By Ori Hofmekler
Ori's new book Unlock Your Muscle Gene is now available at Amazon.com and bookstores nationwide.
Unlock Your Muscle Gene: Trigger the Biological Mechanisms that Transform Your Body and Extend Your Life
If you're an athlete, a fitness advocate or a dieter who routinely uses protein supplements, there's a good chance your supplement is made with a bad ingredient.
That ingredient is called casein.
So what exactly is casein?
Casein is the main protein in raw milk. It is typically extracted via acid heat processing and used as a common ingredient in protein products - powders, bars and drinks. You may have been told that casein supplementation is highly beneficial for your muscle and body, but I'm here to prove to you that nothing is further from the truth.
What's Wrong With the Typical Casein in Sport Nutrition Supplements?
It's an inferior protein, often drenched with toxic residues. In fact, it's one of the worst proteins for your muscle.
This report reveals some of the dirtiest secrets behind casein manufacturing. If you're serious with your diet and training regimen, you owe it to yourself to know these facts before purchasing another casein-containing protein.
You may have already been noticing some of the side effects involved with casein ingestion - heart burn, bad after taste, indigestion, allergies ... Or you may have been thinking "I'm ok with my protein and I don't even care if it contains casein" …
There are many individuals who honestly want to believe that their protein is okay, but what they may not be aware of is that protein manufacturers have been routinely taking advantage of their trust. And in the case of casein …
They Sell You Nothing More Than Garbage With A Fancy Label
Why garbage? Because it's cheap. They use the least costly methods to extract the casein. They use cheap chemical acids found in fertilizers and household cleaning products.
It all comes down to one word: GREED.
It costs them about 10 times less than what you pay. Their profits are around 10,000% - a huge margin, similar to that of drug companies - and all this on your account. And they don't just rip you off financially, they also jeopardize your health and they rob you of your hard-earned gains.
This report is not the typical fitness article - You won't be able to get this information anywhere else. The reason: the manufacturers of this protein are some of the biggest sponsors of the fitness media-magazines, radio, Internet, etc. One thing's for sure, they're not interested in your education.
They Don't Want You to Know the Truth About Casein
But you can't allow yourself to overlook this. You probably work hard to keep yourself in shape and you certainly need to know what you're putting in your body. Casein has obtained the reputation of a highly nutritious protein with distinct anabolic properties. It has been used as a common ingredient in sport nutrition products to support athletic performance, increase muscle mass, and prevent muscle breakdown.
But is casein as good as claimed?
Can it build your muscle?
And is it worth your money?
There are three types of casein - native whole milk casein, cheese casein and industrial casein. As you'll soon see, there is a huge difference between these three types of protein - both nutritionally and health-wise.
Native Whole Milk Casein - Your Best Bet
Native casein is the primary protein in raw milk, accounting for nearly 80% of the milk's amino acid content. In its native form in raw milk, casein occurs along with whey to yield a most functional protein - naturally designed to nourish and promote healthy growth of the mammalian young. Raw milk casein is made out of a complex group of protein clusters called "micells," which are bound with calcium, phosphate and citrate ions and exist at a neutral pH of about 6.6 - about the same as your body's pH.
Hence, native casein complements your body's acid-base balance and will not cause an overly acidifying effect. That's unlike most industrial caseins, which are highly acidifying and need to be chemically alkalized to be edible. But what's especially unique about native casein is its distinct anabolic properties.
Native Casein is One of the Most Effective Muscle-Building Proteins
It has the ability to form a clot in your stomach, which provides slow, sustained release of amino acids to your circulation for several hours. Note that it's the concentration of circulating amino acids (not cellular amino acid) that has been found to trigger muscle anabolism. This makes raw milk casein one of the most effective proteins for muscle retention and buildup. It can be used to keep your muscle in a sustained anabolic mode for a prolonged period of time - such as during the sleeping hours of the night.
Protein manufacturers have been trying to produce products that mimic native casein. The most notable ones are milk protein concentrate (MPC) and micellar casein.
Milk Protein Concentrate (MPC) -- As Close to Native Casein as You Can Get
Milk protein concentrate (MPC) is a whole protein produced by membrane filtration of milk. The ultrafiltration yields a protein end product that contains casein and whey - virtually the same as in the milk that it's derived from. MPC is outstandingly stable.
Milk protein concentrate has virtually the same properties of native casein.
It keeps the original ratio between casein and whey protein and maintains a neutral to alkaline pH in a stable, water-soluble state, which is highly resilient to damage by heat.
The best MPC products are those derived from raw milk of pasture-fed cows.
Raw milk products from pasture-fed cows, such as whey and milk protein concentrate, grant better integrity of the protein matrix as well as lipid composition. Raw milk protein concentrate keeps all fragile immuno-factors and amino acids intact and it's devoid of the enzyme xanthine oxidase (a byproduct of milk homogenization that has been linked to cardiovascular and degenerative diseases).
The other product that attempts to mimic native casein is micellar casein. Micellar casein is a relatively new product and considered to be the highest quality casein available. But is it indeed? We'll cover this product soon along with other types of industrial casein. We're still left with another type of whole milk casein - cheese casein.
Cheese Casein: Great Food for Your Muscle - Almost as Effective as Native Casein
Cheese casein is not the same as raw milk casein. During cheese manufacturing, the casein is enzymatically separated from the whey and cleaved out of important peptides (glycomacropeptides), but the remaining curd is nevertheless a whole, complete protein. And similar to native casein, it has a slow and efficient nutrient delivery and thus can yield a long-lasting nitrogen retention and utilization in your muscle. Given this, cheese can be an ideal food for keeping your muscle in a sustained anabolic state during the sleeping hours of the night.
Next, we'll review industrial casein; there are several kinds of industrial casein that you need to take a look at.
Industrial Casein Overview
Unlike whole milk caseins (native casein and cheese casein), all industrial caseins are protein isolates, most of which are extracted from ultra-pasteurized milk often via extreme acid/heat processing. The typical industrial casein is a deficient protein lacking the essential amino acid methionine and the conditionally essential amino acid cysteine, both of which are lost in processing. These sulfur-containing amino acids play key roles in sustaining your body's immune system.
This indicates from the start that industrial casein is inferior to native casein and cheese casein.
All industrial casein powders are derived from skim milk (a byproduct of cream manufacturing). In the processing, the cream is first separated from the milk by means of centrifuges and the remaining skim milk thus serves as the raw material from which industrial casein products are extracted.
Casein products are typically precipitated by means of acidification using chemical acids (hydrochloric acid or sulfuric acid) or natural acids (lactic acid). The acid precipitants cause destabilization of the micells in the milk, leading to coagulation of the protein. Some casein products are not precipitated via acid but rather via enzymes or microfiltration. These are called rennet casein and micellar casein, respectively. Let's review the different kinds of industrial casein and see how viable they are in respect to their protein integrity and nourishing potential.
Acid Casein - An Insoluble, Inedible Protein
There are two kinds of acid casein - chemical acid casein and lactic acid casein - both are insoluble in water. Since most applications of casein require them to be water soluble, manufacturers treat acid casein with alkalies to yield a water-soluble product with a higher pH called caseinate.
Chemical Acid Casein - The Cheapest And Worst Casein
Chemical acid casein is precipitated with chemical acids - hydrochloric and sulfuric acid - both are products of the chemical industry and used mainly due to their cheap cost. Even in New Zealand, which has a very small chemical industry, manufacturers extract casein with sulfuric acid - a chemical produced in comparatively large quantities by the fertilizer industry.
Chemical acid casein is probably the "dirtiest" among all commercial proteins.
What casein manufacturers fail to tell you is that the residues of these chemicals remain in the final casein product even after the washing and milling of the curd - which explains the typical acid aftertaste of many casein products.
Note that sulfuric acid is a highly toxic substance found in acid rain and mine drainage.
It's considered an industrial hazard that causes skin burns, erosion of teeth, chronic damage to the respiratory tract, depletion of vitamin B12 and possibly neural damage. The other precipitant, hydrochloric acid, is used as detergent for household cleaning as well as a chemical reagent in the production of vinyl chloride for PVC plastic. The chemical hydrochloric acid has a corrosive effect on human tissues with potential damaging effects on the respiratory organs, eyes, skin and intestines.
These are some of the facts casein manufacturers do not want you to know -- and there are even more reasons for you to be concerned with the processing of this product.
After the casein has been precipitated by acid, the mixture is heated again. This causes the protein to further thermolyze and degrade into smaller components ("a nitrogen soup"), which agglomerate together to form clumps of curd. The curd is then dewatered via pressing or high-sheer centrifuging. At this point, the casein is pretty much "beaten" by acid, heat and high-sheer centrifuging, which literally destroy the integrity of the protein matrix.
What remains is a protein mess contaminated with toxic chemicals that are used to clean toilets or manufacture fertilizers.
This protein then goes through a drying process where it's even more thermolyzed by hot air (via several drying treatments) followed by milling, shifting, blending and bagging. As a protein consumer you need to know this. You need to know what kind of stuff you're putting in your body.
Lactic Acid Casein - A Cleaner Alternative But Nevertheless Inferior
Lactic acid casein is a byproduct of milk fermentation. In this case, the casein is extracted via natural processing. The skim milk goes first through pasteurization and then is cooled and inoculated with several strains of lactic-acid-producing bacteria known as "starters." The milk is fermented for a period of 14-16 hours during which much of the lactose in the milk is converted to lactic acid and the pH is reduced to about 4.6, causing coagulation of the casein.
The problem with this processing is in the fermentation of the milk. It has been commonly assumed that milk fermentation is healthy and beneficial due to the fact that it yields probiotic/digestive-supporting properties. But the fact is that milk fermentation is not as "simple and healthy" as commonly thought.
Milk fermentation damages fragile immuno peptides and amino acids and creates MSG.
And if that's not bad enough, the protein matrix is further "cooked" and thermolyzed by means of heat exchanger and steam injection. Following the heat treatment, the resultant curd is washed, dried and milled in a similar manner to chemical acid casein. Lactic acid casein is not as "contaminated" as chemical acid casein, but it's nevertheless damaged by fermentation and thermolyzation - yielding a deficient protein with MSG.
Caseinate - A Water-Soluble Version of Acid Casein With Even More Defaults
To be commercially viable, all acid caseins must be treated with alkalies. This process yields a water-soluble product - hence, caseinate. The most common caseinates are calcium caseinate and sodium caseinate - treated with the chemicals calcium hydroxide and solium hydroxide, respectively. The problem with chemical alkalies is that they act like "anti-nutrients" - damaging or suppressing nutrient absorption.
In Dutch chocolate for instance, the alkali causes destruction of antioxidant polyphenols rendering the product nutritionally inferior. And there is another problem with this protein -- Caseinates are ultra-thermolyzed by extreme heat.
The processing of caseinates requires the use of extremely high heat of 95ºC, which is near boiling temperatures. The exposure to high heat is a cheap way to decrease the viscosity of the caseinate and improve its solubility.
However cheap processing is often fatal to quality. The extreme heat treatment renders the caseinate an ultra thermolyzed protein drenched with MSG (a byproduct of protein thermolyzation).
Note that ultra thermolyzed casein has been linked to increased risk of colon cancer. Thermolyzed casein is a highly denatured protein that can't be fully digested by your stomach, causing undigested protein residues to "escape" your stomach and reach your colon - where they're fermented by colonic bacteria into highly carcinogenic phenolic compounds that promote colonic tumors and cancer.
Products Containing Caseinates
Following are common caseinate-containing products
Baking goods Coffee whiteners and creamers Yogurts Spreads
Ice creams and frozen desserts Cheese products Infant foods Pasta
Meat products Soups and gravies Whipped toppings Protein powders
Protein bars Sport drinks
Rennet Casein - Less Damaged Than Acid Casein But Still Problematic
Next is a natural casein product that is not precipitated with acid. Called "rennet casein," it's extracted via milk clotting enzymes, also called rennet enzymes.
Rennet casein is generally less damaged than acid casein. It isn't exposed to the low pH as acid casein, but it's nevertheless a protein isolate, typically derived from pasteurized milk. Here is how rennet casein is processed …
Following the pasteurization, the skim milk is cooled to a setting temperature, where calf rennet or microbial rennet enzymes are added and mixed thoroughly until the protein coagulates. This process is virtually the same as that of cheese manufacturing.
And as with cheese manufacturing, the enzymatic precipitation cleaves a most important part of the casein protein called glycomacropeptide. This peptide is a highly beneficial component of native casein - being a great source of immune supportive and satiety-enhancing nutrients.
This is how the protein cleavage technically occurs.
Casein is made out of three kinds of proteins:
α - casein
ß - casein
k - casein
K-casein works like a stabilizing agent, keeping the native casein protein matrix in a stable, water-soluble state. During the first state of renneting, the enzymes specifically cleave one of the bonds in k-casein, releasing part of the protein chain - glycomacropeptide - into the whey liquid. This action destabilizes the casein micells, which then form a clot with some of the calcium ions of the milk.
What's left is a casein curd devoid of its glycomacropeptides, which is then cooked and thermolyzed similar to acid casein. This means that on final evaluation rennet casein is a low-grade protein subjected to protein cleavage and thermolyzation.
And note that the casein's glycomacropeptides are "donated" during the processing to the whey liquid, which ironically increases the biological value and nutritional properties of the whey on the account of the original casein donor.
Next we'll take a look at casein hydrolystate. This product is highly popular these days due to its "easy to digest, fast to assimilate" properties. But is it better than other caseins?
Casein Hydrolystate - Faster to Assimilate but Nutritionally Inferior
Casein hydrolystate, also known as hydrolyzed casein, is a predigested protein treated with proteolytic enzymes. It is generally used in nutritional and pharmaceutical applications as easily digestible, fast-assimilating protein. Unlike other casein products, hydrolyzed casein has a fast assimilation rate similar to whey protein. Nonetheless, this protein has virtually the same problems as the other casein products.
Hydrolyzed Casein is an Inferior Protein Isolate, Drenched With MSG Byproduct of Hydrolyzation
Recent studies have shown that hydrolyzed casein is no match to whey protein. Researchers found that whey protein outperforms all casein products including hydrolyzed casein in the capacity to promote muscle protein accretion after meal ingestion. This means that in spite of being as fast assimilating as whey protein, hydrolyzed casein has a "weaker" anabolic effect - most likely due to an inferior protein content.
Finally, let's take a look at micellar casein. Micellar casein, also referred to as native phosphocasein, has been promoted by the sport nutrition industry as the epitome protein for building muscle and preventing muscle waste. But is it as superior as claimed?
Micellar Casein - Premium Casein with Poor Functionality and Stability
Micellar casein is processed similar to milk protein concentrate, but in this case the casein micells are separated from the whey via microfiltration. The main problem with micellar casein is in its functional properties.
Micellar casein has poor functionality due to poor solubility in water.
Let me explain.
It's important that the functionality of the protein is retained during drying, storage and reconstitution (mixing with fluid). Generally the protein powder needs to be dispersed and dissolved to be fully functional and edible as an ingredient. Micellar casein has poor reconstitution - which means poor capacity to dissolve in water at low temperatures.
The cheapest way to address this problem and increase the casein solubility is the use of high heat or high sheer. This is apparently what manufacturers use in the case of canned protein production. Additional methods include heat treating prior to membrane filtration, and the addition of salt, sodium caseinate or polydextrose - all of which increase the solubility of the powder on the account of the protein integrity.
The other problem with micellar casein is instability, as micellar casein tends to deteriorate with increased storage time.
Microstructural analysis shows that with increased storage time, the casein micells interact with each other and deteriorate. Micells' interactions lead to cross-linking of proteins, migration of fat particles to the surface, and degradation of the casein. This means that though micellar casein is acclaimed to be superior to other industrial caseins, it is yet unstable and thus inferior to native casein and cheese casein. And it may contain undesirable additive residues, such as salts, sodium caseinate, and polydextrose.
Do your own investigation before purchasing a micellar casein product. Ask the product provider for an updated certificate of analysis (CofA) and an independent lab report that proves the product's protein integrity.
Final Notes and Conclusions
Whole casein such as in raw milk, milk protein concentrate and aged cheese, is superior to all casein isolates. Whole casein has a very effective nutrient delivery and can be used to yield a steady, long-lasting anabolic effect on your muscle.
Fresh cheese casein such as in cottage cheese is also a viable whole protein, high in muscle-building BCAA and leucine - albeit with a lower pH and lower nutritional value than native casein and raw aged cheese casein. The main advantage of cottage cheese is its high ratio of protein to fat. Pound for pound, you simply get more protein from cottage cheese than from milk or aged cheese.
The worst casein is chemical acid casein. All products in this category should be avoided as they're degraded and drenched with dangerous chemical residues.
All caseinates are ultra-thermolyzed and thus present a serious health risk. Consumption of thermolyzed casein has been linked to increased incidence of colonic tumors and cancer.
How to Get the Best Out of Casein, Cheese and Whey
To get the best out of casein and whey, incorporate the following protocol: During the day, use quality whey protein for muscle nourishment and post-exercise recovery. At night, use casein such as in quality cheese to keep your muscle in a sustained anabolic mode during the sleeping hours.
The reasons: during the day and after exercise your muscle needs fast-assimilating protein and immuno factors such as in quality whey to counteract the catabolic effect of daily stressors and physical exercise on your muscle and grant protein deposit toward recovery and growth.
Slow proteins such as casein have shown to be less effective than whey protein in supporting your body's immune defenses and promoting muscle protein synthesis after exercise. Nonetheless, cheese casein has the anabolic advantage in the long term, and that's due to its ability to induce a slow steady release of amino acids to your muscle for several hours at a time. Therefore cheese casein can serve as an ideal muscle food during the sleeping hours of the night.
Your quality cheese products should come from premium, preferably raw aged cheese such as cheddar, colby, gouda, swiss and emmanthal, or fresh cheese such as organic cottage cheese from pasture-fed cows.
Avoid dietary products containing casein hydrolystates. Read the labels of sports drinks, ready-made protein drinks, protein powders and protein bars - many of these items are made with casein hydrolystate as a main ingredient and are therefore drenched with MSG.
Beware of the A1-A2 Milk Issue
It has been argued that casein from A1 milk presents a health risk - apparently due to yielding a metabolic byproduct (opioid peptide) called beta casomorphine, which has been linked to brain disorders and disease particularly among babies and infants.
Most U.S. dairy products are from A1 milk unless stated that they're produced from A2 milk such as of Guernsey or Jersey cows. European dairy products, however, (which include French, Swiss and Italian cheeses) are mostly derived from A2 milk. It has been recommended as a precautionary step to choose dairy products from A2 milk.
But let's put things in perspective. There is no conclusive evidence yet to the A1 casein issue, and if there is indeed a proven problem with A1 milk, most likely the same problem will apply to A2 milk as well.
The truth is that even A2 cows like Guernsey produce about 50% A1 milk. So if the A1 milk risk exists, it will apply to all kinds of casein products.
As a final note, be aware that historical epidemiology has been indicating great benefits of dairy products (milk, cheese and whey) on human health, particularly in the areas of weight management, cardiovascular health and muscle conditioning.
Visit www.defensenutrition.com if you would like more info.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Monday, December 12, 2011
Stressed, Irritable, Anxious? What is causing your body to feel that way?
Approximately two-thirds of all office visits are for stress-related complaints. These complaints can range from headaches to anxiety to pain. Stress itself is not an illness; it is simply a fact of life and always has been. The stressors however have changed over the years, but human physiology has remained the same. Many years ago stressors to man were life or death situation like; lack of food, danger from large animals, no shelter and so on. The body’s response has always been the “fight or flight” mode. This “fight or flight” is activated by you’re autonomic nervous system, specifically your sympathic nervous system. But what does that mean? Basically when you are stressed whether emotional stress such as work/relationships or physical stress your body has a set way of handling it. All day, everyday a series of reactions are going on inside of us to sustain “homeostasis”. This means that our body functions best when it stays within a very structured physiological range. This could be anything from your body’s temperature, to acid/alkaline ratio of the blood to regulating your blood water level by your kidneys. Keeping homeostasis is essential for life!
The fact that we know two-thirds of doctor visits are from stress-related complaints, wouldn’t it be great if we knew how to handle stress properly? Guess what? WE DO! It’s called Chiropractic. The problem is that most of us fall into the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!” category.
The “wellness revolution” has slowly started to change the outlook of health today. What can we do to PREVENT problems from happening? The first place I would look at is the nervous system! The nervous system controls and influences every reaction that takes place in the human body. If we don’t properly manage stress, this will cause the nervous system to weaken and potentially make it harder for the body to maintain homeostasis.
Chiropractic care is one of the most sought out therapy for prevention and managing stress. The reason is due to the chiropractic principles of removing interference to the nervous system via chiropractic adjustments and focusing on the cause rather than symptoms. Every adjustment fires to the cerebellum, which fires to the hypothalamus, which controls the immune and autonomic function of the body. Those patients who stay well adjusted are more flexible, less stiff and rigid, and able to adapt more efficiently to the stressors of life. If you feel that Chiropractic needs to be part of your wellness plan to decrease stress please give Living with Motion Chiropractic a call – (513) 831-4433.
Visit us at www.livingwithmotion.com
The fact that we know two-thirds of doctor visits are from stress-related complaints, wouldn’t it be great if we knew how to handle stress properly? Guess what? WE DO! It’s called Chiropractic. The problem is that most of us fall into the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!” category.
The “wellness revolution” has slowly started to change the outlook of health today. What can we do to PREVENT problems from happening? The first place I would look at is the nervous system! The nervous system controls and influences every reaction that takes place in the human body. If we don’t properly manage stress, this will cause the nervous system to weaken and potentially make it harder for the body to maintain homeostasis.
Chiropractic care is one of the most sought out therapy for prevention and managing stress. The reason is due to the chiropractic principles of removing interference to the nervous system via chiropractic adjustments and focusing on the cause rather than symptoms. Every adjustment fires to the cerebellum, which fires to the hypothalamus, which controls the immune and autonomic function of the body. Those patients who stay well adjusted are more flexible, less stiff and rigid, and able to adapt more efficiently to the stressors of life. If you feel that Chiropractic needs to be part of your wellness plan to decrease stress please give Living with Motion Chiropractic a call – (513) 831-4433.
Visit us at www.livingwithmotion.com
Friday, November 18, 2011
Is your child’s ADHD affected by their diet?
Many families have suspected that food sensitivities may be a contributing factor to their child’s ADHD. There has been a strong rise in the amount of allergies seen in children today, including food sensitivities. It would be hard to overlook how food plays a role in a child diagnosed with ADHD, as this diagnosis has also been on the rise. A recent study conducted at the ADHD Research Centre in Einhoven, Netherlands has proof that the two are related.
Published in the Lancet, researchers gathered 100 children with ADHD ranging from 4-8years old. Participants were assigned a strict “hypoallergenic” elimination diet that consisted of meat, rice, vegetables, and pears in water. This diet was done over a 5-week period and compared to the group of children who continued on their normal diet. Results showed that 64 percent of children on the restricted diet had a clinical improvement of at least 40 percent on ADHD scores. No improvement was seen with the group who stayed on a regular diet.
Children who then responded to the restricted diet entered phase 2 of the research study. Based on the individual IgG blood work (tests for food sensitivities) that was done in the beginning of the study, one group was given 3 foods that tested high. The other group added 3 foods that came back as low sensitivity. After 2 weeks results revealed that IgG blood tests didn’t predict which foods might have an adverse effect on behavior. Both groups showed a 63 percent relapse of ADHD behavior, regardless of whether they were eating high or low IgG foods. Researcher suggested that the elimination diet of allergenic food is a valuable tool to assess if foods are contributing to ADHD symptoms.
Are there alternatives to restricted diets to reduce sensitivities to food?
The answer is YES! At Living with Motion Chiropractic in Milford, OH we offer another option for children with sensitivities. The fact is that more children are becoming more reactive to different environmental, chemical and food substances. This means that their nervous system is constantly in fight or flight mode and creating havoc over time. Using the BAX PTL Clinical Laser Acupuncture system we can re-train the nervous system to have a more positive response to thousands of environmental, chemical or food substances that previously were causing the body to over-react.
If you child is has ADHD and food seems to be a factor read more about how Living with Motion Chiropractic and the BAX PTL Clinical Laser Acupuncture system can reduce your child's sensitivity to foods with no drugs, needles or diets!!! Call 513-831-4433
or
Click
See how Living with Motion can help!
Published in the Lancet, researchers gathered 100 children with ADHD ranging from 4-8years old. Participants were assigned a strict “hypoallergenic” elimination diet that consisted of meat, rice, vegetables, and pears in water. This diet was done over a 5-week period and compared to the group of children who continued on their normal diet. Results showed that 64 percent of children on the restricted diet had a clinical improvement of at least 40 percent on ADHD scores. No improvement was seen with the group who stayed on a regular diet.
Children who then responded to the restricted diet entered phase 2 of the research study. Based on the individual IgG blood work (tests for food sensitivities) that was done in the beginning of the study, one group was given 3 foods that tested high. The other group added 3 foods that came back as low sensitivity. After 2 weeks results revealed that IgG blood tests didn’t predict which foods might have an adverse effect on behavior. Both groups showed a 63 percent relapse of ADHD behavior, regardless of whether they were eating high or low IgG foods. Researcher suggested that the elimination diet of allergenic food is a valuable tool to assess if foods are contributing to ADHD symptoms.
Are there alternatives to restricted diets to reduce sensitivities to food?
The answer is YES! At Living with Motion Chiropractic in Milford, OH we offer another option for children with sensitivities. The fact is that more children are becoming more reactive to different environmental, chemical and food substances. This means that their nervous system is constantly in fight or flight mode and creating havoc over time. Using the BAX PTL Clinical Laser Acupuncture system we can re-train the nervous system to have a more positive response to thousands of environmental, chemical or food substances that previously were causing the body to over-react.
If you child is has ADHD and food seems to be a factor read more about how Living with Motion Chiropractic and the BAX PTL Clinical Laser Acupuncture system can reduce your child's sensitivity to foods with no drugs, needles or diets!!! Call 513-831-4433
or
Click
See how Living with Motion can help!
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Why Forward Head Posture is Important to Prevent
Thanks to AZFamily.com and Erik Dalton, Ph.D. for the use of these pictures!
According to Kapandji (Physiology of the Joints, Volume III), for every inch your head moves forwards, it gains 10 pounds in weight, as far as the muscles in your upper back and neck are concerned, because they have to work that much harder to keep the head (chin) from dropping onto your chest. This also forces the suboccipital muscles (they raise the chin) to remain in constant contraction, putting pressure on the 3 Suboccipital nerves. This nerve compression may cause headaches at the base of the skull. Pressure on the suboccipital nerves can also mimic sinus (frontal) headaches.
Rene Cailliet M.D., famous medical author and former director of the department of physical medicine and rehabilitation at the University of Southern California states:
“Head in forward posture can add up to thirty pounds of abnormal leverage on the cervical spine. This can pull the entire spine out of alignment. Forward head posture (FHP) may result in the loss of 30% of vital lung capacity. These breath-related effects are primarily due to the loss of the cervical lordosis, which blocks the action of the hyoid muscles, especially the inferior hyoid responsible for helping lift the first rib during inhalation.”
Persistent forward head posture (a.k.a “hyperkyphotic posture”) puts compressive loads upon the upper thoracic vertebra, and is also associated with the development of Upper Thoracic Hump, which can devolve into Dowager Hump when the vertebra develop compression fractures (anterior wedging). A recent study found this hyperkyphotic posture was associated with a 1.44 greater rate of mortality.
It's not uncommon to observe 2" of anterior head placement in new patients. Would you be surprised that your neck and shoulders hurt if you had a 20-pound watermelon hanging around your neck? That's what forward head posture can do to you. Left uncorrected, FHP will continue to decline. Chiropractic can be very corrective, especially in the hands of a chiropractic rehabilitationist. Our specialty is in reversing the joint fixations (what we refer to as “subluxations”) and in re-invigorating the muscles that normally retract the head.
By Frank M. Painter, D.C.
Look at your friends and family and see if the middle of their ear falls directly over the the middle of their shoulder. If it's in front then they could greatly benefit from chiropractic care that we do at Living with Motion Chiropractic. Chances are they suffer with headaches, neck stiffness, even mid back pain. If you would like to schedule online click here - SCHEDULE NOW!
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
What you must know about chiropractic and your kids.
This article attempts to answer the questions asked by many parents about their children's spinal health. Just as many concerned parents take their children to the dentist for regular check-ups, so it is that many parents who are already chiropractic patients themselves are bringing their children to chiropractors to have their spinal development checked.
The first question relates to the need for children to have regular spinal checks. Frequently parents may ask, "What could my children have wrong with them that they would need to see a chiropractor?" The answer to that question is the trauma of a child's daily life. The spine consists of 26 vertebral segments which can be jammed or misaligned causing minor spinal problems called spinal subluxations.
How Can a Young Infant's Spine Be Traumatized?
A young spine, with few exceptions, usually develops perfectly by the end of pregnancy. It's what happens around the time of birth and in the months thereafter which can sometimes upset the normal functioning of the spine. Spinal segments can be pushed out of place or jammed by the position of the baby in the womb, or can suffer similar problems during labor from the trauma of the trip through the birth canal, or from the birthing process itself. Medical research has identified the fact that many problems early in a child's life can come from birth trauma (See "'KISS' Syndrome" in Dynamic Chiropractic, 6/3/94).
Spinal problems can also occur as a result of the frequent falls suffered by young infants in the first months of life. A fall from a bed, a sudden stop in an automobile, or any significant unsupported movement of the head and neck in an infant can induce excessive movement in the spine causing vertebral subluxations. At the other end of the spine, the act of learning to walk, and the number of simple falls encountered in this way, can induce trauma to the lower spinal segments and to the large sacroiliac joints of the pelvis. Young children learning to walk also fall and hit their heads. These apparently innocent, frequently occurring events can also create spinal subluxations.
How Can Parents Recognize Childhood Spinal Problems?
Unless a child has an obvious problem, it can be difficult for parents to recognize when a child has spinal subluxations. It is not always easy for someone other than a chiropractor, highly trained in evaluating the spine, to determine if the child has a problem, just as it is difficult for someone other than a dentist to determine if a child has any cavities. Both cases take the skills of a trained specialist to perform a thorough evaluation. There are some signs however which parents may look for which can be an indicator of a child with a spinal problem. Common indicators of spinal problems may include the child's head consistently being tilted to one side; restricted head or neck motion to one side; disturbed sleeping patterns where the child sleeps for only an hour or two at a time; feeding difficulties in the very young infant; the infant may have difficulty nursing at the breast on one particular side. Common childhood disorders can also sometimes indicate a spinal problem. Persistent earaches, sore throats, colic, headaches, bed-wetting, and growing pains are but some of the more common problems for which parents bring their children to the chiropractor.
Can My Child's Pediatrician Find and Treat These Problems?
Unfortunately, when it comes to subtle spinal problems, your child's pediatrician is not a trained specialist. The medical profession does have doctors who specialize in spinal problems, known as orthopedic surgeons, but these doctors generally work on the more serious spinal conditions. Few medical doctors, be they orthopedic specialists or pediatricians, are trained to recognize the subtle spinal problems which can cause the conditions listed above. Take the example of Tiffany, the daughter of Donald Trump and Marla Maples, who was being treated by a chiropractor for colic. Several well respected medical professors from UCLA were reported in a national tabloid as saying that spinal problems could not have anything to do with colic. This is an example of not being aware of the medical research studies which have clearly identified a definite link between colic and problems in an infant's spine. Because the scientific literature identifying the benefits of spinal manipulation for children's problems is not extensive, it is understandable that medical doctors may not be up-to-date in this specialized area.
How Are Children's Spinal Problems Treated?
The first thing your chiropractor will do is to conduct a careful and thorough evaluation of your child's spine. Most chiropractors are trained to evaluate pediatric spinal problems and will use gentle, specific skills to identify, evaluate, and treat any involved spinal areas.
What Does the Treatment Involve?
Spinal adjustments for infants and young children involve very light finger-tip adjustments to correct malfunctioning spinal structures. A light spinal adjustment, using no more than two pounds of pressure, is usually sufficient to restore mobility to spinal joints which have become locked and are causing interference with the normal function of the nervous system. Most adjustments make a "popping" sound when the spinal joints are moved, however this sound is not always heard when children's spines are adjusted.
Does It Hurt?
Generally, no. However, very young infants sometimes take momentary fright at the sudden movement, and may cry for a few seconds.
How Many Treatments Are Required?
Children's spines are a lot more mobile than those of adults and as a result, usually require only a few adjustments to restore normal function. The actual number of adjustments, however, may vary depending on the length of time that the condition has been present.
What Risks Are Involved in Having My Child's Spine Adjusted?
The risk of a child suffering a permanent injury from a spinal manipulation is extremely rare. Chiropractors have been adjusting children's spines for most of the 100 years since chiropractic was first established, and has an excellent safety record. A check of some of the largest insurance carriers, who provide malpractice insurance coverage for chiropractors in the United States, has identified that despite the recent adverse media coverage, not one claim for injury to a child has been filed in the past five years.
Author:
Peter Fysh, DC
San Jose, California
The first question relates to the need for children to have regular spinal checks. Frequently parents may ask, "What could my children have wrong with them that they would need to see a chiropractor?" The answer to that question is the trauma of a child's daily life. The spine consists of 26 vertebral segments which can be jammed or misaligned causing minor spinal problems called spinal subluxations.
How Can a Young Infant's Spine Be Traumatized?
A young spine, with few exceptions, usually develops perfectly by the end of pregnancy. It's what happens around the time of birth and in the months thereafter which can sometimes upset the normal functioning of the spine. Spinal segments can be pushed out of place or jammed by the position of the baby in the womb, or can suffer similar problems during labor from the trauma of the trip through the birth canal, or from the birthing process itself. Medical research has identified the fact that many problems early in a child's life can come from birth trauma (See "'KISS' Syndrome" in Dynamic Chiropractic, 6/3/94).
Spinal problems can also occur as a result of the frequent falls suffered by young infants in the first months of life. A fall from a bed, a sudden stop in an automobile, or any significant unsupported movement of the head and neck in an infant can induce excessive movement in the spine causing vertebral subluxations. At the other end of the spine, the act of learning to walk, and the number of simple falls encountered in this way, can induce trauma to the lower spinal segments and to the large sacroiliac joints of the pelvis. Young children learning to walk also fall and hit their heads. These apparently innocent, frequently occurring events can also create spinal subluxations.
How Can Parents Recognize Childhood Spinal Problems?
Unless a child has an obvious problem, it can be difficult for parents to recognize when a child has spinal subluxations. It is not always easy for someone other than a chiropractor, highly trained in evaluating the spine, to determine if the child has a problem, just as it is difficult for someone other than a dentist to determine if a child has any cavities. Both cases take the skills of a trained specialist to perform a thorough evaluation. There are some signs however which parents may look for which can be an indicator of a child with a spinal problem. Common indicators of spinal problems may include the child's head consistently being tilted to one side; restricted head or neck motion to one side; disturbed sleeping patterns where the child sleeps for only an hour or two at a time; feeding difficulties in the very young infant; the infant may have difficulty nursing at the breast on one particular side. Common childhood disorders can also sometimes indicate a spinal problem. Persistent earaches, sore throats, colic, headaches, bed-wetting, and growing pains are but some of the more common problems for which parents bring their children to the chiropractor.
Can My Child's Pediatrician Find and Treat These Problems?
Unfortunately, when it comes to subtle spinal problems, your child's pediatrician is not a trained specialist. The medical profession does have doctors who specialize in spinal problems, known as orthopedic surgeons, but these doctors generally work on the more serious spinal conditions. Few medical doctors, be they orthopedic specialists or pediatricians, are trained to recognize the subtle spinal problems which can cause the conditions listed above. Take the example of Tiffany, the daughter of Donald Trump and Marla Maples, who was being treated by a chiropractor for colic. Several well respected medical professors from UCLA were reported in a national tabloid as saying that spinal problems could not have anything to do with colic. This is an example of not being aware of the medical research studies which have clearly identified a definite link between colic and problems in an infant's spine. Because the scientific literature identifying the benefits of spinal manipulation for children's problems is not extensive, it is understandable that medical doctors may not be up-to-date in this specialized area.
How Are Children's Spinal Problems Treated?
The first thing your chiropractor will do is to conduct a careful and thorough evaluation of your child's spine. Most chiropractors are trained to evaluate pediatric spinal problems and will use gentle, specific skills to identify, evaluate, and treat any involved spinal areas.
What Does the Treatment Involve?
Spinal adjustments for infants and young children involve very light finger-tip adjustments to correct malfunctioning spinal structures. A light spinal adjustment, using no more than two pounds of pressure, is usually sufficient to restore mobility to spinal joints which have become locked and are causing interference with the normal function of the nervous system. Most adjustments make a "popping" sound when the spinal joints are moved, however this sound is not always heard when children's spines are adjusted.
Does It Hurt?
Generally, no. However, very young infants sometimes take momentary fright at the sudden movement, and may cry for a few seconds.
How Many Treatments Are Required?
Children's spines are a lot more mobile than those of adults and as a result, usually require only a few adjustments to restore normal function. The actual number of adjustments, however, may vary depending on the length of time that the condition has been present.
What Risks Are Involved in Having My Child's Spine Adjusted?
The risk of a child suffering a permanent injury from a spinal manipulation is extremely rare. Chiropractors have been adjusting children's spines for most of the 100 years since chiropractic was first established, and has an excellent safety record. A check of some of the largest insurance carriers, who provide malpractice insurance coverage for chiropractors in the United States, has identified that despite the recent adverse media coverage, not one claim for injury to a child has been filed in the past five years.
Author:
Peter Fysh, DC
San Jose, California
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Fastest and most effective weightloss just in time for the Holidays!
For about five months I have been working with Dr. Luke to use the HCG diet (through two complete cycles) in an effort to solve my major weight problems, and I am absolutely delighted by the results. I have been struggling with my weight for almost two decades, and despite occasional partial success it was always followed by major failure in regaining everything I had lost and much more. Even after I finally solved the underlying health problems that were the majority of the cause, I had spent so long trying and failing that I had pretty much completely despaired of ever getting the weight off by any means except surgery, which I neither truly wanted nor could afford. I had literally gotten to the point I refused to step on a scale because I didn't want to know anymore just how bad things had become. Finally I tried the HCG diet and it has worked better than any other system I have ever tried. I was able to get the maximum allowed weight off in my first cycle, and more importantly I was able to keep it off during the reset phase. I've had more energy and I've found it so much easier to move around that I've been able to return to levels of physical activity I simply could not do previously. And I've now completed a second cycle and lost almost as much, and now that I know how, I know I will be able to keep it off.
Best of all, the diet is fairly easy on a physical level. Anybody can do it if you are willing to put forth the mental discipline to try. Now I'm not going to pretend the diet is as easy as falling off a log, nor is it completely foolproof. It is far easier (and safer and more effective) than almost any other diet plan in existence, but it still requires mental dedication to adhere to the protocols and the effort to watch your weight during the reset cycle. So you can mess up and fail to lose the weight -- or you can fail to keep it off afterward -- if you don't follow those protocols properly. Especially very early in the first and towards the end of the second cycle, I found the adjustments somewhat difficult. But whatever the difficulty, the results are more than worth it. And even though there are limits to how much you can lose in a cycle, I know now from personal experience that you CAN successfully complete multiple cycles of the diet to get more weight off, until you do finally reach your "ideal".
If you have struggled with your weight for years and are despairing of a natural, safe method to get it off, I would highly recommend you seek out more information on the HCG diet as soon as possible.
To learn more visit www.livingwithmotion.com or contact us at 831-4433 for your consultation!
Best of all, the diet is fairly easy on a physical level. Anybody can do it if you are willing to put forth the mental discipline to try. Now I'm not going to pretend the diet is as easy as falling off a log, nor is it completely foolproof. It is far easier (and safer and more effective) than almost any other diet plan in existence, but it still requires mental dedication to adhere to the protocols and the effort to watch your weight during the reset cycle. So you can mess up and fail to lose the weight -- or you can fail to keep it off afterward -- if you don't follow those protocols properly. Especially very early in the first and towards the end of the second cycle, I found the adjustments somewhat difficult. But whatever the difficulty, the results are more than worth it. And even though there are limits to how much you can lose in a cycle, I know now from personal experience that you CAN successfully complete multiple cycles of the diet to get more weight off, until you do finally reach your "ideal".
If you have struggled with your weight for years and are despairing of a natural, safe method to get it off, I would highly recommend you seek out more information on the HCG diet as soon as possible.
To learn more visit www.livingwithmotion.com or contact us at 831-4433 for your consultation!
Thursday, August 25, 2011
If Your Multivitamin Contains These Ingredients - Dump them now..
Both sodium selenite and selenate are classified as dangerous and toxic to the environment. They can be carcinogenic and genotoxic, and may contribute to reproductive and developmental problems in animals and humans. Nonetheless, they are the primary forms of the mineral sold on the mass market today.
Most mass-market vitamins actually contain chemicals that the EPA has banned from public drinking water at levels above 50 parts per billion. That's the equivalent of a tablespoon of water in an Olympic-size swimming pool.
According to Green Med Info:
"... [T]his is not the first time in American history that such a hoax has been perpetuated on the public. The FDA-approved use of fluoride in our drinking water and the use of radioactive cobalt-60 culled from nuclear reactors for the IRRADIATION OF conventional food illustrates how industrial waste products with known toxicity are eventually converted into commodities or technologies 'beneficial to health.' Whereas initially these substances have very high disposal costs for the industries that excrete them into our environment, the liability is converted -- through the right combination of lobbying, miseducation and "checkbook science" -- back into a commodity".
Sources:
Green Med Info August 4, 2011
Dr. Mercola's Comments:
Just because something is touted as being "natural" or "healthy" doesn't automatically make it true, and such is the case with some multi-vitamins. You really need to check the label and know what's what, because there can be a vast difference between a synthetic or synthesized vitamin or mineral and the real thing. Some products may also contain additives and fillers that can cause problems in large doses.
According to the latest statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 50 percent of the US population takes some form of nutritional supplement each day, and approximately 40 percent of US adults take a daily multi-vitamin. But despite the fact that the U.S. spends close to $27 billion on supplements each year, the rates of most chronic diseases remain unchanged, while others are still on the rise.
If supplements are so good for us, why aren't we getting healthier?
Part of the reason could be that many people mistakenly believe that a vitamin is a vitamin, and one form of a mineral is equal to any other, failing to understand the inherent differences between synthetic chemicals and whole food nutrients. Many also mistakenly use supplements as a way to avoid having to change their dietary habits. But the proof is in the pudding, as they say, because if you eat a diet consisting primarily of processed junk food, and take cheap synthetic vitamins and minerals, you're not likely to see a major change in your health status...
It has always been my belief that supplements should be used in addition to, NOT in place of, a sound diet. You simply cannot cover your nutritional- or lifestyle "sins" by taking a handful of supplements.
Why Selenium Supplements have Become More Popular
Selenium is an essential trace mineral found primarily in plant foods, and is known to have powerful antioxidant activity. Past studies have shown it can play a beneficial role in:
Cancer Heart disease Cognitive decline
Cataracts and macular degeneration Cold sores and shingles Osteoarthritis
The selenium content in whole plant foods depend on the level of the nutrient in the soil, and, unfortunately, many farming areas around the world are becoming increasingly selenium depleted. Most of the selenium is also lost when the food is processed or refined, so unless you consume lots of whole organic produce, you may be at risk of selenium deficiency.
It is because of these facts that supplements containing selenium have increased in popularity in the United States, to the extent that close to 25 percent of Americans over 40 take a selenium supplement or multivitamin that includes selenium. However, supplementing with sodium selenite and selenate may do more harm than good...
Beware of Inorganic Selenium
As explained in the featured article, sodium selenite and selenate are two potentially problematic ingredients found in many multi-vitamins.
According to PAN, a database for pesticide chemicals, both sodium selenite and sodium selenate are classified as "Highly Toxic," based on oral administration trials using rabbits and rats. And according to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the highest allowable level of selenium in public drinking water is 50 parts per billion, which is equivalent to 50 micrograms, dry weight.
Studies have shown that:
•Long-term exposure to selenium, sodium selenite, sodium selenate, or selenium dioxide may cause paleness, coated tongue, stomach disorders, nervousness, metallic taste and a garlic odor of the breath. Damage to the liver and spleen in animals has also been observed, according to The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).
•According to the 1986 edition of the Handbook of the Toxicology of Metals, daily intake of about one milligram of selenium as selenite can be toxic.
•In one study, sodium selenite was found to induce substantial DNA damage in human fibroblasts.
•More recent research also indicates that too much selenium may contribute to the onset of diabetes.
It's very important to realize that these potentially toxic chemicals are some of the primary forms of selenium sold as dietary supplements on the market today. As discussed in the featured article, such inorganic minerals cannot replace biologically active trace minerals.
Green Med Info writes:
"The selenium that is found in foods like brazil nuts, mustard seeds, and fresh produce grown in selenium-rich soil is infinitely different from the biologically inert forms being put in some multivitamins. In fact, i.e., sodium selenite/selenate can cause cancer, whereas the selenium found within food, or laboratory chelated forms like selenomethionine have all been shown to prevent and combat cancer.
The basic principle that explains this difference is that when you isolate a nutrient or vitamin out of the food complex within which it is naturally found, and where it is inseparably bound to thousands of known and unknown food factors (e.g., enzymes, protein chaperones, glyconutrients, etc.) it is no longer as beneficial to life. This is especially true in the case of vertebrate mammals who are equipped to get their minerals from the plants they ingest or through the biotransformation of inorganic minerals to organic ones by microflora in their gastrointestinal tracts.
The primary reason that sodium selenite/selenate are preferred by some vitamin manufacturers over safer, more beneficial forms like chelated or yeast-grown selenium is because it is more profitable to use raw materials of lower quality."
Other Problematic Ingredients Found in Many Multi-Vitamins
In the U.S., many supplement makers add so-called 'flowing agents' into their capsules. Two common additives are:
•Magnesium stearate
•Titanium dioxide
Now, neither of these will cause any major harm in small doses. But they do add up over time, and magnesium stearate can cause a biofilm to be created in your intestine, which will prevent the absorption of nutrients. The only purpose of it in the supplement is to help the raw materials become more slippery and easily flow through the machines that create the supplements.
Magnesium stearate is not a supplemental source of magnesium but rather a form of stearic acid. It's essentially chalk, and previous research has shown that it suppresses your natural killer cells, which are a key component of your immune system. Unfortunately, this chalk filler stimulates your gut to form a biofilm – a sort of sludge lining – that acts as an effective barrier to the absorption of not only that particular vitamin but all the nutrients you'd normally get from food sources as well. This is a major reason for focusing on nutritional foods rather than taking handfuls of vitamins each day.
Fortunately, once I became aware of this issue, I was able to get my personal brand multi-vitamins reformulated, so they do not contain magnesium stearate any longer. Titanium dioxide is another absolutely unnecessary color agent you don't want to see in your supplements, as it has been shown to cause autoimmune disorders.
The Problem with Synthetic Vitamins
Most natural health experts agree on one thing: No matter which foods you eat, whole foods are far better for you than refined foods. So why do some people believe the rules of nutrition would suddenly change when it comes to vitamins and other nutritional supplements?
Whole food supplements are what their name suggests: Supplements made from concentrated whole foods. The vitamins found within these supplements are not isolated or synthetic. Rather they are highly complex structures that combine a variety of enzymes, coenzymes, antioxidants, trace elements, activators and many other unknown or undiscovered factors that work together synergistically, to enable this vitamin complex to do its job in your body.
Synthetic nutrients, on the other hand, are not natural, in that they are never found by themselves in nature. When you take these isolated nutrients regularly, especially at the ultra-high doses found in formulas today, it's more like taking a drug... At best, they will not benefit you as much as high quality food and food-based supplements. And at worst, they may cause problems.
Nature does not produce any nutrient in an isolated form. The nutrients in foods are blended together in a specific way and work best in that format. For an isolated nutrient to work properly in the body, it needs all the other parts that are naturally present in the food too. If the parts are not all there from the start, they are taken from your body's stored supply. This is why isolated nutrients often work for awhile, then seem to stop working.
Once your body's store of the extra nutrients is used up, the isolated nutrient you're taking just doesn't work as well anymore. Worse yet, a deficiency in these extra nutrients can be created in your body.
Studies also show your body treats these isolated and synthetic nutrients like xenobiotics (foreign substances). This is why your urine will oftentimes turn some shade of glow-in-the-dark yellow when you take certain synthetic vitamins, as your body simply flushes these foreign substances out.
How to Identify High Quality Multi-Vitamin Supplements
I do believe that dietary supplements -- including vitamins and minerals -- can help compensate for some of the damage your body incurs through modern living. However, it's not wise to use supplements to justify a poor diet. In my experience no amount of supplements will ever be able to substitute for healthy food choices...
There are times when supplements can be quite useful, and I believe that some supplements, such as a high quality animal-based omega-3 supplement, for example, are essential for nearly everyone. This is because the main source of animal based omega-3 fats in your diet comes from fish – most of which is now so grossly polluted with heavy metals, PCBs and other environmental toxins I can no longer recommend eating fish for optimal omega 3 levels. Another supplement that many people need is vitamin D3, unless you can get sufficient amounts of safe sun exposure year-round, or use a safe tanning bed.
Another incredibly useful supplement is probiotics, which influence the activity of hundreds of your genes, helping them to express in a positive, disease-fighting manner. You can get these healthy bacteria from eating fermented foods, and if you eat them enough you will keep your digestive tract well supplied with good bacteria, but there may still be times when a probiotic supplement is necessary, such as when you stray from your healthy diet and consume excess grains or sugar; if you have to take antibiotics; or when traveling to foreign countries for example.
There are other instances when supplements may be useful as well, such as in the case of CoQ10 if you're taking statin drugs, but their effectiveness depends largely on the quality of the supplement itself.
You may also want to take one or more food-based supplements to ensure you are getting an adequate variety of nutrients. However, I strongly recommend you make whole food supplements your first choice, and steer clear of synthetic vitamins. How do you tell whether or not a supplement you're looking at is a good choice?
For starters, make sure it has the following characteristics:
•It is as close as possible to its natural (whole food) form.
•Use independent third party labs that check the raw materials for contaminants and correct dosage.
•Follows industry standards for quality assurance including ISO 9001, ISO 17025 and NSF Good Manufacturing Processes (GMP) certifications.
•The utmost care has been taken in all phases of its production, from growing its ingredients, to manufacturing, testing for potency and quality control.
•It works! I always try to select from companies that have a long track record of providing high quality products that produce good clinical results.
More on Juice Plus - a Whole Food Supplement and to order your Juice Plus
Dr. Mercola is the founder of the world’s most visited natural health web site, Mercola.com. You can learn the hazardous side effects of OTC Remedies by getting a FREE copy of his latest special report The Dangers of Over the Counter Remedies by going to his Report Page.
Most mass-market vitamins actually contain chemicals that the EPA has banned from public drinking water at levels above 50 parts per billion. That's the equivalent of a tablespoon of water in an Olympic-size swimming pool.
According to Green Med Info:
"... [T]his is not the first time in American history that such a hoax has been perpetuated on the public. The FDA-approved use of fluoride in our drinking water and the use of radioactive cobalt-60 culled from nuclear reactors for the IRRADIATION OF conventional food illustrates how industrial waste products with known toxicity are eventually converted into commodities or technologies 'beneficial to health.' Whereas initially these substances have very high disposal costs for the industries that excrete them into our environment, the liability is converted -- through the right combination of lobbying, miseducation and "checkbook science" -- back into a commodity".
Sources:
Green Med Info August 4, 2011
Dr. Mercola's Comments:
Just because something is touted as being "natural" or "healthy" doesn't automatically make it true, and such is the case with some multi-vitamins. You really need to check the label and know what's what, because there can be a vast difference between a synthetic or synthesized vitamin or mineral and the real thing. Some products may also contain additives and fillers that can cause problems in large doses.
According to the latest statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 50 percent of the US population takes some form of nutritional supplement each day, and approximately 40 percent of US adults take a daily multi-vitamin. But despite the fact that the U.S. spends close to $27 billion on supplements each year, the rates of most chronic diseases remain unchanged, while others are still on the rise.
If supplements are so good for us, why aren't we getting healthier?
Part of the reason could be that many people mistakenly believe that a vitamin is a vitamin, and one form of a mineral is equal to any other, failing to understand the inherent differences between synthetic chemicals and whole food nutrients. Many also mistakenly use supplements as a way to avoid having to change their dietary habits. But the proof is in the pudding, as they say, because if you eat a diet consisting primarily of processed junk food, and take cheap synthetic vitamins and minerals, you're not likely to see a major change in your health status...
It has always been my belief that supplements should be used in addition to, NOT in place of, a sound diet. You simply cannot cover your nutritional- or lifestyle "sins" by taking a handful of supplements.
Why Selenium Supplements have Become More Popular
Selenium is an essential trace mineral found primarily in plant foods, and is known to have powerful antioxidant activity. Past studies have shown it can play a beneficial role in:
Cancer Heart disease Cognitive decline
Cataracts and macular degeneration Cold sores and shingles Osteoarthritis
The selenium content in whole plant foods depend on the level of the nutrient in the soil, and, unfortunately, many farming areas around the world are becoming increasingly selenium depleted. Most of the selenium is also lost when the food is processed or refined, so unless you consume lots of whole organic produce, you may be at risk of selenium deficiency.
It is because of these facts that supplements containing selenium have increased in popularity in the United States, to the extent that close to 25 percent of Americans over 40 take a selenium supplement or multivitamin that includes selenium. However, supplementing with sodium selenite and selenate may do more harm than good...
Beware of Inorganic Selenium
As explained in the featured article, sodium selenite and selenate are two potentially problematic ingredients found in many multi-vitamins.
According to PAN, a database for pesticide chemicals, both sodium selenite and sodium selenate are classified as "Highly Toxic," based on oral administration trials using rabbits and rats. And according to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the highest allowable level of selenium in public drinking water is 50 parts per billion, which is equivalent to 50 micrograms, dry weight.
Studies have shown that:
•Long-term exposure to selenium, sodium selenite, sodium selenate, or selenium dioxide may cause paleness, coated tongue, stomach disorders, nervousness, metallic taste and a garlic odor of the breath. Damage to the liver and spleen in animals has also been observed, according to The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).
•According to the 1986 edition of the Handbook of the Toxicology of Metals, daily intake of about one milligram of selenium as selenite can be toxic.
•In one study, sodium selenite was found to induce substantial DNA damage in human fibroblasts.
•More recent research also indicates that too much selenium may contribute to the onset of diabetes.
It's very important to realize that these potentially toxic chemicals are some of the primary forms of selenium sold as dietary supplements on the market today. As discussed in the featured article, such inorganic minerals cannot replace biologically active trace minerals.
Green Med Info writes:
"The selenium that is found in foods like brazil nuts, mustard seeds, and fresh produce grown in selenium-rich soil is infinitely different from the biologically inert forms being put in some multivitamins. In fact, i.e., sodium selenite/selenate can cause cancer, whereas the selenium found within food, or laboratory chelated forms like selenomethionine have all been shown to prevent and combat cancer.
The basic principle that explains this difference is that when you isolate a nutrient or vitamin out of the food complex within which it is naturally found, and where it is inseparably bound to thousands of known and unknown food factors (e.g., enzymes, protein chaperones, glyconutrients, etc.) it is no longer as beneficial to life. This is especially true in the case of vertebrate mammals who are equipped to get their minerals from the plants they ingest or through the biotransformation of inorganic minerals to organic ones by microflora in their gastrointestinal tracts.
The primary reason that sodium selenite/selenate are preferred by some vitamin manufacturers over safer, more beneficial forms like chelated or yeast-grown selenium is because it is more profitable to use raw materials of lower quality."
Other Problematic Ingredients Found in Many Multi-Vitamins
In the U.S., many supplement makers add so-called 'flowing agents' into their capsules. Two common additives are:
•Magnesium stearate
•Titanium dioxide
Now, neither of these will cause any major harm in small doses. But they do add up over time, and magnesium stearate can cause a biofilm to be created in your intestine, which will prevent the absorption of nutrients. The only purpose of it in the supplement is to help the raw materials become more slippery and easily flow through the machines that create the supplements.
Magnesium stearate is not a supplemental source of magnesium but rather a form of stearic acid. It's essentially chalk, and previous research has shown that it suppresses your natural killer cells, which are a key component of your immune system. Unfortunately, this chalk filler stimulates your gut to form a biofilm – a sort of sludge lining – that acts as an effective barrier to the absorption of not only that particular vitamin but all the nutrients you'd normally get from food sources as well. This is a major reason for focusing on nutritional foods rather than taking handfuls of vitamins each day.
Fortunately, once I became aware of this issue, I was able to get my personal brand multi-vitamins reformulated, so they do not contain magnesium stearate any longer. Titanium dioxide is another absolutely unnecessary color agent you don't want to see in your supplements, as it has been shown to cause autoimmune disorders.
The Problem with Synthetic Vitamins
Most natural health experts agree on one thing: No matter which foods you eat, whole foods are far better for you than refined foods. So why do some people believe the rules of nutrition would suddenly change when it comes to vitamins and other nutritional supplements?
Whole food supplements are what their name suggests: Supplements made from concentrated whole foods. The vitamins found within these supplements are not isolated or synthetic. Rather they are highly complex structures that combine a variety of enzymes, coenzymes, antioxidants, trace elements, activators and many other unknown or undiscovered factors that work together synergistically, to enable this vitamin complex to do its job in your body.
Synthetic nutrients, on the other hand, are not natural, in that they are never found by themselves in nature. When you take these isolated nutrients regularly, especially at the ultra-high doses found in formulas today, it's more like taking a drug... At best, they will not benefit you as much as high quality food and food-based supplements. And at worst, they may cause problems.
Nature does not produce any nutrient in an isolated form. The nutrients in foods are blended together in a specific way and work best in that format. For an isolated nutrient to work properly in the body, it needs all the other parts that are naturally present in the food too. If the parts are not all there from the start, they are taken from your body's stored supply. This is why isolated nutrients often work for awhile, then seem to stop working.
Once your body's store of the extra nutrients is used up, the isolated nutrient you're taking just doesn't work as well anymore. Worse yet, a deficiency in these extra nutrients can be created in your body.
Studies also show your body treats these isolated and synthetic nutrients like xenobiotics (foreign substances). This is why your urine will oftentimes turn some shade of glow-in-the-dark yellow when you take certain synthetic vitamins, as your body simply flushes these foreign substances out.
How to Identify High Quality Multi-Vitamin Supplements
I do believe that dietary supplements -- including vitamins and minerals -- can help compensate for some of the damage your body incurs through modern living. However, it's not wise to use supplements to justify a poor diet. In my experience no amount of supplements will ever be able to substitute for healthy food choices...
There are times when supplements can be quite useful, and I believe that some supplements, such as a high quality animal-based omega-3 supplement, for example, are essential for nearly everyone. This is because the main source of animal based omega-3 fats in your diet comes from fish – most of which is now so grossly polluted with heavy metals, PCBs and other environmental toxins I can no longer recommend eating fish for optimal omega 3 levels. Another supplement that many people need is vitamin D3, unless you can get sufficient amounts of safe sun exposure year-round, or use a safe tanning bed.
Another incredibly useful supplement is probiotics, which influence the activity of hundreds of your genes, helping them to express in a positive, disease-fighting manner. You can get these healthy bacteria from eating fermented foods, and if you eat them enough you will keep your digestive tract well supplied with good bacteria, but there may still be times when a probiotic supplement is necessary, such as when you stray from your healthy diet and consume excess grains or sugar; if you have to take antibiotics; or when traveling to foreign countries for example.
There are other instances when supplements may be useful as well, such as in the case of CoQ10 if you're taking statin drugs, but their effectiveness depends largely on the quality of the supplement itself.
You may also want to take one or more food-based supplements to ensure you are getting an adequate variety of nutrients. However, I strongly recommend you make whole food supplements your first choice, and steer clear of synthetic vitamins. How do you tell whether or not a supplement you're looking at is a good choice?
For starters, make sure it has the following characteristics:
•It is as close as possible to its natural (whole food) form.
•Use independent third party labs that check the raw materials for contaminants and correct dosage.
•Follows industry standards for quality assurance including ISO 9001, ISO 17025 and NSF Good Manufacturing Processes (GMP) certifications.
•The utmost care has been taken in all phases of its production, from growing its ingredients, to manufacturing, testing for potency and quality control.
•It works! I always try to select from companies that have a long track record of providing high quality products that produce good clinical results.
More on Juice Plus - a Whole Food Supplement and to order your Juice Plus
Dr. Mercola is the founder of the world’s most visited natural health web site, Mercola.com. You can learn the hazardous side effects of OTC Remedies by getting a FREE copy of his latest special report The Dangers of Over the Counter Remedies by going to his Report Page.
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