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Cleaning Yourself to Illness?

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Disinfectant products and other household cleaners have been flying off the shelves in the last few weeks, but how safe are these products? Long-term use of many common cleaning solutions and disinfectants have been linked to a number of health problems like asthma, wheezing, migraines, low sperm count, nervous system damage, and hormonal imbalances. People who these products regularly to clean their homes or offices, or janitors who use these chemicals almost daily, will typically experience more symptoms than someone who occasionally uses them. Fortunately, there are many other options for natural cleaners and disinfectants so you can avoid cleaning yourself to illness.

Products Mentioned in Today’s Show

Benfotiamine – This fat-soluble form of vitamin B1 has higher bioavailability compared to water-soluble forms. Benfotiamine inhibits several pathways involved in glucose-induced vascular changes and supports healthy neuron function.Clinical studies show that benfotiamine supports healthy neurological structures and glucose metabolism, limiting the formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs). Benfotiamine may also be a preferred choice after bariatric surgery as thiamine deficiency is frequently found in these people due to malabsorption.

Vital Detox – This advanced blend of green plant concentrates and enzymes helps protect the body against chemicals ingested in the daily diet and through everyday environmental exposure. This formulation is rich in chlorophylls from Chlorella and contains a unique broccoli extract with glucosinolates. The chlorophylls in Chlorella form tight molecular complexes with a wide variety of everyday toxic chemical compounds, reducing their absorption from the gastrointestinal tract. A high-strength enzyme blend also breaks down dietary antigens and may support assimilation of beneficial constituents of Chlorella. Glucosinolate compounds in broccoli are powerful inducers of natural phase 2 detoxification processes in the liver. Most substances detoxified by the liver are released into the bile for excretion through the intestinal tract. Chlorella helps trap these toxins to reduce reabsorption.

You can also listen to Cleaning Yourself to Illness? on our YouTube channel here.

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Being Grateful Through Difficult Times

Sunset; being grateful through difficult times.

These are tough times for many people physically, emotionally, and even financially. Maintaining an attitude of gratitude by focusing on the positive may help these next few weeks seem a little brighter. Spending all your energy and time worrying about things can have negative effects on both your physical and emotional health, and being grateful for what you have and recognizing how fortunate you are can help you see things from a different perspective. Being grateful through difficult times isn’t an easy task, but it is worth it.

It Might Be Difficult

It can be difficult to stay positive and grateful during stressful life events, but it’s not impossible. As we have said many times over the last few weeks, focusing on the positive and doing something each day that brings you joy are two simple things you can do to help keep your mood up. It’s ok to feel sad or angry about your situation, but the important thing is that you don’t let it control you or dominate every thought and feeling you have. Acknowledge the positive and negative feelings you have, but make an effort to give more attention to the positive. It can be something as simple as still having one of your favorite foods in the house, or being grateful for the ability to sleep in more often. The little things each day is what will help each of us get through these next few weeks with a better attitude, and hopefully a recharged mind and spirit when this is over.

Take some time each day to do something that calms you down or brings you joy, learn a new skill, work on your spiritual life, or anything else that makes you feel good. Remind yourself of all the things you are blessed with, whether it be still having a job or a place to live, having a healthy body, or getting to finish a new show. These next few weeks might lead to a lasting reminder in all of our lives to be more mindful of what really matters to us, and might make us rethink whether the small daily inconveniences are really worth getting upset over.

You can listen to our Maintaining an Attitude of Gratitude podcast episode on our website here. You can also listen on our YouTube channel here.

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Maintaining an Attitude of Gratitude

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In times like these, it can be easy to start stressing over things, especially things that you cannot control, but stressing doesn’t benefit you mentally or physically. Maintaining an attitude of gratitude by focusing on the positive, being productive, and doing at least one thing each day that brings you joy can help make things a little easier. Using this as a time of self-reflection could potentially lead to some healthy changes in your life. Focus on staying positive while you’re at home, and do some of the things that make you happy, and we’ll get through this. In this week’s episode we’ll discuss how important it is to stay positive, even when it’s hard, and we’ll also talk about the importance of vitamin D and other supplements for immune health.

Products Mentioned in Today’s Show

Quercetin Bromelain Ultra – Quercetin Bromelain Ultra provides a mixture of proteolytic enzymes and bioflavonoids that help regulate the immune cytokine response. Quercetin is a powerful bioflavonoid that protects cells and tissues against free radicals. Bromelain, papain, and pancreatin provide a mixture of protein-specific and other enzymes that help ensure proper breakdown of protein molecules that may otherwise cause irritation. Vitamin C, buffered with magnesium to eliminate acidity, supports histamine metabolism, detoxification processes, and collagen synthesis.

N-Acetyl Cysteine – This derivative of the amino acid cysteine is often used as the preferred substrate for intracellular glutathione synthesis. It also assists detoxification, provides cellular antioxidant protection, and is much safer than cysteine.

EZ Relax – We’ve teamed nature’s greatest stress management ingredients to create a uniquely effective combination. Formulated with Ashwagandha, valerian extract, L-theanine, and GABA.

You can also listen to Maintaining an Attitude of Gratitude on our YouTube channel here.

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Do Things That Bring You Joy

Paint and paintbrush; do things that bring you joy.

Many people are currently spending each day isolated and worrying about things out of their control. This worry and stress takes a toll on both mental and physical health, and doesn’t help anything. Spending this extended time at home to complete chores you’ve been putting off, start a workout program you’ve been wanting to try, or engaging in some home craft projects are just a few of the many ways you can stay busy and productive during this time. Staying focused on things that bring you joy can make times like these easier to get through.

Find What Brings You Joy

Sit down and take some time to thing about and write down things that make you happy and joyful, and things that give you a feeling of peace. This can be taking a warm bath, going for a walk outside, listening to music, painting or other forms of art, baking or cooking, or anything else that you really enjoy. Make a list of these things and circly what you can do from your home or at a walking trail, and do at least one thing on your list each day. You can also plan what you’re going to do the next few days, so that you keep up with the days of the week and have something to look forward to each day.

Despite its downfalls, the internet has proven to be an especially useful tool during this time. Many celebrities, singers, and others are doing livestreams on social media nearly every day. This can give you access to home concerts, a feeling of community, and a way to interact with new people. You can also find many websites that report only uplifiting news stories, which can be helpful when regular news is invoking fear in many people. There are also plenty of games online, or on gaming consoles if you own one, that can help take your mind off of current events, and sometimes lead to new friendships.

You’re Not Alone

Remember that you are not alone in this, and that everyone is dealing with many of the same struggles. Call up a friend, family member, or neighbor or someone you’re comfortable with and talk about how you’re both feeling and remind each other that you’re not alone. Call any elderly family members and make sure they’re ok physically as well as emotionally. Stressing over things, especially things that you cannot control, will only do harm. Focusing on the positive, being productive, and doing at least one thing each day that brings you joy can help make things a little easier.

You can listen to our Staying Strong Through the Storm podcast episode here. You can also listen on our YouTube channel here.

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Staying Strong Through the Storm

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With fear and anxiety heightened due to current world events, many people are spending each day worrying about many different things, often things that are out of their control. This worry and stress takes a toll on both mental and physical health, and doesn’t do any good. In this week’s episode we’ll talk about staying strong through the storm by keeping your mind focused on the positive, and staying busy while you’re at home. Spending this extended time at home to complete chores you’ve been putting off or start a workout program you’ve been wanting to try are just a couple of the many ways you can stay busy and productive during this time. We have also received many more questions about what can be done to help support immune health, so we’ll answer some more of those questions in this episode.

Products Mentioned in Today’s Show

EZ Relax – We’ve teamed nature’s greatest stress management ingredients to create a uniquely effective combination. Formulated with Ashwagandha, valerian extract, L-theanine, and GABA.

GI Immune – AC-11® is a patented, water-soluble botanical extract of Uncaria tomentosa shown to uniquely support immune function, healthy inflammatory response and the body’s natural defenses at the molecular level against oxidative stress, supporting DNA integrity. This formula combines AC-11® and larch arabinogalactan to support immune responsiveness and the body’s natural DNA repair capacity. Arabinogalactan is a polysaccharide that stimulates beneficial immune cells resulting in a powerful immunomodulating effect.

You can also listen to Staying Strong Through the Storm on our YouTube channel here.

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Staying Positive at Home

Coffee and books; staying positive at home.

Recent world events have caused many people to experience anxiety, depression, and even feelings of isolation. These feelings can take a toll on your overall mental and physical health, so its important to do what you can to stay positive. Focusing on the positive and doing some activities that make you happy may help make these times easier to get through, and this situation may even make you reevaluate your priorities. Let’s go over some things you can do to help you stay positive while you’re at home.

Things You Can Do at Home

Some people may be unable to leave their house for the next couple of weeks, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy it or make some personal progress. Taking a warm bath, watching your favorite show, playing a video game, playing a board game with family, baking or cooking, ordering food from your favorite restaurant, and journaling are all good ways to help pass the time and provide some positivity. You can also do any chores you’ve put off for a while like organizing your closet or going through old clothes. Doing a home workout is another good activity that will help pass the time and have some health benefits. If you are feeling lonely or isolated, try calling a friend or family member and talk for a while, or if you have a pet in the house you can keep it close to you.

We’ll Get Through This

These are tough times, but we will come out of this together and stronger than ever. Situations like these often help people realize what’s truly important to them, and not having sports or concerts to occupy our time may be what some people need to see things in their life more clearly. Although you can’t choose your circumstances, you can choose how you react to them. Take some time each day over these next few weeks to write down how you feel and what’s on your mind. Write down what is important to you, what you’re worried about, what you’re excited about, and anything else you can think of. Using this as a time of self-reflection could potentially lead to some healthy changes in your life. Focus on staying positive while you’re at home, and do some of the things that make you happy, and we’ll get through this.

You can listen to our Escaping Fear and Finding Joy podcast episode here. You can also listen on our YouTube channel here.

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Escaping Fear and Finding Joy

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With so much fear affecting people around the world right now, and constant negative news and social media updates, it can be easy to be caught up in it and forget how to be positive and joyful. While you can’t choose your circumstances, you can choose how you react to them. Focusing on the things that make you happy can help you deal with any anxiety you may be experiencing. In this week’s episode we’ll discuss escaping fear and finding joy. We’ll discuss why it’s important to focus on the positive, and some steps you can take that may help make your anxiety and this current public health situation, and any other stressful situation, a little easier to deal with.

Products Mentioned in Today’s Show

EZ Relax – Some of nature’s greatest stress management ingredients were combined to create a uniquely effective combination. Formulated with Ashwagandha, valerian extract, L-theanine, and GABA.

Pantothenic Acid Complex – This formula contains Cordyceps, Rhodiola Extract, Eleuthero Extract, and Pantothenic Acid to help support adrenal function. The ability of the adrenal gland to respond to physiological stress is supported by botanicals with recognized adaptogenic properties. Eleuthero and rhodiola act on neurotransmitter function, the central nervous system, and cardiovascular function to help the body adjust appropriately when faced with biological, physical, or chemical challenges. Cordyceps mushroom, known for its revitalizing effects, and pantothenic acid, a B vitamin required for adrenal hormone formation, are also included.

You can also listen to Escaping Fear and Finding Joy on our YouTube channel here.

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Immune System Must-Haves

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With all the news recently about the importance of washing your hands and staying away from sick people, you may be wondering what you can do to help bolster your immune system since you can’t always guarantee that you won’t be around someone who’s sick. Washing your hands often, not touching your face with unwashed hands, and keeping a distance from others, especially those who are coughing or sneezing is all good advice. However, you can’t always tell who is sick, and the average person touches their face around 23 times an hour without realizing it. So, your immune system may benefit from some extra nutritional support. In this week’s episode we’ll discuss some supplements that are immune system must-haves, and how they can help give your body the nutrients it needs to stay healthy.

Products Mentioned in Today’s Show

Immune Essentials – Immune Essentials supports immune health with a blend of highly researched and effectively concentrated mushroom extracts combined with the polyphenol nutrient support of green tea. This formula provides beta 1,3/1,6 d-glucan and a range of bioactive compounds that have been shown to potentiate immune response. Grown in the USA under rigidly controlled conditions, these mushroom extracts are made with 100% certified organic ingredients.

Olive Leaf Extract – Olive leaf extract contains significant qualities of phenolic compounds, such as oleuropein, oleuropeoside, and hydroxytyrosol, that have been shown to have antimicrobial properties, as well as antioxidant power. These properties may protect against intestinal or respiratory infections. It has been shown that olive plant tissue can reduce plasma cholesterol, protect from heart disease, and inhibit platelet aggregation. The polyphenols of the olive plant also have blood sugar-lowering properties.

You can also listen our Immune System Must-Haves podcast episode on our YouTube channel here.

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Common Doesn’t Mean Normal

Tired man; common doesn't mean normal.

Many people live with different problems like headaches, joint pain, bad breath, anxiety, insomnia, and digestive disorders like indigestion, gas and bloating. Regardless of how common these issues may be, they shouldn’t be accepted as normal, and they may be symptoms of more serious health conditions. Many people ignore these symptoms, but they often have a root cause that should be addressed. Let’s take a closer look at why common doesn’t mean normal and why you shouldn’t overlook these symptoms.

Common Symptoms

The majority of people deal with at least one symptom each day, and for many people it’s the same type of symptoms each day. Think about all the people you know, and how many of them have headaches, joint pain, bad breath, insomnia, anxiety, depression, heartburn, IBS, or more than one of these. These issues have become so common that people tend to brush them off and view them as a normal part of their life, but they shouldn’t be viewed that way. Many of these symptoms are the first warning signs of health issues that may come later in life, and they often have a cause that can be fixed early on before it gets worse.

Possible Causes

Sometimes these symptoms are due to a problem that’s relatively easy to fix like chronic dehydration, stress, or vitamin and mineral deficiencies. However, sometimes they are due to more complicated issues like heavy metal toxicity, mold exposure, and unknown food allergies and intolerances. Some of these possible causes are quite common, although doctors and patients often don’t consider them. For example, one survey found that an estimated 75% of Americans were chronically dehydrated. The human body uses water in all of its cells, tissues and organs, so adequate water intake is crucial to overall health. Although this is a very common issue, most people don’t know the damage it can cause, so education is key.

What You Can Do

Some of the more complicated issues would require extensive testing that’s often unreliable to identify if it’s the cause or not, so trying to fix the simple causes first is a good place to start. Headaches are commonly caused by dehydration, and if you are chronically dehydrated, which can occur if you consistenly drink less water than your body needs, then the occasional headache can turn into chronic headaches and migraines. So, drinking enough water each day, which is about 64 ounces for the average adult, is a good habit to get in to. You should also make sure you are getting enough electrolytes each day.

Another simple habit to add is taking a multivitamin each day, as this can help ensure your body is getting the nutrients it needs each day. While eating a diet that contains plenty of fruits, vegetables, good fats and meats is one of the most important things you can do for your health, it can still be difficult to get all of the necessary nutrients from food alone. Much of the soil used to grow produce is heavily depleted in minerals, meaning the plants that grow in that soil will also be lower in nutrients than they should be. This is why taking supplements is much more important than it used to be.

If you begin consuming enough water and electrolytes each day, eating a healthy diet, and taking a multivitamin, and you still don’t notice a difference in your symptoms, then you may want to consider some of the more complicated causes. However, testing for these issues can quickly get expensive and stressful, and in the case of heavy metal toxicity and mold exposure, testing is often unreliable and inaccurate, so ruling out the simple causes first is usually easier. Even though these symptoms have become more and more common, they shouldn’t be considered normal. Your health is one of the most valuable things you have, so do your best to take care of it!

If you are having any serious or unusual symptoms such as sudden headache, chest pain, stomach pain, bloody stool, etc. consult your physician or call emergency services immediately.

You can listen to our When Feeling Bad Becomes Normal podcast episode here. You can also listen to it on our YouTube channel here.

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When Feeling Bad Becomes Normal

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With the almost half of the people in the United States living with at least one chronic health condition, many people have accepted that the way they feel is normal. Feeling tired, depressed, irritable, or having brain fog, insomnia or trouble focusing shouldn’t be normal. While chronic health conditions can be difficult to treat, there are many things you can do to help support your body. When feeling bad becomes normal, feeling good again may seem impossible, but your body can do amazing things when given the right nutrients. In this week’s show, we’ll go over some things you can do to help promote a healthy body and mind throughout life.

Products Mentioned in Today’s Show

Resvera-Max – Resveratrol is a polyphenolic compound with antioxidant activity found in grapes, wine, blueberries, cranberries, and peanuts. While red wine has been popularized as an important source of resveratrol, amounts vary widely. The maximum content of resveratrol in red wine extracts available for use in dietary supplements is 20%. In contrast, root extracts of Japanese Knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum) provide up to 50% trans-resveratrol content, the same form as found in red wine.

Active Mega Multi – Active Mega Multi contains activated forms of folate and vitamin B12, along with efficiently utilized mineral forms and fat-soluble vitamins. This formulation offers enhanced antioxidant protection, broader trace element nutrition, and augmented B vitamin support. This core foundation of essential nutrients can help provide an extra measure of nutritional protection.

Acetyl-L-Carnitine – Research on this acetylated derivative of L-carnitine has centered largely on its role in maintaining brain and nerve function during aging. The acetyl group can serve as a metabolic source of acetylcholine, a brain neurotransmitter, while the L-carnitine component carries fatty acids into mitochondria of nerve, heart, and muscle cells for use in energy production. Other actions benefit membrane stability, production of nerve growth factor, and cerebral blood flow.

You can also listen to When Feeling Bad Becomes Normal on our YouTube channel here.