PQQ has been well recognized to be a vitally important biofactor involved in neurological and cardiovascular health. This well-established bioactive compound has shown immense ability to enhance learning/memory as well as improve fat metabolism in type 2 diabetes preclinical models.
New research has elucidated novel mechanisms by which PQQ induces mitochondrial biogenesis! They show that PQQ increases intracellular NAD+ levels and activates SIRT1.
Why is this groundbreaking? NAD+ had been previously well known in the scientific community to be a vital electron transporter in mitochondrial respiration (i.e. acts as a transporter of energy for your mitochondria uses to maintain your energy levels). NAD+ is known to be vital for everything from the mitochondrial function, to inflammation, to even calcium homeostasis. Furthermore, SIRT1 is a well-studied longevity gene. Longevity is the process by which organisms and humans are able to maintain a longer than average lifespan with a higher degree of youthfulness. It is the “fountain of youth” locked within our own genes, and SIRT1 is a major central node in this process.
Ultimately, the authors conclude, “our results offer a novel hypothesis that PQQ can enhance the cellular NAD+ levels, thereby contributing to health and disease prevention via NAD+ -dependent regulation.” And “PQQ-inducible mitochondrial biogenesis has been receiving a great deal of attention because of its physiological importance and pharmacological effects.”
Find out more and take a look at the research yourself at http://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.biochem.7b01185
]]>Fucoidan is a naturally occuring polysaccharide that is readily found in many species of brown algae and brown seaweed such as mozuku, kombu, bladderwrack, wakame, and hijiki. Many of these seaweeds have been a part of East Asian diets, and as such, many East Asian people have reaped the health benefits of Fucoidan. There are a multitude of facets in which Fucoidan is known to aid in human health including cardiovascular and liver health. Interestingly, Fucoidan has been shown by scientists to also help in immune health.
A number of publications have shown Fucoidan can activate vital immune cells (i.e. certain T-cells, NK cells, and dendritic cells) and bolster both innate and adaptive immune systems to help overall immunity and elicit an anti-pathogenic/viral function. Furthermore, Fucoidan has been shown to inhibit a number of viral pathogens such as several strains of the common flu (influenza), measles, and even herpes. One of the mechanisms by which Fucoidan elicits an anti-viral function is by blocking the binding of viral receptors to cells, resulting in reduced infection rates. Fucoidan has also been implicated in anti-pathogenic functions as well. In a preclinical mouse model, Kar and colleagues found that oral administration of Fucoidan lead to a significant reduction in the infection rate of a pathogen of Leishmania (2011, J Antimicrob Chemother). Further studies have shown Fucoidain aids in fighting off many gastrointestinal related pathogens as well (see Digestive and Gastrointestinal Health section). Taken together, Fucoidan has been shown to have a broad immune promoting effect.
]]>There is an every growing epidemic in the US in which cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are claiming more and more lives each year. It is vital that we better understand the pathophysiological process of how the vascularity fails with age and how we can take preventative measures to improve our lives.
Though there are many contributing factors (stress, diet, etc.) a common cause of high blood pressure is due to atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is defined as the narrowing of arteries due to fatty deposits that accumulate on arterial walls, often caused by the build up of plaque on the artery walls.
Eating a high-fat western diet, rich in cholesterol, can cause an increase in Low Density Lipoproteins (LDLs) inside your circulatory system. These LDL particles then begin to accumulate in the media region of your arteries and become oxidized by your own cells. Your body initially tries to clear oxidized LDL in blood vessels by immune cells (macrophages), cause local inflammation, and cause other cells (smooth muscle cells, T cells, etc.) to migrate to the location and help stabilize the region by secreting fibirin. Unfortunately, if there is too much oxidized LDL for them to handle, these cells begin to die, forming an unstable plaque.
This plaque protrudes out into your blood vessel and narrows the blood vessels, causing pressure to build up (high blood pressure) and a dull pain (angina). Eventually when this plaque ruptures, platelets begin to clot. This causes either complete blockage of the artery, or the clot gets broken and travels to another artery where it will block and cause damage elsewhere.
This process of plaque formation doesn’t necessarily have to be permanent! Through adjusting one’s diet to include High Density Lipoproteins (HDLs aka "good fat") and regularly adding just 30min or more of heart pumping exercise, can help dramatically improve your outcome.
Furthermore, by supplementing with fibronolytic enzymes (i.e. a clot busting enzyme), you can help clear away existing plaques in your arteries! Nattokinase is a naturally occurring and potent fibronolytic enzyme. Once Nattokinase is orally consumed, it circulates through the blood vessels and degrades plaque formations, thus breaking down blood clots and relieving blood pressure and blood flow.
Here at Dr’s Hope, we thoroughly research and thoughtfully formulate our products to achieve maximal health benefits to our customers. We truly believe in our products and believe by informing you, you can be empowered to change your own life for the better. Don’t wait any longer! Help improve your cardiovascular health today!
]]>More and more, Americans have been spending increasing time on their phones and in front of screens. Although seemingly benign, the artificial light emanating from these devices, in particular blue light, perturbs our circadian rhythms, particularly at night. Seminal work done by Charles Czeisler in the early 80s at Harvard Medical School demonstrated that humans have a natural diurnal cycle approximately 24 hours in length. Retinal blue light, exposure causes melatonin suppression and leads to decreased fatigue. Chronic blue light exposure has also been linked to various diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, and obesity.
Although the best solution is to decrease screen time, particularly at night, sometimes demanding work schedules or circumstances make it impossible to avoid all the time. A recent study conducted by the Nutritional neuroscience Laboratory at University of Georgia revealed that Lutein along with Zeaxanthin can actually act prophylactically to reduce the negative effects of blue light1. Lutein is a naturally occurring carotenoid that plays a pivotal role in eye health and helps maintain good vision. Not surprisingly, in Stringham and colleagues’ 6-month placebo-controlled supplementation trial that was double-blinded and randomized with 48 young adult subjects, they found that oral administration of Lutein with Zeaxanthin caused a decrease in blue light-mediated eye strain, fatigue, and sleep quality disruption, even with screen time exposure of at least 6 hours daily. The findings of this study demonstrates that Lutein supplementation can help us reduce eye strain and protect our overall sleep cycle from the negative impact of blue light exposure.
This is just another added benefit of Lutein supplementation. In addition to these beneficial effects, Lutein also helps stave off age-related macular degeneration and lower risk of cataracts. Furthermore, Lutein supplementation can improve overall vision acuity and eye performance. Taken together, Lutein offers a multitude of health benefits!
1Stringham, J. M., Stringham N. T., O’Brien K. J., Macular Carotenoid Supplementation Improves Visual Performance, Sleep Quality, and Adverse Physical Symptoms in Those with High Screen Time Exposure, Foods 2017, 6(7), 47, doi.10.33990
Photo by Matthew Henry from Burst
]]>One of the herbal products we are discussing today is “Bitter Melon” (also known as Momordica charantia, bitter gourd, wild cucumber, and more) is a plant that gets its name from its taste. As it becomes bitterer as it ripens.
Bitter melon has been used for centuries in India and other Asian countries. The fruit and seeds are used to make medicine. Like a fruit that also has properties of a vegetable, bitter melon contains a wide variety of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. It has been recognized by many cultures as having medicinal value. Some of its nutritional benefits include vitamins C, A, E, B-1, B-2, B-3, and B-9. Minerals like potassium, calcium, zinc, magnesium, phosphorus, and iron and antioxidants like phenols, flavonoids, and others.
The most celebrated and well-known benefit of this plant is related to Diabetes, the curse of the 21st century in terms of morbidity, mortality, complications, disability, and financial burden. Considerably it is the most potent and popular fruit in terms of managing diabetes through alternative medicine. In fact, drinking bitter melon decoctions is a common practice of diabetes management in Asian countries. Bitter Melon contains at least three active substances with anti-diabetic properties, including charantin, which has been confirmed to have a blood glucose-lowering effect, vicine and an insulin-like compound known as polypeptide-p.
These substances work together to help reduce blood sugar levels. It is also known that bitter melon contains a lectin that reduces blood glucose concentrations by acting on peripheral tissues and suppressing appetite - similar to the effects of insulin in the brain.
A number of clinical studies have been conducted to evaluate the efficacy of bitter melon in the treatment of diabetes. In January 2011, the results of a four-week clinical trial were published in the Journal of Ethno pharmacology, which showed that a 2,000 mg daily dose of bitter melon significantly reduced blood glucose levels among patients with type 2 diabetes, although the hypoglycemic effect was less than a 1,000 mg/day dose of metformin.
Other older studies have also suggested an association between bitter melon intake and improved glycemic control, while a report published in the March 2008 issue of Chemistry and Biology found that bitter melon increased cellular uptake of glucose and improved glucose tolerance and lowered HbA1c (a measure of blood sugar control over time) in people with type 2 diabetes.
Nevertheless, the Bitter melon also has other proven health benefits. Worth mentioning are its anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, and anti-bacterial properties. The compounds present in the bitter melon fight off numerous skin infections including ringworm, scabies, and even the autoimmune condition psoriasis. Bitter melon stops guanylate cyclase activity that is responsible for worsening psoriasis. Furthermore, it is abundant in antioxidants that combat free radical effects as well as creating a strong defense against common diseases. However, with its abundance of antioxidant are its anti-tumor and anti-carcinogenic attributes. Recent clinical trials and pharmacologic studies show a link between eating bitter melon and the reduction of tumors in individuals with breast, cervical, and prostate cancer. There has been a significant body of studies conducted for its role in cancer prevention, which is promising as an alternative to potent chemotherapy agents.
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Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a major medical problem throughout the world. Diabetes causes an array of long-term systemic complications that have a considerable impact on the patient as well as society, as the disease typically affects individuals in their most productive years. An increasing prevalence of diabetes is occurring throughout the world.
Patients with diabetes often develop ophthalmic complications, such as corneal abnormalities, glaucoma, iris neovascularization, cataracts, and neuropathies. The most common and potentially most blinding of these complications, however, is diabetic retinopathy, which is, in fact, the leading cause of new blindness in persons aged 25-74 years in the United States. Approximately 700,000 persons in the United States have proliferative diabetic retinopathy, with an annual incidence of 65,000. An estimate of the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy in the United States showed a high prevalence of 28.5% among those with diabetes aged 40 years or older.
The retina needs a constant supply of blood, which it receives through a network of tiny blood vessels. Over time, a persistently high blood sugar level can damage these blood vessels in 3 main stages:
In the initial stages of diabetic retinopathy, patients are generally asymptomatic, but in more advanced stages of the disease, patients may experience symptoms that include floaters, distortion, and/or blurred vision. Microaneurysms are the earliest clinical sign of diabetic retinopathy.
Diabetic retinopathy can be minimized with a combination of strict blood sugar control and routine screening with eye exams. Studies have shown that maintaining near-normal blood sugar levels can decrease the chance of developing retinopathy and can help keep existing retinopathy from getting worse. That may include insulin and other medications, dietary modifications, and exercise. Intensive insulin therapy, which may include frequent blood sugar testing and the use of an insulin pump, may be an option.
Intensive therapy reduced the mean risk of retinopathy by 76% (95% CI 62–85). According to the studies, improved blood glucose control reduced the risk of developing retinopathy and nephropathy and possibly reduces neuropathy. The overall rate of microvascular complications decreases by 25% in patients receiving intensive therapy versus conventional therapy. Epidemiological analysis of the UKPDS data showed a continuous relationship between the risk of microvascular complications and glycemia, such that for every percentage point decrease in HbA1c (e.g., from 8 to 7%), there was a 35% reduction in the risk of microvascular complications.
Do not wait until you notice vision loss, dark spots, or other abnormalities to see an ophthalmologist. With regular screenings, your doctor can detect eye disease early and help to preserve your vision. The American Diabetes Association’s 2017 Standards of Medical Care recommends:
Nevertheless, prevention of Diabetic microvascular complications i.e. retinopathy, neuropathy, and nephropathy is the best cure.
]]>Reishi has been used for centuries in China to treat diabetes, nourish the heart, enrich the blood, and detoxify the body. In fact, Ganoderma lucidum is one of the most researched herbs in Japan and China, extensively studied for its therapeutic actions as an immune enhancer, cardiotonic, hypoglycemic, and hepatoprotectant. There is growing interest in using Reishi in adjunctive cancer therapies, as well as diabetes management.
Chinese study, which was conducted by researchers at the department of pharmacology of Peking University in Beijing and published in the December 2006 issue of the Journal of Asian Natural Products Research, specifically looked into Reishi's effects on diabetic kidney disease. After the eight-week trial period, the diabetic subjects exhibited noticeably reduced markers of kidney stress, as well as lowered triglyceride and blood sugar levels. The researchers concluded that Reishi mushrooms can prevent or halt the progression of diabetic kidney complications.
Furthermore, it has regenerating effects on the pancreas; it also helps the sensitization of the receptors responsible for the absorption of insulin and claims to have a blood sugar lowering effect. Within the scope of a holistic therapy of Type 2 Diabetes with metabolic syndrome, the combined intake of medicinal mushrooms and Nopal juice (prickly pear) can be very reasonable.
However as it has therapeutic properties against diabetes, Reishi mushroom has many other potential health benefits which complement its use as an adjunct to an antidiabetic regime. For instance, diabetics are prone to reduced immunity leading to infectious diseases and cardiovascular complications. Reishi mushroom can enhance immune function through its enhancing effects on white blood cells, which help fight infection and cancer. One of the active ingredients, called ganoderic acids, appear to combat high BP and reduce LDL cholesterol & triglyceride levels; may also discourage platelet aggregation preventing the thrombus formation which can clog the arteries disrupting the blood flow to heart thus, reducing the chances of myocardial infarction.
Unlike most other medicinal mushrooms, which can be eaten cooked, Reishi has a tough texture that is difficult for some people to digest. It is also common to use powdered forms of the mushroom or extracts that contain these specific molecules.
Therefore, all the amazing health and diabetic benefits Reishi mushroom have with minimal side effects are being used in herbal medicine more than ever before. Along with opening up new horizons for the research and evaluation.]]>
Cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) are found naturally in Cannabis genus plants, hemp and marijuana. Each of these cannabinoids is made of the same molecules, but are arranged differently.
Your body already contains endocannabinoids naturally with cannabinoid receptors. CBD and THC interact with these receptors in different ways, with the latter giving you that “high” feeling. This is why THC is classified as a psychotropic drug and is controlled as such; whereas, CBD is regarded as safe to use but is still regulated by laws.
The simple answer is: no. As noted above, CBD does not large amounts of THC. In fact, the legally sell CBD oil the product must contain less than .3% or less of THC. There are two types of oils you could purchase, depending on your state’s laws, hemp-based and marijuana-based oils. The first you can buy legally, the second you would go to a dispensary to purchase in legalized states.
The rise in popularity of CBD oil could be the variety of health benefits. These range from reducing inflammation and pain to helping with depression and anxiety.
Tada! Now you have a general understanding of what the heck CBD oil is and why it is so popular. Despite all the taboo around cannabis and cannabinoids, these plants have been used for medical purposes all over the world for centuries. All the more reason to keep your eyes on the news for CBD’s future.
]]>Are you tired of this cold routine? It might be time to try something new!
Honestly, it’s hard to know where to start with all the benefits that beta glucan has, but starting with immune boosting is a good place. Beta glucan is clinically proven to do battle with bacteria resistant to antibiotic treatment and viruses that cause upper respiratory infections. Because it enhances the function of macrophages and neutrophils, it even enhances your protection against E.Coli and staph infection. Since 1980, mostly in Japan, beta glucans have been used for immune system support.
Taken regularly, it will prevent infections and viruses, but I would like to introduce Beta Glucan 1,3D to you. Beta Glucan 1,3D is the preventative supplement that will keep your home running like a well-oiled machine!
You’ve probably heard of beta glucan in cereals, whole grains or oats, and that is very helpful, but did you know there is a gluten-free, supplement version that is completely safe for adults AND children?
Honestly, it’s hard to know where to start with all the benefits that beta glucan has, but starting with immune boosting is a good place. Beta glucan is clinically proven to do battle with bacteria resistant to antibiotic treatment and viruses that cause upper respiratory infections. Because it enhances the function of macrophages and neutrophils, it even enhances your protection against E.Coli and staph infection. Since 1980, mostly in Japan, beta glucans have been used for immune system support.
Taken regularly, it will prevent infections and viruses, but if you’ve already caught a nasty cold, beta glucan will at least reduce the number of days you have to live with it. One beautiful thing about beta glucan 1,3D is that it is completely safe for your children! We recommend adults take two capsules of Drs’ Hope Beta Glucan daily, and children take one daily. If your child has trouble taking capsules, just open it up and disguise the powder in yogurt, applesauce, or something similar.
Because of the immune-boosting properties of beta glucan 1,3D, it is also effective for cancer patients because of its anti-tumor properties or who are experiencing side effects from cancer treatment.
I’m sure you are familiar with oats being beneficial to heart health. Well, you can thank beta glucan for that benefit! It has been proven to lower cholesterol and LDL levels.
One more benefit…it may help quell allergy reactions!
This little supplement carries a big stick! Start using it now to prevent the school yuckies!
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