Patients who reach for acetaminophen or NSAIDs for pain relief now have a safe, fast-acting, natural option. A compound called Rhuleave-K combines the plant extracts of Boswellia and curcumin in a highly-absorbable, rapid onset form offering comparable analgesia to acetaminophen. In a randomized open label comparison trial with 1000 mg acetaminophen, 1000 mg of Rhuleave-K also provided noticeable relief in one hour, with complete pain relief achieved in three hours. See more on the technology along with the various clinical…

Urogenital recurrent infections affect millions of women because of the dramatic shifts in urogenital bacterial composition and concentrations. Even though most patients get improvement with antimicrobial treatment, the recurrence rate is high and associated with systemic side effects. Probiotics are healthy bacterial strains that not only improve the digestive system but also prevent and address urogenital infections and maintain vaginal health. The combination of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GR-1® and Lactobacillus reuteri RC-14® probiotic strains has shown positive benefits in women with bacterial vaginosis (BV), urinary tract infections (UTI), and vulvovaginal…

Specific strains of lactobacilli and bifidobacterial have been shown to work together in combination in a number of clinical trials. This summary of clinical trials includes research on one or more of the strains Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM, Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG and HN001, Lactobacillus plantarum Lp-115, Lactobacillus paracasei Lpc-37, and Bifidobacterium lactis Bl-04, Bi-07 and HN019 as well as a trial using all eight. Finally, key mechanisms of action for each strain is summarized, from intestinal barrier support to intestinal nervous…

While a meta-analysis shows that probiotics reduce the duration of the common cold by an average of 1.89 days, Lactobacillus plantarum HEAL9 and Lactobacillus paracasei 8700:2 team up to reduce the duration of the common cold by as much as 2.4 days in one study. This research review covers mechanisms of action in multiple clinical trials as well as four double-blind randomized clinical trials on the common cold using 1 billion colony-forming units of this probiotic combination. Download the PDF

There is a need to identify methods to complement and enhance compliance for the ketogenic diet in order to induce and sustain ketosis. Exogenous ketone supplementation, particularly with beta-hydroxybutyrate (βHB) salts, is one such method that has grown in commercial popularity, but clinical studies that test the efficacy and safety of exogenous ketones are lacking. A pilot study1 published in the Journal of Nutritional Health & Food Engineering assessed the circulating βHB blood (capillary) concentration in response to acute, oral βHB…

This 12-week study evaluated the efficacy and safety of a nutritional product containing n-enriched tetrahydro iso-alpha acids and undenatured type 2 collagen in participants with chronic joint pain (including pain from symptomatic osteoarthritis and from rheumatoid arthritis). Tetrahydro iso-α acids (THIAAs), derived from Humulus lupulus (hops), have demonstrated anti-inflammatory effects in vitro and in an animal model of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Undenatured type 2 collagen has been found to be effective in clinical studies in RA and osteoarthritis (OA). OBJECTIVE:…

Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) has become a significant health problem seen in many clinical practices. The prevalence estimates for SIBO in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) range from 4-78% (higher prevalence in diarrhea-predominant IBS)1 and is thought to be almost as high in many other disorders of the digestive tract. Defined as an increase in the concentration of bacteria of more than 100,000 colony-forming units per mL in the small intestine, SIBO can lead to malabsorption and malnutrition that…

This clinical review covers the influence of various diets on overall health and how diet directly impacts cardiometabolic disease. Cardiometabolic disease, including coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke and type 2 diabetes (T2D), accounts for nearly 1 in 4 deaths annually in the United States, amounting to 702,308 deaths in 2012. This includes 371,266 CHD related deaths, 128,294 deaths from stroke and 67,914 from T2D. This highly preventable loss of life leads to a tremendous burden for families and for the nation as…

The microbial community in each of our bodies influences our physiology, metabolism and immune function, playing roles in both health and disease. This community of bacteria helps its human host digest food, synthesize certain vitamins, and protect against pathogenic bacteria. Recognizing the benefits of “good” microbes begs the question, what does the microbial population look like in a healthy person? And how does the population differ in a person with metabolic or digestive disease? This monograph reviews the role of…

IMOs are partially indigestible prebiotics made from maltose, a disaccharide found commonly in commercial products, barley, grains, miso, soy sauce, and starchy vegetables. Isomalto-oligosaccharides (IMOs) are short-chain carbohydrate starch-based oligosaccharides composed of branched alpha-1-4, and or alpha 1,6-glucosidic linkages. IMOs have therapeutic potential in the management of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and other digestive disorders, in part, because of their ability to support and balance the gut microbiota, and potential to reduce gut inflammation. In addition to the beneficial effects…