Natural sugars are tonics that can help

| Saturday, May 05, 2007

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Column by Halina Hladysz

The world of sports was moved in 1993 when the nine-member women’s running team broke nine world records at the Chinese National Games and one of these records by an astonishing 42 seconds.

A suspicion was raised that the women used steroids.

But, no — the team passed the drug tests. At a news conference, their coach insisted that these remarkable results should be attributed to the members’ supplementing their diet with Chinese herbs, mainly cordyceps mushroom.

As science knows now, this mushroom is rich in special beneficial sugars — saccharides — mainly glucose, mannose and galactose. (Read my February article for a list of curative potentials of cordyceps, the explanation of the role of the eight essential sugars and their overall healing properties.)

Foods and supplements that provide the healing saccharides are called glyconutrients. Cordyceps, then, belongs to this category of glyconutrients and is highly regarded in China in the treatment of cancer, high cholesterol and high blood pressure, hepatitis, cirrhosis of the liver, asthma, diabetes, lupus and kidney disease. In addition, cordyceps — as in the case of the women athletes — is prized as a tonic, increasing energy and physical performance.

Eight essential saccharides

n Fucose influences brain development and intercellular communication. It is an immune modulator, inhibiting tumor growth and spread. It guards against respiratory tract infections and inhibits allergic reactions. Fucose metabolism is abnormal in people who suffer from cystic fibrosis, diabetes, cancer and shingles.

n Galactose inhibits tumor growth and metastasis particularly in the liver. It enhances wound healing, decreases inflammation, increases calcium absorption, triggers long-term memory formation and enhances cellular communication.

n Glucose. Even though glucose is an essential saccharide, it is harmful when taken in excessively large quantities. In such instances it leads to insulin resistance, Syndrome-X, diabetes, obesity and other ill conditions. Glucose metabolism is disturbed in depression, manic-depression, anorexia and bulimia.

Glucose is a potent fast- energy source; it may enhance memory; it stimulates calcium absorption and enhances cellular communication.

n Mannose plays an essential role in intelligent interactions between cells. When cells communicate properly, healing is accelerated. This sugar helps inhibit tumor growth and spread; prevents bacterial, viral, parasitic and fungal infection; eases inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis; and lowers blood sugar and triglyceride levels in diabetics. Lupus patients suffer from mannose deficiencies.

n N-acetylgalactosamine is the least researched of all the essential sugars. It inhibits tumor spread and enhances cellular communication. Low levels of this saccharide are found in patients with heart disease.

n N-acetylglucosamine has antitumor properties and is active in the fight against HIV. It helps repair the body’s mucosal lining of the colon and bladder, helping to heal from such conditions as Crohn’s disease,

ulcerative colitis and interstitial cystitis. Glucosamine — a metabolite of N-acetylglucosamine n helps repair cartilage and decreases joint pain and inflammation.

[b N-acetylneuraminic acid] is important for brain development and learning abilities. It boosts the immune function and has antiviral and antibacterial actions. N-acetylneuraminic acid metabolism is disturbed in Sjogren’s syndrome and alcoholics.

[b Xylose], like most of the essential sugars, also fosters cellular communication. It may prevent cancer of the digestive tract. It has antibacterial and antifungal properties. It discourages the binding of allergens and pathogens to mucous membranes; hence, it is used in nasal sprays and sugarless gums.

This list of the healing properties of the essential saccharides is impressive but n I imagine n I have put you through some quite laborious reading. However, please, rest assured that your effort will be rewarded in my next article (April 9) in which I will elaborate on more “juicy” material which will be more practical for you.

From it you will learn that n besides cordyceps n nature has showered us with many other abundant sources of glyconutrients and which hard-to-cure conditions may be overcome by them.

This column is for informational purposes only and should not be used to diagnose or treat diseases. If you have a serious health problem, consult a competent health practitioner. Halina Hladysz of Rapid City is a certified Master of Holistic Healing, a natural health consultant, a clinical herbalist, a holistic nutritionist and a certified Cleansing Specialist. You can write to her in care of The Rapid City Journal, Box 450, Rapid City, SD 57709, or send her e-mail messages at health@rushmore.com, or visit www.halina-health.com.