Category - Heart-vascular-health
Olive Leaf Extract Lowered High Blood Pressure
500mg Olive Leaf Extract twice daily lowered blood pressure nearly as much as the blood pressure drug Captopril. Olive Leaf dropped blood pressure 11 points while Captopril lowered blood pressure 13 points.
In different study, scientists linked the blood pressure lowering effects of Olive Leaf to its ability to block calcium channels, similar to conventional calcium channel blocking drugs commonly prescribed for high blood pressure.
Order this product at SundropsOnline.com: Olive Leaf Extract
Phytomedicine 2011. J Ethnopharmacol 2008.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Research and nutritional information included is not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure any disease and should not be used for medical diagnosis or treatment. Consult your physician before initiating any new dietary or supplement program. References available by request.
Resveratrol May Pump Up Heart Health
Resveratrol became famous in the last decade as a red wine antioxidant that was linked to various health benefits such as delayed aging.
In research published this month in The American Journal of Cardiology, scientists gave resveratrol to people at high risk for heart disease and then assessed their blood for important cardiovascular risk factors.
At the end of the year long trial, researchers found significant improvement in various markers for heart and blood vessel inflammation. Inflammation is long term activation of the immune system that damages the walls of blood vessels, making blood clots and heart attacks more likely. C-reactive protein is one of the more well known markers for cardiavascular inflammation that doctors sometimes test for.
To find out more about your own personal heart risks, you can have your doctor order a blood panel called the Berkeley HeartLab test. This unique blood panel analyzes a much greater number inflammatory markers and blood fats than the regular one at your doctor's office. It is one of the most comprehensive and reliable snapshots of your risk.
Order this product at SundropsOnline.com: Resveratrol
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Research and nutritional information included is not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure any disease and should not be used for medical diagnosis or treatment. Consult your physician before initiating any new dietary or supplement program. References available by request.
Dr. Oz: Gotu Kola, Horse Chestnut, and Horsetail
Yesterday, Dr. Oz gave us some new ideas for skin beauty. Read on for some insights into his herbal recommendations.
Gotu kola
Cellulite is present to some degree in most adult women, but the unsightly dimpling is more apparent in some. Scientists are only beginning to understand why cellulite occurs, but many believe it may have to do with how elastic your skin and connective tissue is. Cellulite is also linked to circulation problems and local swelling of fat tissue. Gotu Kola has several different properties might be able to address both the swelling issues as well as the circulation and elasticity issues.
Circulation and Swelling
Gotu Kola has been researched for its role in the health of the tiny blood vessels called capillaries. Sometimes capillaries will leak fluid, basically water, into the space surrounding the capillary, and then you have swelling in that area. Researchers gave gotu kola to a group of women who had swelling because of capillary leakiness. Swelling was measured by checking the size of the women's ankles before and after treatment. After treatment with gotu kola all the women in the study had significantly smaller, less swollen ankles.
Collagen and Connective Tissue
In another study, when an exract of gotu kola called asaticoside was injected into animals, gotu kola caused the animal's skin to thicken, increased new blood flow to the new connective tissue, and increased nail and hair growth. These are signs of new connective tissue growth and may indicate that gotu kola causes increased elasticity. In fact, the sythesis of human collagen type I was accelerated in a laboratory setting by gotu kola. Reduced type I collagen synthesis is associated with aging skin.
Vein Strength
Gotu Kola has also been studied for varicose veins. Scientists believe gotu kola may help varicose veins by improving vascular tone.
Horse Chestnut
Compounds contained in horse chestnut seem to reduce swelling, combat inflammation, and improve sluggish circulation, all of which could be helpful for cellulite. Inflammation is thought to be a causative factor in cellulite because damages connective tissue and increases capillary leakage. Horse Chestnut activates a certain cell type in the skin and connective tissue. This cell, called a fibroblast, pulls connective tissue a littler tighter when activated, possibly smoothing out bumps and wrinkles.
Horsetail For Nails
Skip the horsetail and go for Biosil. Horsetail provides silica, and silica is amazing for nails, but the silica in horsetail is barely absorbed by your body. The silica in Biosil has been attached to another compound and this silica duo is easily absorbed.
Silica is a component of collagen, and it's a component that we often run short of, probably because it is so poorly absorbed. When we don't have silica, we don't make collagen. Happily, when we have extra silica, we tend to make extra collagen and you can see that rather quickly in the hardness of your nails.
Order these products at SundropsOnline.com: Gotu Kola Horse Chestnut Horsetail Biosil Angiology 2011 Altern Med Rev 2007 Altern Med Review 2001. Plant Med 2006. J Vet Med Sci 2006. Arzneimittelforschung. 1994. J Cosmet Sci. 2006. Arch Dermatol Res 2005.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Research and nutritional information included is not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure any disease and should not be used for medical diagnosis or treatment. Consult your physician before initiating any new dietary or supplement program. References available by request.
Dr. OZ: Vinpocetine, Hawthorn, and Algae Cal Calcium For Memory, Blood Pressure, and Bones
This week, Dr. Oz brought us some tips to help with memory, blood pressure and bone strength. Read on to find the real info behind the good doctor's suggestions.
Vinpocetine: An Extract Of Periwinkle
According to a 1999 study in the Alternative Medicine Review, vinpocetine may be most useful for the kind of memory problems and dementia found in people whose blood vessels don't bring enough enough blood to their brains.
This type of memory problem can be called vascular dementia. Vascular dementia is a common type of dementia and can happen after a stroke, when a blood vessel becomes blocked, or when aging, high blood pressure, or atherosclerosis act to narrow blood vessels in the brain.
Vinpocetine dilates blood vessels in the brain, providing hungry brain cells with oxygen. In a study published in the Journal of the American Geriatric Society, vinpocetine improved learning, memory, and global measures of brain performance in people with mild to moderate vascular dementia.
Dr. Oz says the dose is 10mg three times per day.
Hawthorn For Blood Pressure and Cholesterol
Hawthorn may be beneficial for high blood pressure as well as high cholesterol. In a 2006 study, hawthorn lowered blood pressure in a group of diiabetics. In a different study with animals, hawthorn performed better than a statin drug in lowering cholesterol in animals eating a high cholesterol diet.
Dr. Oz's recommended dose is 150mg three times daily.
AlgaeCal: The Super Calcium
AlgaeCal is literally calcium made from Algae. It is better for bones than rock based calcium, as Dr. Oz pointed out. Another name for rock based calcium is calcium carbonate like you find in Caltrate brand calcium. Because AlgaeCal is very porous with many tiny holes and much surface area, your digestive system can to work away at it more effectively and utilise less stomach acid in the process.
Many calciums, like the calcium carbonate Dr. Oz talked about, take lots of stomach acid to digest. Not everyone has this much stomach acid, especially as we get older. This fact alone accounts for much of the difference in calcium absorption rates.
The bone density research with Algae Cal is promising. A University of Texas study involving postmenopausal women recorded a 2.18% gain in bone density within 6 months of using AlgaeCal.
Vitamin K2
Vitamin K2 is a new player on the bone density field. Vitamin K2 is different from from the regular vitamin K ( K1), which pertains mostly to blood clotting. K2 is a boon for bone density because it turns on proteins that remove calcium from the wrong places, like artery walls, and deposits calcium in the right places, like bones. It promotes bone building and slows bone loss.
It is beneficial both from a bone and a cardiovascular standpoint. Researchers found that 45mcg MK-4 type vitamin K2 prevented additional fractures in patients with osteoporosis.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is a huge factor for bone density. Vitamin D deficiency is very common and low levels are linked to poor bone density.
Order these products at SundropsOnline.com: Vinpocetine Hawthorn Algae Cal Vitamin K2 Vitamin D 5000iu
Altern Med Review 1999. J Am Geriatr Soc 2010. Br J Gen Prac 2006. Am J Clin Med 2009. J Indian Med Assoc 2010. Nutri J. Clin Calcium 2009.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Research and nutritional information included is not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure any disease and should not be used for medical diagnosis or treatment. Consult your physician before initiating any new dietary or supplement program. References available by request.
Dr. Oz: Red Yeast Rice and Oyster Mushrooms For Cholesterol
Last Friday , Dr. Oz made recommendations for natural ways to lower your cholesterol.
Red Yeast Rice
Red yeast rice works in a similar way to statin drugs – by lowering how fast your body makes cholesterol. In a 2010 study, red yeast rice reduced bad LDL cholesterol by 21% after 2.5 months of treatment. Dr. Oz suggested a dose of 1200mg twice daily, which is standard for red yeast rice.
Combining Natural Remedies
In with older folks, combining red yeast rice with the cholesterol lowering supplements berberine and policosanol produced a 30% drop in LDL cholesterol, without the side effects of statin drugs. Scientists chose this population to study because they are more likely to get statin side effects, but scientists studied a group of younger people, too.
In younger people who also changed their diets, this herbal combination reduced LDL cholesterol by 23.5%, and bumped up good HDL cholesterol by 11.6%, significantly lowering measures of heart disease risk. Those on the herb combination had significantly better results than those on diet alone.
The doses were: berberine 500 mg, policosanol 10mg, red yeast rice 200mg.
Oyster Mushrooms
Oyster mushroom actually contains the same statin-like compound as red yeast rice. In a study with diabetic people, researchers said that the oyster mushrooms significantly reduced both cholesterol and high blood sugar. Dr. Oz recommended 15 grams per day.
Belly Fat And Cholesterol
Weight on the belly can cause high cholesterol. When you take that weight off, you may see your cholesterol drop by quite a lot.
Lose weight for good with Dr. Oz weight loss posts and the latest true fact weight research at Sundrops.com. Follow this link.
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Am J Cardiol 2010. Adv Ther 2011. Med J Nutrition Metab 2011. Mymensingh Med J 2007.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Research and nutritional information included is not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure any disease and should not be used for medical diagnosis or treatment. Consult your physician before initiating any new dietary or supplement program. References available by request.
Dr. Oz: Coffee Bean Extract, California Poppy Seeds, Tyrosine & Natural Remedies
Apple Cider Vinegar Snuffs Out Heart Burn
At Sundrops, we have seen that apple cider vinegar is actually a great quick remedy for heart burn. Even though vinegar is an acid, apple cider vinegar makes quick work of neutralizing the acid in your stomach. A spoonful seems to work well for most people.. Another surprisingly effective home remedy: probiotic "good" bacteria. A lot of our customers are big fans of probiotics for this reason.
L-Tyrosine And Thyroid
Your body makes thyroid hormone out of tyrosine and iodine. Having plentiful amounts of both of these running around your body can pump up thyroid function. The dose is 1500mg of L-Tyrosine twice per day. Kelp is a great source of iodine.
California Poppy Seeds And Pain
There is actually not very much research about the effect of California poppy seed on pain. Though it's related to the opium poppy that morphine comes from, it lacks any compounds that are very similar to opium. It has, however, been used to aid sleep and calm anxiety. Dr. Oz suggests 3/4 teaspoon nightly before bed.
Green Coffee Bean Beats High Blood Pressure
Green Coffee Bean contains an antioxidant called chlorogenic acid that has significantly lowered blood pressure in studies. Roasting coffee destroys a lot of the chlorogenic acid, so green coffee bean is a must. According to the studies, the suggested dose is at least 140mg per day. Also, consider replacing your regular morning coffee with a specially roasted high chlorogenic acid coffee.
Green Coffee Bean and Weight Loss
People lost significant weight without dieting! Follow this link to see the story.
Order These Products At SundropsOnline.com: L-Tyrosine Green Coffee Bean Extract High Chlorogenic Acid Drinking Coffee
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Research and nutritional information included is not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure any disease and should not be used for medical diagnosis or treatment. Consult your physician before initiating any new dietary or supplement program. References available by request.
Coconut Oil and Alzheimer’s
A lot of people have recently opened an email about the effects of coconut oil in Alzheimer's disease.
A New Hope?
The excitement is largely based on one case study of a man with early onset Alzheimer's plus one more study involving 60 patients with dementia. While there isn't a large body of evidence supporting the use of coconut oil for Alzheimer's suffers (both of these articles were written by Steve's physician wife, Dr. Mary Newport), the evidence that we do have is admittedly intriguing.
Mary Newport has written and is selling a book on her findings, but she doesn't appear to be selling any other products.
In the study with 60 dementia patients, roughly half improved and most of the rest declined more slowly than expected. Perhaps the most intriguing part of the coconut oil evidence comes in the form of Steve, though, whose apparent recovery from Alzheimer's was documented by his wife.
After many years of sliding slowly, Steve dropped deep into an Alzheimer's type dementia by the time he was 57, according to Mary Newport. Steve's symptoms included an inability to match his shoes, an awkward gait, visual disturbance, loss of basic memories, and loss of social and conversation skills. A brain scan showed a type of deterioration consistent with Alzheimer's. When asked to draw a clock, Steve drew a cluster of misshapen circles.
"I Have My Life Back"
According to the case report, after just 12 days, Steve's clock drawing had grown to look more like an actual clock. Over the coming months he apparently regained his ability to walk normally, to carry on conversations, and to match his shoes. In the case report, we read that his mood improved and he could remember major events.
Coconut Oil and The Brain
The people who have studied Steve theorize that his brain cells are somehow less able to use blood sugar than most people's. It is thought that in general, people with Alzheimer's may have trouble using blood sugar to make energy in their brains.
We used to think that brain cells could only use blood sugar for energy. In the 1960's a scientist discovered that brain cells could also use compounds called ketones. Your body will naturally make a certain amount of ketones, especially in times when carbohydrates are scarce.
Dr. Newport and others believe that different cells in Steve's brain starved and died over a period of decades as his brain function gradually, then progressively deteriorated. When you look at images of his brain scans, there appears to be shrinkage and gaps where healthy cells should be.
When you eat coconut oil, your liver will take a fat from it called MCT and make it into ketones. Coconut oil is the richest source of MCT available. Those studying Steve theorize that the ketones his body makes from coconut oil sneak through the back door to his brain cells and provide the energy his brain was starving for.
The Doctor's Recommended Dosing
Dr. Mary Newport, Steve's physician, suggests that people take a half and half mixture of MCT Oil and coconut oil. She suggests people start slowly to avoid stomach upset and build to 4-6 tablespoons per day.
Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids 2004. Steve Newport- Coconut Oil Case Study – Update- April 2, 2009 by Mary Newport, M.D. Coconut Oil Dietary Guidelines by Mary T. Newport, MD – Updated September 2009. February 2011 Update Steve's Status, Regimen, and Latest On Ketone Research. Case Study Dietary Intervention Using Coconut Oil. Caregiver Reports Following Dietary Intervention with Medium Chain Fatty Acids in 60 Persons with Dementia- Mary T. Newport, MD July 31, 2010
Find these products at Sundropsonline.com: Coconut Oil and MCT Oil
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Research and nutritional information included is not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure any disease and should not be used for medical diagnosis or treatment. Consult your physician before initiating any new dietary or supplement program. References available by request.
30% Lower Risk of Stroke
Women with the highest vitamin C intake had 30% less risk of stroke and 37% less risk of coronary heart disease.
Products to consider: Ester-C 500mg
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Research and nutritional information included is not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure any disease and should not be used for medical diagnosis or treatment. Consult your physician before initiating any new dietary or supplement program. References available by request.
Atrial Fibrillation Risk
People whose blood level of omega-3 was in the top 25% were 30% less likely to develop atrial fibrillation.
