FIRST PHARMA

Medicine Knowledge Base

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Vitamin A - Retinol

Needed for normal growth and vision, for healthy teeth, nails, bones and glands, skin and gums.
Found in fish liver oils, dairy products, liver.

Beta Carotene - Converts to vitamin A as the body needs it

Needed for antioxidant properties to help mop up free radicals that can damage cells and tissues.
Found in abundance in fruits and vegetables , especially carrots and dark green leaf vegetables.

Vitamin B1 - Thiamin

Needed for energy, healthy nervous systems, growth, normal appetite and muscle tone, normal digestion and energy.
Found in brewer’s yeast, wheat germ, liver, whole grain cereals, nuts, pork, beef and eggs.

Vitamin B2 - Riboflavin

Needed for energy, good vision, healthy skin, nails and hair.
Found in milk, egg yolk, liver, yeast and yeast extract.

Vitamin B3 - Niacin

Needed for energy, healthy skin, and nervous systems.
Found in whole grain cereals, meat, liver, kidney and fish.

Vitamin B3 - Nicotinamide+

Needed for energy, healthy skin and nervous systems.
Found in whole grain cereals, meat liver, kidney and fish.

Vitamin B5 - Pantothenic acid

Involved in protein and carbohydrate metabolism and hence the production of energy.
Found in offal, brewer’s yeast, egg yolks, whole grain cereals.

Vitamin B6 - Pyridoxine

Required for protein and helps maintain a healthy metabolism.
Found in liver, whole grain cereals, bananas and pulses.

Vitamin B12 - Cobalamin

Needed for the normal function of body cells, including brain and nerve cells. Involved in the production of red blood cells.
Found in liver, kidney, muscle meats, fish and dairy products.

Calcium

Needed for strong teeth and bones. Helps maintain normal blood/muscle/nervous system function.
Found in milk, dairy products, cabbage, broccoli, dried peas and beans.

Copper

Needed for the utilisation of iron and red blood cell development.
Found in cereal, cereal products and nuts.

Iodine

Needed for the production of thyroid hormones, vital for growth, development and control of the rate of metabolism.
Found in seafood and iodised salt.

Iron

Needed for healthy red blood cells and the transportation of oxygen. Important for the proper function of muscles. Whilst it is important to have sufficient levels of iron, it is one of the minerals that must not be taken at too high a level as it may act as a pro-oxidant.
Found in lean meats, eggs, green leafy vegetables, pulses and fortified breakfast cereals.

Magnesium

Needed for healthy nerves/muscles and for producing energy. Also important for strong teeth and bones.
Found in green vegetables, wheat germ, soy beans, figs, corn, apples and almonds.

Manganese

Needed for activating enzymes in the body and properly functioning reproductive organs.
Found in whole grain cereals, egg yolks, green vegetables, wheat germ, nuts and beans.

Phosphorous

Present in bones and teeth as calcium salt. Needed for energy production and forms a constituent of cell membranes and nucleic acid.
Found in meat, fish, milk, cheese, eggs and cereals.

Potassium

Needed for water balance and distribution, nerve, muscle and heart function.
Found in fruit and vegetables, particularly bananas and fruit juices.

Selenium

Needed for its antioxidant properties, cell protection, healthy immunity and thyroid function.
Found in in meat, fish, cereals and Brazil nuts.

Zinc

Needed for healthy skin, reproductive and immune systems. It helps with the metabolism of carbohydrates, protein and fat. Also helps energy production.
Found in shellfish, such as oysters, nuts, liver, kidney, egg yolks, milk and whole grain cereal.

Origin

Ginkgo biloba is the oldest tree that inhabited the planet since 300 million years. Thanks to some individuals found in ancient Chinese temples, we have been able to re-plant it all over the world, especially as an ornament. Due to its exceptional resistance to environmental stress, it can live up to 1,000 years and reach 40 to 50m high. It is resistant to pollution and easily adapt to urban environments.

Indications

Reduces the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease and senile dementia, Improves cognitive function and slows their decline with age, prevents cardiovascular disease, treats Raynaud's disease, alleviates PMS, prevents mountain sickness. Treats tinnitus and sexual dysfunction. It also relieves symptoms associated with vascular dementia or degenerative origin, treats disorders of the peripheral circulation, vertigo and vascular headaches.

History of ginkgo biloba

Ginkgo Biloba almost disappeared during the ice ages, but it survived in Asia and was re-planted in Europe as of 1730. In 1946, after one year of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, we have been able to review the first green re-growth of a ginkgo biloba which was charred during the atomic bombing. The extreme resistance to environmental stress of this tree is probably one of its main characteristics. It is the only survivor of the very old botanical family ginkgoaceae.
Traditionally, the Chinese used the core of the fruit of the ginkgo as both food and medicine particularly for treating asthma and certain respiratory disorders (bronchitis).
It was not until the 1950s that German scientists began researching the medicinal potential of an extract from the leaves rather than the cores. In Europe, it is generally considered that the standardized ginkgo extract is at least as effective as conventional drugs to delay the progression of Alzheimer's disease and to mitigate other disorders related to cognitive decline.
The tree is now grown all over the world to meet the needs of medicinal industry extracts of this plant. We find large commercial plantations of ginkgo in western France, South Carolina (USA), Japan, Korea and China.

Omega-3 - Fish Oil

Fish oil as krill oil are both good sources of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), 2 substances that are part of the family of omega-3 fatty acids.

Indications

• Reduce some risk factors for cardiovascular disease;
• Reduce the risk of reinfarction.
• Alleviate the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis.
• Treat depression.
• Alleviate the symptoms of ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, psoriasis.
• Relieve menstrual pain.
• Prevent allergies, asthma and eczema.

Posology of the Fish Oil

To reduce belching caused by the ingestion of fish oil, take it at the beginning of the meal. The oil has less tendency to stay in the stomach. Enteric-coated capsules also reduce belching, since they dissolve in the intestine rather than the stomach.

History of fish oil

Studies on the habits of the people of Greenland that was initially interested in marine omega-3 have been made. Indeed, although their diet is rich in fat (meat and fish oil), they rarely suffer from cardiovascular disease or rheumatoid arthritis. Subsequently, research has demonstrated that regular consumption of this type of fat - mainly EPA and DHA - lowers blood triglyceride levels, "clears" the blood, ensures the regularity of the heart muscle beats and fights inflammation.
In the late 1990s and the early twenty-first century, researchers multiplied the epidemiological studies and clinical trials of therapeutic efficacy of fish oil. This abundance of research has contributed to a better understanding of the role of omega-3 EPA and DHA. Medical authorities of most developed countries have started to recommend people to eat more fish, especially fatty fish, to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases, among others.

Coenzyme Q-10

Coenzyme Q-10 (CoQ-10) is a vitamin-like substance found throughout the body, but especially in the heart, liver, kidney, and pancreas. It is eaten in small amounts in meats and seafood. Coenzyme Q-10 can also be made in a laboratory. It is used as medicine.

Many people use coenzyme Q-10 for treating heart and blood vessel conditions such as congestive heart failure (CHF), chest pain (angina), high blood pressure, and heart problems linked to certain cancer drugs. It is also used for diabetes, gum disease (both taken by mouth and applied directly to the gums), breast cancer, Huntington’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, muscular dystrophy, increasing exercise tolerance, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), and Lyme disease. Some people think coenzyme Q-10 will treat hair loss related to taking warfarin (Coumadin), a medication used to slow blood clotting.

Some people also think coenzyme Q-10 might help increase energy. This is because coenzyme Q-10 has a role in producing ATP, a molecule in body cells that functions like a rechargeable battery in the transfer of energy. Coenzyme Q-10 been tried for treating inherited or acquired disorders that limit energy production in the cells of the body (mitochondrial disorders), and for improving exercise performance.

Some people have also used coenzyme Q-10 for strengthening the immune systems of people with HIV/AIDS, male infertility, migraineheadache, and counteractingmuscle pain sometimes caused by a group of cholesterol-lowering medications called “statins.”

Coenzyme Q-10 has even been tried for increasing life span. This idea got started because coenzyme Q-10 levels are highest in the first 20 years of life. By age 80, coenzyme-Q10 levels can be lower than they were at birth. Some people thought that restoring high levels of coenzyme-Q10 late in life might cause people to live longer. The idea works in bacteria, but not in lab rats. More research is needed to see if this works in people.

It’s not only time that uses up the body’s store of coenzyme Q-10. Smoking does, too.

Coenzyme Q-10 was first identified in 1957. The “Q-10” refers to the chemical make-up of the substance. These days coenzyme Q-10 is used by millions of people in Japan for heart disease, especially congestive heart failure. Coenzyme Q-10 is also used extensively in Europe and Russia. Most of the coenzyme Q-10 used in the US and Canada is supplied by Japanese companies. Coenzyme Q-10 is manufactured by fermenting beets and sugar cane with special strains of yeast.

How does it work?

Coenzyme Q-10 is an important vitamin-like substance required for the proper function of many organs and chemical reactions in the body. It helps provide energy to cells. Coenzyme Q-10 also seems to have antioxidant activity. People with certain diseases, such as congestive heart failure, high blood pressure, periodontal disease, Parkinson’s disease, certain muscular diseases, and AIDS, might have lower levels of coenzyme Q-10.

• Decreasing the risk of additional heart problems in people who have had a recent heart attack (myocardial infarction, MI). When started within 72 hours of MI and taken for one year, coenzyme Q-10 appears to significantly lower the risk of heart-related events including non-fatal MI.

• Huntington’s disease (a rare genetic neurological disorder). Ubiquinol, an altered form of coenzyme Q-10, has been granted “Orphan Drug Status” by the Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This gives the maker of Ubiquinol some financial incentives to study its effectiveness for Huntington’s, a condition that is so rare (affecting less than 200,000 individuals) that pharmaceutical companies might not otherwise invest in developing a drug for it. However, taking coenzyme Q-10 by mouth in doses of 600 mg per day or less doesn’t seem to be effective for slowing the progression of Huntington’s disease.

• Preventing blood vessel complications caused by heart bypass surgery. There is some evidence that taking coenzyme Q-10 by mouth for a week before surgery might help to reduce blood vessel damage. But not all research agrees with this finding.

• High blood pressure (hypertension). Taking coenzyme Q-10 by itself or along with other medications for treating high blood pressure seems to help lower blood pressure even more.

• Preventing migraine headache. Taking coenzyme Q-10 by mouth seems to help prevent migraine headaches. Studies show it can decrease the frequency of headaches by about 30% and the number of days with headache-related nausea by about 45% in adults. Taking coenzyme Q-10 also appears to reduce migraine frequency in children who have low levels of coenzyme Q-10. It can take up to 3 months for significant benefit. Unfortunately, coenzyme Q-10 doesn’t seem to be effective in treating migraines, once they have developed.

• Parkinson’s disease. Some research shows that taking coenzyme Q-10 supplements might slow decline in people with early Parkinson’s disease. But taking a coenzyme Q-10 supplement in people with mid-stage Parkinson’s disease does not seem to improve symptoms.

• Improving the immune system of people with HIV/AIDS.

• Muscular dystrophy, an inherited disorder involving muscle wasting. Taking coenzyme Q-10 by mouth seems to improve physical performance in some patients with muscular dystrophy.