SAM-e is
Back to Support Healthy Moods, Joints & More
What’s the most prescribed drug category in the U.S.?
You might be surprised to learn that it’s not for blood
pressure, cholesterol, or arthritis. Nope, it’s for good old
fashioned depression.
According to the Center for Disease Control, of the 2.4
billion prescriptions written each year, 118 million of them
are for antidepressants. Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, Celexo,
Luvox, Nardil, Elavil, Serzone—the list goes on and on.
What’s depressing to this kat is that so many Americans
haven’t discovered what the Europeans have known for years:
there’s a natural alternative to these high-priced, high
side-effect prescription pills. It’s called SAM-e.
Short for S-Adenosyl-Methionine, SAM-e has been shown in
a multitude of studies here and abroad to be more effective
than placebo and as effective as standard
antidepressants when it comes to treating depression—without
all those nasty side effects. Maybe that’s why European
doctors have been prescribing SAM-e to patients for years!
Given our collapsing economy, political follies, global
warming, unrest in the Middle East, price of food and gas,
well, it’s no surprise many of you might feel in need of a
little mood boost these days.
Depression—whether chemical in origin or brought on by
life-events and stress—is serious stuff. A whopping 10% of
Americans currently take antidepressants. Experts estimate
that 25% of adults will have a major depressive episode at
some point in their life.
As if battling the blues weren’t enough, SAM-e also helps
treat osteoarthritis and liver disease according to the U.S.
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), a
division of the Department of Health and Human Services.
In one large randomized clinical trial, SAM-e reduced the
pain of osteoarthritis by 20%. Studies have also shown that
SAM-e is helpful in treating various liver conditions,
including cirrhosis. Other studies have indicated SAM-e can
help relieve the pain of fibromyalgia and migraines. Check
out the
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's archive
report on numerous SAM-e studies.
Many of our Co-op members swear by SAM-e and will be
happy to know SAM-e is back in stock. If you, or someone you
know, is struggling with depression or anxiety, this kat
urges you to consider trying ultra-safe SAM-e.
So while this kat can’t fix the economy or broker world
peace, the Co-op can help make your corner of the world a
little happier, and maybe help you sleep a little better at
night.
Read on for more on our
SAM-e!
IBD &
Liver Disease Depletes Vitamin D Levels
Vitamin D has been linked to
countless health benefits in the last few years -- seems just about
everyone would benefit from taking it.
This goes double if you suffer from either inflammatory bowel disease or
chronic liver disease, according to new research presented at the 73rd
Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology, as
your chances of developing vitamin D deficiency are much higher. Here's a
summary of the two studies presented:
Vitamin D Deficiency Associated with Lower Quality of Life and
Higher Disease Activity in IBD Patients
Researchers at the Medical College of Wisconsin investigated whether
Vitamin D deficiency in patients with IBD is associated with a lower quality
of life or higher disease activity.
Dr. Alex Ulitsky and his colleagues analyzed vitamin D levels of 504
inflammatory bowel
disease patients and found almost 50 percent of the patients were
Vitamin D deficient at some point, with 11 percent being severely deficient.
Vitamin D deficiency was not significantly associated with being
hospitalized for IBD or having IBD-related surgeries. However, in both
Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) patients, vitamin D
deficiency was independently associated with having increased disease
activity compared to those with normal levels of Vitamin D.
Vitamin D deficient CD patients, but not UC patients, had worse quality
of life when compared to patients who were not Vitamin D deficient.
According to Dr. Ulitsky, “All IBD patients, irrespective of their
disease, disease location or nature should have their Vitamin D levels
checked regularly and corrected aggressively when insufficiency is found.”
Vitamin D Deficiency Prevalent in Patients with Chronic Liver
Disease
Researchers from the University of Tennessee in Memphis measured the
vitamin D levels of 118 chronic liver disease patients. Researchers found
92.4 percent of chronic liver patients had some degree of vitamin D
deficiency and at least one third were severely deficient.
“Since deficiency is common among these patients, Vitamin D replacement
may hopefully prevent osteoporosis and other bone complications related to
end stage liver disease,” said lead researcher Dr. Satheesh P. Nair.
Read on for more on our
Vitamin D!
