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Many of you are aware that the New York Buyers’ Club was born when our predecessor, Direct Action Alternative Information Resources (DAAIR), closed its doors a little more than two years ago. Since then, NYBC has been delighted to welcome so many former DAAIR members—as well as newcomers—to the new buyers’ club. NYBC has also been pleased to be the partner of the Foundation for Integrative AIDS Research (FIAR: Fight fire with FIAR!). FIAR started in 2001 with the mission of undertaking clinical studies of so-called “complementary and alternative” approaches to managing HIV disease and chronic hepatitis. It is a not-for-profit organization (a 501c3) and acts as NYBC’s fiscal sponsor. It’s a natural partnership, because a primary goal for both FIAR and NYBC is to understand what works and what doesn’t when it comes to nutritional supplements for fighting HIV, hepatitis, and other chronic conditions. There is increasing evidence that various interventions may help to slow HIV disease progression (we’ll mention multivitamins and antioxidants) or manage antiretroviral drug side effects (for example fish oil as a means to control triglycerides or acetylcarnitine for neuropathy). Obviously, a lot more questions remain to be answered! NYBC still receives inquiries about prescription drugs that DAAIR imported under the FDA’s “personal use” rules. Most of those drugs are now approved for use in the US, including memantine (Axura), tinidazole (Fasigyn), polylactic acid (New Fill), and nitazoxanide (Daxon). Two others, ketotifen and roxithromycin (Rulid) are still not approved, but may be ordered legally through international pharmacy suppliers (contact NYBC for referrals). On the contract manufacturing front, we have come to the end of our Custom Multi (multivitamin/mineral formula). In the future we plan to produce a new, specially formulated multi, but in the meantime we have widened our selection of high quality multivitamins with SuperBlend and OptiPack from Super Nutrition, and Ultra Beta Preventive from Douglas Labs (supplier of our stand-by Added Protection). NYBC also continues to stock its own “private label” products, including ThiolNAC, Carotenoid Complex, CoQ10, acetylcarnitine, glutamine (caps and bulk powder), NAC, alpha lipoic acid, as well as botanical formulae such as Phytoflavonoid Complex, Butcher’s Broom, Bacopa monniera, Plant Ultra Enzymes, Coleus forskohlii, Triphala, and Nettle Leaf. If you’re not familiar with these, check our website catalog for more information, email us at contact@newyorkbuyersclub.org, or call us at 718-573-8123. Finally, we continue to work both locally and globally. We have set up linkages with AIDS Service Organizations in the New York metro area, including Housing Works, the Lower East Side Harm Reduction Center, and GMHC—where you’ll find us tabling at Friday dinners. We are also continuing our outreach efforts by supporting ASOs in Zimbabwe, Nepal and Thailand. If you order supplements from us, or use our other services, we ask you to consider making an additional contribution to NYBC. We’re proud of what we’ve accomplished in the past two years, but we’d love to have the resources to do even more! |
NYBC Releases
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Many years in the making, the New York Buyers’ Club Self-Care Guide is now avaialble. The Guide was originally developed during the DAAIR era (see NYBC Past, Present, and Future in this issue). The project was kept alive, however, thanks to the efforts of dedicated staff members who migrated from DAAIR to NYBC. The Self-Care Guide is essential reading for those who are HIV-positive or face other chronic conditions affecting their immune system. The first section of the book contains detailed information on such mechanismss of HIV infection as inflammation, oxidative stress, and mitochondrial toxicity, and on the strategic importance of antioxidant and other nutrient supplementation in slowing disease progression. The second section includes a comprehensive discussion of nutrition, food preparation and safety, and an introduction to a wide range of complementary and mind-body-spirit therapies, and other information designed to assist people on their path to well-being and a better quality of life. The modalities discussed include botanically-based, complete medicinal systems, such as Chinese medicine, Ayurveda and homeopathy, bodywork and energetic therapies such as massage and Reiki, forms of exercise such as yoga, t’ai chi, aerobics and resistance training, and mind-body healing and stress management options, such as meditation. While we sift through our options for a mass printing (perhaps you are a wealthy philanthropist who sees the need for such a publication?) - we are making the Self-Care Guide available to all through our website as a freely-downloadable PDF file. In the future, we hope to be able to make large quantites available to ASOs, free of charge. |
The Self-Care Guide Click here |
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 Ever wonder about that notice printed on supplement bottles—“This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease”? Hmm… If supplements don’t “diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease,” then why would anybody in their right mind take them?! Actually, these words were mandated by the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) of 1994, a federal law addressing the reality that millions of Americans took supplements, that there was much information suggesting their health benefits—but that often no good studies had been done to show more precisely the effectiveness (and safety) of supplement use. In a way, the 1994 law was a temporary measure: it allowed for continued access to supplements, but also called for more study and more consumer education. |
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| So, what are the results ten years down the road? The research problems were—and continue to be—complex and various. Much was known about some vitamins and vitamin deficiency diseases, for example, but what about suggestions that vitamins or other supplements might help to treat (or in some cases, prevent) cancers, heart disease, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, Alzheimer’s, or any number of other conditions? These days, scientific information about supplements seems more widely available than ever—sometimes thanks to federal support. Take a look at the information compiled on the website of the Office of Dietary Supplements (established by DSHEA), or Memorial-Sloan Kettering Cancer Center’s online encyclopedia of supplements and their uses (see references below). And did you know that as of 2005 there are five new federally-funded botanical research centers, looking into plant-derived therapies for conditions like diabetes, cancer, immune disorders, inflammatory diseases, and women’s health issues? Federal money also supports international research teams, such as one based in Missouri studying Sutherlandia frutescens, a botanical widely used as an HIV medication in South Africa. NYBC joins many others in advocating for continuing research and education about supplements. As a consumer-oriented nonprofit, we’re also engaged in the practical problems of stocking products that are both high quality and affordable. Like our predecessor DAAIR, we pick and choose our suppliers, follow research reports on supplement quality, and do our own bit of quality control. Furthermore, we’re very concerned about attempts to regulate supplements in ways that would unnecessarily raise prices, or restrict access. (In the Sep-Oct 2005 SUPPLEMENT, we told you how DHEA narrowly escaped being banned by the Feds—even though federal research dollars had shown it to have significant benefit and few side effects in treating mild to moderate depression!) |
Seal of Approval: The botanical Sutherlandia frutescensis so prized for its curative powers that two South African nations have put the plant on a stamp. |
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| As for the future, we expect many new studies, some confirming or expanding what we know, some overturning accepted wisdom, and a few findings in the “amazing breakthrough” class. (No crystal ball here at NYBC—this is just how science moves along.) Last month, we were interested to read in the Los Angeles Times that turmeric, an Indian spice traditionally used both in food and as a medicine, is the subject of no less than eight National Institutes of Health investigations. (Note: NYBC stocks curcumin, an extract of turmeric; read about its use in our literature or on our website)
You may also have heard recent reports about echinacea (found ineffective in treating rhinovirus [colds]), or about calcium supplements (found to have only limited usefulness in preventing development of osteoporosis in healthy women). These findings contradict conventional wisdom, and while no study can be completely definitive, the results do demand attention, and may change our thinking about these supplements. Finally, we’ll mention a plant extract called artemisinin, isolated in China forty years ago. Turns out that it’s now the most effective treatment for malaria in the world, and stands to save millions of lives. Let’s put that in the category of “amazing breakthrough,” and hope we get to witness similar advances in the future as we continue to follow research on botanicals and other supplements!
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You may have heard some pretty scary things about supplements in the popular press recently. Well, the media aren’t always too sharp when it comes to what the studies actually say. For example, the headlines blared that glucosamine-chondroitin doesn’t work. But if you read the original study, all it said was that the combination doesn’t work too well for mild arthritis of the knee. But neither did Celebrex! For moderate-to-severe pain, the combination actually works much better than Celebrex. And they didn’t even use the best form (glucosamine sulfate) in the study. Oddly, many of the researchers had received monies from Pfizer...the makers of Celebrex.
Other recent studies are also exagerrated or simply wrong. We have more information on these than we can share here – but just to alert you! Always ask questions – and keep in mind the source of the answers you get. Not all medicines or supplements always work the way we hope – but we all deserve good science and honest, accurate reporting of the results of testing conducted on both pharmaceuticals and supplements alike. |
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Dedicated to Jeff Palmer… we missed you, friend!
As each year goes by, the increments of new knowledge remain modest. Yet somehow this year felt as though a chrysalis was forming at the 13th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) held in Denver, Colorado, this past February. But would it produce a butterfly? Or a wasp? Without dragging the analogy out too far, I thought this was a good conference, and pointed to some interesting possibilities. If you have access to the internet, the posters and most sessions may be viewed at www.retroconference.org/2006. (In Medspeak, a poster is a theory or study presented in the condensed form of-—you guessed it: posters) I did get in another great videotaped interview while working with Fred Schaich of the International Foundation for Alternative Research on AIDS (IFARA), the stepmother of FIAR (the Foundation for Integrative AIDS Research). The discussion was with Jon Kaiser, MD from San Francisco. Dr. Kaiser had presented a poster at the 11th CROI in 2004 detailing the results of a powerful antioxidant protocol. The original intent had been to see if it would affect neuropathy– the sensation of pain, numbness, or tingling in the extremities. The big surprise was that there was a statistically significant increase (of about 25%) in CD4 counts in the treated group versus placebo. He anticipates that the study will be published soon. Fish Oils In phase one, people were randomized to one or the other regimen for eight weeks. If at that point they did not see their triglycerides (TG) decrease to 200 or below, they were given both agents. The starting mean TG level was 662 and 694 in the FO and Fen arms, respectively. They found that “both fish oil and fenofibrate decreased serum TG, by a median of 46% and 58%, respectively.” Phase one non-responders were enrolled in the second phase of the study using the combination of fish oil and fenofibrate. For those participating in phase two, the median decrease in serum TG over 18 weeks was 65%. While the combination was pretty good, further strategies for managing triglycerides are clearly needed. Acetyl-L-Carnitine Indirubin from a Chinese Herb It would be interesting to see if there is any antiviral impact of the use of the whole herb in managing HIV disease. It may be that there are inadequate quantities of the indiriubin compound in Angelica to exert an antiviral effect. However, it is found in higher concentrations in extracts from the Indigo plant (root or leaves of Isatis tinctoria). The drug form has been used to treat leukemia in China, where adverse events included “mild to severe nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, headache and edema.” In short, not enough information has yet been collected about indurbin for us to recommend therapeutic use – but watch out. You may be hearing more about this botanical’s very special properties in the near future. |
This article is taken from George Carter’s full report, which can be obtained by clicking here (which will bring you to the FAIR (Foundation for Integrative AIDS Research) site: click on the "Conference Reports" button at right.
For more information about the NOW AVAILABLE from the NYBC
Acetyl-L-Carnitine (NYBC) Each bottle, 100 capsules; each capsule, 500 mg of N-acetyl-L-carnitine, a highly bio-available form of the amino acid carnitine. NYBC Member price: $15! (thanks to our predecessor DAAIR!) Jarrow Formulas’ Max DHA contains highly concentrated Omega-3 fatty acids from ultra-purified fish oil concentrated by molecular distillation – increasing DHA four-fold.
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A Note About NYBC Membership...
By becoming a member of the New York Buyers’ Club, you join a growing community
of people empowering themselves through education - and saving money at the same time. A prime example: sold in retail stores and over the internet for an average of $42/bottle, Based on a sliding scale, annual NYBC memberships |
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