Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Inflammation and the Flu

As the cold and flu season is upon us, it's time to talk about its causes, and how we can protection our selves from having it effect our lives. Although it's something we cannot control, I believe there are measures we can take to decrease the impact the flu may have on our bodies.

I for one have always suggested preventative medicine as being the best medicine, like taking vitamin C at the first signs of the change in weather, if you're not taking it all year 'round. I'm also a huge proponent of a taking a daily multiple vitamin, something I have done ever since I could remember. I'm also a big advocate about the proper amount of sleep. The three items listed above, vitamin C, multiple vitamins, and sleep, I believe, can go a long way in protecting you from not only the flu, but other diseases as well.

Since I'm not a medical doctor or science professor, I'll leave the explanation of the proper way to protect your self from the flu up to TriVita's Chief Science Officer, Brazos Minshew.

Important Health News - Protect Yourself from the Flu
by Brazos Minshew, TriVita's Chief Science Officer

About this time of year many people ask me what they can do to prevent the flu or minimize its impact. That has never seemed more relevant than today; so, I will address this with the best science we have available today. I say "today's best science" because we simply don't know everything we need to know about preventing and treating the flu. And we need to remember that not all that long ago "current science" said that the earth was flat and diseases were caused by evils spells or dead ancestors.

Many people never get the flu - no matter which strain we are talking about. Do you? When you get the flu, are your symptoms severe? Are there high-risk people living with you? Then your preference for or against preventive measures must take them into consideration. (What if you got it and survived but transmitted it to them and they died? How would you feel?) In any case, 35,000-40,000 people in North America die of the flu each year. It is estimated that this number will double with H1N1.


Flu protection
There are three pathways you need to focus on with flu protection - any variety:

  • Transmission
  • Infection
  • Inflammation

Inflammation
We will begin at the ending: Inflammation from the immune system that incapacitates - even kills - people when they have the flu. MOST IMPORTANT: The flu kills people not by transmission or by infection, but by an inflammatory immune system response called the "cytokine storm."

Our immune system is designed to neutralize and excrete any non-self protein it finds. That includes the influenza virus. The size of the immune response needs to be equivalent to the strength of the invader.

Think of this as a building on fire: small fires are extinguished by local fire fighters. Some fires are so big that fire fighters from other departments have to be called in to help. So, fires are designated as "one-alarm," "two-alarm," "three-alarm," and so on. At a certain point, our immune system pulls all of the alarms and immune system fractions from all over our body rush to put out the fire, so to speak. However, this is a case of fighting fire with fire. Cytokines are inflammatory. They kill viruses and bacteria by creating inflammation.

The cytokine storm is responsible for all of the symptoms we feel: fever, body aches, nausea, diarrhea, etc. It is also responsible for filling the lungs with mucous (pneumonia/pneumonitis) which is often the fatal trigger in influenza, SARS, Hanta virus, bubonic plague, etc.

To survive we must modulate the cytokine storm so that it does its job but doesn't overwork and kill us. We make it work smarter, not harder. So we don't use Vitamin C or Echinacea or anything that "boosts" the immune system. We use immune system modulators so we get exactly the right response. Quercetin (Betalains in Nopalea are quercetin bioflavonoids), green tea polyphenols (found in Energy Now!) and ginseng (Panax and Eleutherococcus found in Adaptogen 10 Plus) all help balance the body's immune system and decrease the cytokine storm.

Infection
Prior to the cytokine storm is the infection stage of influenza. The virus infects the cell by matching a cell receptor called Hemagglutinin. Hemagglutinin (the "H" in H1N1) allows the virus to gain entry to the cell and mutate the cell DNA so it can breed an infection. It also allows the newly mutated DNA to be incorporated into surrounding cells and through cell lines. Hemagglutinin describes "infection" with the flu. Two powerful natural bulwarks of Hemagglutinin are green tea polyphenols and ginseng (Panax and Eleutherococcus) found in Super Sublingual B-12.

Transmission
Neuraminidase describes "transmission" of the flu where the virus disarms the immune system with an enzyme. This is the "N" in H1N1, H5N1. Neuraminidase inhibitors like Tamiflu limit the ability of the virus to transmit its DNA strands. Two strong natural Neuraminidase protectors are green tea polyphenols and quercetin (Betalains in Nopalea are quercetin bioflavonoids). It is likely that green tea polyphenols and quercetin will help your body do what it does best: resist infection. Think of them as the first line of defense to arm your immune system and help protect against the flu virus from disarming it. *** End of Article ***

To me, preventative medicine makes more sense and if vitamin C, multiple vitamins, or Nopalea can do one-half of what has been scientifically proven, I believe many people will be protected from the flu, not to mention living healthier and more active lives.

The flu can be extremely dangerous to your health. However, I believe, like so many others, that inflammation may even be more dangerous, because it is related, or the leading cause of so many diseases. And if we can continue to fight inflammation by drinking a product like Nopalea, I believe we can all live longer and healthier lives.

To learn more about fighting inflammation and Sonoran Bloom Nopalea™, click on the previous link.

Jeffrey Sloe
TriVita Independent Business Affiliate, 12871028
440-725-3729
jeff@internetmarketingadvisors.net
TriVita Products
Fight Inflammation

The above information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, cure, treat or prevent disease. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplements, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.

Friday, October 15, 2010

TriVita Home Business

Many "Work at Home" entrepreneurs are faced with a seemingly very difficult uphill battle. Why? Because there are so many cut-throat competitors, along with increasing advertising costs, and the average customer/distributor retention rate that has dropped down to an average of less than 3 months.

To successfully generate a full-time income, or even a residual income, from home, through a network marketing business model in the Internet age, can be like trying to fill a bucket that is full of holes. Trying to find the "perfect" networker, the one that understands the business, can be like finding a needle in a haystack. Most distributors (I've heard around 90%) are spending way more money than they'll ever make. OUCH! I believe the reason this happens is because of the outrageous claims many network marketers make about making a six-figure income, in a very short period of time, and without doing any work.

As people join a home based business opportunity, one made of those ridiculous promises, they get fed up and quit. The ones that do stick it out for a slightly longer period do so because they realize they have spent their hard earned money and would like to get some sort of return on their investment. However, they typically wind up quitting anyway because they found that no one is building their work at home business for them. And it takes a lot more time and effort than they were initially told.

Building a successful work at home business does take time and it does take hard work. But, it can be very rewarding if you just stick with it. I remember reading this one quote when I first got started in my network marketing business; "Never Give Up!" There is a lot of wisdom in that statement. If I would have given up years ago, I probably would not be writing this article today. And I would probably be saying, "what if." However, today it's a little different, because now I can say, "What if... I would have quit?"

I don't know of any work at home professional that like the high attrition rate in this industry. That's why I have fond a way to combat it, with customers. You see customers are the life-blood of any business, not just one you work from home. Customers, people spending money on products or services, are the people that keep your business going in the long term, not independent reps, or distributors. Yes, I know there is an attrition factor with customers, but it's not has high as it is with work at home wannabe's (distributors).

So, it you're tired of dealing with downline attrition and small commission checks, you need to build a business based on a large customer base, NOT a large distributor base. There is one company that follows that business model, TriVita. Yes, TriVita is the only work at home business you will find on Google that is built on customers, not distributors. Our business building group at Its Good Business knows this first hand. We have several individuals that are working full-time from home. Why? Because they have a strong customer base, people who are buying TriVita products.

More and more work at home business owners are turning away from the traditional "MLM" business model, in favor of an increasingly popular "customer based" TriVita business. If you'd like to learn more about a TriVita home business, give me a call, or visit our "TriVita" web site.

Jeffrey Sloe
440-725-3729
jeff@internetmarketingadvisors.net
Work at Home
Home Based Business
Web Prosperity System

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Omega Prime

I have been researching and writing articles about omega-3 essential fatty acids for some time now. Why? Because I have high cholesterol, and I wanted to find out if I could control it naturally by supplementing my diet with omega-3, and eating more foods high in essential fatty acids.

I was amazed at the information I found regarding omega-3 fatty acids, and their affects, not only on decreasing bad cholesterol and increasing god cholesterol, but also on fighting inflammation and improving heart health. It is no surprise that I have continued taking a daily supplement of omega-3 ever since.

Since we have a lot of fat (good and bad) in our bodies, we need to do something to make the good fat more effective. But, instead of me trying to explain the science behind good and bad fats, I'd rather have the Chief Science Officer of TriVita, Brazos Minshew, do the explaining. Below is his latest article from the TriVita Weekly Wellness Report

Good Fats, Bad Fats and OmegaPrime®

Almost every cell making up your body is surrounded by fat. Fats are very smart molecules. Good fats make your brain healthy, they make your heart healthy; they reduce inflammation and improve circulation. They improve your immune system and reduce pain.

Trans-fats are examples of "bad" fats. They have just the opposite effect of good fats: they make your brain, heart and immune system unhealthy. They increase pain and they are a toxic cause of inflammation.

Good fats are essential for life and good health.

The story of good fats
Our immune system relies on Vitamin D and fats. When we are exposed to infections, a "picture" of the invading microbe is encoded in immune cells and recorded in fat for long-term memory. This is the reason why we have lifelong resistance or immunity to certain infections once we have the illness (like chicken pox).

There is a family of conditions where the immune system works too hard. These disorders are called autoimmune conditions because a person's own immune system loses the ability to distinguish "self" from "non-self." In autoimmune conditions your own immune system attacks healthy tissue as if it were diseased! Every gland, organ and joint becomes a target of your immune system.

Essential fatty acids make your immune system work smarter, not harder. They code immune system proteins to precisely identify every cell and to determine an appropriate response.

OmegaPrime
TriVita OmegaPrime contains essential fatty acids (EFA) from four sources:

  • Omega-3: Fish oil
    A key ingredient in OmegaPrime is fish oil. Omega-3 from fish oil is healthy for your body and it shows a special affinity for your heart and brain. Fish oil contains fully metabolized Omega-3 and is thus absorbed very quickly.
  • Omega-3: Flaxseed oil
    Flaxseed oil is a vegetarian source of Omega-3. It is not fully broken down as fish oil is. Instead, it must be slowly metabolized over several hours. Think of fish oil as "fast-acting" and flaxseed oil as "sustained release."
  • Omega-3 & Omega-6: Perilla Seed oil
    Humans cannot synthesize essential fatty acids: Omega-3 ALA (alpha linolenic acid) and Omega-6 LA (linoleic acid). We must get them from our diet and that is why they are called "essential." Perilla seeds contain a balance of Omega-3 ALA and Omega-6 LA.

    There are nearly 500 articles in the Institutes of Health database on perilla. Scientists from all over the world are studying the oil of this amazing anti-inflammatory seed. Over 80 of these papers detail its use with the specific genes associated with various cancers. Over 50 articles discuss the anti-inflammatory benefits of perilla seed oil concerning allergy, asthma and other immune and cardiovascular disorders.
  • Omega-6: Evening Primrose oil
    Evening Primrose oil (EPO) is a primary source of LA (linoleic acid) in OmegaPrime. LA goes through a long process of metabolism that results in intense anti-inflammatory activity. For example, LA helps reduce the inflammation associated with dermatitis. EPO promotes breast health and helps reduce breast pain. It also promotes cardiovascular health.  Evening Primrose oil is an excellent source of LA, and OmegaPrime is an excellent source of EPO.

Conclusion
Essential Fatty acids are ESSENTIAL to Wellness! We cannot make them; we must get them from our diet. The healthier our fat intake is, the healthier our body will become. People in North America are woefully deficient in healthy Omega EFAs. Eat healthy fats and reject unhealthy fats like trans-fats for a healthy heart, brain and immune system.

Since EFAs are necessary to keep our bodies healthy, we need to incorporate them into our diets. However, eating fish may be your best bet. The purest choice fish includes canned sardines or mackerel, wild Alaskan salmon and sablefish, and small, troll-caught tuna.

If you're not a fish eater, TriVita's Omega Prime is a supplement that gives you the needed omega-3 fatty acid to maintain a healthy omega-3 balance.

TriVita's OmegaPrime contains a premier and unique blend of four different types of the most highly regarded Essential Fatty Acids (EFA) oils – Fish, Flaxseed, Evening Primrose and Perilla Seed. It also uses only contaminant-free fish oil that has undergone a 10 stage distilling process.

To lear more about TriVita or OmegaPrime, click one of the previous links.

Jeffrey Sloe
Independent TriVita Business Affiliate - #12871028
440-725-3729

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, cure, treat or prevent disease. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplements, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.