New Products

The Female Brain by Louanne Brizendine, M.D.

Health Updates

The ABCs of vitamin D

Kids need their vitamin D. Especially if they don't get at least 20 minutes of full sun every day. Studies conducted by researchers at Children's hospitals and Medical schools reveal that almost 25% of kids are vitamin D deficient. The deficiency is becoming too common among obese children and teenagers and researchers warn against significant long-term affects. In a group of 217 obese children, 55% were deficient and 22% severely deficient. Vitamin D is necessary to promote the absorption and balance of calcium and phosphorous, strengthen the bones an teeth and improve immunity and blood cell formation.

Cinnamon is the Spice of Life

A recent study has found that just half a teaspoon a day of cinnamon significantly reduces blood sugar levels. Researchers at NWFP Agricultural University in Peshawar, Pakistan, measured the blood glucose, HDL, LDL and total cholesterol of 60 men and women. Adding as little as 1 gram of cinnamon to their diets for 40 days, subjects showed significant improvement to healthy glucose and lipid levels with no changes to HDL compared to the placebo group. Researchers suggest that everyone can benefit from a little extra cinnamon daily, especially diabetics.

Animal Studies at Georgetown University suggest that eating sugar raises blood pressure, but that taking chromium reduces it back to normal.

What is chromium? You need this mineral to process sugar. Deficiency of chromium in the diet affects Blood Sugar, Cholesterol, Blood Pressure and Diabetes. A USDA analysis of a "super nutritious diet" found it supplied a mere 24 mcg of chromium per 1,000 calories. This is not nearly enough. And teens eating processed foods everyday are getting even less. Over consumption of sugar is causing an out-of whack blood sugar epidemic among teens, contributing to weight gain, high cholesterol and eventually high blood pressure. Taking 200mcg of the supplement chromium picolinate daily could prevent as many as half of such high-risk people from slipping over into full-blown diabetes.

Night Work, Melatonin, and Breast Cancer Risk

Women who work rotating night shifts for more than 20 years have an 80% higher risk of breast cancer than women who did not work such shifts. This was revealed in a study by the Nurses' Health Studies Organization( NHS). Rotating night shifts are of particular concern because exposure to light at night suppresses the body's production of melatonin, a hormone that could influence the risk of cancer.

The study evaluated urine samples from 450 women nurses and found that lower melatonin levels were associated with an increased risk of breast cancer.

Use of alternative sleep aids is on the rise

Information from a 2002 National Health Survey analyzed and reported in the Archives of Internal Medicine reveals a growing popularity of natural sleep aids. An estimated 1.6 million people using some type of alternative medicine report the usefulness of herbal remedies and relaxation techniques for managing insomnia and occasional sleeplessness. Those same survey results showed that people with anxiety or depression were 5 times more likely to have insomnia. Researchers concluded results were impressive enough to support continued studies.

Have a cocktail--and keep your LDL healthy

A mix of antioxidants called an antioxidant cocktail, might be more effective in reducing risk factors for heart disease. At the Russian Ministry of Health in Moscow, researchers investigated the rate of oxidation of low-density lipoproteins (LDL-cholesterol) isolated from blood. The LDLs were exposed to free radicals than incubated with a mixture of vitamin E, vitamin C, beta carotene, or combinations. Results showed that a combination of antioxidants was most effective in preventing oxidation of LDL.
Excerpted from Nutrition Alert, March/April 2004

Promising new studies published every month on Coenzyme Q10

Coenzyme Q10 continues to amass an impressive body of literature linking it to heart health, brain health, and other bodily processes. The natural compound CoQ10 seems to protect against disease by neutralizing the damaging byproducts of cell metabolism and inflammation.

Most recently, positive results have been published in trials using CoQ10 supplements as pre-operative protection in heart surgery and as a therapeutic anti-inflammatory protection in lab attempts to induce the symptoms of Parkinson's disease.

Ongoing studies of CoQ10 supplementation on a variety of health concerns ranging from diabetes to liver disease, complications from drug addiction and irritable bowel syndrome, proves that researchers are optimistic about its benefits.
Surgery study: J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2005 Jan; 129(1):25-32
Parkinson's study: J Mol Neurosci. 2006;28(2):125-41

Green Tea Extract cream and rosacea

Tanweer Syed, MD, PhD, an associate professor of dermatology at the University of California tested Green Tea cream on a small group of women patients with rosacea. The cream, developed by Dr. Syed, containing 2% polyphenone (green tea extract) showed 70% improvement in rosacea in her women patients compared to a regular face cream. Dr. Syed claims green tea extract cream also has anti-aging and anti-acne properties as well as a sun protection factor of 50.

Significant tumor shrinkage due to Boswellia Serrata

The gum resin of Boswellia serrata contains boswellic acids, which inhibit leukotreine (white blood cell) biosynthesis. Leukotrienes cause many chronic inflammatory diseases. Professor Thomas Simmet observed in the lab that the more malignant the tumor, the more leukotrienes it produces,  which perpetuates a cycle of almost unstoppable growth.

Prof. Simmet along with a neurosurgeon tested his theory on 25 patients who were given a dry extract of boswellia for one week before surgery. In about 50% of the patients the tumors had almost completely disappeared. They used a dosage of 800 mg. three times a day. Excerpt from www.cancersalves.com

Women who consume magnesium-rich diets have lower fasting insulin levels, which could place them at lower risk for diabetes. Recent studies by researchers at Harvard School of Public Health in Boston showed that magnesium intake was inversely associated with fasting insulin levels. Since low fasting insulin levels usually reflect greater insulin sensitivity and lower risk for diabetes, they concluded that magnesium may have a protective effect in preventing this disease. Many people consume inadequate amounts of this mineral, essential in the prevention or management of heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, headaches, and stress. Excerpted from Nutrition Alert, March/April 2004

Health Educator Reports

Chronic Pain . Food Allergies . Insomnia . Anxiety . Enzymes . Blood Sugar . Arthritis . Green Tea
Get In-depth information on 90 different health conditions and/or supplements in the Health Educator Reports available on the web at http://www.painstresscenter.com/mall/HER2.asp

This offer is sent to you because your address is on the Pain & Stress Center mailing list. We apologize if you have received this message in error. If you do not wish to receive further editions of the special offers from us, click here to UNSUBSCRIBE: unsubscribe@painstresscenter.com

This mailing has been performed by The Pain & Stress Center, 5282 Medical Dr. #160, San Antonio, TX 78229 USA. We proudly comply with all rules and regulations included in the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003.