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Eczema And Psoriasis

It is fairly easy to tell the difference between these two skin diseases: Eczema is characterized by rashes, swelling, and cracking, while psoriasis is marked by plaques and silvery scales on the skin.

    Many cases of eczema are caused by food allergies, particularly to milk and eggs. Therefore, a first step might be to avoid these foods for a week and note whether an improvement occurs.

    Jonathan Wright, M.D., of Kent, Washington, is among a number of nutritional physicians to successfully treat eczema with zinc supplements. Mel Werbach, M.D., in Healing Through Nutrition (HarperCollins, 1993), recommends taking 50 mg. of zinc and two mg. of copper three times daily for six weeks. If symptoms are relieved, reduce the dose by half.

    Vitamin D may be valuable in the treatment of psoriasis, according to an article in the May 1992 Nutrition Reviews. The body produces its own vitamin D when the skin is exposed to sunlight, which is why sunlight helps people with psoriasis. Unfortunately, people with psoriasis tend to cover their lesions out of embarrassment, so they miss out on this benefit. Supplemental vitamin D, in either pill or cream form, can offer an alternative, but don't take more than 400 IU daily without a physician's supervision. Vitamin D is the only vitamin that can cause irreversible side effects, including calcification of soft tissues, so take the risk of toxicity seriously.

    Jeffery Wiersum, M.D., of Syracuse, New York, successfully treated more than 30 patients with psoriasis with daily supplements of 25,000 IU of vitamin A, 800 IU of vitamin E, and 50 mg. of zinc. According to a report in the May 1993 Cortlandt Forum, Wiersum's patients also applied vitamins E and A from capsules directly on to the skin lesions. If you try this regimen and don't see any improvement within six weeks, you should discontinue it.

    A recent German study highlighted the anti-inflammatory benefits of omega-3 fatty acids. These oils quickly reduced inflammation in 20 patients suffering from psoriasis. Ten percent of patients with psoriasis also develop another inflammatory disease_arthritis. One to three grams daily of omega-3 fish oils can help both conditions. Skin conditions of unknown cause—atopic dermatitis—also are likely to be alleviated with omega-3 fish oils.

Fatigue And Low Energy Levels

Tired in the morning? In the afternoon? All day long? You're not alone. Physicians say that fatigue is one of the most common complaints among patients, yet there's little these doctors can suggest beyond, "Get more rest."

    Contrary to the advertisements, not all fatigue is related to "iron-poor blood." Too much iron can also cause fatigue. If you suspect either iron-deficiency anemia or an excess of iron, ask your physician for a blood test. Caution: Before you take supplements for fatigue, look at your overall diet. Fatigue can be caused by food allergies or hypoglycemia (low blood sugar resulting in part from eating too many sugars and other refined carbohydrates and not enough protein). Inadequate protein intake is another possible cause of fatigue. If you regularly drink a lot of coffee as a stimulant, you may feel fatigued when you drink less. Rather than drink more, consider breaking the addiction. You're likely to feel more energetic after a few days.

    Werbach points out that physicians have long given vitamin B₁₂ injections to patients complaining of fatigue. Many doctors assumed the benefits were a placebo effect, because the patients had none of the classic signs of B₁₂ deficiency. However, E.R. Reynolds, a neurologist at King's College Hospital in London, found a B₁₂ deficiency in large numbers of patients without the classic deficiency symptoms of pernicious anemia.

    Two British physicians found that injections of vitamin B₁₂ increased the stamina of patients, compared to those who received a placebo, according to a report in the British Journal of Nutrition. Werbach believes that vitamin B₁₂ is most effective when given by injection— 1,000 mg. every one to four weeks. Supplements are an alternative, but you need to read labels carefully. Most B₁₂ supplements have little benefit unless they contain a protein called the "intrinsic factor," which is derived from the stomachs of pigs or cows. This protein molecule is essential for B₁₂transport through the stomach wall.

    A good compromise is sublingual B₁₂tablets, which are dissolved under the tongue and, like injections, enter the blood stream directly through nearby capillaries. You don't need the intrinsic factor in sublingual tablets. The molecular structures of the different B₁₂ also matter: The body absorbs the hydroxocobalamin form better than the cyanocobalamin form.

    Take 1,000 mcg. sublingual B₁₂ daily for two weeks. If it helps, you can keep it up or reduce your dosage to 500 mcg. It's impossible to overdose on B₁₂ because it's quickly excreted.

   People who are depressed frequently also suffer from fatigue. Priscilla Slagle, M.D., a psychiatrist in Palm Springs, California, recommends that these individuals take 500 mg. of the amino acid tyrosine and a sublingual vitamin B₁₂ tablet 30 minutes before eating breakfast. Taking tyrosine without food allows it to be absorbed without interference from other amino acids in the food.

Hay Fever

    The symptoms of hay fever and other allergies, including inflammation, itchiness, runny nose, and constricted breathing, are caused by the body's misguided production of histamine, which the immune cells release as part of their normal immune response. The same stress that triggers the release of histamine also increases the need for vitamin C, the body's natural defense against excessive histamine. Thus, allergies that cause the release of histamine also increase your need for vitamin C.

    In a recent study at Arizona State University, Carol Johnston, Ph.D., gave nine people vitamin C supplements for six weeks, beginning with 500 mg. daily and gradually increasing the amount to 2,000 mg. per day. By the time the daily intake of vitamin C had peaked, histamine levels had dropped an average of 40 percent.

    Cathcart first learned of vitamin C's power against allergies when he used it successfully to treat his own hay fever. He recommends taking two grams of vitamin C every hour throughout the day until your body tells you your dosage is high enough (until diarrhea develops) and then lowering the dose slightly.

    The B-vitamin complex may also ease hay fever symptoms. In particular, the B-vitamin pantothenic acid, along with vitamin C, helps the body produce its own cortisone, a much safer course of action than taking the prescription medicine. Add 100 to 500 mg. of pantothenic acid daily to the vitamin C you're taking.

    You also can reduce allergic inflammation with omega-3 fatty acid fish oils. Be sure to get a supplement that contains more of omega-3 than omega-6 fatty acids, since omega-6 by itself actually promotes inflammation. One to three grams of "fish oil" capsules is a reasonable dose.

Headache

Headaches are commonly caused by stress or by allergies to foods and chemicals. However, too little magnesium and too much copper also have been implicated as causes of headaches, particularly migraines.

    The August 15, 1993, Family Practice News reported low magnesium levels in 13 of 32 patients with migraine headaches (40 percent), as compared with healthy patients. Based on this study, some of the researchers predict that 350 mg. of magnesium supplements daily will reduce migraine incidence in some 40 percent of the people prone to them. For other individuals, excess copper may cause migraines. Copper encourages the activity of vasoactive amines, substances that influence the tone and size of blood vessels. Too much activity can trigger a migraine. The journal Headache recommends small amounts of zinc—10 mg. every day—to help keep copper levels slightly down. 

Herpes Simplex

Once you contract a herpes infection, you have it for life, although the virus remains dormant most of the time. The goal is to keep it dormant. If you use supplements at the first sign of an eruption_usually signaled by a tingling sensation_you have a good chance of preventing the outbreak.

    Several studies connect vitamin C and zinc with the prevention of herpes eruptions. In one, doctors gave patients 250 mg. of vitamin C and 100 mg. of zinc twice a day for six weeks. The patients benefited from a complete or partial suppression of symptoms so long as they continued taking the supplements. If you take this high dose of zinc, be sure to add a small amount (2 mg.) of copper as well.

    Vitamin C may work against herpes because it increases your levels of glutathione, an amino acid (protein building block) that is an especially powerful virus fighter. The body uses it to produce antibodies and to activate the white blood cells that attack viruses including the herpes virus. A recent study at Arizona State University showed that intake of 500 mg. of vitamin C daily increases the body's production of glutathione by 47 percent. You also can take 30 to 50 mg. of glutathione supplements daily, but since glutathione is expensive, you may want to try vitamin C first.

    Another alternative is the amino acid Lysine. Lysine, a true anti-viral "heavy hitter," works against a broad range of infections. It suppresses the amino acid arginine, which promotes viral growth and reproduction. If you have a tendency toward herpes eruptions, it also helps to minimize your intake of arginine-rich foods, such as nuts, chocolate, carob, seeds, and grains.

    Doctors at the Indiana School of Medicine gave 800 to 1,000 mg. of Lysine daily to 45 patients with active herpes infections. Most of the patients noted that the pain stopped overnight, and all but three had a complete disappearance of symptoms within a few days. Not everyone will respond this dramatically during active infections, but the researchers found that daily maintenance doses of 300 mg. to 500 mg. of Lysine resulted in fewer herpes outbreaks. 

Hypoglycemia

Hypoglycemia occurs when blood sugar levels drop either too low or too quickly. A variety of symptoms can result, including irritability before meals, aggressiveness, fatigue, moodiness, insomnia, trembling, and dizziness. Some vitamins and minerals can help, but you first should eliminate from your diet refined carbohydrates (mainly sugary foods, including "health food" candy bars), coffee, and alcohol. These foods cause blood sugar levels to shoot up and drop down quickly. In general, a diet high in protein or complex carbohydrates goes a long way toward controlling hypoglycemia.

    Although most people think of the insulin-producing pancreas when it comes to blood-sugar disorders, the liver also plays a role, since it stores and releases sugar. The late Carlton Fredericks, Ph.D., an expert in the nutritional treatment of hypoglycemia, recommended a B-complex supplement, plus 1,000 mg. of choline and 500 mg. inositol (both B-related vitamins), to support liver function in hypoglycemics.

    Chromium, an essential trace element, helps the body to utilize insulin and thus to stabilize blood sugar levels. In one study, eight women took 200 mg. of chromium daily for three months, during which time hypoglycemic symptoms lessened. In diabetics, who have hyperglycemia, chromium can lower both blood sugar levels and insulin requirements.

    Magnesium also seems to be of value in hypoglycemia. One study showed that daily intake of 340 mg. of magnesium for eight weeks reduced glucose-induced insulin secretion (which triggers hypog-lycemia) in eight women. In another study, 57 percent of hypog-lycemics reported feeling better after magnesium supplementation, compared to 25 percent who felt better taking a placebo.

    Weak adrenal glands also may cause hypoglycemia. A nutritionally oriented physician can confirm, through tests, whether your adrenal glands need strengthening. If they do, raw adrenal gland concentrate supplements, 200 to 300 mg. twice a day, may be helpful. Daily intake of five grams of vitamin C, 500 mg. of the B vitamin pantothenic acid, and 100 mg. of the B vitamin para-amino benzoic acid (PABA) also supports adrenal function, according to Richard Huemer, M.D., a physician in Vancouver, Washington. If your adrenals are seriously weakened, a doctor may suggest adrenal cortex extract injections.

Insomnia

The essential amino acid tryptophan in supplement form is perhaps the best nutritional treatment for insomnia. The body uses tryptophan to produce small amounts of serotonin, a "calming" neurotransmitter. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned the sale of tryptophan supplements after a dangerously contaminated batch from Japan a couple of years ago, but tryptophan is still available in Canada.

    According to a recent article in the International Journal of Neuroscience, tryptophan is exceptionally safe. If you can obtain it, try 500 to 1,000 mg. 30 minutes before bedtime.

    Alternatively, you can circumvent the FDA's ban by eating foods particularly high in tryptophan, such as soybeans, dairy products, and eggs. Adding 20 to 100 mg. of Bs (niacinamide) supplements will free up the tryptophan in these foods, according to biochemist Richard Passwater, Ph.D., of Berlin, Maryland.

    In addition, melatonin supplements— extracts of the pineal gland—will help you to fall asleep or to reset your biological clock during travel or time changes. Melatonin is a sedative, and the body produces more of it at night and in the fall and winter, when there are fewer daylight hours. In the October 1992 issue of Chronobiology International, Alfred Lewy, M.D., of Oregon Health Sciences University, wrote that melatonin is far safer than sleeping pills. In the April 8, 1993, Medical Tribune, researchers recommended taking one to two mg. of melatonin one or two hours before bedtime.

Mental Sluggishness and Poor Concentration

These days, people over 50 who forget where they parked their car fear the onset of Alzheimer's disease. In reality, there's a big difference between not remembering every detail in a hectic world and having Alzheimer's—but the nutritional treatments do share some common features.

    One of the body's key neurotransmitters is acetylcholine, made from the B vitamin choline. Although researchers once thought that an increased intake of choline would boost acetylcholine production and thereby sharpen thinking, this does not always happen. That's because the production of acetylcholine depends on several other nutrients as well, principally vitamin B₁₂, folic acid, and the amino acid carnitine.

    Writing in the March 1992 Medical Hypotheses, psychiatrists A. McCaddon, M.D., and C.L Kelly, M.D., of the Rotherham District General Hospital in England, hypothesized that when the brain lacks vitamin B₁₂, it diverts folic acid from brain cells. As a consequence, the brain cannot properly make acetylcholine, regardless of whether choline is available.

    The body uses carnitine to produce the enzyme acetyl-L-carnitine transferase, which boosts choline metabolism and releases acetylcholine in the brain. According to the results of an Italian study published in the November 1991 Neurology, two grams of carnitine taken daily for a year improved the attention span, long-term memory, and verbal ability of Alzheimer's patients. The response was dramatic, perhaps indicating that carnitine can help lessen serious cases of mental fuzziness.

    Zinc and iron, taken separately, may also boost memory. Harold Sandstead, M.D., of the University of Texas at Galveston, gave 30-mg. supplements of either iron or zinc to 26 women who were deficient in these minerals. After taking the supplements, the women increased their scores on a standard memory test by an average of 10 percent—and some by as much as 20 percent.

    Speaking at the April 1990 meeting of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology in Atlanta, Sandstead noted that iron and zinc each improved memory in different ways. Iron improved short-term recall of verbal information, whereas zinc improved the ability to associate word pairs. However, women who took both minerals did not improve their scores, suggesting that the two minerals interfered with one another.

Sports Injuries

The bioflavonoids, a group of substances related to vitamin C, can speed the healing of bruises. A report in Medical Times found that athletes taking citrus bioflavonoids and vitamin C healed twice as fast as athletes who took either vitamin C alone or no supplements whatsoever. Another study found that injured football players who took 200 to 600 mg. daily of citrus bioflavonoids returned to the game in one fourth the time of those not taking the supplements.

    Muscle soreness is another common complaint among athletes. A study by Mark Kaminski, M.S., an associate professor at Western States Chiropractic College in Portland, Oregon, found that one gram of vitamin C taken three times daily dramatically reduces muscle soreness after exercises that work the legs. The benefits are greatest following strenuous and infrequent exercise.

    Marathon and ultramarathon runners are at high risk for developing upper respiratory tract infections after racing. Vitamin C can help them, according to a study by Edith Peters, Ph.D., of the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa. Peters and her colleagues studied 168 runners who participated in a 54-mile race. Half the runners took 600 mg. of vitamin C each day for three weeks before and three weeks after the race. Only one-third of the runners taking vitamin C developed infections, compared with two-thirds of the runners taking dummy pills, Peters reported in the February 1993 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

    Calcium, vitamin D, boron, and Lysine supplements may help promote the healing of broken bones and build bone density. The denser your bones, the more resistant they are to breaks and fractures.

    In an 18-month study, Tom Lloyd, Ph.D., of the College of Medicine, Pennsylvania State University, gave 500 mg. of calcium daily to ninety-four 12-year-old girls. He reported in the August 18, 1993, Journal of the American Medical Association that these calcium supplements led to "significant increases" in bone mass—1.3 percent a year.

    Vitamin D (not more than 400 IU daily because of its potential toxicity) aids calcium absorption, as do small amounts of boron (one mg. daily). According to a review article by Peter Furst, M.D., Ph.D., in the January/February 1993 Nutrition, Lysine boosts the amount of calcium that's absorbed into the bone matrix, thus increasing bone density and speeding the healing of breaks. Take 500 mg. of Lysine daily.

Stress and Anxiety

Nobody likes stress, yet many of us feel even more stressed by the wear-and-tear this pressure places on our health and well being. Fortunately, there are some nutritional basics that can help your body to cope with stress.

    Vitamin C supports homeostasis, a physiological equilibrium that should keep you feeling calm. Since all organisms constantly seek to move toward homeostasis, virtually every animal produces its own vitamin C when under stress. Humans are among the only exceptions: An evolutionary accident some 40 million years ago robbed us of the ability, according to Linus Pauling (see "Linus Pauling's Prescription for Health," Natural Health, January/February 1994). To make up for this accident of nature, you should take anywhere from one to 10 grams of vitamin C daily, using the bowel-tolerance guide described earlier in this chapter to determine your optimal dosage.

    The B-complex vitamins, essential to normal nerve function, have long been nicknamed the "stress vitamins." When you don't get enough of the B₁₂, your body can't produce the chemicals needed for nerve function, including chemicals that have a calming effect. To counteract this deficiency, you might start with a 10-mg. B complex supplement. If that doesn't help, try as much as a 50-mg. B-complex dosage.

Keep In Mind

Each of us is biochemically unique, which means that some of us will process nutrients more efficiently than others. The presence of any of these common conditions can reveal the weak links in your individual body chemistry. You can strengthen these links and reduce the chance of developing a more serious illness by taking extra vitamins and minerals to promote normal biochemical activities.

    "Serious illness does not appear fullblown out of nowhere," observed Mel Werbach, MD., in an interview with Natural Health. "Long before, the underlying derangements begin to slowly remodel body tissues. These changes produce no symptoms at first. Later, general symptoms often develop that may fail to point to the specific disorder, but serve as a warning that something is not right. Only when the disorder is far advanced does its identity become obvious."

    In other words, conditions that we've discussed, such as acne, fatigue, and poor resistance to infections, are warning flags. Often it is the nature of these conditions to come and go, and it is easy to do nothing about them. But if the nutritional deficiencies that permit their development are not corrected, the "underlying derangements" that Werbach describes are likely to lead to more serious problems later in life. You get both short-term and long-term gains from using supplements to alleviate everyday health problems.

Resource

For further information on the nutritional treatment of common conditions, read Werbach's Healing Through Nutrition: A Natural Approach to Treating 50 Common Illnesses with Diet and Nutrients HarperCollins, 1993, $25).