Health for life

Lung cancer is a devastating disease with a traditionally poor survival rate less than ten percent after five years from diagnosis. There are a number of well documented triggers that cause tissue damage that eventually results in DNA damage, allowing lung cancer cells to develop and spread.

Researchers from the University of Colorado publishing in the journalMolecular Carcinogenesis found that treatment with silibinin, a major component of milk thistle effectively treated wound development in lung cancer cells that halted the disease and prevented metastasis. Long known for its rejuvenating effects on the liver, milk thistle is now emerging as a viable therapy to help prevent and reverse the damage caused by years of cellular breakdown in lung tissue and halt the spread of this deadly disease.

Although milk thistle use has been documented for nearly 2,000 years, very little solid science exists to validate the beneficial effects on human health. Cells communicate with one another through a complex series of signals to achieve an end result, normally the creation of a protein or completion of an enzymatic reaction. When this chain is broken as a result of poor dietor lifestyle choices that affect metabolic homeostasis, diseases such as cancer are allowed to develop and manifest in tissues throughout the body.

Big Pharma frequently looks to break these chain reactions in an unnatural way to halt metabolic processes in the body, commonly with undesired or potentially deadly consequences.  COX2 and iNOS are two enzymesthat are involved in a chain of actions that elicit an inflammatory response to wounds and infectious processes. If you were to cut yourself, inflammation at the local site is a desired response that will aid healing. Unfortunately, systemic inflammation caused by excess body weight and poor dietary choices is a serious problem underlying many chronic diseases including lung cancer.

Both COX2 and iNOS aid tumor growth when they remain in circulation as a response to chronic inflammation. Two transcription factors known as STAT1 and STAT3 allow the blueprint of DNA to bind with proteins that continue the signal cascade, eventually leading to the production of harmful COX2 and iNOS. Researchers found that when chain is broken, tumor growth is halted and metastatic growth stops. They found that a derivative of milk thistle called silibinin was able to inhibit the upstream signals that lead to the expression of COX2 and iNOS to help prevent lung cancer.

Lead study authors concluded“What we showed is that STAT1 and STAT3 may be promising therapeutic targets in the treatment of lung cancer… and that naturally-derived products like silibinin may be as effective as todays best treatments.” Milk thistle represents another natural compound that provides a powerful effect to prevent and treat chronic diseases. Alternative health experts recommend supplementing with 250 mg of a standardized milk thistle extract each day to fight the threat of lung cancer.

The liver and brain are two metabolically active organs that are under constant attack from disease promoting free radicals. Elevated cholesterol and triglyceride levels combined with blood glucose abnormalities and obesity cause damage to the cellular matrix of the liver and brain that worsen with time.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) affects an estimated 20 to 40% of adults in western society and dementia can touch nearly half of those reaching their 85^th birthday. Silymarin is the active compound found naturally in milk thistle that is shown to provide a significant degree of protection against NAFLD and abnormal brain aging.

The liver is called upon to perform more than 300 critical metabolic functions within our body. One of those functions is the formation of cholesterol and essential lipids that are required for cellular synthesis and repair. A diet high in processed carbohydrates and synthetic hydrogenated fats can result in excess blood triglycerides that become lodged in the hepatic cells and NAFLD can develop.

NAFLD is a chronic disease that is characterized by inflammation of the organ that releases a flurry of free radicals and liver enzymes. Left unchecked, NAFLD can progress to cirrhosis, carcinoma and death. The result of research published in the journal Hepatitis Monthly demonstrates the effectiveness of treatment with silymarin for the treatment of NAFLD. Researchers noted a significant decline in liver enzyme markers that indicate reversal of the disease, and no serious side effects were reported as a result of the natural treatment.

Silymarin is one of a small number of compounds able to cross the blood-brain barrier and affect neural function and chemical neurotransmitters. Long known for its ability to detoxify the liver, silymarin also exerts a powerful protective edge against nerve damage and brain preservation.

Information from the journal Neurochemistry International shows that the nutrient is able to protect delicate glial cells in the brain against free radical damage that occurs as a result of low grade bacterial infection common in overweight and obese individuals.

One of the key indicators of Alzheimer’s disease are the protein amyloid plaques that form and prevent electrical and chemical signaling between neurons. It is known that plaque exists as a normal byproduct of metabolic activity in the brain and is not properly cleared in those exhibiting symptoms of dementia. The result of a study published in the journal Molecular Gerontology demonstrates that silymarin helps the brain to naturally clear amyloid plaque before it becomes tangled and restricts normal cellular communication.

Silymarin from milk thistle is shown to be a powerful nutrient that assists multiple biological pathways in the liver and brain to maintain optimal organ function. Milk thistle is available as an inexpensive nutritional supplement. Nutritional experts recommend 250 to 450 mg per day to provide optimal effectiveness. Take advantage of natural silymarin to boost liver detoxification, prevent NAFLD and prevent the damage from free radicals on the delicate brain matrix.

As a consequence fat is deposited in the liver cells where it triggers inflammation and the release of chemical messengers known as adipokines as the liver attempts to repair itself. Left unchecked, NAFLD can progress to cirrhosis and liver failure. Emerging research provides powerful nutritional options including milk thistle and vitamin E that can dramatically lower the risk of developing fatty liver disease.

Many chronic conditions are known to initiate and progress due to inflammation within our body and fatty liver disease is no exception. The liver is responsible for metabolizing cholesterol and influences how fat is either burned for energy or stored for future use. An increasing burden is placed on the organ as we eat excess calories from sugar, ined carbohydrates and hydrogenated fats. Fat metabolism is disrupted as high levels of blood fats become stored in the liver. Eventually this leads to a decline in liver function and finally to total organ failure and death.

Natural nutrients that are known to exert strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties have proven more effective than any pharmaceutical in the prevention and treatment of NAFLD. Researchers from the Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center compared the effect of vitamin E and the drug Actos on lowering liver enzymes that are associated with advancement of liver disease. They found that the insulin-sensitizing drug had no effect while vitamin E (800 IU per day) was shown to provide significantly lowered enzyme markers and improved scarring when liver biopsies were performed.

EPA and DHA Omega-3 fats have gained notoriety for their ability to positively regulate cholesterol ratios and lower triglycerides. Research published on the British Medical Journal found that supplementing with 1,000 mg of Omega-3 fats per day markedly decreased serum markers of liver cell damage, triglyceride levels and glucose. Any natural therapy that helps the body eliminate triglycerides and lower blood sugar levels will lower the underlying risk factors for NAFLD.

The active compound in milk thistle, known as silymarin is a potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent that directly impacts liver function. Researchers have discovered that milk thistle inhibits the release of cytokines from the liver that normally increases with fatty liver inflammation. This action allows the liver to begin the natural healing process while reducing fat accumulation and reducing blood markers associated with liver damage.

Vitamin E, Omega-3 fats and milk thistle each help to restore normal liver function for the millions of men, women and children that suffer the silent effects of fatty liver disease. Including all three of these powerful natural nutrients in your daily disease-fighting arsenal will provide a multi-modal defense against NAFLD.