Dr. Ingrid Pincott's Volume 6, No. 5 · July/August 2000
NATUROPATHIC WISDOM NOTES

Safe Insect Repellants

St. John’s Wort and Drug Interactions

Depression and Hypericum Extract 

Cancer Risk, Sex Hormones and Sex Hormone Metabolites 

Soy and its Benefits for Menopausal Women

Pecans Lower LDL Cholesterol in People with Normal Lipid Levels

Recipe - Chilled Spicy Avocado Soup

New Products

A New Breast Cancer Risk Test

To him whose elastic and vigorous thoughts keep pace with the sun, the day is a perpetual morning.

Henry David Thoreau

It is summer once again and the sun’s rays warm the soul once again! To decrease antioxidant damage to your skin after spending time in the sun and wearing sunscreen I suggest applying a nice layer of Body Nut Butter from the Body Shop (www.thebodyshop.ca). Shea butter and brazil nut butter are both excellent moisturizers. Enjoy this relaxing fun time of year! Take time out for yourself, eat your lunch at the beach, take advantage of the longer days and go roller blading before work, and finish your hectic day with a fire at the beach with some friends! We are collecting testimonials at the office regarding your positive experience with naturopathic medicine. All letters will have names removed and be kept in a binder in our waiting room for the general readership. Just submit your handwritten comments and we will type them up. Thanks and have a great summer!

Every year at this time we are exposed to more chemicals by rubbing them on our bodies and putting them on our lawns! According to Dr. Marion Moses, DEET, a common ingredient in many insect repellants, is very toxic to the brain and nervous system. Children can develop slurred speech, headaches, restlessness, irritability, and crying and, more seriously, tremor and convulsions following intense applications to the skin. Here is a list of repellants that don’t contain the toxic ingredient DEET and still work. GONE by Aubrey Organics; BUZZ AWAY by Penn Herb Co; Outdoor Herbal Spray by IMHOTEP; All Terrain Herbal Armor Insect. Look for these at your local health food store.

There has been lots of press regarding St. John’s Wort lately and I would like to clarify for the record a prudent approach for the safe use of this herb. First of all this herb is very safe to use on its own. There are a few side effects that have been noted such as light sensitivity and nausea. The problems arise when it is combined with prescription drugs and the list is quite long not including antidepressants! Drugs that are metabolized through the P450 metabolic pathway in the liver and combined with St. John’s Wort are reduced in their availability. Drugs that are metabolized by the P450 enzyme system include protease inhibitors (indinavir and HIV protease inhibitors); cyclosporine; oral contraceptives; SSRI type antidepressants: Prozac, Paxil, Luvox, Zoloft and Effexor; migraine medication such as Imitrex; theophylline used by asthmatics; digoxin and warfarin; anticonvulsants and tylenol cough medicine. It is best to consult with your pharmacist or MD/ND doctor on how to best deal with combining these drugs with St. John’s Wort.

As yet the active ingredient in St. John's Wort has not been concluded. Recent research indicates that hyperforin is the active ingredient and not hypericin as previously thought, and gives the best results when treating mild to moderate depression.

Alternative practitioners have been successful in getting patients off their SSRI’s but they should be monitored very carefully under the supervision of a health care professional.

Herb Watch Volume2 Issue 1,p7-8

In this study St. John’s Wort (hypericum) was compared with Imipramine in the treatment of mild to moderate depression and St. John’s Wort was found to be equally, if not more, effective as there were fewer side effects and a clearly significant improvement in the quality of life. The dosage of St. John’s Wort was 1050mg of standardized extract of hypericum. The cost of both is about the same but the newer antidepressants are much more expensive. Preliminary results show a similar rate of relapse found in synthetic antidepressants. Safety issues are discussed in the above article.

Clinical Pearls News June 2000, Vol. 10,No.6

 Exercise Reduces Depression

While I am on the subject of depression this article states that exercising 30 minutes 3 times a week at 70%-85% of your optimal heart rate reduces depression similar to antidepressants.

"Effects of Exercise Training on Older Patients with Major Depression" Arch Intern Med 1999;159:2349-2356.

There are three estrogens in the male and female body men called estradiol, estrone and estriol. Estradiol is the principal estrogen, considerably more potent and has been known for decades to be more carcinogenic. Estradiol is metabolized into either 2 alpha hydroxyestrone or 16 alpha hydroxyestrone. If more 2-hydroxyestrone is made then less of the 16- hydroxyestrone is made and vice-versa. The 2-hydroxyestrone is a good estrogen (non-carcinogenic and anti-carcinogenic). The 16-hydroxyestrone is a bad estrogen (more potent than estradiol itself, increases cellular growth and proliferation and even causes cancerous transformation in estrogen responsive tissues). Research is ongoing regarding 2/16a hydroxyestrone ratios and its significance to estrogen related cancers such as breast, ovary, uterus and prostate. Treatments that increase this ratio have been shown to reverse the growth of human laryngeal papillomas caused by the same family of viruses (HPV) implicated in cervical cancers. While we are waiting for the final outcomes of this research, the urinary levels of this ratio may be an important test to perform in the prevention of estrogen related cancers in those patients who are at greater risk or who just want a preventive test.

Townsend Newsletter for Doctors, May 2000, Issue#202 p54-59

Many studies have been done on the efficacy of soy for the treatment of hot flashes and night sweats in menopausal woman. It has also been shown to lower total cholesterol, LDL’s (bad cholesterol) and increase HDL’s (good cholesterol) by as much as 22%. Some research indicates that it is also good for bone density and vaginal dryness. Recommended dosages of standardized isoflavones such as genestein are 160mg per day.

Townsend Newsletter for Doctors and Patients, July 2000, Issue#204, p169

Nut consumption has been shown in several studies to have a protective effect against coronary heart events. In this study 68 grams (3/4 cup) of pecans were ingested daily for eight weeks and in that time LDL (low-density lipoprotein) was lowered significantly. Pecans are an excellent source of monounsaturated fats (the same found in olive oil), dietary fiber, Vitamin E, magnesium and copper. Side effects are few and include food allergy/adverse reactions as well as weight gain. In 68 grams is found 29 grams of monounsaturated fat and 459 cal. The calories found in pecans should be balanced with the total calorie intake, but this should not frighten the public away from eating them as the fat and nutrition content contribute to a healthy diet.

J Am Diet Assoc, 2000:100:312-318.#34590

 Recipe

1 tbsp butter
2 onions chopped
2 celery stalks chopped
1 large garlic clove minced
1 jalapeno pepper chopped
1 tbls fresh tarragon or ½ tsp dried tarragon
1 tsp dill
½ tsp cumin
2 packages of vegetable boullion
16 ounces water
2 large ripe avocados
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
several dashes of cayenne pepper

Melt butter in large saucepan, add onions, garlic, jalapeno, tarragon, dill, cumin and cayenne. Cook until onions soften. Dissolve boullion in two cups of boiling water. Add onion mixture to boullion, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Cool mixture or refrigerate depending on how cool you would like the soup. Just before serving, cut avocados and remove pit. Place avocado meat in blender, add lime juice and some of the broth mixture. Blend until smooth. Transfer puree into bowl and stir in the rest of the broth after it too has been pureed. Add salt and pepper as needed serve hot or cold.

Indolplex is a concentration of di-indolylmethane made from broccoli, which promotes the formation of the healthy estrogens in the body called 2a hydroxyestrone. The product is used to prevent estrogenic cancers whose risk can be evaluated with a 2/16a hydoxyestrone (urinary ratio test). If the ratio implies more 16a hydroxyestrone in the body then taking Indolplex can increase the production of 2a hydroxyestrone. Symptoms of menopause, PMS, uterine fibroids, fibrous breast disease as well as breast, ovary, uterus and prostate cancer prevention are all indications for this product.

The sterols and sterolins found in Moducare have been extensively studied by Professor Bouic in South Africa and found to balance the immune system. It has been effective in the treatment of HIV and rheumatoid arthritis in the research trials and is now currently being studied at the University of Cincinnati for the treatment of Hepatitis C. These phytonutrients found in Moducare have been found to help the symptoms of fibromyalgia, shingles, allergies, chronic fatigue, benign prostatic hypertrophy and lupus.

Studies have shown that sterols and sterolins control the negative immune factors Interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor, which are implicated in autoimmune diseases. Moducare increases the good immune factors Gamman Interferon and Interleukin-2 and DHEA

The trick for successful treatment is that three capsules are taken three different time of day on an empty stomach for at least 6 to 8 months. It is safe for children and during pregnancy and breast feeding. The book outlining the effects of Moducare is called The Immune System Cure: Nature's Way to Super Powered Health by Lorna Vanderhaeghe and Patrick Bouic.

New Websites of Interest:

www.minniepauz.com Creator Dee Adams advocates Humor Replacement Therapy (HRT). A refreshingly different look at menopausal treatment!

A New Breast Cancer Risk Test: