I don't often like to write about weight loss supplements, because I feel like so many of them are only effective when used along with diet and exercise, which of course is the best way to lose weight. We really don't recommend crazy crash diets or anything else like that.
I came across some new research this past month though, of a weight loss supplement with pretty impressive research behind it.
The product is a gummy called Mediterranean Weight Management by Life Extension; it uses an extract of the Moro orange, which has shown very impressive results in research. There have been two studies showing the Moro orange extract for weight loss, using the amount in two gummies of the product. The first was a placebo-controlled study done over 12 weeks, it had a group of women who did not change their diet and exercise routines, and those that used the Moro orange extract had an average of a 2.79 inch reduction in their waistline (equivalent to about two pants sizes), and an overall weight loss of 4%. That seems almost too good to be true, but a second study confirmed its benefits. The second study was done over six months, and showed an overall waist size reduction of 1.54 inches (about one pants size) reduced abdominal fat by 11.3%, and overall weight loss of 4.2% on average.
The trouble with a lot of weight loss supplements is that there will be research on it but if you look into the studies in more detail, it's often giving people crazy doses of things which people would never use in real life, but the amounts used in these studies are the amounts found in one serving of two gummies of the Life Extension product I mentioned above.
Since they're in gummy form, they're easy to take and are good tasting. Usually I'm not the biggest fan of gummies because I often feel like they aren't able to get that much of an active ingredient in a gummy and still have it taste good. A lot of gummies, you need to take a whole handful of them to really make a difference (not in all cases, but it's definitely a problem with gummies sometimes). They're an easy way to take supplements though, and it seems easier to remember to take something when it’s good tasting.
Still, even with the impressive research above, I don't think there's any supplement, particularly supplements for weight loss, that's going to be effective for everyone.
The recommended dose that was used in the study is only two gummies, which I feel like is an easy thing to take. Also, the nice thing about this supplement for weight loss is that it shouldn't raise blood pressure or "soup you up", so it can be taken in the evenings if you want, though we would probably recommend using them earlier in the day for effectiveness.
These gummies use a branded extract of the Moro orange called Morosil. Morosil is said to be rich in bioactive substances that help to break down fat cells and suppresses adipogenesis (the formation of new fat cells). It’s also been shown in research to reduce fat storage by about 50% and also to help in shrinking adipose tissue (the scientific name for fat cells).
Something else to keep in mind if you try this new supplement, is that the studies were done over about 12 weeks to show the difference. As with any supplement, it's a good idea to give it some time to work.
I feel like these gummies are worth a try, especially since they're also a good antioxidant, and they taste great. If you try them, let us know if you have any success!
A New Supplement for Female Hair Loss [New Research]
Hair loss and hair thinning in women is very common, especially as women near menopause. It’s suggested that it’s often caused by hormonal changes, which makes sense. Thinning hair can be really upsetting to deal with, and can sometimes be difficult to treat. I came across some new research I wanted to share about hair loss in women. I was pretty impressed by the study, so I wanted to share the information in case it helps anyone.
The study was on the antioxidant pycnogenol, which is an extract from French maritime pine bark (pronounced pick-nodge-eh-nol) that measured hair density in menopausal women. Hair density if a useful way to study hair thinning since it literally means counting the amount of hairs in a specific measured area.
The study consisted of women aged 45-60 and measured how many hairs they had in a specific square centimeter on their heads, which averaged 225.8 hairs at the beginning of the study. After two months of taking pycnogenol at a dose of 150mg a day broken up into three 50mg doses, the average women’s hair density increased from 225.8 hairs in one square centimeter to 293.6 hairs after two months of taking pycnogenol, a 30% increase. The women in the placebo group did not experience a significant change in their hair density. That sounds pretty impressive to me. The study also measured that the women who took pycnogenol had increased scalp circulation- poor blood circulation in the scalp is associated with hair loss.
I certainly don’t mean to put the supplement pycnogenol forward as a miracle for female hair loss, but the research is definitely impressive. I’ve spoken to many women who have come into the health food store who are anxious about hair loss, so this does seem like something to try. I’d also say that for the vast majority of women who I’ve spoken to who are worried about their own hair loss, that it usually doesn’t seem very noticeable to me. I do think we’re the most critical of ourselves, where we may feel lacking in some way that we’re worried about, but then it often isn’t even noticed by anyone else.
Still, pycnogenol is an interesting supplement since it has so many different and seemingly unrelated benefits. It’s been shown to help with blood flow, both to the legs and for cardiovascular health, and is also often used to help with asthma symptoms in children and adults. One of the most impressive results of pycnogenol, other than this new research for hair loss, is for brain function in adults middle aged and older. I wrote about pycnogenol back in 2017 when the research came out, but the information is still relevant.
A year long, placebo controlled study on pycnogenol and brain function followed seventy-seven adults aged 55 to 70. Half the group was given 100 milligrams of pycnogenol daily, and at the end of the study, tests showed a seventy-two percent improvement in decision making in the pycnogenol group (vs. a five percent decline in the placebo group). The attention span of the group that took pycnogenol was increased by forty-one percent and memory improved by thirty-seven percent (compared to a ten percent decline in the control group).
Pycnogenol has also been shown to aid in lowering blood pressure, helping to normalize blood pressure readings in fifty-eight percent of hypertensive patients. Another study found that participants who took Pycnogenol were able to reduce their blood pressure medications after taking the supplement for 12 weeks.
Other double-blind studies have reported pycnogenol’s benefit for lowering blood sugar in patients with Type 2 diabetes. After twelve weeks of taking the French maritime pine bark extract, it was reported that the supplement, “significantly lowered plasma glucose levels” when compared with the placebo. Pycnogenol also improved blood flow and blood vessel health.
I really love supplements that have more than one different benefit, and I’d say pycnogenol definitely excels in that area. Something thing to keep in mind however, it that the majority of these studies are done over a decent period of time, ranging from two months to a year, so as with any supplement, it’s good to be patient and give it some time to work. Also, no matter how great a study says something is, nothing works 100% of the time for every single person. Still, I think pycnogenol is an impressive supplement that’s worth trying. It has a long safety record, but it’s always a good idea to tell your doctor or pharmacist of any supplements you’re taking in case of drug interactions. For example, pycnogenol shouldn’t be taken with prescription blood thinning medications because it has a slight blood thinning effect.
Stop by Pass Health Foods in Palos Heights if you have any questions, we’d love to help you further. We’re at 7228 W. College Drive in Palos Heights.
Natural Help for Menopause [New Research]
I feel like menopause is something that isn’t spoken about that much, even though all women will go through it in their lives. Menopause is caused by a natural reduction in reproductive hormones, which begins in the late 30s for most women. Some time in their 40s, most women experience what is known as perimenopause, where estrogen levels begin to decline dramatically, causing unpredictable menstrual cycles, finally leading to menopause. Every woman is different, but most women experience menopause by their early 50s on average.
The most well-known symptom of menopause is hot flashes, although there are many common symptoms of menopause experienced by women that include sleeping problems, depressed mood, irritability, anxiety, joint and muscle pain, physical and mental exhaustion, bladder issues, and others.
For many years women often underwent hormone replacement therapy to manage symptoms of menopause, though in recent years that is becoming less common due to health risks since hormone replacement therapy has been linked to increases in the risk of cancer and stroke.
There are natural products that can help with managing menopausal symptoms without the risks of hormone replacement therapy, and I wanted to write about a less well-known supplement for menopause known as Siberian rhubarb that I’ve been reading about. It’s less known in the United States, but not elsewhere- it’s been used in European countries like Germany for decades to help with the symptoms of menopause and has extensive clinical and lab studies demonstrating its safety and effectiveness.
Siberian rhubarb has been found to be effective at low doses for menopausal symptoms; the clinical research found that just four milligrams a day helped most women. In research, after just one month the participants had a significant reduction in their hot flashes over that of the placebo group, and then after three months, the women reported a 54% reduction of their overall menopause symptoms beyond just hot flashes.
Another large scale study confirmed those results, and found that the longer women took the supplement, the better of results they had with researchers reporting that the women had an amazing 83% reduction in the severity of their menopause symptoms after one year. Another large study reported that after taking Siberian rhubarb for six months, 56% of women reported major improvements and 13% said they’d experienced a complete absence of menopausal symptoms.
This research is especially important since hot flashes and night sweats affect as many as 50% of perimenopausal women and up to 85% of postmenopausal women, and women typically experience them for five to seven years on average, with some women having them for fifteen years or even longer! Menopausal symptoms can be a real problem for most women, so a simple one capsule a day supplement that has shown to be so effective against the negative symptoms of menopause is pretty amazing.
Siberian rhubarb supplements are not very common in the US, but we have found two different products that contain the recommended dose used in the above studies, one by Life Extention and the other by a company called Solgar. They’re both great products, but we’d probably recommend the Solgar product called Menopause Relief the most because in addition to the recommended 4mg of Siberian Rhubarb, it contains saffron extract, a potent antioxidant that has many benefits confirmed by scientific studies including boosting mood, cancer prevention, and even helping to prevent macular degeneration.
Since we like it so much, we’re going to have the Menopause Relief supplement by Solgar on one of our everyday sales for 25% off, so I’d recommend giving it a try since with the sale it’s less than $20 for a month’s supply and contains the amounts shown to be beneficial in just one capsule a day.
With Siberian rhubarb supplements for menopause, some women experienced relief after just one month, though for others it took longer, so if you try it for a month and don’t feel the relief you’d like, I’d suggest giving it a real trial of about three months, since that’s the most common length of most research studies. It’s not a magic wand, but the research on it is very positive, so I definitely feel confident recommending it.
Natural Help for Perimenopause and Hormone Balance
This month I wanted to write about a supplement that Sarah at the store uses and loves- DIM + CDG by Jarrow. That’s a lot of letter abbreviations, but they stand for Diindolylmethane, an extract from cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, and Calcium D-Glucarate a nutrient found in fruit. So I guess it’s definitely easier to just use the letters.
DIM + CDG is an amazing supplement to help with hormone balance, specifically that it helps your body to be able to balance its own hormones correctly. It can be helpful for women of all ages with hormone related issues, but Sarah has found that it really helps her with regulating her emotions during perimenopause- she actually calls it her “anti-crazy pill”. Jarrow was out of stock of it for a while due to manufacturing issues, and during that time that she didn’t take it, she said she could really feel a difference.
She has said that for her, during perimenopause, she has been feeling “irrationally emotional”, some days going back and forth between crying and laughing and then crying again. She says she sees a huge difference between the times she has been using the supplement and the times when she hasn’t.
DIM, or diindolylmethane, is a supplement that can help the body to balance its own hormones better. It’s not a hormone supplement, but rather, it helps the body to balance the natural estrogens that can form in women’s bodies to achieve better hormone balance and to reduce the negative effects of hormone imbalance so common in perimenopause and menopause. One of the ways those hormone imbalances manifest themselves is in mood swings, which are extremely common in women in the throes or perimenopause.
This supplement by Jarrow is so nice in part because it combines DIM’s hormone balancing action with a supplement called CDG, which actually works as a sort of hormone cleanse, detoxing the body from negative forms of estrogen and working to remove excess estrogens from the body. It’s due to these actions that CDG has been found to be able to reduce the risk of hormone related cancers. GDC and DIM also have a synergistic effect on women’s hormones, working together to be more effective than either product taken alone.
Sarah says she felt like she could feel the DIM + CDG working from within the first week, though each woman’s experience may be slightly different due to their own unique hormone makeup. Still, it’s a supplement that we definitely recommend for hormone related issues for women of all ages, since I think everyone would benefit from a little hormone balance. Plus they’re in easy to swallow capsules that are in a one-a-day formula. Also this month our Jarrow DIM + CDG will be on sale for 25% off, so it’s a great time to try it to see if it works for you!
Spotlight on Women's Health
As a female-owned business, women’s health in all stages is extremely important to us. This month, we wanted to make a post with all of our women’s health articles in one place, for easy reference.
Each of the links below follows to the article on our website's health blog.
Women’s Health: Preventing Urinary Tract Infections
Targeted Probiotics for Women (Yeast Infections, BV, and UTIs)
Solgar’s PM Phytogen for Hot Flashes and Menopausal Symptoms
Progesterone Cream for Women: Menopausal Symptoms and Estrogen Dominance
The Importance of Iron Supplements for Women
Natural Help for Low Sex Drive in Women
Natural Feminine Hygiene Products
Beauty:
JarrowSil for Healthy Hair, Skin, and Nails
A Pass Favorite: Herbatint Natural Hair Color
Biotin for Strong, Healthy Hair and Nails
Targeted Probiotics for Women's Health (Yeast Infections, BV, UTIs)
Most people think of probiotics as primarily for digestion, but the scope of probiotics goes far beyond that, to encompass much, much more. One of the lesser known uses for probiotics are for women’s vaginal health. There are specific probiotic strains that can help to naturally combat yeast infections, bacterial vaginal infections, as well as urinary tract infections.
The company Jarrow has two products formulated for vaginal and urinary tract health with scientifically researched strains- their shelf-stable JarrowDophilus for Women and then their refrigerated probiotic, FemDophilus.
The two probiotics offer similar benefits but differ in their use. The refrigerated FemDophilus is used more as a treatment for acute infections. It works very well to knock out yeast overgrowth and/or harmful bacteria in the vaginal tract and urinary tract. Where the JarrowDophilus Women is more for maintaining healthy vaginal flora on a regular basis.
The vaginal tract has its own specific microbiome, where good bacteria is meant to crowd out the proliferation of negative bacteria and candida. Because of this environment, targeted women’s probiotics are especially beneficial in treating and preventing vaginal infections.
Yeast infections are what most women think of when they have vaginal issues- the symptoms of yeast infections most commonly include a thick whitish discharge, irritation during intercourse or urination, and itching. It’s estimated that 75% of women will have at least one occurrence of vaginal yeast overgrowth in their lives, though some women are more prone to yeast infections and will have many reoccurrences.
Bacterial vaginosis (or BV) is less well known, but is the most common vaginal infection, estimated to affect 10-29% of women at any given time. BV can be transmitted sexually but can also occur even if a woman is not sexually active. Bacterial vaginosis is traditionally treated with antibiotics, but it has a very high reinfection rate (often 30% of infections reoccur the month following treatment and 80% of women experience recurrent BV infections after nine months). Due to this rate of BV reoccurrence, natural treatment with effective, targeted vaginal probiotics can be especially beneficial, since it treats the causes rather than just trying to make symptoms go away. Symptoms of bacterial vaginosis include thin uniform gray, yellow, or whitish discharge and and a “fishy” vaginal odor.
Treatment of BV is especially important since it can increase the risk of contracting STDs as well as increasing the risk of preterm labor during pregnancy.
In our experience, Jarrow’s FemDophilus probiotic is the best women’s probiotic available for treating acute vaginal infections and yeast overgrowth. The clinically researched strains it contains have been shown to be effective in bringing women’s bodies back into a state of proper vaginal health, both when used alone as well as in conjunction with conventional treatments (studies have even shown that the probiotic strains in FemDophilus are able to increase the effectiveness of conventional drugs treatments for both BV and yeast infections).
Thus far, I’ve mostly focused on the benefits of Jarrow’s FemDophilus, but they also have a product called JarrowDophilus for Women which is an impressive formula as well. While FemDophilus is meant to be more of a treatment for acute infections, JarrowDophilus for Women is a maintenance probiotic, formulated to encourage a healthy vaginal and urinary tract. It is especially helpful for women who have reocurrances of BV or yeast infections, since it promotes a healthy vaginal microbiome that works to crowd out those negative overgrowths, stopping reinfection.
Both are wonderful products with impressive clinically documented benefits. Stop by the store for more information and so we can help you find the product that’s right for you.
Natural Help for Low Sex Drive in Women
Q: I feel like this is kind of an awkward question, which is why I’m sending it in. I wondered if you had anything that really works for helping with female sex drive. To make matters worse, I’ve started to enter menopause, and have been dealing with vaginal dryness. Is there anything that can really help? I see ads for Viagra everywhere, but never anything for women…
A: Low sexual drive in women is an incredibly common problem, estimated to affect over 1/3 of the general population. It can be caused by a number of factors, the most common being stress and anxiety as well as hormonal issues.
There are natural products which can help, however, and the one I would recommend the most is called Steel Libido Pink for Women by Irwin Naturals. It combines several different natural supplements long known for their benefits for sexual health. Steel Libido Pink works in a number of different ways to relax the body and mind and bring the body back into balance; it also helps to create a pleasurable warming sensation in the body. We have had many of our female customers use it with great results. It can be taken on a regular basis for overall sexual health, or used on an occasional, as-needed basis before sexual activity.
Vaginal dryness is also a common complaint, particularly for women entering menopause, and can definitely hamper sexual activity. We have several wonderful varieties of natural lubricants available at the store from Emerita, a company that specializes in natural women’s health with products specifically formulated to compliment women’s unique body chemistries. The vast majority of lubricants found at drug stores are made with petroleum products, something you really should not be putting near your lady parts.
During the month of February, we will be offering 25% off on Steel Libido Pink as well as our full line of natural lubricants by Emerita. If you have any further questions or need additional help, please stop by the store so we can help you further. We are a female owned business, and women’s health of all stages is very important to us.
Natural Help for Fibromyalgia
Q: I have fibromyalgia and basically feel miserable all the time. I’ve not had luck with prescriptions, so I wanted to see if there was anything natural that could help me with the pain and tiredness. I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired!
A: There are definitely natural supplements which can help! Fibromyalgia is a disorder hallmarked by widespread and chronic muscular and skeletal pain that can also be accompanied by fatigue, depression, headaches, sleep disturbances, and more. Fibromyalgia is difficult to treat, though many people have had good luck with natural products for reducing their symptoms.
The first supplement I’d recommend is S-adenosylmethionine, better known as SAMe (pronounced like “Sammy”). SAMe is necessary for many different processes in the body, and clinical studies have shown benefits for depression, pain, and fatigue- all main issues fibromyalgia patients suffer with. SAMe supplementation usually begins to help with boosting mood and relieving depressive symptoms in the first week, but can take up to six weeks to alleviate overall fibromyalgia symptoms. The body can only produce small amounts of SAMe, so taking additional SAMe as a supplement can make a real difference. It’s important to take SAMe on an empty stomach for best absorption.
Another supplement that can be helpful for people suffering with fibromyalgia is 5-HTP, an amino acid related to tryptophan. 5-HTP works by helping to boost serotonin, the brain’s “feel-good” neurotransmitter. Increasing levels of 5-HTP in the body can help with reducing depression as well as pain. When taken before bed, 5-HTP has been shown to promote deeper, more restful sleep. Since 5-HTP increases serotonin levels in the body, it is important to not take them with SSRI antidepressants like Prozac, since they work in a similar way; in fact- research has shown 5-HTP to be as effective as prescription antidepressants, but with fewer side effects. The usual recommended dosage for fibromyalgia is 50-100mg three times a day.
Magnesium supplements can be helpful for fibromyalgia, particularly those containing malic acid (a compound in apples and other fruits), since magnesium can help relax the muscles and relieve muscle pain. Most Americans are deficient in this mineral, which can also help with preventing headaches as well as stimulating serotonin production. Studies on fibromyalgia patients who took magnesium malate had a decrease the pain and tenderness that accompanies the disorder. Magnesium is best taken in divided doses, since too much magnesium at one time can cause loose stools.
I hope that helps! Natural products can work very well for people suffering with fibromyalgia because rather than just treating the symptoms they help to bring the body back into balance, treating the whole self rather than just one aspect of the problem.
I'm pleased that fibromyalgia is now being recognized by the medical community as a true disorder. There was a time not very long ago when many medical professionals thought that fibromyalgia was an imaginary disease since it cannot be diagnosed with a specific test. Feel free to stop by the store so we can help you further.
A Pass Favorite: Herbatint Natural Hair Color
This month’s Pass Favorite is Herbatint Natural Hair Color!
Sarah at the store uses Herbatint on a regular basis and she absolutely loves it. She says it helps her hair to feel soft and smooth and not at all "straw-like" (as it did when she used conventional hair dye at the grocery store). It doesn’t fade, and she gets many compliments on the color (she uses 5M).
Herbatint is nice because it is completely natural and ammonia free. Another bonus is that if you have short hair, the rest of the bottle can be saved for another use. Sarah has shoulder length hair and she says a box usually lasts her two uses for coloring her hair.
I have another friend who swears by Herbatint hair color, but she actually brings the box to her hair dresser for her to use instead of the chemical laden hair dyes at the salon. There are actually a number of our customers who do the same thing. Herbatint is nice and gentle and doesn’t smell like chemicals (I remember back in the day when I would color my hair, I hated the chemical smell that seemed to linger on my hair for days).
Herbatint also has a fantastic treatment conditioner called Royal Cream- it’s actually the same as the conditioner found in the hair color, that’s available now in a regular size bottle for sale on its own. Both Sarah and I are crazy about it, it really keeps colored hair in good condition (I don’t color my hair, but I still like it anyway as a fantastic conditioning treatment).
Since we’re featuring Herbatint in our April newsletter, we’re going to have it on sale for 25% off for the whole month. If you color your hair, it’s an easy change you can make for the benefit of not only yourself (removing toxins from your life is always a good thing) but for the Earth!
Natural Feminine Hygiene Products
With April being Earth Day, we usually think about natural household cleansers as a great way to reduce the toxins in your household. This month, however, I wanted to write about natural feminine hygiene products, since it’s something most women don’t think about, but is something that can make a big difference in reducing the toxins in our lives and helping with overall health.
The skin is the largest organ in the body and is extremely permeable to toxins- especially the vaginal area which is lined with mucous membranes that can easily absorb chemicals and pesticides. There are no long term studies on the safety of using conventional tampons and the chemicals they contain on the human body.
Also with conventional tampons, fiber shedding is an issue, where bits of rayon and other fibers are left in the vagina, which can cause bacterial infections or worse. See this page for more information. Organic tampons like those from Naturacare and Emerita do not have that issue since they are not made from rayon and other man-made materials.
It is best to choose organic, 100% cotton, chlorine free feminine products, not only for the health of the environment, but for the sake of our own bodies as well! The average woman will use 11,000 tampons and pads in their lifetime- that’s a lot of exposure to toxins that can be easily avoided by switching to natural feminine care products.
