Category Archives: Health Benefits

Causes of Parkinson’s Disease

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Parkinson’s disease is brought about by the decrease of the neurotransmitter dopamine, which manages mobility and many other neurological functions. Symptoms include the loss of control of motor functions, which leads to shaking, balance troubles, and stiffness. It’s also been understood for greater than TWENTY years that the mid brain area of patients experiencing Parkinsons Disease demonstrate a 40-50 % decline in total glutathione levels. Glutathione, the body’s Master Antioxidant makes a contribution in enabling the body minimize oxidative stress and long term inflammation it creates.

“Prolonged exposure to chemicals considerably raises one’s risk of developing Parkinson’s disease,” Dr. goes on to say. “There’s a famous saying, which is essentially a cliché that heredity loads the gun and environment pulls the trigger. That looks true with Parkinson’s and pesticides.
In addition to Dr. Bronstein’s work, a new study released by Italian scientists in the journal of Neurology concluded that prolonged exposure to herbicides and pesticides boosts risk of Parkinson’s by thirty three to 80 percent.

Over 50,000 Americans are diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease each year, and experts state it’s progressively more clear that the chemicals used in farming are contributing to many of the problems. “Pesticides are easily the major environmental Parkinson’s disease risk factor,” says Jeff Bronstein, M.D., a professor of neurology at UCLA and director of the institution’s Movement Disorders Program.

The Dirty Dozen.
Every year the Environmental Working Group (EWG) releases its “Dirty Dozen” selection of the very most chemical-laden produce. It also delivers its “Clean 15” list of the fruit and vegetables most unlikely to have major amounts of pesticides.
The “Dirty Dozen” are apples, celery, grapes, peaches, strawberries, spinach, bell peppers,imported nectarines, cucumbers, potatoes, cherry tomatoes, and hot peppers.
The EWG also specified concerns about kale, collard greens, and summer squash.
The “Clean 15” are onions, pineapples, avocados, cabbage, frozen peas, papayas, mangoes,asparagus, eggplant, kiwi, grapefruit, corn, cantaloupe, sweet potatoes, and mushrooms.

Talking about Glutathione and Parkinson’s Disease.
The glutathione declines observed earlier in this article are one of the earliest potential indicators in the pre-symptomatic stages of Parkinson’s Disease. Oxidative harm to lipids, protein and DNA in the mind of Parkinson’s Disease patients is consistent with the reduction of the antioxidant functions provided by GSH. It is not out of the ordinary for the intellect to become influenced by a downturn of glutathione levels given that the brain utilizes a big percentage of the total oxygen used by our body. The metabolic activities that use oxygen create free radicals as a by-product.

MaxONE – a glutathione precursor offers an opportunity to improve your glutathione levels and help fight oxidative stress.

Glutathione & Why We Need It

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Glutathione is an antioxidant that is produced by our body. It is frequently described as a small tripeptide molecule, but I’m not certain that information is very useful to many people, although it certainly sounds very official. For most people, I find that what is more useful information is to talk more about; antioxidants, what is unique about glutathione and why you need it.

Antioxidants are molecules that can neutralize other damaged molecules called free radicals. Unlike a stable molecule which includes an even number of electrons, free radicals – for one reason or another- have lost an electron and therefore have an odd number. To re-establish a normal, stable state, a free radical will “steal” an electron from another molecule. This sets up a chain reaction which will eventually damage the cell made up of these unstable molecules. Free radicals are created by forces that are both natural and manmade and which occur both within and outside of the body.

An example of free radical creation within the body from a natural force would be that free radicals are a by-product of our energy production or metabolism. Think of your body burning energy to fuel your cells like a fireplace. What accumulate at the bottom of the fire place are ashes. Free radicals are similarly a by-product of your body’s fire and like the ashes in a fireplace, need to be cleaned out in order for the fire to continue to burn efficiently. To continue the analogy, imagine how the fire progressively becomes smothered by the buildup of ashes until it eventually dies. The same thing happens to the cells in an organ, which eventually can affect the operation of the organ and in time the rest of your body. This is actually a very simplified look at aging.

Back to antioxidants. Antioxidant molecules are structurally able to donate an electron to a free radical without themselves either becoming free radicals or instead becoming free radicals that lack the ability to capture electrons from other molecules. That they accomplish by donating electrons to a free radical is that they stop the chain and the damage it causes.

Most of the antioxidants in your body are specialized and some of the best known antioxidants are Vitamins C and E, Coenzyme Q10, Alpha Lipoic Acid and finally glutathione.

Glutathione is an antioxidant that your body makes. It isn’t possible to ingest it- like we do with Vitamin C. What’s unique about glutathione is that it is found in every cell of your body and is uniquely capable of dealing with every kind of free radical (and there are many different kinds)

Many of the people suffering from what are referred to as the chronic diseases of aging – like heart disease, Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s disease to name a few are also found to have low levels of glutathione. Very low levels of glutathione have also been found in children suffering from autism.

When we are young, our bodies produce lots of glutathione but as we age (in fact as we leave our twenties) our natural ability to manufacture this vital antioxidant falls by about 10% every decade. With less glutathione in our systems, free radical damage builds up, more cells and then organs are harmed and our bodies age. Many say that we age prematurely.

So, the reason to get more glutathione into your system is to help avoid or at least hold off, those conditions that come about as our organs function less efficiently and hold off the side effects that come with that – like the pain from chronically inflamed joints or a lack of mental focus, clarity, fatigue and poor sleep that happen with aging.

Glutathione can be administered intravenously, although it is a very inconvenient and expensive process. Glutathione cannot be taken as an oral supplement because its components (in particular and enzyme called Cysteine) are easily destroyed by the gastric juices in your digestive system. What can be done it to supplement with products called glutathione precursors. MaxGXL, MaxONE & Cellgevity are all glutathione precursors, which mean that they are nutritional supplements that boost your body’s supplies of the building blocks it uses to make glutathione. These products have all been proven to increase glutathione levels by over 300% in a few months.

About Hypoglycemia – Low Blood Sugar

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Low blood sugar is “the great mimicker.” That’s because it can copy almost any other condition inside our disease experience. For example, it can look like a heart attack, panic attack, migraine or MS. It can look similar to Lupus, depression, indigestion or tinnitus/Meniere’s disease. Low blood sugar might appear like practically anything and can affect nearly any organ system, but it most usually shows up in symptoms associated with the brain and liver.

Hypoglycemia sets off the famous “fight-or-flight” crisis response. During fight-or-flight, your body turns off non-crisis systems and pours stress hormones to your bloodstream. Any sugar still in your liver is used as fuel (glucose) and this rapidly brings your glucose levels back to normal. (If your liver is depleted and cannot deliver the sugar, your body will strip it from your muscles and kill the muscle cells.) Once your sugar levels return to normal, the fight-or-flight stress response stops and normalcy at some point returns.

Hypoglycemia is not a disease in itself; it is more of a reaction to the 4 problems of all imbalances (toxins, trauma, deficiency and stress). Hypoglycemia is a major trigger for distressing symptoms. Find the cause and low blood sugar can typically be resolved.

Numerous supplements can help, especially those that focus on filling nutritional deficiencies, removing toxins, easing psychological distress and repairing tissue hurt by injury.

There are 4 triggers that create illness: trauma (injury), toxins, nutrient deficiency and stress. Other deficiencies can bring about Hypoglycemia as well. For example, dehydration, too little sleep and nutrient deficiency can generate an imbalance in blood sugar metabolic processes. Given that individuals low in Vitamin D speedily become hypoglycemic, and since Vitamin D is associated with healthy sun exposure, a lack of sunlight can cause hypoglycemia.

Poisons such as heavy metals can lead to hypoglycemia and so can allergies- which can be frequently be confused with low blood sugar.

Even traumas can produce hypoglycemia as a body prompts inflammation in the repair process. Slight injuries brought about by an exercise free lifestyle cause continual blood sugar swings. Exercise – specifically in morning or evening sunlight – can activate Vitamin D and normalize our blood sugar.

There are so many factors that are important to our health and so many ways that we can try to get ourselves healthier. Working out in the early morning or late afternoon sunshine and making exercising a part of our daily life is important. We need to strive for a better diet too, with sufficient nutrition and a healthy consumption of antioxidant rich foods and nutrients to encourage our own production of antioxidants like CoQ10 and glutathione.

Go Green – Recycle your Fat

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As I write this the wintertime has Ontario in an icy grip. The greenhouse is frosted around the corners and the holidays are just around the corner. working out this morning the gym was quiet but by January the place will be packed. I’m not worried about that though, because within a few weeks most of the new people will vanish again.
I question, how many of the people who quit way too fast will blame it on a shortage of energy, which is pretty dumb considering the best way to boost your energy is to workout. That’s not just me speaking either. Its the truth.

Our bodies produce energy from the fuel we provide – usually fats, sugars and proteins . First we burn the sugar. Next we burn the protein and finally when the other fuel sources are gone we get around to burning the fat. ( While I think of it, product called ASEA will help you burn fat first- check out the research here), protein lasts a little longer and the longest burning fuel is healthful fat. It melts away slowly, which must be why it’s so darned challenging to lose, but when we workout, the fats in our body along with vitamin D, recycle.

Hard exercise activates your vitamin D which in turn prompts the hormone insulin, which activates your metabolism and then the Vitamin D recycles fat from your bloodstream to feed that furnace that was activated by exercise originally and provides further fuel for more activity.

Its a method that is put into motion when you make that first step to get moving. The more work you do, the more exercise you’ll be ready to do (and want to do) and dare I add, the more energetic you’ll feel?

Naturally, you’ll also have some fat that won’t be burned and it will be recycled within your body in a number of different ways, so its a fantastic idea to only consume the healthy forms of fats. Your brain cells for example are mainly created of fat and so are hormones. With healthy fats in your diet, your brain will be built of healthier fat and your hormones will be better balanced. The same goes for cholesterol- good fats produce healthier cholesterol- bad fats don’t.

We all name fat as the enemy and sure- some types of fats are very harmful. But, we’re really our own worst enemy when we cosy up too much to the couch, our remote controls and our preferred excuses.

If you’re over 30 and feel that your energy levels are below what they should be, you might get a bit of a boost by increasing your glutathione with a glutathione precursor. Click here for information about MAXGXL – a glutathione precursor supplement.

Beautiful Skin is More than Skin Deep

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The health of our skin can show us a lot about the wellness of our complete body. We need to understand how to examine the message and how to pay attention, because lovely skin is a good indicator of healthy amounts of essential nutrients.

For instance, skin hydration depends on glucosamine just as joint hydration does. So, dried up skin most likely means dried joints. Skin that is simply damaged indicates fast aging, which probably signifies fast aging of our circulatory system. Additionally, skin that is easily burned from the sun may point out that our essential fatty acid (EFA) and antioxidant reserves are low which means other tissues that rely on antioxidants and EFA for safety may also be at risk. You can improve your low antioxidant reserves and specificallyincrease your glutathione with MAXGXL

Skin has a foundation of healthy fats. Many of the topical emollients we put on our skin are some kind of fat. Having said that, we don’t actually absorb fats very efficiently through our skin. The very best way to create a healthy foundation for your skin is to supplement with essential fatty acids. Vitamin D from fish oil and Vitamin E, one of the principal fat soluble network antioxidants are excellent choices to start.

Sunlight and Vitamin D

The increasing occurrence of diabetes, osteoporosis and certain cancers could be explained partly through a lack of Vitamin D. A boost in insomnia and seasonal depression tells us that we are not getting adequate early morning sun.

We require more daylight. Now, how will we make it safe?

Acknowledge the requirement for sun and the need for caution. Plan your sun time so that you maximize the benefits while minimizing the dangers. For example, get your sunlight early in the day. Early morning sunlight does not have the excessive ultra-violet intensity that noon sun has. So, take a 20-minute walk in the early part of the day with your skin uncovered to sunlight. This will give you the benefits without the risks of over-exposure.

Or, take a twenty-minute walk late in the day with your skin exposed to sunlight. There are less UV rays in the evening than at noon, though more than in the morning. This will have a less pronounced effect but will nevertheless supply many of the same advantages.

Don’t expose your skin to midday sun for extended periods of time. Wear clothes that protect most of your skin and include a sun hat that offers shade for your face and ears.

Selected nutrients are helpful to protect against sun damage:

    Essential fatty acids work with Vitamin D in the dermis to protect against unsafe radiation.
    Vitamin C neutralizes the problem of oxidative stress.
    Antioxidants, such as those found in berries and superfruits used to make the health drink AIO with AC-11 (from from Uncaria) can help protect against DNA damage from radiation.

Tell me about sunscreen

Sunscreen is a very hot topic, but using it is entirely up to you. Human beings have been living outdoors for thousands of years without serious danger from sun exposure. The boost in skin cancer danger came about as a combination of seriously polluted air, a minimal antioxidant/nutrient diet and the 40-year sunning craze that followed the second world war. We didn’t do that in the past.

More people today die of cancer related to Vitamin D deficiency than of skin cancer caused by sunburn. Again, get some morning and evening sunlight for your health, by no means get a sunburn and keep your skin protected when you are exposed to midday sun. No mad dogs or Englishmen here.

About Network Antioxidants

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Antioxidants are our body’s major protection against the injury triggered by free radicals which contribute to many chronic inflammatory and degenerative ailments. Oxy radicals are the root cause of premature aging. Among all the antioxidants, a group of five are identified as Network Antioxidants. This group of both water and fat soluble antioxidants work together to help your cells and do the job together to support each other.

When an antioxidant contributes an electron to restore a free radical, it actually becomes one, but a benign one without the potential to perpetuate the chain reaction. Unfortunately, when they are oxidized, they’re also not able to function effectively. But, what is special about the network antioxidants is that are able to help to regenerate each other and carry on the cycle of searching out and correcting free radicals.

Even though they perform together, the network antioxidants fulfill diverse tasks. The fat soluble ones, specifically Vitamin E and CoQ-10 protect the fatty cell membrane and the cell mitochondria, and the water soluble antioxidants, Vitamin C and Glutathione protect the center of the cell. ALA – Alpha Lipoic Acid is unique in that it is both fat and water soluble.

Vitamin C is the link which bridges the fat soluble and water soluble antioxidants in the network and is largely responsible for recharging Vitamin E when it becomes oxidized.

Vitamin E is closely aligned with heart attack prevention, because it’s the only antioxidant that can reach fatty parts of the cell that are not accessible to the rest of the network. It’s really not a single compound but is instead a family of fat soluble alcohols.

CoEnzymeQ-10 or CoQ-10 is found in each your cells, where it is concentrated in the mitochondria, the component of your cell that generates energy. Mitochondria are vulnerable to free radical damage which has been evidenced as a decline of energy as we age. Additionally, CoQ-10 works in the regeneration of Vitamins C, E and Glutathione

Glutathione, popularly regarded as the Body’s Master antioxidant is continually circulating through your cells, repairing your immune cells and cleaning cellular waste from your body. It supports the rejuvenation of all of the remaining network antioxidants. Raising your glutathione levels helps protect you from several inflammatory conditions, autoimmune diseases, chronic fatigue syndrome, asthma and others.

Alpha Lipoic Acid is unique among the Network Antioxidants in that it is both fat and water soluable and can support both the fatty membrane and water based interior of the cells. It is also uniquely capable of repairing itself and notably can regenerate the other network antioxidants including glutathione. It helps to stop muscle damage during strenuous workouts.

Like glutathione and CoEnzyme Q-10, ALA is produced by your body, but the production capacity decreases appreciably as we age.

Blood Flow and Healthy Functioning

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Nitric oxide is an organic chemical substance that is found to improve the flow of blood as well as enhance Muscle quantity through oxygen delivery and also vasodilation. It might even help to protect your heart. Nitric oxide, a signalling molecule takes on a crucial role in vascular regulation, neuro-transmission, apoptosis as well as triggering reactions from your immune system.

Generally, nitric oxide in its role as a signaling molecule facilitates cellular communications. For body builders, one of the most useful processes in which nitric oxide is involved could be the dilation of blood vessels – vasodilation.

Nitric oxide’s ability to improve blood flow makes it useful in the treatment of erectile dysfunction. The problem for a lot of men is that the presence of this signaling molecule decreases with age and can contribute to impotence problems. The great news is that you can top it up, by using supplements with arginine, to improve nitric oxide levels. They provide other health advantages as well. L-Arginine, such as is found in ProArgi9 Plus is converted by the body into Nitric oxide.

Nitric oxide improves stamina and improves training abilities relative to your body weight. It helps you have more energy.

Heart Disease and the Cholesterol Connection

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Cholesterol is a wax-like and fatty substance produced in the liver. Cholesterol is observed in selected foods like red meat, saturated and unsaturated fats, oils, butter, cheese etc.

Cholesterol is essential to keep the body working, but too much of the ‘bad’ cholesterol known as LDL can cause more harm than good. The presence of ‘bad’ cholesterol in the body, may lead to formation of plaque in the arteries, preventing free flow of blood to the heart.

The presence of bad cholesterol or LDL (Low density Lipoprotein) increases the risk of heart attack or heart failures due to blockage of arteries. The arteries are blocked due to formation of plaque in the body. The intake of fatty foods; butter, cheese, oils, raises bad cholesterol and is largely responsible for the accumulation of excessive fat in the arteries.

HDL (High density Lipoprotein) cholesterol is also known as the good cholesterol since HDL cholesterol drives away the bad cholesterol. HDL protects you from heart disease. Elevated levels of HDL may be as important for the heart as low levels of LDL since each contributes to a lowered risk of heart disease.

Triglycerides are yet another kind of fat that travels in the bloodstream. High triglyceride levels may be due to hypothyroidism, diabetes, kidney disease or liver disease or might occur as a result of large intakes of fats, butter, cheese and alcohol.

The ideal way to reduce bad cholesterol is to do it naturally by opting for compound carbohydrates like barley, oats, lentils, wheat, and dried peas in your diet and staying away from simple and refined carbohydrates like sugar, pastries and sweets.

Consume more soluble fiber like fruits, greens and oats, which will significantly boost HDL or good cholesterol levels. The top foods in this category include almonds, apples, apricots, carrots and cabbages – all of which are rich in fiber.

Keep away from smoking and tobacco. Go for a regular walk for at least 45 minutes every single day. In addition, performing yoga and meditation will have twin advantages of quieting both the body and the mind. If you can do these things your bad cholesterol can be decreased in a natural way.

The best bet towards controlling high cholesterol is change in your life style and eating habits.

You Can Avoid Hardening of the Arteries

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The coronary systemis one of the most important parts of the body and when it is not taken care of properly, several unhealthy conditions can arise like hardening of the arteries. Medically, it’s referred to as arteriosclerosis and often appears along with high blood pressure.

The arteries transport O2 and nutrients from the heart to the other parts of the body. Over time, fat deposits can build up in the arteries and harden which then reduces the supply of blood to the organs. When this is not properly handled, the arteries can be come blocked,or worse, the plaque can break free into the blood stream causing heart attacks or stroke.

There are several factors that are associated with hardening of the arteries which are categorized into modifiable and non-modifiable. The non-modifiable factors are those which you can’t change such as hereditary factors, advancing age, gender (males have a higher risk) and race. The modifiable factors are the ones that you can manage which include cigarette smoking, obesity and lack of exercise, eating a diet that is high in saturated fat, high blood pressure, diabetes and high LDL cholesterol levels.

The indicators and symptoms of hardening of the arteries depend on the location of the affected arteries. If it is happening in the arteries that supply the heart, you might experience chest pain, profuse sweating, shortness of breath and anxiety. Arteries that supply blood to the brain when affected will be manifested through numbness or weakness, paralysis typically in one half of the body, loss of speech, blindness and difficulty when swallowing. For the ones that supply the legs, severe leg pain will develop while you walk but disappear when you stop. Kidney failure and high blood pressure are the signs when the arteries affected supply the kidneys.

As to this date, there is no medically recognized cure for hardening of the arteries but the symptoms can be treated with anti-hypertensives, cholesterol decreasing medicines, diuretics and medications to control the chest pain. To re-open the artery when it is blocked, angioplasty is generally performed.

Even if there are non-modifiable factors for hardening of the arteries, you can do a lot to help decrease your risks. Life style changes are warranted and included smoking cessation, choosing a balanced diet that is low in fat and LDL cholesterol, getting enough exercise and maintaining a healthy weight. Hardening of the arteries is a serious cardio vascular disorder so while you can, you have to prevent it.

Tell Me About the Food ACAI

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Bowl of Acai berries

Acai is a Portuguese name for a kind of palm tree that is indigenous to Central and South America. It commonly grows in Brazil and Peru, in swampy areas and floodplains. Scientifically the plant is referred to as Euterpe oleracea. The Portuguese name means a plant that cries or expels water. Currently, acai has become very well-known especially for its fruit; which is small, round and black-purple in color. Acai fruit is used by the indigenous populations in the Brazilian amazon region as food. It is also served as a pulp and a beverage.

Globally, the curiosity in acai has been mainly based on it’s anti-oxidant qualities and of course the use as a weight loss option. The nutritional content of the fruit is composed of proteins, carbohydrates, fat, dietary fiber, nutritional vitamins and low sugar value. In the market, acai is sold as a supporting the immune system of people eating it. It has flavanoids that are responsible for countering conditions such as heart disorders. Extracts of acai are believed to have an effect against peroxyl, peroxynitrite and hydroxyl radicals. Scientists have shown a link between damage caused by free radicals and chronic sicknesses such as cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, cataracts and Alzheimer’s disease among others.

The dense nutritional value of the fruit is also shown to suppress appetite, hence its use as a weight loss option. Acai increases the libido, reduces inflammation and is believed to boost stamina and energy as well as delay some of the signs of growing old