1 post tagged “curcumin”

The Compelling History of Jiva Supplements

Vijaya-speaking-smVijaya Nair, MD (Singapore), FAMS, MS (Epid)

CEO Essence of Life

I was formerly a Professor in the Department of Epidemiology at Columbia University, School of Public Health (Epidemiology is the study of factors affecting the health and illness of populations, and is highly regarded in evidence-based medicine for identifying risk factors for disease and determining optimal treatment approaches to diseases such as cancers, HIV/AIDS, etc). However, after several years of inside “the square box” medical research and in spite of the billions of dollars invested in conventional treatments such as chemotherapy, radiation and high tech surgeries, there was little evidence that the incidence of cancers or the complications and side effects of these treatments was decreasing. On the contrary, the incidence as well as treatment complications of chronic illnesses such as cancers, heart disease, strokes, diabetes, etc has been shown in numerous epidemiological and research studies to be increasing at an alarming rate, especially in western societies. On the other hand, medical treatments based on certain traditional Chinese medicines and on established principles of Aryuvedic medicine in India were showing greater promise in not only alleviating many disease symptoms, but also for developing “cures” for some of these chronic diseases. Coming from a conventional and westernized medical training background in Singapore and with subsequent post doctoral training at Harvard and Columbia Universities, I was at first completely baffled at reports of chronically and terminally ill patients using complementary and alternative medicines and experiencing a much better quality of life. Intrigued by these reports, I began to independently work in collaboration with research scientists and physicians in the United States, Europe and Asia who, though western trained, were recognized experts in the eastern traditional medical approaches. Most of these experts, like me, were associated with major Universities and, like me, were determined to think “outside the square box.” So much evidence based medical research related to eastern medical modalities and treatment of especially chronic illnesses were emerging, it could no longer be ignored.

Early on, I recall being asked to visit a patient who had been admitted to the Emergency Room of a hospital in Connecticut. There I met a middle aged woman who was suffering terribly from end stage lung cancer. The disease had spread to all of her major organs. She was hooked up to an oxygen tank and was literally gasping for breath. Her chest X-rays revealed that both of her lungs had collapsed. She was dying and her husband had been told that she had just a few weeks to live. Her cancer was not responding to chemotherapy and radiation treatments. I asked her what she wanted and she replied that she wanted to live and desired to swim with the dolphins in San Diego and to see a Broadway Show! I recommended that she immediately begin taking a particular herbal formulation on which I was doing research at Columbia University. Her husband called me in a week’s time with the news that after taking the herbal formulation I had suggested, his wife’s condition had improved to the extent that she was breathing better and no longer required the use of an oxygen tank, She was also asking to eat her favorite foods! Her doctors were flabbergasted to see the improvement in her clinical condition, in her chest x–rays and in her blood results. Within 3 months, as her cancer began to shrink, this lady was able to fulfill her dreams to swim with the dolphins and see to the Broadway shows she desired. She lived for another year, active and in good health, but tragically died one night in her sleep when the last small remnant of her tumor suddenly burst and bled into one of the bronchioles in her lungs.

Since then, I have had many, many such experiences working with individuals who were initially diagnosed with terminal diseases and who were not responding to conventional therapies. In case after case, however, I have witnessed their medical conditions and quality of life improve significantly after taking natural herbal and fermented soy based products. My team and I have submitted many of these patient reports to the National Cancer Center, Office of Cancer, Complimentary and Alternative Medicine and received recognition for our work. I began to realize that, with the help of many wonderful and world renowned research scientists and physicians, we could actually develop a series of nutraceutical organic health supplements that, supported by evidence based medical research, could address complications associated with these terrible life threatening and chronic diseases. It was then that I decided to resign from my faculty position at Columbia University and to embark on the full-time development of the JIVA line of products. My intention was to collaborate with renowned researchers, physicians, nutritionists and other medical professionals and develop the JIVA nutraceutical health supplements that could be taken by everyone to improve their overall health and well being as well as address the nutritional deficiencies and challenges faced by individuals who were suffering from complications associated with chronic illnesses or as a result of undergoing medical treatments. The ingredients used in JIVA are supported by research evidencing no adverse interactions, contraindications or interferences with any “conventional treatments” that our consumers were taking. Nevertheless, all our customers are strongly advised to discuss with their doctors the nature of the nutraceuticals they are consuming.