Posted by yxibow on July 10, 2008, at 2:25:16
In reply to Re: PROBIOTICS FOR BIPOLAR? - SLS, AND ALL READ TH, posted by blueboy on July 6, 2008, at 7:26:52
> I'm sorry to be the party pooper, but this has all the earmarkings of a fad with no basis in science.
>
> The "research" is terrible, little more than a hypothesis and an uncontrolled elementary experiment. The "research" that "proved" Vitamin C cures the common cold was considerably more extensive and was eventually proven baseless.I have to agree as well -- I mean Linus Pauling was an intelligent fellow and people still take large doses of Vitamin C (which after a certain point just pees out anyhow, and after a certain point is probably mildly toxic at least), but there's no real large double blind studies about the "common cold".
And remember, it's called common for a reason -- the common cold can be caused by a host, probably 50 or more viruses, some of which we don't know -- rhinoviruses in the winter often, and coronaviruses in the summer.
It is said that the average person gets up to 5 infectious diseases a year, some not even realized or terribly long lasting.
There may be some minor truth, but again, not much double blind testing that I know of, that zinc may possibly lessen the course of a cold by a day, and this even has a thin line of truth. Yes, sure I go ahead and take the zinc lozenges anyhow sometimes -- in small amounts its not toxic to the body, and who knows, maybe it will help hair growth in men as selenium (in small amounts, it is a toxic element and forms toxic compounds as well in larger amounts) has been touted.
> On the other hand, at least some types of probiotics have been shown to have beneficial effects. There's certainly no reason not to eat a serving of yoghurt every day (or even a great deal of it, other than the possible saturated fat), and some cultures who eat a lot of yoghurt appear to enjoy long lives.Nothing wrong with yogurt, its been around for millenia, and its available in goat and soy and for all I know yak and other forms.
> I personally doubt it has any effect on depression. (Although, in all seriousness, I would be willing to bet that a good f*rt gives you a little shot of serotonin.)Or adds some methane to greenhouse gasses. :) But yes, the largest concentration of serotonin receptors is not in the brain -- its in the gut. That's why when SSRIs and other agents brush by and agonize 5HT3, people get nauseated, at least temporarily until they adjust.
Ginger has some small studies that some of its compounds may be a mild 5HT3 blockade and is one reason why people find (true, not flavored) ginger ale a remedy, as the *trons (ondansetron, etc) are frightfully expensive (they're 5HT3 blockade agents for chemotherapy that replace potentially more risky phenothiazines for the nausea that accompanies those regimes).-- tidings
Jay
poster:yxibow
thread:838066
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20080706/msgs/839084.html