Supporting Evidence :: Holistic Healing

Supporting Evidence
by author Michael T. Murray, ND

Science is working constantly to help us understand the role vitamins, minerals, herbal products, and other natural compounds play in promoting health and healing. Many noteworthy clinical studies with natural products were published in 2004. Here are the 10 most significant findings.

1. Echinacea does work if you use an effective product

In 2004, four double-blind studies evaluated echinacea preparations in the treatment of the common cold. In three of these studies, the echinacea products used were shown to be no more effective than placebos. However, one study published in the Journal of Clinical Pharmaceutical Therapy demonstrated quite clearly that echinacea could be of significant value in reducing the severity and duration of a cold. The difference in results from these clinical studies with echinacea is most likely due to a lack of or insufficient quantity of active compounds in the negative studies.

The single most important aspect in getting results from an echinacea product is to make sure that it is guaranteed to provide sufficient levels of all three classes of all three key categories of active compounds in their proper ratio. For example, in the study demonstrating positive results, the commercially available echinacea product contained standardized levels of alkamides, cichoric acid, and polysaccharides at concentrations of 0.25, 2.5, and 25 milligrams per millilitres respectively.

Prepared from freshly harvested Echinacea purpurea plants, the standardized product showed just how impressive results can be when a high quality product is used. In the double-blind study, the echinacea preparation or placebo was given to 282 subjects aged 18 to 65 years with a history of two or more colds in the previous year. Subjects were instructed to start the echinacea or placebo at the onset of the first symptom related to a cold, consuming 10 doses the first day and four doses per day on subsequent days for seven days. The total daily symptom scores were found to be 23.1 percent lower in the echinacea group than in placebo. The researcher concluded that early intervention with this standardized echinacea product results in reduced symptom severity in subjects with upper respiratory tract infection. Cold symptoms in some people cleared up to three times faster than the placebo group.

2. US Government study acknowledges health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids

According to a detailed evaluation of the scientific evidence conducted by scientists at the Tufts-New England Medical Center Evidence-based Practice Center in Boston, the United States Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality concluded that the long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, either from fish consumption or supplementation, significantly reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes. The review also found other evidence indicating that fish oil supplementation can help lower high blood pressure slightly, reduce risk of coronary artery re-blockage after angioplasty, increase exercise capability among patients with clogged arteries, and reduce the risk of irregular heartbeats–particularly in individuals who’d recently had a heart attack.

3. Omega-3 index emerges as the most significant marker for heart disease

When researchers measured the level of the long-chain omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA within red blood cells they found that they had discovered one of the most significant predictors of heart disease. This laboratory value was termed the Omega-3 Index and published in Preventive Medicine in July 2004. An Omega-3 Index of equal to or greater than eight percent was associated with the greatest protection, whereas an index of four percent or lower was associated with the least. The Omega-3 Index was shown to be the most significant predictor of coronary artery disease compared to C-reactive protein; total, LDL, or HDL cholesterol; and homocysteine. Researchers subsequently determined that a total of a combined 1,000 mg of EPA and DHA daily is required to achieve or surpass the Omega-3 Index target of eight percent or more.

4. Black cohosh extract exerts anticancer effects against breast cancer cell

1 2

Next Page >>>

Michael T. Murray, ND, is the author of over 20 books, including his latest How to Prevent and Treat Diabetes with Natural Medicine (Riverhead, 2003).

Source: alive #267, January 2005

New Millennium, New Healing Attitude
After 22 years of general medical practice and over 2,000 letters from readers requesting advice, I have observed some general principles that determine whether or not an individual is capable of controlling his or her heal.

What is Environmental Medicine?
First of all, environmental medicine does not reject modern medicine. In certain acute and traumatic situations, head for your nearest hospital. Be grateful for the research and technological progress which has allowed patients to survive incidents that would have meant certain death at one time in history.

Environmental Illness Is Not A Life Sentence
Imagine a world where your dreams are manifesting before your eyes; a world full of hope and promise. Imagine all this coming to a sudden, crippling halt and down into the cocoon you go . . .

Copper Overload
I would like to share with the readers of alive my story about a hidden illness that most doctors don't recognize. I feel this story could help a great many people.

Millennial Medicine
Conventional medicine can learn from alternative medicine how to "gentle" its approach by focusing on the patient's inherent capacity for self-healin.

Magnetic Power Heals
We are magnetic beings-magnetic energy affects everyone's health. From the smallest particles to the largest celestial bodies, positive and negative electrical units called protons and electrons are fundamental constituents that establish and maintain the empty space that dominates all matter.

State-Of-The-Art Health Care
The "functional medicine practised at the CCFM, explains D.

Achieving True Health
Illness, not health, is quickly becoming the norm in our country. Statistics show that childhood, chronic degenerative, autoimmune and malignant diseases are steadily increasing to epidemic proportions. So the question that everyone is asking is: "Why are we so sick?"

Holistic Health Research
Wouldn't it be nice if Canadians who support complementary and alternative medicines, including researchers, practitioners, and organizations, banded together to share resources and support one another?

Wearing Life Well
Many of us know Marilu Henner best as Elaine Nardo on TV's long-running series, Tax.

First Nations Medicine
Where does learning end and stealing begin? That's the hard question non-Natives interested in exploring traditional Native North American medicine are forced to ask themselves.

Speaking of Plants
Have you ever taken time to go outside and just sit next to a big old oak tree? Did you feel anything, hear anything? Some people have an impassioned relationship with trees and believe it is possible to take energy and learn from them.

First Steps Toward a Healthier Future
If you've ever suffered a health problem or been close to someone who has, you know how improving nutrition can improve health. Knowing what foods to eat is just as important as knowing why we need to eat them.

Iridology
Our eyes can reflect inherited tendencies to weakness in just about any part of the body; neuromuscular problems or stiffness in the joints; or even hearing disorders. In fact, new information suggests iridology can identify a whole range of syndromes, from simple bowel tendencies to complex glandular problems.

Parkinson's Disease Treated Naturally
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disease of the nervous system. It is symptomized by tremor, muscular rigidity and emaciation and used to be a malady of the aged. That's not so anymore. The disease is afflicting younger and younger victims.

How to Choose a Health-Care Professional
When seeking professional help about your health, do your own research. Some health food stores offer consultations with qualified staff or can recommend a herbalist, homeopath, naturopath or nutritionist in your area.

Profile of Dr. Andrew Weil
Andrew Weil is definitely changing the face of medicine. His familiar, white-bearded face has beamed at us from the cover of TIME magazine twice in the last nine years, most recently last October when his new book, Healthy Aging (Knopf, 2005) hit the stands.

Nature's Essentials
Along with your bear spray, bandages, and homeopathic arnica, you may want to pack some essential oils that can help with common ailments such as itchy bug bites, bruises, cuts, rashes, blisters, and sunburn. Compact, versatile, and effective on a variety of levels, essential oils such as tea tree and lavender are must-haves in your first aid kit and can be used directly on the skin without a carrier oil.

Biofeedback for Beginners
Biofeedback, also known as physiological feedback, is a treatment technique established through scientific experimentation that helps people improve their health by making use of signals from their own bodies. This noninvasive technique measures bodily functions such as breathing, blood pressure, skin temperature, and muscle tension.

Spa Treatments
Spas attract a wide range of clients from teenagers to seniors, both male and female. I put spa treatments into three rough categories: holistic, stress release, and cosmetic. Often these categories overlap; simply stated, holistic treatments are therapeutic and include various types of massage, reflexology, and hot paraffin wax treatments.

Health Shows
The Health Show is coming to Edmonton in September. I wouldn't miss it for anything! Mixing entertainment with education is a perfect way to learn. Information seems to sink in better when it's in an informal, fun environment.

Electrodermal Screening
Many Canadian natural health providers use electrodermal screening (EDS) to gather bioenergy feedback and find energy imbalances that may be symptoms of disease. Some naturopaths also use the devices to test for sensitivities to certain foods and other substances. How effective is electrodermal screening?

Looking for a Healthy Tax Break
Benjamin Franklin famously said, "In this world nothing is certain but death and taxes. A coalition of groups involved in natural health products and services would like to ease the burden of the latter for those who take care to delay the former.

Flower Essences
On a recent wilderness walk, I was greeted with the refreshing briskness and sweet aroma of wildflowers. I felt alive as the rays from an early morning sun sparkled on dew glistening with the essence of the flowers. Was this how people discovered the power of flower essences millennia ago?

What's the Buzz?
There's a lot of buzz about the health benefits of bee pollen and royal jelly, but apart from being good for bees, are there any real benefits for people?

Sweet Healing
Who needs a spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down when honey is medicine itself? Long used in traditional medicine, honey has recently been the subject of many scientific studies that provide evidence of its effectiveness as a healing agent.

Lacking Libido
A healthy libido or sex drive is a normal part of being human. While it is not uncommon to go through periods when sexual desire declines or wanes, libido problems become self-evident when these low periods recur and lead to personal stress and interpersonal problems.

Check your Chocolate
Over the last decade, the medicinal value of cocoa has been the focus of scientific scrutiny. For example, researchers from the United Kingdom found that cocoa is rich in naturally occurring polyphenols, plant chemicals with antioxidant activity.