Stroke Antioxidant Treatment As a Sensible Preventative Measure

There is continuous mounting evidence that stroke antioxidant treatment makes a lot of sense. It certainly makes sense from a preventative standpoint, and also for anyone that has had a stroke as a measure to help insure against a future stroke.  Antioxidants also help rid the body of free radicals, shown to help reduce the bad cholesterol, LDL or low-density lipoprotein. It should be kept at levels below 100 mg/dL. HDL or high-density lipoprotein is important as it removes or cleanses cholesterol from your body. According to several doctors I have consulted, the best way to raise HDL is through exercise. Levels of HDL of less than than 40 mg/dL for men and less than 50 mg/dL for women could put you at risk for heart disease.

Another main issue with strokes are that they cut off much needed blood supply to the brain which may result in permanent brain damage. Antioxidants can also repair partially damaged cells and repair them to function properly.  It has been said that many doctors are 10 years behind in the area of nutrition and nutritional supplementation, but it appears that in the last few years, that gap is decreasing.

Triglyceride is yet another factor to be considered in heart disease and stroke. It is fat manufactured within the body. If you have high levels of this, it is likely that your balances of LDL and HDL will be out of proper balance. Triglyceride levels should not be higher than 150 mg/dL.

Please consult your trusted physician to have these levels checked. Adding more foods high in antioxidants should be recommended by any good doctor. This may not be enough, especially for people who smoke. Obviously the first serious consideration should be to quit by whatever means are necessary. In the meantime, high quality natural supplements high in antioxidants may help some. I have personally seen  this measured by an Oxi-data test, which measures the amount of free radical damage in your body. Your doctor should be able to administer this simple test, and their are home kits available as well. I can get them for around $20.00 plus shipping if anyone is interested. So in conclusion, yes, stroke antioxidant treatment makes sense, it certainly cannot hurt.

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The Importance of  Aging Properties of Antioxidants

The aging or  more correctly termed anti-aging properties of antioxidants vary greatly and work in different ways within the body. Antioxidants can slow the progression of aging which shows up as “oxidative stress”, a number of neurodegenerative diseases, and so forth. Aging may be something we see in a person or do not see as it takes place inside the body on a cellular level. Good examples would be the beginning stages of Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, heart disease, cancer and more.

Oxidative stress works like this: Your body’s cells are composed of molecule containing protons and electrons. A healthy cell will have a proton surrounded by electrons, which are in pairs. When oxidation of a cell occurs, the oxidation strips the cell of 1 of the electrons from a pair, thus damaging the cell and keeping it from functioning properly, for example communicating important information to other cells, passing on and sharing of important nutrients and so forth.

Antioxidants help to fight free radical damage or oxidation of cells in the body, thus, their importance. Foods high in antioxidant capability would be blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, grapes, plums, dates and prunes. there are more. The deeper color red and purple fruits seem to have the highest antioxidant factor.

I would be remiss not to mention Mangosteen and Acai, both high in antioxidants. Vitamin E has shown to be a key antioxidant for the brain.

Especially in our modern society, many of us don’t consume enough of these foods regularly in our diets. Our world today is filled with more and more pollutants, and stress. We eat too much processed foods as a convenience, loaded with chemicals and stripped of nutrients.  Soils in which we grow our foods become more depleted and loaded with more chemicals, and water supplies deteriorate. all sources of oxidation and free radical damage. I recently read a study that stated the next generation is not expected to live as long, due to the aforementioned.

My advice is to eat as much of the above foods as possible and make use of good high quality supplements from reputable companies. I have a doctor friend (Certified Doctor of Chinese Medicine or DOM) who offers an inexpensive in home lab test that will tell you, quite accurately the amount of free radical damage,  I’ve used it myself .

The aging properties of antioxidants have never had more significance than today, please make use of them as often as possible!

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Antioxidant Power – Best Sources Of

Antioxidants, so many to choose from. Do they work, which ones and why? Free radical damage in the body has been linked to almost all sickness and major disease. Want validation? Go to a search engine like Google and type in a health malady, like cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, and scores of others, and see how much information is related, the links to free radical damage and the particular disease.
The Orac Scale measures Oxygen Radical Absorbency Capacity of antioxidant foods and other substances. Some naturally occurring antioxidants that rate high on the ORAC scale are ACAI, acerola, the wolfberry, goji berries, cocoa powder, clove oil, vitamin C, green tea, prunes, pomegranates, blueberries and raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, broccoli, kale, spinach, red beans, pinto beans, raisins, garlic, and the mangosteen fruit. etc. The list is vast and there is a lot of contradiction of where certain foods rank on the ORAC scale, depending where you get your information and what quantity of a substance is used in the test.

There is also contradiction as to what happens in the body, as far as how much free radical damage can actually be absorbed by an antioxidant. This means does an antioxidant that is off the charts on the ORAC scale going to work better than an antioxidant a bit lower on the scale?

There are also 2 types of antioxidants, water soluble as found in vitamin C and fat soluble as found in vitamins A and E. Good sources of vitamin C of course would be fruits, berries, and peppers. he problem here is that with consuming a lot of fruit, you also consume high levels of fructose which the liver does not process easily. Good sources of vitamin A would be dark greens and fruits and vegetables dark orange in color. For vitamin E would be liver, cod liver oil, butter and egg yolks. None of these are good for your body, consumed in large quantities. It would make the most sense to eat a balanced diet with a variety of the above rather than trying to load up any any one food.

The only way to really know how effective antioxidants are would be to first be tested through an Oxi-Data test or similar test, then to start on a diet modified with a selection of antioxidants and test again, say in 60 or 90 days. My personal experience has been with the test is that mangosteen can significantly lower free radical damage in the body. In the pericarp or rind of the mangosteen fruit, more than 60 xanthones are found, each with different antioxidant properties, a powerful antioxidant source. In some cases it also makes sense to use a liver or liver and kidney cleanse (not a colon cleanse) periodically help these organs function better. Lowering intake of processed flour, sugar, and processed foods in general helps a great deal as well.

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Macular Degeneration – Prevalent Among The Aging

Macular degeneration is now known to be the leading cause vision loss in the aging, primarily in the over 65 group, but can start at around age 50. As we live longer nowadays, the 65 and over group is increasing and with it the problem. AMD as it is also known, is degeneration or deterioration of the macula, part of the retina. This is associated with central vision. As AMD advances, severe vision loss is the result. There are two forms of macular degeneration, wet and dry. The dry form is more prevalent and found in 85 or 90 per cent of those afflicted, while the wet form is much more serious, leading to severe vision loss, it is not believed to cause total blindness.

So far there are no FDA approved treatments for the dry form. There is some promising evidence that certain nutrients may slow or aid the progression, vitamin E, vitamin C and beta carotene, which is vitamin A. Some strong research suggests that antioxidant supplements and/or zinc supplements may also help with advanced AMD. Effective antioxidants seem to aid the slowing or progression of many health challenges, where there is no known cure, slowing progression is the next best desired result.

Macular degeneration is loss of sharp vision, making driving difficult and potentially dangerous and can affect one’s ability to read. This disease can be detected early through regular eye examinations, in early stages, deposits called drusen appear in the macula for reason yet unknown. Acupuncture has been used to treat AMD, but it does not appear that there is any evidence that it has been an effective treatment. A person afflicted with AMD should be prepared to make some life adjustments. There are what’s termed “low vision specialists” now in most countries that can evaluate and assist or inquire with your opthamologist. A good diet may be beneficial for macular degeneration.

Other Posts From Around the Web:

• New Non-invasive Test for Wet Macular Degeneration
• Macular Degeneration Treatment
• New Test Can Detect Macular Degeneration

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Antioxidants and the Basics Explained

Antioxidants are substances that may protect cells from the damage caused by unstable molecules known as free radicals.  Antioxidants are intimately involved in the prevention of cellular damage – the common pathway for cancer, aging, and a variety of diseases.  Antioxidants are found in certain foods that neutralize free radicals.

Antioxidants may possibly reduce the risks of cancer and age-related macular degeneration (AMD).  Antioxidants are often described as “mopping up” free radicals, meaning they neutralize the electrical charge and prevent the free radical from taking electrons from other molecules. Antioxidants are classified into two broad divisions, depending on whether they are soluble in water (hydrophilic) or in lipids (hydrophobic).  Antioxidants are found in varying amounts in foods such as vegetables, fruits, grain cereals, legumes and nuts.  Just as they sound, antioxidants are chemicals that prevent the oxidation of other compounds. In the picture above are fresh raspberries, known to be a good source of antioxidants. Pomegranates are one of the better single source antioxidants available. The mangosteen fruit contains more than 60 different xanthones, each with a different antioxidant property. If choosing mangosteen as a source of antioxidants, I highly recommend our capsules of pure mangosteen rind powder, no additives or preservatives, pure and potent, very important as the rind or pericarp contains the highest concentration of xanthones known to exist in nature. Testing has shown it is far better to deliver this in a natural, unaltered form for maximum possible effectiveness. Through our site, I believe you can purchase what I believe through extensive research to be the best mangosteen product available, not only a great source of antioxidants. but numerous other health beneficial bio active chemicals.

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Oxidative Stress and the Dangers

Oxidative stress has been linked to numerous health problems. Life is more stressful and complicated today than ever before. We fight to be able to provide for our families and to able to make the right choices in a world where information overload and conflicting information are a daily way of life. All of this takes a heavy toll on our bodies. We here a lot of talk about the importance of antioxidants in our diets and the use of additional antioxidant supplementation. This all makes sense, but how many people get tested for free radical damage in the body. How many doctors test for this? Not many and not enough I’m afraid. There is a simple in home lab test available which yields results in about 5 minutes, if anyone is interested, please contact me at the below email address. The test is inexpensive and comes with a consultation, contact me for details.

Oxidative stress may be linked to heart disease, cardiovascular disease. It is believed that oxidation of LDL can lead to plaque formation. Oxidative stress has also been shown to be a cause of chronic fatigue syndrome. I hear people complain of chronic fatigue almost on a daily basis. Oxidative stress has also been directly linked to the aging process causing age spots, sagging skin and wrinkles. This type of stress is also thought to contribute to the general decline of cellular function as a whole. Oxidative stress by definiton is when there is more free radical damage ocurring in the body than can be neutralized by the body and/or foods and/or anti-oxidant supplementation. This is why mangosteen is so important as the 60 plus xanthones equate to the most powerful antioxidants known to exist in nature

Oxidative stress is not a disease in and of itself, but as we now know is the precursor and contributor to many diseases and sicknesses. It is also thought that it can be an accelerant to current health challenges and conditions. It has been linked to some inflammatory and allergic skin diseases, Alzheimer’s, pregnancy loss, cancer, diabetes, and as mentioned, heart disease.  Simply put, oxidative stress is an inbalance between our bodies production of reactive oxygen and our bodies ability to quickly repair the damage. This damage can affect all components of our bodies cells.

There are many foods that have been shown to have excellent properties, however without being tested for free radical damage in the body, how do we know if they are effective? We don’t, we have no idea. Antioxidant supplementation is widely available, but again, without testing, we have no clue as to the effectiveness. There is a lot of talk these days and controversy about the ORAC scale, developed by the National Institute of Aging in Baltimore., Md. This scale  measures a particular known antioxidant’s ability to neutralize or absorb free radicals in the body.

An Interesting Related Article

As many of now know, the mangosteen fruit has shown to have powerful antioxidant properties, not only with the xanthones it contains but also catechins, specifically epicatechin, which per a Harvard Medical School study have been shown to reduce the risk of 4 of the major health problems we face today. I highly recommend getting tested for free radical damage as a starting point, adding mangosteen to your health regimen and then getting tested again in 60-90 days for free radical damage or can be termed oxidative stress.

You can contact me anytime at daveknop@comcast.net.

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