Twenty beagle dogs in good health and between 4 and 8 years old were selected for the study. Thunderstorm sounds were reproduced using a sound desensitization compact disc shown to be effective for behavior modification programs for noise-related anxieties. The beagles were video recorded for 9 minutes: a 3 minute anticipatory phase, a 3 min. thunderstorm phase and a 3 min. recovery phase.

One group received the placebo during the first treatment period and the other received Harmonease. On day 13, dogs were again subjected to the thunderstorm testing and the treatment groups were crossed over so that dogs receiving Harmonease during the first treatment period received the placebo during the second treatment period and vice versa.

The model measured stress-related clinical signs during the test such as distance travelled by the dog, inactivity duration and inactivity frequency – all related to freezing responses and the most robust measures of anxiety in this test.

The test facility was operated in accordance with guidelines set forth by the Canadian Council on Animal Care. Animal housing and care met or exceeded all applicable provincial and Federal regulations, and the study protocol was approved by the test facility’s Animal Care Committee.

Sixty percent (60%) of dogs improved from baseline when treated with Harmonease, whereas only 25% improved on placebo. Furthermore, Harmonease has a comparatively low risk of producing side effects such as central depression, muscle relaxation, or amnesia as compared to benzodiazepines, commonly used to address anxiety in dogs.

The study concluded that Harmonease reduced fear-related inactivity or freezing in dogs in this thunderstorm simulation model. This supports past studies demonstrating that the combination of botanical extracts in Harmonease is effective in dogs for the management of stress-related behaviors.

Part of this is due to the type of fat. Excessive stomach fat is a sign of visceral fat. Visceral fat differs from other types of fat in that it has greater blood flow and up to four times as many receptors, making the region especially sensitive to the fat accumulating effects of circulating cortisol (a principle stress hormone). In fact, visceral fat responds to circulating cortisol by further increasing in size.

What makes central fat so intriguing to researchers is that they have found a relationship between central fat distribution and adverse psychological states, such as depression and anxiety. In a study entitled Stress and Body Shape, researchers proposed the question, “Does exposure to stress-induced cortisol affect body fat distribution among the general public?” In other words, do women with greater central fat (high WHR) adapt less effectively to repeated stress overtime, both physiologically and psychologically, regardless of Body Mass Index (BMI)?

To conduct this study, 59 healthy women were exposed to three laboratory sessions over 4 consecutive days. In these sessions, cortisol and psychological responses were assessed. The study hypothesized that women with high WHR would demonstrate greater cortisol reactivity (stress response) to a new stressor, would fail to adjust to repeated stressors on subsequent, similar exposures (as evidenced by high cortisol reactivity) and would report psychological traits and stress response indicative of ineffective coping.

Indeed, the sessions demonstrated that lean women with a high WHR showed a lack of adaptation. They secreted higher levels of cortisol when exposed to stressors than lean women with low WHR and similar resting cortisol levels. Furthermore, on the second and third days of testing, when the challenge had become familiar and predictable, women with high WHR continued to show elevated levels of cortisol secretion, demonstrating an inability to habituate to stress triggers.

The next step in the study was to identify whether there were psychological differences in tandem with physical evidence (central body fat distribution) of greater stress. Examining this aspect would verify whether the higher cortisol reactivity of high WHR women was a physical coincidence, simply correlate to greater central fat, or a result of chronic stress. The resulting psychological and cognitive testing responses demonstrated that women with high WHR perceived greater threats, exerted less effort and performed more poorly than those with low WHR. Even at baseline, absent stressors, women with high WHR reported greater chronic stress, higher pessimism, negative affect and passive coping. Women with high WHR reported higher levels of chronic work and financial stress and had lower self-esteem scores.

In conclusion, the study found that central fat distribution is related to greater psychological vulnerability to stress and cortisol reactivity. Lean women with a high WHR may experience greater overall cortisol exposure under stressful conditions due to a greater initial reactivity to stressors and a lack of adaption over time.

A similar study, entitled Mental Distress, Obesity and Body Fat Distribution in Middle-Aged Men examined a group of 1,040 48 year old men with the aim of examining whether psychiatric symptoms are associated with obesity and abdominal distribution of body fat in men, as previous research had suggested was the case for women. The study concluded that high WHR in men -regardless of BMI- is associated with symptoms of depression and anxiety with associated sleep disturbances, as well as psychosomatic symptoms and dissatisfaction. It was hypothesized that the mechanism involved might be increased secretion of cortisol. As in the woman-focused study, WHR showed to be significantly correlated to psychiatric variables, such as a high degree of melancholy and mental depression, both well-known conditions characterized by increased cortisol secretion and a hypersensitive Hypothalamic–Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis (resulting in frequently elevated cortisol secretion). The researchers also speculated that traits of depressive symptoms predispose a person for visceral fat accumulation and a high WHR.

Both studies support the argument for the body shape-stress connection and the need to manage stress levels for a number of life quality and health factors. Relora®, an all-natural dietary supplement, has been strongly supported by the medical community as a supplement that may help to calm the HPA axis while managing stress and potentially alleviating anxiety.

The findings, published in the November 6^th issue of Nature Medicine, found that if the complement system in genetically-engineered lab mice is disrupted, they become protected from osteoarthritis. Conversely, if mice had an over-active complement system and were not targeted for complement system disruption, the mice suffered significantly from arthritis.

The researchers believe, given the findings of the study, that by interrupting the complement system in human osteoarthritis patients they may be able to slow down or even prevent the onset of the disease altogether.

“It’s a paradigm change. People in the field predominantly view osteoarthritis as a matter of simple wear and tear, like tires gradually wearing out on a car,” said William Robinson, the study’s senior author.

The study suggests that traditional drugs used to fight osteoarthritis may not be as effective as a complement inhibiting supplement such as Citrofen^®, which has shown in clinical studies to fight inflammation, protein build up and symptoms of arthritis.

 The study, which analyzed the sleeping habits and patterns of over 53,000 men and women across Norway as part of a national health survey between 1995-1997 and over the following decade, also found that a full third of Norwegians suffer from some form of sleep insomnia. While daylight time and sleep patterns may differ in the US, the findings are considered significant for the field of sleep science.

 These findings suggest that along with healthy eating and exercise regimes, those with reported sleep trouble may also want to consider all-natural sleep supplements such as Seditol^®, an herbal supplement that has shown to promote sleep, relaxation and calm, and reduce fatigue — an often associated symptom of poor sleep.

A new study conducted by the Journal of the American Heart Association has provided evidence indicating antioxidant rich diets are directly linked to lower incidence of cardiovascular disease. 

The findings, included in a long-term population based study of over 36,000 women nationwide, suggest that eating fruits, vegetables and raw grains reduces the prevalence of free radicals in the human body.

Those women with the highest recorded TAC (total antioxidant capacity) were shown to have a statistically significant (10 percent) lower risk of hemorrhagic stroke compared to those with the lowest TAC levels.

The findings support other recent population studies on healthy living, the eating of natural foods, and other healthful dietary habits. Flavoxine^®, a natural dietary supplement containing an all-natural proprietary blend of Phellodendron amurense and polymethoxylated flavones extracted from Citrus sinensis is one such product used to maintain a healthy cardiovascular system.

Last month a new study conducted at the School of Public Health, University of Illinois at Chicago suggested that stress was associated with tumor aggressiveness. Of the 1,000 recently diagnosed breast cancer patients, those who reported higher levels of psychological stress commonly had the most aggressive cancer, though researchers remain unsure of what exact causal factors were at play. Do high levels of psychological stress increase cancer aggressiveness, or do more aggressive cancer and related treatments cause higher levels of stress?

Either way, it remains clear to scientists that there is some type of relationship between psychological stress and cancer. Maintaining healthy stress levels continue to be as important as ever as additional findings on this association are released. Particularly as we recognize National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, take time to find what works for you- whether it is all-natural dietary supplements such as Relora® and Relora Liquid, yoga, meditation or other relaxing activities.

In the study, published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 162 patients with diagnosed RA responded to four questionnaires addressing sleep quality, depression, pain and overall health. Findings suggest that although sleep does not directly affect functional disability in RA patients, poor sleep quality is significantly correlated with elevated levels of depressive symptoms, pain and fatigue- three significant factors of functional disability.

These results suggest that those suffering from RA may consider looking into supplements that enhance sleep quality, such as Seditol®, to curb the pain and functional disability associated with RA.

The study, published in the American Heart Journal, followed 80,000 adopted men and woman who developed heart disease and compared the subjects with their adoptive and biological parents.  Findings demonstrated that no change in heart disease risk was found among children whose adopted families practiced an unhealthy lifestyle.  However, adopted children whose biological parents had heart disease were 40-60% more likely to have heart disease than their adopted parents.

“The results of our studies suggest that the risk of coronary heart disease is not transferred via an unhealthy lifestyle in the family, but rather via the genes,” said Kristina Sundquist, a professor at the Center for Primary Health Care Research in Sweden.

According to the American Heart Association, approximately 39% of Americans think their heart health is ideal.  In reality, less than 1% of Americans have ideal heart health.

Both studies suggest that heart health should be closely monitored by everyone, regardless of a person’s dedication to living a healthy lifestyle or a person’s sense of overall health.

For those who need to lower their cholesterol and improve heart health, Flavoxine® is a patented dietary supplement that addresses CRP and lipid levels without the side effects of traditional prescription drugs.

The study followed 1,462 women 38-60 years old for 35 years. The women were given psychological stress tests three times throughout the 35 years.

At the end of the study, 161 of the females had developed dementia (105 with Alzheimer’s disease, 40 with vascular dementia and 16 with other dementias).Those who had reported high levels of stress at one or more testings had an increasingly higher risk of dementia, compared to those reporting no stress.

Other studies have supported the link between stress and dementia, such as a study published in the UO of Internal Medicine in Endocrinology, that focus on cortisol levels and the role of the hypothalamic- pituitary-adrenal axis.

Scientific developments that continue to support the stress-dementia hypothesis provide people an incentive to take action to control stress levels, whether through activities such as exercise or all-natural dietary supplements such as Relora^®.

The study examines Magnolia officinalis, commonly used in Traditional Chinese Medicine to treat depression and anxiety. Referenced studies denote anxiety disorders as the most commonly diagnosed psychiatric condition, with up to 30% of the population being affected. Currently, benzodiazepines are extensively used for the treatment of several forms of anxiety, but have well-known side effects.

The study identifies herbal supplements that may serve as antidepressants and anxiety relievers. The article references the randomized, parallel, placebo-controlled clinical study on Relora, a mixture of Magnolia officinalis and Phellodendron amurense. After taking Relora 3 times a day for 6 weeks, the herbal extract blend was more effective than the placebo. Additionally, no side effects were reported.

The combination of Magnolia officinalis and Ziziphus spinosa, the ingredients in Seditol, were also further investigated. Used in Traditional Chinese Medicine to support sleep and reduce anxiety and depression, this all-natural mixture interacts with the adenosine A1 receptor, dopamine transporter, dopamine D5 receptor and serotonin receptors at a level of 100µg or lower, according to studies on the interactions of M. officinalis and Z. spinosa with selected central nervous system receptors. This may make the combination a beneficial, all-natural alternative to prescription sleep aids.

Follow this link to view Therapeutic Applications of Compounds in the Magnolia Family, published in the Journal of Pharmacology & Therapeutics.