DigestiGuard, Probiotic, Prebiotic and Enzyme Yeast Cleanse All in One!

The goal of taking a probiotic is to repopulate the lower digestive tract with healthy bacteria known as probiotics so digestion is efficient, nutrient absorption is maximized and competing bad bacteria is crowded out so your gut is healthy and your immune system powerful and robust.

What do Probiotics do?

Probiotic bacteria may favorably alter the intestinal microflora balance, promote normal amounts of bacteria and yeast colonies, promote good digestion, and support healthy immune function. People with flourishing intestinal colonies of beneficial bacteria "probiotics" may be better equipped to fight the overgrowth of harmful bacteria. When probiotics are introduced they compete with yeast and other bacteria for attachment points along the digestive tract.*

The Problem

We all face the overgrowth of bad bacteria in our gut including candida yeast. This raises havoc by instigating “leaky gut syndrome” where bacteria and toxins can easily slip through the intestinal lining into our blood system, steadily and perniciously poisoning our bodies. Symptoms include lack of energy, brain fog, moodiness, weak immune system, gas, bloating, heart burn, intestinal discomfort, Diarrhea and irregularity.

Our gut is the seat of our immune system so insuring it functions properly is a powerful key to long term health and wellness. Toxic load in the form of excessive sugar and carbohydrates provides food for bad bacteria and yeast wrecking our ability to fight infection and destroying proper digestion.*

DigestiGuard™ The Solution!

DigestiGuard™ contains 13.6 Billion CFUs (Colony Forming Units) of various non-competing strains of probiotic bacteria. One of these strains is the potent B. subtilis, a spore forming bacteria. Spore germination is an innovative and dependable means of delivering healthy flora to the intestine in less than ideal conditions.

Most bacteria are susceptible to an acidic pH range, mainly thriving in the more alkaline lower GI tract, but spores are able to withstand a broader range of variables in regards to pH and temperature ranges. This improves the chances that the probiotic strain will properly germinate and begin the process of restoring intestinal balance.

We also use an advanced capsule delivery system called Acid Armor™ Capsules to deliver a superior amount of probiotics, prebiotics and enzymes directly to the intestinal tract.*

HOW IT WORKS

Digestive Yeast Cleanse: 

DigestiGuard™ uses the extremely potent blend of protease (protein digesting), cellulase and hemicellulase (cellulose digesting), glucoamylase and amylase (breaks down sugars), and serrapeptase. These enzymes strip away the Candida's protective protein shell and begin digesting its cellular infrastructure to cleanse & assist in the removal of dead yeast and other bad bacteria from the body. This will protect the body from experiencing

detox symptoms from toxins typically given off from the elimination of yeast.*

http://www.yourholisticlife.com/DigestiGuard.jsp

Cancer & Nutrients, Do They Really Make a Difference?

BIG HEADLINES IN NUTRITIONAL NEWS:

"A SIMPLE “B” VITAMIN WAS SHOWN TO REDUCE THE RISK OF COMMON SKIN CANCERS!"

These are amazing and sensational headlines and in many ways kind of true.  I prefer a more measured approach but the recent studies on Vitamin B-3 known as Nicotinamide are compelling.  In this study performed in Australia on patients that have had or currently have skin cancer, each was given 500mg of B-3 twice daily.  After 12 months there was a reduction of incidence of new skin cancers by 23%, no small amount.

Here is something worth noting.  These patients had sever sun damage and had a history of skin cancers so the physiological damage to these individuals was already profound and  most had other health issues such as heart disease, arthritis, high blood pressure, and chronic lung disease.  Besides cancers, Vitamin B-3 (nicotinamide) reduced precancerous actinic keratosis; heavy sun damaged pigmentation spots.  The point is that this nutritional intervention using a simple and cost effective vitamin had therapeutic benefits demonstrating that additions to traditional therapies with a supplement regimen can be a good preventative measure.  That is what I took from the study.

So how does that translate to the products of Your Holistic Life?  We strive to “vertically” integrate nutrients into all our product lines for maximum nutritional value.  Our Active Essentials™ Whole Food Multi Vitamin has 50mg of the bioactive form of B-3 (nicotinamide) plus a mix of associated B vitamin companions such as Folic Acid, B-12, B-6, B-1 and B-2 for broad range support in the form of highly bioavailable whole food extracts. 

Where traditional western medicine and research falls down is they focus on one promising compound, see if it performs with a therapeutic result then everyone gets excited.  It’s kind of like thinking about a vitamin as a prescription drug and I have been clear on this issue and have said many times:

 “Prescription drugs are targeted, specific and powerful assaults on some symptom or cause in the body. They are like a sledgehammer, not subtle but very specific and usually devastating. We get relatively instant results which we like, but the side effects are a disaster. Supplementation on the other hand supports the normal body process of self-healing and takes time.”

My “Holistic” take on things is more complex.  The fact that an isolated vitamin showed therapeutic results is amazing.  With regard to conditions like cancer, our holistic philosophy at Your Holistic Life is that preventative treatments must be multiple interventions.  In other words, there must be several actions taken to give the body a shot to support healing.  The one pill approach of western medicine and pharmaceuticals simply does not work and is at best temporary.

Studies have shown that using powerful antioxidants have shown anti-tumor action.  In our Active Essentials™ Whole Food Multi we use an antioxidant blend that is stunning!  Citrus bioflavonoids, Methionine, Quercetin, Grape Seed Extract, Pine Bark OPC’s, Bilberry and L-Glutathione.

Our OPC-AX™ super antioxidant is another example of vertical nutrient formulation we so passionately believe in by incorporating Grape Seed, Grape Skin, Bilberry, White Pine, Citrus Bioflavonoids, Resveratrol, Fisetin, Vitamin C and Pomegranate.  This product is a powerful nutritional assault on free radicals and toxic load; the very things that sap our ability to either fight disease of prevent disease.

Several years ago we partnered with one of the nation’s top naturally-based skin care manufacturers so we could offer anti-aging from the outside-in as well as from the inside-out.  That is how the DermaLux line was born.  How does this relate to recent findings on vitamin B-3?  New studies have shown that topically applying B-3 nicotinamide also has value with regard to skin cancer!

According to a study published in the NCBI (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed) US National Library of Medicine National Institute of Health, Cancer Prevention and Control Program, Arizona Cancer Center, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson 85724, USA:

“The current study was designed to determine whether topical nicotinamide, the active form of vitamin B-3, or niacin, prevents immunosuppression and skin cancer in UV-irradiated mice.  Application of nicotinamide to UV-irradiated mice reduced skin tumor incidence from 75% to 42.5% (p = 0.016, Cox proportional hazards analysis). Thus topical nicotinamide prevented the immunosuppression and skin tumor induction by UVB irradiation.”

Our amazing DermaLux Multi Nutrient Moisturizer was designed with this in mind.  A primary ingredient is Vitamin B-3 nicotinamide plus the following antioxidants and support nutrients; Vitamin E, DMAE, Alpha Lipoic Acid, Copper Peptide Complex, Grape Seed Oil, Retinol and Coenzyme Q-10.  Keep in mind this is our version of a simple moisturizer which had to be nutrient rich.

Recently we introduced the class leading 20 % DermaLux Vitamin C Serum that includes vitamins B-3 nicotinamide, Vitamin B-5, Vitamin E and the powerful antioxidant Ferulic Acid.  Again we vertically integrate our skin care with our nutritional products for maximum support.

So where does that leave us with regard to studies and recent findings?  Although these studies make great headlines there are several truths you need to adopt if you decide to participate in your long term health and wellness.  The one ingredient (prescription drug) approach is limited at best.  We have always said at Your Holistic Life that there are 3 cornerstones to wellness and long term health, Quality Diet, Quality Exercise and Quality Supplementation.  Short cuts need not apply; you have to commit to all of these.

We hope this makes sense to you and that you dedicate yourself to actions that will provide a long and healthy life.  Yuu become a living example to those you love showing by example that the ultimate choice in life is choosing a healthy life of action and responsibility.  You have the tools, you have the power.  Be well.

http://www.yourholisticlife.com/DigestiGuard.jsp

By: Philip Stoetzner, Director of Product Development, Your Holistic Life

MetaboSet Prime™ & The Science of Weight Management!

MetaboSet Prime™ represents the current state of the art in weight management supplements!  In years past supplement manufacturers relied on supplements that increased metabolism by using combinations of stimulants like caffeine, ephedra and other herbal metabolic enhancers to burn fat.  In some cases they worked but with consequences.

It’s not that they were bad supplements for short term use but prolonged metabolic stimulation affected ATP energy production, adrenal function and in many cases over stressed the adrenal gland with a resulting ‘crash” in normal energy production.

At Your Holistic Life we addressed weight management by formulating MetaboSet Prime ™ with multiple nutritional technologies that compliment overall health and wellness in addition to increasing metabolic function and maximizing normal hormone levels to limit the bodies “fat sparing” tendencies.  Let’s talk about the challenges that lead us to too much fat on our bodies in relation to lean muscle.  The truth is that most causes of excess fat are in our control yet we either do not do anything about these bad habits or we simply do not know that they contribute to promoting too much fat storage.  We lack the education.*

The challenges we face as a society include too much stress; stress from job security, working too many hours, stress from eating fast food including too much sugar, hidden sugar and simple carbohydrates.  Sugar is hidden in most ALL processed foods even if they advertise that they are “Low Fat” alternatives.  Now I am not a huge low fat proponent as some fats are needed for proper hormone production such as testosterone and estrogen.  So to get a low fat food to taste good, they take the fat out and replace it with sugars, fructose (fruit sugar or what is known as corn syrup) and other taste enhancing agents like MSG sometimes labeled in the form of “yeast extract”. 

The process is simple.  You take in sugar or simple carbohydrates like white bread, white rice or potatoes and your body does an amazing job of releasing the hormone insulin to control your blood sugar levels to keep them at about 90-100 mg/dl (milligrams per deciliter).   The challenge is that in a diet with so much “hidden” sugar in processed foods, we are constantly stressing our pancreas to produce more and more insulin to keep us at this level inducing something called “insulin resistance”.  Insulin is also called the “fat sparing” hormone as it triggers the process where excess sugar is enzymatically transformed by our liver to fat that is then stored on our guts and butts. 

There are other hormones complicit in this process as well.  The hormone Leptin is released by our fat cells strangely enough and is one of the signaling hormones that tells the brain that you are “full” and to stop eating.  It also tells the body to create energy from fat!  But with excess fat gain due to insulin resistance you also get Leptin resistance compounding the problem! 

The other hormone is Adiponectin which is also produced by our fat cells and acts as a “fat catabolism” mechanism (fat burning) hormone.  Again when the above happens it induces Adiponectin resistance so it becomes less effective.  The result with age and poor diet is that all of this conspires to make us efficient at sparing fat not burning fat.  That is where MetaboSet Prime™ comes in!

By using the patented WellTrim® African mango (a patented and clinically researched extract), GreenSelect® Green Tea Phytosome™, Green Coffee extract and Brown Seaweed (luminaria japonica) extract, several changes occur.  Insulin resistance is lessened.  Adiponectin resistance is lessened and Leptin resistance is lessened.  These 3 simple changes begin to make your body more efficient at stabilizing the major hormone systems that contribute to a favorable fat/lean muscle ratio!* 

Beyond that by adding GreenSelect® Green Tea Phytosome™ extract we promote synergistic antioxidant action!  Green Tea extract has been used to increase metabolism and energy production thereby promoting fat metabolism (burning).  Green Coffee extract with Chlorogenic acid is also a powerful metabolic enhancer without the crash of harsh stimulants.  All of these extracts are excellent support nutrients to limit lipid peroxidation (the oxidation of fats in the body) to contribute to healthy fat loss.*

So the mechanisms of MetaboSet Prime™ are similar to buying 3-4 separate supplements!  It is a strong Green Coffee supplement.  It is an African Mango (irvingia) supplement and it is a Green Tea Extract supplement.  Each one of these extracts are sold separately as stand-alone weight management supplements in the health food and vitamin stores yet we formulated MetaboSet Prime™ as the perfect all in one supplement.  Nothing comes close and nothing can compare to the VALUE!*

Be that as it may, ANY weight management effort must be viewed as a 3 part process that must be committed to and be life-long.  They are as follows and are non-negotiable:

•  Consistant exercise 4-5 time per week.

•  Making Smart food choices by excluding simple carbohydratessuch as white       bread, white rice and potatoes.

•  Use Smart supplementation using MetaboSet Prime™ and other health promoting extracts like an OPC antioxidant and a Whole Food Multi Vitamin.*

MetaboSet Prime Supports:     Thermogenisis*     Appetite control*     Proper fat metabolism*     Metabolic hormones Leptin and Adiponectin*     Healthy blood sugar levels and reduced cravings*

The last thing I would like to address is our relationship with food.  They say stress is a killer and that is quite correct.  Stress gives us excuses to do things that are unhealthy for us such as smoking, excessive drinking and consuming high fat high carbohydrate fast foods.  But this is really no excuse.  It is when you are most stressed that your body needs nutritional support more than ever!

 The Relationship with Food

The next step is to change your “relationship” with food by adopting a few simple rules that you decide and commit you will always follow.  These are my 5 rules to healthy eating:

5 Rules to Healthy Eating:

• Use the MetaboSet Diet 16/8 to reset your insulin/hormone resistance. Realize that WHEN you eat is as important as WHAT you eat. Make Lunch and Dinner your biggest meals, try not to miss one of those meals and if you are time constrained drink a protein shake to fill in.
• Fast Food is NOT lunch (or diner). It is a treat to be had occasionally. I allow myself to eat at each of the fast food restaurants 2 times a year. After that I am DONE for the year, period! 
• Remember, fresh is always best when choosing foods. The MetaboSet™ motto: “If it’s white, do not bite, green or brown, chow it down!” Get rid of white sugar, refined white flour, white rice and all sodas. Replace sugar with stevia as a no calorie sweetener. Drink unsweetened ice tea or use stevia to sweeten or drink water. 
• Always make sure the amount you are eating is sane! When that portion is done, you are done. The MetaboSet Ultra™ will help you push away from the table. 
• When you are tempted to eat or drink something, ask this question: “Is there any nutritional value to what I am about to eat or drink?” If the answer is no, choose something that does. Proteins with good fats from grass fed beef or free range meats plus local veggies are the most important addition to your diet AND give you that nutritional bump.

When we start viewing food as nutritional support suddenly things make sense.  You can still enjoy food and cooking but changing out the ‘white” stuff and sugar for healthy alternatives is smart and not painful at all!  Brown Rice made with chicken or vegetable stock with some paprika is a wonderful rice side dish with big taste and you will not miss bland white rice.  Also try protein rich Quinoa in place of rice.  It tastes amazing and if made with chicken stock and a pat of butter it’s really amazing!

Making the smart choice to limit fast food to the status of a “treat” makes you much smarter!  There are smart “faster” food alternatives such a grilled chicken restaurants that also serve brown rice like Pollo Tropical.  But best of all when I do go to the golden arches twice per year their fries are truly a treat for me.  I know I cannot have them any more than that as there is NO nutritional value to them but twice per year I enjoy them!

Best of all when you make these simple changes you are teaching many people around you the value of eating smart.  People catch what you do all the time and in particular your family watches and learns.  Imaging if they adopted as a life lesson that fast food is total crap BUT they allow themselves to have it as an occasional treat.  They will grow up healthy with a good body weight!  Many shown, many saved; that is the MetaboSet Prime™ way. 

So with a good diet why would we need MetaboSet Prime ™?  As we age we get less efficient at dealing with sugars, carbohydrates and activity.  MetaboSet Prime ™ gives us the edge to keep on track and maximize our hormonal function when aging is saying no!*

Let’s face reality too.  We will occasionally have those pieces of cake, dessert, mashed potatoes, fried chicken, Friday martini or pizza and beer.  But when you have the desire for healthy alternatives as your “main menu” then the occasional treats are much more appreciated and MetaboSet Prime ™ allows us to limit the “collateral damage” and keep the portions lower than if we were not taking it.  

MetaboSet Prime ™ may be the most impressive weight management supplement on the market but in reality, you are the most impressive weight management tool for long term health.   So let’s move forward together and be informed, be smart and be healthy! 

MetaboSet Web Page!

By: Philip Stoetzner, Director of Product Development, Your Holistic Life

 *This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

OPC-AX and Ultimate Health!

In March of 2018 we took delivery of our reformulated OPC-AX™ ultimate antioxidant. This represents a huge advance in broad range antioxidant and anti-aging protection.  I had tons of emails asking for the details of the product and the changes we made with the new formula so here goes.

When people are afflicted with unbalance in their bodies due to excessive “toxic load”, the result may be diseases such as Arthritis, Allergies, Asthma, ADD, Fibromyalgia, Joint Inflammation, Body Inflammation, Pain, High Cholesterol, Cancer, Premature Aging, Skin Wrinkling, Lowered Cardio Function, Arteriosclerosis, Eye Cataracts and more. The drugs used to treat these conditions certainly may help but the root causes of the conditions are not addressed. So the process continues and western medicine continues to treat the “symptoms” without promoting true healing. That is where Your Holistic Life comes in.

I am not anti-big Pharma, I’m just pro-holistic healing as the front line of defense. The body has an amazing ability to heal itself if given the correct raw materials. The combination of using western medicine PLUS prevention and nutritional support can be powerful weapons to affect total health, healing and long term wellness. If a person makes the decision to be informed and use all the weapons in the arsenal to move toward wellness, there are huge benefits.

By far the biggest “bank for the buck” in the Holistic Supplement industry is the use of a VERY strong antioxidant OPC product. This is what I consider the “baseline” product for complete health and wellness. I have used OPC products for over 20 years and these products have positively impacted challenges I have had since childhood like severe allergies and recently joint pain from sports injuries. If it were not for using a good OPC product, my quality of life would be limited and I may have turned to prescription pharmaceutical drugs to limit the pain, inflammation and allergy misery. People also notice that my physical “age” does not seem to correspond to my chronological age, that I simply do not look 61 years old. This is the power of quality antioxidants and of course physical activity.  Also there is cancer in my family so it is critical that I keep toxic load under control and my healing potential at its peak.  OPC-AX™ is the front line of defense for any of this.

So when I selfishly decided to formulate and sell our own OPC product, I worked with very good biochemists on the strength of the formula and the “ratios” of different OPC’s and polyphenols to influence a broad range of possible conditions. Our new formula is extraordinary!  

First is the comparison between other OPC products on the market today. Most of what is on the market has 125 to 150 mg (milligrams) of OPC’s per dose and are vastly more expensive at $40 to $69 per bottle. Our new OPC-AX™ has 420mg of OPC’s per dose, huge by comparison and the Wholesale Member Price is only $29.99 (a one month supply) clearly besting the other products on the market!

Then there is the formula and the “ratios” of different OPC’s. By increasing the Grape Seed extract to 100mg per dose and the White Pine to 50mg, the strength of this formula may help to suppress mast cell degranulation meaning mast cells (that line the sinus, ear, nose and throat) are less prone to respond to allergy proteins potentially helping people with allergies, asthma and even ADD.

I also included 100mg ofa Resveratrol  for superior cardiovascular protection and maximizing endothelial cell function. These cells are the lining of the blood vessels, arteries and capillaries. The more “relaxed” and open they are with less inflammation, the more efficiently blood is transported to all cells to deliver oxygen and nutrients. There is a nitric oxide function that also relates to this that allows blood vessels to be open thereby lowering blood pressure. It also has a big effect on male erections as the nitric oxide function is what makes it happen and it also affects women in a similar function.

According to an article in Pub Med.gov labeled Nitric Oxide. 2009 Sep;21(2):77-91. Epub 2009 Jun 2. Modulation of Endothelial Nitric Oxide by Plant-Derived Products. University of Vienna, Department of Pharmacognosy, Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria. c.schmitt@ucl.ac.uk:

“Nitric oxide (NO), produced by endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), is recognized as a central anti-inflammatory and anti-atherogenic principle in the vasculature. Decreased availability of NO in the vasculature promotes the progression of cardiovascular diseases. Epidemiological and clinical studies have demonstrated that a growing list of natural products, as components of the daily diet or phytomedical preparations, may improve vascular function by enhancing NO bioavailability. We will discuss red wine, highlighting polyphenols, oligomeric procyanidins (OPC) and Resveratrol as modulators of endothelial NO production. “

Although this is rather technical, it highlights the power of natural compounds to powerfully influence big challenges faced by society namely cardiovascular disease and systemic inflammation and pain. This is not some pie in the sky nutritional voodoo; it is science based nutritional technology!

I added the newest and most innovative bioflavonoid Fesitin in combination with Resveratrol so this new formula becomes a powerful anti-aging formula! Recent studies have shown the combination of both of these affect gene expression potentially delaying the aging process, disease from aging such as cancer and in theory potentially reversing it. The impact for anyone afflicted with disease due to inflammation or impaired immune function is profound. 

When the immune system is supported by powerful immune system modulating compounds like broad range OPC’s, Resveratrol and concentrated Pomegranate, the chance to positively affect disease is greater and gives a person a shot to combat the onset of disease. 

The bottom line is that a good OPC product is imperative for the person desiring better health and quality of life as they age. Our incredible IsoFizz™ powder to liquid delivery system also affects how efficiently our innovative OPC-AX™ is used by the body. The great tasting liquid is a grapy and fun start to the day that promotes quick results and is actually felt! 

We may not be able to turn the clock back 20 years yet, but we can support the body’s innate healing ability thru the use of an easy to take and powerful antioxidant, OPC-AX™!

Philip Stoetzner, Founder & Director of Product Development at Your Holistic Life

http://yourholisticlife.com/OPC_AX.jsp

Whole Food Nutrients, Why They are SO Powerful!

There are many supplements on the market such as vitamins, minerals, amino acids and other nutrients. The question most people ask is; what gives the biggest bang for the buck for supporting greater long term nutritional support? The most popular option by far is a Multi Vitamin offering broad range nutrients to rationally plug holes from our fast paced American nutrient deficient diet.

Although this is sound advice, the vast majority of “off the shelf” multi vitamins are synthetic nutrients refined in a lab from many sources including petroleum products and are known as “isolates”. The challenge is that isolates in a highly refined form are devoid of nutritional cofactors that are present in the foods we eat, things like amino acids, fibers, enzymes, antioxidants, protein wrappers and trace elements. It is precisely these cofactors that are SO important for the proper utilization of nutrients.

Without them, synthetic nutrients are viewed by the body as a drug where it seeks to eliminate this foreign substance by way of the liver and kidneys. This point cannot be stated strongly enough. The idea of taking a multi vitamin is to get nutritional benefit so if a multi vitamin offers little in the way of benefit, why take it?

So the real questions to ask is; “what kind of Multi Vitamin SHOULD I take to get the biggest benefit?” The answer is a vitamin that has a “delivery system” whereby the nutrients are more available for utilization, simple! Now several companies make vitamins that offer delivery systems such as liquid isotonic delivery and other companies use a “wrapper” of organic matter like fructose or glucose or amino acids mimicking nature’s delivery system of supplying nutrients in the form of food.

You see our body has coexisted with food as its main supply of nutrients and energy for millions of years. Your body is intelligent and recognizes food nutrients in a vastly different way than it recognizes a “once per day” vitamin which simply does not stack up to food as a good nutrient or energy source. A good example; the last time you ate asparagus you may have gone to the bathroom literally minutes after eating the asparagus and experienced a peculiar smell from your urine, that is asparagusic acid. This highlights the effectiveness of how quickly food nutrients can be absorbed by the body.

Traditional once per day synthetic vitamins may use mega doses in the attempt to get enough nutrients into the system for some sort of use. Whole Food Multi Vitamins do not require mega doses to be of use to the body and typically a person actually feels a difference when they take their first Whole Food Multi Vitamin.

Why is this so? When nutrients and micro nutrients are truly being used by the body, they support the proper production and balance of hormones, enzymes and the ATP energy cycle, a not so subtle byproduct of proper nutrient utilization. By maximizing these functions you also allow the body to effectively deal with “Toxic Load” much more effectively. Each day our bodies are faced with cascades of damaging Free Radicals (see previous post for an excellent description of free radicals), chemical preservatives in our food, air pollution and subpar water that is laced with petro chemicals, damaging fluoride and microorganisms like Guardia and cryptosporidium. Your body has to be in top form to deal with this toxic load and amazingly, great nutrition is our best defense!

In addition to a broad range of vitamins and minerals Active Essentials Whole Food Multi Vitamin includes:

* Fruit Complex* Vegetable Complex
* Digestive Enzyme Complex
* Antioxidant Proprietary Blend
* Neurological Support Proprietary Blend
* Mixed Greens, Super Nutrients & Antioxidants
So one of the best investments a person can make for optimal health is taking a Whole Food Multi Vitamin as their choice as a support supplement. Now they are more expensive but in my opinion, well worth it. Any time I take a supplement and it makes me feel better and gives me more energy, I am far more likely to continue to take it for life!

 

By: Philip Stoetzner, Director of Product Development, Your Holistic Life

http://yourholisticlife.com/Greens.jsp

Recent Discussion About Cholesterol and Steps to Take!

Recently a good friend Sue asked a general question on Facebook for feedback concerning the results of her blood workup and high cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Of course the second I saw her post I had to respond as I know full well that cholesterol can be impacted by a combination of diet, activity and supplementation.

This blog is to elaborate on what I recommended to Sue as this is a hugely important topic. For her it was a shock as she is in great shape has an awesome figure but still her triglycerides were elevated and the doctor proposed statin drugs which scared her due to side effects like muscle weakness, neuropathy and low energy. She had seen this first hand with her own father and wanted alternatives. So first let’s examine the combination of causes for higher cholesterol levels as it’s never one thing especially when you take genetics into account. Such genetics does not mean you are on the road to lifelong prescriptions with horrible side effects. It means you must realize that there are a group of actions you must take to maximize your natural healing ability to control high cholesterol and maximize health.

The root causes of high cholesterol may surprise you. It is a combination of the aging process whereby hormone levels and enzyme levels are not in balance, diet and activity/exercise levels which influence body processes that keep “homeostasis” or balance in hormone production and enzyme production. As we age there are actions we must take to keep us off prescription drugs and the dangers of foreign chemicals. These are non-negotiable by the way; ALL must be employed for life, quite literally.

If you are over the age of 40 and are not exercising 3-4 time per week, you will experience some sort of health challenge. Sorry about that, but the truth shall set you free. Exercise prompts the body to maximize hormone production, enzyme production and energy production. Most people do not know that high cholesterol has a basis in blood sugar swings, the improper production of insulin or in most cases the resistance that is developed to insulin. If you are producing a lot of insulin BUT the insulin receptors are resistant to the signals of insulin, you end up with blood sugar swings and the whole hormone “feedback loop” is upset. The hormones insulin, testosterone, estrogen, thyroid are all out of balance and the result is high cholesterol, moodiness, lack of energy, depression, lack of ambition, lack of sex drive and finally the onset of disease.

So on the exercise front, 20-30 minutes of some sort of cardio/strength training exercise (walking, running, cross trainer at the gym) will start the process of moving back toward homeostasis or balance. Strength training using free weights or machines is key to developing lean muscle as muscle burns more fat and creates much more energy promoting fat loss. At my age I prefer a circuit training as I complete it in 35 minutes with a full body workout and add 20 minutes of cardio.  You do not have to look like Arnold to get the benefit of strength training; you can look lean and sexy and be a fat burning machine!

Next is diet; increasing quality protein and veggies of the colorful variety is key. I like whey protein shakes for complete protein for breakfast as it starts the day with usable protein, good energy and does not spike blood sugar like sugary cereals and empty carbohydrates.  Those are banned from our diet as staples but I enjoy carbs in moderation as a "treat".  I add several frozen strawberries to my shake and a tablespoon of virgin coconut oil, one of the healthiest fats on the planet with many health benefits and add a big scoop of full fat yogurt for probiotics and additional protein.  This prompts your metabolism to start the energy burning process (read weight/fat loss).

The rule is to minimize carbohydrates that are refined like white sugar or refined grains like white bread, potato’s and white rice. My motto is, “If it’s white, do not bite. Green or Brown, chow it down!” This will serve you well. Although this is a simplification of what the details are, in the future you can read more in my upcoming book; "The 10 Non-Negotiable Rules for Wellness and Healthy Aging".  I have evolved on eating saturated fats from quality grass fed meats, poultry and fish.  I'd rather see someone eating the "real" fats from grass fed butter while eliminating empty carb's and grain based breads as the insulin spikes are devastating.  Eggs and quality proteins are a great addition so fear not the fat!

Next is supplementation. Since we are a society that thinks that there is some ”magic” pill for everything we have to get ourselves out of that mentality. Make no mistake, prescription drugs are targeted, specific and powerful assaults on some symptom or cause in the body. They are like a sledgehammer, not subtle but very specific and usually devastating. We get relatively instant results which we like but the side effects are a disaster. Supplementation on the other hand supports the normal body process of self-healing and takes time. If it took you 48 years to get high cholesterol then please do all the steps mentioned consistently and give it at least a year to be fair.


So for high cholesterol, in addition to the activity and diet changes, here are the major supplements that will have a big impact: Red Krill Oil or a pure Omega 3 fish oil.  B-12 in sub lingual  form: spray, lozenge or drops.  Vitamin D-3.  An OPC antioxidant product and Co Q-10.

Krill Oil is more concentrated in Omega 3's than most fish oil supplements plus its rich in Astaxanthin a key antioxidant and anti-inflammatory that also reduces cholesterol and helps in stopping lipid oxidation which is dangerous (oxidation makes cholesterol gummy).

A sub lingual B-12 (under the tongue or spray) also helps control excess Triglycerides and the stress hormone cortisol that contributes to weight gain, unstable bile production in the liver that results in higher cholesterol in the blood.

I recommend that everyone take 2000-4000 IU of Vitamin D-3 per day as well as this too influences proper hormone production and thereby cholesterol. Vitamin D-3 is really a Pro Hormone rather than a vitamin but it is called a vitamin. D-3 influences many other body functions as well so it is cheap insurance for many things. I get mine from Costco (I get both Krill Oil and B-12 from Costco and both are cheap!).

Taking a powerful OPC product is critical to lowering cholesterol in anyone especially in people that are prone to genetically heightened lipids in the blood. This helps prevent something called “lipid peroxidation” (meaning the oxidation of cholesterol thereby making it “sticky” and dangerous). OPC also prevents blood platelet aggregation which is the stacking of blood cells leading to clots and cholesterol blockage.  OPC's are very useful in anyone prone to sickle cell anemia as well.

OPC’s can be bought in the form of Grape Seed Extract and the most potent and effective forms of OPC's are in my new OPC-AX™ and is great insurance for many indicators of health. 

If I had to recommend one supplement for a person to take that had the most profound benefits with the lowest financial cost, it would be my powerful and effective OPC-AX™.  With 420mg of OPC's per dose at a cost of only $13 per month (for YHL Members), this represents superior protection at an astonishing value!  http://yourholisticlife.com/shopnow.jsp

As a last resort, there is a natural form of statins that can be bought at Costco or Vitamin Shoppe called Red Yeast Rice (I know that sounds very strange). The reason we have statin drugs is that statins were isolated in Japan from yeast growing on rice. The challenge is that synthetic statins are very powerful and of course have side effects like muscle weakness, cramps and the WORST thing; it inhibits the production of Coenzyme Q 10, the co-enzyme responsible for each cell producing energy in your body! Imagine a statin suppresses Co-Q10 thereby making your muscles produce less energy. The largest muscle and user of Co-Q10 in your body is your heart and statins suppress the very thing it needs to beat to give you life, totally messed up!

In every country in the world (except the USA) a doctor is required to prescribe Co Q10 when they prescribe a statin and there is a warning on the drug that the statin suppresses Co Q10 right on the label! So even if you use Red Yeast Rice, you still need to supplement with Co Q10.

The bottom line is that the 3 cornerstones of health as we age; Exercise, Diet Changes and Supplementation are all required to achieve balance and general health. As I said, none of this is negotiable specifically as we age. I hope this helps and if you would like to visit me on Facebook, here is the link. Be well!

By: Philip Stoetzner, Director of Product Development, Your Holistic Life

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Antioxidants & Free Radicals

So many of you have emailed me with questions on how antioxidants work and why they are so important to living a healthy life. Although there are a lot of sensational articles saying that antioxidants can affect everything from obesity to cancer to arthritis, at least knowing the basics of antioxidants and why they work in supporting the body’s proper function is probably the biggest reason to supplement with a proven antioxidant regimen.

First we must understand the concept of “Free Radicals” and how they play a role in disrupting and stressing the body’s repair mechanisms. Free Radicals are oxygen atoms that have lost one of their paired electrons. Oxygen atoms normally have 2 electrons in their inner ring circling the nucleus. Challenges occur when one of the paired electrons is knocked from the oxygen molecule creating destructive instability. Free Radicals are created by radiation, environmental pollution, pesticides and even our own body functions like muscular contraction and exercise.

A Free Radical seeks to stabilize itself by “stealing” an electron from another molecule which then creates another Free Radical and the process continues creating what is known as a “Free Radical Cascade”!  When this occurs inside the body, individual cells are damaged, mutated or destroyed. If the nucleus of a cell or cell membrane is damaged, the cell either dies or a mutation is created. Our body’s deal with this damage with our immune systems cleaning up the mess and with antioxidants such as vitamin C, E and Beta Carotene which “contribute” they’re excess electrons thereby neutralizing the “Free Radical” effectively controlling the Free Radical cascade.

As I mentioned, our own body functions create Free Radicals and we even use them to help kill bacteria and viruses. But an uncontrolled cascade of Free Radicals may lead to disastrous consequences such as degenerative diseases like arthritis, ADD, cancer and immune challenges. When the immune system is overloaded by such a cascade, then it cannot effectively deal with ordinary daily challenges and we experience a state of disease not wellness. This is why supplementing with a strong antioxidant helps to support immune function and limit Free Radical damage.

As such, we formulated OPC-AX™, a powerful antioxidant and our Active Essentials™ Whole Food Multi Vitamin both of which are designed with intensive antioxidants and metabolic immune enhancers to support proper immune function and Free Radical control.

I will discuss in several days the specifics of each product and its formulation by myself and our consulting Bio Chemist; Dr. Socorro PhD and why they represent such a powerful and affordable therapy for optimum health. Here’s to your health, Cheers!

By: Philip Stoetzner, Director of Product Development, Your Holistic Life