|
||
 |
 |
Treating West Nile Virus with High Quality St. Johns Wort
West Nile Virus, although new to the U.S., iswell-documented. The Centers for Disease Controlidentifies it as a flavivirus, a member of theTogavirus family. It is closely related to yellowfever and dengue fever. This is important becausethe Togavirus family are encapsulated viruses,i.e., they are covered with a lipid (fatty)coating. This is exciting, because it means the virus isaccessible to treatment utilizing high quality St.John's Wort (SJW). Several studies have been doneon a variety of encapsulated viruses, includingherpes simplex virus types 1 and 2, parainfluenzavirus, vaccinia virus, cytomegalovirus and severalretroviruses including HIV1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 10. Non-encapsulated viruses or "naked" viruses werealso studied for comparison purposes10,13. SJW was a potent anti-viral agent across a variety ofencapsulated virus families, but showed noactivity against naked viruses. Unlike a vaccine that is specific to eachorganism, SJW is active against encapsulatedviruses by a variety of mechanisms, includinglight activation, interference with DNAtranscription, impairing the assembly of intactviral particles and the lipophilic (fat-loving)nature of the ring structures (the quinone andphenolic groups)4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15. These ring structures are critical to the biologicactivity of SJW. From these results, it is reasonable to use highquality, pharmaceutical grade SJW in combatingWest Nile Virus, since there are no effectivepharmaceutical agents. Quality is critical since the level of hypericin and pseudohypericin arekey. I can only recommend the SJW productproduced by Medi-Herb, which is a pharmaceuticalhouse in Australia, adhering to pharmaceuticalmanufacturing standards. The product isdistributed by Standard Process throughalternative health care practitioners, includingdoctors of chiropractic, acupuncturists andveterinarians. SJW is quite unstable and theactive ingredients degrade on store shelves. Anindependent analysis of 3 products (all of whichwere certified to contain 0.3% hypericin) wereshown to be widely variant, with one product 25%below label claims. It is critically importantthat the phytochemical integrity of the wholeplant be preserved for maximum efficacy.16 References:1Andersen DO, Weber ND, Wood SG et al. AntiviralRes 1991; 16(2): 185-196.2Lopez-Bazzocchi I, Hudson JB, Towers GHN.Photochem.Photopbiol. 1991; 54(1): 95-98.3Moraleda G, Wu TT, Jilbert AR et al. AntiviralRes 1993; 20: 235-247.4Tang J, Colacino JM, Larsen SH et al. AntiviralRes 1990; 13 (6): 313-325.5Hudson JB, Harris L, Towers GHN. Antiviral Res1993; 20 (2):173-178.6Lenard J, Rabson A, Vanderoef R. Proc Natl AcadSci USA 1993; 90 (1): 158-162.7Degar S, Prince AM, Pascual D et al. AIDS Res HumRetroviruses 1992; 8 (11): 1929-1936.8Carpenter S, Kraus GA. Photochem Photobiol 1991;53 (2): 169-174.9Lavie G, Valentine F, Levin B et al. Proc NatlAcad Sci USA 1989; 86 (15): 5963-5967.10Meruelo D, Lavie G, Lavie D et al. Proc NatlAcad Sci USA 1988; 85 (14): 5230-5234.11Kraus GA, Pratt D, Tossberg J et al. BiochemBiophys Res Commun 1990; 172 (1): 149-153.12Takahashi I, Nakanishi S, Kobayashi E et al.Biochem Biophys Res Commun 1989; 165 (3):1207-1212.13De Witte P, Agostinis P, Van Lint J et al.Biochem Pharmacol 1993; 46 (11): 1929-1936.14Panossian AG, Gabrielian E, Manvelian V et al.Phytomed 1996; 3 (1): 19-28.15Lavie G, Mazur Y, Lavie D et al. Transfusion1995; 35 (5): 392-400.16Constantine GH, Karchesy J. Variations inHypericin concentrations in Hypericum perforatum L. and commercial products. PharmaceuticalBiology 1998; 36 (5): 365-367. Dr. N. Rowan Richards was recently awarded thedistinction of being one of the top fivechiropractors in the state of California.She is a Diplomate of the American Board ofChiropractic Internists, a certified herbalist,and a Fellow of the International Academy ofClinical Acupuncture. Dr. Richards has been inpractice for over seventeen years providing caring, individualizedcomplete alternative health care in the Los Angeles area.Her web site is www.richardsfamilyhealth.com
MORE RESOURCES:
Alternative medicine - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Alternative Health Treatments for People Who Give Too Much Being a modern traveler, you probably get onto an airplane these days, find your seat, pull out a paperback and tune out those all-important instructions from the flight attendant about emergency procedures. Let me refresh your memory. Toxins Make You Fat and Shorten Your Life When your body is toxic, toxins hide and embed themselves in your body fat. This causes your cells and organs to become sluggish and lose efficiency. Youth People Obsessed With Sunless Tanning Darker-complexioned teens will always seek a tanning bed or booth. Because they want a perfect and perpetual tan. How to Prevent Snoring? Snoring is noisy breathing through the mouth and nose during sleep. It can occur when you are breathing in or out. How the Subconscious Reasons When It Communicates With You About Pain Relief The subconscious is a strange creature. It doesn't know what day it is, and can't add two and two. Getting Rid Of Gallstones Naturally The gallbladder is a small pear-shaped organ that sits on the right side of our bodies just beneath the liver. Its primary function is to store and secrete bile. Strengthen the Immune System Naturally "Among the most exciting applications of herbal medicine lie in treating abnormalities of the immune system. Clinical studies have shown that various herbal products are effective in treating allergies, asthma, lupus, and rheumatoid arthritis. Chelation and Clathration Chelating is the process of removing toxic materials, metals and minerals from the body by use of certain chelating agents. These are substances that bond with the toxic materials resulting in capsulation of those toxic materials within the chelating agent that then flashes away through the natural excretory process of cleaning the body waste. Mental Anchors Have you ever noticed when you remember something pleasant in your past, that your current mood changes to a happy mood? Or when you remember a troubling thought, you become more agitated and your mood becomes full of negative thoughts?When you are in a highly emotional state of mental thoughts and feelings, your mind creates "links" or "anchors" to things that you may see, hear, feel, touch or any other sense you can imagine. If, for instance, you are in a loving, caring mood, feeling loved, feeling great and you hear a song a few times, your mind links or anchors that song to those feelings. The Health Care Crisis - and a Solution We are presently facing a health care crisis that is getting more dire every day. Health care costs are increasing so rapidly that many companies who offered free health insurance to their employees are now passing a lot of the high cost on to their employees. Neroli: The Fragrance that Exudes Contentment One whiff of this unique fragrance will be enough to make anyone feel immensely contented. Particularly effective for insomnia and depression, it lingers in the air, leaving a sweet exquisite scent behind. Fitness-related Benefits of Massage Ask someone their reason for getting a massage and you're likely to hear "because it feels good". We all know that a massage can relieve stress, help to make sore muscles feel better and even reduce anxiety, but can it help us achieve our fitness goals? Research shows that the massage you get to relieve stress can also have a positive effect on your muscle-building capabilities and fitness level. Natural Remedies For Treating a Cold Sometimes it can be hard to escape that shivery feeling that happens when you get too cold. A good immediate remedy for this is to wrap yourself up in a douvet and stick a hairdryer up it, (making sure the air flow is not restricted) until you feel warmed up. Why Do So Many People Seem To Have Allergies? Allergies and asthma arise from loss of the body's natural resistance to allergens, often beginning with early exposure to secondary smoke, industrial chemicals and asbestos, and the incredibly intensive chemical farming and industrial treatment, of the foods we eat, and fabrics we wear and sleep on.Our ancestors did not suffer these maladies as pervasively as we do, because modern industry since WWII has chemically saturated everything: our homes, fabrics, foods, and air. Health in the Self What is health?Is health the absence of disease? Is health a birth right or simply luck? According to Ayuveda, India's ancient art of healing, the meaning of health is a single word: Swastha. Swa = self + Stha = established. Holistic Health Holistic Health involves natural treatment options like holistic health nutrition, herbology, environmental medicine, energy work, mind-body medicine, anatomy, and many other holistic health practices.Holistic health allows an individual to be treated naturally and establishes a positive balance between body, mind and spirit. The Effects of Diet on Infertiltiy Overwhelmed by studies, research and the constantly changing diet, nutrition and food recommendations? With so many conflicting opinions and studies it's a full time job trying to keep up with the do's and don'ts.Here are? not just five, but six. Snoring - A Small Change Can Make A Big Difference We all know how annoying snoring can be, both for the snorer and the partner. The effects and seriousness of snoring are becoming more apparent with snoring being linked to conditions like high blood pressure and coronary disease. Aromatherapy - Part I: Essential Oils a) WHERE DO ESSENTIAL OILS COME FROM ? - Essential Oils - Part 1The odoriferous substances (Essential oils) themselves are formed in the chloroplasts of the leaves where they combine with glucose to form glucides and are then circulated around the plant in this form. At certain times of the day or year they are stored in particular parts of the plant. 4000 Year Old Secrets of Green Tea The Chinese have known about the medicinal benefits of green tea for over 4,000 years. But recent studies are just starting to unlock these ancient secrets of green tea.
|
| GZZT.org | alternative health home | site map | ||||||||||||
 |