Caffeine, like chocolate, often receives bad publicity. Whilst in some instances, and in excess, these can have negative effects on our body, they can also be quite beneficial.

I am not disputing that some people are more sensitive to the negative effects of either caffeine or chocolate. For example, excess caffeine can create anxiety, nausea (particularly if taken on an empty stomach), an increase in heart rate, and even depression in some people. And chocolate is certainly not something that should form the mainstay of one’s diet. If struggling with sugar addiction, or wanting to lose weight, there are more nutritionally complete foods that are available.

But scientists have turned up some interesting facts on caffeine. For example, caffeine actually blocks the effects of a neurotransmitter in the brain (adenosine) that otherwise makes us feel tired. This is why it works so well to keep us awake. It also encourages the release of another brain chemical, dopamine (as well as adrenaline). Dopamine contributes to a feeling of well being.

Two studies, one a population based study (which are not as specific or rigorously defined as other types of studies, but nonetheless valuable indicators) found that drinking caffeine containing drinks like coffee and tea had a protective effect for those at risk of developing liver disease. Issues that the study participants had that increased their risk of liver disease included alcoholism, hepatitis B or C, obesity, or other complications.

And the results indicated that people who drank more than 2 cups of coffee a day had a 44% lower chance of showing actual liver damage compared to those who drank no caffeine. This was not a clinical trial, and the reason why coffee and tea had such an effect is not known. Coffee and tea contain a range of plant chemicals (phytonutrients) that could be responsible for this. A 2005 Norwegian study also found similar benefits for coffee with regards liver disease. This study found that drinking 3 cups of coffee a day could lower the risk of death from liver cirrhosis.

Even if you’re not at risk of liver disease, caffeine still has some advantages. Recent research from Austria showed that caffeine may actually enhance short term memory. Researchers found that there was an increase in brain activity (as measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging) in the parts of the brain that were associated with memory and attention. These parts of the brain were the frontal lobe and the anterior cingulum. This was a placebo controlled study, meaning that some people were not given any caffeine. Another, earlier study (2004) found that caffeine did support short term memory, but only when it was in relation to a topic that people were already thinking about. This study found that when testing coffee’s effects on unrelated subjects, short term recall was actually inhibited.

Everything does have a flip side though. Adenosine, which is blocked by coffee, is also calming. This could be why it can also cause anxiety in excess, and in some individuals. After all, the balance of our brain chemistry is unique. And when we are addicted to stimulants like caffeine, we lose the sensitivity to our own natural stimulants (dopamine and adrenaline).

References:
Australian Healthy Food, February 2006.
http://www.foodnavigator.com/news/ng.asp?n=52281-caffeine-containing-drinks
http://www.nutraingredients.com/news/ng.asp?n=64274&m=1FSND06&idP=2&c=qgtqmovbyiaxdub

About the Author:

If you want a gentler source of caffeine that also has antioxidant benefits, try green tea. Find out more about the health benefits, including about green tea weight loss here: http://www.vitaminstohealth.com/green-tea-weight-loss.html

Source: www.isnare.com

Caffeine, like chocolate, often receives bad publicity. Whilst in some instances, and in excess, these can have negative effects on our body, they can also be quite beneficial.

I am not disputing that some people are more sensitive to the negative effects of either caffeine or chocolate. For example, excess caffeine can create anxiety, nausea (particularly if taken on an empty stomach), an increase in heart rate, and even depression in some people. And chocolate is certainly not something that should form the mainstay of one’s diet. If struggling with sugar addiction, or wanting to lose weight, there are more nutritionally complete foods that are available.

But scientists have turned up some interesting facts on caffeine. For example, caffeine actually blocks the effects of a neurotransmitter in the brain (adenosine) that otherwise makes us feel tired. This is why it works so well to keep us awake. It also encourages the release of another brain chemical, dopamine (as well as adrenaline). Dopamine contributes to a feeling of well being.

Two studies, one a population based study (which are not as specific or rigorously defined as other types of studies, but nonetheless valuable indicators) found that drinking caffeine containing drinks like coffee and tea had a protective effect for those at risk of developing liver disease. Issues that the study participants had that increased their risk of liver disease included alcoholism, hepatitis B or C, obesity, or other complications.

And the results indicated that people who drank more than 2 cups of coffee a day had a 44% lower chance of showing actual liver damage compared to those who drank no caffeine. This was not a clinical trial, and the reason why coffee and tea had such an effect is not known. Coffee and tea contain a range of plant chemicals (phytonutrients) that could be responsible for this. A 2005 Norwegian study also found similar benefits for coffee with regards liver disease. This study found that drinking 3 cups of coffee a day could lower the risk of death from liver cirrhosis.

Even if you’re not at risk of liver disease, caffeine still has some advantages. Recent research from Austria showed that caffeine may actually enhance short term memory. Researchers found that there was an increase in brain activity (as measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging) in the parts of the brain that were associated with memory and attention. These parts of the brain were the frontal lobe and the anterior cingulum. This was a placebo controlled study, meaning that some people were not given any caffeine. Another, earlier study (2004) found that caffeine did support short term memory, but only when it was in relation to a topic that people were already thinking about. This study found that when testing coffee’s effects on unrelated subjects, short term recall was actually inhibited.

Everything does have a flip side though. Adenosine, which is blocked by coffee, is also calming. This could be why it can also cause anxiety in excess, and in some individuals. After all, the balance of our brain chemistry is unique. And when we are addicted to stimulants like caffeine, we lose the sensitivity to our own natural stimulants (dopamine and adrenaline).

References:
Australian Healthy Food, February 2006.
http://www.foodnavigator.com/news/ng.asp?n=52281-caffeine-containing-drinks
http://www.nutraingredients.com/news/ng.asp?n=64274&m=1FSND06&idP=2&c=qgtqmovbyiaxdub

About the Author:

If you want a gentler source of caffeine that also has antioxidant benefits, try green tea. Find out more about the health benefits, including about green tea weight loss here: http://www.vitaminstohealth.com/green-tea-weight-loss.html

Source: www.isnare.com

What Is Milk Thistle Extracts?

Healers have used the prickly Milk Thistle Extracts plant to treat liver ailments for more than 2,000 years. Somehow these early practitioners figured out that preparations of this purple-flowered member of the sunflower family could stimulate the flow of bile from the liver, improving digestion and various liver-related ills.

Interestingly, bile and other bodily fluids, also known as humors, were once associated with different personality types. Because it was thought that black bile was inherent to a melancholic nature, Milk Thistle Extractswas prescribed for treating depression and melancholy (which actually means “black bile”). Today, the word “biliousness” and the phrase “having excess bile” are still used to describe negative personality traits.

While Milk Thistle Extracts is no longer seen as a remedy for melancholy, hundreds of medical studies have substantiated the fact that the herb does indeed protect and heal the liver. European physicians currently consider Milk Thistle Extracts a mainstay for liver disorders ranging from hepatitis to cirrhosis. But even though a 19th-century American medical group called the Eclectics prescribed Milk Thistle Extracts for liver ailments, it has never been widely used in the U.S. for healing purposes.

Milk Thistle Extracts grows throughout the world (including North America) in both cultivated and wild form. Many sources refer to the herb, by its botanical name, Silybum marianum, as well as by its active compounds, collectively known as silymarin. Concentrated stores of silymarin are found in the herb shiny black fruits (seeds), which are typically collected at summer end.

Health Benefits of Milk Thistle Extracts:

Although most widely associated with liver complaints, Milk Thistle Extracts is also being examined for treating a variety of other disorders, from gallstones and high cholesterol to skin cancers and allergy symptoms. As a potent antioxidant, the versatile milk thistle extract helps prevent highly reactive oxygen molecules called free radicals from damaging cells throughout the body, but especially in the liver, stomach, and intestines. An injectable form of Milk Thistle Extracts is a powerful antidote to mushroom poisoning. And the oral extract shows promise for minimizing chemotherapy-associated liver damage. This is a function of the herb antioxidant actions as well as its ability to accelerate the excretion of toxic compounds that can accumulate in the body.

Specifically, Milk Thistle Extracts may help to:

Treat acute and chronic liver disease. Milk Thistle Extracts “cleanses” and therefore fortifies the liver, a vital organ responsible for processing everything from nutrients in foods to medications and chemical pollutants. The herb partly accomplishes this task by preventing a reduction in concentrations of glutathione, an amino-acidlike compound that is critical to neutralizing toxins. Some studies indicate that Milk Thistle Extracts can actually increase glutathione levels by as much as 35%. In addition, silymarin alters the outer membrane of liver cells in such a way that toxins are barred from entering. It even encourages the formation of new, healthier liver cells to replace old, damaged ones. Various types of liver damage benefit from these remarkable properties, and the herb has repeatedly demonstrated its power to do so.

In the largest trial to date specifically studying the use of Milk Thistle Extracts for chronic liver disease, more than 2,500 people suffering from this condition showed improvement in their liver function tests when taking the extract. Many also reported that they felt better. People with an acute form of liver disease–acute viral hepatitis–also stand to benefit from milk thistle. In a double-blind study reported in 1998, the extract improved the results of liver function tests, speeded recovery, and reduced the length of hospital stays as compared with a placebo.

Treat alcohol-related liver problems. Excessive alcohol intake depletes the amount of toxin-neutralizing glutathione in the liver and can cause severe scarring and dysfunction, a condition called cirrhosis. Milk Thistle Extracts not only boosts glutathione levels, it also helps to actually repair the liver by promoting the growth of new cells in this large and vital organ. An important 1989 trial of patients with chronic alcoholic hepatitis is frequently cited to demonstrate the extract powers. In the study, liver function test results returned to normal and overall liver health improved over six months in those who took Milk Thistle Extracts instead of a placebo.

Control psoriasis. The herb has anti-inflammatory properties that may be useful for keeping the charasteristic psoriasis rash in check and for slowing the proliferation of abnormal skin cells.

Forms tincture tablet

softgel liquid capsule

For more details:Milk Thistle Extracts

About the author:

Herbs & Nutrition Analyst

As mentioned in the name it is a chronic disease which affects the liver disabling it from its functions. Here the disease affects the normal cells in the liver which leads to scarring of the same. This condition leaves the liver with an abnormal and scarred liver tissue. The liver is the largest organ in our body with many functions. As the cells in the liver are injured or scarred an inflammation occurs which chokes the flow of blood through this organ.

The liver has the function of producing proteins and enzymes. It also helps in fighting infections, cleaning blood, helps in digesting food and a storage for energy which can be used any time. It is a life-threatening disease which has taken many lives and left them with high and dry with heft hospital bills. The damage is caused by the toxins, metabolic problems, chronic viral hepatitis or any other causes.

Some of the causes for having this disease is the excess consumption of alcohol or we can say abuse of alcohol, through chronic viral hepatitis (hepatitis B, C or D), autoimmune hepatitis which destructs the liver cells, drugs or toxins and infections, blockage of bile ducts which damages the liver tissue, through inheritance of diseases like hemochromatosis , Wilson’s disease, protoporphyria, so one should get proper check up done to diagnose as there has been cases where without the thorough check up it wont be detected.

Some of the changes in your routine can make a lot of a difference to avoid such a deadly disease. Eat healthy, stay healthy, have a good health regime to ward off all the possibilities of such diseases. Avoid alcohol completely which mainly is the reason for being affected by such disease. Stay away from drugs and get a complete check up done on you to be on the safer side.

About the author:

Kevin Pederson has been managing a number of natural home remedies websites which have information on home based natural cures and remedies for common problems as well as for cirrhosis of the liver .

Acetaminophen poisoning is now the most common cause of acute liver failure in the United States. Attempted suicides account for many cases, but almost half are the result of unintentional overdose.

Unintentional Overdose Worse Than Intentional

Some 36 percent of Americans take acetaminophen at least once a month, making it the most widely used pain reliever in the United States. Taking more than the recommended dose, however, can lead to fatal liver injury.

And those who had unintentionally taken overdoses usually have even worse outcomes than those who has done so intentionally, since unintentional overdoses are usually not recognized as such immediately.

Cases Nearly Doubled Over Five Years

Researchers examined the case histories of almost 700 liver-failure patients over a six-year period. They found that:

• Cases of acute liver failure blamed on acetaminophen use rose sharply from 28 percent in 1998 to 51 percent five years later.
• More patients overdosed unintentionally on acetaminophen (48 percent) than did so intentionally (44 percent)
• Sixty-three percent who accidentally overdosed used a prescription acetaminophen compound while 38 percent had been taking two acetaminophen meds at the same time.
• Some patients had been taking less than 4 grams of acetaminophen daily before their livers failed.

As Little as 7.5 Grams Per Day

The data suggests that consistent use of as little as 7.5 grams of acetaminophen a day may be hazardous. Rather than resulting in chronic illness, acetaminophen injury has a threshold of safety that, when exceeded, can have immediate and devastating results.

Hepatology December 2005; 42(6): 1364-1372EurekAlert November 29, 2005

Dr. Mercola’s Comment:You probably already knew that acute liver failure is one of the more health-harming side effects of acetaminophen. Experts believe acetaminophen causes its damage by depleting your body of glutathione. If you keep your glutathione levels up, the damage from acetaminophen may be largely preventable.

Even conventional medicine recognizes this, as anyone who overdoses on it receives large doses of N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) in the emergency room. NAC is a precursor of glutathione and helps restore this necessary and important bionutrient when Tylenol suppresses it.

Pain is an important “clue” that your body provides you and it is typically seeking to warn you to correct the underlying disorder. So the best and foremost action you can take is to seek to identify the cause of your pain.

If you are unable to address the cause immediately, such as an accident, then you will certainly want to consider using the amazing tool of EFT. Last month I ran a story of how you can use it for burns and muscle injuries. But you could use it for just about any type of pain.

Tylenol is effective fordiscomfort due to inflammatory and non-inflammatory pain. If you want to treat any inflammatory pain without harming your health, you’ll want to review my recent piece on seven safe and effective treatments, none of which have anything to do with a drug but are useful for inflammatory-type pain:

Ginger: This herb is anti-inflammatory and offers pain relief and stomach-settling properties. Fresh ginger works well steeped in boiling water as a tea or grated into vegetable juice.

Boswellia: This herb contains specific active anti-inflammatory ingredients, referred to as boswellic acids that animal studies have shown significantly reduce inflammation. This is one of my personal favorites as I have seen it work well with many of my rheumatoid arthritis patients

Fish Oils: The omega-3 fats EPA and DHA found in fish oil have been found, by many animal and clinical studies, to have anti-inflammatory properties that reduce joint inflammation and promote joint lubrication.

Those of you who read the newsletter regularly know that I’m a fan of Carlson’s brand fish oil and cod liver oil as I have seen clear and often substantial improvements in my patients who use it. It has shown particularly positive benefits in those with rheumatoid arthritis.

Bromelain: This enzyme, found in pineapples, is a natural anti-inflammatory. It can be taken in supplement form, but eating fresh pineapple may also be helpful.

Cetyl Myristoleate (CMO): This oil, found in fish and dairy butter, acts as a “joint lubricant” and an anti-inflammatory. The delicious raw butter we carry from organic pastures contains “Wulzen anti-stiffness factor.” This factor has been found to be highly effective in reversing arthritis and protects against calcification of joints.

Evening Primrose, Black Currant and Borage Oils: These contain the essential fatty acid gamma linolenic acid (GLA), which is useful for treating arthritic pain. I personally prefer the use of GLA supplements from evening primrose oil, but borage oil contains a higher concentration of GLA, which means you need fewer capsules, and it tends to be less expensive.

Cayenne Cream: Also called capsaicin cream, this spice comes from dried hot peppers. It alleviates pain by depleting the body’s supply of substance P, a chemical component of nerve cells that transmits pain signals to the brain.

About the author:

This article is reprinted from Mercola.com, the world’s #1 most visited and trusted natural/alternative health website. For a limited time only, you can take the FREE “Metabolic Type Test” to help you learn the right foods for your particular body type so you can achieve optimal fitness & health. Just go to http://www.mercola.com/forms/mt_test.htm right now to take this quick test!

Recently, on an e-mail list for candida sufferers to which I subscribe, a lady expressed frustration at the number of different approaches one can take to candida. She felt confused as to which way to treat her own illness. Certainly, it can be very frustrating with any illness
when you start to try to figure out how to treat it. There will always
be contradictions from all sides. I went through my own time of confusion, as
well. I think, however, that the key is to treat your quest in the same way that you would if you were doing a research
paper: Look at a variety of different sources and of course, do a
lot of preliminary research before writing the paper. Then, when it is
time to write, you take all the different perspectives, do your
own reasoning about what you have read, and come to your own conclusions.

When searching for how to treat your illness, whether it is candida overgrowth or something else entirely, do your research before you “write”! I have learned that it is not
good enough to just absorb all the information and try various
approaches as though you were sampling a buffet. You have to think about how all the information you are
gathering relates. You have to ask yourself “why” all the
time. “Why do I have Candida?” Then when you think you have found an
answer, look harder. You may find what looks like an answer: “It’s
because I took birth control pills, which messed up my immune function.”
(That was this lady’s own perspective, by the way). Is that really the answer? Or is there another
layer of “why”? Ask yourself why the birth control pills did that and
you may find more answers to questions you hadn’t thought to ask.

I have come to the conclusion that the liver plays a big role in all
illnesses and that cleaning the liver can be key to starting the healing
process. I am very familiar with Chinese medicine, but apparently, it is very
focused on treating the liver for any illness. All the other remedies, diets,
and medicines may “work” to a degree, but your body has to be in a state
that makes it possible to heal. The liver is your body’s filter and if
it is not functioning properly, then you cannot filter toxins, which are subsequently circulating in your body, making it
harder to heal. Things such as birth control pills have a harmful affect
on your liver. What one eats also affects liver function, and thus
affects candida and other illnesses that a person may have. If you eat a
“candida diet” or any other special diet, how much it helps your candida
is correlated to how much it helps your liver.

A great book I highly recommend is The Liver Cleansing Diet
by Dr.
Sandra Cabot. She goes into these ideas deeper and has a great eating
plan for cleansing the liver. After doing that type of cleanse, the key
is to eat a healthy, liver-friendly diet. It is a diet that is well-balanced, full of fresh fruits and vegetables, and low in “bad” fats, while providing plenty of healthy fats. It
is a diet that most people would recognize as a practical, healthy diet.
(Interestingly, before I read her book, I was already eating–or trying
to eat–a diet very similar to the one she proposes based on my own
conception of a healthy diet from other reading on various topics.)

So, that is my own experience with researching various casues and treatment options for candida and the conclusions that I have come to based upon it. I hope you, too, will consider the role of the Liver in candida and other illnesses, and above all, do your own research before you draw conclusions!

About the Author

Danielle Papageorgiou runs several websites, including < "www.NutritionTalkNow.com”>http://www.nutritiontalknow.com”>www.NutritionTalkNow.com, < "YeastRemedies.com”>http://www.YeastRemedies.com”>YeastRemedies.com, and < "Family”>http://www.shaklee.net/jonanddanielle.html”>Family Health Group. She has been studying nutrition for over a decade.

The information provided is for educational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical care.