A study that found St John's wort was ineffective in positively affecting children suffering from attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been heavily criticized by industry for being badly designed. Industry has criticized the study and disputed the researchers claim that St John's wort is one of the most common treatments for ADHD among children.

It has also been criticized for subjecting St John's wort to inappropriate, pharmaceutical-style testing when the herb also known as Hypericum perforatum does not function as a drug."Why wasn't a gold standard [double blind, placebo-controlled] used to do a proper comparison?" Daniel Fabricant, PhD, vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs at the Natural Products Association (NPA) told NutraIngredients-USA.com.

"If they're going to set up a drug trial then they should go all out with it. We all know St. John's wort isn't a drug, and traditionally isn't used or intended to be used as a drug."

St John's wort's most commonly studied benefit is in the relief of mild-to-moderate depression and anxiety.

"It's commonly used and has shown efficacy for mild-to-moderate depression in more appropriately designed trials," Fabricant said. "But if you are going to treat it like a drug in a trial, then all the bells and whistles have to be there to accurately tell the whole story. In this instance if the gold standard intervention showed the same lack of effect, would it have been reported that the gold standard didn't work for ADHD?"

He added: "It certainly would have nailed home the lack of quality in this study and made it significantly more difficult to publish and call it peer-reviewed academic medical science."

Usage and quality

The Mayland-based American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) questioned the quality of the St John's wort used in the trial and disputed the researcher's assertion that St John's wort is commonly used to treat ADHD among young people.

I don't believe that this test material would pass muster if the proposal was submitted to NIH's National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) today because something as basic as ensuring the quality through the duration of the trial was not assured," said Steven Dentali, PhD, AHPA's chief scienceofficer and past chairperson of NCCAM's Product Quality Working Group.

AHPA president, Michael McGuffin, said he knew of no manufacturers marketing St John's wort at children.

"It's an out-of-the-ordinary, rare use. It might be a use that some mom thinks makes sense," he said.

The randomized and placebo-controlled trial was published on June 11 in the Journal of the American Medical Association and involved 54 children ages 6 to 17 years.

Half were given St John's wort, while the other half were given a placebo and no significant difference was found between the two groups in improving the symptoms of ADHD.

Gali Weinreb 27 May 08   14:08

Hy Biopharma science advisory board director Dr. Gad Lavie, who invented the company's technology, said that the company had kept a low profile because the product was brought through to the Phase II clinical trial by a US company, Vimerex, which no longer exists.

Feeling shy to go to a party full of strangers? Oxytocin social viagra! The "love hormome" oxytocin can help banish excessive shyness. That's right, the "cuddle hormone" known to assist childbirth and help mothers bond with their newborn has been shown to reduce anxiety as well as ease phobias. "Tests have shown oxytocin reduces anxiety levels in users. It is a hormone that facilitates social contact between people. What's more, it is a very safe product that does not have any side effects and is not addictive," says Prof Paul Zak. Zak and his colleagues at Claremont Graduate University have tested the hormone on hundreds of patients. According to them, oxytocin's main effect is to curb the instincts of wariness and suspicion that cause anxiety. It is produced naturally in the brain and heightens the feelings of intimacy after sexual intercourse, too. "We've seen that it makes you care about the other person. It also increases your generosity towards that person. That's why (the hormone) facilitates social interaction," said.

Oxytocin spray has also been successfully trialled at the University of New South Wales while researchers in New York have found it lessened symptoms of autism which include agitation also. "Oxytocin does not cure autism, but it does reduce the symptoms. So there is a reduction of anxiety in autistic patients, and the oxytocin can induce them to do things like make eye contact with other people and look at their faces - something autistic people find hard to do," Prof Zak said.

Oxytocin is an FDA controlled substance!

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The neuropeptide

Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, St. Radboud Hospital, Catholic University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.

The neuropeptide oxytocin (OT) modulates social behaviours and is an important anxiolytic substance of the brain. However, sites of action and the intracellular signalling pathways downstream of OT receptors (OTR) within the brain remain largely unknown. In the present studies, we localized the anxiolytic effect of OT by bilateral microinfusion of OT (0.01?nmol/0.5?µL) into the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) in male rats using both the elevated plus-maze and the light-dark box. Moreover, intracerebroventricular administration of OT, but not of the related neuropeptide vasopressin (VP), dose-dependently activated the extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) cascade. Specifically, OT induced the phosphorylation of Raf-1, MEK1/2 and ERK1/2 in the hypothalamus in vivo and in hypothalamic H32 neurons via EGF receptors. OT-induced ERK1/2 phosphorylation was immunohistochemically localized within VP neurons of the PVN and the supraoptic nucleus. Importantly, the anxiolytic effect of OT within the PVN was prevented by local inhibition of the MAP kinase cascade with a MEK1/2 inhibitor (U0126, 0.5?nmol/0.5?µL) locally infused prior to OT, indicating the causal involvement of this intracellular signalling cascade in the behavioural effect of OT. OT effects within the hypothalamus may have far-reaching implications for the regulation of emotionality and social behaviours and, consequently, for the development of possible therapeutic strategies to treat affective disorders. Thus, OTR agonism or activation of the ERK1/2 cascade, specifically within the hypothalamus, may provide therapeutically relevant mechanisms.

The aim of this paper was to review critically the role of OT in the regulation of different physiological functions and complex behaviors, as well as its possible involvement in the pathophysiology of some neuropsychiatric disorders. MEDLINE and PubMed (1972-2007) databases were searched for English language articles by using the following keywords: oxytocin, physiology, cognitive functions, attachment, psychopathology, psychiatric disorders. Papers were examined that addressed the following aspects of the OT system: synthesis and localization, receptors, physiology: In addition, latest findings showing abnormalities of OT and OT system in several neuropsychiatric disorders, including autism, obsessive-compulsive disorder, eating disorders, addiction, schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress disorder and Prader-Willy syndrome, will be also discussed together with the possible clinical use of OT or its analogues and/or antagonists.

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The neuropeptide oxytocin (20-100?ng), induces penile erection when injected unilaterally into the caudal but not rostral mesencephalic ventral tegmental area (VTA) of male Sprague-Dawley rats. Such pro-erectile effect started 30?min after treatment and was abolished by the prior injection of d(CH₂)₅Tyr(Me)²-Orn⁸-vasotocin (1?µg), an oxytocin receptor antagonist injected into the same caudal ventral tegmental area or of haloperidol (1?µg), a dopamine receptor antagonist, injected either into the nucleus accumbens shell (NAs) or into the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) ipsilateral to the injected ventral tegmental area. Penile erection was seen 15?min after the occurrence of, or concomitantly to, an increase in extracellular dopamine and its metabolite 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) in the dialysate obtained from the nucleus accumbens or the paraventricular nucleus, which was also abolished by d(CH₂)₅Tyr(Me)²-Orn⁸-vasotocin (1?µg), injected into the ventral tegmental area before oxytocin. In the caudal ventral tegmental area oxytocin-containing axons/fibres (originating from the paraventricular nucleus) appeared to closely contact cell bodies of mesolimbic dopaminergic neurons retrogradely labelled with Fluorogold injected into the nucleus accumbens shell, suggesting that oxytocin effects are mediated by the activation of mesolimbic dopaminergic neurons, followed in turn by that of incerto-hypothalamic dopaminergic neurons impinging on oxytocinergic neurons mediating penile erection. As the stimulation of paraventricular dopamine receptors not only induces penile erection, but also increases mesolimbic dopamine neurotransmission by activating oxytocinergic neurons, these results provide further support for the existence of a neural circuit in which dopamine and oxytocin influence both the consummatory and motivational/rewarding aspects of sexual behaviour.

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formulation designed to enable the body to release and  Accelerate its own Natural Oxytocin.

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Background

The ability to “read the mind” of other individuals, that is, to infer their mental state by interpreting subtle social cues, is indispensable in human social interaction. The neuropeptide oxytocin plays a central role in social approach behavior in nonhuman mammals.

Methods

In a double-blind, placebo-controlled, within-subject design, 30 healthy male volunteers were tested for their ability to infer the affective mental state of others using the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET) after intranasal administration of 24 IU oxytocin.

Results

Oxytocin improved performance on the RMET compared with placebo. This effect was pronounced for difficult compared with easy items.

Conclusions

Our data suggest that oxytocin improves the ability to infer the mental state of others from social cues of the eye region. Oxytocin might play a role in the pathogenesis of autism spectrum disorder, which is characterized by severe social impairment.

Oxytocin Improves “Mind-Reading” in Humans . Biological Psychiatry , Volume 61 , Issue 6 , Pages 731 - 733, G . Domes , M . Heinrichs , A . Michel , C . Berger , S . Herpertz

formulation designed to enable the body to release and  Accelerate its own Natural Oxytocin.

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Introduction. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) differ in the severity of induced ejaculation delay. Various studies indicate that oxytocin is involved in sexual behavior. Aim.

To review and evaluate the involvement of oxytocin in SSRI-induced ejaculation delay. Main Outcome Measures. Oxytocine release, 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) neurotransmission, and desensitization of 5-HT_1A receptors. Methods. A review and critical analysis of animal studies investigating the interaction of serotonergic and oxytocinergic neurotransmission in relation to the ejaculation process. Results.

Although acute treatment with the SSRIs fluoxetine and paroxetine immediately causes increased serotonin levels, delayed ejaculation does not occur. The increased serotonin levels induce oxytocin release via activation of 5-HT_1A receptors, and this might compensate for the inhibitory actions of serotonin on sexual behavior. Chronic treatment with fluoxetine and paroxetine desensitizes 5-HT_1A receptors on oxytocin neurons, and that might in part determine the onset of delayed ejaculation. Desensitization of 5-HT_1A receptors is less strong following chronic treatment with the SSRIs fluvoxamine or citalopram, which may attenuate the degree of delayed ejaculation. Conclusions.

Preliminary data suggest that the severity of chronic SSRI treatment-induced delayed ejaculation and the differences between the various SSRIs in inducing ejaculation delay is related to gradual desensitization of 5-HT_1A receptors on oxytocin neurons. de Jong TR, Veening JG, Olivier B, and Waldinger MD. Oxytocin involvement in SSRI-induced delayed ejaculation: A review of animal studies. J Sex Med 2007;4:14-28.

formulation designed to enable the body to release and  Accelerate its own Natural Oxytocin.

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Both

Marian J. Bakermans-Kranenburg and Marinus H. van IJzendoorn

Centre for Child and Family Studies, Leiden University, The Netherlands

Oxytocin is a controlled substance.
Click here to read about a sublingual Homeopatic formulation designed to enable the body to release its own natural oxytocin.

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A promising candidate that might help modulate this disease is oxytocin (OT). OT is a nonapeptide produced by the hypothalamus which exerts central and peripheral effects, not only during pregnancy and lactation, but acts in male and non pregnant females as well. It is being considered as an antistress neuropeptide and it has antidepressive effects. 

This review will not cover all aspects of the multifactorial disorder such as depression into all its variables. However, it may contribute to the understanding of one possible component, the oxytocinergic system.

Oxytocin is a controlled substance.
Click here to read about a sublingual Homeopatic formulation designed to enable the body to release its own natural oxytocin.

Oxytocin is a controlled substance.
Click here to read about a sublingual Homeopatic formulation designed to enable the body to release its own natural oxytocin.

Repeated exposure to oxytocin causes long-lasting effects by influencing the activity of other transmitter systems, a pattern which makes oxytocin potentially clinically relevant.

Oxytocin can be released by various types of non-noxious sensory stimulation, for example by touch and warmth. Ingestion of food triggers oxytocin release by activation of vagal afferents. Most likely, oxytocin can also be released by stimulation of other senses such as olfaction, as well as by certain types of sound and light. In addition, purely psychological mechanisms may trigger the release of oxytocin. This means that positive interaction involving touch and psychological support may be health-promoting. The social interaction of daily life, as well as a positive environment, continuously activate this system. In addition, various types of psychotherapy involving transfer of support, warmth and empathy are likely to induce similar effects, which thus contribute to the positive effects of these kinds of therapies.

Oxytocin is a controlled substance.
Click here to read about a sublingual Homeopatic formulation designed to enable the body to release its own natural oxytocin.

Oxytocin is a controlled substance.
Click here to read about a sublingual Homeopatic formulation designed to enable the body to release its own natural oxytocin.

Don’t wait for perfect moment, make a moment perfect

Click here for more information about HBC protocols natual products.

Oxytocin is a controlled substance.
Click here to read about a sublingual Homeopatic formulation designed to enable the body to release its own natural oxytocin.

More information about HBC Protocols natural products

Mel Gibson talks about being diagnosed as bipolar in a new documentary about the NIDA acting class of 1977. The Hollywood star was interviewed by his classmate Sally McKenzie about his memories as a student in a stellar year that included Judy Davis, Steve Bisley, Robert Menzies, Annie Byron, Debra Lawrance, Linda Newton and the theatre director Peter Kingston. "I had really good highs but some very low lows," Gibson said. "I found out recently I'm manic depressive."

While the interview dates back to 2002, the actor and director, who made headlines with a drunken outburst two years ago, has rarely talked about the condition. McKenzie, who wrote and directed the lively Acting Class Of 1977, which screens on ABC2 on Sunday week, said yesterday that it seemed like a genuine comment but she did not want to delve further. Other NIDA students had no idea that Gibson and Davis would be so successful. "Theatre was very much the focus of our training," McKenzie said. "The thought of people being stars [in film and television] or having stellar careers was not really considered … It was all concentrated on the work and not on what was going to happen down the track."

The actress who plays Mystic Marj in the TV series Mortified remembers the young Gibson as "very polite, self-deprecating, shy, certainly talented and just a really nice person … even a little bit embarrassed about the whole acting thing." And Davis, who declined invitations to be in the documentary? McKenzie said she was "intense, private, very talented and idiosyncratic".

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