GrandmaBetsyBell

Insomnia

Posted on July 12, 2014

Insomnia most common sleep disorder, by Dr. Walt Larimore

( Less Than 25% of Valerian Herbal Sleep Supplements Pass Tests For Quality … selected by ConsumerLab.com for review, only TWO passed testing. … 1 per day); Shaklee® Gentle Sleep Complex (3 tablets, 3 per day) …)

If you find yourself tossing and turning most nights, unable to fall asleep, you’re in good company.

Insomnia, which is twice as common in women as in men, affects 6% to 10% of adults. It’s the most common sleep disorder, yet often goes undiagnosed and untreated, according to a new report.

On its website, ABC News reported, “Insomnia is the most common sleep disorder, according to an article published in the journal Lancet. But it often goes unrecognized and untreated.”

The consequences can be much more serious than daytime sleepiness. Research has linked insomnia to high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, diabetes, and other ailments.

In fact, individuals “with insomnia were five times as likely to develop depression or anxiety and more than twice as likely to have congestive heart failure, according to a US National Health Interview Survey in 2002.”

What you eat and drink can have a big impact on your ability to fall or stay asleep. Many foods can make you feel drowsy, while others can cause trouble sleeping.

The National Sleep Foundation mentions these examples of foods and beverages that can affect your sleep:

Carbohydrate-laden foods make it easier for a sleep-inducing amino acid called tryptophan to reach the brain. Tryptophan is found in many protein rich-foods. So combining proteins and carbs makes for good pre-bedtime snacks. Examples include milk and cereal, cheese and crackers or peanut butter and toast.
Eating a big meal also can trigger sleepiness, particularly when it’s heavy in carbohydrates.
Caffeine in the late afternoon or before bedtime can inhibit drowsiness, but can lead to trouble sleeping.
Energy drinks may temporarily boost energy levels, but they often cause a crash and ultimately can lead to drowsiness.
Alcohol can cause disruptions in sleep and inhibit entering the deep stages of sleep.

WebMD (1/20, Rubin) also reports the story.

Resources

Stress Relief

Posted on July 12, 2014

Stress Relief Complex 12.01.2012 (Thanks to the Star achievers team)

When life is full and activities threaten to overwhelm, we can relax the mind & body the natural Shaklee way.

Try the natural approach to stress management. Stress Relief Complex utilizes a unique combination of natural in gredients to help you relax without causing drowsiness. In asl ittle as 30 minutes, Stress Relief Complex will provide quick relief from every day tension, while promoting alertness.

Did you know that nearly half of all Americans between the ages of 18 and 49 experience every day stress? The health impact of prolonged stress can be huge! The Centers for Disease Control estimates that 75-90% of trips to the doctor’s office are stress related.

Some people try to relieve tension with behaviors―such as drinking, smoking, or over-eating. These behaviors actually increase stress and present their own health risks.

More than a third of Americans have tried to alleviate stress with supplements, especially the herbal supplement kava. But kava can produce unwanted drowsiness, and (FDA) advised consumers of the potential risk of severe liver injury associated with the use of kava-containing dietary supplements.

STRESS RELIEF COMPLEX: offers nutritional support to help you quickly relax and stay calm without drowsiness. Contains a unique blend of natural ingredients that provide quick relief from tension while promoting alertness.

Promotes relaxation without drowsiness: L-Theanine, a naturally occurring amino acid found in green tea, facilitates the generation of alpha waves that are associated with a relaxed yet alert mental state. Now here’s how it works!

Enhances the body’s ability to adapt to continuing stress. Ashwagandha, an Ayurvedic herb traditionally used to enhance the body’s ability to adapt to stress.

Helps you avoid the effects of stress on long-term health by blunting the cortisol response to stress. Beta-Sitosterol, a natural plant sterol, helps to blunt the response of cortisol, a hormone produced during physical stress. Chronically high cortisol levels have a negative association with good long-term health.

Helps make norepinephrine, which is involved in mood regulation. L-tyrosine is an aminoacid used by the body to make the neurotransmitter norepinephrine. Studies suggest that norepinephrine levels may decline with stress.

SCIENTIFIC SUPPORT FOR THE INGREDIENTS IN STRESS RELIEF COMPLEX

Thorough testing on every ingredient for purity, potency, and performance, and there are several additional qualities that make Stress Relief Complex superior to the competition.

L- Theanine in one study with young women appeared to produce a relaxed and alert state by having the greatest impact on the intensity of alpha waves among the women categorized as high-anxiety responders.

Ashwagandha (With aniasomnifera)–Laboratory studies and centuries of safe use, have demonstrated ashwagandha’s adaptogenic properties, including its ability to enhance performance during stress.

Beta-Sitosterol–A recent study suggested that Beta-Sitosterol had a positive effect on immune function in marathon runners, in addition to blunting the subjects’ cortisol levels.

L-Tyrosine–In a number of human studies, fairly high intakes of the aminoacid L-Tyrosine were found to lessen the impact of environmental stressors such as extreme cold, loud noises, or sleep deprivation on the performance of subjects. Environmental conditions often lead to stress or anxiety.

WHYCHOOSE SHAKLEE STRESS RELIEFCOMPLEX?

Unique approach to help you quickly relax; enhances your body’s ability to adapt to stress while promoting long-term health.
Unique blend of premium ingredients that support a calm, relaxed state without drowsiness during times of everyday stress, while promoting alertness.
Relaxation, alertness, better concentration and relief from tension experienced by users.
Proven safety with clinically studied and traditionally used ingredients.(Doesnotcontain kava kava)
Combines thebestof natureand science. 100% Shaklee Guaranteed.**

HOW SHOULD STRESS RELIEF COMPLEX BE USED?

One caplet daily during periods of stress. Some individuals may wish to take two caplets on occasion. Can be used as part of a stress-management program that includes a healthy diet, regular exercise, and good social support. If pregnant or nursing, consult a health professional. To order use:ItemCode #20656

Summary: StressReliefComplex helps relax the body and mind and promotes alertness while enhancing the body’s ability to adapt to stress. This blend of natural ingredients also helps blunt cortisol, a hormone produced during stress that affects long-term health.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Holy kitchen

Posted on July 11, 2014

Gentle Reader,

I opened the quarterly Earth Letter from Earth Ministry to read the lead article, “The Work at Hand”. It’s about making a holy kitchen. Let me explain. The author’s name, Carol Flinders, did not ring a bell until I came across a reference to “all the things we said in Laurel’s Kitchen” and I was flooded with emotional memories. In 1973, it had been a couple years since I was diagnosed with breast cancer, had the mastectomy and continued merrily on my way. I deftly covered up the deep dread about a recurrence of cancer. I was 36 years old.

What are the odds we can change their diet easily?

With four little girls to feed and a diet of Fruit Loops, Velveeta cheese, Chitos and Oreo cookies, day old Wonder bread and ice cream to consider, I slowly explored the possible dietary contributions to developing cancer. Laurel’s Kitchen fell into my lap. I remember tearfully reading Carol’s introduction. I was just like her in my innocent acceptance of advertised foods, packaged cake mixes, a meat heavy diet and cutting costs on everything. Our milk came from powder. I secretly ate whole packages of day old sugar donuts on the way home from the grocery store.

The dietary changes seemed necessary if I was going to prevent future cancers. They came slowly and the children didn’t like them. They traded my homemade brick-bread sandwiches for their classmates’ Wonder bread when they could. Vacations at my mother’s began with filling the cart with sugared cereals and steak.

I had no idea how to get enough protein into my body before I met Laurel, and ended up in the doctor’s office so anemic, they ran blood tests to see if the cancer had metastasized into the blood.

Gradually my entire life style changed to include fresh foods, far less meat, and more exercise. I didn’t enjoy good health, free from frequent colds, however, until I added supplements made by Shaklee. That was when I met my own Laurel, Jayme Curley, who introduced me to a peaceful life style and good food as well as foundational supplementation to fill in the gaps and bring me up to a high level of wellness.

Today we are surrounded by the Laurel’s kitchen choices in our high-end health food grocery stores. A small percentage of the population has made a shift in their relationship to food. But what about everyone else who hasn’t responded to something that leads them to make these dietary discoveries? In her Earth Letter article, Carol calls us to be pioneers, people who choose a different kind of life.

She encourages us into the kitchen preparing a balanced appetizing meal with unprocessed foods, even when it takes a chuck of our day. She quotes a friend, “I don’t know, really, what changed. I just know that one evening I walked in there grim as usual, determined to get it over with, and instead I found myself relaxing—accepting that I was there and willing to do it as well as I possibly could. And even since then, it’s been completely different.” It’s recognition that what goes on in the kitchen is holy making it a holy kitchen.

She ends her article: “Perhaps, though, the real point is not so much to find the holy places as to make them. Do we not hallow places by our very commitment to them? When we turn our home into a place that nourishes and heals and contents, we are meeting directly all the hungers that a consumer society exacerbates but never satisfies…that home becomes a genuine counterforce to the corporate powers-that-be, asserting the priority of a very different kind of power.”

My own take away is that we are not striving for “being good” and avoiding the guilt of “I ate badly today.” We are embracing nourishing others and ourselves from a deep place of gladness. Perhaps being pioneers means showing the way to others.

Peacefully preparing good food day in and day out has not been easy for me. I am part of the “hurry-up and get stuff done” life we all inhabit. Years after the cancer, when my daughters were all away at college or beyond, one sent me a beautiful hand painted card with a sunset over a meadow and these words “The slower you go/the more you get done.” I wrote a little poem in gratitude.

Mom Says

The slower you go

the more you get done.

The note writ large comes in a card

from one of several daughters

grown up and gone away

I stare at the words on paper

and remember days of kneading bread

the phone in one ear

a child in the other

lists, meetings, clamor, time

ticking, running

running late

I learned then to pay attention

show up to the bread

to the friend

to the child

one thing at a time

I must have repeated

slow down

for all my daughters

for myself

stop doing three things at once

make chopping onions

a zen practice

She sent my words back to me.

I need them again.

Be well, Do well and Keep Moving.

Betsy

Please, leave your comments.

Arthritis, Be Well health tips, Health and Fitness, Keep Moving: Managing Arthritis

control arthritis pain

Posted on July 3, 2014

Gentle Reader,

I am back from a glorious trip to the East Coast for a college reunion, then to England to visit friends and do a long walk through Yorkshire and Westmorland. You can read about these meanderings at www.EmpoweredGrandma.net.

More and more people my age (I’ll turn 77 in three weeks), give up adventures like this one because of arthritis pain. I have serious arthritis in my knees, hips and back, but manage to continue this type of physical challenge. Others my age keep going at tennis, hiking, walking and biking. How do we control arthritis pain so the activity we love is not torture, but rather, pleasurable?

Build strong muscles to carry your joints. You can do exercises that work all the major muscle groups of the body (e.g., legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders, and arms), and work them without stressing your joints. With a trainer’s help, you can use the machines in a gym to accomplish this. I am working the a trainer at a place called Xgym in West Seattle. PJ Glassy has two other Xgym facilities in the Seattle area. Go to his web site to check it out. In 21 minutes two times a week I have gained more muscle strength than in any other program and it costs about half as much. Find a way to build muscle and the creaky joints will love the support.

“Build strong muscles,” was what my neurologist told me 24 years ago when I first injured my back. The Xgym process has done this better than anything I tried in the intervening years.

Do Stairs to build stamina and strength. If you are a woman, you want to include more “grape vine” stair climbing than straight up and down. We women have wider hips and the pressure on our knees causes uneven stress on the joint.

Do the grape vine step up and down stairs to strengthen the knees

By facing up or down the stair case side-ways, with a shoulder leading and not the nose, the muscles on the inside and outside of the knees do more of the work and the stress on the knee cap is minimized.

Balancing activities help overcome the unsteadiness that joint pain can cause. Tai Chi, yoga, Zumba and other group exercise dance are helpful. Stand on one leg and lift the other knee and hold for as long as you can. Walk backwards; side step with the grape vine step on the flat; do heel-toe walking. These all improve balance.

Resistance Exercise Helps Knee Osteoarthritis
Resistance exercise is any exercise where muscles contract against an external resistance which can come from dumbbells, weight machines, elastic tubing or bands, soup cans, your own body weight, or any other object that forces your muscles to contract. This will strengthen muscle groups around affected joints, stabilize and protect affected joints, and improve mechanics of the joints to reduce stress on the joints.

walk sideways with band around your legs above the knee

I like to take a Theraband and tie it around my legs just above the knees, and walk sideways around the living room and down the hall in a slight squat position, keeping the pelvic floor facing down. No tilting the back forward. For more information, check out http://www.arthritis.com/arthritis_exercises.

Pain is inevitable, so how do you manage it? Many of my hiking friends take an Aleve or other pain killer before the hike. I do not like taking over the counter drugs or prescription medication for pain if I can help it. So far, the Shaklee Pain Relief Complex has worked sufficiently to keep the pain from becoming unbearable. I find that slow walking in a, museum or chatting while slowing down to observe birds, flowers or talk to a farmer or other hiker, or pausing to window shop is the worse thing for my pain. If I keep going, I experience less pain. If I stop or slow down, the pain comes on with a vengeance. Is it the endorphins from movement? Is it the distraction from making the effort? I don’t know, but it is true for me that stopping or slowing down is worse. Now give me a wall or bench to sit on and I am happy to stop. One Aleve can probably take most arthritic people who hike or play tennis through the day. I put 5 – 6 Pain Relief Complex in my pocket and take one at a time at half hour intervals until the pain is lessened. What I know for certain is that moving makes me happy and forget about chronic pain.

I choose Pain Relief Complex because it is a combination of herbs that create a natural Cox 3 and 5 LOX inhibitor with no bad side effects on the stomach. Please check out my resource page for further information and click here if you are interested in trying this natural remedy for chronic pain.

Let us know your strategy for dealing with chronic pain when you are doing the activity you love and just refuse to quit.

Be well, do well and keep moving.

Betsy

Arthritis, Be Well health tips, Health and Fitness, Keep Moving: Managing Arthritis

Anti-aging

Posted on June 13, 2014

Gentle Reader,

So much determines well-being: good friends, love and happiness, nourishing food, a sense of spiritual fulfillment, a personal sense of purpose and meaning, deep restorative rest are at the top of the list. When these ingredients are present over a person’s life, they seem to have an anti-aging effect. Scientists and explorers have searched the world over for ways to slow down aging. The story behind Shaklee’s Anti-aging product, Vivix, is one story of this search.

The Vivix Story

My thanks to Dr. Steven Chaney for this story.

In 2006, Harvard scientist Dr. David Sinclair published research in the highly respected journal Nature that shocked the scientific world. His published research findings showed that a simple molecule found in red wine could switch on our anti-aging gene (Sirt 1) and slow the aging process — on purpose.

This does not mean, of course, that we can live forever. But it does mean that science now has an answer for how we age, and what we can do to slow it down.

Of course, researchers had long understood that severe calorie restriction could slow the aging process, but there was little hope that we could find a way to get the same result without subjecting ourselves to a starvation diet.

You may have seen Dr. Sinclair on 60 Minutes, 20/20 with Barbara Walters, or on PBS with Charlie Rose. You may have learned about this remarkable breakthrough in leading magazines and major newspapers from around the world. It’s big news.

Here’s the story…

To put this discovery into context, let’s turn the clock back to 1991.

Famed French alcohol researcher, Dr. Serge Renault, in a segment on 60 Minutes, (The French Paradox) reported that people in France (on a diet loaded with sugars, fats, creams, and more creams) had 42% less heart disease, and live longer than we do in the U.S.

How could that be?

It’s no secret—the French drink lots and lots of red wine, and Dr. Renault had come to believe that something in red wine fights the negative effect of fatty foods… but he wasn’t sure. Some theorized it was the alcohol. Others were sure it was the antioxidant power of red wine. They were all partially right—but they were missing the most miraculous molecule of all.

Good News Travels Slowly

Years have gone by but we now have irrefutable scientific proof that a simple molecule found in red wine has almost magical healing and anti-aging powers.

When Dr. Sinclair published his research, FORTUNE called it, “Perhaps the greatest discovery since antibiotics.” He had successfully isolated the gene that slows aging… Sirtuin.

The Breakthrough

Dr. Sinclair and his team at Harvard Medical School, tested more than 20,000 natural molecules one by one before he accidentally discovered what he calls the closet thing to a miracle molecule you can find. To his dismay, the molecule that switches on the longevity gene is called resveratrol.

Using resveratrol, Dr. Sinclair found that he could extend the life of yeastat will. This amazing news drew only mild applause from research scientist. After all, this was yeast.

Moving up to higher life-forms, he fed resveratrol to fruit flies. Bingo! It worked again. The applause grew louder and the research more intense.

Other scientists working to prove Dr. Sinclair’s findings has the same success with fish. Extending their life 70%.

Scientists are a tough lot to impress. Even with all this success, they wouldn’t get too worked up unless he succeeded in extending the life of mice.

That’s because mice have essentially the same gene that you and I have. As Dr. Sinclair explained to Charlie Rose—”We are essentially upright mice.”

Finally, the mice studies begin

And in what can only be described as a modern day miracle— mice on a high fat diet plus resveratrol—not only lived up to 30% longer—they turned into mini-olympians.

They never gained weight, and they doubled endurance. They could run twice as far as mice that were not given resveratrol—and here’s the best part… not one of them developed any of the diseases of aging. No heart disease, no cancer, no diabetes, and no strokes.

Resveratrol—the gold rush begins…

Dr. Sinclair had become the first person in history to successfully extend life on purpose. He was instantly, in scientific circles at least, an international celebrity.

His published research proving the merits of resveratrol in life extension has triggered an avalanche of scientific study around the world.

Billions of dollars are being invest by in private labs, universities, and public health agencies like the National Institutes of Health, the National Cancer Institute, the National Institute on Aging, and the United States Department of Agriculture.

It’s safe to say that resveratrol and related polyphenols have become the most widely researched natural molecules in the history of man.

Resveratrol is being shown to have a positive impact on a surprisingly large number of health issues that affect how long and how well we live. But don’t take my word for it…

See the proof for yourself. To discover the miraculous life-saving secrets of resveratrol with just the click of a mouse, (pardon the pun) go to the U.S. Government web site, PubMed.

There you will find at least 2,636 scientific papers referencing resveratrol from the greatest scientific minds of our time.

The Payoff

Because resveratrol has been proven in labs around the world to slow aging—it is a marketers dream. Within weeks after Dr. Sinclair appeared on 20/20, you could find literally hundreds of me-too resveratrol products in health food stores, and on the internet.

If you’re taking any of these products, you may be wasting your money. Even worse, the anti-aging benefits you were hoping for may not be there. Why?

Because research shows these products contain little if any resveratrol, and many even contained sis-resveratrol—a lesser form of resveratrol proven to have no health benefit at all. In other words, most are little more than marketing scams.

Who can you trust?

Shaklee Corporation has been America’s number one natural nutrition company and a true champion of pure, natural supplements for over half a century.

If it was possible to create a natural resveratrol supplement capable of getting the results Dr. Sinclair was having in his lab—Shaklee was the one company that could pull it off.

Chief scientist, Dr. Carsten Smidt took a close look at Dr. Sinclair’s research. He and his team took a look at all of the leading, so-called resveratrol products on the market and decided—you deserve better.

With the green light and a blank check from our CEO, Roger Barnett, Dr. Smidt assembled a team of more than 30 brilliant scientists with the singular goal of bringing to market, the most potent anti-aging product ever created.

Shaklee science advances Dr. Sinclair’s research

In the early stages, Dr. Smidt and his team worked with Dr. Sinclair’s team from Harvard. As the research moved forward, Dr. Smidt became convinced they could actually advance Dr. Sinclair’s science and create a product even more powerful than resveratrol.

After more almost three years of research—millions invested—and collaboration with the University of Georgia—Shaklee science has even succeeded in creating the first ever totally natural tonic that works at the cellular level to block the mechanisms of aging. It’s called Vivix Cellular Anti-aging Tonic.

My own interest in Vivix concerns the arthritis in my joints. It seems to be helping slow down the advancement of arthritis symptoms and may even have contributed to the reversal of some spinal stenosis. My hope for you is that this information makes enough sense to you to inspire you to give Vivix a try for 3 to 6 months. Perhaps you will have similar results.

Be well, Do well and Keep Moving,

Betsy

To follow my hike in England along Lady Anne’s Way, tune in to www.EmpoweredGrandma.net.

Arthritis, Be Well health tips

resveratrol for joints

Posted on June 6, 2014

Gentle Reader,

There is so much I could share about this past weekend at my alma mater, Bryn Mawr College, just outside Philadelphia on the MainLine. In keeping with the goal of this blog, I will single out arthritic joint issues and focus on possible remedies for joint pain.

Twenty-nine of my classmates came to celebrate our 55th reunion. Everyone looked great: not too many wrinkles, lovely hair, sparkling eyes. But when it came time to walk up a few stairs, joints fail and pain ensues. The cart is called to drive people where they need to go. I’m wondering if the anti-aging product I’ve been taking for ten years has helped my joints so the same is not true for me.

Have you heard about Resveratrol? It is the anti-oxidant found in red wine. Shaklee started working on producing a pure tonic that combines the resveratrol and polyphenols found in the muscadine grade about ten years ago. I have been taking my daily dose of this delicious liquid called Vivix since they made it available for sale.

There is no question that my body, like my class mates, suffers from the aging deterioration of cells that is normal for a 77 year old. It appears we do not all age in the same way or at the same rate. I have had severe osteo arthritis and spinal stenosis for years, probably brought about by factors such as stress, poor diet, and environmental toxins. I’ve worked hard on the diet part, but you cannot always eat perfectly, now can you. These factors can weaken cells’ natural defenses, lower cell energy, damage DNA, and decrease cell performance. All of these can contribute to cellular aging.

Clinical Studies show Vivix® ingredients positively impact four key mechanisms of aging at the cellular level.

Shaklee scientists conducted a study to see if Vivix could defend against cell damage.

Cell Defense

Blunts Biological Stress
A clinical study published in The Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism showed that key ingredients in Vivix blocked a key marker of biological stress response after the consumption of a high-fat fast food breakfast totaling 930 calories.

The results were exciting, while the study had nothing to do with joints, it showed that Vivix protected cells from damage. My joints were damaged long before Vivix came along. Perhaps protection is less important than repair. Let’s see what happened with repair.

Cell Repair

DNA Protection & Repair
Laboratory studies show that key Vivix ingredients help protect against DNA damage, supporting DNA replication for healthy cell function.

Shown in laboratory studies, Vivix protects and repairs DNA, which is assaulted millions of times every day. These assaults can damage the cell’s DNA, creating a “typo” that may compromise cell function and longevity.

A recent visit with my sports medicine doctor revealed a smaller than average spinal passageway for the cord to pass through. Like my father before me, my spinal cord has little wiggle room. That is the result of inherited DNA. The data suggest that DNA can be repaired by resveratrol. I am convinced that my joint health has improved instead of worsened over the last ten years. The recent MRI indicated improvement.

Could it be that resveratrol reduces joint pain? This is certainly my experience.

To learn more about Vivix and the ingredients, studies and results, click here.

Vivix is expensive. It may be worth it if you want to slow down aging at the cellular level. It certainly seems to help with joint pain and there are only side benefits from drinking a swig from the bottle every day. I would give the body 90 to 180 days before deciding Vivix has made no difference in your joint function. It is possible you will feel a positive difference much sooner. Your blood is all new in 90 days and the joints, because of lower blood flow, will take double that to show results.

There are other resveratrol products on the market, but none have the muscadine grape’s extra anti-oxidants which seems to enhance the punch provided by resveratrol. In addition, purity of product makes a difference and Shaklee scientists have been able to produce a 95% pure tonic. Less purity may result in loose bowels. Get some and see what your results are.

Good luck and keep moving, as moving is always the best single antidote to painful joints.

Be well, Do well and Keep moving,

Betsy

206 406 5940

Arthritis, Be Well health tips, Keep Moving: Managing Arthritis

anti-inflammatory plants

Posted on May 30, 2014

Gentle Reader,

If you hesitate to take aspirin or other over the counter drugs for arthritis pain, you may be interested in anti-inflamatory plants as an alternatives Two plants have been used in the East for centuries. Their properties have been annalized and verified by Western medicine. Their potency has been standardized by a few companies and you can now take advantage of the age old usage to treat your own painful arthritis symptoms.

Boswellia serrata

Extracts of Boswellia serrata have been clinically studied for osteoarthritis and joint function, particularly for osteoarthritis of the knee. Positive effects of Boswellia in some chronic inflammatory diseases including rheumatoid arthritis, bronchial asthma, osteoarthritis, ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease have been reported. A Boswellia extract marketed under the name Wokvel has undergone human efficacy, comparative, pharmacokinetic studies. Some see Boswellia serrata as a promising alternative to NSAIDs, warranting further investigation in pharmacological studies and clinical trials.^{(from Wikipedia)}

Boswellia is a tree found in India known for its gum resin which has many pharmacological uses, particularly as an anti-inflammatory. It’s also known as Indian frankincense, salai guggal, and boswellin. Its proper botanic name is boswellia serrata.

As a side note, the Biblical incense frankincense was probably an extract from the resin of the tree, boswellia sacra.

Boswellia has been used for thousands of years to treat many types of conditions. Recent research has determined many of the conditions were caused by inflammation.

Safflower flower

Safflower is a highly-branched annual thistle-like herb that grows to a height of 3 feet producing yellow or reddish flowers. Each branch will usually have several flower heads containing 15-20 seeds per head. The dried flowers of the plant and its seeds are used commercially.

Traditionally, safflowers were grown for their seeds and used for coloring foods and making red and yellow dyes. Its flowers can be used alone or in formulas. They can be prepared as dried powder, tinctures, or decoctions (extracts).

The oil from the seed has been used externally in therapeutic massage and as a natural alternative to mineral oil for use on babies. It’s also beneficial in applications for bruises, sprains and arthritis pain

Safflower is source of several flavonoids

More recently, the plant has been identified as the source of several flavonoids with strong antioxidant compounds.

Flavonoids are any of a group of oxygen-containing aromatic antioxidant compounds that includes many common pigments that help to lower inflammation as well as counteract the damaging effects of oxidation on body tissues.

The well-known antioxidant, guercetin, is one of the flavonoids found in safflower. Quercetin has many health benefits among which it can help reduce the inflammation that results from bursitis, gout, and arthritis.

Side effects

The safflower flower is often used in conjunction with herbs with no reported interactions. There are also no reported interactions of the extract or oil with standard pharmaceuticals.

Its use in dissolving clots, however, suggests that it should not be taken with blood-thinning treatments.

Safflower and boswellia combination effective for joint discomfort

Every day, many of us push ourselves to the limit both occupationally and recreationally. In the end, our bodies, and especially our joints, pay the price. Pain is the common symptom. It’s the body’s natural warning system and it deserves a natural response.

Safflower extract and boswellia extract are proven effective and safe for relief of arthritis pain, joint discomfort, and restricted knee flexion.

When combined in a natural product that contains a patent-pending blend of both extracts. it provides long-term relief within just a few weeks and is especially helpful for relieving chronic pain. Continued use of this natural product keeps pain away or markedly reduces pain daily. [thanks to Marty Saffell] Thanks to the anti-inflammatory plants Safflower and boswellia combination, so effective for joint discomfort

A web search for other herbs that are helpful with joint pain produced this anti-inflammatory triad:

Turmeric, ginger and bromelain work as effective anti-inflammatory agents. Each works to relieve pain, stiffness and swelling. In combination, they provide a powerhouse of natural medicine. The three substances are synergistic to one another, each boosting the other’s effectiveness… You can google products containing the three herbs together. I know of no clinical trials to substantiate these claims, nor can I vouch for standardization or purity of the herbs used.

Personally, I have been using the products Shaklee makes with Boswellia serrata and safflower flower extract for a number of years to manage my arthritis pain. I can recommend Pain Relief Complex without reservation. These Cox 2 and 5 Lox pain path inhibitors do no damage to the stomach, can be taken multiple times daily with no side effects whatsoever. It is a great relief to me to find an arthritis pain reliever that does not have any damaging side effects as I took a great deal of aspirin for years to try to kill the pain in my knees from early onset arthritis. I have no knee pain today. It is wonderful to have anti-inflammatory herbs to take.

Fondly,

Be Well, Do Well, Keep Moving

Betsy

Injured at 52. Diagnosed and sentenced to a wheel chair at 55. Hiking, skiing, dancing and walking at 77. Read my story.

206 933 1889 betsy@HiHoHealth.com www.GrandmaBetsyBell.com shopping ? www.hihohealth.com

Resources

Alternative pain relief

Posted on May 28, 2014

Plants for Alternative Pain Relief

Boswellia serrata

As a side note, the Biblical incense frankincense was probably an extract from the resin of the tree, boswellia sacra.

Boswellia has been used for thousands of years to treat many types of conditions. Recent research has determined many of the conditions were caused by inflammation.

Safflower flower

Safflower is source of several flavonoids

More recently, the plant has been identified as the source of several flavonoids with strong antioxidant compounds.

Side effects

The safflower flower is often used in conjunction with herbs with no reported interactions. There are also no reported interactions of the extract or oil with standard pharmaceuticals.

Its use in dissolving clots, however, suggests that it should not be taken with blood-thinning treatments.

Safflower and boswellia combination effective for joint discomfort

Safflower extract and boswellia extract are proven effective and safe for relief of arthritis pain, joint discomfort, and restricted knee flexion.

A web search for other herbs that are helpful with joint pain produced this anti-inflammatory triad:

Arthritis, Be Well health tips

Tai-chi for fibromyalgia

Posted on May 24, 2014

Gentle Reader

Tai-Chi for Fibromyalgia: Should You Try It?

If you have fibromyalgia and experience musculoskeletal pain, poor sleep quality and depression, you might try tai-chi — a martial art form combining meditation with slow, gentle, graceful movements. A small but important study in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) suggests that tai chi may help relieve symptoms of fibromyalgia.

After 12 weeks, the tai-chi group had a greater reduction in pain and more improvement in mood, quality of life, sleep, confidence in their abilities and ability to exercise than the control group. People in the tai chi group were encouraged to continue their tai chi practice after the classes ended using an instructional DVD, and they were still feeling better 24 weeks after the study began. What’s more, no adverse effects were reported.

Bottom-line advice: Keep in mind that this is just one small study. Larger, longer studies are needed to confirm the results. Researchers still don’t fully understand the mechanism by which tai chi eases the symptoms of fibromyalgia or whether tai chi might help everyone with fibromyalgia. Still, if you’re seeking a form of exercise that may help improve your fibromyalgia symptoms, tai chi appears to be safe, and along with standard treatments such as medication, psychotherapy and education, it just may help you feel better.

Johns Hopkins Health Alerts 12.26.11

My own experience with Tai-chi was positive. For several years, I met weekly with others to practice. I do not suffer from fibromyalgia, but I was over stressed, experiencing severe menopause symptoms and having difficulty sleeping. Tia-Chi requires full concentration, slows down the heart rate and calms the nerves. For a person who has a hard time quieting the mind in sitting mediation, tai-chi is an excellent moving mediation. Perhaps it is the improvement of posture; perhaps the strengthening of the core that comes from controlled movement; perhaps it is the descipline of slowly moving through a series of poses. All of these produced results for me and many others I have known. You can reduce stress and even pain with tai-chi. Whether you have fibromayalgia or not, it is a wonderful way to reduce any pain that is exacerbated by stress and repetitive physical movements that cause stress on joints. Sitting for long periods bent over the computer is a good way to increase your arthritis and fibromayalgia pain. Tai chi could help.

If you have experience with tai-chi and fybromayalgia or other pain, arthritis or joint issues, please let us know your results.

Fondly,

Be Well, Do Well, Keep Moving

Betsy

Injured at 52. Diagnosed and sentenced to a wheel chair at 55. Hiking, skiing, dancing and walking at 77. Read my story.

206 933 1889 betsy@HiHoHealth.com www.GrandmaBetsyBell.com www.EmpoweredGrandma.net

Arthritis, Be Well health tips

tennis elbow and fatty acids

Posted on May 15, 2014

Gentle Reader,

Fatty Acids, Antioxidants May Help “Tennis Elbow”

Are you plagued with tennis elbow? Other inflammed joints? Perhaps this Danish study on the use of fatty acids to reduce tennis elbow inflammation will be of interest.

natural anti inflammatory for tennis elbow

FREDENSBORG, DENMARK (Reuters Health) – A combination of essential fatty acids and antioxidants appears to be an effective treatment for the inflammatory injuries commonly known as ‘tennis elbow’ and ‘golf elbow’.

Soren Mavrogenis, a physiotherapist with Denmark’s Olympic Committee, tells Reuters Health that he has effectively treated several hundred cases of recurrent inflammatory injuries. He and his colleagues recently conducted a study in order to document the anti-inflammatory properties of this new treatment, which was tested for the first time in 1996 on a group of rowers from Denmark’s National Rowing Team. The study will be published in a scientific journal of sports medicine in the near future.

Typically the injuries are treated with rest, physiotherapy, and use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to treat pain and inflammation.

“The results of this research confirm our clinical observations and leave us with the clear impression that inflammatory injuries can be treated without the use of NSAIDs. I see this as a regular breakthrough in modern physiotherapy. For the first time we are able to offer our patients a safe and reliable treatment for stress injuries with chronic inflammatory response. In fact, it is our experience that with this new treatment, as opposed to conventional treatment, athletes are able to train actively while receiving treatment,” Mavrogenis explains.

The nutritional supplement used by Mavrogenis and colleagues to treat the athletes contains omega-3 (fish oil), omega-6 (borage oil) and vitamins A, B6, C and E plus selenium and zinc. According to Mavrogenis, most patients respond positively to the treatment in a matter of 2-3 weeks, depending on the severity of the injury, but in more serious cases it may take several months.

“The bad cases require the use of intensive ultrasound and certain massage techniques in addition to the antioxidants and essential fatty acids, but in the milder cases the use of nutrients alone is adequate,” Mavrogenis says.

Generalist Dr. Claus Hancke also supports the use of essential fatty acids and antioxidants in treating inflammatory injuries.

“Strenuous exercise is known to produce an overload of harmful free radicals that damage healthy cells by oxidizing the phospholipids in the cell membrane. Antioxidants neutralize the free radicals and limit their destructive impact, which is why athletes must make sure to get adequate amounts of antioxidants to protect themselves against stress injuries. In addition, essential fatty acids are important since they support the body’s production of beneficial type 1 and type 3 prostaglandins, those which counteract pain and inflammation,” Hancke tells Reuters Health.

“Personally, I see the nutritional approach to inflammation as a big advantage, and I am convinced that essential fatty acids and antioxidants taken in combination have the same, or maybe an even greater, anti-inflammatory potential than NSAIDs,” he added.

In Norway, where inflammatory injuries in shoulders, elbows, knees and Achilles tendons account for 25% of all job-related absences, the new anti-inflammatory regimen is presently being tested by NIMI (Norsk Idrettsmedisinsk Institut), one of Scandinavia’s leading treatment facilities for sports injuries and rehabilitation.

I can personally vouch for the success of this approach. I take 800 mg of Vita-E Plus, Vita-Lea, and 4 each of the GLA and EPA on a daily basis. When I get tennis elbow or bursitis in my shoulder, I increase my GLA and EPA to 10 each/day. The inflammation is gone in two to three days!

Shaklee's fish oil: Omega Guard — Shaklee’s fish oil: Omega Guard

Dr. Steve Chaney

In my own case, I supplement with GLA and OmegaGuard, Vita-E, Vita Lea Gold and am able to avoid flare-up cases of inflammation. It is unlikely that the medical profession in the US will prescribe fatty acids for tennis elbow any time soon, but that doesn’t prevent you from experimenting to see if the “Danish effect” is available to you. I cannot vouch for any other brand except Shaklee, which I know works.

Be well, Do well and Keep Moving,

Betsy

206 933 1889

PS I know my readers would love to hear your fish oil/inflammation stories, so please share.