoms of Vitamin D overdose include nausea, vomiting and loss of appetite. Prolonged Vitamin D toxicity results in the deposit of calcium crystals in the body’s soft tissues that can cause irreversible harm to your kidneys, heart and lungs.

Most synthetic vitamins are now manufactured in China, the same people who gave us poisoned pet food and toxic toothpaste. While no accusations of similar wrong doing have ever been made against the Chinese vitamin manufacturing industry, it is worth keeping in mind that industry manufacturing standards are very different in China than they are in the United States. The United States does not require country-of-origin labels on multivitamins but if this is a concern, you may want to stick with organic multivitamins made in the USA.

Shopping for Multivitamins

Multivitamins are widely available without prescription in supermarkets, pharmacies, health food stores and specialty dietary supplement stores as well as online.

In a recent round of multivitamin product testing, ConsumerLab.com found that nearly half of the supplements it tested had either much more or much less of the essential nutrients listed on the label or was contaminated with toxic substances such as lead. The cost of the product bore no relation to how pure ConsumerLab.com found it: two of the most expensive multivitamins, The Greatest Vitamin in the World and Eniva Vibe priced at almost $40 per bottle, failed to meet their standards. ConsumerLab.com’s advice? Stick with familiar names like One-A-Day and Centrum which cost under $10 for a bottle of 100 pills.

Vitamins

Vitamin D Analogues

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble organic nutrient divided into five analogues, the two most important of which are D2 and D3. Vitamin D mentioned without the subscript usually means D2, D3, or a combination of both. Some analogues of vitamin D are produced by the skin of all vertebrates as a result to the exposure of sunlight or other forms of ultraviolet B radiation. Vitamin D is also found in a variety of popular foods, and many countries fortify their milk with it. It is also available in pill or capsule form as a dietary supplement.
Vitamin D Analogues
Vitamin D is absorbed into the bloodstream where the liver converts it into calcidiol, a type of prohormone. Calcidol, in turn, is then converted into calcitriol in the kidneys and by the immune system in the blood. Calcitriol is a form of vitamin D that is physiologically active and works as a hormone that regulates phosphate and calcium levels and is also responsible for bone health and bone growth. People who suffer from deficiency in vitamin D can develop fragile and malformed bones. They are also more prone to contracting rickets and osteoporosis.

Forms of Vitamin D

Since vitamin D was first discovered in 1932, five natural analogues, called vitamers, have been found to exist and four synthetic analogues have been synthetically created. As a group, vitamin D analogues are chemically classified as secosteroids, which are steroids with one broken bond.

Natural Analogues of Vitamin D

  • Vitamin D1 is a molecular compound of ergocalciferol (D2) with lumisterol in a 1:1 ratio.
  • Vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) was the first to be discovered in 1932. This form is produced by invertebrates, some plants, and fungi. Biological production of D2 is stimulated by ultraviolet light. Scientists are unsure how the vitamin works in invertebrates, but it is thought to act as a natural sunscreen.
  • Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) is the form created in the skin by the reaction of 7-dehydrocholesterol with ultraviolet B radiation, present in sunlight with a UV index of 3 or more. When enough of the vitamin is created, excess amounts spontaneously degrade.
  • Vitamin D4 is an analogue scientifically known as 22-dihydroergocalciferol.
  • Vitamin D5 (sitocalciferol) is another analogue created from 7-dehydrositosterol.

Synthetic Analogues of Vitamin D

Calcipotriol is derived from calcitriol and is used as a treatment for psoriasis. It was first discovered during trials involving the use of vitamin D for treating osteoporosis. It is applied as a cream or ointment to the skin or scalp with very few side effects noted. Rarely, the use of calcipotriol causes hypercalcemia.

Dihydrotachysterol (DHT) is a synthetic form of vitamin D that many consider superior to natural D2 and D3. It becomes active by the liver without needing to go through hydroxylation in the kidneys. DHT has a two-hour onset time and is more efficient in the mineralization of bone salts.

Paricalcitol is also derived from calcitriol. It is used to treat and prevent secondary hyperparathyroidism that is caused by kidney failure. Paricalcitol is manufactured and marketed by the drug company Abbott under the brand name Zemplar. Zemplar is administered intravenously and is associated with several side effects, including weakness, nausea, vomiting, constipation, and decreased libido.

Tacalcitol is a derivative of vitamin D3. It is known to hinder keratinocytes in the skin and is used primarily as a treatment for psoriasis. It is most commonly sold under the brand names Curatoderm or Bonalfa.

Sources of Vitamin D

Sunlight

For most vertebrates, including humans, the primary source of vitamin D is that produced by their own skin. 7-dehydrocholesterol is produced in mass quantities by the skin of most every vertebrate, one exception being the naked mole rat. As ultraviolet B light (290 “ 315 nm wavelength)from the sun or other sources makes contact with the 7-dehydrocholesterol, it undergoes a photochemical reaction that converts it to cholecalciferol. In animals such as birds and furry mammals where their skin is blocked from the sunlight, 7-dehydrocholesterol is secreted into the feathers or fur in an oil, where it converts through sunlight and is eaten by the animals during oral grooming. The cholecalciferol then moves through the bloodstream where it is converted into calcitriol, the form that is usable biologically.

In areas north of 42 degrees north latitude, there is not enough UVB light for vitamin D to be synthesized in humans from November to February. For this reason, people living in northern latitudes (southern latitudes in the southern hemisphere) often run vitamin D deficient in the winter months. For those living north of the 34 degree north latitude, that period is extended to 6 months. From the 34 degree north latitude to the 34 degree south latitude, sufficient UVB rays reach the Earth for year-round synthesis. Some physicians recommend 30 minutes of sunlight exposure twice per week for adequate vitamin D production. Care must still be taken to limit exposure because of the dangers of skin cancer. There are some factors that limit UVB transmission from the sun to the skin:

UVB light does not penetrate glass windows. Sunscreen over SPF 8 totally inhibits vitamin D production, but experts say most people accidentally leave some areas of skin uncovered by sunscreen. A small patch left uncovered still produces active levels of vitamin D. Cloud cover reduces UVB rays by 50 percent. Shade blocks UVB rays by 60 percent.

Food

Vitamin D is rare in natural foods. The largest amounts are found in fish, such as tuna, mackerel, and salmon. The highest concentrations are in the oils of the fish liver. Smaller amounts of vitamin D3 can be found in egg yolks, cheese, and beef liver. Vitamin D2 is found is found in edible mushrooms that have been exposed to sunlight or UV light. Here is the vitamin D content of some common foods: (Recommended daily value is 400 IU)

  • Cod liver oil (1 Tbsp) “ 1360 IU
  • Salmon, cooked (3 oz) “ 794 IU
  • Mackerel (3 oz)“ 388 IU
  • Tuna (3 oz)“ 154 IU
  • Sardines, canned (1 sardine) “ 23 IU
  • Beef Liver (3.5 oz) “ 46 IU
  • Chicken Egg (large) “ 25 IU
  • Cheese, Swiss (1 oz) “ 6 IU

In the U.S. and other developed countries, most dietary vitamin D comes from artificially fortified foods. In the early 20th century, rickets was a major health problem. Since vitamin D combats rickets, the U.S. government began to artificially introduce vitamin D into milk. Results among the general population were almost immediate, and the program has continued to this day. Other countries have since followed suit. Other foods can also be fortified with vitamin D, including breakfast cereal, orange juice, margarine, and yogurt. Unlike milk, which is almost all fortified, other products may or may not be fortified. Mushrooms have recently begun to be fortified semi-naturally by exposing them to controlled UV light emissions greater than they would be exposed to naturally.

  • Mushrooms, enhanced (3 oz) “ 400 IU
  • Milk, fortified (1 cup) “ 115 “ 124 IU
  • Orange Juice, fortified (1 cup) “ 100 IU
  • Yogurt, fortified (6 oz) “ 80 IU
  • Margarine, fortified (1 Tbsp) “ 60 IU
  • Breakfast cereal (1 cup) “ 40 IU

Dietary Supplements

Dietary supplements are available as vitamin D2 or D3. D2 supplements are made by exposing yeast to UV radiation. This causes the yeast to naturally produce the vitamin. D3 supplements are made by exposing lanolin containing 7-dehydrocholesterol to UVB radiation. Although both work equally well as a treatment for rickets, some question has been recently been raised as to how they are metabolized. In tests, vitamin D3 shows to be as much as 3 times as effective as vitamin D2. Some people, such as vegetarians and vegans, are opposed to the D3 supplements, however, because they are sourced from animals.

Health Effects of Vitamin D

Although the exact serum concentrations of vitamin D for optimal health have not been established, researchers estimate the level is somewhere between 16 and 48 ng/ml and varies by age with older people requiring higher levels. Recently, however, one group of researchers have claimed support for their statements that the true optimum serum levels are 16 to 48 ng/ml, and supplementation of 400 IU per day only increase serum levels by 2.8 to 4.8 ng/ml. Therefore, they are recommending a daily value of 1,700 IU/day. Having sufficiently levels of vitamin D plays an important role in health and can prevent or treat several conditions.
Vitamin D Benefits

Immune System

Although studies are still continuing, vitamin D shows an increase in ability of natural killer (NK) cells to fight infections. It also shows an increase in macrophage activity. Increased bodily production of cathelicidin, a natural antimicrobial agent, is also linked to sufficient levels of vitamin D. Some researchers have suggested that the immune system response to vitamin D can reduce the risk of fetuses to develop multiple sclerosis, but these claims are refuted by other researchers.

Cardiovascular System

A National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey once showed a link between low levels of vitamin D and peripheral artery disease. In addition, a study done in the U.K. showed that those who work outdoors in the summer had lower cholesterol. Others have claimed vitamin D deficiency is linked to high blood pressure. All of these claims were later shown to be untrue during systemic reviews.

Cardiovascular studies with vitamin D continue and some recent findings have suggested benefits that are associated to particular ethnicities. In these studies, sufficient vitamin D levels in people of African descent may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, while no such correlation exists in people of European or Caucasian descent. Another study shows that Indians, despite receiving plenty of sunshine, may still suffer from vitamin D deficiency.

Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis, which causes loss of bone density and increased risk of fractures, is usually associated with calcium deficiency, but studies show that vitamin D deficiency also plays a role in the development of the condition. Sufficient levels of vitamin D increase the body’s absorption of calcium and long-term deficiencies can manifest in osteoporosis. Vitamin D supplementation is recommended for seniors, individuals with limited mobility, and postmenopausal women to help prevent osteoporosis.

Since most research of vitamin D and osteoporosis include calcium intake, the exact effects of vitamin D alone are impossible to determine at the present. Studies always recommend the two be taken together, and the final conclusion is that 700 -800 IU/day of vitamin D3 and 500 -1,200 mg/day of calcium reduces the bone loss and decreases incidents of falls and fractures for people between the ages of 62 and 85 years.

Cancer

Both human and animal studies suggest that sufficient vitamin D levels play an important role in the prevention of some forms of cancer, including breast cancer, prostate cancer, and colon cancer. So far, the presence of vitamin D shows the most promise in those with colon cancer, while the other forms of cancer have highly variable test results. Other studies of vitamin D and cancer show either no effect or even a negative effect. One study in Finland on smokers showed that the subjects in the top 20% of vitamin D serum levels are three times more likely to develop pancreatic cancer. The general consensus is that much more research is needed to determine the exact effects of vitamin D on cancerous cells.

Mortality

An independent group of researchers using the data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey concluded that high levels of vitamin D indicate statistically lower rates of mortality among the general population. The research began with detecting vitamin D levels over a 6 year period, ending in 1994. The subjects, however, were continued to be tracked for mortality until 2000. By using the leukocyte telomere length (LTL) to predict the development of diseases and health conditions related to aging, it was determined that those with optimal levels of vitamin D would live longer.

Other Health Conditions

Vitamin D analogues may be effective in treating a variety of other diseases and health conditions:

  • Low blood phosphate levels
  • Psoriasis
  • Low calcium
  • Rickets
  • Rheumatoid arthritis
  • Hyperparathyroidism
  • Tooth decay

One group of researchers and concerned citizens known as the Vitamin D Council is claiming vitamin D deficiency is the source of a range of disorders, including autism, depression, and other forms of mental illness. While initial research shows some correlation, studies on these conditions have only just begun.

Side Effects and Health Risks of Vitamin D

Vitamin D supplementation has been linked to several minor side effects:

  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Loss of appetite
  • Constipation
  • Weakness

Other side effects have been linked to vitamin D’s ability to increase absorption of calcium:

  • Confusion
  • Mental abnormality
  • Heart arrhythmia
  • Kidney stones

Vitamin D has shown to interact with some medications. Corticosteroids, which are used to treat inflammation, impair vitamin D absorption. This can contribute to osteoporosis and a doctor should be consulted regarding vitamin D intake. Orlistat, a weight-loss drug, and cholestyramine, a drug to reduce cholesterol, also reduce vitamin D absorption. Phenobarbital and phenytoin, both used to treat epilepsy, increase metabolism of vitamin D into inactive substances.

Vitamin D has also been shown to increase calcium levels in people suffering from lymphoma, sarcoidosis, and histoplasmosis. This can lead to kidney stones. Vitamin D may also contribute to more severe symptoms in people with atherosclerosis.

Conditions

GERD

GERD: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatments

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is also known as gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD), gastric reflux disease, or simply acid reflux disease. It is caused by the chronic backwash or reflux of stomach acid into the esophagus. Most people experience acid reflux occasionally, but if reflux happens more than twice weekly or disrupts the patient’s daily life, doctors generally diagnose GERD.

Symptoms

The most commonly reported symptom of GERD is heartburn, also termed acid indigestion. Heartburn can range from an uncomfortable warmth to a painful burning sensation in the chest or upper central abdomen. It sometimes spreads all the way up to the throat. Heartburn results when stomach acid and juices flow upward from the stomach into the esophagus, irritating the esophageal lining. A sour taste of stomach acid or bile in the mouth may accompany heartburn. Regurgitation of half-digested stomach contents may occur. Heartburn should not be confused with steady and severe chest pain, which can be a symptom of heart disease or another problem.
What is GERD
Sufferers of GERD may report the sensation of a lump of the throat. This symptom is termed globus pharyngeus. It occurs when the inferior pharyngeal constrictor muscle attached to the esophagus near the voice box tightens in order to prevent stomach from backwashing into the voice box and mouth.

Another symptom of GERD is difficulty swallowing, or dysphagia. The chronic irritation of acid reflux can result in severe esophageal inflammation and injury, creating narrowed sections of esophagus called strictures. These strictures physically interfere with swallowing and may block food on its way to the stomach.

GERD can also cause other injuries to the esophagus, such as ulcers, esophageal cancer, and a condition known as Barrett’s esophagus. In Barrett’s esophagus, the cells at the lower end of the esophageal lining are altered. This cell alteration is associated with a higher risk of esophageal cancer.

Other symptoms are not as commonly associated with GERD, but may still be caused by it. They include sore throat, dry cough, and laryngitis. Asthma, tooth enamel erosion, tooth sensitivity, sinusitis, and damaged teeth may also be related to GERD.

Causes

The lower esophageal muscle (LES) is a round band of muscle between the bottom of the esophagus and entrance to the stomach. It serves as a valve for the stomach. When swallowing occurs, the LES relaxes, allowing food and liquids to enter. Then it tightens, closing the stomach again. When the LES fails to close properly after swallowing, or otherwise weakens and does not hold the stomach properly closed, stomach acid and contents can backwash up into the the esophagus. Chronic malfunction of the LES and subsequent acid reflux results in GERD.

Risk Factors

One direct cause of LES malfunction is a hiatal hernia. In a hiatal hernia, the top portion of the stomach herniates, or protrudes, through the diaphragm muscle and into the upper abdomen. This places additional pressure on the LES and makes it difficult for it to stay fully closed. Obesity, pregnancy, overeating, and chronic coughing may also play excessive pressure on the LES and result in its malfunction.

Smoking is a major risk factor for GERD. Smoking weakens the LES, making it less able to function properly. Smoking also reduces the mouth’s production of saliva, which otherwise helps dissolve stomach acid, thereby decreasing the body’s protection against acid reflux.

Other possible causes of GERD are less understood. A growing number of alternative health practictioners believe that the LES tends to malfunction when there is too little acid present in the stomach. This view is discussed further in the alternative treatments section.

Prevention Tips

There are a number of lifestyle modifications that can help prevent heartburn.

Avoid trigger foods. These are different for every individual. Fried or greasy foods, alcohol, sugary foods, chocolate, peppermint, coffee, garlic, and onions are some foods that may weaken the LES and cause acid reflux. Highly acidic foods such as tomatoes and citrus fruits may not cause reflux, but can worsen any heartburn irritation already present.

If overweight, lose weight. Excess weight puts extra pressure on the abdomen, pushes the stomach upward and can cause acid to reflux into the esophagus.

Do not wear clothing that puts pressure on the abdomen. Clothing that fits tightly on the waist, such as tight belts or waistbands, puts extra pressure on the LES and may contribute to reflux.

Eat at least three hours before lying down. Lying down contributes to pressure on the LES and allows refluxed acid to travel further up the esophagus.

Sleep with the head of the bed elevated. Placing six to nine inch blocks under the head portion of the bed allows gravity to minimize acid reflux. If the bed cannot be raised, it is possible to place a wedge (available from drugstores and medical supply stores) between the mattress and box spring. This raises the body from the waist up.

Don’t overeat. Eating small meals several times a day puts less pressure on the LES and may prevent acid reflux.

Testing and Diagnosis

Many doctors diagnosis GERD based only on symptoms reported by the patient and response to prescribed medication. However, a number of tests can help determine if reflux is actually occurring. Any patient with doubts about their symptoms should request testing from their doctor.

Esophageal pH monitoring

Esophageal pH monitoring is considered the most accurate diagnostic test for GERD. It involves inserting a pH sensor or sensors into the esophagus of a patient and monitoring acid levels for 24 to 48 hours. During this time, the patient carries out his or her daily routine. The test shows if and when acid reflux is occurring.

In older versions of this test, the sensor or sensors were attached to a catheter extending through the throat and out of the nostrils and attached to a small monitor worn outside the body. However, wireless pH monitoring is now possible through use of the Bravo pH capsule. The capsule must be placed on the esophagus during an endoscopy, but it is then completely invisible and generally not felt at all by the patient. The capsule spontaneously detaches and passes harmlessly through the digestive system within several days.

Endoscopy

In endoscopy, a doctor inserts a very thin and flexible tube with a tiny light and camera, called an endoscope, through the mouth and down the esophagus of the patient. The patient’s mouth and throat are generally numbed with a topical anaesthetic beforehand to minimize discomfort. Sedation and general anaesthesia are also options before the procedure. Doctors may observe the state of the esophagus, LES, and stomach, including any signs of acid reflux. A tissue sample may be collected from the esophagus for further analysis.

Endoscopy is useful for revealing signs and damage caused by GERD. However, it cannot observe acid reflux while it is occurring, unlike esophageal pH monitoring.

Esophageal manometry

Esophageal manometry, also known as esophageal impedance or an esophageal motility test, involves inserting a small catheter through the nose, down the esophagus and through the LES into the stomach. The catheter is then slowly pulled back out. The patient will be asked to take deep breaths and swallow several times. On the way out, the catheter records pressure changes and other data which is used to assess the functioning of the esophagus and LES. There is minimal discomfort to the patient during the procedure, which lasts about 45 minutes. This test is useful to help determine if a malfunctioning LES is contributing to acid reflux.

Barium swallow X-ray

This test involves a patient swallowing a liquid solution containing barium sulfate. The barium sulfate covers the surfaces of the digestive tract and acts as a radiocontrast agent, showing up white on X-rays. Doctors can observe the shape of the esophagus, LES, stomach and upper intestine, to see if there is a hiatal hernia or if the LES appears to be functional. They may also assess any visible damage from acid reflux.

Due to its use of radiation and the availability of more accurate tests, a barium swallow X-ray may not be the top choice for diagnosing GERD, but it remains an option.

Treatment options

Pharmaceuticals

There are a number of pharmaceutical options for the treatment of GERD symptoms. They involve either the neutralization of stomach acid or the blocking of stomach acid production. As with any pharmaceutical treatment, unwanted and harmful side effects are possible, particularly with prolonged use of drugs. Also, pharmaceutical treatments for GERD only treat the symptoms of acid reflux. They do not treat the cause of the acid reflux itself, which is malfunction of the LES.

Antacids

Antacids are composed of bases or basic salts which neutralize acid in the stomach. They are usually taken as chewable tablets upon onset of heartburn. When antacids are digested they buffer the acids in the stomach by raising the pH, offering quick relief from reflux discomfort. Some popular brands include Pepto-Bismol, Alka-Seltzer, Maalox, Tums, and Rolaids, all available over the counter and relatively inexpensive.

Antacids provide only symptomatic relief for the pain associated with acid reflux. They do not treat the cause of acid reflux. Overuse of antacids can have adverse side effects, from the mild, such as constipation and diarrhea, to the severe, including milk-alkali syndrome, kidney stones, and kidney failure. Most doctors recommend that antacids only be used for occasional acid reflux. They generally recommend stronger medications for the chronically recurring reflux associated with GERD.

Acid blocking drugs

Acid blocking drugs reduce or block the stomach’s production of acid. They are very commonly prescribed for GERD and fall into two main groups.

H2 receptor antagonists

This acid blocking drug prevents histamine from acting on the acid-secreting cells in the stomach. Normally, histamine stimulates the production of stomach acid. Therefore, H2 receptor antagonists reduce the stomach’s production of acid. Brand names include Tagamet, Pepcid AC, and Zantac. They are available in relatively low over the counter doses and higher prescription doses. They are moderately expensive.
GERD Treatment
These drugs are recommended by doctors for mild to moderate GERD. They can be taken before a meal to prevent acid indigestion before it occurs, and are effective in reducing acid production for 6-10 hours. However, they do not treat the cause of acid reflux, which is generally a malfunctioning LES. They only minimize the discomfort and damage associated with acid reflux by reducing the acidity of refluxed stomach juices.

H2 receptor antagonists are believed to be well-tolerated by the body in general. They may be taken as often as twice a day. Still, there are possible adverse effects, including hypotension, headache, tiredness, dizziness, confusion, diarrhea, constipation, and rash. There are also possible long term side effects associated with the reduction of stomach acid, such as poor absorption of nutrients and subsequent deficiencies.

Proton pump inhibitors

Proton pump inhibitors are drugs which block the proton pump, an enzyme system, from acting in the acid-secreting cells of the stomach. The normal action of the proton pump is the last step in stomach acid production. Therefore, the blocking of the proton pump effectively shuts down the acid production of a particular cell. Proton pump inhibitors are much more powerful than H2 receptor antagonists, and can block total stomach acid production up to 99%. The prolonged blocking of stomach acid production allows time for esophageal damage from acid reflux to heal.

Due to their much greater strength, proton pump inhibitors have surpassed H2 receptor antagonists in popularity and become some of the most widely prescribed drugs in the world. Brand names include Nexium, Prevacid, and Prilosec. They are available in over the counter and prescription forms and are generally expensive.

Proton pump inhibitors may be taken as often as twice daily and are thought to be well tolerated. However, possible side effects include headache, nausea, diarrhea, abdominal pain, fatigue, and dizziness, rash, itch, flatulence, constipation, anxiety, and depression. In addition, long term suppression of stomach acid can result in nutrient deficiencies and other serious health problems.

Prokinetic agents

These drugs promote quicker emptying of the stomach and can help tighten the LES. They work by increasing the rate of contraction of the small intestine, speeding the process of digestion. They include the drug Reglan. However, they can frequently cause side effects including nausea, diarrhea, fatigue, dizziness, and anxiety. They are sometimes prescribed for GERD in combination with H2 receptor antagonists. This combination of treatments can be expensive. They are rarely prescribed alone and are considered less safe and effective than proton pump inhibitors for the long term treatment of GERD.

Surgery

If lifestyle modifications and medications do not resolve severe GERD, doctors may recommend surgery to tighten the LES.

Nissen fundoplication tightens the LES by wrapping the stomach around the base of the esophagus. Surgery may be open (through a long abdominal incision) or, more frequently, laparoscopic (done by instruments inserted through several tiny abdominal incisions). The surgery has a reported 90% effectiveness rate in eliminating reflux symptoms. However, like any surgery, it has a risk of complications, including gas bloat syndrome, dumping syndrome, trouble swallowing, excessive scarring, and recurrence of symptoms. It can also be expensive and may not be covered by insurance.

Other surgical procedures include the EndoCinch endoluminal gastroplication, which uses stitches in the stomach to create barriers against acid reflux, and the Stretta system, which uses electrode energy to create scar tissue which strengthens the LES. Both procedures are still in experimental stages.

Alternative treatments

Some alternative health practitioners believe that GERD results from too little stomach acid. They propose that a chronic lack of sufficient acid secretion in the stomach may cause the LES to loosen and promote acid reflux. They conclude that conventional pharmaceutical treatments for GERD, which neutralize, reduce, or block stomach acid, actually worsen the root cause of acid reflux and create drug dependence as well as long term health problems.

Some alternative treatments for GERD increase stomach acidity and may keep the LES from opening and allowing reflux to occur.

Apple Cider Vinegar

A spoonful of apple cider vinegar, a highly acidic natural substance, is an inexpensive home remedy for indigestion that increases stomach acidity and may relieve GERD symptoms. Lemon juice may be taken in a similar way.

Digestive Bitters

Digestive bitters include bitter herbs such as gentian root, dandelion, and goldenseal. Bitters have traditionally been used to stimulate the appetite and may increase production of stomach acid and digestive juices. Tinctures of digestive bitters are available in health food stores and are relatively inexpensive. 5-10 drops in a little water–just enough to create a strong taste of bitterness–may be taken 5-10 minutes before eating.

Betaine Hydrochloride (HCl) with Pepsin

Betaine Hydrochloride (HCl), derived from beets, it is a natural substance very similar in content to stomach acid. It usually combined with an enzyme called Pepsin and marketed in health food stores as a digestive aid. It is relatively inexpensive. 1-2 tablets may be taken immediately before a meal to increase stomach acid and may prevent reflux from occurring. They should only be taken just before eating due to the strong increase in stomach acid they create. They should not be taken by anyone using anti-inflammatory medication, including aspirin and ibuprofen. This is due to these drugs’ risk of damaging the stomach lining, which supplemental acid could aggravate.

Other alternative treatments include herbs that may ease GERD symptoms by soothing esophageal irritation, such as slippery elm, chamomile, licorice, and marshmallow. They may be taken in teas and lozenges, or added to foods and drinks as powders.

Acupuncture has been shown to relieve the discomfort of GERD symptoms for some patients. Meditation, relaxation, and reducing stress also reportedly reduce GERD symptoms.

Resources

EMedicineHealth.Com
WebMd.Com
EverydayHealth.Com

Conditions

Gout

Alternative names

  • Hyperuricemia
  • Asymptomatic Gout
  • Acute Gout or Gouty Arthritis
  • Interval and Intercritical Gout
  • Chronic Tophaccous Gout

Symptoms

Gout.

There are two different types of gout, primary gout and secondary gout. Primary gout is inherited, which consists of the over production of the uric acid in the blood, a decrease of uric acid in the urine, or both.

Secondary gout occurs when the medication causes the increase of uric acid in the blood. Diuretics can cause this. Kidney failure or the increased destruction of cells, such as cancer patients going through chemotherapy, are also attributed to secondary gout.

You will have redness of the joint accompanied by stiffness, inflammation, and extreme pain. Many will suffer from podagra, a condition where gout forms in the big toe, but you can also contract gout in other joints such as ankles, wrist, fingers, or elbows. 75 percent of first attacks start in the big toe.Gout Remedies

Any type of pressure on the affected area hurts. Something as light as a bed sheet or your sock can cause extreme pain. Gout attacks can get better within a few days, even without treatment.

Four Stages With Different Symptoms:

  • Asymptomatic (without symptoms) Hyperuricemia are elevated levels of uric acid in the blood with no symptoms.
  • Acute Gout or Gouty Arthritis is when deposits of uric acid crystals form in the joint spaces. Sudden onsets of pain will follow, along with swelling, heat, and tenderness.
  • Interval or Intercritical Gout is the period in between attacks where there are no symptoms.
  • Chronic Tophaccous Gout is the most severe and disabling of all stages of gout. It develops over years, causing permanent damage to any of the joints that are affected, and in some cases, the kidneys.

Causes

If there an increased production in uric acid and your kidneys are doing what they need to do to eliminate the acid, it will build up in the blood, a condition called Hyperuricemia. The uric acid forms tiny crystals the size of the point on a needle in the joints or soft tissue. The crystals can also form into kidney stones.

Risk factors

  • Genetics makes up about 20% of all people who suffer from gout.
  • Gender and Age: Gout is more common in adult men between the ages of 40 and 50, with a peak age of 75,
    are more likely to contract gout than woman, children, and young adults.
  • Weight: Being overweight increases the risk contracting gout. The more you weigh, the more frequent the attacks. Having the extra weight makes it harder for the body to do its job. Losing the weight gradually willbe a benefit to those who have high levels of uric acid, even though being on a diet can trigger an attack.
  • Alcohol: People that drink too much alcohol can contract gout as well. The more alcohol you drink, the more the blood is not able to remove the uric acid, the rest crystallizes. Gout attacks happen because the major consumption of alcohol impairs the kidney function.
  • Lead: Some studies have concluded that there’s a strong connection between gout and lead poisoning.
  • Other risk factors that can cause gout are certain foods such as anchovies, asparagus, beef kidneys, dried bean or peas, game meats, gravy, liver. There are so many others, but these are definitely the foods that gout sufferers should watch out for.
  • The kidneys that possess an inability to eliminate waste products.
  • People that suffer from high blood pressure.
  • People who have had organ transplants.
  • Hypothyroidism, or under active thyroid.

Prevention tips

  • Medications: Non steroid anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, help with the pain and inflammation, oral
  • Colchicine in small does to prevent future attacks. Zyloprim and Benemid are medications that are used for the treatment of Hyperuricemia.
  • Zyloprim can help in the management of uric acid, but it won’t stop an acute attack of gout that is already present. It can, however, reduce your symptoms when taken over the course of several months.
  • People that use medication for high blood pressure and high blood triglycerides find that these meds can be used for the treatment of gout. Cozaar, a high blood pressure medication, and Tricor, a triglyceride lowering medication, are the two that have been found to help aid in the treatment of this condition.
  • Lifestyle Changes: Controlling your weight keeps the body from having to work harder break down the bodily waste.
  • Drinking large amounts of water removes uric acid from the body.
  • Avoid diets that have a low-carbohydrate intake. When you’re not taking in a substantial amount of carbohydrates, the body can’t burn fat completely.
  • Eating foods that are purine free is key to reducing the frequency of gout attacks. Purine free means that foods that don’t have a nucleus such as an egg. The yolk is the nucleus. They can’t be avoided completely because purines are released when the body recycles dead cells. These foods are egg whites milk and milk products like cottage cheese mozzarell and whey protein, and pulp-free fruit juices.
  • When you have an attack, it is important to avoid excessive exercise, don’t starve yourself, and don’t reduce you calorie intake. The body will continue to break down body tissue and not getting the proper intake of calories per day, the body will compensate by accelerating the breaking down process.

Test and diagnosis considerations

To confirm a diagnosis, a doctor will inject a needle into the inflamed joint and pull a sample of the liquid that lubricates the joint called synovial fluid to analyze. If there are uric acid crystal found in the joint spaces, then you have gout. X-rays don’t work in the early stages of gout, only when the disease is in its later stage, will you see parts of the joint that have been worn away or eroded.
Treat Gout Naturally
Patients will often seek medical attention thinking that finding the gout in its early stages will prevent it from getting worse later. Sometimes symptoms of gout can be confused with another form of arthritis. One form is called pseudogout. It resembles all the symptoms of gout, but instead of having uric acid crystals that form in the joint spaces, it calcium phosphate. In this case, pseudogout.

Treatment options

1. Home treatments

  • Warming the joints with a foot bath and heating pad can help relieve joint pain.
  • Increasing the amount of water that you drink will increase your urination, which decreases the amount of
    uric acid in your blood. According to the Institute of Medicine, men should drink approximately 13 cups of
    water per day, women should drink approximately nine cups, whether it’s in food or drink.
  • NSAIDs, with the help of other prescribed drugs, are used to treat gout. Aspirin should not be taken
    because it can aggravate the condition.
  • Corticosteroids can relieve pain and inflammation of gout in the joint by injecting it right into the joint if
    the pain medication that you have at home doesn’t work.
  • Doctors have been advising patients who suffer from gout to take Vitamin E, B-complex, and folic acid to
    replenish the body’s supply.

This should be done under supervision of a physician, but a solution of half of a teaspoon of baking soda dissolved into a glass of water on an empty stomach. If the stomach is full, the combination of the stomach acid and the water/baking soda solution will turn the water into carbon dioxide gas.

The gas will increase stomach pressure, causing injury. Do not exceed more than seven 1/2 teaspoons or three 1/2 teaspoons if you’re over 60, in a 24 hour period. Don’t exceed the maximum dosage for more than two weeks.

Herbal Remedies

In folk medicine, eating or drinking cherries in various forms has shown to reduce the inflammation caused by gout. They have been promoted to the preventing or treating of the condition.

Other herbal remedies that people tend to use instead of conventional medicine are things like celery seed
oil, cherries or cherry extract, turmeric, artichoke extract, garlic, and various Chinese herbs.

Some people have found that swallowing a teaspoon of celery seed oil gives relief for people suffering from gout. It has been used as a herbal remedy to help with conditions where inflammation is a symptom and rheumatism. Turmeric is known in many countries for its health benefits. In Pakistan, it is used as an anti-inflammatory.

The herbal remedy Flamasil, which is turmeric based, it helps with the degeneration of cells, which is 70 percent of all uric acid production, enhances liver and kidney function, and blocks the enzyme that produces uric acid. With any home remedy or experimental drug, there will be opinions and criticisms about how well or if it works.

Side Effects

The side effects of oral colchicine is usually nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, or diarrhea. These side effects make it difficult for the patient to continue using the drug. Corticosteroids cannot be used for every attack you have. If used over time, it can cause deterioration of the joints. It can also decrease the ability for the body to fight off infection and may make these infections harder to treat. You might also notice an increase or decrease in appetite, nervousness, restlessness, problems sleeping, and indigestion.

If you’re using a corticosteroid, via inhalant, you’re more likely to suffer from dry throat as well as headaches, nausea, bruising and/or thinning of the skin, unpleasant sense of taste. Nasal sprays can also irritate the throat, and ointments or gels can cause skin irritation.

Probenicid, or Benemid, is not a good medication to treat acute gout attacks. They can aggravate the inflammation if used in the beginning stages of the attack. It can also cause kidney issues such as renal colic and increased levels of uric acid that can turn into uric acid stones, or kidney stones. Zyloprim side effects are included, but not limited to, an acute attack of gout, nausea, diarrhea, and certain skin reactions such as a rash.

All gout medications have side effects that range from nausea to stomach cramps. Although, there are new medications being developed in clinical trials that will substantially increase the elimination of uric acid and the lowering of uric acid in the blood stream. Researchers are also working on medications that will stop chemical messages that are causing the gout inflammation.

Chinese Research

In China, researchers have invented a medicine that compliments, the Weicao Capsule, that helps relieve gout, therapeutically. This is still in its trial phase, but it has been shown in a study that the capsule has increased urination, which lowers high levels of uric acid and improves kidney function.

Gout can become extremely serious if not treated in it’s earliest stages. There are some people that will dismiss the condition, but gout is very serious and has the capability of interfering with the simplest of everyday things.

Resources

National Institute of Health
Cdc.Gov
MedicineNet.Com

Vitamins

Vitamin D4

Vitamin D4 (Also known as: 22,23-Dihydroergocalciferol (Vitamin D2 without the 22,23 double bond)

Vitamin D4 is an ineffective form of Vitamin D. It forms dihydrotachysterol, or Dht (not to be confused with DHT, the hormone treatment).

Vitamin D4 is a form of the D Vitamin group, categorized as fat-soluble secosteroids. The two most commonly used forms of vitamin D for humans are D2 (ergocalciferol) and D3 (cholecalciferol). Vitamin D is found in food and produced by the body after exposure to sunlight (or ultraviolet B light), in the form of D3; it can also be taken in pill form as a supplement.

Vitamin D Group

While categorized as vitamins, the vitamin D group actually circulates the body as a hormone after being synthesized in the kidneys. Technically, despite the name, vitamin D is not a “vitamin” at all and targets close to 10% of the human genome within the body (200 genes). Vitamin D is ingested via supplement or diet, or produced naturally by the skin’s exposure to the sun and ultraviolet B rays.

After being carried from the bloodstream to the liver, vitamin D converts into prohormone calcidiol, and then into the biologically active form of vitamin D, calcitriol. Calcitrol is known to have properties that help boost the immune system, and locally acts as a cytokine. At this point, the vitamin is being circulated as a hormone. The calcitrol in the bloodstream helps to regulate phosphate and calcium, and promotes healthy bone growth.

Deficiency in the D vitamins can lead to brittle bones, poorly formed bones, or weak bones, especially in children who suffer the deficiency during formative years. Rickets, osteomalacia and osteoporosis are diseases known to afflict individuals who are deficient in vitamin D.

Forms of Vitamin D

There are five known forms of Vitamin D: D1 (ergocalciferol with lumisterol), D2 (ergocalciferol with ergosterol), D3 (cholecalciferol), D4 (22-dihydroergocalciferol), and D5 (sitocalciferol). Both D2 and D3 were discovered in the 1930s.

All the forms of Vitamin D chemically contain steroids in which one of the bonds in the steroid rings is broken, called secosteroids. Most of the differences between forms result from slight changes in chemical structure; the only difference between D2 and D3 is that of a single versus double bond in the side chains.

For nutrition purposes and medical use in human beings, the forms of Vitamin D in D2 and D3 are the most widely used, with D3 gaining a critical perception as the more potent of the two in recent years. Vitamin D4 is an active metabolite of Vitamin D2.

Production

Vitamin D3 can be produced by humans in their skin photochemically from 7-dehydrocholesterol, which is produced in large quantities by vertebrates. Sunlight is necessary for vertebrates to produce vitamin D3; some studies have shown deficiencies in animals whose habitat has little light, such as mole rats. (The study also showed, however, that the mole rat was less susceptible to aging and maintained healthy vascular function).

Some animals without direct skin exposure to the sun, such as birds, Vitamin D3 is produced by the skin’s natural oils and secreted onto the fur or feathers.

It should be noted that vitamin D2, though available, is not naturally produced by vertebrates. While plants, fungus, and invertebrates produce D2 after exposure to ultraviolet light, little is known about the biological reason behind it.

Sources

The three sources of Vitamin D are skin production via exposure to sunlight, through dietary foods, and via supplement.

The best source of Vitamin D is safe, regular exposure to sunlight. Doctors recommend exposing the face and hands to direct sunlight at 10 minutes at a time at least once a day to boost Vitamin D production. Through regular sun exposure (10-15 minutes a day), humans can make their own Vitamin D in the form of D3. People should use caution, however, as sunscreen blocks the production of Vitamin D (since the skin does not get direct exposure to ultraviolet B light).
Vitamin D4 Remedies
Sun exposure can cause skin care and other issues, so moderation is key. Exposure to sunlight for 20-30 minutes is estimated to result int he production of approximately 10,000 IU of vitamin D, although this will vary based on location, heritage, and other factors. Sunlight is the easiest method to acquire vitamin D; by contrast, a person would have to drink roughly 25 glasses of 8oz milk to get the same 10,000 IU of vitamin D.

Producing Vitamin D4

The ability for a person to produce vitamin D depends greatly on age, height, weight, geographic location, and genetic background. Those with darker skin will need much longer exposure to generate the same amount of the vitamin; for reasons still largely unknown, persons with darker skin have more difficulty making vitamin D.

For this reason, a supplement via diet or oral pill may be helpful. Those living in regions that experience limited sunlight throughout the year may also need to take an alternate approach. It can be difficult for people to produce enough Vitamin D, but it is a fat soluble vitamin, and caution should be taken not to overdose.

Availability

Many cereals, margarine, bread, pastries, milk are fortified with Vitamin D, especially in the United States and Canada. Natural sources of Vitamin D can also be found in oily fish (such as catfish, salmon, tuna, mackerel), eggs, mushrooms, and cod liver oil.

Supplements of Vitamin D are readily available, although individuals should consult with a medical provider to select the correct dosage and type that best suits their needs.

Active metabolites may be required for those with kidney or liver problems; these more active derivatives of Vitamin D are more easily absorbed into the body.

Uses

The vitamin D group is often used to promote healthy bone growth, healthy teeth, prevent osteoporosis and other degenerative bone diseases, prevention of rickets, and lately as a possible prevention for cancer.

Recent studies have also shown potential for vitamin D as a potential treatment for high blood pressure, fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, diabetes mellitus, and rheumatoid arthritis. Vitamin D stimulates bone growth and helps to establish a healthy mineral metabolism. The use of vitamin D for the treatment of cardiovascular disease has also grown in popularity within the past few decades.

Vitamin D4 is often used for the treatment of postoperative tetany in its chronic, latent, and acute forms. Tetany is a condition which involves the involuntary contraction of muscles due to complications with the body’s ability to absorb calcium, which vitamin D facilitates. Consequently, it is also used to treat idiopathic tetany and hypoparathyroidism.

Recent Studies

Recent studies have shown promise for vitamin D as a treatment for cancer due to the ability of vitamin D, when in the form of an active metabolite, to stimulate the growth of white blood cells, the building blocks of the body’s immune system. In 2006, a study found a correlation between cancer and patient’s vitamin D levels.

The study suggested adding an additional 1,000 IU of vitamin D per day could significantly reduce the risk of cancer in individuals, particularly breast cancer, colon cancer, and ovarian cancer. However, a conflicting study conducted by the National Cancer Institute found no link between a cancer patient’s mortality rate and their intake of vitamin D. Ongoing research is being performed to better determine what, if any, use vitamin D can have for cancer treatment.

There have also been conflicting studies on the link between vitamin D and mortality.

Pharmacology and Mechanism of Action

Vitamin D4, or dihydroergocalciferol, effectively synthesizes in the kidneys after passing into the bloodstream and then the liver. It is a more active metabolite of the more mainstream versions of vitamin D. Due to the increased metabolic activity, D4 is often effective in elevating serum calcium due to its ability to stimulate the calcium absorption of the intestines. D4 can also help mobilize bone calcium and functioning renal tissue if parathyroid hormone is absent.

For this reason, D4 in the form of dihydrotachysterol, a synthetic analogue of viamin D, has been a form of treatment for hypocalcemia (a condition where the blood lacks calcium) and hypoparathyroidism (which results from a deficiency of parathyroid hormone in the body). Dihydrotachysterol is converted to an active metabolite in the liver in the form of 25-hydroxydihydrotachysterol.

After the 25-hydroxydihydrotachysterol is hydroxylated, it binds to the receptor (which has DNA binding and hormone binding domains) of the vitamin D. This results in an suppression of synthesis for type I collagen as well as an expression of osteocalcin; both are due to the bound form of the receptor of vitamin D serving as a transcription controller for bone matrix proteins.

Subsequently, this helps to stimulate the calcium absorption as described above. Interestingly, several research studies have shown that many (if not all) cells in the body are equipped with vitamin D receptors.

Potential Overdose and Toxicity

Categorized as fat soluble, Vitamin D is stored in the body, so excess is not flushed out in urine as with water soluble vitamins. As a result, individuals should be very careful to supplement the correct amount of vitamin D into their diets. Hypercalcima, an excess of calcium, can occur when there is an excess of vitamin D in the body. Hypercalcima due to vitamin D can cause kidney pain and kidney stones and result in an over-calcification of bones, heart, soft tissues, and kidneys.

The nomenclature for an excess of vitamin used by the medical community is hypervitaminosis D. The recommended intake of vitamin D daily is 400IU; for an overdose to occur, significantly more vitamin D would have to be ingested.

Overdoses have been recorded at 77,000 IU per day, with 10,000 being the maximum recommended dose. Symptoms of hypervitaminosis include fatigue, dehydration, vomiting, decreased appetite, and irritability. Toxicity is not likely unless specific other medical conditions are present; it is not common.

http://science.jrank.org/pages/44204/vitamin-D.html

http://www.vivo.colostate.edu/hbooks/pathphys/endocrine/otherendo/vitamind.html

http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/vitamind.asp

Conditions

Frequent Urination

Frequent Urination Condition

Frequent urination simply means urinating more often than usual. Its a symptom rather than a condition. Most people empty their bladders between four and eight times a day; frequent urination is therefore defined as voiding urine more often than eight times a day with the implication that this increased rate is not strictly volitional.

Frequent urination does not always signify an underlying health problem.

You may be drinking too much fluid, or possibly you need to modify your food and beverage intake: alcohol, caffeinated beverages such as coffee and tea and even some foods such as celery, watermelon and parsley are natural diuretics increasing the amount of urine you would normally excrete.

Female Urinary System.

Underlying Problems

But frequent urination is often a sign of an underlying medical pathology, most often a urinary tract infection or cystitis (an inflammation of the bladder) that can affect either sex although it most common in women.

Frequent urination can also be the first symptom of diabetes, both type 1 and type 2, as the body mobilizes the urinary system to rid itself of excess glucose.

Frequent urination is linked to prostate problems in men and to pregnancy and pelvic inflammatory disease in women. The symptom is also a common side effect of obesity and abdominal radiation treatments.Frequent Urination Symptoms

Even when frequent urination is not connected to an underlying pathology, it can be a disruptive and embarrassing condition. When you have to go, you have to go no matter what else is happening around you.

When frequent urination forces major changes in lifestyle habits or is accompanied by fever, pain, nausea and vomiting, increased or decreased appetite, genital discharge or changes in the appearance of the urine itself, it’s time to consult a physician about the condition.

Alternative Names

There are several different conditions which are closely associated with frequent urination:

Urgent Urination, Urinary Urgency

A sudden, compelling need to urinate linked to a burning sensation or pain, often a sign of an underlying urinary tract infection.

Urge Incontinence, Urinary Incontinence, Overactive Bladder Syndrome

A sudden, irresistible need to urinate due to bladder spasms. Symptoms include urinary frequency, urinary urgency, and sometimes leaking urine before you can get to a toilet.

Stress Incontinence

Involuntary urination that occurs during an activity such as coughing, sneezing or laughing, generally caused by an underlying anatomic weakness to the bladder.

Nocturia

Frequent urination at night involving waking up several times to use the toilet.

Polyuria

The production of excessive volumes of urine for an adult, over 2.5 liters in 24 hours.

Depending on the underlying cause of your urinary frequency, you may experience some of these symptoms as well.

Physiology

Urination is the process by which urine is eliminated from the body, a function which in healthy humans is partly under voluntary control.

Cellular metabolism generates nitrogenous waste products that must be eliminated from the bloodstream. These wastes are filtered out of the bloodstream by the kidneys. There are two kidneys in the body, each made up of microscopic structures called nephrons that act as filtering units removing most of the water, salt and waste from the blood that passes through them.

The resulting liquid waste product called urine is transported through anatomic structures called ureters to the bladder where it is stored. The anatomical structure of the ureters and bladder do not allow urine to back up towards the kidneys under most circumstances.

Bladder Muscles

The bladder has two sets of muscles controlling its opening. Only the external sphincter is under voluntary control. Both the internal sphincter and the smooth muscle in the wall of the bladder are under the control of the parasympathetic nervous system. As your bladder fills with urine, the smooth muscle stretches by means of small contractile waves to accommodate the extra volume of urine. When urination occurs, the bladder’s outer layer of muscle (called the detrusor) contracts to help push out urine.

Urine is excreted from the bladder through the urethra, a process called urination. The average adult bladder can hold between 300 and 500 cc of urine. Urine is sterile when it is excreted from the body: it contains fluid, salts and waste products, but it is free of bacteria, viruses and other pathogenic organisms.

Causes of Frequent Urination

Overactive Bladder

Overactive bladder is a condition associated with a sudden, irresistible urge to urinate, resulting from involuntary contractions of the musculature of the bladder wall.

Overactive bladder is particularly common among middle-aged and older adults, and some medical experts estimate that one out of ever 11 adults in the United States suffers from some form of it. Untreated overactive bladder can lead to an increased incidence of urinary tract infections and skin infections from the corrosive effects of urine on the delicate skin of the urogenital area. But treatment success rates are high: with behavioral modification techniques and medication, 80% of people are able to bring their symptoms under control.

Overactive bladder can be brought on by abnormalities of the nervous system such as spinal cord injuries, multiple sclerosis, strokes, Parkinson’s disease and diabetic neuropathy; by urinary tract infections; and by blockages to the urinary system such as those caused by kidney stones or an enlarged prostate. But in many cases, there is no underlying pathogenic cause to overactive bladder.

Medical History

Medical history plays an important role in diagnosis: urinary frequency, urinary urgency, stress incontinence and urinating more than three times a night are all suggestive of overactive bladder. A pelvic exam for women (to rule out pelvic inflammatory disease) and a prostate exam for men (to check for enlargement) are generally indicated. Ultrasonic measurement of the post-void residual (the amount of urine left in the bladder after urination) can further help determine whether symptoms are due to muscle spasms or some other cause.

If underlying pathology is ruled out then treatment for overactive bladder focuses on:

Improving the Tone of the Surrounding Pelvic Muscles

Doing Kegel exercises (also called pelvic floor exercises) for five minutes, two to three times a day, can markedly decrease incontinence in both women and men. Occasionally Kegel exercises are used in conjunction with biofeedback and electrical stimulation of the floor of the pelvis.

Behavioral Modification

Behavioral techniques called bladder training can teach you to resist the urge to urinate, gradually increasing the interval between trips to the toilet.

Peeing in public.

Medications

Several medications that block the effects of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine have proven successful in the treatment of overactive bladder. They share common side effects including dry mouth, constipation, blurred vision, and in the elderly, confusion.

  • Oxybutynin (Ditropan): Oxybutynin suppresses spasms in the smooth muscles of the bladder wall. Additionally it relaxes the detrusor.
  • Tolterodine (Detrol, Detrol LA): Tolterodine suppresses spasms in the smooth muscles of the bladder wall. It does not cause the mouth to dry out as much as Oxybutynin.
  • Solifenacin (VESIcare). Similar to Tolterodine, but with a longer half-life.
  • Tricyclic antidepressants such as imipramine (Tofranil) and doxepin (Sinequan, Adapin) have also been used to treat overactive bladder with some success. Their mechanism of action is not clear.

Natural Treatments

If you are suffering from the symptoms of overactive bladder, there are a number of remedies you can try at home without seeking medical attention. Regulate your fluid intake. If you smoke, stop. Consider eliminating coffee, tea and other caffeinated beverages and foods: caffeine is a known diuretic.
treating frequent urination
Foods such as chocolate, spicy cuisines, alcohol and carbonated drinks can also irritate the bladder. If you are even a few pounds overweight, consider going on a diet: middle-aged people tend to put on weight in their abdomen, and all that extra avoirdupois exerts extra pressure on your bladder.

Constipation, similarly, also exerts extra pressure on your bladder so consider increasing the amount of fiber in your diet if you suffer from it.

Some naturopathic doctors believe that overactive bladder is linked to food sensitivities, particularly to wheat and dairy products.

These foods, it’s speculated, cause a systemic inflammation that manifests, among other things, as an inflamed bladder. By cutting out one food group for a period of time and observing how your symptoms respond, you can pinpoint the dietary culprit.

Mineral Supplements

A number of botanicals and mineral supplements have also been used to treat overactive bladder with some success.

Pumpkin

Native Americans have used pumpkin seeds for centuries to improve bladder and prostate health. Pumpkin is also one of the few natural remedies to be tested in clinical trials: in one six-week study of postmenopausal women suffering from overactive bladder, almost 60% of participants showed marked improvement.

Magnesium

Clinical trials have also proven the efficacy of magnesium, particularly among patients suffering from Parkinson’s disease. It thought to control smooth muscle spasms.

Saw Palmetto

Palmetto is commonly used throughout Europe to treat the symptoms of benign enlarged prostate. Its precise mechanism of action is unclear but it has anti-inflammatory properties and is known to reduce the activity of enzymes linked to prostate problems. Clinical studies have proved that it reduces urinary frequency. But palmetto has some mild estrogenic effects; for that reason, women who are pregnant, breastfeeding, taking birth control pills or undergoing hormone therapy should avoid it.

Stress Incontinence

Stress incontinence is the involuntary loss of urine due to a sudden pressure on the abdominal muscles secondary to physical activities like coughing, sneezing or laughing.

While its symptoms and many non-invasive treatments are similar to those for overactive bladder, its underlying cause is quite different: it due to a weakening of the pelvic musculature which in men can occur following a prostatectomy and among women is a common aftermath to childbirth among women (exacerbated when estrogen levels decrease in the week before menstruation or following menopause.)

In addition to the treatments described under overactive bladder above, one non-surgical treatment that sometimes used for women suffering from stress incontinence is the insertion of a small ring-shaped medical device called a pessary into the vagina. The pessary reduces stress incontinence by compressing the urethra against the symphysis pubis bone. If a woman uses this treatment option, she must be carefully monitored by her physician to reduce the chance of contracting a vaginal or urinary tract infection.

Surgical treatment is only considered if other non-invasive treatments have failed and the exact anatomical site of the pelvic muscle weakness is known.

Nocturia

Nocturia is the medical term for frequent urination at night. It can be a symptomatic of a systemic disease process such as a kidney or bladder infection, diabetes or sleep apnea; in men, it is often the first sign of prostate enlargement. But even when its causes are relatively benign, nocturia can still be a difficult condition to live with because it interferes with sleep.

Interventions to try at home include minimizing all fluid intake but particularly caffeine and alcohol for at least three hours before bedtime, taking medications that have a diuretic effect earlier in the day, and avoiding strenuous exercise and potentially stressful interactions before sleep. You should see your physician if nighttime urination is accompanied by fever, pain or discomfort, or if your urinary frequency is not affected at all when you cut down on fluids before bedtime.

Medical History and Testing

Since nocturia is frequently a symptom of an underlying systemic pathology, when you visit your physician, he or she will try to rule these out by taking a thorough patient history, performing a physical exam, and ordering diagnostic tests such as urinalysis, urine culture, blood sugar and BUN/creatinine clearance.

Nocturia can be a symptom of benign prostate enlargement, urinary tract infection, kidney failure, congestive heart failure, obstructive sleep apnea or diabetes.

Urinary Tract Infections (UTI)

Urinary tract infections are the second most common type of infection, resulting in 8.3 million visits to doctors offices every year. UTIs are named differently according to the primary site of infection:

  • Urethritis is an infection of the urethra
  • Cystitis is an infection of the bladder
  • Pyelonephritis is a kidney infection

In addition to urinary symptoms like urinary frequency and urinary urgency, UTI symptoms can include low-grade fever, abdominal or back pain, and urine that appears cloudy and has an unusual or foul odor. With more serious infections that spread to the kidneys, symptoms may include a fever over 101 degrees Fahrenheit with chills and night sweats, nausea and vomiting and more severe pain in the abdomen or lower back or referred to the flank.

In a significant number of cases, UTIs are asymptomatic. Indeed among the elderly for whom UTIs are a huge concern, the only symptoms may be confusion, combativeness or other changes in mentation.

UTIs occur when bacteria contaminate the urethra opening and begin to multiply. The most common contaminant is Escherichia coli (E. coli), a bacteria which typically lives in the intestines and the most common source of infection in active individuals is fecal contamination following bowel movements. But any abnormality in the urinary tract that obstructs the free flow of urine a kidney stone, for example, or an external catheter can set the stage for infection.

Higher Risk Categories

Women are more prone to UTIs than men, possibly because their urethras are shorter and closer to the anus. Medical experts estimate that half of all women will experience a UTI at least once in their lifetime, and most of them more than once. Factors that increase a woman™s susceptibility to UTIs include sexual activity (because intercourse can irritate the urethra,) use of the diaphragm as a birth control device, and aging since the decrease in estrogen following menopause leads to more fragile urogenital tissues.

If the UTI involves mild discomfort but no fever, you can try to manage it at home. Your goal will be to flush the offending microorganisms by drinking lots and lots of water. Avoid drinking caffeinated beverages such as coffee and tea, alcohol and carbonated beverages as these will irritate your bladder. Since an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, for the future remember to wipe from front to back after a bowel movement (rather than the other way around), to urinate as soon as possible after sexual intercourse and (for women) to avoid potentially irritating feminine hygiene products.

Cranberry Juice

For more than a century, cranberry juice has been used as a natural remedy for UTIs. Cranberries contain substances called proanthocyanins which seem to prevent bacteria from sticking to the walls of the urinary tract. Don’t use the highly sweetened cranberry juice you find in supermarkets for this purpose. Instead use unsweetened cranberry juice or cranberry extract tablets available from health food stores.

If you are running even a low-grade fever or your UTI is causing you significant discomfort, then you should opt to see a physician for treatment.

Definitive diagnosis will be made on the basis of a urinalysis done on a clean, mid-stream catch specimen of urine. Blood, pus and/or bacteria will be present in a urinalysis that’s positive for a UTI. Occasionally a urine culture may also be ordered to test for specific strains of bacterial infection. Other tests your physician may order if he or she thinks your infection may be more serious include blood cultures and a CBC.

Treatment Options

The first line of treatment for a simple UTI is antibiotics. Commonly used antibiotics include Amoxicillin (Amoxil, Trimox), Ciprofloxacin (Cipro), and Sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim (Bactrim). Symptoms often respond to treatment within 24 hours, but it is important to complete the antibiotic regimen even if symptoms have disappeared otherwise the implicated bacteria may develop a resistance to that antibiotic.

Your doctor may also prescribe medication called Phenazopyridine hydrochloride (Pyridium) to control the burning sensation you experience upon urination. One side effect of Pyridium is that it turns your urine bright blue!

If your UTI has made you extremely sick or you are incapacitated in some way that makes your doctor think you will be unable to adhere to the antibiotic protocol (as sometimes happens with elderly patients), your doctor may recommend hospitalization so that antibiotics and fluids can be administered intravenously

References:

Vitamins

Vitamin K1

Phylloquinone/K1

Vitamin K1 comes in two forms, Phylloquinone, the natural version of vitamin K1, and phytonadione, the synthetic form of vitamin K1. Vitamin K1, is a viscous oil, clear to amber in color, odorless, and fat soluble.

The name phylloquinone is given to natural occurring vitamin K1 because it is an indirect product of photosynthesis in plant leaves where it occurs in chloroplasts and participates in the overall photosynthetic process.

Vitamin K1 is commercially manufactured for medicinal use under several brand names (Phylloquinone, Phytonadione, AquaMEPHYTON, Mephyton, and Konakion). Vitamin K1 is used by the body to form prothrombin, which is a protein used in blood clotting. Additionally, vitamin K1 is used in synthesizing proteins needed in the formation of bones and cartilage.

Discovery

The K group, which contains vitamins K1, K2, and K3, was discovered by Danish scientist Henrick Dam in 1929. During this time, Ham was studying cholesterol metabolism in young chickens. He noted a new deficiency syndrome in the young birds fed a fat deficient diet.

The characteristic features were a lengthened blood clotting time, anemia and hemorrhage. Ten years later, an American biochemist named Edward Doisy was able to extract the vitamin. Together with Henrick Dam, Edward Doisy won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1943.

Sources

Vitamin K1 is found primarily in fruits like kiwi and avocados, green, leafy vegetables such as spinach, and plants from the mustard family like kale, cabbage, and broccoli. Vitamin K1 is also found in cow milk, cheeses, canola and olive oil, eggs, and cereals. Cooking does not remove significant amounts of vitamin K from these foods.
vitamin k1 health benefits
Vitamin K1 can also be found in a wide variety of supplements, from multi vitamins, to injections, to creams. Vitamin K1 cream is often used in diminishing bruising and in stimulating the healing process. If you take an anticoagulant, be sure to avoid vitamin supplements with vitamin K1.

Vitamin K1 injections are used primarily in newborns as they are susceptible to a deficiency in vitamin K1. Injections of vitamin K1 can be used in treating bleeding and clotting diseases, adult vitamin K deficiencies, and other problems. Vitamin K1 pills are used to treat the same conditions as the injections, except in the case of newborns.

Vitamin K1 and Health

Vitamin K1 used topically has been used as a treatment for rosacea, in alleviating under eye circles, and diminish bruising and spider veins. Vitamin K1 has been tested and shown to reduce the risk of hip fracture.

Data from the 1998 Nurses Health Study found that women who eat lettuce more often has a significantly lower risk of hip fracture than those women who consumed smaller amounts of lettuce.

There are some indications that vitamin K1 may decrease the incidence or severity of osteoporosis and slow bone loss. A recent study in June of 2009 concluded that vitamin K1 helps in slowing down the hardening of arteries in those afflicted with the condition. The study showed that taking 500 micrograms of vitamin K1 a day slowed the coronary artery calcification (CAC).

Vitamin K1 has been shown to treat the following conditions: Bleeding Prophylaxis, Coumarin Toxicity, Hemorrhage, Hemorrhage Disease of the Newborn (HDN), Liver cancer, Kidney stones, Thrombosis, Osteopenia, Hemorrhage Disease of the Newborn (HDN) Prophylaxis, Hypoprothrombinemia, and Osteoporosis Prophylaxis. If you are prone to bruising or if you are pregnant you may consider taking a vitamin K supplement.

Levels of Vitamin K

In 2000, the National Academy of Sciences established the following Adequate Intake (AI) levels for vitamin K:

  • Males and females, 0-6 months: 2 micrograms
  • Males and females, 7-12 months: 2.5 micrograms
  • Males and females, 1-3 years: 30 micrograms
  • Males and females, 4-8 years: 55 micrograms
  • Males and females, 9-13 years: 60 micrograms
  • Males and females, 14-18 years: 75 micrograms
  • Males, 19 years and older: 120 micrograms
  • Females, 19 years and older: 90 micrograms
  • Pregnant or lactating females, 18 years and younger: 75 micrograms
  • Pregnant or lactating females, 19 years and older: 90 micrograms

Deficiency

A deficiency in vitamin K1 results when the body is unable to absorb the vitamin in the intestinal track. The average diet contains enough vitamin K1 and vitamin K1 deficiency is rare in adults. Typically, a deficiency in vitamin K1 is due to impaired absorption rather than a poor diet.

New born infants have an increased risk of a vitamin K1 deficiency. In the United States, the Committee on Nutrition of the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that 0.5 to 1.0 milligrams of vitamin K1 be administered to all newborn infants shortly after birth. A vitamin K1 deficiency in newborn infants can cause hematomas, risk of uncontrolled bleeding, and birth defects such as underdeveloped nose, face, bones, and fingers.

Others with a risk of vitamin K deficiency include individuals who suffer from liver damage or disease, those who have undergone digestive track surgery, people who have problems with their gallbladder, pancreas, or liver function, those with cystic fibrosis inflammatory bowel diseases, celiac disease, ulcerative colitis, bulimics, individuals on stringent diets, and people taking anticoagulants. Blood tests to measure clotting may be done to help confirm a diagnosis of vitamin K1 deficiency.

Vitamin K Controversy

Newborn infants routinely receive a vitamin K1 injection after birth in order to prevent (or slow) a rare problem of bleeding into the brain weeks after birth. The fetus has low levels of vitamin K1 as well as other factors needed in clotting. Supplementation of vitamin K1 to the pregnant mother does not change the K1 status of the fetus, confirming the importance of its specific levels.

Towards the end of gestation, the fetus begins developing some of the other clotting factors, developing two key factors just before term birth. It has recently been shown that vitamin K1 is involved in regulating the rate of cell division in the fetus. In the 1990s two studies suggested the possibility that abnormally high levels of vitamin K1 could have the potential to cause to cancer.

In 2000, these studies were reexamined and found to contain poor methods and small sample sizes and was discredited. Many parents, however, still question the use of vitamin K1 injections in their newborn infants.

Vitamin K1 and Animals

Just as in humans, animals can develop vitamin K1 deficiencies. In animals, deficiencies of vitamin K1 can lead to blood clotting issues and bleeding diseases. Deficiencies of vitamin K1 typically are caused by poisoning by arsenic (rat poison).

Arsenic can inhibit the formation of vitamin K1 and interfere with its clotting abilities. Other causes of vitamin K deficiencies in animals are liver disease, which results in poor absorption of vitamin K1 and medications containing high doses of warfarin. Vitamin K1 injections and pills are used in treating animals deficient in vitamin K1 and is obtained through a prescription from a veterinarian.

Toxicity and side effects:

There is no known toxicity associated with large doses of vitamin K1. High intake of vitamin K is not recommended for individuals taking anticoagulant medications such as Warfarin. Side effects are very rare and may include flushing, or redness of the face, dizziness, chest pain/tightening of the chest, fast heart rate, decreased appetite and movement in infants, skin rashes, and profuse sweating.

Drug interactions:

Drugs that may affect the intake of vitamin K1 are:

  • warfarin (Coumadin)
  • mineral oil, orlistat (Xenical)
  • cholestyramine (Questran, Prevalite)
  • a salicylate such as aspirin (Ascriptin, Bayer, etc)
  • choline salicylate and/or magnesium salicylate (Magan, Doan’s, Bayer Select Backache Pain Formula, etc)
  • salsalate (Disalcid)
  • nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) such as ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil,etc), ketoprofen (Orudis, Orudis KT, Oruvail)
  • naproxen (Naprosyn, Anaprox, Aleve)
  • diclofenac (Voltaren, Cataflam)
  • nabumetone (Relafen)
  • oxaprozin (Daypro)
  • piroxicam (Feldene)
  • etodolac (Lodine)
  • fenoprofen (Nalfon)
  • flurbiprofen (Ansaid)
  • indomethacin (Indocin)
  • ketorolac (Toradol)
  • sulindac (Clinoril)
  • tolmetin (Tolectin)

Be sure to always consult with your doctor before taking any medication with vitamin K1.

Nutrient Interactions

Research on nutrient-nutrient interactions with vitamin K has traditionally focused on the major fat-soluble vitamins – specifically vitamins A, E, and D. Unfortunately, this research has given rather mixed results.

Those undergoing treatment with anticoagulant drugs have been shown to have their anticoagulant therapy and their vitamin K1 levels impacted by high doses of vitamin E. For this reason, intake of both vitamin K1 and vitamin E for individuals undergoing treatment with anticoagulant medications needs to be determined with the help of a healthcare provider.

In healthy individuals, high intake of vitamin has no noticeable interactions with vitamin K1 levels. However, under some circumstances, higher supplement intake of vitamin E (above 1,000 milligrams) has been shown to interfere with vitamin K1 function and, in some cases, to promote hemorrhaging.

Calcium Metabolism

Since calcium metabolism can be greatly affected by both vitamin D and vitamin K1, researchers suspect some key interactions between these two fat-soluble vitamins. However, the exact nature of this interaction has yet to be determined.

Similar to the research on vitamin E in food, no food intake of vitamin A has been show to compromise vitamin K1 level. Excess supplemental intake of vitamin A (in its retinol form), however, has been shown to interfere with the vitamin K-related clotting ability of the blood (and to cause a condition called hypothrombinemia). The amount of vitamin A triggering this potential problem with vitamin K1 level in adults is typically 10,000 IU (3,000 micrograms) or higher.

Article references:

http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/vitamin-k-000343.htm

http://www.cyberlipid.org/vitk/vitk0001.htm

http://www.greatvistachemicals.com/vitamins-vitamin/phytonadione-vitamin-k1.html

http://www.petplace.com/drug-library/vitamin-k1-veta-k1/page1.aspx

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/FY/FY20900.pdf

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/vitamin-k/index.html

http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec12/ch154/ch154l.html