Russian antihistamine drug does well in Alzheimer's test (AFP)

AFP - A nearly forgotten Russian-made drug, formulated to combat hay fever, helps improve cognitive abilities in patients with Alzheimer's disease, according to the results of purchase pure noni powder year-long trial published on Thursday.

In 1999, the Office of Dietary Supplements, created by the DSHEA, successfully carried out a mandate in the DSHEA to launch a database for dietary supplement research. This exciting development, called the International Bibliographic Information on Dietary Supplements (IBIDS) database, is a database of published scientific literature from around the world. The IBIDS database is free of charge through the Office of Dietary Supplements home page at and is intended to assist both scientists and the lay public in finding credible scientific publications on dietary supplements.

Finally, to exemplify the meaning of consumer savvy, a person must understand the meaning of the most current nutritional and sports supplement jargon, or buzzwords, as well as some basic terminology.

What is the Difference Between a Supplement and a Drug?

What exactly is a dietary supplement, and how does it differ from a drug? Generally, a nutritional supplement provides a substance that is a component of a normal physiological or biochemical process. In contrast, a drug alters a physiological or biochemical process. Of course, more complex legal definitions have been established to distinguish between these two entities.

As previously mentioned, the NLEA expanded the traditional definition of "dietary supplement" to include not just essential nutrients, but also to encompass "herbs, or similar nutritional substances." The DSHEA further expanded the definition of dietary supplements to include nonessential nutrients to encompass substances such as garlic, ginseng, fish oils, enzymes, psyllium (a fiber laxative), glandulars (extracts from animal glands or tissues), and combinations of these.

The following is an abbreviated, nontechnical definition of "dietary supplement" provided by the Office of Dietary Supplements at the National Institutes of Health (NIB), an office itself established as stipulated by the DSHEA: "The Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act defines dietary supplements as a product (other than tobacco) intended to supplement the diet that bears or contains one or more of the following dietary ingredients: a vitamin, mineral, amino acid, herb or other botanical; or a dietary substance to supplement the diet by increasing the total dietary intake; or a concentrate, metabolite, constituent, extract, or combination of any ingredient described above; and intended for the ingestion in the form of a [liquid,] capsule, powder, soft gel, or gelcap, and not represented as a conventional food or as a sole item of a meal or the diet.

According to the FD&C Act, a "drug" is legally defined as any article (excluding a device) "intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment or prevention of disease" and "articles (other than food) intended to affect the structure or function of the body."

An additional distinction between a dietary supplement and a drug is the FDA pre market evaluation process. Before it is marketed, a drug must undergo clinical studies to determine its effectiveness, possible interactions with other substances, safety, and appropriate dosage. Then the FDA must analyze the generated data and authorize the drug's use before marketing it. In contrast, the FDA does not test or authorize nutritional supplements.

Legalizing Health Claims

At first, the distinction between dietary supplement and drug may appear straightforward. According to the definition of drug, a dietary supplement cannot claim to diagnose, cure, mitigate (alleviate), treat, or prevent a specific disease. For example, a dietary supplement could not carry the claim reverses heart disease or cures cancer or treats high blood pressure. However, to the public, the line between a nutritional supplement and a medicine is sometimes a thin one, depending on the claims made. Under the DSHEA and prior labeling legislature, there are three types of claims that can possibly be made by supplement manufacturers when justified: nutrient-content claims, disease claims, and nutrition support claims. No longer is a manufacturer required to obtain FDA approval to make these three types of health claims, as long as the manufacturers follow some simple guidelines.

Nutrient-content claims tout the amount of nutrient contained in a supplement. For example, a supplement's label could claim the product to be high in calcium if it contained a minimum of 200 milligrams of calcium. Similarly, a supplement label could read "Excellent source of vitamin C" in a supplement having at least 12 milligrams of vitamin C

Disease-specific claims make an association between a substance and a disease or health-related condition. These claims are preauthorized by the FDA based on its thorough review of the scientific evidence. Alternatively, disease claims can be based on a consensus statement from certain scientific bodies, such as the National Academy of Sciences, describing a proven link between a nutrient or food and health. Only certain nutrients are preapproved for such claims. For example, a disease claim could make a link between calcium intake and decreased risk of osteoporosis if the supplement contains sufficient levels of calcium. To date, just a few disease-specific claims have been authorized, and only two of these associations allow for nutritional supplements in addition to food: calcium and osteoporosis, and folic acid and neural tube defects. Currently, wordy, modellabel statements are required for a product marketed with a disease-specific claim. Thus, many manufacturers may be deterred from making such claims given the limited space on supplement labels.

Nutrition support claims describe a link between a nutrient and its deficiency disease. For example, a vitamin C supplement's label could legally state that vitamin C prevents scurvy if the product contains sufficient levels. When nutrition support claims are made, the prevalence of the deficiency disease in the U.S. must appear on the label. Certain nutrition support claims, called structurefunction claims, can refer to the supplement's effect on the structure or function of the human body. An example of a structure-function claim would be "adequate protein is necessary to build muscle." To use structure-function claims, manufacturers do not need FDA approval. Supplement manufacturers base these claims on their interpretation of the scientific literature. But, as with all label claims, structure-function claims must be truthful and not misleading. To detect a structure-function, simply look for the label disclaimer that reads "This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease." Interestingly, even though the manufacturer must be able to substantiate its claim, it need not furnish it to either the FDA or the public. This scenario beckons the phrase "There is no truth, just data to be manipulated."

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Regular chlamydia tests urged for young people (Reuters)

Reuters - Young sexually active people should get themselves tested annually for the infection chlamydia and again every time they change partner, the Health Protection Agency said on Tuesday.

A wine and cheese party can be buy pure thiamine mononitrate b1 powder fun way to relax and make new friends. It's also a great way to lower your blood pressure.

Cheese and wine parties are great for large get-togethers. Make it lots of fun by having every guest bring a bottle of wine and an exotic cheese. It's a fantastic way to try new wines and cheeses ... and a perfect conversation starter.

A cheese and wine party is also the perfect way to relax ... both yourself and your arteries. Wine is good for lowering blood pressure ... and so is cheese.

A Glass of Red Wine

Red wine contains a protective antioxidant -- the flavonol called resveratrol. This powerful antioxidant protects your arteries against the damage done by free radicals ... and helps prevent hardening of your arteries.

The flavonoid in red wine also keeps your blood platelets from clumping together ... stopping this first step in the formation of deadly blood clots. A glass of red wine keeps your blood flowing smoothly through your arteries.

Even more important for your blood pressure ... recent studies have shown that drinking red wine improves the function of your artery linings. When the linings of your arteries are working well ... they freely dilate and bring down your blood pressure.

A glass or two of red wine a day ... this is the perfect amount to keep your heart and arteries young -- and keep your blood pressure normal. The darker the red wine ... the better. Dark red wines are higher in the protective resveratrol flavonoid. Forget about white wines ... they pale by comparison.

A Wedge of Cheese

Although cheese has lots of saturated fat and can raise cholesterol levels ... a little cheese is good for you. Like red wine, cheese is good for you if eaten in moderation.

During the cheese making process, while the milk is fermenting ... peptides are released from the milk proteins. These peptides help control your blood pressure ... by inhibiting the enzymes that convert angiotensin.

When the protein angiotensin is converted into angiotensin II. Angiotensin II is a peptide that constricts your arteries and increases the retention of water and sodium. This whole process really pumps up your blood pressure.

The other peptides -- found in fermented milk products like cheese -- put a stop to this reaction that ups the blood pressure. Eating a small wedge of cheese blocks the enzyme that creates angiotensin II, keeps your arteries relaxed, and keeps your blood pressure down.

Relax With a Glass of Shiraz and a Slice of Gruyere

After a hard day at the office ... when tension has got your blood pressure creeping up ... enjoy some nice cheeses with a glass of red wine. Relax ... relax your arteries ... bring your blood pressure back down to normal. Your heart will love you for it.

Kevin Riley a long-time natural health advocate and researcher ... and the author of the exciting new program "Get Natural! Drop Your Blood Pressure". Discover more at http://www.naturalbloodpressure.com