This is a Bad News & Good News Story
This is a BIG topic and a long page – but it's worth your time. The education found at the top of this page, is the Bad News. While seemingly negative, it is a reality we can no longer ignore. Learning more about the reality of today's stress load on our health could dramatically change your daily habits and choices and thus positively impact your current and future health picture.
The bottom line is there's no avoiding toxins today and our body needs extra support over and above a healthy diet… please take the time to learn more… because the Good News is at the bottom half of the page. The fact is, you CAN make a difference in supporting your body to neutralise and minimise the impact of the stressors of the 21st Century
Let us help you take action!
The Bad News…
*Toxins in Our Environment
Without exception, every North American now has in his or her tissues 300-500 known toxins that were not in existence before 1940. So, where has all the poison come from? Shortages of natural materials during WWII prompted the creation of synthetic chemicals. For example, scientists developed nylon when they ran out of silk for parachutes. Natural rubber ran in short supply, so they developed synthetic rubber. A shortage of butter produced oleomargarine. Plastics were developed during this time period.
As a result… – Toxins are everywhere.
The problem is not confined to North America, although the studies have been done in the USA and Canada. Because of the nature of wind, rain and weather, we know that the entire planet is surrounded with toxins. Almost every known toxin and farm pesticide on the planet can be found in places as remote as the North Pole. Scientists doing studies there drilled through the polar ice cap, sank a camera through the pole, and found nearly a foot of brownish greenish goop that, similar to many industrial chemicals, refused to freeze. Contained in the muck were DDT, dioxin, and PCB’s as well as hundreds of other chemicals. Ours is a closed eco-system….which we cannot escape.
Toxins in Our Homes
Measurable levels of toxins are 5 times higher in our homes than they are outdoors. The February 1998 issue of Scientific American stated that indoor toxins are 3-5 times more dangerous than those found outdoors.
If you can’t pronounce it, you probably shouldn’t be putting it into or next to your body!
- Of 178 homes tested, all had 8 pesticides and 11 other poisons in the carpet. Lead and aluminum were also found. Most of this is tracked into the house on shoes/feet. Simply placing a carpet outside, or taking one’s shoes off at the front door dropped the exposure factor by a level of 6.
- Levels were high enough in all 178 homes to trigger a federal investigation, had they been federally funded sites.
- Infants get up to 100 milligrams of personal toxic dust from carpets daily. This is five times higher than what they pick up from outdoors. At the same time, we are seeing an appalling rise in childhood diseases.
- DDT has been illegal in the USA and Canada for the last 25+ years. However, the law neglected to make it illegal to make DDT. The USA is its chief manufacturer and we sell it to nearly every country in the world. We then purchase fruits and vegetables from countries where it is perfectly legal to spray it, hmmmmm….. Another study found that 90 of 362 homes tested positive for DDT indoors.
Toxins in Your Tap Water
It is estimated that 90% of all pharmaceutical drugs ingested are not metabolized, and leave the body in urine or feces.
- Pharmaceutical drugs are now showing up in our tap and ground water!!! The first drug was found by accident. Scientists doing their routine tap water tests for pesticides in Berlin, Germany, found Clofibric Acid, a cholesterol-lowering drug. The instruments that found it were calibrated to identify pesticides!!… The scientists did not recognize the pattern, so they took it to a toxicology lab, which readily identified it.
- Many other drugs have since been found in our wells and ground water: – Lipid lowering drugs – Analgesics – Chemotherapeutic drugs – Antibiotics – Hormones = 2E..Just to name a few. A summary article on 100 cities found identical results (Chemosphere, January1998).
- Acceptable levels of chemicals and pollutants are a lot lower than you have been told. High acceptable levels are allowed because no one knows how to solve the problem. "The amount of estrogen needed to feminize a human embryo, essentially turning a baby boy into a baby girl, is the same ratio as one drop of gin in 700 railway cars of tonic water. ", Orlando Sentinel 2/98
- Breast reduction surgery is at a peak in teenage and young adult males.
- Male fertility has significantly decreased in the last 20 years.
No filtering system on the market today removes pharmaceutical drugs from drinking water – none!!!
Climbing Health Statistics:
- ALL degenerative diseases are on the rise.
- Disease is regularly occurring at younger ages.
- Infants and children are contracting catastrophic illnesses at increasing rates.
- In the last 20 years, in spite of billions of dollars spent on research, cancer has moved from the number 8 killer of Americans to the number 2 killer.
- In 1900, 5% of the US population died of heart disease, cancer, or diabetes. Today, 95% of us will die from any combination of these causes. Do we really want to just keep doing what 95% of us are doing?
The Good News
How to Thrive: Support Through Nutraceutical Supplementation
We live in extraordinary times. Our bodies and our health require extraordinary support.
Aside from integrating as many of the lifestyle changes recommended in this site's Top 10 Tips for Wellness as you can, Step ONE is to understand that everyone needs additional nutritional support, over and above great dietary choices, every day, regardless of how healthy he or she feels.
We can’t escape the exposure, but we can protect ourselves as much as possible.
Food is Becoming Less Nutrient Dense
So much so, there is now fully documented sub-clinical malnutrition – it's called:
*The New Hidden Hunger
*Source: *NewsBlaze.com, September 25, 2010; †The Hidden Hunger, By Nicholas D. Kristof, The New York Times, May 23, 2009
First, Why You Must Have a Strong Immune System
There is NO nutrient which combats a disease… having said that, it's common sense that we need to give our immune systems the best fighting chance in this modern world of spiralling decline in wellness.
Every year over 500,000 women feel fine before being diagnosed with breast cancer. Over 40,000 of these women die in the US alone every year. Many women have gone to their doctors saying, "This can’t be happening to me – I feel fine!"
Michael Landon was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. On his last appearance on the "Johnny Carson Show", he looked fabulous! His body fat composition was minimal. He looked like a chiseled athlete. Confidently facing the cameras, he stated, "I have never looked or felt better. I know I’m going to beat this cancer"…in three months he was dead.
You feel fine when your girlfriend embraces you, covering you with flu virus. Your body needs nutritional support every day, before the exposure, no matter how fine you feel.
According to the AMA, (American Medical Association), every US male who lives to age 90 has a 100% probability of getting prostate cancer.
In the 1340?s the Bubonic Plague – a simple bacteria – took 2 months to cross Europe, killing approximately half the population. Given the sanitary conditions of Europe in the 1300?s it is certain that the other half of the population also had the Plague, yet they survived.
Why? Their own immune systems were strong enough to protect their lives.
What if a medication resistant organism got loose in today’s world of jet travel? Scientists have already discovered a medication resistant strain of Bubonic Plague in Switzerland, and managed to isolate it…this time.
The numbers of medication resistant bacteria are on the rise. At St. George Medical School in London England, they were barely able to contain a new mutated bacteria that actually eats the most powerful antibiotics as food. Bacteria become resistant when they are exposed to just enough antibiotic to annoy them but not kill them. First they become stronger, and if the exposure continues, they begin to welcome the drug as food.
The article: "The Flu Hunters" published in Time Magazine, Feb.1998, states that we are overdue for a worldwide flu pandemic. The last one was the Spanish Flu in 1918, which killed about 25-30 million people. The next pandemic is expected to kill at least 60 million people. How will your immune system respond?
Scientists in June of 1998 warned that Hepatitis C would become the next epidemic. It is now happening.
"Time Magazine" in a 1999 article titled: "The Killer Germ" warned of a new strain of E-Coli that is very resistant to medications, and which even feeds on antibiotics. In August 2000, a strain of medication resistant E-Coli got loose in Ontario, Canada, and killed those whose immune systems could not handle the threat. Your OWN immune system is your only real hope!
One of the most important new nutritional supplement discoveries, which I call an 'immune tonic', is glyconutrients – we dedicate a whole section of our site to highlight it's importance – check it out here: Nutrition's Missing Link.
Second, Why You Need Antioxidant Support
Oxidation on metal is called rust. Oxidative stress in the body is rusting in the cell, which injures or destroys it. Vitamins A, C, and E are known antioxidants. Selenium, zinc and coenzyme Q10 are antioxidant catalysts. Antioxidants from phytochemicals (naturally occurring plant chemicals in fresh vine-ripened fruits and vegetables) are exceedingly more potent. While antioxidants support your body from outside the cell membrane, phytochemicals greatly increase the production of glutathione, the body’s own antioxidant, which protects and cleanses within the cell itself.
The Cancer Research Center states that those who eat 8 servings of fresh "VINE-RIPENED" fruits and vegetables per day have a better chance of supporting your body's internal resources. Do you eat at least 8 different servings of VINE-RIPENED fruits and vegetables daily? Statistically you would not – US surveys show only 25% of people surveyed eat 3 servings of fruit/veg per day… Australian surveys say less than 10% – now that's a frightening fact!
In addition, as mentioned, fruits and vegetables must be vine ripened to contain maximum amounts of phytochemicals. Tyupically, your local supermarket sells produce that has been harvested roughly 10 days early to accommodate 3 days transit time and 7 days shelf life…. not to mention growing reports of several months of cold storage for some foods. Can you imagine the nutrient levels sustaining that length of time?
It is obvious from this information that people do not receive enough antioxidants in their diet. While we should continue striving to eat more fruits and vegetables, it is also a good idea to take antioxidant supplements. While our lifestyle and dietary choices are crucial and foundational, in this hurried world where accessibility, time and convenience are major determinants in our consumption (or lack thereof) of antioxidant-rich foods, food-based supplements play a positive role.
Third, Why You Need Vitamins & Minerals
The amount of each vitamin that we need each day is not large compared to other nutrients in the diet, but they are very important.
The Benefits? Your body needs vitamins because they fill a host of roles, such as keeping your vital systems working smoothly, 'catalysting' and 'supporting' normal cell functions, enhancing your response to infection & disease and promoting growth and development. Any long term deficiency in our vitamin intake, can lead to a weakened immune system, metabolic dystfunction, fatigue, muscle pain, reproductive problems, lowered immune function and greater susceptibility to disease.
Most vitamin & mineral supplements are synthetically derived (vitamins) and sourced from rocks (minerals). Emerging data not only questions the efficacy, but also the safety of these synthetic supplements,particularly the high does vitamins.
The most modern science in the vitamin & mineral supplement world is food-based…. There were some very clever scientists who came up with the bright idea of growing plants in hydroponic bays nourished by minerals so that the plants would incorporate the minerals into their leaf matrix. The plants would then provide a source of real-food minerals as opposed to rocks. WOW!
Plants know how to pull minerals from soil so that when a plant is consumed by humans or animals, they derive minerals the way their bodies were actually designed to. Our vitamin & mineral product is as close to consuming highly nutrient-rich plant food as you can possibly obtain in a dietary supplement. Get Yours Now – Contact Us
Fourth, Why You Need Endocrine Support
Anyone who is breathing is under stress. Physical, chemical or emotional stress places extra demands on your glands. The adrenal glands help us handle stress. They are about the size of a ripe strawberry, and sit atop the kidneys.
Hypoadrenia is low adrenal function and occurs when the adrenal glands cannot keep up with continual stress and increasing demands… it's even hit the mainstream media news in recent weeks! It affects more people and areas of health than any other gland. Almost nothing is taught about it in medical school because no drugs exist to address the problem.
Supporting this glandular system of the body, assists the body in having a 'happy hormonal' system… Can't you imagine EVERYONE wanting that??!!
Fifth, Why You Need Essential Fats
**Omega-3 supplements are the second most commonly used natural product by adults, following only multivitamin/mineral products.1 If you are not already taking an omega-3 supplement, here are the reasons why you should start adding them to your healthy daily diet.
- Omega-3s are essential to our diet. Just like vitamins and minerals, the human body must obtain omega-3 fatty acids through food. Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) is an omega-3 found in flax seed, walnuts, canola, soy bean and dark green leaves. ALA can be converted in the body to the body's usable EPA & DHA, but due to this being a rather inefficient process, it is often recommended that EPA and DHA be consumed directly from food sources such as fish or fish oil supplements.
- Purified fish oil is a safe way to supplement the diet. Some large, cold-water fish that are high in EPA and DHA, such as salmon, may also have high amounts of pollutants (heavy metals, pesticides and industrial toxins). Therefore, it is important to look for fish oil products that have undergone rigorous purification steps to minimize these contaminants.
- Omega-3s promote cardiovascular health and much more. Besides being important for promoting a healthy heart and cardiovascular system, EPA and DHA have been shown to provide benefits to brain health and development, regulate certain aspects of immune system function and contribute to increased longevity.
So how much omega-3 do you need to maintain optimal health? International experts suggest that adults should aim to achieve an average daily intake of at least 650 mg of EPA and DHA combined, with at least 220 mg of each.
Be proactive about your health, and join the growing population of consumers who understand the many health benefits that come from daily consumption of omega-3 fatty acids today.
(**adapted from an article by Dr Erika Nelson PhD)
Sixth, Why You Need Probiotic Support
Many of us underestimate the important role our gastrointestinal tract plays in our overall health. There has been an explosion of scientific interest in this area—research made possible with the development of creative tools that can explore the inhospitable territory of our intestinal track.
The emerging science is uncovering the exquisitely complex symbiotic relationship that we share with these microorganisms. The benefit for them, of course, is a nice, warm, safe place to live! And what do we gain? We’re learning that these gut bacteria do a lot more than their long-acknowledged tasks of assisting with digestion. Their functions are much more sophisticated: producing hormones that direct fat storage; regulating intestinal physiology, development and function; “training” the immune system, and preventing the growth of harmful, pathogenic bacteria. In addition, gut microbial ecosystems can be disturbed by antibiotics, are associated with changes in body weight and correlated with blood glucose levels.
Many of the challenges we've outline on this page so far are known to significantly lower our gut bacteria not only in it's viability but in sheer numbers. Bottom line is a modern world is very tough on our friendly bacteria… deadly in fact!
Not only have glyconutrients been shown to support healthy gut bacteria and should be part of your bowel health regime, but probiotics (or synbiotics) are foundational as well.
Personal Responsibility
As our environment becomes increasingly toxic and rates of all diseases dramatically increase, it becomes imperative to add quality nutrient concentrates to your diet over and above the best you can do with dietary choices. It is now possible to ensure immune support, antioxidant support, glandular support and metabolic support through nutritional (nutraceutical) supplementation.
See our Top Tips for Wellness for more ideas on what steps you can take today to support your health and enhance your wellness.
to Contact Us to get started today on supporting your body through 21st Century Stressors & Challenges.
*Adapted in part from paper by Dr Steve Nugent PhD, ND