Nature's Answer to Stress
Copyright by Dr. Morton Walker
This article was first published in the TOWNSEND LETTER for DOCTORS. It has been copied with permission by Dr. Morton Walker, of Freelance Communications.
Job stress is increasing to worldwide epidemic proportions. It's affecting most people, especially those with occupations involving tension and decision-making. This news is reported by the International Labor Organization of the United Nations. Sleep disorders are one of the main results of stress on the job.
President Clinton is among those growing numbers of Americans who find it hard to get a good night's sleep. Hillary Rodham Clinton admits that the hectic schedule in the White House has put sleep on hold for her husband and herself. "It's the stress," she says. The President has complained of periods of sleeplessness that have his close aides worried.
Of course, just as with most Americans, both Clintons are experiencing insomnia undoubtedly connected to political strains. Job pressures like theirs, just as among ordinary Americans, cost the U. S. economy $200 billion annually through reduced productivity, compensation claims, absenteeism, health insurance premiums, and direct medical expenses. It's well-known that 80% of all illness and disease is stress-related. The three best-selling drugs in the United States, tranquilizers, pain killers, and gastro-intestinal remedies, were developed to counter stress. Two-thirds of all visits to family physicians stem from stress. It's the root problem for anxiety, alcoholism, headaches, hypertension, irritability, and many other common ailments.
Derived from nature, we are provided with antidotes to modern stress. Nature's answer is a combination of herbal ingredients called adaptogens.
The world renowned Russian research pharmacologist and physiologist, Israel I. Brekhman, M.D., is the discoverer of adaptogens. Defined by Dr. Brekhman, an adaptogen is a plant type with certain characteristics:
1) It's nontoxic and safe for ingestion by animals, including humans;
2) It increases the body's nonspecific resistance by being stress-adapting;
3) It tends to bring back to homeostasis any dysfunctioning body system. When combined, each adaptogenic plant builds on the therapeutic attribute of the others present in the nutritional formula to offer a kind of synergistic effect.
Early on, officials in the former USSR recognized the efficacy of Dr. Brekhman's phytochemical (plant product) physiological breakthroughs which occurred before 1966. It was in 1968 that they formalized the term he had coined, adaptogen, to designate the group of compounds Dr. Brekhman was investigating which accomplish the following in human and animal physiology:
Increase protein biosynthesis
raise antibody titre at immunization
elevate the body's enzyme synthesis by means of general endocrine stimulation
enhance mental work capacity
uplift physical work capacity along with performance and endurance
quench free radicals so as to prevent oxidizing pathology
improve eyesight, color perception, hearing, and vestibular functions
offer beneficial effects in cardiovascular and respiratory systems
promote longevity
heighten the body's nonspecific resistance to various stressors such as toxins, excess cooling, overheating, altered barometric pressure, ultraviolet, ionizing, and cosmic radiation, and too much motor activity
Because of international politics, USSR officialdom kept the Brekhman breakthrough a secret from the rest of the world and only used the plant product supplements he created for certain important representatives of their political system. For example, stress-modulating adaptogen products were provided clandestinely to prominent Russian sports figures, Olympic coaches, ballet dancers, key political leaders, some international financiers, the cosmonauts (Russian astronauts), officers high in the Soviet military, and physiologists who sought the product for personal use. Except for a few particularly astute medical scientists on the world scene, hardly anyone knew of adaptogens.
The father of adaptogens is the physiological pharmacologist, Dr. Israel I. Brekhman. He worked at the Far East Science Center of the USSR in Vladivostok as head of its Department of Physiology and Pharmacology of Adaptation. There, beginning in 1956, he devoted himself to unlocking the secrets of nature for the improvement of human health and well-being. The astounding results of his successful research have led to an ever-expanding probe of known, and potentially useful adaptogens.
Dr. Brekhman and his associates studied the effectiveness of adaptogenic plants on the basis of daily and seasonal changes in individuals as well as under differing environmental circumstances. He originated the new science of ecological pharmacology when he investigated the complex formulas found in the ancient Chinese pharmacopoeia. Usually Chinese herbal formulas involve 5 to 20 different plants and are prescribed by physicians practicing Traditional Chinese Medicine according to seasons.
In order to sort out all of the 233 plants, their admixtures, and reputed effects that he was investigating, Dr. Brekhman devised four elaborate computer programs. The actions he sought to classify were tonic, diuretic, synthetic, antitoxic, and so forth. The reason for such programs was to reinvestigate obvious beneficial effects being achieved by Oriental practitioners of herbal medicine. The computer identified a nucleus of ten groups of recipes that were particularly therapeutic.
Another of this professor's discoveries was that Western medicine is too circumscribed in scope. It restricts itself to isolates which the pharmaceutical companies can patent and sell as individual products, but such isolates comprise a limited amount of atomic structural information. By the pharmaceutical industry selecting only those drug synthetics which may be protected by patent, the American medical consumer receives only a small fraction of the world's healing components.
In contrast, the more elaborate adaptogenic plant remedies with which Dr. Brekhman was working contain several million pieces of structural information. Thus, the possibilities of more complex tonic and healing effects have been increased markedly. The Brekhman adaptogens represent natural substances in nonprescription, over-the-counter form.
A concept alien to modern medicine and at which we in the West erroneously smile, is that of ancient Chinese emperors paying their physicians a regular sum for keeping them well; when someone in an emperor's immense household became ill, the physician was not paid. It was incumbent upon Eastern medical practitioners to keep the populace healthy. The chances of combating any disease were believed to be increased by utilizing a host of plant products plus some animal and mineral ones. The Chinese doctors suspected that, together, these products act in consort and are synergistic. Such a meritorious concept is worthy of adoption in the West.
Dr. Brekhman is the founder and permanent director of the committee for the study of Far East Medicinal Plants. He left the Vladivostok Center and now heads the Department of Regulation of Biological Processes at the Pacific Oceanographic Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences. He serves on the board of the Russian Academy of Technological Sciences and the International Organization of Adaptive Medicine, relocated to Frankfurt, Germany.
Practicing his profession for more than 45 years, the pharmacologist holds 40 patents, including 21 international patents relating to his work in developing natural plant substances. He has published 22 monographs, several hundred scientific articles, and many books. In honor of his scientific achievements, the former Soviet Union presented Dr. Brekhman with its highest award of recognition, The Order of Lenin. Also bestowed on him by the Russian National Parliament was the Lenin Medal for Valiant Work, and its coveted Certificate of Honor.
These awards came to Dr. Brekhman for breaking the genetic codes of plants and uncovering the molecular structures of their phytochemicals. He isolated the complex substrates, each of which held a special benefit for healing. He demonstrated their properties in the most massive, sustained, and successful programs of human testing in recorded scientific history. Thousands of people in all age groups participated in his studies-whole populations of towns, schools, hospitals, and factories. I shall be discussing some of these studies later.
As he published and grew in scientific stature, bureaucrats of the USSR called upon him to perfect products so as to make certain aspects of the Soviet system outstanding in the eyes of the world. Something absolutely acknowledged by the Soviets is that Dr. Brekhman built outstanding images for the Russian space program. His nutritional supplements restored the natural balance of the cosmonauts' physiology and protected them against the stresses of motion, vertigo, weightlessness, enforced inactivity, and other difficulties encountered in space flight.
Not the least of the Brekhman accomplishments was achieving sports success for world-class Russian athletes and for athletes of a few other countries.
It's standard for coaches, trainers, sports physicians, and others connected with athletic competition to always be searching for methods of increasing physical capacity and subsequent athletic performance. Much of this research has included the extensive scientific study of substances from nature conducted by Professor Brekhman. He furnished Russian teams and individual athletes with legal, nondrug components essential for the enhancement of athletic performance, beyond what could have been achieved merely through disciplined physical training programs.
The annals of Soviet science include many investigative efforts, some of which uncovered significant elements from the adaptogenic organic substances, which effectively facilitate the physical ability of sports competitors. Soviet Olympic and elite athletes have routinely included adaptogens in their training programs to give them a certain optimal edge in competition. The Soviets admit that they were not about to reveal this secret discovery in which they had invested such a great amount of scientific effort. But now, the adaptogen class of plants, long known to Soviet science, is finally perceived by Western athletes and their coaches. The executives, associates, and product distributors of PrimeQuest International of Monterey, California are responsible for disseminating such information.
The chief nutritional advisor to the Russian Olympic teams, Dr. Sergei Portugalov, who is Head of the Laboratory of Biological Active Substances, National Research Institute of Sport in Moscow, and a member of the World Anti-Doping Conference, said: "Sports have always been a major priority in Russia -- and now the world will know what has helped us achieve domination. Hundreds of researchers secretly worked to improve training and nutrition, which we consider fundamental for elite athletes. For the past ten years, we have primarily focused on achieving results without using drugs."
"Our greatest competitive advantage come from performance supplements derived from natural plant materials. The nutritional support provided by these supplements helped our athletes achieve better performance, stamina, endurance, strength, recovery, immune resistance, muscle development, and adaptation to changes in climate, time zones, and altitude," admitted Dr. Portugalov. "The world has seen the results at the last four Olympic Games. But until recently our revolutionary discoveries were a closely guarded secret.
"Now, PrimeQuest International has acquired these discoveries and enhanced our technology. The Russian Summer and Winter Olympic teams use the PrimeQuest High Performance Program. I consider this program the best performance enhancer available in the world today," concluded Dr. Portugalov.
Loren Seagrave, coach to U.S. champion sprinter Andre Cason, uncovered the Russians' secret and made use of it for his particular athlete. "Three months after going on the program, Andre defeated the fastest sprinters in the world, including Carl Lewis -- and became the U.S. champion in the 100-meters. We believe we have a significant advantage with PrimeQuest" affirmed Coach Seagrave.
The number one United States Women's Long-Course Triathlete, SueLatshaw, said, "After my first course on Prime Plus, I competed in the Iron Man Triathlon World Championships and I broke the American record. My time was twenty-three minutes better than my previous best."
"I've been a power-lifter and I've taken everything you could take -- nothing compares to PrimeQuest; it helps you gain tendon and ligament strength to equal your gains in muscle strength. This is the real magic people are looking for," said professional trainer and power-lifter Chester Moritz.
The Director of Golf at the Doral Resort in Miami, Florida, Jim McLean, who also is golf coach for many PGA tour professionals, stated: "I noticed a marked improvement in my golf scores. Golf requires tremendous focus and concentration, along with the ability to relax. I highly recommend Prime 1 for golfers, in particular, and for people in general."
The National Women's Tae Kwon Do champion, Mary Louise Zeller, reported on the high performance food supplements she takes every day. She said, "I train harder, recover faster, and have less muscle soreness. I'm 50 years old and I compete against women as young as 17 -- yet with the PrimeQuest products I have more endurance now than they do!"
The former Head of Research Groups, Soviet Olympic Track and Field Team, Dr. Ben Tabachnik, has become Vice President of Research and Development for PrimeQuest International. Dr. Tabachnik confirms: "For 20 years in the former Soviet Union, I researched and used natural nutritional supplements for elite athletes. These secrets gave the Soviet teams a key competitive advantage, especially in enhancing performance and restoration. We have used the best of the Soviet research to create the PrimeQuest High Performance Program -- the next generation of nutritional supplements. This program is an important breakthrough for athletes at any level."
The all-time international winner at the Winter Games was the Russian Olympic team. The team members' top performance resulted from their taking the liquid herbal supplement Prime 1, and the capsular herbal supplement Prime Plus. The Russian Olympic Committee had contracted with PrimeQuest International of Monterey, California to use its High Performance Program for four of the Russians' ten teams scheduled to compete in the Winter Games. Those four teams won all of Russia's eleven gold medals, more than any other country!
Valentin L. Sych, Head of the Russian Olympic Team, advised, "Our athletes, physicians, and coaches noted that after using the adaptogenic products in the PrimeQuest program, work capacity increased, pre-competition tension decreased, and the risk of respiratory illness decreased. There were no side effects or complications."
Among the Russian athletes who outperformed their own expectations were Svetlana Bazhanova, winner of the 3000-meter women's speed skating. Before using the PrimeQuest program, she had never before succeeded in a major competition.
Then there was 21-year-old Aleksandr Golubev who won the Gold Medal in the 500-meter speed skating event, which set a new Olympic record. Before having taken the PrimeQuest products, he had never previously won any medal in the many international competitions.
Most sensational was Lyuvov Egorova, a veteran of three prior Olympics. By supplementing with the PrimeQuest herbals this time, she extended her achievements by winning three more Golds and a Silver Medal in cross-country skiing events.
In summary, after the closing Olympic ceremonies, Valentin Sych wrote a letter to Vaughn Feather, President of PrimeQuest International, in which he stated: "The Russian Olympic Committee and I personally would like to express our sincere appreciation for the help provided by your company during training of our combined teams for the Winter Olympic Games. The adaptogenic products, Prime 1 and Prime Plus, kindly supplied by your company, were used by the cross-country skiing, speed skating, figure skating, and biathlon Russian Olympic Teams... Your products contributed to the overall success of the Russian athletes during the Olympic Games.... In general, the new adaptogenic products developed by your company received high appraisal among athletes and our specialists."
The World's Greatest Athlete", Dan Obrien, Gold Medalist, USA, Decathlon, Track & Field
The World's Strongest Man", Andrei Chemerkin, Gold Medalist, Russia, Super Heavyweight / Weight Lifting
The World's Fastest Swimmer", Alexander Popov, Gold Medalist, Russia, 100m Free style and 50m Free style, Swimming
The World's Highest Jumper", Charles Austin, Gold Medalist, USA, High Jump, Track & Field
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In wide-scale tests on healthy men, all of whom were employed as various types of flight personnel such as pilots, navigators, and radio operators, Eleutherococcus, Aralia, and Schizandra accelerated recovery processes following long and tiring flight schedules. The adaptogens allowed the physiological state of the subjects to be significantly restored within three hours of a flight. This was a higher state of restoration even than the personnel had felt when fresh prior to taking the flight.
During a broadly-based investigation of 60,000 truck and test-car drivers at the Volzhsky Automobile Factory in Togilatil over a period of 10 years, after taking Eleutherococcus they experienced a 25% reduction in lost work time due to absence or disability. Also, the drivers reported a 40% decrease in cases of influenza and a general health improvement overall.
In testing the response of exhaustive muscle work loads to Rhodiola extract, it was found that the herb increases the activity of proteolytic enzymes and also significantly elevates the level of protein and RNA in the skeletal muscles.
In a placebo-controlled, double-blind study involving a college baseball team, it was revealed that work capacity in every parameter showed large increases after the team members were dispensed Eleutherococcus for daily consumption.
In a double-blind trial on 140 track and field athletes using Schizandra as the active ingredient, 74% of the test subjects obtained their best results in the 3000-meter run, which is well known as the most stringent test for a runner.
In another experiment, Eleutherococcus was given to 35 weight lifters and wrestlers and 36 gymnasts. Data from the collected observations indicated that the adaptogen improved the general mental and physical state of the test subjects, increased their work capacity, and decreased their fatigue.
An experiment conducted on 52 workers carrying out immensely difficult labor uncovered startling results. They had been administered Eleutherococcus, Rhaponticum, and Rhodiola prior to and during their work loads. These workers showed marked improvement in their general physical and mental state, plus functional indicators including pulse, arterial pressure, vital capacity, back muscle strength, hand endurance under static tension, and coordination of movement. Plus they experienced a reduction in the duration of the rehabilitative period required.
Collecting information from these clinical trials and others, Dr. Brekhman combined the adaptogenic plants' most vital ingredients to perfect the unique formula for what eventually would become Prime 1 and Prime Plus. He found the formula to be antioxidant, immunomodulating, hepatoprotective, gonadotropic, antitoxic, and antinarcotic in their actions on the physiology. For the stress inhibition of Prime 1 with its combined ingredients, the scientist discovered it to be 3.5 times higher than that of Eleutherococcus alone. The tonic action of Prime 1 is twice as high as the activity of Eleutherococcus extract alone.
Read a few excerpts about adaptogens from Harvey Diamond's Book, "You Can Prevent Breast Cancer"
Scientific Research Summary of Adaptogen Benefits
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