HealthBeat News

Author: Wellness Club

  • Keeping It Clean!

    Cleanliness is Health!

     

    By Nurse Mark

     

    It’s a scary world right now, with a variety of very nasty infectious bugs out there: Enterovirus, D68, MRSA, H1N1, Ebola…

    Since most of these things really don’t have good “treatments” avoidance is the best strategy for staying safe.

    People ask us for our recommendations for cleaning and sterilizing in order to keep these bug at bay – knowing that we tend to prefer natural solutions to problems like this whenever possible.

    There are dozens, perhaps even hundreds of preparations, products, concoctions, formulas, and protocols that are recommended for disinfection. Many are complicated, expensive, dangerous, or effective only against very specific threats.

    In general, we look for disinfectants that are easy to use, inexpensive, safe for people, pets, and the environment, and of course, effective.

    Here are some of our thoughts on disinfectants for home use:

    Surfactants: I.e.: “Soap and water”

    Simple soap and hot water and scrubbing is highly effective at removing and killing bacteria, virus’ and molds from skin, clothing and fabrics, and hard surfaces.

    Good ol’ soap and water should be considered your “first line of defense” even if you plan to use a more potent disinfectant. For example, some disinfectants (like bleach) are rendered less potent by the presence of protein material – so washing it away with soap and hot water will allow the disinfectant to do it’s job better. This is in fact the protocol suggested by both the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) when dealing with blood and body fluid cleanup.

    Fresh air and sunshine:

    Yes, good old fresh air and sunshine – grandma was right. It’s the ultraviolet radiation in sunshine that does the trick – many microorganisms are killed off by UV radiation. You may have seen a news article recently about a “germ killing robot” – this is actually a machine that is shut into a room and floods the room with a specific frequency of UV light – and yes, it is very effective and very expensive. Sunshine does it for free.

    Acetic acid: AKA Vinegar

    Acetic acid (vinegar) is an effective mycobactericidal disinfectant that is also active against most other bacteria.

    In the US it’s commonly available in 5% acetic acid concentrations in grocery stores. Stronger “pickling vinegar” of 10% may be available and is more useful. Even stronger 15% or 20% may be encountered but is not necessary and can be corrosive and dangerous.

    It is effective against: Mycobacterium tuberculosis and non-M. tuberculosis mycobacteria. Acetic acid (vinegar) efficiently kills M. tuberculosis after 30 min of exposure to a 6% acetic acid solution. M. bolletii and M. massiliense nontuberculous mycobacteria are more resistant, although a 30-min exposure to 10% acetic acid resulted in at least a 6-log10 reduction of viable bacteria. (That’s researcher-speak for “significantly active”")

    The researchers had this to say about acetic acid:

    “The high-level capacity of acetic acid in killing mycobacteria, regarded as the most disinfectant-resistant bacteria due to the structure of their lipid-rich cell walls, suggests that perhaps it should be revived as a broadly effective bactericide that can be used as a general sanitizer.”

    Acetic acid is also effective against e-coli, mold and H1N1 virus.

    Sodium Hypochlorite and sodium hydroxide – AKA “bleach” – (i.e.: Chlorox)

    Bleach is tried and true, inexpensive, and is easily available virtually everywhere. Organizations from the WHO to the CDC all strongly recommend bleach solutions as standard for disinfectants. We concur!

    Bleach is effective against: H1N1 virus (influenza) and other viruses including Ebola, mold, all bacteria  including staphylococcus, streptococcus, E. coli and salmonella.

    So, what’s not to love about bleach?

    Well, it’s toxic – that’s what makes it work so well. But it is quite toxic and dangerous to humans and pets. Bleach can burn skin and mucous membranes very badly, and it is not easy to neutralize when splashed on skin – flooding with water helps, but is still slow to wash away and burns will occur.

    It can be very dangerous if it becomes mixed with other cleaning solutions or chemicals such as ammonia or acetic acid. When this happens large volumes of very toxic fumes can be released. (The fumes from bleach are always toxic anyway!)

    Bleach is a great disinfectant, but it must be used, stored, and handled with caution. It is also not good for those who rely on septic systems as it can damage the beneficial bacteria in those systems.

    The WHO provides information about the use of bleach for disinfection, including instructions for mixing correct solution strengths, here:

    Hydrogen Peroxide – H2O2

    Hydrogen peroxide is commonly and cheaply available as 3% and is useful in that concentration. 5% concentrations may occasionally be found, but should be used with care.

    Stronger concentrations are available, but must be diluted before use. Concentrations stronger than 3% can cause “burns” which are a blanching of the skin due to damage to the capillaries (blood vessels) and can also be quite dangerous to mucous membranes and the eyes so full protective gear – gloves, protective sleeves and apron, and face shield or at least goggles should be worn when mixing solutions.

    Hydrogen peroxide is very useful in the kitchen – it leaves no residue or odor,and is safe to use on food. Numerous experts have promoted a 2-part system of cleaning vegetables before use: a thorough spraying with vinegar, followed by a clear water rinse, and another thorough spraying with hydrogen peroxide which is not rinsed off but allowed to remain. Try using it in a commonly available spray bottle and be aware that it loses it’s potency with exposure to light – which is why it is sold in opaque (dark) bottles.

    Hydrogen peroxide is active against a wide range of microorganisms, including bacteria, yeasts, fungi, viruses, and spores.

    Benzalkonium Chloride:

    This is a fairly effective disinfectant found in several “Lysol” and “Dettol” brand products. It has also long been used in medical settings as a disinfectant soak for such things as oral thermometers and instruments.

    Benzalkonium chloride solutions are effective against gram positive (such as Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pneumonia – “staph” and “strep”) and some gram negative bacteria (e-coli, Klebsiella, Pseudomonas) and some viruses, fungi, and protozoa.

    It is effective, but also toxic – benzalkonium chloride is considered to be  highly toxic to fish, very highly toxic to aquatic invertebrates, moderately toxic to birds, and slightly toxic to mammals. Keep it away from your aquarium and pet birds!

    Silver – “colloidal silver”

    Colloidal silver is highly effective, and persistent if allowed to remain on surfaces. We have written often in praise of the benefits of colloidal silver. It is usually not recommended for generalized cleaning as there are more economical choices – though there are researchers who have verified it’s effectiveness as a general surface disinfectant.

    When it comes to personal use silver has no equal. A one-two punch, soap and hot water washing followed by the use of silver gel hand sanitizer will do a far better job than the WHO recommended alcohol-based hand sanitizers because the sanitizing effect of silver is persistent while alcohol evaporates and it’s disinfecting effects evaporate with it.

    Read more about silver here: Is There A “Silver Bullet” For Disease?

    Alcohol: Disinfects by denaturing proteins. It may be effective, but it must be in contact with pathogens for longer periods of time (i.e.: up to 20 minutes or more) to be really any more effective than soap and hot water and scrubbing. Isopropyl alcohol is thought to be more effective than ethanol.

    The WHO provides a do-it-yourself recipe for making hand sanitizer with alcohol and hydrogen peroxide – since these things are generally available even in third-world locations.

    Commercially available “hand sanitizers”are usually alcohol-based, though many contain some additional nasty chemicals like the pesticide triclosan and perfumes. Learn more about “hand sanitizers” and your alternatives here: Poisoned With Good Intentions ?

    Alcohol is also highly flammable and yes, that includes alcohol-based hand sanitizers!

    What about other “disinfectants” such as baking soda, tea tree oil, borax, ammonia, and so on? They are not recommended by the CDC as they tend to not be broadly effective – though each might be effective against certain select bacteria.

    Our top choices?

    • Soap and hot water and vigorous scrubbing is number 1 in all circumstances.
    • Bleach is very widely effective when used carefully and allowed to dry on surfaces.
    • Acetic acid – vinegar – is nearly as effective as bleach, and less nasty to use.
    • Hydrogen peroxide is perfect for use on and around food.
    • Silver is our top choice for hand cleansing and shows promise as an additive to surface cleaning solutions since it offers persistence.

     

    Further reading:

    Rutala WA, Barbee SL, Aguiar NC, Sobsey MD, Weber DJ. Antimicrobial activity of home disinfectants and natural products against potential human pathogens. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2000 Jan;21(1):33-8. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10656352

    Centers For Disease Control (CDC) Guideline for Disinfection and Sterilization in Healthcare Facilities, 2008 http://www.cdc.gov/hicpac/Disinfection_Sterilization/toc.html

    CiJane S. Greatorex, Rosanna F. Page, Martin D. Curran, Paul Digard, Joanne E. Enstone, Tim Wreghitt, Penny P. Powell, Darren W. Sexton, Robtation Cortesia C, Vilchèze C, Bernut A, Contreras W, Gómez K, de Waard J, Jacobs WR, Jr, Kremer L, Takiff H. 2014. Acetic acid, the active component of vinegar, is an effective tuberculocidal disinfectant. mBio 5(2):e00013-14. doi:10.1128/mBio.00013-14. http://mbio.asm.org/content/5/2/e00013-14.full

    Effectiveness of Common Household Cleaning Agents in Reducing the Viability of Human Influenza A/H1N1 http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0008987

    World Health Organization: Interim Infection Prevention and Control Guidance for Care of Patients with Suspected or Confirmed Filovirus Haemorrhagic Fever in Health-Care Settings, with Focus on Ebola. September 2014 http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/130596/1/WHO_HIS_SDS_2014.4_eng.pdf?ua=1&ua=1&ua=1

    CDC Guidelines for Disinfection and Sterilization in Healthcare Facilities, 2008 http://www.cdc.gov/hicpac/disinfection_sterilization/7_0formaldehyde.html

    Brady MJ1, Lisay CM, Yurkovetskiy AV, Sawan SP. Persistent silver disinfectant for the environmental control of pathogenic bacteria. Am J Infect Control. 2003 Jun;31(4):208-14. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12806357

  • Because You’ll Be Voting Soon…

    From Dr. Myatt and Nurse Mark

     

    This little joke, or perhaps parable, came to us courtesy of an anonymous reader:

     

    HEAVEN AND HELL

    While walking down the street one day a rather corrupt Senator was tragically hit by a car and died.

    In due course his soul arrived in heaven and was met by St. Peter at the entrance.

    "Welcome to heaven," said St. Peter. "Before you settle in, it seems there is a problem. We seldom see a high official around these parts, you see, so we’re not sure what to do with you."

    "No problem, just let me in," said the Senator.

    "Well, I’d like to, but I have orders from the higher ups. What we’ll do is have you spend one day in hell and one in heaven. Then you can choose where to spend eternity.”

    "Really? I’ve made up my mind. I want to be in heaven," said the Senator.

    "I’m sorry, but we have our rules." And with that, St. Peter escorted him to the elevator and down he went;

    Down, down, down to hell.

    The doors opened and he found himself in the middle of a lush green golf course. In the distance was an opulent clubhouse and standing in front of it were all his friends and other politicians who had worked with him.

    Everyone was very happy and wearing evening dress. They ran to greet him, shake his hand, and reminisce about the good times they had while getting rich at the expense of the people – the voters.

    They played a friendly game of golf and then feasted on lobster, caviar and the finest champagne.

    Also present was the devil, who really was a very friendly guy who was having a good time dancing and telling jokes.

    They were all having such a good time that before the Senator realized it, it was time to go.

    Everyone gave him a hearty farewell and waved goodbye while he boarded the elevator.

    The elevator went up, up, up and the door reopened in heaven where St. Peter was waiting for him; "Now it’s time to visit heaven…”

    So the Senator joined a group of contented souls moving from cloud to cloud, playing harps, singing melodiously and eating sparingly of tasty but simple, satisfying and healthy foods. They all had a pleasant time and, before he realized it, the 24 hours had gone by and St. Peter returned.

    "Well, then, you’ve spent a day in hell and another in heaven. Now you must choose your eternity."

    The Senator reflected for a minute, then he answered: "Well, I would never have said it before, I mean heaven has been delightful, but I think I would be better off in hell."

    So St. Peter escorted him to the elevator and he back he went; down, down, down to hell…

    When the doors of the elevator opened he found himself in the middle of a sulfurous, scorched, barren land covered with waste and garbage. He saw all his friends, now dressed in rags, picking up the trash and putting it in black bags as more trash fell on them endlessly from above.

    The devil came over to him and put his arm around his shoulders.

    " I… I don’t understand," stammered the Senator. "Yesterday I was here and there was a golf course and clubhouse, and we ate lobster and caviar, drank champagne, and danced and had a grand time. Now there’s just a wasteland full of garbage and my friends look miserable. What happened?"

    The devil smiled at him and said "Yesterday we were campaigning, Today, you voted..”

    Vote wisely in November 2014.

  • About Those “Expiry Dates”…

    Ask Dr. Myatt: How long will vitamins and herbs keep?

     

    Q: There are numbers and dates on my supplements. Are these important? Should I be worried about my supplements "expiring"?

    A: That depends on the product and the form that it is in. Most quality herbal and nutritional supplements have an expiration date on the label, but this date does not reflect the whole story.

    Herbal tinctures and fluid extracts, especially if made from potent herbs to begin with, are the longest lasting of any product. Dr. Sharol Tilgner, former CEO of Wise Woman Herbals, our primary herbal provider, now dates tinctures with a 7 year expiration date. Dr. Tilgner believes that this is a conservative dating process, and I concur. A well-made tincture is potent and useable for up to 20 years from the time it is made.

    Now, "here’s the rub." Many herbal products – and I do mean many – are made from dried herbs that have lost their potency BEFORE the tincture is made. These products are weak to begin with. Although they will "keep" for many years, their strength is questionable. The herbal tinctures that we select for Wellness Club are some of the most potent products available. These liquid tincture formulas will be fully potent 10 years from now (conservatively) and I wouldn’t hesitate to use them 20 years hence.

    Any encapsulated product, whether herbal or nutritional, has a much shorter shelf-life. This is because of a process called "oxidation." Individual particles in herbs or nutrients are exposed to air. This is true for both gelatin capsules and tablets.

    A super potent herb formula in capsule form (remember, many are not potent to begin with) will be potent 2-3 years from the date of manufacture. (On our products, this date is stamped.) In other words, the product will be potent 1 year beyond the expiration date.

    Nutritional supplements are a bit trickier, because different vitamins have different shelf-lives. Dr. Jaques at Tyler Encapsulations (one of our major supplement suppliers) offers this:

    • Vitamin C: up to 5 years
    • Vitamin B’s: 3 years
    • Vitamin A: unknown
    • Vitamin D: indefinitely
    • Vitamin E: 2 years (except mixed tocopherols, which may last 3-5 years)
    • Mineral formulas: 10+ years
    • Enzymes: 2 years

    All supplements, whether herbal or nutritional, will last longer if frozen. So… if you stock up, keep unopened products in your freezer or in a cool, dark, moisture-free place to extend shelf life up to 3 times the stamped expiration date.

    Nurse Mark Comments:

    This is a subject that we get a lot of questions about. Please be assured that the “Best By” date on most products does not infer that the product suddenly becomes unusable upon that date, or even at any time thereafter within reason.

    A “Best By” date represents the minimum time at which the manufacturer can be assured that the product will still be usably fresh under average consumer storage conditions – which are often less than ideal, to say the least.

    We occasionally have products here at the Wellness Club which pass their “Best By” date. What do we do with them? Throw them out? Certainly not – Dr. Myatt and I happily use them for ourselves! All our products are carefully stored in a climate controlled facility and because of that we expect them to be fine to use well after any arbitrary “Best By” date. Unopened bottles are much more stable than bottles that have been opened and thus exposed to air to begin oxidizing.

    So, if you have a supplement that is a bit past it’s “Best By” date and you know that it has been carefully stored, chances are very good that it is fine to use. If it hasn’t been carefully stored, say kept on a sunny windowsill (we like to joke about “kept on the dashboard of your car” – but it has happened!) then all bets are off, of course.

  • “Mystery Virus” – It Just Gets Worse!

    By Nurse Mark

     

    I recently wrote about “The Mystery Virus” that has been striking down children all across the United States. Enterovirus D68 itself really isn’t much of a mystery – we’ve known about it for a long time. What is a mystery is why this once relatively harmless (if annoying) virus is suddenly putting kids into intensive care units with respiratory distress.

    Now it seems that D68 is wreaking additional havoc among some kids: paralysis.

    According to an article in WebMD Sept. 29, 2014:

    Some children hospitalized with breathing problems caused by enterovirus D68 in Colorado, Virginia, and Kansas City have also developed unexplained paralysis in their arms and legs, officials say.

    Doctors have been watching for paralysis in enterovirus patients affected by the current outbreak, which the CDC says has spread to at least 40 states.

     

    According to the article the D68 enterovirus is related to the Polio virus which crippled thousands of children in the 1950’s.

    Schaffner says that in many children, symptoms of paralysis will ease over time as inflammation and swelling of the tissues improves.

    “But some of these illnesses can have a permanent residual paralysis, just like the old-timey polio did, because if those cells have been destroyed, there can be some residual paralysis,” he says.

     

    And the article goes on to say:

    There is no vaccine to prevent enterovirus D68. There are no effective treatments for the infection, either.

     

    The best that the CDC and conventional medicine has to offer right now?

      • Practice good hand-washing habits.
      • Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
      • Disinfect frequently touched surfaces like toys and doorknobs.

     

    Well thank you, that was helpful!

    Please – if you have kids or grandkids – please take a moment to read our previous HealthBeat News article Keep Your Kids Safe From "The Mystery Virus" for some more useful suggestions.

  • Mother Nature’s Miracle Heart Remedy

    By Nurse Mark

     

    Why is it that the so-called “modern miracles” presented to us with such fanfare by Big Pharma always pale in comparison to the truly magnificent gifts that Mother Nature gives us, quietly, every day?

    Could it be that Mother Nature has had so very much longer to “get it right”? Maybe it’s true: Mother Nature Knows Best!

    Such is the case with the variety of conventional Big Pharma drug offerings for heart and cardiovascular health.

    Statins are claimed to be the answer to high cholesterol and heart disease – at the expense of some terrible side effects that we’ve discussed in other HealthBeat News articles. Rhabdomyelosis – the destruction of muscle fibers – is just one of the more common side effects. You do remember that your heart is a muscle, right? Then there are the severe and incapacitating mental effects experienced by many people – a statin fog that we’ve written about before…

    Anticoagulants – AKA “blood thinners” – are handed out willy-nilly in the hopes of preventing blood clots from forming in fluttering hearts or weakened leg veins. From the original “rat poison” warfarin (coumadin) to the new “high tech” injectables, we accept the side effects; bruising, easy and prolonged bleeding from even minor injuries, and increased risk of hemorrhagic stoke (the most deadly kind) as “normal” and necessary.

    Beta Blocker drugs are passed out like candy in a vain attempt to control the damage caused by high blood pressure. When they do manage to achieve the desired effect on blood pressure they almost always do so at the expense of a person’s ability to perform normal daily functions because they are so dizzy, weak, and devoid of energy. Sexual dysfunction is common and depression is frequent. But hey – we got that blood pressure down a few points – so it’s worth it, right?

    Yes, indeed: a pill for every ill – according to Big Pharma. And if you don’t like the side effects of the pills? Well, they probably have a pill to manage those too…

    Or, we can look to Mother Nature – She has been mankind’s pharmacist for a very long time now, and if we just giver Her a chance She does a much better job of keeping us healthy than Big Pharma does.

    Let’s look at just one of Mother Nature’s tasty and effective offerings:

    Allium sativum – humble garlic – came to ancient man from Central Asia and belongs to the Alliacae plant family. It is used worldwide for it’s indispensable and distinctive flavor in cooking. It also has a vital place in traditional medicine, and as a functional food to enhance physical and mental health.

    The benefits of garlic consumption in treating a wide variety of human diseases and disorders have been known for centuries and garlic has found a special position in many cultures as a powerful preventative and therapeutic medicinal agent. The ancient Egyptians in their 3,500-year-old document the Codex Ebers, described it’s use in the treatment of heart disorders, tumors, worms, bites, and other ailments.

    In more modern times, garlic is known to inhibit the development of cardiovascular disease and to prevent cancer and other chronic diseases associated with aging.

    Over the past few decades the role of garlic in treating cardiovascular disease has received much attention – much of it likely sponsored by drug companies hoping to find a way to cash in on Mother Nature’s genius.

    Let’s look at a few of garlic’s better-known effects:

    Cholesterol and lipid-lowering effects.

    Several studies have indicated that garlic inhibits key enzymes involved in cholesterol and fatty acid synthesis, thus lowering the dreaded “bad cholesterol” levels and promoting overall cardiovascular health. (1, 2, 3, 4)

    Inhibition of platelet aggregation – known to most people as “blood thinning.”

    Since the 1990s, numerous clinical trials have been done, and all showed that garlic consumption leads to the inhibition of platelet aggregation (5, 6, 7). Performed on both normal, healthy subjects and on subjects with cardiovascular illnesses, the studies showed that no matter what form the garlic was in , whether powdered, oil, or aged extract, the garlic had a positive effect in the inhibition of platelet aggregation (abnormal blood “stickiness”) in both healthy subjects and the subjects with cardiovascular disease.

    Lowering blood pressure.

    Beginning in the 1990s, studies have been published demonstrating the effects of garlic on blood pressure (6, 8, 9, 10). Again, no matter what form of garlic was used; powdered, oil, extracts, or just garlic in the diet, all the studies showed a reduction in blood pressure.

    Reducing oxidative stress.

    Garlic beats out Big Pharma on this one – hands down. In fact, Big Pharma really doesn’t have anything to offer that they claim will reduce oxidative stress, even though it is widely known that oxidative stress can lead to the development of cardiovascular disease and certainly worsens existing cardiovascular disease. In study after study normal subjects and patients with hypertension (high blood pressure), hypercholesterolemic (high cholesterol), and tobacco smoking subjects all showed improvements in plasma (blood) antioxidant capacity, lowering of blood pressure and of cholesterol, and reduction in oxidative markers. (11, 12, 13, 14, 15)

    What else?

    Other direct heart and circulation protective effects of garlic in humans that have been reported include:

    • a decrease in unstable angina (chest pain) (16),
    • increased elasticity of blood vessels (17),
    • a decrease in peripheral arterial occlusive disease (blocked arteries) (18),
    • an increase in peripheral blood flow in healthy subjects (19),
    • an inhibiting effect on the progression of coronary calcification (hardening arteries) in patients using statin drugs (20).

    Garlic is also well-known for it’s potent antimicrobial effects as well – for example, MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) is a potentially deadly bacteria that has Big Pharma throwing it’s hands up in defeat – it has become resistant to the “Big Guns” antibiotics. Garlic doesn’t concede defeat however – and it is one of the few effective treatments for this dangerous antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

    But that will be the subject of another HealthBeat News article…

    Doesn’t garlic make you smell like, well, garlic?

    It depends on how you are using it. Fresh garlic cloves will certainly have you smelling like garlic – though that is not necessarily an offensive scent to many people… and other garlic preparations – oils, and extracts especially – can give a garlicky odor to your breath. Enteric garlic like Garlitrin 4000 delivers all the health benefits of fresh garlic, but does so in a special tablet that dissolves only when it reaches the small intestine where it is able to be fully-absorbed, undamaged by stomach acid. Because it dissolves and is absorbed so far along in the digestive tract it causes no garlic odor of the breath.

    A special deal on the very best Garlic – Garlitrin 4000 – 50% Off – for HealthBeat News Readers Only!

    We believe in the benefits of garlic and we want you to try it for yourself. For the month of October only we invite you to try Garlitrin 4000 at half our usual low price. Just enter the discount code “ Garlic “ (just as it is written, without the quotes) in the discount field when you order online and checkout and a 50% discount will be applied to your Garlitrin 4000 purchase. There are 100 enteric coated tablets individually sealed in foil blisters in each box – that is a 3-month supply!

    There has never been a better time or more reasons to try the health benefits of daily garlic!

    Click here to buy Garlitrin 4000!

     

    (Good only while current supplies last, applicable only to on-line orders – no phone-in or mail-in orders, current stocks of Garlitrin 4000 carry “best by” dates of 11/2014)

    References:

    1. Gebhardt R. Multiple inhibitory effects of garlic extracts on cholesterol biosynthesis in hepatocytes. Lipids. 1993;28:613–9.

    2. Liu L, Yeh YY. Water-soluble organosulfur compounds of garlic inhibit fatty acid and triglyceride synthesis in cultured rat hepatocytes. Lipids. 2001;36:395–400.

    3. Yeh YY, Liu L. Cholesterol-lowering effects of garlic extracts and organosulfur compounds: human and animal studies. J Nutr. 2001;131:989S–93S.

    4. Yeh YY, Yeh SM. Garlic reduces plasma lipids by inhibiting hepatic cholesterol and triacylglycerol synthesis. Lipids. 1994;29:189–93.

    5. Rahman K. Garlic and aging: new insights into an old remedy. Ageing Res Rev. 2003;2:39–56.

    6. Banerjee SK, Maulik SK. Effect of garlic on cardiovascular disorders: a review. Nutr J. 2002;1:4–14.

    7. Steiner M, Li W. Aged garlic extract, a modulator of cardiovascular risk factors: a dose-finding study on the effects of AGE on platelet functions. J Nutr. 2001;131:980S–4S.

    8. Turner B, Molgaard C, Marckmann P. Effect of garlic (Allium sativum) powder tablets on serum lipids, blood pressure and arterial stiffness in normo-lipidaemic volunteers: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Br J Nutr. 2004;92:701–6.

    9. Dhawan V, Jain S. Effect of garlic supplementation on oxidised low density lipoproteins and lipid peroxidation in patients of essential hypertension. Mol Cell Biochem. 2004;266:109–15.

    10. Durak I, Kavutcu M, Aytac B, Avci A, Devrim E, Ozbek H, Ozturk HS. Effects of garlic extract consumption on blood lipid and oxidant/antioxidant parameters in humans with high blood cholesterol. J Nutr Biochem. 2004;15:373–7.

    11. Dhawan V, Jain S. Effect of garlic supplementation on oxidised low density lipoproteins and lipid peroxidation in patients of essential hypertension. Mol Cell Biochem. 2004;266:109–15.

    12. Durak I, Kavutcu M, Aytac B, Avci A, Devrim E, Ozbek H, Ozturk HS. Effects of garlic extract consumption on blood lipid and oxidant/antioxidant parameters in humans with high blood cholesterol. J Nutr Biochem. 2004;15:373–7.

    13. Munday JS, James KA, Fray LM, Kirkwood SW, Thompson KG. Daily supplementation with aged garlic extract, but not raw garlic protects low density lipoprotein against in vitro oxidation. Atherosclerosis. 1999;143:399–404.

    14. Dillion SA, Lowe GM, Billington D, Rahman K. Dietary supplementation with aged garlic extract reduces plasma and urine concentrations of 8-iso-prostagalandin F(2 alpha) in smoking and non-smoking men and women. J Nutr. 2002;132:168–71.

    15. Durak I, Aytac B, Atmaca Y, Devrim E, Avci A, Erol C, Oral D. Effects of aged garlic extract consumption on plasma and erythrocyte antioxidant parameters in atherosclerotic patients. Life Sci. 2004;75:1959–66.

    16. Li G, Shi Z, Jia H, Ju J, Wang X, Xia Z, Qin L, Ge C, Xu Y, et al. A clinical investigation on garlicin injection for the treatment of unstable angina pectoris and its actions on plasma endothelin and blood sugar levels. J Tradit Chin Med. 2000;20:243–6.

    17. Breithaupt-Grogler K, Ling M, Boudoulas H, Belz GG, Heiden M, Wenzel E, Gu LD. Protective effect of chronic garlic intake on elastic properties of aorta in the elderly. Circulation. 1997;96:2649–55.

    18. Kiesewetter H, Jung F, Jung EM, Mroweitz C, Koscielny J, Wenzel E. Effect of garlic on platelet aggregation in patients with increased risk of juvenile ischaemic attack. Eur J Clin Pharmacol. 1993;45:333–6.

    19. Anim-Nyame N, Sooranna SR, Johnson MR, Gamble J, Steer PJ. Garlic supplementation increases peripheral blood flow: a role for interleukin-6? J Nutr Biochem. 2004;15:30–6.

    20. Budoff MJ, Takasu J, Flores FR, Niihara Y, Lu B, Lau BH, Rosen RT, Amagase H. Inhibiting progression of coronary calcification using Aged Garlic Extract in patients receiving statin therapy: a preliminary study. Prev Med. 2004;39:985–91.