CONTENTS
Ayurveda in Modern Medicine,
by Dr. Venkateswarrao Karuparthi
Ancestral Stories Hidden in Our DNA
High Density Lipoproteins
(HDL)
Hunger Facts
Cholesterol Reducing Drugs and
Women
Mother's oral health and
children's risk
Supersize
(meals-waistline-pharmaceutical-research) America
Second Hand Smoke
Soy Supplements
Fruits and Vegetables
Recipe: Apricot And Brown Rice
Pilaf
A Natural Anti-depressant for
Women
Cancer Causing Snacks
Insulin Without Injections
How are we related?
AYURVEDA
IN MODERN MEDICINE: GUGGULU
By Dr. Venkateswarrao Karuparthi[1]
5104 Kali Era, Chitrabhanu Year, JYESTA month (June
2002)
There has been tremendous
interest in Ayurveda[2]
recently as an alternative medicine in the US, for example, Guggulu.
The research interest on Guggulu will
be on the burner as long as the modern medicine recognized the cholesterol
problem and scientists like Dr. Moore are interested to investigate. If
this Guggulu is safe and effective then why is it not widely
used and spreading like a wild fire all over the world?
First reason is ‘bottom line’ economic profitability reasons
override the common good and humanity. The pharmaceutical industry cannot
survive on research like Dr Moore’s work, because they cannot patent Guggulu and
make profits. Currently, lipid-lowering drugs on the market are close to
billion-dollar industry, even though all of them have side effects in long-term
use and stop working as soon as patient stops taking.
The second reason is evaluation of Ayurveda as an alternative
medicine using the model of "modern science" and its research
methodology. We are trying to understand Ayurveda through modern science, while
the fundamentals of Ayurveda are quite different. The two systems may be
integrated to take advantage of each other, but one system cannot be evaluated
and researched with fundamentals of the other. However, independent overall
clinical outcomes and evidence can be evaluated.
Ayurveda did not discuss the concept of cholesterol, but
prescribed Guggulu for disorders like obesity. So, Dr. Moore
predicted that it might have lipid-lowering effect seen through the eyes of
modern medicine and proved that Guggulu, in fact, lowered the
cholesterol levels. Does this mean that this can translate into a ‘magic drug’
that can be mass-produced and used effectively? Not so, if you look carefully
into fundamentals of Ayurveda. Further, if you look at the listing of Ayurvedic
applications of Guggulu, it is prescribed for arthritis,
bronchitis, diabetes, obesity, back pain, throat ulcers and the list goes on.
In fact, every herb or medicine in Ayurveda has a long list of conditions that
it is used to treat.
Isn’t this absurd that a single medicine can be used effectively
for so many diseases and symptoms? It only makes sense, if you understand
Ayurvedic fundamental principles.
Isn’t this like a magic pill that works for everything? Yes, but
only for a patient who follows a regimen of a combination of herb, yoga, diet,
and a prescribed daily routine according to Ayurveda. A combination of the
above to match an individual’s constitution and external environment is more
important than any single item from the regimen.
So, if you use a certain herb or a protocol to treat everybody
with, you will not see any statistically significant outcome under the scrutiny
of modern medicine. However, if you test the active ingredient, it may work in
a statistically significant number of individuals to affect a specific symptom
like high cholesterol but not the entire disease process. However, this
invariably results in side effects, as the disease is not treated in its
entirety. For example, all the cholesterol-lowering drugs that are currently on
the market have side effects and limitations. Another example is ayurvedic herb
‘sarpagandha’ to treat hypertension.
The modern medicine produced ‘reserpine’ the active ingredient
of sarpagandha. This works for hypertension but the side effect
profile is so bad that we now abandoned this drug. We have better drugs for
hypertension in our medical arsenal now, but with side effects. However, we
still haven’t found a drug for hypertension without side effects and work more
than a day each time you take the pill. The story is same with every known
disease as the emphasis is on disease management rather than a permanent cure.
Here, Ayurveda differs from Allopathy.
On a fundamental level, Ayurveda treats the patient who has the
disease but not the symptoms alone. Fundamental to Ayurveda is clinical
classification and understanding the patient before even thinking about
treatment. This involves identification of ‘prakriti’ (nature) of the
patient by intricate clinical methods. This is basically "Bio-Genetic Mind-Body Typing" of
each patient and perfectly matching his or her treatment regimen. Each
individual is unique in their bio-genetic-mind-body type including twins. This
means each patient is unique and his or her treatment is different from any
other existing in this world. Is this too "Sci-Fi" to be true to
achieve just by clinical examination of the patient without labs, microscope
etc.? No, not really if you understand and follow the fundamental principles of
Ayurveda.
Ayurveda explains 6 stages of the disease process.
1. Accumulation: One or more doshas (humors)
accumulate
2. Aggravation: The excess dosha starts to spread
3. Dissemination: Dosha moves throught
the body
4. Localization: Dosha settles at weakest location depending on
particular biotype of patient involved.
5. Manifestation: Physical symptoms
arise at that location (eg: headache or increased
acidity symptoms in stomach)
6. Disruption: Disruption of anatomy
and physiology of location and full-blown disease.
Ayurveda treats effectively first 4 stages of the disease where
the symptoms are very vague and occasional such as stomach acidity, headaches
etc., and modern medicine treats these with over the counter (OTC) medicines.
During these stages if the patient visits an MD, he or she would not find any
serious clinical signs or symptoms of the disease and lab tests will be
perfectly normal and patient is sent back home. This window of courtship of
imbalance of health lasts many years before the tests show any abnormality.
Modern medicine starts to recognize symptoms of any disease in the 5th stage
and starts to treat 6th stage of disease. So, 80% to 90% of ill
health is waiting to mature to be treated as heart attacks, total knee
replacements, open heart surgeries, etc. Thus, one can argue that Ayurveda is a
preventive medicine treating healthy population, while modern medicine is for
totally sick patients. Ayurvedic clinical methods are sensitive enough to pick
up subtle imbalance in the mind and body functioning and so we are treating
very, very, early before localization of the disease. According to Ayurveda the
standard of health is very high and perfect health is not mere absence of
disease.
How is this done? Ayurveda classifies every patient’s prakriti (internal
nature), which does not change that patient’s mind-body type from birth to
death. We know everything from color of hair, eyes, build of the body and
behavior of each individual is programmed in genetics and the surrounding
environment. As long as one is close to the original constitution, patient
stays healthy. Constant inevitable interaction with external surroundings by
violating the rules of nature for that particular individual gives rise to
imbalanced internal nature, which is vikriti. It is best to treat
any first signs of vikriti in any
individual.
The unique thing of Ayurveda is this clinical reading of genetic
expression of each individual’s prakriti
and its interaction with external nature producing internal derangement vikriti. This clinical reading is done
by tridosha
(three-humor) theory involving three humors, namely vata (wind), pitta
(bile), and kapha (phlegm). Vata controls movement, pitta controls metabolism, and kapha controls structure.
Nobody fits into one type but some combination of all three
humors. If we consider two predominant humors of one’s constitution, we have at
least 6 types of prakriti to be classified, vata-pitta,
pitta-vata, pitta-kapha, kapha-pitta, vata-kapha and kapha-vata.
The next step an Ayurvedic physician looks at is at least 25 or more gunas (attributes) of each of the dosha and their expression in the patient to
narrow down to accurate diagnosis.
The next step is to consider 5 sub-types of each dosha and a combination of those each
expressing an imbalance or manifestation of symptoms in 10 or more anatomical
locations of the body to nail down the way the unhealthy imbalance is spreading
in that particular patient. The next thing an Ayurvedic physician will also
look for the expression of not only anatomic locations but also 7 dhatus (dhatu means
roughly constituent elements or tissues). The above two are also correlated
with srotamsi (at least 20 or more channels in the body
through which the humors move in the body. We haven’t yet considered other
concepts like ojas, tejas, and prana (pure essence of
humors), which would be considered by an Ayurvedic physician in the same
context to bring back the balance of health and vitality. All the above
information is gathered and processed by interview, clinical examination, pulse
and tongue evaluation and other tests.
The above is a very brief description of Ayurveda methodology to
stimulate reader’s interest. Now let us apply the above methodology, for
example, to Guggulu. In a vata-kapha type
individual with a vata imbalance and depending on the sub-type
of affected vata, the srotamsi (channel) and dhatu (tissue),
the imbalance may express as nervous disorder, low back pain or arthritis and
counter balancing kapha may produce hypercholesteremia (in
ayurvedic terms kapha character is accumulation and stagnation
including fat). These conditions can be treated with Guggulu. In
a pitta-kapha type individual pitta aggravation
imbalance can cause bronchitis, cystitis, throat ulcers and
counter-balancing kapha can cause hypercholesteremia, which
can be treated with the same Guggulu.
Actually, Guggulu is not used alone usually, but
used in combination with other herbs to balance other doshas, to
improve accuracy and tailor fit to each patient. Some formulations, to name a
few are Kaishor Guggulu, Yogaraj Guggulu, Punarnavadi
Guggulu etc. These are essential because if you give a blanket standard
treatment of all hyper-cholesterol patients with Guggulu, it
may not work. For example, if you administer Guggulu to an
individual with hypercholesteremia of pitta-kapha type you may
end up aggravating pitta and have cystitis or bronchitis
aggravated. In addition, timing of administration of medicine to each patient
is also very important. Diurnal variation of vata, pitta,
and kapha times of the day has to be matched to the timing of
the intake of medicine.
So, Ayurveda is the ultimate art of holistic medicine where
individual ingredient in a formulation is as important as the timing of its
administration. An experienced Ayurvedic physician should give these global
holistic treatments while closely watching vikriti. It takes long
years of practice gathering clinical acumen to really harness the science and
art of Ayurveda unlike modern medicine which is more and more based on
technology, labs and procedures.
An unfortunate side product of recent hype in alternative medicine
is commercialization of these products to claim benefit specific symptoms like
hypercholesteremia etc., which was never the intention of Ayurveda in its
pristine practice.
On one hand it is important to have studies like Dr. Moore’s to
authenticate the scientific basis of these ancient medicines, and on the other
hand it is a mistake to try to insert and practice ayurvedic-allopathic
medicine thinking that we are integrating the two systems of medicine. The real
integration of Ayurveda and modern medicine is achieved by following the
principles of Ayurveda with the aid of modern technology. It is very important
to follow the methodology of Ayurveda in its entirety, if we want to achieve
the goal of overall health of the individual and the society.
High
Density Lipoproteins (HDL)
Low blood levels of High Density Lipoproteins (HDL), increase the
risk of dementia in the elderly, even if they show no signs of heart disease or
stroke, researchers report in a new study, published in the June issue of the
Annals of Neurology, 51:716-721 (2002). In the study of 561 85-year-old men and
women, those with the lowest blood levels of HDL levels were more than twice as
likely to have dementia as those with the highest HDL levels. When the
researchers excluded patients with documented heart disease or stroke, they
found that those with the lowest HDL levels were nearly four times as likely to
have dementia as those with the highest levels.
And neither of these findings was affected by a person's educational
background or their blood levels of two types of harmful lipids:
"bad" Low Density Lipoproteins (LDL) or triglycerides. The researchers said it is possible that
patients without documented cardiovascular disease may have had a stroke that
went undetected, and that this contributed to their dementia. It is also
possible that HDL helps slow mental decline by preventing the formation of
plaques associated with dementia or by reducing inflammation in the brain, they
suggest. In the average man, HDL cholesterol levels range from 40 to 50
milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) of blood, according to the American Heart
Association. In the average woman, they range from 50 to 60 mg/dL. An HDL level
below 40 mg/dL is considered low. People can raise their HDL level by losing
excess weight, exercising regularly and stopping smoking. Click here for more
on Lipids.
Hunger
Facts[3]
Currently, there is an annual reduction of about 6 million in the
number of hungry people in the world. That must increase to 22 million a year
to meet the 1996 U.N. targetto reduce the number of
the world's hungry people from about 800 million to 400 million by 2015.
-A $180 billion annual investment in agriculture, infrastructure
and services in the developing world is needed to meet the target.
-About 12.8 million people in six southern African nations -
Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Lesotho, Swaziland and Mozambique - are at risk of
starvation because of drought, floods, depleted food stocks and economic
instability.
-Of the 9.5 million undernourished people living in transition
countries of Europe, nearly 60 percent live in Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia and
Moldova.
-UNAIDS estimates that more than half of the 28 million people
living with HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa are in rural areas, devastating
thousands of farming communities and leaving families struggling to produce
enough food to survive.
-About 54 million people suffer from chronic malnutrition in Latin
America and the Caribbean.
Cholesterol
Reducing Drugs and Women
Treatment with a cholesterol-lowering statin can significantly
reduce the risk of heart disease and possibly death in postmenopausal women
taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT), investigators report in the rapid
access issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association. This article focuses on women who have
reached menopause. Women taking statins
had a 21 percent lower risk of heart attack and death related to heart disease
and a 33 percent lower risk of dying from any cause during four years of
treatment, compared to women who did not take statins. Statin therapy was also
associated with a 55 percent lower risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE, blood
clots in veins), a potentially life-threatening problem that can occur in women
on HRT. "Statin" is the
popular name for the class of cholesterol reducing drugs including Mevacor, Zocor, Lipitor, Pravachol, and Lescol. Statins help prevent heart attacks for women
as much as they do for men.
Mother's
oral health and children's risk
A study published in the June issue of Community Dentistry and
Oral Epidemiology by the researchers from the Montefiore Medical Center and the
Montefiore Dental Center, Bronx, New York, and the New York University College
of Dentistry, New York, New York indicate that a mother's oral health and
dietary habits may help to predict the risk of tooth decay in her young
children. If mothers had high levels of mutans
streptococci, bacteria known to contribute to dental decay in the mouth, their
3- to 5-year-old children had more than 11 times the risk of decay than
children of mothers with low levels of these bacteria. If mothers had treated tooth decay or consumed
large amounts of sugar, their children had four times the risk of decay
compared with children of mothers without decay or those with low sugar
consumption.
Supersize
(meals-waistline-pharmaceutical-research) America
Americans are being manipulated by the (food) industry into eating
far more than they need, or even want to[4]. Those supersize portions at fast-food outlets
may look like bargains, but they cost Americans billions of dollars in
obesity-related illnesses. But, don't worry, that money is well spent on
research on obesity, heart diseases, diabetes and cancer related research. It
is a nice food-auto-pharmaceutical-research-industry cycle that sustains the
economy. So, we should eat more and buy
more cars, exercise equipment and pills, right? Wrong! The AICR, which
advocates better diets to prevent cancer, teamed up with the Consumer
Federation of America and the Center for Science in the Public Interest for the
campaign, and wants Americans to rebel against supersized and value-sized food
portions. More than 60 per cent of Americans are overweight and more than a
quarter are obese, meaning they are 20 percent over ideal weight and face
health problems. Overweight people have a higher risk of diabetes, heart
disease and some cancers.
Generation
X-Tra Large: A study[5] found: Twenty-six percent of men and 28 percent of
women were obese by the time they were 35 to 37. Young adults are becoming obese faster. People born in 1964 became obese 26 percent
to 28 percent faster than those born in 1957. Ethnic differences appeared in
weight development. Black women and Hispanic men became obese most
rapidly. Overweight young adults,
especially women, were at significant risk of becoming obese by age 35 to 37.
In women, mild overweight was linked with at least a 60 percent chance of
obesity[6].
Note
from Whitehouse[7]
President Bush urged Americans on 20th to make themselves and
their nation healthier through exercise, proper diet and regular checkups.
"The evidence is clear: A healthier America is a stronger America,"
the president said while kicking off a four-day fitness campaign. Already, a curious phenomenon has gripped the
Bush White House. Inspired by their fitness-crazed president, these pasty-faced
presidential aides are going to the White House gym daily to get buff pecs,
ripped abs, tight buns and just overall huge. As President Bush sets out this
week to highlight the need for Americans to exercise more --half are completely
sedentary and 300,000 die annually of obesity-related disease -- his advisers
truly have put their muscles where their mouths are. Bush aides say they are cutting back on
caffeine and alcohol in favor of soy milk and three liters of water a day. They
are forming into groups called the ``Dixie Chicks'' and ``Girls With Gloves'' (weightlifting gloves, that is) to employ the
services of personal trainers who advise them in everything from meal size to
dental flossing. Last week, when the White House announced a three-mile run
scheduled for Saturday with Bush at Fort McNair -- part of this week's physical
fitness campaign -- 400 White House staffers signed up in the first hour....
Bearden, who declines to be interviewed, leads them in strength training,
endurance and yoga. She has Matalin taking antioxidant vitamins and minerals, a
soy drink called Silk, yogurt and colorful fruits and vegetables. The women do
three sets each of chest presses, curls, squats, flies, pulldowns, lunges and,
as Matalin calls it, “glute something'' for the gluteus maximus. As Matalin
sees it, the workout routine is good for both body and country.
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson released on 22nd a new report that
underscores the importance of physical activity in preventing disease and
outlines the physical and financial costs associated with a sedentary
lifestyle, including a cost of billion annually associated with overweight and
obesity. HHS report says that frail health often associated with aging is in
large part due to physical inactivity, but that it's never too late to benefit
from becoming physically active.
Second
Hand Smoke
A comprehensive review of medical studies by researchers at the
International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) showed passive smoking
causes cancer and that chemicals and gases in tobacco contribute to cancer of
the stomach, liver, kidney, uterus, cervix and to myeloid leukemia. IARC, based in Lyons, France, is an extension
of the World Health Organization (WHO). Its findings on smoking are based on an
independent analysis of more than 50 medical studies by 29 experts from 12
countries. An estimated 1.2 billion
people worldwide smoke cigarettes, cigars, pipes or bidis—tobacco rolled in a
leaf—and expose billions more non-smokers to the carcinogenic chemicals. Tobacco smoke contains over 4,000 chemicals
in the form of particles and gases. Carbon monoxide, ammonia, formaldehyde and
hydrogen cyanide are among the potentially toxic ones. About one half of persistent smokers will be
killed by a tobacco related disease and half of those deaths will occur in
middle age.
Light
Smokers[8]:
People who smoke just a few cigarettes a day may reasonably assume that they
are in less danger than heavier smokers. But a new study offers evidence to the
contrary when it comes to cardiovascular disease. Regardless of the amount of
tobacco use, smokers exhibited the same changes in the blood vessel lining.
Soy
Supplements
Soy supplements may be able to help diabetic women to control both
their blood sugar and their cholesterol, researchers reported in a small study
conducted in Hull and Yorkshire, England presented in San Francisco at the
annual scientific sessions of the American Diabetes Association. The women
taking the soy supplement showed significantly better control over their blood
sugar, according to several standard tests, and their levels of total
cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein dropped.
Fruits
and Vegetables
A report[9] examined the relationship
between fruit and vegetable consumption and the risk of cardiovascular disease
(CVD) and stroke in a large group of subjects over a period of roughly 2
decades. Researchers found that stroke incidence and mortality, as well as
mortality from ischemic heart disease and CVD, were all significantly reduced
in those who consumed at least 3 servings of fruits and vegetables per
day. Those who had consumed at least 3
servings per day of fruits and vegetables had a 27% lower incidence of stroke and
42% lower stroke mortality rate among all subjects, and risk of death from
ischemic heart disease and CVD was reduced by 24% and 27%, respectively. The
research, part of the first National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey
(NHANES I), involved prolonged follow-up of 9608 adults ages 25-74 who were
randomly distributed by sex, race, and sociological group. All subjects were
free of CVD at the study's inception between 1971-1975, and follow-up data on
dietary intake, disease and mortality were collected in 1982-84, 1986, 1987,
and 1992.
Vegetarian
Recipe: Apricot and Brown Rice Pilaf[10]
Ingredients:1 cup
shredded carrot, 1 tablespoon pine nuts, 1 tablespoon margarine, 3/4 cup
quick-cooking brown rice, 1 cup apple juice, 3/4 cup water, 6 dried
apricot-halves chopped, 2 tablespoons raisins.
Preparation:
Combine carrot, pine nuts and margarine in 1-quart glass dish. Microwave on
high for 2 minutes. Add rice, apple juice and water; mix well. Microwave,
loosely covered on high for 5 minutes, stirring once. Stir in apricots and
raisins. Microwave, covered, on medium for 12 minutes or until liquid is
absorbed and rice is tender.
Nutritional
Analysis Per Serving: Calories, 234; Protein, 4 grams; Carbohydrates, 44 grams; Total
Fat, 5 grams (19 percent of calories from fat); Cholesterol, 0 milligrams;
Fiber, 3 grams; Sodium, 49 milligrams. Bread 1 1/2; Fruit 1; Vegetables 1/2.
A
Natural Anti-depressant
A new study[11] compared women whose
partners wear condoms with those whose partners don't. It showed that the women
who were directly exposed to semen were less depressed. The team divided 293 female students into
groups depending on how often their partners wore condoms, and assessed their
happiness using the Beck Depression Inventory, a standard questionnaire for
assessing mood. People who score over 17 are considered moderately depressed.
The team found that women whose partners never used condoms scored 8 on
average, those who sometimes used them scored 10.5, those who usually used them
scored 15 and those who always used them scored 11.3. Women who weren't having
sex at all scored 13.5. The longer the interval since they last had sex, the
more depressed the women who never or sometimes used condoms got. But the time
since the last sexual encounter made no difference to the mood of women who
usually or always used condoms. Semen
contains several mood-altering hormones, including testosterone, estrogen,
follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, prolactin and several
different prostaglandins. Some of these have been detected in a women's blood
within hours of exposure to semen.
Cancer
Causing Snacks
A study[12] found high levels of
acrylamide in French fries, some brands of potato chips, some types of
breakfast cereal and crispbread and some types of bread fried or baked at high
temperatures. Boiled foods did not
contain the substance. After the Swedish findings were announced, studies in
Norway, Britain, Switzerland, Germany and the United States made similar
observations. However, the experts did
not issue guidelines warning consumers against eating foods with the
potentially cancer-causing substance, acrylamide. Health experts were concerned
enough to call a special 3-day meeting in Geneva, which grouped 23 scientists
from universities and national food authorities, including the US Food and Drug
Administration.
REFERENCES
AND NOTES
[1]I am very pleased to introduce to
you Dr. Venkateswarrao Karuparthy, Asst. Professor (Clinical) University of
Iowa School of Medicine, who kindly volunteered to join the Telangana Science
Journal. SV
[2] Text Book of Ayurveda: Fundamental
Principles Vasant Lad, MASc, Ayurvedic Press, Albuquerque New Mexico; Perfect
Health: The Complete Mind Body Guide Three Rivers Press New York
[3] Sources: UN Food and Agriculture
Organization, World Food Program, UNAIDS.
[4] Says the National Alliance for
Nutrition and Activity
[5] "The Natural History of the
Development of Obesity in a Cohort of Young U.S. Adults Between 1981 and
1998," appears in the June 18, 2002, issue of Annals of Internal
Medicine.
[6] Check your BMI at: http://www.doctorsforadults.com/dfa_obes.htm
[7] Washington Post.
[8] Surprised authors reported in The Journal
of the American College of Cardiology.
[9] A report in the American Journal
of Clinical Nutrition
[11] The results appear in the journal
Archives of Sexual Behavior. ANI.
[12] A study by Sweden's National Food
Administration this year (2002), AP
The World
Health Organization and Food and Agriculture Organization sponsored the
conference. They said further study is necessary to determine the extent of the
risk - and how to reduce it, to the relief of the snack and fast-food industry.