Antidepressants Blog

DIETS AND ASTHMA: NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENTSCholineThis nutrient may make someone suffering from depression more depressed. If you are depressive, avoid formulas with a high choline content.BiotinPeople suffering with intestinal thrush (candida infection, candidiasis, monilia, yeast infection) should avoid formulas which contain biotin. This may come as a surprise to many, since nutritionists and naturopaths prescribed this nutrient for many years for people who were suffering with Candida problems. We have now stopped doing so for the following reasons.Until recently (1991) it was believed that only one of the forms of Candida albicans, the myceal form, causes health problems. Biotin is known to slow down the conversion of Candida organisms to the myceal form. It was assumed that giving sufferers extra biotin would reduce the effects of Candida. Recently, however, it was found that all forms of Candida albicans are potentially pathogenic and their ability to injure is dependent on many factors, such as the acidity of the gastrointestinal tract, the capacity of the organism to adhere to inner skin surfaces, and so on. The more Candida albicans are present, the greater the chance that one form or another will cause problems.Then in 1991 it was discovered that Candida organisms actually thrive on biotin PABA (Para Amino Benzoic Acid)An excellent antioxidant nutrient which is believed to greatly reduce the toxicity of several pollutants.People who suffer with a salicylates intolerance or allergy and follow a salicylates-free diet should avoid this supplement.Ginko bilobaThis is yet another much-advertised ‘new’ supplement which is guaranteed to do wonders for you, and it can! It is a powerful antioxidant and helps to dilate blood vessels. Yet one of the main functions of ginko is missing from all the advertising literature I have read so far.Chinese healers have been using extracts of the leaves of the ginko tree to treat allergies for more than 5000 years. Scientist Pierre Braquet, Director of Research at the Henry Beaufour Institute in Paris, has isolated a powerful active ingredient, a chemical called ‘ginkolide B’, from ginko leaves. It is capable of inhibiting platelet-activating factor (PAF), which is believed to be responsible for the increased activity and arrival of eosinophils (a type of specialised cell in our immune system) at the site of an allergic reaction. Eosinophils release lethal hydrogen peroxidases which in turn destroy pathogens. People with allergies tend to be awash with eosinophils. This natural release of peroxidases is a very localised and strictly controlled process because they are very powerful oxidisers, creators of free radicals and toxic to healthy cells. The trouble is that if the body is not attacked by any pathogen, but is simply reacting to a harmless allergen (like dust), the peroxidase destroys healthy cells, causing an ‘allergic’ reaction and much harm. It has now been shown that ginkolide B inhibits PAF and can therefore prevent allergic reactions. It may also be of some preventative value in certain types of cardiovascular disease.Improved Quercitin and AsthmaQuercitin is one of the thousand-odd bioflavanoids, colouring pigments which are widely distributed throughout the plant kingdom. They also act as antioxidants and are available as supplements. Allergic diseases have several common factors. The main ones are a release of histamine and serotonin from mast cell basophils. It is this release which produces such familiar allergic symptoms as sinusitis, itchy eyes and wheezing. Asthmatic symptoms are also caused by a group of substances, derived from fatty acids, called ‘leukotrienes’ (LTs), which are made from arachidonic acid, a substance common in fatty, dairy and animal products. Quercitin is a powerful inhibitor of these enzymes. It may therefore prevent the formation of LTs. This would make it an ideal anti-asthma medication. Unfortunately quercitin, like rutin and other bioflavanoids, is poorly absorbed and this diminishes its usefulness as a dietary supplement. The natural pineapple enzyme, bromelain, however, is believed to synergise the properties of quercitin. An anti-inflammatory itself, bromelain improves the absorption of quercitin.Together with other well-known anti-asthma measures such as environmental control, calcium, vitamin D3, vitamin C and essential fatty acids, the quercitin-bromelain combination may help us further in our fight against allergies.Fish Oils (EPAs), Essential Fatty Acids and Evening Primrose OilDespite the fact that histamine has traditionally been considered the most common mediator of bronchiole constriction, and therefore of asthma, asthmatics tend to respond poorly to antihistamines. The reason is that other inflammatory agents, the leukotrienes, have been shown to be powerful mediators of asthmatic reactions. Some of them are a thousand times more potent than histamine.Inflammation is one of the big problems in asthma. Even when an allergy is not the more immediate problem, chances are that an inflammatory process will trigger or aggravate asthma. Inflammation is mediated by certain leukotrienes which, in turn, depend on the type of fatty acid that is predominant in the diet.Fish oils are known to reduce inflammation. They have already proved their value in the treatment of many skin conditions and some forms of arthritis. It now seems that asthmatics may benefit greatly from changing to a diet high in these oils (Omega-3) or taking them as supplements.*49\145\2*

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ASTHMA AND PESTICIDES: PESTICIDE LABELLINGSo, you throw away all the chemicals and stock up on vinegar and pyrethrum-based insect sprays, natural garlic concoctions and various eucalyptus brews. You check all the possible alternatives, become environmentally aware and read all the labels so that you and your family are protected. But caution — this requires careful reading of all labels and an understanding of what is written on them and what it means.First, ingredients called ‘inert’ are sometimes included in commercial pesticides and their effects can be worse than those of the active ingredients. Two such ingredients, carbon tetrachloride and chloroform, are powerful liver and central nervous system toxins. In addition, exposure to inert ingredients may facilitate the absorption, and therefore the potential toxicity, of an active ingredient. Even when the active ingredient is present in a ‘safe’ amount, the co-existence of an inert ingredient may cause poisoning by the safe quantity of the active ingredient. Confusing? You bet! Also, because they are used as ‘inert’ ingredients, no warning on the label is required.It is important, too, to remember that authorities are reluctant to issue warnings because the exact mechanism of human toxicity is known for only a few pesticides. Low-level but chronic exposure to several toxic compounds in commercially grown foods and cleaning agents is common. So is the leakage of such toxins into the water supplies. There are drinking water standards for only a handful of pesticides and chemicals. The ‘safe’ levels for pesticides on foods are based on arbitrary statistical factors which do not take into account individual susceptibilities and, what is even worse, the potential synergistic effect of the combination of more than one chemical. Always remember that when you read an official proclamation on the ‘safe’ amount of a given substance, that figure is given for that one ingredient alone. No allowance whatsoever is made for any possible combined effect.Even if you attempt to avoid all chemicals, you may still be exposed to some residues in the water you drink, the food you eat and, in some cases, the air you breathe.*32\145\2*

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