Health News

Two recent clinical trials evaluated if two popular dietary supplements may, or may not, provide relief to arthritis sufferers.

Glucosamine comes from the crushed shells of lobsters and crabs; whereby, Chondroitin comes from animal cartilage. Both claim to help alleviate arthritic pain. They also claim to prevent joint narrowing and grinding of bone against bone common in arthritis.

The two clinical trials set-out to determine if the two supplements really worked. Some 1,583 people from the U.S., and 318 from Europe, participated in the study. The results were reported in a recent meeting of the American College of Rheumatology in San Diego.

Daniel O. Clegg, MD, with the National Institute of Health led the U.S part of the study. Clegg concluded: “The supplements were not better than the placebo.”

A spokesperson for the Arthritis Foundation, Erin Arnold, MD, stated the Clegg focused more on the studies overall conclusion. She was more impressed with the study’s finding that patients who used a combination of Glucosamine and Chondroitin reported significant relief. Arnold stated that she encourages patients to try the combination and is happy with the results of the study.

The European study had less controversial findings. Gabriel Herrero-Beaumont, MD, from the Jiminez Diaz Foundation in Madrid, Spain led the study.

Herrero-Beaumont recently claimed that their results clearly demonstrated the Glucosamine could control knee pain caused by osteoarthritis.

Is Glucosamine and Chondroitin only for bad arthritis pain?

Patients older than 40 with knee pain caused by osteoarthritis were admitted to the U.S. study. Each was randomly assigned to one of five different treatments:

1. A Chondroitin and Glucosamine combination
2. Placebo pills
3. A daily 20mg dose of Celebrex
4. 400mg of Sodium Chondroitin 3 times a day
5. 500mg of Glucosamine Hydrochloride 3 times a day

Participants in general pain related studies often indicated relief from their pain from taking the placebo pills. In this study, almost 60% of the participants said they had pain after taking the placebo pill. About 67% reported less pain when taking the Glucosamine and Chondroitin pill. That is a 5% difference indicating that the safety data is reassuring but that efficacy data is inconclusive.

When those who reported moderate to severe pain were looked at the results showed 54% got relief from the placebo pill, while 79% got relief form the Glucosamine and Chondroitin pill.

U.S. Study opinions

The Arthritis Foundation has stated that Clegg’s study shows that Glucosamine and Chondroitin may be a beneficial part in the overall treatment strategy for people with moderate to severe knee osteoarthritis. The Foundation also believes that the supplements are safe and recommends giving them a “try.”

There are at least 50 or more published clinical trials indicating that there is some degree of a reduction in joint pain and improved joint spacing when using these supplements. The supplements provide overall joint health and are not restricted only to osteoarthritis sufferers.

Is Glucosamine better than Acetaminophen?

Some positive results coming out of the European study. Either a 1,000mg of acetaminophen was given each day, a 1,500mg dose of Glucosamine Sulfate, or an inactive Placebo was given to the patients.

Those receiving the Glucosamine or Acetaminophen reported significantly less pain than those getting the Placebo pills. But Herrero-Beaumont stated that those receiving the Glucosamine supplements reported a higher level of improvement than those treated with the Acetaminophen.

Points to consider

It is important to know that these supplements do not cure arthritis. They are only part of an over-all strategy to deal with arthritic pain. Certain supplements work better with some individuals than others. Using these supplements typically decreases the necessity for anti-inflammatory and other pain medications.

Both Glucosamine and Chondroitin actually repair damaged joints rather than masking the pain. Repair takes time and patients should be patient with their recovery expectations. Sometimes effects of the supplements are not fully benefited from until after 2 to 3 months of taking the pills.

Evening Standard - London - November 7, 2006

Vegatables are good for your brain and can protect your mental faculties as you get older, according to new research published in the latest edition of Neurology.

Researchers from the Rush Institute for Healthy Aging in Chicago followed 4,000 elderly people over a six-year period and found that those consuming at least two servings of veg a day had significantly better intellectual function than those who didn't. On average, the effect was equivalent to turning the clock back five years, with the maximum benefit found in those who ate a lot of leafy green veg rich in vitamin E.

No such link was found with fruit consumption.

USA TODAY - November 6, 2006

Connie Lesko's not looking for the jolt that a cup of hot java offers. Instead, she's hoping new research that shows caffeine may protect against Alzheimer's pans out: The 56-year-old from Wimauma, Fla., has two parents with this incurable disease. "I've never been much of a coffee drinker," she says. "But now I'm thinking -- what the heck -- I'll have a cup."

Lesko and others are betting on research suggesting that caffeine will offer protection not just against Alzheimer's, but also against Parkinson's. Together these degenerative brain diseases affect about 6 million people in the USA. Cases of both diseases are expected to explode in the next few decades.

"Boomers are coming of age, and large numbers of them will develop neurodegenerative diseases," says Zaven Khachaturian, president and CEO of the Lou Ruvo Brain Institute in Las Vegas and the former director of the Alzheimer's unit at the National Institute on Aging. The coming epidemic has fueled a search for drugs and other interventions that might slow the onset of these diseases, he says. If research by Gary Arendash and others holds up, boomers might be able to get some protection simply by enjoying an espresso. "Caffeine is the most widely used psychoactive drug in the world," says Arendash, a researcher at the Byrd Alzheimer Institute in Tampa. "We think it might protect against Alzheimer's."

The research on caffeine ranges from a just-released mouse study by Arendash and colleagues to large-scale trials of coffee and tea drinkers. Such research might lead to the development of better drugs, Khachaturian says. Right now drugs for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's treat the symptoms but can do nothing to stop the underlying damage, he says.

Scientists like Arendash are searching for ways to stop diseases like Alzheimer's at an early stage. At later stages, Alzheimer's destroys the memory centers in the brain, leading to severe forgetfulness and confusion. Arendash and his colleagues wondered if caffeine, the stimulant in coffee and tea, would slow this process in mice bred to develop an Alzheimer's-like disease.

Arendash gave young Alzheimer's mice either plain water or water spiked with caffeine -- the human equivalent of about five cups of coffee a day. Months later Arendash and his colleagues gave the older mice a series of brain challenges. They found that Alzheimer-stricken mice that had guzzled caffeine could easily find their way through a maze. Mice that got just water had more signs of brain disease and got confused in the maze, he says. The team just published the study online in the journal Neuroscience.

The human research seems to suggest that caffeine might shield the brain from subtle problems with forgetfulness -- a possible early sign of Alzheimer's.

*A study of more than 600 men published in the August European Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that coffee drinkers may be protected from mild memory and thinking problems that come with old age.

*A 2002 study in the European Journal of Neurology found that people who consumed more caffeine in midlife appeared to be protected from developing Alzheimer's later on.

Studies on caffeine and Alzheimer's are just starting to roll in, but the literature on Parkinson's is well established:

*A study of more than 8,000 men in the Journal of the American Medical Association by G. Webster Ross and colleagues found that those who drank the most coffee (more than three cups a day) were the least likely to get Parkinson's.

*Another large study, published in 2003 in the Journal of Neurological Sciences, found that tea and coffee drinkers were protected from Parkinson's.

The list of large human studies linking caffeine to a reduced risk of Parkinson's keeps growing, says Caroline Tanner, director of clinical research for The Parkinson's Institute in Sunnyvale, Calif.

The evidence on caffeine and Parkinson's makes a strong case for coffee, but it still falls short of scientific proof, Ross and others say. To get a more solid picture of caffeine's potential benefit, researchers will need to do much larger human studies of caffeine, then watch for early signs of Alzheimer's or Parkinson's, Khachaturian cautions.

So where does that leave people like Lesko?

Ross, a neurologist at the Honolulu Department of Veterans Affairs in Hawaii, says in most cases, drinking coffee and other caffeinated beverages can't hurt. But people with high blood pressure or a history of sensitivity to caffeine should first talk to their doctor.

Lesko says she knows enough about Alzheimer's to take a chance on caffeine. She says that her father can still discuss current events, but her mother has more advanced disease and sometimes cannot remember family members, including Lesko. That pains Lesko and brings up worries about the future. "If you've lived with this disease -- if it is part of your life -- you can't help but be fearful," she says.

So Lesko now drinks more caffeinated beverages, including coffee and several cups of black tea every day. The prospect of staving off this disease even by a little has pushed her to change her habits. "It's worth a shot," she says.

To see more of USAToday.com, or to subscribe, go to http://www.usatoday.com

© Copyright 2006 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.

(ARA) - While your mom will tell you it's what's inside that counts, the simple fact is that appearance has an important impact in both business and social situations. For men, one of the key factors in projecting an air of youth, power and virility is a healthy head of hair.

Unfortunately, for 50 million men in the United States, male pattern baldness, the most common cause of hair loss in men, is in their genes. Some men experience male pattern baldness while still in their teens, and it becomes more common as men age. Forty percent of men have noticeable hair loss by age 35; by age 60, it's 65 percent.

"With America's fixation on youth and looks, it's no wonder that the onset of hair loss can send men into a panic," says Dr. Ken Washenik, M.D., Ph.D., Medical Director of Bosley, the largest and most experienced hair restoration practice. "While losing your hair is not life-threatening, it can trigger powerful emotions." Young men who lose their hair prematurely may feel like their hair loss ages them before their time and fear the effect it will have on their social life. Older men who are losing their hair face an unwelcome reminder that time marches on.

"I started losing my hair in my early 20's and was so self-conscious and shy that I questioned my future career as a math teacher and football coach as both would require me to face the public every day," says Scott Wright of Eugene, Ore.

The good news is that thanks to scientific and medical advances, men who are experiencing hair loss have a variety of treatment options. The first step in taking control of your hair loss is to meet with a qualified hair restoration expert to design a personalized treatment plan that is right for you. Bosley offers free consultations to provide information and to advise patients on hair loss treatments.

You do not have to accept going bald, here are some of the choices available:

Minoxidil: This topical medication can help slow down hair loss in some cases, and help regrow hair on the top of the head in others. It must be used daily to remain effective.

Propecia: This daily oral medication is available by prescription only. It interrupts the formation of the hormone DHT, one of the principal factors in male pattern hair loss. It has been shown to help slow down the progressive thinning of hair, so it works best for those in the early stages of hair loss. If the medication is stopped, hair loss resumes.

Hair transplantation: Modern follicular unit transplantation is the state-of-the-art procedure used to restore a thinning hairline and add density to the crown. "It is a safe, in-office medical procedure that redistributes healthy hair follicles from non-thinning areas at the sides and very back of the head, where you have more than you need, to the thinning or balding areas on top," explains Dr. Washenik. Bosley has performed almost 200,000 hair transplantation procedures since 1974, making them the world's most experienced hair restoration experts.

Bosley offers a free DVD to help you find out more about hair restoration and if it's right for you. Visit www.bosley.com to request your copy.

Copyright © 2006, ARA Content

(ARA) - Growth hormone serves many functions in your body, from promoting cell regeneration in the bones, vital organs and muscles and repairing damaged tissue to burning fat, maintaining the immune system and supporting healthy blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

Growth hormone is secreted by the pituitary gland. A normal pituitary gland stores about 10 milligrams of growth hormone which is usually released in a series of pulses into the bloodstream throughout the day and night.

Unfortunately, growth hormone production declines with age, so that by the age of 60, almost a third of the population no longer produces any growth hormone . This has led some scientists to believe that growth hormone is a key factor in the speed with which we age - and a contributing factor to the loss of skin and muscle tone, an increase in fat tissue, and the tendency for our skin to wrinkle.

Eating a high protein diet, avoiding stress, engaging in aerobic exercise, fasting and getting adequate sleep all help stimulate the release of growth hormone. Those who want to provide their bodies with optimal amounts of growth hormone can take a growth hormone supplement.

Research has shown that a supplement with a combination arginine (the most effective amino acid found to induce growth hormone release) and lysine, another amino acid, induce a significant growth hormone release.

Those thinking of using a growth hormone supplement should know that it is best not to take the supplement every day, as this could suppress the body's normal production of growth hormone. Like most hormones, it is the proper dose and timing that gives the most beneficial results.

Using a growth hormone supplement every other day rather than every day prevents the tolerance and dependence syndrome. Allowing the body a one-day break in between growth hormone use allows the body to remain sensitive to both its own growth hormone and the growth hormone supplementation.

A growth hormone supplement is a safe way for anyone wanting to help prevent cardiovascular disease, improve muscular strength and immunity and overall health and appearance. Make sure you buy a high quality supplement such as GH Advantage, with the clinically proven combination of arginine pyroglutamate and lysine.

To find out more about GH Advantage, visit www.hfn-usa.com.