Let's face it, the festive season is a time when people indulge in the many delicious foods and drinks that are part of the holiday celebrations. It seems that all restraint is suspended, at least for a couple of months. Those endless rounds of parties offer temptations that are hard to resist. Aside from all those yummy cakes and sweets, elaborate meals and fancy cocktails, there are lots of late-night partying!

So, by the time the new year rolls around, making some healthy New Year's resolutions seems like a pretty good idea. And 39 percent of Americans think that following through on their New Year's resolutions agree with that idea.

After all that celebrating, it comes as no surprise that diet and exercise-related resolutions are by far the most common. The survey found almost 1 in 3 have pledged to improve their fitness. And the same number set their sights on healthier eating habits. More than a quarter were motivated to lose weight. Rest and wellness were other common themes.

If you are one of those Americans, enthusiastically looking forward to reaping the rewards of those positive resolutions for feeling healthier, getting fitter, losing weight or improving overall wellness, there is one easy solution that ticks all those boxes.

Chlorella - The Ultimate Solution for Health, Fitness, Weight Loss, and Wellness

Chlorella is truly one of Nature's miracles. This small unicellular, fresh-water, green algae is one of the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet. It is not an exaggeration to say that Chlorella (C.vulgaris) is nature's own multivitamin. Chlorella contains all the essential nutrients to fuel your body for optimal health. It is rich in beta-carotene, vitamins C, E, and K, and contains all the B-complex vitamins (including B12). Chlorella also has a comprehensive mineral content including zinc, iron, calcium, magnesium, and potassium. It is a source of omega-3 essential fatty acid. Chlorella also contains 57 percent of bio-available protein and all the essential amino acids. It is one of the few foods that naturally contain vitamin D. In addition, it has five times more chlorophyll than wheatgrass.

But there's even more vital nutrition found in Chlorella. It is also a rich source of the carotenoids, lutein and zeaxanthin. They are known as the "eye vitamins" helping to safeguard the eye's macula by protecting it from damaging blue light (emitted from artificial lighting and digital devices). Studies have shown that both lutein and zeaxanthin can protect against age-related macular degeneration, eye strain and fatigue, cataracts, and even help to prevent vision loss and blindness.

Chlorella Growth Factor for Rejuvenation

Chlorella Growth Factor (CGF) is a unique complex found in the cell nucleus of Chlorella. CGF is produced during intense photosynthesis which allows Chlorella to grow rapidly. It improves RNA/DNA functions that are responsible for the production of proteins, enzymes, and energy at the cellular level, stimulating tissue repair and protecting cells from certain toxic substances.

This is one of the reasons why Chlorella is the ultimate anti-aging nutrition for your DNA. When eaten regularly, chlorella can assist in the repair of damaged genetic material, protecting our health and slowing down the aging process.

There are many other profound benefits from CGF which include strengthening the immune system and promoting rapid tissue healing. It also has antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties.

CGF can bind to all forms of heavy metals, solvents, pesticides, and other toxic chemicals. It then converts them into a form that can be safely excreted in urine or bile. It is also a powerful antioxidant that helps fight harmful free radicals in the body and helps in detoxification.

CGF increases fitness levels by providing energy for athletes as well as safely enhancing tissue regeneration and repair of damaged tissue.

Chlorella for Effective Detoxification

Chlorella helps you achieve your New Year's Resolutions in another way. After indulging in excess sugar, carbs and alcohol, your liver needs some help to recover. This extra toxic load is in addition to your daily exposure to thousands of chemicals and heavy metals your liver must process daily.

Glutathione, found in Chlorella Growth Factor, is the body's master antioxidant and the liver's main detoxifying agent. It has many important functions in the body including optimizing liver function, metabolizing toxins, breaking down free radicals, supporting immune function. Glutathione helps the liver to safely eliminate all the forms of toxins. Furthermore, it can bind to heavy metals, solvents and pesticides and then convert them into a form that can be excreted in urine or bile. It is also a powerful antioxidant that helps fight harmful free radicals in the body and helps in detoxification.

The liver truly loves Chlorella because it is a one-stop shop for liver nutrition. The abundance of key vitamins and minerals, its alkalizing power, and the ability to make glutathione for enhanced detoxification are just some of the important ways that Chlorella provides your liver with the help it needs to do its many important jobs which includes weight loss, better moods and sleep, more endurance and energy.

Chlorella for Weight Loss

Weight loss is certainly on the top of many people's resolution list. Chlorella is especially effective for weight loss because of its very high nutrient content. Eating foods with empty calories creates a lack of feeling satisfied. It is also high in iodine, a necessary mineral to support thyroid function which is often an issue for people struggling with weight.

Chlorella has a beneficial effect on the digestive system and supporting a healthy microbiome by promoting the production of gut flora. There is increasing evidence that links microbial health and obesity. One study showed that Chlorella intake resulted in noticeable reductions in body fat percentage, serum total cholesterol, and fasting blood glucose levels. These factors are all associated with helping to maintain your ideal weight.

Chlorella for Improved Fitness

The truth is, whether you have added fitness to your resolutions or not, everyone really wants more energy to enjoy life more fully. The good news is that taking Chlorella on a daily basis has a huge impact on your fitness levels. One study showed that continuous Chlorella intake improves aerobic exercise capacity. At the end of the study, the Chlorella group showed a significantly improved ability to saturate their lungs with oxygen, which is a measure of endurance.

The added benefit is Chlorella Growth Factor which helps with cellular repair, muscle recovery, tissue repair and boosting stamina.

Vitamin B12 is required for your muscles to recover from strenuous activity. It is also necessary for metabolizing protein and fat, which are two vital ingredients for building muscle tissue. Unfortunately, many people are deficient in this important nutrient. Chlorella is an excellent source of a highly absorbable type of B12, providing energy and stamina.

Chlorella - The Best Way to Fulfil Your New Year's Resolutions

It's always a marvel to realize that a very small, one-cell algae has such a profound capacity to regenerate your health and vitality in so many unique and proven ways. If your New Year's resolutions are to achieve your healthiest, fittest, and leanest self, then including Chlorella as part of your daily health routine makes so much sense. Whether you choose to take your Chlorella as tablets or powder, using it at least twice a day will make a huge difference to your overall wellbeing.

Like so many nutritional products, the real benefits are only experienced when you choose the very best Chlorella. BioGenesis Australia is an exceptional organic Chlorella company because it grows Chlorella in pristine conditions as well as insuring that it is processed and packaged with the most advanced technology. As a 100 percent Australian owned and operated company, it is the only 'Australian Made, Australian Grown' licensed producer of organic Chlorella. The pure water and abundant sunlight from its tropical Queensland farm insure the most nutrient dense and organic Chlorella available anywhere in the world.

Achieving your New Year's resolutions for a healthier you will be so much easier with Chlorella on your team!

The sad fact about the modern diet is that it is severely lacking in vital nutrition. Nature has provided the full complement of vitamins, minerals, enzymes, proteins and essential fatty acids that are required to nourish the body. Like it or not, we have transitioned over the last three decades to a diet and lifestyle that severely diminishes your health. Up until relatively recently, Americans ate food with more wholesome ingredients. They were also less harried; less attached to their technologies, less sedentary and had a lot less toxic exposure. Our 21st century world has now created a cornucopia of lab created imitation, toxic foods that are severely depleted of nutrients and we live in an every more polluted environment. The result is that the modern diet and lifestyle are more artificial than natural. The harmful consequences to the health of everyone are monumental.

Bee Wilson, the author of The Way We Eat Now: How the Food Revolution Has Transformed Our Lives, Our Bodies, and Our World has written the following:

Research is revealing just how devastating this transition has been. What we eat now is a greater cause of disease and death in the world than either tobacco or alcohol. In 2015 around 7 million people died from tobacco smoke, and 2.75 million from causes related to alcohol, but 12 million deaths could be attributed to "dietary risks" such as diets low in vegetables, nuts and seafood or diets high in processed meats and sugary drinks.

The rise of obesity and diet-related disease around the world has happened hand in hand with the marketing of fast food and sugary sodas, of processed meats and vegetable oils and branded snack foods.

Some of these changes are happening so rapidly it's almost impossible to keep track. Sales of fast food grew by 30 percent worldwide from 2011 to 2016 and sales of packaged food grew by 25 percent. Somewhere in the world, a new branch of Domino's Pizza opened every seven hours in 2016.

More than half of the calorie intake in the US, 57.9 percent, now consists of ultra-processed food. While we now produce and consume more food than ever, our modern diet is killing us. What we eat on a daily basis is the primary cause of disease and death in the world than either tobacco or alcohol.

Something is seriously wrong with the food we consume, how it is grown and processed. A 2016 study published in the journal Obesity Research & Clinical Practice found that it's harder for adults today to maintain the same weight as those 20 to 30 years ago did, even at the same levels of food intake and exercise. The authors examined the dietary data of 36,400 Americans between 1971 and 2008 and the physical activity data of 14,419 people between 1988 and 2006.

They found a very surprising correlation: a given person, in 2006, eating the same amount of calories, taking in the same quantities of macronutrients like protein and fat, and exercising the same amount as a person of the same age did in 1988 would have a BMI that was about 2.3 points higher. In other words, people today are about 10 percent heavier than people were in the 1980s, even if they follow the exact same diet and exercise plans.

The Weight Gain Dilemma

What is really happening here? To answer that question, it is necessary to delve into the many key factors that have changed over several decades.

First or all, people are now exposed to way more chemicals that are known to create hormonal disruption, insulin resistance as well as weight gain. As an example, pesticides, flame-retardants, and the substances in food packaging are all known to interfere with many physiological processes that signal your body to put on and maintain weight. The body, therefore, becomes much better at storing fat than burning fat for energy.

Then there is the problem of prescribed medications. The use of prescription drugs has risen dramatically since the '70s and '80s. The estimated total number of prescriptions that will be filled in the US in 2021 is a staggering 4.76 billion! About 66 percent of adults take prescription drugs (Health Policy Institute, 2021). Many people take several medications at the same time. Remember, there is always a long list of side effects associated with any medication, not to mention the additional interactions from combining drugs.

For instance, some anti-depressants are now one of the most commonly prescribed drugs in the US. They have now been linked to weight gain. In fact, the cocktail of prescription drugs that many people take routinely have a whole host of serious side effects, including impairing metabolism and increasing weight.

The third factor is the realization that our microbiome has been profoundly altered since 1980s. It's well known that some types of gut bacteria make a person more prone to weight gain and obesity. Not only are Americans prescribed antibiotics on a grand scale, they are also as eating animal products that have been treated with antibiotics, which are known to have devastating effects on the microbiome. The ubiquitous spraying of toxic chemicals, such as glyphosate, which is the main ingredient in many popular herbicides, also has a disastrous effect of the microbiome.

These are just some of the many harmful influences comprising modern life that did not exist three decades ago. It really doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand that there is a huge price to pay when it comes to our health from this grand experiment of modern living. And weight gain is one of the consequences of these changes.

Chlorella - Safely Addressing the Many Causes of Weight Gain
If you are finding it difficult to lose weight then you may have arrived at awareness that it is time to make changes. There is one superfood that addresses the many underlying issues, which have been recognized as contributing to weight gain. Chlorella is a tiny one-cell fresh water algae that is a mighty source of nutrition for healing and detoxing the body. There are many ways that Chlorella have been proven to address the many causes of weight gain.

Reduces Cravings with Optimal Nutrition
Taking chlorella for weight loss is effective because of its very high nutrient content. Eating foods with empty calories creates a lack of feeling satisfied. Chlorella has a comprehensive profile. It contains all the B-complex vitamins (including B12), zinc, iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, selenium, iodine, omega-3 essential fatty acid, and the enzyme pepsin. Chlorella also contains 57 percent of bio-available protein and all the essential amino acids. It is one of the few foods that naturally contain vitamin D. In addition, it has more beta-carotene than carrots and more than five times more chlorophyll than wheatgrass. Chlorella is also a rich source of carotenoids, lutein, and zeaxanthin. Including Chlorella as part of your daily nutrition will help to reduce cravings from empty calories as well as help to balance blood sugar.

Chlorella helps in another way for weight loss. It is high in iodine, a necessary mineral to support thyroid function, which is often an issue for people struggling with weight. This essential mineral is often missing in modern diets.

Chlorella has one of the highest sources of chlorophyll. A study from 2013 found that high fat meals containing chlorophyll promoted weight loss, partly by suppressing the desire to eat more by promoting feelings of fullness.

Supports a Healthy Microbiome
Chlorella has a beneficial effect on the digestive system and supporting a healthy microbiome by promoting the production of gut flora. There is increasing evidence that links microbial health and obesity. In addition, the more overweight a person, the less there is a healthy diversity of microflora. By supporting healthy microbiome, Chlorella is also assisting to increase the diversity of beneficial gut flora.

Chlorella promotes the multiplication of beneficial bacteria's like lactobacillus in the stomach at four times the normal rate. Chlorella is rich in fiber, which is a prebiotic and encourages beneficial intestinal microflora production. A healthy gut microbiome increases feelings of fullness at meal times, improves better absorption of nutrients, helps to balance hormones, and will produces feel good neurotransmitters. A healthier microbiome also means a more effective detoxification of harmful toxins from the body. Chlorella encourages more regularity and clearing out the intestines to prevent the re-absorption of toxins.

Blocks the Production of Fat Cells
A study showed that incorporating Chlorella onto your diet can block the production of fat cells and even shrink already existing ones. The research has found that Chlorella can shrink fat cells by decreasing the amount of fat held within them. A research team in Japan has also found that chlorella promotes weight loss by controlling gene expression to produce reductions in body fat percentages, fasting glucose levels, and total circulating cholesterol.

Another study conducted on healthy individuals as well as those with "high-risk factors for lifestyle-related diseases" suggested that "chlorella intake resulted in noticeable reductions in body fat percentage, serum total cholesterol, and fasting blood glucose levels." These factors are associated with helping to maintain your ideal weight.

Detoxifies Harmful Toxins
As you lose weight, toxins are released from your fats cells. Without support to help with detoxification, they can be easily reabsorbed by the body. Therefore, It is critical to safely remove these toxins. Another feature of Chlorella is its ability to effectively detoxify heavy metals, pesticides, herbicides and other environmental pollutants and chemicals. One of chlorella's most significant health benefits is that it wraps itself around even the most stubborn toxins in the body such as cadmium, lead, mercury, bisphenol A, poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), glyphosate and all other pollutants. More importantly, it not only eliminates them from the body but also prevents them from being reabsorbed. In our toxic world, it is imperative, not only for your health but also for weight loss, to safely remove harmful toxins.

Chlorella - Essential Support of Weight Loss

Like so many nutritional products, the real benefits are only available when you know more about how and where the product was grown and processed. The nutrition and therapeutic power of Chlorella is only fully available when it is grown in pristine conditions, processed and packaged correctly. BioGenesis is an exceptional company that ticks all those boxes. As a 100 percent Australian owned and operated company, it is the only 'Australian Made, Australian Grown' licensed producer of organic Chlorella. From its farm in tropical Queensland, right through to packing and distribution, its products are grown and processed in Australia to the highest quality standard. Unlike many other Chlorella farms, the pristine water and abundant sunlight of BioGenesis from its tropical Queensland farm insures the purest and most nutrient dense algae product available any where in the world.

Chlorella is a unique nutritional product that supports weight loss in many ways. It is available either as a powder (ask 3-5 grams daily) or tablets (5 tablets twice a day). Nature has packed all the necessary vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, prebiotics, proteins and a comprehensive detoxification capacity into one small but mighty unicellular plant that provides your body with optimal nutrition, microbiome support and clearing of harmful toxins.

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We all know that health is our true wealth and, thus, making healthy choices will go a long way to us to help us live a life filled with vitality. It's just plain common sense that eating a nutrient dense, organic diet is one of the best choices we can make to insure our wellbeing.

But what about our pets? For instance, dogs and humans share roughly 80-90 percent of their genetic makeup. And we have similar nutritional needs. While we may have realised the dangers from eating processed food, why are so many of us still feeding our pets some form of commercial food? Processed pet food is as bad for our pet's health as is processed human food for us. The skyrocketing rates of chronic disease in our pets mirror ours. Not only is it devastating to see our pets suffer but ongoing vet bills are also shockingly expensive.

If our pets live in our homes, breathe the same air, walk on the same pesticide-ridden grass, drink the same water, and eat similar types of highly processed and denatured food, then it stands to reason they will suffer the same diseases we do.

When it comes to our pets' health, they are in trouble. These statistics reveal an alarming increase in the declining health of our pets.

• Cancer now affects a staggering 1 in 3 dogs. Almost 50% of all dogs over the age of 10 will develop cancer.
• 10% of dogs suffer from heart disease.
• The number of dogs diagnosed with diabetes has more than tripled in the last 30 years, affecting 1 in 160 dogs.
• An estimated 54% of dogs and cats are overweight or obese.

What Are You Feeding Your Pets?
Have you ever thought about the food that you are feeding your animals? Most commercial dog and cat food products contain various harmful ingredients such as intestines, udders, heads, hooves, and possibly diseased and cancerous animal parts. It leads to number of implications and diseases s such as allergic skin disease, inflammatory bowel disease, kidney stones, ear infection, and diabetes to name a few.

Many chemicals are also added in order to improve the stability, taste or appearance of the food. Additives provide no nutritional value. The cheaper the brand, then generally the more garbage ingredients it contains.

The pet food industry is multi-million-dollar industry and full of hype and false claims. They often deceive the customers by advocating their products as premium, quality, and natural. The consumers are made to believe they are feeding their pet's healthy food, but the truth is far from reality. They produce cheap and harmful products to extend shelf life.

The other risk to animal health comes from the exposure to pesticides and other toxic chemicals sprayed on plants and lawns. For example, Round-up (glyphosate) is a common weed killer that is exceptionally dangerous to our animals, causing serious health problems such as abnormal heart rates and rhythms, seizures, and cancer. It is commonly used not only on lawns but also public spaces. Whenever animal walk on public areas or lawns or eat grasses, they could be exposed to glyphosate or other harmful pesticides.

Getting Real Nutrition for Your Pets
Keeping your pet healthy begins by giving them the best possible food. There is a growing industry offering truly health products to feed your dog and cat. Always choose the very best.

There is one profound source of true nutrition that not only has a wide range of essential nutrients but also has the ability to bind and eliminate dangerous toxins, heavy metals, pesticides and even glyphosate. It is found in a unique one-cell algae called Chlorella which is not only nature's multi-vitamin but also nature's detoxifier.

Chlorella is true a superfood, rich in all the vitamins and minerals your pets require to live a vital life and well as heal from various health challenges. It includes vitamins A (beta carotene), C, E, and vitamin K, containing all the B-complex vitamins (including B12), zinc, iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, selenium, iodine, omega-3 essential fatty acid, and the enzyme pepsin. Chlorella also contains 58 to 70 percent of bio-available protein and all the essential amino acids.

The Health Benefits of Chlorella for Dogs and Cats

Chlorella is a powerful food that enhances your pet's health in many important ways. By including Chlorella in your pets daily diet, it will enhance overall wellbeing as well as provide the necessary support for healing.

Chlorella is essential for supporting a healthy immune system in the following ways.

• It increases natural killer cells. These are white blood cells vital in the protection against diseases including tumours and viruses
• It increases interferon production. These proteins notify your dog or cat's body when a virus is present, prompting the immune system to activate
• It increases antibodies. Chlorella intake has been found to prompt an increase in an antibody required for immune functions. For example, one study found an increase in SigA, an antibody vital for mucosal immunity (the immune system's largest component). Another study proved that Chlorella improves humoral immune responses (another component to the immune system).

Chlorella reduces the risk for Chronic illnesses. Many diseases and illnesses, including cancer, heart disease and autoimmune diseases as well as premature ageing have been linked to oxidative stress caused by unstable free radicals.

Free radicals are damaged cells in your dog or cat's body. While some are normal, excessive amounts can be caused by exposure to substances such as medications including flea, tick and heart worm prevention, vaccinations, low quality pet food and environmental toxins such as pesticides. Without adequate antioxidants, these damaged cells react by attacking healthy cells to replenish their molecules. Chlorella is rich in antioxidants and studies have found it can effectively stabilise free radicals and decrease oxidative stress.

Chlorella promotes effective detoxification. Exposure to chemicals can lead to an increase in heavy metals in your pet's body. Some heavy metals are normal and are important for your pet's body function. However, high levels can be dangerous. Chlorella is one of nature's best detoxifiers.

This ability is due to its high chlorophyll component and its ability to bind to heavy metals, inhibiting their absorption and enhancing their elimination. One study found Chlorella could prevent the heavy metal, strontium, from absorbing into the blood, and simultaneously promote its elimination from the body. It has also been proven to speed up the elimination of mercury and reduce blood lead levels by 66.03%.

Chlorella enhances digestive health and a fresher breath. Chlorella improves gut health for dogs and cats as it is high in prebiotics and in turn helps stimulate the rapid growth of probiotics. It is high in prebiotics and probiotics. Prebiotic fibres work to eliminate the bacteria in your dog or cat's colon. As well as this, they provide fuel for probiotic good bacteria to grow. Together, pre-and probiotics create an ideal balance for your dog or cat's optimal digestive health. In fact, one study found chlorella quickly tripled the probiotic bacteria in the gut.

A healthy digestive system leads to fresher breath. Chlorella contains a higher concentration of chlorophyll than any other plant. As mentioned previously, this is a powerful cleansing agent. For this reason, it has been found to freshen the breath of dogs and cats by combating a common root cause of bad breath, an unhealthy digestive system.

Chlorella Improves the skin and coat condition. Dogs' and cats' skin and coat is directly dependent on nutrients including essential fatty acids, amino acids, protein, zinc and vitamin C, all of which can be found in Chlorella. Protein is the main component to hair, so sufficient intake is essential in maintaining a healthy coat for your dog or cat.

Other critical nutrients found in Chlorella are the essential fatty acids, Omega-3 and 6 which are vital for the healthy skin and coat condition of dogs and cats. Omega-3 and 6 deficiencies include dry, flaky, or reddened skin, a dull, discoloured coat and hair/fur loss.

Chlorella is also rich in two other important nutrients, Zinc and Vitamin C. Zinc is directly responsible for the health of your dog or cat's skin. This is their largest organ and consists of tissue that reproduces quickly. A diet containing adequate zinc is important for maintaining ongoing and consistent skin health. Chlorella is also rich in vitamin C, which is assists in wound healing. It helps to repair and grow tissue and produce collagen. All of which is important in maintaining your dog or cat's healthy skin and coat.

Chlorella has key nutrients for eye health. Chlorella contains beta, lutein, zeaxanthin carotenoids which are important for eye health. Beta-carotene is a precursor to vitamin A which is used by the cells in your dog or cat's retina to communicate with the brain via the optic nerve. The cells which are most important in low light (called rods) react particularly adversely to vitamin A deficiencies. Therefore, a diet rich in beta-carotene can help improve your dog or cat's eyesight, especially their night vision.

Lutein and zeaxanthin carotenoids provide the retina with a layer of protection. In doing so, they can prevent eye conditions in dogs and cats including age-related macular degeneration and cataracts.

Chlorella helps build healthy bones and joints. Chlorella is rich in omega-3 which acts as a powerful anti-inflammatory. This is ideal for supporting healthy joints in dog and cats. Additionally, it is important when managing joint discomfort associated with conditions such as arthritis and general aging.

Chlorella can also improve joint health through its high protein content. This extra protein in your dog or cat's diet can help to strengthen, repair, and rebuild their muscles, putting less strain on their joints.

Guidelines for Using Chlorella
Chlorella is a superfood that provides a perfect balance of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates. Animals always know what's good or them and they especially love Chlorella when it is added to their food. Pure chlorella powder as can be given directly or mixed into your pet's food. As a general rule of thumb, for cats start around 1/8 of a tsp. and for dogs use about 1/4 tsp. and work your way towards the recommended dose.

If you're giving this daily to your pet, most owners begin to see a difference in 4 to 6 weeks. It will vary depending on the individual cat or dog but you'll notice better skin condition, fur, brighter eyes, and better vitality.

If you're doing a detox, Chlorella will be more effective in eliminating the toxins if given away from food. Start will half the recommended dosage and increase to the recommended amount needed according to how your pet is responding and your cat or dog's level of toxicity and overall health. Chlorella should be mixed with clean water, (properly filtered or distilled, not tap water) and can be fed as a green drink, or gently squirted directly into your pet's mouth.

If you're detoxing your pet from heavy metals or radiation, remember to go slow but you should begin to see an improvement in your pet at around the 6 weeks depending on their level of toxicity.

Chlorella can also be used topically to help treat burns, and wounds, ease inflammation, etc. Make a small paste using Chlorella and water and apply it topically to the affected area. You could also make a waterier solution and use it to bathe the affected area a few times a day.

BioGenesis - The Purest and Most Nutrient Dense Chlorella

When choosing a Chlorella product, it is always important to know where the Chlorella was grown and processed. The nutrition and therapeutic power of Chlorella is only fully available when it is grown in pristine conditions, processed, and packaged correctly.

BioGenesis is a 100 percent Australian owned company that grows, processes and packages the highest quality Chlorella. Located in the pristine environment of Bowen, Queensland, it is committed to growing and harvesting their ingredients with as little impact on the environment as possible. All their products are free from herbicides, pesticides, and environmental contaminants. Biogenesis also uses sustainable farming practices and never tests on animals.

There is another factor that makes BioGenesis an exceptional company. BioGenesis has developed a unique and innovative growth system that replicates the natural water flow of a river, using water pressure as the motion force. This enables algae to grow to the highest quality-standard exactly as nature intended.

BioGenesis Chlorella truly is miracle algae with an amazing profile of essential nutrients necessary for your pet's health. All of which will ultimately lead to improved energy, vitality, mood, and overall quality of life due to your dog or cat's improved quality of health. When you choose the highest quality food for your beloved pets, you will always be rewarded with a healthy, happy, and long-lived companion. Giving your pets their daily treat of Chlorella will make them love you forever!

We all love our superheroes. They perform amazing feats with their superhuman abilities. Superheroes reveal their many hidden gifts and talents and always fight on the side of justice, goodness, and protection of the innocent. When we are in the world of superheroes, we feel safer knowing that they will come to our rescue in time of need.

While superheroes exist in the human world, there are also superheroes that exist in the plant world that will also come to our rescue in time of need. One of the greatest superheroes is a humble, single-cell algae organism called Chlorella (C. vulgaris). Don't be deceived by its very small size. In fact, Chlorella performs Herculean tasks that support our health and wellbeing as well as the health and wellbeing of our animals.

To begin with, Chlorella is nature's own power-packed multivitamin, containing all the essential nutrients required to sustain life. Chlorella is rich in vitamins A (beta carotene), C, E, and vitamin K, containing all the B-complex vitamins (including B12), zinc, iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, selenium, iodine, omega-3 essential fatty acid, and the enzyme pepsin. Chlorella also contains 58 to 70 percent of bio-available protein and all the essential amino acids. It is one of the few foods that naturally contain vitamin D. The iron content of chlorella is particularly impressive and can provide up to 40 percent of our daily requirements. Chlorella is also a rich source of the eye nutrients; carotenoids, lutein, and zeaxanthin.

But, perhaps, its greatest super hero feat is Chlorella's unique ability to safely absorb and eliminate all the environmental toxins that we are exposed to every day. Very modest estimates have suggested that we are exposed to more than 700,000 different toxic chemicals daily. In addition, other nasty toxins such as mercury, lead, cadmium, and radiation find their way into our bodies through the air, food and water. It definitely takes a superhero to safely and efficiently detoxify so many toxic exposures every single day!

Glyphosate: A Super Villain to the Health of Humans, Animals and Nature

Glyphosate is the main ingredient in many weed-killer products. It is considered the most widely used broad-spectrum systemic herbicide in history. In the U.S., farmers use more than 200 million pounds of glyphosate annually. The chemical is also an active ingredient in more than 750 products approved for use, many of which can be found on supermarket and hardware store shelves and used by backyard gardeners.

herbicides

Exposure to glyphosate occurs either through environmental contamination or through genetically modified foods. Over 80 percent of genetically modified (GM) crops grown worldwide are engineered to tolerate being sprayed with high amounts of glyphosate herbicides. All non-organic cereals and grains, which are harvested with glyphosate, include wheat, barley, buckwheat, millet, rice, oats, rye, sorghum, wild rice, popcorn, and teff.

The Environmental Working Group found glyphosate in every sample of popular oat-based cereal and other oat-based food marketed to children. Glyphosate was also found in baby food. Even some organic foods have tested positive for glyphosate.

There is also a dirty little secret when it comes to the off-label use of glyphosate. It is used as a pre-harvest drying agent (desiccant) on non-GMO as well as organic crops. Glyphosate is regularly sprayed as a desiccant on more than 70 crops, including almonds, apples, dry edible beans, lentils, chickpeas, peas, grapes, rice, and sunflowers.

Many farmers also use it on fields before the growing season, including spinach growers and almond producers.

Exposure to glyphosate is everywhere. It is even found in tap water. People and animals that eat GM glyphosate-tolerant crops are eating potentially high levels of glyphosate residues. A recent report released by a unit of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that more than 80 percent of urine samples drawn from children and adults in the U.S. contained glyphosate.

While consumers have been repeatedly told that glyphosate is totally safe by the company and government regulators, the facts say otherwise. One of the big problems with glyphosate is that it impairs the physiology of humans. It is also interesting to note that glyphosate has been patented for use as an antibiotic. No wonder glyphosate has been a disaster to the human microbiome which contains trillions of bacteria playing crucial roles in maintaining our inner ecology.

Exposure to glyphosate presents many serious health risks including altered gastrointestinal function, immune disorders, infertility, accelerated aging, and insulin dysregulation. Since GMOs were introduced in 1996, the percentage of Americans with three or more chronic illnesses went from 7 percent to 13 percent and there has been an unprecedented rise in autism, food allergies, digestive disorders, and reproductive issues. In addition, GM foods are believed to be contributory to the epidemic of diabetes and obesity.

There is another serious concern from glyphosate exposure. It has been recognized as a carcinogen. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), which is part of the World Health Organisation (WHO), and considered the foremost authority on cancer research, has classified glyphosate in Group 2A 'probably carcinogenic to humans' category.

Glyphosate also has many other undesirable impacts as well:

• Damages the mitochondria, the energy producers of the cells
• Promotes oxidative stress
• Disrupts hormone signaling
• Acts as an endocrine disruptor
• Chelates minerals, contributing to nutrient deficiencies
• Inhibits detoxification
• Adds to the total body burden of chemicals
• Destroy the tight junction of cells

Unfortunately, glyphosate exposure and GM ingredients and foods are ubiquitous in our daily life. It is safe to assume that most people have consumed glyphosate tainted foods or water. Finding a safe solution to eliminate this dangerous chemical from our body is essential for insuring our health and the health of future generations. This is when we are really in need of help from a superhero!

The Superhero Chlorella Can Save the Day

While studies have demonstrated that Chlorella can successful detoxify heavy metals such as mercury, cadmium, cadmium, titanium, lead and arsenic, we are shining the spotlight specifically on glyphosate since it so pervasive in our environment, food sources and our bodies. It is interesting to note that Chlorella is so intelligent that it only detoxifies the toxic metals from the body but not the beneficial minerals.

Chlorella has multiple mechanisms for doing its amazing job of cleansing and detoxifying the body. Biosorption is the ability to attach harmful chemicals to its surface and remove them out the body. Chlorella can bind or attach to herbicides and pesticides found in the gastrointestinal tract and assist in their elimination from the body instead of letting them linger in the body and cause damage to our health.

Bioaccumulation is another way involved in the detoxification of toxic chemicals using Chlorella. It is also almost like a biosorption mechanism. The good fat content of Chlorella accumulates toxic compounds such as pesticides as waste molecules and then removes them from the body.

Chlorella can bio-convert pesticides. This process converts harmful pesticides into less toxic, soluble, degradable, and hydrophilic compounds. This conversion prevents pesticides from causing harm to the body during their transient stay in the body before their elimination with Chlorella.

Chlorella also enhances liver function which is necessary to assist in detoxification. Chlorella can enhance phase 2 enzyme activation in the liver which is essential for eliminating toxic chemicals. Chlorella can also increase blood antioxidant levels and reduce oxidative damage in the body. The increase in antioxidant levels is essential to control the oxidative damage caused by glyphosate and other pesticides.

Chlorella enhances the natural detoxification process of pesticides and herbicides and protects our bodies from the harmful effects of these chemicals. Many foods are effective for giving the body its required nutrients but only a few are equally successful at removing the toxins as well. Chlorella is one of them. As a super hero, Chlorella is one of the best known biological detoxifiers found in nature.

The Secret to the Superpower of Chlorella
Now that you know the power of Chlorella to detoxify the body from all forms of toxins, especially glyphosate, it is essential to be sure to use only the best Chlorella product. Knowing the source of your products is always critical, especially with Chlorella. Only when Chlorella is grown in a pristine outdoor environment of clean air, soil, and water, is it able to ensure all of its powerful health benefits.

When choosing a Chlorella product be sure to source the Chlorella that is farmed in the purest environment, especially organic Chlorella that is free from herbicides, pesticides, and environmental contaminants. Research shows one of the best Chlorella products grown, is harvested and processed in Australia's great barrier reef region in North Queensland. It is a FDA certified Bio-Secure region.

There is no doubt, Chlorella should be a part of everyone's diet to support our wellbeing, detoxification, and healing. Modern technology has been able to unlock Chlorella's phenomenal potential not only as a superfood but as super detoxifier We need such superheroes in our toxic and polluted world. Thank goodness that Chlorella has come to our rescue!

References:

1. Gillezeau C, van Gerwen M, Shaffer RM, Rana I, Zhang L, Sheppard L, Taioli E. The evidence of human exposure to glyphosate: a review. Environ Health. 2019 Jan 7;18(1):2. doi: 10.1186/s12940-018-0435-5. PMID: 30612564; PMCID: PMC6322310.
2. Australian Diet Study
3. CDC - National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey
4. Science in Society Archive - Glyphosate is Carcinogenic
5. Stur E, Aristizabal-Pachon AF, Peronni KC, Agostini LP, Waigel S, Chariker J, et al. (2019) Glyphosate-based herbicides at low doses affect canonical pathways in estrogen positive and negative breast cancer cell lines. PLoS ONE 14(7): e0219610.
6. Bill's Organics - 10 Most Common GMO Foods
7. Ferruzzi MG Digestion, absorption, and cancer preventative activity of dietary chlorophyll derivatives. Nutrition Research 2007
8. Fahey JW, Stephenson KK, Dinkova-Kostova AT, Egner PA, Kensler TW, Talalay P. Chlorophyll, chlorophyllin and related tetrapyrroles are significant inducers of mammalian phase 2 cytoprotective genes. Carcinogenesis 2005;26:1247 - 55.

Extreme weather changes can affect a person's pain levels¹. The scientific name for the study of these occurrences is called biometeorology (or medical meteorology²). Medical literature provides us with insights from physicians that prolonged exposure to severe outdoor temperatures can worsen painful symptoms in patients. Especially for patients who already suffer from different types of chronic pain. While further study is needed, individuals can implement several strategies to alleviate pain brought on by scorching heat or freezing cold temperatures. Even though we cannot control the weather, It is important to add these tips to our daily routines as we navigate through seasonal shifts in order to avoid unwanted pain.

Icy Winter Days
People who suffer from chronic conditions such as arthritis, rheumatic conditions, depression and/or anxiety are susceptible to increased pain during cold winter months. One theory³ suggests sudden changes in barometric pressure may be to blame. With colder temperatures steadily lowering outdoor air pressure, exposure to these atmospheric changes triggers inflammation in muscle and joint tissue, resulting in pain. We can make ourselves more comfortable during the colder months with some minor adjustments to our daily routines.

Generate Warmth
Regulating your body heat is a simple, but effective way to alleviate pain. Take the time to properly protect yourself during especially low temperatures by wearing extra layers of clothing. Opt for insulated gloves, outerwear and thermal undergarments. Wool is an excellent fabric for preserving body heat-but if it irritates your skin, alternatives such as cashmere and alpaca wool offer warmer, lighter, and softer protection that is gentle on the skin and more effective at retaining heat than synthetic materials. When at home, warm showers and baths can not only help keep you warm, but lower blood pressure and increase blood circulation. Also utilize heating pads or electric blankets, which are an excellent way to stay warm during freezing nights.

Exercise Daily
Routine daily exercise and maintaining a healthy weight will put less stress on your joints, especially those in the back, hips, and knees. While frigid outdoor weather can significantly restrict access to outdoor exercise, studies show staying active and exercising regularly can help reduce pain⁴. Start small with exercises that are gentle on your joints, like yoga, tai chi or swimming in a heated, indoor pool. Before bracing the chilly weather, remember to stretch and loosen muscles and joints, your body will thank you later.

Spice It Up
Different foods and drinks can give you warmth as well. Hot tea is not only soothing, but can warm up your hands if you hold your teacup tight. Coffee is scientifically proven to increase body temperature due to the high amounts of caffeine that stimulate the metabolism, encouraging the body to burn fuel. The most effective way to drink coffee is black. Adding cream and sugar will just break down instantly and produce a sugar crash. Besides drinks, certain foods can also keep you warm like ginger, which improves blood circulation, helping to warm your extremities and keep away the chills. For those who like their food a bit more bold, any spicy pepper, like jalapenos or habaneros, will help you heat up. Capsaicin⁵ is the active component that is found in all peppers, the chemical produces a burning sensation to any tissues it comes into contact with, keeping you nice and toasty.

Sweltering Summer Days
Heat waves and humidity can have an effect on anyone, however, for people in pain, especially those dealing with chronic pain like arthritis and other conditions, heat can intensify the pain and make it worse⁶. Studies show hot weather alone can cause dizziness, lightheadedness, fatigue, and muscle cramps⁷, even in people who do not normally experience muscle pain - so stay cool by using these tips:

Choose Water
When you feel thirsty, it is your body telling you that you are already mildly dehydrated. Our muscles require water, without enough fluid, our muscles can become extremely sensitive and spasm. Make sure to hydrate with water from morning to evening and pick beverages wisely. Drinks such as alcohol and/or highly caffeinated beverages (like soda, coffee or some teas), can cause dehydration. The best choices can also pertain to certain foods, some summer snacks are higher in water, which make them ideal choices for staying cool. According to studies from Australia, about one-fifth of our water consumption comes from foods⁸ - primarily fruits and veggies. Summer favorites with high amounts of water include: watermelon, cucumbers, cantaloupe, tomatoes, strawberries, iceberg lettuce and pineapple.

Favor Shade Over Sun
The hot temperatures and humidity can exhaust us, but the harmful rays of the sun can also make pain even worse. When venturing outside try to wear a hat, sunglasses and sit or walk in the shade whenever possible. By spending time in the shade, your skin can repair itself and it is a good way to avoid sunburn, which can intensify any existing aches and pains. Put away the denim and sweaters, and choose breathable, light-weight clothes made from polyester or cotton to help protect your skin, and regulate body temperature. For those who already struggle with headaches, or migraines, avoid bright sunlight as much as possible. While just being out in the heat stresses your body, direct sun can cause sunburn and intensify pain, picking shade over sun can help you stay cool.

Pain Cream vs. Pain Pills
Extreme heat can cause painful muscle spasms or soreness, which can occur even if you have never had them before, and especially if the body gets too warm and can't cool itself fast enough. These spasms are referred to as 'heat cramps⁹', and are usually experienced by pro-athletes, but in extreme weather can happen to anyone. In this instance, effective pain relief creams can work quicker than oral pain medications. Oral medications and supplements take time to absorb in the body via ingestion, some even require a waiting period of 6 to 8 hours between doses. Pain creams, on the other hand, can better target pain by applying cream directly to affected joints or muscles, providing instant relief. Another advantage to pain relief creams is that you can apply it more frequently than you can take an oral pain relief medication.

Topical pain relief creams have proven effective for my patients in both weather extremes, especially pain creams that contain hyper-oxygenated oil¹⁰. These oils have been praised as a valuable remedy throughout history, from the days of ancient Rome. The Spartans would rub oil onto their bodies before going into battle. In those days, the oil was made from local flowering plants and then left to ferment in the sun for up to 20 years, infusing the oil with oxygen. When massaged in, the action of the rubbing in the soothing oil helps accelerate blood flow deep in the superficial vascular network. Pain creams that utilize oxygenated oil usually have lower doses of menthol, and have been proven to be more effective than menthol-only creams.

Different therapies can offer a variety of solutions for all types of pain, but not all options are suitable for everyone or for all types of pain. Consult your doctor about the right treatment option for your pain. While it may not seem like you are doing a lot, taking simple small precautions during periods of extreme weather, and adjusting your routine accordingly, can have an effective impact on managing pain in any type of weather.

References:

1. Weather Patterns Associated with Pain in Chronic-Pain Sufferers - American Meteorological Society
2. The Meteorology of the Human Body - National Library of Medicine
3. How Cold Weather Impacts Joint Pain - Harvard Pilgrim Health Care
4. Exercise and Chronic Pain - Utah State University
5. Capsaicin - Wikipedia
6. The Dangerous Combination of Chronic Pain and Hot Weather - Pain Medicine News
7. Temperature-related Death and Illness - National Institute of Environmental Health Science
8. Drinking Water and Your Health - healthdirect.gov.au
9. Heat Cramps - University of Connecticut
10. Ozonated oil in wound healing: what has already been proven? - National Library of Medicine

Although preventable, cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for an estimated 32% of all deaths worldwide¹. Risk factors of heart disease and stroke include a poor diet, lack of physical activity, smoking, high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, and being overweight or obese, most of which are modifiable. Many people transition to a plant-based diet to lower their risk for chronic disease as plant-based diets have been repeatedly associated with improved health markers and disease prevention. However, if not done properly, a plant-based diet may do more harm than good when it comes to your health. Here are the best strategies for promoting heart health when going vegan.

Prioritize Wholesome Plant-Based Foods

Even the American Heart Association agrees that eating a plant-based diet at any age can reduce the risk for CVD². However, being plant-based or vegan does not automatically mean that a food is good for you. Highly processed plant-based foods such as meat analogs, baked goods, frozen meals, fried foods, salty snacks, fruit juices, refined grains, and frozen desserts, are often loaded with saturated oils, salt, and sugar, which can lead to undesirable health complications. They are also often high in calories with very little nutritional value. In fact, one study suggests that some meat alternatives provide a higher content of saturated fat and sodium than their animal meat counterparts.³

Instead, focus on consuming wholesome foods that have not been processed. These include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds, and should make up for the majority of your daily caloric intake. These foods are high in dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals while being naturally low in calories, saturated fat and sodium. In one study, plant-based diets consisting of mostly non-processed foods lowered CVD risk by 52%.⁴ Keep processed foods to a minimum and be mindful of salt consumption. Diets high in sodium are associated with increased blood pressure and a higher risk for heart failure, stroke and heart attack.⁵ In addition to lowering your consumption of processed foods, another way to decrease your sodium intake is to season your foods with salt-free spices, fresh herbs, garlic and onions. Lowering your consumption of frozen prepared meals, salty snacks such as potato chips, canned foods and meat alternatives can also be an effective way to lower sodium intake.

The cardio-protective benefits of wholesome plant foods lies in their ability to improve CVD markers. In fact, a whole-food, plant-based diet has been shown to improve high blood pressure, high cholesterol, impaired blood circulation, body weight, and inflammatory markers such as C-reactive protein.⁶ However, plant eaters may find it challenging to obtain all their nutrients from the diet as they would have to consume very high volumes of food and some plant foods lack essential vitamins and minerals. Therefore, plant-based diets should be paired with the right supplementation as supplements play an important role in supplying adequate amounts of essential nutrients, as well as supporting heart health and lowering disease risk.

Take A Heart-Healthy Supplement

Fish oil is a popular supplement that has been shown to provide some cardiovascular health benefits. This is due to the high content of unsaturated fatty acids in fish, which may reduce blood pressure, lower triglyceride levels and improve overall cholesterol level, a risk factor for heart disease.⁷ Fish oil is not the end-all for heart health, however, and they are not a vegan-friendly option. Other supplements have been shown to be favorable for heart health that is suitable for plant-based eaters. Many may turn to algae-based omega-3 supplements, however, the research on algae supplementation is quite limited, and many algae oil supplements have a lower recommended dose of omega-3 fatty acids than fish oil.

A better option for vegans can be found in a supplement called, Aged Garlic Extract (AGE), which has been thoroughly studied and backed by research. Garlic has been used for centuries as a natural way to enhance health. But, when it comes to the heart, AGE is the real key to unlocking garlic's cardiovascular benefits. AGE has been shown to improve heart disease risk factors such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure and clogged arteries.^8,9,10 So why not just simply eat raw garlic instead? The proprietary aging process to make AGE increases garlic's antioxidant power, removes its strong odor, and concentrates its benefits. In short, the AGE is far more potent than raw garlic. In fact, you would have to eat up to 28 garlic cloves daily to get these same benefits you would find in a couple of AGE capsules, which is not realistic nor recommended as it can cause digestive discomfort.

Similar to many supplements out there, not all AGE supplements are vegan. When selecting supplements, vegans still need to be cautious as many supplements contain animal ingredients such as gelatin (from animal skin and bones) and beeswax to encapsulate the nutrients. So it's important for those following a plant-based diet to read the supplement labels carefully and choose an AGE supplement that also indicates it is a vegan formula. Because it is easy to consume, odorless, and leaves no aftertaste, AGE supplements are also great for those who want an alternative to the fishy taste of fish oil and algae oil supplements.

Incorporate The Right Types Of Exercise Into Your Routine

Eating a wholesome plant-based diet and taking a vegan aged garlic extract supplement are crucial steps towards preventing heart disease. Another important lifestyle habit to protect your heart is to exercise regularly. Being physically active is one of the most effective ways to strengthen your heart muscle and improve your muscles' ability to pull oxygen from the blood, reducing the heart's workload.¹¹ Exercise is also a great tool for keeping a healthy body weight and improving cholesterol and blood pressure levels, all factors that lower the risk for CVD.¹¹ Although there are many different types of exercise, the most effective way to incorporate movement into your daily routine is to find activities that you enjoy and to switch up types of activities regularly.

There are two types of exercise you should incorporate into your routine - aerobic and strength training. Aerobic exercise improves blood circulation and lowers blood pressure and heart rate. It also improves your overall conditioning and how well your heart pumps.¹² Examples of aerobic activities include running, brisk walking, swimming and cycling. Resistance training is a great way to create lean muscle mass and reduce body fat, which in turn improves cholesterol levels and heart health.¹³ Strength training includes working out with free weights such as dumbbells, and weight machines, as well as resistance bands or body-weight exercises. Recommendations for exercise are 150 minutes per week of moderate to intense exercise¹⁴ so 30 minutes per day, five days a week, is a great habit to adopt.

Keeping A Healthy Heart For Years To Come

Cardiovascular disease is responsible for hundreds of thousands of premature and preventable deaths in the United States every year. Taking a proactive approach to disease prevention involves more than doing your regular check-ups at the doctor. There are many vegan-friendly strategies for heart health that don't include fish oil or fish consumption. A wholesome plant-based diet, supplemented with heart-protective aged garlic extract, and regular physical activity, are effective tools to support a healthy heart and reduce your risk for cardiovascular disease. Adopting lifestyle changes, regardless of your age, is a proactive way to improve your overall health and disease prevention.

Be mindful that switching to a fully vegan diet requires planning and intention, and should be done with the guidance of a health professional. If not done properly, a plant-based diet may result in nutrient deficiencies, which can lead to future health complications. Supplementation can be an effective and inexpensive way to prevent these nutrient deficiencies. Discussing your options with a nutritionist is recommended to maximize the health benefits of living a vegan life. Read more about supplements I recommend for a healthy vegan lifestyle at my site Hungry For Plants.

References

1. Cardiovascular Diseases - World Health Organization
2. Eating A Plant-Based Diet At Any Age May Lower Cardiovascular Risk - American Heart Association
3. Nutritional Quality of Plant-Based Meat Products Available in the UK: A Cross-Sectional Survey - Nutrients
4. Plant-Centered Diet and Risk of Incident Cardiovascular Disease During Young to Middle Adulthood - Journal of the American Heart Association
5. Sodium Intake and Heart Failure - International Journal of Molecular Science
6. Plant-Based Diets and Cardiovascular Health - Trends In Cardiovascular Medicine
7. The Effects of Fish Oil on Cardiovascular Diseases: Systematical Evaluation and Recent Advance - Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine
8. Cholesterol-Lowering Effect of Garlic Extracts and Organosulfur Compounds: Human and Animal Studies - The Journal of Nutrition
9. Aged Garlic Extract Reduces Blood Pressure In Hypertensives: A Dose-Response Trial - European Journal of Clinical Nutrition
10. Aged garlic extract reduces low attenuation plaque in coronary arteries of patients with diabetes: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study - Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine
11. Effects of Exercise to Improve Cardiovascular Health - Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine
12. Exercise for Prevention and Relief of Cardiovascular Disease: Prognoses, Mechanisms, and Approaches - Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity
13. Cardiovascular Effects and Benefits of Exercise - Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine
14. Physical Activity Guidelines - American College of Sports Medicine

Infertility is becoming widespread these days but in the early 1900's, families with five children or more were commonplace. A century later, we now have fertility clinics available to women who want to just have one child. Infertility treatment is expensive and painful for couples who often become desperate after years of failed treatments. One common overlooked reason is low DHEA levels. DHEA is short for DeHydroEpiAndrosterone.

This is the "fountain of youth" hormone and it's a natural adrenal hormone which peaks at age 25, then steadily declines as we age. DHEA can be converted into testosterone and estrogen. Less DHEA means less of these sex hormones. Blood or saliva tests are available to gauge DHEA levels which must be in balance with other adrenal hormones, especially cortisol. High cortisol will cause you to hold on to belly fat.

Cortisol goes up in response to stress. Remember, these two are supposed to be in balance, like a see-saw. So you can see where I'm going with this. Cortisol climbs up and up in many women given the fast paced 21st century non-stop information overload, lack of sleep, caffeine, work-related stress, financial obligations or relationship stress. When it comes time to have a baby, cortisol could be high while DHEA levels may be seriously tanked! Some signs and symptoms include bad PMS (premenstrual syndrome), fatigue, brain fog, mood swings or high cholesterol.

But wait, the fertility doctor told you it was a low count of eggs! Yes that could be true, it's technically termed "Low Functional Ovarian Reserve" or LFOR, which could occur from aging ovaries. At puberty, you may have had 250,000 to 500,000 eggs, but by age 37 perhaps there are 25,000 eggs, and by the time you hit menopause you may have less than 1,000 eggs. If you have LFOR, a specialist in this field will often complement in-vitro fertilization (IVF) with DHEA supplements and/or testosterone medications. According to a recent study published in the Journal of Ovarian Research research supports it. Female participants received 75 mg of DHEA for three consecutive menstrual cycles prior to IVF experiences. Those who received DHEA had more embryos leading to more successful pregnancies. But don't supplement with DHEA by yourself, dosing is dependent on many factors, especially genes which I study every day.

Your response and metabolism of DHEA is dependent on your personal genetic variants meaning supplementation can be good or bad depending on your genes. Cellular and animal studies show that SNPs in any of the following genes affect your metabolism of DHEA: Aromatase, steroid 5?-reductase, sex-hormone binding globulin (SHBG), fragile X mental retardation protein and breast cancer type 1 (BRCA1 gene) can affect levels of androgens in women. Short of screening yourself for all potential genetic variants, I think it's better for you to just do hormonal assessments to see if you have low DHEA or low testosterone.

I've been a pharmacist for 25 years now. Let's face, I know the good, the bad and the ugly drugs. I know we need some of them, and I know that others are not useful, or worse, they are harmful. So today I've decided to share the best remedies that help from head to toe:

Headaches- Taking butterbur (Petasites hybridus) at a dose of 75mg twice daily helps reduce the frequency and intensity of migraines. You can take all the triptan drugs you want (ie Imitrex, Zomig or others) but these drugs usually just reduce pain, sometimes they abort a headache. The butterbur may slash the number of attacks in half. This is HUGE if you have to hold down a job or take care of kiddos. I discussed butterbur and dozens of other solutions my book, Headache Free.

Hypothyroidism- It's impossible to have healthy thyroid function without selenium. Not only will it hinder your ability to make thyroid hormone, it will also stifle your ability to use the hormone inside the cell. There's more about selenium, iodine, B12 and ashwagandha at my website where I archive other articles on thyroid health.

Heart Failure- Niacin (vitamin B3) was found to reduce heart attack and stroke risk in a 2010 study published in the Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology and Therapeutics. Doses vary tremendously, so please do nothing until you have your physician's approval. Niacin causes vasodilation (opens vessels) which reduces arterial pressure. I would be remiss if I didn't mention CoQ10 while discussing the heart or heart failure. CoQ10 also lowers blood pressure. I like about 100 to 200 mg daily but again, please always ask your doctor what's right for you.

Digestive disorders- My number one go-to supplement is probiotics. These improve digestion and support a healthy immune system and mood. Digestive enzymes break down the food you eat into absorbable molecules. For heartburn, I recommend slippery elm or marshmallow root. As for nausea and vomiting, ginger tea is gentle and popular. It's a mild blood thinner though, so be careful. And finally peppermint supplements can help with irritable bowel syndrome. The value of peppermint has been discussed many times, even in the British Medical Journal in 2008.

Bone loss- We all know about calcium. But did you know without enough magnesium, vitamin D or K2, you don't even incorporate the calcium into your bones?! So keep in mind the best bone-building supplements contain key minerals, you don't just push one like calcium all by itself. Natural strontium is another over-the-counter mineral used for bone integrity.

Painful knees- Glucosamine sulfate promotes cartilage formation. Collagen is another supplement that reduces pain in the knee joint of osteoarthritis sufferers. A 2012 study in the Annals of Rheumatic Disease found that losing weight helped reduce the amount of cartilage loss while increasing proteoglycan content (squishiness).

Toenail fungus- Apply essential oil of tea tree, and eliminate all sugars. You should also be checked for diabetes if you have a lot of toenail fungus.

Many of you take bisphosphonate drugs for bone loss and you write to me with complaints. Lawyers handle cases now due to the reports of catastrophic reactions like osteonecrosis or femur fractures. It's a terrible irony.

Here's another idea. Nobiletin. This is different than strontium which I've written about before. Nobiletin is a powerful "polymethoxylated" flavonoid that comes from the white stringy fiber and peel of citrus fruits (termed "pith"). You probably spit that out, throw it away or put it in your compost pile don't you? Tangerines and Mandarin oranges have awesome amounts of nobiletin, however other citrus rinds such as oranges, lemons, and grapefruit also contain nobiletin.

Nobiletin has been researched extensively over the last 10 to 15 years. It positively impacts cholesterol and reduces inflammation. Great news for those struggling with atherosclerosis and heart disease, or those of you supported on statin cholesterol drugs. Nobiletin also blocks the NF kappaB pathway which induces pain. Nobiletin has anti-cancer activity, confers brain protection and improved symptoms of Alzheimer's in an animal model. Since I'm already on a tangent, I'll also tell you that adolescents and adults dealing with acne may benefit by nobiletin because it blocks sebum production. Now, let me circle back to your skeleton.

Bone loss in humans occurs as the result of one of two things. Either your bone cells fail to make new bone, or you break down old bone too quickly. There needs to be a steady balance: Discard old bone, make new bone, discard old bone, make new bone. You probably didn't realize your bones are not solid, they are dynamic throughout your lifetime.

Two major players affect the process of bone building. One is inflammation and the other is estrogen. Chronic low grade inflammation and/or too little estrogen contribute to osteoporosis.

Research published in the Journal of Pharmacological Science showed very promising evidence of nobiletin on bone health. Scientists used rodents that had their ovaries removed (which causes estrogen deficiency). Nobiletin was given, and stopped the progression of osteoporosis. Not only that, it significantly restored bone mass in severely osteroporotic critters!

How you wonder? This natural citrus derived antioxidant suppressed pathways responsible for inflammation, namely the COX2, NF-kappa B, and prostaglandin pathways. Just amazing when you think about the potential harm done by bisphosphonate drugs given by conventional physicians. By no means am I saying an orange a day will keep the hip fracture away! But regular consumption of citrus fruits or pith-derived supplements might help, and can usually be taken with certain medications (not all). Ask doc if it's okay for you, and look online or at health food stores nationwide. It's sold as Sytrinol, or as "citrus bioflavonoids" and I want you to be real careful because some of the products contain "naringen" which comes from grapefruit and this compound can dangerously spike your blood levels of medications. My point is self-treatment with natural dietary supplements -even wonderful ones- may not be right for you. Find yourself a holistic-minded practitioner to ask.

Help for Cold Sores and Herpes Infections

Are you worried about painful cold sores? They are highly contagious. If you kiss someone with a cold sore, or drink from their cup, you could get it too. I don't personally get them, so last week, I inwardly freaked out when the woman who was giving me a much-needed manicure had two large blisters on her lips. This incident made me wonder what I would do if I had these painful sores, and how can I help you with them.

Cold sores are caused by the herpes simplex virus (HSV) which belongs to a large family of herpes pathogens which cause chicken pox, shingles or keratitis (can cause corneal blindness). Millions of folks carry herpes viruses, and the cold sores in particular are not only embarrassing, but painful too. Oral herpes causes cold sores on the lips, inside the roof of your mouth or on your gums. Genital herpes causes lesions where the sun don't shine. Either way, ouch!

You can get it if someone touches their sore, then you; you can get it sharing utensils or kissing and making out. Once inside your body, your immune system jumps to it and hopefully it's just a single episode. If your immune system is sluggish, you're in for a lifelong battle with frequent outbreaks. The frequency is impacted by your diet, lifestyle and immune strength (which is dependent on having healthy intestinal flora).

Running yourself into the ground with chronic stress or worry can activate the virus and cause lesions. Pulling all-nighters, eating candy bars, drinking alcohol, smoking, eating white flour goodies and junk food can increase risk. Ingesting foods you are intolerant to, or being deficient in probiotics can increase those flare-ups. Diets high in arginine are thought to activate herpes so avoid avoid all nuts, cashews, chocolate, cereal, lentils and sunflower seeds.

Antiviral drugs like acyclovir or Valtrex are commonly used to treat HSV infections. Unfortunately, there are increasing problems with drug resistance, similar to the problem with antibiotics and superbugs. If you do take the antiviral drug and use them long term, often there are plenty of side effects and potential damage to the kidneys and liver. I'm passionate about natural remedies, so here's a few to ponder:

Lemon balm. I'd make a tea out of this, and drink it. Let the herb steep (not boil) for about 15 minutes then drink. I'd also apply it to your sore with a cotton pad. You can cool the tea first to make it feel better upon application.

Curcumin. It's well known for antiviral, antifungal and antibacterial power but it also fights HSV which means it could help you reduce the frequency and severity of your infection. We have a study to show that. Supplement, or try applying a mini-poultice to your lip sore by mixing turmeric spice with just enough water to form a paste. For extra effect, dump a little curcumin powder from your capsule into the mixture.

Lavender and myrrh. Buy both of those and combine them, apply to the sore. Dilute if it stings.

For more natural remedies, come to my website, www.SuzyCohen.com and sign up for my newsletter. You'll get the longer version of this article with more pain-relieving tips.

Have you ever had a sore throat, been stung by a bee, or twisted your ankle? Do you have arthritis, back pain or headaches? Whenever you are in pain, even post-surgical pain, your body makes compounds in response to the injury which cause temporary redness, heat, swelling, and pain. Then naturally produced enzymes in your body eat up these inflammatory compounds, and that is when you notice the swelling goes down, the pain is relieved and the redness or stiffness recedes.

One second ago, an enzyme in your body called superoxide dismutase (SOD) just chased out a cancer-causing toxin that your cell accidentally spawned. You make all sorts of enzymes, and what's cool is that you can also buy certain enzymes as a dietary supplement, including SOD. Lactose is an enzyme that chews up milk sugars, helping some people to tolerate milk. Bromelain, derived from pineapples, helps with allergies and helps people post-surgically. It might even reduce scarring if taken soon enough. People who take acid blockers could benefit from papain, an enzyme derived from papaya fruit that works nicely with your stomach's pH range.

Proteolytic enzymes another type of enzyme. They chew up proteins and help with digestion. I think they're great for chronic pain syndromes. They help dissolve fibrin deposits which helps bruising. As a teenager (way back in the 1980's) we played a game called Pac Man. Remember?(Please tell me you remember). This popular arcade game included a Pac-Man which traveled a maze and gobbled up ghosts. I was a monster at Pac-Man in my hey day! Proteolytic enzymes work in the same way, they just gobble up debris, as opposed to ghosts.

With less debris, there is improved circulation. That means more oxygen and healing nutrients to the site of injury. As a pharmacist, I recommend you reach for proteolytic enzymes before you NSAIDs such as acetaminophen, naproxen or ibuprofen. Why? Because they are temporary and they have side effects. It's the equivalent of applying a bandage, and while most of you fair out well, the unlucky few experience diarrhea, nausea, headaches, dizziness, bleeding ulcers or heaven forbid, kidney damage. Besides, if you mask your pain with medicine, but continue to operate as normal, you increase your risk of permanent damage.

A German paper studied proteolytic enzymes in 100 athletes. The results were shocking. More than 75 percent said the enzyme treatment was favorable and no side effects were reported! So incredible were the results that the German government sent millions of enzyme capsules to the Olympics to help their athletes heal quicker.

Enzymes are a necessity to life, just like oxygen, food, clean water and shelter. (Some may argue that chocolate should be included as well).

For chronic pain syndromes, as opposed to digestive issues, I recommend that you take your proteolytic enzyme supplement on an empty stomach. This increases the 'Pac-Man' effect by up to 40 percent. While these supplements are generally well-tolerated, I occasionally hear of allergies, rashes and digestive upset.

You're methylating right now! This means you're turning folate (vitamin B9) from your food, into something else called SAMe. It's the process called "methylation" and SAMe is your body's head honcho, the CEO if you will!

SAMe stands for S-adenosylmethionine and drives hundreds of chemical reactions in your body. If you ate a salad for lunch, you're turning that folate into SAMe as we speak. Well, let's hope because SAMe helps you get rid of poisons. The biggest mistake you could make is thinking that methylation problems don't apply to you because you don't have the gene mutation, what we call the genetic snp (pronounced "snip"). Nothing could be further from the truth. As a pharmacist, and a Functional Medicine practitioner, I assure you that your medicine has the capacity to mess up your methylation! Then poisons back up.

Don't think you make poisons in your body because you eat well and exercise? Wrong. Your cells churn poisons out as metabolic waste products probably a million times a minute! You better hope and pray your methylation pathway is up to snuff because if you don't methylate, toxic by-products build up all over your body. This equates to pain, depression, inflammation, elevated homocysteine, cognitive dysfunction, depression, higher risk for neural tube defects and much more discomfort. If you have the genetic snp it's a one-two punch for health problems galore.

So in summary, medications hinder your methylation pathway, whether or not you have a snp. These are the primary offenders:

Cholestyramine. This is a bile acid sequestrate used for reducing cholesterol as well as reducing Herxheimer (die-off) reactions. It is a drug mugger of folate and fat-soluble vitamins like vitamin D, A, E and K. Remember, no folate, no methylation!

Birth control or hormonal replacement drugs with estrogen. these drugs are known drug muggers of magnesium, B6 and B2 (riboflavin); that puts the breaks on methylation. Started 'The Pill' recently, and now you feel down in the dumps? This could be why.

Proton Pump Inhibitors (Nexium, Prilosec, Prevacid, others). Lowering natural acid production in the stomach reduces levels of magnesium, and critical B vitamins. Snp or not, your body simply cannot conduct methylation adequate levels of these nutrients!

Antibiotics like amoxicillin, sulfamethoxazole, doxycycline and dozens more. Antibiotics kill your intestinal microflora (what you call your probiotics). Without the friendly gut flora, you cannot produce vitamin B12 (methylcobalamin). You also cannot activate riboflavin or folate so therefore, your methylation is blocked.

Ibuprofen. This is a drug mugger of folate, so it blocks methylation directly by stealing your folate.

Blood pressure pills like ACE inhibitors. These drugs (enalapril, lisinopril, etc) cause added zinc excretion. You need zinc to conduct methylation.

Nitrous oxide. Been to the dentist lately? If you got NO gas, then no methylation took place for awhile!

There are hundreds of other medicines that hinder your ability to methylate, snp or not! You may not have your genetic details or tests yet, so here are clues to poor methylation: Nerve pain, numbness or tingling, chronic fatigue, anxiety, insomnia, depression, mood swings, attention problems, cervical dysplasia, miscarriage, brain fog, weakness and lots of allergies.

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In 2009 Dr. Mark Hyman was testifying to the US Senate's Health Committee with his colleagues Dr. Dean Ornish, Dr. Mehmet Oz and Dr. Andrew Weil. At the conclusion of the session Dr. Hyman summarized the group's testimony with this very telling quote:

Dr. Hyman was pointing to the fact that allopathic medicine treats the symptoms of chronic disease while functional medicine treats the root cause of the disease. There are over 40,000 clinical studies that support the conclusion that functional medicine is safer, more effective and less costly than allopathic medicine, and yet very little movement in that direction has occurred in recent years. Dr. David Eddy confirmed this problem with his report on the lack of effectiveness of allopathic medicine published in BusinessWeek Magazine in 2005 in an article entitled "Medical Guesswork". This article pointed to the fact that conventional medicine only has good evidence to support 20-25% of everything they do. The rest is "Medical Guesswork", which is becoming costlier and often causes additional health problems with dangerous side- effects. The past ten months of experience have only exacerbated this already bad situation. The lack of adequate treatment protocols for the COVID-19 virus has pushed the healthcare system to the breaking point. The following headlines help to illustrate the severity of this healthcare crisis.

"Profit over people, cost over care: America's broker healthcare exposed by virus."

"Only 12 percent of American adults are metabolically healthy, study finds."

"If Americans were healthier, we could have been better prepared for this pandemic."

Americans are not very healthy, which is why over seventy percent of adults have one and often two chronic illnesses. Poor nutrition is the number one problem and this is the reason why we have one of the highest COVIC-19 infection rates in the world. In one dramatic example the National Cancer Institute survey 16, 633 people from age two to age 80 and could not find one person with a truly healthy diet. In fact, a vast majority of people were deficient in 11 out of 14 nutritional categories.⁴ This is further proof for the findings from the studies done by the University of North Carolina and Stanford University Medical School. The strength of our immune system is directly related to this COVID-19 pandemic, and this is the best place to begin an examination on how each person can begin to improve their own immune system.

Understanding the immune system

The COVID-19 virus has drawn attention to our immune system, but most people still do not understand it very well. The following brief primer might help to expand that understanding and perhaps even encourage more people to take steps to improve this system in order to be protected against future viruses, as well as chronic illnesses such as cancer and Alzheimer's.

• Macrophages- These relatively long cells help to both catch and attack various pathogens that enter the body.
• Neutrophils- These relatively short-lived cells form the first line of defense against an infection that kill bacteria, and then die, forming pus.
• Dendritic cells- These are the watch dogs of the immune system that direct T-cells and B-cells to target areas as needed.
• T-cells- These cells develop in the bone marrow and mature in the thymus. They help to make antibodies to attack endangered cells.
• B-cells- These cells develop and mature in bone marrow and make proteins called antibodies, that fight viruses and bacteria.
• Mast cells and basophils- These cells produce histamines that help the immune system to fight allergens.
• Natural killer (NK) cells- These are rapid-response cells that attack viruses as well as pre-cancerous and cancerous cells.
• Acquired immune system- This group of cells is responsible for evaluating complex viral and cancerous challenges and developing long-term strategies of attack.⁵

Where do these special immune cells come from?
There are many sources for the raw material necessary to make these special immune cells. Here are some of them:

• Glutathione and Super Oxide Dismutase- These are the body's in-house antioxidants. they decline with age and require assistance with supplements after age 40.
• Enzymes and stem cells- These cellular helpers preform many metabolic functions and also decline with age and need supplemental assistance to remain strong.
• Vitamin C- This powerful antioxidants helps to make glutathione, interferon (an anti-viral) and has been proven effective again many viruses, including polio and viral pneumonia.
• Vitamin D- This vitamin controls over 2,000 chronic illness genetic expressions and helps to produce cathelicidin (an anti-viral). It also has a long and strong track record for the prevention and treatment of most viruses and many forms of cancer.
• White blood cells- Many of the special immune cells are also called white blood cells and they are strengthened by nutrients, herbs and foods such as vitamin A, vitamin E, Vitamin C, selenium, zinc, astragulus, Olive Leaf Extract, garlic, curcumin, quercetin, alpha lipoic acid, lauricidin, B vitamins and berberine.^6,7

How a strong immune system can prevent a viral infection
We are born with viruses already in our body's, five according to one study. Throughout our lives we are exposed to thousands of viruses on a daily basis, but only a few can potentially cause an infection. The rate of infection is usually dependent on the strength of the virus, as well as the strength of a person's immune system. There are several factors that contribute to the strength of a person's immune system.

• Nutrition- Follow the plant-based Mediterranean Diet. Seven to nine veggies and fruits/day.
• Avoid stress with yoga, meditation and deep breathing. Test for cortisol and take vitamin B complex. Vitamin B is depleted by stress.
• Avoid toxins like air pollution, water pollution, chemicals in the home and radiation. Test DNA damage with the 8-OHgD urine test.
• Avoid sugar- Sugar, in any form, can fill white blood cells by mistake if there is not enough vitamin C available, which is needed to strengthen white blood cells. Sugar has a similar molecules structure to vitamin C. Too much sugar in white blood cells can deplete immune strength up to as much as 75%. The GlycoMark test is the best test for sugar levels
• Sleep well- the body re-balances during sleep in a process called homeostasis. Hormones and neurotransmitters are made and toxins are removed. Homocysteine levels (Vitamin B6, vitamin B12 and folate) can measure how well the methylation process is working. This methylation process is crucial to a strong immune system.
• Exercise is important- At least 30-45 minutes of exercise every day will help to strengthen the heart and circulation system, the lungs and the detoxification process.
• Extra supplements to boost immunity- Most people cannot get all the nutrients they need from food. Any doctor who says they can, should be asked for the scientific proof: It does not exist. Most people need a multiple vitamin/mineral, vitamin C, vitamin D3, magnesium, vitamin B complex, zinc and perhaps a green powder drink every day.^8,9,10,11

Specific health challenges impacting the immune system
The people most vulnerable to the COVID-19 virus are those with health challenges such as the frail elderly and anyone with an existing chronic illnesses. Even these health challenges can be placed in categories based on the level of immune challenge created. Here are some examples to these levels of challenge. Each health challenge is assigned a risk level to identify the degree of relative risk: Very high, High, Moderate, Still concerned. These relative strength evaluations are based on the authors research and observations.

Very high-risk factors

• Vitamin D3 levels - This nutrient can influence over 2000 genes related to our health, including the risk of cancer, influenza and several other chronic illnesses. (<40ng/ml)
• Intestinal disorders - A vast majority of the nutrients made in our body are created in our intestines (80%). If our intestines are dysfunctional and challenged, then nutrient production will be seriously jeopardized.
• Cancer - This disease is by far the most challenging of all the chronic illnesses. Our immune system must work harder coping with cancer than it does with any other illness.
• Frail elderly people over 65 years of age

High-risk factors

• Chronic illness- Includes organs and systems shown to be most vulnerable to the COVID-19 virus such as kidney disease, lung disease, liver disease, diabetes, vascular disease, heart disease and diseases of the brain like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

Moderate-risk factors

• Pre-disease conditions- Includes documented cases of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, pre-diabetes, early on-set dementia and obesity.
• Immune system challenges- This includes the use of prescription medications, which often deplete important nutrients and challenge the liver to breakdown the medication and remove it from the body. Also, low levels of vitamin C, under 400 micromo/L.
• Dietary factor- High sugar intake.
• Sleep levels- Consistent poor sleep patterns can cause serious health challenges.

Still concerned risk factors

• Dietary factors- Includes red meat consumption, dairy consumption, low vegetable consumption, low fruit consumption, high fried food consumption, and high processed food consumption.
• Chewing food- Not chewing food adequately can reduce the level of nutrients assimilated by the body by as much as 50%.
• Lifestyle factors- Includes tobacco use, more than one a day alcohol use, low exercise levels and low social interaction levels.
• Overweight- Even nine pounds overweight produces inflammatory cells in the body.
• Toxin exposure- At work, at home or even eating non-organic foods can create over exposure to toxins. This includes radiation from cell phones, computers etc.
• Stress levels- High daily stress can deplete B vitamins and disrupt cellular health.
• Nutritional supplements- Not taking quality nutritional supplements can create serious nutritional deficiencies since it is virtually impossible to get all of the nutrients needed on a daily basis from food alone.12,13

Long-term cellular damage: A COVID-19 medical crisis
To make matters worse, 60 Minutes reported on November 22, 2020 many COVID patients are continuing to experience serious symptoms and the medical community has no solutions. In fact, there is speculation that many of these COVID "long haulers" may end up with permanent damage to their lungs, brains, kidneys, intestines, hearts and blood vessels. If allopathic medicine has no solution perhaps functional medicine can find the root cause of this cellular damage and find natural strategies to address them. The following article explores the possibilities for such a solution and you will learn there are some very promising treatment options that can be combined into a COVID cellular repair protocol. The initial step in this examination of possible solutions should consider that cellular damage usually occurs in six distinct stages. This helps to explain how cellular healing is possible.

Most chronic illness is diagnosed at stage four of this six step disease development process with blood tests that identify high cholesterol, high glucose or high levels of liver enzymes. What nutritional scientists and integrative doctors have found is that most chronic illness actually begins five to ten years before stage four, when cells become stressed. My first experience with this stressed cellular state involved my use of Electro Dermal Screening, which measures the activity of mitochondria in each organ. This stress was clearly present when people drank alcohol, took a prescription medication, were exposed to a toxin or did not eat a healthy diet. These cellular assaults often accumulate to the point where a specific group of cells become weakened and eventually challenged. This has been validated with tests such as the 8-OHgD test for DNA damage, the GlycoMark test for high blood sugar, the C-reactive protein test for inflammation and thermography for the detection of cells that are in the process of developing new blood vessels. Thermography can find 200 cells in a woman's breast with an elevated heat level 8-10 years before a mammogram can see 4 billion cells in a tumor. The GlycoMark test can identify high blood sugar 5-7 years before the A1c test is elevated.

Some cellular assaults occur more quickly such as the toxic impact of mercury, which can begin to cause Alzheimer type symptoms within weeks of exposure, and now the same accelerated cellular assault can be seen in the experience of many COVID-19 "long haulers". This virus is causing serious damage to several organs in the body of people infected with this virus with the potential for this damage to result in chronic illnesses that may result in permanent organ damage, and even death. A solution to this problem is needed sooner rather than later.

The COVID-19 Cellular Repair Program

Several studies have now confirmed that people who become infected with the COVID-19 virus often experience some cellular damage, including people who are asymptomatic. This damage has been shown to occur in tissues in the lungs, the kidneys, the liver, the heart, the brain, the throat, the intestines and nerve cells. This damage is sometimes noticeable due to difficulty smelling, tasting, headaches and difficulty breathing. However, in some cases this damage is not measurable or noticeable. Since the experience with this virus is so new in the world of viral infections, we cannot be certain about how much damage has been done or how long it may take the body to repair this damage by itself. Therefore, it is prudent to assume that damage has occurred and that precautions to repair this damage, with proven cellular repair protocols, should be used. The following suggestions are offered based on the science of cellular repair from damage occuring in other situations such as athletic injuries, disease damage, toxin damage, stress and premature aging.

1. CoEnzyme Q10- This enzyme helps to improve energy production in the mitochondria of our cells and has a proven track record in the repair of cells in the kidneys, liver, heart and brain. It also helps to protect the nucleus of cells, which is one of the most vulnerable and important cellular repair areas in the body. Most chronic illness and premature aging is caused by damage to the DNA in the nucleus of our cells. (Possible dosage 100-200 mg/day as Ubiquinol in soft gel form).

2. Curcumin- It is very difficult to achieve effective cellular repair if there is inflammation in the body. Curcumin has major anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties and is also known to help in the repair of damaged tissue, such as cartilage. Curcumin also boosts brain-derived neurotrophic factor, which has improved brain function in brain related illnesses such as dementia and Alzheimer's. (Possible dosage 500-750 mg/day in formula with BCM-95- in soft gel form).

3. Vitamin C- Vitamin C is a powerful anti-oxidant, that also helps to produce connective tissue in the body, such as collagen. Vitamin C also has a proven track record of helping cells to accelerate the healing process in diseases such as heart disease, cancer and viral infections, as well as helping to keep pathogens under control. Vitamin C helps to strengthen white blood cells, which are crucial to immune function in our body. (Possible dosage 2,000-4,000 mg/day taken 500 mg every three to four hours).

4. Vitamin E- Vitamin E is particularly effective in protecting cell membranes due to its strong anti-oxidant properties. It has a proven track record in the treatment of heart disease, vascular disease and fatty liver disease. By repairing damaged cell membranes vitamin E ensures that cellular repair inside the cells can be done effectively since the membrane regulates both the intake of nutrients and the removal of waste from every cell in the body. (200-400 IU/day as mixed tocopherols in soft gel form).

5. Zinc- Zinc has strong anti-oxidant properties, but this is just one of its many important functions in the cellular repair and replacement process. Zinc picolinate can repair a damaged stomach lining in 30 days. Zinc plays an important role in the cell replication process by also helping with the production of growth hormones and assisting the DNA synthesis process. (30-40 mg/day-ensure 15 to one ration zinc and copper).

6. Vitamin B- All of the B vitamins are important, but in terms of cellular repair and replacement a few of the B vitamins go to the top of the list. Vitamin B6, B12 and folate are methylators, which means they are needed to help convert amino acids into hormones, neurotransmitters and other important biochemicals. Vitamin B1, in the form of benfothiamine, is able to help rebuild the myelin sheath (outer lining) of our nerves. As a co-factor in many cellular functions vitamin B is crucial to all of the cells in key organs such as the brain, heart, liver, kidneys, blood vessels and intestines. As part of the cellular repair process it is important to consume a vitamin B complex and also take additional amounts of vitamin B1 as benfothiamine, B6. B12 and folate. (B-Complex plus extra B6, B12 and folate-look for a homocysteine formula and benfothiamine).

7. Vitamin D3- Vitamin D3 plays many roles in cellular health as an anti-oxidant and anti-viral regulator. More importantly vitamin D3 is the body's master genetic control agent. Vitamin D3 regulates hundreds of genetic on and off switches for the protection and repair of our cells. The strength of vitamin D3 can be illustrated by the power it has prevent cancer at the cellular level, as well as play a major role in the repair of cancer damaged cells as part of cancer treatment programs. It is also vital to the development of healthy bones and teeth. Finally, vitamin D3 plays a major role in helping our cells to communicate with one another to improve our cellular protection and regeneration processes. (Possible dosage 4,000-6,000 IU/day- in liquid or soft get form).

8. Molecular hydrogen- Molecular hydrogen (H2) is the smallest molecule capable of easily penetrating every cell, including cells in the brain. This is very important because H2 helps to increase oxygen delivery to our cells and ensure a balance is maintained in the release of protective cytokines to fight infections. Supplementation with H2 has been shown to improve cellular function in the nervous system, the cardiovascular system, the digestive system, the respiratory system, the urinary system, the reproductive system and the brain. (Possible dosage 2 tablets daily in 10 ounces of water from Quicksilver or Allergy Research Group, drink quickly).

9. Specialized Pro-resolving Mediators (SPM)- SPM is highly concentrated fish oil. Due to its high concentration of lipid mediators, 18-HEPE and 17-HDHA, SPM is able to remodel damaged tissue and return it to normal healthy function. This allows cells to return to a state of balance in order to carry out their functions and responsibilities. SMP can also stimulate enzymatic reactions, which are important to the destruction and removal of pathogens, such as bacteria, fungus and viral infections. Due to these functions, SPM can reduce pain and inflammation as well as help to return cells to their normal healthy function. (Possible dosage two soft gel capsules daily in split doses).

10. Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide (NAD)- NAD is a molecule in the niacin (vitamin B3) family of nutrients that plays a key role in the cellular aging process. Its role is as a coenzyme, or helper molecule, in many biological processes. As our cells go through the normal cell-replacement process, there are a few checkpoints in this cycle where everything must be perfectly aligned to allow for a good new cell to be produced. NAD plays a key role in insuring that all cellular systems are working efficiently in this replacement cycle. If nutrition, sleep, stress, toxins and exercise are all at optimal levels, then having good NAD levels provides the insurance for excellent cellular replacement. This replacement process also occurs when cells have been damaged as is the case with the cells of COVID-19 patients. (Possible dosage 5 mg/day).

11. Modified Citrus Pectin (MCP)- MCP plays a key role in tissue remodeling, which is vital to the repair of damaged tissues after a heart attack, a stroke or a COVID-19 viral infection. There are several benefits to the consumption of MCP in supplement form:

• Removal of heavy metals from the body.
• Removal of harmful plaque in the articles.
• Helps reverse cellular deterioration, which leads to cancer and heart disease.
• Improves kidney function via the reduction of fibroids and inflammatory cells.
• Inhibits the development and growth of cancer cells.

MCP generally helps to ensure that cellular assaults are reduced, thus allowing damaged cells to be repaired in a more timely and effective manner. (Possible dosage 10-15 grams daily, powder or chewable tablets, in split doses of 5 grams each).

12. Pycnogenol- This supplement comes from French Pine Bark and has been shown to have protective capabilities in several cellular functions including the repair of brain cells after a stroke. It has also been shown to improve kidney flow and function, as well as help to reduce blood clots as an anticoagulant. This is important for COVID-19 patients since blood clots have been found in many parts of the body even after symptoms have been resolved. (Possible dosage 50-100 mg/day).

13. Berberine- This supplement activates the GLUT-4 molecule within each cell to improve the energy production in the cells mitochondria. This increased energy allows cells to optimize the cellular repair process. Berberine also plays a role in the DNA damage repair process. This has been shown to specifically improve damage control in the liver, the pancreas, the arteries and the heart. (Possible dosage 500 mg with the morning meal and 500 mg with the evening meal).

14. Magnesium- Magnesium is the transport agent that delivers glucose and oxygen into the cell to produce energy in the mitochondria. Deficiencies of magnesium have been known to contribute to heart attacks and a number of brain disorders, including depression, anxiety, ADD and ADHD. Magnesium is found in many foods, especially green vegetables, however exercise and cellular repair processes increase the need for this mineral. There are many forms of magnesium and the following doses are recommended:

• Magnesium glycinate 400 mg with the morning meal. For body cells.
• Magnesium threonate 400 mg with the evening meal. For brain cells.

15. Probiotics- These beneficial bacteria are crucial to the development of most nutrients in the intestines. They help to control pathogens that come into the body and they break down food for the nutrients they contain. Probiotics also help to initiate the development of anti-inflammatory and immune function molecules. These beneficial microbiotas can significantly influence molecular mechanisms and pathways that can influence both the prevention and resolution of numerous chronic illnesses, as well the epigenetic expressions that can determine our future health. (Possible dosage: 20 billion live bacteria in a variety of strains at least 10-15 strains; in the morning before breakfast with some yogurt and blueberries for better assimilation).

16. Olive Leaf Extract- Olives are one of the cornerstones of the Mediterranean Diet and have been helping people to be healthier for thousands of years. One of the primary functions of olive leaf extract is to prevent viral infections. However, it has also been shown to improve cardiovascular health, lower blood pressure and protect organs such as the pancreas, liver and the kidneys. Olive Leaf Extract has anti-inflammatory properties and has been proven to repair tissue damage related to kidney disease, upper respiratory illnesses, fatty liver disease and heart disease. (Possible dosage is 500-1,000 mg/day in split doses of 250 mg each dose).

17. Digestive enzymes- As we age our body makes less digestive enzymes, which are needed for the processing of food, metabolic functions and the delivery of nutrients to our cells. By the time we are fifty years old our bodies may be making up to 50% less digestive enzymes then when we were twenty years old. This is part of the body's programmed aging process. Most raw foods have sufficient enzymes to process the nutrients in them, however cooking foods destroys all enzymes. There are over 5,000 enzymes in the body responsible for many functions including the cellular repair and replacement process, as well as helping to kill germs, bacteria, viruses and other pathogens. (Possible dosage: one capsule with each meal, especially cooked meals. Capsules should contain amylase, protease and lipase enzymes with a larger number of amylase because this is what comprises the majority of food being consumed).

18. Omega-3 Fatty Acids- Omega-3 fatty acids are a primary anti-inflammatory nutrient with many proven benefits for the prevention and treatment of chronic illness. One of main benefits is the ability of Omega-3 fatty acids to soften cell membranes, which helps to improve the entry of nutrients and the removal of waste from the cells. Clinical studies have shown benefits to the following chronic illnesses.

• Cardiovascular disease
• Cancer of the breast, colon and prostate.
• Cognitive function including depression, ADHD, dementia and Alzheimer's.
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Childhood allergies
• Cystic fibrosis
• Arthritis
• Macular degeneration

There are some cautions with the use of Omega-3 fatty acids including its impact on blood thinning medications. However, for the most part it is safe when used at appropriate dosages. (Possible dosages 900 mg/day of EPA and 600 mg/day of DHA. Double or triple this dosage has been effective in several clinical trials, but should be monitored by a qualified health professional).

In June of 2020 two super athletes that I know contacted me to say that they were experiencing severe symptoms and had tested positive of COVID-19. I forwarded this COVID-19 repair protocol for their consideration. They both indicated that they began to feel better in less than two days and got progressively better over a two week period. At the end of two weeks they both reported they felt completely recovered and were able to resume their athletic training programs at the highest level. The marathon runner reported that his training times had actually improved beyond his best previous times. Here is what he wrote to a doctor who was a fellow marathon runner and had told his story about being a COVID-19 "long hauler" to the Wall Street Journal.

Hello Dr. Weinstein. My name is Marc Wolff. I am from Sarasota, Florida and I read the article in the Wall Street Journal today. I'm not a doctor but I have run the New York City Marathon five times and I experienced COVID in June. After having it I too am a believer that this virus is the real deal! I had lingering symptoms that quite honestly scared the heck out of me. Finally, I reached out to Dr. Charles Bens, my nutritionist of 20 years, who helped me with his "COVID repair protocol". Feel free to disregard this email if you want, but at the least I wanted to reach out to you and let you know and give you his email address. If you would like to contact him and mention my name. I now feel 100% and fantastic. I have used Dr. Bens for 20 years and lived a very healthy life as an avid runner. I wish you and all of your colleagues the best of luck and thank you for all you do. Sincerely, Marc Wolff, CEO, Southern Trust Financial.

Sequential process to repair COVID Long Hauler cellular damage.
This is the recommended sequence for the use of the COVID-19 Repair Protocol. These six steps were used by the two athletes mentioned.

1. Reduce the viral presence- Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Olive Leaf Extract, Zinc and Molecular Hydrogen.
2. Reduce the inflammation level- Fish oil, Curcumin, Specialized Pro-resolving Mediators.
3. Increase cellular energy levels- Magnesium, Berberine and Co-Enzyme Q10.
4. Enhance the body's readiness for healing- Eat the Mediterranean Diet, chew food thoroughly, consume digestive enzymes before each meal and take probiotics just before breakfast.
5. Stimulate the tissue repair process- Vitamin E, Vitamin B, NAD Pycnogenol, Olive Leaf Extract and Modified Citrus Pectin.
6. Sustained cellular replacement- Repeat this protocol for three to six months to ensure that all cells in every organ and system are replaced with healthy cells.

Targeted Nutraceutical Therapeutics for COVID Recovery

General Nutritional Guideline

The optimum eating program for cellular repair and recovery is to eat according to the Mediterranean Diet. This has been proven by the Framingham Heart Study over 30 years with 125,000 participants. This involves eating Omega-3 rich fish, organic poultry, 6 or 7 vegetables, two low-sugar fruits such as apples and blueberries, nuts, seeds, healthy oils such as olive oil, and plenty of pure spring water with a high level of silica, such as Volvic or Fiji water.

Nutraceutical Guidelines (Dosages were provided earlier and recommended blood and urine ranges are listed below)

Breakfast

• Probiotics
• Digestive enzymes
• Magnesium
• Berberine
• SPM
• Vitamin D3
• Vitamin C
• Zinc
• CoEnzyme Q10
• Omega-3 fatty acids
• Modified Citrus Pectin

Lunch

• Digestive enzymes
• Vitamin C
• Curcumin
• Molecular Hydrogen water
• NAD
• Vitamin E
• Modified Citrus Pectin
• Olive leaf extract

Dinner

• Enzymes
• Vitamin B complex
• Magnesium threonate
• Berberine
• SPM
• Vitamin C
• Zinc
• Vitamin D3
• CoEnzyme Q10
• Pycnogenol
• Omega-3
• Modified Citrus Pectin

The foods and the nutritional supplements included in this article allow the body to go through its normal cellular repair process. One of the key elements influencing the success of this approach to cellular healing, due to COVID cellular damage, is the timing of the introduction of this protocol. The sooner the repair program is initiated the sooner and more successful the repair and recovery process will be.

COVID Long Haulers Repair Program Measurement

Having a strong immune system is the number one factor in determining if someone will succumb to the coronavirus, cancer or any chronic illness. Not experiencing frequent colds and flu is one possible measure of this strength, but there are better and more scientific way to make this determination. Getting the best blood, urine and cellular energy tests will provide a much more accurate measure of the strength of any person's immune system. Here is a list of some of the best measurement tools for immune system analysis.

1. Omega 3/6 ratio- This blood test measures the ratio of Omega 3 to Omega 6 fatty acids in the body. Omega 3 is anti-inflammatory while omega 6 is inflammatory. Too much Omega 6 means the body is vulnerable to illnesses such as cancer, flu response and other chronic illnesses. Good ratio 2.1-3.1.

2. Vitamin D3- Vitamin D3 controls hundreds more genetic predispositions than any other nutrient or drug. High levels in the blood are proven to dramatically reduce the risk of cancer and viral infections, including the Coronavirus. Desired levels are 50-90 ng/mL.

3. Vitamin C- Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant with the proven ability to prevent and effectively treat many cancers, heart disease and many viruses, including the Coronavirus. Good blood levels are 400 micromol/L.

4. Co-enzyme Q10- CoQ10 increases energy production in the mitochondria of our cells, and provides antioxidant protection for the nucleus of our cells, which contains our DNA. Energy levels are crucial for organs such as the liver, brain, intestines, pancreas, kidneys, lungs and the heart. Diseases such as Parkinson's, cancer, kidney disease and heart disease have been effectively treated. Good level 0.8-1.5 vng/mL.

5. C-reactive protein- CRP is a good measure of inflammation in the body. Inflammation is caused by the presentence of toxins, too much fat in the body, poor nutrition and injuries. It is a warning sign for the development of heart disease, cancer, brain disease and much more. Good level is less than 1mg/L.

6. 8-OHgD- This urine test measures the accumulated oxidative stress and DNA damage in our cells. DNA damage is caused by toxins, viruses and other pathogens. High 8-OHgD levels are an indication that the body is vulnerable to diseases such as cancer and heart disease. Good levels for males 29.6+/-24.5 ng/mg and females 43.9+/- 42.1 ng/mg creatinine.

7. GGT test- The Gamma-Glutamyl Transpeptidase Test is a measure of how well the liver is functioning. The liver is the body's primary detoxification organ. If it is not functioning properly something is wrong, and should be corrected. Normal levels are 0-30 IU/L.

8. GlycoMark- Excess sugar is serious health issue for many Americans. The best measure of sugar's presence and behavior in our body is the GlycoMark test. This test measures all aspects of sugar influence including after meal glucose spikes. A safe level is 10-31 ug/mL.

9. Lymphocytes- Lymphocytes represent up to 40% of the white blood cells in the body, and are crucial to the immune system defense mechanism. Levels increase in the presence of infections, including viral infections. Blood cancer and autoimmune diseases also cause levels of lymphocytes to increase. Normal safe levels are 1000-3000/ml.

10. Homocysteine- This test measures the levels of vitamin B6, B12 and folate in the body. These three nutrients are crucial to the development of hormones and neurotransmitters. Low levels lead to inflammation and the development of many chronic illnesses. Best range 5.0-7.0 mmol/L.

11. RBC Magnesium- Approximately eighty percent of the adult population is deficient in magnesium. Most magnesium tests only consider about one percent of the serum magnesium levels in the body. The RBC Magnesium test is superior because it actually measures about 40% of the total magnesium in our body. The usual range is 4.2-6.8 mg/dL and the optimal level should be at least 6.0-6.5 mg/dL.

12. Galectin 3- This molecule is found in our blood in small amounts. However, an elevation of this molecule can indicate the growing evidence of heart failure, inflammation, and cancer. Galectin 3 is found to be over-expressed on the surface of cancer cells, and actually helps cancer cells to stick to one another. It also circulates in the blood, indicating that cancers are attempting to spread or metastasize. This is also a good test to determine the development of heart disease. Because it can indicate the possibility of multiple diseases, it should not be used alone to measure the presence or the spread of cancer or heart disease. The possible range is 3.2-94.6 ng/mL and ideal range is 11.7-17.8 ng/mL. Anything above 18 ng/mL should be considered a possible movement of cells in the direction of chronic illness, especially heart disease or cancer.

13. Oxygen test- Circulating oxygen can be measured by a finger oxygen meter. Oxygen is crucial to the production of energy in the mitochondria when oxygen and glucose are combined. If oxygen levels are low, then the mitochondria do not produce enough energy and cells are not able to function properly. As the level of oxygen drops, the seriousness of the cellular challenge increases. Circulatory restriction is usually the primary cause of reduced oxygen levels. (Finger meters use a 100-point scale and the desired level is from 96 to 100).

14. Electo Dermal Screening (EDS)- EDS is a measurement of the energy generated in the mitochondria of our cells using acupuncture points that lead to every organ and system in the body. A Vol measurement scale of 1 to 100 determines if cells are stressed, normal or weakened. A score of 55 or above is a stressed organ or system, while a score of 45 or below is a weakened organ or system. Organs or systems that are stressed or weakened can provide an accurate early warning sign before changes are recognized in other diagnostic tools, including blood tests. This early warning time frame may be as much as five to ten years before other tests, which allows progressive health care practitioners an opportunity to utilize natural/non-invasive strategies. Doctors in Germany have been using this evaluation tool for decades with great success. By combining this tool, with some of the other early warning tests in this panel, it is possible that a very accurate health assessment can be provided, leading to a very safe, effective and less costly health care solution.

15. Zinc/copper ratio- The ratio of zinc to copper is more important than the serum concentration of either one of these minerals separately. One of the most common trace-metal imbalances is elevated copper and depressed zinc, which often leads to brain related challenges. When purchasing zinc in supplement form it is important to ensure a ratio of 15 mg of zinc to one mg of copper. (In terms of blood tests the desirable ratio is between 0.70-1.00).

16. Curcumin- It is very difficult to achieve effective cellular repair if there is inflammation in the body. Curcumin has major anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties and is also known to help in the repair of damaged tissue. Curcumin also boosts brain-derived neurotrophic factor, which has improved brain function in brain related illnesses such as dementia and Alzheimer's. (Blood test to use is the one for C-reactive protein that measures inflammation levels).

17. Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide (NAD)- NAD is a molecule in the niacin (vitamin B3) family of nutrients that plays a key role in the cellular aging process. Its role is as a coenzyme or helper molecule in many biological processes. As our cells go through the normal cell replacement process, there are a few checkpoints in this cycle where everything must be perfectly aligned to allow for a health new cell to be produced. NAD plays a key role in insuring that all cellular systems are working efficiently in this replacement cycle. If nutrition, sleep, stress, toxins and exercise are all at optimal levels, then having good NAD levels provides the insurance for excellent cellular replacement. This replacement process also occurs when cells have been damaged as is the case with the cells of COVID-19 patients. (Possible blood plasma level of vitamin B3 are 0.50-8.45 ug/mL)

A final few words about exercise

Exercise plays a crucial role in the effective delivery of nutrients in the body, as well as the functional ability of cells to do their job. When people exercise, the insulin receptors on all cells increase in number and sensitivity. Insulin receptors are responsible for capturing the glucose and insulin traveling together in the blood stream to be taken into cells for energy production. When people do not exercise on a regular basis, these insulin receptors go to sleep and are not able to bring the glucose and insulin into cells. As a result, cells cannot do their jobs well enough and become stressed and weakened. This makes them vulnerable to pathogens such as the COVID-19 virus. This also causes sugar to continue circulating in the body causing oxidative stress and damage to blood vessels and key organs. As a final insult, this circulating sugar can enter the white blood cells, which are a key component of the immune system. This can happen because the white blood cells need vitamin C in them to be strong and do their job at fighting infections. If there is not enough vitamin C in the body, sugar can take its place because sugar and vitamin C have similar molecular structures. If this unfortunate exchange happens, the immune system can be weakened by as much as 75%. The bottom-line message is to ensure everyone gets 30-45 minutes of exercise every day and eats as little sugar as possible.

Caution: Please consult your healthcare practitioner regarding the use of any nutritional supplements to ensure they are safe and appropriate for your use.

Summary

This is a therapeutic cellular repair program aimed at improved health recovery for patients who have experienced the COVID-19 virus. They are presented, more or less, in sequential order based on importance, although all are valuable components of a cellular repair program. Other key factors include no added sugar beyond fruit, no alcohol, low levels of exercise, low stress, clean air, mineral water and a Mediterranean diet with no red meat.

Initial article references

1. Profit over people, cost over care: America's broken healthcare exposed by virus, Amanda Holpuch, The Guardian (online), April 16, 2020.
2. Only 12 percent of American adults are metabolically healthy, study finds, University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Health, November 28, 2018.
3. If Americans were healthier, we could have been better prepared for this pandemic, Dr. Shebani Sethi Dalai, Stanford University School of Medicine, May 3, 2020.
4. Estimating Usual Dietary Intake from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Data Using the National Cancer Institute Method, Kirsten A. Herrick et.al., Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, February 2018.
5. How Viruses Work and How to Prevent and Eliminate Them Naturally, Michael Edwards, Organic Lifestyle Magazine (online), October 27, 2014-Updated March 10, 2020,
6. How Viruses Work and How to Prevent and Eliminate Them Naturally, Michael Edwards, Organic Lifestyle Magazine (online), October 27, 2014-Updated March 10, 2020,
7. Coronavirus: Exploring Effective Nutritional Treatments, Andrew Saul, Orthomolecular News Service, January 30, 2020.
8. Prevention and Treatment of Influenza, Influenza like illness, and Common Cold, J Evid Based Comlmentary Altern Med., 2017, Jan;22 (1): 166-174.
9. Coronavirus: Exploring Effective Nutritional Treatments, Andrew Saul, Orthomolecular News Service, January 30, 2020.
10. The Functional Medicine Approach to COVId-19: Vitus-Specific Nutraceutical and Botanical Agents, Functional Medicine Institute (online), April 2020.
11. Critical Care COVID-19 Management Protocol, Paul Marik, MD, Chief of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Eastern Virginia Medical School, November 11, 2020.
12. Six Bodily Tissues That can be Regenerated Through Nutrition, Sayer Ji, GreenMedInfo (online), October 1, 2019.
13. Baldrige Award for Healthcare: An Overview of Potential Improvements, Charles Bens, Total Health Magazine, March 2010.

Dr. Bens Long-hauler cellular repair program references

1. B Vitamins for Repair of Nerve Damage- B Vitamins for Neuropathy and Neuropathic Pain, Geller et al., Vitamin Miner 2017, 6.2.
2. Vitamin E for Fatty Liver Disease- Nutrition - Volume 31, Issues 7-8, July August 2015, Pages 923-930.
3. Co-enzyme Q10 for Kidney Disease- Singh R.B., et al. Randomized, double blind, placebo controlled trial of coenzyme Q10 in patients with end-stage renal failure. JNatr Environ Med 2003; 13:13-22.
4. Curcumin for the Repair of DNA Damage- Curcumin prevents DNA damage and enhances the repair potential in the chronically arsenic-exposed human population in West Bengal, India, European Journal of Cancer Prevention, March 2011- Volume 20-Issue 2, PP 123-131.
5. Vitamin C for Disease Prevention and DNA Repair- Two Faces of Vitamin C- Antioxidative and Pro-Oxidative Agent- Nutrients 2020, 12(5), 1501; https://dol.org/10.3390/nu12051501.
6. Zinc for the Repair of Cell Membranes and Protection of Cell Replacement Process- Journal of Biological Chemistry, May 29, 2015, 290, 13830-13839.
7. Vitamin D for the Prevention of Disease and the Repair of Cellular Damage- Vitamin D Deficiency: Effects of Oxidative Stress, Epigenetics, Gene Regulation, and Aging, Biology, 2019 Jun; 8(2); 30.
8. Molecular Hydrogen for Cellular Protection and Repair in the Respiratory System, Brain, Circulatory System, Heart, Liver and Intestines- Molecular Hydrogen: A Preventive and Therapeutic Medical Gas for Various Diseases, Oncotarget, Sep 21, 2017.
9. Specific Pro-resolving Mediators for Repair of Cellular Damage in the Lungs, Eyes, Brain, Pancreas and intestines- Resolving Inflammation by using Nutrition Therapy: Roles for Specialized Pro-Resolving Mediators, CurrOpin Cli NutrMeta Care, April 4, 2018.
10. Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide (NAD) to Protect the Cellular Repair and Replacement Process in all Organs and Bodily Systems- NAD: The Superstar of Cellular Health, Charles Bens, Ph.D., Total Health Magazine, December 1,2018.
11. Modified Citrus Pectin for the repair of Damaged Cells in the Brain, Kidneys, Circulatory System and the Intestinal System- Modified citrus pectin anti-metastatic properties: One bullet, multiple targets, Carbohydr Res., September 28, 2019.
12. Pycynogenol for the Repair of Cells in the Brain and the kidneys, as well as the Reduction of Excessive Blood Clotting- Evaluation of the effects of Pycnogenol (French maritime pine bark extract) supplementation on inflammatory biomarkers and nutritional and clinical status in traumatic brain injury patients in an intensive care unit: A randomized clinical trial protocol, Trials, 2020; 21: 162.
13. Berberine for Increased Cellular Energy, DNA Damage Repair and Apoptosis- Berberine in Cardiovascular and Metabolic Diseases: From Mechanisms to Therapeutics, Theranostics, 2019; 9(7): 1923-1951.
14. Magnesium for Increased Cellular Energy and DNA Repair in All Cells, Dietary Magnesium and DNA Repair Capacity as Risk Factors for Lung Cancer, Carcinogenesis, 2008 May; 19(5): 949-956.
15. Probiotics to Inhibit Pathogen Growth, Induce Mucosal Defense Mechanisms and Tissue Repair Mechanisms, Probiotics or Pro-healers: The Role of Beneficial Bacteria in Tissue Repair, World Repair Regener. 2017 Nov; 25(6): 912-922.
16. Olive Leaf Extract for Controlling Pathogen Growth, Inflammation and DNA Damage- Olive Leaf Extract Attenuates Inflammatory Activation and DNA Damage in Human Arterial Endothelial Cells, Front Cardiovasc Med. 2019; 6: 56.
17. Enzymes as Key Elements in the Cellular Repair Process- Metabolic Repair Enzymes Control Metabolic Damage in Glycolysis, Review. March 01, 2010, Volume 45, Issue 3, P228-243.
18. Omega-3 Fatty Acids, National Institutes of Health-Office of Dietary Supplements, last updated October 1, 2020. Consumer fact sheet on Omega-3 Fatty Acids.
19. The Importance of Magnesium for the cellular repair process- The Importance of Magnesium in Clinical Healthcare, Scientifica, September 28, 2017.
20. Sugars negative impact on the immune system, Effects of Sugar, Salt and Distilled Water on White Blood Cells and Platelet Cells, Journal of Tumor, 2016, Vol 4, No 1.
21. The importance of magnesium for cellular energy production, Update on the relationship between magnesium and exercise, September 2006, 19(3): 180-9.
22. The process for repairing damaged cells, National Institutes of Health-Cellular Toxicology, ToxTutor education program, August 2018.

Written by: Dr. Charles Bens, Healthy at Work, Sarasota, Florida- July 12, 2020. Updated January 5, 2021. .

Peer reviews

"One of the best science based COVID protocols based on Functional Medicine I have seen. The ability to personalize COVID care for our patients based on diagnostic testing is ideal, and Charles Bens COVID protocol offers this ability. Working with an experienced practitioner to oversee care in light of an individual's clinical history is advised, but this offers a science based approach to reduce associated inflammation and assist organ repair, energy metabolism, and immunity to help individuals who want to prevent COVID, reduce damage due to COVID, and/or restore health after COVID. " Ruth Lininger M.D., MPH, Medical Director, Integrative Path, Chapel Hill, NC

"Dr. Bens has developed an excellent cellular repair and recovery protocol for a vast majority of COVID long hauler patients. This science-based strategy may need to be upgraded for patients with a very weak immune system such as the cancer patients that I see every day. For these patient's I would recommend adding hydrogen oxygen inhalation, repurposed prescription medications, customized-compounded flavonoids and injectable peptides. These science-based components add additional organ repair capabilities in highly immune compromised patients". Daniel Thomas, DO, MSc, Integrative Oncologist, Mt. Dora, Fl.

"I received it (Dr. Bens' article- An Emerging Crisis Exposed by the COVID Pandemic") and it's a great article. I do endorse everything you wrote! I don't think I could add anything that would make it better". Dr. Rona has written several books and hundreds of articles on a wide range of chronic illnesses and is recognized as the leading authority in Canada for the promotion of functional and integrative medicine. Zoltan Rona, M.D., MSc, Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada

Orthomolecular Medicine News Service, January 15, 2021
A Health Crisis Exposed by the COVID Pandemic-Commentary by Charles Bens, Ph.D.

Editorial Review Board:

Albert G. B. Amoa, MB.Ch.B, Ph.D. (Ghana)
Seth Ayettey, M.B., Ch.B., Ph.D. (Ghana)
llyès Baghli, M.D. (Algeria)
Ian Brighthope, MBBS, FACNEM (Australia)
Gilbert Henri Crussol, D.M.D. (Spain)
Carolyn Dean, M.D.,N.D. (USA)
Ian Dettman, Ph.D. (Australia)
Damien Downing, M.B.B.S., M.R .S.B. (United Kingdom)
Ron Erlich, B.D.S. (Australia)
Hugo Galindo, M.D. (Colombia)
Martin P. Gallagher, M.D.,D.C. (USA)
Michael J. Gonzalez, N.M.D., D.Sc., Ph.D. (Puerto Rico)
William B. Grant, Ph.D. (USA)
Claus Haneke, MD, FACAM (Denmark)
Tonya S. Heyman, M.D. (USA)
Suzanne Humphries, M.D. (USA)
Ron Hunninghake, M.D. (USA)
Bo H. Jonsson, M.D., Ph.D. (Sweden)
Felix I. D. Konotey-Ahulu, MD, FRCP, DTMH (Ghana)
Jeffrey J. Kotulski, D.0. (USA)
Peter H. Lauda, M.D.(Austria)
Thomas Levy, M.D., J.D. (USA)
Alan Lien, Ph.D. (Taiwan)
Homer Lim, M.D. (Philippines)
Stuart Lindsey, Pharm.D. (USA)
Victor A. Marcial-Vega, M.D. (Puerto Rico)
Charles C. Mary, Jr., M.D. (USA)
Mignonne Mary, M.D. (USA)
Jun Matsuyama, M.D., Ph.D. (Japan)
Joseph Mercola, D.O. (USA)
Jorge R. Miranda-Massari, Pharm.D. (Puerto Rico)
Karin Munsterhjelm-Ahumada, M.D. (Finland)
Tahar Naili, M.D. (Algeria)
W. Todd Penbert hy, Ph.D. (USA)
Isabella Akyinbah Quakyi, Ph.D. (Ghana)
Selvam Rengasamy, MBBS, FRCOG (Malaysia)
Jeffrey A. Ruterbusch, 0.0 . (USA)
Gert E. Schuitemaker, Ph.D. (Netherlands)
T.E. Gabriel Stewart, M.B.B.CH.(Ireland)
Thomas L. Taxman, M. D. (USA)
Jagan Nathan Vamanan, M.D. (India)
Garry Vickar, M.D. (USA)
Ken Walker, M.D. (Canada)
Raymond Yuen, MBBS, MMed (Singapore)
Anne Zauderer, D.C. (USA)

As more states decriminalize and legalize marijuana, stoners everywhere are rejoicing. Funding is flowing to the research of what weed enthusiasts have long known to be a safe and beneficial drug, and marijuana sales are finally advancing state and local government programs.

Yet, in many places, governments offer marijuana licenses, or weed cards, through a board of regulators. When do you need to apply for a license of this type, and when can you use cannabis freely?

If Your State Only Has a Medical Marijuana Program

As of this writing, only 11 states permit the recreational use of marijuana, and two of them (Maine and Vermont) don't have any regulations for opening recreational dispensaries, meaning users need to grow their own cannabis plants to legally use weed. In contrast, over 33 states have medical marijuana programs, which allow sufferers of various health conditions to buy and use weed legally. If you live in a state like Arkansas, medical dispensaries are your only option - aside from black-market ganja, of course.

In most of these states, you need the recommendation of medical marijuana from a doctor and a diagnosis of a specific ailment that is on the state's list of qualifying conditions. The one exception is Oklahoma, where doctors have the full responsibility of deciding whether a patient's medical condition warrants the use of marijuana for treatment.

If you suffer from a medical condition that qualifies you for your state's medical marijuana program, you shouldn't hesitate to bring the issue up with your regular doctor. Not only will they know more about your personal medical history and the potential advantages and disadvantages of medical weed, but they can also guide you through the license application process.

Conversely, if you don't already have a qualifying medical condition, you might still be able to secure a medical marijuana license through less scrupulous healthcare professionals - but doing so is morally gray. You should decide for yourself whether you are willing to skirt the laws of your state to gain access to a legal weed dispensary.

If You Need Access to Specialized Cannabis Products

The differences between a recreational dispensary and a medical dispensary are more than that one requires a special card to enter. Medical marijuana dispensaries function like pharmacies, serving customers one-on-one to ensure they find products that will help them manage their unique conditions.

Because conditions managed with medical marijuana tend to be exceedingly severe - epilepsy, Parkinson's, multiple sclerosis, Crohn's, cancer and more - most states permit medical dispensaries to sell more specialized cannabis products. As a result, medical dispensaries have a much different inventory than the recreational dispensary down the street.

If you need exceedingly high-THC or high-CBD weed products, you might need access to a medical marijuana dispensary - which of course requires a license. You might require these products if you suffer from a qualifying condition that is mitigated by high doses of medicinal weed and/or if your tolerance to THC (or CBD) is remarkably high.

If You Are Growing or Selling Cannabis

Though precise regulations vary from state to state, most states that have legalized weed allow adults above the minimum age to grow a certain number of cannabis plants per household. The same is true for licensed medicinal users; growing a small cannabis crop at home allows you more regular access to the substance that manages your condition. Some states even allow you to dispense small amounts of your homegrown ganja to family and friends, as long as you don't make them pay.

However, if you are growing a large amount of weed with the intention of turning a tidy profit, you do need a license. Because cannabis cannot legally be transported over state line (or else it will incur the wrath of the federal government), each state must maintain enough cannabis cultivation to supply its population of weed users. You can obtain a cultivation license through your state's marijuana regulatory agency, which might be managed by the state health department or the agricultural department.

Similarly, if you want to open a pot shop of your own, you will need to apply for a dispensary license. Often the competition for these licenses is fierce, but many states are introducing social equity programs that give precedence to BIPOC and female business owners in the marijuana space.

If you are an average marijuana user with average marijuana needs in a state with a recreational marijuana program, you don't need to apply for a weed card. However, plenty of people do benefit from exclusive access to medical-grade cannabis products, so licensed programs remain valuable even as weed legislation expands.

Dallas Lavoe Clouatre was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma on 12/25/1951.

Dallas went to school in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, graduating high school as Co-Valedictorian with his twin brother Daniel. When they graduated in 1970, the Clouatre brothers occupied two of the top three academic performance spots in the State of Oklahoma earning both National Merit Scholarships. Dallas attended Stanford University as an undergraduate, majoring in History. He started out as a pre-med major, thus establishing his foundational understanding of biology, chemistry and physiology.

Upon successful completion of his BA degree, he enrolled in graduate school at UC Berkley, studying European Intellectual History. He received his Ph.D. from Berkeley in 1990. Professor Martin Malia, his thesis director, observed that the scope and the scholarship of Dallas’ thesis was so vast and incisive that it could have resulted in three PhDs.

Dallas was the unacknowledged assistant to Professor Malia in writing the mysterious article signed only as “Z” that appeared on the 1990 Op-Ed page of the New York Times. That famous Op-Ed correctly predicted the fall of the Soviet Union despite all of the contrary pronouncements at the time from the US Intelligence Community. (Inasmuch as the excerpt was faxed to the New York Times from Dallas’ Berkeley apartment using Daniel’s fax machine with his name clearly printed at the top of each page, the fact that they did not learn the identity of “Z” until almost a year later when Professor Malia revealed his authorship perhaps serves as a commentary on the investigative powers of that newspaper.)

After Dallas finished his graduate program, he taught history at the University of San Francisco and UC Berkley.

In 1990, a chance meeting with Mrs. Jan Babin, then Sr. VP of Country Life, introduced Dallas to the dietary supplement industry. Her husband, Marvin Babin, hired Dallas to write a booklet on the immune system for his own company. Afterwards, Dallas continued to work occasionally with the Babins and Country Life until 1998.

Dallas was instrumental in bringing (–)-hydroxycitric acid to market in the United States. He first worked with Renaissance Herbs ca. 1993 and then, in 1994, Skip Seroy hired Dallas to work for InterHealth to promote their newly-launched HCA product. Dallas wrote their technical guide for HCA and spent almost a year on PR tours traveling with a Sports Illustrated Cover swimsuit model promoting HCA (1995). After that, Dallas went back to Country Life and created the BioChem line of products with Jan Babin.

Dallas met Jarrow Rogovin at an industry trade show in 1998 and began working with Jarrow Formulas shortly thereafter.

Dallas spent most of his adult life in northern CA, and some in Los Angeles while working with Jarrow Formulas.

In 2011 Dallas moved to Seattle where, along with Daniel, he also served as a Partner of Glykon Technologies Group, LLC, a raw materials vendor. In this capacity, he is listed as an inventor on twenty US patents and patent applications.

As was the tradition of the European intelligentsia, Dallas loved food and cooking and understood that food offered unique insights into culture.

Dallas was a prolific researcher, writer, product formulator and marketer. Among his many professional accomplishments, he was a Fellow of the American College of Nutrition and his paper in Toxicology Letters still serves as the position paper of the World Health Organization regarding the safety of Kava Kava. Dallas worked as an Associate Editor for TotalHealth Magazine for over 15 years, as well as serving on the Editorial Advisory Boards for Nutritional Outlook Magazine and Recent Patents on Cardiovascular Drug Discovery.

In summary, Dallas was a brilliantly intelligent man who truly embodied the term polymath, one who excels in many fields.

He is survived by his brother Daniel.

Dallas Lavoe Clouatre, of blessed memory, may he rest in peace 12/25/1951–7/29/2018

Jarrow Rogovin
Founder, Jarrow Formulas

According to a recent article in Newsweek Magazine the answer is yes, but I don't think all of the information has been gathered yet. The article is entitled "The Doctor (Watson) Will See You Now" and it generates some interesting concerns. Over 80 percent of illness is preventable and yet we only spend five percent of health dollars on prevention. And, over 60 percent of adults have a chronic disease with healthcare costs slated to reach 100 percent of our GNP by 2065, according to a leading British economist. The current healthcare system is broken and must be improved, but is artificial intelligence by itself going to be the answer?

• First, one of the AI developers is working with the Cleveland Clinic, which could be good if it is the Cleveland Clinic group working on Functional Medicine.
• Secondly, the article admits that diabetes is reversible, but also indicated that it is rarely treated that way. This reminds me of a quote from Dr. Mark Hyman during a Senate Health Committee hearing when he said, "We will not solve the current health care crisis if we just continue to do the wrong things better." Here are a few things Dr. Hyman was referring to:
• We cannot continue to use outdated diagnostic tools that are only able to identify diseases that have already started. This is totally unacceptable when we now have proven tests that can find cells misbehaving five to ten years before a disease begins.
• And, why do we continue to treat the symptoms of illness with drugs that usually don't address the cause of the problem and often create terrible side effects?

Artificial Intelligence platforms can help to improve health and reduce cost, but only if they use Functional Medicine where the platform finds most disease before it starts (80 percent are preventable) and reverses the rest with only safe, effective and less costly protocols based on Functional Medicine. There is such a platform and it has now been shown to reduce cost by over 15 percent per year. This was accomplished by using an artificial intelligence wellness platform with 20,000 employees over a five-year period. If you would like to demo this amazing program, please contact us.

Caring for our selves and finding ways to handle our stresses are clearly important practices for assuring our long-term health. They are definitely key aspects of Preventive Medicine, Along With the right nutrition and exercise programs for our body, getting proper sleep, and maintaining a positive attitude toward our self, others, and the world. Learning the individual lifestyle path that generates health rather than disease is really the finest art of medicine and personal development, and an extremely important process in which to invest. Let's look at ways to protect our body and heart from the negative effects of stress and to create better health.

A self-inventory
One of the first steps in stress reduction is an honest inventory of where we are. Ask yourself:

• What is my biggest life challenge now?
• Is anything very out of balance in my life? If so, what is upsetting me?
• Why don't I feel fully relaxed, happy, and able to sleep well?
• What do I need to do to restore balance?
• Is there anything I can do something about?

For most of us, the key life challenges are in areas of:

1. Health–how we care for ourselves and the result we hu-manifest,
2. Career–what we share with the world and the support that is returned, and
3. Relationships–how we give and receive love.

If we can master these three primary areas of life, some might say we're near enlightenment.

Expectations
One of the sources of stress is inner tension between what we expect of ourselves and what actually happens. Often these expectations are quite unconscious. It's important to identify unspoken expectations or attachments. Sometimes we need to work a little harder to bring reality in line with our expectations— and to really go for our dream.

Letting Go
At other times, we need to develop more detachment to let go of counter-productive thoughts or desires. In this effort, a meditation practice can be very valuable. All the major religions of the world include some type of meditation or prayer. Your practice can be aligned with your spiritual beliefs.

Types of Stress (adapted from the Anti-Stress Program of Staying Healthy with Nutrition textbook)

Stress comes in many forms. For example, many of us are surprised to learn that intense joy is a source of stress, but since it requires more of our body and mind, it genuinely qualifies as stress (with an increased heart rate and the manufacture of certain neurotransmitters, such as adrenaline). Exercise can also be a stressor even though it is great for us. This is because of the repetitive movement in certain areas of the body, and because we create and release more free radicals and toxins into the blood and tissues. This biochemical process can best be handled by being sure you drink enough water and take antioxidant nutrients, such as vitamins A and C. According to researchers on stress, the most optimal combination for vitamin C is to pair it with the bioflavonoid, quercetin.

The various types of stress and some of the factors that contribute to them include:

• Mental—high responsibility; financial or career pressures; working long hours at mental tasks, perfectionism, anxiety, and worry
• Emotional—attitude toward self; issues or imbalances in our relationships; anger, fear, frustration, sadness, betrayal, and bereavement
• Psycho-Spiritual—issues of life goals; spiritual alignment, imbalance, or lack of spiritual nurturing; general state of contentment
• Physical—exercise and physical labor; pregnancy and giving birth; developmental or life changes (adolescence, menopause, and aging)
• Traumatic—infection, injury, burns, surgery, and extreme weather and temperatures
• Biochemical—deficiencies of vitamins, minerals, specific amino acids, protein, or fats and fatty acids; food allergies; genetic errors in metabolism that can result in alcoholism, other addictions, or mental illness
• Toxic—environmental pollutants such as pesticides, cleaning solvents, and other toxins; non-organic foods with additives; and the use of chemicals such as prescription and OTC drugs, in cosmetic and hair products, and overuse/abuse of sugar, alcohol, caffeine, or nicotine

What is Stress?

Please realize that stress is not dictated by situations or incidents themselves; rather, real stress comes from the way we react to the issues of our lives. For stress to negatively influence our health, we must experience something as danger. If we experience a threat as stress, we may go into fight-or-flight mode, which shifts us into the sympathetic (adrenaline) side of our nervous system. That means our body actually prepares to battle or run, i.e. "fight or flight." Our circulation slows and there may be greater muscle tension; our digestion slows down, heart rate goes up, and we begin using up important nutrients. Often immune function is affected—our level of T-cells may even be depressed. And clearly then, we are more prone to become ill or "catch whatever's going around."

Sometimes there's no way around stress. For example, when a child falls on the playground, or we're putting out a fire, our body prepares us for the emergency so we can respond immediately. That's the way it should be as this level of response/reaction allows us to be more alert and ready for action.

But sometimes stress is subtler—and it may be more psychological or emotional. When there really is no physical danger, our body may still react as if there is. Then, if there's no physical activity to provide an outlet for the increased internal activity, the response may remain inward and play havoc with our physiology and organs, as well as with our emotions and our mind. At that point, we run the risk of exhausting the adrenal glands and flooding our body with metabolic toxins, such as damaging free radicals (associated with the aging process and diseases such as heart disease and cancer). This example also shows the reason why "a walk to cool down" really is a good idea.

When we're under emotional or mental stress, and still stay in a relaxed mode, we can respond more calmly and experience less emotional and biochemical wear-and-tear. Then our body doesn't shift into full battle mode and begin pouring out the chemical signals that we're in danger and must react. This relaxed approach usually leads to a better outcome as well.

Anti-Stress Nutrients
Many anti-stress formulas are based on the B-complex vitamins and vitamin C because these important nutrients are all significantly depleted by stress. In addition, stress-related problems may be compounded by deficiencies resulting from generally poor nutrition. All of the B vitamins are important here—especially pantothenic acid (B5). B5, folic acid, and vitamin C are essential for the functioning of our adrenal glands. The adrenals carry perhaps the greatest load when our body is under stress.

The B-complex vitamins are ideally taken two or three times a day, particularly when we are under a lot of stress. This is especially important if the stress lasts over a period of months— for example from a big project at work or a challenging job, a chronically ill child or parent, unemployment, divorce—any of the life events that tend to deplete us over time. It's best to take the B-vitamins before dark so that we don't become over-stimulated when it's time to wind down and relax. I do suggest more minerals in the evening, as they tend to help with relaxation, especially a calcium and magnesium supplement. However, most vitamins and minerals are best assimilated if they're taken with a meal.

Note: Prolonged stress or lack of sleep can lead to a myriad of health problems. If these issues do not resolve with home treatment, you may need to see your doctor or other health professional.

Stress is a funny word. Loaded with the emotional bias of being a “bad” thing, the word stress can be quite deceiving, making it harder to handle than it needs to be. So we will offer a new way to look at it—and very effective ways to address it.

As the healing arts grows, it is important to remember that there are four key domains in healing:

1. Biochemistry. This includes herbals, nutrition and medications.
2. Structural. Including areas such as manipulation, surgery, breathing, exercise, and ergonomics.
3. Biophysics. For example, Acupuncture, Chakra work, Yoga, and NAET.
4. Mind-Body-Spirit. Understanding how the body is a metaphor for what is occurring at a deeper level. For most illnesses, including anxiety and even cancer, complete healing is unlikely to occur unless this is also attended to.

You will find that healing occurs best when all four of these areas are addressed. No individual healer is likely to have complete expertise in all of these areas. As our new healthcare system evolves, and the current one heads to extinction, it is good to see health practitioners from diverse backgrounds communicating and working together more.

So let's look at how a Comprehensive Medicine approach works when addressing anxiety and stress. I will focus predominantly on mind-body and biochemical aspects, as these are where my expertise is.

Treating Mind-Body Issues
Stress is not inherently good or bad. In fact, stress can be used to force flowers to bloom, and this analogy applies to people as well. The problem is when stress becomes chronic, and is no longer enjoyable. This then contributes to chronic elevation of the stress hormone cortisol, directly triggering anxiety. As the excessive stress becomes chronic, cortisol levels then go too low—ironically also triggering anxiety by causing recurrent bouts of low blood sugar.

A simple way to tell if stress is healthy? Simply check in to see how it feels. If it feels good, it is healthy. What is enjoyable can vary markedly from person to person. For example I enjoyed the stress of skydiving, while for my wife it would feel awful.

A Novel Treatment
The key stress antidote? Check in to see how things feel. This is so important, that I am being purposely redundant. Learn to say NO to things that feel bad. Leave your brain out of it. Our brain is the product of our societal and family training. It simply feeds back to us what we were taught that we should do to make others happy. Our feelings, on the other hand, tap into our own personal authenticity. So choose to focus on, and do, those things that feel good. Once you've determined what feels good, then your mind can figure out how to make it happen.

And yes, it is OK to simply choose to focus on what feels good in life, without being in constant battle mode against things you don't like. Like food choices at a buffet, we don't have to protest for the removal of those foods we don't choose to eat. Simply ignore them and pick those things you like. You will find that the rest will soon stop appearing in your life. This is part of how I suspect “free will” works. Our focus is like the remote control on our TV. What we focus on keeps showing up on our screen. This is why our constant “Wars on…” just seem to create more of what we are attacking.

Is it truly OK to do what feels good? Some will make the argument that “Heroin feels good, and perhaps also smacking that person who makes me angry over the head with a two-byfour.” This is why we add two caveats:

1. Don't hurt others.
2. Ask yourself “How is that working out for me?”

Doing this, people will find their anxiety is often coming from their choosing what they think they should do over what feels good (i.e. doing what others want, instead of what is authentic to them). Notice if you are constantly feeling, “I should do this, or I should do that.” This is euphemistically called “Shoulding on yourself.” I invite you to change that toxic behavior.

If hyperventilation is present, one will usually have buried feelings that are bubbling to the surface during periods of relative calm. Counseling to help them learn to feel their feelings helps over time. Also, as panic attacks often leave people feeling like they are going to die, understanding that the symptoms are not dangerous helps. Simply being told this may not be enough to reassure you though. You can confirm hyperventilation is the cause by breathing rapidly for up to 30–60 seconds and seeing how it amplifies your symptoms. Unfortunately, this can also precipitate a full-blown panic attack, so be forewarned, and pick a safe time and place to do this test!

My e-book, “Three Steps to Happiness—Healing through Joy,” can help guide you through the mind-body healing process.

Balance The Biochemistry
Begin with ruling out and treating overt issues, including:

1. Overactive thyroid. Consider this if your Free T4 thyroid test is even in the upper 20th percentile of the normal range.
2. Low progesterone (women). Progesterone is like our body's natural Valium. Consider this if anxiety is worse around menses and ovulation.
3. Low testosterone (men). Consider if testosterone levels are in the lower quarter of the normal range.
4. Adrenal fatigue—caused by drops in blood sugar. A key tip-off? Irritability and anxiety that triggers sugar cravings and improves after eating.

Also optimize nutrient status, especially magnesium and B vitamins. Instead of blood testing, which is of questionable value here, I simply recommend (for most people—whether or not they have anxiety) a high potency multi powder called the Energy Revitalization System (by Enzymatic Therapy). With this, one drink replaces well over 35 pills, optimizing levels of most nutrients. Also have the person decrease sugar and caffeine intake to see if this helps.

Herbals can also be very helpful. For example, there is a unique extract, which can be as effective as Xanax, but is very safe. This special extract stimulates one of the most abundant neuroreceptors in the body, the cannabinoid receptors. Many of you may recognize this as the marijuana receptor, and in fact many people use cannabis to self-medicate for their anxiety. But what if you could get the benefits without the sedation and side effects?

The good news is that now you can. Recent research showed that a special extract of the roots of the narrow leafed coneflower (Echinacea angustifoliae) was more effective than the tranquilizer Librium, with none of the side effects. It also worked quickly, with effects building with continued use. This is not the same component used for immune enhancement, and isn't found at needed levels in standard Echinacea. It is available though as AnxioCalm (by EuroPharma—20 mg per tablet).

Let's look at a few studies of this unique extract.
A study published in the March 2012 issue of Phytotherapy Research included 33 volunteers. All experienced anxiety, assessed using the validated State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). The extract decreased STAI scores within three days, an effect that remained stable for the duration of the treatment (seven days) and for the two weeks that followed treatment. There were no dropouts and no side effects.

Another study looked at higher dosages (40 mg 2 x day) in a multi-center, placebo-controlled, double-blind Phase II study involving 26 volunteers diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Over a three week period, the number of severely anxious patients (HADS-A scores larger than 11) decreased from 11 to zero!

So I begin with two tablets of AnxioCalm 2x day for severe anxiety. After three weeks, the dose can often be dropped to one 20 mg tablet twice a day. It can also simply be used as needed, and serves as an excellent sleep aid.

Other helpful herbals include valerian, passion flower, hops, theanine, and lemon balm. These can be found in a combination called the “Revitalizing Sleep Formula,” which helps anxiety during the day and sleep at night. I personally use both AnxioCalm and the Revitalizing Sleep Formula at night to ensure 8–9 hours of deep sleep.

The smell of lavender oil is also calming, and a small drop on the upper lip, or even having a lavender bouquet in one's room, can be helpful.

Structural And Biophysics
Simply going for regular walks in the sunshine, and doing yoga, tai chi, and meditation can be very helpful. A technique called centering can help people feel that they are in the calm “eye of the cyclone” when panic attacks hit. In addition, it is helpful to explore a technique called Butyko breathing, which can be very helpful for anxiety and hyperventilation.

For PTSD or old emotional traumas, a technique called EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) can give near miraculous benefits in as little as 20 minutes (see EFT.Mercola.com). It may seem odd, but try it and you'll be amazed. Releasing old traumas through a simple “trembling” technique is also helpful, and the person can do it on their own. It is easy and simple instructions can be found in the book Waking the Tiger.

By having the entire healing arts toolkit available, and not just using the “medical hammer,” anxiety can now be effectively treated!