We are super excited to now be carrying Essiac (the original brand) products including their Daily Drops and original tea powder. Essiac is excellent for all immune support from daily support to more in depth challenges! Learn more in this weekly health tip with Dr Jocelin.
Find these products at https://www.whitakersnaturalmarket.com/product-category/essiac-store/.
Did you know that selenium, an essential mineral, has the ability to protect your health in multiple ways?
Selenium is an important mineral for your body and only a small amount is needed (the recommended daily intake is 55 micrograms (mcg). Due to poor soil, taking certain pharmaceutical drugs such as statins, and the normal aging process, selenium is one of the most common mineral deficiencies in the world.
Selenium is linked to many healthy outcomes, including protection from diseases and reduction of disease symptoms.
Six Top Benefits of Selenium
1. Antioxidant and Reduces Oxidative Stress
As an antioxidant, selenium is even more beneficial than vitamins A, C, D, and E and helps to decrease oxidative stress, which is the result of an imbalance in the body between free radicals and antioxidants.
Oxidative stress contributes to a variety of diseases such as diabetes, atherosclerosis (hardening of the blood vessels), inflammatory conditions, high blood pressure, heart disease, neurodegenerative diseases (such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s), and cancers, and contributes to aging.
Supplementing with selenium was reviewed in 13 studies showing significant impact on three antioxidant markers, thus reducing oxidative stress.
2. Boosts Skin Health
In a meta-analysis of 27 studies with a total of 1,315 patients and 7,181 healthy controls, selenium levels were found to be low in patients with four skin diseases: psoriasis, acne vulgaris, chloric acne, and atopic dermatitis.
Another research study of DNA reprogramming of inflammatory cells confirms that higher selenium levels may instill protective properties for genes important for psoriasis prevention and treatment.
Selenium was also found to be beneficial in the treatment of psoriasis in a systematic review of research. In addition, selenium has been related to improvements in skin aging (skin elasticity and skin roughness).
Blood glutathione peroxidase (low levels indicate increased damage to cell membranes due to accumulation of free radicals and signify low selenium levels) was measured in 61 healthy subjects and 506 patients with various skin disorders (i.e., psoriasis, eczema, atopic dermatitis, vasculitis, mycosis fungoides and dermatitis herpetiformis, pemphigoid, acne conglobata, polymyositis, rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma, and systemic lupus erythematodes) and supplementation with selenium and vitamin E restored the skin’s balance.
3. Benefits Asthma
Asthma (a condition with breathing difficulties, coughing, and sneezing) is a complicated disease to treat and is associated with increased inflammation, oxidative stress, and abnormal immune system function. In a meta-analysis of 40 studies, asthma patients showed significantly lower levels of selenium compared to healthy subjects, suggesting lower selenium intake could be a risk factor for the disease.
As mentioned, selenium, as an antioxidant, has been found to lower oxidative stress. This, in turn, seems to reduce allergic asthma. In addition, dietary selenium as an antioxidant therapy may be important in optimizing asthma treatment and prevention.
In a study of 25 asthmatic patients and 25 healthy subjects, asthmatics had lower concentrations of selenium, increased oxidative stress markers and inflammation, and decreased antioxidant glutathione peroxidase activity and lung function.
Nutritional supplement therapy including selenium balanced oxidant stress, inflammation and immune system responses, pulmonary function, and health-related quality of life in patients with mild to moderate allergic asthma.
4. Helps Prevent and Improve Thyroid Diseases
Selenium is an essential micronutrient for your body and readily found in the thyroid. As a supplement, it can help prevent immune-mediated thyroid disorders by reducing anti-thyroperoxidase antibody levels and improving thyroid ultrasound features.
The prevalence of pathological thyroid conditions (hypothyroidism, subclinical hypothyroidism, autoimmune thyroiditis, enlarged thyroid) was significantly lower in the adequate-selenium group than in the low-selenium group (18% versus 30.5%) in a sample of 6,152 subjects in China.
Selenium administration (200 milligrams per day) significantly improved quality of life, reduced ocular involvement, and slowed progression of 159 patients with mild Graves’ orbitopathy (also called thyroid eye disease).
5. Promotes Heart Health
The combination of high blood pressure, high blood sugar, obesity, and high cholesterol is called metabolic syndrome and when these conditions occur together, they dramatically increase your risk of heart disease, stroke, and Type 2 diabetes.
In a study of 2,069 patients, dietary selenium intake had a moderate negative association with metabolic syndrome. In a study of 501 British volunteers aged 60 to 74 years, supplementation with selenium (100 mcg, 200 mcg, 300 mcg) showed progressive decreases in total cholesterol profiles for those with low selenium levels, but cautions that those with already high selenium intake might be adversely affected by extra selenium supplementation.
In a 12-year follow-up of a group of healthy elderly participants who were supplemented with selenium and coenzyme Q10 for four years, there was a significantly reduced risk for cardiovascular mortality in the treatment group (28.1%) compared to the placebo group (38.7%).
6. Brain Boosting
Alzheimer’s disease, a devastating brain disorder, is characterized by two pathological protein deposits, the senile plaques of amyloid-β and tangles of protein tau. In addition, oxidative stress and neural signal transmission disorders also impact Alzheimer’s.
A large body of studies suggests that selenium (Se), either as Se-containing compounds or as selenoproteins, is involved in most of the molecular pathways that are important in the progression of dementia and therefore have the potential to help prevent or improve Alzheimer’s.
In a mouse model, selenium yeast showed several benefits for Alzheimer’s subjects; it decreased the generation of amyloid-β and enhanced autophagic clearance (old cells are recycled and cleaned out to make room for new cells in the brain), which reduced the burden of amyloid-β accumulation.
Another animal study confirmed that selenium (sodium selenite) significantly decreased tau-positive neurons and reversed Alzheimer’s-like memory and neuropsychiatric symptoms in mice with advanced dementia. Additionally, selenium induced protective effects against experimental dementia-induced brain inflammation and oxidative stress by enhancing the antioxidant system in rats.
In 79 Alzheimer’s patients, probiotic and selenium co-supplementation for 12 weeks improved cognitive function and some metabolic profiles such as lipid, antioxidant, and insulin levels. Selenium and zinc are essential trace elements and an inadequate dietary intake has been implicated in the decline of immune and cognitive functions in aged persons and influences age-related disorders, such as Alzheimer’s and Type 2 diabetes.
Selenium and Health
Selenium, a widely researched essential mineral, is beneficial to your health due to its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, immunomodulatory (regulates immune functions) and cardioprotective properties.
Be sure to pick up your Selenium Supplement on your next visit to Whitaker’s Natural Market!
Portions of this Health Tip are from GreenMedInfo.
According to the National Health Council, a troubling 50 percent of American adults suffer greatly with their health. Thankfully, recent research has shown that a pair of natural substances – glutathione and vitamin C – can help to increase the body’s natural antioxidant defense system. This, in turn, helps to reduce the risk of excess oxidative stress – which leads to a diminished quality of life.
Researchers have found that these natural compounds work in concert, with each helping to replenish and recycle the other. Let’s take a closer look at the health benefits that are obtained by taking these two natural substances together.
Glutathione and vitamin C: Two “superstar” antioxidants join forces
Glutathione – one of the most powerful antioxidants in the body – is also its premier detoxifying molecule, working to neutralize pathogens, environmental toxins, and carcinogens. In addition, it boosts the immune system, increases strength and endurance, and encourages the body to form lean muscle rather than fat.
In fact, so strongly tied is glutathione to health and well-being that scientists can use glutathione levels to predict longevity – quite a testament to its influence in the body!
Unfortunately, glutathione levels can be threatened by toxic drugs, environmental toxins, and chronic stress – as well as by normal aging. Unsurprisingly, healthy young people have the highest levels of glutathione, while elderly, hospitalized patients have the very lowest.
Like glutathione, vitamin C can help to boost immune system function. In fact, studies have shown that vitamin C increases production of life protective antibodies and promotes the function of phagocytes, the body’s scavenger cells.
In addition, vitamin C – which has potent antioxidant, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory properties – can protect fragile cell membranes and prevent damage to cell DNA, as well as to important proteins and enzymes (including glutathione). It is also a cofactor in the production of collagen – which is essential to arterial and heart health.
So, it’s clear to see: insufficient stores of glutathione and vitamin C can cause serious health issues.
Stronger together: Glutathione and vitamin C empower each other
Together, these two antioxidants neutralize harmful free radicals. This is important, because free radicals cause the unhealthy peroxidation of cell membrane lipids, leading to eventual cell death and increased likelihood of sickness.
Noted functional physician and author Dr. Mark Hyman uses the “hot potato” analogy to explain the antioxidant actions of glutathione and vitamin C. Free radicals get bounced like a “hot potato” from one antioxidant to another, shuttling from vitamin C to vitamin E – then on to lipoic acid, and finally, glutathione.
Glutathione “cools off” the free radicals while recycling the other antioxidants, sacrificing itself in the process. However, the process ends with the regeneration of more glutathione. In other words, glutathione and vitamin C function as a “buddy act,” in which each has the other’s back.
Vitamin C also helps to protect glutathione in the tissues, while glutathione coverts worn-out vitamin C (dehydroascorbic acid) back into its active form. In fact, a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition demonstrated that glutathione can actually alleviate vitamin C deficiency.
Boost glutathione and vitamin C with diet and proper supplementation.
You can help your body increase its glutathione production by eating sulfur-rich foods, such as garlic, onions, and cruciferous vegetables including Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, and arugula.
When it comes to ramping up vitamin C intake, red bell peppers, kiwi fruit, strawberries, and citrus fruits are among the best sources.
Adding supplements of both can be a great idea as well. Bottom line: when it comes to protecting your health, glutathione and vitamin C are “on the job.” Maybe it’s time to put this dynamic duo to work for you?
Be sure to pick up your Vitamin C and Glutathione supplements on your next visit to Whitaker’s Natural Market.
Portions of this health tip are from Natural Health 365.
Roughly one out of every three Americans is now suffering from a degenerative disease like, heart disease (which kills over 620,000 people every year) or cancer (deaths from which are expected to top 630,000 by 2020).
Several researchers speculate that the widespread occurrence of these diseases is due to a deficiency in glutathione – a natural antioxidant produced in the body.
Inextricably linked to health and longevity, glutathione is a disease-fighting natural chemical that protects cells, reduces oxidative stress, neutralizes toxins, and even helps to boost the immune system. Unfortunately, as we age, glutathione levels plunge – which increases our risk of degenerative disease.
Glutathione, which is composed of a trio of amino acids (glycine, glutamine, and cysteine), is found in every cell in the body – with particularly high concentrations in the liver, where it is produced.
One of the most important functions of glutathione is that it binds to, and neutralizes, harmful free radicals – which otherwise would produce oxidative stress and trigger disease. It also detoxifies pollutants and carcinogens and helps to speed up their excretion from the body.
In addition, glutathione enhances and supports the function of T-cells – which are needed for an effective immune system – and assists with DNA repair, thus reducing the chance of cancer-causing mutations.
It also helps to transport mercury (a toxic, heavy metal) from the brain.
Finally, glutathione helps to “tweak” metabolism, discouraging the formation of fat while supporting and promoting the development of lean muscle. Recent studies have illustrated the various therapeutic benefits of glutathione, from improving insulin sensitivity to reducing damage from ulcerative colitis.
Interesting to note: A clinical trial published last year in BMC Gastroenterology concluded that supplementation with glutathione can even help treat nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, which is currently reaching epidemic proportions in the United States.
Dr. Mark Hyman, the Medical Director at Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Functional Medicine, makes a particularly eye-opening claim, reporting that “virtually all patients suffering from chronic degenerative disease” (including those with cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, arthritis, autoimmune disease, and Alzheimer’s disease) are “deficient in glutathione.”
Alpha-lipoic acid, the “sleep hormone” melatonin, milk thistle, and the antioxidant mineral selenium have all been found to increase glutathione as well.
Personally, I find taking a supplement like G-cel with added nutrients to better absorb the Glutathione is a great way to start. The G-cel features other ingredients such as milk thistle, magnesium, selenium, zinc, chromium, alpha lipoic acid, and much more! Most of the top co-factors for cellular health. Think of G-cel as your cellular “chimney sweep” to help remove toxins!
Stop in and talk to Dr Jocelin to find out more about the amazing benefits of glutathione for the body and her exclusive practitioner grade G-cel supplement.
Portions of the health tip are from NaturalHealth365.
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