Tips For Better Vitamin D Absorption

Editor's Note: Vitamin D3 is The Best Vitamin D Supplement Available. Click Here To Learn More.

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Vitamin D has come to the forefront recently as a hugely important vitamin for the human body. This makes it that much more urgent that we follow some simple steps to ensure our bodies are absorbing enough of this pivotal nutrient. Since most Americans are grossly deficient in vitamin D, it is important to spread the word about how to most effectively build your blood levels up.

The first and perhaps most obvious tip for better vitamin D absorption is to make sure you are getting enough UV (sun) exposure. Ideally, everyone would get about 15 minutes of UV exposure every day, exposing most of the body. However, this is not practical since most of us don't live in sunny locations year round.

UVB exposure, as opposed to UVA, is the only spectrum of UV light which facilitates vitamin D production. Sun exposure has long been vilified by the media and medical community as unhealthy. However, there is a reason that our skin tans. We were meant to be exposed to the sunlight, and our skin is equipped to handle some exposure, although some people do have better defenses against burning.

Even indoor tanning beds may have their proper use when it comes to therapeutic vitamin D exposure. Indoor tanning beds that emit more UVB rays may be of use for those that are indoors most of the time for long winters.

It is important that one not over expose themselves to both the natural sunlight and the rays of an indoor tanning bed. You should never let the skin get anything more than the slightest pink tint, and use your ethnicity and past experience to gauge your UV sensitivity.

If you burn easily, consider supplementing your diet with lycopene, a key nutrient that is found in heavy concentration in tomatoes. Studies recently showed that those with high levels of lycopene had a much higher "internal sunscreen," and burned much less easily, than those who did not take in a lot of lycopene. In fact, antioxidants in general may give your skin an edge against UV sensitivity and cut down on burning.

After exposure to UVB rays, make sure you wait as many hours as you can before showering. Why? After UV exposure, your skin produces a powdery substance that is then absorbed into the skin and converted to vitamin D by the body. If you wash this off too early, you interfere with the amount of vitamin D made, and hence do not get the full benefit.

When exposing the skin in the summer time, it is best to expose as much of the body as possible, other than the face and arms. Your legs and torso are great for making vitamin D. So, make the most of your natural sun exposure and allow the larger parts of your body to be bare.

Now, let's talk about vitamin D supplementation. While UVB exposure is still the absolute best way to synthesize vitamin D, supplements are a secondary approach to making sure you get enough of this vitamin as well. When looking for a supplement, make sure you choose one that is encapsulated in an oil base. These oil based capsules are most likely better absorbed since vitamin D is fat soluble.

About this article:
Originally submitted by Danna Norek on behalf of Natural News.

Why Should I Take Probiotics?

Most people in North America lack important probiotic bacteria normally found in healthy people that consume a diet based on plants, fibers, fresh fruits, and vegetables. Today’s highly processed commercial foods lack the healthful microorganisms that the body requires for a normal balanced digestive system.

Supplemental probiotics provide the helpful bacteria that normally live in the human digestive tract. Taken regularly, probiotics can help keep the digestive system in balance and functioning optimally and support immune system function, especially when you're taking antibiotics, which can wipe out intestinal bacteria indiscriminately.

Probiotics can also be an effective treatment for:

• diarrhea
• lactose intolerance
• irritable bowel syndrome
• vaginal yeast infections
• oral thrush
• Crohn's disease
• and ulcerative colitis

Probiotics have even been linked to improvements in autistic children and skin conditions such as eczema.

Take probiotic supplements whenever you're on antibiotics as soon as you start your course of medication and continue for a few days after you finish. Look for brands containing Lactobacillus (like HealthPro Nutrient's Probiotic).

Always check the expiration date and protect your supplements from heat, moisture, and air.

You can stay on probiotics indefinitely. The only reason to avoid them is if you have had an allergic reaction.

Ai/E10 Every Day...Think Immune!

Editorial Note: HealthPro Nutrient produces the best supplements for Ai/E10: Cell Balance and Cell Design. Spend less and get more Ai/E10 with HealthPro Nutrient. Check out the attached comparative chart for details. 

______________________________


We are often asked these questions:

• Why is it important to use Ai/E10 EVERY DAY?
• After the end of cold and flu season, why should I use Ai/E10?
• If I feel OK, why should I use Ai/E10?

These are really good questions and there are really important reasons to take Ai/E10 EVERY DAY all year long. Let's look more closely at the reasons.

The immune system carries out millions of actions EVERY DAY with no conscious instruction from us to do so and operates with a set of three imperatives relative to foreign invaders:

1. Recognize them.
2. Respond to their presence.
3. Remember how to respond to them effectively.

There are five factors that have been shown to interfere with the immune system's ability to execute its duties relative to the imperatives:

1. Stress.
2. Poor nutrition.
3. Toxins.
4. Infection.
5. Trauma.

Many people are surprised by the five factors and will ask, "Where is "cold and flu season" on the list"?

Cold and flu season is surely capable of putting additional stress on our immune function, but it is only one stress and probably is not the greatest for any of us. We do not need to remind anyone how much stress we all experience in our EVERYDAY lives.

These factors restrict immune system communication and reduce the immune system's effectiveness. This reduction in communication is represented physically in the body by a reduction in the number, variability and viability of immune communication cells available to carry out the imperatives.

Ai/E10 was designed to support your immune system as it carries out these millions of actions EVERY DAY, all year, by providing an orally absorbable source for replacement of relevant immune communication molecules that have been lost to stress, poor nutrition, toxins, infection and trauma. Ai/E10 has been produced in the United States from a private herd of dairy cows specially bred and maintained for this purpose since 1994.

Clinical experience has shown that the use of Ai/E10 begins to provide benefits immediately, but the full benefits are not achieved until after 30 to 45 days of continual use in most people. Since the majority of dietary supplements we take EVERY DAY, as well as the nutrients we absorb from food, are associated directly or indirectly with immune function, keeping immune communication working well all year makes our other supplementation more effective and allows us an opportunity to build immune capability and capacity to help support us when additional stress or other factors present themselves.

Using a monthly automatic shipment program assures you that Ai/E10 will be there for you and your family for EVERY DAY use, bringing the full benefit of its immune supporting capability so vital for a healthy lifestyle all year long.

Sign up for your auto shipment of Cell Balance and Cell Design today by calling HealthPro Nutrient at 877-289-3309 or ORDER NOW on our website!

Ai/E10 ......think immune!

Article of Interest: Progress in Alzheimer's Testing

Editorial Note: HealthPro Nutrient produces a unique series of nutraceuticals ideal for Brain Support. BrainRestore is a scientific blend of antioxidants designed to protect the brain against cellular damage from free radicals and toxins that contribute to the aging process. BrainSmart is a unique blend of ingredients designed to optimize brain energy and performance. BrainSmart is formulated to improve mental focus, memory, concentration, and clearer thinking.

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By Erin Allday
New York Times Syndicate
10-18-10

San Francisco -- If doctors are ever going to find a way to attack and even cure Alzheimer's disease, they first need to know how to diagnose it -- ideally years, maybe even decades, before patients are symptomatic and their brain has been irreparably damaged.

That's why researchers around the country are intrigued by several promising new studies that highlight techniques for identifying Alzheimer's in the body long before people show the classic signs of memory loss and confusion.

A study that was released in August to much excitement among researchers suggested that a spinal fluid test could be very effective in identifying abnormal levels of amyloid, a protein that forms plaque buildups in the brains of people with Alzheimer's.

In the Bay Area, researchers at the University of California at San Francisco and Stanford are studying drugs that would serve as biomarkers in the body, attaching themselves to proteins like amyloid and letting doctors find those proteins more easily using imaging tests.

"It's exciting that we will likely soon have new tools that will allow us to detect Alzheimer's changes very early, even in people who are cognitively normal," said Dr. Adam Boxer , director of the Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal dementia clinical trials program at UCSF's Memory and Aging Center. "If there were a treatment that could remove amyloid from the brain, then it would really be an exciting and powerful combination."

People are currently tested for Alzheimer's using a fairly lengthy, somewhat subjective process that starts with simple memory tests and interviews with patients and their family about problems they may be having from day to day. Those tests are accompanied by a physical examination, more thorough cognitive testing, and blood analysis and a brain-imaging scan.

The process is more about ruling out other diseases with similar symptoms -- such as a stroke or a benign brain tumor -- that may be easily treated. After the testing is over, doctors can reliably diagnose Alzheimer's with about 90 percent accuracy, but it can only be confirmed after death, when brain tissue can be studied under a microscope.

For patients and the doctors treating them, it's not necessarily important to definitively diagnose Alzheimer's because for now there's no cure for the disease. But for researchers, it's essential to be able to identify test subjects who have been diagnosed with Alzheimer's so that they can focus on potential treatments.

Researchers hope that if doctors can find abnormal buildup of proteins before people become symptomatic, it may be easier to find effective treatments. Most studies of potential drug treatments for Alzheimer's have had disappointing results.

"Many (researchers) believe these studies may have failed because we started treating people too late," Boxer said. "The majority of people in studies have full-blown Alzheimer's disease, and it's a tall order to get treatments to work in these people.

It's hoped that by developing biomarkers, we could find it much earlier."

Most research into early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease is centered around two proteins: amyloid beta, which is distinctive for the way it clumps up in the brain like plaque, and tau, which forms tangled strands in the brain when neurons die. Buildup of these proteins is common in the brains of deceased people who had Alzheimer's.

At Stanford, a team of researchers is participating in a national study of the drug florbetaben, which would act as a marker for amyloid and allow doctors to find the protein using certain imaging techniques. UCSF researchers, meanwhile, are looking for similar drugs that might be used a biomarkers for the tau protein.

The spinal fluid test, which was studied primarily at the University of Pennsylvania, involves performing a spinal tap on patients to look for signs of both proteins.

Dr. Marci Teresi , clinical lead of the Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara Memory Clinic, said doctors are enthusiastic about the current research, but she doesn't expect such testing to be made widely available outside of research studies any time soon.

"It's mostly useful for investigational purposes, for finding people who want to participate in research studies," Teresi said.

"I don't think it's as practical for the large number of patients that are out there seeing their regular doctors."

In other words, patients with no Alzheimer's symptoms shouldn't start asking their doctors for advanced imaging tests any time soon. In fact, early testing could do more harm than good, some doctors say, if it causes patients anxiety and depression before they're showing signs of Alzheimer's. Some people with protein buildup in their brains never get Alzheimer's at all.

Still, there are advantages to screening older people who may be showing the first small signs of illness, said Dr. Catherine Madison , medical director of California Pacific Medical Center's Memory Clinic.

Several drugs can make life for patients more comfortable and slow down some of the worst effects of the disease, especially if the treatment is started early. Patients can also benefit from therapy and anti-depressants.

"There's no magic cure out there. Even if I could tell you that you were going to get dementia, would you want me to?" Madison said. "But we have medications that can help. We can slow the course of this and make it a whole lot better for patients and families."

LESS IS MORE

Except when you are getting less Ai/E10 for your money. 

1000’s are already experiencing health benefits from consistent use of Cell Balance and Cell Design. HealthPro Nutrient’s formulations and price value are unmatched by any other immune product on the market.

Cell Balance and Cell Design is our gift to you, please share it with everyone.

View the Ai/E10 Comparison Chart here, or below.

Toxins Are Everywhere...But They Don't Have To Stay Inside You

Editorial Note: Bentonite clay can be found in the HealthPro Nutrient product Regulier for bowel elimination. To help with eliminating environmental toxins such as chemicals, pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, household chemicals, fungicides, heavy metals and xenobiotics (synthetic man-made estrogens) look to a full detoxification program with HealthPro Nutrients ClearBody, Probiotic, and Digestive Enzymes. 

For additional support for detoxification of chemicals look to far infra red saunas and alkaline water. For optimal detoxification it is important for proper bowel elimination, urination and perspiration.

Bentonite Clay: Safe Protection from Environmental Toxins

by Cheryl McCoy, citizen journalist

(NaturalNews) During the past few months, there has been an outbreak of reports of chemicals, pharmaceuticals, pesticides and toxins being found in our water supply, our food, our air, our soil....just about everything we come in contact with it seems. But, armed with the proper information, there`s no reason to live in a state of fear. Of course, measures must be taken to remove these harmful substances from our eco-system, but until that dream becomes a reality, you can protect yourself and your loved ones with calcium Bentonite clay. Used both externally and internally, calcium Bentonite clay safely removes toxins from your system.

What are we up against?

Here are just a few samples of the reports that have surfaced recently:

The CDC announced that traces of a chemical used in rocket fuel were found in samples of powdered baby formula, and could exceed what`s considered a safe dose for adults if mixed with water also contaminated with the ingredient. The study by scientists at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention looked for the chemical, perchlorate, in different brands of powdered baby formula. The chemical has turned up in several cities` drinking water supplies.

Natural News recently reported on a study conducted by Baylor University researcher Bryan Brooks, and published in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, that examined fish caught near Phoenix, Dallas, Chicago, Philadelphia and Orlando, testing them for residues of pharmaceuticals. The results showed that these fish are contaminated with a chemical cocktail of seven different prescription medications, including cholesterol drugs, blood pressure drugs, allergy drugs and psychiatric medications used to treat bipolar disorder and depression, and two different chemicals used as artificial fragrance in soaps.

USA Today recently reported on a new study finding that young children have high levels of chemical fire retardants in their blood. The report stated, "Toddlers and preschoolers had levels of the chemicals that were on average three times higher than their mothers`, according to a study of 20 families by the Environmental Working Group, which has campaigned against the chemicals for several years. The chemicals, called polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PBDEs, are widely used in televisions, remote controls, computers, mattresses and other products. Scientists are concerned that the chemicals cause brain damage in animals and may cause hyperactivity in children, says Jimmy Roberts, a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics` committee on environmental health. Doctors also are concerned that the chemicals affect the reproductive organs and hormone systems."

These same chemicals are showing up in high amounts in the breast milk of American mothers. Two studies found that all of the women tested were contaminated with polybrominated diphenyl ethers. Their PBDE levels were the highest in the world: 10 to 20 times higher than those in Europe , where the chemicals are being phased out.

Last year, an article in the Washington Post warned that trace amounts of 6 popular prescription drugs had been found in the area`s drinking water, and that these harmful substances could not be filtered out by most treatment systems. This was not an isolated incident. According to the article, "Pharmaceuticals, along with trace amounts of caffeine, were found in the drinking water supplies of 24 of 28 metropolitan areas tested." Although experts agree that aquatic life are most at risk from exposure to the drugs in rivers and streams, researchers are concerned about what they don`t know about human health effects.

Bottled water is evidently not the answer. Natural News recently reported that bottled water from across the country contained a wide variety of toxic substances, according to laboratory tests conducted by the Environmental Working Group (EWG). The study authors wrote that the purity of bottle water cannot be trusted. Researchers conducted comprehensive tests at the renowned University of Iowa Hygienic Laboratory on 10 leading bottled water brands, purchased from retailers in nine states and the District of Columbia (D.C.). A total of 38 toxic pollutants were detected altogether, with each brand containing an average of eight. Chemicals detected included fluoride, byproducts of chlorine-based disinfection, caffeine, pharmaceutical drugs, fertilizer residue, plasticizers, solvents, fuel propellants, arsenic, other minerals and heavy metals, and radioactive isotopes. Four brands also contained bacteria.

There is a safe and easy way to protect yourself from these horrifying contaminants - calcium bentonite clay. According to Michel Abeshera, author of The Healing Clay, "Clay has a remarkable resistance to chemical agents.... [A]s a bacteria-destroying agent it can render contaminated water innocuous."

How does calcium Bentonite clay work?

Bentonite clay carries a uniquely strong negative ionic charge which causes it to `magnetically` attract any substance with a positive ionic charge (i.e., bacteria, toxins, metals, etc.). These substances are both adsorbed (sticking to the outside like Velcro) and absorbed (drawn inside) by the clay molecules. Your body doesn`t digest clay, so the clay passes through your system, collecting the toxins, and removing them as the clay is eliminated. It`s like a little internal vacuum cleaner. In his book The Clay Cure, Ran Knishinsky states it this way:

"The clay`s immediate action upon the body is directly on the digestive channel. This involves the clay actually binding with the toxic substances and removing them from the body with the stool. It performs this job with every kind of toxin, including those from the environment, such as heavy metals, and those that occur naturally as by-products of the body`s own health processes, such as metabolic toxins. The clay and the adsorbed toxins are both eliminated together; this keeps the toxins from being reabsorbed into the bloodstream."

So while it currently may be impossible to avoid these contaminants, using calcium Bentonite clay can remove them from our system.

How do we use the calcium Bentonite clay?

In this day and age, there`s virtually no way to isolate yourself from the toxins that surround us. In our air, in our food, in the ground beneath our feet, and in our water, the contaminants abound. However, with calcium Bentonite clay, you can keep yourself healthy and vibrant.

Perry Arledge, author of Living Clay: Nature`s Own Miracle Cure, suggests the following protocol to keep yourself internally cleansed:  

Clay must be taken internally. Take two ounces of liquefied clay twice a day made with 1 part dry powder calcium Bentonite clay to 8 parts water for 14 days. After that, you can scale back to 1 ounce a day.

Clay baths, taken twice a week, are also helpful. Clay baths help keep your body cleansed by pulling toxins through the pores. To prepare a clay bath, scatter about 2 cups of Bentonite clay powder into the bath water as it`s running, and use your hands to swish away any lumps that might form. A clay bath should last ideally between 15-20 minutes. Submerge as much of your body as possible during the bath. The more clay that is used in the therapy, the more powerful the response.

How do we choose the right clay?

There are many companies selling clay these days, but you need to know this: Not all clays are created equal! Some clays should never be used externally, let alone internally. You must do your due diligence and make certain that you are using a high quality, safe, healing clay. According to an article published in Natural News, the following standards should be followed when choosing a good quality detoxing clay:

• A natural calcium Bentonite clay pure and free of contaminants.
• A pH of 8.7 or above.
• From a company that provides a mineral analysis sheet.
• From a company that provides a certified laboratory microbial test.
• A Montmorillonite-Smectite Clay that Absorbs and Adsorb.
• So pure it is odorless and tasteless.
• It is an all natural vs. processed clay.
• Has professional packaging (no Ziploc bags or hand-written labels) with labels showing directions and ingredients.
• A non-gritty clay
• From a company that gives you direct contact information - a phone number, physical address and an e-mail address.
• From a company available to answer questions about their clay.
• From a reliable company that has been in business for several years.
• A clay that does not stain material.

Resources:

Living Clay: Nature`s Own Miracle Cure, Perry A~, 2006, Perry Productions. (www.livingclaybook.com)

USA Today: "CDC: Rocket fuel chemical found in baby formula", http://www.usatoday.com/news/health...
(accessed 4/12/09)

Mike Adams, Natural News: "Cocktail of Pharmaceuticals Found in the Fish Caught Near Major U.S. Cities", http://www.naturalnews.com/025933.html (accessed 4/12/09)

Liz Szabo, USA Today: "Fire Retardant Chemicals Found in Toddler`s Blood", http://www.usatoday.com/news/health... (accessed 4/12/09)

Elizabeth Weise, USA Today: "Flame retardant found in breast milk". http://www.usatoday.com/news/health... (accessed 4/12/09)

Carol D. Leonnig, Washing Post: "Area Tap Water Has Traces of Medicines",
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/03/09/ST2008030901877.html (accessed 4/12/09)

David Gutierrez, Natural News: "Bottled Water Found Contaminated with Medications, Fertilizer, Disinfectant Chemicals" http://www.naturalnews.com/025993.html (accessed 4/12/09)

The Healing Clay, Michel Abehsera, 1986, Lyle Stuart.

Perry Arledge, Natural News: "Criteria for Selecting a Quality Healing Clay", http://www.naturalnews.com/025053.html (accessed 4/12/09)

2050: 1.1 Million Over 100 Years Old; Their Aging Brains

By Amy Sherman*
Mclatchy-Tribune News Service.

07-21-10

There was a recent article in my local paper about brain fitness and how to retain optimal brain function well into our senior years. As boomers, we are all concerned about moments of memory loss and wonder if we are experiencing dementia or other signs of cognitive impairment.

Chances are our memory loss is more about our ability to retrieve information and filter out unnecessary irrelevant material than it is about cognitive decline and illness. Because there's so much information bogging us down and distracting us, it becomes difficult to shut off the "noise" long enough to remember what we want to remember. That makes us feel forgetful and susceptible to those numerous senior moments.

However, we can't ignore that cognitive decline may happen, but we don't have to feel helpless to the aging process. Most researchers will agree that a challenged, stimulated brain will retain and regenerate brain cells and that translates into maintaining, restoring and revitalizing cognitive acuity well into the golden years of our lives.

Therefore, if you want to slow up the aging process, you may want to learn a new language, do crossword puzzles, play Sudoku or take piano lessons to reduce your risk of getting Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia.

Research is now taking aging a step further. Apparently, not only is it important to learn challenging new experiences, but it is important to do so in a social setting, connecting and interacting with others. The University of Southern California has been studying this concept with a group of seniors who are well into their 90s. The key to their brain health is their afternoon bridge game where they are required to maintain a strong focus by remembering the bidding, the dealt hands and the strategies of their partner.

These residents in Southern California are considered the most successful seniors in the world. In fact, this research is altering the way scientists are looking at the aging brain. While mental exercises and good diet can't hurt to keep you healthy and alert, it seems you need to be involved socially with others to maintain your cognitive alertness and acuity.

Successful aging is really based on lifelong choices, a good attitude and a keen sense of your life's purpose. The Census Bureau estimates that by 2050 there will be 1.1 million people 100 years old. Baby boomers who continue to train their brain on a regular basis are twice as likely to retain high cognitive function than someone who doesn't. This means that if you start now, you'll reap the rewards of a healthy, sharp, active brain for many fruitful years to come.

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HealthPro Nutrient offers excellent products to help support brain performance and protect the brain against cellular damage that contributes tot he aging process.  Learn more by clicking on the product names:

• BrainActivate Brain Performance Drink for Focus, Concentration, & Memory
• BrainRestore Nutraceutical Brain Support Protect, Detox, Replenish
• BrainSmart Nutraceutical Brain Support for Focus, Concentration, & Memory

*Amy Sherman is a licensed mental health counselor and trainer.

Antibiotics vs Probiotics: Who Wins?

This may surprise you, but antibiotics are not necessarily unnatural. In fact, most antibiotics are natural compounds produced by bacteria or fungi. These microorganisms produce antibiotics to protect themselves. Their tiny immune systems produce an arsenal of antibiotic biochemicals enabling them to expand their colonies within a hostile environment threatened by other microorganisms.

Why Are Natural Health Advocates Opposed To Antibiotics?

Antibiotic use goes back to the late 1920s and Dr. Alexander Fleming, who was looking for ways to kill the bacteria that infect cuts and wounds. One day he noticed that a particular mold from the genus Penicillium notatum was especially effective in killing bacteria. He isolated that substance and called it penicillin.

Prior to this, several researchers, including microbiologists Dr. Louis Pasteur and Dr. Ilya Ilyich Mechnikov, had come to understand that bacteria produced substances that killed other bacteria. In the early 1900s, Mechnikov focused on the bacteria species known as Lactobacillus bulgaricus. This bacterium had been cultured in dairy by the northern and eastern Europeans for centuries and seemed to promote health and prevent disease in those who drank the tangy fermented culture.

These bacteria came to be known as probiotics (pro = promoting, biotic = life).

In the decades following the discovery of penicillin, many other antibiotics were isolated from microorganisms and became the darlings of the then fledgling pharmaceutical industry. The ability of these antibiotics to knock out life-threatening infections was a blessing that the medical institution came to rely upon as its most effective treatment for many illnesses.

Probiotic research continued and slowly developed, but was neglected next to the excitement around antibiotics. However, probiotic research increasingly illustrated that the body's own microorganisms were responsible for much of the disease resistance and that various cultured foods had been effectively uses as medicines over thousands of years because of these probiotics.

So Why Are Probiotics Effective?

Probiotics secrete a variety of antibiotics that either repel or kill microorganisms that invade the body. In other words, the very antibiotics the pharmaceutical industry hype are simply the same types of secretions that our own body's probiotics produce.

Probiotic research has matured over the past 40 years, but has only recently become a mainstream focus. Many probiotic supplements and specially formulated foods are readily available.

Meanwhile, criticism around antibiotics has increased because over the years, they have been so widely used, that a number of bacteria species have become resistant to antibiotics. Bacteria are living creatures and can adapt and learn to survive in the face of adversity.

Probiotics, however, are also living creatures. As their opponents get used to one weapon, they will figure out a new weapon to launch against the invader.

Antibiotic Strategies

This is not to say that antibiotics are not great weapons against many infections when prescribed and used wisely. When our body's natural probiotics and immune system are not quite strong enough to take down a lethal bacterial infection, it only makes sense to launch an avalanche of microorganism produced antibiotics against the infective bacteria.

However, this strategy comes with complications. Antibiotics like penicillin will kill our body's probiotics as well. This is where trouble can start as it leaves us susceptible to other infections and unpleasant symptoms (like diarrhea).

Solution

We can take a good probiotic supplement, such as HealthPro Nutrient's Probiotic, between our antibiotic doses. A good probiotic will have a mixture of Lactobacillus and Bifodobacterium species. If we take the probiotic 2-3 hours before, and 2-3 hours after our antibiotic doses, the probiotics will provide the extra protection against opportunistic and antibiotic-resistant microorganisms.

Taking probiotics in between antibiotic doses has also shown to increase the effectiveness of the antibiotic. Because the probiotics secrete different types of antibiotics, this can "double up" the antibiotic effect of whatever type of infection we might have.

At the end of our antibiotic course, we should continue to take the probiotics for a period of at least 2-3 months to help stimulate a regrowth of our resident probiotic species. While supplements do not replace our resident strains, they promote an environment allowing our probiotics to slowly regrow in colony strength. After several months, our resident strains can hopefully stage a comeback to healthy levels. Periodic courses of probiotics are recommended to stimulate this process over time.

Health practitioners and naturopaths recommend 30-40 billion CFUs of probiotics per day for adults in these situations.

*Article written based on research by Naturopath, Casey Adams.

Prevent Colds and Flu! Why Suffer When You Don't Have To?

FACTS:

• Americans get one billion colds a year.
• Americans spend 1.5 billion dollars on doctor visits
• American spend 2 billion dollars on non-prescription cough and cold treatments. 
• The influenza virus hospitalizes more than 200,000 Americans a year 
• 36,000 die each year from the influenza virus
• The flu shot is only 44 percent effective in stopping the flu

Is there any way to decrease your chances of getting a cold or the flu?

According to a study by James R. Sabetta, MD, in the Department of medicine at Yale University, the answer is yes. The study revealed that of those studied, those who had low blood levels of vitamin D had twice as many upper respiratory tract infections. Those who consistently maintained appropriate levels were completely free of these infections.  Most of the study participants that remained healthy were taking a supplement.

Vitamin D is produced most abundantly in the body when the skin is exposed to strong, direct sunlight.  It doesn't take a genius to know that when there's less sun, there's more illness.  It's also easy to connect that when there's less sun, supplements will help fill that gap and keep colds and flus away.

There are many studies that link vitamin D levels to the flu. Yale researchers say that blood levels should be maintained at 38 ng/ml or higher to reduce infection risk. However, according tot he Vitamin D Council, half of all Americans have blood levels below 20 ng/ml.

The Vitamin D Council recommends that you test your blood for vitamin D every 6 months.  Maintain blood levels higher than 38ng/ml in order for vitamin D to be stored in muscles and fat and therefore be the most effective.
 
Keep in mind that studies over the past few years show vitamin D can prevent (and often treat) cancer, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, obesity, depression, asthma, multiple sclerosis, ulcerative colitis, and many other conditions. In fact, high levels of Vitamin D have been linked to a reduction of death from any cause.

The Vitamin D Council recommends a vitamin D supplement of 5,000 IU a day and says that anyone who takes this amount regularly shouldn't get a cold or flu or should recover much faster. They also recommend taking vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol), not vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol). Vitamin D3 is the compound your skin makes naturally. And don't worry about an overdose. 

A couple more notes:
Spend 10 minutes each day in the sun during the summer months. Expose as much of your body as possible when the sun is highest in the sky. 

HealthPro Nutrient's Youth D3 is an excellent Vitamin D supplement and in addition to providing protection against infection, is an incredibly efficient anti-aging formula that enhances the skin and combats the effects of aging from the inside out.

Click HERE to learn more. 

Article sources: 
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bill-gottlieb/the-easiest-way-to-preven_b_651576.html 
http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/

Probiotics in Their Purest Form...100% Vegan, No Yogurt Necessary

Most people in North America lack important probiotic bacteria normally found in healthy people that consume a diet based on plants, fibers, fresh fruits, and vegetables. Today’s highly processed commercial foods lack the healthful microorganisms that the body requires for a normal balanced microflora.

HealthPro Nutrient's Probiotic made with LactoSpore®, provides the good bacteria essential to maintaining a healthy immune system. LactoSpore is an intestinal probiotic enhancer designed to improve gastrointestinal function.

Normal intestinal balance of microorganisms can be disrupted by stress, disease, poor nutrition, toxins, and medications (i.e. antibiotics, immunosuppressant’s and gastric acid inhibitors) resulting in intestinal and systemic health disturbances.

Anyone who has taken antibiotics or other immune suppressing agents should take Probiotic during and afterwards. Probiotic does not cause gas or bloating.

A little more about LactoSpore:

LactoSpore grows in the small intestine where they add beneficial lactic acid to your digestive tract, which helps to eliminate potentially harmful bacteria present in our intestines. This reduces the symptoms such as diarrhea, constipation, gas, and bloating caused by the presence of harmful organisms.

LactoSpore, L. sporogenes, is the Lactobacillus favored in infant nutritional programs, as recommend by the World Health Organization.

LactoSpore does not require refrigeration to maintain optimum potency. Lactospore is protected from destruction by environmental factors by the naturally present microencapsulating system, the spore coat. 

LactoSpore is 100% vegan.

Skin Care is So Much More Than Just Skin Deep

As you care for your skin topically with all the exciting new discoveries in facial gels, devices and medical treatments available to you today to slow the externally visible signs of aging do not neglect taking care to protect and nurture your skin from the "inside" as well.

When you use facial gels and spa devices in combination with great nutritional supplementation you provide a real means of support to your skin to help postpone the visible and "invisible" effects of aging. Industry analysts report that products to postpone aging will perhaps witness very strong demand in upcoming years.

The quality of the new cells you make every day is directly linked to the condition of your immune system. Good immune function will make your beauty regimen much more effective and long-lasting.

There are simply no supplements more important to the cell-building process than products that contain Ai/E10 because of Ai/E10's totally unique support for both adaptive and innate immunity. Remember to weave the unique benefit of an Ai/E10 product into your skin's beauty and destiny every day.

The HPN Answer
Ai/E10 is the only ingredient in CELL BALANCE and the primary ingredient in CELL DESIGN. CELL BALANCE is the ONLY product on the market that contains 200 mg per capsule of Ai/E10. Cell Design is a powerful immune system supplement formulated with nine key herbal and amino acid compounds in combination with 160 mg of the refined lacteal complex Ai/E10 for immune system support. This proprietary formula is by far the most comprehensive immune formula available.

Stomp Out Allergies With Ai/E10

Springtime and Immune Support

As we enjoy the arrival of spring, for many it means the beginning of the aggravation of seasonal allergies. Allergies arise from an abnormal, but very common, immune system response to otherwise harmless substances in the environment. That suggests the importance of keeping our immune systems in top condition not only in the winter months but spring as well. Taking a supplement containing Ai/E10 everyday will help give your immune system the support it needs throughout the seasons. 50 mg twice a day or 100 mg once a day for general support.

Boosting Immunity - Good or Bad?

Dietary supplement products often claim that they "boost" immunity. We see that as a "stimulant" approach...."boost" immunity like you try to boost your awareness and even energy levels with caffeine in coffee, soda, etc. You won't see that claim made for Ai/E10. Ai/E10 works uniquely to help the immune system return to a state of "dynamic balance" by supporting immune communication, a goal stimulation will not accomplish. Stimulation may have its place at times and in moderation, but it will not help to support the immune imperatives of "recognition" and "remember." Only Ai/E10 supports immunity so effectively in such a simple and safe manner.

How is Ai/E10 Performance Measured?

Ai/E10 supports B, T and NK Cell activity more effectively than any other supplement product. Its further ability to help balance or "modulate" immune activity makes it right for everyone.

Taking a supplement containing Ai/E10 everyday will help give your immune system the support it needs. 50 mg twice a day or 100 mg once a day for general support.

The HPN Answer
Ai/E10 is the only ingredient in CELL BALANCE and the primary ingredient in CELL DESIGN. CELL BALANCE is the ONLY product on the market that contains 200 mg per capsule of Ai/E10. Cell Design is a powerful immune system supplement formulated with nine key herbal and amino acid compounds in combination with 160 mg of the refined lacteal complex Ai/E10 for immune system support. This proprietary formula is by far the most comprehensive immune formula available.

This might be helpful!

If you have not already discovered a great product that can be very helpful with sinus allergy issues we suggest you consider the NeilMed Sinus Rinse Kit. Using a sinus rinse once or twice a day when you are symptomatic might be very helpful. NeilMed Sinus Rinse Kits are inexpensive and available at all major drug store chains.

More Doctors Focus On Vitamin D Deficiencies

A basic medical exam produces some familiar numbers, clues to your overall health -- blood pressure readings, cholesterol counts.

Now a new number is getting marquee treatment: a vitamin D level.

Do you know yours?

In the past year, a test that checks vitamin D levels in the blood has surged in popularity among doctors.

This summer the Institute of Medicine is expected to revise its recommendation for daily vitamin D intake. Experts agree the current guidelines are far too low.

If you have symptoms that include fatigue and muscle aches and pains, don't be surprised if your doctor suggests a vitamin D blood test at your next visit. Because of widespread deficiencies, some won't need any symptoms to suggest it.

Vitamin D is important to bone and muscle health for certain, but vitamin D experts worry that D deficiency is implicated in cancers, autoimmune diseases, heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, infections and depression, to name but a few ailments.

Carla Aamodt, an internal medicine doctor with St. Luke's Health System, said about half the patients she was testing were vitamin D deficient, with many more "borderline."

Michael Kennedy, a family physician at the University of Kansas Hospital, said a third to a half of the patients he tested in the past year were deficient.

Cardiologist James O'Keefe said general population statistics were worse. Lack of sun exposure, the natural way the body makes vitamin D, helps explain the deficiencies.

"Upwards of 70 percent of American adults are vitamin D deficient or insufficient," said O'Keefe, director of the preventive cardiology program at St. Luke's Mid-America Heart Institute. "In the last year, awareness of vitamin D deficiency has really exploded."

Doctors want to see a level of at least 30. That's nanograms per milliliter. Some prefer a minimum of 40. Levels in the low to mid-20s aren't unusual, and both Aamodt and Kennedy have had patients with levels under 5 ng/mL.

Billie Howard Barnes of Kansas City knows how that feels. The fourth-grade teacher at Pembroke Hill School had her vitamin D checked two months ago -- doctor-recommended and nothing she had considered before -- and was surprised by the call she got.

"The nurse says: 'I believe this is the lowest level we've ever had. Yours is 5.' "

Barnes is African-American, and people with darker skin, she learned, are at a higher risk of vitamin D deficiency.

"I'm 43, and getting up in the morning, my feet would hit the floor and every joint in my body was sore," she said. "I didn't realize how bad it had gotten. It just kind of crept up on me."

After several weeks of a high prescription dose of a vitamin D supplement, Barnes said she could tell a difference.

"It wasn't an instant thing, but I just feel much better. I'm not as stiff. Colleagues say there's more pep in my step," said Barnes, mother of 10-year-old twins. "And I'll tell you, my children are taking 1,000 IU (international units) a day now."

Of course, the potential wonders of other vitamins have been heralded before, only to be debunked or downplayed later.

But O'Keefe and others point out that D is unlike other vitamins and should be recognized for what it is: a hormone.

"Vitamin D is misnamed," he said.

Although there are food sources of vitamin D, its natural production takes place inside the body after the skin is exposed to sunlight. As a hormone, vitamin D helps regulate gene function throughout the body, so its implication in various body functions and disease processes makes sense. Its strong roles in bone and muscle health and in aiding calcium absorption have long been known.

The process nature intended -- ultraviolet rays on exposed skin equals vitamin D production -- would be the most likely method to remedy deficiencies except for two matters. People aren't out in the sun enough. And if they were, they would increase their risk of skin cancer.

"We're doing such a good job putting on sunscreen and being cautious because of skin cancer that we kind of left vitamin D out of the equation," Kennedy said.

That was then. Responding to an array of vitamin D research in the medical literature, Kennedy said he now regularly informed patients about the possibility of D deficiencies, and he often suggests ordering the blood test.

The test is called "25-hydroxy vitamin D," costs about $100 and may or may not be covered by insurance. O'Keefe said in the past year it had become the most popular "a la carte" blood test doctors were ordering.

If a patient is deficient, levels usually can be increased with vitamin D supplements, typically in pill form. Food sources of vitamin D, such as ocean fish and fortified milk, typically can't be consumed in enough quantities to do the trick.

For borderline and slight deficiencies, doctors often recommend an over-the-counter supplement containing 1,000 IU or more of vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol), taken daily. Many multivitamins contain 400 IU of vitamin D.

Up to 2,000 IU in a daily vitamin D supplement is considered safe for most people without worry of toxicity. Severe deficiencies may require a prescription.

Some doctors recommend both supplements and short amounts of sun exposure, with the caveat not to burn the skin. O'Keefe said a safe approach for many patients was to take a supplement plus get a maximum 15 minutes of unprotected sun exposure. But many doctors aren't comfortable suggesting sun exposure to patients.

"I'm a big advocate for sunscreen, but I'm simultaneously a big advocate for vitamin D supplements," Aamodt said.

With help from the noonday sun, the body can make a lot of vitamin D.

It's estimated that a light-skinned person in "optimal" conditions -- 60 percent skin exposure, sitting in the sun for 30 minutes between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. in warm months -- would make 10,000 IU of vitamin D.

People with darker skin have to be in the sun longer to make the same amount and thus are more likely to be deficient.

A year and a half ago, the American Academy of Pediatrics doubled its recommendation for daily vitamin D supplements for infants through adolescents, from 200 to 400 IU.

Anecdotally, Aamodt said, patients she has treated who have vitamin D levels below 10 ng/mL said they "feel better overall, have more energy with less muscle aches and pains."

Vitamin D and calcium improve bone density and reduce falls and fractures. And although many other correlations with health and disease prevention are suspected with improved vitamin D levels, the jury is still out.

"I think the data will only get better," Aamodt said. "Stay tuned."


Vitamin D levels 

Many doctors consider a vitamin D blood level of 30 ng/mL as a benchmark. Below 30, and they probably will recommend a supplement. We asked local cardiologist James O'Keefe to put a finer point to the numbers. Here's his suggestion:

--40 to 70 ng/mL: Excellent

--30 to 39: Adequate

--20 to 29: Mildly deficient

--10-19: Moderately deficient

--Under 10: Severely deficient


HealthPro Nutrient's Answer - Youth D3
Youth D3 contains natural vitamin D3 which has shown to provide a major benefit in cardiovascular health & skeletal support. D3 is normally synthesized in the body from sunlight, but due to the winter season, weather conditions, and sunscreen, the body's ability to produce optimal vitamin D3 levels are inhibited. Some believe that annual fluctuations in vitamin D3 levels explain the seasonality of the flu virus.
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Published 4/21/10 by The Kansas City Star, Mo

You May Be Too Fit To Be Healthy

Most people will want to be both fit and healthy, but therein lies a problem that people are not aware of. Most people think that fitness and health go hand in hand and that when you are fit that you are also healthy at the same time. Not so, fitness and health are two distinctly different concepts.  

Fitness and health are not the same  
Fitness is the ability to perform work, create physical energy, with well trained muscles and health is the absence of illness. These two are not mutually inclusive. If you concentrate on health improvement you will improve the health of muscles as well and it will improve their ability to produce energy, in other words it will improve overall fitness as well. On the other hand, if you concentrate on fitness improvement and a washboard stomach and other pleasant looking muscle groups, then your health will actually decline. That sounds crazy and totally at odds with what we have learned and what we believe about fitness and health. But that are new insight that can be better understood after reading www.PlasmaCirculation.com.

Blood circulation
Health requires better blood circulation through all the tissues in the body (vital organs, brain, joint tissue etc.) and fitness requires more blood circulation through muscles. It so happens that an increase of blood-flow through muscles will necessarily result in a decrease of blood-flow through all non-muscle cell tissues, resulting in less blood delivery to all these cell tissues. It means a decrease in delivery of nutrients, oxygen and disease fighting white blood cells (a most important part of our immune system) and that means a decrease in health and greater risk of cancer in all the cell tissues that get fewer white blood cells, oxygen and nutrients delivered to them.

Exercise creates blood flow through muscles at the expense of blood flow through all non-muscle tissue in the body (vital organs, brain etc.)
Exercise creates greater blood flow through the muscles that are producing energy during the exercise. Capillaries in the working muscles open up to a larger flow diameter. They dilate to a larger diameter as a result of lactic acid that is produced by the muscle cells that create the energy. with most exercise the flow diameter of the capillaries goes back to normal. With some exercises that greater blood flow through the fit muscles remains after the exercise when the person is no longer exercising. The blood flow through the fit muscles will still remain at a higher flow volume when the person is at rest and that means lower volume of blood through all other non-muscle cell tissues when the person is at rest and not only when that person is exercising. It means more fitness and less health.

But since most people equate fitness with health they will be wanting to do the kind of exercises that improve fitness and they will wind up decreasing their health. This explains then also why many highly fit people from the World of sports will often wind up with a lot of severe health problems in their mid-fifties and sixties and many will die in their mid fifties and sixties, many as a result of cancer. We then wonder how it is possible that these very fit people wind up with these big health problems and die, because we are stuck in the belief that fitness equals health.

Here is the explanation:
When you concentrate on creating maximum fitness, you will have to do very intense exercises that will increase blood-flow through muscles so that the increased blood-flow will deliver more “fuel” and oxygen to the muscles with which they can create more energy and perform more work (fitness). The problem is that an increase of blood-flow through these fit muscles means a decrease of blood-flow in all other cell-tissues in the body.

It now becomes clear
It now becomes clear why some very fit individuals such as athletes in certain sports are having serious health problems in their mid-fifties and sixties and why a number of them die in their mid-fifties and sixties. They have created too much permanent blood flow at rest through all their highly trained very fit muscles. Professional football players have an average lifespan of 52, much lower than the average population.

Many of the health problems are cancer related. That is also explained in http://www.plasmacirculation.com/

Low resting pulse rates
The people that have created a high degree of fitness and a lot of blood flow through highly trained muscles at rest, will have a low resting pulse rate. They now incorrectly believe that a low resting pulse rate is a good thing because it is as a result of being very fit. And since they believe that fitness means health, they will try to train for even more fitness that results in an even lower pulse rate at rest. They now are well on their way to less health and more illness. Very confusing right?

Why is their resting pulse low?
The main influence of resting pulse rate is the level of CO2 circulating in the blood. People that have developed a lot of bloodflow through muscles at rest will have less blood circulation through all non-muscle celltissues at rest. Not good for health and it makes for low levels of CO2 in the blood at rest, resulting in a low pulserate.

The Best Exercise is Explosive
Just like any other animal, the best way to keep your body in shape and your blood circulating properly is through explosive movement.  But how do you exercise like that without hurting yourself?  The answer is QuickGym.   

The QuickGym / ROM machine puts you through cardio performed at such an intense level that your body will spend the rest of the day expending energy to recover from the workout. This is commonly referred to as EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption) and it means that you consume a great deal more oxygen recovering from the exercise than you would have if you'd just done a steady-state workout like jogging or walking. This means that you will be burning up to nine times more fat while sitting on the couch later that night than you would have if you'd spent an hour on the treadmill at a moderate pace.

High intensity training, also known as HIT training, has a number of benefits in addition to the reduction in training time. First of all, this type of training is far superior to steady-state exercises when it comes to increasing your VO2 max, which is the maximum amount of oxygen you can uptake during exercise. 

Besides, The best exercise is the one you will do!

Chinese Wolfberries May Improve Vision Problems Brought On by Type-2 Diabetes

A Kansas State University researcher is exploring the use of Chinese wolfberries to improve vision deficiencies that are common for type-2 diabetics. Dingbo "Daniel" Lin, K-State research assistant professor of human nutrition, is studying wolfberries and their potential to improve damage to the retina. 

His findings show that the fruit can lower the oxidative stress that the eye undergoes as a result of type-2 diabetes. "I would not say that wolfberries are a medicine, but they can be used as a dietary supplement to traditional treatments to improve vision," Lin said. 

"Wolfberries have high antioxidant activity and are very beneficial to protect against oxidative stress caused by environmental stimuli and genetic mutations." Lin has experience in biochemistry and eye research, and he wanted to bridge his current work in nutrition with vision. 

In a conversation about the eye and phytochemicals Lin had with his father, a traditional medical doctor in China, Lin decided to explore the use of wolfberries for vision improvement. "In our culture's history, we have traditional medicine literature that describes things like the wolfberry and its functions," Lin said. 

Wolfberries are bright orange-red, oblong-shaped and grown in China. Lin said the fruit is known to help rebalance homeostasis, boost the immune system, nourish the liver and kidneys and improve vision. He wanted to understand the mechanisms of the wolfberry's effects on vision and started the project in July 2008. 

Lin and his colleagues have found that wolfberries have high levels of zeaxanthin, lutein, polysaccharides and polyphenolics, which have been shown to improve vision, including the prevention of age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy. 

The researchers are using dried wolfberries and examining their effects on the retina pigment epithelial cell layer. "It's the only cell layer in the far back of the retina, and it provides a fundamental support to the whole retina, just like the base of a building," Lin said. "All of the nutrients pass through that cell layer." 

By using type-2 diabetic mice, the researchers are studying the effects of wolfberries on oxidative stress, one of the factors that occurs in diabetic retinopathy, which is a common complication of diabetes and the leading cause of blindness in American adults. "Oxidative stress is known as cell impairment of the production of reactive oxygen," Lin said. "Cellular oxidative stress is involved in many human diseases, such as diabetes, vision impairment and blindness." 

The researchers also looked at the endoplasmic reticulum, which is where the folding process of proteins occurs in a cell. When the accumulation of unfolded protein aggregates occurs persistently, the endoplasmic reticulum is under stress. 

Prolonged stress will eventually cause cell deaths, Lin said. The in vitro and in vivo studies have shown that the wolfberry's phytochemicals protect the retinal pigment epithelial cells from hyperglycemia, or high glucose. 

The findings show that the fruit has local effects on oxidative stress, reactivates the enzyme AMPK and reduces endoplasmic reticulum stress." AMPK is a key enzyme in the balance of cell energy homeostasis," Lin said. "The outcome of the current research will lead to the development of dietary regimens in prevention of an eye disease." 

The researchers are continuing to study wolfberries and their health benefits. Lin said wolfberries could be used as a dietary supplement, though the fruit isn't likely to be found in traditional U.S. food stores. He said consumers might find them in a Chinese food store or on the Internet. 

The research is part of a fast-moving field called nutrigenomics, which studies the effects of food on gene expression and disease. Nutrients have been shown to affect gene expression, and by understanding the roles of specific nutrients and how they might cause diseases, scientists could recommend specific foods for an individual based on his or her genetics. 

At K-State, other researchers collaborated on the project: Denis Medeiros, professor and department head of human nutrition; Yu Jiang, research associate in human nutrition; Edlin Ortiz, junior in life sciences, Liberal; and Yunong Zhang, a former research assistant in human nutrition. The research has been presented at the 2009 Experimental Biology conference and 2009 American Society of Cell Biology Conference.

-Manhattan, KS., March 30, 2010 / PRNewswire-USNewswire

Each bottle of Lifeline, HealthPro Nutrient's supplement for Cell Enhancement, Weight Management, and Mitochondrial Support contains 250mg of Wolfberry Extract. 

Lifeline makes an incredibly beneficial antioxidant "cocktail" when mixed with Evolv Water.

Articles featured in HealthPro Nutrient's blog are derived from a variety of news sources and are provided as a service by HealthPro Nutrient.