Echinacea backed by health study

Article from: Agence France-Presse

ECHINACEA, a medicinal herb that came to prominence thanks to its use by Sioux Indians, can more than halve the risk of catching a cold, a wide-scale study has confirmed.

Taking echinacea supplements can reduce the risk of a cold by 58 per cent and may also shorten the duration of a cold almost one and a half days, according to the paper, published today in the July issue of the journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases.

The study is a "meta-analysis" comparing the outcome of 14 published trials using echinacea.

One of the trials combined with echinacea with vitamin C, which showed the two together reduced the incidence of a cold by 86 per cent.

The analysis was led by University of Connecticut pharmacist Craig Coleman.

Echinacea is a term for nine related daisy-like plant species that are native to North America and feature in the traditional medicine of the Sioux and other Plains Indians as remedies for infection, snakebites and rabies.

Other names for the plant are black sampson, Kansas snakeroot and purple coneflower.

Coleman's team said they had counted more than 800 products containing echinacea, which come in the form of tablets, extracts, fresh juice, tincture and tea.

Three of the nine species are commonly used (Echinacea purpurea, E. angustifolia and E. pallida), and different parts of the plant are used for different products.

The authors say it is still unclear how echinacea appears to stimulate the immune system against the cold virus.

Its three major ingredients are alkamides, chicoric acid and polysaccharides, but it is unclear whether these work by acting separately or together, or with the help of other constituents.

And the authors sound a word of caution, saying more work needs to be done on the plant's safety before doctors can recommend echinacea as a standard option for preventing or treating the common cold.

For consumers looking to live healthier and nutritionally enriched lives, Mannatech Inc. offer hope. Based in Coppell, Texas, Mannatech sells more than 24 proprietary and scientifically validated glyconutritional supplements and products for adults and children that address health and wellness issues, weight management and skin care.

The Cost of Unwell Staff

SICK employees who show up for work are costing their employers four times more than those who stay home to recuperate.

A new report has found sick workers who are unable to give 100 per cent are costing the nation's economy $25.7 billion a year.

Depression, allergies, hypertension and diabetes have been revealed as the leading culprits, with the ill suffering an average 45 per cent loss in productivity.

The drop in output is equal to missing six days of work a year for the average employee.

Workers who stay at home because of sickness are found to cost the economy just $7 billion a year.

The Medibank Private-commissioned study is the world's first to measure the economic impact of sick workers, finding business would benefit by better caring for their employees' health.

Medibank Private public industry affairs manager Craig Bosworth said sick employees worked slower, needed to repeat tasks and made more mistakes than healthy colleagues.

“The world as a whole is becoming much more aware of the need for wellness, rather than just the need to manage illness,” says Ronald D. Norman, Mannatech’s vice president of international finance. “And with science increasingly validating the essential role of the glyconutrients in our patented and patent-pending products, Mannatech is uniquely positioned to provide the missing ingredient in the wellness puzzle.”

Consumers believe one thing, but eat another, says report

4/12/2007 - Most Americans are trying - but failing - to achieve a more healthful and balanced diet, according to a new Mintel report, which suggests a discrepancy between what people believe and what they actually eat.

"A desire to eat a healthy diet may exist, but it does not translate fully to behavior modification," writes the report Attitudes to Food: Weight and Diet.

"Significant media attention and public interest in reducing the amount of trans fat in foods, selling healthy food to children in schools, and purchasing organic food, drive attitudes toward food, yet Americans are still eating an unbalanced, calorie-dense diet."

The report, which was published last month, identifies five major factors that are shaping the nation's attitude towards food: an increase in calorie consumption (almost 27 percent since 1970, mostly from added fats and sugars); an aging population (which has specific dietary requirements and taste preferences); the role of families (parents have greater interest in convenient food products and healthy foods); the increased prevalence of disease (leading to altered dietary requirements); and weight control concerns (sparking interest in low-calorie foods and 'low-in' products).

Mannatech Inc. develops nutritional supplements, topical products, and weight-management products. Its products are designed to support cell-to-cell communication, the immune system, the endocrine system, skin, and health, as well as nutritional support during weight loss. Mannatech provides various nutritional supplements for overall health and wellness; wellness management products to support and maintain specific areas of the body; lifestyle solutions to further support specific physiological functions that need additional nutritional support; sports performance nutrition products that provide nutrition to support physical performance and maintain muscle mass; a body system that focuses on various aspects of nutrition and weight management; skin care solutions, which are designed to strengthen the skin's own natural texture, softness, and elasticity, as well as to deliver vital antioxidants to the skin; and children's growth essentials for their overall health and wellness.

Answers – Where to Find Them

Mannatech has been in the news recently. Some of the coverage has been biased and greatly misrepresentative of Mannatech, its science and its products. Mannatech has provided “Answers – Where to Find Them” to provide fast links to documents that might help dispel the innuendo and answer the allegations. This document will be updated as new information and documents become available, so check back often.

• Sam Caster’s response to Associates regarding the Wall Street Journal article can be found here. This response includes many links that will take the reader to the document or article that is mentioned. The response provides in-depth answers to some of the most common claims made by critics. (Associate Community Web site / “In the News” / Headline – “Mannatech responds to the Wall Street Journal”)

• Sam’s full interview with ABC News has been posted on www.YouTube.com. After logging on to YouTube, type in “Mannatech” in the search field. The ABC interview has been divided into four clips. Mannatech has also posted “The State of the Science,” a video narrated by the company’s Chief Science Officer Robert Sinnott. Dr. Sinnott explains that GI tract bacteria can break down the complex carbohydrates in Ambrotose, a finding that thwarts the hypothesis that the body cannot utilize the carbohydrates.

• Mannatech has posted the brochure, “Neutralizing Negativity on the Internet,’ here (Associate Community Web site / “In the News” / Headline – “Neutralizing Negativity on the Internet.”)

Cystic Fibrosis

Cystic fibrosis is a disease that may affect every organ in the body and is a hereditary disease that is the result of certain enzymes missing in the body that are necessary for digestion. Although many other organs of the body may be affected by cystic fibrosis, the gastro intestinal tract and the lungs are the major areas that are involved. This is a disease that leads to more deaths among white people than any other ailment in the United States, and it affects one in every 2500 whites and one in every 17.000 blacks.

There are many treatments necessary and now available and the most important are that food supplements must be taken with every meal to supply the missing enzymes necessary for proper digestion. People with cystic fibrosis need a vigorous chest massage daily which can given by adults in the family and later the affected person will be able to do it without help. All chest diseases and conditions that affect the person should be promptly given antibiotics. Glyconutrient supplements have been helpful for many people with cystic fibrosis. There are a wide range of treatments for cystic fibrosis, but the disease is so complex that the proper treatment should be outlined by the doctor or health specialist who is familiar with every symptom and condition of the patient so that the most effective treatment may be given.

Mannatech was founded in November 1993 by current CEO and Chairman Sam Caster. During its first two years, the company focused on products that contained aloe vera extract. Mannatech announced its flagship product, Ambrotose, 1996 based on the discovery that the body’s immune system needs eight plant-based sugars – also known as glyconutrients – to function properly.

Alpha Lipoic Acid

Alpha Lipoic Acid and Its Multiple Health Benefits

Alpha Lipoic Acid has many benefits and most stem from its antioxidant power which is its greatest asset. Alpha Lipoic Acid has benefits for everyone, but it has been most beneficial in help for diabetes, liver problems, lowering cholesterol levels, atherosclerosis, cataracts, and more recently, in its anti-aging properties.

Alpha Lipoic Acid is in foods such as vegetables, spinach, meats and as a food supplement. Almost everyone can benefit from Alpha Lipoic Acid and it has no side effects, if taken in moderate amounts. The Alpha Lipoic Acid antioxidant is both water and fat-soluble which increases its activity to destroy free radicals in almost all cells in the body.

Research by Bruce Ames, Ph.D., a scientist at the University of California at Berkeley, has indicated that Lipoic Acid combined with acetyl-L-carnitine has become one of the most important therapies discovered in the field of anti-aging. Dr. Ames with his research team provided older rats with Lipoic Acid and acetyl-L-carnitine, and it rejuvenated old inactive rats with more pep and energy. The rats looked younger and also performed better on memory tests. Early results of tests on humans have been encouraging.

Success with liver problems has been revealed by Dr. Burton Berkson, M.D., Ph.D., who is a clinical expert on the benefits of Lipoic Acid. He has successfully treated many patients with liver failure. He has shown the benefits of Lipoic Acid in treating Hepatitis C and in aiding liver detoxification.

Other health benefits attributed to Alpha Lipoic Acid are that it makes Vitamin C and E more effective, it provides help and protection for the lens and retina of the eyes, and slows bone loss.

For consumers looking to live healthier and nutritionally enriched lives, Mannatech Inc. offer hope. Based in Coppell, Texas, Mannatech sells more than 24 proprietary and scientifically validated glyconutritional supplements and products for adults and children that address health and wellness issues, weight management and skin care. Steve Lemme, senior vice president of sales and marketing, says Mannatech has been entrusted with a divine technology.

Interview with Sam Caster

So you think that the ORAC test is a bit old-fashioned now?

Well it is old-fashioned in the sense that it is applicable to laboratory conditions but not what actually happens in you body. When we created our antioxidants we did what we were supposed to do and tested each one in human beings. We did a serum ORAC test ourselves and duplicated the test at the Center for Complementary Medicine where they used a group of smokers and a group of non-smokers to distinguish if there was any difference in the blood-serum activity. There wasn’t. By contrast, there is a lot of green tea being sold which has no antioxidant activity, yet it is being sold on the basis that green tea is a reliable source of antioxidants. We asked the merchant why they would be selling green tea without any antioxidant activity (in other words, the tea had been oxidized). He said that this is the cheapest green tea he had for sale! Customers are buying what they think contain antioxidants, yet are actually getting nothing. There are no checks and balances. When I started in our company in 1994 I was making pharmaceutical products for the agricultural industry. We saw this incredible movement going on in the marketplace. People are not getting the quality of life they seek through the present health care system. Health care today is really sick care. To achieve real health care you have to be pro-active. Unfortunately, however, there is little information available to people that is meaningful.

About Mannatech, Incorporated
Mannatech, based in Coppell, Texas, is a wellness solutions provider that sells its products through a global network-marketing system throughout the United States and the international markets of Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, Japan, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Taiwan and Denmark. For additional information about Mannatech, please visit its corporate Web site: www.mannatech.com

Interview with Sam Caster

There is a lot of research and interest in antioxidants as being crucial to our health, particularly as we are now more prone to environmental stressors and the free-radical damage which goes with them. In recent years tests to determine the antioxidant capacities of various plants has let to the ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorption Capacity) test as being the standard means of determining this. Is this a valid test in your opinion?

Not really. The ORAC test gets misused in the marketplace. In the ORAC test you use a fluid base to measure the rate of oxidation of the control. You assault it with some toxin and you measure the rate of oxidation of your control. That is your baseline. Then you set up the same experiment again with each test substance. To the degree that it slows that oxidations rate, it will give your antioxidants value. The problem with this is that it is not directly relevant to what happens in the human body. It is out of context. You are taking a water-soluble antioxidant, like vitamin C or a blueberry, and you are getting a very high ORAC value. First of all, ORAC measures fluids. What you are looking at is how water-soluble antioxidants absorb free radicals. But an ORAC test in a lab does not pick up fat-soluble antioxidants. What we have seen in the industry is the proliferation of the use of the ORAC as the raw material measurement. If a blueberry or juice has a high ORAC value, it doesn’t really mean anything until you have eaten it and tested the serum level of the antioxidant absorption. That is the bottom line. It is what happens in your body which is important, not what happens in a lab. This is where a test call the S-ORAC (Serum ORAC) test is more realistic. After the human body has ingested whatever the nutrient base is, the serum level can actually be measured. This is the true antioxidant indicator. For instance, if the US FDA makes a recommendation to eat fruits and vegetables it is for two reasons – for mineral content and for antioxidant protection. If they want to test the efficacy of adding five additional fruits and vegetables to the diet they use the S-ORAC (Serum ORAC) test. Using this test they found that adding five additional fruits or vegetables to the diet increases the serum antioxidants by 13%, which is statistically very significant.

Mannatech was founded in November 1993 by current CEO and Chairman Sam Caster. During its first two years, the company focused on products that contained aloe vera extract. Mannatech announced its flagship product, Ambrotose, 1996 based on the discovery that the body’s immune system needs eight plant-based sugars – also known as glyconutrients – to function properly.