Herbal Alternatives

     GNLD rarely discusses their herbal products, but it is probably a good idea to provide a brief review of the technology behind these products. I will approach it from the standpoint of the major problems with herbal products.

     Purity: Herbal products are subject to contamination by bacteria and fungal growth. Most products use toxic gases, preservatives, or gamma radiation to prevent contamination. GNLD employs sophisticated anti-microbial processes to prevent contamination. Both raw materials and end products are tested to assure purity.

     Low potency or large pills: Herbals generally have rather low levels of active ingredients. GNLD herbal products use a unique process concentrating the active ingredients up to five times their natural potency.
     Inconsistent quantities of active ingredients: The quantity of active ingredients varies from herb to herb. GNLD standardizes their herbal formulations to assure that the proportions of active ingredients remain the same as in the original starting material. Active ingredients are tested to make sure they are always present in the final product.
     Greater detail on the manufacturing processes can be found in the GNLD manual.

Bowel Health

    Constipation is a regular problem for many older individuals. Regular elimination can be promoted with intake of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and whole grain cereals, and dried fruit. Low fiber fatty foods can promote constipation.

    One of the most common causes of constipation is chronic dehydration. As we get older, there is a general decline in the sense of thirst. This problem is often aggravated by the use of medications such as diuretics which can dehydrate us. A general rule for fluid intake is 1/2 the body weight in ounces of water.
    Regular exercise is also important for bowel health. Movement promotes the normal motion of the muscles of the digestive tract.
    Suppressing the "urge" can lead to constipation as can overuse of laxatives. Elimination can be promoted by increasing intake of fiber, vitamin C, magnesium, and hydrochloric acid if it is deficient.

    GNLD Neo-Lax can provide quick relief from an episode of sluggish bowel. The herbal formulation provides a complete family of herbal constituents with synergistic effects to promote optimal wellness via healthy elimination. The product contains senna which has been shown to support natural peristaltic action, buckthorn bark which assists with easy stool movement, and licorice which calms and soothes the distressed tissues of the digestive tract. Other synergistic nutrients include prune powder, alfalfa, rhubarb, asparagus, and anise.

Raw and Pasteurized Milk

The contention that raw and pasteurized milk are essentially the same runs counter to common sense and scientific research. Francis M. Pottenger, Jr., M.D. fed cats raw or pasteurized milk over several generations. The animals fed raw milk were disease free, while those fed pasteurized milk developed a wide variety of degenerative conditions over a period of several generations. Health problems included heart and thyroid problems, allergies, asthma, and arthritis.

In 1946 Dr. Pottenger wrote, "Ordinary cooking precipitates proteins, rendering them less easily digested. Probably certain albuminoids and globulins are physiologically destroyed. All tissue enzymes are heat labile and would be materially reduced or destroyed. Vitamin C and some members of the B complex are injured by the process of cooking." Is the government really justified in claiming that raw and pasteurized milks have the same benefits?

An extensive court case involving testimony by practicing doctors, chemists, and bacteriologists reversed an ordinance which would have banned raw milk in Missouri in the years when this controversy began. The judge wrote, "It was shown that doctors generally require raw milk for ailing babies and children; that children who could not fluorish on pasteurized milk usually improved in health and flourished on raw milk." My personal opinion is that the raw milk controversy is more a political action to protect large factory farms from competition than it is a health issue. The government could easily enforce certification of raw milk products rather than banning them.

The GNLD Difference

GNLD protein products are manufactured with an excluse low temperature technology called the Protogard process. A blend of proteins are mixed together and broken down with enzymes at body temperature. This process lifts the burden of digestion of protein off the digestive organs. This is particularly important for those with compromised digestive function. The use of enzymes to break down the protein prevents the destruction of delicate amino acids destroyed by heat, acids or bases. Protogard technology was pioneered by Dr. Arthur Furst, one of the founders of the American College to Toxicology.

References:

Pottenger, Francis M., Jr., The effect of heat-processed foods and metabolized vitamin D milk on the dentofacial structures of experimental animals, Oral Surgery, August 1946; 32(8): 467-485.

Douglass, William Campbell, M.D., The Milk of Human Kindness is Not Pasteurized, Marietta, GA: Last Laugh Publishers, 1985, 19.

Fresh Milk Dangerous

The federal government has determined that fresh raw milk is 150 times more dangerous than pasteurized milk. This supports the governments determination to stop the sales of raw dairy products.

Dr. Robert Tauxe of the Centers for Disease Control and prevention said, "Restricting the sale of raw milk products is likely to reduce the number of outbreaks and can help keep people healthier." The 13 year review concluded that 200 out of 239 hospitalizations during the study stemmed from cases of raw milk. No distinction was made between raw milk and certified raw milk in the report. The FDA and CDC said that pasteurized milk has all the same benefits as unpasteurized dairy. This assertion is based upon a 1907 study in which 20 government experts reported that raw milk posed a danger and that pasteurization does not change the chemical composition, taste, digestibility or nutritive qualities of milk. These "facts" have been repeated in government and medical literature for over 100 years.

The whole issue was triggered when the FDA sued to shut down an Amish farmer in Pennsylvania who sold raw milk to eager customers in the Washington area. The farmer said he would shut down entirely rather than fight the regulators after a judge ruled against the farmer.

Mark McAfee, founder of the Fresno, California based Organic Pastures Dairy lead a protest in front of the FDA to protest their action against the use of raw milk. He has been subject to government harassment himself. If the name sounds familiar, you might be interested in knowing that our family lived in the Fresno area for years and we are probably related.Follow this link to the informative Organic Pastures web site.

References:

Dinan, Stephen, Feds: Fresh milk 150 times more dangerous than pasteurized dairy, The Washington Times, Tuesday, February 21, 2012.

Schmid, Ron, The Untold Story of Milk, Washington D.C.: New Trends Publishing, 2007, 57-58.

Pomegranate and Prostate

A study was conducted on 48 men who had been treated for prostate cancer with either surgery or radiation. They were given 8 ounces of pomegranate juice a day. Pomegranate juice lengthened the time it took for PSA levels to double from an average of 15 months to 54 months.

Test tube studies revealed a 12% decrease in proliferation and a 17% increase in apoptosis of cancer cells. Apoptosis is a scientific term for cell suicide. In other words, the polyphenols in pomegranate juice increased the tendency of cancer cells to commit suicide.

The researchers also discovered that the tendency for oxidation to occur decreased significantly. The researchers suggested that pomegranate juice may help slow the growth of prostate cancer in patients who have been treated for the disease.

A sidelight of this study was a 23% increase in nitric oxide. Nitric oxide works like viagra for erectile dysfunction. A separate study found that 47% of subjects experienced improvement in erectile dysfunction while consuming 8 ounces of pomegranate juice a day.

Since one ounce of GNLD Tre provides the polyphenol equivalant of consuming 20 ounces of pomegranate juice I would like to hear more stories of those who have tried the product for these problems.

References:
Pantuck AJ, Leppert JT, et al, Phase II Study of Pomegranate Juice for Men with Rising Prostate-Specific Antigen following Surgery or Radiation for Prostate Cancer, Clinical Cancer Research, 2006; 12(13): 4018-4026.

Forest CP, Padma-Nathan H, Liker HR, Efficacy and safety of pomegranate juice on improvement of erectile dysfunction in male patients with mild to moderate erectile dysfunction: a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, crossover study, Int J Impot Res, 2007 June 14; [Epub ahead of print].

Carotenoids and Asthma

Lycopene is a red carotenoid which gives the characteristic color to tomatoes, pink grapefruit, and watermelon. It is at the very top of the list as far as nutrients capable of neurtralizing free radical oxygen.

A recent study using a mouse model of allergic airwarys disease found that lycopene reduced allergic inflammation in both the lungs and throughout the body and shifted the whole biochemistry away from an allergic tendency. The researchers concluded, "...lycopene supplementation may have a protective effect against asthma."

One bottle of GNLD Carotenoid Complex provides the same amount of carotenoids one would obtain from consuming 250 pounds of raw fruits and vegetables. In addition, the product provides an ideal profile of all of the carotenoids rather than just one or two. This is important because research indicates a competitive absorption of carotenoid between carotenoids. Different carotenoids perform different functions in the body so ideally we will have a well rounded intake of the entire family or complex of carotenoids.

Reference:

Hazlewood LC, Wood LG, et al, "Dietary lycopene supplementation suppresses Th2 responses and lung eosinophilia in a mouse model of allergic asthma," J Nutr Biochem, 2010 April 12; [Epub ahead of print].

Baby's Food Preferences

The research of Julie Mennella who studies taste in infants at the Monell Chemical Sciences Center should give young women reason to consider the diets they eat. An infant in the womb only 21 weeks old can taste foods like vanilla, carrot, garlic, anise, mint, and sugar the mother is consuming. These flavors impregnate both the amniotic fluid which surrounds the baby in the womb and also the mother's milk after the baby is born. Memories of the flavors of foods a mother consumes are formed even before birth and appear to play a role in subsequent food preferences.

I am often told by mothers that their children refuse to eat vegetables or healthy foods. The mother's diet during pregnancy could play a significant role in the food preferences of these children. If you want your children to like broccoli, it will be more likely if you eat the food yourself.

Mennella fed pregnant mothers carrot flavored cereal and observed that their babies made less negative faces when eating it than babies whose mothers had not eaten carrots during pregnancy. Exposing infants to a variety of flavors at a very early age increases the likelihood that they will choose a healthier diet when they are older.

http://www.npr.org/2011/08/08/139033757/babys-palate-and-food-memories-shaped-before-birth

Sweet Addiction

Research suggests that simple sugars like sucrose and fructose have a potent calming effect on distressed newborn infants. Sugar ingestion has an effect similar to morphine in animal models. This is a natural part of our physiology. There is lactose, a simple sugar, in mother's milk. Unfortunately, food processors have taken advantage of this opioid effect of sugars by spiking processed foods with sugars to increase sales of their products.

Administration of opiate antagonists to bulimics and binge eaters decreases food consumption. This suggests that simply reducing the sugars in foods can decrease overall food consumption and promote weight loss.

Smith, Barbara, Ph.D., Sweet Addictions,The Nutrition Report, March 1994;12(3).

Caffeine and Anxiety

Caffeine is such a common item of the diet that we tend to forget that excessive intake can have harmful effects and also lead to powerful addiction to the drug. Caffeine consumption has been implicated in the development or increase in severity of anxiety attacks, panic disorders, and insomnia. Those with these psychological symptoms would be wise to limit the amount of caffeine consumed as the effects are often dose related.

John Minton demonstrated an association with fibrocystic breast disease many years ago. Excessive caffeine is well documented to lead to withdrawal headaches which can last for five days after discontinuing the drug. Caffeine has also been implicated in gastroesophageal reflex disease and irregular heartbeat.

With a coffee shop on every corner I realize this is not going to be popular advice, but in just the last week I have talked to two people with anxiety and panic disorders and one with severe headaches. All were strongly addicted to caffeine.

Grain Lipids

Scientific research continues to undergird the value of GNLD's Tre-en-en oils which contain the lipids from grains and legumes. The following quote is taken from Alan Gaby's massive volume Nutritional Medicine, "Whole wheat and some other whole grains (but not their refined counterparts) also contain alkylresorcinols, a class of phenolic lipids that can be incorporated into cell membranes. In rats, administration of alkyresorcinols increased tissue concentrations of gamma-tocopherol, a naturally occurring form of vitamin E which appears to have cardioprotective effects. In observational studies, consumption of whole grains (as compared to refined grains) has been associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, and diabetes, and increased longevity. For these reasons, whole grains are strongly preferable to refined grains."

Gaby, Alan, Nutritional Medicine, Concord, NH: Fritz Perlberg Publishing, 2011, 4.

Obesogens

There has been a 73 percent increase of obesity in infants under 6 months of age since 1980. Endocrinologists point out that these infants are not drinking sugar laden soda pop and fat drenched potato chips. They are simply consuming breast milk and formula.

The culprit appears to be estrogen hormone-mimicking pollutants. Experiments with bisphenol A, a building block of hard, polycarbonate plastic caused cells that normally become connective tissue to become fat cells. Low doses of xenoextrogens, as these compounds are called, can cause mice to become 20 percent heavier and carry 36% more body fat.

This research is significant in the study of diabetes because not only is weight gain associated with greater diabetic risk, but an overload of estrogen is believed by some to increase the risk of diabetes or worsen the condition.

Article on Obesogens

Article on Bisphenol A

Type 3 Diabetes

Most people are aware of two types of diabetes. Recent research that there is a third type of diabetes which may help to explain the phenomena known as the "brittle" diabetic. This term is used to describe the individual who has great difficulty controling blood sugars even when watching diet closely.

Dirty electricity is a term used to describe the electricity which flows along wires and radiates from them. The term also applies to low frequency electromagnetic fields and radio frequency radiation such as that from wireless devices. We are increasingly exposed to dirty electricity.

As scientists have turned to study this phenomena, it appears that dirty electricity can make it more difficult to control blood sugars. Blood sugars may be normal when not exposed and diabetic when in an environment saturated with dirty electricity.

Researchers also suspect that dirty electricity may contribute to the increasing frequency of asthma, ADD/ADHD, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, and multiple sclerosis. I have attached a link to an article on diabetes and dirty electricity below.

I purchased the equipment to test our office for dirty electricity several years ago. The levels were very high. I then purchased Stetzer filters to decrease the load. I was not able to get the levels into the ideal range, but they are close.

I can not say there were any miraculous changes in health, but the change did appear to change stress levels. Whether this change was due to the awareness that I was not being exposed to as much dirty electricity or to the drop in the levels of dirty electricity I do not know.

Article on Dirty Electricity, Diabetes and Multiple Sclerosis 

Vitamin A Deficiency

Mainstream medicine believes that vitamin A deficiency is rare. It is probably much more common than we think. Those with low thyroid function can not convert carotenoids to vitamin A efficiently. The same is true of diabetics. Low fat diets and cholesterol lowering medications can also make it more difficult to obtain optimal levels of vitamin A which is found preformed in only a few foods like liver, butter and eggs.

Vitamin A performs many functions in the human body including night vision, immune enhancement, skin health, regulation of cell growth, and synthesis of some of the most important hormones in the body including male and female sex hormones.

Signs of Vitamin A deficiency include calluses on the bottom of the foot, hardening of the skin around the pores, poor night vision, frequent infections, skin problems and hormonal problems.

GNLD Vitamin A is derived from the highest quality pollack liver oil. It is broken into tiny droplets (water miscibility) to improve absorption.

Fighting Depression

Dr. Jonathan Wright believes that a good deal of depression would benefit from amino acid supplementation. He writes, "Depression is not caused by a patent medicine deficiency. After my first 20 years of medical practice, experience had taught me that a considerable proportion of 'clinical depression' was caused by a deficiency of neurotransmitters. (Neurotransmitters are the molecules that 'carry the messages' from one neuron--nerve cell--to the next.) After another 21 years of medical practice, I'm just as convinced as ever that this is the case. If you suffer from depression, and you've experienced a favorable response to an anti-depressant medication, I can be quite confident that a combination of nutritional therapies centering on amino acids will eliminate your depression better than the patent medicine ever did, and with virtually no side effects."

Dr. Wright explains that the most common reasons why people are amino acid deficient are poor digestion due to inadequate production of digestive substances such as hydrochloric acid (GNLD Betagest) and enzymes (GNLD Enzyme Digestive Aid and damage to the digestive tract from allergic responses to gluten or other foods. Bacterial overgrowth can also damage the digestive tract. GNLD protein products are often ideal for supplying missing amino acids because the company uses an exclusive predigestion technology (the Protogard Process) which breaks down protein into its most usable forms through the action of enzymes at body temperature. All GNLD protein products contain all 22 amino acids including those essential for neurotransmitter production. They all score a perfect 1.0 or above on the government standard of protein usability called PDCAAS (Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score). Feeling a little down? A serving of GR2 Meal Replacement might lift your spirits more than alcohol or soft drinks!

Wright, Jonathan, How to read your body's blueprint for treating--or preventing--depression, Nutrition and Healing, October 2011, 1.

Cancer and Antioxidants

I recently returned from the yearly gathering of the International and American Association of Clinical Nutritionists in Baltimore, Maryland. The topic was aging. I was impressed with one of the major points of emphasis at the meeting. Dr. Steve Haltiwanger spoke on the mechanisms involved with how we get cancer and how it grows in the body. His research led him to the conclusion that priority nutrients for cancer prevention include green tea, fish oils, flavonoids, resveratrol, garlic, antioxidants such as vitamins C, E, and carotenoids, and enzymes. The reason he emphasized these compounds is because they are all powerful inflammation fighters and inflammatory activity is at the heart of cancer development. GNLD provides a rich supply of all these protective factors in such supplements as Tre, Flavonoid Complex, Allium Complex, Salmon Oil Plus, and Betagard. I will be sharing other pearls from this excellent conference in the months ahead.

Mass Marketing Scams

One of GNLD's foremost concerns is the safety and effectiveness of their products. They are one of the few supplement companies which does careful toxicological evaluation of both raw materials and finished products.

The FDA is warning consumers that many mass marketed products being sold can be outright dangerous. Usually these products are coming into the country from Asia.

For example, many weight loss products were found to contain sibutramine, the appetite suppessant in Meridia, a popular pharmaceutical whose manufacturer voluntarily removed it from the American market last year after a research study reported that it could increase the risk of heart attack and stroke.

Male sexual enhancement supplements are often found to contain sildenafil citrate, the active ingredient in Viagra, or analogues of the drug which have never been tested for safety in humans. These "supplements" sometimes contain up to seven times the recommended dose."

Body building products are a third area of frequently contaminated products. Many body building "supplements" contain dangerous synthetic steroids.

In the past 3 years the FDA has issued warnings about over 300 adulterated supplements with such names as Man Up Now, Passion Coffee, Slim Waistline, and 7 Day Herbal Slim. Despite the warnings and seizures of more than a million dollars worth of these supplements the FDA observes that they are facing a tidal wave of these products and are removing only a tiny fraction of the adulterated products entering the market from out of the country.

Reference:

Singer, Natasha, "Spiked supplements reach U.S. shelves, The Sacramento Bee, August 28, 2011, A12.

Krill Omega 3

Krill Makes a Splash

Krill oil is being heavily promoted on infomercials. A recent independent analysis of one of the most popular krill oil products on the market found that the capsules did not contain the amount of omega-3 on the label. There were also signs of spoilage, even in newly opened bottles. Another krill product was found to contain only 12% krill oil, with the rest coming from junk fish. The krill was promoted to attract a premium price for the product.

Krill can also cause severe allergic reactions to those who are allergic to shrimp and other crustaceans. Krill are shrimp-like creatures that live in the Arctic and Antarctic.The Berkeley Wellness Letter also points out that krill supplements are fairly new and human research has been very limited and unconvincing.

GNLD Salmon Oil Plus has been well-researched and written up in the literature. Three capsules a day were shown in one study to reduce inflammatory risk to a minimal level in eight weeks. This product has also been shown to support the production of resolvins and protectins which help the body resolve inflammatory disease. To my knowledge no other fish oil product has been tested in this regard.

More information about Salmon Oil Plus is available on GNLDU.com. Follow this link to explore Salmon Oil Plus.

Reference:

"Krill oil makes a splash, Wellness Letter, University of California, Berkeley, July 11, 2011.

Vitamin E and Aging

Vitamin E and Aging

Lack of vitamin E is often an indicator of poor nutrition. The vitamin is readily destroyed by food processing and is not particularly abundant in foods.

Researchers in Tuscany, Italy studied people 65 and older between 1998 and 2003 with regard to blood levels of different micronutrients. The researchers found that levels of vitamin E were most closely associated with physical decline associated with aging. The researchers wrote, "Although the findings from this epidemiological study cannot establish causality, they provide a solid base that low concentration of vitamin E contributes to decline in physical function."

Aging researcher Richard Cutler found that blood levels of two nutrients were predictive of lifespan-- vitamin E and carotenoids.

GNLD Vitamin E Complex has several unique features. It is water miscible which greatly improves absorption. It contains all 8 members of the vitamin E family along with associated factors found in wheat germ oil. It is almost impossible to find a food derived vitamin E complex on the market today.

GNLD Carotenoid Complex is also outstanding. It provides the complete spectrum of carotenoids as found in foods rich in carotenoids. One capsule provides an ideal profile of carotenoids. Testing by the USDA on this product showed a 37% enhancement in immune function in 20 days, a 5-fold increase in antioxidants in cholesterol, a 20% increase in the natural killer cells which help us fight off cancer, and a 44% reduced rate of oxidative damage in the tissues which is associated with aging.

To learn the full story about Carotenoid Complex follow this link to GNLDU.com.

Happiness

Happiness

Psychological scientists have found that the strongest predictor of happiness is not money, recognition, or fame. It is meaningful social relationships with other people. If you want to work on being a happier person, devote yourself to building meaningful relationships.

Feds Sting Amish Farmer

Feds Sting Amish Farmer

The FDA conducted an elaborate sting operation of Amish farmer Dan Allgyer recently. The government invested considerable sums of money in this sting operation. It is the postion of the FDA that no one should consume raw milk. Allgyer was charged with "smuggling" milk across the Pennsylvania border. There were no indications anyone was unhappy with the milk or had been made ill by it.

The battle over raw milk has gone on for decades. In court cases decades ago physicians testified that they could use raw milk therapeutically, but this was not the case with pasturized milk. Dr. Francis M. Pottenger, Jr., M.D., demonstrated that when cats were fed pasteurized milk they animals experienced deterioration of health including osteoporosis, allergies, and asthma. This did not happen to animals fed raw milk.

Many farmers and consumers feel that the FDA is influenced by large pasturized milk producers that want to destroy their competition. Consumers can become ill from either pasturized milk or raw milk if they are not handled properly. The government position is that pasteurized milk is just as nutritious as raw milk. This position does not make scientific sense because we know that there are a number of nutrients which are readily destroyed by heat.

In the meantime, we have a patchwork quilt of laws. Retail sales of raw milk is legal in California. All raw milk is illegal in Nevada. In Oregon raw milk can be purchased from the farm. Sales of raw milk are legal in 10 states and illegal in 11 states.

The FDA expends its energy and resources attacking and seeking to remove from sale healthy foods and supplements. Meanwhile the agency allows sale of genetically modified foods which have been documented to be harmful to laboratory and farm animals, and probably to people as well.

For more information on the milk sting click here.

Carotenoids for Algae

Algae for Carotenoids

Many supplements use a pink micro-algae called Dunaliella salina as a source of carotenoids. These organisms live in highly saline conditions and grow in intense light which causes them to produce high levels of beta-carotene. This algae is not a normal part of the human food chain. GNLD Carotenoid Complex derives carotenoids from foods you would find in your grocery store.

There are many different carotenoids and each has a specificity of action. The carotenoid profile of foods is altogether different than the profile found in algae. There is also a competitive inhibition of absorption of one carotenoid by others. This means that use of high quantities of carotenoids from outside the food chain may impair absorption of some carotenoids robbing the body of the beneficial effects which may be unique to carotenoids found only in foods.