Natural Choices — Health Food, Organic Produce, Gluten Free, Vitamins, Supplements — Columbus, Bartholomew County, Indiana

Posts Tagged ‘Alzheimer’s’

We’ve received several questions recently concerning Vitamin B6.  Vitamin B6′s active ingredient is the compound pyridoxine.  Pyridoxine can be manipulated into different forms of compounds which are effective in the anti-glycation process.  Pyridoxal-5′-Phosphate and pyridoxamine-5′-phosphate are the two most active compounds in reducing glycation. The knowledge of these “vitamers” to the pharmaceutical industry surpasses the products which top the list as the best in reducing glycation.

Kidney disease is brought on due to diabetes most of the time.  Pyridoxine has been shown to reduce the amount of damage done to the kidneys in recent studies.  Throughout testing with pyridoxine,  scientists have been able to conclude that it reduces elevated blood pressures and thinning of blood vessel walls. Urinary protein excretion was also reduced to normal. Protein excretion in urine is a tell tale sign of kidney disease.

Eye disease has also been affected by these studies. It  has been shown that pyridoxal greatly improves motor skills, and also when comparing for how long it takes for a cataracts to form, scientists found that pyridoxal dramatically slowed the time it took for cataracts to form.  Pyridoxal also protected the eyes from ischemia ( lack of blood flow).

Alzheimer’s disease is also being treated with pyridoxine.  Pyridoxine has been shown to improve the growth and upkeep of brain nerve tissue.  These actions keep the glycation process at bay from clotting and forming on vital processes the human brain uses to function.

I am well into my month of no soda pop, drinking only tea and water. I have to admit, I do feel better.

But all this talk about tea has made me realize, even though I have been a tea-drinker for many years, I don’t really know what “tea” is. I mean, coffee comes from the coffee bean. There are so many varieties of tea, so where does it come from?

According to Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary, tea is:

1 a: a shrub (Camellia sinensis of the family Theaceae, the tea family) cultivated esp. in China, Japan and the East Indies, 1 b: the leaves, leaf buds, and internodes of the tea plant prepared and cured for the market, classed according to method of manufacture (as green tea, black tea or oolong) and graded according to leaf size (as congou, orange pekoe, pekoe or souchong)

But then, you might ask, what about all the flavored and herbal teas? Well, Webster refers to them, too:

3: any of various plants somewhat resembling tea in properties; also: an infusion of their leaves used medicinally or as a beverage

Alvita is just one of the brands of teas you'll find at Natural Choices.

The idea I take hold of from that is the “medicinal” comment about teas since that has always been the bent when offered a cup of black tea, green tea or an herbal tea. The powerful anti-oxidants in green and white teas can do so many things like lowering the rate of heart disease, cancer and Alzheimer’s. Not to mention the calming effect and stress reduction that comes from holding a hot cup of tea in your hands and just smelling the aroma – no matter what the type, flavor or brand is, it’s like a little cozy hug.

An added important note about teas: many teas have caffeine. Many herbal teas are caffeine-free and others may be decaffeinated. But you have to read the labels closely. If you monitor or eliminate caffeine in your diet, pay attention to the teas you purchase. The shelves are lined with a tremendous selection of decaffeinated and tasty teas at Natural Choices in Columbus, Indiana. You might have trouble just picking one, or two, or even three!

Healthy for you, tasty, and calming. Sounds like time for a cup for me!

–Ellie of the Natural Choices Blog Team