Fit For Life - Healthy Living

Is it Allergies – or Detoxification?

2011-03-16T18:16:00.000-07:00

More and more people are experiencing allergies and suffering with the symptoms they bring. In past Wellness Reports we have discussed how histamine receptors trigger inflammation in the four tissues they populate: the airways, the digestive/reproductive tract, our brain and our immune system. Histamine is very inflammatory and easily triggers runaway inflammation.

In this discussion we will look specifically at histamines, toxins and allergies. We will also get a chance to discuss ways to help reduce the impact of allergies and their annoying symptoms.

Allergy or toxin?
The symptoms of allergy may be more obscure than you think. For example, sneezing may be an allergy symptom, but muscle pain, insomnia and acid reflux may also be signs of allergy. These are signs of excessive histamines.

The symptoms of toxicity may also be more obscure than you think. For example, headaches, joint pains, colitis and poor coordination may be signs of toxicity. So may skin eruptions.

Your body has a unique detoxification system. It comes with many fail-safe mechanisms. A toxin may simply be detoxified and rendered harmless – usually by the liver. This is often accomplished through enzymes with the help of antioxidants. These poisons may be turned into useful tools, such as when blood toxins are turned into bile to help us digest fat from our diet.

Some toxins are difficult to detoxify; they may be stored permanently in fat. Other toxins and allergens are stored temporarily in water in the lymphatic system. This is why people get "puffy" with allergies or toxicity.

Another technique for ridding your body of toxins is excretion through your urine, colon, lungs, breath (about 75% of all body toxins are eliminated by breathing deeply), and also through your skin. Toxins that come out through the skin leave distinct blemishes. They may become infected and leave scars. Allergies that affect the skin have a different appearance, usually as large, water-filled blisters or hives. These are signs of excessive histamines.

How do I know?
How can you tell if you are having an allergic reaction versus a detoxification reaction? Easy: histamines elevate your pulse rate.

Do this: First thing in the morning, before you have a drink of water, before you brush your teeth, before you do anything else sit quietly for a few minutes and count your pulse rate. Count it for a full minute and write it down. Now, ingest the substance you want to test and continue to sit quietly for another 5 minutes. Practice some deep breathing to keep yourself relaxed and calm. At the end of 5 minutes, count your pulse rate again. A substance that is "good for you" will not elevate your pulse rate; or, if it does, it will not be much – 2 to 4 beats per minute. If you are allergic to the substance it will elevate your pulse rate a lot: 6 to 8 beats per minute for a mild allergy, 8 to 12 for a moderate allergy and more than 12 for a significant allergy.

You can use this technique with any food or other substance to which you suspect you are allergic.

A word about Nopalea™
Over the past few years I have addressed concerns people have while taking Nopalea. Usually, these issues are related to detoxification – and Nopalea is known to promote detoxification, especially of the waste water in your lymphatic system. Your body may attempt to push these toxins out through your skin, leaving bumps and blemishes. These are not signs of allergy; they are signs of rapid detoxification.

If you experience skin bumps or blemishes, I recommend discontinuing Nopalea for three days, and then taking the pulse test to see if it is a true allergy or merely rapid detoxification.

Remember, anyone may be allergic to anything. So, theoretically, someone may be allergic to Nopalea; but, it is not very likely. More often, skin reactions to Nopalea are detoxification reactions rather than allergy.

What to do...
If you are allergic to Nopalea – if your pulse rate increases more than 6 beats per minute within 5 minutes while sitting quietly – you may use "systematic desensitization" to reduce the allergy. Discontinue using Nopalea until the symptoms disappear, then add 1 ounce of Nopalea to 1 quart of pure water and drink this early in the day. Nopalea contains Betalains and Betalains are used to reduce allergy symptoms. You may also supplement with Vital C (a teaspoon in the morning and a tablet at bedtime) and Super B to help reduce the excessive histamine response.

If you are detoxifying too rapidly – if your pulse rate does not go up, or if it only goes up 2 to 4 beats per minute – simply reduce your serving size to a level that is comfortable for you. It will take longer to break the cycle of inflammation, but you won't have to endure the discomfort of pushing toxins out through your skin.

In the end, we are responsible as individuals to learn to listen to the messages from our body. I hope this tool helps you further develop this dialogue with your body now that you know how to tell an allergy from detoxification!

Trivita's Weekly Wellness Report [weeklywellnessreport@trivita.com]

Keeping Skin Healthy & Glowing

2010-08-27T20:37:00.000-07:00

"I'm tired of all this nonsense about beauty being only skin-deep. That's deep enough. What do you want, an adorable pancreas?" – Jean Kerr

Beautiful outside, beautiful inside?

Who doesn't want beautiful skin – especially as we age? Our outside layer of skin often reflects the health of our internal organs, as we discussed in the Weekly Wellness Report on "Liver Spots."

For instance, skin hydration relies on glucosamine just as joint hydration relies on glucosamine. So, dry skin likely means dry joints. Skin that is easily torn and damaged indicates rapid aging, which likely indicates rapid aging of our circulatory system. Furthermore, skin that is easily burned by the sun may indicate that our essential fatty acid (EFA) and antioxidant reserves are low which means other tissues that rely on antioxidants and EFA for protection may also be at risk.

Therefore, beautiful skin is a good indicator of healthy reserves of critical nutrients.

Inside first...

As we age, we are likely to experience skin that wrinkles and becomes blotchy. It may start to get pigment spots and become easy to injure. There are many products and procedures you can use to help your skin from the outside and those are important. But more important is nourishing the skin from the inside.

Skin has a base of healthy fats. Most of the external emollients we use on our skin are some form of fat. However, humans are not designed to take in fats very efficiently through the skin. The best way to have a healthy base for your skin is to take OmegaPrime essential fatty acids. Two per day is good, but for skin health, more is better!

From the outside...

There is a huge industry that provides cleansers, peels and emollients for the outside of your skin. Use of skin treatments is important only after you have been nourished from the inside. Then your skin will have beauty long after the makeup has been removed. Dr. Libby's Vital C Powdered Crystals are perfect for your weekly beautiful skin routine. Try this natural deep moisturizer treatment and skin exfoliant:

1. Add 1/4 teaspoon of Vital C Crystals to your daily skin moisturizer and mix thoroughly.
2. Liberally apply the cream to your face and neck, massaging gently.
3. Leave on for 10 minutes.
4. Wash off completely with warm water; follow with a splash of cold water to close your pores.

Your skin should have a lovely glow!

Sunlight and Vitamin D

The skyrocketing incidence of diabetes, osteoporosis and certain cancers definitely say that we are not getting enough Vitamin D. The increase in insomnia and seasonal depression tells us that we are not getting enough early morning sun.
We need more sunlight. Now, how do we make it safe?

Recognize the need for sun and the need for caution. Plan your sun exposure so that you maximize the benefits while minimizing the risks. For instance, get your sunlight early in the day. Early morning sunlight does not have the high ultra-violet intensity that midday sun does. So, take a 20-minute walk in the early part of the day with your skin exposed to sunlight. This will give you the benefits without the risks of over-exposure.

Alternately, take a 20-minute walk in the evening with your skin exposed to sunlight. There are fewer UV rays in the evening than at midday, though more than in the morning. This will have a less dramatic effect than morning sun but will still provide you with many of the same benefits.

Never expose your skin to midday sun for long periods of time. Wear clothing that covers most of your skin and wear a hat that provides shade for your face and ears.

Certain nutrients work well to protect against sun damage:

1. Essential fatty acids interact with Vitamin D in your skin to create a bulwark of protection against harmful radiation.

2. Vitamin C quenches smoldering fires of oxidative stress once they have begun.

3. Antioxidants, such as green tea (Energy Now!) and those found in berries

4. (Adaptogen 10 Plus) can help protect against DNA damage from radiation.

5. All these are excellent strategies for dealing with the stress of too much sun.

What about sunscreen?

The discussion about sunscreen is full of heated rhetoric. The first thing I will say about using sunscreen is that it is completely up to you: it's your choice! I would also point out that people have lived outdoors for thousands of years without serious risk from sun exposure. The increase in skin cancer risk came about as a "perfect storm" of severely polluted air, a low antioxidant/nutrient diet and the 40-year tanning craze that followed World War II.

The truth is that more people die of cancer related to Vitamin D deficiency than of skin cancer caused by sunburn. Again, get some morning and evening sunshine for good health, never get a sunburn and keep your skin covered when you are exposed to midday sun. Beyond these recommendations, do what seems reasonable to you!

Total health

The health of our skin can tell us much about the health of our entire body. We naturally desire that "healthy glow" and beautiful skin. And that makes sense, doesn't it? We have a tool to assess our internal health immediately at our disposal: our skin. All we have to do is learn to listen to the message of healthy skin!

TriVita’s Weekly Wellness Report [weeklywellnessreport@trivita/com]

Exercise: An Unexpected Source of Energy

2010-08-27T19:54:00.000-07:00

OK, this may seem a little weird. It is definitely unexpected. But I recently read about a newly discovered process for turning the food we eat into energy: exercise.

I found this pathway in two medical journals: one for children and the other for seniors – two groups at opposite ends of the energy-production spectrum.

Normally, humans turn food into energy through metabolism – a Greek word that describes how heat and light are created by burning wood in a fire. Metabolism is an example of controlled inflammation: the "fire" inside you that turns food into energy. We burn some of that energy at rest, but we burn more of it when we exercise.

Chicken or egg?

We need energy to exercise. But now it seems that exercise is itself a source of energy. So, the question becomes, do fitness fanatics exercise because they have a lot of energy? Or, does exercise give our "health nut" friends the energy we envy?

As it turns out, the answers to both questions is yes!

We create energy as we burn sugars (carbohydrates), protein and fats.

These are called macronutrients. Each has a burn-rate that supplies us with fuel: sugar burns quickly, protein takes longer to burn but the undisputed champion of stamina is healthy dietary fat.

Dietary fats burn slowly. The fats that we don't harvest as fuel for energy production are used in creating certain structures inside our body. For example, brain cells are made mostly of fats. The healthier the fats are in our diet, the healthier our brain may become. Hormones are made mostly of fats. The healthier the fats are in our diet, the better our hormones will balance.

Cholesterol is made of fat. The healthier the fats are in our diet – you guessed it! – the healthier our cholesterol levels will be.

For stamina, a healthy brain, balanced hormones and optimum cholesterol, we need healthy fats.

Energy from exercise

Fats recycle in our body when we exercise. For example, fats may become cholesterol. Some of our healthy cholesterol may end up in our skin where hormones interact with sunlight to produce Vitamin D. Vitamin D then transports unused fats and cholesterol from our skin into our muscles. In this way, fats are recycled and cholesterol is kept low. That's why people with low Vitamin D levels often have high cholesterol levels: Vitamin D transports fats so they may be burned in the fires of metabolism.

Vitamin D recycles minerals. That's why people with low Vitamin D levels also have low bone mineral density – a condition leading to osteoporosis. Vitamin D recycles hormones as well. That's why people with low levels of Vitamin D have the highest risk of Metabolic Syndrome, a disorder characterized by insulin resistance (insulin is a hormone) and other hormone imbalances.

As it turns out, our body recycles fats with Vitamin D and it recycles Vitamin D through strenuous muscle exertion – exercise! Even spending appropriate time in the sun and taking Vitamin D-rich supplements will not recycle Vitamin D unless you also exercise.

To recap:

1. Strenuous exercise activates Vitamin D.

2. Vitamin D activates the hormone insulin to start the fires of metabolism.
3. Then, Vitamin D recycles fat from the blood and skin to burn in those fires as fuel for more activity.

So it seems that expending energy activates the pathway to give us more energy. It reminds me of an old saying: The less you move, the less you want to move and the less you are able to move; the more you move, the more you want to move and the more you are able to move!

Conclusion

The journal articles concluded that the more Vitamin D children had in their growing bodies, the less likely they were to suffer a muscle or bone injury. Also, the more Vitamin D a senior had in their body, the less likely they were to fall and suffer an injury. Finally, at any age, energy levels and activity levels were bound together by Vitamin D levels.

For healthy energy, we need a balanced diet and supplements that support healthy levels of fat and Vitamin D. And we need activity because energy, it seems, begets more energy!

TriVita’s Weekly Wellness Report [weeklywellnessreport@trivita/com]

Test Your Risk for Heart Disease

2010-08-27T19:03:00.000-07:00

Heart disease is still the #1 killer in North America. "Atherosclerosis" is the medical term we use to describe heart disease. Literally, sclerosis means "hardening" and athero describes the nature of the debris that clogs and hardens arteries (typically the arteries of the heart). Our risk for getting this disease increases slowly over time as we age. Certain risk factors can tell us if we are in danger of developing this disease 10 years from now.

These risk factors include:
Age
Blood pressure
HDL ("good") cholesterol
Total cholesterol

Test your risk
Follow these steps to calculate your risk.

Have the following numbers available: your blood pressure, total cholesterol and HDL.

Click here to access an online risk calculator.

Once on the page, scroll down and click on "Health Risk Assessors – Coronary Heart Disease."

Read the instructions and enter your data. The program will automatically display your risk.

Your risk of developing atherosclerosis is a combination of several factors over time. Please understand what this assessment does not mean: It does not tell you if you are going to have a heart attack. Markers in your bloodstream that signal an imminent heart attack include Total Plasma Homocysteine (tHCY) and C-Reactive Protein (hsCRP).

Heart disease warning signs

Let's review some of the factors that can act as warning signs of heart disease:

High blood pressure

Blood pressure measurements are read as two numbers. The higher number, called the systolic pressure, represents the pressure in the artery when the heart beats. The lower number, called the diastolic pressure, represents the pressure when the heart is at rest.

A normal systolic number is 115. If your arteries are stiff, inflexible, inflamed or too narrow, your heart will have to beat harder and this will create a higher systolic number.

A normal diastolic number is 75 or lower. When the diastolic number is too high it can mean that your lungs, kidneys and liver are not properly detoxifying your body.

Some people find that their blood pressure will not go down no matter what they do. This often happens because of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). With OSA, a person stops breathing during sleep. Sensing the shortage of oxygen, your brain increases blood pressure to compensate.

High total cholesterol

Increased levels of cholesterol in the blood can contribute to atherosclerosis, which is the gradual build-up of cholesterol, fat and fibrous debris along the walls of your arteries. This build-up, called plaque, can accumulate enough to narrow the artery and stiffen the arterial wall. If the plaque is severe enough, it can impair blood flow past the blockage. A normal, healthy cholesterol level is 170 mg/dL or lower.

Low HDL "good" cholesterol

High density lipoproteins (HDL) absorb cholesterol and take it back to the liver for disposal. A normal, healthy HDL level is over 60 mg/dL. HDL cholesterol rises with moderate to intense exercise. We simply must make peace with daily exercise if we are to increase our HDL and reduce our risk of heart disease.

Heart attack warning signs

As mentioned earlier, cholesterol levels and blood pressure alone do not serve us very well as determinants of heart attack risk. Homocysteine levels are much more accurate in predicting who is at risk and C-Reactive protein (CRP) is the best predictor for heart attack (as well as many other really bad conditions!).

Elevated homocysteine levels can be reduced with certain nutrients called "methyl donors." TriVita's HCY Guard® is rich in methyl donors and proven to reduce elevated HCY. C-Reactive protein has been reduced quite consistently with Essential Fatty Acid supplements and Quercetin-like Betalain bioflavonoids such as OmegaPrime® (one to six grams daily) and Nopalea™.

Learning to listen

High blood pressure as well as high cholesterol levels and low HDL levels should be viewed as warning signs from our body. Elevated homocysteine sounds a louder alarm and high C-Reactive protein levels sound the loudest siren of all. We can translate these alarms into valid communication by learning what each lab value means and how to address them in terms of nutrients and nurturing.

TriVita’s Weekly Wellness Report [weeklywellnessreport@trivita/com]

The Four Causes of Disease

2010-07-21T17:21:00.000-07:00

Have you ever heard an orchestra playing a symphony? Every instrument has a unique sound. Each plays a unique part in the masterpiece. The conductor brings out the best in every musician. Even the acoustics of the surroundings enhance or detract from the performance.

This is an accurate description of the way we harmonize with our world. From the instant of conception, tiny cells are a symphony of activity and this harmony continues throughout our life. Cells join with the rest of the orchestra – the body – in harmonious music, always changing to meet new and varied circumstances.

We need harmony between our mind, body and environment. Our immune system usually provides it. But what happens when things go wrong? What happens if we are exposed to "bad" bacteria, viruses or other pathogens?

Disease and our immune system

Sometimes we ask the wrong questions when we start to experience disharmony in our body. Sometimes we seem to be asking, "What makes sick people sick?" As pertinent as that question is to a sick person, it is usually more productive to ask, "What keeps healthy people well – and how can I be one of them?"

Wellness is created in the way our immune system interacts with our environment based on our genetics, and modified by our behavior or lifestyle. In order to prevent disease and achieve wellness, we must experience harmony between our world and our immune system.

A good example of harmony with our world occurs with viruses. In medicine we know that viruses exist all around us just as they have always existed. During an epidemic there will be people who never get sick, people that get sick and recover and, unfortunately, people that get sick and die. The difference between these groups has little to do with the nature of the virus – it remains virtually the same in all three cases. The different responses are based on the harmony of each individual’s immune system.

Causes of disharmony – and disease

Four imbalances create disharmony in our immune system. They are:

1.Trauma or injury – Injured tissues limit circulation by blood and lymph. Poor circulation allows waste created by the cells to accumulate and become a cesspool. Toxic waste becomes the target for infection and disease. Fortunately, appropriate exercise can help increase healthy circulation and intense antioxidant nutrition can help restore function to an injured area.

2.Toxins from inside or outside the body – Toxins and poisons from our environment may also accumulate in our tissues and smolder for decades. These toxins become inflamed; inflammation creates the matrix for disharmony in the immune system, which may result in disease.

3.Deficiencies in elements critical for life – Many people are deficient in oxygen though there is an abundance of air surrounding them. Oxygen deficiency causes acidic tissues; acid foments disease. Deficiencies in air, water, sunlight, sleep and nutrients are the most common causes of immune system disharmony. We can restore balance by attending to these basic needs.

4.Immune-suppressing scourge of emotional distress – Emotional distress is an immediate trigger for immune system discord. As soon as a thought arises in the mind, it is already translated into a posture of the immune system. Fortunately, we can – through an act of will – change our thoughts to positive ones and have a harmonizing effect on our immune system.

Conclusion

We participate in this symphony along with the individual members of the orchestra within our immune system. We are not merely passive observers. Address the four causes of disharmony that result in disease. Take time to learn how to apply the 10 Essentials for Health and Wellness to harmonize your immune system so it works smarter, not harder.

Trivita's Weekly Wellness Report [weeklywellnessreport@trivita.com]

Tips for Better Digestion

2010-07-21T17:05:00.000-07:00

As people, we love to eat. All of our most cherished and joyous celebrations surround food somehow. And, judging from the expanding waistline of most folks in North America, we must be the happiest people on Earth!

Digestion really begins with anticipation as our brain triggers the feeling of hunger. Hunger is associated with a family of hormones that "turn on" when our blood sugar drops and "turn off" when our stomachs expand – especially when what we take in has viscosity or thickness to it.

For proper digestion we need water, fiber, proteins, fats and carbohydrates – including starches.

The first step to healthy digestion

The most important recommendation for digestive health is to chew your food thoroughly. Starches and other carbohydrates begin their digestive journey as we chew. Take a small bite, put your fork down and focus on slowing down and chewing your food until it is only water.

Food that is not properly chewed will not properly digest, and large, undigested particles of food will inflame your intestines. Inflammation is at the heart of most chronic illnesses. Inflammation triggers the release of antibodies from your immune system that are designed to remove damaging proteins and protect us. They "remember" the threat – in this case from improperly-chewed food – and treat any similar food as an enemy. This is often the source of food allergy: improperly chewed food!

So remember, poorly chewed food creates inflammation in the digestive tract, which may create food allergies. Chronic inflammation also kills healthy tissue, which provides fertile ground for breeding infection – especially bacteria and yeast infection (many Candida infections result from chronic digestive tract inflammation).

Digestion basics

When we swallow, our stomach is already prepared to receive the food. A hormone called pepsinogen is waiting to bond with hydrochloric acid and produce an enzyme called pepsin. Cinnamon and glucomanan fiber (Leanology capsules) support healthy digestion in the stomach.

After about half an hour, the food begins to pass through the stomach into your small intestine. At the same time, your pancreas secretes enzymes into your small intestine to meet this bolus of food. The starch has been neutralized by chewing and the protein has been prepared by your stomach. Now, the special enzymes from the pancreas convert these nutrients for transport. Most of the magic of digestion occurs in the first part of the small intestine, called the duodenum. Again, fiber and aromatic herbs like cinnamon aid digestion in the small intestine. Also, aloe vera can benefit digestion as an anti-inflammatory.

Most vitamins are absorbed in the stomach and first part of the small intestine. Proteins, fats and other nutrients are absorbed throughout the intestinal tract. Minerals, especially iron and calcium, are absorbed in the large intestine as the last drops of water are taken out of your food.

Stress and digestion

Have you ever experienced butterflies in your stomach? Most of us have. A nervous stomach will not properly digest or absorb food. Stress impairs digestion. Adaptogen 10 Plus has specific botanical extracts that have been used for thousands of years to settle a nervous stomach (it also contains robust levels of aloe vera).

A little help from our friends

Our intestines are teeming with trillions of bacteria – most of them friendly! These bacteria are called "probiotics" and are needed to help us utilize our vitamins and minerals. Healthy bacteria can grow in your digestive system if we have enough water and fiber in our diet and supplements. Eating the right amount of high water-content fruits and vegetables and drinking the right amount of water will give us the best environment for growing our own probiotics.

Take care of your digestion by eating nutritiously and chewing slowly. Include water, fiber, proteins, healthy carbohydrates and healthy fats. Remember, your digestion is impaired by stress. So, consider ways to reduce your stress and supplement your diet with adaptogens to protect digestive health from stress. And don’t forget the joy of eating. Joy is really a sign of acceptance. Acceptance is essential for physical and emotional health!

Trivita's Weekly Wellness Report [weeklywellnessreport@trivita.com]

Tools for Summer Time Weight Loss

2010-06-25T19:11:00.000-07:00

Nearly half of all people in North America make a resolution at the beginning of the year to lose weight. The next most common time for embarking on a weight-loss program is in the summertime: the "swimsuit season." So now is the perfect time for an encouraging article on how to reach your weight-loss goals.

Unfortunately, being overweight is not simply an ornamental problem; it's not simply about how we look. It is about how well we are. It's about how much energy we have for the people we love, and how much vitality we have for the commitments we make. It's about how successful or unsuccessful we will be at reaching our goals and living a life of purpose and meaning. It's that serious.

Mechanics of weight loss

Let's review several steps for weight loss that we have gathered from expert sources:

2. Calculate your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) using the calculator below. This is the amount of energy you burn at rest. Reduce your daily calorie intake to match this number.

3. Decide how much weight you want to lose each week.

Please understand, weight loss of more than 2 pounds per week is unrealistic and probably dangerous. Your goal is to lose fat; rapid weight loss usually comes from water (which you need), muscle (which you need) and bone (yes, you need that too!).

4. Get started: Reduce your caloric intake to match your BMR and increase your activity to burn ½ to 2 pounds of fat per week.

•Always eat breakfast.

•Never eat within 2 hours of bedtime.

•Morning exercise is better than evening exercise, but both are good.

•Never consume more than 400 calories in an hour.

•Eat according to an organized plan. For example, The South Beach Diet, Eat

More – Weigh Less by Dean Ornish, The Sonoma Diet (my favorite Mediterranean diet plan), etc.

•Do both aerobic and resistance exercises most days of the week to meet your fat loss goals.

Remember, your sense of purpose will dictate your actions step by step!

Speed bumps

Somewhere along the way you are going to experience discouragement, disappointment or despondency. It may be when you hit a weight loss plateau. It may be when you see others doing what you used to do and the old habits pull at your heart. It may be when those inner voices – I call them my "counsel of critics" – start to tell you lies about failure and success. What do you do when you hit a speed bump?

The answer to this question does not lie in the "how – when – what" of weight loss. The answer lies in the "why." Your personal "why" gives you energy. It inspires you, motivates you and drives you to complete your journey.

Supplements for weight loss

Leanology® supplements are also an important part of weight loss. In many people they represent the critical difference between success and failure in lifetime weight control. However, you must always remember that they are supplements; they supplement a diet and exercise program. Use them wisely as an important part of your total wellness program.

Remember to let your desire fuel your action; let your actions harmonize with your sense of purpose. Simply be resolved to live a life of purpose and you will have the energy to get beyond the speed bumps.

Take Control of Your Health

•Plan a balance of calories and activity for lifetime weight control

•Eat 5, 7 or 9 servings of fruit and vegetables daily

•Plan aerobic activity most days

•Do resistance training 2 to 5 times per week

•Supplement with Leanology to support the four stages of weight loss:

◦Energy and Metabolism: Leanology Weight Loss Capsules help increase metabolism and energy to support your body's ability to burn more calories at rest.

◦Cortisol & Stress Management: Leanology Weight Loss Capsules help to limit cortisol production in your body. Cortisol is the stress-induced hormone that can lead to abdominal fat.

◦Appetite Control: Leanology Appetite Control Chews help reduce the natural hunger signals in your body to minimize cravings.

◦Blood Sugar Control: Leanology Nutritional Shakes help your body use the nutrients you eat as energy, rather than storing them as fat.

Trivita's Weekly Wellness Report [weeklywellnessreport@trivita.com]

Ways to Improve Your Memory

2010-06-25T18:48:00.001-07:00

OK, I will admit it if you will: I have forgotten the names of people while I was talking to them! I have lost my car keys, misplaced my glasses and turned the wrong way on my drive home.

How about you? Does it seem like your memory is playing tricks on you as you age? Well, there are reasons for that and very few of these reasons are related to diseases such as dementia and Alzheimer’s.

How to make a memory

Your memory is an amazing miracle. Every second your brain processes billions of bits of information from your five senses. You may consciously perceive only a very small percentage of this information because one function of your brain is to filter out unimportant information. The things you remember will usually be advantageous to you. For instance, remembering your wedding anniversary date or remembering where the speed trap is on your drive home.

Memory is classed in two basic groups:

Short-term: Short term memories are quickly forgotten when they are no longer important.

Long-term: Long-term memories may be divided into recent and distant.
Practicing or rehearsing can improve your memory by moving more information into long-term. For instance, when I am distracted by stress I will not be able to remember where I left my car keys. That information was deleted from my short-term memory. However, if I consciously say, "I am hanging my car keys on the hook," I am far more likely to remember where they are.

How to keep a memory

Reduce stress

Stress kills your memory. The stress system is designed to ensure survival. It helps us fight off a snarling dog or flee from a snarling bear. As important as that is, humans do more every day than merely survive. If you want to have a good, healthy memory, do all you can to reduce the need for fight or flight stress responses.

Learn something new

As mentioned, practicing or rehearsing something enhances memory. So does learning something new. You see, memory is facilitated through the billions of neurons and synapses in your brain by patterns: retracing old patterns as well as creating new patterns. The more new things we master and the more connections we create, the better our overall memory will be.

If you want to remember your anniversary, start learning a foreign language. If you want to remember important names, learn a musical instrument. The more you learn – and the more you connect the old with the new – the better your overall memory will be.

How to nourish a memory

Certain nutrients help the memory to remain sharp. These nutrients fall into two basic categories: those that create brain structure and those that nourish brain function.

Your brain is made mostly of fat. And the majority of that fat is an Omega-3 called DHA. So, to have a healthy brain we need healthy fats like OmegaPrime®. Your nerve cells convert some fats into functional nerve proteins called myelin. Formation of myelin requires dietary protein and Vitamin B-12. So, for healthy brain structure and function we need Omega-3 fats, healthy dietary protein and Vitamin B-12.

When the memory is activated, it creates heat in the brain. To fuel the memory, quench the heat and repair the daily wear-and-tear on your brain, you need antioxidants. Certain antioxidants target brain function specifically. An excellent antioxidant formula that is also anti-inflammatory is Nopalea™. The Betalain bioflavonoids in Nopalea also help improve circulation by fortifying healthy arteries.

What do you remember?

To recap: Occasional memory lapses usually indicate you are distracted by stress. Rehearsing things you want to remember and practicing new things you have learned can help you avoid stress-induced memory lapses. Because new behaviors create new pathways in your brain, learning something new such as a new language or musical instrument can improve your overall memory.

Stress kills your memory. Nutrients such as Omega-3, Vitamin B-12 and anti-inflammatory antioxidants such as those found in Nopalea can help rebuild and restore your ability to remember. With all of these tools at your disposal, you have access to the power of a healthy memory.

Trivita's Weekly Wellness Report [weeklywellnessreport@trivita.com]

2010-06-25T18:48:00.000-07:00

Ways to Improve Your Memory

OK, I will admit it if you will: I have forgotten the names of people while I was talking to them! I have lost my car keys, misplaced my glasses and turned the wrong way on my drive home.
How about you? Does it seem like your memory is playing tricks on you as you age? Well, there are reasons for that and very few of these reasons are related to diseases such as dementia and Alzheimer’s.
How to make a memory
Your memory is an amazing miracle. Every second your brain processes billions of bits of information from your five senses. You may consciously perceive only a very small percentage of this information because one function of your brain is to filter out unimportant information. The things you remember will usually be advantageous to you. For instance, remembering your wedding anniversary date or remembering where the speed trap is on your drive home.
Memory is classed into two basic groups:
Short-term: Short term memories are quickly forgotten when they are no longer important.
Long-term: Long-term memories may be divided into recent and distant.
Practicing or rehearsing can improve your memory by moving more information into long-term. For instance, when I am distracted by stress I will not be able to remember where I left my car keys. That information was deleted from my short-term memory. However, if I consciously say, "I am hanging my car keys on the hook," I am far more likely to remember where they are.
How to keep a memory
Reduce stress
Stress kills your memory. The stress system is designed to ensure survival. It helps us fight off a snarling dog or flee from a snarling bear. As important as that is, humans do more every day than merely survive. If you want to have a good, healthy memory, do all you can to reduce the need for fight or flight stress responses.
Learn something new
As mentioned, practicing or rehearsing something enhances memory. So does learning something new. You see, memory is facilitated through the billions of neurons and synapses in your brain by patterns: retracing old patterns as well as creating new patterns. The more new things we master and the more connections we create, the better our overall memory will be.
If you want to remember your anniversary, start learning a foreign language. If you want to remember important names, learn a musical instrument. The more you learn – and the more you connect the old with the new – the better your overall memory will be.
How to nourish a memory
Certain nutrients help the memory to remain sharp. These nutrients fall into two basic categories: those that create brain structure and those that nourish brain function.
Your brain is made mostly of fat. And the majority of that fat is an Omega-3 called DHA. So, to have a healthy brain we need healthy fats like OmegaPrime®. Your nerve cells convert some fats into functional nerve proteins called myelin. Formation of myelin requires dietary protein and Vitamin B-12. So, for healthy brain structure and function we need Omega-3 fats, healthy dietary protein and Vitamin B-12.
When the memory is activated, it creates heat in the brain. To fuel the memory, quench the heat and repair the daily wear-and-tear on your brain, you need antioxidants. Certain antioxidants target brain function specifically. An excellent antioxidant formula that is also anti-inflammatory is Nopalea™. The Betalain bioflavonoids in Nopalea also help improve circulation by fortifying healthy arteries.
What do you remember?
To recap: Occasional memory lapses usually indicate you are distracted by stress. Rehearsing things you want to remember and practicing new things you have learned can help you avoid stress-induced memory lapses. Because new behaviors create new pathways in your brain, learning something new such as a new language or musical instrument can improve your overall memory.
Stress kills your memory. Nutrients such as Omega-3, Vitamin B-12 and anti-inflammatory antioxidants such as those found in Nopalea can help rebuild and restore your ability to remember. With all of these tools at your disposal, you have access to the power of a healthy memory.

Are There Alternatives for Water?

2010-06-01T18:28:00.000-07:00

Healthy Living Essential #2 is Drink Water. Many people don't follow this Essential for one reason or another. Some use water "alternatives" instead. But I can tell you, with full conviction, that there are NO alternatives to water! You must drink water and you must drink it in abundance.

Pros and cons of water "alternatives"

Let's look at some of the positive and negative aspects of so-called alternatives to water:

•100% fruit juice – contains some vitamins, minerals and a lot of sugar. In fact, a 16-ounce glass of fruit juice contains about 50 grams of sugar and 220 calories. Fructose, or fruit sugar, reduces the rate at which we absorb fluid and can actually make you thirstier, leading to over-consumption of calories from juice.

•Sport drinks – often contain fructose or sucrose syrups, flavorings and colorings. The electrolytes, sodium and potassium are helpful for endurance-type exercise or activity, but not necessary for everyday exercise. A 16 ounce sport drink has roughly 30 grams of sugar and over 100 calories.

•Energy drinks – contain vitamins, amino acids, a lot of sugar and caffeine. Although advertised as providing more energy, what they really provide is more calories and caffeine. Added caffeine can be temporarily energizing, but often leads to a rapid dip in energy and can be potentially habit forming. An eight ounce energy drink has about 115 calories and 80 milligrams of caffeine.

•Fitness waters – these waters are laced with an assortment of nutrients, herbs, flavorings and/or sweeteners. These enhancements are usually too insufficient to have any meaningful impact on your health; plus these waters can be costly. As for calories, they can contain anywhere from 10 to 100 or more calories in a 16 ounce drink.

•Carbonated beverages – such as regular or diet sodas can be high in sugar or artificial sweeteners and caffeine. Colas are also high in phosphates, which bind with calcium and weaken bones. Regular soda can contain up to 200 or more calories for 16 ounces.

•Coffee, tea and lattes – are also very popular. But along with the caffeine, they often contain added sugars and fats which can add up to as many as 450 calories for a 16 ounce drink. Since most caffeinated products provide very few nutrients, it is typically advised to keep intake low.

•Flavored waters – are waters with a touch of natural flavoring. By itself, this is fine. Unfortunately, however, many flavored waters contain sugar (some even have more than a can of soda pop) or caffeine and other additives, all of which should be avoided.

In contrast to the water alternatives above, we can get water that is good for us from food. Many fruits and vegetables, for example, are high in water content as well as antioxidants (which is a nice plus). The guideline for consuming the right amount of fruit and vegetables is 5, 7 or 9 servings daily, depending upon our size and gender.

Healthy ways to spice up your water

In summary, we now know two things. First, there are no real alternatives to water – they all have too many drawbacks. And second, water is essential to good health – it helps the body both detoxify and fuel metabolism for energy.

But these two findings present a problem for all of the people who feel that water is just too boring to drink on a regular basis. They are likely to wonder, "Are there ways to make my water taste better? And are there drinks besides water that can help support my body's detoxification and metabolic processes?" The answer is YES. You can use the recipes below to spice up your water while adding extra detoxification and metabolism support:

•Nopalea Splash: Take 6 ounces of naturally carbonated spring water and add 1 ounce of Nopalea™ to it for a hydrating, detoxifying and refreshing beverage that naturally helps reduce inflammation.

•Tea Time 10 Plus: Take 6 ounces of either hot or cold green tea and add 1 ounce of Adaptogen 10 Plus®. You can get the health benefits of green tea coupled with the stress-busting effects of adaptogens.
Water: the life-essential beverage

At birth, water can make up as much as 80% of a baby's body weight. Yet at death, for adults in their 70s and 80s, water often makes up less than 40% of the body weight.

Water is life. And in a sense, dehydration equals death.

Drink Water – and claim the health benefits of this life-giving liquid!

Trivita's Weekly Wellness Report [weeklywellnessreport@trivita.com]

Creating Your Wellness Sanctuary

2010-05-14T20:55:00.000-07:00

The 10 Essentials of Health and Wellness are the keys to a happy, healthy life. No pill, potion, product or program that excludes these values will succeed for long. Any approach to wellness that you embrace will be enhancedA and will have the greatest chance of lifelong success if it is built upon a foundation of the 10 Essentials.

The difference between wellness and illness is not so much the difference between "knowing" and "not knowing" the 10 Essentials; instead, it is the difference between "knowing" and "actually doing" the actions associated with true wellness. Do you agree? Then you will also agree that you not only need knowledge, you also need desire and a helpful setting. You need a wellness sanctuary!

Your sanctuary

What is a "wellness sanctuary"? It is a place and time where you can practice your wellness principles. It should be a stress-free zone, free from conflict. It should be a noise-free zone, where chatter and distractions are minimal or eliminated. It should be pleasant to all of your senses. Your sanctuary needs to be a place of rest and peace.

Your home or garden could be your wellness sanctuary. Or it could be a favorite room, or even a small space within a room. The idea is to make your sanctuary space a place where you can retreat from the relentless stress of the day. So you want to create an environment (big or small) that is conducive to your physical, emotional and spiritual wellness. Also remember, setting up your sanctuary and your wellness regimen is typically not achieved overnight. It could take some time to work it all out, so set SMART goals:

•Specific as to time and place
•Measurable in their application
•Achievable given the reality of your world
•Reasonable with respect to commitments you have already made
•Timely in their execution

A very useful step we can take toward creating a sanctuary is to designate a specific time and place. Some people make their bedroom their first place of refuge, and then commit to specific do not disturb times for self-care. For example, some turn off their cell phones and retreat to their sanctuary (bedroom) an hour before they actually plan to sleep. There is no computer or television in their bedroom; the light is low and the colors are soft. Many will also journal their progress in applying the 10 Essentials to their lives (they journal with pen and paper, not an electronic gizmo) and meditate on ways to better apply what they know in pursuit of their goals.

Taking time for wellness

Once you have established your sanctuary "place," it's critical to also establish your sanctuary "time." How much "me time" can you commit to on a regular basis? What time is best for you? What will you accomplish during this time?

Morning – in the morning hours, you could physically exercise and mentally prepare for your day by:

•Engaging in a minimum of 30 minutes of activity, most days of the week, to satisfy Essential #5 (note: the healthiest cultures on earth spend about 2 1/2 hours daily in physical activity).

•Planning your meals in order to get the most nutrition from them (Essential #4) and beginning your daily water intake (Essential #2).

•Thinking about how you will...give and receive love during the day (Essential #6)...focus on specific things and people for which you are grateful (Essential #8)...set your spiritual compass for the day ahead (Essential #10).
Evening – during the latter part of the day, you could commit to greater health by:

•Practicing deep breathing for 20 minutes (Essential #1).

•Quieting your mind in preparation for 7 1/2 to 9 hours of peaceful sleep (Essential #3).

*•Let go of any lingering resentments from the day (Essentials #7 & #9).
Added Support

To make the most of your "sanctuary time," it pays to be in a calmer state of body and mind. If you have trouble reaching this state, then there are two supplements in particular that could be added to your daily regimen.

•Body – to help your body reach a calmer state, you can take Adaptogen 10 Plus®. Its unique blend of ingredients is specifically targeted to help your body better adapt to and overcome all the stresses of today's hectic world.

•Mind – to help your mind reach a more calm, relaxed and focused state, you can take Sublingual B-12. Many adults have a B-12 deficiency due to aging and diet, so you definitely want to check this out and see how it could help your own situation.
In Conclusion

For complete wellness, you need to learn and live the The 10 Essentials of Health and Wellness. And to help you best incorporate the 10 Essentials, you would benefit greatly by establishing a specific sanctuary of time and space and commit to it. You can always start small, and then later expand your self-care activities as your circumstances permit. But in any case, the goal is to create your very own personal haven of wellness.

TriVita's Weekly Wellness Report [weeklywellnessreport@trivita.com]

STRESS AND YOUR HEALTH

2010-04-05T23:19:00.000-07:00

There are four common causes of imbalance that affect our health:

Trauma
Toxins
Deficiency
Emotional distress

Stress triggers a flood of hormones that sacrifice healthy organs in order to solve the stress crisis. Chronic stress causes us to wear out and age prematurely.

According to the book, "Who Gets Sick?" stress is reducing the quality and quantity of life of most people in North America – including you! It strangles the joy and pleasure from your days and nights. It makes you miserable, and then it makes you sick. You become susceptible to diseases such as heart attacks, cancer and diabetes. Once you are sick, stress keeps you from responding as well to medical care. Yes, stress is a killer!

Know your enemy!

Stress is short for distress. Distress describes an unpleasant influence by forces outside or even inside your body trying to tear you apart; it can come from your environment, your body or even your thoughts.

Stress triggers the fight or flight mechanism. Your body will prioritize resources to meet specific demands of stress. In fight or flight, your body prepares to do battle or run away. Either of these actions will require fuel – and right now!

Where do you get that fuel? From organs you don't need at that moment to survive.

So, if you are being chased by a lion, you don't need digestion. Stress will take nutrients from digestion as fuel to meet this particular crisis. The same is true for other organs and systems: Stress will literally rob nutrients from your reproductive system, your bones, and aspects of your immune system, your nervous system and more – all in an attempt to survive.

Now, assuming you survive the stress, are the nutrients returned to those systems? No, not at first. They are taken out quickly and returned slowly, just in case there is another lion around.

Gradually, you begin to show signs of chronic stress that we call premature aging: your blood sugar becomes more difficult to control; your arteries begin to clog up with cholesterol; and your muscle and bone mass begins to melt away. Then, enzymes in your cells begin to turn off and caramelized sugars begin to damage your brain and nerves. You can't think and you have no energy. Your body cannot stand that kind of stress and it breaks down.

Fighting back

This illustrates why we need nutrients from food and supplements to combat stress. The more nutrients we have "on board," the less fuel your body will have to rob during a crisis.

The opposite of stress is homeostasis. So, while stress is constantly trying to pull you apart, homeostasis is constantly working to put you back together. Homeostasis is the priority process your body uses to combat stress. It requires nutrients to function. So, a key strategy for helping reduce the impact of stress is to take Healthy Aging nutrients (including a robust supply of Sublingual B-12) every day.

Rather than being just an isolated event, stress accumulates over time. A single stressful event can affect you for up to two years or more. Therefore homeostasis must be constant, relentless and dynamic in working to return you to a normal state. It must do this no matter which direction stress is pulling you.
Homeostasis is a very important process in our body and we need to support it in every way we can. Homeostasis encompasses all of our resources: our brain and nervous system, our immune system, our hormonal system and every other body function.

Adaptogens support homeostasis in all body systems. Adaptogens are "non-specific" in that they help your body reclaim balance. Adaptogens are non-toxic at any level, so you can feel free to take an added serving of Adaptogen 10 Plus as needed in order to break the cycle of stress. A daily serving of adaptogens can help keep you calm and relaxed.

A specific target of stress is the thyroid gland. Specific proteins found in Energy Now! support healthy thyroid function when stress creates thyroid imbalance.
Healthy Aging nutrients along with Adaptogen 10 Plus and Energy Now! can help protect against the relentless stress we all face. We need nutrients and nurturing; these lifesaving resources are found in the 10 Essentials for Health and Wellness. Learn them and live them, and you will be able to resist the relentless killer: stress!

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Take Control of Your Health

Practice deep breathing at least 20 minutes daily
Exercise at least 30 minutes most days of the week
Eat high protein foods; avoid sugar and caffeine
Take Healthy Aging nutrients
Use adaptogens to fight off the effects of stress
Support your thyroid with Energy Now!

TriVita’s Weekly Wellness Report [weeklywellnessreport@trivita/com]

TEST YOURSELF FOR "D"EFICIENCY

2010-04-05T23:06:00.000-07:00

With your thumb, press on your sternum (breastbone). Is it tender or painful? Now, press on the tibia (shin bone) of both your legs. Is it sore or tender? If the answer is "yes" to both of these tests then you have a 93% chance of being Vitamin D deficient. Vitamin D may be the most prevalent vitamin deficiency in our culture. What is Vitamin D and what does it do for us?

Function of Vitamin D

Vitamin D is both a vitamin (vital amine) and a hormone. It acts as a vitamin when it binds with calcium for proper absorption. Humans cannot digest calcium without adequate amounts of Vitamin D.

Vitamin D is a hormone (a messenger inside your body) because it directs cells, organs, muscle and bone in daily activity. It is a hormone because your body creates it in response to sunlight on your skin. It participates in weight loss, the function of your immune system, blood sugar regulation and basic human metabolism.

Humans mobilize essential fatty acids, such as Omega-3, with Vitamin D. In order to properly use calcium and Omega-3 you simply must have enough Vitamin D. Yet, many people don't.

Signs of deficiency

The test above is one way of checking for low levels of Vitamin D. You see, calcium and other minerals are delivered to an area in your bones that is like a gelatin matrix. This gelatin matrix hardens into sturdy bone. Calcium can only arrive in this matrix if it is escorted by Vitamin D. If you are deficient in Vitamin D, this matrix will revert back to gelatin near the surface of the bone. Tenderness and bone pain will result.

This kind of bone pain can be seen in cases of osteomalacia (softening of the bones), as well as fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome and even the pain associated with chronic depression.

Further, Vitamin D deficiency can result in:

Obesity
Type 2 diabetes
High blood pressure
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
Psoriasis

Eventually, Vitamin D deficiency may lead to cancer (especially breast cancer, prostate cancer and colon cancer), osteoporosis and Alzheimer's disease.

Reasons for deficiency

The primary reasons people become deficient in Vitamin D are cultural. For instance, women that wear veils in certain cultures are almost universally deficient in Vitamin D, as are submariners who spend extended time submerged. Neither group spends much time with their skin exposed to direct sunlight. The most common reasons for Vitamin D deficiency in North America also relate to lack of exposure to sunlight and infrequent consumption of cold-water fish. Cold-water fish such as wild salmon, mackerel and sardines are good food sources of Vitamin D – as well as good sources of calcium and Omega-3 fatty acids.

Many foods have been supplemented with Vitamin D, but this has not resulted in an overall increase in Vitamin D levels. This is likely because food and supplement manufacturers rely on an inexpensive form of synthetic Vitamin D called "ergocalciferol" – a form of Vitamin D-2. Food sources of Vitamin D and supplements such as TriVita's Bone Growth Factor, VitaCal-Mag D and Leanology Capsules use Vitamin D-3 (cholecalciferol), which is the same form that your body makes from sunshine.

What to do?

If your bones are tender or if you have a low blood level of Vitamin D the solution may be as simple as increasing your sun exposure (see the Weekly Wellness Report, "Is the Sun our Enemy?"). Spend 20 minutes daily in the sunshine with 40% of your skin surface exposed. Morning and evening sunshine is best; afternoon sun is acceptable. Never allow yourself to sunburn.

When supplementing with Vitamin D always choose D-3. It is also good to remember that this is a "fat soluble" vitamin. That means that you can store the nutrient for many days.

I will often suggest two capsules of TriVita's Bone Growth Factor or two tablets of VitaCal-Mag D to be taken at every meal. Test the tenderness in your sternum and shin bones every 6 months. Reduce your supplements to one capsule or tablet per meal when the tenderness has disappeared from the sternum and shin bones.

If Leanology Capsules are a more appropriate source of Vitamin D for you (if you are overweight and otherwise in a low-risk category for osteoporosis), taking two capsules at each meal is a good strategy. However, since most overeating occurs in the evening and since Vitamin D reduces appetite, it may be best to take three to six Leanology capsules all in the evening.

It is good to get a blood test for appropriate blood levels of Vitamin D twice a year and a DEXA scan of your bones at least every two years to help you structure a supplement program.

Eventually, health comes down to healthy habits practiced every day. Every day we should nourish our body and nurture our spirit for sustained health.

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Take Control of Your Health

Spend time in the sun daily
20 minutes in the morning or evening sun
10 minutes morning and evening work also
Expose 40% of your skin surface to sunshine
Never allow yourself to sunburn!
Eat foods high in Vitamin D
Cod liver oil
Fortified milk
Salmon, mackerel and sardines
Egg yolks
Beef liver
Take Vitamin D supplements
Make sure to select D-3
Spread the dose of Bone Growth Factor and VitaCal-Mag D throughout the day
Consider taking 3 to 6 Leanology Capsules in the evening
Take Vitamin D supplements with food – especially foods high in Vitamin D

TriVita’s Weekly Wellness Report [weeklywellnessreport@trivita/com]

INFLAMMATION HOT SPOTS

2010-04-05T23:02:00.000-07:00

The process of inflammation starts with injury, toxicity, deficiency or emotional distress. One particular deficiency that causes inflammation is a genetic deficiency called MTHFR. This deficiency is relatively common – perhaps the most common genetic deficiency in North America. It is related to the way we manufacture proteins. A sign that we have MTHFR deficiency is elevated homocysteine.

MTHFR deficiency creates pools of homocysteine that ignite inflammation like bonfires in specific tissues of your body. The strategies for reducing this inflammation depend greatly on where the bonfire starts. And, like many forest fires, inflammation often features multiple fronts that require different strategies for quelling its flames.

Burning brain

The delicate tissues of the brain are common victims of inflammation from an MTHFR deficiency. Elevated homocysteine feeds the fire that melts fragile neurons. Movement disorders like Parkinson's disease and dementias such as Alzheimer's disease are associated with elevated homocysteine. Further, inflammation in the brain associated with MTHFR and elevated homocysteine are also implicated in autism, ADD/ADHD, bipolar depression and schizophrenia.

MTHFR deficiency is addressed by increasing folates in the diet. Folates describe a B vitamin from foliage – leafy green vegetables. Actually, all fruits and vegetables contain some folate. Eating the optimum amount of folate can go a long way to filling the deficiency associated with MTHFR and elevated homocysteine.

Remember, the optimum number of servings for fruits and vegetables is:

5 servings for children
7 servings for women
9 servings for men

Make sure you eat vegetables of every color – eat a rainbow!

Supplements such as HCY Guard® provide nutrients that help "re-methylate" homocysteine in the presence of this MTHFR deficiency. Inflammation is normalized by the anti-inflammatory Betalains found in Nopalea™. Essential fatty acids and EFA supplements such as OmegaPrime® serve as primary building blocks for a healthy brain. Also, Omega-3 EFA, Betalains and ECGC polyphenols in Energy Now!® serve to help the body protect DNA strands and create stem cells that are needed to repair delicate, fragile brain tissues.

Burning bones

Bones are living tissue. Osteoblast cells lay down a matrix of collagen proteins and build minerals around it. Collagen provides tensile strength for the bones and minerals provide compression strength for the bones. Homocysteine shatters this matrix and melts the collagen in your bones (and elsewhere), resulting in brittle bones. Further, without collagen, minerals cannot form and the bones become porous. The end result is often osteoporosis.

Folates and plant hormones such as Vitamin K found in leafy green vegetables help reduce the impact of MTHFR deficiency and increase the opportunity for osteoblasts to make healthy bone. Healthy bones also require significant amounts of Vitamin D. Sunshine is the best source of Vitamin D; however, in North America it is not always possible to get enough healthy sun exposure to meet our Vitamin D needs. Supplements such as Bone Growth Factor and VitaCal-Mag D can help give us the nutrients we need for healthy bones. HCY Guard can help the body reduce inflammatory homocysteine and Betalains from Nopalea can help reduce the impact of inflammation.

Burning blood

MTHFR deficiency was discovered when scientists began searching for the reasons why heart disease and stroke seemed to cluster in certain families. It was discovered that these families shared a genetic deficiency that required far more folate than their diet provided. Folate deficiency depletes Vitamin B-12 and compounds the homocysteine problem. Homocysteine ignites LDL ("bad") cholesterol in the bloodstream and creates the inflammation at the root of cardiovascular disease, heart attacks and stroke.

A high folate diet focusing on leafy green vegetables can fill this deficiency. Supplements such as HCY Guard, Nopalea and OmegaPrime can help the body ease' the fire in the delicate tissues lining the blood vessels. According to the VISP study (Vitamin Intervention for Stroke Prevention) this comprehensive strategy can fill the deficiency created by MTHFR, put out the fire fueled by homocysteine, and reduce the likelihood of heart attack and stroke.

Conclusion

Inflammation hot spots build fires around your body in places like your brain, your bones and your heart.

A high folate diet can fill the deficiency that causes these body bonfires.

Safe daily sun exposure along with exercise and peaceful sleep can help build a solid foundation for wellness.

Appropriate supplementation can help satisfy the needs created by MTHFR while putting out the fires of inflammation and creating vigorous cells for health today and a healthier tomorrow.

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Take Control of Your Health

Eat 5, 7 or 9 servings of fruit and vegetables
Eat a rainbow – include leafy green vegetables (see "Dietary Sources of Folate" below)
Supplement appropriately:
HCY Guard to help reduce inflammatory homocysteine
Nopalea to put out the fire
OmegaPrime for a healthy brain and heart
Bone Growth Factor for healthy bones
Sleep peacefully every night and enjoy activity every day

TriVita’s Weekly Wellness Report [weeklywellnessreport@trivita/com]

NOPALA IN THE NEWS

2010-04-05T22:55:00.000-07:00

There is an old saying, "You are what you eat!" That is very true: Each cell in our body is comprised of elements we extract from our food. If we eat a healthy diet we will build healthy cells. If we eat an imbalanced or deficient diet we will build imbalanced cells. It is really that simple: We are what we eat!

Nopalea™ contains a family of bioflavonoids (plant compounds known for their antioxidant activity) called Betalains. Nopal fruit from the Sonora Desert contains all 24 known Betalains. These are "orphan" nutrients; the main family of Betalain-containing fruits and vegetables is now extinct. How can we be sure that Betalains are recognized by our body since they have not been seen in the human diet for thousands of years?

Bioavailability

Foods that are absorbed during digestion and carried into the bloodstream are called bioavailable foods. If they are good for us they are called bioactive foods. If they neither improve our health nor detract from it they are called bio-neutral foods and if the foods we eat are toxic for us they are called biocidic foods.

The question we have is: How do we know that Betalains from Nopal cactus fruit are bioavailable and bioactive? The answer is provided by research from Palermo, Italy.

What you eat

Professors at the University of Palermo Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology have been involved in the study of Betalains from Nopal cactus species around the world. They are primarily responsible for identifying the different types of Betalains and their activity. Recently, these Betalain experts answered the question of how efficiently Nopal Betalains are absorbed. The answer to this puzzle helps us understand the bioavailability and bioactive nature of Betalains.

Research showed that anti-inflammatory Betalains protected fats from being oxidized and turned into "bad" fats. Methyl linoleate (ML) is a common fat used in manufacturing detergent and other products. It can become carcinogenic (cancer-causing) if it oxidizes.

Betalains protected ML from oxidizing. This antioxidant activity hindered the formation of inflammatory chemicals. Betalains slowed down the domino effect of toxic, rancid fats from becoming carcinogenic before they ever started!

Remarkable results

Research continues around the world into the potent anti-inflammatory, anti-toxin action of Betalains from the Sonora Desert. The more we learn, the more remarkable Betalains become. Now we have conclusive proof that Betalains are readily recognized by our body though we may have never consumed them before our first serving of Nopalea. Further, we see that Betalains are both bioavailable and bioactive.

If we truly "are what we eat," we can improve the health of our cells, help our body reduce inflammation, oxidation and the impact of toxins by taking Nopalea.

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Take Control of Your Health

Health comes from healthy habits:

Breathe Deeply
Drink Pure Water
Sleep Peacefully
Eat Nutritiously
Enjoy Activity
Give and Receive Love
Be Forgiving
Practice Gratitude
Develop Acceptance
Develop a Relationship with God
Take Nopalea to help protect against toxins, inflammation, oxidative stress and premature aging

TriVita’s Weekly Wellness Report [weeklywellnessreport@trivita/com]

THE PHYSICAL SIDE OF STRESS

2010-04-05T22:49:00.000-07:00

According to health experts, we need about 30 minutes of aerobic exercise most days of the week. The benefits of this are too numerous to list but include:

Heart health
Increased energy
Decreased obesity
Improved mood
Exercise has been called "the best thing we can do for our body."

We also need resistance training to build lean body tissue and strong bones. Resistance training increases the ability of our individual cells to accept sugar and insulin. Indeed, resistance training is seen by some as the antidote to insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome and osteoporosis.

Stress in – stress out!

Despite all the benefits of exercise, it must be recognized that exercise is stressful. Exercise is work; it is a struggle against gravity and in the end, gravity always wins! That said, there are nutrients that can help us succeed in the struggle against gravity and help us meet our desired objectives of fitness and wellness.

First, we need energy to exercise (and then exercise gives us energy). Energy comes from metabolism, and the sensation of being energetic is "stored" in the nerves.

Our polyphenol product Energy Now! helps convert about 200 calories of energy from stored reserves per serving. This is the amount of energy we need to walk about two miles.

Sublingual B-12 adds to our energy delivery system by nourishing the nerves. Have you ever had a day when you felt light as a feather? Conversely, have you ever had a day when you felt like you were weighted down with lead weight? Most of us have that experience from time to time. Much of the sensation of feeling energetic is related to the potential of our nerves to conduct energy. Vitamin B-12 facilitates that energy delivery so we have more "light as a feather" days.

Sublingual B-12 also helps in another way. When we exercise we contract one group of muscles and stretch an opposite group of muscles. Vitamin B-12 facilitates muscle stretching – so muscles can stretch with ease.

When muscles ache after exercise it is because we have exceeded the limits of the muscle group at that moment. As we learn to listen to our body we really have only two choices: either don't exercise so we will never feel that pain or take discomfort as a signal that we need to increase our nutrient reserves. Adaptogens are a group of nutrients from specific plants known to help us resist the stress of exercise while speeding a return to "normal" after exercise. Adaptogens are non-toxic by nature. So, if you find yourself sore after exercise, take more adaptogens!

Of course, pain is one of the cardinal signs of inflammation (pain, swelling, redness and heat accompanied by loss of function). Nopalea contains anti-inflammatory bioflavonoids called Betalains. Reducing inflammation quickly can help our body repair and return to normal function more quickly.

My routine

I am often asked about my exercise routine and the supplements I take. The answer really depends on what goal I am working on at the moment. If I am preparing for an event (like a bicycle race or triathlon) I will train every day, but I will only work out with weights twice a week. On the other hand, if I am preparing to hike the Grand Canyon, I may run a few miles a day but increase my weight training to five days a week. However, I always begin my workout routines with four ounces of Adaptogen 10 Plus and four ounces of Nopalea.

I use Healthy Aging supplements and add Energy Now! just before performing – it really gives me a boost!

I don't like to exercise but I really do like to play! As an adult my "play" is more structured and organized than when I was a kid. It is also much less frequent. Still, I know that the more I move, the more I will be able to move and the more I will enjoy activity. Conversely, the less I move, the less I will be able to move and the less I will want to move.

Happiness and self-esteem come from setting and achieving worthwhile goals. One worthwhile goal is to enjoy activity daily and use nutrients and nurturing to combat our inevitable opponent: stress!
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Take Control of Your Health

Start slowly, warm up, stretch
Pick several activities to avoid burnout
Use Energy Now! to raise metabolism
Use Sublingual B-12 to aid muscles and nerves
Use Adaptogen 10 Plus to help with recovery
Use Nopalea to help break the cycle of inflammation
Set and achieve worthwhile activity goals

TriVita’s Weekly Wellness Report [weeklywellnessreport@trivita/com]

HOW TO AVOID SABOTAGING YOUR WEIGHTLOSS GOALS

2010-04-05T22:33:00.000-07:00

This is the perfect time for an encouraging article on keeping your weight loss goals. Nearly half of all people in North America make a New Year's Resolution to change something in their life. The most common commitment is to lose weight. Second is to exercise more. Third is to stop smoking.

Within a few weeks the number of people sticking to their resolve declines dramatically. Given the importance of improving our behavior, an encouraging word from an ally may be just the thing we all need to keep our resolve!

Mechanics of weight loss

Let's review the best advice for weight loss that we have gathered from expert sources over the last several years.

How: Reduce your calorie intake to match your BMR (basal metabolic rate). BMR represents the number of calories your body needs at rest; in other words, your body burns these calories through basic functions. Click here for a BMR calculator (labeled Basal Metabolism). So, BMR represents the ideal number of calories you should eat in a day. Additionally, increase your activity to burn 1–2 pounds of fat per week.

When: Never eat within two hours of bedtime. Morning exercise is a bit better than evening exercise. Never consume more than 400 calories in an hour.
What: Eat according to an organized plan. For example, South Beach, Ornish, Mediterranean, etc. Do both aerobic and resistance exercises most days of the week.

Why: Your sense of purpose will dictate your actions step by step.

Speed bumps

Somewhere along the way you are going to experience discouragement, disappointment or despondency. It may be when you hit a weight loss plateau. It may be when you see others doing what you used to do and the old habits pull at your heart. It may be when those inner voices – I call them my "counsel of critics" – start to tell you lies about failure and success. What do you do when you hit a speed bump?

The answer to this question does not lie in the "how – when – what" of weight loss. The answer lies in the "why." Your personal "why" gives you energy. It inspires you, motivates you and drives you to complete your goal.

Remember to let your desire fuel your action; let your actions harmonize with your sense of purpose. Simply be resolved to live a life of purpose and you will have the energy to get beyond the speed bumps.

Common setbacks

Lack of support – Losing weight with an uncooperative family is very difficult. In fact, diet failure is far more common with kids at home than among empty-nesters. A great solution is to turn those sources of distraction into cheerleaders. Recruit your family into your support group. Ask them for help and you may be surprised how helpful a supportive family can be.

Social functions – Parties and family gatherings are another trigger for setbacks. Food and a festive environment are catalysts for overeating and skipping exercise. Careful planning in advance can really help with food selection and an exercise schedule. And if you do overindulge, remember the "calories in, calories out" rule and increase your exercise for a week or two to burn off the extra calories.

Emotional issues – Depression, discouragement and despondency are also common triggers for diet failure. Remembering the 10 Essentials for Health and Wellness can be a good antidote. For instance, Essential #6 teaches us that we need to Give and Receive Love for excellent health. Love moves us to make commitments, committing ourselves to a life of purpose. Purpose is the reason for action. Therefore, love can help us balance autonomy, commitment and purpose with fear, shame and doubt.

Conclusion

When we commit ourselves to such noble pursuits, they deserve our very best attention. We need to define our purpose as the foundation for success. Purpose is an important motivation to help us reshape our thinking. Purpose is the antidote to self-sabotage.

Ponder over each of these life-changing rules for healthy living. You will soon see that each of these gems reflect the light you need to see beliefs that no longer serve your best interests. You can confront self-sabotage and slay the dragons that keep you from reaching your goals. Also, learning and living the 10 Essentials provides you with powerful tools to reshape your attitudes into the very ones that can help you to reach your goals, live the life you want and fulfill your purpose.

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Take Control of Your Health

Plan a balance of calories and activity for lifetime weight control

Eat 5, 7 or 9 servings of fruit and vegetables daily

Plan 30 minutes of aerobic activity most days of the week

Do resistance training 2–5 times per week

Supplement to support the four stages of weight loss:

Energy and Metabolism:

Leanology Weight Loss Capsules help increase metabolism and energy to support your body's ability to burn more calories at rest. Adaptogen 10 Plus contains aloe vera to help you absorb nutrients and improve your digestive system.

Cortisol & Stress Management:

Leanology Weight Loss Capsules help to limit cortisol production in your body – cortisol is the stress-induced hormone that can lead to abdominal fat. Adaptogen 10 Plus contains all ten adaptogens that have been proven to help the body "adapt" to stress.

Appetite Control:

Leanology Appetite Control Chews help reduce the natural hunger signals in your body, minimizing cravings

Blood Sugar Control:

Leanology Nutritional Shakes help your body use the nutrients you eat as energy, rather than storing them as fat.

TriVita’s Weekly Wellness Report [weeklywellnessreport@trivita/com]

TAKING THE "FLAME" OUT OF INFLIMMATION

2010-04-05T22:23:00.000-07:00

We usually describe the process of inflammation like a series of dominos all set up and ready for something to tip over the first domino and start the chain reaction. The first one tips over the second one, which tips over the third one and so on. This is called the "domino effect." Clever people can set up these dominos in an amazing array of complicated designs.

Inflammation is a process much like that. A single event may trigger a domino effect of inflammatory reactions. While many of the reactions are fairly predictable, many others are not. They seem to involve amazingly complicated patterns unique to the individual. Still, all inflammation exhibits five basic signs caused by four basic triggers.

Signs of inflammation

With tissue injury, inflammation is part of the healing process:
Redness: An injured area needs an increased supply of nutrients and proteins carried in the blood. So, blood supply increases and the tissue turns red (Latin: rubor).

Swelling: The injured area is bathed in healing proteins and substances to control bleeding, as well as an increased supply of plasma for transport of waste. This causes the injured area to swell (Latin: tumor).

Pain: The injured area needs to be protected. We instinctively guard an injury because we feel or anticipate pain (Latin: dolor).

Heat: The damaged tissue now becomes weakened and so it is susceptible to infection. White blood cells rush to the area and defend the fragile cells from microbes. A sign that this is working is heat or fever in the damaged area (Latin: calor).

Loss of Function: This process is accompanied by a reduction in function of the injured area until it is healed (Latin: functio laesa).
The "dominoes" fall in the same predictable pattern if the injury is a sprained ankle or heart attack! No matter what triggers the inflammation, the process is the same.

Inflammation triggers

Inflammation is the response to four basic triggers: trauma, toxins, deficiency and stress. All four of these triggers cause tissue injury. Our body responds to injury with inflammation.

Trauma

We usually think of trauma as a direct injury that causes pain and distress. However, a sedentary lifestyle is also a serious cause of trauma. Why? Because our body was made to move! The more we move, the more we are able to move – and the more we want to move. The less we move, the less we are able to move. Our muscles and other tissues shorten and atrophy. Then, any movement causes injury. So, the less we move, the less we want to move.

Toxins

Toxicity causes cells to rupture in the same way that a needle causes a balloon to pop. Is there any doubt that we live in a toxic world? An article in National Geographic estimated that humans create 700,000 tons of pollution and waste every day! Between these "exotoxins" (toxins created outside our body), and "endotoxins" (toxins created inside our body), we are bathed in inflammation-producing poison every moment of every day. Any successful strategy for reducing inflammation must address the level of toxins we face.

Deficiency

Deficiencies also cause inflammation. For example, an omega-3 essential fatty acid (EFA) deficiency leaves the cell walls weak and unable to function normally. Again, cells are like balloons. If the balloon membrane is too thin, even a normal amount of air will make it pop. If the cell wall is too thin because of an omega-3 EFA deficiency, even normal cell activity will cause the cell to pop and trigger the domino effect of inflammation. Similarly, deficiency of other nutrients can have a catastrophic effect on cells within your body. (A deficiency in oxygen, water, sleep and circulation can also trigger inflammation.)

Stress

Emotional distress is also a cause of inflammation. When we appraise a situation to be stressful, our brain releases chemicals called catecholamines that trigger the release of many inflammatory processes. For example, stress causes the release of insulin – a pro-inflammatory hormone. Too much stress over too long a period of time will cause insulin resistance (IR), which is associated with obesity. Other stress-related chemicals reduce circulation to our digestive and reproductive systems and trigger inflammation from blood deficiency. Stress is a serious cause of inflammation!

First steps

We are made with the ability to respond to trauma, toxins, deficiency and stress with inflammation. Therefore, inflammation is not the enemy; however, runaway inflammation is definitely our enemy! Stop the domino effect of runaway inflammation before it starts by learning and living the 10 Essentials for Health and Wellness.

Reduce basic nutrient deficiencies through our Healthy Aging program.
Help reduce the effect of harmful toxins with Nopalea™.
Ease the disturbances caused by emotional distress with anti-stress adaptogens.
A word about Nopalea

Once runaway inflammation is triggered it follows an amazingly intricate course leading to catastrophe. It is as if tens of thousands of dominoes are falling in an extremely complex design. Many of the steps are known to medical science, but many are not. One thing we know and have known for thousands of years: stop the runaway inflammation and health will always improve! So, no matter what the "condition" is that is causing distress, reducing excess inflammation will always improve the way we feel.

Betalains in Nopalea are anti-inflammatory nutrients. They help your body do what it does best: repair with controlled inflammation while dousing the flames of runaway inflammation. So, we can say with confidence that if runaway inflammation is the problem, reducing that inflammation is part of the solution. Address the root causes of runaway inflammation by following the 10 Essentials, and taking Healthy Aging nutrients, adaptogens and Nopalea!
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Take Control of Your Health

Eat 5, 7 or 9 servings of fruit and vegetables each day. Include a rainbow of colors, including leafy green vegetables.

Supplement appropriately:

Healthy Aging nutrients to fill deficiency
Nopalea to put out the fire and drain toxins
Adaptogen 10 Plus to help counteract damage caused by stress
Sleep peacefully every night and enjoy activity

TriVita’s Weekly Wellness Report [weeklywellnessreport@trivita/com]

HOW TO JUMPSTART YOUR WEIGHT LOSS

2010-04-05T20:47:00.000-07:00

Weight loss is the number one "resolution" people make when they decide to improve their health. When weight loss occurs it comes from a loss of body mass: water, fat, lean body tissue and bones. Wouldn't it be great to focus weight loss on fat only? It certainly would. In fact, weight loss that selectively targets fat and preserves or increases lean body tissues and bones is the only way to permanently lose weight.

Sounds difficult, right? Well, don't worry: We have a solution!

Suicidal weight loss

Many people lose weight rapidly by starving themselves. I call this suicidal weight loss for three reasons:

*Rapid weight loss is water loss; water loss is dehydration and dehydration is death.

*Rapid weight loss comes from lean body tissue (brain, heart, muscle, collagen, etc.). Sarcopenia (age-related loss of lean body tissue) is death.

*Rapid weight loss comes from bone. Bone loss is osteoporosis; osteoporosis kills more women in North America than breast cancer!

*Rapid weight loss by starving yourself is slow suicide.

*Lifetime weight control.

An alternative to this kind of weight loss madness is to select a strategy that focuses on weight loss from fat only. This is not done by accident. We must select fat loss by choice. This choice implies knowledge; knowledge means that we must learn the lesson of obesity and battle it for the rest of our lives.

Calories – Obesity in simplistic terms is about consuming more calories than you burn in a single day. Multiply these extra calories over time and you have what we all see: an obesity epidemic. However, it is not merely the number of calories we eat; we must include the right kind of calories for lifetime weight control. Organizations such as the American Heart Association and the America Cancer Society recommend eating 5 to 9 servings of fruits and vegetables daily (5 for children, 7 for women and 9 for men). These are the best calories.

Movement – Our body is made to move. Daily exercise is necessary for lifetime weight control and targeted fat loss. Aerobic training for 30 minutes on most days of the week and weight training (resistance training) 2 to 5 times per week will keep the fires of your metabolism burning fat.

Other tips:

*Deep breathing for 20 minutes daily reduces fat-building hormones like cortisol.
*Get your sleep: The less you sleep, the more you will weigh.

*Eat small meals: Eating more than 400 calories at a single meal causes our cells to suffocate from insulin.

Why supplementation is important

Taking certain supplements can help you lose weight, but you really have to be careful! One supplement that was heavily advertised on television was shown to cause 74% weight loss from lean body tissue. Another supplement that seemed to be the most popular weight loss supplement of the time caused 55% lean body loss. That is suicidal weight loss!

Beneficial supplements exist. For example, Leanology Weight Loss Capsules were studied in a top-of-the-line, scientific clinical trial through Arizona State University. They were shown to reduce weight entirely from fat! Yes, 100% of the weight loss came from fat!

Also, the plant antioxidant ECGC (found in Energy Now!) can increase metabolism by over 200 calories per gram.

My favorite fat loss supplement to "jump-start" a weight loss program is Vital C. This is primarily because of the nature of fat: a toxic dumping ground for chemicals and poisons your body could not eliminate. Vital C is a pH-balanced form of ascorbic acid (Vitamin C). Ascorbic acid neutralizes many of the toxins we store in our fat cells. For rapid weight loss that targets fat cells, use a Vitamin C Flush, Energy Now! and, especially, Leanology.

Conclusion

Good health only comes from healthy living. Take time to learn the rules of healthy living. Practice healthy habits every day. Soon, the "deposits" you make into your health account will begin to yield real dividends: a lean body functioning at peak efficiency!

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Take Control of Your Health

Eat your vegetables and fruits
5 servings for children
7 servings for women
9 servings for men
Exercise daily
Reduce stress through deep breathing
Sleep peacefully
Detoxify fat cells with pure water and Vital C
Increase metabolism with Energy Now!
Lose 100% of the weight from fat with Leanology

Learn More...
Get strong with strength training
Get thin – stay thin
Upcoming Weekly Wellness Reports...
Nopalea Stem Cells
Multi-Vitamins

TriVita’s Weekly Wellness Report [weeklywellnessreport@trivita/com]

ARE YOU NUTRIENT DEFICIENT

2010-04-05T20:44:00.000-07:00

Are you nutrient deficient? Your parents can partly be to blame
For the first time in recorded history, children born in North America today are not expected to live as long or as well as their parents. This startling trend may have its roots in the nutrition of our parents or grandparents. The trend continues through our generation. Truly, the "sins of the parents" are visited upon their children, grandchildren and even great-grandchildren.

How did we get into this predicament and what can we do to change the trend?

Poisonous fruit

Along with the advances in agriculture that reduced famines and starvation, the farming practices of the last century produced some pretty scary trends. For example, food grown in mineral-depleted soil has fewer nutrients to offer us. Food processed for increased storage is further reduced in nutrients. Flavor-enhancing additives, such as refined sugar, further impose a burden on our system. It is as if we are over-taxing our personal health resources and the "deficit spending" of this course is being passed on to our children.

Some scientists recognized this disastrous course 100 years ago. General awareness of the importance of nutrition has increased significantly in the past 50 years. However, commercial and other interests have kept the debate suppressed until recently. A landmark article was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) June 19, 2002. It defined the need for nutrients in disease prevention. Though it was met with resistance, this article clearly opened the door for debate while confirming the truth we have known for a century: A body deprived of nutrients and nurturing will be prone to disease, disability and untimely death.

Further scientific exploration into the link between low nutrient reserves, a shortened lifespan, increased disease and unhealthy children was published that same year in the European Journal of Human Genetics. It clearly detailed the link between poor nutrition in a person and the increase in disease in their children and grandchildren. The "root" of poor nutrition has erupted into obesity, heart disease, diabetes and other diseases that extend through generations. Habits and practices of 100 years ago are bearing "fruit" in our children!

Solutions

With this knowledge, the discussion around human nutrition has never been more important. We simply must change our habits if we are to change our destiny. For example, we must select food grown in mineral-rich soil and endorse farming practices that support ecology.

We must also discipline ourselves to take our nutrients every day. By doing this, we increase the opportunity for having healthier children. If we are past childbearing, taking our nutrients daily will improve our health and give us the opportunity to "model" responsible behavior for our children and grandchildren. Healthier kids mean a healthier family, a healthy community and even a healthier species.

The power to change the trend is in the choices you make every day.

Wellavoh

Men's and Women's Wellavoh (wel-lah vōh) is a multi-nutrient complex built upon the science of proper nutrition. Wellavoh is constructed to give you the nutrients you need today to help your body change the trend: the trend toward wellness. It contains the classes of nutrients we need to fill in the gaps left by poor diet and foods grown in nutrient-depleted soil.

Wellavoh is designed for adults and children age 10 and over. Take your nutrients every day and model healthy behavior for your children and grandchildren. Become part of the solution to declining health by making better choices in nourishing and nurturing your body today!

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Take Control of Your Health

Learn and live the 10 Essentials for Health and Wellness
Take healthy aging nutrients:
Men's and Women's Wellavoh – the "multi-nutrient" complex
Nopalea
Sublingual Vitamin B-12
OmegaPrime
Vitamin C
A Vitamin D supplement (found in VitaCal-Mag D and Bone Growth Factor)
Eat organic, locally-grown food when possible

TriVita’s Weekly Wellness Report [weeklywellnessreport@trivita/com]

The Foundation of Energy

2010-03-21T19:23:00.000-07:00

Do you remember what it feels like to be in love? The euphoria was magnificent! You likely experienced less pain, a decrease in appetite and endless energy.

Would you like to have that energetic feeling back?

Healthy aging: love and friendship

In over two decades of experience working with the critically ill and those nearing the end of their life, I must say that I have learned no greater truth about healthy aging than the words spoken by actress Jeanne Moreau. She once said that "Age does not protect us from love but, to some extent, love protects us from age."

The ability to give and receive love is the beginning of healthy aging. Love tells us that we belong – that we matter. Love makes it safe to try new things because real love makes it safe to fail. All our life we are creating community and family to nourish and nurture us. In return, we provide nurturing for others and the cycle of care continues.

There are lessons that healthy community teaches us. For instance, we learn empathy and to accept our loved ones with their flaws and faults. And this teaches us to accept ourselves with our flaws and faults. We learn to forgive and let go of resentment and guilt. We learn the art of negotiation and compromise.

Emotional balance is fostered by a sense of community. Our friends actually help us form, transform and re-form our own personality as we continue to grow. We create our extended family by selecting people that are very much like ourselves and very much different; people that we feel we're called to help and people that inspire us as well.

How does this relate to healthy aging? Robert McAfee Brown said, "How does one keep from 'growing old inside'? Surely only in community. The only way to make friends with time is to stay friends with people. Taking community seriously not only gives us the companionship we need, it also relieves us of the notion that we are indispensable."

On a physical, cellular level, people with healthy attachments live longer and better lives. One report stated that married men live about 17 years longer than bachelors. Another study concluded that support groups add 25% or greater longevity to certain people.

People that are integrated into a large social circle have fewer accidents, illnesses and emotional disturbances. They are healthier and happier.

How nutrients help:

We have more to give when we are healthy. In a sense, we owe it to our loved ones to optimize our health by nourishing our personal wellness. If we are part of a family or community the same responsibility applies. And if we have dedicated ourselves to higher purposes, then pursuing wellness demonstrates respect for our dedication.

Healthy Aging nutrients provide a stable foundation for wellness.

Which nutrients?

Many reports today talk about the dramatic decline in Vitamin D levels in recent years. Vitamin D has now been added to our "most wanted" list when it comes to supplements. What else is on that list?

Vitamin B-12 is one of the most common deficiencies among those over 40 years of age, as well as those suffering with allergies, asthma and a host of other stressful conditions. Vitamin C is also a top contender for "most wanted" in our body as we age. We have heard about Omega-3 Essential Fatty Acids and the importance of these essential fats to heart and brain health – targets for inflammation and disease. Finally, magnesium rounds out the top five most-needed nutrients to support healthy aging.

With this in mind, we have formulated Wellavoh™ and VitaDaily AM/PM™ to help boost levels of magnesium and Vitamin D. (If you need even more, consider Bone Growth Factor™ or VitaCal-Mag D™.) OmegaPrime® provides the optimum amount of Omega-3 EFA for the average person. When we combine OmegaPrime with the Omega-3 EFA in Wellavoh, we get an even more robust supply of Omega-3 EFA.

Sublingual B-12, Super Sublingual B-12 and HCY Guard® all provide Vitamin B-12 that we need in the sublingual form adults use. Take this with our Vital C Crystals in the morning for energy and antioxidant protection during the day. Take a Vital C Tablet at bedtime for continued antioxidant protection as you sleep.

So, develop these habits that are the foundation for energy and healthy aging:

Choose emotionally healthy friends and form a loving community of people that call you to be at your very best every day:

Take your Healthy Aging nutrients; and become an ardent student of the 10 Essentials for Health and Wellness.

TriVita’s Weekly Wellness Report [weeklywellnessreport@trivita/com]

Are You Nutrient Deficient?

2010-02-02T19:33:00.000-08:00

For the first time in recorded history, children born in North America today are not expected to live as long or as well as their parents. This startling trend may have its roots in the nutrition of our parents or grandparents. The trend continues through our generation. Truly, the "sins of the parents" are visited upon their children, grandchildren and even great-grandchildren.

How did we get into this predicament and what can we do to change the trend?

Poisonous fruit

Flavor-enhancing additives, such as refined sugar, further impose a burden on our system. It is as if we are over-taxing our personal health resources and the "deficit spending" of this course is being passed on to our children.

Some scientists recognized this disastrous course 100 years ago. General awareness of the importance of nutrition has increased significantly in the past 50 years. However, commercial and other interests have kept the debate suppressed until recently.

A landmark article was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) June 19, 2002. It defined the need for nutrients in disease prevention. Though it was met with resistance, this article clearly opened the door for debate while confirming the truth we have known for a century: A body deprived of nutrients and nurturing will be prone to disease, disability and untimely death.

Further scientific exploration into the link between low nutrient reserves, a shortened lifespan, increased disease and unhealthy children was published that same year in the European Journal of Human Genetics. It clearly detailed the link between poor nutrition in a person and the increase in disease in their children and grandchildren. The "root" of poor nutrition has erupted into obesity, heart disease, diabetes and other diseases that extend through generations. Habits and practices of 100 years ago are bearing "fruit" in our children!

Solutions

With this knowledge, the discussion around human nutrition has never been more important. We simply must change our habits if we are to change our destiny. For example, we must select food grown in mineral-rich soil and endorse farming practices that support ecology.

We must also discipline ourselves to take our nutrients every day. By doing this, we increase the opportunity for having healthier children. If we are past childbearing, taking our nutrients daily will improve our health and give us the opportunity to "model" responsible behavior for our children and grandchildren. Healthier kids mean a healthier family, a healthy community and even a healthier species.

The power to change the trend is in the choices you make every day.

Wellavoh

Wellavoh is designed for adults and children age 10 and over. Take your nutrients every day and model healthy behavior for your children and grandchildren. Become part of the solution to declining health by making better choices in nourishing and nurturing your body today!

TriVita’s Weekly Wellness Report [weeklywellnessreport@trivita/com]

Got Energy?

2010-02-02T19:22:00.000-08:00

Regardless of what complaint a person has when they visit their doctor, 85% of all patients complain of fatigue. It is one of the "Top 10" reasons for seeking medical help.

People feel tired. We need energy. So, where does energy come from? And, once we get energy, how do we keep it? Let me explain the process by which we produce energy and how we may form strategies to feel energetic every day.

The process of energy

First of all, there is a difference between having energy and feeling energetic.

We produce a significant amount of energy even when we are asleep. Yet, most of us don't feel particularly energetic when we wake up. There are times when we may feel energetic and yet scientific tests actually measure less energy.

A good example of this may be seen when a person uses a caffeine-based stimulant such as a cup of coffee or a soft drink. They may feel more alert. Yet, they have less mental energy and they typically score poorly on mental performance tests.

That means they cannot really think as well and solve problems as well when they are under the influence of caffeine. More than that, the alertness that they feel comes at a high price: drinking caffeinated beverages will ensure that you feel more fatigue later. The energy that you feel is not real energy.

Practice the 10 Essentials for energy

Get your rest and exercise.
Eat a nutrient-rich diet.
Select relationships that energize you.
Support energy production with Energy Now!.
Reduce the impact of stress with Adaptogen 10 Plus.
Improve the sensation of energy with Vitamin B-12.
Decrease the impact of inflammation with Nopalea.

TriVita’s Weekly Wellness Report [weeklywellnessreport@trivita/com]

Metabolism - How Does that Effect Your Health

2010-02-02T18:37:00.000-08:00

Real energy is a process of burning calories found in foods and releasing the energy contained within them. This is the process of metabolism. The word metabolism is drawn from a Greek word meaning change. Metabolism changes food into heat. Heat is a form of energy. Therefore, the first step in producing lasting energy is to eat properly so we will have enough fuel to keep our inner fires burning. Betalains, found in Nopalea, prevent these fires of metabolism from becoming fires of inflammation.

Metabolism is governed by hormones that originate in a region of your brain called the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus determines your energy needs and sends this information to your pituitary gland. The pituitary gland (often called the Master Gland) translates these signals into hormones and sends these messenger hormones on their way to other various glands. The two prominent glands for energy production are:

Adrenal glands – The adrenal glands respond with adrenaline when the hypothalamus detects danger. This process is often called the "fight or flight" response to stress. Adrenaline sends your body into an energy spending spree where it virtually cannibalizes your organ reserves for all of their stored energy. The fires of metabolism are turned down. Your hands and feet get cold and your core body temperature may drop below normal. Even when we are not in danger, caffeine and sugar (as well as other stimulants) mimic this process and trick your system into releasing adrenaline. The adrenaline rush is very addictive but it robs us of true energy. So, the second step in energy production is to turn down the stress response. We do this with adaptogens: plants known to help us reduce the impact of stress.

The thyroid – The thyroid gland is responsible for regulating your body temperature by adjusting your metabolism. Two primary fuel sources keep the thyroid gland functioning properly: Iodine and Tyrosine. Iodine is a mineral and Tyrosine is an amino acid – a building block of protein. Tyrosine is considered a non-essential amino acid because we do not need to get it in our diet. We can make it from an essential amino acid (one we must get in our diet) called Phenylalanine (LPA). However, getting Tyrosine in our diets is not a bad thing; it means that we will use less energy making Tyrosine from LPA.

Nopalea is a good source of dietary Tyrosine and Energy Now! contains both LPA and Tyrosine to fuel healthy energy production. Energy Now! is a nutrient, not a stimulant. The ingredients in Energy Now! can help us feel energetic by supporting healthy metabolism.

Into the brain

Tyrosine and LPA fuel metabolism by supporting healthy thyroid function. Further, these important amino acids foster the sensation of energy and euphoria by serving as the building blocks for other brain chemicals, such as PEA and Nor-Epinephrine. PEA is the "hormone of love" and it is likely the reason why our energy is increased, our pain-perception reduced and even our appetite reduced when we fall in love. We want to support PEA metabolism to feel energetic! Nor-Epinephrine fuels the creation of energy in the brain and supports our nerves as we translate that energy into action.

To get energy from our brain to our body requires healthy nerves. Often, our metabolism is normal – our stress level is low and our nutrient reserves are high and still we do not feel energetic. The problem may not be as much in creating energy as it is in translating that energy through our nerves. Nerve health is supported by Vitamin B-12. People feel fatigued when they lack enough B-12 because they cannot transfer the creation of energy into the sensation of energy.
Conclusion

Health only comes from healthy habits practiced every day. Our bodies rely on nutrients and nurturing to remain healthy. Fatigue is a message from our body that something is wrong – and we need to learn to listen to our body to have energy and to feel energetic!

TriVita’s Weekly Wellness Report [weeklywellnessreport@trivita/com]

OmegaPrime

2010-02-02T18:26:00.000-08:00

When I am asked, "What products do you take?" I always begin with OmegaPrime. In North America, the nutrients we are most likely to be deficient in are Vitamin B-12, Vitamin C, Magnesium, Omega-3 Essential Fatty Acids (EFA) and Vitamin D. We have formulated our Healthy Aging Pack to provide foundational nutrients for wellness and to fill these basic needs.

But what is so special about OmegaPrime? The answer to this question resides in the ingredients. Let's take a look at the different kinds of Omega EFA in our product and what they do for you.

Fish oil

A key ingredient in OmegaPrime is fish oil. There are many fish oil supplements and most of them are good for you. (Always be sure your fish oil is from a trusted source – PCB-free and mercury-free.) Almost every cell in your body is made of an envelope of fat. These cell fats come directly from your diet. So, cellular fats are dietary fats. Cells are healthiest when the majority of the fat is Omega-3. Fish oil contains Omega-3 fatty acids.

Your brain is two-thirds fat; the majority of the fat in your brain is Omega-3. A chief Omega-3 is DHA. DHA is the most abundant fat in the human brain. Three-fourths of the fat in a healthy brain is DHA. This gives us some real insight on the benefits of OmegaPrime: to supply DHA for brain development and function. In fact, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) archives over 20,000 articles on Omega-3 EFA with 2,300 articles related to brain function, 522 articles related to depression, 141 articles related to memory loss and 56 articles related to chronic behavioral disorders.

Omega-3 from fish oil is healthy for your body and it shows a special affinity for your brain. Fish oil contains fully metabolized Omega-3. It is absorbed very quickly.

Flax oil

Flaxseed oil is a vegetarian source of Omega-3. But unlike fish oil, it must be slowly metabolized over several hours. Think of fish oil as "fast-acting" and flaxseed oil as "sustained release."

While all Omega-3 oils are good for cardiovascular health, flaxseed oil has particular benefits when it comes to heart health. According to articles archived by the NIH, flaxseeds reduce cholesterol and LDL ("bad" cholesterol) significantly when taken daily.

Flaxseeds also contain lignans, a special plant hormone that reduces inflammation. Lignans improve health outcomes when combined with certain treatments for breast cancer.

There are over 1,400 references to the health benefits of flax in the NIH library. Nearly 400 of these are references to cardiovascular health, as flaxseed oil harmonizes fats in the blood like cholesterol and triglycerides. More than 130 articles reference the ability of flaxseeds to support hormone health in men and women and 30 of these articles demonstrate how flax improves breast health.

Perilla seed oil

Humans cannot synthesize two essential fatty acids: Omega-3 ALA (alpha linolenic acid) and Omega-6 LA (linoleic acid). We must get them from our diet and that is why they are called "essential." Perilla seeds contain a balance of Omega-3 ALA and Omega-6 LA.

There are nearly 500 articles in the NIH database on perilla. Scientists from all over the world are studying this amazing anti-inflammatory seed. Over 100 articles refer to the work being done with perilla seeds and cancer; over 80 of these papers detail its use with the specific genes associated with various cancers. Over 50 articles discuss the anti-inflammatory benefits of perilla seed oil concerning allergy, breathing problems, and other immune and cardiovascular concerns.

Evening Primrose oil

Evening Primrose oil (EPO) is a primary source of LA in OmegaPrime. LA goes through a long process of metabolism that results in intense anti-inflammatory activity. For example, many inflammatory conditions are associated with Prostaglandin E-2 (PGE2), an inflammatory hormone. EPO blocks the creation of PGE2 and diverts the energy into anti-inflammatory PGE1 and PGE3.

A common problem of inflammation is chronic inflammation of the outer skin. In this condition, the fat cells in the skin break down and the immune system over-responds by attacking both sick and healthy skin cells. Omega EFA helps us develop normal, healthy skin. Further, LA reduces the inflammation associated with this condition by reducing PGE2. Evening Primrose oil is an excellent source of LA and OmegaPrime is an excellent source of EPO.

There are over 500 articles in the NIH database on Evening Primrose oil. Common inflammatory conditions are discussed over 60 times. Breast health ? including breast pain ? is likewise discussed over 60 times, and cardiovascular health is discussed more than 45 times.

Conclusion

Essential fatty acids are ESSENTIAL to wellness! We cannot make them; we must get them from our diet. The healthier our fat intake is, the healthier our body will become. People in North America are woefully deficient in Omega EFA. Eat healthy fats and supplement your diet with OmegaPrime (like I do!) every day.

Nopalea and Stem Cells

2010-01-19T20:51:00.000-08:00

I attended an anti-aging conference recently. The discussions were about natural and pharmaceutical ways to slow the aging process and extend the vitality longevity of humans. There were 20 speakers from around the world. All 20 of these physicians and professors eventually discussed stem cells as a way to slow aging and speed healing.

Get your sleep: HgH is released during deep sleep.

Exercise vigorously: HgH is released during strenuous exercise.

Eat a rainbow: colorful foods contain nutrients needed for stem cell production.

Take Men's and Women's Wellavoh for a solid foundation of nutrients.
Take Super Sublingual B-12 for healthy DNA/RNA reproduction.

Drink Nopalea: Betalains may help increase your production of stem cells.

What are stem cells and how can they help us live long, healthy lives? Are there natural products that can assist us as we age?

What are stem cells?

At conception, cells begin to divide into what will become a person. Along the way the cells "differentiate" – that is, they become different tissues. Some become the heart, others the brain and so on until the complete human is formed. These are called "embryonic" stem cells. Highly controversial experiments are being conducted with samples of these cells.

Once a person is formed, does the human body stop making stem cells? No, because stem cells are part of our miraculous healing process. We make stem cells every day of our life. These are different from embryonic stem cells because they actually replace other cells. You see, every cell in your body has a life span. When that cell dies it needs to be replaced. Stem cells made in your bone marrow and other places in your body follow a chemical trail back to the place where the cell dies and "differentiate" into the type of cell that died.

Aging can be defined as the process of cell death and cell replacement. Premature aging is when more cells die than you can replace in a single day. Chronic disease and disability often accompany premature aging, as you might imagine. Stem cells replace dead cells.

So, the more stem cells you can make in a day, the slower you are aging, the more vital you may be, and the less likely you are to experience the chronic diseases associated with premature aging. All 20 of the experts at the anti-aging conference endorsed doing all we can to promote stem cell production by our own body.

Making stem cells

As I mentioned, we make stem cells every day. Dying cells release enzymes into your bloodstream. Your brain interprets the level of enzymes and sends an appropriate amount of Human growth hormone (HgH). When the HgH reaches the bone marrow or other stem cell "nursery," it triggers the release of a number of stem cells that roughly correspond to the amount of HgH.

The stem cells follow the chemical trail left by the enzymes of the dying cell. They follow the trail back to the space left by the dead cell and nestle into the tissues. Once there, they differentiate into the cell they replace – they literally become the exact type of cell they replaced.

Nutrients are required for making cells (including stem cells). If you are deficient in any critical nutrient at the moment you create stem cells, one of two things will happen:

Your bone marrow will refuse the order to meet that quota of stem cells, causing premature aging, or the cells will be made, but without the nutrients critical for the health and longevity of the cell. When a deficient cell matures it becomes the target for inflammation and disease.

Cells need nutrients. Without all of the appropriate nutrients on board at all times, we will not be able to make as many healthy cells as we lose in a day. The disparity between how many cells we lose and how many we can replace is premature aging.

More stem cells

Nutrients serve as the foundation for stem cells. However, specific nutrients also stimulate the production of stem cells. At the anti-aging conference, six stem cell-stimulating nutrients were identified. As one speaker neared the end of his presentation, he talked about "a curious bioflavonoid" found in great abundance in prickly pears from the Nopal cactus. Of course, he was talking about Betalains! It turns out that Betalains along with Vitamin B-12 may help your body increase the production of stem cells.

More healthy stem cells close the gap between the numbers of cells that die and the number of cells we replace every day. That equals slower aging. So, take your nutrients every day: Men's and Women's Wellavoh for the nutrient foundation we need, Super Sublingual B-12 and Nopalea to encourage an abundant crop of anti-aging stem cells!

TriVita’s Weekly Wellness Report [weeklywellnessreport@trivita.com]

Calories: Time to Burn!

2010-01-19T20:29:00.000-08:00

Losing weight is a challenge. It requires the same careful consideration that you would give to any serious endeavor; don't fail to plan. But, create a plan that is realistic. Allow for interruptions such as sickness or travel. Plan to start during a quiet time in your life, not when work and family responsibilities are likely to be at their peak.

You may prefer to start with an exercise program and then add in dietary changes. Or you may want to do it the other way around. If you're really motivated, you may want to start both the exercise and diet segments simultaneously.

Your diet

Very few aspects of your life are as emotionally charged as securing your right to choose for yourself. From early childhood until today, one of the most frequent choices you make concerns your diet. You must have choices and they must be your own. Recognize that restricting yourself from available choices goes against your very nature. A restrictive diet is doomed to failure. Select a diet that is uncomplicated and appealing to you and you will have a greater chance for success.

The first challenge we face in diet selection is committing to the discipline of thinking ahead instead of eating impulsively. So, start with something small and attainable:

Many health experts recommend fresh fruits and vegetables daily

5 servings for children
7 servings for women
9 servings for men

Add high quality protein to your diet

Drink plenty of water

These are easy steps that you can accomplish today! Remember, the time you spend selecting the right diet for yourself is an investment in your health and your future. Give it the attention it deserves.

Calories in – calories OUT!

We must burn more calories than we consume in order for weight loss to occur.

Exercise is the key to permanent, lifetime weight control. There is no way around it. However, exercise does not have to be a punishment; it can really be pleasurable. The key is finding something you enjoy doing. I suggest that you start with three forms of activity; this prevents exercise boredom. Add more activities every month. Get in the habit of participating in at least 30 minutes of activity every day.

There are basically two types of exercise that you need every week:

Aerobic exercise is defined as any activity that increases your need for oxygen. Aerobics make you breathe harder. You need at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise most days of the week.

Aerobic exercise can balance hormones, relieve anxiety and depression, and mobilize your energy for the great works of your life. Aerobic exercise speeds up your metabolism.

But where does metabolism originate? It comes from your lean body mass – your muscles! That is the domain of resistance training.

Progressive resistance training is defined as any exercise where the load to the muscle is increased by some mechanical means – weights, bands, springs, and many other methods. The key is to progressively increase the weight or resistance over time. This results in more lean body mass and less fat mass. If you increase your muscle strength, you increase the "engines" that produce muscle energy. Nothing builds metabolism (muscle energy) as well as progressive resistance training.

Supplements for weight loss

The Leanology Smart Weight Loss System can also be an important part of your weight loss plan. For many people it represents the critical difference between success and failure in lifetime weight control.

Fat burning capsules – Leanology Weight Loss Capsules help increase metabolism and energy to support your body's ability to burn more calories. Plus, they help limit cortisol production – the stress-induced hormone that can lead to abdominal fat.

Snack replacement chews – Leanology Appetite Control Chews contain ingredients that are clinically proven to help curb the appetite.

Nutritional shakes – Leanology Nutritional Shakes can be used as a low calorie meal substitute; they provide a healthy balance of wholesome carbohydrates, proteins, good fats, fiber, vitamins and minerals.

However, you must always remember that these are supplements; they supplement a healthy diet and exercise program. Use them wisely as an important part of your total wellness program.

TriVita’s Weekly Wellness Report [weeklywellnessreport@trivita.com]

10 Steps to Better Health

2010-01-19T20:08:00.000-08:00

Health is the consequence of healthy habits practiced daily. It is also the accumulation of all the thoughts, actions, words, intentions and feelings that you have now, or that you have ever had in your past or that you will ever experience in your future. As renowned neuroscientist Candace Pert stated, "Every thought, every feeling, every emotion we experience impacts us and is recorded in cellular memory."

Health is a choice. It is a decision you make every day. Nutrients create physical health and nurturing creates emotional and spiritual wellness. Make the healthy choice today by practicing the 10 Essentials for Health and Wellness. The 10 Essentials can make all the difference in the world when it comes to your everyday health.

1. Breathe Deeply – Air is the cornerstone of life. Every moment of every day your body exchanges carbon dioxide for oxygen to keep each cell in your body alive and functioning.

Take several deep breaths throughout the day. Inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth, making sure that your abdomen is rising and falling with each breath.

2. Drink Pure Water – Water is essential for everything your body does. In fact, your body is made up of approximately 70% water! Nutrient absorption, blood flow, respiration, elimination and your ability to see and hear require adequate consumption of pure, clean water.

Calculate your daily water needs by dividing your weight by 2. This is the number of ounces you should try to drink every day. Remember to drink extra water when you're exercising and if you're outdoors during warmer months.

3. Sleep Peacefully – Sleep is the only time your body has to repair and rejuvenate its organs and systems. Sleep deprivation causes cellular damage and limits the production of enzymes and hormones your body needs to keep your cells healthy and prevent premature aging. Sleep also has a strong effect on your emotional health.

Try to get eight hours of sleep every night. Keep your bedroom cool and dark – even the light from your alarm clock can disrupt your sleep.

4. Eat Nutritiously – Food has a powerful impact on your body. A diet rich in whole foods – combined with quality nutritional supplements created to meet your specific needs – will give you the energy you need today, and the disease-fighting strength you need to build a healthy future.

Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables; 5 servings per day for children, 7 servings for women, and 9 for men. For a balanced meal, divide your plate in half; fill one half with fruits and vegetables, and divide the other half evenly between a lean protein and a high-fiber carbohydrate.

5. Enjoy Activity – Your body was created to move – and move often. Activity increases your circulation, speeding oxygen, nutrients and water to your cells. Your lymphatic system requires activity to purge your body of deadly toxins. Activity lifts your spirit and bolsters your immune system.

Try to get 30 minutes of exercise per day. If you have difficulty finding time, split your exercise into three 10-minute sessions. This can be just as effective. Find creative ways to incorporate activity into your day; taking the dog for a walk, working in the garden and even housework count!

6. Give and Receive Love – Like the ground we walk on, love supports us in all we do. Researcher Kenneth Pelletier conducted a five-year investigation of the benefits of altruism that offered evidence that the caring and loving influences of family and friends may be equally – if not more – important than our traditional risk factors for disease (poor nutrition, lack of exercise, etc.).

Call a friend or family member today just to tell them you love them. You'll be amazed at how good it will make you (and them!) feel.

7. Be Forgiving – It may surprise you, but research on forgiveness shows that those who hold a grudge have far more heart problems than those who forgive. Also, there are more symptoms of a poor immune system, depression, anxiety and physical pain among people who don't practice forgiveness.

Before you go to bed, make it a point to forgive anyone who has offended you. If you find forgiveness itself difficult, a great first step is just acknowledging that you're holding a grudge.

8. Practice Gratitude – Research studies indicate that self-centered people who do not express an attitude of gratitude are more likely to develop heart disease. Selfish, self-centered people are often lonely, and lonely people tend to have a short life expectancy.

Start a "Gratitude from A to Z" list; write down something that you're thankful for starting with "A" (apples, air, Aunt Ruthy, etc.), and add an item every day until you get to "Z." Then start over!

9. Develop Acceptance – All of us will face loss. The most stressful event that we will ever experience is the loss of a loved one. The intense and prolonged stress involved in bereavement has long been associated with illness. The landmark work by stress researchers Holmes and Rahe demonstrated that we carry stress from 2 to 10 years. Develop acceptance and release those stresses.

Identify the things you cannot change in life – but focus on those things you can change. Recognizing the difference is the first step toward developing acceptance.

10. Develop a Relationship with God – According to Mind/Body Health: The Effects of Attitudes, Emotions and Relationships, people who regularly attend religious services have a much lower rate of illness than those who do not attend regularly, or do not attend at all. Formal worshippers have lower rates of heart disease, lung disease, liver disease and some types of cancer. Men who attend church frequently have fewer heart attacks and less heart disease. Those who do not worship regularly (or at all) have twice the risk of death from heart disease and four times the risk of death from liver disease.

Spend a few minutes every day in prayer and meditation. Dedicate a specific time of day to it; make it a priority!

By practicing the 10 Essentials for Health and Wellness every day, you can move toward wellness, regardless of your current state of health.

TriVita’s Weekly Wellness Report [weeklywellnessreport@trivita.com]

Toxins in Our Air, Water and Food

2010-01-19T19:22:00.000-08:00

We have one of the safest food and water supply chains in the world here in North America. That is, our supply chain is "safe" when we compare it to others that are worse. It is "safe" when we compare it to how it used to be here in North America. Our food and water supplies are "safe" when we think of how toxic they could be if we didn’t have the legislation in place that governs pollution in our food and water.

And yet, every expert recognizes two truths about the safety of our food and water: They are far, far away from how safe they could be, and the toxins in our food and water are getting worse every year.

Bad water, bad food

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 1.4 million children die each year from diseases related to polluted water. Tragedy for these families could quickly be eliminated if there were only minimum standards of hygiene applied to their drinking water. We enjoy this protection in "developed" lands. Yet, our drinking water is so polluted that water wells are frequently closed due to contamination.

Do you drink bottled water?

Many of us do; and yet, specific toxins called phthalates and parabens contaminate water bottled in plastic containers. Many of these toxins accumulate in our body. The chemicals are so new that science has no idea what the consequences are to human health as time progresses. We are learning that reproductive cancer rates increase when animals and people are exposed to parabens and phthalates over time.

Our food supply is contaminated with these chemicals as well as from pollution in our air and specific toxins used in agriculture. Certain fruits and vegetables are singled out as the most contaminated foods we eat:

Strawberries
Spinach
Bell peppers
U.S. cherries
Peaches
Mexican cantaloupe
Celery
Apples
Apricots
Green beans
Chilean grapes
Cucumbers

While we enjoy protection from acute bacterial infections that cause diarrheal diseases, we ultimately pay a price for this protection: a shift toward chronic disease from accumulated toxins.

Isolation and insulation

To improve our health we should limit our toxic exposure. Obviously, many people do not have the financial resources to implement all of the possible changes we need for truly "safe" air, water and food. Still, any improvement we make as individuals will benefit our health over time. And, as the old saying goes, we make ourselves either part of the problem or part of the solution by our everyday choices.

Water - We can begin insulating ourselves against toxic water through filtration. Loose-granular carbon filters will remove parabens and phthalates from drinking water. We also need these same interventions for bathing water, as our skin (our largest organ) absorbs chemicals in water. These are often low-cost solutions to water toxicity.

Food - Food, especially the fruits and vegetables listed above, should be grown organically and purchased locally. Try growing your own garden as a source of wholesome, nutritious, pesticide-free food.

Air - Green cleaning supplies can help immensely in cleaning up the air inside your home. More help for keeping your personal space toxin-clean can be found in libraries and on Internet sites - especially ones that end with .org and .gov.

Insulation from toxins is found by keeping our nutrient reserves high and taking nutrients with known anti-toxin benefits. Many toxins are fat soluble, so keeping our "good fats" high may allow us to pass bad (toxic) fats out of our system. Other toxins can be detoxified by internal body processes with common nutrients like Vitamin B-12, Vitamin C and green tea.

An excellent anti-toxin effect is seen in Betalains — a group of bioflavonoids in the Quercetin family. Betalains help protect healthy cells from certain poisons, help distressed cells return to normal when possible, and drain away toxic waste-water from around healthy tissues.

Conclusion

Health only comes from healthy habits practiced every single day of our life. To achieve the lofty goal of clean air, water and food we must begin with our own home and our own food and water supply. To insulate our fragile internal environment we must keep all of the nutrients "on board" that detoxify or displace toxic waste. In the end, we must not slip into complacency about the safety of our environment. Instead, we must be vigilant in order to be part of the solution!

TriVita’s Weekly Wellness Report [weeklywellnessreport@trivita.com]

What Your Brain Needs For Healthy Aging

2010-01-19T16:21:00.000-08:00

Ever have a "senior moment"? It seems that forgetfulness increases with age. This is partially because the damage to our brain accumulates over time. "Brain shrinkage" from stress and nutrient deficiencies, plus brain trauma from injuries and toxicity contribute to memory loss, inability to concentrate and even Alzheimer's disease. New research on brain erosion suggests that those experiencing significant stress may experience volume loss (brain shrinkage) as early as age 30.

Some of the rapid aging of our brain and body is caused by nutrient deficiency. It is much harder to get the nutrients from our food as we did in the past.

Healthy brain, healthy body

We have to remember that every cell in our brain and body has a pre-programmed life span. This lifespan may be very short or very long. For instance, digestive cells in the small intestines live only a matter of hours and may be replaced up to six times daily. Some cells in our brain, nervous system and immune system may last our entire lifetime but become dormant and stop functioning if not properly nourished.

When the signal goes out that cell repair or replacement is needed, growth hormone accomplishes this with the nutrients we have available at that time. So, just imagine: A cell reaches the end of its normal lifespan and needs to be replaced. Growth hormone is present to facilitate this restoration.

Now, your body recruits the nutrient building blocks that it needs to build healthy cells:

Proteins
Fats
Carbohydrates
Water
Vitamins
Minerals
Enzymes
Antioxidants and many other nutrients

What if you don't have enough nutrients available to facilitate this replacement?

What if you are missing a vitamin or an antioxidant or fat or some other critical nutrient when it is needed most?

Well, one of two things will happen:

Either the cell will not be replaced and we begin to wither; or the cell is replaced, but without critical elements needed to keep it healthy. For healthy aging you simply must have the proper nutrients available at all times because a cell deprived of the proper nutrients will be prone to disease and premature aging. Your body must replace millions of cells each day. One single day of poor nutrition will mean that you will make deficient cells that day. These cells may live for many months or years and they will be the focus for disease and inflammation.

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 triggered by growth hormone and fueled by nutrients. Men's and Women's Wellavoh™ is our newest contribution to the total nutrition you need for healthy aging!

Forgotten nutrients
All experts agree that the best way to get the phytonutrients we need is from whole foods. Most experts agree that the best way to ensure that you absorb your vitamin supplements is to take them with food. Men's and Women's Wellavoh are designed with whole-food complexes containing virtually every nutrient known to science. Many of these foods have known health values, such as pomegranate for the heart, cranberry for the kidneys and bilberry for the eyes. However, all of these superfoods belong in a healthy diet.

How can we have a healthy brain and body? Only from healthy living - based on healthy choices. If we make unhealthy lifestyle choices, our aging process can rush us into disability like a flooding river. If we make wise choices our aging process will move along almost imperceptibly - like a creeping glacier. This is true healthy aging!

Managing High Cholesterol

2010-01-18T23:52:00.000-08:00

The guidelines for healthy cholesterol have changed. New targets have been established that tell us that perhaps our efforts to manage cholesterol and other blood lipids have been inadequate. This is especially true when we consider the target for LDL (low density lipoprotein), the so-called "bad" cholesterol.

Why should we be concerned with our LDL level? How did we get into such a deplorable state when it comes to managing our cholesterol? How can we use this information to improve our health?

What is LDL?

Low density lipoproteins (LDL) are often considered to be a "bad" form of cholesterol. But this is an extreme mischaracterization of a very beneficial fat in our blood. You see, your body makes important things out of LDL: brain cells and nerves are shielded with LDL cholesterol-based fats. And hormones in your bloodstream and inside your cells are made from LDL cholesterol. So, LDL is not really "bad," just misunderstood!

The dark side of cholesterol metabolism occurs when a person over-produces LDL and when LDL particles become sticky, oxidized and inflamed. This is one cause of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), which leads to heart attack and stroke, peripheral artery disease (PAD) and other diseases of your blood vessels.

Why cholesterol is "high"

We also make hormones from good cholesterol. Most doctors recommend over 1,200 milligrams of Omega-3 fats for building healthy hormones and reducing "bad" cholesterol. OmegaPrime® contains beneficial Omega-3 fats. You may find that you need more OmegaPrime every day to build cholesterol into trophic hormones.

Estrogen, progesterone, DHEA and testosterone are examples of trophic hormones. They are made of the same substance: cholesterol. If your body is unable to convert cholesterol into these hormones you may see your blood levels of cholesterol rise. You can bring your cholesterol down and your low hormones up by supporting cholesterol-to-hormone conversion. We can help support healthy hormone metabolism with supplements such as OmegaPrime, Vitamin E, Balanced Woman® and Prostate Health Formula.

The most critical balance of hormones occurs between insulin and glucagon. When we sleep too little, when we are stressed too much and when we eat too much sugar - especially high fructose corn syrup - our insulin levels stay too high for too long and cause insulin resistance. High levels of insulin cause the liver to release high levels of cholesterol and LDL. Oxidized LDL inflames, gets sticky and clogs arteries.

Glucagon is a liver hormone that balances blood sugar and lowers cholesterol and LDL. We support glucagon metabolism with adaptogens for stress and Leanology® capsules to sustain healthy blood sugar. We assist with LDL "stickiness" by using robust levels of Vitamin C. We help your body reduce inflammation with Betalains found in Nopalea™.

Learning to listen

We should think of high cholesterol as a message from our body that something is wrong. Learn to listen to your body by taking stock of your lifestyle in comparison to the 10 Essentials for Health and Wellness:

Are you keeping the impact of stress on your body in control? You do this by daily exercise of 30 minutes or more, sunshine in the morning and deep breathing exercises for peaceful sleep at night.

Do you drink enough water and eat up to 9 servings of fruit and vegetables daily?

How healthy are your relationships?

We can balance our cholesterol and meet the new guidelines for LDL through vigoroaus application of the 10 Essentials, meticulous supplementation and appropriate medical care.

Trivita's Weekless Welllness Report [weeklywellnessreport@trivita.com]

How Nutrients Help Relieve Stress

2010-01-18T23:20:00.000-08:00

Stress is defined as change that is seen by your body or mind as a threat - large or small, imaginary or real - or a change in your environment that triggers a rapid use of your reserves. Stress creates a demand on your resources. Soon, these resources become exhausted and you get sick.

Distress can come from your environment, your body or your mind. Rather than being just a single event, stress accumulates over time from all three sources. It strangles the joy and pleasure from your days and nights. It makes you miserable, and then it makes you sick. Once you are sick, stress keeps you from responding as well to medical care. Yes, stress is a killer!

Nutrients to the rescue

The opposite of stress is homeostasis. So, while stress is constantly trying to pull you apart, homeostasis is constantly working to put you back together. Homeostasis is the priority process your body uses to combat stress.

Vitamins, minerals and other nutrients are essential for homeostasis. If we have the nutrients we need at the moment we need them, we will thrive! Conversely, if we do not have the proper nutrient base in our system every day we will suffer loss of energy, poor mental performance and an increased risk for disease.

Supplements

The word supplement means an addition to something to make up for a deficiency. All supplements are an important addition to a healthy diet. They make up for the deficiency we face because of poor nutrient density in our foods. They also help out when we miss the mark of diet perfection.

Supplements are no substitute for good dietary choices. We simply must commit ourselves to eating a healthy diet. As you review your food choices for the past week, ask yourself, "Did I eat the right amount of fruits and vegetables every day?"

5 servings for children
7 servings for women
9 servings for men

If you can say "yes" - congratulations! If you are like most people you did not reach that goal. And, if you are like most of us, you did not eat all of your fruits and vegetables from an organic source; so, the fruits and vegetables may have been of low nutrient value.

We need a multiple nutrient supplement every day to serve as a foundation for health and to combat the nutrient demands of a stressful life.

A new supplement

Staying on top of our nutrient reserve is important. Our body makes millions of new cells every day - heart cells, brain cells, bone and blood cells. Stress kills millions of vulnerable cells every day. Every time a cell dies it should be replaced. If you do not have the right amount of nutrients to construct a new cell, you will either make an incomplete cell or none at all. The outcome is bad in either case; so, we really need to keep all nutrients on board at all times. This is why we created Sonoran Bloom™ Wellavoh™ (wel-lah voh), a new multi-nutrient complex for men and women.

The destructive forces of stress come from inside and outside your body. The nutrient complexes of Wellavoh can help you build a bulwark against stress as it tries to pull you apart. Wellavoh supports homeostasis as the innate wisdom of your body tries to keep you functioning at your peak.

One more reason...

Perhaps an even more important reason exists for maintaining a robust supply of nutrients in our system daily. According to a recent report, chemical switches on our DNA are activated by nutrients. If a single nutrient is missing at the critical moment it is needed, one of these chemical switches will fail. This results in a change in our DNA that promotes disease - for up to three generations of our children! So, it is vital that we and our children have our nutrients available every day to reduce the impact of stress while promoting vitality today, health tomorrow and a solid wellness foundation for generations to come!

Trivita's Weekly Wellness Report [weeklywellnessreport@trivita.com]

Nopalea Provides Powerful Toxic Relief

2009-11-08T20:45:00.000-08:00

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 inflammation

There 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.

TriVita's Weekly Wellness Report [weeklywellnessreport@trivita.com

Unexpected Sources of Infection

2009-11-08T20:00:00.000-08:00

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!

TriVita's Weekly Wellness Report [weeklywellnessreport@trivita.com]

The Obesity/Stress Connection

2009-10-17T21:43:00.000-07:00

I used to envision a chronic worrier as jittery, emaciated and gaunt. You know, the "Barney Fife" type. But now, I know that the person enduring unimaginable stress is more likely to be obese - even morbidly obese. This is a physiological reaction from the immune system and the process of homeostasis (the process that pulls us back together when stress is pulling us apart).

Worry is the stress that pulls us apart. However, worry goes beyond the mental and emotional process that causes distress. For example, did you know that your muscles also worry?

What is worry?

Worry is the process of anticipating events or outcomes that are possible but unknown. For example, we are all worried about our health and the health of loved ones. As long as no distressing symptoms occur, our level of worry is minimal. However, a new pain or ache, a lump or bump, a change that is not anticipated sends our "worrier" into overdrive.

The recent downturn in the world economy has created fertile soil as a new source of worry.

Our senses carry information to us from outside or inside our body. These are our five senses (touch, taste, sound, smell and sight) plus our intuition - the ability to "fill in the blanks" of the unknown based on our experience and intellect.

We project what may happen in the future and assess whether or not we have the resources needed to cope with anticipated outcomes. Scientists have discovered that our muscles adhere to the same process:

They project what may happen in the future based on past activity levels and assess whether or not they have the resources needed to cope. This is "muscle worry."

Worry is a survival mechanism because it allows us to forecast with some accuracy what resources we may soon need. We do this through our experience and intellect. With a bad experience or two in our history, we may also get into the habit of always predicting bad outcomes. This is called "catastrophic thinking" because we anticipate catastrophes from even normal, everyday events. So, a simple fever is bubonic plague and a skin rash must be Ebola virus!

To prepare for these awful events we may initiate the fight or flight response, releasing copious amounts of adrenaline. Or, based on past failures to cope, we may select an opposite response called learned helplessness, releasing immune-suppressing hormones and chemicals.

What is the obesity link?

Interestingly, worry has an effect on our appetite and metabolism. For example, when worry triggers the fight or flight stress response, our liver will dump enormous amounts of sugar into our bloodstream. Our pancreas will also secrete huge amounts of insulin into our system to carry that sugar into the muscles to fight-or-flee as a response to the emergency.

In chronic worry we simply never get to use all that energy and the hormone cortisol stores it in the fat cells of our abdomen, etc. These fluctuations in metabolism will often create eating binges where we feel we can't get satisfied no matter how much we eat.

Both fight-or-flight and learned helplessness trigger your body (especially your muscles, your "muscle worry") to anticipate future energy use. So, the muscles and adipose (fat) tissues store energy as fat and the result is that you gain weight.

Stress and worry all by themselves can create obesity - even if you eat a perfect diet!

Recognizing the problem is always the first step.

This is difficult because we live in a stressful world; there are real dangers requiring fight-or-flight responses. Also, people really do get sick with catastrophic illness, though not so many get bubonic plague or Ebola virus!

It would be foolish to ignore danger signals and face real catastrophe. That said, the majority of the things we worry about never happen, do they?

Train yourself to appraise situations correctly to reduce stress and worry (see the article "Think Therapy" below).

Recognize that stress and worry elicit powerful hormones that need to be discharged. Exercise is the best way to get rid of these pesky hormones. And even three deep breaths can reduce the anxiety you feel when stressed.

Nutrition plays a vital role in breaking the stress/worry/obesity connection:

First, adaptogens interrupt the cycle of stress and allow us to face our challenges with renewed resources; we will be able to cope with more issues with the greater resources provided by adaptogens.

Next, specific nutrients found in Leanology® capsules break the cortisol cycle and discourage our body from storing "worry" in our fat cells!

The day-to-day stresses we face will not end. And for the present, there will always be another world tragedy looming on the horizon, such as an economic downturn.

Learn to appraise them without panicking. Build a bulwark against stress with adaptogens. Help break the cycle of cortisol with Leanology capsules.

Learn and live the 10 Essentials for lifetime wellness!

TriVita's Weekly Wellness Report [weeklywellnessreport@trivita.com

Death of a Generation

2009-10-14T21:36:00.000-07:00

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 lost

The 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 course

Imagine 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.

TriVita's Weekly Wellness Report [weeklywellnessreport@trivita.com

Answers to Your Nopalea Questions

2009-10-14T20:25:00.000-07:00

With a new product comes questions about why, when and how to use it. The more popular the product is, the more frequently the questions are repeated. In this Weekly Wellness Report I have attempted to answer some of the more common questions about this wonderful anti-inflammatory product.

How much sugar, salt and iron are in Nopalea?

Nopalea™ contains NO ADDED SUGAR. It is naturally sweet. Yet it is still low-calorie and low-carbohydrate. Interestingly, the calories and carbohydrates will change from batch to batch depending on the harvest. Nopalea is "wildcrafted," meaning that Nopalea is not cultivated, and no fertilizers, pesticides or chemicals of any kind are ever used - ever!

It is harvested from the Sonoran Desert by natives just as it has been for thousands of years. Since it is not cultivated, the concentration of sugars and minerals in the plant change depending on how much rain we have that year. The label will accurately reflect the concentration of constituents for that harvest.

One challenge is that Nopalea is the first product of its kind. Therefore, no "standards" data existed before we created them. So, label changes happen because we created the testing standards to accurately measure the rare and powerful constituents of Nopalea.

Will Nopalea interfere with my medications?

Your physician and pharmacist know you best - ask them! We will say this: With over 200 papers published on the benefits of the Nopal cactus superfruit in human health, we have not found even one negative reaction or drug interaction. The only caution we discovered concerns the blood-thinner warfarin (Coumadin).

If you take warfarin you need to speak with your pharmacist. Nopalea is a fruit juice. In rare instances, people on warfarin will be restricted from consuming fruit juices for a short time while their medication stabilizes. Only your physician and pharmacist know if you should be restricted from fruit juices at this time, so ask them before you take it. But we have not found a single instance of drug interaction in the medical literature; Nopalea should be very safe.

How much Nopalea can I take in a day?

The label recommends one to three ounces daily. This is based on minimum amounts in otherwise healthy people. However, the greater the level of your inflammation, the more anti-inflammatory strategies you will need. That makes sense, doesn't it? You wouldn't want to quench a forest fire with a single bucket of water!

One Member was experiencing a flare-up of a rheumatoid disorder. She had taken many remedies - prescription and non-prescription - and had seen chiropractors, acupuncturists and massage therapists. She had been in an unbroken cycle of pain for 18 months. She took additional ounces daily and broke the cycle of inflammation and pain in about three weeks. She continues to take it daily with no known adverse effects. And she is pain free.

In the early pilot trials of Nopalea we gave our test subjects 16 ounces daily. Not only did they not experience any known negative effects, their blood work universally improved.

Conclusion

So many of the maladies we suffer from today are related to inflammation.

Nopalea contains Betalains; Betalains quench inflammation.

Testimonials from around North America report amazing improvement in well-being with Nopalea. Science from around the world details the astounding health benefits from Betalains found in the Nopal cactus. Both scientific and empirical reports tell us that Nopalea is safe and effective in promoting wellness. Enjoy Nopalea often.

I promise: we won't run out!

TriVita's Weekly Wellness Report [weeklywellnessreport@trivita.com

Wellness from the Inside Out

2009-09-29T14:02:00.001-07:00

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 work

There 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 cells

Healthy 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.
ConclusionLike 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.

TriVita's Weekly Wellness Report [weeklywellnessreport@trivita.com]

Homocysteine, Genetics & Vitamins

2009-09-23T20:47:00.000-07:00

Homocysteine (HCY) is a tool used by your body to modify protein. Specifically, homocysteine carves up the amino acid methionine into smaller amino acids. Each of these amino acids has important functions. The "leftovers" from this construction project are not thrown away. Instead, your body recombines the debris back into methionine again.

Methionine is the protein that serves as the foundation for all other proteins. It's like concrete:

You can build a small cottage or a large skyscraper on the same concrete foundation. You can build brain cells, heart cells, bone cells, and healthy cells for your entire body on the protein methionine. Homocysteine is responsible for crafting that foundation. While homocysteine is an excellent tool for your body, too much of it can be fatal.

It's in the genes

There is a common gene defect among people in North America. It is called an MTHFR defect. It allows homocysteine to escape into the bloodstream and literally shred your arteries, causing a stroke; tangle your brain cells causing Alzheimer's disease; shatter your bones causing osteoporosis; and inflame your heart, causing a heart attack.

Another common genetic defect is MTHFD. It allows homocysteine to run amok inside your cells. This can lead to cell mutations and even cancer.
What an elegant, yet destructive element homocysteine can prove to be! How can we modify homocysteine and harness its constructive power while protecting against its destructive rampage?

The answer is found in Vital Amines.

A tale of two families

Vital Amines are active enzymes in your blood, organs, and even inside your cells. You may know them by their shortened name - vitamins! In the world of "B" vitamins there are two families:

1. The MTHFR family a. B-12b. Folic acidc. B-6 d. Biotin

2. The MTHFD family a. Riboflavinb. B-1 c. Niacind. Pantothenic acid

Elevated homocysteine can be caused by genetics or poor nutrition. When a person has an active genetic defect they require intense nutrition to offset the imbalance caused by the gene mutation. Supplemental nutrition is very effective in most cases. TriVita's HCY Guard® was designed specifically for high HCY. One study on TriVita's HCY Guard found that HCY levels could be reduced by 35% in just 6 weeks!

Vital amines such as the Riboflavin family of B vitamins combine with antioxidants to help reduce the activity of cellular homocysteine. One study found that the specific antioxidant ECGC (the antioxidant found in green tea) stopped the trigger DNMT (an enzyme) from releasing homocysteine inside the cell. People consuming large amounts of ECGC have reduced DNMT and have fewer cases of cancer.

Riboflavin and ECGC are both found in Energy Now!®. In fact, just as TriVita's Sublingual B-12 and HCY Guard supplements contain the B-12 family of B vitamins, Energy Now! contains the complementary Riboflavin family of B vitamins. They work together to form a perfect B complex that helps your body reduce homocysteine.

Are you at risk?

Is there a way to tell if you have one of these common disease risks? Yes; one way is to have a genetic test performed. This is usually done by drawing enough blood to collect DNA and submitting this to one of only a few labs in North America that can perform genetic testing. A second way is to have your homocysteine levels tested. This can be performed by most medical laboratories. Ask your doctor to do this test with your annual physical.

Another indicator of elevated homocysteine is your own family tree. Does any "first-degree" relative (father, mother, brother, or sister) have any of the conditions attributed to homocysteine? If so, you likely have the gene defect. Does a "second-degree" relative (grandparents, aunts, uncles, or cousins) have any of the conditions attributed to homocysteine? If so, you may have the gene defect as well.

Did you know nutrient deficiencies can mimic a genetic defect by failing to provide the minimum amount of vital amines necessary to prevent elevated homocysteine? A poor diet, illness, pregnancy, aging, and stress can place you at risk for elevated HCY. Children and adults with asthma and irritable bowel syndrome are at high risk for elevated HCY.

Lowering your homocysteine High HCY in your blood is linked to serious illness. Helping your body reduce high HCY may greatly reduce your risk for serious illness.

These actions will also help:

Eat fruits and vegetables high in antioxidants - 5 servings daily for children, 7 servings for women, and 9 servings for men.

Reduce your stress load.
Get at least 30 minutes of vigorous activity every day.

Supplement your diet with nutrients such as TriVita's HCY Guard and Energy Now!.

Defeat stress by nurturing your spirit with healthy relationships and a healthy sense of purpose.

Remember, genes are not fate; you have as much control over your genes (through nutrients and nurturing) as they have over you.

Build a healthy foundation for your future by balancing your homocysteine.

TriVita's Weekly Wellness Report
[weeklywellnessreport@trivita.com]

Lose a Little Weight - Gain a Lot of Health Benefits

2009-09-23T20:22:00.000-07:00

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. Looking at the BMI chart and knowing how far you have to go can be discouraging. There is good news, though. Losing just a little can have profound health benefits.

How to eat an elephant?

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? Use the chart below to calculate your Body Mass Index (BMI).

TriVita's Weekly Wellness Report

[weeklywellnessreport@trivita.com]

Strategies for Protecting Your Eyesight

2009-09-10T10:59:00.000-07:00

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 stepNourishing 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!

TriVita's Weekly Wellness Report [weeklywellnessreport@trivita.com]

Cause of Hidden Inflammation

2009-08-27T10:05:00.000-07:00

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: Toxins

Toxins 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 support
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!

TriVita's Weekly Wellness Report [weeklywellnessreport@trivita.com]

Learn Why We Consider Vitamin C to be "Vital C"

2009-08-25T21:29:00.000-07:00

Would you like to hear something interesting about Vitamin C? Almost all mammals produce Vitamin C as ascorbic acid in their livers. But not humans. In fact, almost all animals in the Animal Kingdom produce Vitamin C every day to maintain their health. Why don’t humans produce Vitamin C? How much Vitamin C do you need to take? What effect does Vitamin C have in your body?

How much Vitamin C do you need?Let’s answer the easy question first: How much Vitamin C does a person need to take? Well, when animals produce Vitamin C it is according to their needs at that time in their lives. A young dolphin may produce much more Vitamin C than an older sibling or parent. However, all dolphins – and all other animals – produce more Vitamin C when they have an infection, when they are exposed to toxins and when they are under stress.

So, we understand that people need different amounts of Vitamin C at different times in their lives. They also need more Vitamin C when they face challenges to their health and well-being. In past Weekly Wellness Reports, we discussed how a Vitamin C flush can help you determine how much Vitamin C you can use during a given period of your life. The Vitamin C flush was actually recommended by Linus Pauling protégé, Dr. Alfred Libby, and by the Director of the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Russell Jaffe. See below for more information on the benefits of the Vitamin C flush.

How your body uses Vitamin CWhat does your body do with all that Vitamin C? Well, Vitamin C makes things happen. In the human body, Vitamin C makes almost everything happen!

Bones – All the minerals in your bones require Vitamin C to turn them from lifeless rocks into health-building minerals.

Blood – Your blood needs Vitamin C to convert iron into hemoglobin.

Thyroid – Your thyroid gland needs Vitamin C to convert copper into thyroid enzymes that carry protein.

Collagen – All of the collagen in your skin, gums and the rest of your body requires Vitamin C to convert dead protein from your diet into living tissue. This makes you look good as well as feel good!

Immune system function – Vitamin C activates a certain kind of immune cell called a lymphocyte. Lymphocytes, as the name implies, live mostly in your lymph system. However, they can travel in your bloodstream as well.

Lymphocytes that have been activated by your thymus gland can go anywhere in your body to help fight disease. The thymus gland uses Vitamin C to program lymphocytes to search out one specific target and help destroy it.

Antioxidant protection – Vitamin C is also an antioxidant. Your body uses it to make glutathione – the “mother” of all antioxidants.

What’s more, all other antioxidants can be refreshed by Vitamin C. Important antioxidants like Vitamins A and E can have their lifespan extended by Vitamin C. Antioxidants protect you from premature aging.

Vitamin C has so many functions that you could spend a lifetime studying this one important vitamin. Do the Vitamin C flush and determine how much Vitamin C you can use each day. I suggest that you repeat this procedure quarterly – at the change of the seasons. You will find your need for Vitamin C will diminish when you eat fresh fruits and vegetables. It will increase when you are under stress or facing illness.

TriVita's Weekly Wellness Report [mailto:weeklywellnessreport@trivita.com]

Reduce Pain From the Inside Out

2009-08-25T20:57:00.000-07:00

“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.

TriVita's Weekly Wellness Report [mailto:weeklywellnessreport@trivita.com]

An Unexpected Source of Energy: Nitrogen

2009-08-25T20:39:00.000-07:00

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 dangerThere 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!

TriVita's Weekly Wellness Report [mailto:weeklywellnessreport@trivita.com]

Cause of Hidden Inflammation

2009-08-25T20:18:00.000-07:00

The major categories of inflammation

How you can protect yourself Nutrients you can use to help reduce inflammation

Cause #1: Toxins

Toxins 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.

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!

TriVita's Weekly Wellness Report [mailto:weeklywellnessreport@trivita.com]

Many Medications Can Cause Side Effects & Nutritional Deficiencies

2009-08-22T17:53:00.000-07:00

"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."

TriVita's Weekly Wellness Report [weeklywellnessreport@trivita.com]