Fish Oils Prevent Brain Atrophy Due to Aging
Introduction A key goal to boosting brain function and fighting degenerative brain disorders like Alzheimer’s disease is to bathe the brain in “super nutrition.” Numerous studies have shown that brain function is directly related to nutritional status. High...
Disrupted Sleep Could Be Early Sign Of Alzheimer’s
Introduction Poor sleep quality and use of sedative hypnotic drugs (sleeping pills) is associated with a significant risk for Alzheimer’s disease. Use of these drugs was associated with a whopping 230% increase over an eight-year period in a study in France while in a...
Artificial Butter Flavor Linked to Alzheimer’s Disease
Background: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a degenerative brain disorder associated with progressive deterioration of memory and cognition. In the United States, Alzheimer prevalence is now estimated to affect about 20% of individuals in the 75-84 years group and...
Green Tea Extract and L-Theanine Improve Mental Function
Background: L-theanine, an amino acid found in tea leaves, helps reduce stress, promote relaxation and improve the quality of sleep. L-theanine is found in tea leaves in low concentrations (less than 2 percent), which means that effective dosage levels (of 100 –...
Celery Seed Extract for Protection Against Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease?
Background An accumulation of beta-amyloid in the brain is one of the hallmark features of Alzheimer’s disease. Amyloid is a general term for protein fragments that the body produces normally. Beta-amyloid is a fragment snipped from an amyloid precursor protein (APP)....Welcome
July is National Blueberry Month
On May 8, 1999 the United States Department of Agriculture proclaimed July as National Blueberry Month. It is fitting that July is the month of celebration given the importance of blueberries in American history and the fact that the United States produces over 90% of all of the blueberries in the world.
Blueberries are among the most important foods for good health. The diverse and wondrous health benefits of blueberries are primarily due to their high content of specialized pigments known as anthocyanins. These special flavonoids are responsible for the deep blue or purple color of blueberries.
Currently, the most popular medical use of blueberries is their use in improving vision and protecting against age-related macular degeneration. Additional research also points out that blueberries may be protective against the development of cataracts and glaucoma, and quite therapeutic in the treatment of varicose veins, hemorrhoids, and peptic ulcers.
Another very practical application of the antioxidant activity of blueberries is in the protection against Alzheimer’s disease and age related cognitive decline. In animal studies researchers have found that blueberries help protect the brain from oxidative stress and may reduce the effects of age-related conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease. Specifically, when older rats were given the human equivalent of 1 cup of blueberries a day they demonstrated significant improvements in both learning capacity and motor skills, making them mentally equivalent to much younger rats. When the rats’ brains were examined, the brain cells of the rats given blueberries were found to communicate more effectively than those of the other older rats that were not given blueberries.
While blueberries are an excellent food, a blueberry concentrate with all the anthocyanin-power of fresh picked blueberries is a convenient way to gain all of the health benefits. Two 500 mg capsules of a 36:1 blueberry concentrate is equivalent to ¼ cup of fresh blueberries. For general health, take two capsules daily.
For more information, please see the completely revised and updated 3rd edition of The Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine.
On the Dr Oz show
On the show I discussed the failure of conventional medicine to address the underlying issues in many health conditions offering little more than drugs as biochemical “band aids.”
