In the movie, The Perfect Storm a series of weather fronts plus a hurricane collide off the coast of Massachusetts. The crew of the ship Andrea Gail failed to anticipate how severe the storm was and also didn't heed the warnings of other ships regarding the need for a different course of action. The results were disastrous and now the term ?perfect storm? has come to symbolize multiple, unanticipated stresses leading to personal disasters.
Following this line of thought, winter time in North America (and elsewhere) is a perfect storm of weight management disasters: holiday-related overeating, a seasonal drop in exercise, and a winter-time decline in sun exposure, leading to a drop in Vitamin D.
Seasonal Change Equals Stress
The most accurate definition of stress to our body and mind is change ? any change. This is because changes require us to use our precious resources to adapt rather than to repair. Also, changes in our routine often mean that we make fewer ?deposits? into our physical and emotional wellness accounts in terms of adherence to The 10 Essentials. Fewer deposits and more withdrawals mean a reduced quality of life and health. What?s more, the dietary ?deposits? we often make during holiday celebrations often include foods low in nutrients and high in toxicity.
So, the first strategy to avoid holiday overeating is to maintain your healthy routine in terms of diet, exercise and rest. Why? Because these strategies help us reduce the impact of stress and the squandering of our nutrient reserves. You see, cravings are often a form of communication from your body that it is running out of the vitamins and minerals, proteins and fats it needs to function. To avoid insatiable cravings be sure to take your Healthy Aging nutrients and keep the nutrient density of your foods high and the toxicity (caused by sugar, etc.) low.
Leanology shakes provide high quality proteins and Leanology nutritional chews contain specific fats to help turn off hunger signals and to help thwart cravings. Also fortifying us against the destructive influences of stress are Adaptogens.
These plant-derived nutrients pull us back together as stress pulls us apart!Wintertime Blues
A special weight-loss nutrient is Vitamin D. Most people would make enough Vitamin D with 20 minutes of sunshine morning and evening with 40% of their skin exposed to the sun?s rays. (Never allow yourself to get sunburned.) Vitamin D also acts as a weight loss nutrient by balancing the blood sugar, reducing your appetite and improving human metabolism. This essential vitamin also improves your immune system.
People are exposed to less sunshine during the wintertime. This problem becomes worse the further north we go because of the shorter winter days in northern latitudes. Add the extra sun-blocking-layers of clothes to combat cold temperatures to the use of Vitamin D-blocking sunscreen and it is easy to see why people overeat, gain extra weight and even suffer seasonal illness because of a compromised immune system during the winter.
To combat these very real circumstances that result in weight gain during the holidays we simply must take supplemental Vitamin D. Leanology caps contain 750 IU of Vitamin D per six capsules. I suggest taking six capsules daily to supply a minimum level of Vitamin D during winter and to curb the appetite.
Conclusion
There are stressful realities we must admit that lead us to winter time weight gain. These include less sun exposure, more recreational meals, less exercise and rest and more emotional distress. We can combat these health-threats by keeping a normal, sane routine of sleep, diet and exercise. We can also use Healthy Aging nutrients as well as Adaptogens to combat stress overeating. We can use Leanology protein and the special fats found in Leanology appetite control chews as well as the extra boost of Vitamin D from Leanology caps to control cravings and out-of-control appetite. This strategy should allow us to come through the stressful holiday season with fewer physical and emotional illnesses and greater wellness. It?s the best gift you can give yourself this holiday season!
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Nopalea Provides Powerful Toxic Relief
Recently, a series of forest fires ravaged the landscape in Southern California. One particular fire burned many fine homes. The firefighters worked through the night to extinguish the fire and they were making progress. However, with the dawn came a change in circumstances: an increase in heat, a reduction in humidity and hot, dry winds from the south brought dry air and a fresh supply of oxygen that intensified the fire. Soon, a firestorm erupted creating flaming tornadoes.
That is the perfect illustration of the inflammation that can occur in the human body. What may begin as a single spark of inflammation may erupt into an inflammatory disease that engulfs our entire body and threatens our life. Efforts to combat the inflammation may be affected by external forces that fan the flames until we are consumed.
Causes of inflammationThere are four common causes of inflammation:
Trauma or injury
Toxins and poisons
Deficiencies of various kinds
Emotional distress
Any of these factors may trigger the start of inflammation or increase the intensity of the heat by adding fuel to the fire.
An example of this may be inflammation triggered by toxins and fueled by emotional distress. Gout is a form of inflammation strongly linked to toxicity.
For example, gout may be triggered in susceptible people by environmental toxins like carbon tetrachloride or dietary toxins such as HCFS (high fructose corn syrup) found in soft drinks. Gout may also be triggered by depression associated with loss, or by anxiety associated with chronic emotional distress.
A new round of gout may be triggered by simple trauma to a previously affected toe or possibly a Vitamin C deficiency.Adding multiple sources of inflammation together may trigger a firestorm of inflammation that rages out of control - creating serious signs of disease.
Triggers: known and unknown
The firefighters mentioned above lost that particular battle with the forest fire because they could not foresee all of the influences hampering their efforts. The same is true with us:
We can not always foresee all of the inflammation triggers we face
We can not always tell when we trigger the process of inflammation While we may remember our last soft drink, we may not know when we last breathed carbon tetrachloride, ate fruits and vegetables deficient in Vitamin C, or created micro-trauma by our sleeping position, sedentary lifestyle or choice of shoes.
We may also not readily discern the impact of internalized stress.
I recently encountered three people who had different forms of inflammation. One individual suffered from episodes of gout, the second from chronic colitis and the third from osteoarthritis of the knees. They all experienced fast and profound benefits from Nopalea with its anti-inflammatory Betalains. They also later experienced a flare-up of symptoms when their life changed.
In all three cases the inflammation appeared to be triggered by severe emotional upset: loss of a spouse, loss of a sibling and loss of a job.
Trying to quench the fire of inflammation created by these emotional extremes with a minimum serving of Nopalea was like trying to quench a forest fire with a single pail of water! We need to judge the severity of the inflammation and meet it with the appropriate anti-inflammatory response if we are to be successful. Don't be afraid to use 3 ounces or 6 ounces every day for a real "Betalain-Boost"!
Conclusion
When we experience any sign or symptom of distress we should interpret it as a communication from our body to our mind that something is wrong. The frequency, intensity and duration of the inflammation will determine how we should escalate our response.
As detectives we solve the mystery of pain by analyzing the four causes of inflammation. However, we must also realize that our ability to solve these puzzles is limited by our knowledge. The more we know about how we work, the greater the opportunity we have to discern the causes of inflammation, create an appropriate, strategic response and successfully put out the fire.
That is the perfect illustration of the inflammation that can occur in the human body. What may begin as a single spark of inflammation may erupt into an inflammatory disease that engulfs our entire body and threatens our life. Efforts to combat the inflammation may be affected by external forces that fan the flames until we are consumed.
Causes of inflammationThere are four common causes of inflammation:
Trauma or injury
Toxins and poisons
Deficiencies of various kinds
Emotional distress
Any of these factors may trigger the start of inflammation or increase the intensity of the heat by adding fuel to the fire.
An example of this may be inflammation triggered by toxins and fueled by emotional distress. Gout is a form of inflammation strongly linked to toxicity.
For example, gout may be triggered in susceptible people by environmental toxins like carbon tetrachloride or dietary toxins such as HCFS (high fructose corn syrup) found in soft drinks. Gout may also be triggered by depression associated with loss, or by anxiety associated with chronic emotional distress.
A new round of gout may be triggered by simple trauma to a previously affected toe or possibly a Vitamin C deficiency.Adding multiple sources of inflammation together may trigger a firestorm of inflammation that rages out of control - creating serious signs of disease.
Triggers: known and unknown
The firefighters mentioned above lost that particular battle with the forest fire because they could not foresee all of the influences hampering their efforts. The same is true with us:
We can not always foresee all of the inflammation triggers we face
We can not always tell when we trigger the process of inflammation While we may remember our last soft drink, we may not know when we last breathed carbon tetrachloride, ate fruits and vegetables deficient in Vitamin C, or created micro-trauma by our sleeping position, sedentary lifestyle or choice of shoes.
We may also not readily discern the impact of internalized stress.
I recently encountered three people who had different forms of inflammation. One individual suffered from episodes of gout, the second from chronic colitis and the third from osteoarthritis of the knees. They all experienced fast and profound benefits from Nopalea with its anti-inflammatory Betalains. They also later experienced a flare-up of symptoms when their life changed.
In all three cases the inflammation appeared to be triggered by severe emotional upset: loss of a spouse, loss of a sibling and loss of a job.
Trying to quench the fire of inflammation created by these emotional extremes with a minimum serving of Nopalea was like trying to quench a forest fire with a single pail of water! We need to judge the severity of the inflammation and meet it with the appropriate anti-inflammatory response if we are to be successful. Don't be afraid to use 3 ounces or 6 ounces every day for a real "Betalain-Boost"!
Conclusion
When we experience any sign or symptom of distress we should interpret it as a communication from our body to our mind that something is wrong. The frequency, intensity and duration of the inflammation will determine how we should escalate our response.
As detectives we solve the mystery of pain by analyzing the four causes of inflammation. However, we must also realize that our ability to solve these puzzles is limited by our knowledge. The more we know about how we work, the greater the opportunity we have to discern the causes of inflammation, create an appropriate, strategic response and successfully put out the fire.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Unexpected Sources of Infection
During the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century a typhoid epidemic was traced to Mary Mallon, a professional cook. "Typhoid Mary" infected many people with the bacteria that caused typhoid fever - a debilitating, often fatal infection. Mary never showed any symptoms of infection herself. However, many of the people who contacted her became seriously ill.
Today we face another source of infection from bacteria and viruses: our children and grandchildren. Our little Typhoid Marys and Johnnys bring us the gift of exposure to potential illness from all of their friends at school and in daycare. How does this actually happen and what can we do to protect ourselves as well as our young ones? "Germ-o-phobia"
There is a medical condition called mysophobia which is the fear of germs. People with this disorder take extreme precautions to avoid touching anything that might be considered "dirty" or contaminated with germs. They have a relentless hand-washing procedure that rivals the sterile-field procedure used by surgeons.
Normally, germs and viruses are harmless and may even be beneficial in educating our immune systems. Some bacteria are even good for you, such as the probiotic, acidophilus. This is because "good" bacteria keep "bad" bacteria away and may even become part of a healthy immune system. However, children that grow up without exposure to normal bacteria called "soil-based organisms" or SBOs, have fewer defensive bacteria. That means pathogenic bacteria have a better chance to breed in them, potentially causing illness and spreading infection.
This effect is multiplied when children are kept in close quarters with other children and their germs. Further, their immature immune systems may allow them to become breeding grounds of infection without producing symptoms themselves. Limiting physical contact and washing our hands with soap and hot water becomes a rational defense strategy instead of a phobia.
The best defense...There is an old saying: The best defense is a good offense. Being proactive in protecting ourselves and our family simply makes sense. How can we build a good defense against infection without becoming isolated? More important, how can we build healthy immunity and resistance in our children and grandchildren? Once again we can turn to Typhoid Mary for clues.
First, isolating people with a fever is very important. Usually an infection is contagious when a person has a fever. When the fever breaks, transmissibility of the infection rapidly declines. (This is not true with H1N1 swine flu, which may continue to be contagious for up to 12 days.)
Stay away from sick people if at all possible.
Frequently wash your hands with hot soapy water and dry them thoroughly to help avoid viruses.
Insulating yourself and educating your immune system with probiotics and Healthy Aging nutrients as well as emotional nurturing is critically important.
After all, it is the health of your immune system that determines whether or not you will get sick. And the severity of the illness is dictated by the state of balance in immunity: symptoms become more severe as the immune system becomes more imbalanced.
Finally, become a source of influence in advocating for healthier children. Both children and adults have fewer and less severe illnesses when they take care of themselves.
For example, getting enough rest and eating properly will reduce the frequency, severity and duration of infections. Growing a garden may provide your loved ones with healthier food and also expose the gardeners to healthy probiotic SBOs at the same time.
Just imagine: Time in the garden may help provide your family with better food, stronger social connections and even immune protection from all those little Typhoid Marys and Johnnys. What a great way to defend yourself from this unexpected source of infection!
Take Control of Your Health
Wash your hands with hot soapy water often
Dry your hands thoroughly
Isolate sick people for three days after a fever (12 days after H1N1 Swine Flu)
Sleep between 7œ and 9 hours nightly
Eat 5 to 9 servings of fruit and vegetables every day
Educate your immune system with probiotics and Healthy Aging nutrients
Today we face another source of infection from bacteria and viruses: our children and grandchildren. Our little Typhoid Marys and Johnnys bring us the gift of exposure to potential illness from all of their friends at school and in daycare. How does this actually happen and what can we do to protect ourselves as well as our young ones? "Germ-o-phobia"
There is a medical condition called mysophobia which is the fear of germs. People with this disorder take extreme precautions to avoid touching anything that might be considered "dirty" or contaminated with germs. They have a relentless hand-washing procedure that rivals the sterile-field procedure used by surgeons.
Normally, germs and viruses are harmless and may even be beneficial in educating our immune systems. Some bacteria are even good for you, such as the probiotic, acidophilus. This is because "good" bacteria keep "bad" bacteria away and may even become part of a healthy immune system. However, children that grow up without exposure to normal bacteria called "soil-based organisms" or SBOs, have fewer defensive bacteria. That means pathogenic bacteria have a better chance to breed in them, potentially causing illness and spreading infection.
This effect is multiplied when children are kept in close quarters with other children and their germs. Further, their immature immune systems may allow them to become breeding grounds of infection without producing symptoms themselves. Limiting physical contact and washing our hands with soap and hot water becomes a rational defense strategy instead of a phobia.
The best defense...There is an old saying: The best defense is a good offense. Being proactive in protecting ourselves and our family simply makes sense. How can we build a good defense against infection without becoming isolated? More important, how can we build healthy immunity and resistance in our children and grandchildren? Once again we can turn to Typhoid Mary for clues.
First, isolating people with a fever is very important. Usually an infection is contagious when a person has a fever. When the fever breaks, transmissibility of the infection rapidly declines. (This is not true with H1N1 swine flu, which may continue to be contagious for up to 12 days.)
Stay away from sick people if at all possible.
Frequently wash your hands with hot soapy water and dry them thoroughly to help avoid viruses.
Insulating yourself and educating your immune system with probiotics and Healthy Aging nutrients as well as emotional nurturing is critically important.
After all, it is the health of your immune system that determines whether or not you will get sick. And the severity of the illness is dictated by the state of balance in immunity: symptoms become more severe as the immune system becomes more imbalanced.
Finally, become a source of influence in advocating for healthier children. Both children and adults have fewer and less severe illnesses when they take care of themselves.
For example, getting enough rest and eating properly will reduce the frequency, severity and duration of infections. Growing a garden may provide your loved ones with healthier food and also expose the gardeners to healthy probiotic SBOs at the same time.
Just imagine: Time in the garden may help provide your family with better food, stronger social connections and even immune protection from all those little Typhoid Marys and Johnnys. What a great way to defend yourself from this unexpected source of infection!
Take Control of Your Health
Wash your hands with hot soapy water often
Dry your hands thoroughly
Isolate sick people for three days after a fever (12 days after H1N1 Swine Flu)
Sleep between 7œ and 9 hours nightly
Eat 5 to 9 servings of fruit and vegetables every day
Educate your immune system with probiotics and Healthy Aging nutrients
Friday, October 16, 2009
Death of a Generation
In medicine we get so used to dealing with statistics that we don't always remember that there are real people behind these facts. I recently quoted the statistic that children born today will not live as long or as well as their parents. Many of you could well be thinking, "That's my children or grandchildren you're talking about!"
Indeed, these are the children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews that belong to all of us. These are the people we love. How did we get this way? What does science tell us about the health of generation Y2K? How can we steer them into better health? Generation lostThe health of the Y2K generation (those born in the New Millennium) is a direct "cause and effect" relationship of the health choices made in the previous 50 years. Since the end of World War II, North American and Western European diets have contained more fat, more sugar and fewer nutrients. At the same time, physical activity has declined and television viewing has increased. People are also getting less sunshine and less sleep - two elements critical for health!The health consequences to our Y2K generation could be compared to planting a seed of "convenience" in the 1940s, nourishing the sapling with inactivity in the 1950s and 1960s, seeing the blossoms on the tree in the 1970s and 1980s (the rapid decline in our own health and the rapid increase in our waistlines), and bearing full fruit of a lost generation beginning in the 1990s until today.
How bad is it?According to popular resources such as The National Post in Canada and esteemed scientific journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine, there is a sharp decline of several years in expected longevity and a dramatic rise in disease risk - especially diseases associated with obesity (e.g., heart disease, cancer, diabetes). It is pervasive across all social and economic groups; but of course, the disease rates increase for people in lower economic regions.
Just imagine: The health gains of the past 1,000 years are erased in one generation! It is comparable to a global recession where financial gains and wealth of a lifetime are wiped out in a matter of minutes.Steer a new courseImagine your health is like the voyage of a cruise ship. If that ship is the Titanic you immediately know that it may not have a happy ending. If the captain of the Titanic knew in advance the certainty of losing his ship, he would change his course. Our health and the health of our children, grandchildren and community are on the same dangerous path as the Titanic. Science and our own experience tell us that by staying on a particular course we will have a health catastrophe.
However, by changing that course even a little we can have a successful journey for ourselves, our children and our grandchildren.Proper nutrition and nurturing can help us steer a healthier course.
So, eat a balanced diet with healthy proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Select organic when possible - grow your own garden when possible.
Take Healthy Aging nutrients every day (try replacing Sublingual B-12 with Super Sublingual B-12 if you often experience allergies, insomnia, indigestion or muscle aches). Get your sunshine and your sleep.
Turn off the TV, go for a walk and take those Y2K kids with you!
Be an example and be an educator of the simple but profound health principles found in the 10 Essentials of Health and Wellness.
Plant a seed of hope, knowledge and proper self-care in this generation, and we can be content knowing it will sprout, mature and bear healthy fruit for generations to come.
Indeed, these are the children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews that belong to all of us. These are the people we love. How did we get this way? What does science tell us about the health of generation Y2K? How can we steer them into better health? Generation lostThe health of the Y2K generation (those born in the New Millennium) is a direct "cause and effect" relationship of the health choices made in the previous 50 years. Since the end of World War II, North American and Western European diets have contained more fat, more sugar and fewer nutrients. At the same time, physical activity has declined and television viewing has increased. People are also getting less sunshine and less sleep - two elements critical for health!The health consequences to our Y2K generation could be compared to planting a seed of "convenience" in the 1940s, nourishing the sapling with inactivity in the 1950s and 1960s, seeing the blossoms on the tree in the 1970s and 1980s (the rapid decline in our own health and the rapid increase in our waistlines), and bearing full fruit of a lost generation beginning in the 1990s until today.
How bad is it?According to popular resources such as The National Post in Canada and esteemed scientific journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine, there is a sharp decline of several years in expected longevity and a dramatic rise in disease risk - especially diseases associated with obesity (e.g., heart disease, cancer, diabetes). It is pervasive across all social and economic groups; but of course, the disease rates increase for people in lower economic regions.
Just imagine: The health gains of the past 1,000 years are erased in one generation! It is comparable to a global recession where financial gains and wealth of a lifetime are wiped out in a matter of minutes.Steer a new courseImagine your health is like the voyage of a cruise ship. If that ship is the Titanic you immediately know that it may not have a happy ending. If the captain of the Titanic knew in advance the certainty of losing his ship, he would change his course. Our health and the health of our children, grandchildren and community are on the same dangerous path as the Titanic. Science and our own experience tell us that by staying on a particular course we will have a health catastrophe.
However, by changing that course even a little we can have a successful journey for ourselves, our children and our grandchildren.Proper nutrition and nurturing can help us steer a healthier course.
So, eat a balanced diet with healthy proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Select organic when possible - grow your own garden when possible.
Take Healthy Aging nutrients every day (try replacing Sublingual B-12 with Super Sublingual B-12 if you often experience allergies, insomnia, indigestion or muscle aches). Get your sunshine and your sleep.
Turn off the TV, go for a walk and take those Y2K kids with you!
Be an example and be an educator of the simple but profound health principles found in the 10 Essentials of Health and Wellness.
Plant a seed of hope, knowledge and proper self-care in this generation, and we can be content knowing it will sprout, mature and bear healthy fruit for generations to come.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Wellness from the Inside Out
The average person in North America lives about 77 years.Imagine building a skyscraper that was 77 stories tall. How sound would it be at the top floor if a beam were mislaid in the foundation?
Healthy aging means that we build a structure (us!) that is sound, habitable and healthy - right to the very top floor. This life-long building process begins at the foundation: our DNA. How cells workThere may be trillions of cells in the human body. Cells are like tiny factories. Each one has a function and a product to produce. Our DNA orchestrates the production of tiny proteins that are made into enzymes, hormones and other products of the cell.Under extreme circumstances the cell will alter its production of basic, life-sustaining proteins and produce whatever is necessary to meet a crisis. For example, when we are under stress our adrenal glands produce large amounts of adrenaline. They don?t normally produce much adrenaline; they usually produce mineral corticoids that help us build healthy bones. Under stress they change their function.Under stress our cells stop producing the things that build us up (anabolism) and start producing things that tear us down (catabolism). Your body does this because the message of stress is that it must sacrifice healthy function - healthy aging - for a time to produce energy needed to ensure our safety. This is an acceptable trade if we are using the energy to get out of oncoming traffic! It is a poor way to deal with constant, chronic, daily stress.
The DNA is sensitive to signals of stress because it is designed to help us survive. We must be very careful of the physical, emotional and mental signals we send our cells. According to Candace Pert, Ph.D., author of the book, Molecules of Emotion every thought we think, every food we eat or drink, and every breath we take washes over our DNA as information. Our DNA responds by either building us up (anabolism) or tearing us down (catabolism) to sacrifice on the altar of chronic stress. Adaptogens carry information that helps our DNA select anabolism to build us up, even under extreme stress.Building healthy cellsHealthy cells make healthy tissues. Healthy tissues of different types are collected together as organs. For example, your liver consists of many hundreds of different types of cells all collected together to make up your liver. Organs work within systems (for example, your digestive system, immune system, etc.). Systems combine to form a healthy, functioning body. Still, the basic unit of life is the cell and the basic "conductor" - orchestrating the function of the cell - is the DNA.
In order for our DNA to accomplish the task of building healthy cells we must provide the necessary nutrients every day. We have specific requirements for health: fats and proteins, carbohydrates and water, oxygen, minerals and vitamins, etc. If we are missing even a single nutrient at the critical moment it is needed, our cells will not be able to carry out their work of creating healthy proteins. Incomplete proteins are produced, cells become toxic and these become the focus for inflammation and disease.We simply must provide our cells with the nutrients they need every day.Toxic DNA
It is important to know that your DNA never produces disease. Instead, it produces proteins with the raw materials it has at that moment and in response to information it receives. That information comes in the form of nutrients and toxins from both inside and outside our body. Healthy application of the 10 Essentials for Health and Wellness and daily healthy aging nutrients send positive (anabolic) messages to your DNA. Trauma, toxins, deficiencies and stress send negative (catabolic) messages to your DNA.Trauma, toxins, deficiencies and stress damage your DNA and cause it to produce incomplete, toxic proteins. These proteins become the source of inflammation and disease. Many nutrients help repair the DNA. A special antioxidant polyphenol called ECGC found in green tea and concentrated in Energy Now!® takes the lead in antioxidant DNA repair. CoEnzyme Q-10 (CoQ-10) adds fuel to the repair process and works in concert with ECGC.
Conclusion
Like a healthy building, we need a solid foundation. The difference between our health and the health of a building is that our cells renew periodically; they are not fixed when manufactured. Therefore, we can correct any building errors by applying sound, healthy essentials. We can improve our health by building healthy cells at any age. We are literally one choice away from improving healthy cellular function: the choice to live the 10 Essentials.
Healthy aging means that we build a structure (us!) that is sound, habitable and healthy - right to the very top floor. This life-long building process begins at the foundation: our DNA. How cells workThere may be trillions of cells in the human body. Cells are like tiny factories. Each one has a function and a product to produce. Our DNA orchestrates the production of tiny proteins that are made into enzymes, hormones and other products of the cell.Under extreme circumstances the cell will alter its production of basic, life-sustaining proteins and produce whatever is necessary to meet a crisis. For example, when we are under stress our adrenal glands produce large amounts of adrenaline. They don?t normally produce much adrenaline; they usually produce mineral corticoids that help us build healthy bones. Under stress they change their function.Under stress our cells stop producing the things that build us up (anabolism) and start producing things that tear us down (catabolism). Your body does this because the message of stress is that it must sacrifice healthy function - healthy aging - for a time to produce energy needed to ensure our safety. This is an acceptable trade if we are using the energy to get out of oncoming traffic! It is a poor way to deal with constant, chronic, daily stress.
The DNA is sensitive to signals of stress because it is designed to help us survive. We must be very careful of the physical, emotional and mental signals we send our cells. According to Candace Pert, Ph.D., author of the book, Molecules of Emotion every thought we think, every food we eat or drink, and every breath we take washes over our DNA as information. Our DNA responds by either building us up (anabolism) or tearing us down (catabolism) to sacrifice on the altar of chronic stress. Adaptogens carry information that helps our DNA select anabolism to build us up, even under extreme stress.Building healthy cellsHealthy cells make healthy tissues. Healthy tissues of different types are collected together as organs. For example, your liver consists of many hundreds of different types of cells all collected together to make up your liver. Organs work within systems (for example, your digestive system, immune system, etc.). Systems combine to form a healthy, functioning body. Still, the basic unit of life is the cell and the basic "conductor" - orchestrating the function of the cell - is the DNA.
In order for our DNA to accomplish the task of building healthy cells we must provide the necessary nutrients every day. We have specific requirements for health: fats and proteins, carbohydrates and water, oxygen, minerals and vitamins, etc. If we are missing even a single nutrient at the critical moment it is needed, our cells will not be able to carry out their work of creating healthy proteins. Incomplete proteins are produced, cells become toxic and these become the focus for inflammation and disease.We simply must provide our cells with the nutrients they need every day.Toxic DNA
It is important to know that your DNA never produces disease. Instead, it produces proteins with the raw materials it has at that moment and in response to information it receives. That information comes in the form of nutrients and toxins from both inside and outside our body. Healthy application of the 10 Essentials for Health and Wellness and daily healthy aging nutrients send positive (anabolic) messages to your DNA. Trauma, toxins, deficiencies and stress send negative (catabolic) messages to your DNA.Trauma, toxins, deficiencies and stress damage your DNA and cause it to produce incomplete, toxic proteins. These proteins become the source of inflammation and disease. Many nutrients help repair the DNA. A special antioxidant polyphenol called ECGC found in green tea and concentrated in Energy Now!® takes the lead in antioxidant DNA repair. CoEnzyme Q-10 (CoQ-10) adds fuel to the repair process and works in concert with ECGC.
Conclusion
Like a healthy building, we need a solid foundation. The difference between our health and the health of a building is that our cells renew periodically; they are not fixed when manufactured. Therefore, we can correct any building errors by applying sound, healthy essentials. We can improve our health by building healthy cells at any age. We are literally one choice away from improving healthy cellular function: the choice to live the 10 Essentials.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Lose a Little Weight... Gain a Lot of Health Benefits
How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!
Setting and achieving worthwhile goals is the key to lasting happiness. Some goals seem so large that they must be comparable to eating an elephant - just too big to even know how to begin. Weight loss can be that challenging for many. There is good news, though. Losing just a little can have profound health benefits.
I want to make a suggestion that I have seen work countless times: If you are overweight or obese, set a goal to lose only 10% of your body weight. That's all - just 10%. Meeting this goal will give you most of the health benefits and much of the energy you will need to improve your life substantially.It is often said that weight loss is simple, just not easy. Many experts tout the "calories in - calories out" formula as if it were Holy Scripture. I first heard this as the prescription for weight loss when I was a teenager. Now, here I am well over 50 years of age and I still hear it almost daily. In those intervening decades we have experienced an explosion of obesity. So, merely repeating the same formula over and over is clearly not working!What does work?
Purpose!Purpose works because it ignites passion. Purpose defines the reason for effort - for example, the reason we want to lose weight - while passion translates that sense of purpose into motion. Granted, some people want weight loss for reasons that do not require much passion. Cosmetic weight loss may be one example and disease prevention may be another. Purpose requires a plan. In a previous Weekly Wellness Report I detailed how we set "SMART" goals:
Specific
Measureable
Attainable
Realistic
Timely
Take that sense of purpose fueled by your passion and structure a plan that will help you accomplish your mission.
Purpose, passion, plan and mission are successful strategies when it comes to weight loss. We have seen this time and again. Now, this is not as simple as "calories in - calories out." But it is easy. And it works with the way we function as human beings: with purpose!
Even a little helpsTo reach your SMART goals you will likely need better health and more energy. Did you know that even modest amounts of weight loss can provide you with substantial improvements in vitality?
If your BMI calculation is over 25, consider making it a SMART goal to lose 10% of your body weight. Losing just 10% of your body weight as fat can help improve your blood pressure, blood sugar, digestion and metabolism. You will have more energy, better self-esteem and a more optimistic view of life in general.
Remember, the elephant you are trying to eat, so to speak, is not weight loss itself. Trimming down gives you more energy to do the things that matter to you the most. Weight loss is a means to an end: a means to living a life of purpose. So, as a milestone on your goal toward a life of purpose, set a 10% reduction in weight as a SMART goal. Use a body composition scale to make sure that you are losing only fat, not lean tissue like muscles, bones and brain. You will need those as assets in your journey. Our Leanology® body-composition program was thoroughly reviewed in an Arizona State University study. Researchers found that with Leanology, 100% of the weight loss came from fat - none from vital, energy-producing organs.
Maintain balanceSo, do you know how to eat an elephant? The answer is still "one bite at a time," only now we see that there must be a valid reason for eating the elephant in the first place! Don't try to eat the elephant all at once and don't try to do it alone. Purpose, passion, plan and mission are the stuff of life. Yet, life is about balance. As humans, we Love, we Play, we Work and we Worship.
Our manner of life should reflect these priorities.
Setting and achieving worthwhile goals is the key to lasting happiness. Some goals seem so large that they must be comparable to eating an elephant - just too big to even know how to begin. Weight loss can be that challenging for many. There is good news, though. Losing just a little can have profound health benefits.
I want to make a suggestion that I have seen work countless times: If you are overweight or obese, set a goal to lose only 10% of your body weight. That's all - just 10%. Meeting this goal will give you most of the health benefits and much of the energy you will need to improve your life substantially.It is often said that weight loss is simple, just not easy. Many experts tout the "calories in - calories out" formula as if it were Holy Scripture. I first heard this as the prescription for weight loss when I was a teenager. Now, here I am well over 50 years of age and I still hear it almost daily. In those intervening decades we have experienced an explosion of obesity. So, merely repeating the same formula over and over is clearly not working!What does work?
Purpose!Purpose works because it ignites passion. Purpose defines the reason for effort - for example, the reason we want to lose weight - while passion translates that sense of purpose into motion. Granted, some people want weight loss for reasons that do not require much passion. Cosmetic weight loss may be one example and disease prevention may be another. Purpose requires a plan. In a previous Weekly Wellness Report I detailed how we set "SMART" goals:
Specific
Measureable
Attainable
Realistic
Timely
Take that sense of purpose fueled by your passion and structure a plan that will help you accomplish your mission.
Purpose, passion, plan and mission are successful strategies when it comes to weight loss. We have seen this time and again. Now, this is not as simple as "calories in - calories out." But it is easy. And it works with the way we function as human beings: with purpose!
Even a little helpsTo reach your SMART goals you will likely need better health and more energy. Did you know that even modest amounts of weight loss can provide you with substantial improvements in vitality?
If your BMI calculation is over 25, consider making it a SMART goal to lose 10% of your body weight. Losing just 10% of your body weight as fat can help improve your blood pressure, blood sugar, digestion and metabolism. You will have more energy, better self-esteem and a more optimistic view of life in general.
Remember, the elephant you are trying to eat, so to speak, is not weight loss itself. Trimming down gives you more energy to do the things that matter to you the most. Weight loss is a means to an end: a means to living a life of purpose. So, as a milestone on your goal toward a life of purpose, set a 10% reduction in weight as a SMART goal. Use a body composition scale to make sure that you are losing only fat, not lean tissue like muscles, bones and brain. You will need those as assets in your journey. Our Leanology® body-composition program was thoroughly reviewed in an Arizona State University study. Researchers found that with Leanology, 100% of the weight loss came from fat - none from vital, energy-producing organs.
Maintain balanceSo, do you know how to eat an elephant? The answer is still "one bite at a time," only now we see that there must be a valid reason for eating the elephant in the first place! Don't try to eat the elephant all at once and don't try to do it alone. Purpose, passion, plan and mission are the stuff of life. Yet, life is about balance. As humans, we Love, we Play, we Work and we Worship.
Our manner of life should reflect these priorities.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Strategies for Protecting Your Eyesight
Vision is freedom.
With good eyesight our world abounds with endless opportunities. With diminished or lost eyesight our world must get smaller as we rely on other senses and other people for mobility. No one can truly understand how much we rely on our vision until they are deprived of this precious gift.
Protection: The first step
Nourishing vision that will last a lifetime requires a combination of nutrients from within our body, and barrier protection from irritants outside our body. The most important of exterior protection is protective eyewear. Glasses, goggles and face shields provide barrier protection from injuries, toxins and poisons, sun and wind (select lenses or coatings that offer both UV-A and UV-B light filters). Protecting our vision from the inside requires:
Appropriate hydration (water) – We should calculate our body weight, cut that number in half and convert this final number into ounces of water we will consume every day. I weigh about 190 pounds. Half that number is 95. So, 95 represents the number of ounces of water I should drink every day for good vision.
Intense nutrition – Nutrients must include vision-specific antioxidants such as lutein and zeaxanthin. Other nutrients may be added depending on specific needs. For example, poor night vision responds well to anthocyanins – nutrients found in berries such as bilberries and schizandra berries. As the ancient physician Maimonides once said, “To heal an eye you must heal the head and even the entire body.” In keeping with this ancient wisdom, we need Healthy Aging nutrients as a foundation for eye health and a healthy body.
Sleep – Is sleep really that important for healthy vision? Yes! Your eyes heal from all the stress and strain of the day. Also, as with any other body system, your eyes run on the nutrients mentioned above. These nutrients accumulate at a slow rate and are expended at a fast rate. Sleeping allows nutrients to accumulate so you can awaken with bright eyes! This is the reason I suggest taking TriVita’s VisionGuard™ at bedtime.
Maintenance and prevention
Imagine for a moment that you have perfect 20/20 vision (you see objects 20 feet away from you as if they are actually 20 feet away). You have no family history of vision problems at all. You drink enough water, get enough rest, take the appropriate nutrients and employ the best eye protection. Should you still get your vision tested? Yes, you absolutely should!A healthy person should get their vision and eye health tested every decade of their life until they reach age 40. As you enter your 40s you should have your vision tested about every two years. This is appropriate maintenance.
If yours is not the fairy-tale world described above, then a solid, aggressive program of prevention is essential to help protect against these common eye conditions:
Presbyopia is the inability to focus and clearly see objects that are within reading distance or closer. See a skilled optometrist for eye exercises which can help prevent or treat it.
Cataracts form when the outside of the eye is damaged. Protect your eyes from smoke, injury and UV-light rays with appropriate eyewear and by simply staying away from dirty air. Insulate them from within with antioxidants known to slow the progression of cataracts. Hydroxytyrosol is a good example of a protective antioxidant, and it is contained in VisionGuard.
Glaucoma occurs when pressure builds up inside the eyes and distresses the optic nerve. If the nerve dies, your vision dies. Get regular eye-pressure tests to detect glaucoma and use nutrients that encourage normal pressure in your eyes such as Vitamin C and Alpha Lipoic Acid. Remember, glaucoma is a medical emergency and you must seek out the very best medical care to preserve your vision.
Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of blindness in North America. The eyes simply wear out. Some of the premature aging of the eyes in AMD is because of poor interaction with genetics. For example, a person with a family history of AMD should take better care of their eyes than a person without that family history. They should apply these recommendations more aggressively instead of accepting vision loss without a fight! The most common contributors to AMD are overuse and undernourishment of the eyes. Many people with AMD are exposed to environmental factors such as the bright lights of a welding torch. Again, aggressive protection can delay vision loss from external sources while appropriate water intake, sleep and nutrition can increase the health of the eyes. Conclusion
Healthy vision means freedom. Being aware of the little things – and the big things – you can do every day to guard your vision is a step toward ensuring you have the mobility you need to meet the many purposes in your life!
With good eyesight our world abounds with endless opportunities. With diminished or lost eyesight our world must get smaller as we rely on other senses and other people for mobility. No one can truly understand how much we rely on our vision until they are deprived of this precious gift.
Protection: The first step
Nourishing vision that will last a lifetime requires a combination of nutrients from within our body, and barrier protection from irritants outside our body. The most important of exterior protection is protective eyewear. Glasses, goggles and face shields provide barrier protection from injuries, toxins and poisons, sun and wind (select lenses or coatings that offer both UV-A and UV-B light filters). Protecting our vision from the inside requires:
Appropriate hydration (water) – We should calculate our body weight, cut that number in half and convert this final number into ounces of water we will consume every day. I weigh about 190 pounds. Half that number is 95. So, 95 represents the number of ounces of water I should drink every day for good vision.
Intense nutrition – Nutrients must include vision-specific antioxidants such as lutein and zeaxanthin. Other nutrients may be added depending on specific needs. For example, poor night vision responds well to anthocyanins – nutrients found in berries such as bilberries and schizandra berries. As the ancient physician Maimonides once said, “To heal an eye you must heal the head and even the entire body.” In keeping with this ancient wisdom, we need Healthy Aging nutrients as a foundation for eye health and a healthy body.
Sleep – Is sleep really that important for healthy vision? Yes! Your eyes heal from all the stress and strain of the day. Also, as with any other body system, your eyes run on the nutrients mentioned above. These nutrients accumulate at a slow rate and are expended at a fast rate. Sleeping allows nutrients to accumulate so you can awaken with bright eyes! This is the reason I suggest taking TriVita’s VisionGuard™ at bedtime.
Maintenance and prevention
Imagine for a moment that you have perfect 20/20 vision (you see objects 20 feet away from you as if they are actually 20 feet away). You have no family history of vision problems at all. You drink enough water, get enough rest, take the appropriate nutrients and employ the best eye protection. Should you still get your vision tested? Yes, you absolutely should!A healthy person should get their vision and eye health tested every decade of their life until they reach age 40. As you enter your 40s you should have your vision tested about every two years. This is appropriate maintenance.
If yours is not the fairy-tale world described above, then a solid, aggressive program of prevention is essential to help protect against these common eye conditions:
Presbyopia is the inability to focus and clearly see objects that are within reading distance or closer. See a skilled optometrist for eye exercises which can help prevent or treat it.
Cataracts form when the outside of the eye is damaged. Protect your eyes from smoke, injury and UV-light rays with appropriate eyewear and by simply staying away from dirty air. Insulate them from within with antioxidants known to slow the progression of cataracts. Hydroxytyrosol is a good example of a protective antioxidant, and it is contained in VisionGuard.
Glaucoma occurs when pressure builds up inside the eyes and distresses the optic nerve. If the nerve dies, your vision dies. Get regular eye-pressure tests to detect glaucoma and use nutrients that encourage normal pressure in your eyes such as Vitamin C and Alpha Lipoic Acid. Remember, glaucoma is a medical emergency and you must seek out the very best medical care to preserve your vision.
Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of blindness in North America. The eyes simply wear out. Some of the premature aging of the eyes in AMD is because of poor interaction with genetics. For example, a person with a family history of AMD should take better care of their eyes than a person without that family history. They should apply these recommendations more aggressively instead of accepting vision loss without a fight! The most common contributors to AMD are overuse and undernourishment of the eyes. Many people with AMD are exposed to environmental factors such as the bright lights of a welding torch. Again, aggressive protection can delay vision loss from external sources while appropriate water intake, sleep and nutrition can increase the health of the eyes. Conclusion
Healthy vision means freedom. Being aware of the little things – and the big things – you can do every day to guard your vision is a step toward ensuring you have the mobility you need to meet the many purposes in your life!
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Regain Energy with Healthy Habits
A full 85% of the people I saw in clinical practice shared the same complaint: fatigue. People feel tired. What are the reasons for the epidemic of fatigue? What are some strategies for coping with low energy? What mindset may help us change the course of relentless fatigue before it is too late?
The message of fatigue
Feeling tired is a communication sent by our body to our consciousness telling us we need to rest – just as hunger is the feeling we get when we need to eat. Learning to listen to these messages will help us achieve and maintain optimum health. Listening to fatigue by resting is at the heart of Essential #3: Sleep Peacefully. Typically, a good night’s sleep will erase fatigue (it may take several nights). Cultivating the habit of sleeping 7 ½ to 9 hours every night – depending on our level of fatigue – will ensure that we feel fresh at almost any time and also help us have a healthier immune system.
We especially need rest:
If our immune system is fighting an infection or trying to balance itself in an autoimmune condition
After an injury or exposure to a toxin from outside or inside our body
If we have deficiencies of water, oxygen or certain nutrients such as Vitamin B-12
When experiencing the overwhelming tiredness that comes with emotional distress We experience chronic fatigue when resting doesn’t relieve our feelings of exhaustion. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is diagnosed when symptoms persist for more than six months. CFS is often a sign that we have pushed ourselves too hard for too long: we have been so deficient, so toxic and so stressed that we have collapsed our ability to cope with even daily demands. Our immune system and our nervous system are so damaged in CFS that they may take years to repair – if healing is even possible.
Coping strategiesWe have a marvelous function inside us called homeostasis. This interesting word describes the struggle of maintaining balance. Just as an acrobat on the high wire appears to be still or motionless (stasis), our internal chemistry appears to be balanced every single moment of every single day with amazing consistency. We can’t see the effort the acrobat must contribute to maintain balance but we know intuitively that it must be extreme. Now, imagine the extra stress of wind, temperature, humidity, air quality, light and noise from the outside world. Next, imagine the added stress of low oxygen, dehydration, poor sleep, incomplete nutrition and lack of appropriate fitness. There are many, many elements trying to pull the acrobat off the wire just as there are many, many elements pulling you down as well. Homeostasis describes the extreme effort of your body, mind and spirit every moment to keep you balanced. Fatigue is a sign of failure of the homeostasis mechanism. It is the message to stop what you are doing and attend to yourself for fear of falling off the high wire, so to speak.
The 10 Essentials for Health and Wellness are the tools that put you back in balance. They combat fatigue and help you develop a rhythm of energy that can be sustained every day. Set a pace in life that can be maintained indefinitely. Nourish and nurture yourself with the 10 Essentials to support homeostasis and erase fatigue.
Change your mindset
The era we live in is called “post-industrial revolution.” It describes a cadence in life that is more appropriate for machines, not for humans. Machines don’t get tired – people do! If we are to hear the message of fatigue and respond appropriately, we simply must learn to listen as humans, not machines. We need to resist many of the stresses of modern life. We need to embrace the mindset that people are more important than things. People matter! Learn the rules of nourishment and nurturing that govern human health and place these as a priority in your daily life. Make sure you are cared for first and then you will be in a position to care for all of your duties, responsibilities, obligations and commitments. Learn to listen to the message of fatigue before you run out of energy. Value the amazing gift of homeostasis by living a life of balance. This change of mindset is the first step to erasing fatigue.
The message of fatigue
Feeling tired is a communication sent by our body to our consciousness telling us we need to rest – just as hunger is the feeling we get when we need to eat. Learning to listen to these messages will help us achieve and maintain optimum health. Listening to fatigue by resting is at the heart of Essential #3: Sleep Peacefully. Typically, a good night’s sleep will erase fatigue (it may take several nights). Cultivating the habit of sleeping 7 ½ to 9 hours every night – depending on our level of fatigue – will ensure that we feel fresh at almost any time and also help us have a healthier immune system.
We especially need rest:
If our immune system is fighting an infection or trying to balance itself in an autoimmune condition
After an injury or exposure to a toxin from outside or inside our body
If we have deficiencies of water, oxygen or certain nutrients such as Vitamin B-12
When experiencing the overwhelming tiredness that comes with emotional distress We experience chronic fatigue when resting doesn’t relieve our feelings of exhaustion. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is diagnosed when symptoms persist for more than six months. CFS is often a sign that we have pushed ourselves too hard for too long: we have been so deficient, so toxic and so stressed that we have collapsed our ability to cope with even daily demands. Our immune system and our nervous system are so damaged in CFS that they may take years to repair – if healing is even possible.
Coping strategiesWe have a marvelous function inside us called homeostasis. This interesting word describes the struggle of maintaining balance. Just as an acrobat on the high wire appears to be still or motionless (stasis), our internal chemistry appears to be balanced every single moment of every single day with amazing consistency. We can’t see the effort the acrobat must contribute to maintain balance but we know intuitively that it must be extreme. Now, imagine the extra stress of wind, temperature, humidity, air quality, light and noise from the outside world. Next, imagine the added stress of low oxygen, dehydration, poor sleep, incomplete nutrition and lack of appropriate fitness. There are many, many elements trying to pull the acrobat off the wire just as there are many, many elements pulling you down as well. Homeostasis describes the extreme effort of your body, mind and spirit every moment to keep you balanced. Fatigue is a sign of failure of the homeostasis mechanism. It is the message to stop what you are doing and attend to yourself for fear of falling off the high wire, so to speak.
The 10 Essentials for Health and Wellness are the tools that put you back in balance. They combat fatigue and help you develop a rhythm of energy that can be sustained every day. Set a pace in life that can be maintained indefinitely. Nourish and nurture yourself with the 10 Essentials to support homeostasis and erase fatigue.
Change your mindset
The era we live in is called “post-industrial revolution.” It describes a cadence in life that is more appropriate for machines, not for humans. Machines don’t get tired – people do! If we are to hear the message of fatigue and respond appropriately, we simply must learn to listen as humans, not machines. We need to resist many of the stresses of modern life. We need to embrace the mindset that people are more important than things. People matter! Learn the rules of nourishment and nurturing that govern human health and place these as a priority in your daily life. Make sure you are cared for first and then you will be in a position to care for all of your duties, responsibilities, obligations and commitments. Learn to listen to the message of fatigue before you run out of energy. Value the amazing gift of homeostasis by living a life of balance. This change of mindset is the first step to erasing fatigue.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Many Medications Can Cause Side Effectsor Nutritional Deficiencies
The average person in North America is on about six different prescription medications by age 65. Each of these medications is designed to complete a specific body function that does not work or that no longer works as well as it needs to for health. These body functions require specific nutrients as fuel.
Here's what we know about medications:
Medications create side effects
These side effects represent depletion or even exhaustion of the nutrients needed for complete functioning.
Medications create nutrient deficiencies
These nutrient deficiencies are seen as signs and symptoms for which more medications are often prescribed. Doesn't it make sense to get the nutrients and nurturing you need to stop this cycle? Below are some common medications and the nutrients needed to keep them from creating deficiencies and side effects.
Cholesterol drugs (Statins)
People make hormones from cholesterol. When the enzyme that facilitates this conversion begins to fail, hormone levels go down and cholesterol goes up. Given the relationship between cholesterol and heart health, many people choose to take statin medications to reduce their cholesterol numbers. Taking statins actually has only a slight effect on heart attack frequency because fully half of the people having heart attacks have normal levels of cholesterol.
Statins deplete CoEnzyme Q-10 and accessory nutrients. If you take statins, you definitely need to take CoQ-10 to balance CoQ-10 levels. People taking statins also benefit from heart-healthy Omega-3 fatty acids and the B vitamin niacin. Take pure niacin in low doses and always consult a health care provider when combining niacin with statins.
Stomach acid blockers (Proton pump inhibitors - PPI)
People take antacids called PPI to reduce stomach acid. These medications block the pumps that create acid. Hydrochloric acid is supposed to bind with pepsinogen to create the digestive enzyme pepsin. Pepsinogen production is impaired by stress.Not chewing well enough, eating too quickly and eating greasy or unhealthy foods will cause indigestion. Mostly though, stress causes indigestion. As we age we become more susceptible to stress and much less resilient. Our stomach produces less pepsin as a response to stress, and an excess of hydrochloric acid remains.
If you take PPI antacids you definitely need to take Vitamin B-12 as studies have shown that PPIs can interfere with your body's ability to absorb B-12. You should also consider taking folic acid and the mineral zinc. Women of childbearing age should also take iron. These critical nutrients are building blocks for health. Depleting these nutrients will result in a number of adverse side effects. No wonder B-12 deficiency depression is listed as a major concern with PPI medications!Antidepressants (Selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors - SSRI)Antidepressant drugs are among the most widely prescribed medications in history. They are not just used for severe depression; they may also be prescribed for everything from PMS to injuries. They are used for headaches, muscle pain and sinus allergies. Medical science is really just beginning to understand what these medications do inside the human body.
Regardless of why a person takes an SSRI, they need to take certain nutrients.Vitamin B-12 is part of a family of nutrients that helps combat the effects of SSRI. Folic acid, Vitamin B-6 and biotin are major members of this family of nutrients. Also, amino acids such as methionine and S, adneosyl methionine (SAMe) complete the process of Vitamin B-12 metabolism. You definitely need these nutrients if you take an SSRI. If you are over 50 or have poor circulation, ginkgo biloba can also help the medications work better. However, these nutrients (including ginkgo) will not reverse the sexual side effects of the drug.The long-term benefits of SSRI medications are very much in doubt. However, two forms of "therapy" are rated as much more successful concerning long-term benefit: exercise and cognitive behavior therapy (CBT). Frequent, vigorous exercise improves the chemical balance of the brain and nervous system. CBT is a form of active listening that facilitates life changes based on what works best for each individual.
Below is a chart of common drugs and the nutrients you should take with them. I've also listed TriVita products that provide these nutrients:
Drug
Nutrients needed
Found in:
Cholesterol drugs (Statins)
CoEnzyme Q-10
CoEnzyme Q-10
Omega-3 fatty acids
OmegaPrime®
Stomach acid blockers (PPI)
Vitamin B-12, Folic Acid
Sublingual B-12, HCY Guard®
Zinc
VitaDaily AM/PM™,Daily Women™,Prostate Health Formula™
Iron
Daily Women™
Anti-depressants (SSRI)
Vitamin B-12, Folic Acid, Biotin
Sublingual B-12, HCY Guard
Methionine
HCY Guard
Ginkgo biloba
Ginkgo Biloba
Take Control of Your Health
As always, the 10 Essentials for Health and Wellness are time-tested keys to well-being and have no side effects except improved wellness!
Breathe deeply
Drink water
Sleep peacefully
Eat nutritiously
Enjoy activity
Give and receive love
Be forgiving
Practice gratitude
Develop acceptance
Develop a relationship with God
Take your nutrients; if you are taking medications, take more nutrients!
Here's what we know about medications:
Medications create side effects
These side effects represent depletion or even exhaustion of the nutrients needed for complete functioning.
Medications create nutrient deficiencies
These nutrient deficiencies are seen as signs and symptoms for which more medications are often prescribed. Doesn't it make sense to get the nutrients and nurturing you need to stop this cycle? Below are some common medications and the nutrients needed to keep them from creating deficiencies and side effects.
Cholesterol drugs (Statins)
People make hormones from cholesterol. When the enzyme that facilitates this conversion begins to fail, hormone levels go down and cholesterol goes up. Given the relationship between cholesterol and heart health, many people choose to take statin medications to reduce their cholesterol numbers. Taking statins actually has only a slight effect on heart attack frequency because fully half of the people having heart attacks have normal levels of cholesterol.
Statins deplete CoEnzyme Q-10 and accessory nutrients. If you take statins, you definitely need to take CoQ-10 to balance CoQ-10 levels. People taking statins also benefit from heart-healthy Omega-3 fatty acids and the B vitamin niacin. Take pure niacin in low doses and always consult a health care provider when combining niacin with statins.
Stomach acid blockers (Proton pump inhibitors - PPI)
People take antacids called PPI to reduce stomach acid. These medications block the pumps that create acid. Hydrochloric acid is supposed to bind with pepsinogen to create the digestive enzyme pepsin. Pepsinogen production is impaired by stress.Not chewing well enough, eating too quickly and eating greasy or unhealthy foods will cause indigestion. Mostly though, stress causes indigestion. As we age we become more susceptible to stress and much less resilient. Our stomach produces less pepsin as a response to stress, and an excess of hydrochloric acid remains.
If you take PPI antacids you definitely need to take Vitamin B-12 as studies have shown that PPIs can interfere with your body's ability to absorb B-12. You should also consider taking folic acid and the mineral zinc. Women of childbearing age should also take iron. These critical nutrients are building blocks for health. Depleting these nutrients will result in a number of adverse side effects. No wonder B-12 deficiency depression is listed as a major concern with PPI medications!Antidepressants (Selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors - SSRI)Antidepressant drugs are among the most widely prescribed medications in history. They are not just used for severe depression; they may also be prescribed for everything from PMS to injuries. They are used for headaches, muscle pain and sinus allergies. Medical science is really just beginning to understand what these medications do inside the human body.
Regardless of why a person takes an SSRI, they need to take certain nutrients.Vitamin B-12 is part of a family of nutrients that helps combat the effects of SSRI. Folic acid, Vitamin B-6 and biotin are major members of this family of nutrients. Also, amino acids such as methionine and S, adneosyl methionine (SAMe) complete the process of Vitamin B-12 metabolism. You definitely need these nutrients if you take an SSRI. If you are over 50 or have poor circulation, ginkgo biloba can also help the medications work better. However, these nutrients (including ginkgo) will not reverse the sexual side effects of the drug.The long-term benefits of SSRI medications are very much in doubt. However, two forms of "therapy" are rated as much more successful concerning long-term benefit: exercise and cognitive behavior therapy (CBT). Frequent, vigorous exercise improves the chemical balance of the brain and nervous system. CBT is a form of active listening that facilitates life changes based on what works best for each individual.
Below is a chart of common drugs and the nutrients you should take with them. I've also listed TriVita products that provide these nutrients:
Drug
Nutrients needed
Found in:
Cholesterol drugs (Statins)
CoEnzyme Q-10
CoEnzyme Q-10
Omega-3 fatty acids
OmegaPrime®
Stomach acid blockers (PPI)
Vitamin B-12, Folic Acid
Sublingual B-12, HCY Guard®
Zinc
VitaDaily AM/PM™,Daily Women™,Prostate Health Formula™
Iron
Daily Women™
Anti-depressants (SSRI)
Vitamin B-12, Folic Acid, Biotin
Sublingual B-12, HCY Guard
Methionine
HCY Guard
Ginkgo biloba
Ginkgo Biloba
Take Control of Your Health
As always, the 10 Essentials for Health and Wellness are time-tested keys to well-being and have no side effects except improved wellness!
Breathe deeply
Drink water
Sleep peacefully
Eat nutritiously
Enjoy activity
Give and receive love
Be forgiving
Practice gratitude
Develop acceptance
Develop a relationship with God
Take your nutrients; if you are taking medications, take more nutrients!
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Reduce Pain from the Inside Out
“Where does it hurt?” This is often the first question caregivers ask. (A caregiver may be a doctor or nurse, a friend or mommy!) We ask because we care; people often – though not always – tell us where it hurts because they are searching for a solution to their pain.
Why we hurt
Pain is a messenger system designed to tell us that something is wrong. As my grandfather used to say, “If your hand hurts, take it off the hot stove!” Pain is often designed to trigger a “withdrawal” response. We withdraw from pain because the pain tells us that we are being injured. This interpretation of pain may seem overly simplistic, especially in our world, where it is not always easy to take your hand off the hot stove, so to speak.
There are a number of different pain sensations. The feeling may seem sharp (superficial pain receptors) or dull (deeper pain receptors). It may seem to throb with your heartbeat or be constant. It may be fixed in one location or migratory – moving around from place to place. The main distinction of pain basically boils down to acute pain versus chronic pain.
Acute pain begins to go away as soon as you remove the trigger. Take your hand off the hot stove, repair the broken tooth or drink pure water to rehydrate the dehydrated brain and acute pain goes away. The message of pain has been received, interpreted and the corrective action taken.
Chronic pain persists after the cause has been removed or because the cause is itself a chronic condition. It is often related to inflammation – inflammation in the tissues of your body, or inflammation in the nervous system, or both. We used to have a saying to help us define inflammation: rubor, tumor, calor and dolor. These four Latin words mean redness, swelling, heat and pain.
Your brain eventually interprets the signals in a way that motivates you to confront the cause of pain. Interestingly, the brain doesn’t feel pain; it merely interprets the nerve and chemical signals as painful.
Understanding the signals
It is important for us to understand why we hurt so that we can take the proper action. The four basic pain triggers are:
Trauma or injury
Toxins or poisons
Emotional distress
Deficiency
As mentioned above, an example of a deficiency that causes pain may be a water deficiency (dehydration) causing a headache. Another extremely common form of painful dehydration is osteoarthritis (OA). In OA the soft tissue of the joint capsule loses water and withers. This may be due to a number of causes, including simply not drinking enough water. More often, joint dehydration associated with OA occurs because there are not enough minerals to hold the water in its proper place and quantity. This is why TriVita’s OptimaFlex® contains both pain/inflammation reducing ingredients and minerals associated with healthy, moist joints.
An example of toxins creating pain may be the way toxins from inside your intestines trigger rheumatoid arthritis and many other “autoimmune” disorders. Typically, a toxin from inside your system escapes into the bloodstream and relocates to the soft tissue of your organs or around your joints. Your immune system attacks both the toxins and the soft tissues. In an attempt to remove the toxin or poison, your system may destroy the tissue in which the toxin resides.
Pain caused by toxins frequently responds to Nopalea™, as the Betalains in Nopalea are both anti-inflammatory and anti-toxin. These two actions help your immune system work smarter, not harder and, ultimately, help you do what you do best: heal. This often results in reduced levels of chronic pain.
The lesson of pain
Dedicated physicians spend decades learning the antecedents, triggers and inflammatory pathways associated with acute and chronic pain. There is simply no way to address all of the particulars of pain in our Wellness Reports; however it is my sincere wish that this report gives you a little more insight into the possible causes – and solutions – for acute and chronic pain.
Why we hurt
Pain is a messenger system designed to tell us that something is wrong. As my grandfather used to say, “If your hand hurts, take it off the hot stove!” Pain is often designed to trigger a “withdrawal” response. We withdraw from pain because the pain tells us that we are being injured. This interpretation of pain may seem overly simplistic, especially in our world, where it is not always easy to take your hand off the hot stove, so to speak.
There are a number of different pain sensations. The feeling may seem sharp (superficial pain receptors) or dull (deeper pain receptors). It may seem to throb with your heartbeat or be constant. It may be fixed in one location or migratory – moving around from place to place. The main distinction of pain basically boils down to acute pain versus chronic pain.
Acute pain begins to go away as soon as you remove the trigger. Take your hand off the hot stove, repair the broken tooth or drink pure water to rehydrate the dehydrated brain and acute pain goes away. The message of pain has been received, interpreted and the corrective action taken.
Chronic pain persists after the cause has been removed or because the cause is itself a chronic condition. It is often related to inflammation – inflammation in the tissues of your body, or inflammation in the nervous system, or both. We used to have a saying to help us define inflammation: rubor, tumor, calor and dolor. These four Latin words mean redness, swelling, heat and pain.
Your brain eventually interprets the signals in a way that motivates you to confront the cause of pain. Interestingly, the brain doesn’t feel pain; it merely interprets the nerve and chemical signals as painful.
Understanding the signals
It is important for us to understand why we hurt so that we can take the proper action. The four basic pain triggers are:
Trauma or injury
Toxins or poisons
Emotional distress
Deficiency
As mentioned above, an example of a deficiency that causes pain may be a water deficiency (dehydration) causing a headache. Another extremely common form of painful dehydration is osteoarthritis (OA). In OA the soft tissue of the joint capsule loses water and withers. This may be due to a number of causes, including simply not drinking enough water. More often, joint dehydration associated with OA occurs because there are not enough minerals to hold the water in its proper place and quantity. This is why TriVita’s OptimaFlex® contains both pain/inflammation reducing ingredients and minerals associated with healthy, moist joints.
An example of toxins creating pain may be the way toxins from inside your intestines trigger rheumatoid arthritis and many other “autoimmune” disorders. Typically, a toxin from inside your system escapes into the bloodstream and relocates to the soft tissue of your organs or around your joints. Your immune system attacks both the toxins and the soft tissues. In an attempt to remove the toxin or poison, your system may destroy the tissue in which the toxin resides.
Pain caused by toxins frequently responds to Nopalea™, as the Betalains in Nopalea are both anti-inflammatory and anti-toxin. These two actions help your immune system work smarter, not harder and, ultimately, help you do what you do best: heal. This often results in reduced levels of chronic pain.
The lesson of pain
Dedicated physicians spend decades learning the antecedents, triggers and inflammatory pathways associated with acute and chronic pain. There is simply no way to address all of the particulars of pain in our Wellness Reports; however it is my sincere wish that this report gives you a little more insight into the possible causes – and solutions – for acute and chronic pain.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Causes of Hidden Inflammation
Inflammation is the number one medical issue facing people in North America today. There are four sources of inflammation and each one requires a pretty lengthy explanation. Rather than presenting our Weekly Wellness Report as an exhaustive list of “what may go wrong” I would like to cover:
The major categories of inflammation
How you can protect yourself
Nutrients you can use to help reduce inflammation
Cause #1: ToxinsToxins cause inflammation by penetrating healthy tissue in your body and hiding there. Your immune system knows they are there and responds with acute inflammation to eradicate them – even killing healthy cells to get rid of the toxins. Toxins create death when more cells die in a single day than your body can replace with healthy cells.Sometimes this happens very quickly, as with infection from the H1-N1 flu epidemic. The virus inhabits the lungs and airways. Your body responds with immune cells which douse the viral toxin with inflammation. So many lung cells are killed in the process that the host simply can’t replace the sick, toxic cells with new, healthy cells and the patient dies.
Sometimes toxins kill more slowly, as with air pollution causing lung cancer. Inflammation kills diseased cells but at such a slow rate that a few replacement cells keep the lungs functioning. However, over time the rate of cell replacement cannot keep up with the rate of cell death and the patient dies of a chronic lung disease such as cancer or emphysema.Toxins are produced outside our body as well as inside our body. We must insulate ourselves from external toxins and keep our body shiny and clean on the inside through vigorous application of the 10 Essentials for Health and Wellness. Supplements such as Nopalea and Vitamin C can be very helpful in releasing hidden toxins.
Cause #2: Deficiency
Your body must replace millions of cells every hour. Building healthy cells requires that we have healthy building materials in our system all the time: oxygen, water, vitamins, minerals, enzymes and many other elements. We must give our body time to rebuild with 7 ½ to 9 hours of peaceful sleep every night. If any element in your health routine is missing for even a moment, a cell will be created without critical building materials and the cell will be weak. A single weak cell will be eliminated by the acute inflammation of our immune system. However, poor nutrition day after day and poor sleep night after night will create a deficit between the number of healthy cells you have and the number of healthy cells you need to live. Chronic inflammation is the way your body deals with this deficit. It is the seedbed for infection, disease and an early death. Pay close attention to the 10 Essentials and support your body with Healthy Aging nutrients. A multiple vitamin/mineral supplement, OmegaPrime, Vitamin C and Sublingual B-12 are basics for wellness.
Cause #3: Emotional Distress
Stress describes the forces trying to tear us apart: toxins and deficiencies, gravity and weather, injuries, expectations and time pressures. These are examples of things that pull us apart. The forces trying to pull us back together – homeostasis – are seen in the 10 Essentials: deep breathing, pure water, peaceful sleep, nutritious food, daily activity, emotional and spiritual support.Emotional distress is based on how we appraise or evaluate changes in our environment. All changes are stressful – even “good” changes such as a raise at work or a new, healthy grandbaby! The changes that threaten our health and create long-term, chronic stress are those that may cause pain or loss to ourselves or to someone we care about, or that may overextend our coping resources.Support yourself against this dangerous cause of inflammation by creating a healthy community of people around you. Use Healthy Aging supplements to create a solid foundation for coping with daily stress. Especially consider adaptogens to build a bulwark against the onslaught of daily stress from outside, inside your body and even inside your mind.
Cause #4: Injuries and Trauma
Acute inflammation is the normal response to trauma. Acute inflammation is characterized by pain, swelling, redness and heat. Using Quick-Relief Formula and Quick-Relief Gel can expedite the repair process by supporting homeostasis during the early days following an injury. I often see people benefit from taking Quick-Relief capsules (while awake) for three days following an injury. Keep the external region bathed in Quick-Relief Gel during this crisis stage.OptimaFlex is another excellent source for a more chronic injury. OptimaFlex combined with Nopalea is an excellent combination for the discomfort and loss of mobility that characterizes chronic inflammation.
Conclusion
There are four basic causes of inflammation; therefore, there are four basic causes of chronic disease. Work to insulate yourself from these malevolent influences with appropriate nutrients and emotional/spiritual nurturing and you will improve the quantity and quality of your life!
The major categories of inflammation
How you can protect yourself
Nutrients you can use to help reduce inflammation
Cause #1: ToxinsToxins cause inflammation by penetrating healthy tissue in your body and hiding there. Your immune system knows they are there and responds with acute inflammation to eradicate them – even killing healthy cells to get rid of the toxins. Toxins create death when more cells die in a single day than your body can replace with healthy cells.Sometimes this happens very quickly, as with infection from the H1-N1 flu epidemic. The virus inhabits the lungs and airways. Your body responds with immune cells which douse the viral toxin with inflammation. So many lung cells are killed in the process that the host simply can’t replace the sick, toxic cells with new, healthy cells and the patient dies.
Sometimes toxins kill more slowly, as with air pollution causing lung cancer. Inflammation kills diseased cells but at such a slow rate that a few replacement cells keep the lungs functioning. However, over time the rate of cell replacement cannot keep up with the rate of cell death and the patient dies of a chronic lung disease such as cancer or emphysema.Toxins are produced outside our body as well as inside our body. We must insulate ourselves from external toxins and keep our body shiny and clean on the inside through vigorous application of the 10 Essentials for Health and Wellness. Supplements such as Nopalea and Vitamin C can be very helpful in releasing hidden toxins.
Cause #2: Deficiency
Your body must replace millions of cells every hour. Building healthy cells requires that we have healthy building materials in our system all the time: oxygen, water, vitamins, minerals, enzymes and many other elements. We must give our body time to rebuild with 7 ½ to 9 hours of peaceful sleep every night. If any element in your health routine is missing for even a moment, a cell will be created without critical building materials and the cell will be weak. A single weak cell will be eliminated by the acute inflammation of our immune system. However, poor nutrition day after day and poor sleep night after night will create a deficit between the number of healthy cells you have and the number of healthy cells you need to live. Chronic inflammation is the way your body deals with this deficit. It is the seedbed for infection, disease and an early death. Pay close attention to the 10 Essentials and support your body with Healthy Aging nutrients. A multiple vitamin/mineral supplement, OmegaPrime, Vitamin C and Sublingual B-12 are basics for wellness.
Cause #3: Emotional Distress
Stress describes the forces trying to tear us apart: toxins and deficiencies, gravity and weather, injuries, expectations and time pressures. These are examples of things that pull us apart. The forces trying to pull us back together – homeostasis – are seen in the 10 Essentials: deep breathing, pure water, peaceful sleep, nutritious food, daily activity, emotional and spiritual support.Emotional distress is based on how we appraise or evaluate changes in our environment. All changes are stressful – even “good” changes such as a raise at work or a new, healthy grandbaby! The changes that threaten our health and create long-term, chronic stress are those that may cause pain or loss to ourselves or to someone we care about, or that may overextend our coping resources.Support yourself against this dangerous cause of inflammation by creating a healthy community of people around you. Use Healthy Aging supplements to create a solid foundation for coping with daily stress. Especially consider adaptogens to build a bulwark against the onslaught of daily stress from outside, inside your body and even inside your mind.
Cause #4: Injuries and Trauma
Acute inflammation is the normal response to trauma. Acute inflammation is characterized by pain, swelling, redness and heat. Using Quick-Relief Formula and Quick-Relief Gel can expedite the repair process by supporting homeostasis during the early days following an injury. I often see people benefit from taking Quick-Relief capsules (while awake) for three days following an injury. Keep the external region bathed in Quick-Relief Gel during this crisis stage.OptimaFlex is another excellent source for a more chronic injury. OptimaFlex combined with Nopalea is an excellent combination for the discomfort and loss of mobility that characterizes chronic inflammation.
Conclusion
There are four basic causes of inflammation; therefore, there are four basic causes of chronic disease. Work to insulate yourself from these malevolent influences with appropriate nutrients and emotional/spiritual nurturing and you will improve the quantity and quality of your life!
Saturday, July 25, 2009
An Unexpected Source of Energy: Nitrogen
Everyone creates energy. However, not everyone feels energetic.
Merely existing is not enough. Being energetic, feeling a zest for life – this is a much better way to live. It’s having the resources you need to accomplish whatever you want: to make your dreams come true, or for the smaller tasks of the day. Feeling energetic inspires optimism and healthy self-esteem. Feeling energetic makes you happy and gives you hope.
Real energy
Real energy is more than just a passing mood. It’s a complex series of biochemical and electrical processes. In order for you to feel energetic your body must carry out a long series of interactions, very much like a long line of dominos falling over in the right sequence. Each transaction requires the energy from the previous domino, and donates energy to the next domino in line. The end result contributes to the way you feel and your ability to live the life of your dreams.
The first step in the production of energy is eating the basic nutrients: sugars, proteins and fats. Sugars provide a rapid but brief donation of energy. Proteins donate five times more energy than sugar. Fats donate eight times more! These three nutrients make up the basis for energy production and the basis for your future wellness. This makes the selection of your foods very important, so choose them well.
The nitrogen cycle
To make energy from protein we must first process it through the nitrogen cycle. You may remember that the air we breathe is about 78 percent nitrogen. Bacteria in the soil “fix” nitrogen into the earth to grow healthy plants (so does lightning). Fertilizers are mostly made of nitrogen. Without it, plants will not grow and humans cannot process protein; nitrogen is a very important basic building block of life.We get nitrogen from eating fruits and vegetables. We can also get it from whole-food supplements such as Adaptogen 10 Plus. In our body, nitrogen is stable as nitrate and active as nitric oxide. Nitric oxide is probably the most important source of energy for the heart, vascular system and immune system. Nitric oxide interacts with CoEnzyme Q-10 (CoQ-10) to produce energy inside each and every one of our body’s millions of cells. In fact, the death of each cell occurs because nitric oxide and CoQ-10 cannot balance the cell’s energy.
Protein and nitrogen needs
We need about 50 to 65 grams of protein each day (about 1/3 gram of protein per pound of body weight). However, we can only digest about 25 grams at a time (the amount that fills the palm of your hand). One reason for this is that we have only a limited reservoir of nitrogen. As mentioned, we get nitrogen from eating fruits and vegetables, but, like many important nutrients, we cannot store it. Since processing protein will use up large amounts of available nitrogen, we need to replace it by eating more fruits and vegetables. So, if we want energy from protein, we simply must eat our fruits and vegetables.
Nitrogen is also manufactured by bacteria in the human body. So, this is why probiotics and enzymes are needed − they also help convert protein into energy through the nitrogen cycle. TriVita’s Digestive Complex serves to encourage healthy bacteria in the gut for protein metabolism and increased energy.
The nitrogen danger
There is a dark side to protein metabolism that’s found in a particular form of nitrogen: ammonia. Excess ammonia may be formed in our body and brain if we eat protein but do not have enough nitrogen to complete the energy process. This is often seen in people who experience bloating or uncomfortable fullness after a healthy, protein-rich meal. It may also be seen in those who experience excessive fatigue after a meal.The remedy is to encourage protein digestion with probiotics (as found in Digestive Complex). We can also eat extra servings of fruit and vegetables. Plus, supplements can provide a lot of help. I would suggest one serving of Adaptogen 10 Plus and CoQ-10 at each meal until the fatigue eases and vibrant energy replaces it!
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Good Sleep=Good Health
The process of sleep places a very high demand on our energy reserves. So much work must be accomplished while we sleep: innumerable cells must be replaced or repaired, the immune system must be balanced, hormones must be balanced and emotional distress must be resolved and integrated.
To accomplish all of this work we must have several ingredients that dictate our ability to achieve and maintain peaceful sleep.
We need sleep rituals to trigger the cascade of events that initiate sleep.
We must have the nutrients we need to sustain the sleeping process.
We need an appropriate environment for sleep. With these elements in place we have a good chance of sleeping peacefully!
Sleep ritualsMore than 100 years ago a Russian physician named Ivan Pavlov discovered that our nervous system changes our entire metabolism in response to our habits. Specifically, Pavlov measured the increase in stomach acids when dogs heard the footsteps of their feeder! Your nervous system will recognize sleep rituals and begin preparing for sleep.
A sleep ritual is something you do every night to send a message to your body and brain that you plan on sleeping soon. Your body responds to these triggers by preparing for sleep. It is exactly like your stomach getting ready to digest a meal when we begin preparing it. The sights, sounds, smells and tastes of the food trigger digestive juices. Sleep rituals trigger your brain in the same way and you begin the process of sleep.
A key ritual leading to successful sleep is light control. Remember, we were designed to abide by seasonal changes in light. When the sun goes down we need to accept that the day is ending rather than artificially extending it with lights. This especially includes the artificial light of television and the computer monitor. Try a warm bath and a light snack at bedtime. Brush your teeth and take your evening nutrients – nothing stimulating; nutrients should be specifically nourishing to the sleep process. Deep breathing exercises are especially helpful to foster deep sleep.
Nutrients for sleep.
All nutrients support sleep in one way or another. However, two nutrients shine when it comes to achieving and maintaining sleep: the mineral magnesium and the vitamin biotin. Magnesium relaxes our muscles and naturally turns down the adrenaline that goes hand in hand with stressful days. Biotin stabilizes blood sugar and mobilizes protein, carbohydrate and fats for the restoring element of sleep.
Antioxidants such as CoEnzyme Q-10 (CoQ-10), Vitamin C and Vitamin E can be helpful at bedtime to support proper oxygen delivery to your brain, heart and other tissues. Anti-stress botanical preparations called adaptogens can also be useful at bedtime to dial down the influence of stress on your sleep cycle.Peaceful environmentThe most important set of rituals for peaceful sleep involves the sleeping environment: our bedroom. We simply must make our bedroom a sanctuary for sleep. If we customarily do stressful things in our bedroom such as watch TV, balance our checkbook, argue with our spouse or even read the newspaper, our nervous system will come to associate the bedroom as the place where we don’t sleep!
Make sure your sleeping environment is cool, quiet and dark for the best quality of sleep. Many sleep experts recommend a temperature of 68°F, a “white noise” generator to block out sound, and less than eight total watts of light for the best sleep.
Conclusion
Sleep Peacefully is the third of the 10 Essentials for Health and Wellness. Yet, the majority of us in North America do not get the 7 ½ to 9 hours of sleep recommended by health experts. Most people who sleep substantially less than this experience a variety of unpleasant symptoms. The most common are:
Headaches
Mental confusion
Irritability
Malaise
Immune deficiencies
Depression
Fatigue
Complete sleep deprivation can lead to hallucinations and mental collapse.The best way to improve sleep involves making lifestyle changes: establish sleep rituals so your nervous system knows when to trigger the sleeping process; take the appropriate nutrients; eliminate caffeine and sugar from your diet; and create a sanctuary for sleeping in your bedroom, avoiding stimulating activities before bed.
FOR MORE HEALTH AND WELLNESS TIPS GOTO:
HEALTH AND WELLNESS
To accomplish all of this work we must have several ingredients that dictate our ability to achieve and maintain peaceful sleep.
We need sleep rituals to trigger the cascade of events that initiate sleep.
We must have the nutrients we need to sustain the sleeping process.
We need an appropriate environment for sleep. With these elements in place we have a good chance of sleeping peacefully!
Sleep ritualsMore than 100 years ago a Russian physician named Ivan Pavlov discovered that our nervous system changes our entire metabolism in response to our habits. Specifically, Pavlov measured the increase in stomach acids when dogs heard the footsteps of their feeder! Your nervous system will recognize sleep rituals and begin preparing for sleep.
A sleep ritual is something you do every night to send a message to your body and brain that you plan on sleeping soon. Your body responds to these triggers by preparing for sleep. It is exactly like your stomach getting ready to digest a meal when we begin preparing it. The sights, sounds, smells and tastes of the food trigger digestive juices. Sleep rituals trigger your brain in the same way and you begin the process of sleep.
A key ritual leading to successful sleep is light control. Remember, we were designed to abide by seasonal changes in light. When the sun goes down we need to accept that the day is ending rather than artificially extending it with lights. This especially includes the artificial light of television and the computer monitor. Try a warm bath and a light snack at bedtime. Brush your teeth and take your evening nutrients – nothing stimulating; nutrients should be specifically nourishing to the sleep process. Deep breathing exercises are especially helpful to foster deep sleep.
Nutrients for sleep.
All nutrients support sleep in one way or another. However, two nutrients shine when it comes to achieving and maintaining sleep: the mineral magnesium and the vitamin biotin. Magnesium relaxes our muscles and naturally turns down the adrenaline that goes hand in hand with stressful days. Biotin stabilizes blood sugar and mobilizes protein, carbohydrate and fats for the restoring element of sleep.
Antioxidants such as CoEnzyme Q-10 (CoQ-10), Vitamin C and Vitamin E can be helpful at bedtime to support proper oxygen delivery to your brain, heart and other tissues. Anti-stress botanical preparations called adaptogens can also be useful at bedtime to dial down the influence of stress on your sleep cycle.Peaceful environmentThe most important set of rituals for peaceful sleep involves the sleeping environment: our bedroom. We simply must make our bedroom a sanctuary for sleep. If we customarily do stressful things in our bedroom such as watch TV, balance our checkbook, argue with our spouse or even read the newspaper, our nervous system will come to associate the bedroom as the place where we don’t sleep!
Make sure your sleeping environment is cool, quiet and dark for the best quality of sleep. Many sleep experts recommend a temperature of 68°F, a “white noise” generator to block out sound, and less than eight total watts of light for the best sleep.
Conclusion
Sleep Peacefully is the third of the 10 Essentials for Health and Wellness. Yet, the majority of us in North America do not get the 7 ½ to 9 hours of sleep recommended by health experts. Most people who sleep substantially less than this experience a variety of unpleasant symptoms. The most common are:
Headaches
Mental confusion
Irritability
Malaise
Immune deficiencies
Depression
Fatigue
Complete sleep deprivation can lead to hallucinations and mental collapse.The best way to improve sleep involves making lifestyle changes: establish sleep rituals so your nervous system knows when to trigger the sleeping process; take the appropriate nutrients; eliminate caffeine and sugar from your diet; and create a sanctuary for sleeping in your bedroom, avoiding stimulating activities before bed.
FOR MORE HEALTH AND WELLNESS TIPS GOTO:
HEALTH AND WELLNESS
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Toxins: A Major Source of Inflammation
Have you ever walked down the cleaning aisle at the supermarket? What was your experience? I hate it! In fact, I completely avoid that aisle. If I need something, I hold my breath, quickly get what I need and beat a hasty retreat from that toxic soup.
The soaps, bleaches, softeners and fragrances in the cleaning aisle are all in sealed containers. Yet, they still give off an overwhelming, nauseating stench that may make a person sick for hours. What happens when we bring those containers home? They continue to give off toxins. Only now, the containers are open and the process happens 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Our toxic environment
In North America we are inundated with toxins every moment of every day. Pollution in our air, water and food challenges our ability to detoxify and adapt. Worse still, the place we think of as a haven from stress – our home – is likely the most toxic environment we face in our daily routines. Toxins released from household chemicals, fabric, carpet, fragrances and pesticides seep into our body in tiny amounts even as we sleep.
Toxic waste, like barnacles on the hull of a ship, drags us down. It slows the efficiency of our mitochondria (the energy-producing engines inside our cells). Noxious chemicals create fatigue, headaches, digestive disturbances and moodiness. Eventually, toxins become the focus for inflammation.
Inflammation
Your body uses acute inflammation to try to neutralize toxicity. Think of your reaction to a bee sting: redness, swelling, heat and pain. This is not caused by the toxins in the bee venom. It is the reaction of your body as it tries to eliminate the toxicity:
Redness is the increase in blood supply to bring in immune system antibodies and remove the neutralized venom.
Swelling is the lymphatic fluid that dilutes the concentrated poison while providing proteins for repair of the tissue damaged by the toxins.
Heat comes from immune system activity as it battles the invading contaminant.
Pain causes us to guard that area from further damage. Chronic inflammation occurs when the toxins are not completely removed from an area. A good example of this may be found in simple lawn chemicals, like fertilizers and pesticides. Certain fertilizers are potassium-based. Potassium is important for human health. When we are exposed to these fertilizers, our cells may accept the potassium along with the toxic “attachments.” Your immune system will constantly attack these contaminated cells until it destroys them. Clusters of diseases like Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis have been linked to these fertilizers.
Home sweet home – isolate and insulate
Neutralizing toxins in the body begins with isolating ourselves from chemical exposure. We must be diligent if we are to protect our family from toxic overload. Chemicals should be stored out of the living area in a place that is well-ventilated. This is especially true if there are children in the home, as developing brains are up to 10 times more likely to suffer damage from toxins than an adult nervous system.Insulating ourselves against toxic exposure is equally important.
Two nutrient classes shine when it comes to protection from pollution:
Essential fatty acids – Many of the toxins we face are fat-soluble. We need “clean” fats in abundance to displace toxic fats in our brain, liver and other regions of our body.
Antioxidants – Antioxidants neutralize toxins and Betalain antioxidants found in Nopal figs have two added benefits over standard antioxidants:
Betalains drain away the toxin from an affected area
Betalains shore up the cell membrane to help promote healing. Betalains turn out to be our best tool in combating the causes of inflammation: toxins, stress, injury and nutrient deficiency. Use this excellent tool liberally to help you resist the increasing onslaught of toxins both inside and outside of our home sweet home!
The soaps, bleaches, softeners and fragrances in the cleaning aisle are all in sealed containers. Yet, they still give off an overwhelming, nauseating stench that may make a person sick for hours. What happens when we bring those containers home? They continue to give off toxins. Only now, the containers are open and the process happens 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Our toxic environment
In North America we are inundated with toxins every moment of every day. Pollution in our air, water and food challenges our ability to detoxify and adapt. Worse still, the place we think of as a haven from stress – our home – is likely the most toxic environment we face in our daily routines. Toxins released from household chemicals, fabric, carpet, fragrances and pesticides seep into our body in tiny amounts even as we sleep.
Toxic waste, like barnacles on the hull of a ship, drags us down. It slows the efficiency of our mitochondria (the energy-producing engines inside our cells). Noxious chemicals create fatigue, headaches, digestive disturbances and moodiness. Eventually, toxins become the focus for inflammation.
Inflammation
Your body uses acute inflammation to try to neutralize toxicity. Think of your reaction to a bee sting: redness, swelling, heat and pain. This is not caused by the toxins in the bee venom. It is the reaction of your body as it tries to eliminate the toxicity:
Redness is the increase in blood supply to bring in immune system antibodies and remove the neutralized venom.
Swelling is the lymphatic fluid that dilutes the concentrated poison while providing proteins for repair of the tissue damaged by the toxins.
Heat comes from immune system activity as it battles the invading contaminant.
Pain causes us to guard that area from further damage. Chronic inflammation occurs when the toxins are not completely removed from an area. A good example of this may be found in simple lawn chemicals, like fertilizers and pesticides. Certain fertilizers are potassium-based. Potassium is important for human health. When we are exposed to these fertilizers, our cells may accept the potassium along with the toxic “attachments.” Your immune system will constantly attack these contaminated cells until it destroys them. Clusters of diseases like Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis have been linked to these fertilizers.
Home sweet home – isolate and insulate
Neutralizing toxins in the body begins with isolating ourselves from chemical exposure. We must be diligent if we are to protect our family from toxic overload. Chemicals should be stored out of the living area in a place that is well-ventilated. This is especially true if there are children in the home, as developing brains are up to 10 times more likely to suffer damage from toxins than an adult nervous system.Insulating ourselves against toxic exposure is equally important.
Two nutrient classes shine when it comes to protection from pollution:
Essential fatty acids – Many of the toxins we face are fat-soluble. We need “clean” fats in abundance to displace toxic fats in our brain, liver and other regions of our body.
Antioxidants – Antioxidants neutralize toxins and Betalain antioxidants found in Nopal figs have two added benefits over standard antioxidants:
Betalains drain away the toxin from an affected area
Betalains shore up the cell membrane to help promote healing. Betalains turn out to be our best tool in combating the causes of inflammation: toxins, stress, injury and nutrient deficiency. Use this excellent tool liberally to help you resist the increasing onslaught of toxins both inside and outside of our home sweet home!
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Healthy Aging
“If I would have known I was going to live this long I would have taken better care of myself.”~ Dean Martin
“None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm.”~ H.D. Thoreau
This is the third in a series of articles on healthy aging. It is the most requested topic for our Weekly Wellness Reports and to me, it is one of the most important topics. You see, health is not about waiting for disease to strike and then battling it. As the World Health Organization said back in 1948, health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
Healthy aging
My seventh-grade teacher was an ancient fossil of man – much older than even my parents! I think he was 50. He told me a truth about aging that I have never forgotten: The only way to avoid getting old is to die young. With that in mind I found great wisdom in the words of Benjamin Franklin who said, “All would live long but none would be old.”So, healthy aging is about living long without being old! To reach that goal we need to take a brief look at the process called “biological aging.”Biological aging does not happen with the tick of the clock or the pages turning on your calendar; it happens in your cells. During its life cycle a cell may be damaged by exposure to:
Toxins
Direct trauma
Nutrient deficiencies
Stress
Each of these circumstances causes inflammation and free radical production. Intense nutrition is needed to battle these causes of premature cell death.
Premature biological aging occurs when more cells die than you can replace.
Fighting inflammation
The human body is designed to fight premature aging and remain young. A powerful force called homeostasis mobilizes your immune system, hormones, nerves and other important systems to ignite the healing process. Homeostasis uses focused inflammation to remodel your cells following injury, illness or even the extreme challenges of emotional stress. Once the healing process is complete, homeostasis extinguishes the fire of inflammation and returns your body to a state of dynamic and vital balance – free from the effects of runaway inflammation.
Homeostasis orchestrates the cells in your body to maintain balance under even severe conditions.However, there are times when your body cannot heal itself. If inflammation overwhelms a cell it may be damaged beyond repair. Damaged, dead cells must be removed or they will become the focus of infection and illness. Betalains, a unique class of nutrient that is both an antioxidant and a protein, assist a special cell called a macrophage (literally “big eater”) to engulf the dead cell and eliminate it from your body. This makes room for a brand-new replacement cell and the cycle of wellness continues.
Intense nutritionThe supplements of healthy aging include four critical components:
A balanced multiple vitamin/mineral supplement to establish a solid foundation for healthy aging
An essential fatty acid supplement to nourish the arteries and rehydrate the brain
A Vitamin C supplement to serve as an antioxidant reserve and keep the immune system active
A B-12 supplement to keep the energy level up and the mind bright. Premature aging is about losing more cells than we replace. Healthy aging is about closing the gap between loss of cells and repair or replacement of our cells as directed by homeostasis and fueled by nutrients.
“None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm.”~ H.D. Thoreau
This is the third in a series of articles on healthy aging. It is the most requested topic for our Weekly Wellness Reports and to me, it is one of the most important topics. You see, health is not about waiting for disease to strike and then battling it. As the World Health Organization said back in 1948, health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
Healthy aging
My seventh-grade teacher was an ancient fossil of man – much older than even my parents! I think he was 50. He told me a truth about aging that I have never forgotten: The only way to avoid getting old is to die young. With that in mind I found great wisdom in the words of Benjamin Franklin who said, “All would live long but none would be old.”So, healthy aging is about living long without being old! To reach that goal we need to take a brief look at the process called “biological aging.”Biological aging does not happen with the tick of the clock or the pages turning on your calendar; it happens in your cells. During its life cycle a cell may be damaged by exposure to:
Toxins
Direct trauma
Nutrient deficiencies
Stress
Each of these circumstances causes inflammation and free radical production. Intense nutrition is needed to battle these causes of premature cell death.
Premature biological aging occurs when more cells die than you can replace.
Fighting inflammation
The human body is designed to fight premature aging and remain young. A powerful force called homeostasis mobilizes your immune system, hormones, nerves and other important systems to ignite the healing process. Homeostasis uses focused inflammation to remodel your cells following injury, illness or even the extreme challenges of emotional stress. Once the healing process is complete, homeostasis extinguishes the fire of inflammation and returns your body to a state of dynamic and vital balance – free from the effects of runaway inflammation.
Homeostasis orchestrates the cells in your body to maintain balance under even severe conditions.However, there are times when your body cannot heal itself. If inflammation overwhelms a cell it may be damaged beyond repair. Damaged, dead cells must be removed or they will become the focus of infection and illness. Betalains, a unique class of nutrient that is both an antioxidant and a protein, assist a special cell called a macrophage (literally “big eater”) to engulf the dead cell and eliminate it from your body. This makes room for a brand-new replacement cell and the cycle of wellness continues.
Intense nutritionThe supplements of healthy aging include four critical components:
A balanced multiple vitamin/mineral supplement to establish a solid foundation for healthy aging
An essential fatty acid supplement to nourish the arteries and rehydrate the brain
A Vitamin C supplement to serve as an antioxidant reserve and keep the immune system active
A B-12 supplement to keep the energy level up and the mind bright. Premature aging is about losing more cells than we replace. Healthy aging is about closing the gap between loss of cells and repair or replacement of our cells as directed by homeostasis and fueled by nutrients.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Strengthen Your Immunity
You’ve heard that the best defense is a good offense. This is especially true when it comes to your immune system. By practicing healthy lifestyle habits and reducing our exposure to infection (offense), we can better help protect against illness (defense). What determines if you get sick or not?Louis Pasteur and Antoine Bechamp – physicians 150 years ago – were keenly aware of the same things you and I experience every year: during the cold and flu season, some people get sick and some people don’t. Pasteur spent his life looking for what makes sick people sick. Bechamp spent his career looking for what keeps healthy people healthy – and how we can be like them! They settled their argument with the discovery that illness visits people with poor habits much more frequently than those who care for their health.It turns out that microbes prefer to wreak their havoc on people with compromised immune systems. Simple things can compromise our immune system, including:
An imbalanced diet
Alcohol and caffeine consumption
An argument with someone you love Just as Pasteur and Bechamp discovered more than a century ago, our health revolves around a healthy lifestyle more than the virulence of a microbe.Help protect against illnessThe phrase that describes our vulnerability or resistance to disease is “biological terrain.” The terrain or landscape of our health is made up of our genetics, our environment and, most importantly, our lifestyle. Vigorous application of the 10 Essentials yields the healthiest, most disease-resistant terrain. Skipping even one of these principles will change your terrain and leave you vulnerable to infection.
A base of healthy nutrientsEstablishing a base of healthy nutrients can provide us with a very resilient terrain. The more dense the base is, the more disease-resistant our terrain will be. Taking a multiple vitamin and mineral supplement every day is an excellent start. Almost all physicians recommend an Omega-3 supplement as well. If your terrain is being remodeled by stress, you may need adaptogens to help you cope while remaining disease-resistant. Indeed, the long-term studies of adaptogens in Russia clearly demonstrated that these plants help you resist infections and speed healing.
Vitamin CVitamin C is a favorite for protecting against and even treating virus infections. Russell Jaffe, MD, former director of the National Institutes of Health, recommends a loading dose of Vitamin C: one teaspoon of Vitamin C crystals every 15 minutes until you “flush.” By this, he means a complete bowel evacuation. After the flush, he recommends a daily serving of Vitamin C (for one month) that is equivalent to 75% of the amount it took you to flush. This should really improve your terrain!
EchinaceaEchinacea is used in a similar way. Significant medical research from Germany suggests that an hourly dose of Echinacea will help reduce symptoms and may help shorten the duration of a virus infection. Taking a gram of Echinacea every hour for three days may even “abort” an infection that has already begun. Continue taking Echinacea three times daily for up to two weeks afterward to protect against a relapse. Reduce your exposureHere are some great recommendations for reducing your exposure to infection:
Wash your handsFirst, the largest contributor to infection is unwashed hands. Washing your hands with soap every few hours will reduce the chance for pathogens to gain access to your system. You should also make sure they are completely dry. Then, use the disposable towel to open the door out of the washroom. Many ugly microbes lurk on door handles – usually from people who have not properly washed and dried their hands.
Clean surfacesNext, disinfect surfaces that are shared by many people. For instance, public telephones bring you within kissing distance of hundreds or even thousands of people. Who knows what their hygiene habits were? In a typical day we may be exposed to germs from as many as 150 countries or more!
Reduce stressReduce stress. Stress decreases the effectiveness of your immune system. Your immune system may begin to overreact or not react in time to stop an infection when you are under stress. The source of the stress really does not matter. For instance, job stress and an injury may seem like entirely different stresses to your mind but they are treated exactly the same way by your body. Remember, building up your terrain and reducing your exposure are keys to a great offense... which will help improve your defense!
An imbalanced diet
Alcohol and caffeine consumption
An argument with someone you love Just as Pasteur and Bechamp discovered more than a century ago, our health revolves around a healthy lifestyle more than the virulence of a microbe.Help protect against illnessThe phrase that describes our vulnerability or resistance to disease is “biological terrain.” The terrain or landscape of our health is made up of our genetics, our environment and, most importantly, our lifestyle. Vigorous application of the 10 Essentials yields the healthiest, most disease-resistant terrain. Skipping even one of these principles will change your terrain and leave you vulnerable to infection.
A base of healthy nutrientsEstablishing a base of healthy nutrients can provide us with a very resilient terrain. The more dense the base is, the more disease-resistant our terrain will be. Taking a multiple vitamin and mineral supplement every day is an excellent start. Almost all physicians recommend an Omega-3 supplement as well. If your terrain is being remodeled by stress, you may need adaptogens to help you cope while remaining disease-resistant. Indeed, the long-term studies of adaptogens in Russia clearly demonstrated that these plants help you resist infections and speed healing.
Vitamin CVitamin C is a favorite for protecting against and even treating virus infections. Russell Jaffe, MD, former director of the National Institutes of Health, recommends a loading dose of Vitamin C: one teaspoon of Vitamin C crystals every 15 minutes until you “flush.” By this, he means a complete bowel evacuation. After the flush, he recommends a daily serving of Vitamin C (for one month) that is equivalent to 75% of the amount it took you to flush. This should really improve your terrain!
EchinaceaEchinacea is used in a similar way. Significant medical research from Germany suggests that an hourly dose of Echinacea will help reduce symptoms and may help shorten the duration of a virus infection. Taking a gram of Echinacea every hour for three days may even “abort” an infection that has already begun. Continue taking Echinacea three times daily for up to two weeks afterward to protect against a relapse. Reduce your exposureHere are some great recommendations for reducing your exposure to infection:
Wash your handsFirst, the largest contributor to infection is unwashed hands. Washing your hands with soap every few hours will reduce the chance for pathogens to gain access to your system. You should also make sure they are completely dry. Then, use the disposable towel to open the door out of the washroom. Many ugly microbes lurk on door handles – usually from people who have not properly washed and dried their hands.
Clean surfacesNext, disinfect surfaces that are shared by many people. For instance, public telephones bring you within kissing distance of hundreds or even thousands of people. Who knows what their hygiene habits were? In a typical day we may be exposed to germs from as many as 150 countries or more!
Reduce stressReduce stress. Stress decreases the effectiveness of your immune system. Your immune system may begin to overreact or not react in time to stop an infection when you are under stress. The source of the stress really does not matter. For instance, job stress and an injury may seem like entirely different stresses to your mind but they are treated exactly the same way by your body. Remember, building up your terrain and reducing your exposure are keys to a great offense... which will help improve your defense!
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Osteoporosis & Grandparent Guilt
Osteoporosis affects over 10 million people in North America. Two million of these are men. Osteopenia, a reduction in bone mass that usually occurs before osteoporosis, affects over 44 million people, 32% of whom are men. One out of every two women and one in four men age 50 and older will have an osteoporosis-related fracture in their lifetime. Each year, 80,000 men have a hip fracture and one-third of these men die within a year.Osteoporosis is responsible for more than 1.5 million fractures annually, including approximately:
300,000 hip fractures
700,000 vertebral fractures
250,000 wrist fractures
And more than 300,000 fractures at other sites. No wonder many grandparents are hesitant to lift their grandchildren!Grandparent guilt...
The issue of grandparent guilt has been discussed for many years. It arises when a grandparent cannot do the things he or she feels is necessary to fulfill their role. Concerns like osteoporosis, arthritis and even incontinence are listed as common reasons for not fully engaging with grandchildren.Watching the exuberance of youth reminds us of a time in our life when we were more carefree. An old Chinese proverb says, “Even the old horse in the stable yearns to run.” This wistful longing for a body that matches the mind (forever 19) can lead to melancholia and guilt. But guilt is not necessarily a bad thing.
Benefits of guilt
Guilt is a very misunderstood emotion. Feelings of guilt often arise from unrealistic expectations that we set for ourselves or that others set for us. So it's important to examine what's expected within the context of our life. We can use guilt constructively to remedy situations we feel badly about. Guilt can prompt us to change our behavior. For example, do you believe that aerobic exercise and resistance training could benefit you? Guilt concerning what you should do, what you are able to do and what you have been doing may prompt you to intensify your efforts to exercise more. This will leave you happier, healthier and more able to engage with those rambunctious kids – a very good result!Use this technique to examine other aspects of your life as well. Ask yourself:
What do I want?
Why do I want it?
What’s so important?
What should I do?
What will I do?
When will I do it?
Who will support me as I meet this new challenge?
Foundation for longevity
A few helpful hints from centenarians (people over 100 years of age) can help us all stay engaged with grandchildren and others as we go through life:
Reduce stress
Stay connected with other people
Cultivate optimism
Watch your diet
Exercise: even a little helps
Floss your teeth
Proper supplementation aids vitality as well:
Bone Builder for strong bones
Sublingual B-12 for brain health
Vital C for antioxidant and immune support
OmegaPrime to help increase circulation and reduce inflammation
Conclusion
Another old Chinese proverb says, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” (literally, “from where you stand”). Use that twinge of guilt to awaken you to greater possibilities for yourself and those you love. Decide what you want and why you want it. Then, take the first step!
300,000 hip fractures
700,000 vertebral fractures
250,000 wrist fractures
And more than 300,000 fractures at other sites. No wonder many grandparents are hesitant to lift their grandchildren!Grandparent guilt...
The issue of grandparent guilt has been discussed for many years. It arises when a grandparent cannot do the things he or she feels is necessary to fulfill their role. Concerns like osteoporosis, arthritis and even incontinence are listed as common reasons for not fully engaging with grandchildren.Watching the exuberance of youth reminds us of a time in our life when we were more carefree. An old Chinese proverb says, “Even the old horse in the stable yearns to run.” This wistful longing for a body that matches the mind (forever 19) can lead to melancholia and guilt. But guilt is not necessarily a bad thing.
Benefits of guilt
Guilt is a very misunderstood emotion. Feelings of guilt often arise from unrealistic expectations that we set for ourselves or that others set for us. So it's important to examine what's expected within the context of our life. We can use guilt constructively to remedy situations we feel badly about. Guilt can prompt us to change our behavior. For example, do you believe that aerobic exercise and resistance training could benefit you? Guilt concerning what you should do, what you are able to do and what you have been doing may prompt you to intensify your efforts to exercise more. This will leave you happier, healthier and more able to engage with those rambunctious kids – a very good result!Use this technique to examine other aspects of your life as well. Ask yourself:
What do I want?
Why do I want it?
What’s so important?
What should I do?
What will I do?
When will I do it?
Who will support me as I meet this new challenge?
Foundation for longevity
A few helpful hints from centenarians (people over 100 years of age) can help us all stay engaged with grandchildren and others as we go through life:
Reduce stress
Stay connected with other people
Cultivate optimism
Watch your diet
Exercise: even a little helps
Floss your teeth
Proper supplementation aids vitality as well:
Bone Builder for strong bones
Sublingual B-12 for brain health
Vital C for antioxidant and immune support
OmegaPrime to help increase circulation and reduce inflammation
Conclusion
Another old Chinese proverb says, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” (literally, “from where you stand”). Use that twinge of guilt to awaken you to greater possibilities for yourself and those you love. Decide what you want and why you want it. Then, take the first step!
Saturday, April 18, 2009
The Controversies of Antibiotic Use
Many people are alive today because of antibiotics. And the lives of many people have been improved by the use of antibiotic medication. However, it is also important to understand that even appropriate use of antibiotics can damage your body.Here are some steps you can take to repair your system following antibiotic use and how taking a prebiotic/probiotic supplement with each meal may help reduce the likelihood of future infections.
Weed, seed & feed
To improve any terrain it is often necessary to remove weeds and unwanted plants. The same is true in the human terrain: In extreme cases we may need to remove certain pathogenic (disease-producing) bacteria from our system in order to establish a baseline upon which to build a healthy immune system.Once “weeds” in the form of disease-producing bacteria, parasites, yeasts and other microbes have been removed, the system needs to be “re-seeded” with probiotics. Probiotics are any of the 300 to 400 different bacteria that live inside us and promote health. Many of these have names you will recognize such as Lactobaccilus acidophilus. Fermented foods carry many good bacteria with known health benefits. To encourage these health-producing bacteria to colonize (settle down and raise a family) they need to be fed regularly. Good bacteria thrive on healthy fiber and starches called prebiotics. A prebiotic is anything that supports the healthy growth of good bacteria. Examples of common foods rich in prebiotic fibers include okra, parsnips and artichokes.
Critical steps: People who vigorously apply the 10 Essentials have a reduced risk of infection. However, those who live an imbalanced life are more at risk or prone to infection; they are said to be in the “pool of susceptibility.” That is, they are susceptible to infection. To take oneself out of the pool of susceptibility we need to follow some simple steps:
Breathe deeply 20 minutes daily
Drink pure water: ½ your body weight in ounces
Sleep peacefully 7 ½ to 9 hours each night
Eat nutritious food: 5, 7 or 9 servings of fruit and vegetables daily
Enjoy activity for at least 30 minutes most days of the week
Cultivate healthy emotional and spiritual relationships
Seize your sense of purpose – your many purposes in life If you are recovering from antibiotic use you may add prebiotic fiber and probiotic bacteria such as those found in Digestive Complex.Caution needed
There is a dark side to antibiotic use: resistant strains of bacteria. Antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria develop when antibiotics are over-used or improperly used. Antibiotic-resistant microbes colonize and serve as reservoirs of disease. Antibiotic-resistant tuberculosis, pneumonia and meningitis epidemics have killed thousands of people and threaten to kill millions more in the coming decades. Dr. Jim Wilde, chief investigator of the misuse of antibiotics for the National Institutes of Health in concert with the Centers for Disease Control, states that many antibiotic prescriptions are unnecessary. This is because our own immune system can respond adequately to kill the infection and restore balance.
So, take yourself out of the pool of susceptibility by vigorously applying the 10 Essentials, eating foods rich in prebiotic fibers and taking probiotics as necessary.
Weed, seed & feed
To improve any terrain it is often necessary to remove weeds and unwanted plants. The same is true in the human terrain: In extreme cases we may need to remove certain pathogenic (disease-producing) bacteria from our system in order to establish a baseline upon which to build a healthy immune system.Once “weeds” in the form of disease-producing bacteria, parasites, yeasts and other microbes have been removed, the system needs to be “re-seeded” with probiotics. Probiotics are any of the 300 to 400 different bacteria that live inside us and promote health. Many of these have names you will recognize such as Lactobaccilus acidophilus. Fermented foods carry many good bacteria with known health benefits. To encourage these health-producing bacteria to colonize (settle down and raise a family) they need to be fed regularly. Good bacteria thrive on healthy fiber and starches called prebiotics. A prebiotic is anything that supports the healthy growth of good bacteria. Examples of common foods rich in prebiotic fibers include okra, parsnips and artichokes.
Critical steps: People who vigorously apply the 10 Essentials have a reduced risk of infection. However, those who live an imbalanced life are more at risk or prone to infection; they are said to be in the “pool of susceptibility.” That is, they are susceptible to infection. To take oneself out of the pool of susceptibility we need to follow some simple steps:
Breathe deeply 20 minutes daily
Drink pure water: ½ your body weight in ounces
Sleep peacefully 7 ½ to 9 hours each night
Eat nutritious food: 5, 7 or 9 servings of fruit and vegetables daily
Enjoy activity for at least 30 minutes most days of the week
Cultivate healthy emotional and spiritual relationships
Seize your sense of purpose – your many purposes in life If you are recovering from antibiotic use you may add prebiotic fiber and probiotic bacteria such as those found in Digestive Complex.Caution needed
There is a dark side to antibiotic use: resistant strains of bacteria. Antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria develop when antibiotics are over-used or improperly used. Antibiotic-resistant microbes colonize and serve as reservoirs of disease. Antibiotic-resistant tuberculosis, pneumonia and meningitis epidemics have killed thousands of people and threaten to kill millions more in the coming decades. Dr. Jim Wilde, chief investigator of the misuse of antibiotics for the National Institutes of Health in concert with the Centers for Disease Control, states that many antibiotic prescriptions are unnecessary. This is because our own immune system can respond adequately to kill the infection and restore balance.
So, take yourself out of the pool of susceptibility by vigorously applying the 10 Essentials, eating foods rich in prebiotic fibers and taking probiotics as necessary.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Diabetes and the Glycemic Index
There is no doubt that type 2 diabetes is an epidemic in North America. Every year the number of people with this disease rises dramatically – and it does not appear to be slowing down.
How can we protect ourselves against this trend?
It is only with the vigorous application of the 10 Essentials for Health and Wellness.
Essential #4 encourages us to eat nutritiously. This requires a little education concerning the difference between a nutritious food and an “empty calorie.” Much of the information about the way particular foods impact diabetes is found in the Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load.
Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load
Several years ago a group of researchers decided to create a chart based on the impact of carbohydrates on a person’s blood sugar. This would help people with diabetes select foods that would have the least impact on their disease.
The Glycemic Index (GI) measures the impact of foods on blood sugar when compared to pure sugar: glucose. The higher the GI number, the greater the impact on blood sugar and the worse a food was supposed to be for a person with diabetes. Later, the GI was used as a tool for weight loss and cardiovascular health.Glycemic Load is a way of refining the information of the Glycemic Index to find a truer nutritional value for food. For instance, the Glycemic Index may rate the carbohydrate value in a food as very high. This would seem to make the food unacceptable for people who want to restrict sugar. The Glycemic Load gives us a more global value of your food beyond sugar content.Glycemic Load takes into account the fiber, fat and water content of a food.
Let’s take the example of parsnips:
Parsnips are creamy-colored root vegetables in the carrot family. They are delicious and have therapeutic value as well. Parsnips have a GI rating of 97, compared with pure glucose at 100. That would seem to make parsnips “bad” – unacceptable as a healthy carbohydrate source. However, parsnips contain so much fiber and water, as well as protein and fats, that they have only a tiny impact on the total load of carbohydrates (the Glycemic Load). Because of their protein and fat, they help keep your appetite satisfied for so long that you may even eat less at your next meal. So, parsnips are really very healthful despite their high GI number. Potatoes have become taboo in most low-carb diets. Yet, potatoes have attributes similar to parsnips. They are good for you as long as you don’t deep-fry them and load them with bacon, sour cream, gravy, cheese and other high-calorie, high-fat condiments.Compound carbohydrates – the true “bad” carbsThough many fruits and vegetables are high on the Glycemic Index they are “good” complex carbs because they are low in Glycemic Load. Refined starches, such as pastries, pastas, pudding and pancakes, as well as gravies and similar sauces are a different story.
These foods: Contain low amounts of water and fiber
Contain high amounts of “bad” carbohydrates and bad fats
Quickly turn to sugar in your bloodstream
Trigger insulin and inflammation
Increase your risk of heart disease, obesity and diabetes These are truly sources of “bad” carbohydrates. They are examples of “compound” carbohydrates: foods which have been processed beyond recognition from their original whole food sources. They are never good in any amount.
Diabetes epidemicIn conclusion, the way to place yourself in the lowest risk category for type 2 diabetes is to eat whole foods which minimally impact your blood sugar. But that’s not all; did you know that stress alone may cause diabetes? Breathing deeply breaks the cycle of stress. And, since type 2 diabetes and obesity are related, getting enough sleep is essential. Add in the lessons from all 10 Essentials and you have a bulwark of protection against the epidemic of type 2 diabetes.
How can we protect ourselves against this trend?
It is only with the vigorous application of the 10 Essentials for Health and Wellness.
Essential #4 encourages us to eat nutritiously. This requires a little education concerning the difference between a nutritious food and an “empty calorie.” Much of the information about the way particular foods impact diabetes is found in the Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load.
Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load
Several years ago a group of researchers decided to create a chart based on the impact of carbohydrates on a person’s blood sugar. This would help people with diabetes select foods that would have the least impact on their disease.
The Glycemic Index (GI) measures the impact of foods on blood sugar when compared to pure sugar: glucose. The higher the GI number, the greater the impact on blood sugar and the worse a food was supposed to be for a person with diabetes. Later, the GI was used as a tool for weight loss and cardiovascular health.Glycemic Load is a way of refining the information of the Glycemic Index to find a truer nutritional value for food. For instance, the Glycemic Index may rate the carbohydrate value in a food as very high. This would seem to make the food unacceptable for people who want to restrict sugar. The Glycemic Load gives us a more global value of your food beyond sugar content.Glycemic Load takes into account the fiber, fat and water content of a food.
Let’s take the example of parsnips:
Parsnips are creamy-colored root vegetables in the carrot family. They are delicious and have therapeutic value as well. Parsnips have a GI rating of 97, compared with pure glucose at 100. That would seem to make parsnips “bad” – unacceptable as a healthy carbohydrate source. However, parsnips contain so much fiber and water, as well as protein and fats, that they have only a tiny impact on the total load of carbohydrates (the Glycemic Load). Because of their protein and fat, they help keep your appetite satisfied for so long that you may even eat less at your next meal. So, parsnips are really very healthful despite their high GI number. Potatoes have become taboo in most low-carb diets. Yet, potatoes have attributes similar to parsnips. They are good for you as long as you don’t deep-fry them and load them with bacon, sour cream, gravy, cheese and other high-calorie, high-fat condiments.Compound carbohydrates – the true “bad” carbsThough many fruits and vegetables are high on the Glycemic Index they are “good” complex carbs because they are low in Glycemic Load. Refined starches, such as pastries, pastas, pudding and pancakes, as well as gravies and similar sauces are a different story.
These foods: Contain low amounts of water and fiber
Contain high amounts of “bad” carbohydrates and bad fats
Quickly turn to sugar in your bloodstream
Trigger insulin and inflammation
Increase your risk of heart disease, obesity and diabetes These are truly sources of “bad” carbohydrates. They are examples of “compound” carbohydrates: foods which have been processed beyond recognition from their original whole food sources. They are never good in any amount.
Diabetes epidemicIn conclusion, the way to place yourself in the lowest risk category for type 2 diabetes is to eat whole foods which minimally impact your blood sugar. But that’s not all; did you know that stress alone may cause diabetes? Breathing deeply breaks the cycle of stress. And, since type 2 diabetes and obesity are related, getting enough sleep is essential. Add in the lessons from all 10 Essentials and you have a bulwark of protection against the epidemic of type 2 diabetes.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
The Power of Nopalea
The power of Nopal cactus Nopalea (Nō-pah lay’ uh) blends antioxidant-rich Nopal cactus superfruit with naturally sweet Agave nectar to bring you a deliciously unique concentrated wellness drink. Harnessing the power of betalains, a rare and powerful class of antioxidants that flourishes in the Nopal fruit, Nopalea delivers scientifically proven health benefits.
The purity of premium fruit Nopalea uses only the freshest Nopal cactus fruit and preserves its antioxidant potency in our state-of-the-art facility. We carefully harvest the fruit using sustainable wildcrafting techniques that have been practiced in the Sonoran Desert for thousands of years.
The strength to heal and thrive Nopalea is a natural, low-calorie concentrated wellness drink that helps you live a healthier life.
Drink Nopalea daily to help:
Protect against premature aging
Reduce inflammation
Promote optimal cellular health
Detoxify the body
Protect against premature aging
Reduce inflammation
Promote optimal cellular health
Detoxify the body
More information and to order goto:
Cressie Wright
Affiliate Memeber 13175871
Saturday, April 4, 2009
What to Look for on Food Labels
Many people have asked which is better for weight loss: low fat or low carb?
Well, that question has finally been answered: neither… and both!
As it turns out, calories are the key. Whether they are from fat or carbohydrate is not as important as the total number of them. To lose weight and keep it off, we simply must adhere to the simple rule of “calories in, calories out.”Be cautious about cravingsOur bodies were designed to communicate nutrient needs through cravings. Our bodies need protein, carbohydrates, fats, fiber and water to be healthy. These are called macro-nutrients because they are large categories of food that contain smaller categories called micronutrients. A micronutrient is something we need in a very small quantity, like salt (sodium). We crave what we need.Food manufacturers create products to tempt these cravings the way a fisherman uses a lure to catch a fish. We can be induced to buy one food over the other because of added ingredients.
Three common additives that tempt our taste buds:
Sugar
Fat
Salt Salt has its own issues (see link below) but sugar and fat are often hidden sources of calories.Hidden calories
Are you watching your calorie intake?
Use these tips when looking at labels:
Watch out for added-sugar foods. Recommendations for carbohydrate intake range from 60 to 250 grams daily for the average adult. These carbohydrates should come from whole foods to avoid the “empty calories” of added sugar. If the label lists “sugar” as an ingredient, select another food without the added sugar.
Watch out for added-fat and high-fat foods. Fat contains very few nutrients. While it is a good source of energy, a little goes a long way. Protein and carbs contain four calories per gram, yet fat contains a whopping nine calories per gram. Fat is often added to improve the “mouth-feel” of foods. If a label lists the daily value (DV) at 20% or higher, it is a high-fat food. The DV should be between 2% and 10% for a single serving. Never eat trans-fats.ConclusionAs with most elements of life, selecting your diet is both a science and an art. Take a little time to learn the science behind food selections and then you can enjoy the endless, artistic variety of foods. Remember, moderation is the key!
Well, that question has finally been answered: neither… and both!
As it turns out, calories are the key. Whether they are from fat or carbohydrate is not as important as the total number of them. To lose weight and keep it off, we simply must adhere to the simple rule of “calories in, calories out.”Be cautious about cravingsOur bodies were designed to communicate nutrient needs through cravings. Our bodies need protein, carbohydrates, fats, fiber and water to be healthy. These are called macro-nutrients because they are large categories of food that contain smaller categories called micronutrients. A micronutrient is something we need in a very small quantity, like salt (sodium). We crave what we need.Food manufacturers create products to tempt these cravings the way a fisherman uses a lure to catch a fish. We can be induced to buy one food over the other because of added ingredients.
Three common additives that tempt our taste buds:
Sugar
Fat
Salt Salt has its own issues (see link below) but sugar and fat are often hidden sources of calories.Hidden calories
Are you watching your calorie intake?
Use these tips when looking at labels:
Watch out for added-sugar foods. Recommendations for carbohydrate intake range from 60 to 250 grams daily for the average adult. These carbohydrates should come from whole foods to avoid the “empty calories” of added sugar. If the label lists “sugar” as an ingredient, select another food without the added sugar.
Watch out for added-fat and high-fat foods. Fat contains very few nutrients. While it is a good source of energy, a little goes a long way. Protein and carbs contain four calories per gram, yet fat contains a whopping nine calories per gram. Fat is often added to improve the “mouth-feel” of foods. If a label lists the daily value (DV) at 20% or higher, it is a high-fat food. The DV should be between 2% and 10% for a single serving. Never eat trans-fats.ConclusionAs with most elements of life, selecting your diet is both a science and an art. Take a little time to learn the science behind food selections and then you can enjoy the endless, artistic variety of foods. Remember, moderation is the key!
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Weight Loss with Leanology
What makes Leanology capsules so great?
Leanology weight loss capsules provide nutrients, instead of stimulants, to assist you in your weight loss goals. Moreover, the effectiveness of our weight loss capsules has been confirmed through a clinical study. During the four months of this study, participants lost weight every week and actually gained lean tissue at the same time.
The formula features a four-stage blend of nutrients that target specific areas of concern that impact weight loss.
Stage 1: Energy & metabolism
Key ingredients: Green Tea, L-Theanine, B Vitamins, Vitamin C, ManganeseThermogenic nutrients increase lean body mass in older age groups – even without exercise. This is a critical component to the formula because as one ages, lean muscle mass becomes more difficult to attain – and lean muscle mass is essential for a healthy metabolism. For example, L-Theanine helps increase our body’s natural energy-producing capabilities. Mitochondria, sometimes described as "cellular power plants,” are found within our cells. They help convert food molecules into energy. L-Theanine is an antioxidant that specifically recharges the mitochondria to help it reproduce energy.
Stage 2: Cortisol & anti-stress
Key ingredients: GABA, Korean Ginseng, Poria Cocos, Vitamin D, Dimethylglycine, Copper gluconateStress is a problem at any age, though stress-related obesity seems to be more prevalent after age 40. Many trophic or “muscle-building” hormones begin to decline as we age. Stress accelerates this process. Fat-storage hormones are produced in response to stress.Modern biochemistry has discovered that a protein receptor in your brain called a “GABA receptor” is responsible for stress sensitivity. By increasing GABA, a simple amino acid, we reduce the impact of stress on our nervous system and hormone balance.
Stage 3: Appetite control
Key ingredients: Glucommanan, Biotin, Magnesium, Zingiber rhizome (Ginger)Leanology contains specific nutrients that signal your brain to recognize signs of “fullness” earlier in the meal. It also restores the balance of signaling chemicals from your stomach to your brain. These chemicals can be weakened after a long, exhausting, stressful day. Therefore, Leanology minimizes evening cravings.Weight gain is a direct response to a calorie surplus. If you do not burn the calories you consume, they will be left behind as fat – especially if the calories are from unhealthy sources. Leanology works to minimize your cravings and therefore assist you in lowering your total caloric intake.
Stage 4: Blood sugar control
Key ingredients: Garcinia camobogia, Gymnema sylvestre, Bitter melon, Cinnamon bark, Alpha Lipoic acid, Chromium polynicotinate, Vanadyl sulphate, Zinc gluconateBlood sugar control is the most critical component of any weight loss program. Elevated blood sugar causes the body to store sugar as fat rather than using it as energy. Leanology contains nutrients that help to utilize the carbohydrates and sugar we consume as energy – to keep them from being stored as fat. It also helps reduce the cravings for sweets and carbohydrates.We are more likely to develop insulin resistance as we age. The more processed and refined food we eat, the more insulin we require to metabolize it. The more insulin in our blood, the less responsive our cells become. As we age, this continual exposure wears out our tolerance for refined carbohydrates and sugar, and reduces our sensitivity to insulin. Therefore we are less likely to convert sugar and carbohydrates into energy, and more likely to convert them into fat.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Skin Disorders and What They Mean
Attractive skin is really a reflection of inner health. Good health comes only from healthy habits. This is a natural law.
Friends and enemies
Collagen and healthy fats are best-friends to healthy skin. They give skin its firmness and elasticity. Collagen is made from nutrients such as Vitamin C and glucosamine. Healthy fats in your skin come from healthy fats in your diet, including supplemental essential fatty acids. Fats in your skin are protected by antioxidants such as Vitamin E and those found in green tea.
Free radicals are your skin’s enemies.
These naturally occurring inflammatory substances overwhelm and harm your skin. As a result, your skin may become looser, weaker, less elastic and drier. Remember, when collagen and fat loss is making your skin look bad it is also aging your entire body.Your skin becomes the battlefield between free radical damage and nutrients supporting healthy skin. Trauma, toxins, deficiency and stress create free radicals. Antioxidants from your diet and dietary supplements neutralize free radicals. When nutrient reserves fail, skin disorders begin. The most common skin disorders include eczema, psoriasis and seborrhea dermatitis.
Eczema
Eczema is inflammation of the skin. The term eczema has come to be associated with a specific type of dermatitis, called atopic dermatitis. Atopic dermatitis is a chronic, non-contagious condition.Symptoms: Itchy, inflamed skin.
Causes: Although eczema can develop at any age, it is most common in infants and children. It is estimated that 65% of people with eczema develop symptoms in the first year of life, and 90% develop symptoms before age five. The condition often improves in adulthood, but 50% of those affected as children are affected throughout life. Eczema is closely associated with asthma and hay fever. All together, they are called atopy. Atopy tends to run in families.
Responds to: Eczema responds well to essential fatty acid supplements, which help keep histamine levels low and nourish the fat pads under the skin. It also responds well to anti-stress herbs called adaptogens and Vitamin B-12, which help protect the collagen links from free radical destruction. Vitamin D and aloe vera have been used to balance the immune system response to anxiety and stress – known triggers for eczema.
Psoriasis
Psoriasis is a chronic, non-contagious skin condition.Symptoms: Psoriasis is characterized by scaling and inflammation. The inflamed skin is most commonly found on the scalp, elbows, knees, and lower back. It may cause pain and discomfort by cracking.
Causes: Currently, it is estimated that 5.5 million people in the U.S. have psoriasis. Psoriasis may be a disorder of the immune system. A type of white blood cell that normally protects the body against infection and disease triggers inflammation and causes skin to shed too rapidly. Psoriasis flare-ups may be triggered by a variety of factors, including infection, toxins, climate, certain medications and stress.Up to 11% of people with psoriasis develop a condition called psoriatic arthritis when the inflamed areas of the skin are accompanied by joint inflammation.
Responds to: Psoriasis responds well to nourishment with essential fatty acids such as those found in OmegaPrime. Stress protection with adaptogens and Vitamin B-12 is also helpful in many people. Vitamin D has also been used for people with psoriasis to balance the immune system response to stress.Seborrhea dermatitisSeborrhea dermatitis is a chronic skin condition.
Symptoms: Scaly, itchy rash. Most commonly affected areas are along the hairline, in and behind the ears, on the eyebrows, around the nose and on the chest.
Dandruff is a type of seborrhea dermatitis.
Causes: Common skin yeast organisms, called Malassezia, may play a role in seborrhea dermatitis. It seems to run in families and is associated with disorders of the immune system and the nervous system. Seborrhea dermatitis is strongly associated with Parkinson’s disease.
Responds to: Seborrhea dermatitis responds to supplementation with essential fatty acids as do many other skin conditions. The EFAs in OmegaPrime help reduce inflammation, nourish the fat pads under the skin and soothe the immune system.
Seborrhea, like most other skin conditions, is triggered by stress. Protection against stress with adaptogens and Vitamin B-12 is often helpful.
Conclusion
The best expression of a balanced, healthy life is often reflected in your skin. Health only comes from healthy habits practiced daily over time. These habits are reflected in the philosophy of the 10 Essentials of Health and Wellness. Learn and live the 10 Essentials for enduring health. Take antioxidant nutrients, anti-stress nutrients, immune balancing nutrients and essential fatty acids and you are on your way to radiant health – inside and out!
Friends and enemies
Collagen and healthy fats are best-friends to healthy skin. They give skin its firmness and elasticity. Collagen is made from nutrients such as Vitamin C and glucosamine. Healthy fats in your skin come from healthy fats in your diet, including supplemental essential fatty acids. Fats in your skin are protected by antioxidants such as Vitamin E and those found in green tea.
Free radicals are your skin’s enemies.
These naturally occurring inflammatory substances overwhelm and harm your skin. As a result, your skin may become looser, weaker, less elastic and drier. Remember, when collagen and fat loss is making your skin look bad it is also aging your entire body.Your skin becomes the battlefield between free radical damage and nutrients supporting healthy skin. Trauma, toxins, deficiency and stress create free radicals. Antioxidants from your diet and dietary supplements neutralize free radicals. When nutrient reserves fail, skin disorders begin. The most common skin disorders include eczema, psoriasis and seborrhea dermatitis.
Eczema
Eczema is inflammation of the skin. The term eczema has come to be associated with a specific type of dermatitis, called atopic dermatitis. Atopic dermatitis is a chronic, non-contagious condition.Symptoms: Itchy, inflamed skin.
Causes: Although eczema can develop at any age, it is most common in infants and children. It is estimated that 65% of people with eczema develop symptoms in the first year of life, and 90% develop symptoms before age five. The condition often improves in adulthood, but 50% of those affected as children are affected throughout life. Eczema is closely associated with asthma and hay fever. All together, they are called atopy. Atopy tends to run in families.
Responds to: Eczema responds well to essential fatty acid supplements, which help keep histamine levels low and nourish the fat pads under the skin. It also responds well to anti-stress herbs called adaptogens and Vitamin B-12, which help protect the collagen links from free radical destruction. Vitamin D and aloe vera have been used to balance the immune system response to anxiety and stress – known triggers for eczema.
Psoriasis
Psoriasis is a chronic, non-contagious skin condition.Symptoms: Psoriasis is characterized by scaling and inflammation. The inflamed skin is most commonly found on the scalp, elbows, knees, and lower back. It may cause pain and discomfort by cracking.
Causes: Currently, it is estimated that 5.5 million people in the U.S. have psoriasis. Psoriasis may be a disorder of the immune system. A type of white blood cell that normally protects the body against infection and disease triggers inflammation and causes skin to shed too rapidly. Psoriasis flare-ups may be triggered by a variety of factors, including infection, toxins, climate, certain medications and stress.Up to 11% of people with psoriasis develop a condition called psoriatic arthritis when the inflamed areas of the skin are accompanied by joint inflammation.
Responds to: Psoriasis responds well to nourishment with essential fatty acids such as those found in OmegaPrime. Stress protection with adaptogens and Vitamin B-12 is also helpful in many people. Vitamin D has also been used for people with psoriasis to balance the immune system response to stress.Seborrhea dermatitisSeborrhea dermatitis is a chronic skin condition.
Symptoms: Scaly, itchy rash. Most commonly affected areas are along the hairline, in and behind the ears, on the eyebrows, around the nose and on the chest.
Dandruff is a type of seborrhea dermatitis.
Causes: Common skin yeast organisms, called Malassezia, may play a role in seborrhea dermatitis. It seems to run in families and is associated with disorders of the immune system and the nervous system. Seborrhea dermatitis is strongly associated with Parkinson’s disease.
Responds to: Seborrhea dermatitis responds to supplementation with essential fatty acids as do many other skin conditions. The EFAs in OmegaPrime help reduce inflammation, nourish the fat pads under the skin and soothe the immune system.
Seborrhea, like most other skin conditions, is triggered by stress. Protection against stress with adaptogens and Vitamin B-12 is often helpful.
Conclusion
The best expression of a balanced, healthy life is often reflected in your skin. Health only comes from healthy habits practiced daily over time. These habits are reflected in the philosophy of the 10 Essentials of Health and Wellness. Learn and live the 10 Essentials for enduring health. Take antioxidant nutrients, anti-stress nutrients, immune balancing nutrients and essential fatty acids and you are on your way to radiant health – inside and out!
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