Is Saw Palmetto Dangerous?

Is Saw Palmetto Dangerous?

Many people seem to have this idea now that saw palmetto is somehow very dangerous to men. There are people claiming that saw palmetto can make you impotent, cause you to grow breasts, and essentialy turn you more into a women. They are saying these things based on there own experiences with saw palmetto and what they know about the drug Finasteride aka Propecia. There has been scientific evidence that Propecia does indeed cause many problems for men who take it. You can read about the real harm that Propecia has done to people by going here: http://www.hairloss-research.org/UpdateSideEffectsofPropecia8-12.html and http://www.naturalnews.com/036931_hair_loss_drugs_testosterone_male_hormones.html

As you can see by reading these two sources that Propecia can absolutely cause a lot of problems for men and sometimes it can be irreversible damage to them. People need to understand though that there is a huge difference between a pharmaceutical drug and a natural plant.

Pharmaceutical drugs are actually derived from plants, but they change them from there original form into a form that the body doesn't recognize. This is why drugs are toxic and can cause side effects and sometimes serious ones. Drugs only seek to treat the symptoms instead of treating the root cause of the problem. Natural herbs/plants have natural medicine in them that works with the body. The body can actually become healthier when given the right herbs and usually is always side effect free. Saw Palmetto works with the body instead of against it like a drug does such as propecia. To see an actual study of saw palmetto and its positive side effect free effects on AGA (Androgenetic Alopecia). http://www.hairloss-research.org/sawpalmetto.html

You see Propecia as far as I am aware works to naturally lower serum DHT whereas Saw Palmetto inhibits DHT binding to receptor sites without giving you those dangerous side effects that sometimes are irreversible.

Also if it makes any of you feel more comfortable then you should know that I would only recommend things to people that I know are safe and have personally used. I have taken Saw Palmetto extract for many years and have never experienced any of the side effects or dangers that people are speaking about either while im taking it or not taking it.

Another point to consider is this. Saw Palmetto works by inhibiting the enzyme 5 alpha reductase from converting testosterone into another hormone called dihydrotestosterone. This dihyrdotestosterone is considered to a contributing factor in baldness and benign prostatic hyperplasia.

The reason this is so important is to realize that there is many natural substances that have 5 alpha inhibiting properties. Many foods do the same thing as saw palmetto, but do we hear people accusing these foods of such dangerous effects to the body? Of course not! People just seem to like to pick on natural herbs that God has given to us.

If it makes anyone feel any safer you should know that Saw Palmetto has been used for hundreds if not thousands of years. The Mayans drank it as a tonic, and the Seminoles used the berries as an expectorant and antiseptic. ^{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saw_palmetto_extract}

Saw Palmetto doesn't totally inhibit DHT alltogether, but it does seem to help balance mens hormones and actually increase free levels of testosterone. You can read more about how Saw Palmetto can help with your hormones here. http://www.jonbarron.org/anti-aging/natural-health-remedies-newsletter-testosterone and http://www.jonbarron.org/natural-health/male-pattern-baldness-natural-hair-loss-remedies-blog

There is also many well respected naturopaths, herbalists, etc that actually recommend saw palmetto for supporting the male hormonal system, keeping the prostate healthy, and for hair..

Here is just a list of some really well known and respected people who recommend it.
1. Mercola:
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYifMIE27Xc and http://products.mercola.com/saw-palmetto/  (in fact mercola even says that if he had known about saw palmetto when he was younger he would have looked at it more closely for his balding issues!"

2. Dr. James A Duke :
http://books.google.com/books?id=TE2rQjgUhesC&pg=PA97&lpg=PA97&dq=baldness+dr+james+duke&source=bl&ots=LyRJenLg_l&sig=936C7-pXG5ndHBksLIddoHcXaMY&hl=en#v=onepage&q=baldness%20dr%20james%20duke&f=false

3. Djehuty Ma'At-ra:
http://www.cherryfones.com/saw-palmetto-100-capsules.html

4. Naturalnews! http://www.naturalnews.com/baldness.html

5. Dr Weil: http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/ART03030/Hair-Loss-Alopecia-Baldness.html

I could list many more, but hopefully you get the picture that this herb can be safe and helpful for male pattern baldness. At the end of the day everyone needs to make there own informed decisions, but please just because some may have had some side effects by taking it does not mean we should go around and tell others that its really bad and that we shouldn't take it. There is many people that have been helped by this herb and I do count myself as one of them.

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Carbohydrate Fear

Carbohydrate Fear

That word probably sounds so scary to so many of you. You probably are thinking, "CARBS MAKE YOU FAT AND KILL YOU!"

I would have to guess that a lot of people have this common belief, but is it really true? I hope to shred any ounce of fear that any of you have by the time you finish reading this short and insightful article by yours truly (the adkpinecone).

Without getting right into why carbohydrates are not the evil that so many people mistakenly believe they are I first would like to explain in a nut shell what carbohydrates are. Carbohydrates simply are the number one source that your body uses for energy, body functions, and muscle uses.

Interesting Fact: Did you know that fats actually require carbohydrates for their breakdown within the liver!

So the fact that your body uses carbohydrates for immediate energy already makes a lot of common sense that they are good for you. The real confusion surrounding carbohydrates is the type people are talking about and consuming. I put carbohydrates into two categories. Good Carbs and Bad Carbs. Lets talk about the Good Carbs.

The good carbs are the ones that come from whole foods that grow out of the ground like fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, beans, and even whole grains. These are whole food based carbohydrates that provide the body with immediate energy and are packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, phytonutrients, and a lot more nutritional goodies!

The bad carbs are the ones that come from whole foods that have been processed and refined to the point they become extremely toxic! These are processed and refined carbohydrates. These carbohydrates would include sugar, soda, sweetened juices/drinks, candy, chips, cookies, pastries, white bread, white pasta, cakes, donuts, and pretty much everything in a box, bag, or can.

Do not get deceived into eating bad carbohydrates. A lot of times when people go grocery shopping they will see products that say, "All Natural or Natural" This is very deceptive as it may have been natural originally, but after all the refining and processessing it becomes a dead food with all its nutrients stripped from it. In order to make it look healthy to people they will enrich it with synthetic vitamins and minerals.

So lets get this straight... First they take a really great whole food like whole grain.. then they refine and process the heck out of it( which destroys all the good nutrients)... and then finally they add back all the nutrients, but with synthetic forms that were made in a lab! Can you say, "WOW!"

So now that we have a good idea of carbohydrates lets go back to the most common belief that carbs make you fat. With this small amount of knowledge we can now explain why carbs would make you fat and it has to do with the type of carbs a person consumes. Many people are consuming the bad carbs and thats what makes them fat and gives them all these health problems. People that are eating good carbs though that come from whole foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains, and beans are never fat, but rather extremely healthy individuals!

I eat a ton of carbs that come mostly from fruit and I am extremely lean and thin. I am not even close to being fat.

Point of this article is to stop listening to the nonsense that carbs make you fat and that they are unhealthy. The good carbohydrates in whole foods will always be safe and helpful for the human body.

Just take a look at my videos and pictures and you will clearly see that if eating fruit and other good carbs did make you fat then I surely would be far bigger/fatter than what you see.

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