The HealthCentral Network, mentioned regularly on this blog, was featured in a late July story from the Washington Post.

HealthCentral, which comprises several online support group sites for those suffering with certain health conditions, provides a platform for patients to discuss their medical concerns with fellow bloggers and medical experts. Among its many support-group sites, the network includes acidrefluxconnection.com, myallergynetwork.com and myracentral.com.

In addition to support forums and electronic newsletters, each site offers pertinent health information and the latest news on respective conditions. The sites even feature a unique symptom checker, which helps patients with self-diagnosis.

In particular, the Post story touches on how HealthCentral is different from other popular health sites, such as WebMD and Revolution Health, in that it leaves most of the discussion up to patients. At the same time, though, bigger online players are following suit with blog, forum and social network offerings.

Of a little concern in the story is a mention that HealthCentral hopes to get advertising from drug companies. According to the Post, online health advertising has spurred little interest, as only 4.5 percent of ad dollars went to the format in 2007.

Still, in an age where we’re constantly bombarded with ads for pharmaceuticals and over-the-counter drugs, it seems a little reprieve from this type of solicitation might be welcome. HealthCentral forums and electronic newsletters might benefit from remaining objective and free from any potential restraints drug advertisers might impose.

In many cases, online peer support groups create comfortable atmospheres in which people can find objective answers, ease their minds and potentially find relief from certain symptoms. They serve as a format for real people to share personal stories and offer advice without outside influence, and it would be a shame if the interests of advertisers compromised these benefits.

The benefits of a professional systemic enzyme product from Enzymes, Inc. were touted in a July column from Naturopathic Doctor News & Review.

In her column, dubbed “Using Systemic Enzyme Therapy,” Tina Marcantel, a registered nurse and naturopathic doctor, specifically mentioned a clinical trial that involved Advanced Formula™ InflammEnz.™ She notes the proven effectiveness of InflammEnz™ in achieving accelerated healing time.

Systemic enzyme therapy can help control pain, promote healing and boost the immune system. Marcantel’s column discusses how proteolytic enzymes can be a safe alternative to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as aspirin and ibuprofen, which have been linked to liver, kidney, stomach and intestinal problems.

Other benefits of systemic enzyme therapy include modulation of the immune system through increased binding of cytokines, as well as maintenance of blood circulation. Proteolytic enzymes can also help with the inflammation, swelling and pain of muscle-related injuries.

In the 2004 study on Advanced Formula™ InflammEnz,™ researchers found the supplement sped skin-wound healing time in 77% of healthy subjects. In fact, less redness in the wounds and a nearly 20 percent acceleration in healing time demonstrated the anti-inflammatory effects of InflammEnz.™

Marcantel also addresses the benefits of the bromelain enzyme, which is a protease sourced from pineapple. Bromelain helps prevent swelling, promotes muscle relaxation and hinders platelet aggregation.

In addition to the clinically proven proteolytic enzyme blend pHysioProtease,™ Advanced Formula™ InflammEnz™ contains bromelain, vitamin C, calcium and potassium.

Editor’s note: This column first appeared in The Packer newspaper June 30.

Lycopene, calcium, selenium, phytonutrient, flavonoid – the list goes on.

Produce marketers justifiably use the nutrient content of fresh fruits and vegetables to their advantage, especially when they’re given the green light to make a health claim.

Many produce companies, however, have left out from marketing efforts one of the best reasons to eat fresh produce.

In an apple, there are enough reasons to digest the whole fruit. In an orange, too. A salad, as well.

In fact, every piece of uncooked fresh produce has a distinct advantage over processed fruits and vegetables, meats, grains and pasteurized dairy.

Raw produce not only provides essential vitamins, nutrients and antioxidants, it also contains food enzymes, which are necessary for our bodies to properly digest and absorb everything that makes fruits and vegetables so good for health.

The four most common digestive enzymes are amylase for carbs, cellulase for plant fiber, lipase for fats and protease for protein. However, there are only two ways in which we can ensure they’re in our diets.

One, we can eat raw foods such as produce, uncooked fish or unpasteurized dairy, or two, we can get them through enzyme supplements.

But why promote the enzyme advantages of fresh produce when our digestive systems already seem to take care of cooked and processed foods? Why do natural food enzymes matter in our diets?

To start, Dr. Edward Howell, who pioneered the use of enzyme supplements to improve digestion and overall health, said the length of life is in direct proportion to the “enzyme potential” of an organism. In other words, once your ability to produce enzymes is finished, so are you.

In fact, the enzymes in fresh produce can help us live more healthful lives.

First, enzymes are essential for digestion. When food is broken down properly, digestive complications such as indigestion, heartburn and reflux can often be relieved or eliminated. Also, when digestion is supported, studies have shown that more serious health problems, in particular allergies and immune disorders, are less likely to develop.

Natural food enzymes help our bodies better assimilate the lycopene, calcium and other nutrients that come from fresh produce and other foods. And because food enzymes take some of the workload off the pancreas, the organ that produces digestive enzymes, the body is able to devote more energy toward immune function and overall health.

One fresh produce company, Chiquita Brands International LLC, Cincinnati, is using the bromelain enzyme content of pineapple in its marketing efforts. Bromelain improves digestion and helps relieve symptoms of gastrointestinal disorders, as well as reduces inflammation, supports joint health and speeds healing.

Like Chiquita, other produce companies – no matter what type of products they ship – could add information about enzyme content to boxes, bags or stickers. Marketing materials could emphasize that food enzymes found in fresh produce can aid in digestion, increase energy and help the body maximize nutrient absorption.

Bryan Scribner is marketing coordinator for Enzymes Inc., Parkville, Mo. He worked for The Packer from 2003-06, most recently as news editor. E-mail bscribner@enzymesinc.com.

A contributor to the Health Central community Web site MyOsteoarthritisCentral.com recently posted information on how the boswellia herb might provide support for pain associated with osteoarthritis.

Dr. Grant Cooper, co-director of the Princeton Spine and Joint Center in Princeton, N.J., remarked on boswellia’s anti-inflammatory effect, which might aid osteoarthritis sufferers.

In fact, Cooper cites a 2004 study that found a form of boswellia extract provided significant reductions in pain and swelling, as well as increased walking tolerance, in subjects with knee osteoarthritis.

Check out Cooper’s post here.

Daniel Schatzman, editor of Nutritional Outlook magazine, wrote a great column for the magazine’s June issue about a recent study that asserts a bias against nutritional supplements in medical journals. While it certainly seems that a bias exists, Schatzman makes a good argument as to why supplements seem unfairly represented in these publications.

After examining 11 medical journals – among these were the Journal of the American Medical Association and the New England Journal of Medicine – two university researchers concluded the following:

– Journals with the most pharmaceutical drug ads published no clinical or cohort studies on dietary supplements.
– In journals with the most drug ads, mentions of supplements being unsafe or ineffective were 63 percent and 50 percent higher, respectively.

Schatzman’s take: Though advertising might have something to do with the apparent bias, there are many other factors that might be keeping supplements down. Here are some other reasons:

– There might be a bias in the article acceptance and peer-review processes at some journals.
– Editors and authors might influence these publications with their own views and interests.
– Studies on pharmaceuticals outnumber those on supplements and supplement ingredients.

Finally, Schatzman calls for the dietary supplement industry to “step up” and fund major research. Although this is certainly a great recommendation, he goes no further as to how such initiatives would be supported.

Since big pharmaceutical companies have the big bucks to conduct clinical trials and other studies, supplement manufacturers must find other ways to compete. One way might be to form partnerships or associations that would study certain ingredients. The industry at large might benefit from the results of these studies.