Are Vitamin & Mineral Supplements A Waste of Money?

Since incorporating quality supplements into our family grocery budget we have been able to eliminate all OTC and RX drugs. In the past 3 years sick days total maybe two for adults, and 4 for the kids. Our key brand of supplement has an ORAC score of 8-10,000 - bio available and absorbed in 30 minutes. We are pretty healthy eaters, with limited processed foods.

Purity standards should also be taken into consideration. Inexpensive vitamins contain fillers, and petro-chemicals, artificial ingredients are commonplace. These types of ingredients contribute to endocrine disruption/hormonal imbalance. Not to mention we are flushing our money down the toilet.

Even with an organic whole food diet, the nutrients are not what they used to be in our food supply. Our soils are depleted of nutrients.  Since I began studying cancer preventative/alternative health four years ago - you will not find one holistic cancer treatment protocol that does not include supplements. In fact, the list can be quite long for cancer patients incorporating nutrition protocols into their treatment plans. Patients using supplements fare far better when used in combination with conventional treatments.

The goal of supplementation, of course, is to fuel the body with nutrients and oxygen to maintain, and even reverse the start of disease (including cancer cells - if you are past 30 you can be you have them - a healthy body has the function of apoptosis - programmed cell death - to eliminate these cells).
Toxin elimination also needs to be a part of remaining healthy. Another subject, but it is important to keep the liver functioning at optimal levels as it is your filtering system.

A functional medicine/holistic wellness practitioner can test you for deficiencies. Not everyone is short on calcium. If colon cancer is a part of family genetics or a concern, one will want to monitor and ensure adequate calcium. Certain forms of calcium are recommended for absorption, as well as other vitamins/minerals for a synergestic effect.

Omega 3s are one supplement that many consider the most important. If you take only one supplement, choose Omega 3 with DHA. Ocean contamination is a very real issue, even more so since the Japanese nuclear disaster.  Personally, I opt for a vegan flaxseed oil based Omega 3 in which the sea algae (which provides the DHA benefit) is grown in an environmentally controlled lab to ensure purity standards are adhered to. I encourage you to investigate the purity standards of any brand you consider. Oils should be cold processed and preserved with nitrogen.

Confused by the choice of fish vs. vegan Omega? During the Curing Cancer Summit 2014, taking place right now, Dr. Leigh Erin Connealy stated that the latest research indicates that a vegan, flaxseed oil based Omega 3 is more effective in cancer treatment protocols.  Personally, if it is good enough to fight cancer, why wouldn't I choose the flaxseed O3 over fish and krill?

Magnesium deficiency  is, across the board, a common deficiency in breast cancer patients, according to a report in the Blaylock Wellness (Russell Blaylock MD) newsletter. The same holds true for prostrate cancer.

I have not actually read anything specific about people being prone to Vitamin C deficiency, but with upcoming winter months it is definitely worth considering. Lypo-Spheric Vit. C (specifically by Livon Labs) is the number one choice for those battling cancer, per Bill Henderson in his book, "Cancer Free". It is a gel pack and considered to be highly bio available...even more beneficial than Vit C IV therapy. I can't say it tastes awesome, but it can be mixed into other foods/drinks.

A supplement many overlook but definitely to be considered, in my opinion, is Vitamin D. Doctors in Florida have reported over 90% of their patients deficient. Consider our lifestyles - most people are indoors in offices by day. Vitamin D is actually a hormone, not a vitamin, and is critical for other hormones to be produced by the body. A healthy person can snythesize D2 into D3 (D2 is a vegan form), but if health is compromised one should utilize D3.

Although there are many who warn of Vit.. D toxicity...you can search  this subject in PubMed and find not one case...but instead, the astonishing benefits of high doses of D3.  I am currently reading a fascinating book on the miraculous benefits of extremely high doses of D.  Vit D must be taken with K2. ZRTLabs.com offers in home test kits for a variety of deficiency concerns, hormonal imbalances, including Vitamin D as well.

May you feel great, look great and live great,
Rita S.

Letting Go of Stress

"Let Go And Let God" - these little phrase was given to me by a wise elderly woman years ago. I would greatly stress about various aspects of my job...which typically revolved around other people. The wisdom I was given helped me to realize:
1. I cannot control other peoples actions
2. the world doesn't stop spinning of a deadline is not met for a newsletter publication
3. life is too short to allow little things to bother me.

I was taught to brush off what ails me from my shoulders, and give it to God, who is big enough to handle it. This advice has allowed me to de-stress much in the past 10 years. I have also learned about the law of attraction, and what you think about you truly do think about.

Consider those who often talk about being sick or not feeling well...and what are they? Often, sick and or not well. Whereas I expect to be healthy, and if I do get sick, I trust and know my body will heal quickly because I have already thanked the Healer for taking care of it on my behalf. This is, in my mind, one of the reasons I feel I was able to get over shingles in 5 days. It was a matter of the mind, and an on purpose decision to give my body the fuel it needed to get better with anti-oxidants, vitamin D/B12 oral spray supplement, Digestion Plus pro/pre biotics, and Omega 3+..

People love to talk about their ailments, at least many that I have encountered in my various walks of life have. As I reread the Law of Attraction this past week by the Hicks', I am reminded that being brought into these types of conversations can hinder my own well being if I allow it to.

Stress can make us ill. In fact, when I came down with shingles I realized I had had a stressful two weeks taking on a creative job in which I was not receiving the intake images and text by the date I had originally had given to me. I could not control that, but instead let it stress me out as I concerned over conflicts of my time that would take place if the job was not finished by the original date agreed upon.

However, I did give it up...and took a "what will be will be" ka sa ra sa ra attitude.  I went at shingles with every Arbonne product in my wellness arsenal...and became a quick victor over the virus.

My wellness tip today, "Let Go and Let God".  Remember, he is big enough to handle it.

To your health,
Rita S.

Colon Cancer Prevention: Part 2

The other day I started a post about colon cancer, and included what studies have found to be causes of the “silent killer”. It is the second most deadly cancer, and my goal today is to help give you ideas on how you might prevent colon cancer through some lifestyle changes. We never appreciate our health until it is gone, so take the information below to heart, and put some thought and reflection into your current lifestyle – are you living to live well?

I utilized a number of sources in pulling together these suggestions – some of it may be old news, some may be new. Here’s to regularity:
1. Fiber Intake  It’s no secret that the American diet lacks fiber. How many of us consume 5 servings of fruits and vegetables each day, as recommended? One serving equals one cup of fresh fruit, or a tennis ball sized piece of fresh fruit, or ¼ c. of dried fruit. Dr. Russel Blaylock, a neurosurgen who reports on the latest in holistic cancer research and health news, recommends blenderizing your vegetables. I have found that I can toss frozen cauliflower, broccoli or fresh kale and spinach into my non-soy, vegan vanilla protein shake, with strawberries, and not even taste the “greenies”. 

It is recommended to consume 25-35 grams of fiber per day. One source states women can consume on the low end, and men should be on the high end of that figure. I add 12 grams of soluable Fiber Boost to my protein shake each morning, and actually, since I started putting this article together a few weeks ago I am adding in a bit more. Blaylock does state that all fiber supplements are not necessarily beneficial, and one should look for “resistant starches”. He recommends fiber sources from apple, citrus and lentil peas. Apparently, the pectin from these sources and other fruits, when fermented in the colon produce butyrate, which is vital to the health of the cells lining the colon.

2. Probiotics/Prebiotics/Enzymes A number of studies indicate the importance of healthy gut flora in reducing the risk of colon cancer. Unfortunately, when we take anti-biotics we are killing off our good gut flora as well as the bad. Since our body does not replace probiotics we need to supplement to do so, and find a source that includes a robust strain with prebiotics so it can actually pass through the stomach wall and get into the intestines to do its job. In addition to probiotics and prebiotics, digestive enzymes diminish as we age, and it is important to replace them. A lack of enzymes results in esophageal reflux, and an excess of undigested food in the colon, which increases colon cancer risk.

 3. Omega 3s – studies have shown that a high intake of Omega 3 fats substantially lowers colon cancer risk. The type of fats we consume have a great impact on our chances of developing cancer. Blaylock’s report states that studies have shown that omega-6 fats (corn, soybean, safflower, sunflower, peanut, grapeseed?, and canola oils) dramatically increase the risk of colon cancer, and turn existing cancer cells into very aggressive, metastasizing cancers. Blaylock goes on to state that this is evident in all cancers. Americans consume 50% more Omega 6 than are needed for good health. (Considering that almost all processed foods contain Omega 6 this should not come as a surprise, should it?) I have done some research on the vegan (non-animal) Omega 3 oils in the supplement that my family uses: which contains flax seed oil, and DHA from labortory grown sea algae to insure purity and non-ocean pollutants and contamnation/...the more I learned about benefits the more impressed I became. Our omega 3 is more powerful than 4 salmon steaks, as it has a very high ORAC value. What I do know for certain is our Omega 3s helped my husband get off his statin drugs and our joints feel better as well. Omega 3s are necessary for heart, brain, joint health, as well as cancer prevention. It is the single most important supplement you can take in addition to a QUALITY multi-vitamins. (one a day types don't cut it folks!)

4. MODERATE Exercise – walking weight resistance training, raking the leaves and mowing the lawn are all good forms of exercise. And right now, shovelling snow in Wisconsin!  Highly aerobic exercise, per doctors Lee and Blaylock, increase the free radicals and peroxidation in your body, and neither doctor recommends it, especially for cancer patients and survivors. Aerobic activity increases prolonged increases in metabolism – a process which is a major source of these harmful chemicals. Lee had discussed this in further detail in his book about breast cancer, stating that cancer survivors who compete in triathalons and climb mountains are doing themselves more harm than good. 

5. Diet – Avoid processed foods. Learn to read labels – which scream “Good Source of Fiber” only to be laden with refined carbohyrdrates and fats, which are highly inflammatory.  High fructose corn syrup and MSG abounds in processed foods...contributors to cancer and brain and heart related diseases.
Avoid most vegetable oils – known as omega 6 (N-6). These include corn, safflower, soybean, sunflower, peanut and canola. While Omega 6 are needed for health, most people consume 50x more than as needed (common ingredient in processed foods). Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Coconut Oil should be the oils of choice in the “cancer prevention focused kitchen”. If you cook with EVOO sprinkle turmeric and other spices in the oil, and it prevents oxidation. (I like that last tip!)

Avoid these fish – no matter what due to heavy contamination: shark, swordfish, tilefish, and large tuna.

Red meat in moderation – The biggest issue with red meat is the high iron content, which Blaylock labels “a cancer fertilizer”. Iron dramatically increases free radical generation which fuels cancer growth. Note that it is important to avoid supplements with IRON, as we Americans usually don’t have trouble getting enough iron in our diet, but we often have too much. Dr. Graham Colditz of the Washington University School of Medicine, as well as other experts, state to limit red meat to no more than 3, 3 oz. servings per week. So if you go out to dinner on Saturday night and have a 10 oz. sirloin - you have had your week’s consumption of red meat!

6. Metal toxicity – fluoride, aluminum and mercury are three metals that promote cancer, and Dr. Blaylock states they are very toxic to cells, especially brain cells. Black tea, soy milk, processed meats and processed cheese are high sources of aluminum and fluoride in foods. Mercury comes from fish, dental amalgam fillings, and vaccines. I think we’d be surprised to learn of all things we absorb trace metals from, and it is impossible to avoid it 100%. Keep in mind that although the FDA stamps its approval on many things, and manufacturers will state that amounts are too small to be harmful, trace metals in particular are fat soluable. Basically, these toxins build up as they store inside our bodies. 

For this reason, I really do believe it is beneficial to detoxify at least once every 3 mo. My husband and I both use Essentials 7 Day body detox which cleanses and removes trace metals from essential organs, and is gentle as well. Because it contains chlorella, it can also remove mercury toxins, which few body cleanses can do (i.e. your homemade lemon juice and cayenne cannot remove the trace heavy metals).  If I had cancer, I would be detoxing every month, especially because of the effects of traditional cancer treatment.

For a healthful life it would seem all of the recommendations above would be beneficial life practices to incorporate for a lifestyle of wellness. I always recommend taking the road to renewed health, one step at a time.

To your health!
Rita S.