Vitamin Profile: Vitamin B6

In my continuing review of the B vitamins and why they’re important for your health, I’ve put together some insights about B6, next.

This is the fifth in this series. If you’re wondering why it isn’t the sixth in the series – it’s because vitamin B4 doesn’t actually exist. To find out why that is, see our article on vitamin B5.

Back to vitamin B6, though; to learn more, keep reading below.

What Is Vitamin B6?

Vitamin B6, also known as pyridoxine, is one of eight B vitamins that help to produce red blood cells, metabolize fats and proteins, maintain good nerve function, and perhaps most importantly, it helps the body convert food into fuel.

It is a water-soluble vitamin, meaning it’s quite safe to take as a supplement, and many people do, in order to boost both their mood and immunity.

Benefits Of Vitamin B6

Vitamin B6 is very collaborative, working with many other vitamins and minerals to improve overall health; read on to learn some of the specific benefits you can rely on it for.

1. May Reduce Risk Of Cancer

There have been several studies that have explored how vitamin B6 is effective as an anti-tumour or anti-toxicity agent.

Vitamin B6 intake through a combination of diet and supplementation seems to also significantly decrease the risk of breast cancer.

Lastly, it seems to be particularly helpful in averting gastrointestinal tumors, as well as possibly being an indicator for other protective dietary micronutrients.

2. Helps Keep Your Blood Vessels Healthy

Vitamin B6 is used by the body to regulate homocysteine levels in the blood, which have been linked to inflammation and heart disease, contributors to cardio-pulmonary issues.

When you don’t have enough B6 in your body, homocysteine will build up and damage the lining of your blood vessels, encouraging plaque buildup that can be dangerous and that can lead to increased risk of stroke or heart attack.

3. Helps Alleviate Symptoms Of Autism

Vitamin B6 has been studied to learn why it’s so effective for alleviating symptoms of autism, although they suspect it is because B6 is crucial for the synthesis of neurotransmitters.

Autistic patients have brains with impaired neurotransmitter systems, and this is part of what causes the symptoms they experience.

When vitamin B6 is used as a treatment, almost half of autistic individuals experience an improvement in their behavioural problems, suggesting that B6 supplementation helps enhance their neurotransmitters.

4. Supports Cognitive Functions

The B vitamins as a whole are renowned for improving a wide array of cognitive functions, including mood, response to anxiety and stress, focus, memory and energy.

It helps by repairing the neurotransmitter system in your brain, while also boosting the production of happy hormones such as serotonin and norepinephrine.

5. Can Be An Effective Treatment For Anemia

Vitamin B6 helps create hemoglobin in the blood, which your red blood cells transport throughout your body to bring oxygen to all your tissues and cells.

When you are anemic, it’s because your body doesn’t make enough hemoglobin and red blood cells are not functioning properly; it can cause fatigue, weakness, aches and pains.Microcytic anemia could be caused directly by a vitamin B6 deficiency.

However, by increasing the foods rich in B vitamins, and by supplementing as needed, you can help give your body what it requires to produce more red blood cells, delaying or lessening the effects of anemia.

Other benefits

Vitamin B6 can also reduce the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, including severe pain, by suppressing inflammation and swelling.

As well, it is believed to help prevent the onset of certain eye diseases such as macular degeneration.

Women know vitamin B6 to be particularly helpful in reducing the severity of morning sickness during pregnancy, and others use it to help alleviate the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome.

Dietary Sources Of Vitamin B6

You can find B6 in many food sources, but some of the best include:

• Bananas
• Chickpeas
• Poultry
• Fish
• Potatoes

If you find that you need to supplement further, B6 is available in capsule and tablet form, and is often taken as a B-complex supplement.

Symptoms Of Vitamin B6 Deficiency

It’s most often people whose small intestines don’t properly absorb nutrients that experience vitamin B6 deficiency, though kidney disease, genetic diseases or certain epilepsy medications can also be a factor.

Those with vitamin B6 deficiency will often be deficient in other B vitamins, such as B9 and B12.

Symptoms of vitamin B6 deficiency include anemia, confusion, depression and a weak immune system.

Call The Mindful Healing Clinic

If one of the above conditions have cropped up in your medical history, or if you are affected by them currently, consider supplementing your treatment with naturopathy for fullest effect and best prognosis.

Call now to set up a consultation with me, Dr. Maria Cavallazzi, so we can discuss your challenges and the best way to combat them.

I can recommend a course of treatment for you and help you reach your health goals with a plan that leverages the body’s improved functioning to achieve the desired results.

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Health Benefits Of Ginkgo Biloba

The ginkgo biloba tree, also known as maidenhair tree, is very recognizable for its fan-shaped leaves.

It has properties that I often use during my work with herbal and nutritional counselling in Mississauga.

As naturopathic doctors, we rely on the world around us to supply us with the medicines to heal our bodies, and ginkgo is an excellent example of that – for more information, read below.

What Is Ginkgo Biloba?

Gingko biloba is a plant that has been renowned for its medicinal properties for thousands of years.

The tree has unusually-shaped leaves, and produces a fruit in the fall that can be eaten for its nutritional value as well as used for its healing properties.

However, if you have a ginkgo biloba tree on your property, you may notice how awful the fruit smells as it’s rotting. That’s because it emits butyric acid as it rots, the same chemical that gives rancid butter its horrible smell. Some people describe the smell as similar to vomit.

Different parts of the tree are used in different treatment applications, some of which I prescribe to patients in my practice. And fortunately, the rest of it doesn’t smell anywhere near as bad.

Where To Find Ginkgo Biloba?

You can find ginkgo trees all over the GTA, though it’s actually native to China; it has been planted in cities all around the world because of its heartiness and tolerance to the pollution found in cities, and because it helps produce clean air for residents.

If you’re walking around Toronto Island, Trinity Bellwoods, or High Park, keep a keen eye out, and you might spot one of these trees.

Health Benefits Of Ginkgo Biloba

There are several potential benefits of ginkgo biloba, including more than just its well-known improvement of cognitive function:

1. May Reduce Inflammation

Excitingly, test results show that gingko extract reduces inflammation markers for humans who are in a variety of disease states such as arthritis, IBD, stroke, heart disease and cancer.

While further testing is required to substantiate these results, it’s excellent news for people who have any kind of chronic disease that triggers an inflammatory response.

Inflammation is usually the body’s natural response to injury or invasion, in which the immune system is activated to handle the situation.

The problem is, over time, excessive inflammation can cause permanent damage to your DNA or bodily tissues.

2. May Reduce Symptoms Of Alzheimer’s

While ginkgo biloba is known for its work in stimulating memory, scientists hoping to use it for cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s were curious as to how effective it was and whether there was any danger to its medicinal use for this purpose.

They reviewed 21 trials that included 2,608 patients, and concluded that ginkgo biloba,when used in combination with conventional medicines, results were better than with medicines alone.

While these results are promising, there were inconsistent findings compared with placebo, there was too small of a sample size to determine quality results, and there were associated mild adverse events with its use.

Since it is fairly well tolerated by most, though, supplementing with ginkgo biloba may not be a bad idea. It does, however, have blood thinning properties, which is important to note for elderly folks, as it may interfere with medications or other treatments.

3. Contains Powerful Antioxidants

Antioxidants are the agents that fight and neutralize free radicals in your body; these can be damaging, and contribute to accelerated aging and disease progression.

They are produced by the body during metabolic functions such as detoxification or converting food to energy.

Ginkgo contains higher-than-average levels of terpenoids and flavonoids, two compounds that are renowned for being strong antioxidants, which may be the reason the tree is so revered in ancient medicine.

4. May Be Beneficial To Diabetics

With obesity frequency and severity on the rise, science is turning to naturopathic medicine – once again – for intervention as one of the primary underlying causes for diabetes type 2.

Ginkgo biloba extract has been studied for its role in improving insulin resistance, as well as reducing body weight in test rats; the extract showed significant results in reducing food intake and weight gain

In their conclusion, the researchers recommended that ginkgo extract be seriously investigated as a therapy for treating obesity-related metabolic diseases, especially where the subject is at risk for deviating from a nutritional education program set for them.

5. May Improve Circulation

Traditional Chinese medicine used ginkgo seeds to improve the energy channels for organs such as the kidneys, liver, brain and lungs, and we suspect it’s because of its ability to increase blood flow to these parts of the body and more.

Studies have shown that people suffering from heart disease who began to take ginkgo biloba supplements showed an immediate increase in blood flow; another study corroborated this by revealing similar effects in older adults treated with an extract form.

6. May Help With Anxiety And Depression

While the science of treating mental disorders has progressed, it has brought along with it pharmaceutical side effects that may exacerbate the underlying condition.

Some recent studies have looked backwards in time to ancient uses of plants and their extracts in order to unlock a medicine that is better suited and more efficient for helping those who suffer from illnesses such as depression and anxiety.

Scientists are looking at not just ginkgo’s efficacy, but how it works, what side effects are present, and whether there are any interactions with other drugs.

Early results show that ginkgo biloba is effective in improving patients’ cognitive abilities, and also reducing anxiety under certain conditions.

Call The Mindful Healing Clinic

If you’re curious and have questions about ginkgo biloba, or you’re concerned about one of the conditions listed in this article, then you should consider seeking the knowledge and advice of a naturopathic doctor, who is an expert in holistic medicine.

Call now to book your appointment at the Mindful Healing Clinic, and let us set you up with treatments that will promote your best health and vitality.

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Natural Alternatives To Spring Seasonal Allergy Medication

Many people suffer from seasonal allergies, but the side-effects of the medications they use to help them through may sometimes present its own issues.

If you dread dealing with spring seasonal allergies, you’re not alone, but you do have options beyond pharmaceuticals to help. Read on to find out what a few of them are.

What Are Allergies?

Allergies are the body’s reaction to a foreign substance or allergen.

Your body produces antibodies that attack the allergen, even though it’s not actually harmful to your body.

Symptoms of allergic reaction include inflamed skin, sinuses, airways or digestive system, and can also include anaphylaxis in severe cases.

Common Spring Seasonal Allergens

In the case of seasonal allergies, your body overreacts to the presence of pollens, grass, mold or ragweed.

In the spring, specifically, it’s usually because of tree pollen that is released into the air as trees sprout leaves, flowers and fruit; however, grasses and weeds are other common culprits.

Symptoms Of Spring Seasonal Allergies

When the pollen finds its way into your body, it triggers the release of chemicals called histamines into your bloodstream.

These histamines cause runny nose, itchy and/or watery eyes, coughing, sneezing, and possibly a rash or hives.

Natural Solutions For Spring Allergies

Anti-histamines are the over-the-counter medicine that prevent the histamine from triggering your symptoms, but they can cause dry mouth, drowsiness or dizziness, blurred vision, nausea and vomiting, restlessness or moodiness, or trouble sleeping

Luckily, I have seen good results through treatments with a variety of natural remedies, which I have listed for you below.

1. Take Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar has so many uses, but it is also amazing as a natural allergy remedy.

It functions by helping to reduce mucus production and by cleansing your lymphatic system.

If you can, take a tablespoon straight-up; if you find that too difficult, mix it in with a teaspoon of honey and a cup of hot water, and drink this every night.

2. Acupuncture

Acupuncture is a frequently-prescribed treatment for many ailments – it has as many uses as you have meridians, pathways and points on your body, which total more than four hundred.

A 2015 paper by Xue Et Al outlines a study where participants were randomly given either acupuncture or sham acupuncture, which feels like real acupuncture to the person receiving it but doesn’t actually do anything. If you’re familiar with clinical trials, it’s the same idea as giving somebody a sugar pill to account for the placebo effect.

The study found that real acupuncture was significantly better than sham acupuncture in controlling the symptoms of allergic rhinitis (the medical term for hay fever) and that it significantly improved the quality of life of the study participants.

Acupuncture doesn’t cure your allergies, but instead it helps to significantly reduce the symptoms of your allergic reactions; for seasonal allergies, your naturopath will insert tiny needles around your sinuses and nasal area.

Acupuncture points can also be stimulated with electricity without having to use needles, and this method is more convenient for allergies.

3. Consider An Elimination Diet

Often people discover that other allergies – such as food allergies – can aggravate and increase the symptoms of their hay fever, so dealing with those before going into your allergy season can help reduce the overall impact from the pollens.

To implement this method, eat a very bland diet for a week, making sure to avoid all possible allergenic foods.

At the end of this time, start to reintroduce your most commonly-used foods one by one, carefully noticing your body’s reactions to them; if you notice itchiness or additional phlegm after adding a new food, it can indicate a food sensitivity.

4. Homeopathy

Homeopathy is the use of tiny amounts of natural substances (such as plants and minerals) to simulate the body’s natural healing process.

For seasonal allergies, a naturopath might recommend allium cepa, euphrasia, natrum muriaticum, nux vomica, or wyethia.

These can be combined or used to treat the various symptoms of seasonal allergies as they crop up.

5. Lifestyle Changes

During peak allergy season, and if you’re very susceptible, you may have to reduce your time spent outdoors – but that doesn’t mean you have to spend every moment inside.

Using a dust mask while you’re outdoors in the yard means you don’t have to worry about disturbing the allergens while you work.

You can also take advantage of your air conditioner while you’re in your home or car.

Fabrics can attract and collect pollen, so get rid of unnecessary carpets, stuffed toys, and be sure to wash bedding weekly with hot water; another option is to find allergen-proof covers for your bed and pillows.

Call The Mindful Healing Clinic

If you find yourself carrying around a box of tissues every spring, perhaps it’s time to give yourself a break by planning in advance to reduce the impact of your allergies.

Call now to book an appointment with me and let me help you figure out your triggers as well as the best plan for overcoming them.

I can recommend the right treatments for you so that you can enjoy your spring outdoors again.

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Vitamin Profile: Vitamin B5

Most people find they didn’t retain as much info from their high school health class as they would have liked, which is why I like to do these articles on the vitamins our bodies need to stay healthy.

My name is Dr. Maria Cavallazzi, and I am a naturopathic doctor in Streetsville; I help my clients by both educating them on their health and diets, as well as prescribing treatments that can help them find a new level of wellness.

Today we’re talking about vitamin B5.

What About Vitamin B4?

If you’re an avid reader of this blog, you may have noticed that the last time we covered a B vitamin, it was vitamin B3.

This time we’re looking at vitamin B5, so what about B4?

To understand that, we need to first understand what a vitamin actually is in the first place.

Vitamins are organic compounds which we need to continue living; vitamin deficiency can lead to a wide range of symptoms, and long-term vitamin deficiency can be deadly.

The difference between vitamins and other supplements, though, is that your body either doesn’t produce enough of them on its own, or it doesn’t produce them at all.

Once upon a time, there was a vitamin B4, but today we call it adenine – it’s one of the four essential components in DNA.

If you’re scientifically-minded, you may recognize the acronym GCAT – adenine is the A in that list (the other three are guanine, cytosine, and thymine).

Adenine is still a helpful nutrient, but because the body can synthesize it on its own, it doesn’t meet the specific definition of “vitamin.”

Perhaps in the future we’ll do an article on these “lost vitamins”, which includes what was once considered vitamins B8, B10, B11, B13, B14, B15, B16, B17, and many more.

What Is Vitamin B5?

Vitamin B5, also known as pantothenic acid, is important in order for your body to properly process carbohydrates, proteins and lipids.

If you don’t get enough B5 through your diet, you can take it as a supplement in order to boost your levels – you’ll notice you’re getting enough when your skin starts looking healthier.

Benefits Of Vitamin B5

There are many conditions that vitamin B5 can help with and great many benefits, as you’ll see from the long list below, though some more effective or more proven than others:

• Alcoholism
• Allergies
• Asthma
• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Convulsions
• Colitis and constipation
• Dandruff
• Depression
• Diabetic problems
• Dry eyes and eye infections (conjunctivitis)
• Enhancing immune function
• Hair loss
• Heart health
• Headache
• Hyperactivity and possibly ADHD
• Insomnia
• Irritability
• Kidney disorders
• Lung disorders
• Low blood pressure
• Multiple sclerosis
• Muscular dystrophy
• Muscle cramps
• Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis
• Sinus infection
• Skin irritations
• Sprains

While I do sometimes prescribe it to my patients for one or more of the above, let’s look in more detail to the most common reasons I recommend it, below.

1. Supports Vitamin B2

Not long ago, I did an article on vitamin B2, an important vitamin for normal cell growth and functioning.

Vitamin B5 is good for supporting B2 absorption, which helps the body absorb nutrients and helps maintain its energy levels.

2. Helps Regulate Cholesterol Levels

The link between B5 and improved cholesterol levels has garnered enough attention to result in studies to test and measure its safety and efficacy.

In one triple-blind study, pantetheine (a biologically-active derivative of B5) was administered while subjects followed a ‘therapeutic lifestyle change’ diet.

The results were very encouraging: it demonstrated “significant and sustained reductions” in cholesterol over the course of the sixteen-week trial.

3. Improves Cognitive Performance

Vitamin B5 works with coenzyme-A to synthesize neurotransmitters which affect alertness, memory, mood, and cognition.

As well, it’s part of the process that converts nutrients into energy, which is instrumental in establishing and sustaining mental clarity.

4. Helps With Chronic Stress

You may have heard B5 called the ‘anti-stress’ vitamin – pantothenic acid is one of the ingredients in coenzyme-A, which the adrenal glands use in the manufacture of cortisol and epinephrine.

These are how the body helps process stress, anxiety and depression better, meaning B5 can help to boost your overall mood as well as reducing your stress levels, specifically.

5. Improves Your Ability To Heal From Wounds

Wounds are able to heal more quickly when your diet is flush with vitamin B5, because of how critical it is to cell growth.

Wounds require your body to grow cells in order to close cuts or abrasions, and when your B5 levels are good, it means your body is very efficient at growing those needed healthy cells.

This might also be part of the reason that many athletes like to supplement with B5: because one of its many effects is that it helps the body repair from the damage done to it by rigorous training.

Other benefits

One huge benefit of vitamin B5 is that it helps in the skin’s hydration, which is why you see so many beauty products that have included B5 in their lotions, creams and ointments.

It is applied as a provitamin B5, which transforms into pantothenic acid when it’s absorbed by the skin.

Once absorbed, it helps to not just moisturize, but soothe, regenerate and heal your skin’s condition.

Dietary Sources Of Vitamin B5

Vitamin B5 is easy to come across through dietary sources:

• Chicken, turkey, beef, pork, and especially liver and kidney cuts
• Salmon and shellfish
• Lentils, soybeans, and split peas
• Whole grains and cereals
• Milk, yogurt, egg yolks and other dairy products

No matter whether you have a wide or specific diet, there are enough sources to maintain your vitamin B5 levels; and if not, then supplements are readily available at your local health food store.

Symptoms Of Vitamin B5 Deficiency

Although it’s quite rare to see a B5 deficiency, it would include symptoms such as:

• Fatigue
• Insomnia
• Depression
• Irritability
• Upper respiratory infections
• Stomach pains
• Vomiting
• Burning feet

Call The Mindful Healing Clinic

If you see one or more ailments you’re suffering from on that long list above, you should consider seeing a naturopathic doctor to have your vitamin levels checked and to put a plan in place to address any deficiencies.

Vitamin B5 deficiency may be rare, but these symptoms may be related to a deficiency in another vitamin.

I’d be happy to provide my recommendations, so call now and book yourself a 15-minute FREE assessment so that we can meet and determine how to help you moving forward.

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