Get to the Root

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" HSI - Jenny Thompson " <HSIResearch

HSI e-Alert - Get to the Root

Thu, 11 Aug 2005 07:00:00 -0400

HSI e-Alert - Get to the Root

 

Health Sciences Institute e-Alert

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August 11, 2005

 

 

Dear Reader,

 

It's time once again to fill in some key details the news anchors left

out.

 

If you've ever successfully used echinacea to help prevent or treat

common colds, you might have been surprised to find out that this herb

doesn't work.

 

Well, that's the conclusion researchers from the University of

Virginia (UV) School of Medicine came up with, anyway. Problem

is...there are some glaring weaknesses in this study. And it's a

shame, because 1) many people may now shy away from using echinacea

products, and 2) the researchers could have put to use an ideal design

for an echinacea study, developed by an HSI Panelist.

 

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Ah, to be young and bulletproof

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The UV team recruited about 400 students. All of them received a

squirt up the nose of rhinovirus (a common virus that prompts upper

respiratory infections). Half of the group began taking echinacea or a

placebo seven days before being " challenged " with the rhinovirus. The

other subjects began taking echinacea right after they received the virus.

 

After five days of treatment researchers concluded that echinacea

produced no significant effects on rates of infection or severity of

symptoms.

 

Those are the nut and bolts. Now...Problem Number 1: Dosage. Subjects

were given 1.5 ml doses of echinacea three times each day. This is the

dosage level set by the German government. And while it might be

perfect for German regulators, it's only ONE THIRD the dose that's

recommended in most echinacea products. So right off the top,

echinacea was put at a disadvantage.

 

Problem Number 2: The researchers prepared the echinacea extract used

in the study. And - who knows? - they might have done a very good job

of it. But if you were going to use an herbal product, would you

choose one manufactured by a reputable company with expertise in this

area, or one prepared by researchers with expertise in...research?

 

Problem Number 3: Remember when you were young and bulletproof? All of

the subjects in this study were students. Here's how HSI Panelist Jon

Barron looked at this factor in his Baseline of Health e-letter

(8/1/05): " College students, tend to be at an age where they have

highly competent immune systems to begin with, so the effects of

immune system boosting would be less noticeable than in many other

groups. "

 

Three strikes and...yer out!

 

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It's an immune system thing

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That third problem mentioned above is the key to the way echinacea

SHOULD be tested. In many previous studies this botanical has been

shown to enhance the immune system. For some people - not all, but

some - this enhancement helps prevent colds and flu and may shorten

the duration of symptoms.

 

So instead of squirting virus up the noses of healthy young things,

Jon Barron has a better idea. In Baseline of Health, he writes: " If

you truly want to test the ability of Echinacea to boost the immune

system. Find a test group that has below normal white cell counts.

Supplement with high quality Echinacea extract. (Heck, I'll supply the

extract for free for any qualified research group.) Test to see if the

white cell counts go up. "

 

Sounds like an excellent plan. If only researchers would take it to

heart and the media would report it fairly.

 

And how much do those inaccurate headlines and incomplete reporting

hurt? According to NutraIngredients, two large vitamin store chains

have noted a sharp drop in vitamin E sales in the wake of a deeply

flawed but widely reported vitamin E study published late last year.

(For details, see Monday's e-Alert " E on Alert " 8/8/05).

 

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The root of goodness

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I'll say this for the University of Virginia study: They got one

detail right. In preparing their echinacea extract they used only the

roots of the plant, which is the most potent part. As Jon noted in

2003 when he was defending another attack on echinacea: " Potency runs

from seed to root to leaf to almost none in the flower. "

 

So when you're shopping for an echinacea product, look for the word

" root " on the label, and avoid " flowers. " Not only are flowers lowest

in potency, they also contain pollen which may trigger allergic

reactions in some users.

 

 

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....and another thing

 

" What is perimenopause? " asks an HSI member named Morgan. " Please

don't tell me I have ANOTHER kind of menopause to worry about! "

 

Morgan posted her question in an HSI Forum thread titled " Hot

Flashes, " and received this response from a member named Mike:

" Perimenopause is the transitional stage before menopause. It's also

known as pre-menopause. It can hit between 35-50 and last 2 to 10

years, and I guess those figures aren't written in stone. I would

guess, like PMS, some women are more affected by it than others, and

the symptoms vary. If your menstrual periods have stopped, you're past

peri and into the real thing. "

 

Mike knows what he's talking about.

 

A woman's hormone levels begin to decline several years before

menopause begins. These changes sometimes prompt depression and

anxiety, as well as physical symptoms such as missed periods. All too

often doctors address these symptoms without recognizing and treating

their true cause.

 

HSI Panelist Ann Louise Gittleman fully explores this complex health

issue in her book " Before the Change. " A nutrition specialist and

best-selling author, Ms. Gittleman offers diet and exercise techniques

to help control perimenopause symptoms without using powerful drugs or

synthetic hormones. And when the symptoms of perimenopause are treated

naturally, women are often much better equipped to cope with the worst

symptoms of menopause long before they begin.

 

You can find out more information about " Before the Change " on this

web site: annlouise.com. If you're a woman heading into those

pre-menopausal years, this book could be your indispensable health

guide through the coming decade.

 

To Your Good Health,

 

Jenny Thompson

 

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Sources:

 

" An Evaluation of Echinacea Angustifolia in Experimental Rhinovirus

Infections " The New England Journal of Medicine, Vol. 353, No. 4,

7/28/05, content.nejm.org

" Echinacea - Cold Cure or Hot Air? " Jess Halliday, NutraIngredients,

7/28/05, nutraingredients.com

" Echinacea and Bird Flu " Jon Barron, Baseline of Health, 8/1/05,

jonbarron.org