| Additional studies suggest that immune function is due to carotenoids rather than vitamin a.72
Beta-Carotene
50,000-150,000 IU daily
Vitamin E. Recent research demonstrates that free radicals may conrribure to the inflammation and excessive growth of endometrial tissue seen in endometriosis, and in these circumstances, antioxidants such as vitamin E and N-acetyl cysteine can act to inhibit this abnormal proliferation.73-74
Vitamin E also helps to correct abnormal progesterone/estradiol ratios in patients with mammary dysplasia (increased growth of cells). |
| The menthol crystals in the oils provide quick relief from itching and burning even before the infec-
• Insert a more potent suppository containing a combination of thuja oil, tea tree oil, bitter orange oil, and vitamin a (as palmi-tate) 2 days per week for the same 2 weeks as the herbal suppositories.
• Follow with vaginal lactobacillus suppository: insert daily for 6 days.
• Oral lactobacillus: take 1 daily for 2 to 6 months to restore normal vaginal ecology.
• If there is a recurrence, add boric acid suppositories; insert 1 daily for 2 weeks. |
| Botanicals
An Indian study of Azadirachta indica (neem seed oil), Sapindus mukerossi (reetha saponin extract), and quinine included 58 women who presented to a gynecology clinic in India with an
Sample Treatment Plan for Chlamydia and Gonorrhea
This plan should be used as a complement to antibiotics.
• Vitamin A: 50,000 IU per day for up to 1 week and 25,000 IU for 1 additional week (Do not exceed 6,000 IU if pregnant. |
| Dandelion is a potent source of vitamins and minerals, especially vitamin a, calcium, potassium, and iron. Mildly diuretic and stimulating to bile flow, dandelion leaf helps with the inevitable digestive complaints of pregnancy, and its root cleanses and tones the liver.117 In early pregnancy, dandelion can help to alleviate nausea, upset stomach, and indigestion. As a diuretic, the most active part of the plant is the leaf. The root or the leaf can be taken as a tea, in capsule form, or as a liquid tincture (a mixture of plant, alcohol, and water). |
| I would also be inclined to reduce their vitamin a and carotene supplementation if they were on high doses for some other medical reason.
Calcium. One of the serious long-term consequences of amenorrhea due to premature ovarian failure or lower production of estrogen (hypothalamic amenorrhea) is a lower bone density and an increased risk for osteoporosis and fractures later in life. Even when calcium intake is the same between amenorrheic women and women who menstruate normally, there is a decrease in calcium absorption and an increase in calcium excretion in estrogen-deficient women. |
Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S.
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 There's 26 mg of calcium, about l/2 mg of iron, 157 mg of potassium, 71 meg of folate, more than 1,000 IUs of vitamin a (650 of beta-carotene), and 115 mg of bone-strengthening vitamin K. Now that's a healthy salad green!
My favorite: Toss them with some walnuts and sliced pears and maybe a little blue cheese and olives. Olive oil is a nice addition to the mix.
Fennel
Fennel is a perfect example of how sometimes a plant will show its medicinal properties in the most unexpected conditions. Consider colic. |
Sheldon Saul Hendler
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 Discontinue taking preformed vitamin a or cut back to no more than 5,000 IUs daily if you are a pregnant woman or a woman using the birth-control pill. The Pill has been shown to increase blood levels of retinol independent of supplementation. Beta-carotene, however, has not been shown to have an adverse interaction with the birth-control pill. Also, as noted before, do not take more than 600 IUs of vitamin E daily with the recommended beta-carotene. Vitamin E, in high doses, has been shown to interfere with beta-carotene absorption. |
Bill Sardi
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 Typical
Survival
Survival with dietary
2-years supplements*
Small-cell
15%
33%** lung cancer
Source: Anticancer Research 12:599-606, 1992
* Nutritional supplement regimen: vitamin a 15,000-40,000 IU; beta carotene 10,000-20,000 IU; vitamin E 300-800 IU; Vitamin Bl 150-750 mg; riboflavin 15-50 mg; vitamin B6 200-1,140 mg; vitamin B12 300-1,600 meg; Niacinamide 150-400 mg; vitamin D 400-1,000 IU; vitamin C 2,000-5,000 mg; vitamin B5 50-300 mg; biotin 50-300 meg; omega-3 oils 5,000-6,000 mg; magnesium 250-500 mg; calcium 500 mg; zinc 27 mg; copper 3 mg; selenium 856 meg; chromium 780 meg. |
Paula Begoun and Bryan Barron
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 Beyond Color Lip Recovery Cream SPF 15 ($8) contains a small (very, very small) amount of retinyl palmitate, a combination of palmitic acid with retinol that's not considered the most effective form of vitamin a. But in any form, retinol won't plump lips, nor will anything else in this product. What's operating here to make lips appear fuller is a combination of light-reflecting shimmering pigments made long-lasting with film-forming agents, and several emollient oils, including jojoba. |
Gerald E. Markle and Frances B. McCrea
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 At the same time, studies of vitamin a failed to show any efficacy in cancer reduction; indeed, unexpectedly, various studies seemed to show that supplements caused some increase in cancer.
There were two possible problems with the HOPE study. First, it was claimed that the time span of the study, 5 years, was too short. By 2005, the HOPE-TOO (On-Going Outcomes), had followed patients for an additional five years, a total of ten years. Their conclusion: Vitamin E did not prevent cancer; nor did it prevent heart disease. |
| Some vitamins are actually more effective in supplements than in foodstuffs (e.g., vitamin a is more bioavailable in supplement than in spinach or sweet potato). On the other hand, lycopene is more available from eggs than from supplements, and cooking tomatoes increases its availability. The usability of vitamins in food varies with the method of preparation. "Far too little is known about nutrient availability as a function of plant variety and maturity." The old canard—more research is needed—is surely true here.
What are we to make of all this? |
Mike Adams
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 If this simple cure doesn't work for you, then many experts recommend vitamin a eye drops, which have "yielded impressive clinical results in the treatment of dry eyes," according to The Textbook of Natural Medicine. Commercial vitamin a eye drops are widely available, so if dry eyes are making you uncomfortable, visit your local vitamin store and pick up a bottle today.
Fatigue / Exhaustion / Low energy / Lethargy / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
It's a vicious cycle. You don't feel alert in the morning, so you drink a cup of coffee. |
| Calendula ointment
<*" vitamin a or D ointment or vitamin E oil: Gently rub ointment or oil solution onto your lips; available at most health food stores.
These natural lip balms will provide you with temporary relief, as well as prevent chapped lips caused by cold or windy weather. However, chapped lips may also be the sign of a nutritional deficiency, especially for people who mostly eat nutritionally poor, processed foods. For this reason, take a high-quality vitamin and mineral supplement daily until your chapped lips heal. |
Bill Sardi
See book keywords and concepts |
| That's the equivalent amount of vitamin a from beta carotene provided in a single carrot!!! Look, beta carotene found in carrots converts
Prospective studies on dietary intake or plasma levels of carotenoids and lung cancer
Exposure measured
Association
Relative risk (high vs low)
Population
Carotenoid intake
Decrease
0.14
Men, US
Green salad and fruit
Decrease
0.56
Men and women, China
Green, yellow vegetables
Decrease
0.79 (men); 1.35 (women)
Men and women, Japan
Carotenoid intake n.s.
0.68
Men and women, The Netherlands
Carotenoid intake
Decrease
0.72 (men); 0. |
| Some of these Finnish males had such iron-overloaded livers from the alcohol they consumed that their skin turn yellow during the study, an indication beta carotene wasn't being properly metabolized and converted into vitamin a in their liver.
The dietary supplement industry responded defensively, saying the beta carotene used was synthetic rather than from a natural source, that the dosage was too low, and that the wrong vitamin was employed. But the study itself was misleading, if not an outright deception. |
Dr. Steve Blake
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 Vitamin E also protects polyunsaturated fatty acids and vitamin a from free radical damage.
Vitamin E neutralizes free radicals by donating a hydrogen atom from the hydroxyl group (HO) on the hexagonal head of vitamin E, as seen in Figure 5-4. Donation of hydrogen to a free radical is easiest for the alpha-tocopherol and gamma-tocopherol forms and slightly harder for the beta-tocopherol and delta-tocopherol forms.
In cell membranes, the hexagonal head of vitamin E stays near the surface of the membrane. The tail of vitamin E is deeply implanted into the cell membrane. |
Bill Sardi
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| In 1994, researchers heading a beta carotene study in Finland stopped the study when it was observed that current and former smokers taking beta carotene and vitamin a supplements were developing lung cancer at a higher rate than study participants taking an inactive placebo tablet. The study was halted just prior to a vote in Congress over the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act. Was the study stopped for publicity effect? There was no explanation why there was an 18% relative increased risk for mortality among users of beta carotene supplements. |
Dr. Steve Blake
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| Bone growth and regulation is also assisted by vitamin a, vitamin C, vitamin K, the hormone calcitonin, parathyroid hormone, and magnesium.
Calcium levels are sensed by the parathyroid glands. If blood levels of calcium fall too low, the parathyroid glands secrete parathyroid hormone. The parathyroid hormone stimulates production of an enzyme in the kidneys. This enzyme increases the transformation of calcidiol to calcitriol. Calcitriol is a potent hormone that increases blood calcium levels. |
Bill Sardi
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| Vitamin A and breast cancer... 277 Vitamin D and breast cancer... 278 Folic acid and breast cancer... 279 Vitamin E and breast cancer ... 281 Iodine and breast cancer... 283 D-limonene and breast cancer ... 283 Resveratrol and breast cancer... 284 Ginseng and breast cancer... 284 Dietary supplements ... 285 Stress and breast cancer... 285
SUMMARY: What should women do? ... 286
Breast Cancer
THE TRUTH ABOUT BREAST CANCER
The known risk factors for breast cancer account for a small fraction of the population's attributable risk, and new risk factors are required. |
Jeffrey M. Smith
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 It is golden rice, engineered to make beta-carotene—a precursor to vitamin a. A US TV commercial for biotechnology claimed that golden rice can "help prevent blindness and infection in millions of children" suffering from vitamin-A deficiency. Time magazine featured the rice on its cover, stating, "This rice could save a million kids a year." Syngenta even claimed that one month of a delay in marketing Golden Rice would cause 50,000 children to go blind.30
A closer look reveals some interesting omissions in the industry's numbers. |
Ray Strand, M.D.
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 VITAMIN A
1 do not recommend the use of straight vitamin a because of its potential toxicity. Instead supplement with a mixture of mixed carotenoids. Carotenoids become vitamin a in the body as the body has need and they have no toxicity problems.
CAROTENOIDS
It is important to have a mixture of carotenoids rather than taking only beta-carotene. |
Dr Ron Roberts
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 The best food sources of vitamin a are animal and fish livers, kidneys, dark green and orange vegetables, egg yolk and milk. Beta-carotene is found in the yellow pigment of fruits and vegetables such as carrots.
Chlorophyll
Chlorophyll, the pigment that absorbs light energy and makes plants green, is a natural blood enhancer and neutraliser of toxins. Studies have revealed it reduces infections of the upper respiratory tract and sinuses and various types of chronic ulcers, while recent research showed that it can counteract the effects of pollution and radiation. |
Marshall Editions
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 Taking 50 mg of a B-complex vitamin a day is nourishing to the nervous system and helps with stress. Magnesium, taken at 250 mg two to three times a day, relaxes the nervous system.
Herbs: Take 500 mg of bromelain three times a day for its natural anti-inflammatory effects. Cayenne cream can help to inhibit the transmission of pain messages to the brain. Apply the cream directly to the affected area two to four times a day. Devil's claw can ease pain in the joints and is particularly helpful if you have TMJ. |
William Evans, Ph.D., and Irwin H. Rosenberg, M.D., with Jacqueline Thompson
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 In one of our studies, we found that the elderly are much slower to clear vitamin a from the blood. They are more likely to store it longer in tissue and have a higher level of a form of vitamin a that is associated with toxicity. The complication is that carotene, found in many vegetables, especially carrots, is an important nutrient for the elderly. Once inside our body, our liver converts carotene into vitamin a. So we have to contend with the very tricky issue of how to separate vitamin a needs from carotene needs. |
| Our investigation to date indicates that an elderly person's need for vitamin a may actually decrease with age, meaning the RDA for an older population may need lowering. In one of our studies, we found that the elderly are much slower to clear vitamin a from the blood. They are more likely to store it longer in tissue and have a higher level of a form of vitamin a that is associated with toxicity. The complication is that carotene, found in many vegetables, especially carrots, is an important nutrient for the elderly. Once inside our body, our liver converts carotene into vitamin a. |
Bill Sardi
See book keywords and concepts |
| American Journal Epidemiology 153: 1142-47, 2001]
Other studies confirm that the risk of developing breast cancer is cut in half among women who consume plenty of foods that contain vitamin a, beta carotene and vitamin E, as compared to women who do not eat sufficient amounts of these foods. [Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers Prevention 1 1:451-57, 2002]
Carotenoids are target antioxidants. They accumulate in certain tissues only. For example, lycopene accumulates in the prostate and skin, lutein in the eyes and breast, and beta carotene in the skin. |
Andreas Moritz
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 Over consumption of vitamin a, for example, can cause loss of hair, double vision, headaches, and vomiting in women, all indications of vitamin poisoning. If a woman is pregnant, the supplement can even harm her unborn baby. As we will see, vitamins can even endanger a person's life.
Vitamin Deficiency—Or Perhaps, Something Else?
In the beginning of the 17th Century, Japan was afflicted with a disease, called beriberi, which killed many people. |
Thomson Healthcare, Inc.
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 Effects of dietary pyrrolizidine (Senecio) alkaloids on vitamin a metabolism in rats. Toxicol Letters 45; 149-156. 1989
Roeder E. Medicinal plants in Europe containing pyrrolizidine alkaloids. Pharmazie 50 (2); 82-98. 1995
Van Dooren, Bos R et al., Planta Med 42:385. 1981
Van Dorren B et al., PM 42:385. 1981.
Frohne D, Pfiinder HJ: Giftpflanzen - Ein Handbuch fur Apotheker. Toxikologen und Biologen, 4. Aufl., Wiss. Verlags-Ges. Stuttgart 1997.
Hansel R. Keller K, Rimpler H, Schneider G (Hrsg.), Hagers Handbuch der Pharmazeutischen Praxis, 5. Aufl. |
| Other Names: Angelica sinensis, Angelica atropurpurea, Angelica dahurica, Chinese angelica, dang-gui, Radix Angeli-cae Sinensis, tang-kuei actions and pharmacology
COMPOUNDS
Angelicide
Coumarin derivatives: bergapten, imperatorin, oxypeuceda-nin, osthol, psoralen, sen-byak-angelicole, and 7-demethyl-suberosin
Ferulic acid
Flavonoids
Lactones and lactone derivatives
Sucrose (40%) Polysaccharides
Sterols: B-sitosterol, phytosterol, stigmasterol
Vitamins: vitamin a, vitamin B12, nicotinic acid, folic acid, folinic acid, biotin, and vitamin E, among others
Volatile oils (0.4% to 0. |
| A 2005 systematic review of the literature on Dandelion reported that while the perennial is widely used in Europe for gastrointestinal ailments and the leaves are a rich source of vitamin a, there are many historical or theoretical uses for which sound evidence is lacking. Data from the test tube and human studies fail to support the common contention that Dandelion simulates the secretion of bile. |
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