Science and Integrity

We often hear that supplements are not scientifically validated because they have not passed through ‘Double-Blind, placebo controlled’ studies. 

This is used as an excuse to scoff at generations’ worth of experience.

What is a DOUBLE BLIND study?

In short, when medicines are tested, a group of people who are all suffering from a particular problem are selected. These people are divided into at least two groups: one group will be given the medication and the other group will NOT receive the medication, but an inactive placebo instead.  

In the ideal situation, neither the people being tested, NOR the clinicians administering the doses know who is receiving what. Because neither the patient (single blind) nor the clinician (double blind) know who is receiving what, this kind of trial is called ‘Double Blind’. ‘Placebo controlled’ means that one group is actually being given a ‘medication’ but it contains NO active ingredients (as opposed to receiving nothing, for example).

In this way, it is hoped to minimise unmeasurable effects such as HOPE which might have such a positive effect on the patients that they improve through the body’s own efforts rather than the medication. Such a positive reaction is well-known as the ‘placebo effect’ and can influence results to the point that they may no longer be regarded as ‘scientific’.  

Scientists are aware of how easy it is to view results differently, depending on what you believe the outcome should be. A simple but well-known example of this is the glass half-full/half-empty scenario. The aim of double blind, placebo controlled studies is to produce unbiased results.

Unbiased Results?

Recording daily results and measurements is not difficult.

Interpreting them, is!

It is absolutely amazing how differently each body reacts to medication and even food. For example, a recent study on Blood Glucose (1) found that

1) The reaction between participants to a standardised meal varied greatly (up to 70%), and was determined by aspects such as gut flora, genetics, amount of sleep, enzymes present, etc.
2) The reaction which each participant had when given the exact same, standardised meal more than once, varied by an average of 30%.

Other factors which may affect the actual data include:

• The clinician’s expectations, mood on the day, technique in obtaining results and many more
• The participants’ mood, expectations and willingness to follow the protocol exactly
• The participants’ interpretation of how they feel: is pain better or worse, is this an (un)usual headache, is blood-pressure up through effort or medication, are these ‘palpitations’ from excitement or a side-effect?
• The weather, the friendliness and ease of access of the location (or not) and so many more

Once the data have been collected, they need to be organised and interpreted. This is where the REAL problem lies.

Research of any kind does not come cheap, and there are many ways in which researchers can (and do) please their sponsors to ensure future funding:

• Design the research with a specific result in mind (rather than to find the true answer)
• Select data which is pleasing and discard any which does not ‘fit’ the intended result
• ‘Massage’ data to obtain results which support the sponsor’s aims and claims
• Use innovative techniques (=cheating) to create graphs which look impressive but convey an incorrect impression (only a handful of people with access to the actual data can tell).
• Use ‘statistics’ to create a false impression
• An example of misrepresenting a totally insignificant result: in a random population of 5000 people, 2 people may get condition X per year. Using THIS medication on a test group of 5000 people, only 1 person got condition X. This is an improvement of 100%. YES!! One HUNDRED PERCENT improvement. But wait, there’s more…..By using THIS medication, your RISK of contracting condition X is REDUCED by HALF!!
• And many, many more!

There are multiple examples of such techniques being used in the gold-standard scientific methodology of Double-Blind studies.

What is maybe even worse, are the cases where negative effects are KNOWN by the manufacturer early on during the development and production stages and are purposely covered up. Such examples include

• Vioxx (Merck), an NSAID (Non-Steroidal Anti-inflammatory) which ended up killing upwards of 38 000 (and possibly as many as half a MILLION) people before being withdrawn from the market(2,3).
• Avandia (GSK), a diabetes drug which lead to possibly as many as 100 000 (one HUNDRED THOUSAND) cases of stroke, heart attack or heart failure (4)
• Paxil (GSK), an anti-depressant that caused INCREASED rates of suicide in teenagers
• Bextra (NSAID, Pfizer), Risperdal (Anti-psychotic, Johnsson & Johnsson) and many others prove that these are not isolated cases. (5)

This is the so-called ‘science’ that supplements are up against. The ‘science’ of making vast amounts of profit from patented drugs at all/any cost.

Of course, NOT ALL double-blind studies are deceptive, and MANY patented drugs have the real potential to save or vastly improve lives. 

AND of course, not all manufacturers of supplements are above board. Nevertheless, if used under the guidance of your health care provider, quality supplements can be extremely beneficial (as proven by a VAST body of research PLUS many centuries worth of collective experience). In this age of virtually free access to information, one is also able to find out very quickly and efficiently about the effects of supplements on individuals. Trying out the effect, for example of Vitamin C on one’s own system is seldom very costly, has very few (if any) negative side-effects and can be stopped at any time without the risk of repercussions.

What is YOUR opinion on double-blind studies? Should they be required for supplements, and if so, why? 

Please leave a comment below. We would love to hear from you. 

1)     Personalized Nutrition by Prediction of Glycemic Responses; Zeevi, Korem, Zmora  Israeli et al http://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(15)01481

2)     https://www.drugwatch.com/vioxx/recall/

3)     http://www.theweek.co.uk/us/46535/when-half-million-americans-died-and-nobody-noticed

4)     http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-18673220

5)     http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/02/09/drug-firm-pays-billion-dollars-in-major-scandal.aspx

Is Stress killing you?

Are you under extreme pressure due to Year-End procedures? Is your boss expecting you to complete miracles? Are you studying for exams and struggling to keep an even keel?

For more info see: www.stress.org 

I have also heard the rumours about ‘good’ stress. There is a lot of information available on ‘Dr Google’ to make the most of it. But what if the stress affecting you is causing you to feel panicky when you get up in the morning? What if the weight of responsibility is squeezing the breath out of your lungs or your financial debt is crushing your passion for life?

These are the realities many of us are living with on a daily basis and sometimes it becomes overwhelming.

Is there anything we can do?

Yes indeed!

Firstly, we need to be honest with ourselves. Many of the causes of our stress, are self-inflicted. Reduce these by planning and preparing ahead, saying ‘NO’ to unnecessary commitments, and even lowering our standard of living if need be. Your health is WORTH IT!

That said, for the stress we cannot avoid - there IS HOPE!!

Stress occurs in three phases:

1.       Fight-or-Flight when adrenalin levels are high, together with energy levels, blood sugar levels, heart beat and blood pressure. Once the situation has passed, adrenalin levels return to normal.

2.       Resistance (adaptive) phase during which adrenalin levels remain higher than normal as the brain becomes used to sustained stress levels and does not react so effectively to the ‘stop’ signals.

3.       Exhaustion phase: the brain can no longer maintain the high levels of stress, and disease sets in. The exhaustion phase may eventually lead to adrenal insufficiency, which we also call ‘Burn-out’.

‘Excessive’ stress causes havoc with our hormones, including melatonin which plays a key role in sleep. Various neurotransmitters are affected (Norepinephrine and serotonin) and the body’s reserves of Vit B1, B6 Vit C, Calcium, Chromium, Magnesium and Potassium are depleted. Stress is also linked with a deficiency in Vit B5 as the body tries desperately to maintain the production of corticosteroid (adrenal) hormones.

WHAT can I do?

First prize is to find a way to reduce the stress levels you are dealing with.

The next step is to begin by ensuring that the depleted vitamins and minerals are supplemented in generous quantities. Cholesterol is essential for the production of hormones, so have the breakfast egg and enjoy it! Meat, nuts, sprirulina and pumpkin and pumpkin seeds are excellent sources of tryptophan (which the body uses to build serotonin).

Avoid caffeine and substances containing it (cacao, cola’s, coffee, tea, etc)

One of the unpleasant side-effects of stress is inflammation, so using a good Omega-3 fish oil supplement is valuable. Another is indigestion which can be improved by the use of pro-biotics, digestive enzymes and/or humic acids. Another distressing side-effect is the build-up of toxins with a whole host of unpleasant side-effects. These can be counteracted by taking supplements to support the methylation process (mainly the whole group of B-Vitamins). Excessive stress also has a negative influence on our immune system and our emotions. Vitamin D3, exercise and exposure to sunlight can all play a role in boosting our overall health and happiness.

Inter-Med can assist with any of the supplements mentioned in this blog. For more information contact us on 012-8047918

MIND Diet

The MIND Diet has hit the news again, as the #2 most healthy diet selected by a panel of experts. That is quite an achievement for a relatively new diet, and worth looking at in more detail.

So what is the MIND Diet? 'MIND' stands for 'Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay'. It sounds a bit forced but the idea is clear - to try and stop the onset and/or progression of such diseases as Alzheimer's and Dementia through diet. Both the Mediterranean Diet (which is believed to aid in weight loss as well as the control of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, etc) and the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diets appeared to have brain health benefits as well.

The design of this diet was the result of a study commissioned by the National Institute on Ageing (USA) to investigate the possible benefits of diet for neurodegenerative conditions. The overall results were positive, leading the researchers to design the MIND Diet (Reference: https://www.rush.edu/news/diet-may-help-prevent-alzheimers).,

The MIND Diet is effectively a combination of the Mediterranean and the DASH diets. It divides foods into 15 food groups, 10 healthy and 5 unhealthy (to be avoided). To quote the researchers: "Dieters must limit eating the designated unhealthy foods ...to have a real shot at avoiding the devastating effects of Alzheimer's"

One of the most positive points to emerge from the research is that every little bit helps. If it is not possible or practical to adhere to the diet strictly at all times, even moderate compliance bears measurable benefits.

The researchers are the first to admit that a lot of further research is required (possibly including several changes to the diet as we learn more) before any real claims can be made about the MIND Diet. Nevertheless, we sincerely hope that the MIND Diet fires up people's hope, grabs their imaginations and obtains a huge following. For, even though we have a lot more to learn, if truth be told, the knowledge that our diet has a direct correlation with our brain function is not new. (See http://www.foodforthebrain.org/nutrition-solutions/dementia-and-alzheimer%E2%80%99s-disease/about-dementiaalzheimer%E2%80%99s-disease.aspx amongst many others). Sadly, for many years this was not acknowledged by main-stream health care providers (and in many instances still is not to this day) causing untold, unnecessary suffering.

Let us start with the 'bad' news.
The 5 unhealthy food groups identified in the MIND diet are:

·         Fried or fast food: Less than one serving a week

·         Cheese: Less than one serving a week

·         Butter and margarine: Less than a tablespoon daily

·         Red meat: Less than four servings a week

·         Pastries and sweets: Less than five servings a week

       

The healthy food groups are:

·         Green leafy vegetables (Spinach, kale, cabbage, salad leaves, etc): At least six servings a week

·         Other vegetables (carrots, pumpkin, cauliflower, etc): At least one a day

·         Nuts: As a snack 4 - 5 times a week

·         Berries: At least two servings a week

·         Beans: At least three servings a week

·         Whole grains: Three or more servings a day

·         Fish: At least once a week

·         Poultry (like chicken or turkey): At least twice a week

·         Olive oil

·         Wine: One glass a day

In the meantime, allow us to point out a few factors we (in South Africa) should bear in mind:

• Fish is the main source of Omega-3 (EHA/DPA) which most of the fish available in our supermarkets, does NOT contain. The exceptions include fresh tuna, sardines (NOT those in vegetable oil!), mackerel, salmon or other cold water, oily fish. Watch this space for further discussions on this topic!  
• The researchers specify blueberries which are super-scarce and expensive to come by in SA, for their brain-protecting properties. Strawberries are also mentioned. Clearly we need to supplement our anthocyanins from other sources.   
• Nuts (also expensive) contain many valuable fats and minerals which may be damaged or destroyed in our favourite, roasted versions.
• There are many other dietary factors required for good mental health. Some general tips:
• Use your common sense. Maintain a good balance and eat healthy to stay healthy.
• Eat a generous 'rainbow' of fruit in addition to the vegetables and the berries
• Sauces, condiments, convenience foods and processed foods contain many hidden chemicals and ingredients which are not beneficial and should be avoided.
• If you can't go organic, choose local, fresh and in season for the highest nutritional value
• Remember to drink a lot of good quality, fresh water every day
• Use a high quality vitamin/mineral supplement such as the Inter-Med Absolut or I-Strength products and an Omega-3 (fish oil) supplement daily to ensure that the basics are covered.    
• Other factors that are critical to maintain good mental health include:
• Activity (hobbies, friendships, pets, crafts, 'brain training', etc)
• Exercise
• Daily doses of sunshine for vitamin D (go for a walk with a friend and get all three in one!)
• and many more

There are many reasons why it is not always possible or feasible to obtain all the nutrients we require, from our diet.

Staywell Brain Health was specifically designed to assist in providing your brain with 

ALL the nutrients it requires to function at its best.

If you are struggling to fulfil your daily nutrient quota's and are beginning to feel stressed and run down, feel free to contact us on 012 804 7918 for more information on Staywell Brain Health and other products

Wellness: a simple, bare necessity of life

Wellness is not all in the mind - though it certainly helps!

Health is a critical factor in true wellness. If our bodies are miserable and unwell, so are we. We spend so much time at work, eat poor diets, get little useful exercise and generally mistreat our bodies woefully.

Only one hundred years ago, our great grandparents lived to an average age of 68 years. Generally, only the last two years or so were spoiled by bad health.

Today the average life-span has risen to 74 years and our children face the possibility of living to the age of 120. And yet a vast number of people are on chronic medication by the time they reach their early 20's. Medical aid funds tell us that we spend 95% of all the money we spend on healthcare during our entire lives, in the last 5 years!

The question is: IS IT WORTH IT?

Surely it would be more sensible and a GREAT DEAL MORE FUN to do what we can to stay as healthy as we can for as long as we can!?

Scientific research indicates that we CAN make a significant difference to our health (and therefore the quality of life we can enjoy) by eating well. undertaking regular moderate exercise and ensuring that we supplement any vitamins, minerals and other essential nutrients our circumstances may be using up.

And of course, ENJOYING the life we have!