Q. What does a diagnosis of Gilbert's syndrome actually mean, and do you recommend any supplements or herbs for this condition?
A. Gilbert's (pronounced jeel-bears) syndrome was named after one of the French doctors who first described it. It is a benign liver condition that rarely causes symptoms, requires no treatment and isn't cause for concern. In persons who have it, the liver doesn't properly process bilirubin, a bile pigment derived from the breakdown of red blood cells. The syndrome (it isn't considered a disease) is usually diagnosed when bilirubin levels are elevated on routine blood tests. Between 3 percent and 10 percent of the U.S. population is affected. It is more common among males than females.
Gilbert's syndrome is an inherited condition that is present from birth. Occasionally, it causes bilirubin levels to rise high enough to produce jaundice; you may first notice that the whites of your eyes are tinted yellow, and, sometimes, your skin may get a yellowish cast. But the jaundice usually is mild and resolves itself without treatment. Bilirubin levels can increase as a consequence of illness (even colds or flu), menstruation, fasting or skipping meals, dehydration or overexertion, even stress. Symptoms that have been associated with Gilbert's include fatigue, weakness and abdominal pain, but these aren't common.
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The bottom line is that Gilbert's syndrome isn't dangerous. It won't harm your liver, make you sick or shorten your life. The only precaution you need to take is to make sure that all your physicians know that you have Gilbert's syndrome, since the enzyme responsible for processing bilirubin may also affect the way your body handles some medications. In addition, if physicians are unaware of your diagnosis, they may order other tests that aren't necessary.
No supplements or herbs are needed to address this condition. However, you can try to prevent your bilirubin from rising by doing your best to avoid colds and flu, staying hydrated by drinking at least six to eight glasses of purified water daily, eating a nutritious, balanced diet (don't fast or skip meals), and learning to manage emotional stress with such mind-body techniques as breath work, meditation, yoga and biofeedback.
Q. Is aromatherapy really beneficial to health?
A. While the pleasant, uplifting effects of some odors have been known for centuries, modern, condition-specific aromatherapy based on essential oils is usually traced back to the work of French chemist René-Maurice Gattefossé in the late 1920s. Essential oils are volatile, aromatic products extracted from flowers, fruits, leaves, barks and roots by various methods, such as steam distillation. The quality of essential oils varies tremendously, with the best and purest being very concentrated and expensive. Aromatherapists may dilute essential oils with carrier oils and apply them to the skin, put them in diffusers so that people can inhale the vapors, or prepare them for ingestion.
An increasing amount of research is delving into the questions of whether aromatherapy can improve sleep, ease pain and anxiety, reduce the respiratory congestion of colds and flu, relieve constipation, reduce post-operative nausea and even help grow hair. In most cases, further investigation will be needed before doctors here are convinced that aromatherapy works, but there is already good evidence that certain scents can help induce relaxation and improve sleep.
For example, a 1994 study at New York's Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center found that the vanillalike aroma of heliotropin significantly reduced anxiety in patients undergoing MRI scans. In England in 2002, researchers found that applying lemon balm oil to the faces and arms of patients with severe dementia reduced their agitation by 35 percent. The study was published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. At Wesleyan University in Connecticut, researchers found that the scent of lavender increased deep, restful sleep for both men and women, and a Korean study published in 2006 came to the same conclusion (but included only women). Another intriguing study, in Scotland, showed that a combination of cedar wood, lavender, rosemary and thyme oils promoted hair growth among patients with alopecia areata, an autoimmune disorder that causes hair to fall out. The study was published in the November 1998 issue of the Archives of Dermatology.
We may get a better fix on aromatherapy benefits after completion of a study sponsored by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine examining the effect of specific odors on immune, endocrine and autonomic system responses. Janice Kiecolt-Glaser, Ph.D., a widely respected researcher at the Ohio State University Institute for Biobehavioral Medicine Research, is testing three odors, one selected for its reported sedating or relaxing effects, one for its activating or stimulant effects, and one neutral control odor.
If aromatherapy makes you feel better, by all means indulge. I would only caution against buying into dubious claims that it can treat everything from acne to yeast infections. And do make sure that your aromatherapist is qualified — in the United States, anyone can get a piece of paper attesting to "certification." For information on aromatherapy certification courses approved by the National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy, visit www.naha.org.
Aromatherapy is generally safe, but improperly used oils can cause burns, allergic reactions, headaches and nausea, and some are toxic if ingested. Check with local certified massage therapists (their certification does mean something), who may be able to recommend a good aromatherapist.