Month: August 2008

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Suppliments our body needs

Alpha Lipoic Acid

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Other names: lipoic acid, thioctic acid, ALA

Definition: Alpha lipoic acid is a fatty acid found naturally inside every cell in the body. It’s needed by the body to produce the energy for our body’s normal functions. Alpha lipoic acid converts glucose (blood sugar) into energ..

Alpha lipoic acid is also an antioxidant, a substance that neutralizes potentially harmful chemicals called free radicals. What makes alpha lipoic acid unique is that it functions in water and fat, unlike the more common antioxidants vitamins C and E, and it appears to be able to recycle antioxidants such as vitamin C and glutathione after they have been used up. Glutathione is an important antioxidant that helps the body eliminate potentially harmful substances. Alpha lipoic acid increases the formation of glutathione.

Alpha lipoic acid is made by the body and can be found in very small amounts in foods such as spinach, broccoli, peas, Brewer’s yeast, brussel sprouts, rice bran, and organ meats. Alpha lipoic acid supplements are available in capsule form at health food stores, some drugstores, and online. For maximum absorption, the supplements should be taken on an empty stomach.

It is an antioxidant that is manufactured in the human body. Antioxidants are substances that work by attacking “free radicals,” waste products created when the body turns food into energy. There are also many sources of free radicals in the environment such as ultraviolet rays, radiation, and toxic chemicals in cigarette smoke, car exhaust, and pesticides. Free radicals cause harmful chemical reactions that can damage cells in the body, making it harder for the body to fight off infections. As a result a person becomes more susceptible to long term diseases such as diabetes and liver damage.

Uses:

*Peripheral Neuropathy

Peripheral neuropathy can be caused by injury, nutritional deficiencies, chemotherapy or by conditions such as diabetes, Lyme disease, alcoholism, shingles, thyroid disease, and kidney failure. Symptoms can include pain, burning, numbness, tingling, weakness, and itching.


Alpha lipoic acid is thought to work as an antioxidant in both water and fatty tissue, enabling it to enter all parts of the nerve cell and protect it from damage.

Preliminary studies suggest that alpha lipoic acid may help. In one of the largest studies on the use of alpha lipoic acid, 181 people took 600 mg, 1200 mg or 1800 mg of alpha lipoic acid a day or a placebo. After 5 weeks, alpha lipoic acid improved symptoms. The dose that was best tolerated while still providing benefit was 600 mg once daily.

*General

Alpha-lipoic acid works together with other antioxidants such as vitamins C and E. It is important for growth, helps to prevent cell damage, and helps the body rid itself of harmful substances

*Diabetes

Several studies suggest that treatment with ALA may help reduce pain, burning, itching, tingling, and numbness in people who have nerve damage (called peripheral neuropathy) caused by diabetes. Alpha-lipoic acid has been used for years for this purpose in Europe. Other studies have shown that alpha-lipoic acid speeds the removal of glucose (sugar) from the blood of people with diabetes and that this antioxidant may prevent kidney damage associated with diabetes in animals.

*Liver Disease

Alpha-lipoic acid may prove useful in the treatment of chronic hepatitis because it relieves stress on the liver and helps rid the body of toxins. There have been several case reports of use of alpha-lipoic acid in combination with silymarin (milk thistle) and selenium (a substance with liver-protecting and antioxidant properties) to help treat hepatitis C (a serious type of hepatitis contracted from blood and bodily fluids that does not have an adequate cure or treatment).

It has also been used in conjunction with silymarin to treat Amanita poisoning. Amanita is a highly poisonous mushroom that causes liver damage.

*Brain Function and Stroke

Because alpha-lipoic acid can pass easily into the brain, it has protective effects on brain and nerve tissue and shows promise as a treatment for stroke and other brain disorders involving free radical damage. Animals treated with alpha-lipoic acid, for example, suffered less brain damage and had a four times greater survival rate after a stroke than the animals who did not receive this supplement. While animal studies are encouraging, more research is needed to understand whether this benefit applies to people as well.

 

Alpha lipoic acid can cross the blood-brain barrier, a wall of tiny vessels and structural cells, and pass easily into the brain. It is thought to protect brain and nerve tissue by preventing free radical damage.

*Age-Related Conditions

As an antioxidant, alpha lipoic acid can neutralize free radicals which can damage cells. Free radical damage is thought to contribute to aging and chronic illness.

*Other Conditions

Additional conditions for which alpha-lipoic acid may prove useful include heart failure, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), cataracts, and glaucoma. More research is underway in these areas.

Alpha lipoic acid has also been suggested for cataracts, multiple sclerosis, burning mouth syndrome, Alzheimer’s disease and stroke, but large, well-designed studies are needed to see if it’s effective for these conditions.

Dietary Sources

Good food sources of alpha-lipoic acid include spinach, broccoli, beef, yeast (particularly Brewer’s yeast), and certain organ meats (such as the kidney and heart.)

Available Forms
Alpha-lipoic acid supplements are available in capsule form.

How to Take It
*Pediatric

There are no known scientific reports on the pediatric use of alpha-lipoic acid. Therefore, it is not currently recommended for children.

*Adult

Alpha-lipoic acid can be purchased in dosages ranging 30 mg to 100 mg tablets. Currently there are no established recommended doses for supplementation. For general antioxidant support, the recommended dose of ALA is 20 mg to 50 mg per day.

Manufacturers of alpha-lipoic acid suggest one or two 50-mg capsules daily as a dietary supplement.

Studies that have been successful in improving nerve function in diabetics have used 600 mg of alpha-lipoic acid per day in divided doses.

Precautions:
Because of the potential for side effects and interactions with medications, dietary supplements should be taken only under the supervision of a knowledgeable healthcare provider. This is especially true for those who are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Skin rash has been reported rarely from alpha-lipoic acid.

Finally, because alpha-lipoic acid has been associated with improved blood sugar control, people with diabetes should follow their blood sugar levels carefully when taking this supplement in order to avoid hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). Your doctor may decide that a reduction in dosage of insulin or oral blood sugar-lowering drugs is needed if you are taking this supplement.

Side Effects
Side effects of alpha lipoic acid may include headache, tingling or a “pins and needles” sensation, skin rash, or muscle cramps.

There have been a few reports in Japan of a rare condition called insulin autoimmune syndrome in people using alpha lipoic acid. The condition causes hypoglycemia and antibodies directed against the body’s own insulin without previous insulin therapy.

The safety of alpha lipoic acid in pregnant or nursing women, children, or people with kidney or liver disease is unknown.

Possible Drug Interactions:
Alpha lipoic acid may improve blood sugar control, so people with diabetes who are taking medication to lower blood sugar, such as metformin (Glucophage), glyburide (DiaBeta, Glynase), should only take alpha lipoic acid under the supervision of a qualified health professional and have their blood sugar levels carefully monitored.

Animal studies indicate that alpha lipoic acid may alter thyroid hormone levels, so it could theoretically have the same effect in humans. People taking thyroid medications such as levothyroxine should be monitored by their healthcare provider.

If you are currently being treated with any of the following medications, you should not use alpha-lipoic acid without first talking to your healthcare provider.

Amikacin and Gentamicin

In an animal study, alpha-lipoic acid supplements reduced side effects, particularly toxicity to the ear, associated with these antibiotics. Additional studies are needed to confirm these effects in people.

Cisplatin and Cyclophosphamide

The use of alpha-lipoic acid supplements in animals protected against toxic side effects associated with these medications.

Thyroid-regulating Medications, Levothyroxine

Rats given alpha-lipoic acid supplements had altered thyroid hormone function, but improved cholesterol levels. Blood hormone levels and thyroid function tests should be monitored closely in people taking thyroid hormones who are also taking alpha-lipoic acid.

You may click to see;->…………………………(1)…….(2)

Resources:
http://altmedicine.about.com/od/alphalipoicacid/a/alphalipoicacid.htm
http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/alpha-lipoic-000285.htm

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News on Health & Science

‘Virtual Treadmill’ to Walk Faster

Scientists have developed what they claim is a “virtual reality” treadmill which can trick people into believing that they are moving more slowly than they actually are.

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According to them, the technology could be of great help to stroke sufferers across the world by encouraging them to move faster on the treadmill, which in turn will speed up their recovery.

“The virtual system encourages patients to walk more quickly and for longer, almost without them realising it. It is not just that they are distracted from the pain; by moving faster than they realise, their body actually feels it less. We’re effectively fooling the brain and cheating the body.

“It’s a lot more fun than traditional rehab and it can actually facilitate a much faster recovery. Our test subjects are usually surprised when I tell them they’ve improved by up to 20%,” lead scientist Wendy Powell was quoted by the Independent as saying.

In fact, moving images on a giant screen respond to patients’ efforts on an adapted treadmill. And using a variety of different settings, including urban and rural landscapes, the device creates a virtual world for the patient to “walk” through on the treadmill.

This immersion also acts as a distraction, and early research has already shown patients using it have a decreased perception of pain, according to the researchers at Portsmouth University.

It may be mentioned that clinical trials on patients are currently taking place in collaboration with Canada-based McGill University and early results are also said to be very encouraging. Sixty-one-year-old stroke sufferer Andy Long, who has been using the technology as part of his rehab, hails it as “magic”.

“The vast majority of stroke survivors cannot use a normal treadmill because they are not in control.

Many can only hold on with one hand, making it almost impossible. Walking is the best possible exercise for their bodies, and this system means it could all become available to them,” he said.

Sources: The Times Of India

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Pillow that Can Wipe Out Wrinkles

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Forget splashing thousands on anti-wrinkle creams or Botox injections, for a group of researchers has developed a pillow that can iron out the ugly looking lines. What’s more, the pillow can wipe out crow’s feet.

Boffins have developed a copper oxide pillow case, with tests showing those who used it for four weeks had fewer lines and wrinkles than those using conventional bedding. Clinical trials were carried out on 57 volunteers for four weeks, with the volunteers either given an anti-wrinkle pillow, which feels no different for normal fabric, or a similar conventional pillow.

By the trial’s end, those sleeping on the copper pillows were statistically more likely to have less wrinkles. Jeffrey Gabbay, owner of Cupron, which manufactured the copper medical dressings to develop the pillow case, said: “The surgeon doing our wound-healing trial remarked how an increase in collagen was helping to heal wounds.”

“We wondered if it might work on fixing wrinkles and lines on the face. So we had some copper woven pillows made up and noticed that over a few days of lying on a cooper pillow lines on the face started to soften,” the Telegraph quoted him, as saying. He added: “It has been the most fantastic discovery. The fabric… is best at ironing out the finer lines.”

Click to see:- >Copper oxide pillow anti-wrinkles

Sources: The Times of India

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Featured

Why Just One Cigarette Can Get You Hooked

A Canadian study has suggested that it may take only one cigarette for some people to get addicted to nicotine, because of how their brains are wired.

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By manipulating receptors in the brains of rats, researchers were able to control whether the first exposure to nicotine was enjoyable or repulsive. They experimented on two types of receptors for dopamine, a chemical messenger in the brain’s reward circuitry.

By blocking the receptors, the researchers were able to switch how nicotine was processed — from repulsive to rewarding or positive. The natural variations that occur between people may therefore explain why some are more likely to become addicted to nicotine.
Sources:
CBC News August 5, 2008
The Journal of Neuroscience, August 6, 2008, 28(32):8025-8033

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News on Health & Science

Positive Thinkers ‘Avoid Cancer’

Optimists see the world as a benevolent place.Image via Wikipedia

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Women who have a positive outlook may decrease their chances of developing breast cancer, say Israeli researchers.

The role of mental outlook in cancer is controversial
The small study, published in the BioMed Central journal, also found that getting divorced, or being bereaved could increase the risk.

But the researchers admitted that women were questioned after their diagnosis, which might significantly change their outlook on life.

UK experts said it was hard to compare different women’s emotional stresses.

The role of mental outlook on cancer remains controversial, with some studies suggesting that it might play a role.

Meanwhile, others have found no significant effect, either on the likelihood of developing the illness in the first place, or on your chances of surviving it.

The latest study looked at 255 women with breast cancer and compared their answers in a questionnaire on mental outlook and life events with 367 healthy control subjects.

They found that a generally positive outlook appeared to reduce the chance of breast cancer by a quarter.

In addition, exposure to one or more of the traumatic “life events” such as loss of a parent or a spouse increased the risk by more than 60%.

Lead researcher Dr Ronit Peled, from Ben-Gurion University, said that women who had been exposed to a number of negative events should be considered an “at-risk” group for breast cancer.

“We can carefully say that experiencing more than one severe and/or moderate life event is a risk factor for breast cancer among young women.

“On the other hand, a general feeling of happiness and optimism can play a protective role.”

“Emotional stress is highly subjective and is difficult to measure accurately” says Dr Sarah Cant, Breakthrough Breast Cancer

‘Complex disease’

But Dr Sarah Cant, from Breakthrough Breast Cancer, maintained that there was no clear evidence that positive or negative experiences could affect breast cancer risk.

“Emotional stress is highly subjective and is difficult to measure accurately.

“Women in this study were interviewed after breast cancer was diagnosed when they may be more likely to recall feeling depression and anxiety.

“The researchers also didn’t account for other factors known to affect breast cancer risk such as family history or weight.

“Breast cancer is a complex disease and there is unlikely to be one single cause.”

Sources: BBC NEWS:22nd.Aug.’08

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