Integrative Medicine and Human Health.

Posted on October 14, 2015 by Dr. Gary Pack

Our Paleolithic ancestors had access to 500 different plants. Their food was often stored in the ground with access to abundant bacteria. Today, 80% of human nutrients come from 17 plants, while 50% of our calories come from only 8 grains. Our food undergoes excessive processing and heating. Important chemicals in plants start to disappear […]

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Conditions: Chronic diseases, Cornonary artery disease, Diabetes, Inflammation, Irritable bowel disease, Ulcerative colitis

Supplements: Antioxidants, Butyrate, Dietary fiber, Fiber, Folic acid (folate), FOS (fructooligosaccharide), Fructans, Glucomannan (Amorphophallus konjac), Glutathione, Guar gum, Inulin, Oat fiber, Prebiotics, Probiotics, Synbiotics, Wheat fiber

Foods: Balsamic products, Beans, Cereals, Cheese, Coca Cola, Coffee, Cooked food, Dairy, Fish, Grains, Meat, Nuts, Peas, Plants, Potatoes, Poultry, Powdered milk, Roots, Seeds, Smoked foods, Yogurt

Miscellaneous: Bacteria, Estrogen, Homocysteine, Lactobacillus sp., Paleolithic

Homocysteine as a Marker of Neurodegenerative Disease.

Posted on July 6, 2015 by Dr. Gary Pack

Homocysteine (Hcy) is a chemical found in the blood; high Hcy levels (HHcy) are commonly associated with neurodegenerative disease. HHcy is often seen in elderly people and is associated with increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, cognitive impairment, and stroke. Also, HHcy is associated with vitamin B deficiency (folate, B12, B6) and is a […]

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Conditions: Alzheimer's disease, Brain atrophy, Cognitive impairment, Hyperhomcysteinemia, Neurodegenerative disease, Neurotoxicity, Stroke, Vascular disease

Supplements: Folic acid (folate), Vitamin B, Vitamin B-12, Vitamin B-6 (pyridoxine)

Miscellaneous: Biomarker, Homocysteine

Ginseng Review: Part II.

Posted on July 5, 2015 by Dr. Gary Pack

Ginsengs are adaptogens, increasing resistance to all kinds of stress, increasing vitality and the ability to work. Ginsengs reduce high blood glucose levels and support immunity. Korean red ginseng promotes the growth of new blood vessels (angiogenesis). The major components of ginseng are ginsenosides, which promote wound healing by angiogenesis. Diabetic rats treated with Korean […]

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B-12 and Folic Acid in Vegans, Vegetarians and Omnivores.

Posted on July 3, 2015 by Dr. Gary Pack

People on vegetarian or vegan diets have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and a higher risk of nutritional deficiencies than omnivores. Vitamin B-12 is found naturally in animal products and in artificially fortified foods (breakfast cereals, plant-based milks, soy products and yeast extracts). Vitamin B-12 deficiency is defined as a blood level below 118 […]

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Conditions: Anemia, Cardiovascular disease, Nutritional deficiencies, Pernicious anemia, Spinal cord injury

Supplements: Folic acid (folate), Vitamin B-12

Foods: Soybeans

Miscellaneous: Homocysteine, Omnivore, Ovolacto-vegetarian diet, Vegan, Vegetarian

ER-Negative Breast Cancer, Green Tea, and Broccoli.

Posted on June 16, 2015 by Dr. Gary Pack

Breast cancer therapy with tamoxifen is beneficial in women who have tumors which have estrogen receptors (ER-positive). They are treated with either “selective estrogen receptor modulators”, such as tamoxifen, or with aromatase inhibitors. ER-negative tumors do not respond well to those treatments and account for 25-30% of breast tumors. The ER-negative tumors are not the […]

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Conditions: Breast cancer, Hypermethylation

Supplements: EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate), Green tea, Green tea extract, S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe), Sulforaphane

Foods: Broccoli, Green tea (Camellia sinensis)

Miscellaneous: DNA, Epigenetics, Homocysteine, Tamoxifen

Nitric Oxide in Health and Disease.

Posted on June 1, 2015 by Dr. Gary Pack

Nitric oxide (NO) is a chemical which functions in nearly every cellular activity of the body. NO in the walls of small blood vessels determines the tone of the blood vessels and controls blood flow. Abnormally low NO levels cause “endothelial dysfunction”*, with inability of blood vessel walls to relax. Low NO levels play a […]

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Anti-Hypertensive Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods.

Posted on May 15, 2015 by Dr. Gary Pack

High blood pressure (hypertension,) with blood pressure over 140/90, is a risk for stroke, kidney disease and heart disease. Alternative therapy is beneficial in hypertension, especially in early, mild hypertension that doesn’t need prescription treatment. Certain foods and herbs have chemical and relaxation functions similar to anti-hypertensive medications. A specific cause of essential hypertension cannot […]

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DNA Methylation and Coffee Polyphenols.

Posted on September 24, 2013 by Dr. Gary Pack

To read the author’s abstract of the article, click on the title of the article. Then, to read the full article, click on the full text icon. KEY WORDS: Argan oil. Cancer. Caffeic acid. Chlorogenic acid. Coffee polyphenols. Dietary catechols. DNA methylation inhibitor. Homocysteine. Inhibition. PMID: 16081510. Summary #901.

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Conditions: Cancer, Methylation

Supplements: Argan oil, Chlorogenic acid, Coffee polyphenols

Miscellaneous: Caffeic acid, Chlorogenic acid, Homocysteine

DNA Methylation in Alcoholics and Smokers.

Posted on July 3, 2012 by Dr. Gary Pack

To read the author’s abstract of the article, click on the title of the article. Then, to read the full article, click on the full text icon. KEY WORDS: Alzheimer’s dementia, Cancer, Carcinogenesis, Chronic alcoholic, Cigarettes, DNA methylation, Epigenetics, Gene expression, Homocysteine, Multiple sclerosis, S-adenosyl methionine (SAM), Smoke, Tobacco. PMID: 22737275. Summary #800.

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Conditions: Alcoholism, Alzheimer's disease, Cancer, Carcinogenesis, Methylation, Multiple sclerosis, Smokers

Supplements: S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe)

Miscellaneous: DNA, Epigenetics, Gene expression, Homocysteine

Betaine Supplementation and Liver Damage.

Posted on August 8, 2011 by Dr. Gary Pack

A chemical, betaine (trimethylglycine or TMG), can be consumed in the diet or derived from dietary choline. Betaine levels are high in shellfish, spinach and sugar beets (Beta vulgaris). It functions in the liver and kidneys by maintaining electrolyte balance across membranes and the microscopic structures of those tissues. It prevents accumulation of lipids in […]

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Conditions: Coronary heart disease, Fatty liver (hepatic steatosis), Hepatitis, Hyperlipidemia, Liver disease, Liver toxicity

Supplements: Betaine (trimethylglycine) (TMG), Choline, Cysteine, Glutathione, S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe)

Foods: Beets, Molasses, Shellfish, Spinach, Sugar beets (Beta vulgaris)

Miscellaneous: D-galactosamine, Hepatoprotective, Homocysteine, S-adenosyl homocystine (SAH)