Carindale Hills Natural Therapies

03/02/2026

Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) is produced by osteoblasts and serves as a marker of bone formation. When serum ALP is higher, particularly within the normal reference range, it often reflects accelerated bone turnover. In osteoporosis, this increased osteoblastic activity represents a compensatory response to excessive bone resorption, but because resorption outpaces formation, the net effect is progressive bone loss rather than bone gain. Large population-based studies, including analyses of NHANES (US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey) data, consistently show that higher serum alkaline phosphatase is associated with lower bone mineral density and increased osteoporosis risk, a finding reinforced by multiple independent cohort studies demonstrating inverse correlations between ALP levels and bone density.

Now a group of scientists have taken this one step further, suggesting that an ALP higher than 72 IU/L (normal range 35 to 125 IU/L) may be considered as a tentative threshold for initiating further bone health investigation in adults.

This study examined the relationship between serum total ALP and osteoporosis in a large cross-sectional cohort of 12,835 adults undergoing routine health examinations in China. Osteoporosis was defined by DXA-measured bone mineral density at the spine or hip. Individuals with osteoporosis had significantly higher serum ALP levels than those without, and this association persisted after adjustment for age, s*x, body composition, metabolic parameters and liver enzymes. Non-linear modelling showed the relationship was strongest when ALP values were within the normal clinical range. Subgroup analyses indicated stronger associations in women, younger adults and metabolically healthier individuals. Although ALP showed a statistically significant association with osteoporosis, its discriminatory performance was weak (ROC AUC 0.62). The authors concluded that higher “normal-range” ALP likely reflects increased bone turnover and may serve as a contextual risk signal prompting further bone health assessment, rather than a diagnostic marker for osteoporosis.

ROC stands for Receiver Operating Characteristic and refers to a curve that shows how well a test separates people with a condition from those without, across all possible cut-off values. AUC, or Area Under the Curve, is the single summary number from that curve and indicates how often the test correctly ranks a person with disease as higher risk than someone without. An ROC AUC of 0.62 means the test performs better than chance (0.5) but has limited ability to discriminate on its own. It basically means that the correlation is correct 62% of the time. The main reason that the correlation is not higher is that tissues other than bone also impact on serum ALP, especially the gut and the liver.

Nonetheless, the findings provide a useful insight into the limited but clinically informative predictive value of a routinely measured blood parameter for bone health risk.

For more information see: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/endocrinology/articles/10.3389/fendo.2025.1657631/full

29/12/2025

Clinical support for Asparagus racemosus (shatavari) is rapidly expanding. Building on a positive 2022 clinical trial shared earlier on my page, a newly published RCT by a separate research team has also found that shatavari significantly enhances breast-milk production in lactating women.

A total of 120 women who had recently given birth took part in the study. Half of them took 300 mg/day of a shatavari root extract (10% shatavarins, extract ratio not specified), while the other half were given a placebo, and the results were measured after 72 hours. Researchers observed statistically significant positive changes (compared to placebo, per-protocol) in milk supply volume, the time it took for the mothers to feel their breasts were full, and how satisfied the mothers felt with breastfeeding.

Effect sizes were good. At 72 hours, shatavari supplementation produced no difference in the timing of milk expression compared with placebo (p = 0.961), indicating that the intervention did not alter feeding or expression behaviour. In contrast, milk volume expressed at 72 hours was significantly higher in the shatavari group (97.98 ± 14.34 mL) compared with placebo (85.36 ± 14.19 mL), with a mean between-group difference of 12.63 mL. This corresponds to a large effect size (Cohen’s d = 0.889; p = 0.001), indicating a substantial and clinically meaningful increase in milk production.

Additionally, shatavari was associated with a significant reduction in time to evident breast fullness after the last feeding, with mothers reporting earlier fullness compared with placebo (mean difference −0.56 h). The effect size was moderate (Cohen’s d = −0.504; p = 0.002), suggesting improved mammary refilling dynamics.

Importantly, no side effects were observed in any of the mothers who took Shatavari root extract. These results suggest that immediate post-partum use of Shatavari root extract is a safe and effective natural option to increase breast milk volume.

For more information see: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41055223/

12/12/2025

In this video I review recent research on Celery Seed that expands our clinical understanding of this herb.

29/08/2025

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25/08/2025

Thyroid nodules are common and affect half of the general population by the age of 60 years. The causes are believed to be due to hypothyroidism, mutational changes or autoimmunity. They can be associated with over- or underactivity of the gland and may sometimes be malignant.

Dill (Anethum graveolens L.) has been used in Turkey to self-treat thyroid dysfunction such as hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism. Now a controlled clinical study has evaluated the impact of dill on patients with thyroiditis and benign thyroid nodules. They were divided into two groups: placebo (n =35) and dill group (n = 33). Dried and ground dill (300 mg) was put into capsules and patients on active treatment were given three capsules per day for 90 days. Various tests were conducted at the beginning and end of the study, including thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), free triiodothyronine (FT3), free thyroxine (FT4), anti-thyroid peroxidase (anti-TPO), anti-thyroglobulin (anti-Tg), and C-reactive protein (CRP), and thyroid nodule dimensions were measured by ultrasound.

After 90 days, compared to the control group, the dill group exhibited significantly decreased TSH (by an average of 19% from a mean starting value of 2.69 compared to a 16% increase in the control group, P = 0.009), fT4 (P < 0.001), anti-TPO (P = 0.001), CRP (P < 0.001) and nodule size (by an average of 7.3% compared to a 4.5% increase in the control group, P < 0.001).

The authors concluded that dill suppressed inflammation of the thyroid gland, reduced nodule size, and lowered TSH levels in patients with thyroiditis and nodular goitre. The daily dose used was relatively low and higher doses might deliver a greater magnitude of clinical effects.

For more information see: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40329862/

17/07/2025

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16/07/2025

13/04/2025

08/04/2025

Explore Metagenics NeuroCalm® tablets for mild anxiety, to reduce nervous tension, calm the mind and support a healthy response to stress.

04/04/2025

03/04/2025

Although osteoarthritis (OA) is primarily diagnosed by structural changes in the articular cartilage, subchondral bone and ligaments, its pathology can also be observed in the surrounding joint-associated tissues, accompanied by inflammation. In progressive OA, a cytokine imbalance enhances proinflammatory cytokine levels, which subsequently induce cartilage degradation, resulting in inflammation, pain and deterioration of the joint structure. In modern medical thinking this cartilage degradation is an irreversible process. Indeed, no conventional drugs are available to date that stop or reduce cartilage degradation, improve the joint architecture or prevent or delay the progression of pathology (that is, current drug treatments are not disease modifying). Even worse, many of the currently used drugs have only modest symptomatic efficacy and carry a significant burden of serious side effects.

In this context, a randomised, placebo-controlled clinical study (n = 80, 180 days) aimed to evaluate cartilage morphology using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), pain and joint function, and long-term safety of a Boswellia serrata gum resin extract in patients with knee osteoarthritis (KOA).

At the end of treatment, Boswellia significantly reduced symptoms (p < 0.001; vs. baseline and placebo) on the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), Visual Analogue Scale and Lequesne's Functional Index evaluations. These effects were substantial, for example Boswellia reduced the total WOMAC score by 71%, compared to 19% for placebo. Significant and substantial improvements were also noted for the six-minute walk and stair climb tests.

Particularly noteworthy was the finding that post-trial MRI assessments of the tibiofemoral joints revealed that cartilage volume, thickness and joint space width were all increased (p < 0.001; vs. placebo) after Boswellia treatment. The inflammatory and tissue degradation markers high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), matrix metalloproteinase-3, Fibulin-3, type II collagen degradation peptide in serum, and cross-linked C-terminal telopeptide of type II collagen in urine were all also significantly reduced (p < 0.001; vs. baseline and placebo). Haematology, complete serum biochemistry, urine analysis and the participants' vital signs did not alter between the groups.

The dose of Boswellia used was 100 mg per day after breakfast of an extract containing 20% AKBA (3-O-acetyl-11-keto-β-boswellic acid). The AKBA content of Boswellia serrata resin is typically around 1%, so this dose correlates to about 2 g per day of resin.

This study is the first to objectively show that treatment of KOA with Boswellia is likely to be disease modifying, a finding that has been implied by other clinical trial results for the herb.

For more information see: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39700461/

05/03/2025

A randomised, double blind, placebo-controlled trial (n=120; 12 weeks) investigated the effect of Withania (Ashwagandha) root extract (standardised to 1.5% total withanolides; 200 mg twice daily) in overweight middle-to-older age adults experiencing high stress and fatigue

Levels on the Perceived Stress Scale (primary outcome) fell significantly in the Withania group; however, these decreases were not significantly different to placebo (p=0.867). But on the Chalder Fatigue Scale there was a large and statistically significant decrease in fatigue symptoms within the herbal group vs placebo (p=0.016)

Participants taking Withania also had a significant elevation in heart rate variability (p=0.003), suggesting better autonomic nervous system regulation. This HRV data analysis suggests that Withania was specifically associated with increased parasympathetic activity, which is typically associated with reduced stress levels. There were no significant between-group differences in other self-reported outcome measures.

For the men taking Withania, there was a significant increase in blood concentrations of free testosterone (p=0.048) and luteinizing hormone (p=0.002) vs placebo

For more information see: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37740662/