Benefits of Hyaluronic Acid Part 2

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Here is part 2 on the benefits of hyaluronic acid :

Healing the body with HA

HA potentially could be an aid to healing varicose veins, eye floaters,

retinal detachments, glaucoma, burns, aneurysm, esophageal reflux, radiation

damage, psoriasis and scoliosis. HA facilitates nerve repair, heals scarred

vocal cords and reduces back pain. HA may reduce the need for steroids and

other anti-inflammatory medications for arthritis.

HA is already being used in veterinary medicine for hip dysplasia in dogs

and for knee problems in race horses either as an injected or oral

supplement.

HA versus other tissue builders

HA may be confused with other tissue rebuilding food supplements such as

glucosamine sulfate and chondroitin sulfate. Actually, N-acetylglucosamine

and glucuronic acid are the precursors to HA. Clinical studies of

glucosamine sulfate in cases of osteoarthritis are mixed, some studies

showing relief of symptoms, others showing little benefit. This is possibly

explained by the lack of conversion of glucosamine to HA. Trace amounts of

HA have also been used in cases of rheumatoid arthritis to induce what is

called oral tolerance. This approach should not be confused with the use of

HA supplements in the common wear-and-tear osteoarthritis which represents

95 percent of arthritis cases.

Oral HA supplements

HA as a high-molecular weight molecule simply cannot be absorbed as an oral

supplement. But recent technological developments now make it possible to

produce a highly absorbable low-molecular weight oral HA supplement derived

either from rooster combs (the red mohawk on a rooster's head) or from chick

sternum collagen. The availability of oral HA is beginning to be heralded

around the world.

The most advanced and potent oral HA supplement is BioCell Collagen II™

(U.S. Patent No. 6.025,327). Derived from chick sternum and hydrolyzed to

enhance absorption, this patentable process yields a full 200 mg of HA and

400 mg of chondroitin sulfate interwoven into each 2000 mg supplement of

type II collagen capsule. Chondroitin sulfate is a beneficial and widely

used food supplement in itself that is already documented to aid in joint

and blood vessel health. Gastric and esophageal irritation has been reported

with some oral HA supplements. Since the BioCell Collagen II abundant HA is

provided within the natural matrix of the sternum type II collagen, in

hydrolyzed form, it is easily assimilated by the body and readily absorbed

and is gentle enough to be taken on an empty stomach.

Joint maintenance

It is said that if humans live long enough, they will all end up with the

common form of wear-and-tear arthritis. For the most part modern medicine

utilizes steroidal and non-steroidal drugs to combat the painful symptoms of

arthritis. But researchers note the joint space between bones continues to

narrow even with treatment and drugs do not address the universal loss of HA

and other forms of collagen as osteoarthritis progresses. A report in the

British medical journal The Lancet indicates a breakthrough in arthritis

treatment came " from an unexpected quarter " when research studies showed

that glucosamine sulfate retards the progression of symptomatic joint

disease. The report in The Lancet says in regard to osteoarthritis that

" many nutritional products may have valuable therapeutic effects. "

Conventional medicine is beginning to recognize this restorative approach.

Replacing HA, which is the primary spongy or shock-absorbing form of

collagen in the joint synovial fluid, rather than relying upon the

conversion of glucosamine to HA, appears to be a more expedient approach to

osteoarthritis. The problem for consumers is in sorting out chick collagen

products. Some provide type II collagen but no HA or chondroitin sulfate,

others only provide a small amount of HA to modulate the immune system in

cases of the less common form of rheumatoid arthritis. BioCell Collagen II

which provides ample doses of HA and chondroitin sulfate within a natural

matrix of type II chicken collagen is the most potent and readily absorbable

product available.

A controlled study comparing BioCell Collagen II against placebo (inactive

pill) conducted by J. Buckman M.D., found that 89 of 98 subjects with

a wide range of pain symptoms (post-surgical or post-trauma, cervical spine,

lumbosacral, gouty, rheumatoid and osteoarthritic pain) reported relief

within 21 days after taking four oral capsules daily. So the results can be

profoundly rapid through oral supplementation.

Dynamic factors in HA maintenance

There are dynamic factors in preserving HA. Solar ultraviolet and ionizing

radiation, viruses, high-dose riboflavin (vitamin B2), unbound metals such

as copper, iron, mercury, lead and cadmium, other infections or causes of

inflammation that encourage the production of hyaluronidase, the enzyme that

breaks down collagen and HA. Bioflavonoids derived from citrus, grapes and

berries, herbals such as milk thistle and echinacea, and metal chelators

such as inositol hexaphosphate (IP6- phytic acid) inhibit hyaluronidase and

help to preserve HA. In fibrosing disorders such as scleroderma there may be

an undesirable buildup of HA and other forms of collagen which can be

tempered with taurine, an amino acid. It is obvious that these factors need

to be controlled for clinical studies of HA to consistently show benefit.

Further research will uncover ways of employing HA in health maintenance and

treatment of disease. Supplemental hyaluronic acid, delivered by injection

or oral dose, is revolutionizing efforts to heal, rebuild and maintain the

form and function of the human body. The population of Yuzurihara, Japan

provides evidence of the widespread benefits of HA in human health. Both

conventional and alternative medicine is beginning to take note of

hyaluronic acid. Future efforts to lengthen the human lifespan will be

centered on the maintenance of HA.

Bill Sardi is president of Knowledge of

Health, Inc., of San Dimas, California and

will soon release his new book, Why The

People of Yuzurihara, Japan Look So Young and

Live So Long: The Hyaluronic Acid Revolution.

Shanahan

Melbourne

Australia.

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