September 2009
Groin Pain In Sport

Athletes frequently suffer from groin pain. This can have a profoundly negative effect on physical performance, mental attitude and the will to win - but it can be cured.

Usually labelled osteitis pubis or "OP", the pain most often originates from inflammation of the insertion of the large adductor muscles into the pubic bone deep in the groin – so-called adductor tendonitis. These muscles are located on the inside of the thigh and are responsible for pulling the leg in towards the midline. (See figure) Sometimes X-ray examination can show changes to this attachment area, but there is no consensus regarding their significance. Pain can occur while exercising or even at rest and the affected area may be very tender when pressed.

One of the least understood injuries in sports medicine, OP creates heartsink for doctors, physiotherapists, trainers and other sports-related health professionals. Why? Because they know there is little can be done about it other than surgery which doesn't always work and that the athlete could be out of action for some time.

All manner of treatments are used by trainers, physiotherapists, etc. – ice, heat, rest, exercise, massage, anti-inflammatory medication - oral and topical. Results are usually disappointing and the condition often becomes chronic.

Recently I saw a 40 year old jockey who had suffered groin pain since age 10. The pain was so bad his quality of life was virtually ruined. Surgeons even explored inside his scrotum as they thought the pain may be coming from his testicle, but everything was normal.

My examination revealed marked limitation of leg movement and exquisite tenderness over the insertion of his adductor muscles. A classic case of OP!

I massaged in a little Superbalm over the tender area. Ten minutes later he had full movement of his leg and walked without pain for the first time in 30 years. At follow up a month later, he remained pain-free.

Hard to believe, I know, but you have my word for it…and this patient was only one of many I have treated over the years who also recovered from OP using wheatgrass. So far, I have not had a treatment failure.

How does it work? Wheatgrass can act as a powerful anti-inflammatory. This may have something to do with pain relief, but when it works so quickly as in this case, the cause of OP (generally regarded as disordered musculo-skeletal mechanics) needs to be reviewed. It can hardly be due solely to mechanical causes. One must therefore find another mechanism.

My theory, based on thousands of clinical observations and considerable research over 15 years, suggests there may be an autoimmune component to the pain of OP. When an individual is under sustained physical and mental pressure, the body's immune system can become compromised. The immune system then attacks normal tissue such as tendon attachments in OP and plantar fasciitis. Wheatgrass, being a potent immunomodulator, is able to eliminate part or all of this component.

This may or may not be so, but I believe I'm on the right track simply because wheatgrass works for OP better than any other treatment modality I am aware of.

Dr. Chris Reynolds. M.B.,B.S

March 2009
Non-healing Leprosy Ulcers. Wheatgrass Makes A Difference

The terrorist attacks in downtown Mumbai having recently shaken the world, arriving at the International Airport a few weeks later made me a bit apprehensive.

Terrorists or no, I was determined to complete my mission: to learn as much as I could about leprosy during my brief stay in India. Although the disease is still prevalent in northern Australia, I had never actually seen a case.

Leprosy affects mainly the nerves, skin and mucous membranes. Patients can lose sensation and motor activity such as inability to move joints. Sensory loss is patchy and predominantly affects the hands and feet. Because affected skin is anaesthetised, the patient is unaware if it has been injured or broken. Once this happens, an ulcer readily forms which can last the patient’s lifetime. Many persist for 30 years or more.

Surgery e.g. skin grafting, can help but there is no satisfactory medical treatment available. Even if the leprosy is cured, the ulcers tend to remain.

So we tested our Skin Recovery Spray on a patient who had ulcers on the sole of his foot that had been present for a year. After three months' treatment, it had healed significantly.

We subsequently decided to perform a pilot study of 20 patients. The results have been quite remarkable. For example, this ulcer over the front of the ankle and present for 2 years healed completely in 9 weeks. So far one quarter of the ulcers have healed.

Leprosy ulcer 2 years. Pre-wheatgrass spray.		Wheatgrass spray 9 weeks. Healed.

The stigma of leprosy often leads to ostracism by family, friends, employers and the community which can be immensely damaging to patient morale, self-esteem and dignity. Depression is understandably common in these patients. The irony is that, contrary to popular opinion, the disease is not transmitted via skin contact, but from nasal droplet infection. This often takes a long time while living in cramped quarters.

Today in some parts of India, leprosy is still thought to be due to sinful behaviour. Unfortunately for patients and health workers, this type of myth has bedevilled leprosy sufferers for several thousand years.

Now there is a glimmer of hope for many of these unfortunate people. Healing their ulcers may, in time, remove a major impediment to them being once again accepted into the community at large.

Dr. Laxminarayan Vardharajan Ph.D., ("Rajan"), Project Co-ordinator of the Leprosy Pilot Study in India, rides his new motorcycle, compliments of Dr Wheatgrass.

Rajan has spent 30 years working in close contact with leprosy patients, sharing their lives and treating their ulcers - with ungloved hands. He works hard to show leprosy is not easily transmitted to others.

Soft Tissue Injuries and SuperBalm

Because wheatgrass can stop both superficial and deep tissue bleeding, it is ideal for the treatment of soft tissue injuries. The new SuperBalm contains more than 300% more wheatgrass extract than the Skin Recovery Cream. It is therefore very potent. I have little doubt it will eventually replace ice, the only topical “treatment” currently available for soft tissue injuries.

Dr. Chris Reynolds. M.B.,B.S.

August 2008
Leukemia and Wheatgrass

Leukemia - A brief overview:
Leukemia literally means "white blood" and is a type of cancer that develops from the stem (immature) cells of the bone marrow. This results in massive over-production of abnormal “leukemic” white blood cells that “crowd out” normal white and red cells which reduces their development and effectiveness.

Normal white cells prevent infection by ridding the body of invading bacteria and other organisms. They also help kill the cancer cells that continually develop in the body. Because there aren’t enough of these normal cells, the patient can develop infection, anemia, and easy bleeding. The latter is due to a reduction in blood platelets that normally help control bleeding. This can cause the skin to bruise easily or the gums to bleed.

There are a number of different types of leukemia, usually divided into acute (rapid development) and chronic (slow development) that are more prevalent in different age groups. For example, acute lymphoblastic leukemia is the most common form in young children, but it also occurs in adults.

Symptoms can be numerous, but common ones are fatigue, weight loss, night sweats, and frequent infections due to compromised immunity.

There is no single known cause for leukemia, but radiation e.g. natural radiation from the sun, viruses, chemicals and hereditary factors are all thought to predispose to the condition.

The most common treatment used is chemotherapy, and less frequently bone marrow transplants. Survival rates vary considerably depending on what type of leukemia the patient has.

I was prompted to write about leukemia and wheatgrass because of an encouraging email I received from a mother in Florida, USA whose 7 year old daughter is undergoing treatment for the condition. She wrote:

My 7 year old daughter, K. has Leukemia. The treatment for Leukemia is 2 1/2 years for girls and 3 1/2 years for boys. Being on Chemotherapy for years can be very destructive to the body.

When I purchased your products I must admit that I was really worried about it being a rip off. You must know that I am completely delighted with your products.

My daughter takes the Super shots every day, twice a day. Your Recovery Cream is unbelievable. K. got some sort of severe skin irritation from the chemo. It was swollen, cracking and very red. We applied the cream several times throughout a 48 hour period. Much to my astonishment the irritation started to heal right away and disappeared after two days. Now, she will let me know when an outbreak is starting to happen and your cream handles it immediately. Never, would I have dreamed that a product would work so well.

K. is the star of the Oncology clinic because she does not look like a cancer patient. Her skin is bright, eye's bright, physically she is strong and much to the amazement of the oncology team, she has had very little side effects for the amount of chemo she is getting. We are doing quite a bit of alternatives and yours is primary.

On the blood counts, K's counts have stayed pretty consistent for months. I never connected the possibility that the Super shots was directly related to this. Before the super shots her counts would go down to 100 for ANC, (Author's Note: A normal ANC* is above 1,500. An ANC less than 500 significantly increases the risk of infection.) and then come back up. The medical staff made this sound very normal. The last time K.'s count was very low was on the 14th of April. Since that time her counts have been in the 1000's. I do not recall exactly when we ordered, but think this correlates to using the shots. Her ANC has not dropped below 1000 since that time.

*Absolute Neutrophil Count. Neutrophils are white blood cells.

Numerous studies over the years have shown potent anti-cancer effects by wheatgrass and other cereals. As recently as 2007 (yes, they’re still researching wheatgrass) Karadan (1) and his colleagues stated:

“Wheatgrass (Triticum vulgare/aestivum ) is a rich source of vitamins, antioxidants and minerals and has higher levels of cancer-fighting phenols and flavonoids in ethanol extracts than water extracts (e.g. by juicing). Flavonoids have been shown to have anticancer properties and can prevent some mutations that lead to cancer development.”

Their study showed that wheatgrass extract (similar to the type I use with my patients) is capable of inhibiting growth as well as inducing death of human (acute lymphoblastic) leukemia cells significantly faster than non-blood cancer cells. Also, the response was dose dependent i.e. the stronger the extract, the quicker the cancer cells were killed.

There exists a large number of laboratory studies demonstrating the efficacy of wheatgrass (and other cereals) working against cancer development and progression. My own clinical experience and numerous anecdotes from around the world also attest to this.

Footnote: Wheatgrass and Alopecia

Alopecia areata is a common disorder where loss of (usually) scalp hair occurs, probably due to auto-immunity i.e. the patient's immune system goes awry and attacks normal body tissues causing damage.

There is really no satisfactory treatment of the condition, but I am glad to say I have had a number of patients regain full heads of hair using wheatgrass extract. This is most likely due to re-activation of dormant hair follicles under the skin. Click here to see how effective the extract can be.

Reference:
1. Karadag, A. et al. Antiproliferative and apoptotic effects of wheatgrass (Triticum aestivum L.) extracts on chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) cell line. Planta Med 2007; 73
See abstract:

Dr. Chris Reynolds. M.B.,B.S.

March 2008
Breast Cancer, Chemotherapy, Radiation Therapy and Wheatgrass

Wheatgrass Assists Patients Having Chemotherapy for Breast Cancer

Chemotherapy is notorious for causing adverse effects in many patients undergoing this type of treatment for cancer and can at times be life-threatening. One of the more serious consequences is myelotoxicity or damage to the bone marrow. This can cause significant falls in the level of red blood cells (anemia), white blood cells (reduced resistance to infection) and platelets (increased risk of bleeding). These effects can be reduced or prevented by using strong medications such as erythropoietin (EPO), but they can also cause serious, at times life-threatening side effects and are costly.

A study published last year (view abstract offsite) compared 60 (two groups of 30) chemotherapy patients being treated for breast cancer – one group taking 60mls of wheatgrass (WGJ) juice daily and the other group receiving regular supportive therapy, but no wheatgrass.

Researchers found 15 patients (50%) of the non-WGJ group required termination of treatment or other intervention in order to continue chemotherapy compared with only 15% of the WGJ group.

Over the years, I have known many patients sail through chemotherapy while taking wheatgrass with acceleration of post-treatment recovery. None of them required hospitalisation for management of side effects.

It has been known for many years that wheatgrass has a positive effect on red and white cell production. This may well be due to stimulation of growth factors which could explain some of the results of this study.

Wheatgrass Cream Reduces Skin Toxicity in X-Ray Treatment of Breast Cancer Patients.

Deep X-ray therapy for the treatment of breast cancer can be fraught with complications and adverse reactions called "skin toxicity". Essentially, this means that after treatment, the skin becomes inflamed, tends to blister and break down leading to pain, difficulty in management and wound infection. Because of skin toxicity, the patient has to wait much longer between treatments for the skin to recover sufficiently to allow the next treatment. This in turn tends to reduce the patient's chances of recovery.

For over 100 years the inability to succesfully manage skin toxicity has been a major management issue, and to date, nothing has been found that can significantly reduce it. Many topical substances have been trialled and tested over the years, but to no avail.

In this controlled, double-blind study, 29 breast cancer patients applied either sorbolene (current best practice) or a commercially produced wheatgrass-based cream (Dr Wheatgrass Antioxidant Skin Recovery Cream) to the irradiated area three times a day from commencement of radiotherapy.

The researchers determined that "the wheatgrass extract delays the severity of acute radiation skin toxicity" and, on the basis of their results, recommended "a larger multicentre randomised trial."

These findings do not surprise me. Wheatgrass has extraordinary healing and pain reducing effects for burns. The burn surface is covered with a layer of new cells within 48 hours thus preventing bacterial infection and loss of body fluids. As already mentioned above, this appears to be due to hyperstimulation of growth factors responsible for cell division and increased production of proteins essential to the healing process.

References:
1. Bar-Sela G. et al. Wheat grass juice may improve hematological toxicity related to chemotherapy in breast cancer patients: a pilot study. Nutr Cancer. 2007; 58(1):43-8 (ISSN: 0163-5581)

2. Coulter, K. et al. Wheatgrass extract as a topical skin agent for acute radiation skin toxicity in breast radiation therapy: a randomised controlled trial.(Clinical report)
J. Aust. Trad. Med. Soc. 2006.

Dr. Chris Reynolds. M.B.,B.S.

May, 2007
Wheatgrass extract contains higher antioxidant levels than fresh juice

Hello again from Dr. Chris.

As you know, antioxidants are a much discussed topic and there is a formidable amount of information about them on the internet as a quick search on Google Scholar will quickly demonstrate.

Basically, as oxygen is used up by the body’s normal metabolic processes, potentially damaging chemicals called ‘free radicals’ are produced. Environmental chemicals can also increase free radical levels. In turn, the free radicals attack other cells in the body, oxidizing them and causing damage. This oxidizing process is somewhat similar to when the cut surface of an apple turns brown when exposed to the air.

Damage can affect cell membranes, DNA and other cellular structures. This can lead to such untoward developments as:

• premature ageing
• cancer
• arterial damage
• arthritis
• cataracts in the eye
• and some nervous disorders such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease.

Antioxidants help to neutralize the adverse effects of free radicals, so our diet needs to contain high enough levels to help prevent or slow these developments. Because wheatgrass is antioxidant-rich, taking it daily is one way of helping your body stay healthy.

Recent Antioxidant Research

In 2006 a group of Indian scientists (Kulkarni et. al.) performed an important study prompted by the knowledge that “the search is on for plant products with high antioxidant activities”.

Anitoxidant levels (phenolic and flavonoid compounds) of water-based (i.e. wheatgrass juice) and alcohol-based extractions of wheatgrass were measured from plants grown under different growing conditions over periods from 6 to 15 days. These conditions included tap water, tap water with nutrients, soil and tap water and soil with nutrients.

These extracts were compared with a commercially available wheatgrass tablet.

The scientists found antioxidant levels were:
1. Highest at the end of the growing period (15 days).
2. Up to 250% higher in alcohol-extracted solutions compared with freshly juiced wheatgrass.
3. Highest in soil with nutrients.
4. Higher than many natural extracts and vegetables.
5. Significantly lower in the wheatgrass tablet compared with both fresh juice and alcohol-extracted solutions.

During the processing of my own wheatgrass extract, one of the steps involves alcohol extraction. From what I have observed in patient recovery clinically since 1995, I have no doubt wheatgrass has a very positive effect on the human body and on the skin. The benefits from daily ingestion of wheatgrass can really make a difference to one's health while many have enjoyed healthier skin after topical application.

For more information about wheatgrass, its therapeutic and health benefits, visit my website, Wheatgrass for Health Professionals or email me at info@wheatgrassprofessional.info.

Kind regards,
Dr. Chris Reynolds.
Melbourne.

Dr. Chris' Wheatgrass At Work Newsletter - October, 2007
Sporting Injuries - Forget The Ice, Use Wheatgrass

Hello Everyone,

Recently I was in the change room at half-time at a local Highett Football Club game. Players were pressing plastic bags full of crushed ice against pulled muscles and bruises like security blankets. Knowing there was a better way, I wondered why ice is used at all for sports injuries. Ice does not stop bleeding either from the skin, the nose or from deeper tissues.

Researchers have shown that ice can cause inflammation and swelling in the deeper tissues which significantly slows recovery. (1) There also seems to be little agreement among experts about how how long ice should be applied. (2) Ice, ethyl chloride spray and other coolants may numb the skin and perhaps relieve pain a little, but essentially they do little if anything to assist or hasten tissue recovery.

Yet it appears these rather primitive methods are all that's available for emergency treatment of sports injuries. If they don't stop the bleeding that predisposes to slow healing and recovery, then they shouldn't be used. But what alternatives are there? Isn't there SOMETHING that does a better job? Yes, you guessed it - wheatgrass. And considering the enormous amount of playing and working time lost from sports injuries, not to mention the pain and disability they cause, it's time the sporting world woke up to this strikingly superlative alternative treatment method.

How can wheatgrass be more effective than ice?

Let's look at an example. The young footballer pictured below received a hefty boot to the head causing a massive bruise within minutes. On the right is the bruise less than 24 hours later. All it required to achieve this stunning result was to smear some wheatgrass cream over the bruise. No ice or compression was applied. It is not necessary because wheatgrass penetrates the skin, stops the underlying bleeding and rapidly reduces swelling, often within 24 hours.

Bruise + wheatgrass cream Less than 24 hours later

Any kind of injury can cause tissue damage. Blood vessels rupture and blood spreads into surrounding tissues causing inflammation and swelling. Pressure build-up then slows muscle, nerve and other tissue recovery.

So, the most important thing to do for any injury is STOP THE BLEEDING! Blood in the tissues can do a lot of damage. The sooner wheatgrass is applied, the sooner the deep and surface bleeding stops, swelling is reduced and blood supply returns to the damaged tissue. Rapid recovery is the usual outcome.

Too good to be true? Well, I can assure you it's not. I have used and extract of wheatgrass to treat numeorus injuries since 1995. It is without doubt a powerful hemostatic agent i.e. it stops bleeding quickly. Blood noses, open wounds, bruises, sprained ankles, cuts, scratches, abrasions and deep tissue injuries such as corked, torn or pulled muscles - usually respond quickly to wheatgrass. I can understand your scepticism but I can assure you this is very, very real.

But how does it work?

Wheatgrass is an amazing healing agent, and soft tissue injury healing is just one of the things it works for. But if you

read the following basic scientific explanation for these phenomena, it all starts to make sense.

For several years I have suggested that wheatgrass probably activates Growth Factors. These are small molecules that act as cell messengers to stimulate production by DNA of the numerous proteins required for the healing process. The immune system response, wound healing and stopping bleeding and absorption of blood clot are just a few of the functions vital to the maintenance and repair of damaged tissues mediated by Growth Factors.

I have researched the literature extensively since 1995 and made thousands of clinical observations - the head bruise shown opposite being a classic example - which strongly suggest that wheatgrass contains Growth Factor Activators. These activators may well turn out to be the elusive and so far unidentified Grass Juice Factor alluded to by Kohler in the 1930's. What they do is "kick start" and thereby facilitate the natural healing process by stimulating Growth Factor activity resulting in faster healing than would otherwise be expected.

So remember, the first priority in treating sports and other traumatic injuries is to STOP THE BLEEDING AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. If you play sport or have anything to do with managing sports injuries, I can guarantee that if you use wheatgrass, you will see a very significant improvement in injury recovery time - and quickly. Too good to be true? Not at all. Try it and see.

Some injuries that respond well to wheatgrass:

* Pulled muscles (hamstrings, quadriceps, calf, loins, back)
* Groin injuries (osteitis pubis, adductor tendinitis)
* Blisters, abrasions, wounds, bruises, corks - heal in a few days, not weeks. Perfectly safe to use on open wounds.
* Muscle cramps
* Blood rule - stops bleeding in a few minutes
* Shin splints
* Achilles tendinitis
* Runners knee
* Sprained ankle

References:
1. Meeusen R, Lievens P. The use of cryotherapy in sports injuries. Sports Med. 1986 Nov-Dec;3(6):398-414
2. MacAuley, D. Do textbooks agree on their advice on ice?Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine. 11(2):67-72, April 2001.

Footnote:
In my last newsletter I mentioned a young woman with multiple sclerosis (MS) who had been taking the wheatgrass Supershots for about 6 weeks. Sensation in both hands that had been absent for more than five years as a result of her illness, was returning. Well, I'm very pleased to say her sensation has now completely recovered when no other medication ever worked. You can read her inspiring testimonial here. Again, this may be Growth Factor Activators assisting recovery of damaged central nervous system cells - essential for recovery from this condition.

Kind regards,
Dr. Chris Reynolds.
Melbourne.

This newsletter is sponsored by Wheatgrass Pty. Ltd., Melbourne, Australia. We manufacture potent, effective, natural Dr Wheatgrass skin recovery products and Dr Wheatgrass Supershots - products that are changing the way the world uses and takes wheatgrass.