For the past several years, the advice given to breast cancer survivors by their oncologists simply didn’t make much sense. I must have heard this from dozens of women: “I was told to avoid soy because it would make the cancer worse.” They’d been told that soy “feeds” cancer, like adding gasoline to a smoldering […]
Category: B
Hopping for Strong Bones
Although it’s the Christmas season, the title is not Shopping for Strong Bones. It is actual hopping, of the jumping-up-and-down variety. With or without a mini-trampoline (great fun, by the way, and readily available online).
Exercise researchers are spending more time these days determining which forms of exercise actually produce specific health benefits. Several weeks ago I wrote about the findings that exercise didn’t help with weight loss unless you cut calories, too.
Bad Breath: Eight Ways to Sweeten
On our patient questionnaire at WholeHealth Chicago, we list a lot of symptoms that people can mark if they want help with them. Since bad breath appears as a concern so frequently, I thought I might save you some unnecessary anxieties.
Vitamin B6
Day by day, there’s probably no nutrient as actively involved in keeping your system running smoothly as vitamin B6. Technically an umbrella term used to describe three B vitamins (pyridoxine, pridoxal, pyridoxamine), vitamin B6 partakes in no fewer than 100 chemical reactions throughout the body. It functions primarily as a coenzyme, working along with other enzymes to speed up chemical reactions in cells.
Vitamin B12
In l948, scientists were successful in identifying a nutritional substance in calf’s liver that could prevent pernicious anemia, a potentially deadly disorder that mainly affects older adults. The compound—vitamin Bl2 (or cobalamin)—turned out to be the last vitamin to be discovered.
Vitamin B Complex
A high-quality vitamin B complex supplement will provide, in one convenient pill, a full range of B vitamins, including biotin, choline, folic acid, inositol, PABA (para-aminobenzoic acid), and the six “numbered” B vitamins–vitamin B-1 (thiamin), B-2 (riboflavin), B-3 (niacin), B-5 (pantothenic acid), B-6 (pyridoxine), and B-12 (cobalamin). Combination products can simplify the process of taking individual B vitamins for a range of ailments including alcoholism, depression, diabetes, hair problems, lupus, multiple sclerosis, and stress.
Thiamin (B1)
As the first B vitamin to be discovered, thiamin can rightly claim the name of vitamin B1. This nutrient is essential to normal growth and development. It participates in converting the carbohydrates from foods into energy and promotes proper functioning of the heart and nervous systems.
Saccharomyces boulardii
Saccharomyces boulardii (SB) is a yeast that promotes gastrointestinal health. This microorganism, which is sold as a supplement, is a “probiotic.” Probiotics help maintain a normal balance of beneficial bacteria in the intestinal tract. Well-known probiotics include the lactobacilli and bifidobacteria found in yogurt.
Pantothenic Acid (B5)
Also known as vitamin B5, pantothenic acid is essential for a number of basic bodily functions–from growth to reproduction. It participates in the continual breakdown of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins from food, converting them into compounds the body can use. This vitamin also produces numerous enzymes and helps maintain precise communication between the central nervous system and the brain.
Butcher’s Broom
he stiff spines of butcher’s broom, an evergreen bush (Ruscus aculeatus) native to the Mediterranean region, were once popular for making brooms (hence the herb’s name). For centuries, people also consumed this herb, which is closely related to asparagus, as a vegetable.
Bromelain/Quercetin
When dealing with inflammatory conditions (such as eczema or allergies), there are several good reasons to consider products that combine bromelain, a natural anti-inflammatory derived from pineapples, and quercetin, a plant pigment (or flavonoid) prominent in apples and onions.
Bromelain
Bromelain is the name of a group of powerful protein-digesting, or proteolytic, enzymes that are found in the pineapple plant (Ananas comosus). Discovered in 1957, and widely studied since then, bromelain is particularly useful for reducing muscle and tissue inflammation and as a digestive aid. Supplements are made from enzymes found in the pineapple stem.
Boron
Boron is a biologically dynamic ultra trace element important in human metabolism. A recommended dietary allowance for boron has not been established, although surveys indicate that average daily intakes of boron range between 0.5 and 3.1 mg. Based on animal studies, humans probably have a daily requirement of 1 mg a day.
Boswellia
Boswellia, also known as boswellin or “Indian frankincense,” comes from the Boswellia serrata tree that grows in the dry hills of India. For centuries, traditional Indian healers have taken advantage of the anti-inflammatory properties of the tree bark’s gummy resin, called salai guggal. Modern preparations made from a purified extract of this resin and packaged in pill or cream form are used to reduce inflammation associated with osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Unlike conventional NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) such as ibuprofen–the accepted treatments for joint inflammation–boswellia doesn’t seem to cause stomach irritation. It also may be effective for back pain and certain chronic intestinal disorders.
Borage Oil
From its bristly stems to its blue star-shaped flowers, virtually all parts of the borage plant (Borago officinalis) have been used over the centuries for their healing properties and as a flavoring for foods. As early as the 1600s, Europeans mixed borage leaves and flowers into a wine that was renown for relieving boredom and dispelling melancholy.
Bone-Building Formula
This combination product contains vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that help to strengthen bone, a living tissue that requires constant upkeep. Most important in the combination, is calcium, which ensures that bones stay healthy and strong. Also crucial is vitamin D, which helps the body absorb calcium from foods, and prevents calcium loss in the urine. The mineral magnesium is essential for assisting bone in creating new calcium crystals. Of course, these and other key nutrients (from vitamin K to trace minerals such as manganese, boron, and zinc) can be taken individually. But for greater ease, a bone-building formula combining them all can be very convenient.
Blackberry
The prickly stemmed, flowering blackberry bushes that grow wild across parts of Europe and North America yield plump, blue-black berries for eating as well as for healing. Ancient Greeks called the plant “goutberry” because it was relied upon to lessen gout-related joint pain. Traveling salesmen of yore were known to tuck a flask of blackberry brandy into their bags to treat the loose stools that often occurred after eating unfamiliar foods. Today, blackberry is probably best known for this very use–as a soothing remedy for diarrhea.
Black Cohosh
Generations of American women have relied on the gnarled root of black cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa) to relieve various “female problems,” from PMS and menstrual cramps to menopausal symptoms. In the 1900s, this indigenous American wildflower, a member of the buttercup family, provided the main ingredient in a popular tonic for women. (The concoction–Lydia Pinkham’s Vegetable Compound–is still sold, but it no longer contains the herb.) Black cohosh has also been used to treat a variety of other complaints, including insect bites and eczema.
Biotin
Although biotin is one of the lesser-known B vitamins, it plays an essential role in a number of important body processes. Taking its name from the Greek word bios, meaning “life,” this nutrient assists the body in metabolizing protein, fats, and carbohydrates from food. It plays a special role in enabling the body to use blood sugar (glucose), a major source of energy for body fluids. Biotin also helps produce certain enzymes.
Bifidobacteria
Like its better-known bacterial cousin, acidophilus, the bifidobacteria group (also called ‘bifidus’) are considered a “probiotic.” One of the hundreds of beneficial bacteria that inhabit your body’s intestinal tract, bifidobacteria helps to fight off infection. Probiotics such as these are especially helpful in preventing the diarrhea that often results from antibiotic therapy. They ease other gastrointestinal conditions as well, including irritable bowel syndrome and flatulence. They also help to prevent vaginal and urinary tract infections, and counteract the overgrowth of the fungus Candida albicans.