Alternative medicine Home

Beauty Info

Massage techniques

Pure Natural Aromatherapy Essential oils



Treating West Nile Virus with High Quality St. Johns Wort


West Nile Virus, although new to the U.S., iswell-documented. The Centers for Disease Controlidentifies it as a flavivirus, a member of theTogavirus family. It is closely related to yellowfever and dengue fever. This is important becausethe Togavirus family are encapsulated viruses,i.e., they are covered with a lipid (fatty)coating.

This is exciting, because it means the virus isaccessible to treatment utilizing high quality St.John's Wort (SJW). Several studies have been doneon a variety of encapsulated viruses, includingherpes simplex virus types 1 and 2, parainfluenzavirus, vaccinia virus, cytomegalovirus and severalretroviruses including HIV1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 10.

Non-encapsulated viruses or "naked" viruses werealso studied for comparison purposes10,13.

SJW was a potent anti-viral agent across a variety ofencapsulated virus families, but showed noactivity against naked viruses.

Unlike a vaccine that is specific to eachorganism, SJW is active against encapsulatedviruses by a variety of mechanisms, includinglight activation, interference with DNAtranscription, impairing the assembly of intactviral particles and the lipophilic (fat-loving)nature of the ring structures (the quinone andphenolic groups)4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15. These ring structures are critical to the biologicactivity of SJW.

From these results, it is reasonable to use highquality, pharmaceutical grade SJW in combatingWest Nile Virus, since there are no effectivepharmaceutical agents.

Quality is critical since the level of hypericin and pseudohypericin arekey. I can only recommend the SJW productproduced by Medi-Herb, which is a pharmaceuticalhouse in Australia, adhering to pharmaceuticalmanufacturing standards. The product isdistributed by Standard Process throughalternative health care practitioners, includingdoctors of chiropractic, acupuncturists andveterinarians. SJW is quite unstable and theactive ingredients degrade on store shelves. Anindependent analysis of 3 products (all of whichwere certified to contain 0.3% hypericin) wereshown to be widely variant, with one product 25%below label claims. It is critically importantthat the phytochemical integrity of the wholeplant be preserved for maximum efficacy.16

References:1Andersen DO, Weber ND, Wood SG et al. AntiviralRes 1991; 16(2): 185-196.2Lopez-Bazzocchi I, Hudson JB, Towers GHN.Photochem.Photopbiol. 1991; 54(1): 95-98.3Moraleda G, Wu TT, Jilbert AR et al. AntiviralRes 1993; 20: 235-247.4Tang J, Colacino JM, Larsen SH et al. AntiviralRes 1990; 13 (6): 313-325.5Hudson JB, Harris L, Towers GHN. Antiviral Res1993; 20 (2):173-178.6Lenard J, Rabson A, Vanderoef R. Proc Natl AcadSci USA 1993; 90 (1): 158-162.7Degar S, Prince AM, Pascual D et al. AIDS Res HumRetroviruses 1992; 8 (11): 1929-1936.8Carpenter S, Kraus GA. Photochem Photobiol 1991;53 (2): 169-174.9Lavie G, Valentine F, Levin B et al. Proc NatlAcad Sci USA 1989; 86 (15): 5963-5967.10Meruelo D, Lavie G, Lavie D et al. Proc NatlAcad Sci USA 1988; 85 (14): 5230-5234.11Kraus GA, Pratt D, Tossberg J et al. BiochemBiophys Res Commun 1990; 172 (1): 149-153.12Takahashi I, Nakanishi S, Kobayashi E et al.Biochem Biophys Res Commun 1989; 165 (3):1207-1212.13De Witte P, Agostinis P, Van Lint J et al.Biochem Pharmacol 1993; 46 (11): 1929-1936.14Panossian AG, Gabrielian E, Manvelian V et al.Phytomed 1996; 3 (1): 19-28.15Lavie G, Mazur Y, Lavie D et al. Transfusion1995; 35 (5): 392-400.16Constantine GH, Karchesy J. Variations inHypericin concentrations in Hypericum perforatum L. and commercial products. PharmaceuticalBiology 1998; 36 (5): 365-367.

Dr. N. Rowan Richards was recently awarded thedistinction of being one of the top fivechiropractors in the state of California.She is a Diplomate of the American Board ofChiropractic Internists, a certified herbalist,and a Fellow of the International Academy ofClinical Acupuncture. Dr. Richards has been inpractice for over seventeen years providing caring, individualizedcomplete alternative health care in the Los Angeles area.Her web site is www.richardsfamilyhealth.com


MORE RESOURCES:

The true fountain of youth
Grand Junction Free Press
I often reply to such comments with bits of wisdom that Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has provided for me throughout my training. My words are usually met with a silent moment of pondering and consideration. However, sometimes a client will remark ...

and more »


Visiting doctor to evaluate locals' marijuana needs
TheNewsTribune.com
"The Healing Center Medical Clinic" will be Friday through Sunday at the Millennium Hotel, the second such session this year. The Healing Center Medical Clinic -- not to be confused with The Healing Center, an Anchorage chiropractic and wellness clinic ...
Medical Marijuana Clinic Accepting PatientsKTUU.com

all 7 news articles »


China Daily

Cups that runneth over with healing
China Daily
According to the theory of traditional Chinese medicine, the ensuing vacuum and the effect of suction helps draw out inner toxins, promotes the flow of "qi" and blood and unblocks channels called meridians, easing swelling and reducing pain.

and more »


David Simon, 61, mind-body medicine pioneer, opened Chopra Center for Wellbeing
U-T San Diego
According to a profile published on the Chopra Center's website, Dr. Simon explored a variety of healing traditions, searching for alternatives to the prevailing medical model that he had found limiting since his earliest days in medical school.



Seminar on healing with natural methods
Canon City Daily Record
By CHARLOTTE BURROUS burrousc@ canoncitydailyrecord.com Find out how to do that when Athena Wolf presents a three-hour seminar titled, "Healing our Families with Natural Medicine" from 9 am to noon Saturday at Fremont Center for the Arts at 505 Macon ...



Community High Spitfire: Americans Should Consider Alternatives to ...
my.hsj.org
“…the total number of deaths caused by conventional medicine is an astounding 783936 per year.” ~ Gary Null, PhD; Carolyn Dean MD, ND; Martin Feldman, MD; Debora Rasio, MD; and Dorothy Smith, PhD Prescription drugs – the cure-all for pretty much any ...



Luring medical facilities to Germantown can have healing effects for city
Memphis Business Journal
However, a strategic focus on health care jobs has resulted in millions in new investment and hundreds of new jobs for the community and now is pushing leaders to think about the next stage as it eyes medical device industry and other advanced .



WND.com

Political views torpedo medical license application
WND.com
By Jack Minor The Kansas State board of Healing Arts apparently is saying political perspectives are more important than medical knowledge for its doctors. That's the result of the board's decision this week to reject a request from Dr. Terrence Lakin ...
The Doctor Will/Won't See You NowFamily Security Matters

all 3 news articles »


Indian Express

"Fracture putty" could speed healing of broken bones
Gizmag
"This discovery may allow them to be up and moving as fast as days afterward." Other institutions involved in the study, that are pursuing other bone-healing techniques, include the Baylor College of Medicine, Rice University and the University of ...
Univ. researchers create “fracture putty” to heal bones fasterRed and Black
'Fracture putty' heals broken bones in daysTimes of India
Adult Stem Cells and Fracture PuttyPatheos (blog)

all 7 news articles »


WTSP 10 News

Making a Difference: Musical medicine
WTSP 10 News
Her tunes help with healing. ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Hospitals can be scary places, even for adults. So imagine if you're a child suffering from a life-threatening disease or waiting for a life-saving surgery. It can be a pretty tough thing to deal ...

and more »

Google News

Alternative home | site map | Beauty | Massage oils | Essential Oils | Privacy and FAQ | Alternative medicine Courses
Massage oils 365 © 2011 Alternative medicine