TriVita and Your Health

Is this another claim for an Alzheimer’s Cure? No, it’s just the results of a scientific study.  I’ll give you the facts and you can judge the results for yourself.

These results were reported by Dr. Scott Conrad and they are from a 2008 British study conducted over a five year period involving 107 adults between the ages of 61 and 87.

If your life has ever been touched by this terribly debilitating disease, the memory loss, confusion and erosion of the mind and body is heartbreaking to witness. I stood helplessly by and watched my grandmother become a shadow. She was no longer with us, she was afraid and alone and there was nothing I could do. It broke my heart. That was almost 15 years ago and still there is no cure and the incidence of Alzheimer’s is growing at an alarming rate.

But, out of this study comes some encouraging news.  There are some hopeful steps being taken in the fight against Alzheimer’s, and one in particular involves Vitamin B-12. The small but significant study I mentioned in the first paragraph was conducted at the University of Oxford, England.

The study reached this dramatic conclusion, ‘People with lower levels of B-12 were six times more likely to have brain volume loss, also called brain erosion, than those with higher B-12 levels. Since brain erosion is one of the results of Alzheimer’s, the finding led researchers to suggest that B-12 may protect against brain erosion, which is linked to reduced mental function.

The question asked by the researchers was simple; ‘What’s the link between Vitamin B-12 levels and Brain Erosion?’  To find the answer, according to results published in the medical journal Neurology, participants underwent annual blood tests, MRIs, physical exams and memory tests. None of the study subjects had any mental impairment when they began the project.

Five years later and the results were in, all of the participants had B-12 levels in the normal range, however, the differences in brain volume was significant between those in the low end of the normal range and those in the high end of the normal range. Significant brain erosion was six times more likely for those with the low normal B-12 levels.

The medical community has known for some time that people with Vitamin B-12 deficiencies can experience symptoms caused by decreased mental and nerve functioning. These symptoms can include mental confusion, forgetfulness, mood swings and even psychotic behavior. What’s new here is the connection between Brain Volume, Vitamin B-12 and diseases like Alzheimer’s.

Good enough for me to sit up and take notice, how about you?

TriVita’s HCY Guard contains Vitamin B-12 and also helps to lower dangerous homocysteine levels, which also can often lead to dementia, Alzheimer’s and other grave conditions.

To find out more about TriVita’s products, go here or if you’d like to find out how you can earn an additional stream of income, call me on 856-264-7802.

Es Riggins
Independent TriVita Affiliate Member #13160615

Technorati Tags: "brain erosion", alzheimer, b-12, Dr. Scott Conrad, hcy, TriVita, Wellness

Many people shared the same complaint: fatigue. People feel tired. What are the reasons for the epidemic of fatigue? What are some strategies for coping with low energy? What mindset may help us change the course of relentless fatigue before it is too late?

The message of fatigue
Feeling tired is a communication sent by our body to our consciousness telling us we need to rest – just as hunger is the feeling we get when we need to eat. Learning to listen to these messages will help us achieve and maintain optimum health. Listening to fatigue by resting is at the heart of Essential #3: Sleep Peacefully. Typically, a good night’s sleep will erase fatigue (it may take several nights). Cultivating the habit of sleeping 7 ½ to 9 hours every night – depending on our level of fatigue – will ensure that we feel fresh at almost any time and also help us have a healthier immune system.

We especially need rest:

* If our immune system is fighting an infection or trying to balance itself in an autoimmune condition
* After an injury or exposure to a toxin from outside or inside our body
* If we have deficiencies of water, oxygen or certain nutrients such as Vitamin B-12
* When experiencing the overwhelming tiredness that comes with emotional distress

We experience chronic fatigue when resting doesn’t relieve our feelings of exhaustion. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is diagnosed when symptoms persist for more than six months. CFS is often a sign that we have pushed ourselves too hard for too long: we have been so deficient, so toxic and so stressed that we have collapsed our ability to cope with even daily demands. Our immune system and our nervous system are so damaged in CFS that they may take years to repair – if healing is even possible.

Coping strategies
We have a marvelous function inside us called homeostasis. This interesting word describes the struggle of maintaining balance. Just as an acrobat on the high wire appears to be still or motionless (stasis), our internal chemistry appears to be balanced every single moment of every single day with amazing consistency. We can’t see the effort the acrobat must contribute to maintain balance but we know intuitively that it must be extreme. Now, imagine the extra stress of wind, temperature, humidity, air quality, light and noise from the outside world. Next, imagine the added stress of low oxygen, dehydration, poor sleep, incomplete nutrition and lack of appropriate fitness. There are many, many elements trying to pull the acrobat off the wire just as there are many, many elements pulling you down as well. Homeostasis describes the extreme effort of your body, mind and spirit every moment to keep you balanced.

Fatigue is a sign of failure of the homeostasis mechanism. It is the message to stop what you are doing and attend to yourself for fear of falling off the high wire, so to speak. The 10 Essentials for Health and Wellness are the tools that put you back in balance. They combat fatigue and help you develop a rhythm of energy that can be sustained every day. Set a pace in life that can be maintained indefinitely. Nourish and nurture yourself with the 10 Essentials to support homeostasis and erase fatigue.

Change your mindset
The era we live in is called “post-industrial revolution.” It describes a cadence in life that is more appropriate for machines, not for humans. Machines don’t get tired – people do! If we are to hear the message of fatigue and respond appropriately, we simply must learn to listen as humans, not machines. We need to resist many of the stresses of modern life. We need to embrace the mindset that people are more important than things.

People matter! Learn the rules of nourishment and nurturing that govern human health and place these as a priority in your daily life. Make sure you are cared for first and then you will be in a position to care for all of your duties, responsibilities, obligations and commitments. Learn to listen to the message of fatigue before you run out of energy. Value the amazing gift of homeostasis by living a life of balance.

This change of mindset is the first step to erasing fatigue.

To find out more about TriVita’s products, go here or if you’d like to find out how you can earn an additional stream of income, call me on 856-264-7802.

Es Riggins
Independent TriVita Affiliate Member #13160615

Technorati Tags: adaptogen, cfs, chronic fatigue, energy, fatigue, Nopalea, optimum health, sleep, sublingual b-12, Wellness

Vision is freedom. With good eyesight our world abounds with endless opportunities. With diminished or lost eyesight our world must get smaller as we rely on other senses and other people for mobility. No one can truly understand how much we rely on our vision until they are deprived of this precious gift.

Protection: The first step
Nourishing vision that will last a lifetime requires a combination of nutrients from within our body, and barrier protection from irritants outside our body. The most important of exterior protection is protective eyewear. Glasses, goggles and face shields provide barrier protection from injuries, toxins and poisons, sun and wind (select lenses or coatings that offer both UV-A and UV-B light filters).

Protecting our vision from the inside requires:

* Appropriate hydration (water) – We should calculate our body weight, cut that number in half and convert this final number into ounces of water we will consume every day. I weigh about 190 pounds. Half that number is 95. So, 95 represents the number of ounces of water I should drink every day for good vision.

* Intense nutrition – Nutrients must include vision-specific antioxidants such as lutein and zeaxanthin. Other nutrients may be added depending on specific needs. For example, poor night vision responds well to anthocyanins – nutrients found in berries such as bilberries and schizandra berries. As the ancient physician Maimonides once said, “To heal an eye you must heal the head and even the entire body.” In keeping with this ancient wisdom, we need Healthy Aging nutrients as a foundation for eye health and a healthy body.

* Sleep – Is sleep really that important for healthy vision? Yes! Your eyes heal from all the stress and strain of the day. Also, as with any other body system, your eyes run on the nutrients mentioned above. These nutrients accumulate at a slow rate and are expended at a fast rate. Sleeping allows nutrients to accumulate so you can awaken with bright eyes! This is the reason I suggest taking TriVita’s VisionGuard™ at bedtime.

Maintenance and prevention

Imagine for a moment that you have perfect 20/20 vision (you see objects 20 feet away from you as if they are actually 20 feet away). You have no family history of vision problems at all. You drink enough water, get enough rest, take the appropriate nutrients and employ the best eye protection. Should you still get your vision tested? Yes, you absolutely should!

A healthy person should get their vision and eye health tested every decade of their life until they reach age 40. As you enter your 40s you should have your vision tested about every two years. This is appropriate maintenance.

If yours is not the fairy-tale world described above, then a solid, aggressive program of prevention is essential to help protect against these common eye conditions:

* Presbyopia is the inability to focus and clearly see objects that are within reading distance or closer. See a skilled optometrist for eye exercises which can help prevent or treat it.

* Cataracts form when the outside of the eye is damaged. Protect your eyes from smoke, injury and UV-light rays with appropriate eyewear and by simply staying away from dirty air. Insulate them from within with antioxidants known to slow the progression of cataracts. Hydroxytyrosol is a good example of a protective antioxidant, and it is contained in VisionGuard.

* Glaucoma occurs when pressure builds up inside the eyes and distresses the optic nerve. If the nerve dies, your vision dies. Get regular eye-pressure tests to detect glaucoma and use nutrients that encourage normal pressure in your eyes such as Vitamin C and Alpha Lipoic Acid. Remember, glaucoma is a medical emergency and you must seek out the very best medical care to preserve your vision.

* Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of blindness in North America. The eyes simply wear out. Some of the premature aging of the eyes in AMD is because of poor interaction with genetics. For example, a person with a family history of AMD should take better care of their eyes than a person without that family history. They should apply these recommendations more aggressively instead of accepting vision loss without a fight!

The most common contributors to AMD are overuse and undernourishment of the eyes. Many people with AMD are exposed to environmental factors such as the bright lights of a welding torch. Again, aggressive protection can delay vision loss from external sources while appropriate water intake, sleep and nutrition can increase the health of the eyes.

Conclusion

Healthy vision means freedom. Being aware of the little things – and the big things – you can do every day to guard your vision is a step toward ensuring you have the mobility you need to meet the many purposes in your life!

Take Control of Your Health

* Use protective eyewear
o UV-A and UV-B filters
o Goggles and face shield with toxins or particulates
* Nourish your eyes
o Drink pure water
o Sleep peacefully
o Take “vision-specific” antioxidants, as found in VisionGuard
o Use Healthy Aging supplements every day

To find out more about TriVita’s products, go here or if you’d like to find out how you can earn an additional stream of income, call me on 856-264-7802.

Es Riggins
Independent TriVita Affiliate Member #13160615

Technorati Tags: amd, cataracts, eyesight, glaucoma, nutrition, presbyopia, vision