Longevity, by James Duke

[Guest guest]

Longevity, by James Duke

JoAnn Guest

Nov 02, 2006 07:59 PST

 

http://www.willner.com/article.aspx?artid=150

by James Duke

courtesy of " Herbal Village, " Nature's Herbs.

 

At age 69, Father Time is telling me I'd best dedicate an issue to

the problems of aging, especially since even the Journal. of the

American Medical Association dedicated their Oct. 22/29, 1997 issue

to aging. As I heard on CNN News, 5:30 pm. May 24,1998, the

twentieth century was the century of the juniors, the next century

will be the century of the seniors. And this senior citizen hopes to

five to see that new century with the help of my herbal crutches.

The only medicine I invariably take daily at age 69 is celery seed

extract, my herbal alternative for allopurinol. While I haven't yet

proved that the celery

seed is hypouricemic (lowers levels of uric acid), I have been gout

free in the two years since I abruptly switched from allopurinol to

celery seed extract.

 

But less regularly, and especially when I'm on the road, stressed

and restaurant-fed, I have my regular travel kit of herbs, most

devoted to problems more prevalent in the geriatric than the

juvenile. In my carry-on suitcase, there's bilberry (for failing

eyesight), echinacea and garlic (for failing immune system, needing

a boost to help me avoid

the bugs on the road), pygeum and saw palmetto (for failing

prostate),

cranberry and/or bearberry (for failing urethra) milk thistle (to

spare a busy liver on the road), ginkgo (for failing memory), St.

John's Wort

(in case all these failing systems of the geriatric lead me into a

depression; so far no), rosemary (for flagging CNS), turmeric,

glucosamine and chondroitin (for failing joints), and sweet annie

when venturing into malaria country. Yes, like some other geriatrics

with a half dozen super pharmaceuticals, I have at least a half

dozen herbs in my geriatric travel kit. I put a day's capsule

assortment into individual baggies, one for each day on the road, so

as not to travel with all 612 bottles.

 

GERONTOLOGY

 

Even though records indicate that older people have always existed

in human societies, survival beyond age 50 for most members of a

population was a rare event until this century. Today, 95 percent of

all babies born in the developed world live past 50. Such

unprecedented survival means that most of us will experience or at

least witness senescence,

that variety of physiological changes creeping up on me, that

accompany

the passage of time. Senescence on such a grand scale is new to the

human race and may represent a unique phenomenon in the history of

mankind. (Olshansky et al., 1998)

 

According to Banks and Fossel (1997), no one has ever lived more

than

122 years. Although the mean human fife span has increased

significantly

during the last 2 centuries, the maximum life span has not. I think

herbs help more than the hitech longevity studies (or starvation).

JAMA

reports here, " Several laboratories have successfully extended the

maximum life spans of at least 2 multicellular species genetically

(Drosophila and Caenorhabditis elegans) and several more by dietary

restriction. " Two gene mutations increase the maximum life span of

C.

elegans 6-fold, provoking the query of what might lie in store for

clinical medicine. " Increased life span occurs predominantly through

the

genetic control of free radical metabolism. " That doesn't exactly

give

us free license to promote our antioxidants as lifeextenders, but

more

people than JAMA have often said that oxidative damage is one of the

most important causes of aging. Thus I will go so far as to say that

antioxidants can slow the ravages of aging. I have always maintained

that the synergistic mix of herbal antioxidants are better than any

synthetic antioxidant in the long run. That's what we geriatric

longevity seekers are after. Synthetic antioxidants, like synthetic

medicines, are not part of your evolutionary past and hence are much

more likely to have serious side effects.

 

The number of Americans 65 or older has risen from 3,100,000 (4% of

the

US population) in the early 1900s to over 33,000,000 (nearly 13% of

the

population) in 1995. Over 17% of the American population will be

elderly

by the year 2020, and 42% of this group will be older than 75 years.

The

" oldest old " group (85 or older) will more than double in size by

2030

and will nearly double again by 2050. If current trends persist,

longer

life spans may be accompanied by poorer health-related quality of

life. "

(Clark et al., 1997)

 

Finch and Tanzi (1997) remind us that genes strongly influence the

life-span and patterns of aging. Who knows why humans five five

times

longer than cats, cats live five times longer than mice, and mice

live

25 times longer than fruit flies, or why the onset of Alzheimer's

disease (AD) often differs by many years in identical twins (Finch

and

Tanzi, 1997) Our society is experiencing unprecedented rates of

survival

into older ages, but this success has also been accompanied by a

rise in

frailty and disability in the general population. This is a

consequence

for which neither the medical community nor society was prepared as

is

witnessed by the ongoing national concern over crisis in the Social

Security program, Medicare, Medicaid and health-care costs in

general.

The reemergence of infectious and parasitic diseases we thought we

had

eradicated suggests that our species has far less control over the

environment than we sometimes believe. The introduction of

antibiotics

in the 1940s may have actually accelerated the evolution of

morevirulent

strains of microorganisms which now prey on our species. (Olshansky

et

al., 1998)

 

Truthfully, I believe that our herbal antioxidants like the green

tea

and olive leaf antioxidants were made first to protect plants from

oxidative damage. Almost all of the oxygen we breathe is produced by

green plants in the process called photosynthesis, which not only

makes

the best foods and medicines, it also liberates oxygen.

Photosynthesis

only takes place in the green parts of a plant, through the magic of

chlorophyll, the vegetarian analogue to hemoglobin. But in that

process

oxygen is generated, increasing their need for antioxidant

protection.

That's why, my good reader, leaves are by far our best source of

antioxidants. We borrow from the plants those phytochernicals that

the

plant needed to protect its living cells from oxidative damage.

 

Just as our eyesight fails, so does our sense of taste and smell,

making

food less appealing and hence making us less eager to eat and get

the

nutrition we need now, even more than before. In JAMA we read that

losses of smell and taste, common in senior citizens, may result

from

normal aging, certain diseasebstates (especially Alzheimer's

disease),

medications, surgical interventions, and environmental exposure.

Deficits in these chemical senses cannot only reduce the pleasure

and

comfort from food, but represent risk factors for nutritional and

immune

deficiencies... " " Use of flavor-enhanced food can increase enjoyment

of

food and have a positive effect on food intake and immune status. "

" Flavor enhancement of foods for wasting patients has been used over

the

last 25 years to increase intake of nutrient-dense foods. Flavor

amplification of food for elderly retirement home residents resulted

in

improved immune status. " (Schiffman, 1997). Here again some of our

antioxidant culinary herbs can spice up our appetites, our foods and

our

lives. Remember that those green leaves like parsley, sage, rosemary

and

thyme, not to mention celery, cilantro, marjoram, oregano, and

savory

are not only good for spicing up your foods if your senses are

waning or

jaded, but they are loaded with antioxidants. Small wonder oregano

is

getting so much press. Of seventy-five mints I submitted for

antioxidant

analysis to French Scientist Dr. Lamaison, oregano was tops, even

topping rosemary and sage, at least as far as that antioxidant test

was

concerned. (Lamaison et al., 1993)

 

ADDICTION

 

On the CBS morning show, June 4, 1998, Dr. Bernadine Healy noted

that

addiction to alcohol and prescription drugs was particularly

prevalent

in the elderly. Among elderly females, the largest single group

using

antidepressants and tranquilizers and the largest single group

visiting

the doctor's office, there is a 7% addiction to alcohol, and an 11%

addiction rate for prescription drugs. Both kudzu and kava-kava

might be

useful at curbing the desire for alcohol or drugs, kudzu cutting the

desire to drink in experimental animals by some 50%, and kava-kava

serving more as an anxiolytic. The serotonin reuptake inhibition

induced

by St. John's Wort might well be worth a try, too. Among herbs

suggested

for addiction in Goldberg's massive Alternative Medicine: The

Definitive

Guide are:

 

1. Milk thistle to protect the liver of addicts.

 

2. " Blood cleansing " herbs like burdock, echinacea, licorice, wild

oats.

 

3. " Decaffeinating " herbs like camomile, feverfew, and linden to

help

break the caffeine habit.

 

4. Oats, long used to treat opium addiction and, more recently,

smoking.

 

 

5. Siberian ginseng to normalize cerebral neurotransmitters.

 

6. Natural tranquilizers like balm, skullcap, St. John's Wort,

valerian,

and vervain.

 

7. Ayurvedic herbs like ashwagandha and gotu kola.

 

Dopaminergic foods like faba beans and velvet beans contain l-dopa

which

is converted into dopamine in the brain, possibly correcting

cerebral

dopamine deficiencies which sometimes aggravate addictions. The

antidepressant herb St. John's Wort is also said to be dopaminergic.

 

ALZHEIMER'S

 

What can be more depressing to the elderly population than a mate

with

Alzheimer's, which we covered in our last issue of this newsletter.

But

the JAMA issue on Aging is where ginkgo was finally recognized as a

good

treatment for senile dementia, if not necessarily for all

Alzheimer's

patients. Since we covered Alzheimer's so recently, I won't devote

as

much space to it as to the other problems of aging. I should mention

one

of the Alzheimer papers from JAMAs Aging issue. It's nice to read in

the

hallowed halls of JAMA (Le Bars et al., 1997) that the ginkgo

extract

called EGb 761 is one popular plant extract used in Europe to

alleviate

symptoms associated with a range of cognitive disorders. Its main

effects seem to be derived from its antioxidant properties, which

require the synergistic action of the flavonoids, the terpenoids

(ginkgolides, bilobalide), and the organic acids, which are

principal

constituents of EGb. Each of these acts as free radical scavengers.

Free

radicals are often considered to be the mediators of excessive lipid

peroxidation and Alzheimeran cell damage. The EGb extract contains

several compounds believed to act synergistically on diverse

processes

involved in the homeostasis of inflammation and oxidative stress,

providing membrane protection and neurotransmission modulation. Such

may

be ginkgo's effects on the CNS. Another green leaf, a whole suite of

synergistic antioxidants, warding off antioxidant damage to the

brain.

The EGb 761 extracts were standardized to 24% Ginkgoflavone

glycosides

and additionally EGb 761 had 6% terpenelactones (3.1% ginkgolides A

B,C

7 2.9% bilobalide)

 

ARTHRITIS

 

Since our Arthritis newsletter in 1997, there has been much positive

press on glucosamine and chondroitin. I found myself benefitting

from

this combination, following my knee going out on a Mayan Ruin. It

was

all I could do to get down from that pyramid in Belize. But a month

of

chondrotin and glucosamine had me believing that they had helped me

start rebuilding the collagen cushion in the knee joint. I was also

taking gelatin for the same purpose, and my usual herbal

anti-inflammatory, celery seed. Others might fare better with other

anti-inflammatory herbs: e.g. ashwagandha, bilberry, borage oil,

boswellia, burdock, chamomile, cayenne, evening primrose oil,

fenugreek,

garlic, ginger, ginkgo, horse chestnut, licorice, pineapple,

stinging

nettle, turmeric and willow. just as there are many pharmaceutical

options for arthritis, there are also numerous herbal alternatives.

What

works for one person will not necessarily work for another. Some

people

seem to be helped by avoiding the nightshade family, while others

are

clearly helped by the pain relief offered by topical or ingested

capsaicin from cayenne, a member of the nightshade family. Matter of

fact, those of us who have the time in the kitchen could concoct

interesting antiarthritic juices and soups loaded with the foods and

herbs listed above.

 

More recently, COX-2 inhibitors are being praised for their

potential in

arthritis and pain. (Pennisi, 1998) Replacing willow and other

natural

salicylates, for the good or bad, happened almost a century ago.

Aspirin, first introduced in 1899 (99 years ago), still relieves

pain

and soothes aching joints but at a cost; aspirin like most non-

steroidal

anti-inflammatory drugs may eat the stomach lining, causing bleeding

or

ulcers, and may damage the kidneys. They block cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-

2)

which promotes fever, inflammation and pain, but they are better at

blocking COX-1, essential also for the health of kidney and stomach.

As

JAMA started stating in ads last year, COX-2 inhibitors may be the

wave

of the future. Today, NSAIDS constitute a $14 billion market.

" (E)pidemiological data have indicated that aspirin and NSAIDs can

protect against certain cancers and Alzheimer's disease, and recent

laboratory results suggest that COX-2 inhibition is a key factor in

these effects " . Monsanto scientists compared its drug Celecoxib with

NSAIDs in 12,000 arthritics (They should have compared it with my

gingemeric, a mix of ginger and turmeric with a total of at least 6

natural COX inhibitors, to make sure that their synthetics were

better

and more selective than the naturals.) Monsanto's Philip Needleman,

said

Celecoxib is " fully as efficacious as the NSAIDs " but didn't injure

the

gut. Pennisi warns, as we have come to expect with new synthetics,

long

term side effects cannot be projected. Potential long-term negative

side

effects cannot yet be known. Gingemeric would probably be less

likely to

cause long term side effects as both herbs have been used in food

for

hundreds of years here, thousands of years elsewhere. (Pennisi, 1998)

 

CANCER

 

Astute readers of my Green Pharmacy may have noted that I give no

herbal

remedies for cancer there, but I do have a cancer prevention chapter

there. The editors at Rodale apparently shared the belief of many

physicians that cancer is too serious a disease for the herbalist.

They

did not want to include a chapter on herbal approaches to cancer. If

you'll look at the layout for the Green Farmacy Garden (Volume 111,

Issue 11, News from the Herbal Village), you'll see that I do

mention a

few plants, mostly sources of hard core drugs, like the taxol from

yew

for ovarian cancer, the superstars vincristine and vinblastine from

Madagascar periwinkle for leukemia and Hodgkins' Disease, and the

etoposide from mayapple for lung and testicular cancer.

 

One dietary and nutritional source of antiangiogenic activity is the

legume family (e.g. alfalfa, kudzu, licorice, red clover, and last,

but

by no means least, soy). Stakianos et al. (1997) say of soy's

genistein

that it is an important dietary component with many health-related

and

clinical benefits. Soy protein consumption is associated with a

lower

risk for several cancers. `(G)enistein, conjugated to an antibody to

the

CD-19 receptor, was highly effective in treating leukemia in a nude

mouse in a model of pre-B cell human leukemia ... (G)enistein, and

to a

lesser extent daidzein, inhibits proliferative growth . Both soy and

genistein cause chemoprevention effects in vivo animal models of

cancer.

.... (I)soflavones (particularly genistein) are important

contributors to

the anticancer effect. " In the concluding sentence of their abstract

they say `Genistein is highly bioavailable in rats and because of

its

enterohepatic circulation may accumulate within the gastrointestinal

tract " . In their discussion: " Although genistein, like many

therapeutic

drugs used in the treatment of cancer, could be used in the pill

form

for delivery as a chemopreventive agent, its delivery in soy foods

would

be far more economical. Such a food delivery mechanism is used by

southeast Asians who have the lowest breast and prostate cancer

rates...

and lowest cardiovascular disease risk among nations of the world. "

My

liberal translation: Genistein, highly available even orally, at

least

in rats, can help prevent cancer, leukemia, and cardiopathy, if not

osteoporosis, even when isolated from the soy. Natives of Asia

(eating

more bean sprouts, kudzu, mung bean and soy than we normally do)

have

the lowest rates of breast and prostate cancers and cardiovascular

disease.

 

CARDIOPATHY

 

Exercise, good food, good herbs and weight loss, coupled with

several of

Nature's antiaggregant, antioxidant and hypotensive herbs can help

reduce the incidence of cardiopathy in the elderly. Yes, that sounds

like what used to be called quackery but now is called alternative

and/or complementary medicine. Let's take a quote from a very

conservative trade magazine.

 

How's this: Food Farmacy from American Medical News, " To our

knowledge,

there are no single pharmaceutical interventions capable of inducing

simultaneous improvements in these cardiovascular risk factorsors. "

McCarron, DM et al., Jan 27, (as quoted in American Medical News,

Feb

10, 1997. p. 10) " A nutritionally balanced diet [17% fat, 62 %

carbohydrate, and 21 % protein; meeting daily nutritional guidelines

for

the intake of sodium, fat, cholesterol, refined sugars, fiber and

complex carbohydrates, fortified to meet at least 100% of the

recommended dietary allowances for adults for most nutrients except

vitamin D (77%) and copper (91%)] benefits people at risk for

cardiovascular disease (hypertension, dyslipidemia, or NIDM

diabetes)

and also improves quality of life. "

 

Noteworthy as antioxidant herbs are grapeseed, green tea, olive

leaf,

rosemary, and sage. Notable blood thinning herbs include garlic,

ginger,

ginkgo, saw palmetto, and willow. Notice: consult a physician before

taking any of these if you are on a pharmaceutical blood thinner

like

coumadin or warfarin!!!.

 

Among the major hypotensive herbs are celery seed, garlic, and

hawthorn.

Several herbs, especially in the carrot family, are well endowed

with

calcium-antagoinists, some as potent as verapamil; among them

angelica,

celery seed, dill, fennel, and parsley. This rela tively new bit of

information led me to propose a cardioprotective herbal beverage I

call

angelade.

 

Angelade (for the heart): Celery is close kin to the herb angelica

which

contains 15 calcium-antagonistic compounds. Celery has at least five

calcium blockers: apigenin, bergapten (1-520 ppm); isopimpinellin (4-

122

ppm); psoralen and xanthotoxin (6-183 ppm). Parsnip and parsley are

even

better endowed with the coumarin calcium blockers. I'm not about to

suggest ingestion of coumarins in foods as calcium-antagonists, just

here to ask of our federal health watchers: would ANGELADE be as

safe,

efficacious and cheap as verapamil as a calcium blocker? It consists

of

juiced angelica, carrot, celery, fennel, parsley, and parsnip, all

recognized food plants, cautiously mixed in with or chased with

grapefruit juice. Might all this partially explain the lower

incidence

of cardiopathy in vegetarians? Celery contains hypotensive,

hypocholesterolemic, and calcium blocker phytochemicals. How about

anti-arrhythmic compounds? There's apigenin, apiin, magnesium, and

potassium. Is heart of celery better for the heart than what your

physician suggests? Would ANGELADE, with a wider variety of 6

vegetables

be better? Methinks yes! But I'll probably never know. I'd bet,

however,

it would exhibit several more heartwise beneficial activities than

would

the silver bullet verapamil. Will grapefruit potentiate these

natural

calcium blockers like it does some of the synthetic calcium

blockers,

maybe even dangerously so? Nobody knows. We should know.

 

CATARACTS

 

Some 20% of the world's population are afflicted with cataracts,

including about half the population over 75. Margolis suggests it's

worse in the US; about 75% of people over 60 show some signs of

cataracts. The prevalence of senile cataract is 4.5% in ages 52-64,

18%

in ages 65-74, and 45.9% in ages 75-85. New data suggests that

smoking

causes 20% of US cataract cases. Smokers face an estimated 200%

increased risk of developing a posterior subcapsular cataract - a

visually disabling condition that strikes the back of the lens - and

an

estimated 100% increased risk of nuclear sclerosis cataract, a less

serious form in which the opacity occurs in the center of the lens.

(Science News 142:134, 1992) Murray and Pizzorno (1991) note that

about

4 million people have some degree of sight-impairing cataracts, with

at

least 40,000 blind due to cataracts. Over 541,000 cataract

extractions

occur each year; over $3.5 billion is spent per year on these

extractions and related doctor visits. This is largely a geriatric

ailment, and many cases are caused or aggravated by oxidative

damage,

much of which could be reduced a bit by antioxidant herbs, again

grapeseed, green tea, olive leaf, rosemary, and sage. But probably

one

of the best herbs for cataracts and several other degenerative eye

disorders is bilberry. I think Heinerman (1994) is right in

crediting

bilberry or huckleberry juice and the anthocyanosides which occur

generously in many members of the blueberry family, with many useful

activities besides cataracts. Purists who like the whole food or

juice

should consider bilberry, which is so closely related to our

blueberry,

that most amateurs cannot tell them apart. The juicers might also

consider aronia (chokecherry), cranberry, or huckleberry, or other

bluish fruits like blackberries, grapes, plums and wild cherries. I

take

two 475 mg bilberry capsules, standardized at 25% anthocyanosides,

at

breakfast, and two at supper, chasing with water.

 

There's promising data on garlic (Allium sativum) and onion (Allium

cepa), the latter one of our best sources of quercetin, especially

in

the outer portions of the bulb. Onion may share many of the

biological

activities reported for quercetin by Stavric (1994). It has been

shown

to help with diabetic cataracts (Buist, 1995). Put onions And/or

garlic

(both Biblical herbs with folk reputations for cataracts), on most

of

those dishes where you used to consider them optional.

 

What I call the ACES in the hole (previtamin A {beta-carotene},

vitamin

C, vitamin E and selenium) can apparently reduce cataract risk.

People

with low antioxidant blood serum levels are 4 to 5 times more likely

to

get cataracts than people with high status (USDA, VERIS).

 

I have heard so many favorable reports of surgery that I would

certainly

resort to surgery were I diagnosed with serious cataracts.

 

Diabetes

 

Don't forget good balanced diet,exercise, weight loss, when you

reach

for those herbal crutches. My colleague, Dr. Leigh Broadhurst, who

has

done a lot of primary research on diabetes will be in charge of

thediabetes issue of this newsletter in the nearfuture. Hence, I

will

treat it only cursorily here today. One of the emerging superstars

in

the antidiabetic arena is the bitter melon, Momordia charantia.

Wherever

I have traveled in the tropics, local folk have praised this herb

for

" lowering the sugar " , alluding to its proven hypoglycemic activity.

Few

herbs have attracted as much interest as this food plant, known both

as

balsam pear and bitter melon. Fruit juice, dried fruits and/or seeds

have proven oral hypoglycemic activity due to several identified

compounds, including one called p-insulin (p for plant). Werbach and

Murray (1994) recommend 2 oz fresh juice or 100 ml decoction (Chop

100 g

fresh fruit and boil in 200 ml water down to 100 ml). Bitter melon

delayed the development of cataracts and other diabetic

complications in

rats. (Srivastava, 1993) Studies in Bilthoven suggest that only 5-

10% of

diabetes patients are insulin deficient, with most merely showing an

increased resistance to insulin. There they use bitter melon as an

insulin substitute in insulin-dependent diabetics. Research on the

hypoglycaemic properties of Momordica was first published in India

in

the 1960s. In more recent trials, a fall of 54% in blood sugar was

achieved. In the 90% of cases where insulin resistance is the

problem,

treatment includes livercleansing agents such as dandelion and milk

thistle.

 

Consider this short list of antidiabetic herbs as a checklist, on

which

we will expand with the upcoming Diabetes issue, e.g balsam pear,

cat's

claw, chicory, celery seed, fenugreek, ginkgo, grapeseed,

gurmar,licorice, stevia, and tea...

 

HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE

 

We've covered this superficially up under cardiopathy, but we must

repeat, exercise, good diet, good herbs and weight loss.

 

IMPOTENCE

 

Just as the synthetic drug for impotence, Viagra, was reporting

sales of

the millionth prescription, the fine print started spilling out in

the

same press that had been praising it for two weeks as the wonder

drug.

The press reported six deaths, mostly in males who were on

nitroglycerine-type drugs. These drugs tend to release nitric oxide,

which is the mechanism by which Viagra increases blood flow to the

corpus cavernosum. For a complete discussion, see the Q & A section

(pg.

19) of this issue.

 

[Q & A Ask Jim Duke: ...If there is an effective herbal alternative to

Viagra, I don't know about it. but a lot of people are looking.

There is

limited, perhaps speculative, evidence that garlic and ginseng can

cause

the liberation of nitric oxide. Nitric oxide released in the corpus

cavernosum is said to be part of the mechanism by which viagra

works.

Free arginine may trigger such a release of nitric oxide. Sunflower

is a

generous source of arginine, but little if any of that arginine is

free.

Garlic is one of our best sources of free arginine. Viagra is also

said

to work via phosphodiesterase inhibition. Amentoflavone, a

phosphodiesterase inhibitor, is reported from ginkgo, a reported aid

to

impotence, and St. John's wort. Recently at a talk in Ogdensburg,

New

York, I mentioned Epimedium, the horny goat weed, as one candidate

for

inclusion in an herbal approach to `viagroid' activity....]

 

INSOMNIA

 

According to Lamberg (1997) `Nocturnal micturition, pain, and

complaints

of sleeplessness were cited by 70% of families and caregivers as the

key

factor in their decision to institutionalize an older person. " Of

200

nursing home residents, they were rarely asleep for a full hour and

rarely, if ever, awake for a full hour throughout the 24-hour day.

While

estrogen replacement therapy reduces hot flashes and improves sleep,

fewer than 25% of women use it. And we read elsewhere that most of

those

on ERT are looking for natural alternatives. Women who do not suffer

hot

flashes, still experience more fragile sleep following menopause.

Though

sleepdisturbed breathing seems not to be age-related in men, it

rarely

occurs in women until after menopause. Sleep apnea may affect as

many as

24% of community- dwelling and 41% of institutionalized geriatrics.

Sleep disordered breathing may increase risk for cardiovascular and

cerebrovascular problems and deaths. Though people over 65 comprise

only

13% of the US population, they receive 30% of prescriptions for

hypnotics. Drivers over age 60 using long-acting benzodiazepines -

often

prescribed for insomnia or anxiety -had 30% more injurious motor

vehicle

crashes than comparable drivers using short-term benzodiazepines or

not

taking such medications at all. Of 43 healthy but sedentary adults

50 to

76 years old with moderate sleep complaints, those who exercised

fell

asleep faster, and reported higher sleep quality, gaining about an

hour

of sleep per day. " (Lamberg, 1997)

 

OBESITY

 

Go, Geriatric, Go with that exercise. (But don't do it strictly for

shedding pounds; see below) Russel and Mayer (1997) note that

between

1988 and 1991, Americans gained an average ofmore than 3.6 kg, with

an

8% increase in the prevalence of obesity. " Exercise increases energy

expenditure but, in so doing, also reduces the risk of obesty-

related

conditions: coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, noninsulin

dependent diabetes mellitus, colon cancer, and psychological

depression. " " ...Risk for developing coronary artery disease by

physical

inactivity is as strong as that for smoking, high blood pressure, or

high cholesterol. " (Russel and Mayer, 1997) `Currently 22.5% of the

U.S.

population is considered to be clinically obese - compared to only

14.5%

in 1980. " (Taubes, 1998)

 

Obesity is not necessarily a disease of the elderly, but obesity

aggravates almost all of the lethal problems of the geriatric. " Many

studies have linked being overweight to increased risk for heart

disease, diabetes, and cancer " , the big killers, leading C. Everet

Koop

" to declare an epidemic of obesity in the United States "

(Wickelgren,

1998). It is estimated that fat people are costing citizens more

than 70

billion in direct health care and indirect lost productivity.

Americans

spend 40 billion annually on weight loss, mostly in diet and dietary

foods, an approach that is not working. Wickelgren and the

scientists

she quotes stress that exercise is the better half of valor. I'm

researching this on my stationary bike, trying to ride the ten miles

it'll take to bum off that small dish of ice cream I had following

my

vegetarian soup and salad. There is also evidence that high

tryptophan

products like evening primrose seed may lead to more serotonin in

the

brain, sending the same satiety signals that Prozac is alleged to

send,

telling your obese body that you are not still hungry. Exercise and

a

high fiber low fat diet, coupled with herbs like aloe, brindleberry,

bitter orange, celery seed, chickweed, dandelion, evening primrose,

garlic, guarana, gugulipid, mate, peppermint, and St. John's Wort

can

help those who are serious about losing weight

 

But no, Geriatric, Don't overdo it on the slimming. It may be too

late

to lose weight hoping to add years! Better you had never put on the

weight in your youth. Geriatrics often drop back into nutritional

deficiencies because of less interest in eating. If someone tells a

75year old geriatric to lose weight to gain years, that geriatric

could

challenge them with quotes from Science. " The link between excess

weight

and increased risk of death apparently does not hold for the

elderly. "

Scientists found no increase in the death rate as BMIs increased,

even

to very high levels, for subjects 75 or older. A number of

prospective

epidemiological studies have shown that weight loss actually

increases

mortality. " ®ecommending weight loss is often futile . . . ©

ritics

of obligatory weight loss favor emphasizing a healthier lifestyle,

including exercise and an improved diet. Last year, researchers

reported

that participants in the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension

Trial

could lower their blood pressure within 2 weeks by consuming more

fruits

and vegetables and less saturated fat - without losing weight. "

(Wickelgren, 1998)

 

OSTEOPOROSIS

 

The more I read, the more I believe that several legumes especially

those estrogenic-isoflavone containers like soy, kudzu, licorice,

and

red clover can help reduce the ravages of osteoporosis. Much that

has

been said positive about soy will apply to other food grade legumes.

Soy

protein, in addition to lowering cholesterol, may contribute to bone

health. Urinary calcium excretion can be an indicator of bone

mineral

density and calcium balance. Some people blame the high rate of

osteoporosis in the west on the hypercalciuric content of too much

animal protein. Compared to animal protein, soy protein causes less

urinary excretion of calcium. Isoflavones may also directly inhibit

bone

resorption. Many and more of those isoflavones can be found in

several

other species of more palatable legumes, thank goodness. And as Tori

Hudson hints `Much like the drug Tamoxiphen has a beneficial effect

on

bone density with simultaneous antiestrogenic effects in breast

tissue,

medicinal and dietary phytoestrogens may offer these same benefits. "

But

Hudson cautions: " evidence to support the use of botanical medicines

that contain phytoestrogens for prevention and treatment of

osteoporosis

is currently theoretical. " (They are effective in relieving some of

the

symptoms of menopause. Hudson, 1997) And the following hints, as do

several studies, that some of genistein's effects may be reversed

with

high doses. Anderson, Ambrose, and Garner (1995) concluded that low

dose

genistein (1 mg/day, but not high-dose {10 mg/day}) acts similarly

to

Premarin, administered orally at 5 ug/day in the feed for preventing

bone loss in experimental rats.

 

On a more positive side, Holt stresses soy, while phaseoliphile

(bean

lover) Jim Duke thinks that many other legumes may be satisfactorily

substituted for soy. " It is recognized that inclusion of soy protein

in

diets may promote calcium retention in the body.; . (A)nimal protein

may

tend to increase urinary calcium excretion, and increase uric acid

excretion. "

 

Dietary isoflavones (daidzein, genistein, glycitein) " have been

shown to

be preventive and therapeutic in osteoporosis in controlled studies

in

animals and humans. " (Holt, 1998)

 

And Stakianos et al. (1997) say " The soy isoflavone genistein ...

has

recently emerged as an important dietary component associated with

many

health-related and clinical benefits. . . Much of this development

occurred after the discovery that genistein is a potent and specific

inhibitor of protein tyrosine kinase. . . As such it is considered

to be

an important modulation of many mitogen-stimulated signal-

transduction

events ... Consumption of soy protein is associated with a reduction

in

the risk of several cancers . . and causes a reduction in serum

hyper-cholesterol-emia in animals and in humans ... (B)eneficial

effects

of soy are due to isoflavones... (A) synthetic isoflavone,

ipriflavone

(7isopropoxyiso-flavone) has been successfully used in the treatment

of

postmenopausal and senile osteoporosis. Genistein administered in

the

diet also prevents bone loss. " (Stakianos et al., 1997)

 

Kudzu (Pueraria spp): Hudson (1997) cites in animal studies showing

that

daidzein and genistein, both represented in kudzu root and in

soybean,

directly stop bone demineralization Kudzu root reportedly contains

950

mg daidzein and 315 mg genistein. (Kaufmann et al., 1997)

 

Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica): As one of our best sources of the

androgenic mineral boron, the folkloric aphrodisiac fluorine, and as

a

good source of calcium and silica, stinging nettle may actually help

osteoporosis through both mineral and androgenic activity. Hudson

(1997)

notes that in vitro androgens, like testosterone (lower in

postmenopausal women with osteoporosis), stimulate osteoblasts to

differentiate and proliferate. Androgen derivatives, like anabolic

steroids, seem to increase bone density of the forearm, femoral

diaphysis and vertebrae as well as elevate total body calcium. Their

use

may also be associated with protection against vertebral fractures.

Patients on a mix of estrogen and testosterone showed increases in

bone

density (2.5-5.7%), while it remained unchanged in patients on just

estrogen (Hudson, 1997). But if we are to believe that blocking the

conversion of testosterone to DHT helps prevent osteoporosis (a mild

form of estrogenization), then we should also consider saw palmetto

as a

candidate for osteoporosis.

 

SINUSITIS

 

I was surprised to find sinusitis ranking 7th in AOA`s geriatric

survey.

But like allergic rhinitis, asthma, and hay fever, sinusitis seems

to be

on the rise. There are several herbal crutches for sinusitis, most

of

them covered well by Yarnell (1998).

 

Coneflower (Echinacea spp.) Yarnell's sinusitis formula includes as

its

most prominent ingredient Echinacea. His formula consists of 20%

echinacea (angustifolia) root, 15% solidago shoot, 15% yerba mansa

root,

10% sage, 10% eyebright, 10% horseradish. 10% ephedra (or 5% more

each

of sage and thyme), 5% bayberry bark and 5% thyme (1 tsp 3x day, or

1/2

tsp 6x day for 4-5 days). (Yarnell, 1998) Yarnell notes that

echinacea's

proof is in for cold and flu, but not yet proof for sinusitis. But

it's

" immunologic effects are bound to be helpful for many sinus

sufferers. "

Attributing most of the activity (other than immune stimulating

ability)

to ma huang, Yarnell notes that the alkaloids ephedrine and

pseudoephedrine are perhaps the best known natural drugs for

allergic

rhinitis and sinusitis. `When used in isolation, ephedrine has many

more

potential side effects than whole ephedra, as had been confirmed in

human studies. " Functioning as an adrenergic agonist, ephedra is

especially helpful with comorbid asthma or other chronic

bronchospastic

conditions. (Yarnell, 1998). Sad, the FDA seems poised to take this

herb

(used medicinally for some 60,000 years) away from the herbalist and

place reliance on the more risky silver bullet, prescription

strength

ephedrine. Ma Huang is reported to have killed some 30 people last

year,

but mostly people who were abusing it. I don't know how many people

were

killed by prescription grade ephedrine, being used medicinally or

being

abused, but the potential for abuse is clearly there. It's another

case,

though, where the whole herb seems safer and gender than the

isolated

silver bullet.

 

Elderberry (Sambucus spp.): Studies in Israel demonstrate antiviral

activity of elderberry flower extracts. That, coupled with the new

phytotherapy book out of Germany (Schulz et al., 1998) leads me to

add

elderberry to the list of promising herbal alternative candidates

for

sinusitis. Surprisingly the proprietary Sinuset for Sinusitis (with

18

mg each elder flowers, European verbena, primrose flowers and

sorrel,

and 6 mg gentian root) is Germany's most commonly prescribed

medication.

Elder was approved by Commission E in 1994 for treating " acute and

chronic inflammations of the paranasal sinuses " , available as coated

tablets since 1968 or hydro-ethanolic extracts. In Germany elder

flower

tea uses 150 ml boiling water over 2 tsp (3g) dried flowers steeped

for

5 minutes and strained. Drink 1-2 cups quite hot.

 

Garlic (Allium satimm): Dr. James Balch, MD, Urologist, and his wife

Phyllis Balch, Certified Nutritional Consultant, teamed up to

prepare a

useful Prescription for Natural Healing wherein they recommend

garlic (2

capsules a day) for sore throat, adding that sore throat is

typically an

extension of the common cold, sinusitis, tonsillitis or some other

viral

infection. Surely onion and garlic should also belong in the same

category. Dr. Jane Guiltinan, ND, Chief Medical Officer, Bastyr

University in Seattle, like me, prefers food grade garlic to

capsules,

or extracts. Garlic can improve the clinical status of AlDs patients

fearing opportunistic infections, not the least among them

sinusitis.

(Hardy (1994) appropriately recommends garlic in the diet or in the

capsule, noting that it is effective in bacterial infections. With

my

perverse affinity for alliterative license, may I suggest my

SINUSOUP,

an onion/ garlic soup heavy with all the hot spices: chile, ginger,

horseradish, mustard seed, pepper and turmeric.

 

Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis): Naturopaths Murray and Pizzorno

(1991) state strongly that goldenseal is the most effective

botanical

for acute bacterial infection. Hoffmann suggests that goldenseal,

the

double whammy for many infections, has anticatarrhal activity.

Hoffmann

recommends activities of three kinds, anti-catarrhal, anti-microbial

and

decongestant. Hoffmann suggests drinking a cup of tea every hour of

1

part each of echinacea, goldenrod, goldenseal, and marshmallow leaf.

Naturopaths say the goldenseal activity is enhanced by combining

with

250-500 mg bromelain from pineapple. Though I enjoy pineapple juice

more

than goldenseal, I'm still looking for the proof behind this.

 

Nettle (Urtica dioica) More studied for allergic rhinitis than

sinusitis, anti-inflammatory nettle should also benefit the

sinusitis,

according to Yarnell. I believe that nettle greens and pot-likker

(the

greenish broth or tea left after steeping the nettle in hot water)

might

be as useful as freeze-dried extract, but so far there have been no

clinical trials here in the US, except on freeze-dried leaves. I'll

provide 2 pounds of fresh leaves and 1 pound dried leaf to any

physician

interested in comparing the two in his/her rhinitic/sinusitic

patients.

 

Sage (Salvia officinalis): Yarnell suggests the antimicrobial

activities

of thyme and sage, the latter containing compounds which arrest

staphylococcus, a germ often involved in late sinusitis. Sage is

also

beneficial as an antisialogogue (drying secretions) (Yarnell, 1998)

 

References:

 

Balch, J., Balch P. 1990. Prescription for Natural Healing. Avery

Publishing Group, Garden City Park, NY.

 

Banks, DO., Fossel, M. 1997. Telomeres, cancer, and aging. JAMA.

278(16):1345-1348.

 

Block, G., Patterson, B. and Subar, A. 1992. Fruit, Vegetables, and

Cancer Prevention: A Review of the Epidemiological Evidence.

Nutrition

and Cancer. 18(1): 1-29.

 

Brody, J. 1995. Scientist at Work - Bruce N. Ames Strong Views on

Origins of Cancer. New York Times July 5, 1994. pp. B8-9.

 

Buist, R. A. 1995. Thumbs Up to Quercetin. ICNR. 15(2):65.

 

Clark, F., et al. 1997. Occupational Therapy for Independent-Living

Older Adults. A randomized controlled trial. JAMA. 278(16):1321-1326.

 

Finch, CE., Tanzi, RE. 1997. Genetics of aging. Science 278:407-411.

 

Goldberg, B et al. (including hundreds of alternative specialists,

even

Jim Duke). 1993. Alternative Medicine: The Definitive Guide. Future

Medicine Publishing, Inc. Puyallup, WA. 1068 pp.

 

Guiltnan, J. 1995. Medical Herbalism, {1 & 2}: p. 15

 

Heinerman, J. 1994. Heinerman's Encyclopedia of Healing Juices,

Parker

Publishing Company, West Nyack, NY 10995, 303 pp.

 

Holt, S. 1998. Bone and joint health - Part 1 - The optimal diet.

Alt. &

Compl. Therapies. 4(2): 101-107 Jim.

 

Hudson, T. 1997. Osteoporosis: an overview for clinical practice. J.

Naturopathic Medicine. 7(1): 27-34.

 

Kaufman, P.B., Duke, J.A., Brielmann, H., Boik, J. and Hoyt, JE.

1997. A

Comparative Survey of Leguminous Plants as Sources of the

Isoflavones

Genistein and Daidzein: Implications For Human Nutrition and Health.

Journal of Alternative & Complementary Medicine. 3(l): 7-12.

 

Lamaison, J.L., Petitjean-Freytet, C., Duke, J.A., and Walker, J.

1993.

Hydroxycinnamic Derivative Levels and Antioxidant Activity in North

American Lamiaceae. Plantes medicinales et phytotherapie 26(2):143-

148.

 

Lamberg, L. 1997. `Old and Gray and Full of Sleep? Not Always " . JAMA

278(16):1302-1304.

 

Lamberts, S.W.J., van den Beld, A.W., van der Lely, A.J. 1997. The

endocrinology of aging. Science 278:419-424.

 

Le Bars, PL., et al. 1997. A placebo-controlled, doubleblind,

randomized

trial of an extract of Ginkgo biloba for dementia. JAMA

278(16):1327-1332.

 

Murray, M. and Pizzorno, J., 1991. Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine.

Prima Publishing, Rocklin, CA 95677, 622 pp.

 

Olshansky, SJ., Carnes, BA., Grahn, D. 1998. Confronting the

boundaries

of human longevity. American Scientist. 86(l):52-61.

 

Pennisi, E. 1998. Building a better aspirin. Science 280 (22 May,

1998);

p 1191-2.

 

Peters, R., Sikorski, R. 1997. Vintage Care. Geriatrics resources on

the

Net. JAMA. 278(16): 1299-1300.

 

Russell, RM., Mayer, J. 1997. JAMA 277(23) 1876-1878 (Annual

Contempo

Issue)

 

Schiffman, SS. 1997. Taste and smell losses in normal aging and

disease.

JAMA. 278(16):1357-1362.

 

Schulz, V., Hansel, R. and Tyler, VE. 1998. Rational Phytotherapy -

A

Physician's Guide to Herbal Medicine. 3rd ed. 1st English Edition.

Translated by Terry C. Telger. Springer Verlag, Heidelberg. 306 pp.

 

Shklar, G. 1996. Anticancer mechanisms of antioxidant nutrients -

preliminary evidence of immunosurveillance, control of genes and

angiogenesis. Alt. & Compl. Ther. 2(3):156-62.

 

Stakianos, J., Coward, L., Kirk, M. and Barnes, S. 1997. Intestinal

uptake and biliary excretion of the isoflavone genistein in rats.

J.Nutr.127(7):1260-8.

 

Stavric, B. 1994. Quercetin in Our Diet: From Potent Mutagen to

Probable

Anticarcinogen. Clin. Biochem. 27(4): 2358.

 

Taubes, G. 1998, As obesity rates rise, experts struggle to explain

why.

Science. 280 (May 29): 1367-8.

 

Trefil, J. 1995. How the body defends itself from the risky business

of

living. (2nd Part of Risk)

 

Smithsonian (December): 42.

 

Werbach, M. R. and Murray, M. T 1994. Botanical Influences on

Illness,

Third Line Press, Tarzana CA. 344 pp.

 

Wickelgren, 1. 1998. Obesity how big a problem? Science 280: 1364-7.

 

Yarnell, E. 1998. The botanical approach to chronic sinusitis. Alt.

&

Compl. Therapies. 4(2): 109-111.

 

Reprinted from Nature's Herbs, " News from the herbal village. "

Vol.III,

Issue III.

 

James A. Duke is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of

North

Carolina. Following a 2 1/2 year tour of military duty, he took his

PhD

in Botany at the University of North Carolina, moving on to

postdoctoral

activities at Washington University and the Missouri Botanical

Garden in

St. Louis, Missouri, where he assumed professor and curator duties,

respectively. Dr. Duke spends a significant amount of his time

exploring

the ecology and culture of the Amazonian Rain Forest. In addition to

a

distinguished 30-year career with the United States Department of

Agriculture (USDA), Dr. Duke sits on the board of directors and

advisory

councils of numerous organizations involved in plant medicine and

the

rainforest.

 

Visit Jim Duke at the Nature's Herb's Web site:

 

http://www/naturesherbs.com

 

Questions for Dr. Jim Duke can be sent c/o Nature's Herbs, 600 East

Quality Drive, American Fork, UT 84003.

 

Dr. James Duke is also a regular guest on The Willner Window radio

program.

 

The Willner Window airs every Sunday evening, from 8 to 10 pm, on

WOR

Radio, 710 on the AM dial.

 

(you can listen to the radio show over the web at

www.broadcast.com/radio/talk/wor/)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

print this page

 

 

 

 

 

Disclaimer

 

The information provided on this site, or linked sites, is provided

for

informational purposes only, and should not be used as a substitute

for

advice from your physician or other health care professional.

Product

information contained herein has not necessarily been evaluated or

approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and is not

intended

to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease.

 

 

 

 

JoAnn Guest

mrsjo-

www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Diets