MCVitamins News
Your Nutritional Education Site
1.What about Magnesium?
2.A Solution for Leg and Muscle Cramps
3.
You can Cut Cholesterol by Eating Walnuts
4.
Sugar
5. Butter or Margarine. Which is Better
6. What are the causes of Neuropathy?
What about Magnesium?
This is a vital nutrient. Find out in our latest addition to the
McVitamins website.
http://www.mcvitamins.com/Vitamins/magnesium.htm
A Solution for Leg and Muscle Cramps
Many people suffer from muscle spams and leg cramps which often occur at night. This happens as a result of a lack of a correct balance of Calcium and Magnesium in the cells of the muscles of your body.
Calcium and Magnesium are important and when there is a deficiency, it results in severe muscle spasms, cramps, joint pains and even headaches.
Supplying your body with the correct type of Calcium and Magnesium, which it can then use, will enable your muscles to relax and you'll have a more restful sleep.
To be effectively absorbed and utilized by the body, vitamins and minerals must be the way they are in food. The WSN Calcium and Magnesium Formula is 100 percent whole food so your body knows exactly how to absorb and use it.
To learn more about the Calcium/Magnesium Formula go to http://www.mcvitamins.com/wsn/calcium-magnesium.htm
You can Cut Cholesterol by Eating Walnuts
I like these food remedies. http://www.naturalnews.com/027699_walnuts_cholesterol.html
Sugar
It will be everywhere for the holidays, so we suggest you read up about this health opponent and find out what to take when you do eat too much.
http://www.mcvitamins.com/Health%20Opponents/sugar.htm
Butter or Margarine. Which is Better
Use butter in your holiday recipes rather than margarine
Here's the reason why. Organic butter is in no way harmful to your body. In fact, it is one of the best sources of Vitamin A and is just as important for your immune system as Vitamin C. Butter also contains lecithin, which is the antagonist for cholesterol. Lecithin helps dissolve cholesterol so by avoiding butter you avoid the antidote (Lecithin), the very thing that will keep your cholesterol in a normal range.
Margarine, on the other hand, is made from cheap corn, cottonseed and soy oils. The oils are heated to very high temperatures, which destroy any nutritional value and the oils are also hydrogenated (added hydrogens to make a liquid into a solid). What is left is a gray colored, artificial plastic, which doesn't smell good and then it has to be bleached to remove color and smell. Lastly, food coloring and artificial flavoring are added.
Contrary to popular advertising, butter is the healthy choice so use it in your
recipes.
What are the causes of Neuropathy?
Neuropathy is nerve damage.
It creates nerve pain. When
the nerve breaks down due to disease, chemical toxins, trauma, etc., the
myelin sheath begins to break down.
This creates a short circuit similar to what happens when a wire
loses its insulating cover. The damage can continue and the symptoms of this damage
will get worse.
What causes it? Here is a list of causes………………
Alcoholism -
Thiamine (B1) deficiency, in particular, is common among people with
alcoholism because they often also have poor dietary habits. Thiamine
deficiency can cause a painful neuropathy of the extremities. Some
researchers believe that excessive alcohol consumption may, in itself,
contribute directly to nerve damage, a condition referred to as alcoholic
neuropathy.
Amyloidosis (metabolic disorder)
an disorder where a protein called amyloid is deposited in tissues and
organs. Amyloidosis can affect peripheral sensory, motor or autonomic
nerves and deposition of amyloid lead to degeneration and dysfunction in
these nerves.
Anemia - See Vitamin
Deficiencies. A diet that lacks iron, folic acid (folate), or
vitamin B12 can prevent your body from making enough red blood cells. A
deficiency of iron can effect nerve conduction. A lack of B12 damages
the myelin sheath that surrounds and protect nerves. Without this
protection, nerves cease to function properly and conditions such as
peripheral neuropathy occur. Even B12 deficiency that is relatively mild
may affect the nervous system and the proper functioning of the brain.
The nerve damage caused by a lack of B12 may become permanently
debilitating, if the underlying condition is not treated.
Autoimmune disorders: Viral and bacterial infections
can also cause indirect nerve damage by provoking conditions referred to
as autoimmune disorders, in which specialized cells and antibodies of
the immune system attack the body's own tissues. These attacks typically
cause destruction of the nerve's myelin sheath or axon (the long fiber
that extends out from the main nerve cell body).
Bacterial Diseases - Lyme disease, diphtheria, and
leprosy are bacterial diseases characterized by extensive peripheral
nerve damage. Diphtheria and leprosy are now rare in the United States,
but Lyme disease is on the rise. It can cause a wide range of
neuropathic disorders, including a rapidly developing, painful
polyneuropathy, often within a few weeks after initial infection by a
tick bite. See autoimmune responses.
Bariatric Surgery – postoperative
nerve damage also known as peripheral neuropathy (PN)
Nutritional deficiencies can occur following this procedure due
to patients experiencing more weight loss than expected and post
operative complications.
Bell's Palsy - Bell's palsy results from upper
respiratory infections, viral infections such as those caused by
infectious mononucleosis, herpes, mumps, HIV viruses, and bacterial
infections such as Lyme Disease. Facial weakness from Bell's palsy is
due to the facial nerve which is a nerve that controls the muscles on
the side of the face and it a form of peripheral neuropathy.
Cancer – a tumor can
press on a nerve or entrap a nerve and cause damage.
See Compression neuropathy
Cancer treatments See Chemotherapy
treatments and Radiation Therapy
below.
Carpal tunnel syndrome - Carpus
comes from the Greek word for wrist. The wrist is surrounded by a band
of fibrous tissue that normally functions as a support for the joint.
The tight space between this fibrous band and the wrist bone is called
the carpal tunnel. The median nerve passes through the carpal tunnel to
receive sensations from the thumb, index, and middle fingers of the
hand. Any condition that causes swelling or a change in position of the
tissue within the carpal tunnel can squeeze and irritate the median
nerve. Irritation of the median nerve in this manner causes tingling and
numbness of the thumb, index, and the middle fingers, a condition known
as "carpal tunnel syndrome." Thus, it can cause nerve damage.
Charcot Marie-Tooth disease - See Inherited
neuropathy
Chemotherapy Treatment – Chemotherapy
drugs are poisons that attack fast growing cells (rapidly dividing
cells). The theory behind
using these toxins is that it will destroy the fast growing cancer cells
before it does much damage to normal cells.
Chemotherapy is hardest on the nervous system due to the fact
that nerve cells are more sensitive than other cells.
Chronic kidney failure - Chronic kidney or renal
failure (uremia) occurs when the kidneys gradually fail to function
properly. When the kidneys are impaired, fluids and waste products
accumulate in the body. In some cases, kidney failure can cause
peripheral neuropathy. Many conditions can cause kidney failure; the
most common are diabetes and high blood pressure.
Compression neuropathy - pressure on an area. It is
an inability to transmit nerve impulses because compression has damaged
nerve fibers either directly, or indirectly by restricting their supply
of oxygen. Compression can come from herniated discs in the spine,
osteoarthritis can cause bone spurs that can compress a nerve, severe
muscle injuries can compress nerves, and even prolonged use of tight
clothing such as shoes. It all depends on the nerve compressed.
Connective tissue disease (e.g., rheumatoid
arthritis, lupus, sarcoidosis) Connective tissue disorders and
chronic inflammation can cause direct and indirect nerve damage.
When the multiple layers of protective tissue surrounding nerves become
inflamed, the inflammation can spread directly into nerve fibers.
Chronic inflammation also leads to the progressive destruction of
connective tissue, making nerve fibers more vulnerable to compression
injuries and infections. Joints can become inflamed and swollen and
entrap nerves, causing pain.
Diabetes mellitus - the higher than normal sugar
levels create nerve damage. Chronic neuropathy can start when the nerves
are deprived of oxygen or anoxia.
Diphtheria - See Bacterial Diseases
Drugs - Certain anticancer drugs, anticonvulsants,
antiviral agents, and antibiotics have side effects that can include
peripheral nerve damage, thus limiting their long-term use. Metformin is
a drug associated with B12 deficiency and thus nerve damage.
To check on any medications and if they cause nerve damage, go to
www.drugs.com or www.rxlist.com Note: neuropathy can be defined as nerve pain,
parenthesia, tingling and numbness..etc.
Epstein-Barr virus - See Infections
Foods that are toxic - Some foods and food additives
have a direct toxic effect on the gastrointestinal tract. Food allergies
and intolerance can create nerve pain - neuropathy. MSG is known to
cause nerve damage.
Herniated disc - most compressed nerves will cause
inflammation but will get better. This is more likely to cause problems
when the nerve is squashed between the disc and an adjacent bone.
Herpes - see Infections
HIV/AIDS - The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV),
which causes AIDS, also causes extensive damage to the central and
peripheral nervous systems. The virus can cause several different forms
of neuropathy, each strongly associated with a specific stage of active
immunodeficiency disease. A rapidly progressive, painful polyneuropathy
affecting the feet and hands is often the first clinically apparent sign
of HIV infection.
Hormonal imbalances - can disturb normal metabolic
processes and cause neuropathies. For example, an underproduction of
thyroid hormones slows metabolism, leading to fluid retention and
swollen tissues that can exert pressure on peripheral nerves.
Overproduction of growth hormone can lead to acromegaly, a condition
characterized by the abnormal enlargement of many parts of the skeleton,
including the joints. Nerves running through these affected joints often
become entrapped.
Idiopathic - when doctors cannot find a specific
cause
Immune System - See Inflammation
Inflammation - Chronic
inflammation also leads to the progressive destruction of connective
tissue, making nerve fibers more vulnerable to compression injuries and
infections. Joints can become inflamed and swollen and entrap
nerves, causing pain.
Some neuropathies are caused by inflammation resulting from immune
system activities rather than from direct damage by infectious
organisms. Inflammatory neuropathies can develop quickly or slowly, and
chronic forms can exhibit a pattern of alternating remission and
relapse. Acute inflammatory demyelinating neuropathy, better known as
Guillain-Barré syndrome, can damage motor, sensory, and autonomic nerve
fibers. Most people recover from this syndrome although severe cases can
be life threatening. Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP),
generally less dangerous, usually damages sensory and motor nerves,
leaving autonomic nerves intact. Multifocal motor neuropathy is a form
of inflammatory neuropathy that affects motor nerves exclusively; it may
be chronic or acute.
Infectious disease (e.g., Lyme disease, HIV/AIDS,
hepatitis B, leprosy) Infections and autoimmune disorders can
cause peripheral neuropathy. Viruses and bacteria that can attack nerve
tissues include herpes varicella-zoster (shingles), Epstein-Barr virus,
cytomegalovirus, and herpes simplex-members of the large family of human
herpes viruses. These viruses severely damage sensory nerves, causing
attacks of sharp, lightning-like pain. Postherpetic neuralgia often
occurs after an attack of shingles and can be particularly painful.
Inherited forms of peripheral neuropathy are
caused by inborn mistakes in the genetic code or by new genetic
mutations. Some genetic errors lead to mild neuropathies with symptoms
that begin in early adulthood and result in little, if any, significant
impairment. More severe hereditary neuropathies often appear in infancy
or childhood.
The most common inherited neuropathies are a group of
disorders collectively referred to as Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. These
neuropathies result from flaws in genes responsible for manufacturing
neurons or the myelin sheath. Hallmarks of typical Charcot-Marie-Tooth
disease include extreme weakening and wasting of muscles in the lower
legs and feet, gait abnormalities, loss of tendon reflexes, and numbness
in the lower limbs.
The sad fact is that after a while this misfiring of
the nerves can get so bad that people are unable to walk or pick things
up and can get to a point where they would rather have a limb amputated
then continue with this nerve pain.
Kidney Disease - can lead to
abnormally high amounts of toxic substances in the blood that can
severely damage nerve tissue. A majority of patients who require
dialysis because of kidney failure develop polyneuropathy. Some liver
diseases also lead to neuropathies as a result of chemical imbalances.
Leprosy - In all patients with
leprosy, the nerve tissue is involved. The dermal nerves are infected in
all skin lesions.
Liver failure – liver disease may be associated with sensory-motor
demyelinating polyneuropathy
Lupus, See Connective Tissue
Diseases
Lyme Disease - See Bacterial
Infection
Many Medications (such as Lyrica,
Cymbalta, Duloxetine hydrochloride, Pregabalin, and more have neuropathy
as a side effect, if may be listed under paresthenia, or tingling and
numbness. You can check www.drugs.com
or www.rxlist.com to check on a
medication.
Metabolic Disorders - caused
by a disruption of the chemical processes in the body. In some cases,
nerve damage is caused by the inability to properly use energy in the
body. In other cases, dangerous substances (toxins) build up
in the body and damage nerves. Some metabolic disorders are pass down
through families (inherited), while others are develop due to various
diseases.
Multiple Sclerosis - During periods
of multiple sclerosis activity, white blood cells are drawn to regions
of the white matter. These initiate and take part in what is known as
the inflammatory response. The resulting inflammation is similar to what happens in your
skin when you get a pimple. During
the inflammation, the myelin gets stripped from the axons in a process
known as demyelination.
Nutritional Deficiencies –
see vitamin deficiencies
Pressure on a nerve – see
compression neuropathy
Radiation Treatment - effects may be
delayed for many years, the radiation can injury the nerves.
Radiculopathy is
a condition due to a compressed nerve in the spine that can cause pain.
See compression neuropathy
Repetitive stress - frequently leads
to entrapment neuropathies, a special category of compression injury.
Cumulative damage can result from repetitive, forceful, awkward
activities that require flexing of any group of joints for prolonged
periods. The resulting irritation may cause ligaments, tendons, and
muscles to become inflamed and swollen, constricting the narrow
passageways through which some nerves pass.
Rheumatoid Athritis - See Connective
Tissue Disease
Sarcoidosis - See Connective
tissue diseases
Shingles - See Infections Disease
Statin Drugs - designed to block
cholesterol, the cells need cholesterol to build the myelin sheath, this
can cause the nerve damage.
Swollen blood vessels – see
compression neuropathy
Surgeries that damage a nerve
Systemic Diseases - disorders that
affect the entire body —often cause peripheral neuropathy. These
disorders may include: Metabolic and endocrine disorders. Nerve tissues
are highly vulnerable to damage from diseases that impair the body's
ability to transform nutrients into energy, process waste products, or
manufacture the substances that make up living tissue. Diabetes
mellitus, characterized by chronically high blood glucose levels, is a
leading cause of peripheral neuropathy in the United States. About 60
percent to 70 percent of people with diabetes have mild to severe forms
of nervous system damage.
Toxins - can cause peripheral nerve
damage. People who are exposed to heavy metals (arsenic, lead, mercury,
thallium), industrial drugs, or environmental toxins frequently develop
neuropathy.
Trauma - Physical Injuries - is the
most common cause of injury to a nerve. Injury or sudden trauma, such as
from automobile accidents, falls, and sports-related activities, can
cause nerves to be partially or completely severed, crushed, compressed,
or stretched, sometimes so forcefully that they are partially or
completely detached from the spinal cord. Broken or dislocated bones can
exert damaging pressure on neighboring nerves, and slipped disks between
vertebrae can compress nerve fibers where they emerge from the spinal
cord.
Tumors causing pressure on a nerve -
Cancers and benign tumors can infiltrate or exert damaging pressure on
nerve fibers. Tumors also can arise directly from nerve tissue cells.
See compression neuropathy.
Vascular damage and blood diseases
can decrease oxygen supply to the peripheral nerves and quickly lead to
serious damage to or death of nerve tissues, much as a sudden lack of
oxygen to the brain can cause a stroke. Diabetes frequently leads to
blood vessel constriction. Various forms of vasculitis (blood vessel
inflammation) frequently cause vessel walls to harden, thicken, and
develop scar tissue, decreasing their diameter and impeding blood flow.
This category of nerve damage, in which isolated nerves in different
areas are damaged, is called mononeuropathy multiplex or multifocal
mononeuropathy.
Viral Infection - See Infections
above.
Viral and bacterial infections can also cause indirect nerve damage by
provoking conditions referred to as autoimmune disorders, in which
specialized cells and antibodies of the immune system attack the body's
own tissues. These attacks typically cause destruction of the nerve's
myelin sheath or axon (the long fiber that extends out from the main
nerve cell body).
Vitamin deficiencies (e.g.,
pernicious anemia, etc.) can cause widespread damage to nerve tissue.
Vitamins E, B1, B6, B12, and niacin are essential to healthy nerve
function. See also alcoholic neuropathy.
A lack of B12 damages the myelin sheath that surrounds and protect
nerves. Without this protection, nerves cease to function properly and
conditions such as peripheral neuropathy occur. Even B12 deficiency that
is relatively mild may affect the nervous system and the proper
functioning of the brain. The nerve damage caused by a lack of B12 may
become permanently debilitating, if the underlying condition is not
treated.
Zinc induced copper deficiency (denture
adhesive creams) These adhesive creams have a large amount of zinc
in them which can induce a copper deficiency and then nerve damage. See vitamin deficiencies.