Tori Hudson, N.D.
See book keywords and concepts |
 Supplements
A number of supplements can improve sperm quality and quantity, including vitamins c, B12, and E; L-arginine; L-carnitine; selenium; zinc; and folic acid.58
Vitamins C and E. Vitamin C and other antioxidants can decrease sperm DNA damage that can interfere with fertility.59 Vitamin C deficiency has been linked with significant decreases in sperm count, motility, and vitality and with an increase in morphologically abnormal sperm.60 Vitamin E and selenium have been shown to reduce lipid peroxidation and, therefore, improve sperm quality. |
Hyla Cass
See book keywords and concepts |
 Nutrients depleted: These drugs deplete calcium, magnesium, potassium, vitamins c, Bj and B6, and zinc.
Needed supplements: Take calcium (1,000 mg), magnesium (250-500 mg), potassium (100 mg), vitamins c (1,000 mg), Bj (320 mg), and B6 (10-25 mg) and zinc (25 mg).
POTASSIUM-SPARING DIURETICS: amiloride (Midamor), spironolactone (Aldactone), and triamterene (Dyrenium)
Because they preserve levels of the mineral potassium in the body, these medicines may be prescribed alone or with another diuretic to prevent potassium levels from falling too low—a dangerous imbalance called hypokalemia. |
Ann N. Martin
See book keywords and concepts |
 Vitamins are essential to normal growth; they aid in the conversion of food into energy, and form a necessary part of many hormones. vitamins c, B, and A (beta-carotene) are water-soluble, and excesses are quickly eliminated from the body. Vitamins A (retinol), D, and E are far-soluble vitamins and remain in the body for twenty-four hours. These vitamins can become concentrated in the liver. Because pet food companies often add vitamins and minerals as a premix, they are often not accurately measured and distributed evenly throughout the pet food. |
Hyla Cass, M.D.
See book keywords and concepts |
| Needed supplements: Take calcium (1,000 mg), magnesium (250-500 mg), potassium (100 mg), vitamins c (1,000 mg), Bj (320 mg), and B6 (10-25 mg) and zinc (25 mg).
Potassium-sparing Diuretics: amiloride (Midamor), spironolactone (Aldactone), and triamterene (Dyrenium)
Because they preserve levels of the mineral potassium in the body, these medicines may be prescribed alone or with another diuretic to prevent potassium levels from falling too low—a dangerous imbalance called hypokalemia. |
Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S.
See book keywords and concepts |
 Antioxidants and Others Also Assist
Alpha lipoic acid is a powerful antioxidant that not only scavenges free radicals and helps protect cells but also helps regenerate vitamins c and E. It has multiple uses (see also diabetes and metabolic syndrome, page 47), but it is one of the most powerful liver nutrients available. Berkson wrote a book about it called The Alpha Lipoic Breakthrough. Read it.
Alpha lipoic acid also helps regenerate glutathione, arguably the body's most important antioxidant. Lester Packer, Ph.D. |
Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S.
See book keywords and concepts |
 Proanthocyanidins are powerful antioxidants—several times more potent than vitamins c and E. They help protect against the effects of internal and environmental stresses (cigarette smoking, pollution). Additionally, studies have shown that OPCs may prevent cardiovascular disease by counteracting the negative effects of high cholesterol on the heart and blood vessels. |
| Nutritionally they're an excellent source of vitamins c and A (beta-carotene) and the mineral potassium. They also contain vitamin K, which is increasingly coming under scrutiny as a vitally important component of bone health. And they're one of the few foods around that contain lycopene, a member of the carotenoid family that has been shown in quite a bit of research to be associated with lower risk of prostate cancer. The amount of lycopene in the average pepper isn't substantial, but it's more than in most foods, and every little bit helps. |
| DNA and RNA; vitamins A, Bi, B2, B6, and B12; niacin; pantothenic acid; folic acid; vitamins c, D, E, and K; choline; inositol; rutin and other bioflavonoids; calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc; ten types of enzymes; coenzymes; and many other nutritional factors. Bee pollen contains flavonoids that have significant antioxidant properties. According to Dr. Mark Stengler (whose top ten list appears on page 319), bee pollen also contains hard-to-get trace minerals such as silicon, molybdenum, boron, and sulfur. And it's one of the few nonmeat sources of vitamin B12. |
Andreas Moritz
See book keywords and concepts |
 To properly utilize iron for hemoglobin synthesis the body requires copper, which is also amply present in green beans.
The vitamins c, A and Zinc present in green beans help to maintain optimal immune function and acne-free skin. Last but not least, green beans help maintain your memory with thiamin (Vitamin Bl).
The many nutrients in green beans can help to prevent a number of different conditions, including Alzheimer's, arteriosclerosis, diabetic heart disease, colon cancer, asthma, arthritis, acne, ear infections, and even colds and flu. |
Bill Sardi
See book keywords and concepts |
 Patients undergoing x-ray filming should take supplemental antioxidants, such as vitamins c and E, since they have been shown to limit the damage caused by medical radiation. [Biology Trace Element Research 94:149-56, 2003] Such advice is rarely shared by doctors with patients. |
| Cell Biology International 20: 787-97, 1996] Injections of vitamins c and K into tumorous mice increased their remaining life span by 46% compared to untreated animals, and when administered prior to anti-cancer drugs, increased life span by 143%. Some animals who received injected and oral vitamin C showed few, if any, tumors at the completion of one study. [Journal Nutrition 131: 158-60S, 2001] In fact recent studies now show that intravenous vitamin C can achieve concentrations 70 times greater than oral supplementation, and that these concentrations are sufficient to kill cancer cells. |
| The provision of high dose vitamins c and E has been shown to counter the adverse effects of consuming a sugar- or fat-laden meal. [University at Buffalo, American Diabetes Association, June 16, 2002]
A high-fat meal impairs the ability of blood vessels to widen (control blood pressure) for at least four hours after a meal. One study found the provision of a powdered fruit-vegetable concentrate can reverse this effect. |
| American Journal Clinical Nutrition 69: 1071-85, 1999] Researchers recommend that individuals who regularly drink alcohol should take beta carotene with vitamins c and E . Smoking depletes vitamin
C and therefore beta carotene may also be vulnerable to instability in tobacco users. [Nutrition Reviews 57: 263-72, 1999]
A very revealing experiment was undertaken which may unknot the whole beta carotene controversy. The study was not given any attention in the news media. Researchers in Brazil exposed rats to tobacco smoke and then induced a heart attack. |
| Microscience Microanalysis 9: 311-29, 2003]
Vitamin K is particularly effective against liver cancer, more so when vitamins c and K are used simultaneously. [International Journal Oncology 26: 1337-44, 2005; Apoptosis 9: 223-33, 2004]
More recently researchers in Japan have called for vitamin K's use with anti-cancer drugs for the treatment of lung cancer because it is a "safe medicine without prominent adverse effects. |
Hyla Cass, M.D.
See book keywords and concepts |
| It's due to depletion of vitamins such as vitamins c and B6, needed to make the feel-good brain chemicals called neurotransmitters. (For more information on these neurotransmitters, see page 114.)
Healthier ways to prevent pregnancy: the intrauterine device (IUD), condoms, and the rhythm method—which, if you get instruction from a knowledgeable medical practitioner and follow it to the letter, works almost as well as condoms and pills.
Standard Premarin'progestin hormone therapy is linked with increased risk of breast cancer, stroke, and heart attack. |
Tori Hudson, N.D.
See book keywords and concepts |
| Rich in vitamins c and E and minerals, especially high in naturally chelated iron (which is well assimilated), it tones the uterus, increases the flow of milk, and restores the reproductive system after childbirth. Raspberry leaf contains fragrine, an alkaloid that gives tone to the muscles of the pelvic region, including the uterus itself. In addition to tonify-ing the uterus, raspberry is used to prevent hemorrhage. It deserves its reputation as a pregnancy herb par excellence.
Wild Yam {Dioscorea Villosa and Bar-basco). |
Thomson Healthcare, Inc.
See book keywords and concepts |
 The Age-Related Eye Disease Study report 8 (AREDS) was an 11-center, double-blind, prospective trial designed to evaluate the effect of high-dose vitamins c and E, beta-carotene, and zinc supplementation on ARMD progression and visual acuity. Three thousand six hundred forty (3,640) participants aged 55 to 80 years were enrolled. All subjects had extensive small drusen, intermediate drusen, large drusen, noncentral geographic atrophy, or pigment abnormalities in one or both eyes, or advanced ARMD or vision loss due to ARMD in one eye. |
| Studies show it may also reverse fluorosis in children (when combined with vitamins c and D), control age-related increases in parathyroid hormone, and reduce plasma bilirubin in patients with Crigler-Najjar syndrome (calcium phosphate only).
Weaker evidence shows calcium supplementation may be helpful for leg cramps, pre-eclampsia, and prophylaxis of urinary crystallization of calcium oxalate in patients with nephrolithiasis (calcium citrate only). contraindications
Calcium supplements are contraindicated in patients, with hypercalcemia (Gilman et al 2001). |
| Vitamin Absorption
Aloe vera preparations increased the absorption of vitamins c (water-soluble) and E (fat-soluble) in a randomized placebo-controlled double-blind crossover study involving 11 healthy individuals ranging in age from age 21 to 42. None were taking vitamin supplements. Both aloe preparations—a whole-leaf extract and an inner fillet gel—slowed the absorption and increased the duration of the vitamins in the subjects' plasma, with maximum concentrations 2 to 4 hours later than occurred in the control group. |
Lester A. Mitscher and Victoria Toews
See book keywords and concepts |
 Alpha lipoic acid
Water and fat soluble substance that neutralizes free radicals all over the body; recycles vitamins c and E.
Oxygen is a paradox. Although it is absolutely essential to life, being needed in the process that converts food to energy, too much of it is damaging. In this respect, it's analogous to electricity. Electrical wires are insulated to prevent injuries from the dangerous but necessary electricity within. Similarly, antioxidants "insulate" the body from the harmful effects of oxygen. It's a good thing antioxidants are around, because free radicals just can't be avoided. |
Michael T. Murray
See book keywords and concepts |
 In another study, thirty-six type 2 diabetic patients received one of the following supplements daily for 4 weeks: 15 grams barley leaf extract, 200 mg vitamin C and 200 mg vitamin E, or barley leaf plus vitamins c and E.38 The results indicated that the ingestion of the barley leaf extract along with the vitamins produced the greatest antioxidant protection compared to either barley leaf extract or vitamins c and E alone. Antioxidant protection was measured by looking at the effect that the supplements had on protecting different fractions of LDL cholesterol from oxidative damage. |
J. Douglas Bremner
See book keywords and concepts |
 VITAMINS
There is some connection between oxidative stress and heart disease, and the known role of vitamins c and E as antioxidants. However a large body of research, including large studies of tens of thousands of patients, has shown that vitamins do not prevent heart disease.31 In fact, they may actually have the opposite effect. In one large study, male physicians given beta-carotene (the precursor of vitamin A) showed no differences in rates of heart disease compared to those given a placebo. |
Tom Bohager
See book keywords and concepts |
 Research is indicating that increasing levels of these compounds, which include vitamins c and E, betacarotene, selenium, coenzyme Ql 0, flavonoids, and sulfur-containing amino acids (cystein and methionine), can reduce the risk of cancer, heart disease, arthritis, macular degeneration, and other age-related degenerative conditions. |
Elaine Magee
See book keywords and concepts |
 In fact, a few are actually thought to be more powerful antioxidants than vitamins c and E. For example, a recent US population study suggested that drinking at least three glasses of fruit or vegetable juice a week could cut the risk of Alzheimer's disease by 75 percent, compared with having less than one serving per week. The researchers suspect that much of the protection comes from a group of phytochemicals known as polyphenols, because the results persisted after they accounted for intake of other known Alzheimer-fighting nutrients, including vitamins E, C, and beta-carotene. |
| Many are powerful antioxidants, and some are thought to wield more power than vitamins c and E! Well, the only way to make sure we are receiving all the phytochemicals possible (even the ones we don't know about yet) is to eat plant foods in the least processed form possible.
For example, you're more likely to get the maximum amount of the 30-plus phytochemicals in olive oil from oils that are the least processed—that's why buying extra-virgin oil is best. |
| It's rich in vitamins c and A as well as carotenes and fiber; it even contains some plant omega-3s. It's hard to imagine that you can boost its healing powers even further by eating it with another particular produce item, but you can. Likewise, most of us know that when we eat fish, we are getting the incredibly health-promoting fish omega-3s that can help decrease blood clotting, decrease abnormal heart rhythms, reduce triglycerides, and promote normal blood pressure. But did you also know that eating fish omega-3s with plant omega-3s brings even bigger and better results? |
| And the bioflavonoids are actually thought to have more antioxidant power than vitamins c and E. The only way to make sure you are getting the phytochemicals we know about and the ones we haven't yet discovered or named is to eat plant foods in their whole, unprocessed form (grinding is fine for grains or seeds).
WHOLE GRAINS = COMPLETE NUTRITION
According to a recent national survey, only 8 percent of American adults eat the recommended three servings of whole grains a day. How easy is it? |
Bill Sardi
See book keywords and concepts |
| Prevention of angiogenesis (resveratrol, green tea, curcumin, vitamins c and D, quercetin, proline, lysine, omega-3 oils).
Limitation of iron and copper in the body (IP6 rice bran, magnesium, resveratrol, tea extracts, zinc).
Normalization of hormonal activity (fermented sources of soy: miso, tofu, flaxseed meal or lignan extracts, resveratrol).
Inhibition of blood clots so roaming tumor cells cannot stagnate and begin a new colony (allicin/garlic, vitamin E, omega-3 oil, resveratrol and nattokinase enzymes). |
David W. Grotto, RD, LDN
See book keywords and concepts |
 Cloves contain manganese, vitamins c and K, magnesium, calcium, and fiber. Cloves also contain eugenol, a substance helpful for relieving pain, killing bacteria, and reducing inflammation.
Home Remedies
Make a paste from one-quarter teaspoon clove powder and one teaspoon cinnamon oil. Apply this to the forehead for headaches or to any other painful area. To relieve a toothache, chew on a clove or dip cotton in clove oil and apply it to the painful area.
Throw Me a Lifesaver! |
Email this page to a friend
