The Healing Power of SAMe :: Health and Disease :: Bones, Joints, and Muscles

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The Healing Power of SAMe
by author Sherry Torkos, BScPharm & Michael Rae

One of the most exciting and promising nutritional supplements to come to market this year is S-adenosyl-methionine, (SAMe). SAMe (pronounced "Sammy") has been promoted as a safe and effective treatment for depression, osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, liver disorders and other health conditions.

While new to North America, SAMe has been available and used therapeutically in Europe since the mid-1970s. Because SAMe is a highly unstable molecule, it took several years to develop a form that could be clinically tested. The first stable, supplemental form of SAMe was produced in 1973. Extensive clinical research has since been conducted around the world, exploring the potential health benefits of SAMe.

SAMe is naturally formed in the body from the amino acid methionine, in combination with adenosine triphosphate (ATP), an energy molecule. SAMe’s therapeutic effects have been attributed to its activity as one of the most active methyl donors in the human body. A methyl donor is a molecule that gives up part of itself to another molecule, so that the second molecule can carry out its functions. This process occurs about a billion times per second in the human body. Methylation controls many vital body functions, including neurotransmitter development, regulation of mood, maintenance of cell membranes, detoxification and the manufacture of cartilage compounds. SAMe is helpful in treating such a wide range of health conditions because it works on this molecular level.

SAMe Smiles

Depression is a common psychiatric condition that affects millions of people each year. This condition has been associated with an imbalance or lack of certain neurotransmitters (chemical messengers) in the brain. While prescription medication is helpful in some patients, the side-effects and high costs can be prohibitive.

The anti-depressant effects of SAMe have been extensively studied and attributed to its support of the following aspects of brain health:

The development of neurotransmitters (serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine).

The improvement of neurotransmitters binding to receptor sites, which improves cell communication.

Severely depressed patients have shown low levels of SAMe, which rise in response to supplementation. Over 25 clinical trials have confirmed the safety and efficacy of SAMe in the treatment of depression. In the studies that compared SAMe to traditional antidepressants, it was found that SAMe was just as effective as these prescription medications, yet better tolerated. Even at high doses (1600 milligrams per day) SAMe was not associated with any significant negative effects. On the other hand, common side effects of prescription antidepressants include insomnia, agitation, constipation and sexual dysfunction.

SAMe has also shown promise in the treatment of migraine headaches, drug withdrawal, dementia and relieving peripheral neuropathy. The only known contraindication for SAMe is a bipolar (manic-depressive) disorder because it could worsen the manic phase of this disorder.

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Sherry Torkos is a holistic practitioner living in Fort Erie, ON.

Source: alive #208, February 2000

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