Have you ever been sitting on the sofa, riveted by a movie, and find when you get up to get popcorn that your foot is asleep?

It feels prickly, even partly numb, or it can even be a bit painful as you limp around trying to restore circulation.

That is a tiny bit like neuropathy.

What is Neuropathy?

When you examine the root words for “neuropathy,” you will find that it means “nerve disease” or “nerve suffering.”

Our nerves communicate signals in our body, such as take a step or reach out your hand. They also carry communication back from our touches regarding perception—the doorknob is cold, the knife is sharp.

When nerves are inflamed, damaged, and/or blocked, uncomfortable signals can be generated and cause a lot of distress.

Symptoms of Nerve Damage

Nerve pain runs the gamut from irritating to excruciating. If the nerve damage is severe, it may cause a total lack of sensation.

Losing sensation sounds better than pain, but it is dangerous. If you cannot feel the cut on your foot, you may let it go until it is infected or even life threatening. Lack of sensation disrupts your balance and can cause serious falls.

Types of Neuropathy

There are four types of neuropathies, each named for the area they affect.

The best known is peripheral neuropathy, which affects millions of people in the US.

We see peripheral neuropathy in areas of the body that have challenging circulation, farthest from the heart, like the lower leg and foot, though sometimes hands and fingers can be affected.

Causes of Neuropathy

Neuropathies can develop from:

• drug toxicity (chemotherapy)
• nutritional deficiencies
• autoimmune conditions
• circulatory disorders
• traumatic injuries
• infections
• metabolic conditions
• diabetes

Unfortunately, nerves are one of the slowest tissues in the body to repair. Peripheral nerves regrow at a rate of only one inch or less per month. The process of nerve regrowth is impaired even further by chronic and inflammatory conditions, like diabetes.

Diabetes

The most common cause of peripheral neuropathy is diabetes. In fact, it is estimated that over 40% of people with diabetes will develop diabetic peripheral neuropathy, which is the most common complication associated with diabetes.

The abnormally high level of sugar in the blood stream is irritating to the nerves and can cause inflammation. High blood sugar also inflames blood vessels, especially the tiny capillaries, and impedes circulation to the nerve tissue, cutting it off from oxygenation and nourishment.

The best thing you can do for diabetic peripheral neuropathy is to keep your blood sugars as close to normal as possible at all times.

Nutrients to Fight Neuropathy

There are nutrients that have been shown to play an important role in prevention and treatment of neuropathies, and that can improve nerve health, repair, and function.

• Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA)

  Alpha lipoic acid is a potent antioxidant that has been clinically studied for its positive impact on diabetic neuropathy. ALA is unique because it can neutralize free radicals that are water and fat soluble, offering ideal protection for the nerves from oxidative damage.

  In a 2018 study, patients were given 600 mg per day of alpha lipoic acid for 40 days. Patients were scored on their neuropathy symptoms, pain, quality of life, and disability levels. There were significant improvements in all parameters measured.

  There was:

  • a 58% reduction in people experiencing burning
  • a 41% reduction in people experiencing painful coldness
  • a 60% reduction in people feeling electric shock
  • a 46% reduction in people experiencing tingling
  • a 58% reduction in people feeling pins and needles
  • a 50% reduction in people experiencing numbness

  Plus, half of the patients felt their health condition was “very much better” or “much better” at the end of the study.

  Another study on alpha lipoic acid demonstrated that 600 mg twice per day increased peripheral insulin sensitivity in people with type 2 diabetes, which is important with diabetic neuropathy.

• B Vitamins

  Research demonstrates that deficiencies in B vitamins, especially B1, B6, and B12, can lead to neuropathy. The use of these vitamins to treat neuropathy can be found worldwide.

  Studies

  A combination of these B vitamins was studied for its effects on symptoms of peripheral neuropathy. Improvements were noted after just 14 days of use.

  Patients were given 100 milligrams (mg) of vitamin B1, 100 mg of vitamin B6, and 5000 mcg of B12 once per day for 12 weeks.

  At the end of the study, the participants noticed a 55.9% average reduction in numbness, 64.7% average reduction in stabbing pain, over 80% reduction in burning pain, and a 62.9% reduction in total symptom score. Subjective feelings of pain also reduced by over 69%.

  • Thiamin

    There is a fat-soluble form of thiamin (vitamin B1) that is better absorbed and that stays active in the blood stream much longer called benfotiamine.

    A study on this interesting vitamin form found that 200 mg (50 mg dosed four times per day) significantly reduced neuropathy scores in three weeks.

    Participants also experienced a significant reduction in their pain.

  • Folate

    It has also been found that folate deficiency increases the risk of peripheral neuropathy, especially in people less than 40 years old.

    Folate deficient people (folate levels less than 6.8 nmol/L) under 40 are 83% more likely to have peripheral neuropathy than those of a similar age who are folate sufficient (folate levels >13.6 nmol/L).

    The methylfolate form of folate is a better supplement than folic acid, as it does not have to be converted in the liver.

    Many people are not good at converting folic acid to folate, especially older adults and those with metabolic disorders such as diabetes.

  Medications and B Deficiency

  Another cause of neuropathy is from medications, like statins that are used to lower cholesterol.

  Please remember that I am not encouraging or discouraging the use of medications. That is a discussion for you to have with your healthcare practitioner. I am saying that you need to think about nutrient supplementation if you are currently on these kinds of drugs.

  • Statins

    One study found that there is up to a 14-fold increased risk in developing neuropathy for people taking statins versus people not taking statins.

    For those on statins, the neuropathy may or may not be reversible, depending upon when it’s diagnosed.

    When statins were combined with niacin (vitamin B3), there was more than a 3-fold reduction in development of neuropathy.

  • Metformin

    Another drug that can cause vitamin B issues is metformin. People using metformin for type 2 diabetes are more likely to be vitamin B12 deficient, and that risk increases about 13% each year a person takes metformin.

• Minerals and Herbs

  • Zinc

    Zinc deficiency has also been implicated in the development of peripheral neuropathy.

    One of the mechanisms involves oxidative damage to lipids and other molecules in the body. People with type 2 diabetes and zinc deficiency have decreased nerve conduction in motor and sensory nerves throughout the body, which is never a good thing for neuropathy.

    Chelated Zinc

    All forms of zinc are not equally absorbable. Zinc chelated to an amino acid (one form is zinc glycinate) has better absorption, and better absorption increases efficacy.

  • Boswellia

    One herb of great interest for neuropathy is boswellia.

    • 5-LOX Inflammation

      Boswellia is unique because it targets a type of inflammation called 5-lipoxegenase (5-LOX).

      This is a type of inflammation that does not respond to over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen or aspirin, or even prescription drugs in the class of non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs). It is a different type of inflammation.

      Boswellia has many studies showing that it has a very high level of activity against 5-LOX inflammation.

      5-LOX is seen in:

      • inflammatory lung diseases
        • asthma
        • emphysema
      • inflammatory intestinal diseases
        • colitis
        • Crohn’s
        • irritable bowel syndromes
      • certain kinds of joint pain
      • nerve inflammation

    • Vincristine

      Scientific research has shown that boswellia can be effective for neuropathic pain from the chemotherapeutic agent vincristine through its anti-inflammatory effects.

    • Schwann Cells

      Boswellia has also been studied for its positive effects on nerve recovery by increasing the proliferation of specialized nerve cells, called Schwann cells that help guide the recovery of damaged nerves.

    Boswellia vs Frankincense

    Some people call boswellia “frankincense” but they are not exactly the same.

    Frankincense is usually the term for the essential oil extraction of boswellia resin.

    Boswellia used according to Ayurvedic practice is a different extract of boswellia resin designed to be used in an oral form.

The More, The Merrier!

While all of these nutrients have individual activity, they work quite well together to address neuropathy. It may be more effective to take them in combination.

Also, anything that reduces abnormally high blood sugars is useful, too, like:

• Hintonia latiflora
• cinnamon
• berberine
• vanadium
• chromium

Take care of your nerves, and they will take care of you.

Did you ever play games as a kid such as “Would you rather..?”

• Would you rather be attacked by a lion or a bear?
• Would you rather be stranded on a deserted island or lost in the woods?
• Would you rather lose your hearing or your eyesight?

According to surveys (Yes, scientists study everything!), the most common answer is that people would preserve their vision over hearing. Some of the reasons given are that they equate vision with more independence, with driving, with reading, with media, with understanding the world around them.

How sad, then, that millions of Americans are at risk for losing their sight because of a disease that is preventable: diabetic retinopathy.

What is Diabetic Retinopathy?

Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of vision damage and vision loss in American adults.

How Common is Diabetic Retinopathy?

It is estimated that about 1 in 3 people with diabetes will develop this problem, though not all will progress to full blindness. The longer a person has diabetes, the longer they do not have good blood sugar control, the greater the risk of this disorder.

What Causes Diabetic Retinopathy?

In 2020, about 35 million Americans had diabetes and 88 million had pre-diabetes. These abnormal blood sugar levels are killing our eyesight!

One way to measure blood sugar health is the hemoglobin A1c test (HbA1c) test. Levels greater than 7.0 are associated with a 3.5 times increase in severity of diabetic retinopathy. It absolutely pays to reduce blood sugar levels to preserve eyesight, and there are many lifestyle changes and natural compounds such as Hintonia latiflora, cinnamon, and berberine that can help with that.

However, the topic of this article is looking at nutrients that directly affect vision.

Recommended Nutrition

These nutrients are well known, but not necessarily well known for preserving vision and addressing retinopathy: curcumin, grape seed extract, melatonin, and propolis.

• Curcumin

  Curcumin is the most powerful herbal anti-inflammatory that I have ever encountered, and it is a potent antioxidant as well. Both functions play a role in preventing the damage that leads to diabetic retinopathy.

  In a 2018 study on enhanced-absorption curcumin with turmeric essential oil (BCM-95 Curcumin) demonstrated that 1,500 mg of curcumin daily could significantly reduce a marker of inflammation called the high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in ten weeks. The hs-CRP test is highly predictive of many diseases, and some researchers have proposed that CRP levels be used as a biomarker to evaluate the severity of diabetic retinopathy. That means that reducing CRP is strongly correlated with reducing eye damage.

  Another 2018 study using a curcumin phytosome (Meriva) demonstrated that taking 1,000 mg for three months significantly improved visual acuity in 83 percent of participants with diabetic macular edema, a very common complication of diabetic retinopathy.

  The use of curcumin for preservation of eyesight can be highly effective, but the best results occur when curcumin is better absorbed, so look for enhanced-absorption products.

• Grape Seed Extract

  Grape seed extract is a rich source of compounds called polyphenols. One type of polyphenol, called oligomeric proanthocyanidins (OPC), is enormously beneficial for a wide variety of health problems, with studies on cancer, diabetes, hypertension, and liver and cardiovascular diseases.

  The same mechanism of action that makes it a powerful natural medicine for all these diseases makes it great for preventing retinopathy and helping to maintain vision in people who already have damaging eye changes.

  However, the OPCs that are so beneficial come in a variety of sizes, and not all are absorbable. The largest size OPCs are called tannins and are too big for absorption. It is useful to make sure the grape seed extract you choose is 100 percent absorbable and tannin-free for superior results.

  Grape seed extract is also a super-potent antioxidant and has some anti-inflammatory activity as well. One aspect of retinopathy is the collapse and/or clogging of the tiny blood vessels that feed the eye. The OPCs in grape seed extract can protect those tiny vessels. Additionally, grape seed extract has antidiabetic properties.

  A 2019 study demonstrated that grape seed extract was superior to a prescription medication used for diabetic retinopathy. Patients received 150 mg grape seed extract or 750 mg of calcium dobesilate per day. At the end of the 12-month study, people in the grape seed extract group had significant improvements in factors related to diabetic retinopathy. Treatment success was highest in the grape seed extract group at 43.9 percent, versus 14.3 percent in the prescription drug group.

• Melatonin

  I know that most folks think of melatonin as a sleep aid, but it is so much more than that. I always think of it as the conductor of a great orchestra. Melatonin sets the rhythm and directs all the instruments to play at certain intervals and with varying levels of intensity.

  It influences everything from your blood pressure to how quickly you digest food, so it should not be surprising that it plays a powerful role in eye health, too.

  Melatonin is made mainly in the pineal gland in the brain, but it is also synthesized in the retina of the eye to help to protect against oxidative stress and damage.

  A clinical study on a retinal disease called central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR) found that melatonin could improve visual function. Participants were given a placebo or 3 mg of melatonin three times per day. After one-month, 87.5 percent of the participants in the melatonin group

  experienced a significant improvement in visual acuity. Additionally, the participants also experienced a reduction in macular thickness, indicating a positive response and decrease in edema in the eye. This is good news for people who already struggle with changes related to retinopathy.

• Propolis

  Another effective natural medicine that can help with diabetic retinopathy is propolis. Propolis is a plant substance collected by bees, then mixed with other bee compounds and deposited in the structure to protect the health of the hive and all its inhabitants. It is potently antiviral and antibacterial but has vision preservation properties as well.

  A 2019 research study demonstrated that propolis could help prevent diabetes-associated retinal changes. Propolis was shown to protect the retina in several ways, including reductions in fasting blood sugar, HbA1c, and inflammatory compounds. The researchers showed that propolis also protected the retinal barrier from oxidative changes.

• Other Nutrients

  There are so many other nutrients that are beneficial for vision in general and eye diseases in particular.

  • All the carotenoids, especially beta carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin are useful, as are vitamins such as A, C, and E.
  • Bilberry and blueberry contain nutrients that promote healthy vision.
  • Ginkgo, often used for memory and brain function, is also beneficial for improving blood flow to the retina.

  The list goes on. There is no single natural medicine that does it all, so you may want to consider pulling together a protocol that works best for you.

I don’t think there is a feeling quite so sad and helpless as seeing your beloved dog in distress. And yet dogs tolerate a great deal of pain, often without complaint.

How to Tell If Your Pet's in Pain

Sometimes it is easy to know when your pet is uncomfortable. If your dog doesn’t like to be handled or yelps when you touch a certain area, it is reasonable to conclude that something is wrong.

There are other, less direct signs a dog is in pain:

• She may hide or have a reduced activity level.
• She may appear fearful or breathe heavily.
• She may stop eating or refuse to go on her beloved walks.

All these can be signs of pain.

When to Call a Professional

At the first sign of pain, your dog should be examined by a trained professional to determine the cause.

Laska's Story

My Siberian husky, Laska, suffered an unusual pain experience.

If you know the breed, you know they have that spitz-curled tail they carry over their bodies like a giant apostrophe. One day, her tail was limp and dragging behind her.

I had never seen her tail like this before. I had seen her tail lowered when she was angry or fearful, but not limp and immobile. She seemed to be fine—she ate, drank, jumped on the sofa next to me. However, I knew something was very wrong.

I took her to the vet, who said she either had a broken or severely strained tail. Bad on me—I didn’t know dogs could break their tails. He told me it was painful, but huskies can be very stoic about pain.

He gave me some pain medicine and said to monitor for a week, and if no improvement, I’d need to bring her back for more x-rays and potential surgery.

Fortunately, her tail was back to normal in a few days, and she was good to go.

Pharmaceuticals for Pain Relief in Pets

This happened many years ago, and the drugs the veterinarian gave me were in a class called nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs. I used them without questions because I didn’t want her to be in pain, and I figured the vet was the expert.

Fortunately, we used them for only a few days, but many dogs are on these drugs for months or years.

In humans, these drugs include ibuprofen and naproxen, sold under brand names like Motrin, Advil, and Aleve. Some common NSAIDs for dogs include:

• carprofen (e.g. Rimadyl)
• meloxicam
• robenacoxib (Onsior)

Robenacoxib is approved for only 3 days of use at a time due to toxicity.

The dog owner is faced with some very difficult choices when deciding whether to use these drugs for a dog’s pain, because they can cause serious side effects and shorten the dog’s life.

Side Effects of Carprofen

According to the VCA Veterinary Hospital’s drug side effect page, carprofen’s side effects include “gastrointestinal upset, such as mild vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, fatigue and temporary lack of appetite."

"More serious side effects include liver, kidney, or gastrointestinal damage characterized by severe vomiting, diarrhea, black or bloody stools, bloody vomit, increased drinking and/or urination, yellow skin or eyes, severe lethargy, and persistent lack of appetite."

"Other reported serious side effects include neurologic signs such as incoordination, paralysis, seizures, or disorientation; behavior signs such as restlessness or aggression; skin effects such as itchiness, hair loss, or scabs/wounds; or allergic reactions such as facial swelling or hives."

"Your veterinarian may see blood abnormalities such as low red blood cell or platelet counts. Carprofen may also affect lab tests, such as thyroid levels, liver enzymes, blood cell counts, potassium levels, kidney values, and bleeding times.”

Wow. That is quite a list. Fortunately, there are some excellent natural interventions that do not cause serious side effects or shorten life span.

Natural Pain Relief for Pets

While there are many products that can help with pain and inflammation, some of the most successful and scientifically studied include curcumin, boswellia, hemp phytocannabinoids (of which CBD is only one), glucosamine, and chondroitin.

As research continues, the list of effective supplements for dogs continues to grow.

When we look at scientific research, the progression often begins with cell culture (in vitro) studies, then moves up to animal studies, and if the data is good, on to human studies.

• Curcumin and Boswellia

  In the case of curcumin and boswellia, there are indeed canine studies, but the vast amount of clinical research is on humans.

  Therefore, this is a situation where the order is somewhat reversed: The natural medicines have been tested in humans and are now used in dogs!

  Though there are few dog studies using these herbs for pain and inflammatory conditions, the safety and human studies prove that an herbal combination of powerful anti-inflammatory herbs can be effective and safe for both long-term and short-term use.

  And instead of liver damage, curcumin and boswellia have benefits for liver health.

  Studies

  Some of the top causes of canine pain are inflammatory conditions, such as:

  • joint dysplasia
  • arthritis
  • disc problems
  • injury

  Curcumin and boswellia have several published human studies on these conditions, especially arthritis.

  There is a canine safety and absorption study on enhanced-absorption curcumin with turmeric essential oil (BCM-95) that demonstrates safety and a 700 percent increase in absorption.

  With Celebrex

  One human study compared the combination of enhanced absorption curcumin with turmeric oil and high-AKBA boswellia to the prescription drug celecoxib (one brand is Celebrex) for osteoarthritis of the knee.

  The herbal combination was significantly better than the drug on overall pain relief, distance walked without pain, and joint line tenderness.

  And just as important as the very effective pain relief, the adverse effects were fewer and less severe in the herbal group.

  With Meriva

  Another human study of the enhanced-absorption curcumin phytosome (Meriva) showed that long term administration of curcumin is both safe and effective for arthritis and other parameters of inflammation.

• Glucosamine and Chondroitin

  I group these two interventions together because they are technically neither anti-inflammatory nor pain relievers, but are instead building blocks to increase joint strength, cushioning, and flexibility.

  As the health of the joint improves, inflammation and pain subside, so in the long run, these compounds have excellent potential for pain relief in chronic conditions like arthritis or other forms of disc or joint disease. They are not as useful for short-term, acute pain.

  I like using glucosamine and chondroitin together as they address joint health from different perspectives and work well synergistically.

  Studies

  In a published randomized, double-blind study, for osteoarthritis of the hips or knees:

  • 35 dogs were given a combination of glucosamine and chondroitin.
  • Another group of dogs was given carprofen.

  After 70 days, the veterinarians found:

  • The glucosamine/chondroitin group significantly improved in scores for:
    • pain
    • weight-bearing
    • severity of the condition
  • The carprofen group also showed significant improvements.

  The researchers noted that glucosamine/chondroitin took longer to demonstrate improvement than the drug group but was also much less likely to cause adverse effects.

  Precautions

  It is important to note that while glucosamine is a small molecule, whether sulfate or hydrochloride, and easy to absorb, chondroitin can be a challenge. Some chondroitin molecules are too large to be absorbed.

  Therefore, for an effective supplement, look for a chondroitin used specially in published trials with positive benefits, or one that is controlled for molecular size.

• Hemp Phytocannabinoids

  You notice I did not call this section “CBD.” CBD stands for cannabidiol, which is only one phytocannabinoid from hemp. There are more than 100 found in this amazing plant!

  Some of the hemp cannabinoids are anti-inflammatory, some contribute to bone density, some regulate immune activity, and many are involved in controlling or eliminating pain.

  Therefore, the full spectrum, which includes a good dose of CBD, is more powerful than using CBD alone.

  Note that full-spectrum hemp oil with THC is not marijuana, and the THC in marijuana can cause significant toxicity. The two are not interchangeable.

  Studies

  The two biggest areas of study on phytocannabinoids in dogs are in pain/inflammatory conditions, and seizures, with positive reports on both.

  In a study of canine osteoarthritis, dogs given hemp-derived CBD decreased pain and increased mobility significantly in a dose-dependent manner, meaning higher doses yielded better results. However, dosing can vary considerably, based on the dog’s height and weight.

  Another study on hemp-derived CBD for osteoarthritis pain used 2 mg of CBD per kg of body weight twice daily. A kilogram is 2.2 pounds.

  According to this formula, a 15 lb. dog would take 12 mg CBD twice daily, and a 50 lb. dog would take 44 mg twice daily.

  This is only one formula, based on one study, and other researchers recommend more or less, depending on their own studies.

• Other Interventions

  As usual, this is not an all-inclusive list.

  • DHA and EPA, omega-3 fatty acids from fish, are excellent at both prevention and treatment of conditions that cause chronic pain.
  • Collagen is a very beneficial building block.
  • Green tea extract is both a proven antioxidant and anti-inflammatory for dogs.

I cannot think of ginseng without conjuring the image of Indiana Jones. Both are often found in the depths of the forest, both are brilliantly adaptive to all situations, both are constantly under attack, and both are powerful enough to survive and thrive. Both are exotic, mysterious, and dare I say, quite good looking—although one has been respected for over 5,000 years, and the other... not so long.

Ginseng is a plant with a root shaped like a human. In fact, the Chinese character for ginseng begins with the ideogram for human. It has also been called the man root, because ginseng harvesters think the root is man-shaped, and also because it is purported to be full of manly virtues. I don’t like this characterization as much, because ginseng is every bit as beneficial for women as for men.

One myth claims that there was a beautiful celestial woman who loved to descend to bathe in the pools in the Changbai mountains in Northeast Asia. Her father was not happy with his daughter’s mountain visits, especially when she fell in love with and married a mortal. Soon thereafter, a lethal epidemic threatened her home and village. She scattered magic seeds all through the forest, and the seeds sprouted into a plant that could cure everyone. Again, her father was displeased, and he imprisoned his daughter in a cave. Her beloved husband died of grief. Not exactly a happy ending to this fairy tale! I am not sure how many, if any, other herbs have this level of mythology, reverence, and history attached to their origin story.

Ginseng is incredibly powerful. It is also incredibly valuable, with large roots worth more than their weight in gold, even to this day. It is so valuable that Emperors of China have gifted jewels and honors to hunters finding unusually old specimens. At one point, all ginseng was reserved for use by the royal family, and commoners were not allowed access to this plant medicine.

Ginseng (Panax ginseng) originated in Asia and is in a class of herbs called adaptogens. Adaptogens boost an individual’s physical and psychological adaptability, creating strength to respond to dangers such as extreme heat, cold, viral infections, injuries, psychological stressors, and even aging itself.

Types of Ginseng

Panax ginseng is not American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius). They are cousins, but their health benefits differ. This article focuses on Panax (Asian) ginseng.

Red and White Ginseng

You may hear debate about white or red ginseng. While both forms come from the same plant, white ginseng is very minimally prepared, which means that it’s beneficial compounds, including ginsenosides, ginsans, and gintonins, are too bound up in the plant’s cell walls to be of much use.

Red ginseng, by contrast, is steamed, which breaks down some of the cell walls and gives the root powder a characteristic red/brown appearance. While all ginseng has some benefits, the majority of studies show that the steamed form, called red ginseng, is the most medicinally useful.

Benefits of Red Ginseng

• Energy, Stamina, Focus

  One area where red ginseng shines is in energy and stamina. It is not a stimulant like caffeine. Instead of acting as a stimulant, ginseng prevents fatigue in the first place. That means people can have a long-term boost without jitteriness. It also improves concentration.

  A clinical study found that red ginseng helps stressed people do detailed tasks with better accuracy and speed. The people in this study worked in stressful jobs such as telephone communication, engineering, and information technology. People in these fields can become overloaded with cognitive tasks, leading to a drain of mental energy and focus. Because of that, attention and accuracy were two of the main areas of investigation of the study.

  One group consumed a form of red ginseng with high levels of ginsenosides (HRG80) while the other used a placebo. Participants took either red ginseng or placebo in the morning. They were asked to do a tedious error-finding cognitive task before work and after work. The expectation was that after a hard day of multiple cognitive demands, individuals would make more errors.

  That is exactly what happened in the placebo group. That group made 11 more errors in the task at the end of the day than in the beginning. But in the red ginseng group, participants actually performed better than when they were fresh in the morning. Even after a grueling day, they made an average of 5 less errors!

• Response to Stress

  Ginseng also strengthens our ability to withstand stress.

• Mood

  Depression, anxiety, even cognitive changes and memory impairment, are related to an unhealthy brain environment with excessive inflammation and oxidative stress. Red ginseng contains ginsenosides that are able to protect brain cells from these destructive forces. Research has found that red ginseng helps keep our brain (and subsequent mood) healthy by preventing the death of brain cells.

  Ginseng’s activities include boosting nitric oxide production to keep blood flowing efficiently in both the body and brain, hormone signaling that is associated with clarity and focus, neural cell regeneration, and anti-inflammatory actions that reduce threats to vulnerable brain wiring.

  A Korean human clinical study found that red ginseng significantly improved depression symptoms, including those physiological symptoms such as the physical slowdown that people suffering from depression so often feel.

• Longevity

  Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) doctors have always considered ginseng a longevity herb for both men and women, especially as they age. This has been borne out by modern science. Preliminary animal research has shown that daily use of ginseng can extend life by 14 percent or more. A human study of people with HIV-type 1 showed significant improvements in long term survival.

• Women’s Health

  There are studies on red ginseng and women’s health, including energy, focus, concentration, cancer, and menopausal symptoms, that have shown the safety and efficacy of this herb. One area of menopausal concern that responds well to red ginseng is mood.

  Also, as women age, they may experience unwanted changes in sexual function and libido. Red ginseng (Panax ginseng) can help restore vigor, receptivity, desire, and enjoyment. There is growing research that shows it is extremely helpful for women with reduced libido.

  Women in a placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical study reported that red ginseng significantly improved their sexual arousal and desire. The success of red ginseng was strong enough for researchers to consider that the herb may be used as an alternative to prescription medication for women to improve intimacy and libido.

  Other clinical work showed that red ginseng also boosted a sense of well-being, reduced menopause symptoms, and increased arousal, orgasm, and overall sexual satisfaction as well.

• Erectile Dysfunction (ED)

  According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), about 30 million American men deal with erectile dysfunction (ED), which is often related to circulatory issues that impede blood flow.

  Scientific research on red ginseng shows that it can be very effective for ED. One double-blind, placebo-controlled study reported that men with mild to moderate ED noted a significant improvement on the Erectile Function Scale – from 16.4 to 21.0. The placebo group showed no improvement.

  The researchers in this study also stated that ginsenosides may work through some of the same brain pathways and receptors as GABA, dopamine, and serotonin – brain neurotransmitters that are heavily involved in mood and desire.

  Other clinical studies of red ginseng have demonstrated strong benefits, resulting in improvements in every parameter of sexual performance and a significant reduction of ED.

  Red ginseng increases stamina, balances hormonal health, and promotes the dilation of blood vessels by activating nitric oxide – the body’s “on switch” which circulatory activity in the penis to achieve sexual satisfaction.

• Cancer and Immunity

  There are more than 1,400 published studies listed in the electronic database of the NIH, called PubMed, specifically on ginseng and cancer. Not only does ginseng help to prevent cancer by protecting the DNA inside our cells to keep it from dangerous mutations, it also helps people who have cancer or are recovering from cancer treatment. In addition to helping prevent/slow the spread of cancer, it helps enormously with cancer fatigue.

  Likewise, there are over a hundred studies on ginseng and viral illness, including prevention, survival, and accelerated recovery. There are studies on hepatitis B, enterovirus respiratory tract infections, and much recent focus on its effectiveness in COVID-19. Ginseng has also been shown to be effective against many bacterial illnesses as well.

The Tragedy of Wild Ginseng

Humans have loved wild ginseng almost to death.

The demand for ginseng has eliminated most of the wildcrafted sources, and now it is grown on farms, many of which are in Northern China and Korea. Unfortunately, farmed ginseng has many challenges, as the cultivated plant is sensitive to weed competition and a variety of insects.

In order to assure a commercially successful crop, a wide variety of herbicides, pesticides, and fungicides are used on farmed ginseng crops. An article published in Horitcultural Science lists 15 chemicals applied at different stages of the growing process to control such pests as cutworms, slugs, nematodes, gray mold, and root rot.

Also, ginseng plant cultivation takes a long time – about six years between harvests to produce even a minimally effective ginseng. Slow growth allows time for the roots to absorb toxins and pollutants in the soil. Red ginseng has become notorious for contamination with toxins.

Good News: Hydroponics

Because of these concerns, new ways to grow ginseng have been investigated and developed. Researchers in Belgium are using novel hydroculture growing techniques that result in a much cleaner, more powerful ginseng.

Researchers have recently learned that specific compounds in ginseng, called noble ginsenosides, are not only better absorbed by the body, but have specialized, energizing effects. Noble ginsenosides are found in small amounts in ginseng. One of the problems with modern ginseng cultivation is that it robs the plant of its levels of noble ginsenosides, too. They just aren’t present at levels that may have been the norm for wild ginseng.

Also, there are no benefits from ginsenosides if they cannot be absorbed. Noble ginsenosides are the smaller, easier to absorb, more effective, and most rare of the beneficial compounds from ginseng. They are 17 times easier to absorb.

Whole Root Red Ginseng

While there are commercial red ginseng extracts that focus only on ginsenosides, whole root red ginseng powder offers a high concentration of noble ginsenosides plus synergistic compounds including gintonin and ginsan.

Whole root powder means the full spectrum of ginseng compounds are present, and have superior benefits.

Ginseng for... Everything?

Because red ginseng works in ways that impact nearly all bodily systems, it can be used for the vast majority of health concerns and illnesses. It would be difficult to find a health problem for which red ginseng would not be useful!

I don’t blame you for not knowing about oligomeric proanthocyanins. Say that three times fast—what a mouthful! It is a lot easier to call them by their abbreviation: OPCs. These tongue-twister polyphenols are special compounds found in just a few places that, with proper dosages, have incredible benefits for heart disease, cancer, liver problems, and more. In fact, one could argue for their place in just about any health protocol for any health condition because they work at such a foundational level.

What Are OPCs?

OPCs are a specific type of plant compounds called polyphenols. There are some amazing plant medicines that are polyphenols. Red wine, green tea, coffee, and dark chocolate contain polyphenols, and are all personal favorites of mine! Turmeric contains curcumin, which is itself a polyphenol. Polyphenols provide various medicinal health benefits, and are powerful antioxidants.

But like cousins in a big family who share some similarities, they also have individual characteristics that differentiate them from their kin. One cousin might be amazing at playing the clarinet, another might paint beautiful portraits, and yet a third hit the bull’s-eye with an arrow every time. This is also true of polyphenols—their individual characteristics allow them to shine.

Health Benefits of OPCs

OPCs are powerful medicine and can be a part of virtually any health protocol. However, they especially shine for:

• heart disease
• lowering blood pressure
• stabilizing blood sugar
• liver disease
• cancer

Don’t be afraid to combine OPCs with other polyphenols, such as ECGC from green tea or curcumin from turmeric, for even more powerful benefits.

As you may have already guessed, OPCs are a group of polyphenols that have been found in three plants: grape seeds, pine tree bark, and the red outer skins of peanuts. We have to go back some decades to understand how these natural medicines came to be, since none of these sources have been commonly consumed as part of the diet.

How Were OPCs Discovered?

Dr. Jacques (Jack) Masquelier, a French scientist, was working on the isolation and description of a nutrient we now know of as OPCs as early as his doctoral research in 1948. He spent many years exploring the understanding of these unique nutrients and the health benefits they confer.

Some of his earlier findings were that OPCs can strengthen blood vessels and vascular function, which impacts every health system in the body.

The applications for prevention and treatment of heart disease followed, and, in the 1980s, the incredible antioxidant potential for OPCs was defined, making them useful for nearly every degenerative disease, and even for slowing the aging process.

Supplements with OPCs

Today, there are OPCs in two different kinds of supplements: Grape seed extract and French Maritime pine bark extract.

Two of the branded raw materials mentioned in studies are Leukoselect and VX1.

No one works with peanut skins, but remember that mention, because we will be talking about peanuts more later.

Types of OPC Supplements

• Pine Bark Extract

  French Maritime pine bark (Pinus pinaster) has been on the market a few decades, and has clinical research in many health conditions, including issues with blood vessel health, such as hypertension, chronic venous insufficiency, hemorrhoids, blood vessel diseases of the eye, Reynaud’s disease, erectile dysfunction, and blood clot prevention.

  The branded raw material used in most of the research is called Pycnogenol, though there are other bark extracts available as well. One downside of sourcing trees for supplements is the sustainability issue, as trees grow more slowly than other crops.

  Two recent colorectal cancer studies focused on the pathways by which French grape seed VX1 works to downregulate tumor formation pathways. They found that these OPCs affect several key cancer-associated genes and can reduce tumor formation by 65 percent in an animal model of colorectal cancer.

• Grape Seed Extract

  The other major source of OPCs is grape seed. Grape seeds are harvested annually for food and wine. Though red wine may contain grape seed elements, white wine does not.

  For the most part, we don’t have grape seeds in our diet. There is an enormous amount of clinical data for the OPCs delivered in grape seed extract, including cardiovascular issues, cancer care, diabetes, and inflammation.

Choosing an OPC Supplement

• Pine Bark or Grape Seed?

  What distinguishes OPCs from pine bark from OPCs from grape seed? It turns out that these OPCs are the same but in somewhat different ratios. There has not yet been research to understand these factors as they relate to disease. Both have published human trials proving their effectiveness, and both have a great deal of supporting science. Therefore, either source is good and legitimate medicine. However, the amount of OPCs in an extract can vary greatly. The best have more than 99 percent polyphenols, of which at least 80 percent are actually OPCs. Unstandardized extracts may have no OPCs at all.

• Absorption and Bioavailability

  OPCs are like dogs. They come in all sizes. Some are Great Danes and some are Chihuahuas. They are both dogs, but only the Chihuahua can squeeze through a tiny doggy door, while the Great Dane is left outside.

  Likewise, very large OPCs cannot squeeze through the doors in our intestines and are not absorbable. The largest OPCs are tannins, which are not dangerous, but are not medically useful, either.

  In order to get consistent health benefits, OPC size should be standardized for only small, absorbable OPCs and be tannin free.

• Product Adulteration

  Unfortunately, with the increased popularity of OPCs, there is a great deal of adulteration of these products.

  In 2015, independent researchers analyzed 21 grape seed extracts. Their results were surprising. Of the 21 products they evaluated, 15 had significant quality challenges and 6 were adulterated with high levels of peanut skin!

  This is problematic on many levels, especially for people with peanut allergies. It is important to work with quality companies that verify the authenticity of their grape seed or pine bark extracts.

If there is a fountain of youth in the body, I would argue a case for glutathione as that fountain.

It is one of the most powerful weapons to stop free radicals before they cause irreparable harm.

But let’s back up a bit to understand why this is so incredibly important.

What are Free Radicals?

The terms “free radical” is used frequently when writing about nutrients and natural health, but it is not always well defined. Free radicals are evil little electron thieves.

What Causes Free Radicals?

They are caused by a lot of different things—metabolic activity, radiation exposure, toxins, too many to mention.

Why are Free Radicals Bad?

They are dangerous because they are missing a part and they are absolutely compelled to steal from elsewhere in your body to replace it.

Imagine a hungry child who steals the bread of another child, who then is hungry and steals the bread of yet another child, and so on. Before you know it, you have a big group of hungry kids fighting about bread.

Free radicals set off a chain reaction that can cause lots of problems. This is called “oxidative stress.” Free radicals are the cause, and oxidative stress/damage is the result.

Diseases

Free radicals and oxidative damage are associated with all kinds of human diseases, including cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, atherosclerosis, Parkinson’s, stroke, cataracts, heart attacks, arthritis, and diabetes.

Aging

Oxidative stress also plays a prominent role in the aging process itself. An abundance of free radicals and oxidative stress accelerates the aging process.

How to Reduce Free Radical Activity

So how do we stop free radical activity and oxidative damage? There are two ways.

• Create Fewer Free Radicals

  The first is to create fewer free radicals.

  • Smoking Cessation

    Smoking creates a large number of free radicals and oxidative stress in the body, so smoking cessation has a very positive benefit.

  • Improved Diet

    A diet high in unnatural fats, sugar, and processed foods causes oxidative stress. You can choose to adopt a healthier diet.

  • Air Pollution

    Air pollution is a cause, and you can move to a cleaner area, use air purifiers, and vote for civic activities that reduce air pollution.

• Get More Antioxidants

  The second way to fight oxidative stress is through diet and supplements.

  Plant foods are rich in compounds called antioxidants, so it is important to eat plant foods (French fries don’t count!) every day.

  The campaign to eat from every color of the rainbow recognizes that different types of antioxidants are in different foods, and we need lots of varieties. Oranges don’t replace blueberries, and blueberries don’t replace spinach.

  Different kinds of free radicals are arrested by different antioxidants—the right tool for the right job.

The Importance of Antioxidants

Human beings developed to get nearly all their antioxidants from food. Lions and wolves did not.

These meat-eaters don’t get much, if any, plant material, so they have to make their own antioxidants.

Carnivores can make vitamin C. Humans cannot.

However, there are two antioxidants so crucially important to health that the human body makes them.

One is called superoxide dismutase (SOD), and the other is glutathione.

Importance of Glutathione

SOD is important in its own right as an antioxidant defense, but today we are talking about glutathione, which may be even more multi-faceted and is certainly an antioxidant powerhouse.

In fact, it is often called the master antioxidant or the mother of all antioxidants.

There are some kinds of free radicals that nothing will quench except glutathione. You can eat apples and kale all you want, but they won’t touch certain types of oxidative stress. However, glutathione can.

Glutathione is also a crucial part of the liver’s detoxification process. If you don’t have enough glutathione, your liver cannot successfully process and eliminate the various toxic substances in your bloodstream.

Active vs Inactive Glutathione

Glutathione comes in two forms. The active (reduced) form is full of vigor and ready to do some heavy lifting.

The inactive (oxidized) form is exhausted and can’t do anything much except burden the body with the job of either breaking it up for parts, or exerting energy and resources to rejuvenate it.

So it is not just glutathione levels in the body that are important, it is the ratio of the active to the inactive.

The vast majority of your glutathione should be in the active form—at least 94 or 95%. Only 5 or 6% should be inactive at any given time. And yet that is exactly what we see in a wide variety of diseases.

Either enough glutathione is not being made, and/or there is too much in the inactive form.

Acetaminophen and Glutathione

The ability to make glutathione reduces with age, so by 60, we are making about half as much as we did as children. And if that wasn’t challenge enough, there is a drug taken every day by millions of Americans that diminishes glutathione in the body: acetaminophen.

If glutathione is Superman, acetaminophen is Kryptonite. This drug has been shown to cause liver toxicity, and one of the mechanisms causing damage is the depletion of glutathione stores in the liver.

Studies have shown that acetaminophen-related toxicity becomes evident when more than 70% of the liver’s glutathione concentrations are depleted.

In fact, one of the primary treatments for acetaminophen overdose is to give acetylcysteine, which is a precursor to glutathione.

People are unaware that use of this over-the-counter drug could be making them more vulnerable to a whole host of diseases, as well as contributing to accelerated aging.

Glutathione Deficiency

In one 2020 study involving over 2,500 people older than 60, glutathione deficiencies were shown to be associated with having more than two illnesses, called “multimorbidity.” The people in the study averaged 3.8 chronic diseases per person.

The lower the level of glutathione, the more conditions a person was likely to develop during the six-year study period. The authors speculated that decreasing glutathione levels could be a marker for multisystem failure, which can play a significant role in the development of all kinds of chronic diseases.

The people with the lowest serum levels of glutathione at the beginning of the study had a 57% greater likelihood of all-cause mortality (dying regardless of cause) within 14 years versus the participants with the highest levels of serum glutathione (4.23-12.5 µmol/L). Even more interesting, the decreased levels of glutathione and development of more diseases was a relationship found to be independent of age, sex, education, body mass index, and smoking status.

Having more active glutathione on board is a good thing for longevity, disease prevention, and the slowing of disease progression.

Aging and Disease

Improving the body’s stores of active glutathione becomes more important as we age and in the presence of chronic illnesses.

For example, chronic infections deplete active glutathione, so Lyme’s disease might be one application.

A correlation has been found between low levels of glutathione and schizophrenia and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Glutathione synthesis is usually suboptimal in folks with type 2 diabetes.

Issues with glutathione have been identified in chronic conditions, such as:

• bipolar disorder
• Huntington’s disease
• strokes
• autism
• several types of cancer
• autoimmune diseases

It only makes sense to make efforts to get active glutathione levels higher to attempt to create a healthier ratio.

Getting Enough Glutathione

However, it is not easy to supplement with glutathione.

• Intravenous Glutathione

  The most powerful studies have been on intravenous (IV) administration, or using it in fluid, injected directly into the vein.

  In a 4-week study of Parkinson’s Disease, participants were given IV glutathione every day. At the end of the study, disability and symptoms were almost cut in half. Great results, but hard to maintain IV therapy every day.

• N-Acetylcysteine (NAC)

  Some studies have looked at supplementing with the precursor to glutathione, n-acetylcysteine (NAC).

  At very high doses, NAC can help, but it has to be turned into active glutathione, and this system is impaired in older adults and in many chronic illnesses.

  Therefore, NAC is not always a reliable way to boost systemic glutathione.

• Protecting Active Glutathione

  The problem is that glutathione flips from active to inactive very quickly. The digestive absorption of glutathione inactivates it, even if it is enteric coated.

  There are two systems that show evidence of protecting glutathione as it absorbs. One is liposomal and the other is a sublingual slow-melt system developed in France.

Like an intricate telecommunication system, our body is wired from the top of our head to the tips of our toes with an incredible network of nerves. Nerves carry signals that tell our muscles to lift, our eyes to blink, and even when it is time to pull off the highway to use the restroom. The body hums along, coordinating our movements and reactions, when suddenly something happens that causes damage and our nerves let us know that pronto with a loud signal called pain.

Virtually everyone experiences pain. Pain is a survival characteristic. Just as the firetruck siren is unpleasant and its noise invasive, pain alerts us to a dangerous situation. Pain is so unpleasant that it spurs us to take action. We don’t even have to think to withdraw our hand from the hotplate—our nerves do it for us in milliseconds.

If we did not have pain, we would not survive long. Our broken bones might go untended, our diseases undiagnosed, our skin injuries untreated. Therefore, we should grudgingly admit that pain is our friend, at least sometimes.

So, our nerves carry pain signals when we are ill or injured. But what happens when the nerve itself is inflamed, impinged, ill, or injured? That is a different flavor of pain entirely. Also, when the nerves are sick, they do not work correctly and often send severe pain signals when in fact there is not any serious physical distress. In fact, even if you have an amputated limb, your nerves may give you the sensation that you “feel” pain in the missing limb. They call this phantom pain, but it is very real.

There are lots of problems that have nerve health at the core, including sciatica, trigeminal neuralgia, and peripheral neuropathy, “peripheral” in this case meaning hands and feet.

Nerve damage can also be the result of an accidental injury or a chemotherapy side effect. Shingles is a combination of viral reactivation with nerve tract involvement.

Influence of Blood Sugar on Nerve Health

Probably the most common chronic nerve problem is peripheral neuropathy. It is often associated with diabetes, because the abnormal blood sugars are very damaging to the nerves. If not well managed, the majority of people with diabetes will develop nerve problems, especially peripheral neuropathies, over time. These are called diabetic neuropathies.

If your problems are related to abnormal blood sugars, the first step is toward healthy blood sugar. My favorite herbal protocol for Type 2 diabetes is a clinically studied herb called Hintonia latiflora, proven to reduce blood sugar levels, along with quality berberine and curcumin products. For more information on blood sugar balance, please see my blog on this website entitled “How to Balance Blood Sugar for a Longer and Better Life.”

Nerve Inflammation and Healing

Nerves are notoriously difficult to heal and repair. In most cases, you have to first reduce inflammation. Inflammation causes swelling, pressure, and improper nerve conduction. Inflammation of surrounding tissue causes impingement disorders. The two best herbal nerve inflammation mediators are curcumin and boswellia.

Scientific studies on curcumin have demonstrated its ability to protect nerves from damage in the first place, reduce inflammation in the nerve, and stimulate nerve regeneration. In an animal study of spinal cord damage, curcumin was found to facilitate nerve growth via its activity on inflammation and neurotrophic factors.

Since curcumin is difficult to absorb, it is more therapeutic to use enhanced absorption curcumin. There are a few methods used to boost absorption. The most clinically studied enhanced curcumin utilizes turmeric essential oil in a patented process called BCM-95.

Boswellia is not the inflammation powerhouse that is curcumin, but the type of inflammation it influences is hard to treat. Boswellia’s great strength is its ability to reduce 5-lipoxegenase (5-LOX) inflammation. There is no over-the-counter drug—no ibuprofen, acetaminophen, aspirin, or naproxen sodium—that touches 5-LOX inflammation.

Studies have shown that 5-LOX is a key enzyme in the creation of leukotrienes, and this has been implicated in inflammatory central nerve system disorders. Boswellia’s ability to downregulate 5-LOX inflammation is crucial to treatment and recovery.

One especially powerful compound in boswellia is called acetyl keto-11 beta boswellic acid, or AKBA. Unstandardized boswellia can have as little as 1% AKBA. For better effectiveness, a standardization of at least 10% AKBA is best.

B Vitamins Needed for Nerve Health

The family of B vitamins is intimately involved in many crucial processes by which nerves function. Suboptimal levels of B vitamins can be problematic with regards to nerve health.

One crucial B-vitamin is B1 (thiamine). Vitamin B1 comes in two forms, water and fat soluble. The fat-soluble variety is called benfotiamine, and it can achieve 5 times greater concentration in the body than the water-soluble form. This is especially good for nerve protection and repair. Benfotiamine helps to protect the nerve cells from the toxicity created by excessive blood sugar levels. It has also been proven in human clinical studies to reduce both pain and complications of diabetic neuropathy.

The active form of vitamin B12, methylcobalamin, is another excellent intervention for nerve disorders. Vitamin B12 supports the nerve itself and nerve activity that sends signals throughout the body. These are some of the very structures that are threatened by inflammation and damage from toxic exposure. A great many people have suboptimal levels of B12, meaning not outright deficient, but not in the healthiest range, either. And according to the journal, Annual Review of Nutrition, up to 15 percent of individuals over 60 are actually B12 deficient.

Other B vitamins are important also, and they work especially well when used together. In a published human clinical study, the combination of vitamin B1, B2 (riboflavin), B6, B12 and folic acid significantly reduced diabetic neuropathy symptoms. The length of the study was four months.

There are other vitamins and minerals that are useful with nerve issues, including chelated magnesium, pantothenic acid, biotin, zinc, and chromium.

Alpha Lipoic Acid Is My Hero

I have my own success story with alpha lipoic acid (ALA). In a dental procedure gone awry, a nerve in my mouth was severely damaged. Not only was it excruciating in the moment, it left me with a tongue that was numb on one side, just as if I’d had a shot of Novocain. I could not taste nor detect heat and cold on one side, and it interfered with my ability to clearly pronounce words. This was problematic as I give many (many) educational lectures across the country, and also via webinars and radio interviews. I was very alarmed. “Panic” might be a better word.

I met with a specialist who told me there are five nerve microsurgery centers in the US that did a surgical procedure to repair my injured nerve, but that came with a risk for more even nerve damage. He suggested I wait to see how much healing would occur, and if my nerve function came back at least 75%, it would be better to be content with that rather than risk the surgery. I was to come back in 90 days.

Fingers crossed, I set about to heal myself as quickly as possible. I took all the supplements I have thus far mentioned, but the centerpiece to my regimen was alpha lipoic acid. I took 600 to 1,200 mg a day, every day for three months.

I looked at the published human clinical trials on ALA, and saw its effectiveness for diabetic neuropathy, chronic neck pain with nerve involvement, and carpal tunnel. I saw animal studies on nerve healing. Unfortunately, I saw nothing on nerve damage in the mouth, but decided—a nerve is a nerve, right? If it works in the neck and wrist and feet, why not my tongue?

At the end of three months I returned to the specialist and he was astounded—he told me he thought, given the damage to the nerve, that at this appointment, he was going to have to refer me to an out-of-state specialty surgical center. Instead, I had recovered 90% of my nerve function!

Alpha lipoic acid can be expensive and it is hard to work with in formulas because it sticks to manufacturing equipment. This results in many formulas skimping on their ALA content with low doses, sometimes as little as 20 mg. Remember that the minimum effective dose shown in human trials is 600 mg, with some studies dosing even higher.

Patience Pays Off

It is easy to become discouraged when dealing with nerve problems because nerves are slow to settle down and heal. Don’t be discouraged. People can continue to recover from nerve damage for months, even years. The way you feel now will not last forever. Products can be a powerful part of your healing and repair protocol, but give them at least three to four months to evaluate their effectiveness for you. Patience really pays off when you are working with nerve problems.

I know that we all like to believe that we are who we are. We have a basic understanding of our personality, our strengths, weaknesses, and challenges—we take our self-identity for granted. I like to think of myself as an age-ripened wordsmith, equal parts scientific curiosity and creativity, who sleeps in too late, and really likes fine food and wine.

But what if I told you there is a magic elixir that could change all that just by adding—or subtracting—a few drops in your bloodstream? It can make the weak vigorous, the hard-working slothful, the optimist sad, the brilliant thinker confused, and the trim athlete bloated and slow. It can make the creative dull and the spontaneous sluggish. It can turn an owl into a lark and vice versa. It can give you self-confidence or fill you with doubts. That would be some pretty powerful stuff. And that is your thyroid hormone.

What Is the Thyroid Gland?

The thyroid gland is at the base of your neck, above your collarbone. It is often referred to as shaped like a butterfly, because there are two lobes on either side held together in the center by a slender piece of tissue.

The thyroid gland makes two major hormones called thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3). These hormones dictate how efficiently your body converts fuel (the food we eat) into energy.

This is not just energy to run marathons and chase toddlers. This is energy for your brain cells to fire, your heart muscle to contract, your ovaries to release eggs, your hair shaft to grow and thicken, and so much more.

Did you know that around 60% of people with underactive thyroid also have many symptoms common to depression and are misdiagnosed? It has also been shown that about 60% of people with hyperthyroidism (too much thyroid hormone) have high levels of anxiety?

Thyroid hormone affects every cell in your body. And if you are pregnant, it affects every cell of your baby’s body, too, because they don’t start making thyroid hormones until after 20 weeks of gestation.

Unfortunately, many pregnant women are not making all the thyroid hormone they need. Maternal hypothyroidism affects about 2.5% of pregnant women in the US, and this condition can make them more prone to high blood pressure, pre-term babies, breech delivery, and even pregnancy loss. Even women with subclinical hypothyroidism during pregnancy can have 2 to 3 times greater risks of pregnancy complications compared to women with normal thyroid function.

There is no system in the body that is as dependent on one single nutrient as the thyroid gland. It needs iodine. Without iodine, the thyroid gland cannot make thyroid hormone. End of story. It also utilizes an aminol acid called L-tyrosine to make this important hormone, but the iodine is the heavy lifter.

And yet we have less and less iodine in our diet. Crops today contain about 50% less iodine than half a century ago. Our food is less nourishing. There is also a huge increase in exposure to chemicals that compete with iodine in the body: fluoride, chlorine, bromide and astatine. These chemicals are found in the water we drink, the flour we use to make baked goods, soft drinks, coffee filters and tea bags, toothpaste... the list goes even longer.

Increasing Thyroid Activity

There are two basic forms of thyroid dysfunction—either you are making too much thyroid hormone (hyperthyroidism) or too little (hypothyroidism). You don’t need levels low enough for a medical diagnosis to have it impact your health.

There is a great deal of interest in suboptimal thyroid function and its impact on health. That means that even little decreases can cause you a lot of distress.

If your mood is not the best, you are tired all the time, and you are gaining weight without changes in your diet, you may have suboptimal thyroid function. Other symptoms can be changes in your skin texture, hair loss or hair dryness, feeling cold all the time, and heavy, sometimes irregular, menstrual cycles.

Supplements for Thyroid Health

Increase Thyroid Activity with Iodine

It only makes sense that the most powerful way to increase thyroid hormone production is to use iodine. Many people point to salt as a source of iodine. Unfortunately, salt does not naturally contain much of this crucial mineral. Some salt is iodized, meaning iodine is added to the salt supplementally. This is done as a way to prevent goiter, which is iodine deficiency syndrome. Decades ago, public health experts were concerned about the many cases of goiter in America, especially in the Midwest. Therefore, they decided to add iodine to something that people eat every day—salt. Ironically, the chemical structure of salt is sodium chloride, and chloride competes with iodine in the body. Iodized salt helped address goiter, but is not useful in helping people with suboptimal thyroid function. Also, many people are eating healthier natural salts, like sea salt or Himalayan pink, which have many trace minerals but are not iodized.

Iodine comes in many forms, including potassium iodide, molecular iodine, and sodium iodide. All iodine provides benefits, but they work somewhat differently. For example, potassium iodide is what your thyroid gland likes best, and sodium iodide is the most soluble form, enhancing iodine absorption. Small amounts of molecular iodine are useful for breast and prostate tissue.

Healthcare practitioners often use a combination of forms in a “shotgun” approach, making sure all the iodine bases are covered.

There is a lot of debate on dosage levels. Some practitioners are quite conservative and use a half a milligram (mg), while others use dosages up to 30 mg and more.

Provide the Thyroid with the Hormone Building Blocks it Needs with L-Tyrosine

L-Tyrosine is an amino acid that is present in several foods, including poultry, fish, milk, yogurt, cheese, peanuts, almonds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, soy and lima beans, bananas and avocados. Used in a supplement, it is combined with iodine to provide the thyroid with the building blocks it needs to make more thyroid hormone. Most dosage ranges are from 200 to 400 mg a day, depending upon individual needs

Selenium to Activate Thyroid Hormones 

While selenium is not used specifically to make thyroid hormone, it is required to convert thyroid hormone form the storage to the active form. The optimal dosage is 100 to 300 mcg (that’s micrograms, not milligrams). I think the best form is derived from a natural yeast fermentation process.

Nutrients That Work Better Together

These nutrients often perform better together. It may take a few weeks to feel the difference, and you may need to experiment with dosages, but these nutrients can make a world of difference in your thyroid function—and your life!

It has been my observation that even people with fantastic hair want better hair. Wanting your hair to look nice is not all vanity—the appearance of your hair is psychologically and sociologically important.

Hair not only keeps our scalp warm, it has been used since prehistoric ages to attract mates. Thick, lustrous hair is a sign of good nutrition and health, and both men and women are wired to be attracted to external signs of fertility.

Through the ages, hair has been a fashion accessory that is worn every day. Hair styles are used to denote holiness, like the Catholic monk’s shaven tonsure, or the snail-shell curls of Buddha.

Hair can make a political statement and proclaim membership in the tribe. So while one can live easily and attractively with little to no hair, most people are quite concerned about their hair quality and quantity.

Hair Loss: Men vs. Women

Men experience more hair loss than women, and partial to complete baldness is more socially accepted. Baldness can be celebrated and admired—think Patrick Stewart, Duane “The Rock” Johnson, and Terry Crews. In fact, we expect some hair loss as men age because of genes related to male pattern baldness. Unfortunately, there isn’t a cure for this problem.

Women, on the other hand, are not expected to become partially or completely bald. And while women experience hair loss with age and hormonal changes, it is most generally an all-over hair loss and not in a single pattern. While women can certainly be bald and beautiful, many are seeking interventions to reduce or reverse their loss of hair.

Hormonal Changes, Stress & Hair Loss

According to the American Hair Loss Association (AHLA), the two most common causes of female hair loss are hormonal changes and nutrition/stress. As women age and estrogen production decreases, testosterone exerts a greater influence. One of testosterone’s metabolites can contribute to hair loss.

Also, thyroid hormones are crucial for healthy hair growth and quality. In women experiencing sub-optimal thyroid function, one of the first observed signs is hair dryness and hair loss. Unfortunately, without interventions, these hormonal difficulties usually do not return to a normal pattern of hair growth on their own.

Physical and psychological stress can greatly increase hair loss. For example, when you experience the birth of a child, malnutrition, severe infection, major surgery, or extreme stress, it can shift up to 90 percent of the hair from the growing phase to the shedding phase. Huge amounts of hair loss can occur 6 to 12 weeks after the event.

The good news is that if the problems are resolved, hair growth may return to normal.

Fortunately, there are interventions to help with female hair loss. However, it is important to visit your healthcare practitioner to make sure there is no underlying health concern that is causing or contributing to hair loss.

Iodine, Iron & Hair Health

From a nutrient perspective, iodine can be useful if the problem is sub-optimal thyroid function. Many integrative doctors are using between 12.5 and 30 milligrams (mg) of iodine to increase thyroid hormone production, which in turn can reduce hair thinning. Experts recommend a blend of more than one kind of iodine for better absorption and utilization, such as a mix of potassium iodide, molecular iodine, and sodium iodide.

Making sure you are getting proper amounts of the mineral iron can influence the health of your hair. In fact, a review article published in May 2006 highlighted the role iron plays in healthy hair: "We believe that treatment for hair loss is enhanced when iron deficiency, with or without anemia, is treated," Leonid Trost, MD; Wilma Fowler Bergfeld, MD; and Ellen Calogeras, RD, MPH, write in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

Healthier Hair with Plant Silica

Silica is a very powerful mineral for healthy hair. There isn’t very much silica in our highly refined diets anymore, so supplementing with this mineral makes sense.

Silica increases collagen production in the body and collagen is a critical component of hair, nails, and skin. Silica’s impact is much more powerful than hair alone, extending to increasing bone strength and perhaps even helping to prevent dementia because of its ability to displace aluminum in the brain.

To get the best results, use silica from a plant called horsetail, blended with marine oils to increase absorption. There are synthetic silicas on the market as well, usually orthosilicic acid. The daily dose is 20 mg a day, but you can take up to 60 mg a day if you feel you need intensive support for your hair.

Silica will make your hair shaft thicker and stronger, and this increase in hair shaft size can cause your hair to appear thicker and have better scalp coverage.

Protect Your Hair with Millet Seed

Last, but certainly not least, there is an interesting millet-seed extract originally used in Europe that shows promise for protecting against hair loss and promoting the regrowth of hair.

A special plant compound in millet seed oil called miliacin increases the amount of keratin made by cells. Keratin is an important structural component in hair, and is strongly associated with hair growth. There are excellent formulas that contain millet seed extract along with other oils (like sunflower) and vitamins and minerals to improve hair health.

There may be no perfect cure for every kind of female hair loss, but there are powerful nutritional interventions you can use to improve your hair’s health, quality, and appearance. The added benefit from using these important nutrients is that they also improve your overall health.

You will need to have patience—since new hair grows slowly, it may be two months before you start to see results. The biggest mistake women make when using nutrients to improve their hair is not allowing a long enough trial to see results.

We all struggle with stress and anxiety. Looming work deadlines, final exams, bad news from the doctor, challenging family relationships. This is called situational anxiety—the stressful situation triggers an anxious response. Everyone has this kind of occasional anxiety. I have a little bit of it right now, as I hurry to meet writing deadlines.

However, some people have anxiety every day. This is called chronic anxiety. In fact, over 40 million adults in the United States suffer from some form of clinically diagnosed anxiety, including generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

What is Anxiety?

You may have heard the expression that a cockeyed optimist, one who perceives things as better than they actually are, “sees the world through rose-colored glasses.” Well, people struggling with daily anxiety see the world through orange-high-danger-alert-colored glasses. Their perception is that the world is even more stressful and dangerous than it is. It is the woman who fears a brain tumor when she gets a headache, it is the man who sees threats to his job security in innocuous statements at work, it is the teen who thinks they are failing if they get a “B” instead of an “A.”

People with serious anxiety are easily overwhelmed. A flat tire ruins their day—maybe a few days. Pleasurable events become a chore—going to parties and farmer’s markets are work instead of fun.

In addition to all the negative emotions, which are certainly painful, anxiety is exhausting. Anxiety pokes our adrenal glands with a stick and they pour out stress hormones which causes heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, perspiration, and elimination to go into overdrive, diverting resources from the gastrointestinal tract, immune system, and other functions.

The brain becomes hyperalert and healthy sleep becomes a thing of the past. The startle reflex increases, and emergency stores of sugar are dumped into the bloodstream by the liver to fuel our increased energy needs.

These are the reasons that people with chronic anxiety can have problems with constipation or loose stools, impaired gut function (irritable bowel is common), insomnia, impaired wound healing, more infectious diseases, hormonal imbalances, and even have a slightly increased risk of cancer. They often report living every single day with a sense of impending doom.

Wherever you are on the spectrum of anxiety—whether occasional stress because the holidays are coming, or chronic problems that interfere with your life—it is a miserable sensation and one that we seek to alleviate. I believe that many people who have problems with drug and alcohol dependence are trying to self-medicate to get rid of their anxiety.

Reducing Anxiety

One important way to reduce anxiety is often overlooked because it is so simple. Move your body, hard and fast. Remember, anxiety shifts your body into physical overdrive, so engaging in physical activity immediately reduces some of these unpleasant physical and mental sensations.

I recently had a terrible experience in which my youngest teen son became quite ill after an emergency appendectomy and was admitted to intensive care. He is fine now, but I have rarely been so anxious—and so helpless—in my entire life.

Some days later, I was still anxious even though he was home and improving every day. When I worked out with my personal trainer, I told him what had happened. He decided to change my routine. He made me put on boxing gloves and box for an hour. First, I am not a boxer, and second, I am not big on hitting things. But I did it and I could not believe how much better I felt after that much extreme exertion. I also could not believe how exhausting boxing is!

There are also natural products that can be very useful in helping to restore balance.

Relax Anxiety with Magnesium 

Magnesium is an amazing mineral that is essential for our health and well-being, but we often do not get optimal amounts in our diet. Did you know that a traditional Chinese diet provides 300 percent more magnesium than the standard American diet? Magnesium is crucially important for both mental and muscle relaxation.

However, it can be difficult to supplement with magnesium because it is not easily absorbed. If the magnesium is not absorbed, it stays in your intestines. Magnesium acts as a water magnet and pulls extra fluid into the intestines, which loosens the stool and can even cause diarrhea. There is a good reason the laxative Milk of Magnesia works!

So how do we get more magnesium into the body? There is an enhanced absorption system for minerals called chelation. Chelation is a process of binding, and in this instance, the magnesium is bound to (chelated) to an amino acid called glycine. The intestines grabs the amino acid and it pulls the magnesium in after it. This form of magnesium is called magnesium glycinate or magnesium bis-glycinate. People rarely have digestive issues with this form.

Calm Anxiety with Cannabis

The valuable resource Cannabis sativa comes in two versions: marijuana and industrial hemp. And while marijuana is useful in reducing anxiety, since we are talking about supplements and not drugs, we will focus on hemp, and the unique nutrients in hemp oil called phytocannabinoids.

The best known phytocannabinoid in hemp oil is called cannabidiol, or CBD. Clinical work investigating the effects of CBD in specific regions of the brain confirm the compound’s ability to change the blood flow in those sections associated with social anxiety disorder. This preliminary work led to another clinical trial in Brazil that compared CBD to a placebo in volunteers diagnosed with social anxiety disorder along with healthy volunteers as a control group.

People with social anxiety tend to feel overwhelmed with a sense of negative self-evaluations, whether they are speaking in public or simply walking down the street. Since public speaking is one of the most feared social activities for many people, this study featured a simulated public speaking test, and the researchers wanted to see how quickly a single high dose of CBD (600 milligrams) would work to alleviate anxiety symptoms.

CBD from hemp virtually eliminated the anxiety, cognitive impairment (losing your place in the speech), and generalized discomfort for those in the test group. Although this was a limited trial, given the side effects of conventional medications prescribed for anxiety and stress, the fact that CBD worked so dramatically well in such a short time, and for such an overwhelming fear for so many people, is very impressive.

Other trials on anxiety have shown that very high doses are generally not necessary, and have used 20 mg to 100 mg with great benefits. One caveat—make sure you buy from a retailer you trust. Because of the huge popularity of hemp oil and CBD, there are a lot of bogus or adulterated products on the market.

Surprisingly... Echinacea for Your Endocannabinoid System!

Echinacea may be a confusing choice, because all the science on echinacea has been about boosting the immune system. However, it turns out that hemp is not the only plant source of compounds that work with the body’s endocannabinoid system.

There has been some very interesting research done at the Hungarian Academy of Science in Budapest on a unique extract of alkamides from echinacea. This is not a full spectrum echinacea, but a low dose of concentrated compounds that activate cannabinoid receptors in the brain associated with relaxation and feeling calm and in control.  In a clinical study of people with diagnosed anxiety issues, 20 mgs of this extract used twice daily reduced anxiety significantly the first day of use, and even more significantly after seven days of use. There were also no reports of drowsiness or confusion, or other adverse effects. It was shown to be safe, effective, and non-habit forming.

Additional Herbs & Supplements for Anxiety Relief

There are so many ways to address anxiety with natural interventions that a book would not give us enough space to do them justice. Lavender, rhodiola, omega-3 fatty acids, kava, L-theanine, bioactive B-vitamins, calcium, and passionflower are just a few more of the myriad supplements that may be useful as you seek to restore balance. It may take some patience and experimentation, but you will find what works best for you.