Nopalea Provides Powerful Toxic Relief

Recently, a series of forest fires ravaged the landscape in Southern California. One particular fire burned many fine homes. The firefighters worked through the night to extinguish the fire and they were making progress. However, with the dawn came a change in circumstances: an increase in heat, a reduction in humidity and hot, dry winds from the south brought dry air and a fresh supply of oxygen that intensified the fire. Soon, a firestorm erupted creating flaming tornadoes.

That is the perfect illustration of the inflammation that can occur in the human body. What may begin as a single spark of inflammation may erupt into an inflammatory disease that engulfs our entire body and threatens our life. Efforts to combat the inflammation may be affected by external forces that fan the flames until we are consumed.

Causes of 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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"

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

“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

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

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 and spiritual support.

Emotional distress is based on how we appraise or evaluate changes in our environment. All changes are stressful – even “good” changes such as a raise at work or a new, healthy grandbaby! The changes that threaten our health and create long-term, chronic stress are those that may cause pain or loss to ourselves or to someone we care about, or that may overextend our coping resources.

Support yourself against this dangerous cause of inflammation by creating a healthy community of people around you. Use Healthy Aging supplements to create a solid foundation for coping with daily stress. Especially consider adaptogens to build a bulwark against the onslaught of daily stress from outside, inside your body and even inside your mind.

Cause #4: Injuries and Trauma

Acute inflammation is the normal response to trauma. Acute inflammation is characterized by pain, swelling, redness and heat. Using Quick-Relief Formula and Quick-Relief Gel can expedite the repair process by supporting homeostasis during the early days following an injury. I often see people benefit from taking Quick-Relief capsules (while awake) for three days following an injury. Keep the external region bathed in Quick-Relief Gel during this crisis stage.

OptimaFlex is another excellent source for a more chronic injury. OptimaFlex combined with Nopalea is an excellent combination for the discomfort and loss of mobility that characterizes chronic inflammation.

Conclusion

There are four basic causes of inflammation; therefore, there are four basic causes of chronic disease. Work to insulate yourself from these malevolent influences with appropriate nutrients and emotional/spiritual nurturing and you will improve the quantity and quality of your life!

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

Many Medications Can Cause Side Effects & Nutritional Deficiencies

"The average person in North America is on about six different prescription medications by age 65. Each of these medications is designed to complete a specific body function that does not work or that no longer works as well as it needs to for health. These body functions require specific nutrients as fuel.

Here's what we know about medications:

Medications create side effects These side effects represent depletion or even exhaustion of the nutrients needed for complete functioning.

Medications create nutrient deficiencies:

These nutrient deficiencies are seen as signs and symptoms for which more medications are often prescribed. Doesn't it make sense to get the nutrients and nurturing you need to stop this cycle? Below are some common medications and the nutrients needed to keep them from creating deficiencies and side effects.

Cholesterol drugs (Statins)People make hormones from cholesterol. When the enzyme that facilitates this conversion begins to fail, hormone levels go down and cholesterol goes up. Given the relationship between cholesterol and heart health, many people choose to take statin medications to reduce their cholesterol numbers. Taking statins actually has only a slight effect on heart attack frequency because fully half of the people having heart attacks have normal levels of cholesterol.

Statins deplete CoEnzyme Q-10 and accessory nutrients. If you take statins, you definitely need to take CoQ-10 to balance CoQ-10 levels. People taking statins also benefit from heart-healthy Omega-3 fatty acids and the B vitamin niacin. Take pure niacin in low doses and always consult a health care provider when combining niacin with statins.

Stomach acid blockers (Proton pump inhibitors - PPI)People take antacids called PPI to reduce stomach acid. These medications block the pumps that create acid. Hydrochloric acid is supposed to bind with pepsinogen to create the digestive enzyme pepsin. Pepsinogen production is impaired by stress.

Not chewing well enough, eating too quickly and eating greasy or unhealthy foods will cause indigestion. Mostly though, stress causes indigestion. As we age we become more susceptible to stress and much less resilient. Our stomach produces less pepsin as a response to stress, and an excess of hydrochloric acid remains.

If you take PPI antacids you definitely need to take Vitamin B-12 as studies have shown that PPIs can interfere with your body's ability to absorb B-12. You should also consider taking folic acid and the mineral zinc. Women of childbearing age should also take iron. These critical nutrients are building blocks for health. Depleting these nutrients will result in a number of adverse side effects. No wonder B-12 deficiency depression is listed as a major concern with PPI medications!

Antidepressants (Selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors - SSRI)

Antidepressant drugs are among the most widely prescribed medications in history. They are not just used for severe depression; they may also be prescribed for everything from PMS to injuries. They are used for headaches, muscle pain and sinus allergies. Medical science is really just beginning to understand what these medications do inside the human body. Regardless of why a person takes an SSRI, they need to take certain nutrients.

Vitamin B-12 is part of a family of nutrients that helps combat the effects of SSRI. Folic acid, Vitamin B-6 and biotin are major members of this family of nutrients. Also, amino acids such as methionine and S, adneosyl methionine (SAMe) complete the process of Vitamin B-12 metabolism. You definitely need these nutrients if you take an SSRI. If you are over 50 or have poor circulation, ginkgo biloba can also help the medications work better. However, these nutrients (including ginkgo) will not reverse the sexual side effects of the drug.

The long-term benefits of SSRI medications are very much in doubt.

However, two forms of "therapy" are rated as much more successful concerning long-term benefit: exercise and cognitive behavior therapy (CBT). Frequent, vigorous exercise improves the chemical balance of the brain and nervous system. CBT is a form of active listening that facilitates life changes based on what works best for each individual."

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