A Healthier You

Can Vitamins Really Kill You?

2011-10-25T23:47:00.000-05:00

Recently, a study was published in the Archives of Internal Medicine which stated vitamins could be harmful, or even deadly, to older women. You may have heard about this study through the various mainstream media outlets. Suffice to say, you don't have much to worry about.

Vitamins and mineral do not kill people. If that were so, there would be a ban on oranges. Truth of the matter is, this "study" was poorly conducted. In fact, it wasn't even a scientific study, but rather a survey. One in which the results were horribly skewed until they got the results they wanted. This is just another case of the pharmaceutical companies attempting to steer people away from taking things that actually help people.

Take this study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition for example. Regan Bailey, who headed the study, actually stated, "People need to choose supplements which help meet, but not exceed, the recommended daily intake levels". This is completely backwards. And here's why. The recommended daily intake (RDI) level of Vitamin C is 60mg/day. The same amount found in one orange. So, if you had more than one orange per day, you would be in danger according to Ms. Bailey. In fact, many types of orange juice contain over 100% of the RDI of Vitamin C in one 8oz glass. So apparently we need to be careful at the breakfast table now?

The results from this latest study where the conclusion is "vitamins could kill you" wouldn't even pass a high school science class. One always need to be careful of what the hear or read in the mainstream media when it comes to vitamins. Do your own research rather than blindly believing what you read.

If you would like an excellent retort to this study, I would recommend taking a look at the post Mike Adams at NaturalHealth.com put out regarding the matter. Reading this two-part post will open your eyes and see just how flawed this "study" was.

To Your Health

Scott Huff has been helping people obtain optimal levels of vitamins and minerals for over 5-years through the use of pharmaceutical grade nutritional supplements. He is also experienced in helping people create an alternate source of income, simply by educating and helping others with their health. For more information on these products or the unique opportunity, visit us at www.huffster.usana.com .

Sunscreen Actually Increases Skin Cancer???

2011-08-08T23:16:00.000-05:00

As reported in Natural News on July 14th, 2011:

A new report issued by the consumer protection organization Environmental Working Group (EWG) reveals that many popular sunscreens contain ingredients known to spur the growth and spread of skin cancer cells, which defeats their stated purpose of preventing skin cancer.

Data indicates that the sun’s rays combine with certain sunscreen ingredients in the skin and damage skin cells, which can lead to lesions and tumors — and worst of all, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has allegedly been aware of this critical information for the past ten years, but has done absolutely nothing to warn people about it.

According to a report by AOL News, about half of the sunscreens tested contained vitamin A ingredients and derivatives like retinol and retinyl palmitate, which FDA’s own studies have shown are photocarcinogenic, meaning they become toxic when exposed to sunlight. In fact, an older FDA report explains that sunscreens containing vitamin A ingredients cause tumors and lesions to develop and spread 21 percent faster than sunscreens that do not contain vitamin A ingredients.

Not to be confused with the vitamin A found in food and supplements that is absolutely essential for good health, vitamin A additives in sunscreen are different — their interactions with ultraviolet sun rays actually produce carcinogens in the skin.

Read the full article here

Scott Huff has been helping people obtain optimal levels of vitamins and minerals through the use of pharmaceutical grade nutritional supplements. He is also experienced in helping people create an alternate source of income, simply by educating and helping others with their health. For more information on this unique opportunity, send an email with questions to: huffster@usana.com.

Liquid Vitamins vs. Tablet Vitamins

2011-02-12T02:06:00.000-06:00

Liquid Vitamins vs. Tablet Vitamins - what is best for you? This is probably one of the most widely disputed arguments in the supplement industry. Some will say liquid vitamins are better because the absorb better. While others suggest the tablet form not only has a better absorption rate, but also contains more vitamins and minerals.

So who is right? Before providing one scientist's answer to this question, I need to emphasize the fact that we are talking about pharmaceutical grade table vitamins and not the discount vitamins you will find at your local Walmart.

This excellent answer was given by a scientist at Usana: a company which produces pharmaceutical grade supplements in tablet form. The company was voted the #1 supplement company in America just a few short weeks ago by the National Sanitation Foundation. Take a look at the answer and hopefully it will provide you the information you need to make an educated decision for yourself.

The Claims
Many liquid supplement manufacturers claim that because their product is in a liquid
form that it is more bioavailable. In fact, some even use phony statements regarding the
Physician's Desk Reference to support such claims. The statement they reference about
liquid supplements being more bioavailable first appeared in the PDR under a listing for a
specific nutritional supplement product. That statement has since been removed because
it was false and could not be substantiated. In addition, the PDR organization itself does
not make any such statement about liquid vitamins vs. tablets.

How Are Nutrients Absorbed?
Nutrients are absorbed by the small intestine, unless they are taken sublingually or
injected. When you ingest a supplement in either a liquid or tablet form, it must first go
through the stomach and is then absorbed by the small intestine. If liquids were simply
absorbed directly in to the bloodstream, as some supplement companies claim, would the
same happen when you ate soup?

Bioavailability is defined as the degree and rate at which a substance (as a drug) is
absorbed into a living system or is made available at the site of physiological activity.
Different vitamins and minerals have different absorption rates no matter if they come
from a tablet, liquid, powder, or food. For example Calcium has a pretty standard
absorption rate around 25-35%. The form does not generally make a significant
difference.

The Differences
A well-made tablet provides a very effective delivery system and is the chosen form of
most pharmaceutical medications. This is because tablets have been shown to be a very
efficient delivery system for medications. Why would vitamin and mineral supplements
be any different? Does anybody doubt that an aspirin tablet is less effective because it
comes in a tablet?

Tableted products provide the advantage of an increased amount of active ingredient
(almost 3 times as much as a capsule and much more than a liquid or spray). In general,
the stability of tablets is also superior to liquids.

Determining Factors
There are many factors that can affect the absorption of vitamins and minerals in the
body. Some of these factors are a function of the person taking the nutrient and are
dependent on the age of the person, the integrity of their digestive system, the state of
their health, the time of day, the person's gender, and if the supplements was taken on a
full or empty stomach. People whose nutrient needs are greater, such as growing children,
pregnant or lactating women, and those who are currently deficient, may have
significantly enhanced absorption rates for certain nutrients. Recently, some individuals
and companies have made claims that their products are superior because they are "98-
percent absorbed" or some similar number. This is a misleading statement because there
are too many variables to imply that an individual's absorption is a certain percent of the
material consumed. Even absorption of minerals from food sources can vary
significantly. Boron, molybdenum, and iodine can be absorbed at over 90 percent while
the average absorption rates of zinc, copper, and selenium can range from 30 to 80
percent depending on the form. It should seem reasonable then, that stating an average
absorption rate is very misleading.

USANA Vitamins
The USANA tablets are formulated to meet United States Pharmacopoeia standards
requiring full disintegration within 30-45 min. They are also formulated to meet
standards for dissolution. Because the USANA tablets are formulated to these standards,
the vitamins and minerals found in our supplements are properly absorbed into the body
and are very beneficial. Innovative formulations have been developed to optimize
nutrient bioavailability. Each lot of USANA tablets is tested against finished product
specifications to ensure that it meets standards for: identity, target weight, hardness,
thickness, disintegration, potency, purity, and (microbial counts). USANA provides its
vitamins and minerals in amounts and forms so that, in conjunction with a healthy diet,
you will receive maximum bioavailability, full effectiveness, and uncompromised safety.
A couple of questions to ask:

Liquid Vitamins Are Not Used In Scientific Studies
The supplement industry itself originated on account of published studies in the scientific
literature that contributed to the knowledge and insight into nutritional elements. With the
hundreds of studies connecting calcium and vitamin D supplements with bone health, it is
hard to dispute that tableted supplements provide an effective delivery system. If tablets
weren't any good, why did the researchers get positive results? If liquid or spray
supplements are so much better, why are they rarely, if ever, used in published scientific
research?

Conclusions
Keep in mind that we are speaking of multiminerals and multivitamin formulations.
There may be certain products that may be appropriate in a liquid (just as some
medications are liquid). However, these are the exceptions, not the rule.
Finally, liquid supplement promoters often contend that liquids are better because they
don't contain fillers (excipients used in tablets for disintegration, form, binding, coating,
etc). That is a ridiculous argument since liquid supplements require even more "other"
ingredients such as emulsifiers, solvents, preservatives, stabilizing agents, coloring,
flavoring, etc. The more ingredients in a liquid supplement, the more excipients that may
be required.

To Your Health

Vitamin D: My Personal Journey And Experience

2011-01-23T12:45:00.000-06:00

I have to admit…with all the knowledge I’ve gained over the years regarding the potential health benefits of supplements, not even I was aware of the effects of vitamin D. Sure, I knew it was called the “sunshine vitamin” because our skin is able to synthesize UV light from the sun and convert it to vitamin D. I also knew you could receive more from dairy products, such as milk, cheese, and yogurt. But I didn’t “see the light” until earlier this year. That was when I began to really dig into the benefits of vitamin D.

A Theory is born.

You see, I’ve had a theory for quite some time. Here in Wisconsin, our cold and flu season begins in the Oct/Nov time frame. And it lasts until early spring. I started to wonder WHY we don’t see more colds and cases of influenza in the spring or summer. The old song-and-dance from your mother may have gone something like this: “Make sure you put a hat on and dress warm when going outside or you’ll catch a cold”. Sound familiar? If you think about it, it makes sense. You get colds in the winter. So as soon as I would get one, I would go back and try to remember when I had gone outside without a coat or hat.

The problem is, it’s not true. Even Mythbusters debunked it in one of their shows. The fact is, these are spread through germs and contact with people. Someone sneezes into their hand, then grabs a doorknob, shakes someone’s hand, and passes a glass around. Everything that person touches becomes a little time-released germ bomb.

So if colds and influenza are actually spread around from these germ bombs and NOT cold weather, then why wouldn’t we see more cases in the summer. If they truly have nothing to do with the temperature outside, we shouldn’t have a cold and flu season…it should be a year-round thing. But that’s not the case…WHY?

Getting Closer to the Truth.

I started to put the pieces of the puzzle together. I knew we absorbed vitamin D from the sun. I also knew, in order to accomplish this, we needed our skin exposed while outdoors. Outside of a couple crazy fans watching the Packers play at Lambeau Field in December…without shirts on…the odds are pretty slim one would have much of any skin exposed during the harsh Wisconsin winters. Not to mention the fact people tend to stay indoors more often. Could this be the reason we have colds in the winter? That’s when I started researching.

It turns out, I wasn’t far off. While skin exposure to the sun is very important, the main issue here is the angle of the sun in the sky. During the fall, through the winter, and into spring the sun is at such a low angle in the sky that our bodies do not absorb the UV rays critical for the creation of vitamin D. You could sit outside in a swimsuit for 3hrs with snow blowing around you and it wouldn’t help your vitamin D creation one bit.

Upon listening to presentations by Dr. Myron Wentz and Dr. John Whittcomb, I felt compelled to write multiple blog entries on vitamin D. And as you have probably noticed, this is the topic I have written about the most. Namely because I feel it is information everyone should have. But this time, I wanted to pass along my own personal experiences.

Using Vitamin D to Change Lives.

Following my research, I began to supplement my diet with additional vitamin D. I am already receiving 2000IU from the multi-vitamin and fish oil I take. I began taking an additional 2000IU back in early October when I knew I wouldn’t be receiving any more from the sun. Since then, I have increased that amount and have been taking 6000IU every day. My wife also began taking an increased amount of vitamin D. And after watching Dr. Whittcomb’s presentation and reading the research from Japan regarding children taking vitamin D, I started giving my 2 children 2000IU/day. The tablet we use is about the size of a Tic-Tac and is chewable, so it’s easy enough for them to take.

Regardless of the recent FDA ruling to limit yourself to only 600IU of vitamin D/day, based upon the scientific studies I had read, my belief was, and still is, that we are perfectly safe. In fact, physicians are recommending their patients take 5000IU/day in lieu of receiving the flu shot. Suffice to say, my personal opinion is that the FDA ruling was either a matter of being overly cautious or an attempt at protecting the pharmaceutical industry. Perhaps both.

Here we are with January coming to a close. To date, we have had no sickness in our household this winter. An occasional runny nose, sure. But no colds or flu. An amazing feat considering my wife works in a hospital and my children attend daycare, which is a germ-bomb factory.

How Well Has It Been Working?

Now, am I saying my family’s results are typical and you should immediately go out and start taking vitamin D? Yes and no. It is my opinion that it can only help…there are no negative effects that I am aware of. But I’m also not a doctor and can’t “officially” give out that type of advice. So it’s up to you to make your own decision. If you want to base it off my family’s experience, or the various other posts I’ve made is entirely up to you. But before you start up on something, you may also want to consider consulting with your family physician and looking into a pharmaceutical grade supplement.

Can You Use Bilberry And Lutein For Eye Health?

2011-01-19T00:40:00.000-06:00

Bilberry is a powerful antioxidant which protects blood vessels within the eyes and promotes eye health. It has been used to prevent and treat Macular Degeneration, night blindness, glaucoma and cataracts. But it's benefits are not limited to eye health. It may also help to treat varicose veins in early stages and has traditionally been used to control blood sugar levels in diabetics.

During World War II, British pilots reported increased night vision after consuming bilberry jam. However, actual scientific studies on the effects and benefits of bilberry are very limited. Suffice to say, even though it has been traditionally used to treat various eye disease, there has not been a sufficient number of studies to back these claims. Does that mean it will not work? Not necessarily. Simply that more research needs to be conducted.

Lutein is found in certain fruits and vegetables such as carrots and squash. This has also been traditionally used for eye health and may lower your risk of cataracts and Macular Degeneration. In a study published in the April 2004 edition of Optometry, visual function was found to improve in patients taking lutein.

Another study reported in the January 25th, 2008 edition of Health, and published in the January issue of Archives of Ophthalmology, showed an 18% decrease in the risk of cataracts when consuming a combination of lutein and zeaxanthin. This combination can be found in some high quality supplements, or in foods such as spinach, peas, and broccoli.

So, while studies are lacking with regards to the use of bilberry with regards to promoting eye health, there are studies available showing potential benefits when using lutein. As such, supplementing your diet with these substances may lower your risk of developing eye disease.

Choosing how to obtain lutein and bilberry is a different matter. While it is possible to receive the benefits through food, it may be easier to take a high quality, pharmaceutical grade supplement to ensure you are receiving ample amounts in a bioavailable form. As always, before making any changes to your diet, I recommend consulting with your physician.

To Your Health

Does Body Cleansing And Colon Cleansing Work?

2011-01-09T22:04:00.000-06:00

Body Cleansing, Colon Cleansing, and Body Detox. These techniques have been gaining in popularity over the last couple of years. But do they work? And do you need them?

What is it?
But let's not get too far ahead of ourselves. Exactly what are these techniques? What is the intent? And what do they consist of? A detox diet is one method. Generally, this consists of some type of fasting such as drinking only water for a weekend. Or it could consist of a diet of water, fruit juice, and foods high in fiber. The intent here is two-fold: to lose weight and to rid your body of toxins.

A Colon Cleansing, on the other hand, is not a type of diet. Your main goal here is not to lose weight, but rather to rid yourself of toxins in the body.

Where do these toxins come from?
Toxins are around us everyday. The air we breathe, the food we eat, the water we drink. The theory is that when you eat foods, some of those particles get left behind in the digestive tract. These particles which do not get flushed out sit in your colon or intestines and break down, releasing toxins into the body as they do so. In other words, they rot inside your body.

As these toxins are released into your body, they can build up. Some believe these can cause health issues, low energy, and even lead to colon cancer.

How do you go about doing a cleansing?
Enzymes and Probiotics are two of the methods used to help with the detox process. Digestive enzymes help to properly digest food, pull vitamins and minerals out of the food and into the body, while at the same time, assisting the liver and colon with getting rid of harmful toxins. Probiotics are, according to WHO, "Live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host". You can find these in foods such as yogurt, or you can purchase actual probiotic products.

Probiotic Benefits.
Some of the potential benefits you may experience with the use of probiotics include:

Colon Cancer Prevention
Lowering Cholesterol
Lowering Blood Pressure
Improving Your Immune System
Reducing Inflammation
Improving Symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Do You Need It?
As stated earlier, your liver and colon does the heavy lifting when it comes to detoxifying your body. So you may be wondering why you would need to take alternative measures. It is important to remember that you are not trying to replace the body's process, but instead you are assisting the process. Very similar to taking vitamins. This is not meant to replace eating healthy foods. You are simply supporting your body.

In conclusion, there is nothing wrong with giving your body a little support. To date, no one has ever died from eating yogurt or taking additional digestive enzymes or probiotics. There is absolutely no downside here and can only help.

Diabetes Risk In America

2010-12-29T00:16:00.000-06:00

Another 'Quick Hit' posting from Dr. Ray Strand on the growing diabetes problem in America:

Type 2 diabetes is a chronic health condition that develops when the body becomes resistant to insulin, a hormone that regulates carbohydrate and fat metabolism. The exact mechanism by which type 2 diabetes occurs is unknown, but a number of correlating risk factors - particularly obesity and physical inactivity - are well-established. Unfortunately, the number of individuals with type 2 diabetes has increased sharply in recent years, with an estimated $174 billion cost to the United States in 2007 alone.

A number of papers have attempted to project type 2 diabetes prevalence 5, 10, and 20+ years into the future. Unfortunately, most of these projections have relied on weak or outdated metrics, including old census data, static mortality rates, and overly simple estimations of diabetes incidence. A recent paper from researchers at the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion hoped to overcome these weaknesses by utilizing recent census data and a matrix of factors derived from an extensive literature review.

The researchers describe their results as "a sobering picture of the future growth of diabetes." Their most optimistic values point to 21% of the U.S. adult population having type 2 diabetes in the year 2050. A middle-ground scenario predicts a prevalence of 25%-28%, while high-end data points to a diabetes prevalence of 33%, or 1 in 3 adults. To put these numbers in perspective, approximately 7% of the U.S. adult population had type 2 diabetes in 2007. In 1990, prevalence was below 5%.

Unlike some chronic diseases, type 2 diabetes risk can be reduced by relatively moderate lifestyle changes. Losing weight (if overweight or obese), improving dietary choices, and regular exercise are all known to reduce risk of acquiring type 2 diabetes. The authors of this paper note that such changes "can help to decrease loss in quality of life and the future cost of providing care for people with diabetes. Indeed, such efforts are essential if we hope to moderate or slow the growth of diabetes prevalence."

Boyle JP, Thompson TJ, Gregg EW, Barker LE, Williamson DF. Projection of the year 2050 burden of diabetes in the US adult population: dynamic modeling of incidence, mortality, and prediabetes prevalence. 2010. Population Health Metrics 8:29.

Scott Huff has been helping people obtain optimal levels of vitamins and minerals through the use of pharmaceutical grade nutritional supplements. He is also experienced in helping people create an alternate source of income, simply by educating and helping others with their health. For more information on this unique opportunity, please watch this short video tour, or send an email with any questions to: huffster@usana.com.

Losing Weight Requires A Lifestyle Change

2010-12-16T01:12:00.000-06:00

Tis the season for diets. New Years resolutions are full of people vowing to lose weight. And so many people go on crash diets or fad diets. They take diet pills or begin to count calories. But the shocking fact is, many of these people will actually gain the weight back. A successful diet, one which will lose weight and KEEP it off, requires a lifestyle change.

Lifestyle Change To Lose Weight

Changing your lifestyle is the best, and healthiest, way to lose weight and keep it off. Is it always the easiest way to lose weight? Maybe. It depends upon what your current lifestyle is like. It may only require slight modifications to what you are used to, or it may entail several changes which can take time. Suffice to say, a lifestyle change requires only a two simple changes:

1. Change what you eat and drink
2. Exercise

That's it. Yes, it's that simple.

Change What You Eat

The obvious thing to look at here is junk food and fast food. There are so many calories built into these products, that it doesn't take long to pack on extra pounds. Contrary to popular belief, eating fewer times does not help much in attaining your goals. In fact, it is recommended to eat more often, but in smaller portions. Up to 6 times/day. A healthy breakfast, lunch, and dinner in smaller portions, along with snacks consisting of fruit, veggies, or yogurt. Staying away from soda, especially diet soda, is also key.

What You Should Eat

Back in August, I wrote a piece entitled, "The Top 4 Secrets To Losing Weight". In this post, I discussed the Glycemic Index. I won't go into the details here, but in a nutshell there are certain foods which have a high Glycemic Index, and others with lower index ratings. Foods with a high glycemic index spike the blood sugar levels in your body. They also cause your blood sugar levels to come down rapidly, causing those cravings you may experience. Whereas, foods with a lower index will rise the blood sugar slower and will come down more gradually, thus reducing those cravings.

Some examples of foods which are high glycemic would be: pretzels, rice cakes, white bread, potatoes, and white rice. Examples of low glycemic foods are: most fruits and vegetables, wheat bread, brown rice, sweet potatoes, and yogurt. You can find a larger list by visiting this site.

What About Exercise?

If you change your eating habits, cut out soda, and follow the gylcemic index chart your odds are pretty good that you will lose weight. To improve your chances and increase the amount of weight you lose, exercise becomes very important. Gaining weight comes down to simple chemistry. If you consume more calories than you burn off, the excess calories are stored as fat. It is a basic survival method of the body.

So the secret to losing weight is to burn off more calories than you take in. Obviously, if you start to eat better you are going to be consuming less calories. Therefore, if you lead a life where you get very little exercise, you will probably still burn off more calories/day than you take in. It's just that the difference won't be very large. However, if you start to exercise you will widen that gap. Burning off more calories creates a larger difference and will, therefore, result in losing more weight.

Getting 20-30 minutes of exercise/day is all you need. Depending upon the TYPE of exercise. If you are doing something which increases your heart rate, then you are looking at 20-30min. However, if you are simply walking around the block, your heart rate may not increase very much and you will need to exercise longer.

Making The Change

Now, before you go off changing your lifestyle, you may want to consult with your doctor first. The last thing you want to do is to to do too much at one time. An increase in the amount of exercise after leading a fairly sedentary life may cause injury. So just be cautious.

But if you give this method a try, I think you will be happy with the results. Not only should you start to see a decrease in your weight, but it is very possible you could see some beneficial side effects. Things like lowering your blood pressure or cholesterol levels are just some of these benefits. You will have more energy, you'll be in better shape, and you'll be healthier. And best of all, you can decrease your risk of certain diseases like diabetes and heart disease. I can recommend a system which will help you though this lifestyle change, so if you are interested simply send me an email and I will be happy to discuss it with you.

To Your Health.

Scott Huff has been helping people obtain optimal levels of vitamins and minerals through the use of pharmaceutical grade nutritional supplements. He is also experienced in helping people create an alternate source of income, simply by educating and helping others with their health. For more information on this unique opportunity, please watch this short video tour, or send an email with any questions to: huffster@usana.com.

Best Vitamins: What Is Your Supplement Rating?

2010-12-10T19:39:00.000-06:00

You've made the choice to take a supplement. But what are the best vitamins out there? Where does your supplement Rate? The answers may shock you. As you saw in one of my previous posts, all supplements are not the same. In fact, the vitamins you take to improve your health may, in fact, be doing absolutely nothing for you.

In this post I'm going to use the "Comparative Guide To Nutritional Supplements" by Lyle MacWilliam, both the 3rd and 4th editions. This book came about at the request of Canadian Parliament so as to provide the public with information in order to make good decisions when it came to supplements.

I am going to go through some of the more popular vitamins on the market...vitamins YOU may be taking now...and showing you how they hold up to scientific study. Are they as good as they say? Do they actually do anything for you? You'll find in this top 10 list.

The Top 10

1. Centrum. In the 3rd edition, it rates a 3.2 out of 100, and in the 4th edition...0-stars out of 5 possible. And yes, there are several "versions" of Centrum out there, but they all rate essentially the same: low. The reasoning for the low rating comes down to several facts. First, they do not always use natural ingredients. For instance, if you have a bottle in the house, take a look at the type of vitamin E they use. It will be the dl-Alpha Tocopheryl form. This is the synthetic form, and as such, it does not absorb as well into the body. Fillers and additives are also allowed in these types of supplements, meaning if they advertise 60mg of vitamin C on the bottle, you may only be receiving a portion of that. Suffice to say, these vitamins are not doing much for you and are probably not even breaking down and absorbing into your body.

2. One-A-Day. In the 3rd edition, it rates a 5.1 out of 100, and in the 4th edition a mere 1/2 star out of 5. Again, there are several versions of this supplement, but they are all essentially the same. And as in the case of Centrum, it runs into the same issues about synthetic ingredients and absorption.

3. GNC. Here we run into our first decent supplement, the MegaMan. However, it still only rates a 21.1 out of 100 in the 3rd edition and a 2.5 out of 5 stars in the 4th edition.

4. Nature Made. Weighing in at 17.9 in the 3rd edition and 0-stars out of 5. A decent supplement when compared to the "well known" products, but still falls short of acceptable.

5. Shaklee - Basics With Iron. Weighing in on our first network marketing supplement, Shaklee comes up with a 30.5 rating in the 3rd edition, but was not rated in the 4th edition. As you can see, even though the product is a comes from a network marketing company, it is rated higher than the previous store bought supplements available on the market.

6. Melaleuca Vitality Pack. Another network marketing company, but it doesn't fare as well as Shaklee. A 6.2 ranking in the 3rd edition and a 1-star in the 4th edition.

7. Herbalife - Formula 2. Again, another network marketing company that falls a little short. This rates at a 14.8 in the 3rd edition and a 1 star in the 4th edition

8. Mannatech. So far, the highest rated network marketing supplement coming in at a rating of 33.1 in the 3rd edition and a 2.5 star rating in the 4th edition.

9. Nature's Way - Alive. The highest rated supplement so far, at a 60 in the 3rd edition and 3 stars in the 4th edition.

10. Pharmanex LifePak. Rated at a nice 52.7 in the 3rd edition, and a 3 stars out of 5 in the 4th edition. A fairly decent supplement.

So if these well-known supplements are not rated very well, then what ARE the top rated supplements? When it comes to "stand alone" products, these are the top 4 according to the 4th edition. All of these are rated at 5-stars.

1. Usana Health Sciences (96.1 in the 3rd edition)
2. Creating Wellness Alliance (not included in the 3rd edition)
3. Douglas Laboratories (75.1 in the 3rd edition)
4. TrueStar Health (not included in the 3rd edition)

So as you can see, what you are taking now may not be what you expected. As I always say, you want to look for a pharmaceutical grade supplement so you can be certain of the ingredients and bioavailability.

Is there another you are currently taking which was not included in the ranking above? Add a comment or send me an email and I will provide you with the ranking of what you are taking.

Scott Huff has been helping people obtain optimal levels of vitamins and minerals through the use of pharmaceutical grade nutritional supplements. He is also experienced in helping people create an alternate source of income, simply by educating and helping others with their health. For more information on this unique opportunity, please watch this short video tour, or send an email with any questions to: huffster@usana.com.

Grape Seed Extract Benefits

2010-12-06T23:58:00.000-06:00

There are two questions here. First, what is grape seed extract, and second, what sort of benefits can you hope to receive.

Suffice to say, the answer to the first question is fairly straightforward. Grape seed extract is simply an extract of grape seeds. This extract unlocks the powerful antioxidants from the grape.

As far as the benefits go, this is not as easy of a question to answer. For the benefits are many. Cancer prevention and cardiovascular disease protection are just two of these benefits.

This is a substance which is 20x more powerful than vitamin C and 50x more powerful than vitamin E. Suffice to say, its use as an immune system boost is well documented. However, studies also suggest that grape seed extract leads to apoptosis, or self destruction, of cancer cells. Is this a cure for cancer? No. However, cancer cells are created within the body every day. Normally, your body is able to fight off and destroy these cancer cells on it's own. The problem is when your body is not able to fend off these cancer cells. Grape seed extract simply helps the body perform its normal function.

Another study was conducted to look at the effects of grape seed extract and reducing blood pressure. Within 4wks of this study, the group receiving the grape seed saw their blood pressure reduced; whereas the blood pressure in the placebo group did not change at all.

Perhaps you have heard of the French Paradox. In a nutshell, researchers noticed the fact that the French tend to eat fatty foods, such as cheese, but their risk of cardiovascular disease remains low. Interestingly enough, they also tend to consume red wine on a regular basis. Therefore, studies focuses on the affect of red wine on cardiovascular disease. From there, it was narrowed down to the grape seed extract...not nearly as fun to consume, but it does the job in much smaller quantities.

If you have high blood pressure, concerns about cardiovascular disease, or even a history of cancer in your family, you may want to consider beginning a regiment of grape seed extract to help your body confront these issues. Again, this should not be looked upon as a solution, but rather a helping hand for your body's immune system.

Scott Huff has been helping people obtain optimal levels of vitamins and minerals through the use of pharmaceutical grade nutritional supplements. He is also experienced in helping people create an alternate source of income, simply by educating and helping others with their health. For more information on this unique opportunity, please watch this short video tour, or send an email with any questions to: huffster@usana.com.

The Latest Vitamin D Recommendations From The IOM

2010-12-02T22:46:00.000-06:00

You may or may not have heard the Institute of Medicine (IOM) changed their recommendations for vitamin D earlier this week. This is the same organization responsible for the RDA values you see on product labels.

Previously, the recommended amount of vitamin D had been set at 200IU/day. However, they have just raised that amount to 600IU/day. Which is a step in the right direction.

However, the IOM goes on to say that you should not go over this amount.
This is absolute bunk. As you hopefully saw in my last post on vitamin D, the studies show levels above 600IU/day are safe. And not only are they safe, but they have incredible health benefits. Especially, when you are getting 4000IU or more/day.

People are deficient in Vitamin D.
I also covered this in great detail during the 3-part series I just finished up. The fact that a majority of the United States (anyone north of Atlanta, GA) gets absolutely no vitamin D production from sunlight for over half of the year is one reason. Another reason is, during the summer, when you can get about 15,000IU from the sun, many people are stuck in a building working. So you are missing the opportune time to receive vitamin D from the sun: between 10am and 3pm.

Others are doubting the results as well.
I am not the only one calling shenanigans on the IOM. Natural News goes so far as to say it is a deliberate attempt to keep the public deficient in vitamin D. Afterall, with the studies showing significant decreases in the risk of everything from cancer to MS to diabetes to the flu with adequate levels of vitamin D in the blood, it does seem odd they would not have increased the recommendations further. Or at least to say it is safe at higher levels. As is the case with most things, one only needs to follow the money. And who stands to profit from the public continuing to become ill? The pharmaceutical companies.

A well known nutritional supplement company also voiced their disappointment at the latest recommendations. They cited studies they had conducted themselves, which show the decreased levels of vitamin D blood levels.

Suffice to say, if you have any doubts or concerns I would recommend discussing the topic with your physician. Bring along the studies which I have cited on this blog. Or, fill out the form at the top of the page and I will send you a free copy of the recent presentation Dr. Whitcomb just gave on vitamin D. Why is it free? Surely there must be a catch? There isn't. It is important to get this information out to people.

Scott Huff has been helping people obtain optimal levels of vitamins and minerals through the use of pharmaceutical grade nutritional supplements. He is also experienced in helping people create an alternate source of income, simply by educating and helping others with their health. For more information on this unique opportunity, please watch this short video tour, or send an email with any questions to: huffster@usana.com.

More Secrets Of Vitamin D - Part 3

2010-11-30T01:57:00.000-06:00

Following a brief break from Thanksgiving, I'm back for the final article of this 3-part series on More Secrets of Vitamin D. If you are just coming across this article, it is based upon a presentation Dr. John Whitcomb gave in October of 2010. If you want to get caught up, part 1 and part 2 can be found by following the links.

In my last article, I touched upon a few studies Dr. Whitcomb had brought up. In this posting, I am going to cover the other studies he brought up. I hope you find them as insightful as I did. I'll also answer the question, can you overdose on vitamin D.

If you will recall from part 1, once we get into the fall and winter your body does not produce vitamin D from sunlight if you live north of Atlanta, GA. As such, it becomes necessary to supplement in order to keep your blood level up. Here are a few more studies which support this.

In the July 2006 edition of the Journal of Science, it was reported that vitamin D actually makes your immune system work better. At a blood level of 32, a protein called catheliciden is released. However, is is NOT released when your blood levels are below that magic number of 32.

This protein is a natural anti-biotic. It enables monocytes, which kill viruses. This lends credibility to the theory of why we have a cold and flu season in the winter. In fact, in Wisconsin the influenza season starts right around October 1st. Coincidentally, our ability to produce vitamin D from sunlight stops around September 1st, dropping our blood levels.

These monocytes also kill tuberculosis. The treatment many years ago for tuberculosis patients was to admit them into a sanitarium and have them sit in the sun. And, this treatment worked! Could it be because of the additional vitamin D production?

Another test was conducted at a California prison for the criminally insane. A psychiatrist measured the serum levels of vitamin D in convicts. In the focus group, he supplemented them with 2000IU of vitamin D every day. An influenza outbreak came to the prison in March of 2006. Not a single person of the 45 supplementing with vitamin D came down with the flu; whereas, 45% of the rest of the population became sick.

April 2010 - Japan. Japanese scientists conducted a randomized, controlled trial with school children and influenza. Children who had been immunized still saw a 19% infection rate. However, children who were supplementing with 5000IU of vitamin D only saw a 10% infection rate. Almost a 50% reduction! Children who had no immunization had a 40% infection rate.

Another stunning report comes from the Archives of Internal Medicine where they found a 7% reduction in mortality from any amount of vitamin D.

in May of 2010, the Intermountain Heart Study conducted a randomized trial of vitamin D and heart disease. It was scheduled to run for 5 years, but it was canceled after only 1 year. Not because people were dying, but because of the incredible results. They saw a 70% reduction in death in the vitamin D group where the men being studied had a blood level over 43. In fact, you are twice as likely to survive a stroke or heart attack if your blood level is above 32 when compared to someone who has a level below 20. If you do not supplement in the winter, this becomes a distinct possibility.

If you have been keeping up with these articles and have taken note of the studies, you may be thinking vitamin D is sounding pretty incredible. But, you may also be asking if you can overdose on vitamin D. The answer is...not really. To date, no one has ever died from a vitamin D overdose. You can take 10,000IU of vitamin D every day for the rest of your life and be safe.

Getting a shot of 600,000IU once/year is a safe level. There have been cases of individuals getting 50,000,000IU. They did become disoriented and confused, but did not die. If you take 40,000IU/day for 6-months it will become toxic. But even then, you will only suffer disorientation and confusion. Within a week you will be back to normal.

So how do you go about getting started with vitamin D supplementation? To start, Dr. Whitcomb recommends finding a pharmaceutical grade vitamin D supplement, as this is the only way to be certain you are getting the right amounts in the most bioavailable form. Meaning, it will absorb into your body. He suggests starting with a "loading dose" of 10,000IU/day for 1 month to get your blood levels up. From there, taking 5000IU/day should get your blood level to about 60. The optimal level is 80, but to really see the benefits you should be in a range of 53-60. Ask your doctor to test your vitamin D blood levels to see where you are at.

Vitamin D supplementation isn't just for adults either. In Finland, they give children 2000IU/day from the time of birth. There is no toxicity at these levels for children. They have also seen an 80% reduction in Type II diabetes.

I want to thank Dr. Whitcomb, once again, for this outstanding presentation. Vitamin D is starting to gain recognition in the medical community, and the information needs to be spread to as many people as possible. Isn't it better to prevent disease from happening, rather than treating it when it happens? This just helps your body's natural disease prevention. As always, if you have questions you should consult with your physician. Bring along these studies if you need to.

In an effort to publicize this information and make as many people as possible aware of the benefits of vitamin D, you can get a free copy of Dr. Whitcomb's presentation simply by filling out the form located at the top of the page. There is no catch...Dr. Whitcomb has made it clear that education and information is the way to go.

To Your Health

Scott Huff has been helping people obtain optimal levels of vitamins and minerals through the use of pharmaceutical grade nutritional supplements. He is also experienced in helping people create an alternate source of income, simply by educating and helping others with their health. For more information on this unique opportunity, please watch this short video tour, or send an email with any questions to: huffster@usana.com.

More Secrets Of Vitamin D - Part 2

2010-11-24T01:23:00.000-06:00

In my previous post I told you about the excellent presentation on vitamin D given by Dr. Whitcomb for Aurora Health on Oct 13th, 2010. Essentially, the groundwork was laid in this first post.

In this second post, I'm going to relay some of the stunning research and conclusions Dr. Whitcomb brought up. It's sure to raise an eyebrow.

The first bit of information to store is the 20-20-20 rule. According to Dr. Whitcomb, this rule states that if a white 20yr old with 50% of the skin exposed gets 20min of mid-day sun on the 20th of June the body will create 20,000IU of vitamin D over the next 24hrs. That translates to 1,000IU/minute of exposure. However, different skin types result in changes to this rule. For instance, and African-American would need 4-5x as much sun. And the elderly would also need 4-5x as much due to the fact that our ability to create vitamin D from the sun decreases with age.

A 1yr old child will create about 200IU/minute of sun exposure. And a young African American makes about 160IU/minute. Drinking a glass of milk would give you 100IU of vitamin D. So you would only need to drink 200 glasses of milk/day to get the same benefits as 20min in the sun.

If you put on sunscreen before even stepping out the door, and SFP-8 will reduce vitamin D production by 95% and an SPF-15 by 98%. Does this mean you should never use sunscreen? No. But you should probably get some sun exposure before putting it on. Just 15min of exposure between 10am and 3pm is all you need.

Dr. Whitcomb then got into specifics on vitamin D blood levels. 32ng is the minimum level we should be at. An optimal amount is 60ng. Generally, we are somewhere between 32-40ng in the summer, but only 15-20ng in the winter. To get to a level of 60ng, we need 5000IU/day.

Why is the 32ng level so important? Remember, vitamin D is actually a hormone which tells cells to start growing. This includes white blood cells, which fight off viruses. At a vitamin D blood level under 32ng, it no longer functions. Interestingly enough, we generally hit 32ng around Sept 1st, again, due to the decrease in the amount of sun we get (for people north of Atlanta). Just as interesting, the flu season starts about 1 month later. Dr. Whitcomb suggest that influenza is actually a vitamin D deficiency.

One placebo controlled study in which people were given 5000IU/day of vitamin D had their blood level increase to 60ng in 1 year. The density of their hip bone also increased by 22%. Important because 25% of people will suffer a broken hip between the ages of 75 and 80.

Does vitamin D have an effect on cancer? It would appear so. In Wisconsin, the risk of breast cancer is 33% higher than in the southern U.S. In fact, it is not just Wisconsin, but all northern states have a higher risk of breast cancer than the southern states.

A study was performed at Creighton University and published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. They were studying the effects of vitamin D and the reduction of fractures over a period of 25-30 years. However, the study was stopped after only 5 years when it was discovered that these patients had a 76% reduction in cancer within the group receiving 1100IU of vitamin D and 1g of calcium.

In the 3rd part of this series, I will report on a few other studies Dr. Whitcomb brought up, as well as information on the maximum amounts of vitamin D you can take. Does vitamin D really help fend off the flu and help with heart health? Can you overdose on vitamin D? Can children take vitamin D supplements, and if so, how much? These questions will all be answered in the 3rd and final part to this series.

Scott Huff has been helping people obtain optimal levels of vitamins and minerals through the use of pharmaceutical grade nutritional supplements. He is also experienced in helping people create an alternate source of income, simply by educating and helping others with their health. For more information on this unique opportunity, please watch this short video tour, or send an email with any questions to: huffster@usana.com.

More Secrets Of Vitamin D

2010-11-20T00:33:00.000-06:00

On Oct 13th, 2010, Dr. John E. Whitcomb gave a presentation at Aurora Health in Sheboygan,WI. He covered multiple topics regarding vitamin D, including: the benefits of vitamin D, why you should be using a vitamin D supplement, and vitamin d toxicity...among other topics. You can get a DVD copy of his presentation by filling out the form on the right.

While I have done several blog posts in the past regarding the benefits of vitamin D (Vitamin D, Part 1, Vitamin D vs flu shot, and Do UV Light Bulbs Produce Vitamin D), Dr Whitcomb provided even more information on the subject. Enough to do another multi-part series on this important vitamin.

First, let's get a foundation down and discuss some of the history and facts about vitamin D. In the early 1900's, 90% of children had rickets...a vitamin D deficiency illness. In the 1930's, milk was supplemented with vitamin D and this helped to drastically reduce the cases of rickets.

Vitamin D works as a hormone and tells cells to start growing. It turns "on" 2000 genes and, interestingly, "sticks" where auto immune disease and cancers are made. Keep that in mind.

As I have mentioned in my previous posts, our skin creates vitamin D from the sun. However, as we grow older our skin produces less of it. In fact, a 70yr old makes only 25% of what a 20yr old makes. Another interesting fact is we cannot make vitamin D from the sun north of 35-degrees Latitude in the winter. So if you live north of Atlanta, GA, you are not getting any vitamin D from the sun. It's simply not at the correct angle in the horizon.

Let's go back to the rickets example from 1900. Back then, and before vitamin D, they cured rickets by taking a tablespoon of cod liver oil, which happens to contain vitamin D. In fact, it is about 400IU. Which is why the RDI value of vitamin D today is 400IU. As I have explained before, the RDIs are the MINIMAL amount we need to take in order to fend off these "classic" diseases.

So if we can't make vitamin D in the winter, you may ask yourself how the Inuit people living in the arctic can survive. After all, do they not experience winter for half of the year? That is very true. However, their main diet is fatty fish...a source of vitamin D. In fact, the people of Norway have a similar diet...and their rates of Muscular Sclerosis is "dramatically lower" than in the U.S. Why is that?

That is exactly what I will cover in the next blog post. I'll get into some specific studies regarding vitamin D, I will also relay what Dr. Whitcomb stated were safe, advisable, and toxic levels of vitamin D. Why influenza may be a "vitamin D deficiency" disease and how vitamin D affects your risk of diabetes, cancer, and Muscular Sclerosis I think you will find the next article very eye-opening when it comes to potential disease prevention.

Again, I want to thank Dr. Whitcomb and Aurora Health for allowing me to report on his presentation. The views presented here are his. They have also given me permission to offer his presentation to you...free of charge. Again, if you would like to receive a DVD of his presentation, fill out the form in the upper right.

To Your Health

Scott Huff has been helping people obtain optimal levels of vitamins and minerals through the use of pharmaceutical grade nutritional supplements. He is also experienced in helping people create an alternate source of income, simply by educating and helping others with their health. For more information on this unique opportunity, please watch this short video tour, or send an email with any questions to: huffster@usana.com.

Parabens And Cancer - What Is The Link?

2010-11-15T23:44:00.000-06:00

There are now studies which link parabens to breast cancer. So what exactly is a paraben? In short, these are chemical compounds used in a variety of products as a preservative. Specifically, you can find them in cosmetics and deodorant. The Breast Cancer Fund goes into a more specific definition.

It is a simple process to determine if any products you currently use contain parabens. But first, you'll need to take a trip to your bathroom. Grab any shampoo, lotion, cosmetic, or deodorant you use and take a look at the ingredients. If you see any ingredient which ends with "paraben", then you know you are using one of these products.

Some common ingredients you find may include: methylparaben, ethylparaben, and butylparaben. Now, while there have been studies showing a link, there has yet to be any concrete evidence of parabens causing breast cancer. Additional research is being conducted.

In the meantime, is there anything you can do about it? Assuming you want to err on the side of caution. The answer is fairly simple. You just need to look for products which are paraben free. This can be done by paying attention to the ingredients listed on the bottle, or by purchasing paraben free products from a trusted company.

As I said, research is still being performed on parabens and they are still approved by the FDA. But then again, how many other FDA-approved products have been taken off the shelves due to causing harm or even death? Consumer beware.

To Your Health

Scott Huff has been helping people obtain optimal levels of vitamins and minerals through the use of pharmaceutical grade nutritional supplements. He is also experienced in helping people create an alternate source of income, simply by educating and helping others with their health. For more information on this unique opportunity, please watch this short video tour, or send an email with any questions to: huffster@usana.com.

Tips To Stay Healthy This Winter

2010-11-13T21:32:00.001-06:00

Winter can be fun. Who doesn’t enjoy building a snow fort in the backyard? However, winter is also a time when many dangers loom large. Whether from the cold temperatures, the shorter days with less sunlight, or even the large family get-togethers, your immune system is more susceptible in this season than any other.

Here are some helpful tips to make sure that you have the upper hand this year in the fight against winter.

Wash your hands frequently during the day, not just before meals or after using the restroom. You never know when germs have made their way onto your hands and are ready to invade your system.
Eat raw foods that are rich in antioxidants such as blueberries, apples, and pecans. You may not know it, but red, pinto, and kidney beans are also packed with immune-boosting antioxidants.
Exercising and increasing physical activity helps your immune system stay in shape too. Regular exercise can increase your body’s ability to deal with stresses and builds up stronger immune defenses.
Use a disinfectant spray in your workspace or areas where you or your guests may frequently visit.
Stay hydrated by drinking water instead of coffee or soda. Sugar can weaken the ability of white blood cells to defend against bacteria for up to five hours after consumption.
Take a pharmaceutical grade Vitamin D supplement to make up for the lack of vitamin D production from sunlight.

To Your Health

Scott Huff has been helping people obtain optimal levels of vitamins and minerals through the use of pharmaceutical grade nutritional supplements. He is also experienced in helping people create an alternate source of income, simply by educating and helping others with their health. For more information on this unique opportunity, please watch this short video tour, or send an email with any questions to: huffster@usana.com.

Justifing The Cost Of Nutritional Supplements

2010-11-11T01:23:00.000-06:00

You have decided to start taking a nutritional supplement to better your health. Bombarded by advertisements and network marketers, you decide to just purchase a popular brand name, or maybe the cheapest supplement you can find on the shelf. But is this really giving you any benefit?

In a previous post I answered the question, "All Supplements Are The Same, Right?". If you haven't read this post, it goes hand-in-hand with this one. Essentially, I run down the differences between these store bought supplements (yes, even the popular ones you see on TV) and pharmaceutical grade supplements.

But how can you hope to justify the increased cost of pharmaceutical grade supplements. Some store bought multivitamins go for around $6/bottle and will last quite awhile. Whereas, pharmaceutical grade supplements may cost $40, $50, or more for only a 1 or 2 month supply. Common sense would tell you to just go with the cheapest product out there. Afterall, all supplements are the same.

Suffice to say, this is not the case. I cover this subject in great detail in my "All Supplements Are The Same, Right?" post. But to summarize, store bought supplements follow different regulations than pharmaceutical grade supplements. For instance, fillers and additives are often used in these store bought supplements. Meaning, if they advertise 100% of the RDI of, say, Vitamin C you may only be getting 50%. The rest are fillers.

Then there is the problem of using synthetic materials to produce these supplements. Take Vitamin E for example. There are two types used in supplements: d-alpha tocopheryl and dl-alpha tocopheryl. The d-alpha version is natural, will break down, and absorb into your body. The dl-alpha version is synethetic and does NOT absorb into the body nearly as well, if at all. Take a look at this picture:

This picture is an x-ray of some store bought supplements in the colon. That's just one short stop away from the toilet. In fact, many nurses call these well-known supplements, "bed pan pills". Because they come out the same way they go in. Why? Because they do not break down or absorb into your body.

What it boils down to is this. If you are spending $6 for a bottle of supplements at your local store, and they don't break down or absorb into your body, you are literally flushing your money down the toilet. Not to mention the possibility of not even receiving the amounts advertised on the label.

A pharmaceutical grade supplement needs to be over 99% pure. Higher grade materials means they will absorb into your body. In fact, many of these companies will guarantee their bio-availability (absorption). They are also required to contain the amounts advertised on the label in every dose. Store bought supplements are not.

As a result of using higher grade materials to make a pharmaceutical grade supplement, you pay more for that product. But I ask you, isn't the higher cost worth it if you know these supplements are actually absorbing into your body and providing a benefit, rather than getting flushed down the toilet? That's the question you need to ask yourself.

To Your Health.

Scott Huff has been helping people obtain optimal levels of vitamins and minerals through the use of pharmaceutical grade nutritional supplements. He is also experienced in helping people create an alternate source of income, simply by educating and helping others with their health. For more information on this unique opportunity, please watch this short video tour, or send an email with any questions to: huffster@usana.com.

Warning: Diet Soda Linked To Premature Birth

2010-11-07T16:55:00.000-06:00

A recent study in Denmark, and published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, suggests drinking diet soda can increase the risk of premature birth.

In the study, a group of 60,000 pregnant women were followed. Women who had at least one diet soda per day were 38% more likely to have a premature baby versus women who did not drink diet soda. Even more frightening, women who had at least four diet sodas per day were 80% more likely to deliver prematurely. Results were the same for both normal-weight and overweight women.

According to the March of Dimes, 13% of babies born are born prematurely. Therefore, this study suggests women who have at least one diet soda would see that risk rise to 17% and up to 22% for those who consume at least four diet sodas.

There appears to be an indirect link with the artificial sweetener, aspartame, and premature births. According to the Reuters article, "Aspartame breaks down into methanol and other substances in the body, which can in turn be converted to toxic substances such as formaldehyde and formic acid, the researchers explain. And studies in non-human primates have linked even very low exposure to methanol to shortened pregnancy and labor complications."

To Your Health

Scott Huff has been helping people obtain optimal levels of vitamins and minerals through the use of pharmaceutical grade nutritional supplements. He is also experienced in helping people create an alternate source of income, simply by educating and helping others with their health. For more information on this unique opportunity, please watch this short video tour, or send an email with any questions to: huffster@usana.com.

Risk Of Lymphoma Decreased With Vitamin C

2010-11-02T22:07:00.000-05:00

Another Quick Hit from Dr. Ray Strand:

"I have always been a proponent of supplementing a healthy diet. I recommend that you eat 6 to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables each and every day along with taking high-quality, complete and balanced supplements. Well, a study reported by Mayo Clinic looked at over 35,000 Iowa women between the ages of 55 and 69. The researchers looked at the health benefits of consuming additional antioxidant nutrients from fruits and vegetables. Those with the higher intake of vitamin C had a 22% decrease risk in developing lymphoma. They also noted that increase intake of alpha-carotene, proanthocyanidins (found in grape seed extract), and manganese were associated with a 29, 30, and 38% reduction in the incidence of lymphoma."

To Your Health

Do UV Light Bulbs Produce Vitamin D?

2010-10-30T15:44:00.001-05:00

With the winter months now here, I've been receiving an increased number of questions about Vitamin D. First some background on why you may be deficient in Vitamin D during the winter months. And then I'll touch specifically upon UV lights and UV light bulbs.

I've covered the positive effects of Vitamin D in previous posts. In fact, you can look at part 1 of a 3-part series I did earlier. So I won't be going any deeper in this post. Suffice to say, Vitamin D has MANY benefits.

So let's start with some basics and get a good foundation. Vitamin D is called the "sunshine vitamin" because our body turns the suns rays into Vitamin D. During the summer months, 15-30 minutes of direct sunlight when the sun is at its highest (10:30am - 2:30pm) can result in 15,000-20,000 IU of Vitamin D produced by your body.

Let's dig a little deeper into that. The sun produces two types of rays: UVA and UVB. Now, UVA rays are the type you hear all the negativity about. They damage the skin and are also responsible for tanning. Tanning salons will use UVA bulbs in their beds (though some do also use UVB). However, vitamin D production comes from the UVB rays. When we are talking about natural sunlight, there is another big difference between UVA and UVB. Our atmosphere will actually deflect UVB rays. So, depending upon the season and the time of day, you may not get much, if any, UVB rays for Vitamin D production.

In fact, from mid-October through mid-March, the sun will be at such an angle that all the UVB rays will be deflected and not even reach the surface. That translates into zero Vitamin D production from sunlight. To get any production, the UV Index needs to be at 3.0 or above. You can find the UV Index for your area by looking at the EPA's UV Index website.

An easy way to keep track of this...if you live above 42-degrees latitude, then during the winter months the UV Index will be below 3.0 and you will not be able to absorb any UVB rays for Vitamin D production, due to the angle of the sun. 42-degrees latitude runs from the northern border of California through Chicago, IL, and over to Boston, MA. So if you live north of these locations, you aren't going to get any Vitamin D from the sun during these months.

If you are in one of these locations, then you may want to consider getting your Vitamin D through other methods, due to the plethora of benefits. My recommendation would be a pharmaceutical grade supplement, as this is the only way you can be guaranteed of receiving the full amount advertised on the bottle in a bioavailable form. Meaning, it will absorb into your body.

However, there is another method gaining in popularity. And that would be UV lights and light bulbs. Light therapy is especially popular with treating SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder). But do these lights actually produce Vitamin D? Well, it depends. You now know your body needs UVB rays to produce Vitamin D. So it simply comes down to that. If the light you are using will emit UVB rays, then you will be able to use it effectively as an alternate to natural sunlight. It's that simple.

As I stated above, my personal preference is a pharmaceutical grade Vitamin D supplement. And this one is top notch. Not only is it pharmaceutical grade, but it is also NSF certified, so it goes through rigorous 3rd party testing. Each pill is smaller than a Tic Tac and contains 2000IU of Vitamin D.

Just keep in mind, if you live in the northern hemisphere, and above the 42nd parallel, you're going to go almost half-a-year without sufficient UVB rays to manufacture Vitamin D on your own.

For more information, please feel free to contact me via email, Twitter, Facebook, or join our Facebook Fan Page. And please feel free to link to my blog or share the information via your favorite social media websites.

To Your Health

Question: Are Children Vitamins Worthwhile?

2010-10-26T23:17:00.001-05:00

I have discussed how important supplements are, but does the same hold true for children vitamins? Do children actually benefit from taking vitamins? And what do you need to look for when selecting one?

Obviously, this decision is left up to the parents. But I can tell you, the importance of taking supplements for children is no different from the importance of taking them as an adult. Nowadays, our diets just are not very good so we generally do not get enough of the vitamins and minerals we need for optimal health. And even if our eating habits are top notch, due to food processing and modern farming techniques, we simply do not get enough vitamins and minerals from the food we eat.

Now, the big difference here is that children do not require as much as adults do. So I believe the odds of children getting what they need from eating are a little better. The question is...do they get what they need? That said, there are certain supplements which can be of extra value to kids.

Fish oil is important as early as a fetus. It helps with brain development. And that effect continues through life. Not to mention the added benefit of cardiovascular health. Did you know atherosclerosis can be found in children as young as 10-years old? It's never too early to start thinking about cardiovascular health.

Calcium is also important at a young age to help with the development of bone growth. But make sure the calcium supplement also has magnesium included, as this assists in the calcium absorption into the bone.

When it comes to choosing a vitamin for children, the same rules apply to children as they do for adults. You want to find a pharmaceutical grade supplement to ensure your children are getting an actual benefit from what they are taking. To be quite honest, the gummy vitamins and "popular cartoon" vitamins you find in your local store do not provide much benefit for children.

The book "Comparative Guide To Children's Nutritionals" by Lyle MacWilliam is an excellent resource to use for making your selection. The book rates some of the most popular children's vitamins on the market. I use it in my business to show people the vast differences in supplements. Incidentally, the gummy and "cartoon" vitamins I took as a kid and are still being marketed today? They were rated 1/2 star out of 5.

If you are looking for more information on supplements, for children, I would highly recommend starting with this book. And if you are specifically looking for information on pharmaceutical grade supplements, my other site has detailed information on ingredients and benefits.

Post a comment if there is a specific topic you would like me to post on. I would be happy to research the subject matter and report on the findings here.

To Your Health

Top 5 Supplements For Breast Cancer Prevention

2010-10-24T15:33:00.000-05:00

As it is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I felt it appropriate to write a post detailing some of the studies out there showing how supplements may assist in breast cancer prevention, and in some cases breast cancer recurrence. If you think about it, you have probably been told to do regular breast exams or get a mammogram to prevent breast cancer. However, this does not PREVENT breast cancer, but rather DETECTS breast cancer. This post will show studies which suggest certain supplements can actually reduce your risk of breast cancer, thus preventing it.

If you ever have questions regarding the use of these supplements, I always encourage you to have a discussion with your physician. Feel free to print off the studies I reference and ask your physician to comment on them. In no particular order, these are the Top 5 Supplements For Breast Cancer Prevention:

Fish Oil/Omega-3. On July 8th, 2010, ABCNews reported on the findings of a study which looked at the effectiveness of fish oil for breast cancer prevention. The "Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle followed 35,016 post-menopausal women who had no history of breast cancer.". These women were followed for an average of 6 years. It was found those who used fish oil supplements had a 32% reduced risk of developing breast cancer. The study was published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention and was also referenced in this WebMD article.
Olive Oil. The people of Greece have some of the world's lowest rates of heart disease and cancer. And now studies are showing a direct link to their use of olive oil with regards to these decreased risks. This article from National Geographic outlines a study from 2005 which showed oleic acid (the main fatty acid in olive oil) "can cripple a cancer gene responsible for 25 to 30 percent of all breast cancers.". Another article in WebMD reported on a study which showed olive oil reduced the risk of breast cancers having the HER2 molecules. Another major study was begun this year and will last approximately 5 years. You can also view my previous post on the benefits of olive oil, "How Olive Oil Benefits Your Health".
Grape Seed Extract. In a previous post, "The Top 5 Best Supplements For Your Health", I touted the effects of grape seed extract as it relates to heart disease and cancer. In fact, studies show grape seed extract actually promotes apoptosis, or self-destruction, of cancer cells (see this Oxford study). Currently, studies are being undertaken to specifically look at the effects of breast cancer prevention in humans. However, test tube studies have been promising.
Vitamin D. Back in August and September, I had done a 3-part series on Vitamin D. You can read part 1, part 2, and part 3 if you haven't seen them yet. But looking just at cancer risks, the results are quite stunning. The National Cancer Institute states, "an inverse relationship was found between sunlight exposure levels in a given geographic area and the rates of incidence and death for certain cancers in that area. Individuals living in southern latitudes were found to have lower rates of incidence and death for these cancers than those living at northern latitudes. Because sunlight/UV exposure is necessary for the production of vitamin D₃, researchers hypothesized that variation in vitamin D levels accounted for the observed relationships.". Furthermore, Vitamin D has shown to create apopotosis in cancer cells. They also highlighted a study which followed 1300 post-menopausal women who took calcium supplements and 1100IU of Vitamin D every day. The women taking the supplements showed a 60% reduction in cancer rates. Dr. Christine Northrup also recommends Vitamin D supplementation as a aid in preventing cancers of all types, including breast cancer.
Vitamin E. The general consensus here is that Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant. And some cancers have been shown to be the result of free radical damage. Antioxidants help protect against these free radicals. When it comes to specific studies regarding Vitamin E, the jury is still out. However, the Nurses Health Study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine 1993;328: 1444-9, studied 83,234 women for 14 years. And they found women with a family history of breast cancer who took the highest quantity of Vitamin E showed a 43% reduction in breast cancer as opposed to women with no family breast cancer history (16% risk).

As someone who has lost a dear friend to breast cancer, I can only hope people look into these preventative measures a little closer. As you can tell from the studies, I am not suggesting you will never be diagnosed with breast cancer. However, it appears as though your risks can be decreased. Please distribute this post via your favorite social media outlet (Twitter, Facebook, etc) and email so we can get the word out. There's a chance you could help save a life.

You can follow me on Twitter by clicking on the 'Follow Me' icon to the right. Also, please friend me on Facebook and join our Facebook Fan Page at www.facebook.com/ahealthieryou.

To Your Health.

Scott Huff is a professional marketer of pharmaceutical grade nutritional supplements. For more information on the specific products he markets, please visit our online store. And if you are interested in seeing how easy it is to create a residual income simply by helping yourself and other become healthier, take a free video web tour where you can learn about this unique opportunity

Sugar In Soda And The Diabetes Link

2010-10-20T00:00:00.002-05:00

Soda has sugar in it. Nothing new there. But it's the amount of sugar in soda that can be dangerous towards your health. And many people do not realize how much sugar is in soda. A 12oz cola has between 9 and 10 teaspoons of sugar. And an orange soda has up to 13 teaspoons. Head to your kitchen, grab the sugar bowl, and measure out 9 teaspoons of sugar into a bowl if you want the full effect.

But before you put down the soda and grab a fruit drink, take a look at the amount of sugar. 12ozs of apple juice can have just as much sugar as a soda (10 teaspoons, or 39g). Even if it's advertised as sugar free. Why? Because fruit naturally has sugar in it.

So what kind of effect does this have on your risk of diabetes? It's huge. According to this Time article, "A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that women who regularly drank sugar-sweetened soda or fruit punch gained significantly more weight and had a greater risk of developing Type 2 diabetes than women who rarely indulged in high-sugar drinks.". A 40% greater risk. But the risks are not confined just to women.

But surely if you drink diet soda you're safe, right? According to the same study, there was no significant effect with drinking diet soda. Participants were just as likely to develop diabetes. Unfortunately, the bad news doesn't end there for diet soda drinkers. An 8-year study at the University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, found that individuals who consumed "several cans of diet soda every day were more likely to become overweight or obese than those who drank several regular sodas".

The American Heart Association also found individuals who drank at least one diet or regular soda/day had an increased risk of metabolic syndrome.

So in order to cut down on your risk of Type 2 Diabetes, and a generally healthier lifestyle, put the soda down. Have a glass of water or milk instead, and if you have to have a soda now and then, moderation is the key.

If you have found this article beneficial, please feel free to share it via your favorite social media website such as Twitter or Facebook. And if you would like information on how you can help change the lives of others, as well as yourself, take a look at our video web tour.

To Your Health.

Scott Huff

Vitamin B May Reduce Lung Cancer Risk

2010-10-18T15:23:00.001-05:00

A quick-hit post from Dr. Ray Strand. Wanted to get this out, as it has important info regarding a study of the B vitamins and your risk of lung cancer.

"There are have been several studies in regards to the use of nutritional supplementation and lung cancer. Beta carotene was one of the most famous nutrients studied. However, a recent study just released in the June 16, 2010 issue of the JAMA looked at vitamin B levels and the risk of lung cancer. There results suggest that above average levels of B6 and methionine reduced the risk of developing lung cancer by 50%. When you also looked at above normal levels of folate, another B vitamin, along with vitamin B6 and methionine, there was a reduction in lung cancer by nearly two-thirds."

"Again, supplementing your diet with high-quality, complete and balanced nutritional supplements including the B vitamins is an excellent choice."

To Your Health

CoQ10 - What Is It?

2010-10-15T23:41:00.000-05:00

CoQ10 is the shorthand version of CoEnzyme Q10. The purpose here is to show you some CoQ10 benefits. But first, we need to explain what it is.

CoQ10 is produced naturally in your body and is essential for the functioning of cells. Specifically, as an antioxidant, boosting the immune system, and increasing energy. In fact, if you think of your heart as a furnace, CoQ10 is the coal that keeps the furnace going. As such, the majority of studies done on CoQ10 have focused on it's benefits with relation to heart disease. And these studies have all confirmed it's effectiveness.

Studies also show CoQ10 benefits when it comes to hypertension and high blood pressure. In a study "...of 109 patients with essential hypertension, 51% were able to stop between one and three antihypertensive drugs at an average of 4.4 months after starting CoQ10 treatment..."

Another study showed individuals who started taking CoQ10 supplements within 3 days of suffering a heart attack were "significantly less likely to experience subsequent heart attacks and chest pain.".

CoQ10 even has an effect on cholesterol, as show by the University of Maryland, "Levels of CoQ10 tend to be lower in people with high cholesterol compared to healthy individuals of the same age. In addition, certain cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins (such as atorvastatin, cerivastatin, lovastatin, pravastatin, simvastatin) appear to deplete natural levels of CoQ10 in the body. Taking CoQ10 supplements can correct the deficiency caused by statin medications without affecting the medication's positive effects on cholesterol levels. Plus, studies show that CoQ10 supplementation may decrease the muscle pain associated with statin treatment."

To Your Health

Melatonin As A Natural Sleep Aid

2010-10-14T01:33:00.000-05:00

Odds are you've never heard of melatonin. It is actually a hormone created naturally in your body and helps control your sleep and wake cycles. Thus its use as a natural sleep aid. However, as we grow older, our bodies produce less of it. Some individuals may have problems creating it in sufficient amounts. This is where supplementation comes in.

Melatonin is available in a supplement form, and it is perfectly safe. There can be very slight side effects, as this article from WebMD points out: headaches, stomach problems, and (this will shock you) sleepiness. Why that would be listed as a "side effect" when that is the intent is beyond me. However, the main thing to keep in mind is that this is NOT an addictive treatment.

I have personally seen melatonin supplements work extremely well with helping people as a sleep aid. In fact, one customer of mine had a battle with chronic insomnia which lasted several months. She tried all sorts of insomnia cures, including snake venom! Nothing worked. Within a week of trying the melatonin supplement, she was actually entering REM sleep and having dreams.

Melatonin can also be used with children, but only with a doctors approval. Another customer of mine received a recommendation from her physician to try melatonin with her child, and the results were nothing short of amazing in her case.

Suffice to say, if you know of someone who is having trouble sleeping, taking a melatonin supplement may be something to consider. But you should always consider a pharmaceutical grade supplement, as this is the only way to ensure you are receiving the full benefits of the supplement. I have written a few other blogs on this topic. One was a Consumer Reports article on "over the counter" supplements found in your local store and another compared "over the counter" supplements to pharmaceutical grade supplements.

If you have tried melatonin yourself, we would love to hear about it. Please post a comment detailing your experiences. And if you have found this post helpful, please feel free to share it via Twitter, Facebook, or another favorite social media website. You can also add me as a friend on Facebook. And if you are interested in hearing more about the pharmaceutical grade melatonin supplements used by the people in my examples, please contact me or visit our website.

To Your Health.

Selenium - What Is It?

2010-10-12T00:28:00.000-05:00

Selenium? What on EARTH is Selenium and why am I bringing it up here? Why? Because it's a mineral you haven't heard about. Nor, have you heard about the benefits of it.

So what is selenium? Simplified, it is an essential mineral in everyone's diet and found in such foods as nuts, cereals, and fish like lobster and crab.

OK, big deal. So what does it do for me. Ah, that's the big question. And the answer is something you probably have never heard of. Cancer prevention.

A study done in 1997 by Cornell University looked at the effects of selenium on men and women. And they found a 41% reduction in the occurrence of cancer when compared to a placebo.

According to the governments Office of Dietary Supplements "Taking a daily supplement containing 200 μg of selenium did not affect recurrence of skin cancer, but significantly reduced the occurrence and death from total cancers. The incidence of prostate cancer, colorectal cancer, and lung cancer was notably lower in the group given selenium supplements.

Research suggests that selenium affects cancer risk in two ways. As an anti-oxidant, selenium can help protect the body from damaging effects of free radicals. Selenium may also prevent or slow tumor growth. Certain breakdown products of selenium are believed to prevent tumor growth by enhancing immune cell activity and suppressing development of blood vessels to the tumor."

Selenium in high quantities can be toxic, but according to the studies, modest supplementation shows a benefit in the prevention of cancer. There have also been positive results in the areas of arthritis and HIV. Suffice to say, selenium bears a closer look in the daily supplementation needs of individuals.

As always, I recommend passing on this info to your physician if you are considering a selenium supplement. And I always recommend taking a pharmaceutical grade supplement to ensure you are getting the proper amounts in a safe dosage.

To Your Health.

Quick Hit Video on Vitamin D

2010-10-08T09:41:00.001-05:00

Winter is fast approaching. For the benefit of some of the new readers, I wanted to put together a quick video on Vitamin D. If you want further information, you can find it in some of my earlier posts.

Vitamin E - What Is It?

2010-10-06T00:48:00.000-05:00

For those of you who have been following this series, thank you. And you're probably wondering, "Hey...the last one you did was Vitamin C, but now you're on Vitamin E. What happened to Vitamin D?". Well, I've actually done quite a bit on that already, and you can find those posts here, here, and here. So I thought, rather than rehashing what I've already talked about, I would just provide links to those articles and move forward to Vitamin E.

The first thing you should know is there are two forms of Vitamin E available: d-alpha tocopheryl and dl-alpha-tocopheryl. If you are currently taking a multi-vitamin, go ahead and grab your bottle now and see what form of Vitamin E you are taking. If you bought your vitamins off the shelf, odds are you'll see that you have the dl-alpha form. So what does that mean? The d-alpha is the natural form of Vitamin E; whereas, the dl-alpha form is synthetic. There's a problem with that. The synthetic form (dl-alpha) does NOT absorb into your body very well, about half as well. So if it's advertised on the bottle that you're getting 50IU, you may only be absorbing 25IU. And if you aren't absorbing the full amount, then it's really not doing as much as it could be.

Now that we have that out of the way, what exactly does Vitamin E do for you? First of all, it is a very good antioxidant, so it is providing you those benefits. Beyond that, supplementing with natural forms of Vitamin E have been linked to a decrease in cardiovascular disease and death. For instance, in one study it was found that individuals consuming over 10.5IU of Vitamin E were 35% less likely to die from a heart attack when compared to individuals consuming less than that amount.

Another study looked at men who had recently undergone bypass surgery. In this study, it was found those taking 100IU/day dramatically reduced the progression of atherosclerosis. However, there are other studies which have shown no benefit to taking Vitamin E. But additional studies are ongoing and these mixed-reviews may be related to how the vitamin is being administered.

Recently, a study showed that supplementing with Vitamin E can actually increase your risk of death by 6%. However, you would need to consume over 2000IU/day. Which is much more than the average person actually consumes. The upper limit (UL) for individuals over 19yrs of age has been set at 1000IU/day.

So what does this mean for you? As I stated earlier, Vitamin E does function very well as an antioxidant and it does boost the immune system. Research also confirms that it assists the body in defending against cancer cells, causing apoptosis (self-destruction) of those cancer cells. A process your body does naturally, this just helps the process along. The Linus-Pauling Institute feels there is enough evidence available to recommend taking 200/day with a meal, and this amount "may help protect adults from chronic diseases, such as heart disease, stroke, neurodegenerative diseases, and some types of cancer".

As always, you should always consider speaking with your physician if you are thinking about starting a supplement plan. I would also recommend you look into taking pharmaceutical grade nutritional supplements, as this is the best way to ensure you are receiving the most benefit in a safe form. You can also view this site to see how you can actually start a home business by marketing pharmaceutical grade supplements to people just like you.

To Your Health

What Is The Function Of Vitamin C?

2010-10-01T02:09:00.000-05:00

Ah, Vitamin C. In my opinion, probably the most well-known of all the vitamins. Everyone knows you get Vitamin C from eating citrus fruits or drinking orange juice. Why does everyone know that? Because their moms told them.

The most common perception is that Vitamin C will help to prevent colds or shorten their duration. Nearly everyone has heard of this, but is it true? Well...somewhat. Studies have been done which indicate taking Vitamin C at the first onset of cold symptoms may reduce the length and severity of the cold. And what about preventing the cold? Studies have been done on this as well, and the results have been mixed. Taking 2g/day for the average adult showed no change in the frequency of colds. However, when 1g/day was given to a subgroup of marathon runners, skiers, and soldiers training in the Arctic, the frequency of developing a cold was cut in half. So if you lead a strenuous life, there could very well be some benefit for you. This study, and more information on Vitamin C can be found here.

Regardless, Vitamin C has been shown to stimulate the immune system and aids in the development of white blood cells. Not to mention it is a powerful antioxidant. But the benefits do not stop there. As you can see from the link above, there are many other benefits.

For instance, one study showed that men taking 50mg/day of Vitamin C had a 42% lower rate of death from cardiovascular disease. Another study showed a 42% lower risk of stroke in people who have adequate levels of Vitamin C in their body. However, these individuals primarily received their dosage from fruits and vegetables. Another study looked strictly at supplementation. 500mg showed no benefit, but the results of this story have also been challenged by the Linus Pauling Institute.

A study of 870 men, followed for 20yrs, showed a 64% reduction in lung cancer when taking 83mg/day. And "...premenopausal women with a family history of breast cancer who consumed an average of 205 mg/day of vitamin C from foods had a 63% lower risk of breast cancer than those who consumed an average of 70 mg/day.".

So as you can see, the most commonly known use for Vitamin C is only somewhat helpful when it comes to colds. But according to other studies, there can be significant benefits. So maybe mom was right afterall.

To Your Health

Vitamin B Complex - What Is It?

2010-09-28T01:36:00.002-05:00

Continuing with my series, the next topic up for discussion is the Vitamin B Complex. Many people just assume there is only Vitamin B, but actually it is broken down into several types of the vitamin...8 to be exact. Some of which are very well known. In general, the main purpose of them is to convert food into energy, so if you feel run down and out of energy, you may want to look into the B vitamins. However, there are other benefits for each. So without going into too much detail, here are those 8 types of the Vitamin B Complex:

B1 - Thiamine. Research tends to indicate that B1 may strengthen the immune system. It also appears to help the body handle stressful conditions. There is no toxicity level of B1.
B2 - Riboflavin. Not only does this vitamin help in the creation of energy, but it also acts as a powerful anti-oxidant. It also assists in converting B6 into a usable form, and helps with the production of healthy red blood cells. Some research indicates 400mg/day can cut migraine occurrences in half. It can be found in several foods such as almonds, yogurt, broccoli, and spinach. However, boiling foods can result in the loss of some of the vitamin. Again, there is no toxicity level.
B3 - Niacin. This one you may have heard of because it is often prescribed to individuals with high cholesterol levels. Not only does it help reduce cholesterol levels, but it also improves circulation. You can find it in such foods as liver, certain fish, and sunflower seeds. There can be side effects with high dosages, so it's best to check with your physician.
B5 - Pantothenic Acid. There is a long list of uses for B5, though more scientific research needs to be conducted. The list includes: acne, asthma, ADHD, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, enhanced immune system functionality, and chronic fatigue. Just to name a few. It can also be used on the skin to provide relief from itches, bug bites, mild eczema, and diaper rash. There are no toxicity levels.
B6 - Pyridoxine. Another one you may have heard of. The main purpose here is to make neurotransmitters, but it also assists with healthy brain functionality. And, it helps with creating certain hormones such as melatonin which helps regulate sleep. It also works with B9 and B12 to reduce homocysteine levels in the blood. If you are not familiar with homocysteine, I'll be doing a post in the future on this. But for now, think of it as spurs which nick up the artery walls, allowing cholesterol to stick to the walls and create blockage. It is also needed to help with B12 absorption, and some studies have shown positive effects with arthritis and inflammation. Chicken, turkey, liver, milk, and spinach are just some of the food sources. There may be side effects at high dosages, so again, check with your doctor.
B7 - Biotin. Used for strengthening hair and nails, but it's use is not limited to this. Some studies have shown benefits in eczema patients, and it is also extremely important with respect to fetal growth. You can find it in egg yolks, sardines, nuts, and bananas. No toxicity levels exist.
B9 - Folic Acid. Yet another you have probably heard of. Especially if you are expecting. It plays an important part in brain function and development, and helps with the production of DNA. Especially when cells and tissues are just developing, thus the reason it is so important when pregnant. However, it also helps to control homocysteine levels and may help protect against certain types of cancers. 1mg/day seems to be the upper limit, so check with your doctor.
B12 - Cobalamin. If you want healthy nerve cells, then this is the vitamin for you. It also assists in the production of DNA and red blood cells. A deficiency may cause fatigue in individuals. Meat and dairy products contain B12, so vegans are at risk of becoming deficient. There are no toxicity levels.

So as you can see, there are several uses for the B vitamins. Everything from fetal development to cardiovascular health to energy production to healthy skin. The complex is extremely important for normal body functionality.

I have listed several foods where you can receive these vitamins, but as my previous posts have shown...it is difficult to get everything you need simply from the food you eat. Not to mention cooking many of these foods will reduce the amount of the vitamin you will receive. As such, you may want to consider a pharmaceutical grade supplement to make sure you are getting what you need. If you have any concerns about taking a supplement, just check with your physician.

If you decide to look into supplementation, you may want to give some consideration to these supplements, as they are both pharmaceutical grade and NSF certified. Just click on the link.

To Your Health.

Vitamin A - What Is It?

2010-09-24T08:30:00.000-05:00

In this new series of posts, I will be explaining what certain vitamins and minerals do. Specifically, what are the benefits of certain vitamins and minerals and, outside of supplementation, how do you get them.

I thought the best place to start is at the beginning of the alphabet...Vitamin A. So, what are the benefits of Vitamin A? It helps form and maintain healthy teeth, skeletal and soft tissue, and skin. In fact, people suffering from acne may see some improvement with increased levels of Vitamin A.

But what it is probably best know for is helping with eyesight, especially in low light. Beta-carotene is a carotenoid which turns into Vitamin A. You can find beta-carotene in certain plant foods...such as carrots. Thus the old tale, rabbits have good eyesight because they eat a lot of carrots. What are some more Vitamin A foods? You can look to eggs, milk meat, liver, cod, and fish oil. And sources of beta-carotene foods include: carrots, pumpkins, sweet potato, broccoli, grapefruit, and spinach.

Vitamin A is also one of the very few vitamins and/or minerals you can get too much of. It is possible to get Vitamin A poisoning, but you would need to receive over 100,000IU/day for several months before you ran the risk of reaching toxic levels. As always if you have concerns, just check with your doctor.

In the next post, we'll be taking a look at the B vitamin complex.

H1N1 Vaccination May Contribute to Miscarriages

2010-09-18T16:24:00.000-05:00

The National Coalition of Organized Women (NCOW) has released a report stating the H1N1 vaccine has "contributed to an estimated 1,588 miscarriages and stillbirths". If that wasn't bad enough, the number of cases might actually be as high as 3,587. They go on to accuse the CDC of failing to inform vaccine providers that there may be side effects related to fetal deaths, based upon data they had.

The actual study was performed on pregnant women aged 17-45, who were administered a H1N1 flu vaccine. This is a staggering report, and will hopefully provide pregnant women something to consider. And let's not forget, the vaccine has been banned in Australia because it was causing seizures. There are safer alternates to the flu shot, as I recently wrote about in my Vitamin D article, found here.

In that article, I provided a link to a study performed earlier this year in Japan, which showed that the flu shot was effective in flu prevention only 8% of the time in children; whereas Vitamin D supplementation was effective in preventing the flu in over 50% of the children studied.

In fact, Dr. Myron Wentz has stated that physicians are beginning to recommend supplementing with 5000IU/day of Vitamin D, rather than getting a flu shot. So you can see, there are safer alternatives.

Should you decide to look into a high quality, inexpensive Vitamin D supplement, may I suggest you visit our website and see if our pharmaceutical grade Vitamin D supplement is what you are looking for.

To Your Health

The Top 5 Best Supplements For Your Health

2010-09-17T00:15:00.000-05:00

What are the most important supplements to keep your health in check and fight off disease? I have composed a Top 5 list of the best supplements which, in my opinion, are the most important when it comes to your health and protecting against free radical damage.

A Multivitamin. Yes, I realize this isn't really a "specific" supplement like the others. However, a high quality multivitamin is essential to your health because it creates a base. When you look at a pyramid, the largest part of the structure is the base and everything is built on top of that. The base is what makes the structure strong and gives you the ability to build up from there. The same can be said of a high quality multivitamin. Sure, you can skip it and simply take other supplements on their own, but the thing about vitamins and minerals is that they work synergistically with each other. Meaning, they compliment each other. For instance, you need magnesium to work with calcium in order to help get it into the bones. Build your base with a pharmaceutical grade multivitamin to strengthen your body, and then "build up" from there with other supplements.
Vitamin D. Odds are, you are not getting enough Vitamin D in your diet. This is especially true if you live in a northern climate. If you are taking a pharmaceutical grade multivitamin, you are ahead of the game. However, during those winter months you may need to supplement in order to compensate for the Vitamin D you are missing out on from natural sunlight. I won't go into too much more detail here as I have just posted a 3-part series on Vitamin D which you can check out here. However, I will mention a study which was just done in Japan earlier this year which showed that Vitamin D supplementation was 42% more effective than the flu shot. Vital information with flu season coming up.
Fish Oil. Probably the supplement getting the most attention lately is fish oil. Even physicians are seeing the benefits and are recommending fish oil to their patients for helping with cholesterol levels and general health. If you read my earlier post, Fish Oil vs Statin Drugs, you saw two studies which showed that fish oil lowered the risk of cardiovascular disease. Another study even showed fish oil was more effective than statin drugs (Lipitor, Crestor, etc). But not only does it help protect your heart and cholesterol, it has also been linked to relieving arthritis, joint pain, and inflammation. There has been evidence of fish oil helping with ADHD and depression. It helps to prevent Alzheimer's Disease as this article from WebMD explains. And it has shown to be very beneficial to both pregnant woman and their unborn child. According to the Mayo Clinic, babies born to mothers who took fish oil show an increase in verbal skills and motor skills, and less behavioral problems.
Grape Seed Extract. Have you heard of "The French Paradox"? Very briefly, it shows that the French suffer a relatively low incidence of cardiovascular disease, despite the fact that their diet is high in saturated fats. And it boils down to their consumption of red wine. Grape seed extract gives you an even greater benefit, though not nearly as much fun. It can help with the circulatory system and protects against free-radical damage (even more than Vitamin C or Vitamin E). It exhibits anti-inflammation characteristics as a natural COX-2 inhibitor. And most importantly, it may induce apoptosis, or self-destruction, of cancer cells as shown in this Oxford study and a Med Page Today article. Keep in mind, I am NOT touting grape seed extract as a CURE for cancer. Your body actually creates cancer cells every day, but normally your body takes care of them. Obviously in some cases it cannot handle all of them, and tumors develop. These studies show that grape seed extract can support that function by causing cancer cells to die off; thus preventing the formation of cancer.
Olive Oil. Again, this is another topic which I have recently reported on, so I won't go into detail. If you would like to see the full article, it is located here. Essentially, studies by the Mayo Clinic (found in my previous post) show that olive oil can lower your risk of heart disease by decreasing LDL cholesterol. And there were significant benefits related to cardiovascular health reported in "The Seven Countries Study".

So there you have it. The top 5 best supplements you can take to improve your health and protect your body against disease. As always, you should consult with a physician to determine if nutritional supplements are the right choice for you. For instance, Grape Seed Extract is a natural blood thinner and, as a result, could have negative effects with certain individuals. Now that you have the information, ask yourself...how many are you taking?

Scott Huff is a professional marketer of pharmaceutical grade nutritional supplements. For more information on the specific products he markets, please visit our online store. And if you are interested in seeing how easy it is to create a residual income simply by helping yourself and other become healthier, take our free video web tour where you can learn about this unique opportunity.

Vitamins and Minerals in Food - Can you get what you need from eating?

2010-09-15T00:07:00.000-05:00

I can get all the vitamins and minerals I need from the food I eat...as long as I eat right. It is one of the most common objections you hear when it comes to taking nutritional supplements. But is it true?

That depends upon how you define the word "need". If what you need is to simply get the FDA's recommended daily intake (RDI) of vitamins and minerals, then it is possible. However, we also need to understand exactly what the RDIs are. First of all, if you grab any packaged food and look at the Nutritional Facts on the package, you will see certain vitamins and minerals listed (depending upon the product you are looking at) and a percentage to the right of that ingredient. This is the RDI. Contrary to popular belief, this is NOT the maximum amount of that vitamin or mineral you should consume every day.

Instead, the RDIs (or RDAs) were designed to help prevent "classic diseases" such as scurvy, rickets, and beri-beri. So, the RDI of Vitamin C is 60mg...the equivalent of (1) orange. Researchers discovered 60mg of Vitamin C would prevent scurvy. In fact, back in the 1700's British sailors would often take limes or lime juice on board to prevent outbreaks of scurvy. Thus the term "Limey". Getting the RDI of Vitamin D prevents rickets. And the RDI of Vitamin A prevents beri-beri.

Now that we have the RDIs explained, we go back to the question of what you need. If you simply want to make sure you don't come down with scurvy, then yes...the RDIs have done their job and you can do that by eating right. However, if you want to obtain optimal amounts of vitamins and minerals, it becomes nearly impossible to obtain those amounts simply by eating right.

If you saw my previous post on Vitamin D you saw this first hand. 15-30min of direct sunlight gives you 15,000IU-20,000IU of Vitamin D. To get that same amount by eating, you would need to consume about 30 cans of sardines, or 100-200 glasses of milk, or 500-1000 egg yolks. Let's look at Vitamin E. To get an optimal amount of 400IU of Vitamin E, you would need to consume 28.8lbs of spinach or 2.3lbs of almonds EVERY DAY.

Unfortunately, there is another factor at hand. The food which is produced today has less vitamins and minerals than the food produced 100yrs ago. This has been attributed to the processing of food today, as well as the amount of minerals which have been leached from the soil.

Due to these facts, many researchers are now recommending a multi-vitamin to "fill in the gaps" of one's diet. Keep in mind, if you decide to take a multi-vitamin you should look for something which is pharmaceutical grade and NSF certified. This way you are ensuring that you are getting those optimal amounts of vitamins and minerals, and that they will be absorbed into your body. You may want to view my post All Supplements Are The Same to get more information on this. Basically, if you are purchasing your vitamins from the local store down the road you may be throwing your money away.

If you are interested in seeking out a pharmaceutical grade supplement, you may want to click here and see if the supplements offered meet your needs.

To Your Health

Remembering 9-11

2010-09-11T15:15:00.000-05:00

Taking a day away from my usual health posts today to remember 9-11. Please keep all victims and heroes in your thoughts and prayers. AND NEVER FORGET!!!

How Olive Oil Benefits Your Health

2010-09-10T01:30:00.001-05:00

Did you know using olive oil in your diet may significantly decrease your risk of heart attack? According to the Mayo Clinic, olive oil can lower your risk of heart disease by decreasing LDL cholesterol. Furthermore, "According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), consuming about 2 tablespoons (23 grams) of olive oil a day may reduce your risk of heart disease.".

Back in 1958, a study called "The Seven Countries Study" was conducted by professor Ancel Keys. Over a period of 10-years he studied the effects of diet and lifestyle on heart disease. 12,763 middle-aged men were selected from seven countries: The U.S, Greece, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Yugoslavia, and Finland.

When the results of the study were analyzed, some staggering results were found. In areas where vegetables, grains, fruits, and olive oil were consumed, the risk of heart disease was rare. In fact, the island of Crete in Greece showed a risk of heart disease 30-times less than those individuals in the U.S.

He also discovered that those same individuals in Crete obtained 40% of their calories from fat. The main difference here, though, is that those fat calories came from fish oil and olive oil. Lifestyle also played an important part in the differences as people from the regions where heart disease was rare were also more physically active. However, he concluded that diet was the most important factor.

So if you want to decrease your risk of heart disease, you may want to consider adding the benefit of olive oil to your diet. Or better yet, find a supplement which contains an olive oil extract. Why? Consuming 23g of olive oil (as the FDA recommends) not only would increase your daily calorie intake quite a bit, but it would also be quite costly and may be difficult to consume. Imagine drinking a couple tablespoons of olive oil. Doesn't sound very pleasant.

To Your Health

Scott Huff is a professional marketer of pharmaceutical grade nutritional supplements. For more information on the specific products he markets, please visit our online store. And if you are interested in seeing how easy it is to create a residual income simply by helping yourself and other become healthier, take our free video web tour where you can learn about this unique opportunity.

Vitamin D Benefits - Part 3 of 3 - Conclusions

2010-09-05T10:04:00.000-05:00

In part 1 of this series, I showed you how deficient we are in Vitamin D. How the sunlight significantly increases our vitamin D intake, and how the use of sunscreen decreases that intake by 90%. We have seen how much food would need to be consumed in order to reach the same beneficial levels we receive via the sun.

In part 2 of the series, I gave examples of vitamin D benefits with regards to degenerative diseases such as cancer, arthritis, diabetes, and influenza. In fact, I showed you a study from Japan which showed your risk of coming down with the flu was drastically reduced when supplementing with vitamin D vs. receiving a flu shot. And I gave some examples of the negative effects of the H1N1 flu shot: banned in Australia due to an increase in seizures and a 300% increase in narcolepsy in Finland and Sweden.

So where does that leave us? The fact remains 40% of the population is deficient in vitamin D. While it is possible to receive the RDI (Recommended Daily Intake) every day, it is simply not enough. Currently, the RDI is 400IU/day, and the FDA is currently looking at doubling that recommendation. Compared to the 15,000IU-20,000IU we can receive from only 15-30min in direct sunlight when at its highest point in the sky.

So in order to receive these increased benefits, make certain you get some sun first before you put on the sunscreen. After you have been out for 15-30min, then go ahead and reach for the lotion. If you live in a northern climate, then it becomes important to supplement with a high quality, pharmaceutical grade vitamin D supplement during the fall and winter months. Studies have shown that increased levels of vitamin D in the blood can help ward off the flu virus. And given the apparent dangers of flu vaccines, this may be a better choice. However, I want to make it clear that this is not my recommendation, simply my opinion. You should make this decision for yourself.

I hope you received some benefit from this 3-part series on Vitamin D. If anything, you have more knowledge to make better decisions now.

To Your Health

Scott Huff is a professional marketer of pharmaceutical grade nutritional supplements. For more information on the specific products he markets, please visit our online store. And if you are interested in seeing how easy it is to create a residual income simply by helping yourself and other become healthier, take a free video web tour where you can learn about this unique opportunity.

Vitamin D Rather Than Flu Shot? Vitamin D Benefits Part 2 of 3

2010-08-30T23:16:00.000-05:00

Continuing my 3-part series on the benefits of vitamin D. In my post yesterday I created a foundation showing you how your body transforms the ultraviolet light of the sun into vitamin D. I showed you how much you would need to eat in order to obtain those same amounts. You saw that a mere 15-30min of sun exposure when it is at its highest point in the sky results in 15,000-20,000IU of vitamin D. And that you simply cannot overdose on vitamin D from the sun.

In this next edition, I will be getting into some of the benefits of vitamin D, and the use of nutritional supplements when you can't get enough sun. Let's start off with some of the benefits. During his lecture, Dr. Wentz listed a series of chronic diseases that may be "warded off" by adequate amounts of vitamin D. I'm not saying that it will CURE any of these, but rather that it will protect you from these diseases, and in some cases actually help, more than someone with a vitamin D deficiency. The list will shock you:

Heart Disease
Cancer
Diabetes
Obesity
Dementia
Influenza (remember this one...I'll be touching on it later)
Bacterial Infection
Depression
Insomnia
Muscle Weakness
Fibromyalgia
Osteoarthritis
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Osteoporosis
Psoriasis
Muscular Sclerosis
Hypertension

Pretty big list. Now before you write this off as "snake oil", let's look a little deeper. Dr. Wentz stated that teens who are vitamin D deficient are 4x more likely to suffer from Type-2 Diabetes in their life. In addition, teens who DO have adequate levels of vitamin D are 60% less likely to develop heart disease in their life.

There have been 2500+ studies looking at the effect of vitamin D and the PREVENTION of cancer. These studies show that vitamin D outpaces the effects of a healthy diet. It actually creates apatosis in pre-cancerous cells...essentially, they commit suicide before developing into cancer. Studies have shown that the further you are from the equator, the greater your chances of dying from cancer. Why? Because of the available sunlight.

Even Muscular Sclerosis has been shown to be 500x more likely in a temperate zone vs. a tropic zone. However, this is merely a preventative technique. While there have been some successes in treating MS with vitamin D, more research is needed.

What about the flu? Have you ever stopped to think WHY there is a "flu season"? Flu season in Wisconsin generally starts towards the end of fall...around November. And carries through the winter (which sadly lasts far too long here). What else happens during this timeframe? First, the amount of sunlight we get decreases every day. Second, the sun is lower in the horizon. And third, as it gets colder we tend to pile on more clothing...eventually resulting in blocking any sunlight from hitting our skin. Therefore, in the winter we just don't absorb any sunlight and, therefore, our vitamin D levels decrease drastically. You're losing out on those 15,000-20,000IU/day during the winter. Even individuals in more southern climates are affected by this.

Therefore, more studies are showing that individuals in northern climates need to start supplementing with vitamin D in the winter months. As we saw in the previous post, it is simply not possible to get adequate amounts of vitamin D solely through diet. Put 2-and-2 together and you begin to see that your risk of contracting the flu may be directly related to the amount of vitamin D you have in your system. Remember the list above? It fights off bacterial infections and influenza.

What about getting a flu shot? And, of course, there's H1N1..how does it effect that? This can be viewed in two ways: the effects of getting a flu shot and the effects of vitamin D. This study in Japan (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/scotland/article7061778.ece) had the following results:

"The Japanese scientists, writing in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, say that the anti-viral drugs zanamivir and oseltamivir reduce risk of flu infection by 8 per cent in children who have been exposed to infection, compared with a 50 per cent or greater reduction with vitamin D.".

8% for drugs compared to 50+% for vitamin D. The children were given 1200IU/day of the sunshine vitamin every day for 3-months. That's a HUGE difference. Now what about the effects of the flu shot? Let's just say the results have not been very positive. Australia has recently banned flu shots because they have been linked to vomiting, fevers, and seizures (Australia Bans Flu Shot). In Finland and Sweden a " H1N1 vaccination program was halted following a 300 per cent increase in cases of the neurological disorder narcolepsy amongst children and young people who had received the shot over the last six months.".

Instead, Dr. Wentz indicated that "physicians recommend increasing vitamin D to 5000IU/day during flu season rather than taking the flu shot". And if you are worried about overdosing on the supplement, you would need to take 10,000IU/day for 6-months in supplement form before maybe seeing any side effects.

So there you have it. Several of the benefits vitamin D provides. Especially when it comes to flu season. Share this article with your friends and family, as the word needs to spread. And if you like this blog, please take some time to "vote for me" on the right panel. In the final post of the series I will tie up some loose ends and give the remaining content from Dr. Wentz's lecture.

To Your Health

Scott Huff

Scott Huff is a professional in the nutritional supplements area. For more information on the specific products he markets, please visit www.huffster.usana.com. And if you are interested in seeing how easy it is to create a residual income simply by helping yourself and other become healthier, take a free video web tour at www.incomesafetynet.info where you can learn about this unique opportunity.

Vitamin D Benefits from Sun Exposure - Pt 1 of 3

2010-08-29T12:08:00.001-05:00

Vitamin D could very well be the most important nutritional you don't know about. This past Thurs I had the privilege of watching a lecture given by Dr. Myron Wentz regarding vitamin d benefits. And what I learned was, in a word, amazing. This will be the first of a 3-part blog series to relay what I learned from this lecture.

First off, Dr. Myron Wentz is an internationally recognized microbiologist, immunologist, and pioneer in the development of human cell culture technology and infectious disease diagnoses. He developed the first commercially available test for diagnosing infection with the Epstein-Barr virus...better known as Mono.

In today's world, we have been told that any exposure to the sun could result in sun burn and/or skin cancer. And so we lather on sunscreen to protect ourselves from the harmful effects of the sun. However, by doing that we are missing out on some extremely beneficial effects of the sun. In fact, Dr. Wentz stated, "The sun is as essential to your body as oxygen". In addition, this fear of the sun has resulted in a large majority of the population to be vitamin D deficient.

What does the sun have to do with vitamin D? We get most of our vitamin D from the sun...specifically the ultraviolet light. Our body transforms the light and creates vitamin D. In fact, a mere 15-30min of exposure to the sun when it is at its highest point in the sky results in approximately 15,000-20,000 IU of vitamin D. To put this in perspective, the recommended daily value of vitamin D (as given by the FDA) is only 400 IU/day. But don't worry...it is impossible to overdose on vitamin D.

Now, maybe you have heard from various individuals that we can get all the vitamins and minerals we need from what we eat. That depends upon your definition of "need", but for now let's see what it takes to obtain 15,000-20,000IU of vitamin D from our diet:

To get this amount of vitamin D from your diet, you would need to eat:

30 cans of sardines OR
100-200 glasses of milk OR
100-200 bowls of fortified cereal OR
500-1000 egg yolks

I don't know about you, but there is no way I could eat that amount of food. So, I would much rather get that amount from the sun. If you are an individual who immediately puts sunscreen on before going out, remember this. Putting on just an SPF-15 sunblock will reduce the amount of vitamin D your body produces by 90%!!! Instead, spend some time in the sun without sunblock first to get your vitamin D benefits before putting on sunscreen.

As I said, this is the first of a three part series. There is literally too much information to include in just one blog, and I just wanted to provide a foundation. In the next two parts of the series, I will cover specific benefits of vitamin D, including protection from the flu. You'll be interested to hear about some physicians now recommending vitamin D supplements over the seasonal flu shot. We will also cover the differences in teens who have adequate amounts of vitamin D vs. teens who do not. Benefits of supplementing your diet with vitamin D. Studies on the effects of vitamin D and MS. And many more points. Stay tuned.

To Your Health

Vitamin D May Protect Against Crohn's Disease

2010-08-25T22:47:00.000-05:00

A "Health Nugget" from Dr. Ray Strand:

"We are already aware of the fact that low vitamin D levels increase your risk of developing MS. Therefore, supplementing your diet with vitamin D decreases your risk of developing MS. Now their is another autoimmune disease that seems to respond to vitamin D supplementation. Researchers published a study in the Journal of Biological Chemistry showing that vitamin D supplementation could help protect against Crohn's disease, an inflammatory bowel disease that is felt to be another autoimmune disease."

"Vitamin D is a very important nutrient and over 90% of the population is deficient in this nutrient. It is critical to maintain your vitamin D level above 60 ng/ml to optimize your immune function. Now studies like these are also showing that it will also decrease your risk of developing MS and Crohn's disease, which are autoimmune diseases."

Cigarettes and Free Radicals

2010-08-23T23:24:00.000-05:00

We have all heard how bad cigarettes are. They cause cancer. They affect others around you. You shouldn't smoke when pregnant. Certain states have even passed law preventing individuals from smoking in public places. But here's something I'll bet you haven't heard. Just 1 puff causes up to 1 quadrillion free radicals.

Before I go further, I need to give some background information. Specifically to what a free radical is. Maybe you have or have not heard of a free radical, and I'm not going to go in depth here. Free radicals are all around us. They come from the food we eat and the air we breathe. Even exercise causes some free radicals.

So what is a free radical? Very simply, it is an electron within your body who has "gone rogue". Not to go to deep into "high school chemistry" with you, cells in your body are made up of neutrons, protons, and electrons. When a free radical is formed, it steals an electron from a healthy cell, thus making that cell "unstable" and creating other free radicals. And the process just cascades from there.

Sounds scary, but normally your body can handle this issue via anti-oxidants and the body's natural immune system. That's the good news. The bad news? It can't ALWAYS handle the issue.

The best example I've heard comes from Dr. Ray Strand. Imagine you have a fireplace with a nice rug in front of it. Normally, you would have some type of a screen on the fireplace to protect from embers being spit out from the fire. I remember as a kid watching my grandfathers fireplace and would love seeing the fire spit out embers...hearing that crackling sound. Luckily, there was a screen between the fire and myself.

Now, let's say you didn't have a screen in front of the fireplace...allowing the fire to spit out embers. Imagine those embers coming out of the fire and landing on your rug. One ember might cause a spot on the rug, but nothing major. However, over continued use more embers may hit on or near that spot on the rug. Eventually, that spot on the rug gets larger and larger. Well, the same thing happens in your body.

These free radicals are the embers of the fireplace. The screen would be the anti-oxidants and immune system in your body. But what happens if the screen breaks down? That rug starts to get burned. Perhaps the "rug" is affecting your cardiovascular system causing cardiovascular disease. Or maybe it is affecting your eyes causing macular degeneration.

In any case, sometimes it is necessary to repair that screen. Or sometimes, to put a screen up. And to do that, you need to increase your intake of anti-oxidants to combat the affect.

So what on EARTH does this have to do with cigarettes? Just this. 1 puff of a cigarette causes up to 1 quadrillion free radicals (Free Radical Study - Pg 877). 1 quadrillion. Is that even a number? Sounds like something you made up as a kid in grade school. A quadrillion comes right after a trillion. Look it up. But now that we've established that it is, in fact, a real number....just how BIG of a number is it? Put it this way. If you spent 1 Million dollars every DAY, every YEAR, from the year 0 until today (Monday, August 23,2010), you would have spent $733,520,000,000. Not even 1 trillion dollars.

Now, generally a person does not take 1 puff of a cigarette before tossing it away. Let's assume someone takes an average of 10 puffs before the cigarette is used up. So, let's spend $10 million dollars every day. That would get us up to over $7 trillion. We're STILL not even up to 1 quadrillion...the amount you get from just 1 puff.

Suffice to say, goal number 1 is to stop smoking if you are a smoker. Or if you know someone who is a smoker, share this article with them because odds are, they really don't know the full affect it is having on their body. And goal number 2 is to start taking a high-quality anti-oxidant to help combat the affects of free radical damage.

If you can relate to this post, or have anything to add, please post a comment. But no spam. This is simply a discussion forum.

To Your Health

Vitamin D Levels Related to Asthma?

2010-08-22T22:33:00.000-05:00

Could Vitamin D levels be related to asthma? According to researchers at National Jewish Health, "Low levels of vitamin D in asthma patients are associated with reduced lung function and less response to steroid medications". The study can be found here.

Researchers evaluated 54 adults with asthma. Those with higher vitamin D levels exhibited higher lung function. Whereas, those with lower levels were "almost twice as sensitive to the airway irritant methacholine, commonly used to evaluate the likelihood of airway constriction".

As I've mentioned in previous posts, one method of obtaining vitamin D is by absorbing sunlight. Your body will convert the ultraviolet light into vitamin D. But nowadays there are a few problems with that. Increased fear of skin cancer has lead to an increase in sun block usage. While skin cancer is legit, you should still try to get 10-15min of sun exposure without any sunscreen in order to increase your vitamin D levels.

The second issue is for people living in northern climates. During the winter months, odds are your skin is not being exposed to the sun's rays very much. Hats, gloves, winter coats, etc drastically cut down on the amount of sun you get. And even if you did have some exposure, the sun is not at the proper angle in the sky to receive enough ultraviolet light to transform into vitamin D. In fact, the recommendation is to supplement your diet with 1000IU of vitamin D, as expressed in this article in the Washington Post. And in this study published in The Journal of Nutrition, they recommend anywhere from 800IU to 2000IU of vitamin D supplementation.

As always, if you are considering this approach I would recommend looking at a pharmaceutical grade supplement to ensure you are receiving the greatest benefit. And in addition, consult with your doctor to determine if this is the right approach for you.

If you have any thoughts, please feel free to post a comment. And consider subscribing to our blog to not only receive updates as they happen, but also receive our free monthly newsletter.

To Your Health

Fish Oil vs. Statin Drugs

2010-08-21T01:08:00.001-05:00

Crestor, Lipitor, etc al are statin drugs. These are advertised all over TV, newspapers, and magazines telling you how you can reduce your cholesterol levels. But is there an alternative? Yes. Lowly Fish Oil.

The problem with statin drugs is all the side effects. Liver failure, decrease in CoQ10 levels, and a decrease in energy. Odds are, if you are taking a statin drug like Lipitor or Crestor, you need to make regular doctor appointments to see how your liver is handling the drug. Here's the rub. Have you heard about the various fish oil studies? Probably not. And that's why I'm here. Here are a few studies:

Archives of Internal Medicine: Statins and n3 (fish oil) fatty acids are the most favorablelipid-lowering interventions with reduced risks of overall andcardiac mortality.

Journal of American Medical Associates: "Among women, higher consumption of fish andomega-3 fatty acids is associated with a lower risk of CHD,particularly CHD deaths."

The difference? Statin drug: many possible side effects and high costs. Fish oil: NO side effects and minimal costs.

To Your Health

The Top 4 Secrets to Losing Weight

2010-08-18T00:34:00.001-05:00

Losing weight. It's a goal of many people out there. And we are constantly bombarded with ads promoting 'quick fix' products. But the problem with most of these products and fad diets is that a majority of individuals who actually do lose weight will put it back on. Sound familiar? If so, here are the top methods for losing weight and KEEPING it off:

Exercise. The key here is to make sure you burn off more calories than you take in each day. Try to get at least 20min/day. More if possible. And while any type of exercise will be beneficial, anything which raises your heart rate will have greater benefits.
Cut Out Soda. Just one can of soda contains roughly 40g of sugar and 150 calories. It would take a person weighing 150lbs about 7min of jogging, or 30min of walking to burn off those calories. Even longer if you weigh less than 150lbs. Plus, a can of soda/day raises the risk of Type 2 Diabetes. And while diet soda is usually calorie free, the increased Diabetes risk is still there. Neither have any nutritional content, so grab a bottle of water instead or drink tea.
Multiple Meals. Wait, what? Eat more OFTEN? Yes, it's true. What you're trying to do is kickstart your metabolism and keep it going throughout the day. In the book, "Body For Life", the recommendation is to eat 6 times/day. A moderate breakfast, lunch, and dinner along with healthy snacks in-between. But make sure you have something for breakfast, even if it's only a banana. This gets your metabolism going, which helps to burn off fat.
The Glycemic Index. Foods can be broken down into two types: High Glycemic and Low Glycemic. The difference is how your body handles them. High glycemic foods will raise blood sugar levels in the body quickly, then drop them just as fast. This results in those cravings to eat when you're not hungry. Junk food is a good example, but probably the best example are many of the energy drinks on the market. If you use energy drinks, you may have experienced the "crash" after finishing one. Low glycemic foods, on the other hand, raise your blood sugar levels much slower and keep those levels steady. Thus reducing those cravings which tack on unnecessary calories. A simple Google search will provide you with a list of both high and low glycemic foods. Below is a graph showing the effects of both.

Study Shows Calcium and Vitamins Reduce Breast Cancer Risk

2010-08-12T09:17:00.000-05:00

Breast Cancer Risk was found to be reduced by 30-40% in individuals taking vitamins and calcium supplements. This was the conclusion of a study reported at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research in April of 2010.

Participants in the study who took vitamins were shown to have a 30% lower risk of breast cancer compared to those who did not take vitamins. And those who took calcium were shown to have a 40% lower risk compared to those who did not supplement.

This is not an immediate result, but rather the results of taking supplements over long periods of time. You can read the full study here: AARC Breast Cancer Study.

My recommendation is always to look for high quality, pharmaceutical grade supplements if you are considering a change to your health maintenance. These types of supplements will absorb better in your body (compared to store bought vitamins and popular multi-vitamins) and are generally manufactured using superior ingredients.

To Your Health

Big Pharma and Your Life

2010-08-09T01:09:00.000-05:00

An ex-Pharma rep gives her insider view on the industry. Please share this with others you know.

Fish Oil May Decrease Disease Risk

2010-08-07T00:57:00.000-05:00

An article from Dr. Ray Strand:

Very high intake of omega-3 fatty acids may decrease your risk of developing several chronic degenerative diseases according to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. High levels of DHA and EPA, which is found in omega-3 fatty acids, were associated with lower levels of triglycerides and C-reactive proteins, and higher levels of HDL cholesterol. This signaled decrease risk of developing heart disease and diabetes. These researchers that dramatically increasing the level of omega-3 fatty acids in the general population could have a tremendous effect on chronic disease risk.

To Your Health

Learn to profit from your health

The Top 5 Myths About Vitamins

2010-08-05T23:34:00.001-05:00

What are the top myths regarding vitamins? You've probably heard them all, but not like this. Here is a Top 5 list (in no particular order) of the most common ones. And using the grading system of one of my favorite shows, Mythbusters, you'll see how these myths stand up.

Myth #1: It doesn't matter what kind you take, all vitamins are the same. - BUSTED
I covered this in more detail in one of my earlier posts, "All Supplements Are the Same, Right?". But what it boils down to is this: there is a HUGE difference in vitamins, depending upon how they are rated. Food grade (the vitamins you find in your local store) are regulated by the FDA. Who, according to a recent study by Consumer Reports, isn't doing too great of a job keeping tabs on the quality of these supplements. Not to mention, they can contain at least 10% worth of fillers and sometimes even more. Plus, often they use cheaper, synthetic versions of vitamins which do not dissolve as well, nor do they absorb into the body as well.

On the other hand, Pharmaceutical Grade vitamins follow more stringent regulations. They MUST be free of fillers and be over 99% pure. They follow Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs), meaning they are safer than the food grade vitamins. Often, an independent 3rd party, such as The National Sanitary Foundation, will evaluate both the products as well as the manufacturing process. And, because they use higher quality ingredients and non-synthetic versions of vitamins, they will absorb into your body better than food grade.

Myth #2: Taking too many vitamins can be bad for you - PROBABLE
Why is this rated 'PROBABLE'? Well, it's based on several factors. Certain vitamins and minerals, such as synthetic Vitamin A and Iron, can be toxic in large doses. However, with most others the amount you would need to take to reach toxic levels is pretty high. If you are taking pharmaceutical grade vitamins, you will be alright. There is also the issue of certain toxins and foreign substances being found in vitamins. The recent Consumer Reports article brought this out, as has ConsumerLabs.com. Again, manufacturers following GMPs will not have this issue very often.

Myth #3: I can get everything I need from what I eat - PROBABLE
This is completely dependent upon how you define "need". To cover the basics first, the RDA, or %DV, (that percentage on your package labels) is the amount of vitamins and minerals needed to prevent deficiencies, which could lead to classic diseases. For instance, not obtaining the RDA amount of Vitamin C could result in developing scurvy. And being deficient in Vitamin D could lead to rickets. So, if you "need" to ensure that you are simply not deficient in vitamins and minerals, then yes...it's possible to get what you need from what you eat. Keeping in mind that the amounts of vitamins and minerals contained in our foods are gradually decreasing due to modern farming techniques and processing. Now, if you define "need" as the optimal amount needed to enhance your immune system, then it will be fairly difficult to obtain those amounts from eating. For instance, to obtain the optimal amount of Vitamin E (400IU has been shown in studies to have positive health effects) you would need to eat 28 pounds of spinach every day. Or 2 pounds of almonds. Possible, sure...if you name happens to be Popeye. We get Vitamin D from the sun, and already it has been suggested, through studies, that people get at least 600-1000IU/day. However, in the summer most people lather on sunscreen which blocks the production of Vitamin D. And people in northern climates do not get much sun during the winter.

Myth #4: Vitamins don't do anything/I've never noticed a difference - BUSTED
There are far too many studies out there showing the positive affects of taking supplements. And generally, when there is a study done showing "harm" from taking supplements, only 1 vitamin was studied. Thing is, supplements work best when taken together...a process called synergy. For instance, Calcium alone may not do much, and was the topic of a recent study linking Calcium supplements to a 31% increase in heart attacks due to there being too much of the mineral in the blood. However, Calcium needs Magnesium to get out of the blood and into the bones.

If you have never noticed a difference while taking supplements, my questions would be "but how do you know it's not doing anything and how long did you give it?". Body types are different for everyone. As such, supplements react differently with each individual. Some may see results within a month, some in 3-months, some may never see a result. But that doesn't mean they aren't doing anything either. Maybe you don't FEEL different, but if you were to look "under the hood" you might see your blood pressure coming down to normal levels or your high cholesterol decreasing. The only way to know is to speak with your doctor and get tests done on a periodic basis.

Myth #5: Olive Oil and Fish Oil are good for blood pressure and cholesterol - CONFIRMED
Doing a simple Google search on either of these will provide you with several studies which show an increase in consumption of olive oil and fish oil can result in lowering your blood pressure and cholesterol. Try looking for a supplement which uses an olive oil extract, as consuming 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil can add a considerable amount of calories to your diet. Likewise, trying to consume enough fish to increase levels of fish oil can have some negative consequences, due to the mercury content in fish. While some fish should be consumed (once per week is suggested), taking a pharmaceutical grade fish oil supplement guaranteed to be contaminate free, can help you get to those beneficial levels. In fact, studies have shown fish oil to be more effective in controlling cholesterol levels than Statin drugs. Not to mention, olive oil and fish oil do not have side effects; whereas medication for blood pressure and cholesterol do have side effects.

To Your Health

Consumer Reports Says Many Supplements Not Safe

2010-08-04T00:20:00.000-05:00

According to a report published Tues by Consumer Reports, many of the supplements found in your local store are not safe. Specifically, many of the ingredients may cause cancer, heart problems or kidney/liver damage. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38542031/ns/health-alternative_medicine

The report states, "Of the more than 54,000 dietary supplement products in the Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database, only about a third have some level of safety and effectiveness that is supported by scientific evidence".

Not to mention that many of the ingredients found in these supplements come from China, and the FDA has not inspected one single factory there.

This information goes hand-in-hand with my blog post from 7/29, "All Supplements Are The Same, Right?". It just brings to light the absolute need to look for supplements which are pharmaceutical grade, follow GMPs, and are inspected by a 3rd party organization such as the NSF if you want to be sure what you are taking is both safe and effective.

To Your Health

Scott

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Calcium Supplements Lead to Heart Attacks?

2010-08-02T09:22:00.000-05:00

Calcium supplements lead to 31% increase in heart attack risk. These were the findings of a study published this past Thurs (July 29th) in a British Medical Journal (http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/abstract/341/jul29_1/c3691). However, these results are very misleading.

Why are these results misleading? First, this was not a stand-alone study, but rather a "meta-analysis". Meaning, they took the results of other studies and reported their findings based on these other studies. Now, you're probably saying, "Well, wouldn't that CONFIRM the results? Aren't they essentially creating an 'average' of all these studies?". See, that's the problem. They didn't use that many studies. Only 15 to be exact. And of those 15, their findings on the cardiovascular outcomes came from only 5 of those 15 studies.

Andrew Shao, a PhD and VP of for the Council of Responsible Nutrition was quoted, "...seven of the 15 trials evaluated had no, or incomplete, data on cardiovascular outcomes, and only five of the 15 studies accounted for almost all of the cardiovascular outcomes". And further, "...because the researchers chose to exclude any trials administering calcium plus vitamin D, many large, important trials—including the Women’s Health Initiative, which found calcium plus vitamin D had no effect on the risk of coronary heart disease or stroke—were not included". (http://www.crnusa.org/CRNPR10_BMJCalciumMetaAnalysis72910.html)

So you can see to the casual observer this may appear to say "Don't Take Calcium Supplements". But when you start to dig into the study a bit more you can reach other conclusions.

Secondly, this "study" looked ONLY at the affect of calcium supplementation. And the main issue was that taking calcium supplements led to a higher concentration of calcium in the blood. Here's the problem with that. Calcium need magnesium to help it get into bones, and thus, out of the blood. This study did not look at the affect of taking calcium along with magnesium. Nor did it look at taking calcium with Vitamin D, which has already shown benefits in other studies where both were administered.

Long story short, when you see or read things like this on the news, please do yourself a favor and either do some additional research. Try not to depend solely upon the opinions of others. Thus the reason why I included links in the above post. The more information you have, the better equipped you are to make a decision that is best for YOU.

To Your Health
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All Supplements Are The Same, Right?

2010-07-29T00:00:00.000-05:00

For most of us, this is what we've been told. All supplements are the same. It doesn't matter what you take or where you get them from. Just buy the cheapest...it doesn't matter. But is this true?

No, it is not. In a nutshell, supplements can be broken down into (2) categories of quality: Food Grade and Pharmaceutical Grade.

So what's the difference? Food Grade supplements are overseen by the FDA. These are the supplements you will find at your local store in the vitamin aisle. There are a few issues with these types of supplements.

1. They may or may not contain all the ingredients listed on the bottle.
2. They may or may not contain those ingredients in the amounts advertised.
3. The FDA also allows fillers, binders, dyes, etc to be included, but the manufacturer is not required to list them on the label. These can make up 10% or more of the contents. Meaning if an ingredient is listed as having 100mg, you may only be getting 90mg (or less).
4. ConsumerLabs (an independent tester of supplements) has found "foreign substances" in some of these products, such as metal shavings.
5. There is no guarantee the supplement will actually dissolve in your body. If it doesn't dissolve, it is not absorbed and is, essentially, worthless. It basically comes out looking like it did when it went in.
6. To keep costs down, many manufacturers use synthetic ingredients rather than pure forms. An example is Vitamin E. Check the label on your bottle. If it is using DL-Alpha Tocopheryl, this is synthetic and does not absorb into your body very well.
7. According to the FDA, manufacturers are NOT required to provide evidence that the supplement is effective or safe.

Pharmaceutical Grade supplements adhere to strict rules regarding the manufacture of supplements and their purity. These are the same rules used by pharmaceutical companies. They must follow GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) and follow USP (United States Pharmacopedia) guidelines. Some also have NSF certification (a 3rd party consumer watchdog organization who randomly inspects and tests products).

1. All ingredients listed on the label must be included in the bottle.
2. The amounts of those ingredients must be found in the bottle.
3. Binders, fillers, dyes, etc are not allowed and the ingredients must be OVER 99% pure.
4. Because these follow GMPs and USP guidelines (and in some cases, NSF certification), there are NO foreign substances in the products.
5. Generally, these supplements are guaranteed to dissolve in the body.
6. These products use higher quality ingredients (see #3). The higher quality ingredients are more expensive, thus the large price difference. Again, using the Vitamin E example, D-Alpha Tocopheryl is the natural form of Vitamin E and will absorb into the body.
7. And again, because of USP guidelines, these products can give the consumer peace-of-mind.

So as you can see, all supplements are not created equal. When you are looking for a supplement, weigh the differences and remember, 'You get what you pay for'. Seek out supplement manufactures who follow GMPs, USPs, and have NSF certification to ensure you are getting the highest quality supplement. Or in other words, make sure you get more 'Bang for your Buck'.

To Your Health

The Top 6 Supplements for Keeping Blood Pressure in Check

2010-07-26T22:52:00.000-05:00

According to numerous clinical studies, various supplements have been shown to have positive effects with regards to maintaining and/or reducing your blood pressure. In this latest posting, I have listed the Top 6 supplements, along with references to studies from such organizations as The Mayo Clinic and University of Maryland.

In no particular order, these supplements are:

1. Fish oil - It seems as though the DHA and EPA does have an effect on blood pressure. 2-3g/day seems to be recommended. Clinical studies also show beneficial uses with regards to high cholesterol, diabetes, ADHD, and Lupus.

2. Olive Oil - In my opinion, probably the most impressive test results. Taken from the March 27th, 2000 study in the Archives of Internal Medicine: "The most important finding in this study is that the daily use of olive oil, about 40 grams per day, markedly reduces the dosage of [blood pressure medication] by about 50% in hypertensive patients on a previously stable drug dosage,"

3. Vitamin D - Called "The Sunshine Vitamin" due to the body's ability to transform sunlight into Vitamin D. Studies show this helps to prevent hypertension.

4. Magnesium - Studies show this may help regulate blood pressure.

5. Grape Seed Extract - A study from UNC - Davis showed participants taking 150mg of grape seed extract saw their blood pressure drop after 4 weeks.

6. Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) - A review of 12 clinical studies hinted that CoQ10 has the potential to reduce blood pressure without major side effects.

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References:

Fish Oil Study University of Maryland

Fish Oil Study 1

Olive Oil Study
WebMD Olive Oil Article

Vitamin D Mayo Clinic

Vitamin D Linus Pauling Institute

Magnesium and BP

WebMD Grape Seed Extract Article

CoQ10 University of Maryland

Nutritional Value of Fruits and Vegetables is Diminishing

2010-07-21T23:38:00.000-05:00

An article about something I've been telling my friends and family members for some time now. (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37396355/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/?gt1=43001) and reprinted from Prevention Magazine.

Essentially, the gist is that the amount of nutrients we get from eating fruits and vegetables has been decreasing steadily over the years. This is due to modern farming techniques. Why is this important? When trying to decide if you should take supplements, the #1 argument is, "I get what I need from what I eat". However, studies have shown that generally, people do not eat well enough to receive all the essential nutrients they need for optimal health. This latest study simply makes the process even more difficult.

For instance, to get 400IU of Vitamin E, you would need to eat about 29lbs of spinach every day. If you decide to take a multi-vitamin to fill in those gaps in your diet, make sure you take a high quality, pharmaceutical grade supplement that follows GMPs (Good Manufacturing Practices). This is the only way you can be sure you are getting the most bioavailable form of the nutritionals you are taking. And guaranteed to break down and be free of toxins. Don't fall for the cheapest vitamin at the corner store because the old adage holds true: You get what you pay for.

To Your Health

General Discussion

2010-07-19T23:41:00.000-05:00

Today, I had a great conversation with a friend of my Aunt's about vitamins. She had several excellent questions...all valid...and all that I've heard before. Rather than posting a recent study or new info, I though I would share some of that info with you here.

A question was raised referring to the fact that many people don't feel any different when taking vitamins. My response is always, "How do you know?". Let's just say you are taking a multi-vitamin and fish oil to try and lower your cholesterol. Can you actually SEE or FEEL your cholesterol coming down? Or how about your blood pressure? Unless you are monitoring your BP at home, you really can't see or feel a difference. The point is, just because you can't SEE or FEEL as difference, doesn't mean changes aren't happening in your body.

Your body is made up of billions of cells. Every day, cells die and new cell regenerate. In fact, in the span of 9-12 months your body will regenerate all new cells. Yes, in 1 year you are a "new person". The trick is to get rid of the bad cells in your body and and keep the old healthy cells, as well as the new cells, healthy.

Cells become bad through a process called oxidation. And how does that happen you ask? Think of a car left out in the rain for an extended period of time. What happens? It rusts, or oxidizes. The same thing is happening in your body. And to fight that, you need to take anti-oxidants. Free Radicals are the cause and they carry a charge with them.

A quick analogy is this. Remember when you were young and you would rub a balloon on your head and stick it to a wall? You are giving the balloon a static charge. That charge is what causes it to stick to the wall. Likewise, let's take cholesterol as an example. If cholesterol becomes charged in your body, it sticks to the walls of your arteries. But if it's NOT charged, it won't stick to the walls and won't create blockages. Therefore, the way to combat damage to your arteries is to make sure your cholesterol doesn't become charged from free radicals.

Dr. Ladd McNamara has an excellent book call 'The Cholesterol Conspiracy ' which details this further. But for now, it's worthwhile knowing the basics.

Keep this in mind when thinking about free radicals. Smoking (1) cigarette creates 1 quadrillion free radicals in your body (http://www.hyperhealth.com/demo/free_radicals.htm). OK, that sounds like a big number, but have you even HEARD of a "quadrillion". Oh, it's a number. Let me put in into perspective. If you spent $1 Million dollars every DAY since Christ was born (AD 0) that would equal $733 Billion Dollars. A quadrillion is the next step after a billion. That's a lot. And we are exposed to free radicals every day.

Ben Franklin once said, "An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure". Those are words to live by. Literally.

Vitamin D May Combat Asthma

2010-07-17T23:45:00.000-05:00

From Dr. Ray Strand's Newsletter:

Here is another benefit of maintaining optimal levels of vitamin D above 60 ng/ml. Researchers at the National Jewish Health Center in Denver Colorado showed that optimal levels of vitamin D improved all aspects of lung function as it decreased the risk of asthma. Of the fifty four pariticipants studied, the lower the vitamin D status of the individual, the lower their lung function. The researchers concluded that vitamin D influences a number of important features of asthma, including lung function, bronchospasm, and response to treatment. Just another reason to be sure that your vitamin D levels are adequate. I personally recommend that all of my patients have their vitamin D levels checked by ordering a 25-hydroxyvitamin D serum level. You want this level to be at least above 50 ng/ml and at optimally greater than 60 ng/ml.