Crescent Natural Health

There is much discussion around soy and its benefits or risks. The answer is, as always, mixed, as is the research.

Soy contains phytoestrogens, which are compounds that are similar in shape to estrogens (female hormones) in our bodies. These phytoestrogens are partial agonists, meaning they occupy estrogen receptors and activate them weakly while blocking stronger estrogen effects from animal products (who are fed hormones), the body, and xenoestrogens from plastics. All of this protects from cancer.

Early puberty in girls (and cancer for that matter) is more strongly linked to animal products than to soy.

As a historical note, “The use of soy in the diet dates back to the Chinese Emperor Shen Nung in 2838 BC. Tofu (a protein-rich curd made from a hot water extract of soybeans) was developed in China and was introduced by Buddhist missionaries to Japan and Korea between the 2nd and 7th centuries.
Tofu was even a revered food of the Chinese Emperors in the Ming to Chin dynasties. Soybeans have been a staple in the diet of Southeast Asians for several centuries.” [1]

Soy has beneficial effects on PMS, menopause, heart health, bone density, and even preventing breast cancer, though there are two studies which indicate soy may not be safe in women who have had breast cancer.

The link to the article below is from a doctor I highly respect and who is the leading naturopath for women’s health in the US. She taught my gynecology class and recently formed a company, Vitanica, which makes high quality herbal formulas. She is well known for having a solid handle on the research and making all of her clinical decisions with that in mind.

Check out the article- it is definitely written by someone who has looked at both sides and concluded that soy is safe and even beneficial in those who do not have breast cancer. That is, it is written positively toward soy, so read both that and statements against to form a balanced view.

[1] http://torihudson.com/?page_id=13

There is so much that can be done for problems with sleep without taking anything at all. Finding the perfect substance to put you to sleep is not going to do anything for insomnia- hangover or no hangover, dependence or no dependence.

Generally, there is some reason for trouble sleeping such as erratic schedules, stimulant use, chronic disease/pain, or mental imbalance such as anxiety or depression. One major reason for waking at 3-4 AM is blood sugar imbalance, whereby the blood sugar gets too low and cortisol is released to stimulate the production of more glucose (gluconeogenesis). A protein snack before bed can eliminate this problem.

Another common reason for insomnia is an imbalance in the timing of release of epinephrine (adrenaline). Normally, you produce more in the morning than in the evening. This makes sense if you just think of adrenaline as ‘energy’. If you take samples of saliva from people who have chronic stress and trouble sleeping, you will often find that they have adrenaline drops in the morning and spikes in the evening. This is a result of adrenal gland function not being optimal due to effects of chronic stress, stimulant use, etc. There are a set of herbs which optimize adrenal function and set you back up in the morning adrenaline pattern. My favorite ones are ashwagandha, eleuthero (Siberian ginseng), licorice, and schisandra. Licorice can raise blood pressure in people who have high blood pressure.

Even having one cup of coffee every morning is enough to perpetuate insomnia and cause an imbalance in adrenaline production. Caffeine also decreases melatonin production and can disturb blood sugar balance, both of which interfere with sleep. Following are a couple of articles addressing caffeine and epinephrine (adrenaline):
http://tinyurl.com/2n8vhb
http://tinyurl.com/2j533s

That being said, getting sleep is essential to functioning and a necessary place to start. There are a number of sedative herbs which are extremely effective.

Valerian is the most popular sedative herb because it is one of the strongest and is quite effective, but is by no means the best. Many people report a hangover effect and about 5% of people unfortunately report a stimulant effect! Plus it smells like dirty socks! The volatile oils, particularly valerenic acid, bind to GABA-A receptors leading to the release of g-aminobutyric acid (GABA) which inhibits the release of other neurotransmitters. These volatile oils also inhibit the degradation of GABA. The net effect is sedation of the central nervous system (CNS). Valerian is also a muscle relaxant.

Other great sedative herbs include passionflower, hops (not alcohol- it will cause that fun dopamine dump 2-3 hours later that makes it not desirable as a sleep aid), skullcap, oats, and California poppy. None of these have been shown to produce any physical dependence, but anything that helps you sleep can produce a psychological/behavioral dependence. “I took this and it helped me sleep. If I don’t take it, I might not be able to get to sleep.”

For problems falling asleep, the best herbs to use are passionflower and ashwagandha. For problems staying asleep, the best herbs to use are skullcap and St John’s Wort. Valerian is good for both types.

Magnesium is a muscle relaxant. Taking a calcium-magnesium combination is a perfect and simple solution for many people for whom the cause of insomnia is physical- muscle pain, spasm…

Melatonin is a hormone and regulates your sleep cycles- whether or not it has direct sedative properties is under debate- but it is not a classic sedative. Therefore, taking more will not make you more sleepy. It is interesting to note, however, that melatonin is one of the most potent antioxidants and has great results in cancer treatment with doses for cancer patients being ~20 mg per day. Melatonin does not work in people who do not have low levels of circulating melatonin already- thus the variation in effect. Long term melatonin supplementation has been associated with rebound insomnia as well as disruptions in the body’s melatonin production.

5HTP has been shown to reduce trouble falling asleep as well as staying asleep. It increases REM sleep and deep sleep while decreasing the time it takes to fall asleep.

Using some of the above suggestions can help you sleep right away- they will not cure insomnia. If you want to change insomnia and actually be able to sleep, you need to determine the cause and change that. I can help you to be free of insomnia. Contact me with questions or to make an appointment.

B12/B Complex injections are useful because we don’t absorb B vitamins very well in the digestive tract. B12 is the worst, at perhaps 5% absorption even with a lozenge or liquid form.

B12/B Complex injections most noticably give an immediate boost in energy, especially if you are already fatigued. They are useful for fatigue from various causes, nerve damage (for example from diabetes), sciatica, tinnitus (ear ringing), effects of stress, chronic disease, and a number of other conditions including, of course, B12 deficiency.

The process is fairly quick and easy. I usually start with a brief check in of symptoms then do the injection. The first time I will explain the steps in detail. You put weight on one leg and lean the front of that thigh on the exam table. The other leg is relaxed and you expose the top of your buttock between your hip and tailbone. I wipe a spot with alcohol, you feel a pinch that goes away, then a little sting from the B Complex, then about 20 seconds later you’re done. Sometimes we will put a dot bandaid on if needed.

Depending on your symptoms, we will usually repeat weekly for a while. We base the schedule on your symptoms and how you are feeling.

These visits are about 20 minutes. To make an appointment, call Judi at 206-325-4197. Fill out the intake and consent forms on the New Patients page of my site and bring them with you when you come in. We may determine down the line that more complete evaluation and management are necessary depending on your history and symptoms.

Write or call if you have any questions.

Candace McNaughton, ND

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:

Fish oil is a great way to reduce inflammation, which is present to some degree in all of our bodies. It can help with pain, heart health, skin health, and brain functioning. With the high demand, they are very fresh and don’t taste bad like “grandma’s” cod liver oil. They even come in flavors!

Unfortunately, all fish in the world contains some amount of heavy metals and toxins. Good fish oil companies will filter out the heavy metals and toxins. They should have a very clear statement on their label about this. “Purity tested” and “Pharmaceutical grade” are NOT enough. There is no standard for “pharmaceutical grade” when it comes to fish oil, so that statement has no specific meaning. You also want to see a statement like “free of heavy metals, PCB’s, and dioxin” or “molecularly distilled”.

There is another major issue. The process of removing heavy metals and toxins from the oils is a relatively high heat process. They do what they can to keep the heat down, but it still can damage the oil. This is because all oils are very sensitive to heat, light, air, and moisture- they will become damaged (oxidize). These fats can actually do damage to tissues in your body. The big dirty secret of the fish oil industry is that most fish oils are MOSTLY oxidized. Yuck! My favorite company has a final step in their production. They remove any oxidized fats at the end. I don’t know of any other company that does that.

Lastly, you should keep your fish oil in the fridge after opening.

To summarize:

Enjoy!