Natural sleep tips come from all cultures over the history of folk medicine. People benefit most from herbs that do not have side effects or leftover drowsiness the next day. They truly relieve stress and anxiety that lead to sleep deprivation. Natural sleep remedies are easy to find and easy to use. See how you can sleep like a baby again, naturally!

Here is the perspective from one medical doctor who has seen the light on how to sleep well. Good sleep sometimes seems like a miracle. Without it, nothing else in life goes right.

Natural Solutions To Sleep Deprivation. READ MORE…

All the best in natural health,

Dr. D

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Depression is one of the most difficult disorders to deal with. However, throughout human history herbs have been used against depression. Anti-depression herbs are helpful in so many ways. I have found the following three articles to be excellent in helping understand what is best to do about depression naturally.

Magnificent Role of Herbal Supplements for Fighting Depression. READ HERE…

Natural Remedies for Depression. READ HERE…

Natural Depression Treatments: Non-prescription Alternatives. READ HERE…

All the best in natural health,

Dr. D

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Herbal sleep aids are known around the world in every culture. They are backed centuries of use as folk medicines. Some also have modern research behind them. These include valerian, kava kava, hops, chamomile, and mulungu.

The certainty that is associated with all natural sleep supplements is that they give your body a chance to relax and do what it is supposed to do for a good night’s sleep. And without the side effects or morning-after sluggishness that comes with so many prescription sleeping pills. Nice!

Herbs For Stress – Best Herbs For Stress Relief

Chamomile helps in relaxation and promotes sleep. It is usually taken in the form of tea. Two teaspoons of dried flowers are to be used per cup of tea. This herb is now being used to prepare several herbal cures in the form of powder …

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All the best in natural health,

Dr. D

Ginkgo Biloba Fails Against Dementia: No Surprise Whatsoever

More than 20 years ago I collected about a thousand scientific research references on Ginkgo biloba. I was curious about the widespread advertising of Ginkgo products for memory and other cognitive issues. What I found was that research on the memory effects of this herb were, at best, very weak. From that point onward I used this topic as an example in my university classes regarding the disconnect between research and marketing.

In spite of what I believe was already well-established knowledge, about 8 years ago our dear old federal government handed out a gigantic research grant (more than $36 million!) for further study of this topic. Unfortunately, the research appears to have been poorly designed and guaranteed to come up with negative results. It came as no surprise to me, therefore, that newspapers headlines citing the failure of Ginkgo biloba to have any effect on dementia started popping up in newspapers nationwide.

The question I have is, why was this study ever funded in the first place? It had no merit beforehand. And now the headlines give a bad name to a valuable herb whose best use is for treating intermittent claudication and other vascular disorders. Of course, intermittent claudication isn’t sexy enough to take to market. Most people never even heard of this disorder.

The Scientific Method Loses Again

Unfortunately, the use of the scientific method for generating multiple testable hypotheses is nowhere to be found in this latest negative megastudy on herbal medicine. If you are not familiar with what this means, then you are in good company. Editors of the Journal of the American Medical Association apparently don’t, either. They accepted the Ginkgo dementia research article for publication on December 23, 2009, that completely fails to use the scientific method.

Indeed, the modus operandi of the lead government agency in support of this kind of research (i.e., NCCAM, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine at the National Institutes of Health) is to hand out grants for poorly designed studies that always lead to negative results.

What is the Goal of Ginkgo Biloba Dementia Research?

The result of this research undermines the annual $250 million industry for Ginkgo biloba memory products. By itself this is not a bad thing, in my opinion. It merely confirms the body of research that already existed. As such, the latest research looks like a grand waste of time and money to me.

By the way, one thing that we will never know from this study is whether there might have been a dose-response effect. The researchers started out with a dose of 120 milligrams twice per day as the only possible dosage level. Would twice that amount have shown a positive effect? Or three times that amount? We have no way to know. Dose-dependent effects are curiously missing from almost all such research funded by NCCAM. The better to ensure negative results, I suppose.

All in all, this is yet another example of expensive bad science that undermines the value of a good medicinal herb.

All the best in natural health,

Dr. D

See my blog post at SupplementDocPros.com about how product labels are misleading.

Research on cholesterol and cardiovascular health has a long and controversial history, starting in about 1950. Since that time the following details have emerged:

• Arterial plaque contains cholesterol
• The most abundant substance in arterial plaque is calcium
• About 50% of heart attack victims do not have clogged arteries
• About 90% of heart attack victims have no previous cardiovascular symptoms
• Cholesterol is important for proper functioning of cell membranes
• Dietary cholesterol has almost no effect on serum cholesterol levels
• Cholesterol levels are easy to measure
• Cholesterol levels are easy to control by synthetic drugs called statins
• Statins block the synthesis of CoQ-10, which is crucial for heart health
• There is no such thing as ‘bad’ cholesterol
• Low cholesterol levels, especially when induced by statins, are associated with neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s Disease and ALS
• High cholesterol levels do not predict heart disease or mortality
• The only factor that characterizes ALL cardiovascular disorders is inflammation

Several years ago the federal government, with the helpful guidance of the pharmaceutical industry, adjusted its guidelines for managing cholesterol levels. At that time the definition of what was considered too high changed from 300 mg/dL to 200 mg/dL (i.e., milligrams of cholesterol in each deciliter of blood serum, which is a little more than 12 ounces). Under the old guidelines, roughly 13 million people in this country were recommended to take cholesterol-lowering medications. The new guidelines brought this number to 36 million people, which almost tripled the market for cholesterol-lowering statin drugs.

The bottom line is that the widespread use of statins is clearly based on a false premise that cholesterol causes heart disease. Nevertheless, annual sales of statins worldwide exceed $25 billion. The issues of cholesterol and human health disappeared from the realm of wellness long ago and have been replaced by issues of money and politics. This is in spite of the well-known and lengthy list of side effects of these drugs, including unexplained muscle weakness, cramps, twitching, slurred speech, difficulty in walking or motor skills, nerve pain, depression, memory loss, and impotence. Indeed, this money machine continues to grow in spite of recent research on two drugs, Zetia and Vytorin, which shows that they don’t even work.

Maintaining Your Body’s Natural Balance

Cholesterol and overall lipid (fat) balance is still important, because every cell membrane in your body depends on cholesterol and other lipids for proper functioning. The way your cells handle lipids says a lot about your general state of health. Controlling them with drugs is just not the best choice for real wellness. It you have been frightened into taking statin drugs, it is time to find a doctor who will work with you to get off of them. Several natural approaches will ensure that you are on the right track. Since inflammation is at the root of cardiovascular disease, the most important strategy that you can adopt, which also offers benefits against many other chronic conditions, is to address inflammation with a combination of good anti-inflammatory and fiber supplements, the right eating plan, optimal exercise, stress and lifestyle management, and hormone balance.

Plant biochemists have pulled their hair out over the widespread misuse of the term laetrile. (Okay, that’s my story for my own male pattern baldness, and I am sticking with it!) The main issue is the mix up between a natural product and what we chemists call a semisynthetic one.

Amygdalin – The Real Natural Product

Apricot pits and many other kinds of seeds contain a natural product that is called amygdalin, which is often used synonymously with laetrile. They are not the same.

Amygdalin consists of the following parts: a benzene ring, a nitrile (cyano) group, and two molecules of glucose together in a side chain. Although these parts can be put together in several ways, only one particular combination is called amygdalin. Chemist are very picky that way.

Laetrile – The Semisynthetic Product

Laetrile consists of the following parts: a benzene ring, a nitrile (cyano) group, and one molecule of glucuronic acid as a side group. The question about what this molecule is can be resolved by simply knowing the origin of the word laetrile. It comes from the detailed name of the molecule, which is laevomandelonitrile.

Why Is This Important?

The body of research on laetrile as a natural cancer cure is littered with confusion about which molecule was used in any one patient group or lab animal experiment. To make matters worse, early researchers campaigned to get amygdalin or laetrile – it is not clear which – approved as a vitamin, B-17.

Vitamin B-17 is now available commercially, although it is almost certainly amygdalin most of the time. Company representatives do not generally know enough about the subject to provide clarity on their own vitamin B-17 products.

Do Laetrile and Amygdalin Have the Same Anticancer Activity?

That is the key question. It can only be answered theoretically, based on the supposed mechanism of action of laetrile. It goes like this:

Enzymes in tumors cleave the glucuronic acid group off of the intact laetrile molecule. The remaining parts then disintegrate spontaneously into two pieces: a molecule of cyanide and a molecule of benzaldehyde. Supposedly, once the cyanide molecule is released inside the tumor, it goes about killing the cancer cells.

Amygdalin breaks apart the same way, after enzymes in the tumor cleave off the glucose side chain. According to this behavior, amygdalin should have the same mechanism of action against cancer as laetrile does.

Enough Chemistry – What is the Bottom Line for Treating Cancer?

Since laetrile is chemically modified from amyglalin, it may occur as a 50-50 mixture of active and inactive forms. For this reason, a stable concentration of amygdalin should provide the best chance for full anticancer activity.

The key word here is stable. If you have a product that is supposed to be vitamin B-17, or amygdalin, or laetrile, it may be giving off an odor of cyanide (like the odor of bitter almonds or of ground up apple seeds). The stronger the odor, the more of the active ingredient it has lost.

Are Laetrile/Amygdalin Valuable a Cancer Treatment?

More than 80 years of research, from several labs and clinics around the world, shows strong support for a positive answer to this question. Another indication is that this treatment, especially in combination with other treatments, became so good that it was made illegal and chased out of the U.S.

The closest laetrile/amygdalin-based treatment clinics have been in Mexican border towns, especially in Tijuana. Unfortunately, legal problems arising because of certain sections of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) have led to closures of some of these cancer clinics.

Natural cancer cures are still as good as they always have been. It is just that getting access to them has become more of a challenge in recent years.

All the best in natural health,

Dr. D

This is going to be a teaser. Antioxidants are all the rage, and rightly so. However, the dilemma for the average consumer is how to tell which one is best. Without being TOO critical, I want to point out that every newly popularized (i.e., marketed) antioxidant is claimed as the best ever. Some manufacturers have even cited one or more commercial or university antioxidant labs for data that support claims about antioxidant power.

The dilemma is: Who is right? My answer is: None of them. The devil is in the details. What I’ve discovered is that product development scientists always fail to consider the most crucial factors in judging antioxidant power. Yes, always. If that sounds like I am knocking down my fellow scientists, then this is not the first time that they deserve it. Unfortunately, fuzzy thinking from the get-go makes it impossible for any kind of clear discussion. Sales reps, marketing people, distributors, nutrition store owners (!), book authors, and all manner of non-scientists are out on a limb about antioxidants and unaware of how untenable their position is.

What I’d like to do is claim that I’m the only genius who can see the truth here. However, this doesn’t take a genius to solve. Indeed, I am instead going to explain the key issues, based fundamental principles that you can learn in any freshman-level courses in chemistry and biology. Just the basics. No genius required (bummer!). By the way, if you happen to have forgotten some of this introductory information, or never even took the classes to learn it, you will still grasp what I have to say.

Now, here is why this is a teaser. I know what the best antioxidant is and I can tell you why it is so. However, it is going to take some doing for me to put the best document together for you. A brief article here is not going to suffice. What I’m going to do instead is devote an entire webpage to it, then give you the link option of going there to find out what I have to say, just to satisfy folks who are truly interested in one of the most important health and nutrition issues of all time. (Okay, the cat is out of the bag – you can probably tell that I think this knowledge is crucial for everyone!)

Meanwhile, until I am ready to launch this new webpage, I’d like to get your input on what you think the most important antioxidant is and why. I’ll even post your comments on the webpage if you wish. So what do you think the best antioxidant is? Amalaki berry, pomegranate juice, chocolate, resveratrol, blueberries, something else? Let me know what you think. Just add your comments directly onto this page. Then come back here in about two weeks (i.e., around Aug. 3) to see my ‘definitive’ answer. (You will probably want to bookmark this page. I will also send notice to all of my newsletter subscribers, so go ahead and subscribe if you haven’t already done so, and I will notify you directly).

All the best in natural health,

Dr. D

Although the chances of your catching swine flu are relatively low, it is still possible you could become infected. But if it does happen, don’t lose hope. The virus can be fought with natural immune system boosters and antiviral substances. During this pandemic, natural remedies can help you recover from even a deadly disease.

Furthermore, proper natural remedies can help prevent you from catching this disease, or any disease, in the first place. By strengthening your immune system, you increase your body’s ability to fight disease, viruses, and bacteria.

One way to boost your immune system is to take large amounts of Vitamin C. This antiviral vitamin can block the enzyme known as neuraminidase, which is needed by a virus in order to reproduce. There are anecdotes of people surviving the Spanish Flu by drinking large doses of Vitamin C. The elderly should take Vitamin E along with Vitamin C, to enhance the effects of the vitamin.

Garlic is common in most kitchens and it can also be used in the fight against the swine flu epidemic. It is an efficient natural antiviral herb. It is most potent when freshly crushed. Garlic must be consumed within one hour of crushing. Recommended dosage is two to three cloves per day. Organic garlic is more potent and effective than non-organic garlic. But remember that it can burn the stomach when taken in large amounts, so its a good idea to eat it with bread or yogurt.

My favorite way of taking large amounts of garlic, to fight normal colds and flues, is by spreading butter on toast and then adding garlic slices, or crushed garlic.

Possibly the best alternative to the medical drugs, Tamiflu and Relenza, is Green Tea. This is a highly effective antiviral. It decreases the production of the cytokine TNF-a, and inhibits the reproduction of neuraminidase as well. Best of all, it is natural, and therefore it doesn’t have any of the harsh side effects that synthetic drugs have. If you want to use Green Tea for this purpose, remember that what you find on the shelves of a grocery store will probably be relatively ineffective. Organic varieties, particularly those grown for health or medicinal purposes, are the best.

Another antiviral you can get is Resveratrol. It comes from the Japanese Knotwood root, from red grapes, and from raisins. It causes your cells to stop manufacturing viruses. There are supplements available in liquid form, for better absorption, and it has no toxic effects.

Apple juice is an antiviral which is available just about everywhere. But if you want to have the best results, try making your own, in a juicer. You should include the skin and pulp. This is more powerful than simply using commercially-available apple juice.

Scuttellaria, better known as Skullcap, is an herb that can be taken as tea. It is an effective antiviral that is also used as a mild tranquilizer. Just like other natural antivirals, it inhibits the reproduction of neuraminidase.

Cat’s Claw, or Uncaria Tomentosa, boosts one’s immune system as well as decreasing the production of cytokine TNF-a. Your white blood cell count can be increased with this treatment. Although no toxicity is noted, however, it should not be used by children and pregnant women. This is due to its damaging effect on the DNA of growing cells.

There are still plenty of other natural treatments for the swine flu that you can find in your cupboard. You don’t necessarily need to drink synthetic medicines, or get vaccinations that can be harmful to your body.

Disclaimer: This article does not constitute medical advice. If you are ill, you should consult your doctor.

Just a quick note about that old buggaboo – cellulite. In digging through the small amount of scientific research that has been done on this topic, I  found that it is not well understood.

Cellulite is, for no apparent reason, much more common in men than in women. Good overview information has been published at Cellulite on Wikipedia, although the treatments described are poorly supported according to the weak references cited there.

I’ve decided to launch an information page on cellulite so women can find out where to find good information and which, if any, of the highly touted cellulite remedies have any scientific support.

It turns out that European scientists are much more serious about cellulite research than are American  scientists. I’ve found a small set of good research articles so  far.

The example that I cite at Cellulite Remedies – Any Real Science? is one study that offers hope. I recommend that you take a quick look at what I wrote in that post. Much more will follow there within the next couple of weeks or so. I will notify you here about the science-based approaches to cellulite remedies that I find, as well as about the scams that I uncover, too (this won’t be difficult).

All the best in natural health,

Dr. D