Dr. McCord Nutrigenomics-What is Protandim? What is NRf2?
http://youtu.be/0t_93IK_s-4
Friday, November 18, 2011
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Essential Oils ~ Natural Household Solutions
Natural Household Solutions ~Thieves for houshold cleaning
Don’t think that essential oils can only be used for aromatherapy or massage therapy—they have so much more to offer!
While going about your daily household tasks you’ve probably stopped to consider the effects of artificial flavoring in foods or the synthetic compounds in your household cleaner. More than likely you’ve wondered if these mystery ingredients are even safe to use in your home.
Essential oils can eliminate these concerns when you incorporate them into your daily household routine. Replacing man-made synthetics with natural, plant-based essential oils removes questionable ingredients from your home and adds countless benefits. Whether you use essential oils to infuse your favorite dishes with flavor, clean your home without harmful chemicals, or supplement your existing first-aid kit with plant-based solutions, they're sure to safely and naturally enhance your experience.
In the Cooking with Essential Oils section, learn the difference between common vegetable oils—olive, flax, sesame, canola—and essential oils, as well as some of the best essential oils for flavoring your favorite dishes!
If you want to know which harmful synthetics are in your home, the Cleaning with Essential Oils section will teach you which chemicals—known to cause everything from skin to ovarian cancer—are in products you use every day and which essential oils and oil-infused products can replace them.
Every home should have a first-aid kit, and in the Essential Oils and First Aid section, learn which essential oils are good natural complements to your existing kit.
And to make your transition to essential oil cooking seamless, Young Living also offers a selection of top-of-the-line titanium cookware. Discover why your cookware makes a difference in the Cookware section.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Protandim: Science (Not) Fiction
Protandim: SCIENCE (Not) FICTION
It is all about PREVENTION!!
All Science and No Fiction are Backdrop for Nrf2 Biology
By Natalie Hollingshead
The science behind revolutionary Protandim, the Nrf2 Synergizer, speaks for itself - but only if you understand what it's saying. Important terms like 'Nrf2 activator' and 'anti-fibrotic' may not be part of your vocabulary - and that's OK because the explanation isn't as complicated as it sounds. You don't need a degree in human biology or employment in the medical science industry to understand (or share) the science behind the supplement.
THE PROBLEM
Our cells create free radicals when we eat, breathe and sleep, or perform any number of common activities. These free radicals are molecules with an odd number of electrons. As such, they are highly reactive and toxic, and cause cellular deterioration, or oxidative stress.
The older we get, the more oxidative stress our cells naturally produce. Inflammation in cells also increases, as does fibrosis ( the formation of scar tissue).
Our body creates antioxidant enzymes to fight against oxidative stress. It also produces anti-inflammatory enzymes to fight inflammation, and anti-fibrotic enzymes to fight fibrosis.
There are hundreds of genes in each of these enzymes families and together they form what scientists call the 'survival genes'.
An important enzyme activator called Nrf2 tells our bodies to make these crucial enzymes. However, as we age, our body makes less Nrf2, and subsequently, less of these "survival genes."
"Many of the so-called diseases of age such as cancer, cardiovascular disease and neuro-degenerative diseases like Alzheimer's are all characterized by a decline in the so-called survival genes," says Joe M. McCord, Ph.D., a professor of medicine at the University of Colorado. "The fact that the Nrf2 is going down as we grow older is the reason the whole system gets out of whack."
THE SOLUTION
Fortunately, scientists have discovered a way to activate and elevate the Nrf2 in our cells using Protandim, the trademarked Nrf2 Synergizer.
Protandim is made from five natural, plant-based ingredients that are weak Nrf2 activators on their own: milk thistle, turmeric,green tea, bacopa and ashwagandha. Together, McCord says, they have a synergy that is 18 times greater than the sum of the individual components.
Every Protandim pill activates Nrf2, which in turn does its job of regulating the various genes that make the body function at an optimal level.
"By elevating or activating the Nrf2 in our cells, you can return that entire balance back to the way it is in a young, healthy person," McCord says. "We know biochemically exactly what Protandim is doing."
Protandim uses the body's own resources to stave off age-related declines by simply telling the body to do what it already knows how to do - but do more of it. That principle is what really sets Protandim apart in the world of anti-oxidant supplements, McCord says.
"Many of the conventional anti-oxidants are adding foreign molecules that are intended to react directly with oxidants that your body is making," he says.
While several of the seven peer-reviewed studies done on Protandim show the supplement's potential to reverse age-related conditions, the main focus is on prevention.
"It's all about prevention," McCord says. "All of those diseases I named are very difficult to treat. For instance, every cancer has multiple mutations that are in any of thousands of different sites. Every cancer is very unique and that is why it is very hard to cure. Prevention is much easier to bring about than a cure."
It is all about PREVENTION!!
All Science and No Fiction are Backdrop for Nrf2 Biology
By Natalie Hollingshead
The science behind revolutionary Protandim, the Nrf2 Synergizer, speaks for itself - but only if you understand what it's saying. Important terms like 'Nrf2 activator' and 'anti-fibrotic' may not be part of your vocabulary - and that's OK because the explanation isn't as complicated as it sounds. You don't need a degree in human biology or employment in the medical science industry to understand (or share) the science behind the supplement.
THE PROBLEM
Our cells create free radicals when we eat, breathe and sleep, or perform any number of common activities. These free radicals are molecules with an odd number of electrons. As such, they are highly reactive and toxic, and cause cellular deterioration, or oxidative stress.
The older we get, the more oxidative stress our cells naturally produce. Inflammation in cells also increases, as does fibrosis ( the formation of scar tissue).
Our body creates antioxidant enzymes to fight against oxidative stress. It also produces anti-inflammatory enzymes to fight inflammation, and anti-fibrotic enzymes to fight fibrosis.
There are hundreds of genes in each of these enzymes families and together they form what scientists call the 'survival genes'.
An important enzyme activator called Nrf2 tells our bodies to make these crucial enzymes. However, as we age, our body makes less Nrf2, and subsequently, less of these "survival genes."
"Many of the so-called diseases of age such as cancer, cardiovascular disease and neuro-degenerative diseases like Alzheimer's are all characterized by a decline in the so-called survival genes," says Joe M. McCord, Ph.D., a professor of medicine at the University of Colorado. "The fact that the Nrf2 is going down as we grow older is the reason the whole system gets out of whack."
THE SOLUTION
Fortunately, scientists have discovered a way to activate and elevate the Nrf2 in our cells using Protandim, the trademarked Nrf2 Synergizer.
Protandim is made from five natural, plant-based ingredients that are weak Nrf2 activators on their own: milk thistle, turmeric,green tea, bacopa and ashwagandha. Together, McCord says, they have a synergy that is 18 times greater than the sum of the individual components.
Every Protandim pill activates Nrf2, which in turn does its job of regulating the various genes that make the body function at an optimal level.
"By elevating or activating the Nrf2 in our cells, you can return that entire balance back to the way it is in a young, healthy person," McCord says. "We know biochemically exactly what Protandim is doing."
Protandim uses the body's own resources to stave off age-related declines by simply telling the body to do what it already knows how to do - but do more of it. That principle is what really sets Protandim apart in the world of anti-oxidant supplements, McCord says.
"Many of the conventional anti-oxidants are adding foreign molecules that are intended to react directly with oxidants that your body is making," he says.
While several of the seven peer-reviewed studies done on Protandim show the supplement's potential to reverse age-related conditions, the main focus is on prevention.
"It's all about prevention," McCord says. "All of those diseases I named are very difficult to treat. For instance, every cancer has multiple mutations that are in any of thousands of different sites. Every cancer is very unique and that is why it is very hard to cure. Prevention is much easier to bring about than a cure."
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
9th Peer Review
Protandim~ The 9th peer reviewed study on the effects of Protandim has hit www.pubmed.gov The study is titled “Oxidative Stress in health and disease: The therapeutic potential of Nrf2 activation” and can be found by searching on Protandim.
Oxidative stress in health and disease: The therapeutic potential of Nrf2 activation. The Abstract:
For the past 40years or so, oxidative stress has been increasingly recognized as a contributing factor in aging and in various forms of pathophysiology generally associated with aging. Our view of oxidative stress has been largely "superoxide-centric&qu ot;, as we focused on the pathological sources of this oxygen-derived free radical and the types of molecular havoc it can wreak, as well as on the protection provided by the antioxidant enzymes, especially the superoxide dismutases, catalases, and glutathione peroxidases.
In the last decade our view of oxidative stress has broadened considerably, and it is now often seen as an imbalance that has its origins in our genes, and the ways in which gene expression is regulated. At the center of this new focus is the transcription factor called nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2, or Nrf2. Nrf2 is referred to as the "master regulator" of the antioxidant response, modulating the expression of hundreds of genes, including not only the familiar antioxidant enzymes, but large numbers of genes that control seemingly disparate processes such as immune and inflammatory responses, tissue remodeling and fibrosis, carcinogenesis and metastasis, and even cognitive dysfunction and addictive behavior. Thus, the dysregulation of Nrf2-regulated genes provides a logical explanation for the connections, both direct and indirect, between observable oxidative stress and perhaps 200 human diseases involving these various physiological processes, each reflecting a network involving many gene products. The evolutionary self-association of these many genes under the common control of Nrf2 suggests that the immune and inflammatory systems may present the largest demand for increased antioxidant protection, apart from constitutive oxidative stress resulting from mitochondrial oxygen consumption for metabolic purposes. Gene expression microarray data on human primary vascular endothelial cells and on the SK-N-MC human neuroblastoma-derived cell line have been obtained in response to the dietary supplement Protandim, a potent composition of highly synergistic phytochemical Nrf2 activators. Pathway analysis of results shows significant modulation by Protandim of pathways involving not only antioxidant enzymes, but of those related to colon cancer, cardiovascular disease, and Alzheimer disease.
Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Reduce Stress to enhance Your Digestion and Metabolism
Reduce Stress to Enhance Your Digestion and Metabolism
You’ve probably heard the old saying “You are what you eat” at least a thousand times. Every morsel is broken done into it’s smallest parts and becomes part of you. When you think of food in very simple terms like this — that it literally turns into you — then food takes on a whole new meaning doesn’t it? Do you want to turn into a bowl of white pasta and cream sauce or a bowl of vibrantly coloured vegetables with avocado and seeds? Hopefully the latter. Real food is so incredibly beautiful and fresh!
But let’s take it one step further….
You are also what you assimilate or absorb. No matter how nourishing your diet is, if your digestion is not on track then it’s possible that all your best intentions will not be reflected in your skin, energy levels, mental health and so on. Some of the main reasons that you may have digestion problems include (but are certainly not limited to):
- Stress – physical, emotional, mental
- Lack of good bacteria in the gut
- Improper food combining
- Years of an unhealthy lifestyle: alcohol, smoking, drugs, exposure to environment toxins
- Drinking too many caffeinated beverages
- Yo-yo dieting, abusing laxatives (herbal teas or over-the-counter meds)
- Lack of exercise
- Eating foods you are allergic/sensitive too, regardless if they are healthy for someone else
The list goes on and on of plausible reasons for not feeling like your gut is on track and therefore, not properly absorbing the molecules that are going to become you – vitamins, minerals, amino acids, fatty acids etc. This lack of proper absorption is going to impact how you feel every day.
Add insult to injury, if you are not excreting your wastes in a timely fashion, then you can easily feel sluggish, bloated and re-absorption of toxins can occur setting off your body’s alarm system and setting the stage for ill health.
Let’s tackle one of these reasons that your gut is not on track: STRESS.
Ugh, stress rears it’s ugly head when you least want it to doesn’t it? Your stomach is literally your second brain. Yes! Your stomach is very intimately connected to your brain and your emotional state. What you manifest in your head, will immediately impact your gut health. When you are stressed and your body is in sympathetic nervous system mode the last thing your body is going to do is allow energy to be used for your digestive processes.
Instead, your body will be focused on making you alert, increasing your heart rate and blood pressure and shuttling glucose to the blood stream to be used as energy, aka the stress response. Digestion takes a backseat, stomach acid and digestive secretions are halted and your gut is at a standstill until the stress is gone.
These are some ways to make sure your stress levels are low when it comes to food, to help improve your digestion.
1. Eat mindfully: Turn of the TV, radio, computer and sit down to relax while you eat. Make your food look beautiful, engage in meaningful conversation with your friends or family and appreciate what your food is doing for you AND how it taste, not just the latter
2. Do not, I repeat, do not, eat at your desk. Leave, even for 20 minutes to a quiet and calm area where you can eat in peace.
3. Prepare your meals with love and good intention. Meaning, don’t cook while angry and DO send loving positive energy into your food. Cook with music on, make it fun! Try out a new recipe, cook with a friend and put effort into your meal.
4. Never rush your meals. Chew every morsel until almost liquid. Many people struggle with this. Even I catch myself chewing too quickly sometimes. Think of it this way — chew your food until it no longer resembles the shape or texture it went into your mouth. For example, if you eat an apple, then you shouldn’t be able to feel the difference between the peel and flesh when you swallow.
5. Take 10 deep belly breaths at three distinct times throughout the day. This literally calms your central nervous system.
6. Do YOGA! Yoga has changed my life personally. I used to be one of those people who would say “There’s no way I would do yoga over going for a run or an intense workout at the gym”. Now, I enjoy every moment of calm and peace that yoga brings to my heart and soul. I am so thankful for yoga in my life. It has reduced stress, anxiety, helped me to have more nourishing relationships with others and helped me release toxic emotions that were stressing my body.
Eat up and a great day!
Jenn has been intrigued, inspired & drawn to the studies of health and wellness for as long as she can remember. Her passion and interest led her towards studies in human anatomy, physiology, psychology, various modalities of exercise and fitness, nutrition, yoga and pilates. She holds a diploma in Exercise & Health Sciences, is a Medical Rehab Specialist, Master Personal Trainer, Stott trained Pilates Instructor, Yoga Alliance certified Yoga Instructor and Registered Holistic Nutritionist.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Protandim
Another supportive tool worth sharing in my passion to educate others on disease prevention and improving our health! The following provides us with valuable information on the magnitude of Oxidative Stress, Inflammation and how PROTANDIM can help! This 4 minute clip aired on The Today Show, October 17th, 2011. One of many credible reports that inflammation is the link to disease - and we know that Protandim is likely the answer to breaking that link! Chronic Inflammation - the silent killer.
- Now Doctors order a C-Reactive Protein test to check for level of inflammation in blood stream!
- Protandim reduces C-Reactive Protein (CRP) by 20% 2009 - Patent #7,579,026
- Protandim- 1 pill/once a day reduces oxidative stress (which leads to inflammation and cellular damage) by 40-70% as shown through Peer Reviewed Science 2005 - Oxidative Stress Study.
- Protandim is effective at reducing Oxidative Stress by 40-70% in all who take it!
There is no denying that Oxidative stress is a direct link to inflammation and hundreds of diseases! Visit www.pubmed.gov and enter oxidative stress. There are now over 92,000 peer reviewed studies on oxidative stress and that number grows every day!
www.abcliveit.com
attached is a document/diagram that shows the link of oxidative stress to disease!
attached is a document/diagram that shows the link of oxidative stress to disease!
READ more on Protandim below
TO PURCHASE: Click on Protandim LifeVantage Website link
Monday, October 17, 2011
Strengthen Your Immune System & Prevent Disease and Illness
1. Scientifically Proven Unlike most competing products, Protandim has been the focus of several clinical trials and proven to be a super-powerful free-radical fighter. These trials, as well as studies that support its individual ingredients, demonstrate that Protandim is capable of minimizing oxidative stress in the body.
2. Superior Antioxidant Power Because it stimulates the production of antioxidant enzymes, Protandim delivers exponentially more antioxidant activity than conventional antioxidant vitamins such as vitamin C, E, and betacarotene (a form of Vitamin A). While antioxidant molecules from supplements, foods, and juices can only defeat free radicals on a one-to-one basis (one antioxidant molecule can neutralize only one free-radical molecule) the antioxidant enzymes which Protandim helps your own body produce are catalytic and are NOT used up when they neutralize free radicals. Therefore, these antioxidants can defeat free radicals many times over. One antioxidant molecule produced by Protandim can defeat one million free radicals per second 24/7. No other antioxidant supplement can match Protandim's antioxidant power!
3. Reduced Oxidative Stress Protandim is the ONLY supplement clinically proven to completely eliminate the age-dependent increase in oxidative stress by reducing oxidative stress levels to those of a 20-year-old in just 30 days.
4. Enhanced Overall Health Low oxidative stress levels are associated with a healthy cardiovascular system, a healthy brain, proper immune function, and improved overall wellness.
5. Healthy Immune Support Due to its tremendous production of antioxidant enzymes, Protandim promotes a healthy immune system.
6. Anti-Aging Ability Protandim is the only supplement in the world clinically proven to reduce cellular aging by an average of 40%.
7. Increased Glutathione A recent clinical study demonstrated that Protandim produces a 300% increase in glutathione, a key antioxidant and anti-aging compound.
8. Reduces Inflammation Protandim greatly reduces inflammation, associated with less pain in the body.
9. One-of-a-Kind
Protandim, a fundamentally new antioxidant approach in chemoprevention using mouse two-stage skin carcinogenesis as a model.
The Science: AuthorsAbstract
Oxidative stress is an important contributor to cancer development. Consistent with that, antioxidant enzymes have been demonstrated to suppress tumorigenesis when being elevated both in vitro and in vivo, making induction of these enzymes a more potent approach for cancer prevention. Protandim, a well-defined combination of widely studied medicinal plants, has been shown to induce superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase activities and reduce superoxide generation and lipid peroxidation in healthy human subjects. To investigate whether Protandim can suppress tumor formation by a dietary approach, a two-stage mouse skin carcinogenesis study was performed. At the end of the study, the mice on a Protandim-containing basal diet had similar body weight compared with those on the basal diet, which indicated no overt toxicity by Protandim. After three weeks on the diets, there was a significant increase in the expression levels of SOD and catalase, in addition to the increases in SOD activities. Importantly, at the end of the carcinogenesis study, both skin tumor incidence and multiplicity were reduced in the mice on the Protandim diet by 33% and 57% respectively, compared with those on basal diet. Biochemical and histological studies revealed that the Protandim diet suppressed tumor promoter-induced oxidative stress (evidenced by reduction of protein carbonyl levels), cell proliferation (evidenced by reduction of skin hyperplasia and suppression of PKC/JNK/Jun pathway), and inflammation (evidenced by reduction of ICAM-1/VCAM-1 expression, NF-kappaB binding activity, and nuclear p65/p50 levels). Overall, induction of antioxidant enzymes by Protandim may serve as a practical and potent approach for cancer prevention.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Protandim ~ Approach for Cancer Prevention
Protandim Studies
Oxidative stress is an important contributor to cancer development. Consistent with that, antioxidant enzymes have been demonstrated to suppress tumorigenesis when being elevated both in vitro and in vivo, making induction of these enzymes a more potent approach for cancer prevention. Protandim, a well-defined combination of widely studied medicinal plants, has been shown to induce superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase activities and reduce superoxide generation and lipid peroxidation in healthy human subjects. To investigate whether Protandim can suppress tumor formation by a dietary approach, a two-stage mouse skin carcinogenesis study was performed. At the end of the study, the mice on a Protandim-containing basal diet had similar body weight compared with those on the basal diet, which indicated no overt toxicity by Protandim. After three weeks on the diets, there was a significant increase in the expression levels of SOD and catalase, in addition to the increases in SOD activities. 1Importantly, at the end of the carcinogenesis study, both skin tumor incidence and multiplicity were reduced in the mice on the Protandim diet by 33% and 57% respectively, compared with those on basal diet. Biochemical and histological studies revealed that the Protandim diet suppressed tumor promoter-induced oxidative stress (evidenced by reduction of protein carbonyl levels), cell proliferation (evidenced by reduction of skin hyperplasia and suppression of PKC/JNK/Jun pathway), and inflammation (evidenced by reduction of ICAM-1/VCAM-1 expression, NF-κB binding activity, and nuclear p65/p50 levels). Overall, induction of antioxidant enzymes by Protandim may serve as a practical and potent approach for cancer prevention.
Citation: Liu J, Gu X, Robbins D, Li G, Shi R, et al. (2009) Protandim, a Fundamentally New Antioxidant Approach in Chemoprevention Using Mouse Two-Stage Skin Carcinogenesis as a Model. PLoS ONE 4(4): e5284. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0005284
Editor: Joseph Alan Bauer, Cleveland Clinic, United States of America
Received: February 11, 2009; Accepted: March 20, 2009; Published: April 22, 2009
Copyright: © 2009 Liu et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Funding: The Skin Cancer Foundation. http://www.skincancer.org/ The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
* E-mail: yzhao1@lsuhsc.edu
Editor: Joseph Alan Bauer, Cleveland Clinic, United States of America
Received: February 11, 2009; Accepted: March 20, 2009; Published: April 22, 2009
Copyright: © 2009 Liu et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Funding: The Skin Cancer Foundation. http://www.skincancer.org/ The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
* E-mail: yzhao1@lsuhsc.edu
Introduction Top
Cancer is affected by alterations in multiple physiological events including apoptosis, inflammation, differentiation, and angiogenesis. Oxidative stress, resulting from the imbalance between antioxidants and prooxidants, has been recognized to play an important role in cancer development. Consistent with that, antioxidant enzymes, especially superoxide dismutase (SOD), have been demonstrated to reduce tumorigenesis both in vitro and in vivo [1]–[2].
SOD not only suppresses cell proliferation, but also affects inflammation. The association between chronic inflammation and cancer is now well established [3]–[7]. One important mechanism of inflammation-induced cancer is due to oxidative stress [8]–[11], which results from the release of free radicals from activated immune cells and cytokines.
A new approach to antioxidant therapy via the induction of antioxidant enzymes (including SOD and catalase) has been developed [12]. The dietary supplement, Protandim, is a combination of five phytochemicals from medicinal plants long recorded in traditional Indian and Chinese medicine. One capsule of Protandim (675 mg) consists of the following: B. monnieri (45% bacosides), 150 mg; S. marianum (70–80% silymarin), 225mg; W. somnifera (1.5% withanolides), 150 mg; C. sinensis (98% polyphenols and 45% (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate), 75 mg; and C. longa (95% curcumin), 75 mg [12]. Protandim has been tested in healthy human subjects, producing increased SOD and catalase activities and decreased lipid oxidation levels in the blood samples without causing overt toxicity [12]. Being a critical step, studies have been performed to optimize the dosing of Protandim. At the current dose, none of the five ingredients alone significantly induces antioxidant enzymes; however, subtraction of any ingredient significantly reduces the induction. In summary, the bioactivities of each ingredient form a synergistic effect when combined [13].
In this study, the cancer preventative activity of Protandim is tested using a well-established two-stage skin carcinogenesis mouse model. The mouse skin carcinogenesis is a well-developed model to screen anti-cancer reagents. In this model, a tumor initiator (e.g., dimethylbenz[a]anthracene [DMBA]) is first treated to cause mutations of the oncogene Ras. A tumor promoter (e.g., 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate [TPA]) is then applied to selectively promote the growth of Ras-mutated skin epidermal cells. As a phorbor ester, TPA can directly activate protein kinase C [14]. However, low concentrations of TPA can also exert inhibitory effect on cell proliferation either alone or in combination with anti-cancer drugs in human pancreas cancer cells [15], and human prostate cancer cells [16], [17]. A phase I dose escalation trial of TPA has been performed in patients with relapsed or refractory malignancies and the tolerated dose has been established [18].
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