Pycnogenol- new study

Sounds great in fact I give French martime pine bark to my dogs for their tumors, and their cancerous tumors have shrunk some, I do give them other herbal meds for their conditions but French maritime pine bark is 25% stronger antioxidant than vitamin c.

Thanks for posting gfsound..how are you feeling these days?

 

I am so happy to hear you are still vertigo free, that's wonderful news! I hope SS's treatment takes care of the rest for you! Seems like the treatment in Germany was successful in the way of relieving your vertigo.

 

I, too, was going to post this informtion. Glad it got up.

Pycnogenol is but another substance that markedly increases circulation through the inner ear, helping to drain off the excess fluids of the hydrops condition. This increased circulation may also facilitate leukocyte suppression of herpes viruses in the inner ear.

Serc, (beta-histine) is commonly prescribed for Meniere's by physicians in all parts of the world except the US (where the FDA holds that it has no efficacy. It is known to increase inner ear circulation; as does lemon bioflavonoids, ginkgo extract, and vinpocetine.

Pycnogenol is an over the counter supplement that has been on the market for a several years, with high margins of safety and other health benefits.

--John of Ohio

 

The article points out that Pycnogenol is also effective in reducing tinnitus symptoms. If so, that's big, as there are simply no good treatments for tinnitus.

Give Pycnogenol a try, for both Meniere's and tinnitus. In the study, assessments were at both 3- and 6-month treatment periods --- so, as with most other MM treatments, don't expect any instant results. Persist for 3 to 6 months.

Let us know how this works. Would be just wonderful if the results of the study could be replicated by folks here.

--John of Ohio

 

any brand or type we should look for?

 

Here's one:
http://www.vitacost.com/Vitacost-Pycnogenol?csrc=PPCADW-Vitacost+Pycnogenol&mtp=sV5mFOZHt-dc|pcrid|48426451931|mt|p&gclid=CP7f9Kr83r8CFQwV7AodGX4AIg

--John of Ohio

 

also deadeye if you go to the site listed in the study it has a shop link with all the stores online and brick and mortar that sells it:
http://www.pycnogenol.com/about/shop/

 

IF blood flow in the inner ear is indeed the problem ... then this would be promising but I think there may be some doubt about that now.

 

Does anyone else think it's odd that when searching "pycnogenol" in PubMed, many of the studies done are authored by the same people? I guess if the group authored studies involving the effect pycnogenol has on the same symptom group (i.e., tinnitus or heart disease) it would make more sense. But, the group has written about its impact on ailments as diverse as tinnitus, mental alertness, psoriasis, venous insufficiency, hemorrhoids, atherosclerosis and athletic performance all in 2014.

Does that seem weird to anyone else? Makes me wonder what the relationship is between the researchers and the manufacturer.

 

good question

 

Interestingly, the same group of researchers from Italy also published a study in 2013 entitled: Lady Prelox® improves sexual function in generally healthy women of reproductive age.

Guess who manufactures Lady Prelox? Yep- Horphag Research. The same company that manufactures pycnogenol...

 

interesting. I do know that it is helping my dogs pertaining to their tumors. A western herbalist prescribed it for them. But yeah it does open things up for questioning about the validity of the studies.

 

you guys are good

 

The study was apparently financed by the manufacturer, and the website is a public relations web site hired by the manufacturer. Not saying it won't help, just a heads up.

 

I searched pub med for studies involving French maritime pine bark, although there are studies by that research group, there are also studies for different ailments and diseases for French maritime pine bark by others in japan, Korea, USA, Iran etc, that makes no note of them being connected with that research company.

 

here is a link to the search I did:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=french+maritme+pine+bark

 

As an aside, if you want to read a fascinating book about the back-door associations between industry (pharm/food commodities) and researchers/public health associations, check out "The Big Fat Surprise" by Nina Teicholz. It's nauseating.

 

For those questioning the pycnogenol paper, which described very positive results with both Meniere's symptoms and tinnitus, do you likewise question the validating clinical studies done for each prescription drug? Virtually all of those are conducted by and paid for by the manufacturers and sellers of the drugs. The FDA finds these studies to be valid and bases their approval of those prescription drugs on those manufacturer-financed studies. If this pycnogenol study is invalid merely because it was financed by the manufacturer, where does that leave all the other such validation studies by drug companies?

The real question is not who paid for or conducted the study; it's if the study results are truthful. Better minds than any of us here, in the peer review panel that approved publication of the study in the medical journal, have scrutinized the study data and found them scientifically appropriate for publication.

If I had either Meniere's symptoms (I no longer do, because of a regimen I devised -- http://www.zoominternet.net/~kcshop/JOH.pdf), or if I had tinnitus, I'd be taking pycnogenol right now. I hope some others will, and in 3 to 6 months (the study period for effectiveness) will report back their personal results.

Meniere's symptoms are bad enough, but tinnitus simpy has no effective treatment that I know of. Treatment efficacy by pycnogenol would be a major advancement against this condition.

Let's see if a) anyone underakes pycnogenol treatment for 3 to 6 months, and b) what their results are. If you decide to go forward with this, tell readers here that you are begining.

My best to all in this.

--John of Ohio