Learn

Proper balanced nutrition is essential for our health for :

• The repair of cells and tissue.
• Producing energy to keep us warm, moving and working.
• Carrying out chemical processes such as the digestion of our food.
• Protecting us from infection and recovering from illness.

Food is made up of nutrients.  Micro nutrients such as vitamins and minerals are needed only in small amounts.  Macro nutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins and fats are needed in larger amounts.  The body cannot properly function if one or more of these nutrients are missing.  A healthy and balanced diet provides for a variety of food in moderation.  Prevention is better than a cure.

What are the basics of healthy eating?

• Whole foods
• High fiber
• Carbohydrates
• Vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants
• Moderate Protein
• Limited refined sugar and processed foods.
• Enjoying a variety of foods.
• Eating on time, three meals daily.

Who needs nutritional supplements?

Proper nutrition is necessary for all ages, especially young children, students, pregnant women or if you are experiencing:

• A stressful job, always working overtime.
• A week immune system where you easily seem to catch a cold or the flu.
• A diagnosed medical condition.
• Excessive exercising or sports.
• A poor diet, when you do not have the time to properly prepare food.

What kind of nutrition supplements should I take?

There are many different kinds of nutritional supplements on the market. I highly recommend Isotonix products from Market America.

By Dr Tomislav Meštrović, MD, PhD

Nutraceuticals is a broad umbrella term that is used to describe any product derived from food sources with extra health benefits in addition to the basic nutritional value found in foods. They can be considered non-specific biological therapies used to promote general well-being, control symptoms and prevent malignant processes.

The term “nutraceutical” combines two words – “nutrient” (a nourishing food component) and “pharmaceutical” (a medical drug). The name was coined in 1989 by Stephen DeFelice, founder and chairman of the Foundation for Innovation in Medicine, an American organization located in Cranford, New Jersey.

The philosophy behind nutraceuticals is to focus on prevention, according to the saying by a Greek physician Hippocrates (known as the father of medicine) who said “let food be your medicine”. Their role in human nutrition is one of the most important areas of investigation, with wide-raging implications for consumers, health-care providers, regulators, food producers and distributors.

Categories of nutraceuticals

The definition of nutraceuticals and related products generally depends on the source. They can be classified on the basis of their natural sources, pharmacological conditions, as well as chemical constitution of the products. Most often they are grouped in the following categories: dietary supplements, functional food, medicinal food, farmaceuticals.

A dietary supplement represents a product that contains nutrients derived from food products, and is often concentrated in liquid, capsule, powder or pill form. Although dietary supplements are regulated by the FDA as foods, their regulation differs from drugs and other foods.

According to their generally accepted definition, functional food is a category which includes whole foods and fortified, enriched or enhanced dietary components that may reduce the risk of chronic disease and provide a health-benefit beyond the traditional nutrients it contains.

Medical food is formulated to be consumed or administered internally, under the supervision of a qualified physician. Its intended use is a specific dietary management of a disease or condition for which distinctive nutritional requirements are established by the medical evaluation (on the basis of recognized scientific principle).

Farmaceuticals are medically valuable components produced from modified agricultural crops or animals. The term is a combining of the words “farm” and “pharmaceuticals”. Proponents of this concept are convinced that using crops (and possibly even animals) as pharmaceutical factories is much more cost effective than conventional methods, with higher revenue for agricultural producers.

Potential health benefits

Over the years nutraceuticals have attracted considerable interest due to their potential nutritional, safety and therapeutic effects. They could have a role in a plethora of biological processes, including antioxidant defenses, cell proliferation, gene expression, and safeguarding of mitochondrial integrity.

Therefore nutraceuticals may be used to improve health, prevent chronic diseases, postpone the aging process (and in turn increase life expectancy), or just support functions and integrity of the body. They are considered to be healthy sources for prevention of life threatening diseases such as diabetes, renal and gastrointestinal disorders, as well as different infections.

A wide range of nutraceuticals have been shown to impose crucial roles in immune status and susceptibility to certain disease states. They also exhibit diseases modifying indications related to oxidative stress including allergy, Alzheimer's disease, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, eye conditions, Parkinson's diseases and obesity.

TRY THESE SIMPLE TIPS FOR KEEPING YOUR ENERGY AT AN OPTIMAL LEVEL ALL DAY LONG.

BY DR. DEEDRA MASON, NUTRAMETRIX® DIRECTOR OF CLINICAL EDUCATION AND RESEARCH

Have you ever felt tired or sluggish after a rushed meal? Ever feel you just can’t keep motivated by the middle of the afternoon? Ever feel like if you could just take a break or a breather, it would be all the recharge you need?

These are common reactions to being over-stressed, over-worked, and hyper-stimulated without any of the nutritional and environmental support you and your metabolism need to keep going each day.

Glucose is your body’s main energy source, yet your ability to use it properly for energy relies on a balance of select amino acids, micro-nutrients and healthy and regular physical activity. A healthy diet is a key to maintaining healthy blood glucose levels and therefore energy levels. Unfortunately, our typical Western diets are high in refined, processed foods loaded with simple carbohydrates, or sugars. These simple sugars are rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream, making what felt like a natural energy surge a slippery slope into afternoon fatigue, poor mental focus and a quest for more sugar and empty calories.

If this sounds like you, you’re hardly alone. With today’s ultra-busy lifestyles it’s not surprising that a person can suffer from sensory and sugar overload. While virtually everyone today accepts that it is normal to live with some form of stress — and the resulting fatigue — do they know how profoundly that stress and fatigue is affecting their health?

HERE ARE SOME STEPS YOU CAN TAKE TO OFFSET FATIGUE AND POTENTIAL RESULTING HEALTH CHALLENGES:

• Consider adding some stretching to your day and also periodically getting up from your desk to move around. One way to increase productivity and ward off the “ZZZs” includes working in set time blocks and getting up and moving around before starting again on a project
• Make sure you are getting good sleep. Consider a scientifically based botanical formula to assist with healthy sleep cycles and healthy neurotransmitter production. A balance between dopamine and serotonin can be helpful to support a regular sleep cycle. Amino acids like L-tyrosine and taurine can benefit you by keeping your energy cycles up when they should be up and sleep cycles regular when you should be winding down.
• Regular use of supplements can support your body’s physiologic demands for energy. Essential nutrients like niacinamide and vitamins B-12 and B-6 play a role in carbohydrate and protein metabolism for healthy energy and support of healthy blood glucose levels.

The above steps can offer you the foundation for a better energy throughout the day. If you’re simply looking for that quick afternoon boost, consider the source. Be wary of taking just caffeine in the absence of balancing amino acids and B-vitamins. Without their support, caffeine can dehydrate you and increase stress levels over time. Amino acids like taurine help keep you alert when coffee and sugary drinks alone cannot. Taurine boosts mental alertness and enhances the ability to concentrate, while also meeting our muscles’ energy needs. Using taurine instead of sugar can mean improved mental and physical reaction time — a life saver during a long project or meeting.

Both stress and long hours can affect our moods. The essential amino acid L-tyrosine has an antidepressant activity that helps the brain to restore proper amounts of the catecholamines dopamine, epinephrine and norepinephrine. These are often lost due to stress on the body’s adrenal system from a poor diet, an unhealthy lifestyle or other environmental factors.

Additionally, ingredients like B-vitamins keep you energized throughout the day, providing long-lasting physical and mental energy you demand, and work well with caffeine for thermogenesis and energy metabolism.

Supporting detoxification can keep us feeling energized and eliminate that “sluggish” feeling common after too much sugar or simple carbohydrates. Glucuronolactone is a natural is a substance which works with the liver to boost energy and has been reported to detoxify the body of impurities.

Consider looking for a healthful blend of amino acids and B vitamins to balance a measured amount of caffeine. Doing so can be just the remedy to avoid a mid-afternoon crash.

BY DR. DEEDRA MASON, DIRECTOR OF CLINICAL EDUCATION & RESEARCH

A recent survey found that 63 percent of Americans wish they were having more sex. Over 3,000 adults — more than 50 percent of participants — said they were now experiencing at least one sexual problem or had dealt with one in the past. Low sexual function was the most common complaint among females; men cited erectile dysfunction [1].

WOMEN: AGING AND AROUSAL

Hormone changes are a natural part of the aging process. A woman’s hormones begin to decline at the age of 352 and plunge dramatically during her perimenopausal years.

University of Chicago data revealed as many as 45 million women in the U.S. experience reduced sexual desire, and one in three report this decline as a “concern.” The North American Menopause Society reports that sexual and physical concerns increase in severity as a woman ages. Women are two to three times more likely than men to experience a decline in sex arousal [2].

Yet reduced sexual desire can affect women of any age. Some 9 percent of women seeking support for healthy libidos are below the age of 45, according to Stephanie Buehler, PsyD. Postnatal stresses and menopause are both common triggers for lack of desire not connected to poor physical response.

Proper nutrition and smart supplementation address some of the problems of age-related decline in libido and also helps tackle stresses not related to aging. Vitamins B6 and E may raise progesterone levels, even in post-menopausal females. An increase in progesterone has a relaxing effect and can reduce anxiety. Maintaining sufficient levels of B vitamins may also ensure adequate amounts of both dopamine and serotonin neurotransmitters, which have important roles in sexual health.

The botanical Damiana helps support normal sexual drive and pleasure, while ashwaganda has been shown to promote normal engorgement of sexual tissues. Velvet bean extract has a long history of use in Ayurvedic medicine and its chemical constituents may be precursors to dopamine production. Aging can affect both vaginal tone and comfort; P. mirifica is a botanical that can promote normal vaginal secretions and vaginal muscle strength.

The amino acid L-histidine when taken orally promotes smooth-muscle contraction in the body, especially the genitalia. This can support more satisfying orgasms.

MEN: METABOLISM AND AGING

Erectile dysfunction (ED) affects approximately 25 million men in the U.S. and can have both physical and psychological causes [3]. Hormone production and testosterone bioavailability decline gradually — about 1 percent per year after the age of 40 [4] — resulting in changes in sexual function, energy and mood. But many men who are told they have a normal testosterone level nevertheless complain of low mood, poor erectile health, declining lean muscle mass and decreased sexual stamina [5].

Zinc, certain botanicals such as ginkgo, Tribulus terrestris and Epimedium, and the amino acid L-arginine, may all increase blood flow to the penis and enhance sexual arousal. Zinc — tissue stores of which can decrease as both genders age — initiates enzymes important in vasoconstriction of the blood vessels involved in sexual arousal. Tribulus may stimulate androgen receptor density [6], while Epimedium (horny goat weed) is said to be an aphrodisiac for both genders. Both have been rated by the Natural Medicine Comprehensive Database as “possibly effective” for erectile and sexual dysfunction.

1- Edward O. Laumann, PhD; J. of Sexual Med; 2008; 5(10) 2300-2311

2- US Depart. of Health and Human Services; National Institute for Aging/North American Menopause Society(NAMS)

3- American Urological Association, 2013

4- JUrol November 2002;168(5):2070-3

5- J Clin Endocrin and Metab 2000;85(8):2839-2853

6- Forensic Sci Int. 2008 Jun 10;178(1):e7-10. doi: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2008.01.003. Epub 2008 Feb 20.

Article: UnFranchise Owner Magazine January/February 2015

There are many advantages to the Isotonix product line. By Dr. Mark Lange, Director of Quality Control

ave you ever impatiently waited for an elevator at a hotel? And then when the door opens, you sigh because it is so packed with people and luggage that you have to wait for the next one? The vitamin and mineral supplements you take each day face a very similar situation. Your digestive system has specific absorption sites for nutrients. but to be absorbed into the blood stream, they must use a transport shuttle — the equivalent of an elevator or taxi. like any transportation system, nutrient shuttles have limited capacity and can become overwhelmed if too many nutrients show up at once. Unlike people, vitamins will not wait in line for a shuttle. If one is unavailable, they will move on down the digestive tract to eventually be eliminated in our waste. So, for maximum absorption, we need to have a delivery system that matches how the body absorbs nutrients. This brings us to the main advantage of Isotonix supplements. They are formulated to move from the stomach at an optimized rate to maximize absorption. It’s fast, but controlled, allowing your body’s transport mechanism to efficiently shuttle vitamins into the blood stream. Vitamin pills can’t deliver the same performance because either they saturate the absorption shuttles and deliver only a fraction of what they contain or the pill may not dissolve properly and pass by the absorption sites.

Isotonix products are formulated to deliver a concentrated solution of nutrients at the right rate.

The fluids in your body have an almost constant concentration of dissolved salts, sugars and minerals. At this concentration, nutrients and molecules essential for proper cell metabolism are most efficiently transported through cell walls. Isotonix products, when mixed with the proper amount of water, are the same pressure as the body’s fluids, which speeds up absorption and prevents the discomfort some people feel when taking vitamin and mineral tablets with plain water. Lastly, Isotonix products are buffered to protect nutrients from stomach acid degradation. This ensures maximum delivery of active ingredients at full potency. Isotonix products are formulated to deliver a concentrated solution of nutrients at the right rate for maximum absorption. There is no other product like it.

Reference: Magazine - POWERLINE • JANUARY 2014

If holiday stress has its grasp on you, these ingredients may help you find some relief.

BY DR. ROGER SPAHR, CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER

During the holiday season, do you ever find yourself feeling more stressed than usual? If so, there are plenty of factors that contribute to that. With extra tasks, expenses and engagements likely on your plate, it’s no wonder that your mood and your sleep schedule might take a hit during this hectic season.

Since these factors are pretty unavoidable during this time of year, one way to counter the stressors in your life is through wellness. Supplementing your diet with ingredients known to aid mood and sleep is a wonderful way to help your body relax and enjoy the holiday season.

L-TRYPTOPHAN

L-Tryptophan is an essential amino acid known for increasing levels of serotonin in the brain. Acting as a precursor for serotonin, tryptophan is converted to 5-HTP in the body, which is then converted to serotonin. Increased serotonin levels enhance mood and improve feelings of anxiety, aggression and impulsiveness.

Tryptophan also functions as a precursor for the production of melatonin, a neurohormone, which helps promote restful sleep, improve mood and facilitate many other nervous system processes in the body. The body cannot naturally produce this amino acid; therefore, it must be a part of the diet or ingested through supplementation.

ASHWAGANDHA

Ashwagandha is an Indian herb that has been used in medicinal treatments there for thousands of years. Though used as a daily tonic with conditions ranging from immune to cardiovascular health, ashwagandha’s effects on psychological well-being and stress is definitely its strong suit. This ingredient is known for its properties as an adaptogen, which are a group of botanicals that work to provide resistance to stress and help keep the body and mood balanced.

Preliminary evidence suggests ashwagandha helps to regulate stress-induced levels of dopamine receptors in the brain. Ashwagandha contains bioactive compounds called glycowithanolides, which are responsible for many of its positive benefits.

These compounds help reduce cortisol levels in the body, and thus eliminate the negative consequences that come with cortisol such as feelings of anxiety, fatigue, poor memory and concentration, sleeplessness and weight gain, particularly around the abdomen. Clinical studies confirm its action as a mood stabilizer in clinical conditions of anxiety and depression.

L-THEANINE

L-Theanine is an uncommon amino acid found in green tea. Historically, theanine has been used for its promotion of relaxation effects, without drowsiness. It naturally stimulates activity in the brain known as alpha waves, which are correlated with a relaxed, but alert mental state of mind. Theanine helps promote normal levels of GABA (gamma aminobutyric acid), which is the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain, thus giving it properties of promoting calming effects.

Evidence suggests theanine is a useful treatment for anxiety due to its ability to sedate the central nervous system. It has also shown benefits for improving concentration and learning ability by minimizing anxiety.

PASSION FLOWER

Passion flower has a long history of use for promoting relaxation. The dried aerial parts have traditionally been used as a mild sleep aid.

This busy season, as with any time during the year, it is important for all of us to receive the right amount of nutrition, restorative sleep and exercise to keep our bodies and minds healthy. Incorporating these ingredients into your regimen can be a great supplement to those important steps. This will help make your holidays the wonderful time of year they should be.

Reference: UnFranchise Owner Magazine November/December 2014