Glucosamine and Chondroitin for Arthritis: Benefit is Unlikely
Osteoarthritis (OA), the most widespread type of arthritis, is a degenerative disease of the joints. Although sometimes capable of causing acute inflammation, it is most commonly a “wear-and-tear” disease involving degeneration of joint cartilage and formation of bony spurs within various joints. Trauma to the joints, repetitive occupational usage, and obesity are risk factors. Most people over 60 years of age have this affliction to some extent, with approximately 16 million sufferers requiring medical care. The main goal of treatment is to relieve pain. Glucosamine and chondroitin have been widely promoted as a treatment for OA. Glucosamine, an amino sugar, is thought to promote the formation and repair of cartilage. Chondroitin, a carbohydrate, is a cartilage component that is thought to promote water retention and …
Continue Reading >Notes on the Tryptophan Disaster
During the closing days of the 1994 Congressional session, a bill was passed to prevent the FDA from banning the sale of several categories of “dietary supplement” products. Passage of this bill capped an aggressive three-year lobbying campaign intended by the health-food industry to cripple FDA regulation of its products. Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) championed the bill, an early version of which was described by The New York Times as “The 1993 Snake Oil Protection Act.” The 1994 law, called the Dietary Supplement and Health Education Act, defines dietary supplements to include vitamins, minerals, herbal products, amino acids, other dietary substances, and products derived from any of these substances. Even if a product or ingredient has no practical value in supplementing the diet, the FDA …
Continue Reading >Aveloz
“Exotic Shrub may be key to victory in cancer battle! Aveloz now being used for tumor reduction cancer treatment.” “One drop of [aveloz] sap, diluted in a glass of distilled water and taken by the tablespoonful every hour, eliminates cancerous growths in one week.” These are just some of the statements used to publicize aveloz, a remedy prepared from the milky sap of a Brazilian shrub with the scientific name Euphorbia heterodoxa Mull. Arg. The saps of various Euphorbia species have been used in folk medicine since at least 400 B.C. because of their corrosive properties. Euphorbia heterodoxa is commonly known as killwart because its sap-used by the Amazon Indians and later the Dutch, Portuguese and Galician settlers in northeastern Brazil-was thought to be effective …
Continue Reading >Androstenedione Warning
As Mark McGwire established the single-season record of 70 home runs, reporters, sportswriters, columnists, and fans speculated about the possible role of the steroid, “Andro,” in his achievement. The Endocrine Society, representing the specialists who conduct hormone research and treat disorders of the endocrine system, wants you to know some important facts about androstenedione — “Andro” for short. Here’s what we know: Androgens are the male sex steroids. They increase body hair, facial hair and acne; deepen the voice; enhance prostate growth; and promote muscle growth. The best known androgen is testosterone. Androstenedione is a steroid. In the body, it is converted to testosterone. It can also be converted into the female sex steroid, estrogen, in boys and girls. Androstenedione is not a banned androgenic …
Continue Reading >Resveratrol: Don’t Buy the Hype
Resveratrol (trans-3,5,4′-trihydroxystilbene), a compound found largely in the skins of red grapes, is a component of Ko-jo-kon, an oriental medicine used to treat diseases of the blood vessels, heart [1,2], and liver [2]. It came to scientific attention during the mid-1990s as a possible explanation for the “French Paradox”—the low incidence of heart disease among the French people, who eat a relatively high-fat diet [3]. Since then, it has been touted by manufacturers and examined by scientific researchers as an antioxidant [4], an anti-cancer agent, and a phytoestrogen [5]. It has also been advertised on the Internet as “The French Paradox in a bottle.” One company even markets a red-wine extract antioxidant product called “French Parad’ox.” Sources While present in other plants, such as eucalyptus, …
Continue Reading >A Critical Look at Robert Barefoot and Coral Calcium
“Coral calcium” is the name of a dietary supplement derived from either coral remnants that have falled to the ocean floor (“marine coral”) or coral harvested from land quarries as found in islands. It is mostly calcium carbonate but contains magnesium and trace amounts of other minerals. Although coral minerals have been mined for centuries, the term “coral calcium” was brought to public attention about ten years ago through a massive advertising campaign by Robert R. Barefoot, of of Wickenberg, Arizona, who claimed that coral minerals obtained from Okinawa provided “the scientific secret of health and youth” and would cure cancer. His ideas were promoted through books, lectures, his Web site, an audiotape, two 30-minute infomercials [2], interviews, and thousands of Web sites that sold …
Continue Reading >Illnesses and Injuries Associated with the Use of Selected Dietary Supplements
Excerpted from the 1993 FDA report, Unsubstantiated Claims and Documented Health Hazards in the Dietary Supplement Marketplace Products marketed as “dietary supplements” include a diverse range of products, from traditional nutrients, such as vitamins or minerals, to such substances as high-potency free amino acids, botanicals, enzymes, animal extracts, and bioflavanoids that often have no scientifically recognized role in nutrition. There is currently no systematic evaluation of the safety of products marketed as dietary supplements. Dietary supplements routinely enter the marketplace without undergoing a safety review by FDA. Published studies on the safety of these products are extremely sparse. There is no systematic collection and review of adverse reaction reports for dietary supplements, as there is for drugs, and physicians rarely seek information about their patients’ …
Continue Reading >A Skeptical Look at St. John’s Wort
St. John’s wort is widely promoted as an antidepressant. However: (a) its use is not supported by high-quality research, (b) its mechanism of action is unknown, (c) the active ingredient, if any, has not been ascertained, and (d) product quality is a serious problem. It began receiving widespread attention after a metaanalysis published in 1996 in the British Medical Journal concluded that it was effective against mild to moderate depression [1]. An editorial that accompanied the report cautioned that longer studies were needed [2], but the market for St. John’s wort products surged anyway. “St. John’s wort” is the common name for the flowering plant Hypericum perforatum. It has many constituents with biological activity, but many of its pharmacological activities are attributable to hypericin, hyperforin, …
Continue Reading >Acid/Alkaline Theory of Disease Is Nonsense
Have you seen advertisements for products such as coral calcium or alkaline water that are supposed to neutralize acid in your bloodstream? Taking calcium or drinking alkaline water does not affect blood acidity. Anyone who tells you that certain foods or supplements make your stomach or blood acidic does not understand nutrition. You should not believe that it matters whether foods are acidic or alkaline, because no foods change the acidity of anything in your body except your urine. Your stomach is so acidic that no food can change its acidity. Citrus fruits, vinegar, and vitamins such as ascorbic acid or folic acid do not change the acidity of your stomach or your bloodstream. An entire bottle of calcium pills or antacids would not change …
Continue Reading >Herb of the Month: Mangosteen
Also Known As Amibiasine, Mang Cut, Manggis, Manggistan, Mangosta, Mangostan, Mangostana, Mangostanier, Mangostao, Mangoustanier, Mangouste, Mangostier, Manguita, Meseter, Queen of Fruits, Sementah, Semetah, Xango, Xango Juice. CAUTION: See separate listing for Garcinia. Scientific Names Garcinia mangostana. Family: Clusiaceae. People Use This For** Orally, mangosteen is used for dysentery, diarrhea, urinary tract infections (UTI), gonorrhea, thrush, tuberculosis, menstrual disorders, stimulating the immune system, cancer, osteoarthritis, and improving mental health. Topically, mangosteen is used for eczema and other skin conditions. **Note: This field does not tell what the product is good for; nor does it tell you what it should, or should not be used for. That information appears in other fields. This field tells you what people use the product for. Often times, products are used …
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