Independent Distributor
Nature's Sunshine Products
January 2000 Newsletter

Research Reports Need an energy boost? Eat better. Complex carbohydrates like whole grain breads and cereals, beans, fruits and vegetables are slowly broken down into glucose, creating a steady supply of energy. Refined foods and sweets boost bloodsugarr levels right away. You feel better for a few minutes but then energy drops again. - Kathleen Fry, M.D., a gynecologist & President of the American Holistic Medical Association. Sick of dry skin? Omeg-3-rich fish oil was found in a Finnish study to fend off dry, flaky skin. Take four to six capsules daily or eat more cold-water fish like salmon. - New York City clinical nutritionist Shari Lieberman, Ph.D. British researchers recently conducted a study that involved twenty people who complained of tiredness or fatigue. They were given 135 to 235 mg of St. John's Wort daily. After two weeks, each person reported a significant reduction in fatigue. After six weeks, they reported even more improvement. - C. Stevinson, M. Dixon, and E. Ernst at the Department of Complementary Medicine, University of Exeter. In a study involving 60 patients with ulcer symptoms and H. pylori infection, eight out of the 27 patients who took 5 grams of vitamin C per day successfully eradicated the H. pylori infection. In the control group, who took antacids, none of the patients improved. Low concentrations of vitamin C in gastric juice have been linked with H. pylori infection. - Alan R. Gaby, M.D. reporting on the study in Townsend Letter for Doctors. Lora Elise Ma, writer for Health, advises that the best single thing to do for the skin is to wear sun screen and avoid long hours in the direct sun rays. She says in doing this you prevent premature wrinkling, sun spots and skin cancer. - Health (March/April 1996) Sixteen patients with boils were found to have 26% below the normal amount of iron in the blood. After being treated with iron, all but one had recovered from the boils after just four weeks. Zinc has also been effective in treating boils. - Towsend Letter for Doctors & Patients (July 1996) Surgery can leave scar tissue, which for some people leads to a keloid, a scar that just keeps getting bigger. When patients with keloids had vitamin E applied to their scars each night for two months, 85% of them had positive results. - Townsend Letter for Doctors & Patients (February/March 1996) Fish such as herring, mackerel and salmon contain two essential omega-3 oils. Researchers found that getting these oils into the diet reduces the risk of heart attack. - NFM's Nutrition Science News (March 1996) Studies at the Yale University School of Medicine show that capsaicin can prevent the growth of cancer cells. When mice were given this pepper, 62% were protected from getting skin tumors. Capsaicin prevented healthy cells from changing into cancer-causing types. - Vitamin Retailer (February 1996) Autoimmunity is the underlying cause of more than 80 chronic diseases. A few of them include; Chronic Fatigue Immune Dysfunction Syndrome, Crohn's Disease, Fibromyalgia, Graves' Disease, Lupus, Multiple Sclerosis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Sarcoidosis, and Insulin Dependant Diabetes. According to a November 1996 Journal of American Medical Association report, 100 million Americans are suffering from some form of chronic illness ranging from autoimmune disorders to cancer. Chronic Fatigue Immune Dysfunction Syndrome (CFIDS) is a chronic inflammatory illness. Since chronic fatigue is a major symptom in many other illnesses, especially those that are autoimmune, other diseases that are usually ruled out before the diagnosis of CFIDS is made are lupus, multiple sclerosis, Lyme disease, AIDS, depression. This illness is also called chronic fatigue syndrome or chronic Epstein-Barr virus. It effects twice as many women as men. It is not considered to be easily contagious from one person to another. Fibromyalgia has recently gained recognition as a distinct disease. Patients commonly complain of pain and tenderness, fatigue, and exhaustion after minimal effort. They often feel tired after sleep. In the United States, three to six million people may be afflicted with fibromyalgia and an estimated 15 to 20 percent of patients (90 percent of them women) seen in rheumatology practice have fibromyalgia. Graves' Disease is a glandular autoimmune disease affecting the thyroid gland. The autoantibodies bind to the thyroid gland to induce an increase in the production of thyroid hormone. Thyroid hormone plays a major role in the metabolism, which is the regulation of the body's ability to utilize fuel. Again, this disease is more prevalent in women. Symptoms include nervousness, heat intolerance, diarrhea, sweating, insomnia, and weight loss with increased appetite. In severe cases the symptoms may be irregular heart beat, increased heart beat, intense light sensitivity, swollen legs and eyes, and even coma. Lupus can affect the skin, joints, kidneys, lungs, heart, nervous system, blood, and /or other body organs or systems. Nearly a half million Americans are diagnosed with lupus. There are several types of lupus. Discoid lupus affects the skin with rash and lesions, usually across the face and upper part of the body. Systemic lupus can attack any body organ or system, such as joints, kidneys, brain, heart and lungs. If not controlled, it can be life-threatening. Drug-induced lupus is caused by a reaction to medication. When medication is discontinued, the lupus symptoms usually disappear. Multiple Sclerosis is another chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease. The central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) and the myelin sheath of the nerves are destroyed. The inflammation causes a wide range of neurological symptoms. It also causes the nerves to have an inability to transmit nervous system signals. MS affects anywhere from 200,000 to 350,000 people each year. Rheumatoid arthritis is one of the most difficult autoimmune diseases to control. It mostly affects the small joints of the hands. Inflammation and thickening of the tissue that lines the joints causes pain and swelling and may deform and finally disable the bones. Sarcoidosis may affect many body systems. Symptoms include small round spots of dead tissue on the face and limbs. It also causes large protein deposits to form in the lungs. Not all cases are alike. Some have many symptoms and others experience few. Sometimes it can go away without treatment. About 25,000 cases have been diagnosed in the United States. Insulin Dependant Diabetes is a chronic autoimmune disease that usually begins in childhood. It is not the most common form of diabetes, only five percent or less of the diabetics in this country have insulin-dependent Diabetes. However, it has a much greater impact on a person's life than the adult-onset type of diabetes. The key is to understand the given autoimmune disease and then establish a treatment plan. If you have an autoimmune disease remember that chronic illness usually has ups and downs and can be emotionally draining. Give yourself time to adjust. Don't feel guilty about being sick. Join a support group that accepts alternative natural approaches to these illnesses. Lastly, follow a healthy diet and seek clean air and water. Good nutrition is vital to managing these conditions.

Immunity means, essentially, resistance to disease. Usually, immunity comes through exposure to the disease. The immune system is like our own built in ambulance or police force. Its job is to pursue, locate, identify and wipe out disease-causing organisms, such as bacteria and viruses. While fighting these ailments the body produces symptoms of illness like fever, uneasiness, queasiness, exhaustion and general sickness.