Iron

What is Iron and why do we need it?

Iron is an mineral needed by our bodies. Iron is a part of all cells and does many things in our bodies. For example, iron (as part of the protein hemoglobin) carries oxygen from our lungs throughout our bodies. Having too little hemoglobin is called anemia. Iron also helps our muscles store and use oxygen.

Iron is a part of many enzymes and is used in many cell functions. Enzymes help our bodies digest foods and also help with many other important reactions that occur within our bodies. When our bodies don't have enough iron, many parts of our bodies are affected.

Gingerroot

Not just great in stir-fries, ginger is one herb that can do more than add flavor and spice to just about any dish, it also exhibits antioxidant effects and the ability to lessen the formation of inflammation in the body. Ginger contains potent anti-inflammatory compounds called "gingerols" that work their magic on many types of inflammation in the body. A study in the November 2003 issue of Life Sciences indicates that ginger offers free radical protection through one of its many active constituents, called 6-gingerol. 6-gingerol has been shown to significantly inhibit the production of nitric oxide, a highly reactive nitrogen molecule that quickly forms a very damaging fee radical called "peroxynitrite".


Another study in the November 2003 issue of Radiation Research found that mice given ginger for five days prior to being exposed to radiation, not only avoided an increase in free radical damage to fats in the body, but also experienced a far smaller depletion of glutathione, one of the body's most important antioxidants. Since the brain contains high levels of fats and is negatively impacted by radiation exposure and free radicals, ginger shows promise in protecting the brain.

According to Dr. Krishna C. Sricastava, ginger is superior to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in alleviating inflammation. This is important since physicians sometimes recommend anti-inflammatory drugs to treat brain disease linked to inflammation. Unlike NSAIDs that work on only one level of inflammation (blocking the substances that cause inflammation), ginger works on at least two mechanisms:

• Ginger blocks the formation of prostaglandins and leukotriences, chemicals that are linked to the development of inflammation in the body; and
• Ginger also has antioxidant properties that actually break down inflammation and acidity in the body.

Ginger, eaten or used as a supplement on a regular basis, can have a protective effect by decreasing inflammation that occurs in the brain. One to ten grams per day of ginger root is an anti-inflammatory daily use.

info "The Brain Wash" by Michelle Schoffro Cook

Potential Sources of Aluminum

• Baby formula
• Baked goods and processed foods
• Binding agents in many pharmaceutical drugs
• Commonly used medications and over-the-counter antacids
• Deodorants
• Food storage wrap like foil and pie plates
• Municipal water supplies
• Pots and pans
• Shampoo
• Skin creams
• Vitamin C supplements

Aluminum

Although not strictly a heavy metal, aluminum is the most abundant metal on the planet. It is naturally found in air, found in air, food, soil, and water. Our bodies can excrete small amounts of aluminum without damage. Some experts estimate that a daily allowance of about twenty milligrams of aluminum often exceeds this amount, sometimes substantially, and with potentially serious consequences.

Aluminum is known neurotoxin agent linked to Alzheimer's disease. Forty years ago, scientists injected aluminum into their brains of rabbits and made startling discovery: aluminum triggered the formation of neurofibrillary tangles, the same type found in Alzheimer's disease. This caused researchers to examine diseased human brains.

Aluminum can cross the blood-brain barrier and cause nerve cell death. Once aluminum enters into the brain, it promotes inflammation by causing the formation of Brian-damaging free radicals and induces numerous toxic reactions, including the disruption of calcium control. Aluminum makes its way into the brain by essentially impersonating iron, thereby tricking the Brian into allowing it to cross the blood brain barrier.

There are abnormally high concentrations of the metal aluminum in the brains of people diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Some studies indicate that the brains of Alzheimer's patients contain thirty times the levels of aluminum of their healthy counterparts. Their is still debate as to whether aluminum causes Alzheimer's , or it is known that aluminum is so toxic to the brain that it interrupts over fifty brain chemical reactions, and its relationship to Alzheimer's is undeniable.

Additional studies are being done to better understand the toxic effects of elevated exposure to aluminum, and so far the results are frightening. Not only has aluminum been shown to have ties to Alzheimer's but also to the increasing incidence of Parkinson's disease.

Symptoms of Aluminum Excess

• Belching accompanied by head colds
• Colic
• Constipation accompanied by throbbing headaches
• Convulsions
• Cravings for meat
• Excessive perspiration
• Gastrointestinal irritation
• Indigestion caused by potatoes
• Loss of taste
• Nausea
• Numbness, stiffness, or loss of sensation in arms/legs
• Poor or failing memory
• Rickets
• Rough skin
• Stitching or burning pain in head with dizziness, relieved by eating

info: "The Brain Wash" by Michelle Schoffro Cook

Adrenal Hypofunction

Primary adrenal hypofunction or insufficiency (Addison's disease) originates within the adrenal gland itself and is characterized by decreased mineralocorticoid, glucocorticoid, and androgen secretion. Secondary adrenal hypofunction is due to impaired pituitary secretion of corticotropin and is characterized by decreased glucocorticoid secretion. Secretion of aldosterone, the major mineralocorticoid, is often unaffected.
Addison's disease is relatively uncommon, though it can occur at any age, in either sex. Secondary adrenal hypofunction occurs when a patient abruptly stops taking an exogenous steroid after long-term therapy or when the pituitary is injured by a tumor or by infiltrative or autoimmune processes. With an early diagnosis and adequate replacement therapy, the prognosis for the person with adrenal hypofunction is good.
Adrenal crisis (addisonian crisis), a critical deficiency of meralocorticoids and glucocorticoids, generally follows acute stress, sepsis, trauma, surgery, or omission of steroid therapy in patients who have chronic adrenal insufficiency. A medical emergency, adrenal crisis necessitates immediate, vigorous treatment.

info Handbook of Diseases 3rd Ed. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

Hypothyroidism

This disorder, which is most prevalent in women, usually results from a dysfunction of the thyroid gland caused by surgery, irradiation therapy, chronic autoimmune thyroiditis (Hashimoto's disease), or inflammatory conditions, such as amyloidosis and sarcoidosis. Besides an enlarged thyroid, signs and symptoms include weight gain despite anorexia, fatigue, cold intolerance, constipation; menorrhagia; slowed intellectual and motor activity; dry pale, cool skin; dry sparse hair; and thick, brittle nails. Eventually, the face assumes a dull expression with periorbital edema.

(info found @ Professional Guide to Signs & Symptoms 5th ed. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins)

ALOE -BENEFITS

Eases Intestinal Problems

• Aloe can be effective for treating inflammatory bowel disease. ( Journal of Alternative Medicine)
• Other studies have shown that aloe helps to detoxify the bowel, neutralize stomach acidity, and relieve constipation and gastric ulcers.

Reduces Blood Sugar in Diabetes

• Aloe reduced the blood sugar levels in diabetics (Hormone Research)

Reduces Arthritic Swelling

• Aloe can help prevent arthritis and reduce the inflammation in joints already affected by arthritis. (Journal of the American Podiatric Medical Association)
• Aloe can also inhibit the autoimmune reaction associated with certain forms of arthritis, in which the body attacks its own tissues.

Helps Heal Wounds

• An animal-based study found that both oral and topical aloe preparations would speed healing. The size of wounds decreased 62% in the animals taking oral aloe compared to a 51% decrease in wound size. (Journal of the American Podiatric Medical Association)

Supports Surgical Recovery

• Aloe decreases surgical recovery time. "Any wound we treat, whether it's a suturing a cut or removing a skin cancer, heals better with aloe vera on it." (James Fulton, M. D. , Journal of Dermatologic Surgery and Oncology)

Screens Out Radiation

• Aloe protects against skin damage from X-rays. Aloe was an effective antioxidant, mopping up the free radical caused by radiation and it protected two of the body's healing agents. (researchers at Hoshi University, Japan, published in the journal Yakugaku Zasshi)

(info was produced by an Independent Enriching Gifts member DKT Enterprises 6/2001)