NATURAL REMEDIES THAT REALLY WORK
Glaring at the official looking labels on all the bottles of natural remedies in drugstores and super-markets, you might assume that some government agency has made sure that the contents really work. You may decide that, being "natural," all of these dietary supplments must be safe for you to take.
But you'd be wrong.
Under the law, companies can sell virtually any supplement they please, as long as its label does not claim to treat a disease.
You're on your own as you try to distinguish between the reliable and the risky, let alone figure out how much to take for what ailment. Studies have shown, impressive results for a number of these remedies; other supplements have caused illness, usually because of misuse.
To help you navigate the supplement jungle, here's the low down on some natural remedies, many of them top selling products.
VALERIAN
Valerian's aroma has a certain cheesy ripeness, but its sedative impact is nothing to wrinkle your nose at. It's widely used by Europeans -- the French buy some 45 tonnes a year -- in part because it's so safe.
"They use valerian in Europe to break addictions to prescription sleep aids like benzodiazipines," says Robert McCaleb, president and founder of the Herb Research Foundation in Boulder, Colo.
As for efficacy, some research has shown that valerian can induce and improve sleep. In one study, 89 percent of the subjects reported better-quality sleep, and 44 percent reported "perfect sleep."
Experts recommend two to three grams of the powdered root, or up to five millilitres of the tincture, before bedtime. If you're taking it in extract form, consult the label, since concentrations vary. Valerian should not be taken with other sedatives.
MELATONIN
Secreted by the pineal gland, the hormone melatonin helps set the body's clock and may trigger the onset of sleep. It's no wonder it has been promoted as a cure for jet lag (its best-established use) and as an allpurpose sleep aid. But melatonin scored its big hit thanks to the fear of aging.
Levels of hormones such as testosterone, estrogen and melatonin are age markers, rising through young adulthood, then dropping off in middle age and old age. If youthful levels could be maintained, could the debilitating effects of aging be staved off?
Studies with mice suggested they might. Oncologist William Regelson, professor of medicine at Virginia Commonwealth University, and Italina immunologist Walter Pierpaoli transplanted pineal glands from young mice into middle-aged and elderly mice, hoping to boost their melatonin levels. The mice "appeared to grow young before our eyes," Regelson and Pierpaoli wrote in the The Melatonin Miracle.
But the Journal of the American Medical Association has since published an aritcle raising a number of concerns about melatonin: among others, that it may make people less fertile and inhibit sex drive in men, and that it constricts arteries in the brains of rats.
In April last year (2003) the U.S. National Institute on Aging in Bethesda, Md., launched a media campaign to dissuade people from taking antiaging hormones because of the potential risks. The institute says claims for the antiaging properties of melatonin are as yet unproved. It suggests that people who choose to take any hormone supplements do so under a doctor's supervision.
If you're trying to beat insomnia, start with 0.5 milligram before bedtime, says melatonin researcher Al Lewy of the Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland. (You can increase the dose to as much as 3.9 milligrams if necessary.)
For jet lag, the dose is 0.5 milligram, or less if you get sleepy on this dose, but the regimen is more complicated. Start taking it the day before you travel - when you awake if travelling westward, in mid-afternoon if heading east. When you reach your destination, continue taking the melatonin on this same schedule according to your home-town clock.
[While melatonin is not available in Canada, Canadians are permitted to import up to a 90-day supply of this hormone for personal use. And many do. According to a survey conducted by the Nonprescription Drug Manufacturer's Association of Canada, 3.1 percent of Canadians use melatonin.]
Secreted by the pineal gland, the hormone melatonin helps set the body's clock
and may trigger the onset of sleep. But does it prevent aging?.
and may trigger the onset of sleep. But does it prevent aging?.
Glucosamine and
Chrondroitin Sulfates
Glucosamine sulfate comes primarily from crab shells, chrondroitin sulfate mostly from cow cartilage. These two substances first pounced onto the North American stage in January 1997 with a book called The Arthritis Cure by University of Arizona sports physician Jason Theodosakis. In Asia and Europe, however, they have been studied for almost 40 years.
The human body produces both compounds and used them to make cartilage. When people with osteo-arthritis took the supplements in double -blind trials overseas, the natural substances eased aches as well as standard painkillers did, though more slowly. They appear to have few side effects. American scientists have reserved judgement on much of the research done elsewhere and cite the need for larger, long-term studies.
Should arthritis sufferers rush out to buy this stuff? Well, the substances aren't a cure, the title of Theodosakis's book notwithstanding. The risks of long-term use are unclear, ideal doses haven't been determined, and the quality of supplements varies widely. And no one thinks these substances will prove able to restore cartilage that has eroded down to the bone. They may, however, protect cartilage and even slow down its loss.
ECHINACEA
- An herb used mostly to fight off infection
Echinacea and Goldenseal
These herbs are frequently used in combination to fight off infection and speed the healing of wounds. studies of exchincea suggest it boosts the immune system by increasing the activity of white blood cells. (Because it increases such activity, echinacea may do more harm than good if you have an atuoimmune disease.)
"I use echinacea, but I wish the scientific work on it were better," says herb expert Tyler. "There have been abaout 30 clinical trials, and many of them tested a different mixture or strain of the herb." All the trials agree, at least, that echinacea rarely causes adverse side effects.
Goldenseal, often used in conjunction with echinacea, works differently. "It's okay as an antiseptic for sores in the mouth," Tyler says. "But claims that it stimulates immunity are nonsense."
Experts also say it works as a topical antibacterial agent for wounds, and taken internaly, it eases stomach and intestinal irritation, including travellers' diarrhea. Though there have been no long-term clinical trials of goldenseal, numerous studies have been conducted on its active ingredients, and experts agree it is safe. Pregnant women, however, should avoid the herb.
Stick to echinacea in uncombined formulas if you are trying to fight off a cold, flu or urinary-tract infection. Experts suggest six to nine millilitres of echinacea juice a day.
One of the best-studied and most popular extracts in Europe, ginkgo is prescribed
more than five million times a year in Germany alone.
GINKGO
One of the best studies and most popular extracts in Europe, ginkgo is prescribed more than five million times a year in Germany alone. Numerous studies have shown that ginkgo can increase blood flow in the brain and the extremities, alleviate vertigo and ringing in the ears, and improve mild to moderate dementia. Often as a smart pill, there's one catch, according to Tyler: "If you have a normal brain, it won't improve your cognitive functions. But if you're elderly and are suffering some memory loss, ginkgo is worth a try."
The evidence of its safety is solid. A number of clinical trials report that adverse side effects such as stomachache, headache and skin rash are very rare--and completely reversible. But be sure to ask your doctor if ginkgo is right for you.
According to experts, the most effective ginkgo formulations are those extracted from the leaves using a strictly conrolled process developed in Germany. The standardized dry exract is widely available.
SAINT-JOHN'S-WORT
This herb is the most popular antidepressant in Germany: One brand alone outsells Prozac three to one. In 1996 an article in the British Medical Journal summarized the results of 23 clinical trials on Saint-John's-wort. Fifteen of the studies compared the herb, also known a hypericum, with a placebo; eight measured the herb against older antidepressants (the pre-Prozac variety). Saint-John's-wort outdid the placebo for relief of mild to moderate depression and had fewer side effects than the drugs.
Internist Cynthia Mulrow, one of the article's authors, says she would recommend the herb as an option for people with mild to moderate depressive symptoms. More seriously depressed people who haven't been helped by drugs could try it as well, under a doctors supervision. Recommended dosage: 300 milligrams of the standardized extract a day.
by Burkhard Bilger, from HEALTH -Reprint from the Reader's Digest May '98 -
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