Benefits of Hyaluronic Acid: Skin Healing & Natural Joint Pain Relief

For those of you who want to reduce the the effects of aging and possibly reverse the signs of aging, I got incredible information for you today. When we age, the most common complaints are pain, looking older and slow healing. A few years ago researchers visited Yuzurihara, known as the “village of long life,” and televised what amazed television audiences worldwide. Here were people living to advanced ages without wrinkles, without the typical age-related diseases and maintaining active lifestyles. Some adults, even life-long smokers who had worked in the outdoors exposed to sunlight all their lives, had virtually no wrinkles. There has never been a recorded case of skin cancer in Yuzurihara. Health authorities attribute this youthfulness to the unique diet in Yuzurihara.  What was the secret of that diet? Do the initials “HA” have significance? They should.
 
The “secret” may be the secret of long life itself. There are ten times more people living beyond the age of 80 in Yuzurihara than in any town in the USA. According to the World Health Organization, the longest-lived people in the world live in Japan … and Yuzurihara is heads above 990 Japanese villages and towns surveyed in longevity.
 
Hyaluronic Acid, better known as HA, is a unique oral hyaluronic acid preparation essential for maintaining skin, joint, and eye health. The benefits of supplementing the body’s own production of hyaluronic acid to rejuvenate the skin and to protect joints are well demonstrated. HA also shows great potential as an anti-aging agent and as a compound that can help maintain proper immune system functioning.
 
While most HA products work externally (on a superficial level) NLHA works internally, providing moisture to the inner layers of the epidermis. By reaching the corium layers of the epidermis, you penetrate, like no topical application is able to. This provides essential HA components to the cell level where it can work effectively.
 
HA’s ability to retain water and moisture makes it a popular ingredient in high-end cosmetic moisturizers. It also supports the formation and maintenance of collagen, an important connective tissue. Collagen degradation is believed to cause a decrease in skin tone and elasticity.
 
Despite the fact that most tissues in the human body regenerate at varying rates, over time there are observable signs of aging. The skin begins to wrinkle, the joints stiffen, the eyes become weak and require the aid of glasses to focus, and the voice begins to become raspy and guttural. There are internal changes caused by aging as well, as blood vessels begin to weaken and lose flexibility, the brain shrinks in the cranium, the eyes sink in their sockets, and the entire body loses about an inch or more in height with advancing age. Scientists believe that there is a common denominator involved in aging – the loss of connective tissue, the “space filler” that supports living cells. Scientific attention is logically focused upon hyaluronic acid, a unique molecule in the human body.
 
HA is found in every tissue of the body. It is present in particularly high concentrations in the synovial fluid that lubricates the joints, in heart valve tissue, in the fluids of the inner ear, in many layers of the skin, especially the dermis, and in the vitreous humor of the eyes.
 
HA occupies the extracellular matrix (the space between living cells). HA is the body’s “mortar.” HA has adhesive properties and is akin to the mortar that holds bricks together. HA is interwoven with type II collagen, proteins, and proteoglycans in the extracellular space, which gives form and structure to tissues. About 3000 milligrams of HA is produced daily in the human body by specialized cells called fibroblasts. More HA is produced during wound healing.
 
While HA is found throughout the body, there are particularly high HA levels in the skin, eyes and joints, the very structures that exhibit external signs of aging. The concentration of HA in living human tissues declines over time. In youth the skin has high levels of HA which produces scarless wound healing. The scrapes, cuts and abrasions of childhood are not permanent because of HA.
 
But then there’s beauty from the inside out. Healthy, youthful skin and joints come from the inside. By replacing the components that naturally deplete with age, we actually can reverse the signs associated with aging. This treatment involves putting back in what is naturally lost to restore radiance and youth. Moisture is vital to good skin. The ability to retain and hold moisture is the secret to youthful, healthy, vibrant skin. Aging robs us of this innate ability to hold in moisture. Nutritional Living now brings you NLHA, the secret of retaining a vital component of youthful complexion, water.
 
NLHA is the oral ingested raw material of Hyaluronan called Hyaluronic Acid (HA). HA is highly “hygroscopic”; it’s essential to maintaining fluid balance within cells and is depleted at great amounts as we age. This precious nutrient can at last be replaced through oral supplementation.
 
Here are some facts to know about HA in the skin:
50% of the total amount of HA is found in the skin.
HA helps to transport nourishing molecules to the outer layers of the skin.
HA helps to eliminate pollutants and metabolic waste products from the upper cells.
HA also plays a role in helping to regulate the life cycle of skin cells.
HA may show promise for Psoriasis, Eczema and Rosacea sufferers.
HA may possibly help to protect the skin by scavenging free radicals generated by ultraviolet light.
Injuv, as an internal cosmetic agent, helps to increase skin moisture, smoothness, and firmness.
Injuv is like internal cosmetic surgery in a bottle.
 
HA for Joint Health:
As a corollary to our aging population, the decrease in joint health is becoming a common occurrence. While there are many prescription alternatives to treat this condition, there are fewer natural therapies that have been shown to be effective in supporting joint health. The application of a HA rich supplements is a strategic move towards natural therapies beneficial to joint support.
 
Current research into osteoarthritis and pain show positive results in the treatment of joint pain and cartilage formation with Hyaluronic acid. Through viscosupplementation, patients experienced a decrease in pain; improved range of motion, and genuine repair to damaged connective tissues.
 
The theory involves the ability of HA to control the production or disengagement of pain substances or possibly depress pain stimulation brought about by an interaction with endogenous pain substances.
 
Facts to know about HA in joints and soft tissues:
HA is one of the best lubricants and shock absorbers found in nature.
HA stimulates the growth of cartilage in joints.
HA suppresses PGE2 production to stop pain and inflammation of joints, because it helps to hydrate and lubricate the synovial cell membrane.
HA provides antioxidant support to help prevent and reduce inflammation directly.
HA is useful for Osteoarthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Fibromyalgia and other connective tissue disorders.
HA lubricates heart valves for improved function.
HA may reduce the need for steroids and other anti-inflammatory medications for arthritis.
HA helps restore joint mobility and alleviate pain associated with arthritis or age.
 
For those who suffer from interstitial cystitis, a cause which is unknown. What we know about now is the bladder lining has holes in it. This causes the hyaluronic acid behind the lining to leak out into the urine, thus causing inflammation, incontinence, and tremendous pain.
 
Urinary hyaluronic acid was higher in interstitial cystitis patients than healthy controls. Since bladder hyaluronic acid is below the epithelium, this finding may indicate leakage across the epithelium into the urine in interstitial cystitis patients.
 
In one study, an initial positive response of 56% at week 4 increased to 71% by week 12. This response was maintained by week 20. There was no significant toxicity attributable to the presence of HA in the bladder.
 
The response of refractory IC patients to the intravesical administration of HA was gratifying. In the past, many therapies for IC that were initially considered promising failed the test of a controlled study. This shows there is substantial promise for those suffering from interstitial cystitis.
 
Just as the first discovery of HA came from research into the structure of the eyes, so the first medical application of HA for humans was as a vitreous supplement/replacement during eye surgery. In addition to all of the wonderful polymeric properties of HA, there is another essential property of HA which makes it ideal for treating various conditions of the eye. Specifically, HA is optically clear.
 
The vitreous is the material that fills the space between the lens and the retina. It is a stable gel containing a large amount of HA. HA along with water (about 99% of the total volume of vitreous is water) forms the bulk of the vitreous. Thin collagen fibrils give structure and rigidity to the water/HA complex with substances known as glycosaminoglycans separating the fibers. HA seems to also help keep the fibers from bunching up or aggregating and forming visible aberrations in the vitreous.
 
HA is also found on the surface of the eye and is often used as a lubricant for the corneal epithelium. In addition, HA helps in the growth and migration of cells across the cornea that is an important part of wound healing and eye tissue regeneration.
 
Conventional medicine has not overlooked hyaluronic acid. HA has been used as a lubricant in eye surgery for over a decade. Dermatologists now inject high-molecular weight HA into the skin to reduce wrinkles. Orthopedists inject high-molecular weight HA into knee, shoulder, sacroiliac, intervertebral discs and the TM joint to reduce symptoms of osteoarthritis. The success rate of injectable HA in relieving joint problems is about 80 percent. HA is now being used in prescription eye drops, in skin preparations and to prevent adhesions following surgery. So the HA revolution is under way.