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Posts in ‘chronic fatigue’

Loss Of Sleep, Even For A Single Night, Increases Inflammation In The Body

Sep 26

ScienceDaily (Sep. 4, 2008) — Loss of sleep, even for a few short hours during the night, can prompt one’s immune system to turn against healthy tissue and organs.

A new article in the September 15th issue of Biological Psychiatry, by the UCLA Cousins Center research team, reports that losing sleep for even part of one night can trigger the key cellular pathway that produces tissue-damaging inflammation. The findings suggest a good night’s sleep can ease the risk of both heart disease and autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis.

Specifically, the researchers measured the levels of nuclear factor (NF)-?B, a transcription factor that serves a vital role in the body’s inflammatory signaling, in healthy adults. These measurements were repeatedly assessed, including in the morning after baseline (or normal) sleep, after partial sleep deprivation (where the volunteers were awake from 11 pm to 3:00 am), and after recovery sleep. In the morning after sleep loss, they discovered that activation of (NF)-?B signaling was significantly greater than after baseline or recovery sleep. It’s important to note that they found this increase in inflammatory response in only the female subjects.

These data close an important gap in understanding the cellular mechanisms by which sleep loss enhances inflammatory biology in humans, with implications for understanding the association between sleep disturbance and risk of a wide spectrum of medical conditions including cardiovascular disease, arthritis, diabetes, certain cancers, and obesity. John H. Krystal, M.D., Editor of Biological Psychiatry and affiliated with both Yale University School of Medicine and the VA Connecticut Healthcare System, comments: “The closer that we look at sleep, the more that we learn about the benefits of sleeping. In this case, Irwin and colleagues provide evidence that sleep deprivation is associated with enhancement of pro-inflammatory processes in the body.”

“Physical and psychological stress brought on in part by grinding work, school and social schedules is keeping millions of Americans up at night,” said Dr. Irwin, lead author and director of the Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology at the Semel Institute. “America’s sleep habits are simply not healthy. Our findings suggest even modest sleep loss may play a role in common disorders that affect sweeping segments of the population.” In other words, sleep is vitally important to maintaining a healthy body. And as Dr. Krystal notes, “these findings provide a potential mechanistic avenue through which addressing sleep disturbance might improve health.”

Complementary medicines, arthritis, autoimmune, can't sleep, cancer, cardiovascular diseas, chronic fatigue, depression, fatigue, immune system, inflammation, insomnia, mental health, side effects, tired     0 Comments

Cancer fighter: ginseng boosts immune function, combats stress and fatigue, and even helps fight breast cancer

Sep 26

Michael Castleman
IN ASIA, ginseng has been revered for centuries as a total-body health enhancer. But the mounting excitement in the West is focused on a very specific benefit. “Many studies show that ginseng helps prevent and treat breast cancer,” says Christine Homer, M.D., author of Waking the Warrior Goddess: Dr. Christine Horner’s Program to Protect Against and Fight Breast Cancer (Basic Health Publications, 2005).

One clinical vote of confidence occurred last spring when researchers at Vanderbilt University in Nashville concluded that Panax ginseng increases both the length and quality of life for women with breast cancer. Among 1,455 women followed for six years after a breast cancer diagnosis, regular ginseng users had 30 percent less risk of dying from the disease and 29 percent less risk of dying from any other cause, compared with nonusers. The 2006 study, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, noted that those women who consumed the most ginseng reported the greatest improvement in quality of life.

Scientists believe that ginseng counteracts the cancer-stimulating action of the body’s own estrogen. The herb is actually a phytoestrogen that binds to estrogen receptors in the body, locking out its hormonal counterpart; by itself, ginseng is too weak an estrogen to spur breast cancer.

Beyond the breast

Ginseng’s Latin name, Panax, comes from the Greek word for “panacea,” and its effects are impressively diverse. “The Chinese consider ginseng a tonic, something that strengthens the whole body,” says Efrem Korngold, O.M.D., a Chinese medicine practitioner in San Francisco and a Natural Health advisor. “Western medicine has been skeptical of ginseng, as though it’s too good to be true. The skeptics should study the research.”

In addition to breast cancer, ginseng may discourage a range of cancers. Researchers at the Korea Cancer Center in Seoul tracked ginseng use in 4,634 subjects for five years. Compared with those who used no ginseng, those who took it regularly had 60 percent less risk of developing any cancer. The results were published in 1998 in the International Journal of Epidemiology.

Overall, there seems to be a particularly positive effect on immune function. In the journal Pharmacy Research in 1996, University of Southern California researchers noted that ginseng increases production of interferon, the body’s own antiviral compound. In a related study in 2002, published in Immunopharmacology and Immunotoxicology, Korean researchers discovered that ginseng also enhances the ability of white blood cells to manufacture pathogen-devouring cells called macrophages.

By boosting immune function, ginseng may improve the efficacy of vaccinations. According to a 1996 study in Drugs in Experimental and Clinical Research, Italian researchers gave 227 volunteers a placebo or 100 milligrams of ginseng daily. A month later, everyone received flu shots; 42 placebo takers caught the flu, but only 15 ginseng patients became sick–a highly significant difference.

Several studies also indicate that ginseng’s immune-friendliness may help prevent the common (and always aggravating) cold. In 2006, University of Connecticut researchers gave 43 adults over age 65 a placebo or 400 mg of ginseng per day. For the first two months, both groups caught the same number of colds. But during months three and four, the ginseng group became sick only half as often (32 percent versus 62 percent), and their cold symptoms lasted less than half as long (six days compared to 13 days).

Total impact

In keeping with its reputation as an adaptogen, e r whole-body tonic, ginseng has been found to enhance both mental and physical performance, aid fertility and virility in men, reduce fatigue, and lower blood sugar in diabetics.

INTELLIGENCE. In a 1996 Danish study, 112 middle-aged adults were given cognitive-function tests before and after taking a placebo or 400 mg per day of ginseng for eight weeks. The placebo group showed no change in brainpower, while those who took ginseng demonstrated significant improvement. British researchers conducted a similar study in 2002 using the same dose of ginseng, which again seemed to enhance memory and attentiveness.

STAMINA AND FATIGUE. When Italian researchers tested 50 male gym teachers, ages 21 to 47, on a treadmill, those taking ginseng had greater stamina than did the placebo group; another Italian study found that ginseng improves reaction time. And a 1999 Japanese study in the International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics showed that the herb helps relieve the fatigue some women experience during menopause.

DIABETES. In a 2000 study published in Archives of Internal Medicine, University of Toronto researchers gave ginseng (a relatively high dose of three grams) to diabetics before a meal. Blood sugar typically rises after eating, but 40 minutes after the meal, the ginseng takers showed a decrease in blood sugar levels.

REPRODUCTION AND SEX. While an Italian study showed that ginseng boosts sperm count, two Korean studies–published in 2002 in the Journal of Urology and in 1995 in the International Journal of Impotence Research–confirmed the herb’s reputed aphrodisiac effect. Apparently, ginseng increases production of nitric oxide, which plays a key role in sex-related blood flow into the genitals; taking 900 mg three times per day helped restore faltering erections.

WITH SO MANY BENEFITS, it’s no wonder that ginseng users taking as little as 200 mg daily continually report improved quality of life, mental health, and social functioning. After University of Connecticut investigators reviewed research on the herb as it relates to quality of life, their 2003 report, published in the Journal of Clinical Pharmacy & Therapeutics, found improvement in eight out of nine studies.

Those are darned good odds for a naturally healthier life.

Photograph by DAWN SMITH

RELATED ARTICLE: How to take it.

Asian or Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng) and American ginseng (P. quinquefolius) are botanically the same, while Siberian ginseng is a different plant. To use it in a healing tea, simmer one to three grams of the sliced root in 24 ounces boiling water for 20 to 30 minutes; the tea is traditionally cooled and served at room temperature, but you can drink it hot. if you want to try it in capsule form: Nationally recognized surgeon Christine Homer, M.D., recommends 200 to 400 milligrams daily, though daily doses of up to 600 mg are common. For health maintenance, ginseng should be taken in cycles, e.g., daily for two or three weeks followed by a two-week abstention.

Ginseng is distributed in both white and red varieties: The white is unprocessed root, while the red is steamed, then dried. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), red ginseng is considered “hot,” with stronger restorative action for disease recovery. The milder, white ginseng is “warm” and is thought to be preferable for long-term use. Western research draws no distinction between white and red ginseng; if you can’t decide which variety to take, consult a TCM practitioner. The herb causes no significant side effects, though caffeinelike jitters are possible; people with high blood pressure are advised to avoid ginseng without the guidance of a qualified herbalist.

COPYRIGHT 2007 Weider Publications
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning



Complementary medicines, Ginseng, alternative, anti-cancer agents, anti-cancer food, breast, breast cancer, cancer, cancer studies, chemotherapy, chronic fatigue, diabetes, herbs, immune system, men, side effects, tired, women     0 Comments

Reishi Mushroom Extract: An Important Supplement For Immune Support And Other Health Conditions

May 12

Written by Dr. James Meschino, D.C., M.S.,
– Research and Clinical Director, RenaiSanté Institute of Integrative Medicine –

Recent And Historical Use Of Reishi Mushroom Extract
Reishi mushroom (Ganoderma lucidum) is called “the mushroom of immortality” in China and has been used in Oriental Medicine for over 2,000 years. (1,2) In recent years its active ingredients have been the subject of intensive research regarding their apparent ability to help prevent or treat certain types of cancer, aid in the treatment of liver disease, HIV infection, acute or recurrent herpetic infections, high blood pressure, chronic bronchitis, allergies and asthma, and favorably modulate immune function. (3) The reishi mushroom grows wild on decaying logs and tree stumps in the coastal provinces of China. The fruiting body of the mushroom is used medicinally. (4)

Active Constituents: Reishi mushrooms contain a number of active agents that are known to modulate function of the immune system in humans. The primary agents include:

  1. Specific Polysaccharides - which occur in the form of Beta-D-glucans bound to amino acids. These agents are known to possess immune-modulating and anti-cancer properties. (3)
  2. Triterpene compounds - known as ganoderic acids, which have been shown to lower blood pressure, reduce platelet stickiness and may decrease LDL-cholesterol. (5)
  3. Other major active constituents - including sterols, coumarin and mannitol. (5)

Clinical Application and Mechanism of Action

  1. Anti-Cancer Agent: Cancer studies in animals have shown a 50% tumor regression rate with reishi mushroom extract treatment (e.g., connective tissue cancer model in mice). (6) Reishi mushroom extract is used by some cancer surgeons in Japan to treat cancer patients and significant anti-tumor and immunostimulation effects have been noted in many of these cases. (7) Polysaccharides from reishi mushrooms and from other types of folk-medicinal fungi are patented in Japan for use as immunomodulators in the treatment of cancer. They are combined with chemo- and radiotherapy and have demonstrated an ability to reduce side effects, increase the efficacy of treatments, and are used to accelerate recovery from disease. (8,9)
    Studies from China have shown that reishi mushroom extract potentiates the tumoricidal capacity of macrophages and T-cells. (10,11) Reishi mushroom extract is known to have other immune modulating effects and antioxidant properties as well. (12,13,14,15,16)
  2. Immune System Enhancement: (Bronchitis, Asthma, Allergies, Herpetic Conditions and HIV Infection) As noted above, reishi mushroom extract modulates many components of the immune system, which in part, account for its apparent anti-tumor properties. Chronic bronchitis in the elderly has been shown to respond favorably to treatment using a concentrated reishi mushroom product in a trial involving 2,000 cases in China. This study demonstrated a better than 60% success rate. After several months of treatment there was a noted rise in the levels of immunoglobulin A in the sputum. (10
    The combination of astragalus and reishi mushroom extract represents an effective means of daily immune support and a therapeutic intervention for a large number of immune compromised states (e.g.,chronic fatigue, chronic bronchitis, herpes I and II recurrent infections, post-herpetic neuralgia, recurrent apthous ulcers or canker sores, the common cold, HIV infection, etc.) and for patients undergoing chemo-or radiation therapy.
  3. Cardiovascular Health: (High Blood Pressure and Reduced Platelet Aggregation) Two human controlled studies revealed that reishi mushroom extract can reduce high blood pressure to a significant degree (systolic and diastolic), even in patients who had previously failed to respond to established anti-hypertensive medications. (30,31) Animal studies reveal that reishi mushroom extract reduces blood pressure through a central inhibition of sympathetic nerve activity, although it does not slow heart rate or induce a sedative effect in general. (32
  4. Liver Protective Effects: (Hepatoprotective Properties) Reishi is prescribed in China for the treatment of chronic and acute hepatitis. (36) Various ganoderic acids in reishi mushrooms have strong antihepatotoxic properties, (37) which under experimental conditions have been shown to protect liver cells from chemically-induced injury, including protection from the highly toxic and lethal substance, carbon tetrachloride. (38,39)

HIV, T cells, allergies, anti-cancer agents, asthma, astragalus, chronic fatigue, herpes, high blood pressure, immune system, infection, macrophages, mouth sores, polysaccharides, reishi mushroom     0 Comments