high blood pressure

Healing Properties of Rhodochrosite

Did You Know?

Wearing a rhodochrosite bracelet or bead necklace that goes over your heart area is believed to be the best way to reap its health benefits.Despite gold being a natural choice for making jewelry, we often find people flaunting jewelry made from rhodochrosite gemstones and crystals. Well, this new trend has been attributed to the healing powers of rhodochrosite that provide long-term health benefits. Irrespective of the way rhodochrosite crystals are worn – in a pendant, bracelet, or bead necklace – they are believed to have high medicinal value.

Rhodochrosite is a reddish-pink colored gemstone that is known to arouse the passion of love. Also known as the stone of love, it is thought to have a positive influence on the love life of the wearer. This high-energy stone helps to promote healthy relationships. The positive energy of rhodochrosite also helps to inculcate and retain good qualities such as kindness, forgiveness, compassion, and tolerance. It boosts self-confidence and creativity, imparts greater self-esteem, improves focus, and even gives a spiritual uplift as it allows you to connect with your inner self. All these are thought to be metaphysical properties of this gemstone that one may experience by wearing jewelry made from rhodochrosite.

Healing Powers of Rhodochrosite

Its beautiful color might be a visual treat, but what attracts people to rhodochrosite are its healing properties. Here are a few of the health benefits that you can get if you wear this gemstone.

☑ Provides Emotional Stability

Wearing rhodochrosite can help to uplift moods and keep depression at bay. In fact, with rhodochrosite, it is very difficult to go into depression, as the gemstone is said to ward off negativity and instill a feeling of cheerfulness. You feel optimistic and carry a positive attitude towards life. It also provides clarity of thought and gives inner peace.

The healing powers of rhodochrosite can also help to ease anxiety, that has become common in today’s stress-ridden lifestyle. It relieves tension and helps to enhance your emotional well-being. It is thus, often referred to as the antianxiety stone. People who are always on the edge are likely to benefit by wearing rhodochrosite jewelry.☑ Controls Blood Pressure

The therapeutic properties of rhodochrosite can also work wonders to regulate blood pressure. The use of rhodochrosite is found to be beneficial in the treatment of high blood pressure. So wearing rhodochrosite jewelry may contribute in normalizing blood pressure.☑ Improves Blood Circulation

Apart from relieving stress, rhodochrosite has a positive impact on blood flow. Its ability to increase blood flow helps improve blood circulation throughout the body. In short, if you are going to wear rhodochrosite jewelry, it may help maintain proper blood circulation in the body.☑ Good for Kidneys

Wearing rhodochrosite jewelry may provide a positive influence on the kidneys. The gemstone is said to detoxify the kidneys. This in turn may help to improve kidney function and the task of cleansing the blood will be carried out more effectively. So, apart from eating healthy foods, use of rhodochrosite may help to boost kidney health.☑ Normalizes Thyroid Function

Traditionally, rhodochrosite has been recognized as a treatment for thyroid problems. So, if you wear jewelry made from rhodochrosite gemstones and crystals, it may make your thyroid system better. In other words, it may help to control symptoms associated with thyroid dysfunction.☑ Helps to Manage Withdrawal Symptoms

On leaving addictions one is bound to experience withdrawal symptoms. Use of rhodochrosite helps to effectively deal with these withdrawal symptoms, especially those associated with nervous system stimulants, such as products containing caffeine.☑ Improves Eyesight

As the gemstone is believed to stimulate and cleanse blood circulation throughout the body, this may be useful in correcting vision problems. Thus, people with poor eyesight may benefit from using rhodochrosite jewelry.☑ Alleviates Respiratory Problems

Rhodochrosite may ‘rescue’ people suffering from respiratory ailments. Historically, it has been used to relieve asthmatic symptoms and is believed to assist your body to filter out the irritants of the respiratory tract.

Apart from these speculated health benefits, rhodrochrosite users are believed to have less intestinal problems. Topical application of gem elixir made from rhodochrosite may also help to nourish the skin.

A pertinent point to note here is that rhodochrosite benefits are not endorsed by the medical fraternity, and as such there is no scientific evidence that prove their healing properties. So, before using it as an alternate or complimentary therapy for pre-existing medical conditions, you need to consult your health care provider.

Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is solely for educating the reader. It is not intended to be a substitute for the advice of a medical expert.

People value both complementary and conventional medicine

27Oct

(NewsFix) A survey shows that people who use complementary medicine are not dissatisfied with the traditional approach.
Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), which includes acupuncture, chiropractic, herbal remedies and massage, is used by an increasing number of people. Researchers at the Centre for Alternative Medicine Research and Education at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre in the US surveyed 831 CAM users and found that most people were also still seeing a traditional doctor.

It seemed that the combination of CAM and traditional medicine was seen as more effective than either used alone. CAM was seen as helpful for headache, back and neck conditions, while the conventional approach was preferred for high blood pressure.

But most of those surveyed did not tell their doctor about their use of CAM. The most common reason for this was that they didn’t think the doctor needed to know, or that the doctor didn’t ask about it. One third said it was not the doctor’s business and 20 per cent thought the doctor wouldn’t understand. Only 14 per cent were afraid their physician would disapprove.

The survey suggests that patients no longer see their physician as their sole health care provider. He or she is, rather, one of a team. The other members of the team could include acupuncturists, herbalists and so on. What seems strange is that it’s rare for any members of this team to communicate with one another!

Berberine the Next Magic Bullet?

Berberine the Next Magic Bullet?

Added by [Epub ahead of print] on October 19, 2013.
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Berberine the Next Magic Bullet?

Chinese medicine has been using this herb to treat diarrhea, diabetes, high blood pressure, high lipids and tumors for centuries. The rest of the medical community is catching up with the benefits of this ancient herb and many research studies are underway to provide scientific documentation to its anecdotal claims. Let’s examine the current scientific literature on each of these diseases and disorders.

Diarrhea
In a study published in 2011, the researchers showed that the ability of berberine to inhibit and to kill a strain of bacteria that causes diarrhea, called Shigella, was almost the same as that of ciprofloxacin, an antibiotic.1

Diabetes
Other researchers, publishing in “Evidence Based Complementary Alternative Medicine,” drew conclusions from 14 clinical studies that involved 1068 study participants. This research compared lifestyle modifications for diabetes with berberine or with a placebo. Berberine combined with lifestyle modification showed significantly lower blood sugar, even more than just oral hypoglycemics including metformin, glipizide, or rosiglitazone alone. Just as important was that these studies found no serious adverse effects from berberine taking berberine.2

Hypertension
Berberine has been shown to lower blood pressure in hypertensive rats.3 A well controlled study in humans has not been done yet.

Hyperlipidemia
In a review published in 2013 of eleven clinical trials that included 874 participants, berberine was shown to significantly reduce total cholesterol, triglycerides and low-density lipoprotein. There was quite a remarkable increase in HDL, the good lipoprotein. Again, no serious adverse effects were seen in the participants taking berberine.4

Tumor suppression
Numerous publications report the ability of berberine or its metabolites to induce tumor cell death5 render the tumor more sensitive to chemotherapeutic agents6 and prevent tumor cells from migrating and invading other tissue7. Does it have these effects on all types of tumors? The scientific proof isn’t there yet, but studies of many different tumor types are underway.

Weight loss
A study published in “Phytomedicine” in 2102 reported a 5 pound weight lose in Obese human subjects given berberine at a dose of 500 mg three times a day for 3 months.8 This study is promising, not just because of the modest weight loss, but because these study subjects also showed significant reduction in triglycerides of 23% and a decrease of 12% in serum cholesterol.

Does berberine work as the ancient Chinese medical folklore purports? Probably. And modern day medicine has just started to explore the breadth of disorders this herb can treat and the mechanisms of its actions. Current research suggests that even newer uses for berberine may exist to treat Alzheimer’s, prevent kidney stones and prevent some of the damaging effects of abdominal radiation.

1. Pharm Biol. 2011 Jan;49(1):94-100. doi: 10.3109/13880209.2010.500295. Epub 2010 Aug 25.
Antidiarrheal activity, chemical and toxicity profile of Berberis aristata.
Joshi PV, Shirkhedkar AA, Prakash K, Maheshwari VL.

2. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2012;2012:591654. doi: 10.1155/2012/591654. Epub 2012 Oct 15.
Berberine in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus: a systemic review and meta-analysis.
Dong H, Wang N, Zhao L, Lu F

3. Pharmacology. 1999 Dec;59(6):283-9.
The antihypertensive effect of the berberine derivative 6-protoberberine in spontaneously hypertensive rats.
Liu JC, Chan P, Chen YJ, Tomlinson B, Hong SH, Cheng JT.

4. Planta Med. 2013 Apr;79(6):437-46. doi: 10.1055/s-0032-1328321. Epub 2013 Mar 19.
The effects of berberine on blood lipids: a systemic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
Dong H, Zhao Y, Zhao L, Lu F.

5. Oncol Rep. 2013 Jun 19. doi: 10.3892/or.2013.2543. [Epub ahead of print]
Berberine induces apoptosis via the mitochondrial pathway in liver cancer cells.
Yip NK, Ho WS.

6. Acta Biochim Biophys Sin (Shanghai). 2013 Sep;45(9):756-62. doi: 10.1093/abbs/gmt075. Epub 2013 Jul 3.
Berberine sensitizes ovarian cancer cells to cisplatin through miR-21/PDCD4 axis.
Liu S, Fang Y, Shen H, Xu W, Li H.

7. Tumour Biol. 2013 Feb;34(1):215-21. doi: 10.1007/s13277-012-0531-z. Epub 2012 Oct 12.
Berberine inhibits the migration and invasion of T24 bladder cancer cells via reducing the expression of heparanase.
Yan L, Yan K, Kun W, Xu L, Ma Q, Tang Y, Jiao W, Gu G, Fan Y, Xu Z

8. Phytomedicine. 2012 Jul 15;19(10):861-7. doi: 10.1016/j.phymed.2012.05.009. Epub 2012 Jun 26. Lipid-lowering effect of berberine in human subjects and rats.
Hu Y, Ehli EA, Kittelsrud J, Ronan PJ, Munger K, Downey T, Bohlen K, Callahan L, Munson V, Jahnke M, Marshall LL, Nelson K, Huizenga P, Hansen R, Soundy TJ, Davies GE.

By: Sheryl Wood