We continue to work our way through the alphabet to examine and extol the virtues attached to the supplements, vitamins, and herbs that make up the natural nutritional offerings that comprise the dietary spectrum. This time around we move on to the letter P, offering both a supplement that begins with the letter P as well as a “P” physical condition that demands attention and can be treated with an assortment of natural remedies.
Natural Remedy: Pyruvate
Anyone who is looking to lose weight and has dug in on their research has at one time or another probably come across pyruvate. It is a chemical naturally found in the body, produced by a process known as glycolysis, whereby consumed carbohydrates are broken down to generate energy.
Pyruvate is also available as a nutritional supplement, usually combined with calcium. This composite can assist in weight loss by bolstering the body’s breakdown of fat. There’s more, however, to calcium pyruvate in terms of providing health benefits than just burning away unwanted fat pounds. It has also been singled out as an anti-inflammatory that can support gastrointestinal and bone health (that’s where the calcium really goes to work), contribute to the efficiency of your immune system, guard your vision’s health, and perhaps ignite improved athletic/exercise performance.
Back on the topic of weight loss, one study involved obese women that each ate a 1,000-calorie-a-day diet for 21 days. Those who were also given six teaspoons (30 grams) of calcium pyruvate per day as a whole experienced 48% greater fat loss than those not fed calcium pyruvate. Another more-comprehensive study (six weeks, with a placebo group and a second group given calcium pyruvate) that included an exercise program for 26 men and women, the pyruvate group experienced statistically significant decreases in body weight, body fat, and body fat percentage.
Calcium Pyruvate’s Other Health Benefits
In addition to the numerous health benefits mentioned above, calcium pyruvate has shown promise in treating or enhancing other aspects of your health as well:
Support heart health. A study in which pyruvate was administered to pigs recovering from cardiopulmonary bypass surgery showed that they experienced heart function benefits.
Anti-aging characteristics. The acidic form of calcium pyruvate, applied topically, can help in a variety of skin treatments, such as eliminating the layer of dead cells, giving skin a cleaner look.
Improve cognition. Studies have shown that supplementing with calcium pyruvate can enhance cognition and help fend off the effects of aging and Alzheimer’s disease.
Health Condition: Pneumonia
Remember as a kid when your mom or dad yelled out the back (or front) door and told you to come inside out of the cold rain or risk catching pneumonia? Well, that might be a little overstated in that pneumonia is potentially a much more serious malady than common cold symptoms such as nasal stuffiness, a head that feels like a boulder, and perhaps a light cough.
Pneumonia is an illness characterized by an inflammatory disorder of the lungs caused by an infection that has invaded your airways. Symptoms can include shortness of breath, a scratchy throat and persistent cough, chest pain from congestion, and fever, among others. It can be life threatening and require actual medical treatment and likely time spent recuperating in a hospital. While there is no cure per se for pneumonia, home remedies can help alleviate the symptoms for an afflicted person and provide comfort not otherwise immediately available.
Pneumonia can be bacterial or viral, and can affect one or both lungs. If it’s the latter, it is known as bilateral or double pneumonia.
In addition to lots of rest and drink plenty of fluids, following are five suggested home remedies to help you get back on the road to recovery from pneumonia:
Probiotics. Your gut is home to billions of healthy microbes “programmed” to thwart pathogenic invaders and chip in to providing anti-inflammatory pathways throughout your body. The infusion of probiotics by the billions help reinforce the gut troops.
Zinc. Suffice it to know that a deficiency of zinc in your body can hamper your body’s fitness to fight off infection. No question.
Pain reliever: One that quickly comes to mind is Naproxen sodium in tablet form, which is comparable to Aleve as an over-the-counter pain reliever that can mitigate pain and reduce fever. Bingo!
Vitamin C. You knew this one was coming. Vitamin C is a superpower in a world filled with colds and flu, and it can also help out in the war against pneumonia. As an antioxidant, it can bolster immune cell function and guard the body’s anti-inflammatory pathways.
Ginseng. This is a type of root that can diminish the unwanted version of inflammation and strengthen immunity, which together can help in fighting respiratory tract infections.
That brings us to the end of our latest entry in our alphabetized Healthy Living series, this time focusing on subjects beginning with the letter P. As always, be sure to discuss using any of these home remedies with your personal physician or other licensed healthcare professional before you try them out.