Why Pure Encapsulations?
Our practice promotes the concept of an anti-inflammatory lifestyle. Inflammation is the mechanism by which health turns to dysfunction and dysfunction turns to disease. Supplements which help lower levels of inflammation constitute one of the five Pillars of Health (along with proper diet, exercise, sleep, and stress management). Pure Encapsulations manufactures the best and most comprehensive line of pharmaceutical grade supplements to support an anti-inflammatory lifestyle. All their products are hypoallergenic and contain absolutely no hidden fillers, coatings, artificial colors or other excipients that would compromise the bioavailability of the ingredients. Additionally, their products are non-GMO, always free of wheat, gluten, preservatives, trans-fats, and hydrogenated oils. Pure Encapsulations is NSF-GMP registered in the U.S. and exceeds the standards of the United States Pharmacopeia (USP). Distributed worldwide, Pure Encapsulations products contain the highest quality ingredients in their most bioavailable forms and are formulated to provide strengths and dosing consistent with clinical experience and double-blind, placebo-controlled studies, the gold standard of research design. All of their products are manufactured in Sudbury, Massachusetts. Each piece of equipment in their laboratory is dismantled and sterilized before each production run, and all manufacturing takes place in temperature, humidity and dust controlled rooms. Because of the purity and quality of the ingredients used, clinical effectiveness can often be achieved using lower doses that needed using food grade supplements from health food stores and supermarkets. Lower dosing means less cost and we often find that our patients actually save money by leaving behind inferior products and moving up to the pharmaceutical grade products we carry, including those from Pure Encapsulations.
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Since entering chiropractic college in 1984, I have been engaged in an ongoing process of developing and refining my own theory of health which is based on the concepts of function and well-being. When the systems of the body are functioning at their highest capacity and a presiding sense of satisfaction and well-being describes one’s condition of mind, a state of optimal health has been attained. When any of the body’s systems are functioning at very low capacity (or has ceased to function at all) there is disease. But in-between these extremes lie infinite variations in the level of physiological function and well-being, infinite degrees of health. Health, in my perspective, is something best understood not in dualistic terms ('sick' or 'healthy'), but as a continuum.
The optimal conditions for health seem to include: low or manageable stress levels, relatively low body fat percentage (under 15% for men, under 20-25% for women, depending on body type), good energy, sound sleep, effortless digestion, clarity of mind, habits of healthy eating and exercise, and the strength and endurance to be able to perform life’s tasks and activities easily and well. When one is at a high level of function a degree of good health is evident. But how many of us can say that their stress levels are truly as low as we need them to be? How many of us feel tired a lot of the time? Are healthy eating and exercise your daily habits? How about your waistline? When our lives become too busy for us to ever feel caught-up with our obligations, when we realize that it has been months or years since we engaged in regular exercise or physical play, when a truly great night’s sleep is an exception rather than the rule, when we find ourselves choosing the elevator over the stairs just to go up one or two flights, something has gone wrong. We may not have a diagnosable disease, but our level of function and well-being (our health) has been diminished. We live in a society in which healthcare represents nearly one fifth of our Gross Domestic Product. Last year, more than 300 billion dollars were spent on the diagnosis and care of patients in American hospitals and clinics, and hundreds of billions more went to fill the coffers of insurance companies. We spend more money on health care than any other nation in the world, grossly and per capita. But healthcare is not the same thing as health, and by many meaningful benchmarks, our supremely costly healthcare system has not delivered supreme health to the American people. In terms of prevalence of chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, obesity, infant mortality, and longevity we are ranked near the middle or in the bottom half among industrialized nations, and have even begun to lag behind many poor, underdeveloped countries.
Perhaps the most important metric is HALE (Healthy Life Expectancy), which measures the average life expectancy of a population. In 2008, the World Health Organization ranked the United States 27th among industrialized nations on the HALE metric (25 countries make up what is often called the “First World” of industrialized nations). We are living significantly less long than people in countries with socialized medical systems (such as Spain, Italy, Canada, the U.K., France, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Belgium), or people in countries whose healthcare systems are far less technologically advanced than our own (such as Greece, Malta, Singapore, and Andorra). One thing these data make clear is that our costlier, technology-driven healthcare is not correlated with better health. Part 9: Supplements
All supplements are not created equal. At our Chiropractic Office, we offer the highest quality products available. All of our formulations are pharmaceutical grade and we believe the O-Cha green tea products to be the highest grade of green tea in the world. As mentioned above, buying the best products are sometimes but not always essential. Omega-3 Fatty acids come from fish, and as such, in their raw state contain many of the toxins that are unfortunately found in polluted waters. While Food Grade fish oils have often had most or all of the mercury removed they still contain PCBs, Dioxin, and other poisons which, when taken over long periods of time, can lead to serious toxicity. Similarly, collagen, which is derived from chicken cartilage, must be processed using the strictest standards for cleanliness, purity, and consistency. Green tea, while not dangerous in its lower quality forms, is also not particularly useful once it has dried out in teabags and sat on a shelf for weeks, months, or years. The phytonutrients in green tea, including their unique catechins (such as EGCG) with their powerful anti-oxidant and cancer-protective qualities, are destroyed by prolonged exposure to air and light. Chiran Sencha green tea, from O-Cha, picked from first harvests in the nutrient-dense soil of Japan’s Kagoshima Prefecture and vacuum sealed right away, is one of the best, most phytonutrient-dense teas available. From the moistness of the leaves to the bright green color and rich, buttery flavor of the tea, you will notice a striking difference between this product and others you may have bought in supermarkets or tea shops. Vitamins are another story. Big-name suppliers of multivitamins do a good job with respect to safety, purity, and reliability, and generally cost less than a pharmaceutical-grade product such as PureFood Nutrients. The benefit of the PureFood product has to do with the way it is made, the particular combination of nutrients, and the addition of essential extracts from the superfoods: blueberries, broccoli kelp, kale, cranberries, turmeric, and tomatoes. As stated above, this supplement starts with organic whole foods, the nutrients of which are isolated and then acted on by special microorganisms to dramatically increase their potency and bioavailability. We carry PureFood Nutrients because it is simply a superior product. Please feel free to discuss any of our products with Yuki at the front desk, or to direct any questions to us at: [email protected] We cite the following articles for our Supplemnt series: (1) Radimer K, Bindewald B, Hughes J, et al. Dietary supplement use by US adults: data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1999–2000. American Journal of Epidemiology. 2004;160(4):339–349.) (2) Davis DR, Epp MD, Riordan HD. Changes in USDA food composition data for 43 garden crops, 1950 to 1999. J Am Coll Nutr. 2004 Dec;23(6):669-82. (3)Hollick MF, Chen TC. Vitamin D deficiency; a worldwide problem with health consequences. Am J Clin Nutr. 2008 Apr; 87(4):1080S-6S. (4) Tracy MJ (2003). “Ch.4: CoenzymeQ10 (Ubiquinone, Ubidecarenone).” Dietary supplements: toxicology and clinical pharmacology. Humana Press. pp. 53-85 Part 6 : supplements
There are three scenarios in which nutritional supplementation make sense. They are as follows: 1. Supplementation to make up for dietary deficiency. 2. Supplementation to restore important factors which have been lost as a result of bleeding or disease. 3. Supplementation with substances proven to move us along the health Continuum in the direction of optimal function and well-being. 1) Dietary deficiency: The first scenario, dietary deficiency, was the original concept behind nutritional supplementation, and the rationale for it is valid today, even though the incidence of true deficiency-induced disease is less prevalent. During the great depression vitamin and mineral deficiencies were so common that the federal government created the cartoon ‘Popeye’ to promote the idea of eating more spinach to deal with reports of nearly epidemic levels of iron deficiency among underprivileged children. (Interestingly, the choice to promote spinach was based on a typo in one of the premiere nutritional textbooks of that time which grossly overvalued the amount of iron contained in spinach!) Until the middle of the last century, clinical deficiency states like Rickets (softening of the bones due to deficiencies in Vitamin D and calcium), and Scurvy (skin and mucous membrane degeneration due to lack of Vitamin C), were fairly common in medical practice. Today, these gross clinical deficiency states are rare. What we see more commonly in modern practice are sub-clinical deficiencies in many of the important vitamins and minerals needed for adequate health, due in large part to lifestyle and farming practices as described earlier. The most common deficiencies are in B vitamins, iodine, iron, Vitamin A, zinc, copper, selenium, chromium, and Vitamin D. For those whose diets are less than ideal, a good quality multivitamin/mineral formula containing these essential nutrients makes sense. Of all the major vitamins and minerals, perhaps the most clinically relevant today is Vitamin D, which has come to the attention of doctors due to numerous, rather startling reports since 2000, revealing that as many as 80-90% of Americans may be at least sub-clinically deficient in this essential substance. In one key study in 2008, in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vitamin D deficiency was recognized as a worldwide pandemic.(3) Vitamin D is not technically a vitamin; it is a steroid compound manufactured in the skin upon exposure to sunlight, and then processed (first in the liver, then further in the kidneys and by the immune system) into a hormone called calcitriol. Calcitriol is essential to the formation (in children) and the maintenance (in adults) of strong, healthy bones. It is also essential to immune function and acts as a major anti-inflammatory. It is believed that sun-avoidance and the increased use of sunblock have contributed to the reported widespread deficiency, but stress hormones also act to inhibit the production of Vitamin D, and this is undoubtedly playing a role as well. Natural dietary sources of Vitamin D include fatty fishes, mushrooms, and meat. In addition, many of our staple foods such as milk, flour, and margarine are routinely artificially fortified with D. However, as we have seen, despite widespread availability, the pandemic incidence of Vitamin D deficiency points to the need for supplementation in the vast majority of Americans. A simple blood test can settle the issue. Ask us about testing for Vitamin D or speak to your primary care provider about it. To address the issue of dietary deficiency we recommend Polyphenol Nutrients by Pure Encapsulations. This supplement starts with organic whole foods, the nutrients of which are isolated and then acted on by special microorganisms to dramatically increase their potency and bioavailability. PureFood Nutrients contains all the essential vitamins and trace minerals, including Vitamin D, as well as the anti-oxidants and phytonutrients from blueberries, broccoli kelp, kale, cranberries, turmeric, and tomatoes which have led to these special foods being designated as ‘superfoods’ by many of the world’s top experts in clinical nutrition. For those shown to have Vitamin D deficiency and those who choose not to take this multivatamin formulation, separate supplementation with Vitamin D is recommended. We recommend Bio-D-Mulsion Forte, by Biotics Research. This pharmaceutical grade formulation is a liquid emulsion of Vitamin D, delivering 2,000 i.u. in each tiny drop. I put it in yogurt, salad dressing, or you can just put a drop on your finger and lick it off. It has the mild flavor of sesame oil. 2) Supplementation for deficiency due to blood loss or illness: This second scenario is one in which deficiencies exist due to disease or other causes of blood loss. Malabsorption syndromes, genetic disorders, and the lack of appetite which accompanies both disease and some of the medicines used to treat disease, can all result in vitamin and mineral deficiency states. Heavy menstrual periods, ulcers, and hemorrhoids have all been known to cause sufficient blood loss to result in iron deficiency. A drop in hormone levels associated with menopause can interfere with production of Vitamin D and the ability to maintain strong bones resulting in osteopenia or osteoporosis. These are just some examples of conditions which require specific nutritional supplementation. Supplementation of this kind is meant as a form of specific therapy and must be diagnosed and carefully prescribed under the supervision of your doctor. All supplementation should be discussed with your doctor prior to beginning a regimen, but this is especially true when addressing issues surrounding disease and blood loss as supplementation may interfere with medicines being used to treat the condition. 3) Supplementation to improve function and move us in the direction of optimal health: This third scenario represents the newest and in many ways the most interesting and exciting area of supplementation. Increasing inflammation and diminishing circulation is thought to be the norm for people as we age, but is it inevitable? Can we slow this progression or even reverse it? And if so, which things move us in the right direction, toward better function and health? Most of us are well acquainted with the standard formula for improving health: cardiovascular exercise, weight loss, a clean diet, adequate rest, low levels of stress, and avoidance of cigarettes and other toxic addictive substances. But over the last few decades new information has come to light, adding both to our understanding of aging and to our arsenal of defense against what was once thought to be the inevitable slide down the Continuum in the direction of disease. What we now know is that certain substances can act to lower inflammation and improve circulation, in other words, to move us toward better health and longer lives. As we move from a paradigm of ‘catching’ a cold, to one of cellular stress leading to impaired and/or hyper-immune function resulting in viral illness, we begin to also see that lowering cellular stress through supplementation with Vitamin D can improve immune function and prevent illness. As we move from the concept of our aging parents ‘getting’ Alzheimer’s Disease, to one of progressively diminished circulation depriving the brain of adequate nutrition ultimately resulting over decades in an inflammatory brain disorder known as Alzheimer’s Disease, so we also begin to see the role for Omega-3 Fatty Acids (fish oil) in improving circulation, and of Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA), an extremely potent anti-oxidant that is both fat and water soluble and capable of crossing the blood-brain barrier to reduce inflammation in nerve and brain tissue. As we move away from the concept of a heart attack as a sudden event, and toward the more sophisticated understanding heart disease as progressive inflammation resulting in atherosclerotic plaques which diminish blood flow to the heart and other vital organs, so may we begin to grasp the importance of (again) Omega-3 Fatty Acids (fish oil) with their ability to lower inflammation thereby reducing cholesterol levels, and of Coenzyme Q-10 (Co-Q). Essential for production of cellular energy (ATP), Co-Q is found in the highest concentrations in heart, liver, and kidney cells, and deficiency of Co-Q has been linked to hypertension, heart disease, and heart failure. Studies have demonstrated slowing or reversal of atherosclerosis and lowering of blood pressure with the use of Co-Q (17 points drop in systolic pressure and 10 points drop in diastolic pressure). (4) Used as a prescription medicine in several European countries, Co-Q is available in the U.S. as a supplement. As we move from the concept of middle age weight gain as normal and inevitable to that of progressive adipose formation as the result of diets loaded in starch and sugar, we begin to see the role of Resveratrol as a potent anti-oxidant and for its unique ability to reduce inflammation by activating a gene which burns excess abdominal fat. As we move from the paradigm of ‘getting cancer’ to one of chronic cellular oxidative stress leading over time to an abnormal rate of cell division and eventually the development of malignancy, we begin to see the wisdom in high quality Green Tea with its unique catechins (especially EGCG) and their powerful anti-oxidant and cancer-protective qualities. Part 5 : Supplement series
The time may come in which proper diet sufficient for adequate health is the rule. But even then, adequate health does not mean optimal health. When a doctor tells a patient at an annual checkup that he or she is in perfect health, what this usually means is that, based upon routine evaluation including history, physical examination, urine and blood tests there is no evidence of any identifiable disease. But as information about health and medicine has been made increasingly available, the lay public has become more knowledgeable about issues such as aging, wellness, and fitness which are not addressed during routine medical evaluation. For a growing group of Americans, expectations are changing and the conception of health as the absence of identifiable disease has become antiquated and inadequate. An ever-increasingly educated and sophisticated patient population is demanding that health care shift from an almost exclusive focus on diagnosis and treatment of disease to a model which includes wellness and prevention. As we better understand how the body works, it is becoming clear that most diseases are not sudden events. Rather, they are the result of a gradual progression toward disease which takes place at the cellular level over a long period of time. Even seemingly sudden, catastrophic events like strokes and heart attacks are actually merely the final stages of incremental change, the product of progressively escalating inflammation and progressively diminishing circulation throughout the body. These conditions may exist for years before a diagnosis of disease can be made. Sedentary lifestyles, a steady bombardment of dietary toxins in the form of chemicals, acids, excessive sugars and starches in our food, emotional stress, weight gain, inadequate sleep, and other factors combine to create a condition of inflammation in our bodies. This inflammatory state causes blood vessels to constrict and tiny cracks and fissures to form along their inner linings, called the endothelium. The body produces cholesterol in response to these inflammatory changes which it uses to patch-over the cracks and fissures along the endothelium. These patch jobs, known as plaques, then reduce the area through which blood can flow, like the formation of rusty clogs inside pipes. This is known as atherosclerosis. As inflammation increases, circulation decreases through the development of atherosclerosis and this is how our vital body tissues become deprived of the nutrients necessary for proper function and good health. This is the basis of most disease: inflammation causing sclerosis and sclerosis leading to diminished circulation of essential nutrients to our cells. One might say that the function and health of our cells diminishes in direct relation to increasing inflammation and decreasing circulation, and also, inversely, that function and health improves in direct relation to lowering inflammation and improving circulation. As such, our health can be understood better not in terms of a static picture of the body in which we are either simply healthy or sick, but rather as a dynamic progression along a continuum, either in a positive direction toward optimal function and health, or in a negative direction, toward lesser function and disease. And within this paradigm of health as a Continuum, nutritional supplementation plays a unique role which extends beyond nutrition into the realm of therapy. Research over the last two decades has begun to bring into focus the vital importance of certain substances whose actions are essential for healing and restoration of endothelium and for reversing the common progression along the Continuum once thought to be simply an inevitable part of aging. Continue reading the next post in our supplement series: Putting it All Together; The Three Roles of Supplementation Part 8: Supplements
At this point you may be wondering, Where do I start? The answer is to first speak with your doctor and then start where you are comfortable. If you are taking medicines, email us or schedule an appointment with your doctor before starting any new supplements. If you are in generally good health, your doctor determines that there are no contraindications to your starting supplementation, and you are looking to do all that you can to move toward optimal health, getting started on the Big 8 (and possibly Vitamin D as well-get tested!) is a great idea. It’s what I have been doing for years. Short of that here are a few scenarios and recommended courses of supplementation. Remember to always consult with your doctor first before starting any new supplement or medicine: Scenario 1: I am interested in starting some supplements for anti-aging and improving my health, but I do not want to commit to a full regimen and I don’t want to spend a lot of money; I want the most benefit from the smallest investment: Polyphenol Nutrients from Pure Encapsulations (ensures all necessary vitamins and minerals) EPA/DHA Essentials from Pure Encapsulations (lowers cholesterol) Chiran Sencha Green Tea from O-Cha (EGCG for cancer protection) Scenario 2: I am interested in taking all supplements which aid in the goals of anti-aging and optimal health, but only if the data for those supplements is sufficient to offer reasonable certainty of its clinical effectiveness: Alpha Lipoic Acid from Pure Encapsulations (protects against inflammation of the brain) EPA/DHA Essentials from Pure Encapsulations (lowers cholesterol) Chiran Sencha Green Tea from O-Cha (EGCG for cancer protection) Bio-D-Mulsion Forte from Biotics Research (unless tested to have normal Vitamin D levels for anti-inflammation and improved immune function) CoQ-10 from Pure Encapsulations (reduces atherosclerosis and lowers blood pressure) Scenario 3: I am extremely interested in the concepts of optimal health and anti-aging, and am willing to take everything that makes sense in pursuit of those ends, but I am a female/I have had cancer/I have a strong family history of cancer: Alpha Lipoic Acid from Pure Encapsulations (protects against inflammation of the brain) EPA/DHA Essentials from Pure Encapsulations (lowers cholesterol) Chiran Sencha Green Tea from O-Cha (EGCG for cancer protection) Bio-D-Mulsion Forte from Biotics Research (unless tested to have normal Vitamin D levels for anti-inflammation and improved immune function) CoQ-10 from Pure Encapsulations (reduces atherosclerosis and lowers blood pressure) Polyphenol Nutrients from Pure Encapsulations (ensures all necessary vitamins and minerals) Niacitol from Pure Encapsulations (relaxes and opens blood vessels for improved circulation) Scenario 4: I am over 60 years of age and am not interested in anti-aging, but am worried about heart disease and osteoporosis: EPA/DHA Essentials from Pure Encapsulations (lowers cholesterol) OsteoBalance from Pure Encapsulations (provides calcium, magnesium, and Vitamin D, all in the correct ratios for maximum utilization and protection of bone integrity) CoQ-10 from Pure Encapsulations (reduces atherosclerosis and lowers blood pressure) Part 7: supplement series
In all, there are eight supplements which together form the best defense against the ravages of aging mediated by inflammation and diminished circulation. The following nutritional supplements have been shown to have significant physiological effects on the body, pushing us in the right direction along the Continuum, and as a group, I refer to them as the ‘Big 8,’ for the special role they play as part of an anti-aging strategy. With the exception of resveratrol, which I do not recommend for women, the ‘Big 8’ have nearly universal application, and I have been supplementing my own diet with these products for many years. They are as follow: 1. Omega-3 Fish Oils (EPA/DHA Essentials from Pure Encapsulations) 2. *Resveratrol (from Pure Encapsulations); see below for more information 3. Niacitol (a form of no-flush niacin from Pure Encapsulations) 4. Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA from Pure Encapsulations) 5. High quality green tea (our supplier in Japan is called O-cha. More about this in the final section and you can investigate this phenomenal source of the highest quality green tea in the world at www.o-cha.com) 6. *Collagen with hyaluronic acid (Collagen JS from Pure Encapsulations); see below for more information 7. Polyphenol Nutrients (from Pure Encapsulations) 8. CoQ-10 (from Pure Encapsulations) *Resveratrol is the most controversial of the Big 8, with claims made for its role as an anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer agent, and heart-protective agent, and for its use in blood sugar regulation and life extension. While promising data exist in mice, rats, and fish, sufficient studies on mammals have not yet been done. At this time, my best sense of resveratrol is that the data are so exciting and hold so much promise that it is worth including in the Big 8, but should be considered the most experimental of the group. Resveratrol should not be taken by persons with a personal or family history of breast cancer as studies have shown that breast cancer can be accelerated by supplementation with resveratrol. I do not recommend resveratrol to women or to any persons with a personal or family history of cancer. *Collagen and hyaluronic acid are the building blocks of connective tissues (skin, hair, nails, cartilage, ligaments, and tendons). Our ability to manufacture these substances slows as we age and stops completely some time after we reach the age of skeletal maturity. The elasticity and suppleness of the skin, hair, and joints of children and young adults are directly related to the presence of high levels of collagen and hyaluronic acid, while the progressive drying and cracking of these connective tissues as we age testifies to the loss of these substances. The scientific data for collagen/HA supplementation is insufficient to support their unqualified prescription. However, due to the extreme importance of supporting these (especially joint) structures, I have been taking the Pure Encapsulations formulation daily for more than a decade. In addition to the above, I also take Vitamin D (Bio-D-Mulsion Forte from Biotics Research). Despite being a triathlete who spends a lot of time in the sun, when I tested my own blood levels of Vitamin D, I was dangerously toward the lower end of the normal range. I attributed that to the use of sun-block, but part of the problem may also be that I have dramatically decreased the amount of meat that I eat. Rather than expose myself to more solar radiation, I decided to begin Vitamin D supplementation and have watched my levels climb over the last 2 years to the middle of the normal range. I am shooting for the top of the normal range as I recognize the essential role Vitamin D plays in anti-inflammation and immune function, as described above. Final Thoughts
As with everything lifestyle is a key factor in our ability to get good, restorative sleep. I talked a bit about stress which is the most common cause of sleep disturbance. But how we deal with stress has just as much impact on our ability to get good sleep as does the stress itself. Food, alcohol, cigarettes, television, computers and video games are among the most commonly used tools for stress management in modern society. After a long, difficult day we want to decompress and these things, each in their own way, serve as a diversion from the worries and problems of our lives. Unfortunately, these behaviors have a cost in terms of our health. And over time most people find that they tend to become less effective at relieving the stress we experience. This often leads to increasing the ‘dosage’ or combining them in various ways for greater impact: beer and snacking in front of the television, for example. Or smoking and drinking. Many of my patients mindlessly munch chips or candy while they surf the net. Over time these compound behaviours become habits–fixed elements of our lifestyles. And habits have consequences. Cellular stress, weight gain, nerve damage, and sleep disturbance are the inevitable results of chronic use of these stress management tools. It would be better to de-stress through exercise or participation in some sort of mind or soul-enriching activity such as meditation. But this is unrealistic for most of us, especially after we have given so much of our energy away at work or while taking care of the kids all day. What can we do? There is no simple answer to this question. No one formula fits into the lives or meets the needs of every person. But the general idea, I think, is to find a way to decompress which is constructive and health-raising, rather than destructive and health-diminishing, and then to practice this nightly until it becomes a habit. Once a habit is established it is fairly easy to maintain. In fact, once we create a behavioral habit, it is difficult not to do it! Those of who made the shift from being a non-exerciser to a habitual exerciser know what I mean when I say that, when I go a couple of days without any exercise my body actually craves it. I feel restless and anxious if I am sedentary for too long. Those of us who have made the shift from starch and sugar-based snack foods to vitamin-rich fruits and vegetables know what I mean when I say that sometimes when I am traveling and eating delicious exotic foods, what I actually crave is a bowl full of bright colored berries, or some dark-green broccoli sauteed in olive oil and garlic. The same can be said of a health pre-bedtime routine. My wife and I have developed one which works for us. Some of my patients have used this routine as a starting place for developing their own nightly ritual. Whether you like any or all of what we like is not the point. Have a look and get a sense for what we are doing and why we like it. Then try to imagine what would give you a similar benefit. In order for me to get my best rest, I need to wind down. I need to slow my mind, let go of my worries, and focus on something which helps me to feel good about myself and my life. Here’s what I do each night: 1) Soon after dinner I brush and floss my teeth to perfection. Having a clean mouth keeps me from wanting to snack again later in the evening. I have a small glass of mineral water and that is the last of anything liquid for the evening. 2) I change into the most comfortable clothes that I have. This changes based on the time of the year. 3) I spend 4 minutes using the Kore Power Trainer. One minute working on my left side, on minute on my front abs, one minute on my lower back, and one minute on my right side. This maintains my strong core muscles and gives me a feeling of satisfaction from having done something really good for myself. 4) My wife and I grab our stretch sticks and we stretch out to music. I like the music from my childhood: classic rock, Miles Davis, or sometimes something more quiet, like a Chopin nocturne. The idea is to play music which makes us feel good. Our stretch routine takes about 3-5 minutes. 5) We get into bed and read or watch a show. We do not watch news at night, nor do we watch movies or programs which show graphic violence. I am particularly sensitive to personal forms of violence, such as torture, and do not want any images of that kind in my mind when I am trying to fall asleep. We do not read the news or anything political before bed. I like books, my wife likes her iPad. But all electronics are turned off at least half an hour before it is time to go to sleep. 6) We are both busy and evening is our time to chat and re-connect. We leave potentially stressful topics for the daytime or, if they are pressing, we will try to talk about it after dinner, before we do our stretching. We have a rule that if either of us is feeling upset or too tired to focus during our evening chats, we can put whatever subject is being discussed on-hold until the next day. Sometimes I am simply too tired to do much talking. I talk a lot during the day as it is (don’t laugh too hard). So instead I read from a book that is mentally demanding but not something which stimulates my imagination too much. Late night reading for me is more about classics and non-fiction, rather than fast paced novels which grip my mind with plot twists and cliff-hangers. 7) Ear plugs are a must for me before my head goes down. I use wax plugs which block most of the noise but not so much that I would sleep through a hurricane (or my alarm). When we follow our routine, we both tend to sleep much better. During periods of sleep disturbance I take two Best-Rest capsules 30 minutes before sleep time and that almost always does the trick. When I go through patches of disturbed sleep, I use Best-Rest for one week at two capsules each night, then cut it to one capsule per night for 3 nights before stopping. Sometimes I’m good for many months, sometimes I find myself waking up unrefreshed or experiencing insomnia again a few weeks later. It is good to know that I have something that helps without any side-effects. I do not have to just tough it out and wait for my sleep to return to normal. Try to develop your own routine. Remember that without sufficient restorative sleep, we do not burn fat, heal wounds, fight disease, or function physically or mentally at our best. Sleep is one of the five pillars of health. Part 4: Supplement series Which supplements should I take? There are literally thousands of supplements on the market, one purported to satisfy virtually every human need and desire. Can’t sleep? Google insomnia and see how many supplements are available to help you get to bed. Going bald? Anxious? Overweight? Underweight? Memory problems? Stiff joints? Achy muscles? Depressed? For any human problem there exists a solution in the form a supplement for which there is often no scientific evidence to support the manufacturer’s claim. By contrast, there are a small group of supplements for which adequate research has been conducted demonstrating both safety and efficacy to a sufficient degree to enable doctors to prescribe them. When a supplement has been shown to have clinical efficacy the next criterium I look at is the quality of the product. At our office we use mostly Pure Encapsulations products. In our experience, Pure Encapsulations manufactures the highest quality supplements on the market. They are NSF certified and GMP registered and their products are Pharmaceutical Grade, exceeding the standards of the United States Pharmacopeia (USP). All Pure Encapsulations supplements are manufactured in their own state-of-the-art plant in Massachusetts from the highest quality raw ingredients from the U.S., France, Japan, Switzerland, Germany, and Italy. All ingredients and final products are tested for purity and potency by independent certified laboratories. All capsules are hypoallergenic and vegetarian, and there are no added coatings, binders, shellacs, artificial flavors, sweeteners, colors, fragrance, or excipients. In short, we believe Pure Encapsulations to make the industry’s best products. Which specific supplements should you take? As you will find out in the next section, that depends on you. Keep reading... Before I recommend a supplement to a patient, I ask myself whether or not, in my patient’s situation, taking into account his or her medical condition, health goals, and financial means I would be willing to purchase that supplement for myself. Everyone is a little different and depending on one’s age, gender, lifestyle, medications, and current health status, what I would recommend to one person I might not recommend to another. That being said, there are a few special supplements which play a vital role in anti-aging and health promotion which have wide application. You may use the guidelines in my next post to get an idea of what might be right for you, but it is essential that you speak with your doctor prior to beginning any new therapy, including the handful of supplements which I use and recommend. Read Next: Beyond Nutrition; Health as a Level of Function: Supplements |
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