LuminEarth » DNA

Antioxidants and Why We Need Them: A Brief Overview

Becki Baumgartner — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 02:24:55 +0000

There is definitely no lack of information about antioxidants. Their name is quickly becoming a part of everyone’s vocabulary. They definitely are great allies in our journey of creating and maintaining wellness and health. However, we must realize that their use is not a substitute for a healthy diet, physical activity, and nurture and care for our mental, emotional and spiritual bodies. Antioxidants are definitely an important and ciritical part of the puzzle, but not a replacement for any part of healthy lifestyle and not a ‘magic pill’ as many advertisers would like us to believe.

In order to understant the importance of antioxidants we must understand free radicals.

Free radicals perform many critical functions in our bodies, but also contribute to and cause disease. Free radicals constantly form throughout our bodies. If not quickly trapped, they can create many problems by oxidizing DNA and creating environment for cancer, targeting fat cells and creating environment for heart disease and premature aging. It is in our best interest to keep them controlled by maintaining the advantage of antioxidants so that they do their job and not cause disease.

So called network antioxidants are of great importance to our health. Back in the late 1990s Dr Packer designated five antioxidants that work together within what he named the Antioxidant Network. The antioxidants he considered to be part of this network are lipoic acid, CoQ10, glutathione, Vitamin E and Vitamin C.

Lipoic acid offers protection against cataracts, stroke and heart disease, prevents brain aging, turns off bad genes, and boosts the entire antioxidant network. What is remarkable about lipoic acid is that it can recycle all of the network antioxidants and it can regenerate itself (Packer, 1999, p. 32). Lipoic acid shows tremendous value in treatment of liver disease, and we can see significant success in its use for this purpose from cases reported by Burton Berkson, M.D., PhD who was able to save lives of numerous patients with liver disease like Amanita mushroom poisoning, hepatitis C, and severe liver infection. (Packer, 1999, p. 42) Lipoic acid also has tremendous benefits for controlling symptoms and preventing problems associated with diabetes. Dr. Dan Ziegler and Dr. F. Arnold Gries from Germany found that treatment with lipoic acid stimulated regeneration of nerve fibers in diabetics reducing pain and numbness associated with neuropathy within three weeks of patients’ taking 6oo mg of lipoic acid. (Packer, 1999, p. 47)

CoQ10 is a fat soluble antioxidant that has been used for many years to prevent and treat heart disease, but it also helps rejuvenate brain cells, and is being investigated as treatment for breast cancer. Within the network it regenerates vitamin E. Study by Dr. Folkers conducted in Denmark showed significant benefits of CoQ10 for those affected by cancer. (Packer, 1999, p. 101)

Glutathione is critical for body to detoxify from drugs and pollutants, maintain healthy liver function, and keep immune system running high. It is part of storage and transport of amino acids and is cell’s primary antioxidant. One of the best ways to boost levels of glutathione is to supplement with lipoic acid.

Vitamin E is well known as an anti-aging antioxidant. It provides help in protection from UV damage to the skin, helps relieve symptoms of arthritis and other inflammatory diseases, and has been shown to reduce the risk of prostate cancer and inhibit growth of breast cancer cells. (Packer, 1999, p. 54) Dr. Tappel proved back in 1954 that vitamin E could stop oxidation of lipids in the blood. Vitamin E was also found by the National Institute on Aging to be a powerful cancer fighter as well as protector from heart disease. (Packer, 1999, p. 58) To reap all the benefits vitamin E can offer it is important to supplement both mixed tocopherol and tocotrienol forms of this vitamin.

Vitamin C provides connection between fat-soluble and water-soluble antioxidants and it recycles vitamin E better than lipoic acid. It helps protect DNA from free radical damage, protects sperm from free radical damage, strengthens the immune system, protects against cataracts, suppresses viral genes, strengthens the connective tissue, and is essential for great skin.

Dr Packer also identified following important boosters for the antioxidant network: flavonoids, gingko biloba, pycogenol, carotenoids, and selenium. These important antioxidants significantly boost performance of the antioxidant network.

Flavonoids are compounds found in plants and are very powerful antioxidants. It is believed that because of their high intake of flavonoids French are able to eat foods laden with fat and still have low incidence of heart disease.

Gingko and pycogenol can, among other powerful benefits, regulate nitric oxide and help maintain its optimal levels important for many vital functions and for health of cardiovascular system specifically. Gingko has been used in China since 2800 B.C. for problems with brain function, heart, and circulation, but it was discovered that gingko can also quench superoxide and the hydroxyl radical, two powerful and potentially dangerous radicals. (Packer, 1999, p. 122) Pycogenol was shown to extend lifetime of vitamin C, boost production of vitamin E and gluthatione, and quench superoxide, nitric oxide, and the hydroxyl radical. (Packer, 1999, p. 126)

Selenium works in synergy with vitamin E, protects us from many different forms of cancer, benefits our heart functions, and is necessary for production of several enzymes. It is however important to note that high doses of selenium can be toxic. (Packer, 1999, p. 143)

Above is just a very brief and basic overview of things we shall know about antioxidants. If you take nothing else from this article, it is my hope that you will remember that antioxidants are an important part of our holistic healthy lifestyle and wellbeing, but that they are not a replacement for other healthy living skills. The goal of this brief overview is to put basic information on antioxidants in simple and usable terms and at the same time remind you that lasting health and wellness is achieved only when we exercise our creativity in a constructive way, nurture all aspects of our being (physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual), and live in synch and alignement with our purpose. The state of our health directly affects our success in other areas of our life and as important as our mental and spiritual development are, health of our physical body is of just as much importance.

May this article serve as a little spark of motivation to add another piece of the puzzle to your healthy and empowered lifestyle.

As always, please feel free to email any of the questions we may be of assistance with.

In Health, Abundance, Love, and Light,

Daniela Sales
daniela@bodyandmindstl.com
Reiki Master Teacher and Wellness Consultant
The Avokado Studio of Arts for Creative Living
http://bodyandmindstl.com

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References

Packer, L., Colman, C. (1999). The Antioxidant Miracle. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Disclaimer: The statements in this article are for educational purposes only and have not been evaluated by or sanctioned by the FDA. Only your doctor can properly diagnose and treat any disease or disorder. The remedies discussed herein are not meant to treat or cure any type of disease. The user understands that the above information is NOT intended as a substitute for the advice of a physician or a pharmacist.

References:

Packer, L., Colman, C. (1999). The Antioxidant Miracle. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Pineal Gland Attunement and Other Sound Gifts from Tom Kenyon

Becki Baumgartner — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 18:08:44 +0000

Tom Kenyon is one of the most respected sound healers of the world today. On his website he sharing these sound meditations, free of charge, in service to the world community.

The Audios are:

Hathor Pineal Gland Dimensional Attunement
Planetary Holon Meditation
23rd Psalm Alchemically Decoded
23rd Psalm
The Closing Sound Meditation
Sounds of Raphael

Here is the link:

http://tomkenyon.com/sound-gifts

A visit to his website, www.tomkenyon.com will provide valuable information on acoustic brain research and other amazing articles.

Our World, Illuminated.
www.luminearth.com

Monsanto’s GM Corn Crop Fails Massively in South Africa Causing Indian Farmers to Lose Millions

Becki Baumgartner — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 17:58:57 +0000

From Adriana Stuijt at digitaljournal.com:

South African farmers suffered millions of dollars in lost income when 82,000 hectares of genetically-manipulated corn (maize) failed to produce hardly any seeds.The plants look lush and healthy from the outside.

Monsanto has offered compensation.

Monsanto blames the failure of the three varieties of corn planted on these farms, in three South African provinces,on alleged ‘underfertilisation processes in the laboratory”. Some 280 of the 1,000 farmers who planted the three varieties of Monsanto corn this year, have reported extensive seedless corn problems.

Urgent investigation demanded.

However environmental activitist Marian Mayet, director of the Africa-centre for biosecurity in Johannesburg, demands an urgent government investigation and an immediate ban on all GM-foods, blaming the crop failure on Monsanto’s genetically-manipulated technology.

Willem Pelser, journalist of the Afrikaans Sunday paper Rapport, writes from Nelspruit that Monsanto has immediately offered the farmers compensation in three provinces – North West, Free State and Mpumalanga. The damage-estimates are being undertaken right now by the local farmers’ cooperative, Grain-SA. Monsanto claims that ‘less than 25%’ of three different corn varieties were ‘insufficiently fertilised in the laboratory’.

80% crop failure.

However Mayet says Monsanto was grossly understating the problem.According to her own information, some farms have suffered up to 80% crop failures. The centre is strongly opposed to GM-food and biologically-manipulated technology in general. “Monsanto says they just made a mistake in the laboratory, however we say that biotechnology is a failure.You cannot make a ‘mistake’ with three different varieties of corn.’

Demands urgent government investigation:

“We have been warning against GM-technology for years, we have been warning Monsanto that there will be problems,’ said Mayet. She calls for an urgent government investigation and an immediate ban on all GM-foods in South Africa. Of the 1,000 South African farmers who planted Monsanto’s GM-maize this year, 280 suffered extensive crop failure, writes Rapport. Monsanto’s local spokeswoman Magda du Toit said the ‘company is engaged in establishing the exact extent of the damage on the farms’. She did not want to speculate on the extent of the financial losses suffered right now.

Managing director of Monsanto in Africa, Kobus Lindeque, said however that ‘less than 25% of the Monsanto-seeded farms are involved in the loss’. He says there will be ‘a review of the seed-production methods of the three varieties involved in the failure, and we will made the necessary adjustments.’ He denied that the problem was caused in any way by ‘bio-technology’. Instead, there had been ‘insufficient fertilisation during the seed-production process’. And Grain-SA’s Nico Hawkins says they ‘are still support GM-technology; ‘We will support any technology which will improve production.’ He also they were ‘satisfied with Monsanto’s handling of the case,’ and said Grain-SA was ‘closely involved in the claims-adjustment methodology’ between the farmers and Monsanto. Farmers told Rapport that Monsanto was ‘bending over backwards to try and accommodate them in solving the problem.

“It’s a very good gesture to immediately offer to compensate the farmers for losses they suffered,’ said Kobus van Coller, one of the Free State farmers who discovered that his maize cobs were practically seedless this week. “One can’t see from the outside whether a plant is unseeded. One must open up the cob leaves to establish the problem,’ he said. The seedless cobs show no sign of disease or any kind of fungus. They just have very few seeds, often none at all.

The South African supermarket-chain Woolworths already banned GM-foods from its shelves in 2000. However South African farmers have been producing GM-corn for years: they were among the first countries other than the United States to start using the Monsanto products. The South African government does not require any labelling of GM-foods. Corn is the main staple food for South Africa’s 48-million people. The three maize varieties which failed to produce seeds were designed with a built-in resistance to weed-killers, and manipulated to increase yields per hectare, Rapport writes.

Source:

Stuijt, A. “GM Corn Crop Fails Massively in South Africa”. (March 29, 2009). Copied in entirety from http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/270101

Our World, Illuminated.
www.luminearth.com

The Future of Food: Do You Know What You Are Eating?

Becki Baumgartner — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 19:56:52 +0000

This is a very interesting documentary that goes into great detail showing us little known facts about how our food is grown and how it has evolved over the years.

The video shows us in clearly understandable terms how GM foods are created using bacteria and viruses at a cellular level, as well as how resistance to antibiotics is inserted to track the GM plants and seeds.

This documentary also goes into detail as to how Monsanto is sueing our farmers for breach of patent when the GM crops invade their fields and mingles with the non-GM crops, and also how the GM crops are invading Mexcio, who has chosen to keep their corn “GM Free”.

Scroll down to watch the movie. (The full length movie is also available on Netflix.)

Your DNA is a Song

Becki Baumgartner — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 01:05:22 +0000

YOUR DNA IS A SONG: SCIENTISTS USE MUSIC TO CODE PROTEINS
by John Roach for National Geographic News

What are proteins? How are they structured? What’s the difference between a protein in a human and the same protein in a lizard? Ask Mary Anne Clark these questions and she is likely to respond with an earful of music.

Clark is a biologist at Texas Wesleyan University in Fort Worth, and she’s part of a growing field of science educators who use so-called protein music to help illustrate the basic structure of the building blocks of life.

All living things are made up of proteins. Each protein is a string of amino acids. There are 20 different amino acids, and each protein can consist of dozens to thousands of them.

Scientists write down these amino acid sequences as series of text letters. Clark and her colleagues assign musical notes to the different values of the amino acids in each sequence. The result is music in the form of “protein songs.”

By listening to the songs, scientists and students alike can hear the structure of a protein. And when the songs of the same protein from different species are played together, their similarities and differences are apparent to the ear.

“It’s an illustration transferred into a medium people will find more accessible than just [text] sequences,” Clark said. “If you look at protein sequences, if you just read those as they are written down, recorded in a database, it’s hard to get a sense for the pattern.”

When people look at a page full of text corresponding to protein sequences, Clark explained, they tend spot clusters of letters but fail to see the larger pattern.

“If you play [the protein song for that sequence] you get that sense of the pattern much more strongly,” she said. “That’s my feeling at least. You hear stuff you can’t see.”

Different Songs

One song for a protein may sound different than another for the same protein, depending on how notes are assigned to amino acids’ various properties. For example, Clark tends to arrange her compositions based on the protein’s solubility.

“Where it’s soluble and insoluble is one of the big factors in determining how [the protein] folds up,” she said. Solubility influences how proteins fold, and those folds determine what category a certain protein belongs to.

In 1996 Ross King, a computer scientist at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, wrote a program called Protein Music. It assigns a note to each of the three compounds that make up amino acids and a note to various amino acid properties—charge, solubility, and so on.

“This produces a chord for each amino acid,” King wrote in an e-mail interview. “Because proteins are an interesting mixture of novel and repetitive elements, like music, the translation to music sounds interesting.”

By changing the rules of how notes are assigned to amino acids, composers can create variations in their songs. However, since all proteins have a basic structure, all the protein songs have a basic structure as well, Clark said.

Teaching Tool

According to King, while some scientists have used protein music to help them analyze data, it is most useful as a teaching tool.

If people can understand how the music is produced, he said, they can understand how DNA codes proteins.

Clark said one of the more interesting things demonstrated by the music is the differences and similarities between the same protein of different species.

While some proteins change very little between species, others, such as beta globin, are quite variable.

Therefore, Clark said, by playing the beta globin song for a human and tuatara, an ancient three-eyed lizard, people can hear the process of evolution—a variation on a theme that was present before mammals split from reptiles some 200 million years ago. You can hear the parts that remain constant and the parts that change,” she said.

Source:
Roach, J. (October 21,2005). “Your DNA Is a Song: Scientists Use Music to Code Proteins” National Geographic News. Extracted February 13, 2009 from http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/10/1021_051021_protein_music.html