Crescent Natural Health

Foods can be categorized as carbohydrates, proteins and fats, but they also can be classified by how we process them. Our bodies transform nearly all foods into acids or alkaline bases, and we need a balance to be healthy.

Too many acid-producing foods cause a chronic condition called acidosis — meaning the body becomes too acidic, which can lead to osteoporosis, muscle deterioration, kidney stones, and inflammation.

Fish, meat, poultry, eggs, cheese, milk and grains generally produce acids, while fruit, vegetables, tubers and nuts generally cause blood to be more alkaline. For good health, your body should be slightly alkaline. This is easy to achieve by consuming more alkaline-producing foods and dietary supplements.

Not surprisingly, the typical Western diet, heavy with acid-producing meat and refined foods, is highly acidic.

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Read the rest of this article at the PCC Sound Consumer

A recent article in the New England Journal of Medicine received a lot of attention in the popular press as it concluded that lavender and tea tree oils may have feminizing effects. Three cases of growth of breast tissue were reported in young boys using lavender or tea tree oil products. Later lab studies showed female hormone-stimulating effects on cancer cells. The EU’s Scientific Committee on Consumer Products may decide to ban the oils, as they can be irritating to the skin.

While this study reports important case studies, it does not conclusively say that tea tree leads to growth of breasts in young boys. Many mainstream articles on this study refer only to tea tree oil, but only one of the three boys was using tea tree. There are no other such reports among the millions of users of tea tree oil or lavender. The researchers used breast cancer cell lines to test the straight oil and found estrogenic (female hormone) and anti-androgenic (male hormone) effects. This study warrants repeat, and should perhaps be performed on healthy cell lines. A study has also found that a component from tea tree inhibits skin cancer cells. This study holds no more or less weight than the one currently in question. The boys are exposed to hormones in meats and dairy products as well as estrogen-like compounds in plastics and this may be a consideration. It is important to note that while the symptoms did resolve after discontinuing the products, months passed before symptoms fully resolved. Blood hormone levels were not affected.

Herbs and their oils can cause allergic and skin reactions. Essential oils can be toxic in high doses. I do not think that these facts alone warrant a banning of the oils or the products. We use toxic products daily- with caution and advice. Tea tree is antimicrobial. Like almost all of our antibiotics, it can lead to bacterial resistance when used repeatedly. This is not a reason to stop using antibiotics altogether.

As always, I caution against ever drawing a conclusion based on one study. In order to form a conclusion, one should look at all the research done thus far (or at reviews of the literature) and take into account areas which call for further study.

Guardian UK article
The original New England Journal of Medicine article

A reprint from the British Medical Journal, different abstract

There was a recent article stating that over-the-counter cough medicines may not be as effective as we think. Here is a link:

MSNBC article

I think that the article makes a good point, which must as always be taken in context. They are summarizing results of studies. These studies are always mixed in quality of design. All you can say is that studies don’t show overwhelming effectiveness for these cough meds.

The very important point is made that suppressing a cough can delay the seeking of treatment for more serious conditions. If a cough persists, you have trouble breathing, or see blood, you should see a doctor for further checkup.

Generally, you have two kinds of coughs- productive and non-productive.

Sugary cough drops coat the throat and relieve irritation, but feed bacteria and can extend a cold. Zinc lozenges partially use this sugar coating relief and good ones actually get zinc into your throat tissue which has been shown to reduce duration of sore throats. Zinc does not reduce coughs. Zicam does the same thing (get zinc to mucous membranes) just gets it into your nose. Beware, though, this nasal form of zinc has been associated with loss of smell- it should not be used for long periods of time. Super cheap zinc lozenges are low in zinc, have a lot of sugar, and usually have a type of zinc which doesn’t dissociate in the throat. You should look for at least 23 mg of zinc *gluconate* and not another type.

The tireless advocate:

-There are herbs which will calm a spastic cough.
-There are expectorant herbs which will get the mucus out of your lungs so that the cough resolves sooner.
-There are herbs which stimulate immune function so that your cold is shorter and less severe.
-There are demulcent herbs (such as slippery elm) which coat mucous membranes without the sugar to feed bacteria.
-There are herbs which open the bronchioles (such as eucalyptus) to help mucus to break up.
-N-acetyl cysteine and various iodine preparations increase mucus breakdown.

I have a great cold/flu protocol which includes a eucalyptus steam inhallation, hot pack over the lungs, advice and supplements. Call for more info.

Dr. McNaughton

There has been a lot of talk lately about Echinacea, the popular immune herb, since a recent study came out showing no effectiveness.
The researchers tried to design the study well, but there were a few flaws.

First, the dose was much lower than is normally used for cold relief. Most who take Echinacea effectively take three to six times the dose subjects were given in the study. This study used 1.5 ml three times per day of a 1:5 tincture. 1:5 is about as weak as tinctures get, meaning there was one part plant to five parts liquid.
Second, the preparation is questionable at best. The researchers used three types of extraction, one of which tends to have good results but may not get all active constituents out, and the other two were relatively low alcohol. Herbalists use alcohol as close to 100% as possible to extract plant constituents, not the 20% and 60% they used. This should not be confused with the percentages you often see on tincture bottles, which represents the percentage alcohol in the product used to preserve.
Third, the species used, Echinacea angustifolia, is one which has poorer results in trials. Echinacea purpurea has shown much stronger results. In fact, in some studies, Echinacea angustifolia has been shown to DECREASE immune function and it is used in some autoimmune diseases like lupus, MS, and alopecia areata for this purpose.
Fourth, the infections were artificially induced using one type of virus in young healthy people in a closed situation. This does not mimic real life. Drs. Turner and Gangemi, authors in this study, also found negative results with artificially induced colds in a previous study. Turner RB, Riker DK, Gangemi JD. Ineffectiveness of Echinacea for prevention of experimental rhinovirus colds. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2000;44(6):1708-9
Fifth, the researchers studied the preventive effects of Echinacea (taking it before a cold), which is fine, but it has already been shown that Echinacea is not very effective at preventing colds. It seems to be much more effective when taken during a cold to reduce symptoms and duration.

This study is not conclusive. Echinacea has been formally researched in hundreds of studies and has shown positive effects. It increases the number and function of white blood cells (immune cells). It acts to kill viruses and bacteria. It contains inulin, which activates the immune system. It preserves connective tissue. Echinacea has been shown to reduce the symptoms and duration of the common cold.
It is important to remember that plants are not pharmaceuticals. A tiny dose of a plant extract usually has little effect on the body.
It is also important to remember that there are many many immune enhancing herbs. If you don’t take Echinacea, you have at least ten commonly available alternative choices. We always use more than one approach when fighting colds!
You can prevent colds and flu!

The recent study showing no effectiveness:

N Engl J Med. 2005 Jul 28;353(4):341-8

Some other studies and books: