Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD)

Peripheral artery disease is caused by buildup of fatty materials (atheroma) in arteries that carry blood from the heart to the head, internal organs and the limbs. Overtime this fatty deposits cause circulatory problem that in turn causes narrowing of the arteries and reduce blood flow to the organs to fail. Other causes include blood clots or embolism, congenital heart disease, and inflammation of the blood vessels (vasculitis).

Men and woman are equally affected by PAD; however, black race/ethnicity is associated with an increased risk of PAD. People of Hispanic origin may have similar to slightly higher rates of PAD compared to non-Hispanic whites. Approximately 8 million people in the United States have PAD, including 12-20% of individuals older than age 60. General population awareness of PAD is estimated at 25%, based on prior studies.

Peripheral artery disease is a warning sign for a more widespread accumulation of fatty deposits or plaques in major arteries that ends up with the hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis). This condition will be reducing blood flow to heart and brain and increases the risk of heart attack or stroke.

The reduction of blood flow to the extremities — usually legs — causes leg pain during walking and causes a condition called claudication (pain, fatigue,aching,tightness, weakness, cramping or tingling in the legs). It can also increase skin ulcerations and in severe cases, tissue death in limbs that will end up to leg amputation. PAD leg pain occurs in the muscles, not the joints.

One in every 20 American over age of 50 has PAD. A research funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute in June of 2011 revealed only one third of people with PAD, took their medications to control high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

As stated earlier, PAD often goes undiagnosed. Untreated PAD can be dangerous and can cause loss of a leg, increased risk of coronary artery disease and carotid atherosclerosis. The American Heart Association encourages people at risk to discuss PAD symptoms with their healthcare professional to ensure early diagnosis and treatment. By learning about PAD, people can lower their risk for PAD and its other major complications.

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The Emerging Role of Vitamin K2

Vitamin K refers to a group of fat-soluble vitamins with similar chemical structures that are needed for blood coagulation. Research over the last few decades has shown a new and emerging role for this vitamin in treating osteoporosis and cardiovascular diseases. Other new and exciting applications for this vitamin have been found in treating Alzheimer’s disease, skin aging, and a variety of cancers. This vitamin was discovered in the 1920s and was called “K” for koagulation due to its role in blood coagulation.  Unfortunately, many people are not aware of the health benefits of vitamin K. The K vitamins have been underrated and misunderstood until very recently by both the scientific community and the general public.

Although the effect of magnesium and vitamin D₃ on calcium metabolism was previously known, the importance of vitamin K in regulating the healthy function of calcium has only recently been recognized.  Vitamin K has now been found to have a role in putting calcium in the right places in the body, such as in the bones and blood, and preventing pathologic calcification of the vessels and soft tissues.

There are three different types of vitamin K: K₁, which is found in plants; K₂, which is made by bacteria or fermentation; and K₃, which is synthetic and, because of the generation of free radicals, is considered toxic. All members of the vitamin K group share a methylated naphthoquinone ring structure and vary in the aliphatic side chain attached at the 3-position. Although these vitamins share a major physiological role, each has other distinct physiological properties. Interestingly, the body is able to convert vitamin K₁ to the more active K₂.

Unlike other fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, and E), the body does not store vitamin K. It is recycled by the body but not in significant amounts, and therefore deficiencies are common.  This is probably due to inadequate dietary intake, lack of cofactors, prescription drugs, and environmental stressors that place high demands on the body’s vitamin K reserves.

Vitamin D3-The Sunshine Vitamin

The major role of vitamin D (calciferol) is to help the body absorb calcium and maintain bone density to prevent osteoporosis. But recent reports suggest new roles for this vitamin in protecting against certain chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and autoimmune disorders. This vitamin is available in two forms, vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) and vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol). Ergocalciferol has a shorter shelf life compared to cholecalciferol and loses its potency faster.
Vitamin D2 is manufactured by plants or fungus, and it can be acquired through fortified foods such as juices, milk, and cereals. Vitamin D3 is formed when the body is exposed to sunlight. This occurs mainly through the exposure of the skin to the sun's ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) rays. Vitamin D3 can also be obtained by consuming animal products. The biologically active form of vitamin D or calcitriol (Rocaltrol) is used to treat and prevent low levels of calcium in the blood of patients whose kidneys or parathyroid glands are not working normally.

Recently, there has been extensive research and concern about the level of vitamin D in United States citizens. This stems from increasing reports of vitamin D deficiency and the fact that an estimated 10 million Americans over age 50 years are diagnosed with osteoporosis.³ This is because vitamin D is not abundant in our usual food sources, so we get most of the vitamin from sun exposure and taking multivitamins. The problem is that the sun is not a reliable source for everyone.

Many factors, such as the season, time of day, geography, latitude, level of air pollution, color of skin, and age, may decrease the skin's ability to produce enough vitamin D. Further, the form of vitamin D found in most multivitamins is vitamin D2, which does not deliver the same amount of the vitamin to the body as the more desirable D3 form.

Curcumin and Alzheimer"s Disease

Curcumin has been used extensively in Ayurveda (Indian system of medicine) for centuries as an agent to relieve pain and inflammation in the skin and muscles. Curcumin, the active ingredient of the spice turmeric, has proven to have anticancer properties and holds a high place in Ayurvedic medicine as a “cleanser of the body.” Today, science is finding a growing list of diseases and conditions that can be healed by the active ingredient in turmeric.

Recent clinical studies reported from a number of credible institutions, such as the University of California, Los Angeles, and UCLA, Riverside medical schools and the Human BioMolecular Research Institute, have revealed that curcumin alone and in combination with vitamin D₃ may help stimulate the immune system to clear the beta-amyloid plaques considered to be the main cause of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). 

AD is a progressive neurodegenerative disease. Although it is not known what starts the disease process, it is established that damage to the brain begins as early as 10 to 20 years before any problems are evident. More than 5 million Americans are believed to have AD, and by 2050, as the U.S. population ages, this number could increase to 15 million. AD is also becoming more common worldwide, with an estimated 26 million people affected. This global figure is projected to grow to more than 106 million by 2050. The emotional and financial costs of this disease alone are very significant. In this article, we will briefly revisit the causes, signs, symptoms, and treatments of AD with a focus on the alternative new findings about the effect of curcumin in prevention and treatment. These new findings were first reported in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease in July 2009.

Coenzyme Q10: A Cardiotonic and Antioxidant


Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is a fat-soluble, vitamin-like compound that is also known as ubiquinone. It is produced by the human body (endogenous) and is necessary for the basic functioning of all cells. Of the 10 forms of coenzyme Q found in nature, only CoQ10 is synthesized in humans. CoQ10 levels are reported to decrease with age and to be low in patients with some chronic diseases such as heart conditions, muscular dystrophies, Parkinson’s disease, cancer, and diabetes. It is also reported that some prescription drugs may lower CoQ10 levels.

CoQ10 is naturally in the energy-producing center of the cell known as the mitochondria and is involved in making an important molecule, known as adenosine triphosphate (ATP). ATP serves as the cell’s major energy source and drives a number of biological processes, including muscle contraction and the production of protein.

The heart contains the largest amount of mitochondria (cell power house) of any muscle in the body, so it is not surprising that CoQ10 has been proven effective for treatment of heart disease. It is claimed that it is beneficial as a cardiotonic in a variety of cardiovascular diseases, including angina, congestive heart failure (CHF), and hypertension. In addition, CoQ10 may be of value in musculoskeletal disorders, periodontal disease, diabetes, and obesity. CoQ10 is also involved in prevention of atherosclerosis, abnormal protein synthesis, and age-related degenerative diseases, and is a cell-membrane stabilizer. It also works as a powerful antioxidant due to its role in electron-transfer processes.

CoQ10 is used as a supplement, and it should be noted that the dosing of dietary supplements is highly dependent on a variety of factors, such as quality of raw materials, manufacturing process, and packaging. Since no official standards have been established to date to regulate the production of dietary supplements in the United States, dosage ranges must be employed as guidelines only.

Fish such as mackeral and tuna, red meat, and vegetable oils are good sources of CoQ10, but it is hard to acquire medicinal amounts of the compound from dietary sources.

Food Sensitivities

Food allergy is defined as an adverse reaction or abnormal response to a food protein or food additive and is triggered by the body's immune system (IgE mediated). Anaphylactic reactions to food can sometimes cause serious illness and even death. Tree nuts and peanuts are the leading causes of these deadly allergic reactions (anaphylaxis). In recent decades, the prevalence of food allergy appears to have increased, and even a tiny amount of the allergy-causing food can trigger signs and symptoms such as digestive problems, hives, or swollen face and airways (angioedema). In people with celiac disease (not a true food allergy), the gluten in certain foods can initiate a complex immune response and cause severe symptoms.


Food intolerance is also a reaction to food, but it is not mediated by the body's immune system and, therefore, it is not an allergy. The symptoms of food intolerance are less bothersome. People often confuse the two, because food intolerance also shows some of the same signs and symptoms as food allergy, such as nausea, vomiting, cramping, and diarrhea.

Food allergy affects an estimated 4% to 8% of children under age 3 years and about 2% of adults. While there is no cure, some children outgrow their food allergy as they get older. Food allergy symptoms usually develop within a few minutes to an hour after eating the offending food. While 3.3 million Americans are allergic to peanuts or tree nuts, 6.9 million are allergic to seafood. Food allergies cause 30,000 cases of anaphylaxis, 2,000 hospitalizations, and 150 deaths annually.

Treatment consists of either immunotherapy (desensitization) or avoidance, in which the allergic person avoids all forms of contact with the food to which he or she is allergic.

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Capsaicin and Pain

Capsaicin is a chemical compound that was first isolated from chili peppers in crystalline form in 1878. Soon after, it was discovered that capsaicin caused a burning sensation in the mucous membranes. In addition, it increased secretion of gastric acid and stimulated the nerve endings in the skin. The chemical structure of capsaicin was partly elucidated in 1919, and in 1930 capsaicin was chemically synthesized. In 1961, substances similar to capsaicin were isolated from chili peppers by Japanese chemists, who named them capsaicinoids. Dihydrocapsaicin (22%), nordihydrocapsaicin (7%), and homocapsaicin (1%) comprise 30% of the total capsaicinoids mixture and have about half the pungency of capsaicin.

Pepper spray, also known as capsicum spray, is a lachrymatory agent (a chemical compound that irritates the eyes to cause tears, pain, and even temporary blindness) used in crowd control and personal self-defense, including defense against dogs and bears. The active ingredient in pepper spray is oleoresin capsicum (OC) from chili peppers that is extracted in an organic solvent such as ethanol. The solvent is then evaporated, and the waxlike resin is emulsified with propylene glycol to suspend the OC in water. The OC is then pressurized for use in pepper spray.

Capsaicin is currently used in topical form for postherpetic neuralgia. This medication is also used on the skin to relieve pain in conditions such as arthritis, psoriasis, or diabetic neuropathy. New studies from the American Association for Cancer Research suggest that capsaicin is also able to kill prostate cancer cells by causing them to undergo apoptosis.

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