TriVita and Your Health

Many people are alive today because of antibiotics. And the lives of many people have been improved by the use of antibiotic medication. However, it is also important to understand that even appropriate use of antibiotics can damage your body.

Here are some steps you can take to repair your system following antibiotic use and how taking a prebiotic/probiotic supplement with each meal may help reduce the likelihood of future infections.

Weed, seed & feed

To improve any terrain it is often necessary to remove weeds and unwanted plants. The same is true in the human terrain: In extreme cases we may need to remove certain pathogenic (disease-producing) bacteria from our system in order to establish a baseline upon which to build a healthy immune system.

Once “weeds” in the form of disease-producing bacteria, parasites, yeasts and other microbes have been removed, the system needs to be “re-seeded” with probiotics. Probiotics are any of the 300 to 400 different bacteria that live inside us and promote health. Many of these have names you will recognize such as Lactobaccilus acidophilus.

Fermented foods carry many good bacteria with known health benefits. To encourage these health-producing bacteria to colonize (settle down and raise a family) they need to be fed regularly. Good bacteria thrive on healthy fiber and starches called prebiotics. A prebiotic is anything that supports the healthy growth of good bacteria. Examples of common foods rich in prebiotic fibers include okra, parsnips and artichokes.

Critical steps
People who vigorously apply the 10 Essentials have a reduced risk of infection. However, those who live an imbalanced life are more at risk or prone to infection; they are said to be in the “pool of susceptibility.” That is, they are susceptible to infection. To take oneself out of the pool of susceptibility we need to follow some simple steps:

1. Breathe deeply 20 minutes daily
2. Drink pure water: ½ your body weight in ounces
3. Sleep peacefully 7 ½ to 9 hours each night
4. Eat nutritious food: 5, 7 or 9 servings of fruit and vegetables daily
5. Enjoy activity for at least 30 minutes most days of the week
6. Cultivate healthy emotional and spiritual relationships
7. Seize your sense of purpose – your many purposes in life

If you are recovering from antibiotic use you may add prebiotic fiber and probiotic bacteria such as those found in Digestive Complex.

Caution needed

There is a dark side to antibiotic use: resistant strains of bacteria. Antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria develop when antibiotics are over-used or improperly used. Antibiotic-resistant microbes colonize and serve as reservoirs of disease. Antibiotic-resistant tuberculosis, pneumonia and meningitis epidemics have killed thousands of people and threaten to kill millions more in the coming decades.

Dr. Jim Wilde, chief investigator of the misuse of antibiotics for the National Institutes of Health in concert with the Centers for Disease Control, states that many antibiotic prescriptions are unnecessary. This is because our own immune system can respond adequately to kill the infection and restore balance.

So, take yourself out of the pool of susceptibility by vigorously applying the 10 Essentials, eating foods rich in prebiotic fibers and taking probiotics as necessary.

Technorati Tags: antibiotics, digestive complex, Healthy Aging, Nopalea, nutritional supplements, prebiotic, probiotic, TriVita

You’ve probably heard the expression, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” This means that taking small actions now is better than doing nothing and then having to deal with a big problem later. This is especially important when it comes to your health because health disasters can be extraordinarily difficult to resolve.

With an infinite number of possible diseases how do you know which “ounce” of prevention is needed for your life? To start, ask yourself these questions:

1. What are the common behaviors that lead to disability and premature death?
2. What are my risks as an individual?
3. What strategies can I use to reduce my risk and improve my vitality?

Common (mis)behaviors
According to the National Center for Health Statistics, the most common causes of death in North America are:

• Cardiovascular disease
• Cancer
• Respiratory disease
• Accidents
• Diabetes

The most common reasons why people lose their vitality and eventually their lives, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association, include:

• Tobacco
• Poor diet
• Physical inactivity
• Alcohol
• Infections
• Toxins

From this you can see that tobacco, poor diet, physical inactivity as well as alcohol abuse can lead to disability and death from heart attack, cancer and lung diseases. So, we’ve just answered the first question and the first step in prevention would be:

• Don’t abuse tobacco or alcohol
• Do eat a healthy diet
• Engage in physical activity
• Take steps to protect yourself from infections and toxins.

Now, let’s look at question number 2.

What are your risks as an individual?
Your family can teach you much about your risk factors for disability and disease. You should pay special attention to your closest relatives: your parents, siblings, children and grandparents.

• How long did they live?
• What were their health challenges?
• How can I help avoid similar challenges?

Please see my article on Healthy Aging and indulge me as I share my own strategy which is based on my family’s personal history. My grandfather and great-grandfather died of congestive heart failure – so I add CoEnzyme Q-10 (CoQ-10) to my Healthy Aging nutrients. My father and aunt were Type “A” performance-driven people (like me!) and both developed Alzheimer’s disease. Considering this, I take Adaptogen 10 Plus mixed with Optima4 to help reduce the impact of stress while increasing brain-specific antioxidants.

What is your family history telling you? What nutrient strategies can you use to help reduce the likelihood of disease and disability? By assessing your health risks as an individual you can create a program to help you reduce these risks. I encourage you to call one of our Wellness Consultants at 1-800-991-7116 so they can suggest appropriate nutritional supplementation.

A strategy and motivation for everyone
Most of us know we need to care for our basic physical, emotional and spiritual needs and to look at our family histories for disease risk. So, coming up with the right health recommendations from these actions is usually not too big a problem.

However, there could be a big problem between “knowing what to do” versus actually doing it. If we are motivated by fear of suffering and death, we will practice prevention for awhile; but as the sense of disaster fades from our mind, we’re likely to lapse into a more “comfy” lifestyle and not maintain a preventive approach. A powerful alternative to the “fear” approach is to be motivated by our sense of purpose. This approach is much more likely to give us the greatest sustained motivation to act correctly, and thus increase the vitality and longevity of our lives.

A sense of purpose takes us away from a fear-based motivation to a desire-based motivation. With a purpose - based life, we certainly will not abuse our gift of health because that would interfere with our accomplishments. We will want to care for our health in every way we can.

To summarize, you can help improve and maintain your health by using:

• The 10 Essentials for Health and Wellness to create the physical, emotional and spiritual health you need for your many life purposes.
• Quality supplements to create the energy you need to succeed and as a bulwark against sickness.
• Use each moment of every day to fuel the fires of your own life purposes.

As Benjamin Franklin concluded, “Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that’s the stuff life is made of.” Start putting your ounce of prevention to work for you today!

To find out more about TriVita’s products including Nopalea, 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: alzheimer, antioxidants, common ailments, coq-10, Healthy Aging, nutrient strategies, optima4