in focus - nutricology€¦ · anxiety, cognition and stamina ... a novel blend of chinese herbs...

In This IssueHerbal Adaptogens For Asthma and Adrenal Function: A Blend of Unique Herbs May Have Wide Clinical Application . . . . 2

New CoQH-CFTM Update.Ubiquinone and Ubiquinol: Working Hand in Hand. . . . . . 6

Diagnosis and Treatment of Adrenal Dysfunction: Q&A With James L. Wilson, N.D., D.C., Ph.D. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

"An Extraordinarlily Useful Tool" A Doctor Reviews Garum Armoricum® for Depression, Anxiety, Cognition and Stamina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

How Overactive Membrane Ion Channels Influence Asthma and Other Disorders . . . . . . 12

In FocusNutriCology® Newsletter March 2008

Diagnosis & Treatment of Adrenal Dysfunction: Q&A with James L. Wilson, N.D., D.C., Ph.D.The bestselling author of Adrenal Fatigue distills thirty years of experience in diagnosing and treating hypoadrenia, which he calls a problem of "monstrous proportions largely unrecognized by the medical establishment...recovery from adrenal fatigue is highly likely with proper treatment."Turn to page 7 for more on Diagnosis and Treatment of Adrenal Dysfunction.

How Overactive Membrane Ion Channels Influence Asthma and Other DisordersA new model of excitation and inhibition helps us understand chronic inflam-matory conditions like asthma, and perhaps even the bioenergetics of cancer. Turn to page 12 for more on Overactive Membrane Ion Channels.

Herbal Adaptogens For Asthma And Adrenal Function: A Blend of Unique Herbs May Have Wide Clinical ApplicationIn 2006 we reported a landmark study from the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine on a novel blend of Chinese herbs that proved statistically as effective as steroids in alleviating asthma symptoms. New evidence suggests these herbs may in fact restore adrenal function and be useful in a wide range of chronic illnesses.

Turn to page 2 for more on Herbal Adaptogens.

NutriCology®2300 North Loop Road, Alameda CA 94502

Phone: 800-545-9960/510-263-2000Fax: 800-688-7426/510-263-2100

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"An Extraordinarily Useful Tool"

Dr. Tom Dorman reviews the concentrated whole food supplement, Garum Armoricum®: "I take it, my son takes it, and I'd have no hesitation to recommend it to every practitioner from M.D.'s to naturopaths."Turn to page 10 for more on Garum Armoricum®.

A Doctor Reviews Garum Armoricum® for Depression, Anxiety, Cognition and Stamina

I n n o v a t i v e N u t r i t i o n

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In 2006 we reported a landmark study from the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York, the Weifang Asthma Hospi-tal and the Weifang School of Medicine in China, on a novel blend of Chinese herbs (named ASHMI) that proved statistically as effective as steroids in alleviating asthma symptoms. Now we report more fully on these unique adaptogenic herbs, which may have far wider application than asthma alone. There were preliminary indications that this formula may in fact restore adrenal function, and thus be useful in relationship to many chronic illnesses associated with adrenal fatigue. Highlights of the new information we in-clude in this article:

• This formula is now the subject of a new, NIH-sponsored study at Mt. Sinai investigating whether steroid-depen-dent asthma sufferers can wean off their medications while taking these herbs. In the original study, this herbal formula not only significantly improved lung function and clinical symptoms, but increased cortisol pro-duction. In contrast, the study found that steroids suppressed cortisol levels.

• According to Dr. Stephen Feig, D.O., who utilizes these herbs in his practice, “In a subset of patients, these herbs seems to provide enhanced adrenal support that synergizes with more commonly used adrenal glandular products and with the use of cortisol.”

• “Since February of 2007,” writes clinical nutritionist and chiropractor Linda Li, DC, MS, CCN, who has been in practice for thirty years, “my family

member, who suffered from severe, re-fractory asthma, has been off all medi-cations, on twice daily doses of these herbs, and has had no asthma symp-toms at all.” (see page 4)

• “My own experience is equally re-markable,” she continues, noting that these herbs have also improved her stamina, substantially decreased her need for sleep, helped her shed ex-cess weight, and reduced her frequent nocturia. “This formula may be an im-portant key to supporting the hypo-thalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis,” she suggests. (see page 4)

• A single, stunning herb in this for-mula, Sophora flavescens proved effec-tive and potent in an open, recently published 3-year study of fourteen chronic, refractory asthmatics, by Ba Hoang, M.D., Ph.D., and colleagues, in Phytotherapy Research. All fourteen patients had improved lung function, clinical symptoms and quality of life, while reducing or even eliminating their use of inhaled steroids and beta-agonists without any significant ad-verse reactions.

Such a wide spectrum of clinical ef-ficacy suggests that the synergistic power of this formula may help re-store healthy adrenal function. As the Mt. Sinai researchers wrote of these herbs, “This is the first well-controlled

study in which an anti-asthma Chi-nese herbal medicine has been found to be as effective as a corticosteroid drug. The mechanisms underlying the remarkable effects…are likely a result of synergistic or additive effects of the complex nature of its constituents.”

In this article, we review the entire scope of published work on this herb-al formula and theorize as to how and why these herbs might restore adrenal function in a wide range of disorders in which adrenal function is compro-mised. In a companion article, one of the world experts on adrenal fatigue,

James Wilson, N.D., Ph.D., distills a lifetime of experience diagnos-ing and treating hypoa-drenia, which is, he says “monstrously under-diagnosed.” Finally, in a related article, we pro-pose a completely novel theory on the pathogen-

esis of asthma—a theory which also has implications for the pathogenesis of cancer—and suggest that hyper-excitability of cellular membranes (due to ion channel activity) may be an important trigger of chronic dis-ease. This novel theory gives us a re-markable new way of thinking about chronic illness, and may explain why at least one of the herbs in this for-mula, Sophora flavescens, is so pow-erful and well-tolerated.

Asthma Is a Model for Adrenal Dysfunction

The rate of asthma has tripled in the last quarter century. Twenty million Americans suffer from the condition,

Herbal Adaptogens For Asthma and Adrenal Function:

2 In Focus March 2008

A Blend of Unique Herbs May Have Wide Clinical Application

These unique adaptogenic herbs may restore adrenal function. The latest findings

also suggest strong immunotherapeutic effects of these Chinese herbals.

For more information call 800-545-9960 or visit www.nutricology.com 3

according to the CDC. Asthma is the third leading cause of hospitaliza-tion among those under 18, reports a 2006 article in the New England Jour-nal of Medicine. Asthma accounts for $16 billion in annual health care costs, and there are 5,000 visits to the emer-gency room a day in the United States for asthma. At the same time, chronic use of asthma drugs may be harmful or even fatal. Steroids are well known to suppress cortisol and immune func-tion. Other asthma drugs, such as Ser-event and Advair, have “black box” warning labels because of the higher rate of deaths tied to exacerbations of asthma in patients taking them. And according to a 2004 article in the Annals of Internal Medicine, regular use of beta-agonist drugs for asthma not only causes tolerance to the drugs themselves, but increases airway in-flammation compared to placebo use.

The entire picture of asthma, its soaring num-bers, the dangers of drug treatment, and the efficacy of selected herbs for this condition, may serve as a model for a wide host of conditions marked by low cortisol, adrenal fatigue and chronic inflammation.

If we take a closer look at the Mt. Sinai research, it becomes apparent that it is remarkable for how thorough and ro-bust its design has been all along. Chi-nese herbs have a long tradition of use in asthma, but well-controlled clinical trials using herbs for the treatment of asthma are rare. That is one reason this Mt. Sinai research is so notable.

Of Mice and Men: The Remarkable Research Behind ASHMI

The Mt. Sinai study is remarkable be-cause the researchers followed an un-usually thorough and meticulous de-sign over a period of many years. Their first study, published in 2000, tested a blend of fourteen herbal extracts com-monly used in traditional Chinese herbal medicine for allergic asthma.

This formula, dubbed MSSM-002, was based on a TCM formula used in the pediatric department of the China-Ja-pan Friendship Hospital in Beijing to treat asthma and bronchitis in children. Unlike many asthma formulas, this one contained no Ma-Huang, a source of ephedrine that has been reported to cause central nervous system stimula-tory activity, increased blood pressure, and heart palpitations.

The researchers first tested this blend of herbs in a mouse model of allergic asthma. Mice were sensitized to an egg-white protein and then challenged with it. The mice reacted with allergic asth-ma including pulmonary eosinophilia, airway hyperreactivity (AHR), and in-

creased antigen-specific IgE associated with inflammatory cytokines, including IL-4 and IL-5 in bronchial lavage fluids.

In the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, they report that treat-ing mice with this formula “virtually eliminated airway hyperreactivity and markedly reduced the total number of cells and the percent eosinophils in bronchoalveolar fluid compared with the sham-treated group.” Inflammation and mucus were reduced in the lungs as well. Treatment with MSSM-002 twenty-four hours after intratracheal antigen challenge of sensitized mice virtually eliminated airway hyperreac-tivity and this effect was equivalent to dexamethasone. MSSM-002 down-reg-ulated inflammatory cytokines includ-ing IL-4, IL-5 and IL-13, all involved in chronic asthma.

In comparison, “one of the most po-tent corticosteroids, dexamethasone, also suppressed antigen-induced air-way hyperreactivity and eosinophilic inflammation in this model. However, unlike MSSM-002, dexamethasone sup-pressed Th1 responses.” The research-

ers concluded that the herbal formula was as effective as the potent corticos-teroid, dexamethasone—without the harmful side effects.

The researchers then “used the con-cept of traditional Chinese medicine to reformulate several herbal blends into simplified formulas, and tested these new formulas,” says senior study re-searcher Xiu-Min Li, M.D., Associate Professor, Pediatrics and Assistant Pro-fessor, Center For Immunobiology, at the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine. The formula the researchers found most effective in mice contained three Chi-nese herbal extracts—Ling-Zhi (Gan-oderma lucidum), Ku-Shen (Sophora flavescens) and Gan-Cao (Glycyrrhiza

uralensis), also known as Reishi, Shrubby Sophora and Chinese Licorice—and was dubbed ASH-MI (anti-asthma herbal medicine intervention). The ASHMI formula demonstrated the same broad spectrum of thera-

peutic effects on the major pathogenic mechanisms of asthma. “This formula was almost as effective as the original fourteen herbs, and was the simplest,” Li explains. All three herbs have a long history of human use in China and are considered to be safe when used ac-cording to TCM practice either alone or in formulas.

The next Mt. Sinai, NIH-sponsored study was on ASHMI in humans, and was published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology in Septem-ber of 2005. It reported the remarkable finding that ASHMI was as effective as steroids, without suppressing cor-tisol or immune function. This study included thirteen researchers—eleven of them physicians—from the Weifang Asthma Hospital, the Weifang School of Medicine, and the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, and was remarkable for its methodical, careful design. Forty-five non-steroid dependent individu-als received oral ASHMI capsules and prednisone placebo tablets, and forty-six non-steroid dependent individuals received oral prednisone tablets (20 mil-

Patients in the ASHMI group showed increased levels of serum cortisol into

the normal range


Field Report: An Interview with Dr. Linda M. Li on The Ability of Adaptogenic Herbs To Restore Health

Note: Dr. Linda M. Li, DC, MS, DABCN, CCN, is a chiropractor and Certified Clinical Nutritionist who has been in practice for thirty years. She has a Masters in Nutrition and is a Diplomate from the American Board of Clinical Nutrition. She practices in both New York City and Boulder, Colorado.

Q: Tell us about your experience with the adaptogenic herbs discussed in the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine 2005 study in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

A: After I read the study, I was compelled to try the herbs. My experience, both with a close family member and myself, is astonishing. Surprisingly, I soon realized these herbs have a much broader spectrum of application in ad-dition to asthma. Specifically, this formula seems to help support adrenal, kidney, thyroid, liver, female hormone function and overall general metabolism.

Q: What was your family member’s experience?

A: My relative has suffered from severe adult asthma for over fifteen years. There have been times her attacks were so severe she could barely climb up a flight of stairs. She has been dependent on prednisone, inhaled steroids and bron-chodilators to function. Even these medications didn’t always ease her symptoms, and one medication even caused a severe anaphylactic reaction requiring emergency room care. Last year her asthma became refractory and worsened in spite of medication. In fact, she was having undiagnosed allergic reactions to all of her medications, which were causing paroxysmal bronchial spasms that left her choking and gasping for air. Her spirometry tests—a very accurate indication of lung function—were 50% at best. When I read about this herbal formula, I passed along the information immediately. She began to take the herbs, steadily increase the dose, while weaning off her medications. Since February of 2007 she has been off all medications, on twice daily doses of these herbs, and has had no asthma symptoms at all.

Q: That’s remarkable.

A: My own experience with these herbs is equally remarkable. Over the thirty years that I have been in practice, I have used almost every type of nutritional support for adrenal and associated chronic fatigue symptoms. I suffered from childhood asthma, and in my twenties, a serum blood cortisol test revealed that even then my adrenals were exhausted and my cortisol level was low. I have practices in both New York City and Boulder, Colorado, which re-quires constant traveling. I have felt exhausted for years and know that my serum cortisol levels are still clinically low. Previously, I needed ten hours of sleep a night in order to function. I have been taking these herbs for ten months now and noticed the energy that I had in my thirties is starting to return. I can now easily get by with eight hours of sleep. No other supplement—from ribose to adrenal extract to adaptogenic herbs—has helped me in this way.I also have had frequent nocturnal urination (every two hours) since my early twenties. I am now able to get five to seven hours of restful sleep without getting up to urinate. For the last fifteen years, after a long day on my feet, my ankles would be so swollen and edematous that I literally could not see my ankle bones. They are now normal even after standing all day. These herbs have clearly helped my adrenal/kidney balance.For the first time in twenty-five years, my weight has decreased (eight pounds lost) even though my exercise pro-gram and diet have not changed. In the past, no matter what I ate or how I exercised, my weight always remained the same. Furthermore, the symptoms of my functional hypoglycemia are over 85% improved.

Q: Do you have any final thoughts about these particular herbs?

A: Adrenal dysfunction is associated with many problems. Health professionals are rightly concerned about the axis of the hypothalamus, pituitary and adrenal glands. These herbs may be an important key to supporting that HPA axis. I truly want to thank you for making such high quality information about quality herbal compounds available.

ligrams) and ASHMI placebo capsules for four weeks. Serum cortisol, cytokine and IgE levels were evaluated before and after treatment, as well as symptom scores, side effects and spirometry mea-surements. Spirometry literally means “the measuring of breath” and is the most common pulmonary function test.

The study began with a week-long “run-in period” before initiating treat-ment. Average daily symptom scores were evaluated during this period to establish a baseline. Beta-agonist inha-lation was allowed as needed during the study, but all other medications, such as leukotriene modifiers, antihis-

tamines, and either inhaled or intrave-nous steroids, were prohibited.

Symptom scores rated cough, chest tightness, wheezing, dyspnea, night awakening or early morning awaken-ing caused by dyspnea, allergic rhini-tis, and beta-agonist use. Lung func-tion was evaluated with a spirometer,


and serum levels of IgE, eosinophils, cortisol and cytokines including IL-5, IL-13 and IFN-gamma were measured. After four weeks both groups showed an equal, significant improvement in symptom scores, pulmonary function and eosinophil levels.

In both groups, pre-treatment cortisol levels were slightly below normal, as is common in asthma. However, after treatment, the corticosteroid group showed suppression of the hypotha-lamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, marked by even more depressed cortisol lev-els. In contrast, patients in the ASHMI formula group showed increased lev-els of serum cortisol into the normal range. After four weeks, the predni-sone group had significant weight gain, while the ASHMI group did not. The difference between the two groups was statistically significant.

“The relationship between cytokine imbalance and the expression of both atopy and asthma is of considerable interest and importance,” the research-ers note. “A Th1-Th2 im-balance has been hypoth-esized in asthma, with a shift in immune responses away from Th1 (IFN-gamma) toward Th2 (IL-4, IL-5 and IL-13). In a cohort study, pa-tients with severe asthma exhibited sig-nificantly reduced IFN-gamma produc-tion in response to allergen compared with control subjects and subjects with resolved asthma. In addition, all pa-tients with asthma…showed increased generation of IL-5." Numerous studies confirm that IL-4, IL-5 and IL-13 secre-tion is the major driving force behind persistent asthma.

ASHMI significantly reduced IL-3 and IL-5 levels. It also increased human interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), a po-tent antiviral and immunomodulator, while cortisone suppressed IFN-gam-ma. These findings suggest strong im-munotherapeutic effects of the Chinese herbal. Now, says Li, “we have an on-going FDA-approved clinical trial us-ing ASHMI as an investigational new drug. In the last study our patients

were not steroid dependent. In this study our patients are steroid depen-dent, and we are trying to wean them off their steroids. They really don’t want to be on steroids anymore, and our results will be more significant if, with the use of ASHMI, we can reduce or replace steroids. We are almost fin-ished with our Phase I trial, which in-cluded 18 patients, and we will begin our Phase II trial with 60 patients.”

How Do These Herbs Work?

Individually, these herbs all have a long history of use in asthma and oth-er allergic, autoimmune and immune disorders, allergic rhinitis, hepatitis B, jaundice, adrenal insufficiency, peptic ulcers, and many other conditions. The researchers speculate that these herbs work both individually and synergis-tically. For instance, the increase in serum cortisol into the normal range

could be in part due to the glycyrrhizin in Chinese licorice, “which affects the conversion of cortisol to cortisone by inhibition of 11-beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase enzyme activity.” In addition, previous research has shown that Chinese licorice decreases IgE levels. Chinese licorice is a staple botanical in TCM for asthma and al-lergic rhinitis.

Ku-Shen, in turn, has been widely used for eczema, pruritus and asthma. Ku-Shen is particularly interesting. It is proving to have therapeutic value for a surprisingly wide range of con-ditions. The impact of Ku-Shen, which has excitatory modulator activity, was studied by Ba Hoang and colleagues. An open and selective 3-year follow-up of 14 chronic refractory asthmatics aged between 22 and 70 was used. Par-ticipants received an extract of Sopho-ra flavescens. Medication use, a diary card of symptoms, and respiratory function were recorded. The study

was retrospective and all patients gave written informed consent. The quality of life, clinical symptoms and respiratory function improved during all periods of measurement. The use of inhaled corticosteroid and beta-agonists were reduced or eliminated. There were no significant adverse re-actions reported. It appears that the extract of S. flavescens as an excitatory modulator may be safe and effective for chronic refractory asthma.

Within two weeks of starting therapy with Ku-Shen, the patients had re-duced daytime and nighttime symp-toms of asthma, and had begun to reduce their beta-agonist doses. By three years, all patients were off their corticosteroid medication, had almost entirely eliminated beta-agonist medi-cations, and their symptoms of asthma were significantly reduced.

How does Ku-Shen work? Though the plant contains a rich cornu-copia of chemicals, the focus has been on two principle alkaloids, ma-trine and oxymatrine, which have been the sub-ject of research for years.

The toxicity of both alkaloids is very low, and Ku-Shen may contain about 2% of these two alkaloids. According to Dr. Ba Hoang’s theory, these alkaloids “act as modulators of membrane excit-ability…they can decrease body tem-perature, have a significant analgesic effect, have a tranquilizing effect, and an inhibitory action on glutamate-in-duced excitatory nerve impulses. They can also have an antiarrhythmic effect.” Glutamate receptors have been found in the lungs and airways, and the ac-tivation of glutamate receptors has led to increased airway submucosal glan-dular secretion. Activation of the glu-tamate receptor might be an important, unrecognized mechanism of airway in-flammation and hyper-reactivity, and might explain one of the ways that Ku-Shen helps in asthma.

In fact, Dr. Ba and Dr. Levine pro-pose a novel mechanism for asthma in a 2006 article in Medical Hypoth-

Illnesses treated with corticosteroids would theoretically benefit from herbal formulas

like that of ASHMI


eses entitled, “Bronchial epilepsy or broncho-pulmonary hyperexcitability as a model of asthma pathogenesis.” In this separate paper, Ba and Levine have hypothesized that membrane hy-perexcitability may reflect a more gen-eralized disease mechanism.

In sum, not only are the herbs in ASH-MI remarkably effective in asthma, but the increase in cortisol levels and the shift away from inflammatory cy-tokines toward a balanced immune response, suggests that adrenal and immune function are being restored. This would argue for a far wider use of herbal formulas like ASHMI, in conditions associated with low cor-tisol, chronic inflammation and ad-renal fatigue. Illnesses treated with

corticosteroids would theoretically benefit from herbal formulas like that of ASHMI.

References:

Wen MC, Wei CH, Hu ZQ, Srivastava K, Ko J, Xi ST, Mu DZ, Du JB, Li GH, Wal-lenstein S, Sampson H, Kattan M, Li XM. Efficacy and tolerability of anti-asthma herbal medicine intervention in adult patients with moderate-severe allergic asthma. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2005 Sep;116(3):517-24

Li XM, Huang CK, Zhang TF, Teper AA, Srivastava, K, Schofield BH, Sampson HA. The Chinese herbal medicine formula

MSSM-002 suppresses allergic airway hyperreactivity and modulates Th1/Th2 responses in a murine model of allergic asthma. J Allergy Clin Imunol. 2000 Oct; 106(4):660-8.

Hoang BX, Shaw DG, Levine S, Hoang C, Pham P. New approach in asthma treat-ment using excitatory modulator. Phyto-therapy Research 2007 Jun:21(6): 554-7

Hoang BX, Levine SA, Shaw DG, Pham P, Hoang C. Bronchial epilepsy or broncho-pulmonary hyper-excitability as a model of asthma pathogenesis. Med Hypotheses. 2006 Jun;67(5):1042-51

New CoQH-CFTM UpdateUbiquinone and Ubiquinol: Working Hand in Hand

Since we published the article on the new reduced CoQ10-Ubiquinol in

our last newsletter (In Focus, Novem-ber 2007), we have seen some nega-tive, confusing and erroneous reports about Ubiquinol. Because these articles could discourage the use of this break-through product by some who might greatly benefit from it, we would like to address a few important points.

It’s true that the Ubiquinone form of CoQ10 has more human studies –three decades worth. But this is hardly sur-prising, as Ubiquinol in stable, oral form is a recent breakthrough. FDA registration as a New Dietary Ingredi-ent was completed just two years ago. Preclinical toxicity studies and clini-cal studies on Ubiquinol were done in Japan, and initial human and animal studies show that properly formulated oral Ubiquinol is stable and well ab-sorbed, and can remarkably increase plasma levels of CoQ10. Clinicians are already confirming these results, and further studies are underway.

Questions have been raised about bio-availability. Given the short time that

oral Ubiquinol has been available for study, it is remarkable how much evi-dence already suggests that Ubiquinol may produce a higher level of bio-availability than Ubiquinone. In fact, studies published in refereed scientific journals indicate that Ubiquinol may provide up to eleven times greater absorption based on resulting plasma levels. As we said in our article, “This is an extremely strong indication that the body needs and wants to assimi-late Ubiquinol.”

We did confirm that regular CoQ10 is also a significant nutrient, saying: “The importance of CoQ10 (Ubiqui-none) should not be disqualified and has nearly 30 years of research and clinical evaluation demonstrating its considerable health benefits and ex-cellent safety profile…”. Each of the forms of Q10 have important meta-bolic functions. Ubiquinol is an active lipid soluble antioxidant, whereas both Ubiquinone and Ubiquinol are needed for mitochondrial electron transport (cellular respiration). With-out the reversible transfer of electrons between Ubiquinone and Ubiquinol,

there would be no electron transport in the mitochondrial Electron Trans-port Chain. Cellular respiration is es-sential for the maintenance of energy homeostasis, cell growth and devel-opment and cell viability.

It’s not true that only Ubiquinone is biosynthesized, and Ubiquinol is not. Both are generated naturally in our bodies. Like other redox active cofactors (FAD, NAD), the oxidized forms are biosynthesized first, and the reduced forms (Ubiquinol, NADH, FADH) are biosynthesized via revers-ible cellular enzymatic systems. In a healthy individual the predominant form of CoQ10 in the plasma and tis-sues is the reduced Ubiquinol form.

Ubiquinone or New Ubiquinol: Which Supplement is Best for Me?

In young, healthy individuals, sup-plemental Ubiquinone follows the digestive path of most lipids; it is first incorporated into chylomicrons, reduced in the small intestine and

(Continued on page 11)


Introduction: Dr. James L. Wilson is the bestselling author of Adrenal Fa-tigue: The 21st Century Stress Syndrome. He received his Ph.D. in Human Nu-trition from the University of Arizona, with research in Cellular Immunol-ogy, is one of the original founders of the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine, currently serves as President of Future Formulations, LLC and is on the Advisory Board of the American Chiropractic Association Council on Nutrition.

Q: In your book you state that hypoadrenia—or adrenal fatigue—is a problem of monstrous proportions that is largely unrecognized by the medi-cal establishment. Even enlightened, complementary medicine practitio-ners often overlook the role of the adrenals. Why is that?

A: One of the major functions of the adrenal glands is to respond to stress and maintain physiological homeo-stasis so that the body can continue to function in a healthy way. These “glands of stress” must react to every kind of stress, including those of physical, emo-tional, psychological, biochemical, hor-monal, thermal, chemical and biologi-cal origins, and the functioning of every tissue, organ and gland in the body is significantly affected by adrenal activ-ity. But practitioners all too often don’t think seriously about the adrenals.

Q: When should practitioners look at adrenal function?

A: Adrenal function should be inves-tigated in any chronic illness, either

as a primary cause, or as secondary to the stress of illness itself. It is often the missing link for the chronically ill pa-tient who, no matter what intervention is made, cannot seem to fully recover. The good news is that recovery from adrenal fatigue is not only possible, but highly likely with proper treat-ment, which includes a sophisticated and targeted program of glandulars, adaptogenic herbs, and nutrients.

Even in illnesses as common as the flu, if symptoms linger, low adrenal func-tion should be considered. For exam-ple, during the Spanish flu epidemic in 1919, according to the Archives of Internal Medicine, doctors autopsied 126 patients who had died in the flu epidemic. Of these, 103 showed adre-nal gland atrophy and shriveling con-sistent with adrenal exhaustion, and another 3 cases had adrenal hyper-trophy and swelling consistent with a state of extreme stress. The adrenals were exhausted in their effort to re-store balance to the body during over-whelming infection, to the point that their depleted state was physically detectable upon autopsy and signifi-cantly contributed to their death. That is quite remarkable.

Q: What endocrine glands are involved in the stress response?

A: The major players are the hy-pothalamus, pituitary and adrenal

glands (HPA axis). In experimental psychology, there is a saying: “The hypothalamus rules the world.” This gland is really the four-star-general of the endocrine system. As the keeper of physiological balance, it regulates sleep, weight, satiation, hunger, thirst, and the stress response. The hypothala-mus must sense the stress and signal a response through the pituitary, but the adrenals must provide the hormones

for adaptation to the stress. Cortisol and the other hormones secreted by the adrenal glands go to every tissue, gland and organ in the body, in direct proportion to the total amount of stress

sensed by the hypothalamus.

As clinicians, we have seen again and again the impact stress has on the im-mune system. Immune function is pro-foundly affected by adrenal activity. All white blood cells of the immune system have cortisol receptors that modulate the immune response when activated. This means that when levels of cortisol are too low or too high, im-mune competence is impaired.

Q: What are some common clinical and laboratory indicators of adrenal fatigue?

A: The daily energy pattern is a key indicator. Morning fatigue is one of the most common symptoms of adrenal fatigue. People with adrenal fatigue wake up tired despite sleeping for 8 or more hours. Even after they get up they often do not feel fully awake until later in the morning, or until they have had a caffeinated beverage or some

Diagnosis and Treatment of Adrenal Dysfunction

Q&A with James L. Wilson, N.D., D.C., Ph.D.

"Adrenal fatigue is a problem of monstrous proportions largely unrecognized by

the medical establishment"– Dr. James L. Wilson


other stimulant. They usually expe-rience an afternoon low between 2-5 PM, but by about 6 PM or with their evening meal they get a new burst of energy. They may even experience a second wind at about 11 PM and can-not go to sleep until 1-2 AM.

Although there are many causes of fa-tigue, I know of no other cause that pro-duces a fatigue pattern like this. Other common indicators include symptoms of hypoglycemia, a need for caffeine, decreasing ability to bounce back from stress or illness, decreased focus or concentration, decreased libido, and delayed recovery from an acute illness, especially respiratory illnesses.

Q: What other markers do you see most commonly in hypoadrenia?

A: I often see recurrent lung and bronchial infections when there is ad-renal fatigue. Because the adrenal glands help regulate the sodium and potassium balance, es-pecially during stress, a craving for salt is often a clue to low adrenal func-tion. People with adre-nal fatigue have difficulty producing adequate cortisol levels, and as a result they also often suffer more from aller-gies, chemical intolerances, environ-mental sensitivities, and poor wound healing. Patients also often complain of a general feeling of unwellness.

Adrenal fatigue is often associated with chronic illnesses. The chronic illness itself is a large stress physically, emo-tionally and psychologically, and is of-ten accompanied by social and some-times lifestyle changes that contribute additional stress. Not surprisingly then, I find adrenal fatigue common in patients suffering from chronic ill-nesses such as fibromyalgia, chronic fa-tigue syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, autoimmune disorders, asthma, cancer, AIDS, and other serious illnesses.

Q: Can you tell us about a few of the tests you recommend?

A: Laboratory tests are helpful to con-firm the presence of adrenal fatigue,

however, blood levels of circulating cortisol are excessively broad and often do not detect low adrenal function. The ACTH challenge test also misses adre-nal fatigue in most cases except those that are very, very severe.

The best laboratory test to use is the sal-ivary cortisol test. I recommend a 1 day collection, taken at 4 different times, as a baseline. There are several laborato-ries that do salivary cortisol testing and it is covered under Plan B of Medicare. During the salivary cortisol test, I also ask the patient to record the date and time of each saliva sample on a sepa-rate sheet, what signs and symptoms they were experiencing at the time they gave each sample, their food and bev-erage intake for that day, as well as any events that may have occurred during that day that might affect their cortisol levels. This information is very useful

to help me to more accurately interpret the test results.

I also test for the other steroid hor-mones with the same test kit, including DHEAS, progesterone, estrogen and testosterone in order to more compre-hensively interpret the test and provide adequate treatment.

Q: What are the mainstays of treatment?

A: The combined use of certain dried glandular extracts, and highly targeted, specific vitamins, minerals and herbs in the correct form and amount, accom-panied by lifestyle improvements, has been the best way I have found to help patients with adrenal fatigue. Glandu-lar extracts contain nucleic acids and nutrients in a concentrated form that provides all the proper building blocks needed by the glands for healthy func-tion and hormone production. These extracts can be utilized by the adrenals and other endocrine glands involved

in the stress response to achieve deep healing. In contrast, synthetic hor-mones tend to suppress the function of glands over time, since they over-ride the normal feedback loops that the body uses to regulate hormone levels.

When I began combining dried glandu-lar extracts I was able to start achieving positive outcomes I had never achieved using them singly. A combination of glandulars that support all the glands involved in the stress response (hypo-thalamus, gonads, adrenals, pituitary and thyroid) seems to work best. This combination is usually taken 2-3 or more times per day in conjunction with the nutrients and herbs that facilitate proper, healthy adrenal response.

Q: What are the key vitamins, minerals and nutrients?

A: It’s important to provide all the nutrients that are used in the adrenal cascade of hormone production. For instance, the adrenals use more vitamin C than any other organ or gland in the body. It is the only tis-sue I know of that can ac-

tually store small amounts of vitamin C for short periods of time. During any stress, the demand for vitamin C sky-rockets. The problem for people with hypoadrenia is that they tend to be too acidic, and regular vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is also acidic. So when people suf-fering from adrenal fatigue take ascor-bic acid, their bodies try to neutralize the acidity by drawing on the circulat-ing magnesium or calcium stores. This reduces the amount of magnesium and calcium available to the tissues of the body. This is especially bad for people with adrenal fatigue because they are almost universally deficient in magne-sium and often deficient in calcium. I suggest a buffered vitamin C, prefer-ably one using mineral ascorbates.

Pantothenic acid is another nutrient critical to the conversion of glucose into energy and is needed in abundance as a part of acetyl CoA at the beginning of the Krebs cycle to make ATP (cellular energy). Magnesium is also involved

Adrenal fatigue is common in fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, rheumatoid

arthritis, autoimmune disorders, asthma, and other serious illnesses


in this process and is often consid-ered to be the “sparkplug” of the cell. Niacin is necessary to many reactions that are important in helping the body make energy. Large amounts of niacin are necessary because niacin is a cofac-tor for all NAD and NADPH reactions critical for several steps in the adrenal cascade. Up to 150 milligrams of nia-cin may be needed daily. The entire B complex is essential in varying quantities throughout the adre-nal cascade, but they must be balanced with each other properly in order to adequately support adrenal function. Organic trace minerals, such as man-ganese, zinc, selenium, molybdenum, chromium, copper and iodine are also needed, and typically have a calming effect on the body which can help al-leviate the jittery, exhausted state that some people with adrenal fatigue expe-rience. The best sources of trace miner-als are sprouts, young plants, algae and sea vegetables, and the trace mineral supplements made directly from them. Use sea salt liberally.

Q: You emphasize special herbs in supporting adrenal function.

A: A few herbs have a very beneficial

effect on the HPA axis. The ones I have found to be most clinically effective in-clude the Ayurvedic herb, Ashwagand-ha; the Chinese herb, Eleuthero (for-merly called Siberian ginseng); Licorice root; and Maca. Although there has not been a lot of scientific study on Maca in adrenal function, the other three herbs are well known adaptogens. Lic-

orice, in particular, helps keep cortisol in its active form. Ashwagandha is an ancient Indian herb with a history of therapeutic use dating back to at least 1000 BC, probably because of its di-rect beneficial effects on adrenal tissue and function. It has been prescribed as a tonic, is anti-inflammatory, and is an Ayurvedic treatment of choice for joint inflammation. Some studies have shown Ashwagandha to be capable of normalizing cortisol levels. Eleuthero is good for both sexes, and has a wide range of activities that support and re-juvenate adrenal function. It has been used by Russian deep-sea divers and Olympic athletes, and by cosmonauts for stress and increased vitality.

Other herbs such as Ginger and Ginkgo biloba are also sometimes helpful as ancillary herbs. Ginger root is another adrenal adaptogen that helps modu-late cortisol levels, increase energy, and stimulate digestive enzyme secretions for proteins and fatty acids. Ginkgo leaf is a powerful antioxidant that seques-ters free radical production, protecting

the adrenal glands which suffer tremen-dous oxidative stress when producing ex-cess cortisol during the stress response. Ginkgo also contains

several bioflavonoids that improve blood flow, and it has been shown to lessen tissue damage from inflamma-tion and shock. Its unique qualities of-ten make it useful in an adrenal recov-ery program.

Q: What else do you recommend?

A: Lifestyle is important. Try to get to sleep early, before 10 PM, and sleep until 8 or 9 AM, if possible. Minimize stress in your life. Take breaks in which you lie down, not just sit down – be-ing horizontal is more restorative than resting upright. Proper nutrition is also very important. In every meal or snack eat a generous amount of protein com-bined with non-hydrogenated oil or fat and an unrefined starchy carbohy-drate. These three together provide the best energy for people with adrenal fatigue. Avoid fruit in the mornings, emphasize alkaline foods, including five or six servings of vegetables daily. Additional salt is usually necessary.

Some form of mild, noncompetitive exercise is very useful, even walking. In one study, people in their eight-ies who simply walked up and down a hall four times a day improved all their physiological functions.

Q. Do you have any final thoughts about adrenal fatigue?

A. Sure. Successful treatment in-cludes changes in diet, lifestyle, and proper dietary supplements. The most exciting fact is that recovery from ad-renal fatigue is not only possible, but highly likely with proper treatment.

Recovery from adrenal fatigue is not only possible, but highly likely with proper treatment

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“I simply burst out laughing,” recalls Thomas Dorman, M.D., board-certified in internal medicine in both the U.S. and Canada, and author of the classic textbook for physicians on prolothera-py, Diagnosis and Injection Techniques in Orthopedic Medicine, of the afternoon when a friend told him of the mood-boosting properties of a supplement made from the fermented entrails of fish. “It was called Garum Armori-cum®.” I said, “That is a funny story and of course that’s impossible.” Then Dr. Dorman tried the extract, felt much calmer, ran out of his supply, and for-got about it. “A lady who worked for me and who’d become a friend over the years said to me one day, “Dorman, what has happened to you? You were so nice to work with and now every-thing makes you angry.” I realized I’d stopped taking Garum, and I started taking it again. A few weeks later she said, “Dorman, welcome back, your temperament is sunny again.” Now, she had no idea I was taking Garum, at all. I’ve been taking it ever since and I often recommend it to anxious or mild-ly depressed patients. For those who are chronic worriers, it almost always works. It’s an extraordinarily useful tool, and I’d have no hesitation to rec-ommend it to every practitioner from naturopaths to regular M.D.’s. My own son takes it. He operates a big produc-tion line at a factory and his colleagues report he is the coolest, calmest produc-tion line engineer they’ve ever had.”

Garum Armoricum® is an extract from a giant blue fish that can only be found

in the ocean depths of the Armorican Peninsula in France, as deep as 3000 feet. These unusual fish have devel-oped a unique metabolism well suited to the extreme and stressful conditions in which they live—a dark, cold, high-pressure, oxygen-depleted environ-ment. This nutraceutical was originally discovered by the ancient Celts, thou-sands of years ago, to improve mood, energy and stamina. It was given to Ro-man soldiers before long marches into battle, and was also used by children, pregnant women and the elderly. Un-like benzodiazepine drugs, which have

a dramatic, short-term, anxiolytic ef-fect, Garum, is gentle and without any known side effects, and its nutritional constituents include proteins, anti-oxidant nutrients, omega-3 fatty acids, and micropeptides including hypotha-lamic-releasing factors and opioid pep-tides. It is a wonderful concentrated whole food supplement.

“I had a private practice physically very close to California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo,” recalls Dr. Dorman, “and was conducting a number of research projects in conjunc-tion with the university. This particular branch requires that pre-med students complete a research project, and I was already guiding a number of groups of students in research on spinal and ortho-pedic medical issues. I was approached

by students who wanted to do a study on nutrition, which coincided with my increasing interest in Garum.”

Dr. Dorman and researchers at Califor-nia Polytechnic State University carried out a crossover, double-blind study on Garum that was published in 1995 in The Journal of Advancement in Medicine. The study looked at fifty four college students between the ages of 18 and 25 on the assumption that they are an ex-cellent test group because of the anxi-ety associated with academic stress. Anxiety levels were measured by the Speilberger State Trait Anxiety Inven-

tory (STAI) test, and then the college students were randomly divided into two groups. Group one received three weeks of Garum followed by three weeks of placebo. Group two received three weeks

of placebo followed by three weeks of Garum. Each three week treatment period was followed by a week long washout. Garum markedly reduced anxiety. However, as Dr. Dorman notes: “Garum works slowly, you build up to an effective level in about three weeks, and it takes several weeks to wash out. We learned that from our study. Our washout period was not long enough, so that the group who received Garum first continued to have lower anxiety even on the placebo, because of a slow-ly declining, residual effect of Garum.”

A second crossover, double-blind study followed, to test the effectiveness of Garum on weakness and fatigue-related depression and anxiety, as well as memory and cognitive performance. It was published in The Journal of the

Garum Armoricum®: “An Extraordinarily Useful Tool”

A Doctor Reviews Garum Armoricum® for Depression, Anxiety, Cognition and Stamina

“I’d have no hesitation to recommend this supplement to every practitioner from

naturopaths to regular M.D.’s”


European College of Neuropsychop-harmacology in 1996. This study clear-ly demonstrated that Garum could enhance memory and mental clarity, as demonstrated by Wechsler’s Test of Memorization, and Rey’s Test. A posi-tive impact on memory and cognition was particularly apparent in the 45-55 age group. Garum was also beneficial in chronic fatigue.

“My patients rave about it,” concludes Dr. Dorman. “Many of my patients come to me with a multitude of health

issues, and naturally they worry about these issues. It’s not possible to turn them around and restore their health instantly. My strong clinical impres-sion over the last twenty years is that Garum can help these chronically anx-ious individuals become people who are able to cope in a rational, calm way with their health issues. Where benzo-diazepines have serious side effects, are addicting, and lead to significant withdrawal issues, Garum works bet-ter and serves as a useful, safe substi-tute. I have switched many patients off

benzodiazepines successfully by taper-ing them slowly over six to eight weeks while they take Garum.”

References:

1. Le Poncin M. Experimental Study: Stress and Memory. The Journal of the European College of Neuropsychophar-macology. 1996;6(3): 110.

2. Dorman, T. et al. The Effectiveness of Garum Amoricum (Stabilium) on Reduc-ing Anxiety in College Students. Journal of Advancement in Medicine. 1995; Vol 8(3):193-200.

New CoQH-CFTM Update

(Continued from page 6)

shuttled through the lymphatic system to the circulation. Efficient reduction of Ubiquinone to Ubiquinol occurs dur-ing absorption or rapidly after the ap-pearance of Ubiquinone in the blood.

As we get older, the ability of our bod-ies to produce and metabolize CoQ10 declines. We do not biosynthesize as much Ubiquinone, and the ability to ef-ficiently produce the reduced Ubiqui-nol form also declines. The reasons for this include: increased metabolic demand, diseases, insufficient dietary CoQ10 intake, deficiency of factors re-quired for biosynthesis, gene mutation, oxidative insult, or any combination of these factors. Some reports say this decline becomes apparent around 40 years of age, some as early as 20 with

slow but continuous decline. The result is less cellular energy, slower conver-sion to the reduced form and subse-quently diminished protection against oxidative insult.

Research also shows that conditions of ill health result in decreased abil-ity to reduce ingested Ubiquinone to Ubiquinol. Plasma concentration ratios of Ubiquinol to Ubiquinone are sig-nificantly decreased in patients with various pathological conditions (e.g., hyperlipidemia, hepatitis, cirrhosis, he-patoma, coronary artery disease, diabe-tes mellitus) compared to healthy sub-jects. Not surprisingly, more and more scientific reports indicate that dramatic decreases in CoQ10 concentrations, mi-tochondrial dysfunction and increased oxidative stress are associated with the aging process and many age related diseases such as cardiovascular dis-

ease, neurodegenerative disease, dia-betes, cancer, fatigue, metabolic syn-drome and many others.

People who are sick or older often need to ingest very large amounts of regu-lar CoQ10 to get benefits, likely be-cause less and less is being converted to Ubiquinol. If such a person is given already reduced CoQ10 (Ubiquinol), then they will also easily get all the Ubiquinone they need.

We are confident that as more studies are completed, including studies now underway, more data will further con-firm what clinicians are already telling us – the new CoQ10-Ubiquinol is truly a CoQ10 breakthrough.

References in November 2007 NutriCol-ogy In Focus Newsletter.

Questions? Contact NutriCology at 1-800-545-9960.

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At first glance, asthma and epilepsy don’t seem to have much in common: one is a neurological disorder, the other a breathing problem. But according to a new model of asthma by Ba Hoang, MD, PhD, Stephen Levine, PhD and colleagues, published in Medical Hy-potheses in 2006, asthma symptoms may be viewed as a hyper-excitability condition of the airway that is actually kindled in a manner similar to epilepsy, and can be triggered by a variety of en-dogenous and environmental factors.

This new model goes beyond descrip-tive studies of inflammatory immune mediators or abnormalities in smooth muscle function, and looks deeper—at dysfunction in the electrical potential of the cell membrane. If this view proves correct, it might provide a novel way of explaining asthma, as well as sug-gesting new therapeutic approaches. It also may offer insight into the runaway cascade of ill health we see in other chronic conditions.

Chronic membrane hyper-excitability leads to its exact opposite, depletion of cellular energy that results in pathology. By reversing cell membrane hyperex-citability, Ba and colleagues suggest, we can reverse chronic inflammation and pathology, and restore cellular health. We already know that ion channels ex-ist in the brain, that when hyperactive can cause neurons to fire abnormally, resulting in, for instance, the seizures of epilepsy. It turns out that these ion channels also exist in the lungs. In fact, a receptor once thought only to belong to the central nervous system—called the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) glutamate receptor—is present in our lungs and bronchial tubes.

The electrical potential of a cell mem-brane is a fascinating topic, one that bridges both biology and physics. All cell membranes have electrical poten-tial, activated through ion channels that open and close constantly, letting thousands to millions of ions diffuse down their electrochemical gradient. When a channel switches between a conducting and nonconducting state, this is called gating. These gated chan-nels can be responsive to sodium, po-tassium, magnesium, chloride, and other molecules. The electrical signal spreads rapidly over the cell and al-lows almost instantaneous communi-cation to occur. Membrane channels can bind or reject an ion in the most astoundingly brief time intervals—10 to 100 nanoseconds. A nanosecond is only one-billionth of a second.

According to Ba & Levine, sodium voltage-gated channels may be in-volved in the pathogenesis of asthma, and may offer us a deeper understand-ing of this condition that will help us ultimately provide novel, therapeutic interventions to modify the disease or even achieve a cure.

Salt of the Earth: How Sodium and Glutamate Trigger Asthma

Sodium-gated ion channels may play a major role in membrane excitability. An influx of sodium is linked to release of the acetylcholine, which results in smooth muscle contraction. Not sur-prisingly, two sodium channel block-ers—lidocaine and phenytoin—have been proven already to be effective anti-asthma agents. Lidocaine is a local anesthetic, anticonvulsive and antiar-

rhythmic agent that works primarily by blocking sodium channels and de-creasing membrane excitability. Pheny-toin is an anticonvulsant and cardiac depressant used to treat epilepsy and arrhythmias. It blocks repetitive firing of neurons by acting on sensitive so-dium channels.

Ba and colleagues believe that sodi-um channels contribute to asthma by modulating the neurotransmitters ace-tylcholine, glutamate, and GABA. In particular, they believe that asthma oc-curs as a result of hyperactivity of the NMDA glutamate receptors in the air-ways. Glutamate is an excitotoxin and its action in rat lungs looks very much like asthma. Glutamate increases the release of acetylcholine. Excess gluta-mate is well known to be linked to loss of neuronal function in diseases as wide ranging as Huntington's, Parkinson’s, ALS, and epilepsy. Excess glutamate has also been shown to directly lead to cell proliferation via inflammation. GABA, in turn, is the main inhibitory neurotransmitter, and like glutamate is also found in the lung. GABA agonists (chemicals that increase activation of GABA receptors) inhibit smooth mus-cle contraction, anaphylactic bronchos-pasm, and cough. That means that, just as in the brain, glutamate (excitatory) and GABA (calming and inhibitory) are in flux and move in tandem, so they do in the lung.

The hypothesis: the cell membrane is induced into a hyper-excitable state via sodium ion channels, which activates the NMDA glutamate receptor. When it is overactive this provokes hyperex-citability, leading to cell injury and cel-lular proliferation. In the short run this

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-How Overactive Membrane Ion Channels Influence Asthma and Other Disorders

It May Be Time To Change: Treat Excitation Not Inflammation

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triggers reversible bronchoconstriction and inflammation. In chronic cases, this might lead to thickening of the airway wall and inflammation. This excito-toxic process does much of its damage by triggering excessive production of inflammatory chemicals, and creating a constant high-energy demand and drain that ultimately depletes the cell.

This hypothesis may explain why some asthma is so refractory and severe, and unresponsive to beta-agonists or steroids.

Are We Treating Inflammation or Excitation?

Ba and colleagues believe we should be using an excitatory modulator to calm overexcited cells that may be at the root of asthma. The nutrients magnesium, taurine and glycine, and the ketogenic (high protein) diet are known to be ben-eficial in epilepsy; for the same reason, they may benefit asthmatics. Magne-sium may work by inhibiting calcium, since it has been shown that the excito-toxic action of glutamate may often in-volve abnormal uptake or intracellular mobilization of calcium ions.

The herb Sophora flavescens may be an effective treatment for asthma. Two alkaloids found in the herb—matrine and oxymatrine—are excitatory modu-lators. Recent research suggests Sopho-ra may neutralize excessive build-up of glutamate and reduce the sensitivity of the excitatory NMDA receptor, poten-tially inhibiting an important cause of membrane hyper-excitability. The alka-loids in this herb have been found to inhibit glutamate action in a study in crayfish. So perhaps when we think of asthma, we should not think of calm-ing inflammation, but of looking deep-er, and calming hyper-excitability of the cell membrane itself, providing an effective, safe treatment that may even allow the cells to heal over time.

What About Ion Channels and Cancer?

Could the pathogenic changes and uncontrolled proliferation of cancer be linked to cellular hyper-excitability mediated by voltage-gated ion chan-

nels? This is what Ba and colleagues suggest in a 2007 paper in the Euro-pean Journal of Cancer Prevention. In fact, notes Ba, “It has been reported that glutamate antagonists at…gluta-mate receptor/ion channel complexes limit growth of human cancers….the antiproliferative effect of glutamate antagonists is calcium dependent…the proliferative effect of cancer varies directly with the intracellular calcium levels.” Expression of a specific NMDA receptor and its involvement in cellular proliferation is well known in tumors of neuronal tissues, such as glioma and neuroblastoma. Excessive expression of this receptor has also been seen in prostate, breast and colon cancers.

Is it surprising then, that toxic chemi-cals like formaldehyde and other or-ganic solvents increase NMDA sen-sitization and stimulate glutamate release? Formaldehyde has already been classified as a human carcinogen by the US Environmental Protection Agency. Exposure to organic solvents also has been associated with a high risk of cancer.

If we follow this remarkable line of thought, it becomes evident that chan-nel inhibitory agents like GABA, gly-cine, magnesium, and essential fatty acids, as well as glutamate-inhibiting herbs like Sophora flavescens, may have a role to play in combating cancer. Perhaps, as Ba speculates, “The most important targets to combat and pre-vent cancer are eliminating excitatory factors and creating favorable condi-tions for the body to restore the resting membrane potential.” When normal cells are subjected to the constant stress of membrane hyper-excitability, we may have the preconditions for cancer. The stage may be set by chronic infec-tions, ionizing radiation, toxic agents like solvents and pesticides, and di-etary excitotoxins. In addition, nutri-tional deficiencies in inhibitory nutri-ents such as magnesium, glycine, and taurine, among others, add to the cel-lular load. The up-regulation of the cell membrane hyper-excitability triggers a cascade of adaptations that may lead to pathological changes. These might in-clude cell dysplasia, fibrosis, cell death,

or cellular proliferation.

In fact, according to a 2005 paper in the Journal of Membrane Biology, the last two decades have brought a remark-able increase of published evidence for the role of ion channels in tumor progression. The role of ion channels in both cell proliferation and cell death is extremely complex, say researchers at the University of Tubingen and the University of Salzburg: “Considerable further experimental effort is required to fully understand the complex inter-play between ion channels, cell prolif-eration, and apoptosis.”

In sum, if we look beyond tissue in-flammation to the cell membrane itself, we may discover that a new model of excitation and inhibition helps us cre-ate a powerful and elegant framework for chronic inflammatory conditions like asthma, and perhaps even cancer. In 2005, at the annual meeting of the American Association of Cancer Re-search, scientist Eyal Gottlieb claimed he had found a hallmark of cancer: bioenergetics. If the bioenergetics of the cell lies at the heart of malignant transformation, ion channel hyper-excitability may be a mechanism. It is with such frameworks and insights, that we begin the journey to truly ef-fective therapeutic breakthroughs.

References:

Cocco P, Kazerouni N, Zahm SH. Cancer mortality and environmental exposure to DDE in the United States. Environ Health Perspect 2000;108:1-4.

Hoang BX, Graeme Shaw D, Pham P, Levine SA. Neuro-bioenergetic concepts in cancer prevention and treatment. Med Hypotheses. 2007; 68(4):832-43.

Hoang BX, Shaw DG, Levine S, Hoang C, Pham P. New approach in asthma treat-ment using excitatory modulator. Phyto-therapy Research 2007 Jun:21(6): 554-7

Hoang BX, Levine SA, Graeme Shaw D, Pham P, Hoang C. Bronchial epilepsy or broncho-pulmonary hyper-excitability as a model of asthma pathogenesis. Med Hy-potheses. 2006 Jun;67(5):1042-51.

Hoang, B. X. Levine, S. A. Pham, P. Shaw,


D. G. Hypothesis of the cause and devel-opment of neoplasms. European Journal of Cancer Prevention. 2007; 16(1):55-61.

Ishida M, Shinozaki H. Glutamate inhibi-tory action of matrine at the crayfish neu-romuscular junction. Brit Journal Phar-macology. 1984; 82:523-533.

Lang F, Foller M, Lang KS, Lang PA, Rit-ter M, Gulbins E, Vereninov A, Huber SM. Ion channels in cell proliferation and apoptotic cell death. J. Membrane Biol. 2005; 205(3):147-57.

Lynge E, Anttila A, Hemminki K. Organic

solvents and cancer. Cancer Causes Con-trol. 1997;8(3):406-19.

Rzeski W, Turski L, Ikonomidou C. Gluta-mate antagonists limit tumor growth. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2001;98:6372-7.

Schonherr R, . Clinical relevance of ion channels for diagnosis and therapy of can-cer. J. Membrane Biol. 2005;205:175-184.

Energy deregulation: licensing tumors to grow: Science, May 2006;312:1158-1159.

Germane Facts About Germanium Ses-quioxide: II. Scientific Error and Misrep-resentation. The Journal of Alternative

and Complementary Medicine 2004; 10 (2): 345-8.

2. Faloona GR, Levine SA.The Use of Or-ganic Germanium in Chronic Epstein-Barr Virus Syndrome (CEBVS): An Ex-ample of Interferon Modulation of Herpes Reactivation. Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine. 1988; 3 (1): 29-31.

3. Asai K. Miracle Cure: Organic Germa-nium. Japan Publications, 1980. 171 p.

4. Kumar V, Abbas A, Fausto N. Robbins and Cotran Pathologic Basis of Disease.7th ed. Elsevier; 2004.1552 p.

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In Focus on NutriCology®

Editor-in-Chief: Stephen A. Levine, Ph.D.Executive Editor: Jill Neimark

Medical Editor: Jeffry L. Anderson, M.D.Assistant Editors: Daniel Milosevich, CN, Diane Raile, CNC and Luba Voloshko, Ph.D.

Graphic Design & Layout: Christian Northcott

IN FOCUS publishes emerging nutritional science and scientific theories that should not be construed to be conclusive scientific proof of any specific cause, effect, or relationship. The publication is for the educational use of healthcare practitioners and physicians. The articles in the publication are the independent scientific views and theories of the authors. FOCUS takes no position on the views and theories expressed but offers them for candid inquiry and debate. The articles are not intended for use in support of the sale of any commercial product and should not be construed as indicative of the use or efficacy of any commercial product. Emerging science and scientific theories do not constitute scientific proof of any specific cause, effect, or relationship. Copyright © 2007. Allergy Research Group®. Special permission is required to reproduce by any manner, in whole or in part, the materials herein contained.


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• Supports healthy coagulation and maintains blood viscosity within normal levels.*

• Has more fibrinolytic activity than nattokinase.*

• Shows thrombolytic activity only in the presence of fibrin.*

Earthworms (Lumbricus rubellus) have been used for centuries as an effective way to

support blood circulation. Extensive studies since 1992, show that an extract of earthworm, Lumbrokinase has proteolytic enzymes to support blood circulation. Our Lumbrokinase is produced by the premier manufacturer of earthworms extracts in conjunction with the National Chinese Academy of Sciences. It has been used in hospitals throughout Asia since 1995.

*ThesestatementshavenotbeenevaluatedbytheFoodandDrugAdministration.Thisproductisnotintendedtodiagnose,treat,cure,orpreventanydisease.

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