ALL ABOUT PYCNOGENOL

Pycnogenol® (Pik-nah-gen-all) is a water extract from the bark of the French maritime pine grown as a mono-species forest, spread over the coastal region of south-west France. The unique source of Pycnogenol®, the "pine bark" has a well-established monograph based on macroscopic and microscopic findings defining its pharmacogonistic characteristics, an essential feature of the quality confirmation.

Pycnogenol® is produced by a validated manufacturing process following good agricultural practice (GAP) and good manufacturing practice (GMP). There is absolutely no application of pesticides during the growing of pine trees or toxic solvents during the manufacture of Pycnogenol®, there can be no pesticide or solvent in the finished active substance.
Pycnogenol® represents a natural blend of genetically programmed constant proportions of bioflavonoids including catechin, epicatechin, taxifolin, monomers, dimers of catechin and epicatechin, oligomeric procyanidnins and phenolic fruit acids such as ferulic acid and caffeic acid.

What is Pycnogenol®?
Pycnogenol® is the brand name for a premium herbal supplement extracted from the bark of the French maritime pine tree. That special pine bark is loaded with a concentrate of active bioflavonoids, which are also found in fresh fruits and vegetables. The extract from that bark is a potent blend of active compounds. Extensive research over a period of more than 30 years was dedicated to safety of Pycnogenol® and to substantiate the manifold benefits for human health of this extraordinary extract. Purity and potency of Pycnogenol® are continuously monitored and Horphag Research guarantees its constant high quality.

Where does Pycnogenol® come from?
The source of Pycnogenol® is a large forest of millions of acres in South-West France near the famous Bordeaux region. That forest is a plantation of French maritime pine trees. The pine trees are cultivated over a period of 30-50 years. Neither pesticides nor herbicides are used in that forest.

How does Pycnogenol® work for your health?
As one of the most potent natural scavenger of free radicals, Pycnogenol® mops-up all kinds of aggressive radicals, before they cause any damage by oxidative stress. Pycnogenol® boosts the immune system and it strengthens blood vessel walls and capillaries. It supports a better circulation by preventing stress-induced constriction of arteries and blood clotting. Additionally the extract contains substances, which act against cramps.

Free radicals - why fight them?
In every day life our body generates free radicals, especially in case of stress. These chemically unbalanced radicals cause damage to our cells by oxidizing them, in the same way as metal becomes rusty and destroyed. Hence, free radicals are dangerous and scientists believe that the continuous exposure to free radicals is the major cause of ageing and also of many degenerative diseases. As a super-antioxidant, Pycnogenol® counteracts that danger in two ways: It stimulates our cells to double their antioxidative power and it catches free radicals in the blood stream. That double defense makes Pycnogenol® unique.

What can Pycnogenol® do for women?
First of all, women are exposed to stress in the same way as men. Therefore, protection of arteries against blood clotting and constriction is also important for women to reduce the risk of heart infarction or stroke. Many women suffer from problems related to bad circulation: Swelling of the lower legs, cold hands and tendency to easy bruising for example. By sealing the capillaries and enhancing the microcirculation Pycnogenol® will be a relief. Another point of great interest for women is the protection of the skin against photo-ageing. Intake of Pycnogenol® reduces the risks of UV-radiation and oxidative stress for the skin. Finally, Pycnogenol® soothes menstrual disorders like cramps and pain.
It seems that nature has combined the constituents of the pine bark in a way to improve quality of life especially for women.

How does Pycnogenol® affect the beauty of my skin?
Pycnogenol® binds and protects collagen, the protein that keeps the skin tight and smooth. Enzymes and free radicals can no longer break down collagen and elastin fibers, the process enabling development of wrinkles. Pycnogenol® defies the accelerated ageing of the skin due to exposure to sunlight (photo-ageing). Pycnogenol® helps to lighten-up disturbing dark spots of the skin resulting from over-pigmentation. Pycnogenol® restores a good blood circulation in tiny capillaries of the skin. With abundance of water and oxygen and removal of waste products the skin is replenished with moisture, looking young and fresh.

How does Pycnogenol® benefit stressed business people?
Stress means your adrenaline is flowing during traffic jam, demanding phone calls and loads of bad news, that you smoke too much, if you are a smoker. Pycnogenol® counteracts the increase in blood pressure caused by stress and it helps to prevent the clotting of blood, which may occur in case of stress and smoking. Business people have to work in a sitting position and have to travel a lot. Pycnogenol® helps against swollen feet and reduced circulation caused by that immobile life style. Intake of Pycnogenol® may increase cognitive function, reduce the risks of stress and will prevent consequences of immobility.

What about diabetes and Pycnogenol®?
Diabetes produces oxidative stress and continuously damages blood vessels. The protective action of Pycnogenol® for blood vessels and capillaries helps to keep blood vessels in diabetes well functioning. Of course, a strict normalization of blood glucose is the best way to prevent these damages. Often a retinopathy is observed in diabetics. Without protection diabetics often develop retinopathy: Tiny capillaries nourishing the retina of the eye spill blood onto the retina causing vision loss. Intake of Pycnogenol® has been found to reduce the micro bleedings in the retina and to improve eyesight.

Is Pycnogenol® helpful for smokers?
For smokers, unable to quit smoking, Pycnogenol® gives a protection against the cardio-vascular risks by preventing the clotting of blood platelets, caused by smoking. Furthermore Pycnogenol® inhibits the nicotine-induced constriction of blood vessels. Both effects together help to reduce the risk of clogged arteries and veins, the primary cause of heart infarction and stroke.

How about chronic bronchitis and asthma?
Asthma and chronic bronchitis are both caused by chronic inflammation of lung tissue. Intake of Pycnogenol® decreases the amount of circulating inflammatory substances in the blood stream and has been shown to improve asthma symptoms and the lung function. It inhibits additionally those enzymes responsible for the destruction of lung tissue in chronic bronchitis.

Doing sport with Pycnogenol®?
Sport always creates oxidative stress, as the metabolism rises, reflected by a 10-20 fold increase of inhaled oxygen. Trained athletes cope with oxidative stress by an increased production of anti-oxidative enzymes, protecting their cells against the burst of free radicals. That's exactly what Pycnogenol® does: It stimulates the cells to produce more anti-oxidative enzymes and free radical scavengers. An investigation with recreational athletes on a treadmill has shown that Pycnogenol® increased endurance. Pycnogenol® protects against the overload of free radicals and allows a better performance.

Will I feel any difference when I take Pycnogenol®?
Not all people are alike. Sensitive persons feel revitalized, some even experience difficulties to fall asleep at night when taking Pycnogenol® in the evening. Many ailments you suffer from may be relieved after prolonged usage of Pycnogenol®. However, the main reason to take Pycnogenol® is to stay healthy and keep optimal body functions.

How much Pycnogenol® should I take?
For general use as a supplement, a typical daily dosage would be 1 mg per kilogram of body weight, or follow the directions on the packaging. Please consult your physician if you are taking Pycnogenol® for a specific condition.

Are there any side effects?
Because of its astringent taste, which occasionally causes minor stomach discomfort it is best to take Pycnogenol® with or after meals. To date, no serious adverse effects have been reported.

Is Pycnogenol® safe?
Pycnogenol® is one of the best-researched food supplements and it has passed extensive safety tests. Toxicity tests have demonstrated a very low toxicity. No serious adverse event had been observed in clinical trials. Mild side effects as gastro-intestinal discomfort, headache, nausea and dizziness were seldomly reported.

Should I use Pycnogenol® instead of vitamins?
No. Vitamins are as important for your health as Pycnogenol®. Pycnogenol® acts in synergy with vitamins. It recycles and spares vitamins C and E, so they act longer in your body. Take Pycnogenol® along with your vitamins and feel the difference.

Should pregnant women and small children take Pycnogenol®?
As a general precaution, pregnant women should not take Pycnogenol® within the first 3 months of pregnancy. Because there is no experience with small children, children under the age of 6 should not take Pycnogenol®. That precaution measure is given beside the fact that no adverse effects had been observed in test series.


From:
Horphag Research
71, avenue Louis Casai
P.O. Box 80
CH-1216 Cointrin Gen�ve

Vitamin D and Calcium Supplementation Reduces Cancer Risk

A four year clinical was done that involved nearly 1200 women. This is the kind of study physicians love and always talk about when it comes to pharmaceutical trials. However, very few of them realize that there are these kinds of studies regarding the health benefits of taking supplements. Subjects were assigned to take 1400 mg of calcium alone, or 1400 mg of calcium plus 1100 IU of vitamin D, or a placebo. After only 4 years, the risk of developing any type of cancer was 60% lower in the vitamin D group. If you excluded the cancers diagnosed in the first year because these cancers were most likely already present before the study, there was a 77% reduction in all types of cancer in the vitamin D group.

The researchers pointed out that vitamin D has an effect on at least 200 human genes and is critical in the normal functioning of our immune system and cell division. When there is less than an optimal level of vitamin D, the regulatory process involving cell proliferation and differentiation becomes defective. This can lead to abnormal cell division and thus cancer growth. However, if individuals simply supplement their diet with 1100 IU of vitamin D, they can significantly decrease their risk of all cancers.

Source:Dr. Strand Health Nuggets 

Why Baby Boomers Are Having Heart Attacks

We can't blame cigarettes, the prime villain for our parents' heart disease.
By Melanie Haiken, Caring.com

In August 2009, film director John Hughes, an iconic figure to Baby Boomers for his '80s-era movies about teenage angst, died of a heart attack at age 59. The outpouring of nostalgia and grief was palpable, and it wasn't just because Hughes inspired such affection, though he was a beloved figure. It was also a collective cultural gasp, because 59-year-old Baby Boomer icons are not supposed to have heart attacks while visiting family in New York, which is how Hughes died.

I did a little research about Boomers and heart attacks, and came upon some startling information. Our generation, it seems, is experiencing heart disease in higher numbers than any previous generation and we can't blame cigarettes, prime villain for our parents' heart disease. The generation of adults currently between the ages of 46 and 64 (known as boomers thanks to a post World War II spike in the national birth rate) is less likely to smoke than our parents and grandparents. Yet we're getting heart disease earlier, and worse, than our parents and grandparents.

So what's to blame? Weight gain, pure and simple. The American Heart Association (AHA) reports that 73 percent of men and 60 percent of women ages 45 to 54 have a body mass index of 25 or higher, considered over the healthy weight limit for their height. And more than 30 percent of both sexes has a BMI of 30 or higher, which means they're considered obese. Along with weight gain comes elevated cholesterol, high blood pressure, and hardening of the arteries—all risk factors for heart disease.

Get even more specific, and the AHA's statistics are even more alarming:

• 43 percent of men and 44 percent of women ages 55 to 64 have high blood pressure.
• Among younger boomers, those ages 45 to 54, 34 percent of men and 25 percent of women have high blood pressure.
• Between 59 and 65 percent (depending on race) of men ages 45 to 54 have total cholesterol over 200 mg/200dL.
• Among women ages 45 to 54, 63 to 69 percent, depending on race, have elevated cholesterol.

What's more, according to Boomers themselves, they feel worse, too. An ongoing nationwide survey of Americans over age 50 called the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) found that those born between 1948 and 1953 reported having more pain, chronic health conditions, drinking problems and psychiatric conditions compared with the two previous generations, those born between 1936 and 1941, and those born between 1942 and 1947. The youngest group of seniors was also more likely to have reported difficulty in walking, climbing steps, getting up from a chair, kneeling or crouching and doing other normal daily physical tasks.

So what can we do? Here's a quick primer on taking charge of your heart health:

Stop smoking. Just keep trying; statistics show many people have to quit ten times or more before it sticks.

Reduce blood cholesterol. Fat lodged in your arteries triggers heart attack and stroke. If diet and exercise alone don’t get those numbers down, then medication is key. Aim for total cholesterol less than 200 mg/dL with LDL (bad) cholesterol less than 100mg/dL and HDL (good) cholesterol at 40 mg/dL or higher for men and 50 mg/dL or higher for women. Be sure, too, to ask your doctor about the new, more sensitive cholesterol panel tests now available.

Lower high blood pressure with exercise, diet, and drugs, if necessary. It’s the single largest risk factor for stroke. Goal is less than 120/80 mmHg.

Be physically active every day. Research has shown that getting 30 to 60 minutes of physical activity on most days of the week can help lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol and take off pounds or prevent them coming on board in the first place.

Aim for a healthy weight, which means a BMI of 25 or below.

Manage diabetes; even better, manage pre-diabetes so it doesn't turn into diabetes. Get a fasting glucose test, and, if you're at risk, talk to your doctor.

Reduce stress by taking up yoga, meditation, walking or another activity that leaves you feeling calm.

Limit alcohol to a drink a day or less. Drinking too much alcohol can raise blood pressure, cause heart failure and lead to stroke. Also, alcohol has lots of hidden calories, so cutting it out is an easy way to jump-start a diet.

Source: http://health.msn.com/health-topics/cholesterol/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100244254>1=31007