Wellness is key to overall health

BY DR. YONG H. TSAI, ON CALL

Wellness, or good health, has traditionally been viewed as freedom from disease; thus, if you were not sick, you were considered healthy. This perspective is changing. The absence of illness is just one part of being healthy, and, in fact, does not indicate that you are in a state of well-being. Wellness is more, including the sense of total physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. It is a proactive, preventive process designed to achieve optimum levels of health, as well as social and emotional functioning. Wellness is the integration of body, mind, and spirit, and emphasizes the whole person.

Wellness research shows that people who take care of themselves and properly manage their lifestyles are healthier, more productive and have fewer absences from work. Studies have also shown that this "wellness" approach, which focuses on a self-care education program, resulted in less total medical visits and, additionally, a significant decline in medical visits for minor illness.

While traditional medicine concentrates on alleviating or curing disease, the wellness approach encourages patients to take personal responsibility for their well-being. Integrating advanced medical treatment options along with a wellness approach will not only improve medical effectiveness, but eventually decrease medical costs as well. Prevention of illness is an integral part of comprehensive medical care. Optimal outcomes can be achieved by prevention, early diagnosis and treatment of illness.

The new Affordable Health Care Act includes annual wellness exams for senior citizens through the Medicare beneficiary program. It is a new comprehensive preventive health exam that kicks in this year. This new benefit can be used every year and is free to seniors. Furthermore, the exam includes the usual evaluations of vital signs, height, and weight, yet also establishes a schedule for recommended screenings (such as bone density testing, colonoscopy, mammograms and cholesterol screenings) and a medical nutritional consultation. Through the exam physicians also seek to identify cognitive impairment, functional ability, and depression, three problems common to us seniors as we age.

Wellness is closely associated with your lifestyle. Each person has a responsibility to provide for himself or herself such health essentials as good nutrition, proper weight control, exercise and management of risk factors such as smoking, alcohol and drug abuse. Each of these factors play a role in wellness. Sometimes, it is difficult to initiate a wellness lifestyle yourself. There are many types of wellness programs including nutritional and mental health counseling, massage therapy, Tai chi, yoga and other exercise programs. Programs may even involve acupuncture or other alternative medicines. Entering a wellness program is critical to helping people identify their wellness problems and improving their overall well-being. This New Year's resolution need not be just a slogan, but an important first step to following the wellness lifestyle.

Dr. Yong H. Tsai is board-certified in rheumatology, allergy and clinical immunology and has been practicing in this area since 1993.

Chlorophytum borivilianum - Safed Musli herb used in India

Chlorophytum borivilianum is being promoted as a sexual enhancement herb and has  historically been used as an aphrodisiac herb in India. It is also known as safed musli by Ayurvedic practitioners.

As of JUne 2010, we have not seen human research with Chlorophytum borivilianum herb.

Chlorophytum borivilianum: a white gold for biopharmaceuticals and neutraceuticals.

Curr Pharm Biotechnol. 2009 Nov; Thakur GS, Bag M, Sanodiya BS, Debnath M, Zacharia A, Bhadauriya P, Prasad GB, Bisen PS. Research and Development Centre, Bisen Biotech and Biopharma Pvt. Ltd., Biotech Research Park, M-7, Laxmipuram, Transport Nagar, Gwalior (M.P.), India.

Chlorophytum borivilianum Santapau & Fernandes (Liliaceae) also known as 'Safed Musli' is a traditional rare Indian medicinal herb which has many therapeutic applications in Ayurvedic, Unani, Homeopathic and Allopathic system of medicine. Its roots (tubers) are widely used for various therapeutic applications. It is used to cure physical illness and weakness, as an aphrodisiac agent and revitalizer, as general sex tonic, remedy for diabetes, arthritis and increasing body immunity, curative for natal and postnatal problems, for rheumatism and joint pains, increase lactation in feeding mothers, as antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antitumor agent, also used in diarrhea, dysentery, gonorrhea, leucorrhea etc. It has spermatogenic property and is found useful in curing impotency, now it is considered as an alternative 'Viagra'. Its root contains steroidal and triterpenoidal saponins, sapogenins and fructans which act as therapeutic agents and play vital role in many therapeutic applications. It is a rich source of over 25 alkaloids, vitamins, proteins, carbohydrates, steroids, saponins, potassium, calcium, magnesium, phenol, resins, mucilage, and polysaccharides and also contains high quantity of simple sugars, mainly sucrose, glucose, fructose, galactose, mannose and xylose.

Aphrodisiac properties of Chlorophytum borivilianum

Effects of Chlorophytum borivilianum on sexual behaviour and sperm count in male rats.

Phytother Res. 2008 Jun; Kenjale R, Shah R, Sathaye S. Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Mumbai University Institute of Chemical Technology, Matunga, Mumbai 400019, India.

This study was designed to evaluate the aphrodisiac and spermatogenic potential of the aqueous extract of dried roots of Chlorophytum borivilianum in rats. Roots of Chlorophytum borivilianum can be useful in the treatment of certain forms of sexual inadequacies, such as premature ejaculation and oligospermia.

A Comparative Study on Aphrodisiac Activity of Some Ayurvedic Herbs in Male Albino Rats.

Arch Sex Behav. 2009 January. Thakur M, Chauhan NS, Bhargava S, Dixit VK. Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Dr. H. S. Gour University, Sagar, MP, 470003, India.

The roots of Asparagus racemosus, Chlorophytum borivilianum, and rhizomes of Curculigo orchioides are popular for their aphrodisiac properties. The herbs have been traditionally used as Vajikaran Rasayana herbs because of their putative positive influence on sexual performance in humans. Lyophilized aqueous extracts obtained from the roots of A. racemosus, Chlorophytum borivilianum, and rhizomes of C. orchioides were studied for sexual behavior effects in male albino rats and compared with untreated control group animals. Administration of 200 mg/kg body weight of the aqueous extracts had pronounced anabolic effect in treated animals as evidenced by weight gains in the body and reproductive organs. There was a significant variation in the sexual behavior of animals as reflected by reduction of mount latency, ejaculation latency, post ejaculatory latency, intromission latency, and an increase of mount frequency. Penile erection (indicated by Penile Erection Index) was also considerably enhanced. Reduced hesitation time (an indicator of attraction towards female in treated rats) also indicated an improvement in sexual behavior of extract treated animals. The observed effects appear to be attributable to the testosterone-like effects of the extracts. Nitric oxide based intervention may also be involved as observable from the improved penile erection. The present results, therefore, support the folklore claim for the sexual enhancing properties of Chlorophytum borivilianum and these herbs and provide a scientific basis for their traditional usage.

Effect of Chlorophytum Borivilianum Santapau and Fernandes on sexual dysfunction in hyperglycemic male rats.

Chin J Integr Med. 2009 Dec; Thakur M, Bhargava S, Praznik W, Loeppert R, Dixit VK. Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Dr. Hari Singh Gour University, Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, India.

To investigate the effects of Chlorophytum borivilianum on sexual dysfunction, loss of body weight, and lack of libido in hyperglycemic rats induced with streptozotocin or alloxan. Wistar strain male albino rats were divided into five groups of six animals each: the control group (2% polyvinylpyrollidone solution), the streptozotocin control group, the alloxan control group (100 mg/kg), the streptozotocin + CB treated group (200 mg/kg), and the alloxan + CB treated group. CB can significantly ameliorate diabetes-induced sexual dysfunction. Polysaccharide and saponin-rich aqueous extract appears to have the most suitable effects on diabetes and its associated effects on sexual functionality.

Cytotoxic spirostane-type saponins from the roots of Chlorophytum borivilianum.

J Nat Prod. 2009 Jan; Acharya D, Mitaine-Offer AC, Kaushik N, Miyamoto T, Paululat T, Mirjolet JF, Duchamp O, Lacaille-Dubois MA. Laboratoire de Pharmacognosie, Unite de Molecules d'Interet Biologique, UMIB UPRES-EA 3660, Faculte de Pharmacie, Universite de Bourgogne, 21079 Dijon Cedex, France.

Four new spirostane-type saponins named borivilianosides E-H were isolated from an ethanol extract of the roots of Chlorophytum borivilianum together with two known steroid saponins. The cytotoxicity of borivilianosides F, G, and H and three known compounds was evaluated using two human colon cancer cell lines (HT-29 and HCT 116).