Vitamins and herbs are often recommended as part of lifestyle advice.
If you purchase best quality vitamins and supplements it is highly recommended that you check the ‘best before’ and ‘use by dates’. If none is stated then it is best to seek out other brands.
Unlike pharmaceuticals, it is not compulsory to state the date for vitamins and supplements products. The shelf-life of supplements depends on:
It is likely that Vitamins B,D will have shorter half lives so they will disintegrate quicker. The same will apply to probiotics, which often require refrigeration.
The best advice is to consult with a Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) practitioner who should be able to offer you advice on purchasing the best over-the –counter remedies or preferably they can provide you with ‘practitioner line’ best quality vitamins and supplements which will be specific for your needs.
There is an increasing trend to use antibiotics in livestock and poultry farms for not only preventing infection of the animals but also to promote the feeding efficiency i.e. increasing the animal's weight gain per unit of feed.
Evidenced-based medicine studies have confirmed that this practice will lead to increased antibiotic resistance which can have severe implications in humans.
A complementary medicine research study from the American Gastroenterological Association has revealed that administration of three or more courses of antibiotics in children below the age of 2 increases the risk of early childhood obesity.
"Antibiotics have been used to promote weight gain in livestock for several decades, and our research confirms that antibiotics have the same effect in humans," said lead author, Frank Irving Scott, MD, MSCE, assistant professor of medicine at University of Colorado
The research team performed a large cohort study in the UK and confirmed the link between antibiotic exposure before age two and obesity at age four. Integrative healthcare solutions should be considered as an alternative, as antibiotic resistance can lead to dermatologic, allergic, autoimmune and infectious complications.
Yogurt is often a recommended as a health food by many practitioners of Complementary and Alternative Medicine. There are many types of yogurt Swiss-style /Stirred Yogurt, Balkan-style / Set-style Yogurt, Greek-style Yogurt, Low-fat, Fat –free, Kefir, Lassi to name but a few. It is also a source of best vitamins and supplements as yoghurt contains:
Yogurt is recommended as food and nutrition advice for several medical conditions as stated in the Apple A Day Rx evidenced- based medicine smartphone health app.
A complementary medicine research study from the US has been recently reported that women who regularly eat yoghurt are less likely to develop high blood pressure. The research study was presented at the recent American Heart Association's Epidemiology/Lifestyle 2016 Scientific Sessions.
The Boston research team concluded that women eating five or more portions of yoghurt had a 20% lower risk of high blood pressure. However, this result was not seen in the cohort of men involved in the study; it was further reported that this cohort did not consume much yoghurt. The researchers also stated that regular consumption of milk and cheese was beneficial in reducing risk. The study’s lead author Justin Buendia commented, "No one food is a magic bullet, but adding yogurt to an otherwise healthy diet seems to help reduce the long-term risk of high blood pressure in women"
Future research could help determine the most effective type of yogurt as in some Traditional medicine therapies high–fat yoghurt is contraindicated for some conditions while indicated for others. This is indicative that lifestyle advice and nutritional guidelines should be tailored to the individual.
However, many newspapers who have reported this story have omitted an important factor that the women in this study were also DASH compliant. DASH represents the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension eating plan which includes eating more fruits, vegetables, nuts and beans, other low-fat dairy and whole grains. So while yogurt may contribute to lowering hypertension, there are other contributing factors that need to considered in the final evaluation of this study.
The current advice given to reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) has been successful to date. A complementary medicine research study published in the early 1990’s led to this turnaround. The Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare advised new parents to:
This advice led to a reduction in SIDS related deaths from 100 to 20 per year.
Now, Per Möllborg, Child Health Medical Officer from the University of Gothenburg, has recently conducted further investigations and has provided additional advice
The risk of SIDS was greater if:
As a consequence, Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) practitioner should consider when offering additional advice to new parents.
A recent study has revealed that eating a daily handful of almonds or equivalent almond containing foods improves the Healthy Eating Index in both adults and children.
The complementary medicine research study published in December 2015 in the Journal of Nutrition Research carried out a trial where parents were instructed to eat 1.5 ounces of almonds per day and simultaneously give their children 0.5 ounce of almond or equivalent foods with the minimal almond content e.g. almond butter.
The researchers found that this daily intake over a 14-week period resulted in a significantly improved ‘ Health Eating Index’ component scores for total protein and decreased intake of empty calories.
As parents we are often challenged by barriers in promoting healthy eating to our children. Strategies we can utilise to promote good lifestyle advice for us and our children include basic guidelines such as:
Many Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) practitioners promote almonds as part of their regular diet as 1 ounce of almonds delivers 170 calories and has a low GI index. It also contains best quality vitamins and supplements such as:
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the US, has reported the discovery of a new species of bacteria that causes Lyme disease in people. Prior to this finding, only Borrelia burgdorferi was regarded as the causative organism of human Lyme disease. This is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected blacklegged ticks. Typical symptoms include:
If left untreated, infection can spread to joints, the heart, and the nervous system.
Researchers have now discovered a new bacteria that causes Lyme Disease i.e. Borrelia mayonii. This discovery was made after studying blood samples from patients in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and North Dakota who were suspected of having Lyme disease from 2012-2014.
Unfortunately, in many cases of Lyme disease, antibiotics do not always completely eradicate the disease resulting in long-term damage to the body. As a result, many people with Lyme disease often turn to Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) therapies for their most problematic symptoms, or as an adjunct to antibiotics. Further investigation is required to validate these findings in all cases of Lyme disease which may lead to improved antibiotic treatment and better Integrative Medicine resources.
Around 1 in 4 Australians are Vitamin D deficient. Therefore selecting best quality vitamin and supplements is essential, especially so as there many brands available from pharmacies, health food stores and supermarkets, but these are not always reliable supplements. So here are 4 golden rules in selecting the best Vitamin D supplement.
Rule 1
There is good clinical evidence indicating that both high and low levels of Vitamin D are associated with increased health risks. If you check out the smartphone health app Apple A Day RX you will see displayed a number of disease where low levels of Vitamin D are implicated. The most sensible advice is to get your Vitamin D levels checked via a blood test and then seek assistance from a healthcare practitioner in selecting the dosage of Vitamin D. Unless guided avoid taking more than 1,000 IU per day ( unless advised) and beware of symptoms of Vitamin D toxicity such as nausea and weakness.
Rule 2
Soft gels, powders, liquids and capsules are the best form of Vitamin D to take as they are easily absorbed into the system, whereas coated pills may not disintegrate in the stomach resulting in little or no absorption.
Rule 3
There are 2 different forms of Vitamin D:
Vitamin D2 is produced by fungi and plants, when they are exposed to the sun. Vitamin D2 is available in its synthetic form and though it helps the body absorb calcium and build strong bones, it is not as potent and potent and effective in humans than D3. Heaney et al published a complementary research study in 2010 which revealed that D3 is approximately 87% more potent in raising and maintaining Vitamin D levels in the body and produces 2 to 3-fold greater storage of vitamin D than the same concentration of Vitamin D2. Therefore, the Vitamin D3 is the preferred treatment option when correcting vitamin D deficiency.
Rule 4
Vitamin D3 is best taken after meals to enhance absorption.
Following these four basic rules will help you get the best out of your Vitamin D supplement. However, it is always best to seek the advice from a CAM practitioner as they will guide you to take the most effective and safe therapeutic dosage and advise on intake duration.
When parents bring their sick children to see their doctor or Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) practitioner, they spend time in the waiting rooms playing with toys. Many of these children have infectious disease, which can easily be transmitted to another child when they play with these toys at a later time. As parents we are concerned about the welfare of our kids and we should be aware of the potential of cross-infections from toys in public areas and should warn our kids not to put toys in their mouth. A poignant research study by Merriman et al in the February 2002 edition of British Journal of General Practice highlighted this issue.
They revealed that the toys in waiting rooms of GP surgeries are a potential source of cross-infection i.e.
Hard toys – low levels of contamination
Soft toys – 20% moderate to heavy coliform contamination
90% heavy bacterial contamination
Some Australian GP centres have now acted and removed children’s toys from their waiting rooms. Perhaps it is time that other GP clinics and Complementary and Alternative Medicine practices also follow suit. This also brings into question that improved guidelines regarding cleaning of toys in childcare centres needs to be reviewed.
This prevent cross-contamination due to toys, regular daily cleaning is required at the very least not only in GP surgeries, but also in childcare centres, family day care, OSHC centres and other educational centres.
We know that obese children tend to have more muscle. A recent review by Kindler et al in the recent publication of Current Opinion in Endocrinology concluded that muscle is a strong contributor to bone growth in childhood and adolescence. However, the excess fat that accompanies obesity can be deposited in the muscle thus affecting bone growth erroneously which can then lead to chronic health conditions.
Therefore, lifestyle advice for children should always include exercise and standard healthcare food and nutrition advice.
Complementary and Alternative Medicine therapies such as Ayurveda have advocated the use of lime as valuable food and nutrition advice for treatment of obesity and high cholesterol.
Is there any scientific evidence that backs this age-old treatment?
Limonoids, is the constituent which causes of bitterness in citrus juice, and has previously been reported to possess substantial antioxidant and anticancer activities.
A 2013 complementary medicine research study by Boshtam et al studied the antioxidant activity and atherosclerosis progression in rabbits using the antioxidant rich lime peel. The study revealed that the presence of fatty streaks in coronary arteries and aorta of the treated animals (lime juice peel) were significantly reduced compared to the hypercholesterolemic control group.
Lime (Citrus aurantifolia) peel and juice is known to increase plasma antioxidant capacity in rabbits, and also reduces the process of atherogenesis. However, lime peel was shown to be more effective than lime juice. This observation may be due to the fact that lime peel and juice have different types of flavonoids. For example, hesperidin, naringenin and eriocitrin are found in lime juice, whilst polymethoxylated flavones (PMF), limonoid, and diosmin are found in the peel.
The higher ascorbic acid content of fresh lime juice results in significantly higher serum antioxidant capacity than lime peel, but the latter caused significantly more reductions in fatty streak grade in rabbits. The researchers concluded that this difference may be related to the effects and absorption of each type of flavonoid.
Whilst this research study has only been carried out in rabbits, there is an indication that the age old Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) therapeutic advice may be useful in the acute treatment of hypercholesterolameia. It goes without saying that this food and nutrition advice is only a treatment component in the integrative healthcare solution for the treatment of obesity and high cholesterol.
