PODCAST #8 2-1-07

WELCOME TO THE 8th EDITION OF THE HEALTH AND HAPPINESS PODCAST

This Podcast covers Dementia, Back pain, muscle pain and muscle cramps.

Alzheimer’s disease and Dementia
Ginkgo Biloba an herbis a powerful antioxidant; it increases blood flow to the brain, which allows the better delivery of nutrients and oxygen and increases overall brain function. Italian researchers have shown that Ginkgo biloba works as well as donepezil (Aricept) a prescription drug.In a double blind placebo-controlled study, (The best kind of study) patients with mild-to-moderate dementia were given daily doses of either 160 mg of ginkgo, 5 mg. of donepezil, or a placebo. After 24 weeks the researchers concluded that ginkgo was clinically comparable in efficacy to Aricept.

Ginkgo biloba is an herb and non-prescription, so it is not FDA controlled. You should buy Ginkgo from a reliable source. Ginkgo costs about $15 a month. Ginkgo’s only side effect is a slight blood thinning effect. If you take “any kind of blood thinners” check with your doctor about taking Ginkgo. The 160 mg. daily dose should be taken as one 80 mg. tablet or capsule twice a day.

Aricept costs about $ 100 a month and has side effects such as nausea, diarrhea and runny nose. Which would you rather use Donepezil a prescription drug or Ginkgo biloba?

BACK PAIN MUSCLE CRAMPS & SPASMS Can be caused by a lack of the mineral magnesium. According to the American Chiropractic Association approx. 31 million Americans suffer from back pain at any given time. One of magnesium’s roles in the body is in neuromuscular function, so deficiencies of magnesium may cause muscle cramps and spasms. The RDA (recommended daily amount) of magnesium is 310-420 mg. a day. Only about 1/3 of Americans get this amount. The suggested daily dose for spasm and other muscle pain is 500 -1000 mg a day in divided doses. High doses of magnesium can cause loose stools. If this is a problem take more calcium (which acts as a fecal binder) or reduce the dose of magnesium.

Taking prescription drugs or Natural therapies have two things in common. The first is that they do not work on all people. Figures of working on about 80% of the people are mentioned but where the figures come from I do not know. The second is the dosage. Some people are larger then others, also some people are more sensitive to drugs and Natural therapies then others. When trying a new drug or therapy keep this in mind.

MSM (methylsulfonylmethane) is a naturally occurring sulfur compound. MSM works in several ways, it is a powerful anti-inflammatory, it blocks the pain response in nerve fibers, and the sulfur may help with cartilage regeneration. When Glucosamine and Chondroitin were recommended for joint pain it was also recommended that you take it with MSM 1,200 to 4,000 mg. The combination seemed to work better then Glucosamine alone.

That’s all for PODCAST #8. I hope you found it interesting and informative. The next PODCAST will be the week of Feb. 1-07

IF YOU WOULD LIKE YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED ON THE HEALTH AND HAPPINESS PODCAST OUR E-MAIL ADDRESS
health@lencolabs.com.

For more information on this subject and other subjects go to www.lencolabs.com, thank you for listening to the health and happiness podcast with–Leonard Austin