Jash Botanicals Natural Health Corner

The Agricultural Research Service (an arm of the USDA) recently rolled out a neat-o tool that serves up a 60-nutrient profile for each of over 13,000 different foods.  The food search tool is a free pc-downloadable software that takes up about 75mb of disk space and can possibly assist you in profiling your dietary intake.  The database works with Windows 2000 or Windows XP operating systems and is available for download here.

What would we like to see?  How about a feature that profiles the nutrient content of organic vs traditional produce? Or maybe even an option for figuring your intake of GMO’s, insecticides, herbicides, and heavy metals?  Hmmmm… that might be too much to ask.

Earlier last week, the FDA addressed 29 warning letters to cherry juice manufacturers and resellers, demanding that they cease making health claims in regards to cherry juice, cherry juice concentrates, and derivatives thereof.  The warning letters addressed health claims that referenced the ability of cherries (specifically the anthocyanins) to assist in the relief of joint inflammation associated with gout and arthritis.  Well, to make a long story short, the letters were followed with the all too familiar FDA punchline, "…these claims cause your products to be defined as drugs in section 201 bla bla bla… so please stop it or we’ll get our henchmen to raid your little cherry juice companies in full tactical assault gear." (Im not joking about the raids either)

There are a some studies available in regards to the anti-inflammatory effects of cherry juice, yet most of them are immersed in a sea of advertising from the cherry juice manufacturers/resellers that have been targeted by the FDA. Even an advisory board member for the Arthritis Foundation (which is very conservative in regards to anti-arthritic claims) has made remarks in respect to the beneficial anti-inflammatory effects of cherry juice.

"Though it has not been proven in clinical trials, yes, I believe that drinking tart cherry juice mixed with water three times a day may be beneficial for some people with arthritis.  Cherries contain varied antioxidants, including kaempferol and quercetin. These compounds, particularly quercetin, may have anti-inflammatory effects that are similar to those of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin and ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin)…"

Now for the million dollar question: Does it really matter that manufacturers make slightly inflated claims about the health advantages of their product, which is nothing more than fruit juice?  Not to me it doesn’t, but it might to a pharmaceutical company who sells an anti-inflammatory drug.

All I can say is this.  If I was a pharmaceutical heavyweight with umpteen-billion dollars and an itch to scratch… I would scratch it.

Everything has it place in natural therapies.  While cherry juice is definitely not the end all be all to natural arthritis treatment, it does have its place.

Im not going to bash the FDA anymore (I dont want to be their next itch), but I would recommend checking out Gary Nulls new video expose, "Prescription for Disaster."

Yes, it’s made our life easier, and we don’t need to scour and rub like we did in the old days.  You won’t, however, like what else it is liberating from the bottom of the pan.  Current evidence indicates that non-stick coatings (teflon) are releasing highly toxic molecules right into our systems; to which our bodies are holding onto them for extended periods of time (PFOA has a half-life of 4.4 years in the human body—assuming that you have no more exposure).

These non-stick materials are centered around a class of compounds called perfluorochemicals, or PFCs.  This family of PFCs is made up of different substances.  The key compound is called perfluorooctanoic acid or PFOA.  PFOA is a major building block of numerous non-stick products.  It is great for resisting chemicals and heat and almost nothing sticks or can be absorbed by it.  They are even used in floor wax and shampoos because they repel grease and oils.

On the other end of the spectrum, however, researchers have found that these same compounds do not break down in the environment.  In other words, it may be the most unrelenting manmade chemical every manufactured.  Bottom line—PFOA lasts forever!

As with many of the chlorinated compounds, PFOA is amassing in our bodies.  Scientists and researchers have tested and found fifteen PFC associated chemicals in human blood and tissues.  It is so rampant that according to statistics, it is actually universal.  Just to give you an idea of how pervasive this problem is, 598 children from 23 states gave their blood samples to be tested, and PFOA was located in 96% of the samples.

Lastly and more importantly are the repercussions to the presence of PFOA and of PFCs in our products.  Let’s start with the fact that PFOA is believed to be a carcinogen and has been connected to testicular, pancreatic, breast, and liver cancer.  What’s more, it is an endocrine (or hormonal) disruptor known to generate elevated levels of estrogen and abnormal testosterone regulation in the body.  Even Dupont (they manfacture the stuff) has admitted that the PFOA in their products can be attributed with a 10% rise in LDL cholesterol (the bad stuff) in their factory employees.  The bottom line is that scientists have yet to uncover a PFOA exposure level low enough to stop immune system dysfunction.

Do the words, portly, rotund or corpulent mean anything to you?  These are polite ways of saying that someone is obese.  This subject matter is of grave concern for the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) in regard to our children’s health today.  It is their expert opinion that children should not be viewing more than two hours of television a day.  

Unfortunately, the typical child in this country watches between 2-3 hours of the "boob tube" a day and numerous kids are given a television for their bedroom.  Statistics have verified that in addition to being inactive while glued to the set, they are also engaged in the art of snacking on junk food.  Creating healthy habits when you are a child will follow you into your adulthood.  In two different articles, The Journal of Pediatrics expounds on the connection between watching television and childhood obesity.

In the study, approximately 8,000 participants at 5, 10, and 30 years of age were evaluated.  Their height, weight and number of viewing hours of television were considered.  At the age of 5, 40% of the volunteers surpassed The American Academy of Pediatrics’ guidelines.  The study found that each added hour of television viewing on the weekends by five year olds that exceeded the AAP’s two hour minimum, increased the probability of obesity in someone 30 years old by 7%.

So, what should we do?  Obviously, limiting the number of hours is one answer, and removing the TV from their room is another, but being a role model is more important.  For more information on what you can do to help your children, www.tvturnoff.org may offer added help.

Source: News Wise October 19th, 2005 

Scientists at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine have created BroccoSprouts, a natural sprout that includes elevated levels of sulforaphane, a compound that increases enzymes that produce long-term antioxidant activity.

I bet you think that all broccoli sprouts are the same. Well, as far as the scientists at Johns Hopkins are concerned, it is far from the truth. They tested in excess of 50 different types of broccoli in order to unearth the types that yield the highest levels of sulforaphane. One ounce of BroccoSprouts has the same amount of sulforaphane as 1 ¼ lbs of mature, cooked broccoli.
        
Studies gave details last year at the American Association for Cancer Research confirming that sulforaphane hinders the growth of prostate cancer cells and kills Helicobacter pylori, the bacteria that generates stomach ulcers and may end up in stomach cancer. An additional study from the Institute for Food Research in Norwich, England, expanded on how sulforaphane arouses colon cancer cells to self-destruct, which indicates that BroccoSprouts may not only be beneficial in suppressing cancerous cell growth, but may also be able to reverse the carcinogenic process.

Alfalfa sprouts and BroccoSprouts taste very similar, so they are simple and easy to add to the diet. You can use them in salads, wraps, sandwiches and many other fresh vegetable dishes.

According to researchers in Turkey, even a short-lived exposure to radiation produced by our cell phones generated pathological alterations in the skin and kidneys that can be eased by melatonin.

Cell phones give off and receive radio frequency radiation in the ultra-high frequency range (824-894 megahertz, or MHz). The biological effect of exposure to this radiation is a task of the time exposed and the strength of the cell phone signal.         

Amplified oxidative stress generated by radio frequency radiation can add to DNA changes and escalated risk of certain cancers.

The researchers in Turkey studied the ramifications of cell phone radiation on the skin and kidneys. The skin, they speculated, acts as the body’s protective layer and can be more defenseless to radiation damage than internal organs. In addition, the kidneys can be susceptible to radiation damage from cell phones, which are commonly worn on belts.

The study included 30 laboratory rats that were equally distributed into three groups. The rats in Group one, were the non-treated group, Group two were given 30 minutes of 900-MHz whole-body irradiation every day for ten days, and Group three received melatonin at a dose of 10 mg/kg of body weight every day for 10 days prior to being given 30 minutes of 900-MHz whole-body irradiation. The researchers proceeded to check skin sectors for radiation injury and tested blood and urine markers of lipid peroxidation, kidney damage, and oxidative stress.

Interestingly enough, the skin of Group two showed various signs consistent with intense injury, and the rats additionally demonstrated intensified lipid peroxidation, kidney impairment, and oxidative stress. As anticipated, no such changes happened in the Group 1 rats. The information indicated by Group three was astonishing. The melatonin prevented nearly all skin alterations and other signs of radiation-induced damage.

The researchers deduced that the antioxidant and free radical-scavenging properties of melatonin furnish momentous protection from the damaging effects of normal cell phone use, specifically on the skin and kidneys.

All of us have probably used Turmeric, the spice that creates the yellow coloring in curry dishes or mustard. This spice has more to offer you; it is a hopeful budding weapon against a number of cancers, Alzheimer’s, cystic fibrosis, psoriasis and additional diseases.

No less than a dozen clinical trials on people like you and me are in progress here in the United States, Israel and England to examine the safety and amounts of turmeric’s key ingredient, curcumin. Turmeric is a very "spicy" and exciting topic in health journals today. In fact, it has been referred to 967 times since the year 2000 in items reported on PubMed, the National Library of Medicine’s service.        

Turmeric is related to ginger and is harvested from stems of a big-leafed plant root, extensively grown in Asia. Interestingly enough, India has very low rates for prostate, colorectal, lung cancers, coronary heart disease and Alzheimer’s. It was the low incidence of heart disease and Alzheimer’s that sparked the interest of researchers in the Western hemisphere, and since then curcumin’s popularity is growing by leaps and bounds.

In contrast to newly formulated pharmaceuticals, "we know a lot about curcumin because it’s been used widely for many years," said Christopher Goss of the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle. He is enlisting cystic fibrosis patients for a Phase I study of curcumin’s effectiveness and safety. The volunteers will ingest up to 3 grams a day, which is in excess of 50 times the amount used in a ration of curry.

Goss will also be in search of findings recounted last year in the journal Science that curcumin remedies the cystic fibrosis defect in mice. Cystic fibrosis is a defect that restrains a certain protein necessary to cell health, and results in substantial mucous that lethally clogs the lungs and pancreas. Researchers at Yale University and the University of Toronto discovered that curcumin therapy released the protein and allowed cells and membranes to operate normally, at least in mice.

The January 4, 2000 issue of USA Today quoted Margaret Wittenberg, vice president of Whole Foods as saying, "There is an absolute anger among customers that food are being genetically modified and they don’t know what ingredients are in their foods."

So why then, has Whole Foods, a giant in the natural foods industry been dragging their feet in the labeling of their OWN private labels? The answer is a bit unclear.

In April of this year, activists rallied at the annual Whole Foods stockholder meeting in New York to express their dissatisfaction with their choices in GMO labeling. While activists out side the meeting carry this message, heavy weight investors such as Green Century Capital Management (Green Century) and Trillium Asset Management, will present a similar message to the company’s Board through a shareholder resolution. This resolution requests that Whole Foods adopt a policy to identify and label all Whole Foods brand products with respect to the presence or absence of genetically modified ingredients, and to report to shareholders by October 2005 on progress toward this implementation.

Although Whole Foods has made general knowledge that their own organic standards mandate the absence of Genetically Modified ingredients, they have yet to take the next step in keeping their loyal customers informed. It is imperative that Whole Foods set the standard in organic labeling practices, by bringing to light previous non-issues with health conscious consumers. Quite literally, the introduction of GMO’s has turned us into the largest human lab experiment, ever.

By the numbers:

• Over 2/3 of supermarket foods contain genetically altered ingredients
• Only 1/3 of Americans are aware of the presence of GMO’s in our food
• 2004 study conducted by the Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology found that 27% believe genetically altered foods are "basically unsafe.”
• Survey conducted by the Food Policy Institute found that less than half of those polled (45%) believed it safe to consume genetically altered foods

If you own Whole Foods stock, or would just like to express your dissatisfaction with their current labeling practices, feel free to let them know. Below are some helpful links:

1. Copy of Current Resolution
2. Letter to Sharholders Soliciting Support for Resolution
3. Send a Letter to CEO John Mackey to Support Labeling of GMO Products
4. Ecopledge’s ‘10 Reasons Why Whole Foods Should Tell the Whole Truth‘
5. Ecopledge’s GMO Food Facts

Ever knock back the post-dinner cup of coffee and wish you hadn’t? I think regret comes somewhere around 1am when you find yourself staring up at the ceiling. Well, a new study emerged that was conducted by the Hessen Medical Association (Germany) that might be of consequence to all you insomniacs out there. The focus of the study examined the efficacy of hops flower (Humulus lupulus) and valerian root (Valeriana officinalis) extract in their ability to counteract excitation produced by caffeine. The purpose of this was to better understand the mechanism by which hops and valerian extracts function.

Typical sleep cycles sustain a continuous wake-sleep rhythm throughout the night. Your sleep cycle is directly related to the changes in adenosine concentration within the central nervous system (CNS). Previous studies have shown that CNS administration of adenosine induces sleep. Both hops and valerian have traditionally been used as sleep and anxiety remedies, and valerian has been identified by the manual of Material Medica as possessing antispasmodic, sedative, and a hypotensive characteristics. Specifically, valerian contains constituents that have the ability to bind to adenosine receptors, which would explain valerian’s knack for mimicking similar actions to adenosine in its talents for inducing sleep. In comparison, caffeine possesses contrasting actions with its power to inhibit the binding of adenosine to its receptor, thereby diminishing the capacity to induce sleep. The goal of the study was to evaluate the competition between compounds in valerian/hops extract and caffeine for adenosine binding sites, in order to further understand the methods by which valerian and hops function.

In this placebo controlled, blinded study, 48 healthy men were administered either 6 capsules of placebo, 6 capsules of valerian and hops extract, or a combination of 4 placebo capsules and 2 capsules of the valerian and hops blend. Each valerian/hops capsule contained 250mg of valerian root extract and 60mg of hops extract, both of which were standardized. Simultaneously, the subjects received 200mg of caffeine.

An electroencephalogram (EEG), which is placed on the head, was used to record CNS activation. The results indicated that caffeine excitation was inhibited by the full dose (6 capsules) of the valerian/hops extract. Additionally, the valerian extract had an early action—within one hour the full dose had neutralized the caffeine. This evidence suggests that valerian might acquire its sleep inducing qualities by activating adenosine receptors. Notably, only men non-coffee drinkers were studied, and biological actions may be invariably different in women and/or habitual coffee drinkers.

This study provides us with yet more insight into the biological mechanisms of popular herbal remedies such as valerian root and hops flower. While we were impressed with the aim of the study, the absorption of dried herbal formulas is markedly less than that of a liquid extract. Would it be too much to ask for similar studies to be conducted with dosages in liquid extract form versus dried form? Some helpful tips to help you have a restful nights sleep:

• Avoid mental stimulation such as TV, reading, etc… as it delays the transition into your first cycle
• Avoid caffeine and alcohol
• Have a small snack with quality protien and/or good fats
• Finally, the ultimate natural sleep cocktail: Mix all ingredients into a cup of warm water or herbal tea - 1tsp of the amino acid glycine, 1 tbsp of elemental magnesium (I use "Natural Calm"), and 2-3 dropperfuls of Jash Botanicals "Dream On" (a liquid extract of valerian root, hops, california poppy, and lemon Balm)