Does anyone else feel a little embarrassed talking about breasts? When we discuss these body parts, it feels different than talking about an arm. Or a leg. Or a liver. I think it is because there is an association between women’s breasts and sexuality, and good looking breasts are considered a mark of sexual attractiveness that nice arms and toes just can’t match. I am sure that Sigmund Freud could give us lots of reasons why this is so, but regardless, breasts get a lot of attention, and not all of that attention is focused on health. In fact, some women are reluctant to discuss breast health for these reasons.

Breasts are sophisticated organs (mammary glands) that secrete milk after pregnancy to feed babies. This process is nothing short of miraculous. Did you know that the mother of a premature baby has higher levels of healthy fat in her breast milk in order to help her underweight child build up more insulating fat to be healthy? And when the baby becomes healthier and more normal-sized, the milk adjusts again to be just what the baby needs at each growth stage.

Breasts are highly sensitive to hormones and hormonal fluctuations. This level of complexity means that there are more places where the system can break down and problems develop. There are two breast diseases about which I am frequently asked: fibrocystic breast disease and breast cancer.

Fibrocystic Breast Changes

In a perfect world, breast tissue should be supple and smooth. However, that is rarely the case. Many women have nodules or lumpy areas in the breast tissue, or their breast tissue becomes more uneven prior to the start of their menstrual cycle. Most women have a little bit of uneven tone, but when the lumps become bigger and/or painful, they are diagnosed with fibrocystic breast disease. Fibrocystic breast changes affects over 50% of women in their middle to late reproductive years. It is often associated with hormone fluctuations, age, stress, and even smoking. This is not a malignant (cancerous) condition, but it can be quite unpleasant as fibrocystic breasts can be physically and emotionally painful. It is important to get any lumps checked out to make sure the lumps are indeed fibrocystic changes.

Iodine Can Help Relieve Fibrocystic Breasts

While many people think of iodine as the go-to mineral for thyroid health, it is also very beneficial for fibrocystic breasts. A review of several human clinical trials involving different forms of iodine supplementation for fibrocystic breasts found that molecular iodine was the most beneficial. Women receiving molecular iodine (0.08 mg/kg) had over a 70% clinical improvement, which meant significantly less pain and fibrosis (lumps). A separate study using 0.07 to 0.09 mg/kg of molecular iodine had similar results, with 65% of patients experiencing reductions in pain and fibrosis. Many integrative practitioners use a dose of 6.25 to 12.5 mg for fibrocystic breast disease, generally in a formula with molecular iodine and other forms of iodine (ie, potassium iodide) as well.

Sometimes women have breast pain associated with their menstrual cycle that is not fibrocystic breast disease (FBD). The call this cyclic mastalgia, and it can occur with FBD or on its own. A randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical study investigated the effects of 3 different iodine dosages and their effect on breast pain. After 3 months of supplementation with 3 mg of iodine per day, 25% of the patients had reductions in cyclical breast pain, tenderness, and nodularity. In the 6 mg per day group, over 50% of the patients experienced the same symptom relief. All groups (1.5 mg, 3 mg and 6 mg) experienced significant pain reduction, with the 6 mg group having the greatest benefit.

Diindolylmethane or DIM

It has long been known that eating cruciferous vegetables (the cabbage family—broccoli, Brussels’ sprouts, bok choy, etc) have great benefits for hormonal health in general and breast health in particular. One reason is because these vegetables contain a nutrient called indole-3 carbinole that your body converts into an incredibly potent hormone manager. After it is chewed and mixed with stomach acid, it converts to diindolylmethane, or DIM. As a supplement, DIM does not raise OR lower estrogen levels. Its function is to keep estrogen in its safest form. Keeping estrogen in its beneficial form helps all diseases that are triggered by estrogenic activity, including FBD and most forms of breast cancer.

Our bodies are bombarded by estrogens. Not only do we make our own estrogen, we are exposed to chemicals in the environment that are estrogen look-alikes called xenoestrogens. One of these is bisphenyl-A or BPA. You may have heard that you should look for BPA-free plastics in your water bottles, but you may not know why. BPA is a xenoestrogen that stimulates several negative aspects of breast cell growth because these hormonally-sensitive cells think BPA is a real hormone. That is why exposure is linked to breast cancer.

The only DIM with human studies is called BioResponse or BR DIM, and many women would benefit from having more DIM on board, both to help problems that already exist and to prevent problems in the future. Unfortunately, you’d have to eat two pounds of raw broccoli to get the clinically-studied dose of DIM into your body. That is one reason why supplementation can be much more effective.

Breast Cancer

The good news is that fewer women are dying of breast cancer, but the bad news is that more women are developing breast cancer. This is one disease in which nutrients can play a powerful role with both prevention and recovery.

Vitamin D & Breast Cancer

You may have heard that you absorb vitamin D from sunlight, and that is not exactly correct. Cells in your skin called melanocytes make vitamin D. The sunlight flips the switch, and the cells go into action to make this important nutrient. If we carry extra weight, our ability to make vitamin D is reduced. As we age, we also produce significantly less vitamin D that we did in our youth. There are also drugs and sunscreens that interfere with vitamin D production. Is it any wonder that we see more and more people with suboptimal levels of vitamin D?

Low vitamin D status is a risk factor for breast cancer. A meta-analysis performed on vitamin D levels demonstrated an inverse relationship between vitamin D intake and the risk of developing breast cancer. The researchers also found that the participants in the highest category of circulating vitamin D had a 45% reduction in breast cancer risk when compared to those with the lowest vitamin D levels.

In a pooled analysis of 11 studies, the authors found that a serum vitamin D level of 47 ng/mL could reduce breast cancer risk by 50%. I am not aware of any drug that can so significantly reduce breast cancer risk.

In yet another study of 214 women with newly diagnosed breast cancer and matched controls, vitamin D levels below 30 ng/mL were shown to having a 2.3 to 2.5 times increased risk of breast cancer.

Although risk for breast cancer increases with age, pre-menopausal women have need for concern as well. A study looking at women younger than 53 years old found that participants who had serum vitamin D levels > 27 ng/mL had a 40% reduction in their risk of developing breast cancer.

Lastly, a meta-analysis looking at 22 observational studies found that total and supplemental vitamin D intake were both inversely associated with breast cancer. Vitamin D deficiency was also found to be directly related to breast cancer development.

Curcumin for Breast Cancer Support

The research on curcumin is exploding. There are now over 13,500 studies on curcumin listed on the electronic database of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) called PubMed. And much of that research is looking at curcumins ability to prevent cancer, and to promote recovery from cancer.

In a study of 14 patients with advanced or metastatic breast cancer, researchers examined the use of the chemotherapy drug docetaxel and oral curcumin supplementation. Patients received escalating doses of curcumin (up to 8 grams per day), in addition to a standard docetaxel dose. The researchers found a decrease of 20-30% of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) over the study period. VEGF is a protein that encourage angiogenesis – the formation of new blood vessels. The tumor marker CEA also decreased significantly over the treatment period. These are important indicators that the cancer’s progression is slowing.

In another study, curcumin was shown to reduce radiation dermatitis in a trial involving 30 breast cancer patients. Patients were randomized and received 2 grams of curcumin three times per daily. After week 5, the curcumin group experienced a reduction in severity of radiation dermatitis. The curcumin group also experienced a huge reduction in the percentage of patients experiencing moist desquamation - 28.6% versus 87.5% in the placebo group. The curcumin group also experienced less pain than the placebo group.

Many animal studies have examined curcumin’s ability to reduce tumor size and proliferation, and to prevent cancers. In an animal model of human breast cancer, curcumin supplementation reduced the tumor size by almost 50% compared to the control in only five weeks.

One important aspect of cancer recovery is the ability to stop something called cancer stem cells. These are cancer cells that are left behind after treatment, that masquerade as normal, and then switch back into growth mode years later. One of the most interesting aspects of the research on curcumin is that it has been shown to help stop breast cancer stem cell self-renewal and proliferation. That is a very good thing for recovery!

It is important to consider the type of curcumin used for supplementation, as curcumin is hard to absorb and doesn’t remain active in the blood stream for long periods of time. The most clinically studied enhanced absorption curcumin is called BCM-95 curcumin, which is a blend of curcumin with turmeric essential oil containing ar-turmerone. It has been shown to be 700% better absorbed than standard curcumin, and stay at beneficial levels in the blood stream for eight hours or more. It has also been used in research at Baylor University Medical Center in Texas and City of Hope Cancer Hospital in California, and at many other locations worldwide.

Anticancer Benefits from Grape Seed Extract 

Grape seed extract contains compounds called oligomeric proanthocyanidins (say that three times fast!) or OPCs. These compounds can be very useful in both prevention of and recovery from breast cancer. In addition to being a super potent antioxidant (which protects your cells from cancerous changes), it has also been investigated for its direct anticancer benefits.

In a recent scientific study, researchers found that OPCs from grape seed extract can decrease cancer cell resistance to chemotherapy drugs like 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and oxaliplatin. OPCs helped decrease the cancer cell’s ability to pump the chemotherapy drugs out, meaning more of the drugs stayed within the cancer cell, leading to potentially much better results. The same study found that the cancer cell proliferation rate was significantly reduced when the OPCs were combined with the chemotherapeutic drugs.

In another animal model study looking at use with chemotherapy, scientists found that combining a chemotherapeutic drug called cisplatin with grape seed extract was shown to decrease kidney damage. Upwards of 30% of patients receiving cisplatin can have acute or long-term kidney damage, so the potential of this herb to protect the kidneys without interfering with chemotherapy’s activity against cancer cells is very promising.

Grape seed extract has been shown to decrease the invasiveness of triple-negative breast cancer, and in a cellular study, it was demonstrated that after 72 hours of incubation with grape seed extract, there was a 43% decrease in breast cancer cell growth. Using a higher concentration of grape seed extract resulted in a 47% inhibition in cell growth. This same study demonstrated that grape seed extract enhanced the growth and survival of normal cells.

The beneficial OPCs in grape seed extract come in many sizes, and the larger ones, often called tannins, are not able to be absorbed. It is important to look for tannin-free grape seed extract for full benefits.

Talk to Your Doctor Breast Health

While there are incredibly promising nutrients that can play a beneficial role in breast health, please discuss use of ALL dietary supplements with your healthcare practitioner if you are dealing with a serious disease. The best health outcomes occur with everyone on the team is pulling in the same direction!

Not everyone sees their relationship with animals in the same light. To some, animals are workers and nothing more. To others, animals are cherished members of the family. I have had animal companions so dear to me that they were some of the most important relationships in my life. They brought me great joy, and their loss broke my heart into a million pieces.

Caring for Your Animal Companion

Having an animal companion, be it dog, cat, horse, or something else entirely—is a tremendous responsibility. And loving an animal dearly deepens this sense further still. We often feel this responsibility most keenly when our pet is suffering.

Of course, the first step in seeking care for animal companions is often to see a veterinarian, and this is important for proper diagnosis. We need to know what we are dealing with. Is our dog experiencing a little arthritis, or is it a tumor? Is her skin just dry, or does she have allergies? Is our boy suffering from muscle strain or a more serious connective tissue tear?

In almost every scenario, there is a crucial element that must be addressed: Inflammation.

Inflammation causes pain. It interferes with tissue repair. It promotes cancer and blood vessel damage and even depression. A very important step in treating almost any of the common health concerns with dogs (and other companions animals as well) is to dramatically reduce inflammation.

Natural Anti-Inflammatory Care for Dogs

The most powerful, scientifically studied natural medicine to directly combat excessive levels of inflammation is curcumin. Curcumin is extracted from the spice turmeric, but they are not the same thing. Turmeric contains only 2 percent to 5 percent curcumin, and achieving medicinal levels would require unreasonable amounts. Therefore, both doctors and scientists use curcumin for a wide variety of animal health concerns because they can deliver a medicinal dose in far fewer capsules or pellets.

Curcumin for Dogs

However, curcumin has a challenge as well, in that it is not well absorbed. Second-generation curcumin products have used various methods to enhance absorption. Some of these methods are more natural and advantageous than others.

The most clinically studied, enhanced-absorption curcumin in the world uses turmeric essential oil in a patented process to boost absorption. In fact, you would need to give your pet 200 to 500 capsules of an equal dose of turmeric to equal the amount of curcumin delivered to the bloodstream as a single capsule of curcumin with turmeric essential oils. This unique formulation has published studies in dogs, cats, and horses, demonstrating both safety and efficacy. This specific formulation has published absorption studies in dogs, too.

Curcumin has studies in human health as well, including arthritis, autoimmune diseases, skin conditions, cancer, diabetes, and mood disorders. How many times have scientists used animal models in experiments to demonstrate benefits for human health? Here is an instance where we can learn from studies in human beings how this powerful natural medicine can benefit animal health.

In several studies, curcumin is able to equal or even outperform a class of drugs commonly used in both human and animal care, called non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Some drugs in this class are aspirin and ibuprofen (used more in humans) and carprofen (some brand names are Novox or Rimadyl), ketoprofen, and others) for dogs. The problems with these drugs is their side effects, which include vomiting, loss of appetite, depression, diarrhea, stomach or intestinal ulcers, liver failure, kidney failure, and even death. That is quite a list!

Curcumin Pet Health Products

Curcumin has side benefits instead of serious side effects. Some side benefits of curcumin (to name only a few) are helping to prevent heart disease and diabetes. Enhanced absorption, clinically studied curcumin with turmeric essential oils can make a real difference in your animal companion’s life.

There are pet health products that combine high-absorption curcumin with quality standardized boswellia (another favorite for joint pain) in a flavored, chewable format for better ease of administration. These can be used for arthritis, muscle pain, hip dysplasia.

Canine Anxiety

Another way in which our animal companions suffer is with anxiety. I had a beagle-husky mix (a combination Mother Nature never intended!) named Alex. OK—I will fess up—his full name was Alexander Graham Beagle. He was a sweet dog, but was absolutely terrified of fireworks and thunderstorms. At the first sign of lightening, he was on my lap or leaning on me, panting and trembling so hard I used to joke that I could rent him out as a Magic Fingers massage machine for hotel beds. I did my best to help him cope, including taking him down to the basement, petting him for hours, and even wrapping him in blankets (this is before ThunderShirts and the like).

The options for dealing with pet anxiety have evolved greatly. Veterinarians are using standard tranquilizers, and prescribe more modern anti-anxiety medication, but it comes at a cost to the liver. Pet owners are interested in more natural ways to reduce anxiety in their dogs. It might be anxiety over going to the groomer, or fear of thunderstorms, or maybe it is every day separation anxiety.

Echinacea for Anxiety

Weird as it may sound, there are compounds in echinacea, that when extracted and concentrated, act on brain receptors to elicit a sense of calm and relaxation, without causing drowsiness. This unique echinacea extract is standardized for echinacoside and a unique, proprietary alkamide profile available in no other formula. Alkamides have similar effects as cannabinoids, attaching to cannabinoid receptors and helping to ease stress and relax muscles. The extract has been scientifically and clinically studied and shown to reduce anxiety symptoms significantly within an hour or so of use, with better results documented with ongoing use.

Hemp Oil, the Endocannabinoid System & Your Pet

Canines are “wired” very much the same way as humans when it comes to pain relief or stopping anxiety, and we typically see that studies show similar actions in both. It’s not surprising that cannabinoids from hemp would have similar effects in humans and canines. However, it is more important to deliver the entire spectrum of cannabinoids in hemp oil and not single out CBD. Studies have shown that there are more than 120 cannabinoids in hemp stalk, and only one is CBD. All these compounds are active and work together as a family, so better results are attained.

In a study of canine osteoarthritis, researchers found that an oil with CBD decreased pain. Other studies have indicated it can be used for canine seizure disorders. However, the veterinary studies were done on relatively high doses of 1.1 mg per pound of the dog’s weight. At these dosage levels, an increase in serum alkaline phosphatase was noted, which is a marker of liver health. 

It is important to only use products with less than 0.3% THC (which is much less than 1%). The reason is that though dogs appear to do well with the other cannabinoids in hemp (CBD, CBC, etc) they do NOT do well with THC, the mind-altering cannabinoid in marijuana. Dogs that have eaten marijuana or medical marijuana preparations have become quite ill, sometimes for several days, so choose carefully.

National Animal Supplement Council

The National Animal Supplement Council (NASC) is a nonprofit industry group dedicated to protecting and enhancing the health of companion animals and horses throughout the United States. The NASC was founded in 2001 in response to the lack of regulatory cohesion in the pet supplement industry. Looking for pet supplement companies aligned with the NASC helps better assure the supplements are of the highest quality.

“The NASC Quality Seal program was initiated as part of our ongoing effort to improve and standardize the industry. Different from the NASC logo, members must earn permission to display the Quality Seal by agreeing to adhere to NASC’s quality standards, and by submitting to an independent audit to ensure compliance with our rigorous quality system requirements. When you see the Quality Seal on a product, you can trust it comes from a reputable company that has successfully passed an independent quality audit,” their website reports.

Family Health Includes Pet Health

For many people, pets are family. Being able to use natural interventions to help alleviate suffering in our companion animals is beneficial to all concerned. There are even more natural products that can have a tremendous impact on pet health, including omega 3 fatty acids and quality probiotics, to name only a few. You may be surprised to find such a wealth of clinically validated products specifically targeting the health and well-being of our furry family.

I grew up in the Summer of Love. Tie-dyed shirts, headbands, love beads, Woodstock, peace signs and, if you are going to San Francisco, be sure to wear some flowers in your hair. Many of you will not know what I am talking about, but suffice it was an interesting time to be alive.

There was also an explosion of marijuana use. Its use was linked to the hippies and dreamers and musicians. It was cool.

There was also an explosion of prosecutions in the 1960s of people using marijuana, and it was deemed a dangerous addictive drug and was a controlled substance, illegal to use in any form for any reason. The demon weed. Would that saner thinkers had prevailed, because perhaps then this wonderfully medicinal plant, Cannabis sativa, might not have languished for decades, neglected by researchers and practitioners alike.

Marijuana & Hemp, From Misfit to Medicine

Medical marijuana is now accepted in many states, but it requires a prescription. However, the cannabis product I’d like to discuss is hemp, sometimes called industrial or commercial hemp. Yes, it too is Cannabis sativa, but it is very different from marijuana. Historically, marijuana has been bred for higher levels of a compound called THC, which is responsible for getting high... and maybe craving brownies, too.

Hemp, on the other hand, has been valued for thousands of years for the fibrous stalk, which can be used for fabric and building materials, and so much more. Thomas Jefferson grew hemp on his plantation. Henry Ford used hemp in the construction of the first car bodies. Hemp has been bred for taller and thicker stalks, not for THC. Therefore, the federal government does not consider hemp to be a controlled substance or drug, just as long as the THC is less than 0.3% of the product.

CBD vs. Full-Spectrum Hemp Oil

Cannabis sativa is the richest source of compounds called phytocannabinoids. These compounds work in the body by connecting to and modulating the activity of cannabinoid receptors. THC is certainly one such compound, but there are over 100 more members of this powerful family.

The other famous phytocannabinoid is CBD, and if you have not heard of CBD, you must have recently returned from a trip to the moon. It is everywhere—candy, drinks, soap, lotions, dog treats, coffee, hamburgers, and supplements. I am sure that list is not all-inclusive.

CBD (cannabidiol) is the dominant phytocannabinoid in hemp stalk oil. It has been sold on its own as isolated CBD, which is not approved by the FDA. The FDA has approved two isolated CBD-based drugs, Sativex and Epidiolex, for rare seizure disorders, and therefore it considers selling CBD or calling out CBD as selling a prescription drug without a license or prescription.

That hasn’t stopped hundreds of companies from jumping on the CBD bandwagon, though, but I digress.

CBD occurs naturally in hemp stalk oil and hemp stalk oil is legal to sell in the United States as long as the CBD is not called out. Quite the bizarre set of rules, don’t you think?

The Powerful Phytocannabinoid Family

Stepping away from the confusing legal discussion, full-spectrum hemp oil, which includes CBD and more than 100 of CBD’s brothers and sister phytocannabinoids can be a powerful medicine. Researchers are finding that full-spectrum hemp oil works better because of the entourage effect, which is defined as all the phytocannabinoids working together synergistically.

Hemp oil is well known for its benefits in relieving anxiety. However, there are three other areas in which we see a great deal of interest in the medicinal use of full-spectrum hemp oil: pain, cancer, and seizure disorders.

Pain Relief with Full-Spectrum Phytocannabinoids

The full-spectrum phytocannabinoids in hemp oil are natural pain relievers, in part because of their ability to reduce inflammation and modulate the brain’s response to pain.

Since hemp oil cannabinoids help preserve the endocannabinoids made in the body, British research may have demonstrated at least part of the mechanism of action for pain relief. They found that patients with rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis have higher levels of endocannabinoids present in their synovial tissue within their joints compared to those who do not have these painful conditions. It appears that the body floods these areas with endocannabinoids to relieve pain.

Full-spectrum hemp oil can also help people with neuropathic (nerve) pain caused by chemotherapy, which can be very hard to treat because it doesn’t respond well to medications. A small double-blind, placebo-controlled trial showed that phytocannabinoids decreased pain by an average of 24% or more as opposed to placebo, which reduced it less than 6% on a clinically validated 11-point pain intensity scale. Other studies consistently show pain-relieving benefits for the phytocannabinoids in hemp oil.

Cancer Treatment with CBD

Research has found that phytocannabinoids from hemp both kill cancer cells and inhibit the spread of tumors—without causing any negative impact on healthy cells.

In experimental research on glioblastoma, a difficult-to-treat form of brain tumor, CBD was found to be beneficial. It inhibited the spread of cancer cells, and improved the activity of other cancer treatments in this scientific study. Though more human research is needed, there may

come a day when full-spectrum hemp oil will be used with other cancer therapies for improved outcomes.

Other scientific research discovered that CBD is very effective against leukemia cells, while additional studies found that the full spectrum of cannabinoids from hemp oil inhibited prostate cancer cells, highlighting the value of a complete entourage of phytocannabinoids instead of focusing on only one.

CBD & Symptom Relief for Seizure Disorders

One of the most dramatic uses of hemp oil is to help people with seizure disorders. Though more research is needed, CBD has already been proven effective in certain seizure disorders, and has shown benefits on its own and when used in conjunction with antiseizure medication.

In a human clinical study, patients stayed on their antiseizure medication (although the authors mentioned that it was no longer controlling symptoms) and took either CBD or a placebo. Half of those using the hemp oil compound were almost symptom free during the course of the trial, and three others noted a significant reduction in symptoms. There were no improvements in the placebo group. This was a high-dose study, with patients using 200 to 300 milligrams (mg) a day.

A recent study from Israel found that a CBD-enriched hemp oil reduced the frequency of seizures in 89 percent of the children in the trial. In fact, there was an elimination of seizures in some of the children. Researchers noted improved language and motor skills, behavior, and sleep. The children included in this study had a type of epilepsy that was resistant to standard medications, so seeing positive results from hemp oil is even more powerful.

Some practitioners comment that combining hemp oil with a ketogenic diet, which has also been shown to reduce seizures could make a remarkable difference for those with epilepsy.

Selecting Quality Hemp Oil

Full-spectrum hemp oil is a powerful natural medicine, but it is important to focus on quality. The best hemp oil provides a full entourage of phytocannabinoids from the stalk because the entourage effect makes all these compounds more powerful than any one on its own.

Hemp seed oil is sometimes used as a healthy carrier, but make sure the product is not 100 percent hemp seed oil, because there are no phytocannabinoids in hemp SEED oil. It’s a great source of plant omega 3s, though.

Also, using hemp oil with meals may significantly improve absorption. Though it is safe to be used on an empty stomach, it may be more effective taken with food.

There comes a time in a woman’s life (and sometimes in a man’s) when bladder control becomes something to think about. Suddenly, we are bracing when we sneeze or laugh. This is called stress incontinence—you put physical stress on the bladder, and a little urine leaks out.

We start to awaken once or twice or more every night to go to the bathroom, which is called nocturia. We might make extra-sure we go to the bathroom before leaving the house and identify where the bathroom is located at our destination. Sometimes these changes happen suddenly, but more often, they creep up on us.

What Can You Do About Bladder Capacity Issues?

Both these issues relate to bladder capacity—the ability of the bladder to hold on to a certain amount of urine and release it only when you direct it to do so.

At first, a woman with stress incontinence might lose a few drops of urine as she jogs or laughs at a funny joke. However, it can progress to an embarrassing amount, necessitating the use of protective pads.

Involuntary urine loss is escalating as our society ages, as have the advertisements and commercials for various pads and incontinence undergarments.

Rule Out Health Conditions My Cause Incontinence

First, if you have developed any level of involuntary urine loss, or find your sleeping habits have changed because you wake up more than once a night to urinate, get it checked out by your healthcare practitioner. There are many other health problems and even medications that can contribute to these issues, so better to find out what you are dealing with. Once you understand that your issue is a change in bladder strength and capacity, there are steps you can take to improve the situation.

Prescription Bladder Control Medications

There are certainly prescription drugs on the market designed to reduce accidental urine loss, overactive bladder, and nocturia, but they have a very unfortunate characteristic: their use is associated with an increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease. These drugs are almost universally in the class of anticholinergic drugs, and anticholinergic drugs deplete the brain of an important neurotransmitter called acetylcholine. In fact, recent studies published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (both Internal Medicine and Neurology) have shown that use of these drugs is associated with brain shrinking and the development of dementia. Long-term use showed a 62 percent increase in risk for this devastating and life-threatening disease.

Improve Bladder Control with Icelandic Angelica archangelica 

There is a better way to help people with these bladder capacity issues without these serious risks. The Icelandic variant of Angelica archangelica is an herb that has been shown in published human clinical studies to improve bladder capacity in people with low bladder capacity. This plant has been used medicinally in Iceland for over 1,100 years. It was so valued that there was once a section of the historic code of law, called Sagas, that dealt with fines for poaching another man’s angelica.

Angelica grows wild in Iceland and is quite plentiful. Researchers speculate that the Icelandic version of this plant may be more powerful because it has developed in the island’s volcanic soils, or because it is exposed to 24 hours of daylight in the northern summer. Regardless of cause, this herb has been investigated for its health benefits. Early research has shown it is useful for bladder capacity issues, whether stress incontinence or nocturia, and can greatly reduce these unpleasant symptoms.

• In an eight-week study, it was found that 200 milligrams (mg) of an extract of this herb reduced night time awakenings to urinate (nocturia) by almost 50 percent.
• In people with low bladder capacity, the herb increased the amount of urine the bladder could comfortable hold by over 60 percent. In fact, the amount of time in sound sleep prior to awakening for urination tripled compared to the placebo group.
• Another interesting fact is that the Icelandic Angelica archangelica extract does not work via activating hormonal pathways, making it safer for people who have a history of breast or prostate cancer.

One last but important fact: herbs often have names that sound alike. In this instance, it sounds like a Chinese herb called Angelica sinensis, or dong quai. They are not the same herb! They are used for very different reasons. So if you are in the market for a safe and effective natural intervention for bladder capacity issues, make sure it is Angelica archangelica from Iceland to make sure you are using the clinically studied herbal medicine

Well, of course nutrients can improve appearance, just as lack of crucial nutrients can detract from attractiveness.

Vitamin Deficiency Affects Beauty

I knew a lady in her 40s who was quite lovely, but she developed a severe liver disease that reduced her body’s ability to incorporate vitamins, meaning that even though she ate a healthy diet, her body wasn’t able to fully use that nutrition. This liver dysfunction led to avitaminosis, a condition resulting from deficiencies of one or more essential vitamins.

In only two months, her hair became thinner, drier, and less reflective of light. Her face was no longer soft and smooth, and the skin was coarse. Her skin color changed. Even her eyes lost their luster. She looked much older. I could not believe the dramatic change in her appearance in such a short period of time.

Fortunately, her disease was treatable with a liver transplant, and when her body was again able to properly utilize vitamins, her appearance once again changed dramatically—this time for the better!

This experience reinforced to me the powerful connection between optimum nutrition, including ample vitamins and minerals in their highest quality forms, and appearance.

Health Equals Beauty

Psychologists tell us that beauty, by definition, is a set of parameters that indicate youth, health, and fertility. And while cultures certainly influence certain aspects of beauty (tiny feet in historic China, fattening rituals in historic Tahiti, stretched earlobes amongst the Maasai of Africa, and facial tattoos amongst the Maori, to name only a few) there are also commonalities about indicators of health being perceived as quite attractive.

Most people agree that women with full, glossy hair, luminous skin, a brilliant smile, and a healthy weight fit the description of beauty. Humans also tend to prefer symmetrical features, and eyes that are a little bit larger in proportion to their face.

However, after years of exposure to Frankenfoods, toxins, ultraviolet (UV) radiation, and free radicals, damage may start to occur as dark circles under the eyes, uneven skin tones, dull complexion, and even inflammation and redness. The aging process itself results in thinner skin and collagen depletion, which contributes to a decrease in firmness.

Nutritional deficiencies, age, and hormonal changes can also decrease the quality and quantity of a woman’s hair. These are all areas that targeted nutritional supplementation can improve.

Vitamins & Supplements for Hair, Skin & Nails

Every vitamin is connected either directly or indirectly to some aspect of appearance. It is important to make sure you are getting ample amounts of these vitamins, especially the water-soluble B-family.

B Vitamins for Beauty

B vitamins occur in two forms, active and inactive. The inactive forms are converted to the active form, but as we age, and in the presence of certain diseases and even genetics, a lot of people are not efficient converters of one or more of the B vitamins.

It’s important to select B vitamins in the active (sometimes called methylated) form. Vitamin B6 is especially important to healthy skin and hair, so make sure you consider pyridoxal-5-phosphate, or the P-5-P form of B6 for most consistent results.

Biotin for Strength in Hair & Nails

Biotin is a vitamin-like compound that can make a measurable difference in hair quality and nail strength. Dosage is important. Many integrative practitioners recommend up to 5,000 micrograms (mcg) a day to see significant results.

Fight Free Radicals with Vitamin C

Vitamin C helps protect the skin from damage by UV radiation. It does not prevent the exposure but rather helps quench the free radicals created by the exposure. In a German clinical study, using vitamin C daily for four weeks was shown to increase the free radical-scavenging activity of the skin by 22 percent. Results of the study showed that the vitamin C went to work rapidly, and the benefits increased with higher doses of vitamin C.

Protect Skin From Premature Aging with French Grape Seed

French grape seed extract contains compounds called oligomeric proanthocyanins (OPC). OPCs are super-potent antioxidants and have other beauty-specific benefits as well. Research has shown that grape seed has the ability to reduce inflammation and protect the skin from premature aging.

Scientific studies have shown that grape seed extract has the ability to bond with collagen, allowing it to promote youthful skin and elasticity.

One issue with grape seed extract is that it contains OPCs in a variety of sizes. The largest are called tannins. If the OPCs are not absorbed, there are not benefits. Consider using products that are tannin free for the best results.

Curcumin & Boswellia For Reducing Skin Inflammation & Redness

I often refer to curcumin and boswellia as a dynamic duo, because they are so perfectly partnered for fighting inflammation. While this combo is well known for its ability to relieve pain, it is also useful for reducing skin redness and inflammatory skin disorders.

A form of clinically studied curcumin with turmeric essential oil containing turmerones has been shown to dramatically improve inflammatory factors that play a role in skin radiance.

Curcumin also improves collagen deposition and vascular density, especially in wounds and injuries. This is important, because vascular density ensures adequate blood flow to transport the nutrients needed for repair of damaged tissue. Additionally, curcumin has shown promise at reducing skin conditions such as psoriasis, eczema, and even skin cancer.

Curcumin is a generalist that addresses all types of inflammatory pathways, but boswellia is a specialist that has powerful effects on a very hard-to-treat type of inflammation called 5-lipoxegenase, or 5-LOX. This type of inflammation does not respond to typical drugs for inflammation, such as ibuprofen, aspirin, naproxen sodium, Celebrex, or Voltaren.

There is a high level of 5-LOX inflammation in certain skin issues, such as sclerotic skin lesions and there is research into the role of this enzyme system for atopic dermatitis.

Create Collagen with Silica

I can’t stress enough the importance of silica for healthy hair, skin and nails. Silica is critical to collagen creation, and our hair, skin, and nails are some of the highest collagen-containing parts of our body.

Reduction in collagen results in brittle, slow growing nails, poor hair quality, and sagging skin. Increasing intake of the mineral silica can increase collagen production with excellent results. It may even lessen acne breakouts.

The majority of silica products are in one of 3 forms: mineral (from rocks) silica, plant-based silica (mostly form a plant called horsetail), and the synthetic orthosilicic acid. The plant form has excellent benefits, but make sure that it is purified to remove some of the harsh crystals found in the plant. The synthetic form is also clinically studied for both hair and skin.

Take Care of Your Hair with Millet Seed Oil

While you may have heard of the ancient grain millet, you’ve likely never heard of millet seed (Panicum miliaceum) oil. Millet seed oil contains a compound called millacin which has been shown in some preliminary studies to have extraordinary benefits. It has even been investigated for hair loss associated with chemotherapy.

In a case-controlled study, 28 cancer patients were treated with millet seed oil throughout chemotherapy treatment and 56 cancer patients did not use millet seed oil. The grade of hair loss was assessed by World Health Organization (WHO) criteria. They found that the percentage of hair loss observed in patients treated with millet seed oil in association with chemotherapy was significantly lower than that found in those who received the chemotherapy only.

Support Your Hair Growth with Omega 3 & Omega 7

Omega 3 fatty acids from cold-water fish have been shown to support hair growth and thickness, as well as reduce dry skin. They are also anti-inflammatory.

There is another omega fatty acid found in macadamia nuts and sea buckthorn berries called omega 7. This rare omega is incorporated into cell walls and is good at holding on to water. If the cells are better hydrated, skin appearance is enhanced. Luminosity is a measure of skin reflectivity, which is enhanced by the use of omega 7s.

In a study of skin aging, 60 women over the age of 50 were evaluated for skin hydration, elasticity, roughness. Luminosity and skin thickness/firmness before and after using an oral sea buckthorn oil capsule for 3 months. At the end of the study, there were significant improvements in hydration, elasticity, roughness, and fine wrinkles. The authors note that the supplementation “reduced the signs of skin aging.”

The most clinically studied sea buckthorn extract in the world is a proprietary blend of seed and fruit pulp oil, which yields a wider spectrum of nutrients from the berry.

Nutrients for Beauty 

There are certainly clinically demonstrated nutrients that can make a significant difference in appearance, including those parameters we identify as “beauty.” There is no one beauty nutrient; rather, an array of beneficial herbs, vitamins, and oils each address different aspects of hair, skin, and nail health. Putting together a protocol of effective products can result in visible differences.

Does anyone remember Sugar Pops, Sugar Frosted Flakes, or Sugar Crisp?

A few decades back, parents had no idea of the approaching sugar and corn syrup tsunami that was about to drown American health.

Generation Sugar

At that time, “sugar” in the name of a breakfast cereal was appealing, not alarming.

I remember my parent’s idea of a healthy breakfast:

• Sugary cereal (I was a Captain Crunch fan) in skim milk.
• Wonder bread toasted and slathered with margarine (so much better than that nasty animal fat, butter!)
• A glass of Tang (on cold winter mornings, substitute Ovaltine in warm milk).

I imagine many of you, especially if you are over 40, have had similar experiences.

Don't Believe the Marketing Hype! 

Our parents loved us. Their mistake was in believing whatever was said on television.  And the television said this was a healthy breakfast.

Remember, television was newer in the 1950s and 60s, and the average American had yet to understand its incredible power. It seems that Big Food figured it out much earlier and made a fortune marketing foods that taste good (more sugar!) but are nutritionally devastating.

It is similar to the marketing strategies for Big Tobacco.

Fat vs Sugar, Who is the Culprit?

For far too many years, we vilified fat as the cause of all our health woes, when in fact, the true culprit was sugar and other refined carbohydrates.

It turns out that as early as the 1950s, the sugar industry started paying for research that minimized the risks of sugar and targeted fat as the “real” health hazard.

In fact, historians have found that as far back as 1954, sugar executives were lobbying to get Americans to eat a low fat diet (for their health!), knowing those calories would be replaced by something else – sugar!

This campaign was incredibly successful. Americans now eat more sugar than any country in the world.

Daily average sugar intake in India? 5 grams. Italy? 58 grams.

The United States? 126 grams. That is the equivalent of about 32 teaspoons of sugar.

Is it any wonder that our rates for type 2 diabetes are astronomical, and if left unchecked, in only 12 years, more adults will have diabetes than those who don’t?

Now we must face the difficult task of repairing the damage that excessive intake of sugars and simple carbohydrates has caused. Whether you are concerned with prevention or already have blood sugar issues, it is never too late to improve.

Frightening Diabetes Facts

If you need motivation, there are some pretty alarming numbers associated with diabetes and blood sugar dysfunction.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, each year there are almost 80,000 deaths in the United States attributed to diabetes.

Lifespan with Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes causes a shorter lifespan due to an increase in health conditions like cardiovascular and kidney disease.

In a study looking at over 400,000 people with diabetes and two million matched controls, people with diabetes were on average 13 to 15 percent more likely to suffer from a cardiovascular-related death than the control population.

The increased incidence of cardiovascular death associated with diabetes was more prevalent in people who were of a younger age, had poor blood sugar control, and had greater renal complications.

Lifespan and HbA1C Levels

People less than 55 years old with a hemoglobin A1C level (a measure of blood sugar health) of 6.9 percent or less were almost twice as likely to die from any cause as compared to controls.

For people with an HbA1C level of > 9.7 percent and were 55 years of age or younger, their risk of death from any cause increased to an average of four times as likely, with cardiovascular death showing an average increase of more than 5-fold, as compared to people without blood sugar issues.

Natural Answers for Diabetes

The important thing to remember is that it is never too late to make some improvements in your blood sugar, and that, in turn, will lead to a longer, healthier life.

• Reduce Your Carbs

  The most important thing anyone can do for diabetes prevention and treatment is to dramatically reduce sugar and simple carbs.

  Get rid of the white bread, white rice, white pizza crust, and white potatoes. I often tell folks, only partly joking, to not eat anything white unless it is cauliflower.

• Give Up Sugary Sweets

  Some people gasp at the thought of giving up sweets. That is because sweets make us feel so good.

  But the truth is, life is sweeter without sugar. If you want to have a glass of wine, or a piece of dark chocolate, go ahead.

• Make Conscious Decisions

  The dangers come from the thoughtless eating of sugars and refined carbs.

  • Sweet cereal for breakfast.
  • A sub on a white bun for lunch with potato chips or fries.
  • Spaghetti for dinner.
  • A few cans of high fructose sweetened sodas all day long.

  That is a recipe for sugar imbalance.

• Consider Hintonia latiflora

  There is also a very effective natural product from Germany that has been clinically proven to improve blood sugar levels, HgbA1c tests, and overall blood sugar metabolism. It is all based on a botanical originally from Mexico and Central America called Hintonia latiflora.

  The bark of this hardy shrub contains a compound called coutareagenin that effectively and safely lowers blood sugar and helps to repair broken blood sugar metabolism.

  Studies on Hintonia latiflora

  • Eight Month Study

    In an eight-month clinical study, 178 people with Type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes were given Hintonia latiflora, in addition to their regular diabetes protocol.

    • One group had diet changes only.
    • Another group used insulin.
    • A third group used oral drugs to lower blood sugar.
    • The last group used both insulin and oral drugs for their diabetes.

    At the end of the study, HbA1C levels decreased by 11 percent and fasting blood glucose by 23 percent. In addition, diabetic complications like neuropathy, itching, and excessive sweating decreased by 73 percent.

    At the end of the study, nearly half of the participants were able to reduce or even eliminate their medication by the end of the study.

    Remember that this was done under the supervision of medical doctors.

  • Thirty-Three Month Studay

    Another study involving Hintonia latiflora was long term and included patients who took it daily for up to 33 months.

    The researchers found that people were able to make significant reductions to their fasting blood glucose and HbA1C.

    Plus, during the whole treatment period there were no hypoglycemic events, or unfavorable drops in blood sugar.

• Treat Diabetes with Nutrients

  There are many nutrients that play an important role in treating diabetes and creating balanced blood sugar metabolism.

  • The B Vitamins

    The B family of vitamins are crucially important, but it is important to remember that people with diabetes or pre-diabetes need the active form of the Bs. The active forms are sometimes called the methylated form, for example, methylcobalamin is the active form of B12, and methylfolate is the active form of folic acid.

  • Minerals

    Chromium and vanadium are minerals that have been shown to address various aspects of blood sugar imbalance.

  • Alpha Lipoic Acid

    Alpha lipoic acid is excellent, not only for blood sugar, but in helping to correct some of the nerve damage diabetes can cause.

If you were to ask a group of adults in America about their biggest health complaints, the vast majority would identify weight gain, lack of energy, and less than optimal mood as top contenders. These are not just health concerns, but are major contributors to diminishing quality of life.

Weight, Energy, Mood, Your Thyroid & You

In fact, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 71 percent of men and women over the age of 20 are overweight or obese. About 45 percent of adults in the US report feeling chronically tired or fatigued, even though they report 7 to 8 hours of sleep a night. An even higher percentage report fatigue who sleep less than 7 hours. There are estimates that upwards of 30 percent of people report some type of mood disorder, with likely many more mild cases unreported.

If Sherlock Holmes was a health investigator, I am sure he would turn to Dr. Watson and ask if there was something connecting these major problems. And if Dr. Watson had paid attention in endocrinology class, he would have responded, “But of course, my dear Sherlock. There is one gland that plays a role in weight gain and loss, levels of energy, and even mood. And that is the thyroid gland.”

What Does the Thyroid Do?

The thyroid gland is located in the front of your neck and consists of two lobes that partially wrap around your trachea (windpipe). Many people refer to the thyroid as butterfly-shaped because its connected lobes resemble wings. The thyroid gland makes hormones, often referred to as T4 and T3, that dictate the speed at which fuel (food) is burned for energy. Creating energy for the body affects everything from heart rate, to bone density, to bile duct stones, to fertility, to brain function and much, much more.  

Thyroid dysfunction can lead to thyroid disease in which the thyroid can be overactive (hyperthyroidism) or underactive (hypothyroidism). The vast majority of thyroid issues are attributed to the latter.

Why are Thyroid Problems on the Rise?

What is causing this epidemic of thyroid issues? I don’t think this is a one-size-fits-all answer, but rather a combination of many factors negatively affecting the ability of the thyroid gland to do its job.

Thyroid-Disrupting Synthetic Chemicals & More

A 2017 study found that a synthetic chemical called perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) can disrupt the thyroid and even kill its cells at high enough concentrations. Certain fabrics, carpeting, and furniture are known to contain PFOA, among many other of its industrial uses. Exposure to heavy metals is also a risk factor for developing thyroid disease. Cadmium is a common component of phosphate fertilizers and can accumulate in plants like rice, some grains, and potatoes. Within the body, cadmium is able to concentrate in the thyroid gland where it can cause oxidative stress and inflammation.

We are swimming in a sea of thyroid-disrupting chemicals. Is it any wonder our thyroid is struggling to maintain some kind of balance? And often failing to do so?

Suboptimal Iodine Levels & Thyroid Problems

The most documented cause of thyroid dysfunction is sub-optimal amounts of iodine in the body. The thyroid requires two primary raw materials to make hormones: iodine and the amino acid, L-tyrosine. Unfortunately, our diet is often lacking adequate amounts of this essential nutrient. The soils are depleted, and it has been shown that average iodine intake has decreased 50 percent or more in the last several decades.

If that wasn’t bad enough, we are now exposed to high levels of iodine’s competitors: fluoride, chlorine, bromide, and astatine. These compounds can accumulate in the body and attach to receptors meant for iodine. We get fluoride in our drinking water, chlorine in water, swimming pools, hot tubs, and laundry, and bromides from commercial baked goods using brominated flour and brominated vegetable oil in soft drinks. The competitors are more abundant than the real deal—iodine!

What Happens When Your Body is Iodine Deficient? 

When the body doesn’t have enough iodine, it cannot make adequate thyroid hormone. Thyroid hormone is responsible for the conversion of food (fuel) to energy. It the thyroid isn’t working properly, then that process slows down. That results in lower levels of energy, depressed or low mood, and weight gain. If the food is not burned for energy, it is turned into the storage form of fuel, called adipose tissue or fat.

Research has shown that even mild-to-moderate iodine deficiency can be correlated with metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome involves a myriad of conditions like hypertension (high blood pressure), blood sugar issues (diabetes and insulin resistance), excess abdominal weight, and triglyceride and cholesterol imbalances.

It has also been reported that a high percentage of individuals with some type of depressive disorder have sub-optimal thyroid function, and treating the thyroid in some cases greatly reduces symptoms or even eliminates the problem. There is even evidence that thyroid function plays a role in certain types of schizophrenia.

Natural Ways to Improve Thyroid Function

One important way to care for your thyroid is to do your best to avoid competitors and toxins that can damage this gland. It is also important to use iodine, or iodine in combination with L-tyrosine, to make sure the thyroid gland has readily available raw materials to make optimal amounts of thyroid hormone.

Iodine for Thyroid Support

There are several kinds of iodine. Any form will have some functionality in the body, but certain tissue prefers certain forms. For example, the thyroid likes potassium iodide, the breast and prostate like molecular iodine, and sodium iodide is the most soluble, enhancing the absorption also of other forms. Therefore, a blend of more than one type is a good choice for a wider spectrum of benefits.

Dosages of iodine are highly variable. Iodine experts recommend 12.5 milligrams (mg) a day as a medicinal dose, with 30 mgs as a daily dose for specific thyroid problems. You may have to experiment with dosages to find the level that provides you with the most optimal functioning.

Improve Thyroid Function with Selenium 

Another mineral to consider is selenium. Selenium is required for the conversion of the storage form of thyroid hormone (T4) to the active form (T3). Sometimes people make adequate levels of hormones, but still suffer from low thyroid symptoms. They often have a conversion problem that selenium helps correct. A good daily dose to improve the conversion of T4 to T3 is about 300 mcg a day. Note this is micrograms, not milligrams (mg). Only tiny amounts of supplemental selenium are required, and higher levels in the milligram range can be problematic.

The thyroid directly or indirectly affects virtually every single health system in the body.  Improving thyroid function, and increasing thyroid hormone production, benefits your health in more ways than you may know.

The American Thyroid Association estimates that around 20 million people in the U.S. suffer from thyroid disease. Of the people affected, women are over 5 times more likely to have thyroid issues than men.

You Only Get One Brain

The scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz heroically traveled great distances, at great risk (Good Lord, flying monkeys!) to acquire a brain. But most of us take our brain for granted. We feel our heart thump, and our muscles pump, and we see the results of our kidney and intestinal function when we visit the bathroom. But do we feel our brain think?

Our brains are the seat of our consciousness, the home of all our memories and experiences. Everything we have ever learned is stored in the brain. Our emotion, our pain, our pleasure, all result from the function of our brains. It certainly makes sense to take extra care of this delicate system, because, unlike the scarecrow, we cannot travel to the Wizard to ask for a new one.

How The Brain Changes as We Age

It is a little unsettling to learn that our brain shrinks as we age. Most researchers agree that this is a normal process, as it happens in both healthy and unhealthy people. After the age of 40, we lose about 5% of our brain volume each decade.

While changes happen throughout the brain, the areas most consistently affected are the reductions in grey matter and the prefrontal cortex.

Our grey matter is involved in tasks like controlling our muscles, receiving information from our senses, speech and language, and decision making. Our prefrontal cortex deals primarily with higher-level brain processes like behavior, personality, navigating our social interactions, and also decision making.

The good news is that even though we should minimize this process whenever possible, losing a small amount of brain volume does not result in dramatic changes.

With Age Comes Wisdom

While there are challenges, there is good news, too. As we age, our brain function improves in certain areas. Older brains are better able to anticipate problems and results. We have better empathy as we age, which is important for social functioning, but also important for a number of other endeavors as we learn with time to put ourselves in another’s shoes.

Our thinking changes. We are better at synthesis—the ability to see connections between unrelated ideas and events. A great Albert Einstein quote is that we can't solve problems through the same kind of thinking as when we created them.

Keeping Your Brain Healthy

Neurotransmitters and Nutrients

Another change that occurs is a decrease in the amount of key neurotransmitters – our brain’s chemical messengers. Dopamine levels start to decrease in early adulthood and proceed at a rate of about 10% decline per decade.

Nutrients that play a very important role in keeping our neurotransmitters where they should be are choline (eggs and peanuts are especially rich in choline) and the B vitamin family. However, not all forms of B vitamins behave the same way in our bodies. The inactive forms need to be transformed in the liver to the active form before we can derive any benefit at all.

Upwards of 30% of the population is inefficient at transforming one or more of the B vitamin family. Therefore, the better way to supplement is to look for active (or bioactive) B vitamins. These have already been transformed, sometimes called “methylated,” and provide more powerful and consistent benefits.

Some examples of active B vitamins are methylcobalamin (B12), pyridoxal-5-phosphate (B6), and folate instead of folic acid.

Nourishment for Neurons

A very important protein, called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) also drops as we age. BDNF helps facilitate a process called neurogenesis, which is the production of new neurons.

Reductions in BDNF are often seen in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Huntington’s disease. Fortunately, there are compounds within the turmeric plant that can help attenuate the losses of BDNF. Turmeric contains about 2-5% of a key compound called curcumin, which has been shown in human clinical studies to increase levels of BDNF.

Another compound found within turmeric essential oil, called ar-turmerone, has been shown in scientific research to increase the amount of neural stem cells, which can generate new neurons. Look for a curcumin enhanced with turmeric essential oil to receive the benefits of both of these scientifically validated compounds.

Supplements for Circulation

Blood vessels that feed our brain also experience changes beginning as early as our twenties. Cerebral blood flow (CBF) may be partly influenced by our blood vessel’s ability to dilate becoming compromised with age.

Grape seed extract is known to be a vasodilator. It helps the blood vessels relax, which improves blood flow. Compounds from grape seed extract called oligomeric proanthocyanidins (OPCs) have also been shown to help lower brain oxidative stress, which helps keep the brain cells younger and healthier.

Grape extract contains a wide size spectrum of OPCs, including tannins. It’s best to select a grape seed extract that features small OPCs, tannin free, so they are absorbed and utilized in the body.

Enzymes for Energy

Coenzyme Q­10 ­(CoQ10) is another crucial nutrient for the brain. Unfortunately, it also decreases throughout the human lifespan. Though it is commonly thought of as a heart protective compound, CoQ10 is also critical for the neurological system.

CoQ10 is a key cofactor in mitochondrial function, which helps ensure proper energy production throughout our body, including the brain. Mitochondrial dysfunction has been indicated in several neurological diseases including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). CoQ10 acts as an antioxidant and can help protect the brain from toxin-induced lesions.

The Brain: Use It or Lose It

While these nutrients and others can improve brain function throughout our lives, it is also important to remember that supplements alone are not enough. What we eat and how we move our bodies profoundly affects brain health. Sugar and refined carbohydrates accelerate brain aging and can damage neurons over time.

Also, the overused maxim: “use it or lose it” remains true. Our brains crave novelty to grow and flourish. Trying new hobbies, learning languages, travel, conversation, games, and reading also help to keep also improve brain function—naturally.

Your adrenals are two little glands that sit at the top of each kidney.

A gland is an organ in the body that secretes hormones.

So your thyroid secretes thyroid hormone, and your ovaries secrete the hormone estrogen, the testes secrete testosterone, and you adrenal gland secretes an array of adrenal hormones.

Function of The Adrenal Gland

The adrenal gland makes over 50 hormones, including:

• epinephrine (adrenaline)
• norepinephrine (noradrenaline)
• cortisol (stress and more)
• aldosterone (blood health and more)
• dehydroepiandrosterone (a.k.a. DHEA)

These hormones are crucially important, and play a role in regulating immune system function, blood pressure, metabolism, and your physiological (and even psychological) response to stress.

While your adrenal hormones play a role in every day body functions, they are perhaps best known as the mitigators of your fight or flight response.

Effects of Adrenal Stress

If you work a double shift and are dead on your feet, walking home sluggishly with many a yawn, I absolutely guarantee that if a tiger jumps out of the bushes, you will not be too sleepy to respond.

In fact, you will be wide awake, with your hair standing on end.

Your heart rate will increase and push more blood into your muscles, diverting it temporarily from nonessential functions like digestion to give you more strength. Sugar will be dumped into your bloodstream to give you more energy.

Your pupils will dilate, your breathing will become rapid, and you may feel the sudden urge to empty your bladder, and maybe even your bowels.

There are many different types of stress that can cause your adrenals to react. It could be relationship issues or job loss, or a physical threat or the fear of a physical threat, or environmental stressors such as exposure to the cold or extreme heat.

One of the most important responsibilities of the adrenal glands is to give us the emergency energy and strength we need to rescue ourselves from a bad situation, whether that be by fighting off a mugger or climbing out of a burning house.

We live in a world of near constant stimulation, and even enjoyable stimulation creates a certain amount of stress.

The invention of the electric lightbulb changed the industrialized world’s sleep patterns forever. Our Stone Age bodies (and adrenal glands) are struggling with trying to keep up.

Over Stressed and Under Productive Adrenals

There are a variety of adrenal gland diseases in which adrenal hormone production is either over or under-active.

One of the best known is Addison’s Disease, in which the adrenal glands fail to produce enough cortisol. President John F. Kennedy suffered from Addison’s and had to receive injections of cortisol to compensate for the hormones his adrenal glands could not make. Untreated, Addison’s Disease can be fatal.

However, a person does not need to have one of these diseases to have problems with suboptimal adrenal function.

Common Causes of Hormone Issues

Hormone production can be suppressed by an unexpected number of issues, such as:

• chronic stress
• poor diet
• certain prescription medications
• drug abuse
• excessive alcoholic beverages
• the aging process itself

Sleep Loss

It is also true that chronic stress can cause excessive cortisol release and upset its connection to our circadian rhythms, which is one reason so many people with stress in their lives have such disrupted sleep.

Suboptimal Adrenal Function

I have a cousin who never stops. She starts her day with boundless energy and seems to end it that way, too.

She is optimistic and resilient, regardless of what life throws her way. She has the sunniest smile and a wicked sense of humor.

Though she just turned 51, her muscles are strong and her hair is thick and shiny. She has two jobs, one husband, five children involved in everything from theater to sports, and still finds the time to participate in a number of sports herself and serve in various organizations.

If ever there was a human Energizer Bunny, it would be her. I think she must have absolutely amazing adrenal glands. I have often wished I inherited the same adrenal genes.

Suboptimal adrenal function is the opposite.

Symptoms of Suboptimal Adrenal Function

Instead of strength, you have weak muscles. Hair can be dull. Anxiety and worry are triggered by even small adversities. Energy is low, and any kind of stress is overwhelming.

Other physical symptoms include nausea, dizziness when standing from a sitting position, depression, weakened immunity, and sometimes salt cravings.

While it is important to get your symptoms checked out by your healthcare provider, there are excellent natural interventions that can make a real difference.

Supplements for Adrenal Support

• Adaptogen Herbs

  Adaptogens are herbs that increase your ability to adapt (hence the name), which is much of what your adrenal glands do as well. I always say that adaptogens don’t push up or down—they push towards normal. Two of the best adaptogens for adrenal function are ashwagandha and rhodiola.

  • Ashwagandha

    ​Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) is well known in Ayurveda, where it has been considered a potent medicine for a wide variety of problems.

    Modern science has borne out these traditional claims and has found that, among other things, ashwagandha modulates the production of cortisol.

    In a study of a specialized ashwagandha called KSM-66 found that after 2 months of use, physical symptoms of stress decreased by 76%, insomnia decreased 69%, and depressive symptoms decreased by 79%.

  • Rhodiola

    Rhodiola (Rhodiola rosea) is equally beneficial for supporting healthy energy, stamina, and adrenal activity.

    Early studies found that this herb can increase production of norepinephrine in the brain, which enhances focus and mood. Other studies support its ability to improve mood and a sense of well-being.

    Note

    Not all rhodiola has the same activity. It is important to look for standardizations to the key compounds, which should be more than 5% rosavins and more than 1.8% salidrosides.

  • Licorice

    There have been some concerns with licorice raising blood pressure, but the dose for that would be measured in grams.

    The issue was discovered amongst people in Europe who loved licorice candy and ate quite a bit on a daily basis. Licorice is used in European licorice, but most of what we call licorice in the US is flavored with anise instead. Some folks saw an increase in their blood pressure.

    Lower dosages are not problematic.

    Note

    There is a form of licorice used to help heal stomach ulcers called deglycyrrhizinated licorice (DGL). This form of licorice will not raise blood pressure, but it will not help your adrenal function, either.

    So use DGL if you have stomach issues, but not for adrenal hormone support.

• Vitamin Support

  Some of the best nutrients available for energy, stamina, and healthy adrenal function are the B-vitamin family. However, like all families, some members are a bit more active than others.

  The usual form of B12, for example, is called cyanocobalamin. The body has to turn it into the bioactive form (the form your body can use) called methylcobalamin.

  Many people are not efficient at this conversion, and do not thrive when using ordinary B12. The same is true for vitamin B6 (pyridoxine vs pyridoxl-5-phosphate) and folic acid vs. folate or methylfolate.

  These B-vitamins are used for the creation of certain adrenal hormones in addition to having independent functionality.

  Therefore, if using B-vitamins, I always recommend using the bioactive Bs, because you are assured that it will promote your health.

A Long and Happy Life

Taking care of your adrenal glands is important to both your physical and psychological health.

You will be amazed at the difference in your energy, stamina, and outlook on life with healthier adrenal function.

Pain is defined as a noxious stimulus, and noxious indeed it is.

While most of us do not like pain, it does serve a purpose.

What is Pain?

Pain is an incredibly unpleasant experience designed by our body to warn us of injury or illness.

• Break your leg? Pain will most certainly tell you not to walk on it.
• Tooth abscess? Pain will most certainly tell you to pull the tooth—anything to make the pain go away.

However, pain is an important signal to let you know something has gone wrong and needs attention, which can be life-saving. So much as we may hate it, it is a necessary part of our health and longevity.

It is important to understand what the body is asking for so that the best steps can be taken to address the problem and (hopefully) the pain as well.

Chronic Pain

Chronic pain does not resolve easily.

It diminishes mood and energy, and drastically alters quality of life.

A few of the causes of chronic pain are:

• damage to the spinal vertebrae
• trigeminal neuralgia
• rheumatoid arthritis
• fibromyalgia

Methods of Pain Relief

Now that pain has our attention, we can deal with the underlying cause.

But what do we do in the meantime, until the injury is healed or the illness cured?

• Historical Treatments

  Humans have sought effective pain relief since prehistory.

  Various medicines and methodologies have gone in and out of vogue, some based on early science and some mystic in nature.

  • Physical Methods

    One of the ones I find most interesting (if gruesome!) is trepanning, in which practitioners more than 1,000 years ago drilled holes in the skull to release the demons responsible for headaches, epilepsy, and mental illness.

    Stings from electric fish were used in ancient Egypt to cure painful joints and headaches.

  • Herbal Remedies

    Plants have always been a part of the medicines developed to relieve pain.

    Cocaine from coca leaves is a very effective topical pain reliever, and opium from poppies yields morphine.

    However, though these botanicals numb the pain, they do not address the underlying cause of the pain, which most often is inflammation.

• Pharmaceutical Risks

  The reason people keep buying them is because they reduce pain, but at what cost?

  • Over-The-Counter Drugs

    You might be shocked to learn that:

    • more than 16,500 people a year die from the complications of using ibuprofen
    • the number one cause of acute liver failure in the United States is acetaminophen.

    Be Careful with NSAIDs

    NSAIDS are "nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs."

    Some drugs in this class are:

    • aspirin
    • naproxen sodium
    • celecoxib
    • ibuprofen

    The problems with these drugs is their side effects, which include:

    • stomach ulcers
    • intestinal ulcers
    • gastrointestinal bleeding
    • reduced kidney function
    • high blood pressure
    • increased risk of:
      • heart attack
      • stroke

  • Prescription Drugs

    The opiate epidemic of narcotic pain relievers is incredibly damaging and shows little sign of abating.

    How many lives are damaged and lost because of opioid addiction?

  As if these consequences weren’t enough, there is also another glaring problem: these drugs do nothing to treat the underlying cause of the pain.

  They do not heal, or treat, or cure.

Natural Remedies for Pain

Fortunately, there are powerful natural compounds that can make a measurable difference, and two of the best are curcumin and boswellia.

• Curcumin for Pain and Inflammation

  Curcumin is a concentrated extract of the spice turmeric. For relieving most types of pain, addressing inflammation is key, and curcumin may be the most effective natural anti-inflammatory in the world.

  Rather than mask the pain signal, or drive down inflammation artificially, curcumin actually modulates inflammation, and reduces pain with relatively little risk. It also does what these drugs cannot do: it boosts the healing of the underlying cause of pain.

  Turmeric contains only 2 to 5% curcumin, so in order to be effective, it needs to be extracted and concentrated. Curcumin has been found effective in published human studies, called clinical studies, on arthritis, autoimmune diseases, skin conditions, cancer, diabetes, and depression.

  In several of these studies, curcumin is able to equal or even outperform a class of drugs commonly used called nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Some drugs in this class are aspirin, naproxen sodium, celecoxib, and ibuprofen. The problems with these drugs is their side effects, which include stomach or intestinal ulcers, gastrointestinal bleeding, reduced kidney function, high blood pressure, and a significantly increased risk of heart attack and stroke.

  Curcumin has been shown to effectively relieve pain by modulating every single type of inflammatory pathway in the body. I consider it the most valuable player (MVP) on the pain-relieving team.

  Fortunately, curcumin has side benefits instead of serious side effects. Some side benefits of curcumin (to name only a few) are helping to prevent heart disease and diabetes. Since curcumin doesn’t absorb very well, enhancing absorption, turmeric essential oils can make a real difference in your degree of pain relief. It has also been found that turmeric essential oil itself has some great anti-inflammatory activity.

  Advanced Absorbtion

  Unfortunately, curcumin is hard to absorb. There is a patented, clinically studied enhanced absorption curcumin that uses turmeric essential oil, rich in ar-turmerone. It has been shown to reduce both pain and inflammation in both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, performing as well as drugs. There are also other formulas with enhanced absorption.

• Boswellia for Pain Relief

  The perfect companion to curcumin is the ancient herb, boswellia, sometimes known as frankincense.

  Boswellia is an amazing plant that contains a family of compounds called boswellic acids that address 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX), a specific type of enzyme that plays a crucial role in mediating inflammation via a unique pathway. No over-the-counter drug, and almost no prescription drugs, can reduce this type of inflammation. This pathway is active in asthma, inflammatory bowel conditions, gout, and joint pain. While curcumin is the MVP because it modulates all the pathways, boswellia is a special teams player that always delivers.

  By combining boswellia’s activity with curcumin and turmeric essential oil, even higher levels of pain relief can be achieved. Two clinical studies, both on osteoarthritis pain, have shown the combination to provide high levels of benefits, and one study showed the two used together is more powerful than curcumin alone for pain.

  In fact, the combination of curcumin, turmeric essential oil, and a standardized high-AKBA boswellia was shown to stop arthritis pain as effectively as the prescription drug celecoxib, with better reductions in pain and greater increases in walking distances. And unlike celecoxib, known for adverse effects that include increased risk of heart attack and stroke, the herbal group saw no serious side effects at all and was very well tolerated

  Check Standardization

  It is important to check the standardization of boswellia. The most powerful boswellic acid is called AKBA, and unstandardized boswellia can have as little as 1%. For clinical benefits, a minimum of 10% is important. Also, boswellia contains a boswellic acid (BBA) that is pro-inflammatory, so purification to greatly reduce this troublesome compound also yields a more powerful extract.

• Relieve Pain with Hemp Oil & Phytocannabinoids

  There has been a lot of focus on one compound found in hemp oil, cannabidiol, known better by its shorthand name of CBD. Though CBD has studies, more recent research has found that CBD on its own is not nearly as powerful as the full spectrum of phytocannabinoids in hemp. In fact, CBD has over 100 distinct brothers and sisters in this family that can provide even greater levels of benefits.

  It’s important to look for full-spectrum hemp oil. Several published studies have shown great benefits for many types of pain utilizing the phytocannabinoids in hemp oil. For the cleanest source, European oil grown on land that is Ecocert certified is stellar.

Herbal Combinations for Better Pain Relief

While all these interventions on their own are very useful, for serious pain relief, the combination is best.

Pairing a clinically studied, powerful curcumin- and boswellia-based product with a premium European hemp oil addresses pain in two ways: reducing inflammation and activating the endocannabinoid system.

These products are fine on their own, but even better together, and can relieve pain while addressing the underlying problem that is causing the pain in the first place.

While I like the combination of curcumin and boswellia as the foundation for pain relief, there are many supplements that approach pain from various perspectives, including:

• hemp oil
• white willow extract
• dl-phenylalanine (DLPA)
• devil’s claw
• kava

You may need to add supplements or ingredients to your protocol to fine tune it to more exactly fit your needs.