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" HSI - Jenny Thompson " <HSIResearch

 

Like Buttah

Wed, 19 Jan 2005 09:00:07 -0500

Like Buttah

 

Health Sciences Institute e-Alert

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January 19, 2005

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Dear Reader,

 

Imagine this scene: Summertime in the English countryside... a small

stream shaded by trees on both sides... along the banks grow a plant

with large, soft leaves that were once used to wrap pats of butter to

keep them cool on warm summer days.

 

That's how an herbal plant called " petasites hybridus " got its common

name: butterbur. And it's appropriate that the name has a comforting

quality because for many centuries the anti- inflammatory properties

of butterbur have been put to use to relieve fever, colds and asthma.

 

Now a new study shows that patients who suffer from chronic migraine

headaches may find a good deal of comfort in butterbur.

 

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Cutting back

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" Petadolex " may not have the same comforting lilt as " butterbur, " but

it's essentially the same thing.

 

Petadolex is the commercial name of a butterbur root extract, which

was recently tested as a migraine preventive. The study was conducted

through nine clinics in the U.S. and Germany, and coordinated by

researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York

 

Nearly 250 subjects who suffered from frequent migraine headaches (at

least two to six migraines per month) were divided into three groups:

One group received 75 mg of Petadolex daily for four months, one group

received 50 mg, and one group received a placebo.

 

As reported in the journal Neurology, nearly 70 percent of those in

the 75 mg group reported a 50 percent or greater reduction in their

frequency of migraine attacks. When the entire 75 mg group was

assessed overall, migraine frequency was cut by an average of 48 percent.

 

Those in the 50 mg group cut their migraine frequency by a little more

than one third on average, while frequency was cut by a about a

quarter among the placebo subjects. Some of the subjects who received

Petadolex reported mild gastrointestinal side effects, which mostly

consisted of burping.

 

This isn't the first research to find Petadolex to be an effective

migraine preventive. In a 2002 trial in Germany, 60 migraine patients

received either 50 mg of Petadolex or a placebo for three months. In

this trial, the 50 mg dosage cut migraine frequency by 50 percent

compared to 10 percent in the placebo group.

 

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Prevention plus

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It's easy to imagine how two to six migraines per month can be a

debilitating condition. So to cut this frequency in half is a

significant improvement. But there are other steps that migraine

patients can take to help limit the rate of recurrence.

 

In the e-Alert " The Best Offense... " (9/24/04), I told you about

research that showed how riboflavin (vitamin B-2) supplements also

reduce migraine frequency. In that study, 23 subjects took 400 mg of

riboflavin daily for six months. Among the entire group, the average

frequency of migraines was cut in half. The 400 mg dose of riboflavin

used in the study is considered high, but none of the subjects

reported any adverse reactions.

 

Foods that contain good amounts of riboflavin include leafy green

vegetables, whole grains, meat, eggs, yogurt, cheese and milk. Alcohol

consumption and oral contraceptives may help cause riboflavin deficiency.

Riboflavin is not always efficiently absorbed by the digestive tract,

so anyone who puts it to use for migraine prevention may also want to

try other natural preventive agents such as magnesium (many migraine

patients have been shown to have magnesium deficiencies), and

feverfew, an herbal anti- inflammatory. But the biggest preventive

boost may come from coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), which is believed to help

prevent migraines by promoting proper respiration on the cellular level.

 

Anyone who gets frequent migraines should discuss their condition with

a doctor or a health care professional who can monitor their progress.

Riboflavin, CoQ10 and magnesium are readily available at most

pharmacies, health food stores and even supermarkets. Petadolex can be

purchased through many Internet sources.

 

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....and another thing

 

In many e-Alerts I've addressed the problems associated with a high

intake of simple, refined carbohydrates. So I was pleased to receive

an e-mail from an HSI member named John who shared this remarkable

personal experience:

 

" I have been having considerable distress due to heartburn and acid

reflux (what ever the latest proper name). I have been overweight at

210, and had gradually pulled my cholesterol down to 217 in late winter.

 

" Two weeks ago my wife and I started on the Atkins diet. Not full

steam into the strict measuring of portions, but rather making a

sudden dramatic restriction in the carbohydrates and sugar intake. I

have been enjoying my newfound freedom to consume many things that I

have not been eating for years. At no time have I left the table

hungry, or passed an opportunity to have a snack between meals...just

a hardnosed reduction in carbohydrate intake.

 

" I have not had one instance of heartburn since making the start two

weeks ago. I am sleeping better and longer, waking feeling energized,

and getting up actually feeling like getting out and taking a walk. It

may be my imagination, but I think that some of the symptoms of my

enlarged prostate have disappeared. I am really pleased to note I have

shed about 9 pounds and have taken in my belt one hole. Maybe more later. "

 

Nice work, John! Stay with it, and please let us know how it comes along.

John's letter reminded me of a dietary study I told you about in the

e-Alert " Jumpin' Pax Flash " (6/9/03). As reported in the New England

Journal of Medicine, obese subjects were divided into two groups; one

group was assigned the Atkins high-protein diet, and the other was

assigned a high- carbohydrate/low-fat diet. At the end of the year the

Atkins group had succeeded in losing more weight than the high- carb

group.

 

That alone is impressive, but in terms of general health this is the

detail that I found striking: Subjects in the Atkins group had a

significantly greater increase in HDL cholesterol, and their

triglyceride levels also decreased more than those in the high-carb group.

 

I hope John and his wife enjoy the same success.

 

To Your Good Health,

 

Jenny Thompson

Health Sciences Institute

 

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Sources:

 

" Petasites Hybridus Root (Butterbur) is an Effective Preventive

Treatment for Migraine " Neurology, Vo. 63, No. 12, 12/28/04,

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

" Butturbur Cuts Frequency of Migraines " NutraIngredients.com, 1/3/05,

nutraingredients.com

" Butterbur Extract (Petasites Hybridus) Effective in Reducing Migraine

Attacks " World Wide Health Center, 11/17/02, worldwidehealthcenter.net

 

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