Guest guest Posted April 23, 2003 Report Share Posted April 23, 2003 : Tue, 22 Apr 2003 14:50:02 -0500 HSI - Jenny Thompson Giving It Away Giving It Away Health Sciences Institute e-Alert April 22, 2003 ************************************************************** Dear Reader, If you'd like a free sample of Nymox I know where you can probably get one. Nymox is a cholesterol lowering statin drug. But Nymox boasts something that Lipitor and Zocor can't. Nymox holds the patent rights for the use of statins to prevent Alzheimer's disease. Of course, a doctor can prescribe any statin drug to address Alzheimer's, but the FDA allows only Nymox to make the CLAIM that it may help prevent or treat Alzheimer's. Last week I came across a news release stating that the sponsor of next month's Fourth Manhattan Alzheimer's Disease Conference will be - yep - none other than Nymox. I doubt that there will be candy bowls filled with Nymox on every countertop, but a complementary blister pack of Nymox shouldn't be TOO hard to come by. And if you're a doctor or a researcher who specializes in Alzheimer's, well I expect someone might be able to scare you up some Knicks tickets or a dinner at The Four Seasons - no problem! I'll give the folks at Nymox this: they're on the right track. Lowering cholesterol may reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease. But to accomplish that, I certainly wouldn't recommend ANY of the statin drugs. Even if they're handing them out on street corners. ----------------------------- A tangled net ----------------------------- In an e-Alert I sent you last year ( " Clear As A Bell " 6/26/02), I told you about a Georgetown University Medical Center study that shed new light on the association between elevated cholesterol and the development of Alzheimer's disease. Previous research has suggested that high cholesterol levels may increase the levels of a certain protein that is abnormally processed by people with Alzheimer's disease. This abnormal processing sets off a chain reaction that causes a peptide to accumulate and form tangles that can kill brain cells. The Georgetown research shows that high cholesterol levels significantly increase the rate at which these tangles are formed. In addition, the researchers concluded that high cholesterol also increases the production of a different protein that transports cholesterol out of the cell. And while that's a normal function, in this situation it results in an unfortunate increase of free cholesterol, which has a toxic effect on nerve cells. ----------------------------- Walking papers ----------------------------- So what can you do today to address the risk of Alzheimer's disease due to high cholesterol? To start with, a program of regular exercise can be an important step in keeping cholesterol levels in balance. Believe me - I know this is much easier said than done, but even a little exercise (such as a brisk 30 minute walk five times a week) can began to make a difference. In previous e-Alerts I've told you about natural supplements like grapefruit pectin and tocotrienol vitamin E that can help lower your total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels. Another promising supplement is an ancient Ayurvedic herb called arjuna, known to stimulate many functions that support the heart. Arjuna has also been proven to lower cholesterol as much as 12 percent in just 30 days. You can find more detailed information about arjuna at the web site for Himalaya USA (himalayausa.com). ----------------------------- Another important level ----------------------------- I've sent you several e-Alerts about the importance of managing homocysteine - including one in particular that I sent you last February with news about its relationship to Alzheimer's ( " One Thing You Can do to Protect Yourself from Alzheimer's Starting Today " 2/19/02). Homocysteine is an amino acid that, like cholesterol, can be measured with a simple blood test. A large study from the Boston University School of Medicine revealed that a high homocysteine level can actually double your chance of developing Alzheimer's or some other form of dementia. The good news here is that supplements of vitamins B6, B12 and folic acid are effective in helping reduce your homocysteine level, and I'm sure you can find them at just about any store that carries supplements. If you or someone you love is concerned about Alzheimer's disease or showing symptoms, you should seek medical attention immediately. You've probably heard that Alzheimer's involves disorientation, forgetfulness and irrationality, but true Alzheimer's symptoms take those qualities to sometimes alarming extremes, such as putting common items in the wrong place, or wearing clothing that's inappropriate for a given situation. For the rest of us, as we head into the decades of our lives where the risk of Alzheimer's becomes a real factor, we now have new evidence that we can't ignore: a combination of exercise and the supplements that help lower cholesterol and homocysteine levels may be the safest and most direct route to a clear thinking mind later in life. Nymox? I'll pass on that one. ************************************************************** ****** ....and another thing Have you ever tossed back a multi-vitamin and an herbal supplement with the same glass of water and wondered if by taking them together, one might compromise the effectiveness of the other? I recently received an e-mail from an HSI member named Ursula with this very question, and more: " One of the things that concerns me about the regular use of alternative medicines and supplements is the fact that there is no recommendation about dosage timing or dosage mixing with other supplements. The container usually suggests something like 'one or two daily with meals.' " What I often think about when taking my supplements is, 'Should I be taking all these things at the same time? Should I be spacing them? Should some be taken only on an empty stomach? If in taking one or the other there is no danger to health normally, could mixing them together be a problem?' " Asking my doctor is pointless. I don't need him unless I'm bleeding or seriously ill. Thanks to alternatives, I haven't needed him in years. " To answer Ursula's questions, I turned to HSI Panelist, Allan Spreen, M.D., who offered this: " Remember that supplements are exactly that: supplements. They aren't 'medicine' and they aren't drugs, so toxicity levels are far harder to reach - meaning that precision is not nearly as critical. They are usually taken with food (meals) since they are better digested that way (they're food supplements). " There are exceptions. For example, amino acid supplements are expensive, and if taken with protein foods the protein receptor sites are flooded with competition from the protein in foods. If you're trying to get a predominance of one amino acid for some reason (l-glutamine for energy, arginine for growth hormone production, l-tryptophan for sleep, etc.), you'd be wasting money to take them with other proteins. " Most supplements don't interfere with each other, though natural can interfere with drugs, like grapefruit increasing the effect of some drugs, etc. As with whole foods, some interfere with others, but it's usually not nearly as critical as playing with medications. When it's significant, the label of a good product may mention why. " Of all the inquiries we get, this may be among the most common. I'm glad we could answer it for you (and Ursula). My thanks to Dr. Spreen, as always. To Your Good Health, Jenny Thompson Health Sciences Institute ************************************************************** Sources: " Function of ?-Amyloid in Cholesterol Homeostasis: A Lead to Neurotoxicity " Abstract P3-313, 2002 Annual Meeting of The Endocrine Society " Elevated levels of cholesterol play an even greater role in development of Alzheimer's, study shows " Press release, Georgetown University Medical Center " Fourth Manhattan Alzheimer's Disease Conference on May 27 Sponsored by Nymox Will Feature World Class Assembly of Speakers and Panelists " Business Wire Press Release, 4/16/03 Copyright ©1997-2003 by www.hsibaltimore.com, L.L.C. 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