Toxins: A Major Source of Inflammation

The soaps, bleaches, softeners and fragrances in the cleaning aisle are all in sealed containers. Yet, they still give off an overwhelming, nauseating stench that may make a person sick for hours. What happens when we bring those containers home? They continue to give off toxins. Only now, the containers are open and the process happens 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Our toxic environment
In North America we are inundated with toxins every moment of every day. Pollution in our air, water and food challenges our ability to detoxify and adapt. Worse still, the place we think of as a haven from stress – our home – is likely the most toxic environment we face in our daily routines. Toxins released from household chemicals, fabric, carpet, fragrances and pesticides seep into our body in tiny amounts even as we sleep.

Toxic waste, like barnacles on the hull of a ship, drags us down. It slows the efficiency of our mitochondria (the energy-producing engines inside our cells). Noxious chemicals create fatigue, headaches, digestive disturbances and moodiness. Eventually, toxins become the focus for inflammation.

Inflammation
Your body uses acute inflammation to try to neutralize toxicity. Think of your reaction to a bee sting: redness, swelling, heat and pain. This is not caused by the toxins in the bee venom. It is the reaction of your body as it tries to eliminate the toxicity:

• Redness is the increase in blood supply to bring in immune system antibodies and remove the neutralized venom.
• Swelling is the lymphatic fluid that dilutes the concentrated poison while providing proteins for repair of the tissue damaged by the toxins.
• Heat comes from immune system activity as it battles the invading contaminant.
• Pain causes us to guard that area from further damage.

Chronic inflammation occurs when the toxins are not completely removed from an area. A good example of this may be found in simple lawn chemicals, like fertilizers and pesticides. Certain fertilizers are potassium-based. Potassium is important for human health. When we are exposed to these fertilizers, our cells may accept the potassium along with the toxic “attachments.” Your immune system will constantly attack these contaminated cells until it destroys them. Clusters of diseases like Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis have been linked to these fertilizers.

Home sweet home – isolate and insulate
Neutralizing toxins in the body begins with isolating ourselves from chemical exposure. We must be diligent if we are to protect our family from toxic overload. Chemicals should be stored out of the living area in a place that is well-ventilated. This is especially true if there are children in the home, as developing brains are up to 10 times more likely to suffer damage from toxins than an adult nervous system.

Insulating ourselves against toxic exposure is equally important. Two nutrient classes shine when it comes to protection from pollution:

• Essential fatty acids – Many of the toxins we face are fat-soluble. We need “clean” fats in abundance to displace toxic fats in our brain, liver and other regions of our body.
• Antioxidants – Antioxidants neutralize toxins and Betalain antioxidants found in Nopal figs have two added benefits over standard antioxidants:
  • Betalains drain away the toxin from an affected area
  • Betalains shore up the cell membrane to help promote healing.

Betalains turn out to be our best tool in combating the causes of inflammation: toxins, stress, injury and nutrient deficiency. Use this excellent tool liberally to help you resist the increasing onslaught of toxins both inside and outside of our home sweet home!

Upcoming Weekly Wellness Reports…

• Hormone Health
• Vision

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA, and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Healthy Aging

“None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm.”
~ H.D. Thoreau

This is the third in a series of articles on healthy aging. It is the most requested topic for our Weekly Wellness Reports and to me, it is one of the most important topics. You see, health is not about waiting for disease to strike and then battling it. As the World Health Organization said back in 1948, health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.

Healthy aging
My seventh-grade teacher was an ancient fossil of man – much older than even my parents! I think he was 50. He told me a truth about aging that I have never forgotten: The only way to avoid getting old is to die young. With that in mind I found great wisdom in the words of Benjamin Franklin who said, “All would live long but none would be old.”

So, healthy aging is about living long without being old! To reach that goal we need to take a brief look at the process called “biological aging.”

Biological aging does not happen with the tick of the clock or the pages turning on your calendar; it happens in your cells. During its life cycle a cell may be damaged by exposure to:

• Toxins
• Direct trauma
• Nutrient deficiencies
• Stress

Each of these circumstances causes inflammation and free radical production. Intense nutrition is needed to battle these causes of premature cell death.

Premature biological aging occurs when more cells die than you can replace.

Fighting inflammation
The human body is designed to fight premature aging and remain young. A powerful force called homeostasis mobilizes your immune system, hormones, nerves and other important systems to ignite the healing process. Homeostasis uses focused inflammation to remodel your cells following injury, illness or even the extreme challenges of emotional stress. Once the healing process is complete, homeostasis extinguishes the fire of inflammation and returns your body to a state of dynamic and vital balance – free from the effects of runaway inflammation.

Homeostasis orchestrates the cells in your body to maintain balance under even severe conditions.

However, there are times when your body cannot heal itself. If inflammation overwhelms a cell it may be damaged beyond repair. Damaged, dead cells must be removed or they will become the focus of infection and illness. Betalains, a unique class of nutrient that is both an antioxidant and a protein, assist a special cell called a macrophage (literally “big eater”) to engulf the dead cell and eliminate it from your body. This makes room for a brand-new replacement cell and the cycle of wellness continues.

Intense nutrition
The supplements of healthy aging include four critical components:

1. A balanced multiple vitamin/mineral supplement to establish a solid foundation for healthy aging
2. An essential fatty acid supplement to nourish the arteries and rehydrate the brain
3. A Vitamin C supplement to serve as an antioxidant reserve and keep the immune system active
4. A B-12 supplement to keep the energy level up and the mind bright.

Premature aging is about losing more cells than we replace. Healthy aging is about closing the gap between loss of cells and repair or replacement of our cells as directed by homeostasis and fueled by nutrients.

Learn More…

• Living to 100
• Activity for your body and mind
• Volunteering

Upcoming Weekly Wellness Reports…

• Toxins: A Major Source of Inflammation
• Hormone Health

Strengthen Your Immunity

What determines if you get sick or not?
Louis Pasteur and Antoine Bechamp – physicians 150 years ago – were keenly aware of the same things you and I experience every year: during the cold and flu season, some people get sick and some people don’t. Pasteur spent his life looking for what makes sick people sick. Bechamp spent his career looking for what keeps healthy people healthy – and how we can be like them! They settled their argument with the discovery that illness visits people with poor habits much more frequently than those who care for their health.

It turns out that microbes prefer to wreak their havoc on people with compromised immune systems. Simple things can compromise our immune system, including:

• An imbalanced diet
• Alcohol and caffeine consumption
• An argument with someone you love

Just as Pasteur and Bechamp discovered more than a century ago, our health revolves around a healthy lifestyle more than the virulence of a microbe.

Help protect against illness
The phrase that describes our vulnerability or resistance to disease is “biological terrain.” The terrain or landscape of our health is made up of our genetics, our environment and, most importantly, our lifestyle. Vigorous application of the 10 Essentials yields the healthiest, most disease-resistant terrain. Skipping even one of these principles will change your terrain and leave you vulnerable to infection.

• A base of healthy nutrients
  Establishing a base of healthy nutrients can provide us with a very resilient terrain. The more dense the base is, the more disease-resistant our terrain will be. Taking a multiple vitamin and mineral supplement every day is an excellent start. Almost all physicians recommend an Omega-3 supplement as well. If your terrain is being remodeled by stress, you may need adaptogens to help you cope while remaining disease-resistant. Indeed, the long-term studies of adaptogens in Russia clearly demonstrated that these plants help you resist infections and speed healing.
• Vitamin C
  Vitamin C is a favorite for protecting against and even treating virus infections. Russell Jaffe, MD, former director of the National Institutes of Health, recommends a loading dose of Vitamin C: one teaspoon of Vitamin C crystals every 15 minutes until you “flush.” By this, he means a complete bowel evacuation. After the flush, he recommends a daily serving of Vitamin C (for one month) that is equivalent to 75% of the amount it took you to flush. This should really improve your terrain!
• Echinacea
  Echinacea is used in a similar way. Significant medical research from Germany suggests that an hourly dose of Echinacea will help reduce symptoms and may help shorten the duration of a virus infection. Taking a gram of Echinacea every hour for three days may even “abort” an infection that has already begun. Continue taking Echinacea three times daily for up to two weeks afterward to protect against a relapse.

Reduce your exposure
Here are some great recommendations for reducing your exposure to infection:

• Wash your hands
  First, the largest contributor to infection is unwashed hands. Washing your hands with soap every few hours will reduce the chance for pathogens to gain access to your system. You should also make sure they are completely dry. Then, use the disposable towel to open the door out of the washroom. Many ugly microbes lurk on door handles – usually from people who have not properly washed and dried their hands.
• Clean surfaces
  Next, disinfect surfaces that are shared by many people. For instance, public telephones bring you within kissing distance of hundreds or even thousands of people. Who knows what their hygiene habits were? In a typical day we may be exposed to germs from as many as 150 countries or more!
• Reduce stress
  Reduce stress. Stress decreases the effectiveness of your immune system. Your immune system may begin to overreact or not react in time to stop an infection when you are under stress. The source of the stress really does not matter. For instance, job stress and an injury may seem like entirely different stresses to your mind but they are treated exactly the same way by your body.

Remember, building up your terrain and reducing your exposure are keys to a great offense… which will help improve your defense!

Learn More…

• The proper way to wash your hands
  A quick rinse isn’t enough to avoid infection – find out the best technique for washing

Upcoming Weekly Wellness Reports…

• Tremor Triggers
• Healthy Aging

Osteoporosis & Grandparent Guilt

One out of every two women and one in four men age 50 and older will have an osteoporosis-related fracture in their lifetime. Each year, 80,000 men have a hip fracture and one-third of these men die within a year.

Osteoporosis is responsible for more than 1.5 million fractures annually, including approximately:

• 300,000 hip fractures
• 700,000 vertebral fractures
• 250,000 wrist fractures
• And more than 300,000 fractures at other sites.

No wonder many grandparents are hesitant to lift their grandchildren!

Grandparent guilt
Osteoporosis can effect more than your bones.  For many grandparents, there is a psychological effect too!  The issue of “grandparent guilt” has been discussed for many years. It arises when a grandparent cannot do the things he or she feels is necessary to fulfill their role. Concerns like osteoporosis, arthritis and even incontinence are listed as common reasons for not fully engaging with grandchildren.

Watching the exuberance of youth reminds us of a time in our life when we were more carefree. An old Chinese proverb says, “Even the old horse in the stable yearns to run.” This wistful longing for a body that matches the mind (forever 19) can lead to melancholia and guilt.

But guilt is not necessarily a bad thing.

Benefits of guilt
Guilt is a very misunderstood emotion. Feelings of guilt often arise from unrealistic expectations that we set for ourselves or that others set for us. So it’s important to examine what’s expected within the context of our life.

We can use guilt constructively to remedy situations we feel badly about. Guilt can prompt us to change our behavior. For example, do you believe that aerobic exercise and resistance training could benefit you? Guilt concerning what you should do, what you are able to do and what you have been doing may prompt you to intensify your efforts to exercise more. This will leave you happier, healthier and more able to engage with those rambunctious kids – a very good result!

Use this technique to examine other aspects of your life as well. Ask yourself:

• What do I want?
• Why do I want it?
• What’s so important?
• What should I do?
• What will I do?
• When will I do it?
• Who will support me as I meet this new challenge?

Foundation for longevity
A few helpful hints from centenarians (people over 100 years of age) can help us all stay engaged with grandchildren and others as we go through life:

• Reduce stress
• Stay connected with other people
• Cultivate optimism
• Watch your diet
• Exercise: even a little helps
• Floss your teeth

Proper supplementation aids vitality as well:

• Bone Builder for strong bones
• Sublingual B-12 for brain health
• Vital C for antioxidant and immune support
• OmegaPrime to help increase circulation and reduce inflammation

Conclusion
Another old Chinese proverb says, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” (literally, “from where you stand”). Use that twinge of guilt to awaken you to greater possibilities for yourself and those you love. Decide what you want and why you want it. Then, take the first step!

Learn More…

• Guilty as Charged!

Upcoming Weekly Wellness Reports…

• Tremor triggers
• Healthy aging

Strategies to Help With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

My friend quit teaching, not because of the challenge of teaching a child with ADHD; he routinely taught children with far more severe issues. He quit because teachers and parents would label any child with a behavior problem “ADHD” just to get them out of their class and, often, onto some kind of sedative medication.

What is ADHD?
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder is characterized by an inability to stay focused on any task. It may also include impulsive, disruptive and often destructive behavior. These symptoms may begin between the ages of 6 and 12, usually by age 7.

First, it is important to know that most children (and adults) are inattentive and impulsive from time to time. Also, many, many other conditions and circumstances share these same symptoms. For example, Stephen Covey described a man boarding the subway with two disruptive boys in tow. From the description of their behavior a person could easily see the traits of ADHD. What was the real problem? They were leaving the hospital where the mother of the two young boys had just died.

Inattention and impulsive behavior may be signs of ADHD or they may be signs of something else. We cannot be too quick to diagnose without fully investigating the circumstances of the person as a whole.

Brains in pain
One interesting line of exploration in the child with ADHD is the pattern of brain waves. The human brain responds in a similar way to similar circumstances. Most of us have an increase in Delta brain waves when we are concentrating and an increase in Alpha brain waves when we are relaxing.

Theta waves increase and Beta waves decrease when we finish a task and feel a sense of accomplishment. People with ADHD have the exact reverse of this pattern: They demonstrate a decrease in Theta waves and an increase in Beta waves when they are asked to focus on a task.

People in chronic pain have exactly the same brain wave pattern. This may be why it seems so painful for people with ADHD to “sit still” and concentrate!

Sources of help

• Proper diagnosis
  The most important step in caring for someone with ADHD is ensuring they are properly diagnosed. As mentioned, there are many conditions that trigger inattentiveness and impulsivity. Occasionally, a trial of medication for ADHD may be used by a physician to make the diagnosis. The physician prescribes a drug and if it helps, the child is said to have ADHD. But response to medication is no way to diagnose ADHD.

  The most important part of any treatment is proper diagnosis.

• Avoiding certain foods
  Next, limiting sugar and sweeteners and absolutely eliminating anything with colors and additives will often prove helpful. Avoiding food allergies is imperative. Children with ADHD are often allergic to grains, dairy, corn and soy.
• Supplements
  Supplements that are helpful include a multiple vitamin/mineral supplement, Vitamin B-12 (I prefer Super Sublingual B-12 because the ratio of folic acid to B-12 is better for ADHD), VitaCal-Mag D as a calcium, magnesium, Vitamin D and zinc supplement and OmegaPrime as a good source of both Omega-3 and Evening Primrose oil. The amino acid GABA (as found in Peaceful Sleep) may also help balance the Beta and Theta brain waves when used consistently.

Conclusion
My teacher friend pointed to a very real problem: Many times a child will be labeled ADHD because of a behavior problem in the classroom. Often, the problem was that these children were in distressing circumstances at school (for example, being relentlessly bullied) or not having appropriate parental supervision and nurturing at home.

However, ADHD is real and it is a serious disorder that will affect a person’s entire life. With proper diagnosis and assessment of the individual learning style of the child there is every possibility for a full and productive life!

Learn More…

• More information about ADHD
• Lifestyle changes for ADHD

Upcoming Weekly Wellness Reports…

• Osteoporosis/Grandparent Guilt
• Tremor Triggers

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA, and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. The information provided on this site is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for advice from your physician or other healthcare provider. You should not use the information on this site for diagnosis or treatment of any health problem. You should consult with a healthcare provider if you suspect your child might have a health problem. You should not stop taking any medication without first consulting your physician.

The Controversies of Antibiotic Use

Here are some steps you can take to repair your system following antibiotic use and how taking a prebiotic/probiotic supplement with each meal may help reduce the likelihood of future infections.

Weed, seed & feed
To improve any terrain it is often necessary to remove weeds and unwanted plants. The same is true in the human terrain: In extreme cases we may need to remove certain pathogenic (disease-producing) bacteria from our system in order to establish a baseline upon which to build a healthy immune system.

Once “weeds” in the form of disease-producing bacteria, parasites, yeasts and other microbes have been removed, the system needs to be “re-seeded” with probiotics. Probiotics are any of the 300 to 400 different bacteria that live inside us and promote health. Many of these have names you will recognize such as Lactobaccilus acidophilus.

Fermented foods carry many good bacteria with known health benefits. To encourage these health-producing bacteria to colonize (settle down and raise a family) they need to be fed regularly. Good bacteria thrive on healthy fiber and starches called prebiotics. A prebiotic is anything that supports the healthy growth of good bacteria. Examples of common foods rich in prebiotic fibers include okra, parsnips and artichokes.

Critical steps
People who vigorously apply the 10 Essentials have a reduced risk of infection. However, those who live an imbalanced life are more at risk or prone to infection; they are said to be in the “pool of susceptibility.” That is, they are susceptible to infection. To take oneself out of the pool of susceptibility we need to follow some simple steps:

1. Breathe deeply 20 minutes daily
2. Drink pure water: ½ your body weight in ounces
3. Sleep peacefully 7 ½ to 9 hours each night
4. Eat nutritious food: 5, 7 or 9 servings of fruit and vegetables daily
5. Enjoy activity for at least 30 minutes most days of the week
6. Cultivate healthy emotional and spiritual relationships
7. Seize your sense of purpose – your many purposes in life

If you are recovering from antibiotic use you may add prebiotic fiber and probiotic bacteria such as those found in Digestive Complex.

Caution needed
There is a dark side to antibiotic use: resistant strains of bacteria. Antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria develop when antibiotics are over-used or improperly used. Antibiotic-resistant microbes colonize and serve as reservoirs of disease. Antibiotic-resistant tuberculosis, pneumonia and meningitis epidemics have killed thousands of people and threaten to kill millions more in the coming decades.

Dr. Jim Wilde, chief investigator of the misuse of antibiotics for the National Institutes of Health in concert with the Centers for Disease Control, states that many antibiotic prescriptions are unnecessary. This is because our own immune system can respond adequately to kill the infection and restore balance.

So, take yourself out of the pool of susceptibility by vigorously applying the 10 Essentials, eating foods rich in prebiotic fibers and taking probiotics as necessary.

Learn More…

Infections resolve without antibiotics:

• Lower respiratory infections
• Antibiotic use linked to breast cancer

Upcoming Weekly Wellness Reports…

• ADHD
• Osteoporosis/Grandparent Guilt

Diabetes and the Glycemic Index

Essential #4 encourages us to eat nutritiously. This requires a little education concerning the difference between a nutritious food and an “empty calorie.” Much of the information about the way particular foods impact diabetes is found in the Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load.

Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load
Several years ago a group of researchers decided to create a chart based on the impact of carbohydrates on a person’s blood sugar. This would help people with diabetes select foods that would have the least impact on their disease. The Glycemic Index (GI) measures the impact of foods on blood sugar when compared to pure sugar: glucose. The higher the GI number, the greater the impact on blood sugar and the worse a food was supposed to be for a person with diabetes. Later, the GI was used as a tool for weight loss and cardiovascular health.

Glycemic Load is a way of refining the information of the Glycemic Index to find a truer nutritional value for food. For instance, the Glycemic Index may rate the carbohydrate value in a food as very high. This would seem to make the food unacceptable for people who want to restrict sugar. The Glycemic Load gives us a more global value of your food beyond sugar content.

Glycemic Load takes into account the fiber, fat and water content of a food. Let’s take the example of parsnips:

Parsnips are creamy-colored root vegetables in the carrot family. They are delicious and have therapeutic value as well. Parsnips have a GI rating of 97, compared with pure glucose at 100. That would seem to make parsnips “bad” – unacceptable as a healthy carbohydrate source. However, parsnips contain so much fiber and water, as well as protein and fats, that they have only a tiny impact on the total load of carbohydrates (the Glycemic Load). Because of their protein and fat, they help keep your appetite satisfied for so long that you may even eat less at your next meal. So, parsnips are really very healthful despite their high GI number.

Potatoes have become taboo in most low-carb diets. Yet, potatoes have attributes similar to parsnips. They are good for you as long as you don’t deep-fry them and load them with bacon, sour cream, gravy, cheese and other high-calorie, high-fat condiments.

Compound carbohydrates – the true “bad” carbs
Though many fruits and vegetables are high on the Glycemic Index they are “good” complex carbs because they are low in Glycemic Load. Refined starches, such as pastries, pastas, pudding and pancakes, as well as gravies and similar sauces are a different story.

These foods:

• Contain low amounts of water and fiber
• Contain high amounts of “bad” carbohydrates and bad fats
• Quickly turn to sugar in your bloodstream
• Trigger insulin and inflammation
• Increase your risk of heart disease, obesity and diabetes

These are truly sources of “bad” carbohydrates. They are examples of “compound” carbohydrates: foods which have been processed beyond recognition from their original whole food sources. They are never good in any amount.

Diabetes epidemic
In conclusion, the way to place yourself in the lowest risk category for type 2 diabetes is to eat whole foods which minimally impact your blood sugar. But that’s not all; did you know that stress alone may cause diabetes? Breathing deeply breaks the cycle of stress. And, since type 2 diabetes and obesity are related, getting enough sleep is essential. Add in the lessons from all 10 Essentials and you have a bulwark of protection against the epidemic of type 2 diabetes.

Learn More…

• Low Glycemic Diet
• Agave Nectar
  Agave nectar is similar to honey, but with a lower Glycemic Index. For example, honey is between 55 and 85, depending on how many solids remain in the honey. Agave nectar is as low as 27. This means that Agave nectar absorbs slowly into the bloodstream, which allows your body to allocate it to the appropriate areas. Since it’s four times sweeter than sugar you can use a lot less when using it as a sweetener.

Upcoming Weekly Wellness Reports…

• Antibiotic Recovery
• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

What to Look for on Food Labels

As it turns out, calories are the key. Whether they are from fat or carbohydrate is not as important as the total number of them. To lose weight and keep it off, we simply must adhere to the simple rule of “calories in, calories out.”

Be cautious about cravings
Our bodies were designed to communicate nutrient needs through cravings. Our bodies need protein, carbohydrates, fats, fiber and water to be healthy. These are called macro-nutrients because they are large categories of food that contain smaller categories called micronutrients. A micronutrient is something we need in a very small quantity, like salt (sodium). We crave what we need.

Food manufacturers create products to tempt these cravings the way a fisherman uses a lure to catch a fish. We can be induced to buy one food over the other because of added ingredients. Three common additives that tempt our taste buds:

• Sugar
• Fat
• Salt

Salt has its own issues (see link below) but sugar and fat are often hidden sources of calories.

Hidden calories
Are you watching your calorie intake? Use these tips when looking at labels:

Watch out for added-sugar foods. Recommendations for carbohydrate intake range from 60 to 250 grams daily for the average adult. These carbohydrates should come from whole foods to avoid the “empty calories” of added sugar. If the label lists “sugar” as an ingredient, select another food without the added sugar.

Watch out for added-fat and high-fat foods. Fat contains very few nutrients. While it is a good source of energy, a little goes a long way. Protein and carbs contain four calories per gram, yet fat contains a whopping nine calories per gram. Fat is often added to improve the “mouth-feel” of foods. If a label lists the daily value (DV) at 20% or higher, it is a high-fat food. The DV should be between 2% and 10% for a single serving. Never eat trans-fats.

Conclusion
As with most elements of life, selecting your diet is both a science and an art. Take a little time to learn the science behind food selections and then you can enjoy the endless, artistic variety of foods. Remember, moderation is the key!

Learn More…

• Deciphering the Nutrition Facts Label
• Decreasing Your Salt Intake
• Limiting Your Intake of Sugar
• Eat Nutritiously – Priority Action Plan

Upcoming Weekly Wellness Reports…

• Diabetes/Glycemic Index
• Antibiotic Recovery

Weight Loss with Leanology

The formula features a four-stage blend of nutrients that target specific areas of concern that impact weight loss.

Stage 1: Energy & metabolism
Key ingredients: Green Tea, L-Theanine, B Vitamins, Vitamin C, Manganese

Thermogenic nutrients increase lean body mass in older age groups – even without exercise. This is a critical component to the formula because as one ages, lean muscle mass becomes more difficult to attain – and lean muscle mass is essential for a healthy metabolism.

For example, L-Theanine helps increase our body’s natural energy-producing capabilities. Mitochondria, sometimes described as “cellular power plants,” are found within our cells. They help convert food molecules into energy. L-Theanine is an antioxidant that specifically recharges the mitochondria to help it reproduce energy.

Stage 2: Cortisol & anti-stress
Key ingredients: GABA, Korean Ginseng, Poria Cocos, Vitamin D, Dimethylglycine, Copper gluconate

Stress is a problem at any age, though stress-related obesity seems to be more prevalent after age 40. Many trophic or “muscle-building” hormones begin to decline as we age. Stress accelerates this process. Fat-storage hormones are produced in response to stress.

Modern biochemistry has discovered that a protein receptor in your brain called a “GABA receptor” is responsible for stress sensitivity. By increasing GABA, a simple amino acid, we reduce the impact of stress on our nervous system and hormone balance.

Stage 3: Appetite control
Key ingredients: Glucommanan, Biotin, Magnesium, Zingiber rhizome (Ginger)

Leanology contains specific nutrients that signal your brain to recognize signs of “fullness” earlier in the meal. It also restores the balance of signaling chemicals from your stomach to your brain. These chemicals can be weakened after a long, exhausting, stressful day. Therefore, Leanology minimizes evening cravings.

Weight gain is a direct response to a calorie surplus. If you do not burn the calories you consume, they will be left behind as fat – especially if the calories are from unhealthy sources. Leanology works to minimize your cravings and therefore assist you in lowering your total caloric intake.

Stage 4: Blood sugar control
Key ingredients: Garcinia camobogia, Gymnema sylvestre, Bitter melon, Cinnamon bark, Alpha Lipoic acid, Chromium polynicotinate, Vanadyl sulphate, Zinc gluconate

Blood sugar control is the most critical component of any weight loss program. Elevated blood sugar causes the body to store sugar as fat rather than using it as energy. Leanology contains nutrients that help to utilize the carbohydrates and sugar we consume as energy – to keep them from being stored as fat. It also helps reduce the cravings for sweets and carbohydrates.

We are more likely to develop insulin resistance as we age. The more processed and refined food we eat, the more insulin we require to metabolize it. The more insulin in our blood, the less responsive our cells become. As we age, this continual exposure wears out our tolerance for refined carbohydrates and sugar, and reduces our sensitivity to insulin. Therefore we are less likely to convert sugar and carbohydrates into energy, and more likely to convert them into fat.

Upcoming Weekly Wellness Reports…

• What to look for on food labels
• Diabetes/Glycemic index