Includes the following article: Garlic & Ginkgo:
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"GARLIC & GINKGO: LEADERS IN THE
QUIET REVOLUTION"
by Max Stanley Chartrand, M.A.,
DigiCare Hearing Research & Rehabiliation
Disregard for nutrition and natural approaches has
long been the Achilles' heel of modern medicine.
This has spawned an aged population increasingly
dependent upon prescription drugs; over-diagnosed
dementia; and a plethora of "irreversible" physical
infirmities erroneously attributed to "growing old."
Despite these trends, many individuals and their
health providers are coupling allopathic and ancient
natural approaches so that life quality as well as
lifespans continue on the upswing for millions of
older adults. In fact, thanks to a growing group of
hardy individuals, the fastest growing age-group in
the U.S. today is that over 100 years of age! Recent
findings in research on nutrition and human health
point to increased resistance to disease, prolific
wisdom and intellect, and retention of hearing and
communication abilitiesóeven as we grow older- if we
are willing to do a little research, change some
age-old habits and misconceptions, and adopt a
life-outlook that perceives a cup that's half-full
rather than half-empty.
Modern preparations of the ancient herbs garlic (allium
savitum) and ginkgo (ginkgo biloba) can play vital
roles in slowing the human aging process, including
retention of mental faculties and optimum hearing
health.
Longevity Duo: Garlic and Ginkgo Ancient wisdom
understood the life-preserving benefits of both
garlic and ginkgo. Add modern scientific research
and advanced processing methods, and today, many
health practitioners and researchers consider these
food substances as the veritable dietary foundation
for those over 40 years old, and for those under 40
with special health needs.
Ginkgo biloba, an ancient Chinese herb, comes from
the ginkgo tree, the last surviving pre-historic
tree on earth. During the 18th and 19th Centuries,
this large, leafy, deciduous tree was transplanted
as a popular street and park tree all over Europe
and North America, where today it thrives in
thousands of communities. So hardy is this amazing
plant that in Hiroshima, Japan there stands a
popular national monument celebrating the one lone
ginkgo tree as the only vegetation survivor of the
infamous 1945 atomic disaster.
As a mild natural vasodilator, ginkgo's primary
action appears to be upon the small capillaries of
the body. Reportedly it increases blood circulation
to the extremities, the inner ear, and assists in
neurological and vascular repair of the brain in
cases of dementia and stroke. It has also been
attributed as beneficial in treatment of tinnitus,
sensorineural hearing loss, asthma, and
cardiovascular disease.
Garlic, on me other hand, has been credited with
stabilizing the body's pH balance (a major component
ofpre-diabetes, diabetes, Meniere's disease and
vertigo) and aiding kidney function. It also has
been reported to effectively convert I DL
cholesterol into the good HDL cholesterol, and in
significantly reducing chronic high blood pressure.
ADVANCED PREPARATIONS
A highly sophisticated, patented aging process
(known as "kyolic" or aged garlic) removes garlic's
harsh, caustic substances. Unique to this process is
the conversion of allicin to its milder alliin
cousin, yielding a highly potent, yet gentle form of
liquid, capsule, or powdered garlic.
A different approach known under the labels "Garlicin"
and "Shaklee Garlic" instead enhances the allicin
content while also removing most of the harsh
components in garlic. Hence, its highly concentrated
components are encapsulated so as not to release
until in the intestinal tract.
Another popular approach often labeled "Odorless
Garlic/High Allicin Yield"óprovides a potent but
slightly harsher capsule or tablet form. Although
labeled "odorless," this process yields more garlic
odor than the other two processes.
The herbal extract of ginkgo has historically been
costly and laborious to produce, requiring huge
quantities of leaves to reap even a small amount of
extract. Many crucial amino acids and flavonoids
were typically lost during commercial manufacture,
rendering it sometimes of questionable quality.
Today, the best formulations of ginkgo are of
European manufacture, producing high-quality extract
of 50:1 concentrations. In France and Germany, EGb
76-a form of the 50:1 formulation-has been developed
and distributed under government control by
prescription only. Consequently, EGb 76 has been the
subject of numerous controlled studies, at- testing
to its efficacy for various health conditions.
In the U.S., EGb 76 is sold over the counter under
the brand name "Ginkgold." Other brand names and
forms of the 50:1 formula have also been the subject
of numerous studies.
Together, garlic and ginkgoó in their newer,
advanced preparations-make an effective health
promoting team for warding off a variety of common
problems
without the dangerous side effects of their
pharmaceutical counterparts. Because their benefits
are derived through naturally-occurring physical
processes, more time is required to reap benefits
than with conventional allopathic medicine.
STUDIES CITED
Boston University: "Garlic is effective against 14
strains of bacteria. Garlic will kill some strains
that cannot be killed by antibiotics."
Columbia University: The College of Physicians and
Surgeons, 226 years old, has
now created a center for "alternative medicine."
European Studies: Show that ginkgo leaf extracts can
improve mental function in Alzheimer's patients.
PUBLIC ENEMY #1 Free radical oxidation
Oxidants or "free radicals" are the "rust agents" of
brain tissue, lipids, and bone that comprise the
human body. Fried foods are loaded with free
radicals, as are tobacco smoke, alcohol, ionized
radiation, and pollution.
Vascular constrictions resulting from stroke;
diabetes; or high lipids, triglycerides, and LDL
cholesterol also unleash extremely toxic levels of
free radicals. These overwhelm the body's natural
antioxidation defenses causing rapid destruction of
cells in the body and brain. It is commonly accepted
today that most neural tissue damage resulting from
strokes occurs weeks arid months after the stroke
because of the huge release of free radical toxins
emanating from stroke-damaged tissue.
Conventional wisdom in the allopathic school of
thought generally accepts this rapid deterioration
and after-destruction as a natural consequence of
aging. But both ancient and modern nutritionists
have long debunked this assumption. Countless case
histories and scientific studies point to reverses
in physical and mental deteriora- tion through the
use of naturally occurring food supplement
antioxidants. And nothing seems to surpass garlic
and ginkgo.
IMPLICATIONS IN HEARING HEALTH
Whatever affects the body and mind affects one's
hearing health. Conversely, whatever assists body
and mind in obtaining and maintaining good health
also brings better hearing health.
The principle cause ofpresbycusis (hearing loss in
old age) is believed to be the decrease in blood
circulation around the inner ear. When high LDL
cholesterol clogs the vascular system, it wreaks
havoc with circulation in the tiny cochlear
capillaries.
Other major causes of presbycusis include osseous
abnormalities such as osteoarthritis, osteoporosis,
and rheumatoid arthritis. These maladies yield ear-
equivalent conditions in the form of
tympanosclerosis, otosclerosis (or deterioration and
abnormal formations on the eardrum and middle ear
bones), and ossified inner ear structures.
Conditions affecting the pH-balance of the body
(hypo- or hyper-glycemia, diabetes mellitus II,
gout) also affect the pH of the inner ear, where
chemical balance between the two fluids is essential
for proper balance and hearing.
Deficiencies in pH cause tinnitus (ringing in the
ears), vertigo, and poor hearing.
Other causes that commonly contribute to presbycusis
are the same ones that cause dementia and memory
loss: attacks by free radical toxins at the central
and cortical levels of hearing. Poor renal (kidneys,
et al) health causes ototoxicity or poisoning of the
ears from various medications and other unhealthy
substances.
ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANT SUPERBUGS
A can of worms was recently opened by the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the
American Society of Microbiology that should
intensify research in the use of natural substances.
... After unleashing dozens of wonder-drug
antibiotics before 1970, pharmaceuticals have since
introduced only a few new an-
tibiotics to combat the ever stronger strains of
bacteria, such as the common pnuemococcus and
staphylococcus areus bacteria, which cause most of
the 10 million cases of children's chronic ear
infections each year in the U.S. New strains of
these and other bacteria develop faster than new
drugs can be introduced, while the introduction of
new antibiotics simply set the stage for more deadly
strains of bacteria. The same goes for a host of
powerful fungi, yeast, and viral bacteria, all
unfazed by antibiotic treatment. For most of the
population, these pose greater danger to the ears
than any other part of the human body.
Garlic stands almost alone in its effectiveness in
warding off these bacteria, though at a much slower
pace than modern man has become accustomed. Nothing
surpasses its preventive qualities.
As need for better nutrition and scientific
processing increases for a growing population of
elderly persons, will allopathic medicine willingly
embrace alternative and preventative approaches?
Will medical schools begin rigorous studies and
research into combining modern and ancient
healthcare remedies?
Will mainstream primary care physicians begin
addressing root causes of disease and counsel
patients in good health practices? While the jury's
out, not to worry: The quiet revolution rages on.
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