You are here: Home / Archives for Nutrition

The Treatment of Piles or Haemorrhoids

October 21, 2012 by

Aside from causing pain, haemorrhoids or piles cause a lot of discomfort especially when sitting down. Many individuals who suffer from the condition have been looking for ways to effectively manage and eliminate piles and its symptoms.

By adopting a healthy diet, avoiding food triggers and with the use of Anusol, you can treat the symptoms of piles and be comfortable when sitting down again.

However, it is very important for you to recognise the signs and symptoms of the condition before you try Anusol.

Symptoms of Piles

Symptoms of piles mainly include pain and swelling coming from the anus. However, there are several other symptoms for piles which you should know to ascertain that you are really suffering from the condition. Other common symptoms include itching, bleeding and a burning sensation during defecation.

Generally if you feel these symptoms you can use Anusol.

Treatment for Piles

General treatments for this condition includes ways to prevent constipation, increasing fluid intake and consuming high fibre foods. You can also use medications prescribed for piles which include Anusol. Anusol comes in many forms such as suppositories, creams and ointments. The types of medication you need to use will depend on the severity and kind of your haemorrhoid. Anusol can help decrease inflammation thus promotes the relief of pain and discomfort.

Piles are manageable. You should not suffer from the discomfort and irritation brought about by the condition. Purchase Anusol online or at a pharmacy to become pain-free and enjoy sitting comfortably again.

Did you like this? Share it:
Filed Under: Health Conditions, Hygiene, Nutrition, Treatments

Are Fresh Herbs Better Than Dried?

July 24, 2012 by

The debate on whether using fresh plants as starting material for herbal medicines has gone on for many years now. On the one hand, herbalists such as Alfred Vogel, who pioneered the concept, insisted that fresh herbs produce the most effective remedies and should be used whenever possible. On the other hand, others argue that with good quality control standards, it is not necessary to go to the trouble of using freshly harvested herbs.

Why don’t all herbal manufacturers use fresh herbs?

Using fresh herbs to make herbal remedies seems logical and intuitively correct. After all, what would you prefer – a nice juicy freshly picked apple or one that has been sitting around for weeks? So why is the method of fresh herb manufacturing not more widespread?

The basic answer is that fresh herb extracts are more difficult to produce. There are many reasons for this:

  • Timing and organisation. You will understand this if you have tried your hand at growing organic vegetables. For much of the year, there is little to harvest and then bingo – you have 50 heads of lettuce for your dinner table. Multiply this problem by say 30 or 50 herbal actives and you get a picture of chaos – unless you have the right facilities and an efficient organisation
  • Logistics. Then, of course, there is the simple matter of having your factory close to or at the same place as where you grow your herbs. Ideally, the site will be out in the country where you can grow herbs organically, rather than in the middle of a gigantic industrial estate. This arrangement is not easy to achieve unless you start off with the intention of manufacturing fresh herb remedies in the first place.

The simple truth is that with the modern day mantra of cost savings and efficiency, it is far easier (and cheaper) to use dried herbs when manufacturing herbal remedies:

  • You won’t need to grow your own herbs – dried plant material is available from herb brokers and from many parts of the world. These can be stored conveniently in a warehouse, with manufacturing slots scheduled at leisure
  • You will have a choice of dried herb suppliers competing for your business.

What does research tell us?

So, if it is more difficult and more expensive to manufacture herbal products from fresh plant material, why do some herbal brands such as A.Vogel still insist on choosing this method? Well, research has confirmed intuition and has clearly shown that extracts produced from fresh plant material are indeed more beneficial as they contain more active substances.

For instance, we know that alkylamides in echinacea are important as they are responsible for modulating the body’s immune system(1). It is clear that alkylamides are not the only active substance in the herb, but echinacea extracts void of alkylamides do not work as well, or do not work at all.

It has also been shown that fresh echinacea extracts contain almost 3 times more alkylamides than those made from equivalent amounts of dried herb(2). The reason is easy to understand – alkylamides are volatile and evaporate easily, especially if heat is applied in the drying process or when the dried herb is stored prior to processing. To find out more information about fresh echinacea visit: avogel.co.uk/herbal-remedies/echinacea-echinaforce/.

The active component of herbs is not always clear

For herbs such as senna, it is clear that the anthraquinones are the main active ingredient. For echinacea, we know that alkylamides are important, but it is also clear that these are not responsible for ALL the physiological and clinical activity seen.

The truth is, for most of the herbs commonly used in the west, we have only an approximate idea of the active ingredients. For instance, valerian must be one of our most researched herbs and we know that it contains, amongst other substances, valerenic acids, valepotriates and essential oils. Research however shows us clearly that the full activity of valerian cannot be attributed to any one of these phytochemical compounds, but to a combination of all of them – ie. the whole extract(3). You can learn more about this herb by visiting: avogel.co.uk/herbal-remedies/valerian-hops-dormeasan/.

In truth, the action of a herb is more than the sum of the individual phytochemicals present, but the result of synergistic action. This, incidentally, is the reason we choose to work in the field of herbal medicine rather than with synthetic medicines.

The concept of synergy is very important if one is debating the merits of fresh plants. It suggests that the activity of the whole plant is not proportionate to the levels of the most obvious component – or to put it differently, a phytochemical present at a relatively low concentration may have a disproportionate responsibility for the activity of the whole plant extract(4).

A good example of this is rutin found in St. John’swort. Rutin is a common phytochemical and may be found in small amounts in many plant extracts. Research shows that extracts of St. John’swort which do not contain rutin are not as effective as those that do(5). This is true synergy at work. 

Standardisation

This then brings us to the discussion of standardisation. Advocates of dried herb manufacture suggest that if you standardise or control for the concentration of certain markers in your extract, you will get a good quality and active extract. You will not need to worry about the concentration of the rest of the phytochemicals present.

This argument presumes that we know which phytochemical marker to standardise for. As we have seen, we are only confident of identifying the active components of only a precious few herbs. For example, we once thought that hypericins were the active component of St. John’swort(6) and the result was that the market was flooded with products containing ever higher concentrations of hypericin.

This ‘size matters’ approach gave us the now famous herb-drug interactions of St. John’s wort by inducing the production of liver enzymes(7), and is a clear example of how herbal medicines took a wrong turn in its history.

What does St. John’s wort have in common with grapefruit?

As we all know, the liver exists to ‘detoxify’ our blood and lymphatic system and this is done by a group of liver enzymes known as the cytochrome P450 (CYP) system. When faced with high doses of a substance it is not familiar with, the liver produces more of the enzymes needed for its removal. This is known as induction and is what the liver does naturally. Hypericum induces liver enzymes and so do certain foods, such as grapefruit(8,9).

The problem is that these same liver enzymes also remove other unfamiliar substances we ingest. For instance, they reduce serum concentrations of prescribed medicines, making them less effective. This is the reason why a woman on the oral contraceptive pill should not use a high dosed Hypericum product, or have grapefruit for breakfast every morning.

Fresh herbs make better remedies

A product made from dried herb typically contains fewer classes of phytochemicals and although it may get through quality control testing by meeting a specified amount of a chosen marker substance, levels of the other phytochemicals may be very low or non-existent.

Fresh herb extracts and tinctures typically contain many more types and classes of phytochemicals than dried herbs. Although these are standardised, they are done in a holistic way – typically, markers used confirm the amounts of groups of phytochemicals, rather than single substances. As they contain a wider range of phytochemicals, fresh extracts take full advantage of the innate synergistic activity of phytochemical compounds present in each herb.

Alfred Vogel once described fresh herb extracts as having ‘a deeper and wider range of action’. These words were not fully understood in the 1960s – but today, with research giving us more and more information on how herbs work, we no longer have any excuses.

To find out more about Alfred Vogel visit A.Vogel Herbal Remedies

References:

(1) Gertsch J, et al. Echiancea alkylamides modulate TNF-al gene expression via cannabinoid receptor CB2 and multiple signal transduction pathways. FEBS Letters 2004;577:563-569.

(2) Tobler M, et al. Characteristics of whole fresh plant extracts. Ganzheits Medizin 1994;6:257-266.

(3) Barnes J, et al. Valerian. In: Herbal Medicines, 3rd ed.Great Britain; Pharmaceutical Press 2007:580-590.

(4) Gertsch J. Botanical Drugs, synergy, and network pharmacology:Forthand back to intelligent mixtures. Planta Medica 2011;doi 10.1055/s-0030-1270904.

(5) Nöldner M, Schötz K. Rutin is essential for the antidepressant activity of Hypericum perforatum extracts in the forced swimming test. Planta Medica 2002;7(68):577-666.

(6) Nahrstedt A, Butterweck V. Biologically active and other chemical constituents of the herb of Hypericum perforatum L. Pharmacopsychiatry 1997;30(Suppl.):129-134.

(7) Mannel M. Drug interaction siwhtSt John’swort. Drug Saf 2004;27(11)773-797.

(8) Huang et al. Drug interactions with herbal products and grapefruit juice: A conference report. Clinical Pharmacology Therapeutics 2004;75(1):112.

(9) Fujita KI. Food-drug interactions via human cytochrome P450 3A (CYP3A). Drug Metabol Drug Interact 2004;20(4):195-217.

Did you like this? Share it:
Filed Under: Nutrition Tagged With: , , , ,

Whey Protein Information and Benefits

May 1, 2012 by

To understand clearly what whey protein is, one needs to know what whey in its self is. Whey is an essential liquid material, created as a by-product in cheese production from cow’s milk. Whey protein is therefore a globular protein mixture isolated from whey. That is to say, whey is simply a raw material eventually used in making up whey protein powder. Whey protein powder is a compound of globular proteins, it comprises of four major protein fractions, immunoglobulins, serum albumin, alpha lactalbumin, and beta lactoglobumin.

There are a number of different types of whey proteins out there. However, there exist only three major types: Isolate, hydrolysate, and concentrate. Typically, whey protein comes in three major forms, with concentrate (WPC) – having relatively low but significant fat and cholesterol, this form has the highest level of bioactive compounds as well as carbohydrates in lactose form. The second form is the Isolates; they are well processed to remove lactose and fats, they have very low bioactive compounds. The last form is the hydrolysates; they are partially hydrolyzed and pre-digested to ease the process of metabolism. Unfortunately, they are more expensive.

Benefits of Whey Proteins

Whey protein is produced, marketed and taken as a dietary supplement. It is highly attributed to be an alternative medicine in the health sector. It is important in many areas including bodybuilding, muscle protein synthesis as well as the growth of muscle tissues; this is due to its abundance of amino acids e.g. Leucine. In addition, it is essential in wound healing, type 2 diabetes, among others. Finally, whey protein is effective on reducing risks of cancer, and heart disease. However, it is important to note that it has some digestive issues such as bloating, tiredness, irritability, gas, fatigue and cramps. These only occur in a minority of people however.

Whey protein supplements are useful not just for a body builder and a person on a diet. These supplements can be consumed by everyone, as it is a simple additive of protein and it completes your meal. You can take them as a healthy snack or dessert, in the form of a perfectly blended smoothie.

Again whey protein is a by-product of cheese manufacture and it is a very rich source of many amino acids. Since this supplement has low levels of carbohydrate, using this as a low-carb snack on a regular basis, will help you lose weight. It is also rich in antioxidants that help build your immune system.

Since it is a fast digesting protein, it is perfect for consumption before and after workout. The amino acids promote muscle building and prevent muscle breakdown and initiate protein synthesis. The most beneficial aspect of whey protein is that it is known to have anti cancerous properties.

Apart from fulfilling your protein requirements for the day, whey protein has several other benefits. Add it to your diet for an overall improvement in health and well being.

Did you like this? Share it:
Filed Under: Nutrition

Diabetes healthy diet

October 11, 2010 by

Diet is incredibly important for patients with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes; all patients with diabetes will be offered help and advice with nutrition to ensure that their blood sugar levels are balanced and controlled effectively.

Eating well with type 1 diabetes

It is very important for people with type 1 diabetes to keep an eye on their diet and tailor their diet to suit their condition; this can be challenging at first, but once you get used to it, it will become much easier and there is always help available from your care team.

Having diabetes does not necessarily mean that you need to completely change what you eat it just means that you need to keep an eye on your diet and learn which kinds of foods are best for your health. Learning to eat well can be difficult, especially for people with teenage diabetes, as it can be tempting to indulge in junk food with your friends, but if you are careful, you can eat what you want without paying for it later.

Tips for eating well:

?      Eat three meals a day and never skip meals

?      Include starchy carbohydrates in all your meals; examples include bread, pasta, potatoes and cereals

?      Cut down on saturated fat: you can do this by using margarine instead of butter, trimming the fat off meat, eating low fat dairy foods and grilling, baking and steaming foods instead of frying them

?      Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables

?      Limit your intake of sugary foods

?      Try to eat two portions of oily fish each week; examples include mackerel, salmon, pilchards and sardines

?      Try to eat pulses and lentils

?      Cut down on salt

?      Drink alcohol in moderation

Eating well with type 2 diabetes

Diabetes is commonly linked to obesity and being overweight, which are usually the result of poor eating habits; in many cases, people with type 2 diabetes can reduce their symptoms by switching to a healthy diet, which is low in fatty and salty foods. Adopting a healthy diet and combining this with regular exercise will help you to lose weight, which will be beneficial for your overall health, as well as diabetes.

Tips for eating well:

?      Cut down on salt

?      Limit sugar intake

?      Cut down on saturated fat: use margarine instead of butter, grill and steam foods instead of frying and choose lean meats that are low in fat, such as chicken and turkey

?      Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables (aim for 5 portions per day); this does not mean that you have to eat five separate portions of fruit and vegetables every day, you can also include soups, fruit smoothies, sugar-free fruit juice, sauces and frozen fruit and vegetables in this tally.

?      Choose wholegrain foods, such as wholemeal bread, brown rice, wholegrain cereals and wholegrain pasta

?      Eat plenty of fish; fish is low in fat and contains a range of important nutrients and minerals. Aim to eat two portions of oily fish, such as mackerel and sardines, per week.

?      Include beans and pulses in your diet

?      Eat three meals a day; if you get hungry between meals, have a healthy snack, such as a piece of fruit

?      Drink plenty of water

Did you like this? Share it:
Filed Under: Nutrition