CCH Health Review
Ideas & Strategies to Improve Your Health
April 2007
Folic Acid as Brain Food
Two new exciting studies have illustrated more health benefits of folic acid. We have known for a while the importance of folic acid supplementation during pregnancy, as it is needed for the normal development of the nervous system, including the brain. Two recent large studies have illustrated the importance of folic acid in older people as well. In a study of 965 patients over age 65, the participants with the highest intake of folic acid had a 50% reduction in developing Alzheimer’s disease. In a separate study of 818 people over age 50, 3 years of supplementation with 800mcg of folic acid a day significantly improved cognitive function, including memory and information processing, compared to the placebo group. As an added benefit, homocysteine levels (a risk factor for heart disease) decreased 26% in the folic acid group. Food sources of folic acid include green leafy vegetables, beans, sunflower seeds, eggs, and liver. Folic acid is best taken as a supplement with B12. Folic acid appears to play an important role in keeping us sharp mentally as we age- something we all could use! Make sure you are getting at least 800mcg per day from supplements.
Antacid Drugs Increase Risk of Hip Fractures and Weak Bones
A large study has found that taking stomach acid blocking drugs (Aciphex, Nexium, Prevacid, Prilosec, Protonix), increases the risk of osteoporosis and bone fracture. People over 50 who took these drugs for more than one year had a 44% increased risk of breaking a hip and higher doses for longer periods more than doubled their risk. Blocking stomach acid impairs calcium and mineral absorption leading to weak bones. If you or someone you know uses these drugs we have natural medicine alternatives that are worth exploring. (Journal of the American Med Assoc. 2006;296:2947–53)
Joint Pain Disappears
We wrote recently in HEALTH NOTES about our success with Niacinamide (a B vitamin) for patients with anxiety. Not long ago a Center doctor saw a patient named Deb who is a 28-year-old accountant. She has been taking Niacinamide 750mg one capsule twice daily. The doctor spoke with her on the phone a few weeks after she started the Niacinamide and she reported “I am cool, calm and collected and have felt this way since I started the Niacinamide”. She had been using Xanax daily to control her anxiety but no longer needed it because the Niacinamide effectively eliminated her anxiety.
Recently she returned to the office for a follow up regarding her anxiety. As she sat in her chair, she smiled. She said that in her previous visits she neglected to speak about the shoulder pain she had been experiencing for more than six months. She had seen an orthopedic physician and had undergone 2 months of physical therapy with no relief and decided she would learn to live with the discomfort. At her first visit, her anxiety was so life disrupting that she had failed to even mention the pain in each of her shoulders. It turns out that soon after starting Niacinamide for her anxiety, the shoulder pain disappeared, completely!
In 1955, a Connecticut physician, William Kaufman, M.D., Ph.D. wrote a paper describing his use of Niacinamide for arthritis pain (J. Amer Geriat. Society, 1955 3:927-936). Kaufman reported that high-dose niacinamide, a form of vitamin B3, was beneficial in osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. He documented improvements in joint function, range of motion, increased muscle strength and endurance, over long periods in these patients. Reported effects began after 1-3 months on niacinamide and reached their peak between one and three years. What a benefit, high dose niacinamide is useful for treating anxiety and some forms of arthritis.
Milk Thistle Extract Helps Manage Blood Sugar in Diabetics
A recent study was published in Phytotherapy Research (Phytother Res 2006;20:1036–9). 51 adults with type 2 diabetes were given either silymarin (a milk thistle extract) or a placebo for four months. The average fasting blood glucose level fell 15% in the silymarin (milk thistle) group, compared with an increase of 13% in the placebo group. Other markers of diabetes management improved in the silymarin group but did not change or worsened in the placebo group.
The Center’s doctors have started to use Milk Thistle Extract in many of our diabetic patients. We exclusively use Milk Thistle Extract that has been extracted with Ethanol and Water only.
We do so because we are concerned about the long-term toxic effects of high levels of solvent residue that often can be found in Milk Thistle Extract. Most Milk Thistle Extract on the market has been extracted with methanol, acetone, hexane or ethyl acetate and usually contains unacceptably high levels of some of these solvents. We think it is better to be safe than sorry.
If you or someone you know has type 2 diabetes and would like to know what natural medicines can improve blood sugar control and reduce drug use, make an appointment (860-347-8600) to consult with one of our doctors. We’d be happy to help.
