Natural Standard Blog

Natural Standard Training Sessions

Natural Standard subscribers are invited to attend online training sessions to learn more about the resources available to them.

The summer training sessions are designed to help clients understand Natural Standard's mission, methodology and Evidence-based Validated Grading Rationale™. These guided tours will also demonstrate how to navigate the various databases and cross reference medical conditions and therapies.

The manufacturing/regulatory training sessions are specifically tailored for branded ingredient manufacturers, brand owners, pharmaceutical companies and law firms. Natural Standard provides custom research reports, white papers, clinical trial protocol design and grant writing services. Featured topics will include: GRAS certification, cGMP compliance initiatives, product compliance and submission, litigation, advertising claims, efficacy claims, health maintenance and structure function claims, functional ingredient claims, FDA/FTC warning letters and ingredient identification supporting health maintenance claims.

To sign up for a complimentary session, please click the links below.

Natural Standard Summer Training Sessions:

• Tue, Aug 17, 2010 2:00 PM - 2:40 PM EDT
• Thu, Aug 19, 2010 2:00 PM - 2:40 PM EDT
• Tue, Aug 24, 2010 2:00 PM - 2:40 PM EDT
• Thu, Aug 26, 2010 2:00 PM - 2:40 PM EDT
• Tue, Aug 31, 2010 2:00 PM - 2:40 PM EDT

Manufacturing/Regulatory Training Sessions:

• Thu, Aug 19, 2010 1:00 PM - 1:40 PM EDT
• Thu, Aug 26, 2010 1:00 PM - 1:40 PM EDT
• Thu, Sept 2, 2010 1:00 PM - 1:40 PM EDT
• Thu, Sept 9, 2010 1:00 PM - 1:40 PM EDT
• Thu, Sept 16, 2010 1:00 PM - 1:40 PM EDT
• Thu, Sept 23, 2010 1:00 PM - 1:40 PM EDT
• Thu, Sept 30, 2010 1:00 PM - 1:40 PM EDT
• Thu, Oct 7, 2010 1:00 PM - 1:40 PM EDT
• Thu, Oct 14, 2010 1:00 PM - 1:40 PM EDT
• Thu, Oct 21, 2010 1:00 PM - 1:40 PM EDT
• Thu, Oct 28, 2010 1:00 PM - 1:40 PM EDT

For more information, please e-mail questions@naturalstandard.com.

Webinar Forum: Altitude Sickness

Natural Standard is offering a series of upcoming complimentary webinars on integrative medicine. Natural Standard offers these impartial webinars as an informational public service. All webinars are recorded and archived at www.naturalstandard.com/webinars.

This month, Laurie Peery, PharmDc, discusses the pathophysiology of altitude sickness and reviews the available conventional and integrative therapies. The presentation was presented by Kristina Rodriguez, PharmDc.

To listen to the webinar, please click here. Complimentary access to the webinar is available August 1-31, 2010.

Creatine May Help Prevent Fatigue

A recent study suggests that low doses of creatine may lessen exercise-related fatigue without increasing body weight.

Creatine is created by the body and is an important building block of muscle. Many human studies support creatine supplementation for increased lean body mass and strength. Athletes commonly take high doses of creatine after exercise to help build muscle.

Until now, most studies on creatine supplementation have used fixed doses for five days. In this recent study, the researchers used low doses of creatine based on the participants’ body weight for six weeks.

Researchers from the Bloomsburg University in Pennsylvania randomly assigned 20 healthy men and women to receive either a placebo or 30 milligrams of creatine per kilogram of body weight daily for six weeks.

At the beginning and end of the study, the researchers measured the participants’ body composition, maximal strength and resistance to muscle fatigue.

Although body composition and maximal strength did not vary between the experimental and placebo groups, subjects in the creatine group had less muscle fatigue than the placebo group. The researchers also noted that body weight and water retention did not increase in the creatine group.

While these results are promising, larger studies are needed to substantiate the findings. The authors call for more research to determine the lowest effective dose of creatine.

For more information about the creatine, please visit Natural Standard's Foods, Herbs & Supplements database.

For more information about athletic performance, please visit Natural Standard's Sports Medicine database.

Ginger for Muscle Pain

A new study suggests that ginger may help alleviate pain from exercise-induced muscle injury.

Earlier evidence suggests that ginger may have pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory effects.

In the trial, 74 patients were randomly assigned to receive two grams of raw or heat-treated ginger supplements or placebo daily for 11 days. The participants then performed 18 elbow extensions with heavy weights to induce pain and inflammation. The researchers assessed arm function, inflammation and pain at the beginning of the study and for three days after exercise.

Compared to subjects in the placebo group, those treated with either raw or heat-treated ginger experienced a 24 percent reduction in pain 24 hours after exercise.

However, in another small study published in 2008, ginger did not affect muscle pain, rating of perceived exertion or recovery of oxygen consumption during and after moderate-intensity cycling exercise. Therefore, additional research is needed before conclusions can be made.

Ginger has been studied for various other medical conditions. Several studies support the use of ginger for morning sickness in pregnant women. Ginger's effects on other types of nausea or emesis, such as chemotherapy-induced nausea, postoperative nausea and motion sickness remain undetermined.

The most frequent side effects associated with ginger use are gastrointestinal upset, heartburn, gas and bloating. Ginger may also inhibit blood clotting, thus increasing bleeding risk.

For more information about ginger, please visit Natural Standard's Foods, Herbs & Supplements database.

Milk May Improve Exercise Recovery

New evidence suggests that by drinking milk after weightlifting, women may gain more muscle and lose more fat than by drinking energy drinks.

The study, published in Medicine and Science in Sport and Exercise, included 20 aerobically fit women who had not participated in resistance-training programs or taken any dietary supplements eight months before the trial.

Two hours before exercising, the women were only allowed to drink water. The daily workout routine included various exercises, such as pull ups, bench presses and hamstring curls. Immediately after exercising and one hour later, one group of women drank 500 milliliters of fat-free milk, while the rest drank a sugar-based energy drink.

After three months, the researchers found that women in the milk group gained more lean body mass and strength and lost more fat mass compared to the control group.

The results support earlier studies that showed similar results in men.

For more information about post-exercise recovery please visit Natural Standard's Sports Medicine database.

Peppers for Weight Loss

A compound in peppers called dihydrocapsiate (DCT) may help promote weight loss, researchers reported at the annual Experimental Biology Meeting in Anaheim, Calif. DCT is structurally similar to capsaicin, another constituent found in hot peppers.

Fifty-one obese adults were enrolled in the study. All participants followed a liquid meal-replacement diet that included just 800 calories daily. They were randomly assigned to take a DCT capsule (either three or nine milligrams) or a placebo daily for four weeks. Many participants reported difficulty following the low-calorie diet, and only 33 completed the study.

At the beginning and end of the trial period, the researchers measured the metabolic rate and energy expenditure (or heat production) of the participants after they each ate a 400-calorie liquid test meal. People who took nine milligrams of DCT experienced significant increases in energy expenditure and burned more fat than the control group.

Although these early results are promising, additional research is needed to determine the safety and effectiveness of DCT.

Peppers in general have traditionally been used for various medical conditions. For instance, the German Commission E has approved cayenne as a topical ointment for the relief of painful muscle spasms. Research also suggests that cayenne may help treat lower back pain, post-operative pain and post-operative nausea.

For more information about peppers, please visit Natural Standard's Foods, Herbs & Supplements database.

Webinar Forum: Weight Loss Hypnosis

Natural Standard is offering a series of upcoming complimentary webinars on integrative medicine. Natural Standard offers these impartial webinars as an informational public service. All webinars are recorded and archived at www.naturalstandard.com/webinars.

This month, Steve G. Jones, MEd, board certified clinical hypnotherapist, explains how hypnotherapy can be an effective component of a weight-loss program and how to set up a personal hypnotherapy regimen. In addition to serving as the president of the American Alliance of Hypnotists and board member of the Los Angeles chapter of the American Lung Association, Jones is also the author of 22 books on hypnotherapy and the director of the Steve G. Jones School of Hypnotherapy.

To listen to the webinar, please click here. Complimentary access to the webinar is available May1-31, 2010.

Anti-inflammatory and Antioxidant Effects of Oranges

Orange juice may help prevent the negative effects of a high-fat, high-carbohydrate meal, researchers report in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

In the study, 30 healthy adults (20-40 years of age) fasted overnight and then ate a high-fat, high calorie breakfast. During the meal, they were randomly assigned to drink water, orange juice (not from concentrate) or a glucose drink.

After analyzing blood samples, the researchers found that free radicals increased in all groups after the meal. However, the increase was significantly lower (47 percent) in the orange juice group compared to the water (62 percent) and glucose group (63 percent).

Inflammatory markers, called toll-like receptors (TLRs) also significantly increased in the water and glucose groups, but not in the orange juice group. Elevated TLR levels have been associated with atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), obesity and insulin resistance.

Earlier animal research suggests that naringenin, a citrus flavonoid, may help prevent high cholesterol and changes in insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism that have been linked to metabolic syndrome.

However, additional research is needed to confirm these early findings.

For more information about flavonoids and citrus fruits please visit Natural Standard's Foods, Herbs & Supplements database.

Journal of Dietary Supplements: Call for Papers

Natural Standard, an international research collaboration that aggregates and synthesizes data on complementary and alternative therapies, invites researchers to submit articles to Journal of Dietary Supplements (JDS) - an international peer-reviewed forum for original research and review articles that focus on vitamins, minerals, herbs and other substances that make up the multibillion-dollar dietary supplement industry. The journal addresses important issues that meet a broad range of interests, not only in integrative healthcare, but also in academic, regulatory and industrial sectors.

The journal has an online submission system available at http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/wjds. Full instructions for uploading submissions will appear online.

Natural Standard subscribers are eligible to receive a 60 percent discount on a one-year subscription to the journal. Subscribers will receive four issues for $100. Natural Standard also invites JDS authors to present their findings in webinars, which will be posted on the Natural Standard Web site (www.naturalstandard.com/webinars).

For more information, please e-mail jds@naturalstandard.com.

Catherine Ulbricht, PharmD: Chief Editor, Journal of Dietary Supplements, Co-Founder, Natural Standard Research Collaboration (ulbricht@naturalstandard.com).

Wendy Chao, PhD: Associate Editor, Journal of Dietary Supplements, Science Editor, Natural Standard Research Collaboration (wchao@naturalstandard.com).

Daniel Falatko: Managing Editor, Informa Medicine Journals (Daniel.Falatko@informausa.com).

David DeLuca: Electronic Production Manager, Informa Business Information (David.DeLuca@informausa.com).

The distinguished editorial board includes the following internationally known scientists:

• Brent A Bauer, MD, FACP: Director, Complementary and Integrative Medicine Program, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN.
• William Benda, MD: Assistant Clinical Professor, Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of California, San Francisco.
• Mark Blumenthal: Founder & Executive Director, American Botanical Council, Austin, TX.
• William Benda, MD: University of California, San Francisco, Board of Trustees, American Holistic Medical Association.
• Edzard Ernst, MD, PhD, FRCP, FRCP (Edin.): Professor of Complementary Medicine, Peninsula Medical School, Exeter, UK.
• Bradly Jacobs, MD, MPH: Founder and Director, Institute of Healthy Living, Sausalito, CA.
• Karta Purkh S. Khalsa, CD-N, RH: Botanical Medicine, Bastyr University, Eugene, OR.

2010 Publication Schedule

Cover month	Online Publication	Print Publication
Volume 7, Issue 1 (March)	1/29	2/26
Volume 7, Issue 2 (June)	5/1	5/28
Volume 7, Issue 3 (September)	8/1	8/27
Volume 7, Issue 4 (December)	11/3	11/26

Natural Standard Book Earns Rave Review

Patrick Morrison, an Honorary Professor of human genetics at the universities of Queens Belfast, Nottingham Trent and the University of Ulster, recently reviewed Natural Standard Herbal Pharmacotherapy: An Evidence-Based Approach in the Ulster Medical Society Journal, and called it “an excellent guide to herbal pharmacotherapies.”

The reference tool provides practical guidance on the use of herbal therapies for medical conditions. It is designed to be an essential part of herbal pharmacy core curricula for healthcare disciplines.

Chapters are organized by medical condition and present supportive evidence, including potential mechanisms of action and dosing, for selected herbal therapies. The chapters also include integrative therapy plans to help clinicians quickly assess patient needs and create cohesive treatment plans.

“This is an excellent book which fills the large gap in evidence that existed in this area,” Dr. Morrison states.

Several resources, including animations, Appendix C, Appendix D, Chapter 31, Grades A-F Tables and References, are available on the Evolve Web site. To order a copy of the book, please click here.