Grace’s Blog

DHA is an essential fatty acid that we get from foods.  Most people know about EPA, an omega-3 fatty acid found in fish. DHA is also an omega-3 as is ALA or alpha-linolenic acid.

We get these important fatty acids from our foods.  Along with fatty fish, we get some from plants such as olive oil, flaxseed and walnuts.

The body converts ALA to EPA and DHA, the most readily used in the human body.  This is not an efficient conversion.  Only about 5% gets converted.

We know that EPA and DHA have long been beneficial in cardiovascular health for adults and to help reduce inflammation.

Science is emerging suggesting that DHA is important in the early development of the brain and vision of infants and children.

DHA is the most abundant omega-3 fatty acid in the brain of a developing fetus in the last trimester of pregnancy.  It continues to be abundant throughout the first few years of life.

Supplemental DHA is given to premature infants to aid growth, development and vision.

There is a large-scale human trial being conducted by the National Institute of Health to determine the effects of DHA on Alzheimer’s disease.  Low levels have been associated with Alzheimer’s, ADHD, and depression.

ADHD is one of the most common childhood problems.  More and more children are being diagnosed and more and more children are receiving medications.

This problem can continue into early teen years and into adulthood. 

Studies are suggesting that these individuals have lower levels of omega-3’s, including DHA, in their bodies.

Clinical trials assesing the effects of supplementing with omega-3 may be beneficial, while others have found no benefit.

DHA is not readily available in today’s kid’s diets. Many don’t eat sardines, tuna, and organ meats, such as liver.   Some fish may contain mercury which is detrimental to children.

As a grandparent, having my grandchildren SUPPLEMENT WITH A VITAMIN that includes DHA, I think, would be a smart thing to do.

It is essential for developing brains.

Shaklee Dist.

Register for my Health and Wellness Newsletter at my WEB SITE

Grace Health, Human Body ADHD, DHA, EPA, Essential Fatty Acids

Lactoferrin.  What is it and why is it important? 

Lacto=milk, ferrin=iron.

Lactoferrin is found naturally in breast milk, tears, and other body fluids.  It is really important in building the immune system in infants. 

Once an infant stops nursing, continuing to have lactoferrin in a child’s diet can prove beneficial. 

In some cultures, mothers continue to nurse their children far longer than in Western civilizations giving their children extended immune support.

Lactoferrin is an iron-containing protein which is easily absorbed.

Iron is absolutely necessary for the immune system.

When the immune system is weakened it is one of the first signs of an iron deficiency.

Lactoferrin increases the nutrient-absorbing cells in the intestine enhancing the absorption of other nutrients a child needs for a healthy immune system.

Some studies suggest that lactoferrin acts as a prebiotic.  Prebiotics feed the beneficial bifidobacteria, or good bugs, which support a healthy digestive system.

Having a healthy digestive system is one of the body’s first defenses against invaders.

Lactoferrin may also activate immune cells whose job it is to gobble up foreign materials such as killed bacteria and viruses, and digesting them so they are no longer harmful.

Lactoferrin is extremely important in helping infants develop a healthy immune system.  Once developed it would be great if it continued to operate at peak performance, but we know our foods are loaded with ingredients not conducive to keeping a child healthy.

In addition there is an overuse of antibiotics that kill the good bacteria which keep the immune system healthy.

Shaklee’s new CHILDREN’S MULTIVITAMIN is the first in the U.S. with lactoferrin, to help keep the immune system supercharged long past the time the child stops nursing.

Shaklee Dist.

Register for our newsletter at our web site.

Grace Health, Human Body children's nutrition, immune system, lactoferrin

You’ve probably seen the email making the rounds about a woman who starts out in one room, thinks of something she needs to do, goes to another part of the house, forgets what she came there for, but saw something that needed to be done and was soon distracted to something else.

By the end of the day, nothing had gotten done.

Have you ever experienced walking into a room and wondering why you came in there?

I have.  Perhaps you have too.  I stop to think where I was last and what I was thinking and my brain pops into gear to remind me what I was doing.

We have a good laugh, but wonder, “Am I getting Alzheimer’s?”

Good news…probably not.  It is a sign of aging though.

You will be interested to know about research being conducted by Arthur Kramer and his colleagues at the University of Illinois.

It seems that exercise can actually make you smarter. 

The researchers divided a group of people between the ages of 60 to 80.  The first group did aerobic exercises and the second group did stretching and toning exercises.

After six months, the ones doing aerobic exercise had a significant increase in the volume of brain cells in the prefrontal, temporal and parietal regions of the brain and hippocampus.

These areas of the brain become less reliable as we age and memory is lost.

The results of the studies are very clear.  Regular aerobic exercise improves mental function and prevents cognitive decline.

Get up off the couch…go for a walk, ride a bide, dance around the house…do something to get the heart rate up, the breathing up and sweat a bit. 

It will “bulk” up those brain cells along with your body.

 Now where did I put my keys???

Shaklee Dist.

Grace Health, Human Body Memory loss

Did you read the reports of the twenty-one horses that died from a supplement prepared for them?

How very sad.  But as humans we do some of the same things.  Our bodies are very forgiving, but for how long?

We’re smart people aren’t we?  Then why do we think we can build strong healthy bodies on the foods we eat?

Think about it.  Our food has been chemically produced, processed, refined, cooked to death, frozen and canned. 

Preserved with chemicals, sprayed with pesticides and herbicides; treated with antibiotics and hormones, loaded down with fat and sugar; flavored and colored artificially, our food arrives at our tables claiming to be nutritious and delicious.

We are in such a hurry to please our pallets we forget about feeding our cells.

We fall for all the marketing hype about new “man made” foods loaded with toxic additives, synthetic vitamins, sugar and fat leaving no room for nutrition.

We are eating fake food most of the time.  Mother Nature provided really nutritious foods for all of us, but for the most part, we aren’t eating it. 

We try to correct our state of malnutrition by adding more toxic chemicals in the form of drugs, synthetic vitamins and medications that wreck havoc instead of giving our bodies the nutrients they need to grow, repair and heal.

Would you put dirty gas in your car’s fuel tank, or how about soda?  It wouldn’t run very well, if at all.

Yet everyday we humans go about our lives, dumping toxins in and wondering why we feel the way we do.

It can be argued that our modern ways of producing food helps feed the world, and rightly so.  Our bellies may be full but our health is on the decline.

The ever rising rate of obesity and chronic health problems is evidence of the path we have taken.

One man saw the problem, decided to make a difference and formed a company to provide healthy food based supplements, unlike the ones fed to the horses. 

This company has the highest quality control standards in the industry.

Too bad the company that made the horse’s supplements severely lacked in that department.

Shaklee Dist.

Grace Health, Human Body food based supplements, toxins

I happened to catch the Oprah Show yesterday (Wednesday, March 24, 2009). It seemed like I was watching a science fiction show.

Did you catch it?  If not, go to Oprah.com and see what’s going on in the field of science.  Amazing things!

There was a guy who had lost the end of one of his fingers.  He got some stuff, who knows what, from his brother.

He applied it to the end of his finger, wrapped it in a bandage, and like magic his finger re-grew…fingernail and all.  It was un-real.  You have to go and see it.

Dr. Oz was showing Oprah all the new things science is discovering to help us live longer healthier lives.  Good stuff.

At the end of the show, Dr. Oz said there was one thing everyone could start doing now to help the body live longer.  Start taking a resveratrol product.

I would encourage you to look at my February 24, 2009 post for the article on resveratrol.  It will be a good review.  Remember, not all resveratrol products are created equal.

The resveratrol product I use and recommend has another anti-aging ingredient in it.  This product has been patented twelve different ways to protect the formula and the technology to produce it. 

Resveratrol mimics a calorie restricted diet.  Some of the guests on Oprah’s show practice a calorie restricted diet. 

This means they eat fewer calories than suggested for their height and weight. They get their calories from nutrient dense foods.

Following a calorie restricted diet is really hard to do. I know it is for me.  I take my resveratrol in a liquid tonic each day.  Delicious!  It also increases mitochondria which give me energy.  See my Mitochondria post of March 2, 2009.

Shaklee Dist.

Grace Anti-aging, Health, Human Body mitochondria, resveratrol

How important is your heart?  I think you would agree, it is extremely important.  Without it, you wouldn’t be here.

Most people know the importance of taking care of their heart, but doing so sometimes proves to be difficult.

Heart disease is one of the major killers of our time. It is affected by diet, genetics, lifestyle, smoking and a bunch of other factors.

Our hearts beat day in and day out without us taking much notice until something goes wrong.  Then it is usually an emergency.

One substance that is critical to the heart is CoEnzyme Q 10 or CoQ10.  It is responsible for producing energy in the cells.  That includes the cells of the heart and other organs.

If there ever was a need for energy, I think the heart would qualify.  In clinical studies, researchers found that CoQ10 promotes the heart’s ability to pump blood.

The body is a magnificent creature.  It is able to synthesize many of the essentials needed for a healthy life, including CoQ10 which is found in every cell in the body.

Unfortunately, CoQ10 peaks in the human body around 20 years of age and goes down from there.

There are also medications that decrease the body’s CoQ10.  Statin drugs, which are given to heart patients, decrease CoQ10. 

This doesn’t make much sense to me. On the one hand, Doctors want to help the heart patient and on the other prescribe a medication that depletes the nutrient the heart needs to stay strong.

Unless a patient knows this side effect and supplements appropriately, the heart will continue to get weaker.

Unfortunately, most supplemental CoQ10 is poorly absorbed by the body. Finding a high quality bioavailable supplement is essential.

It is estimated that about 60% of the population in their fifties and sixties are deficient in CoQ10.

Learn more about CoQ10 and the choice you can make to supplement.

Shaklee Dist.

Grace Health, Human Body CoEnzyme Q10, Heart Disease

On March 31, 1980, Time Magazine featured a revolutionary treatment for cancer on its front cover: Interferon. 

Natural interferon is produced by the body, but a renowned scientist discovered how to produce it as a synthetic drug.

His discovery offered new hope for patients with a number of types of cancers as well as Hepatitis C and other illnesses.

Synthetic interferon is very expensive and very toxic to the body.

After his discovery of the synthetic interferon, THIS DOCTOR began a long an arduous 40-year journey to find natural plant extracts, which would help the body produce more of its own natural interferon. 

He evaluated hundreds of compounds and over 200 different herbs and isolated four botanicals, which had the most profound effect.

Everyday we are exposed to dangerous microbes through the air we breathe, the foods we eat, the objects we touch.

There is one thing that stands between the dangers lurking about us and what protects us.  It is our Immune System.

Our immune systems are under attack from pollutants, stress, lack of sleep, smoking caffeine and on and on. 

What can a person do to protect themselves? 

USE A PRODUCT that will strengthen the immune system and help ward off illness.

 Only one company has the world-wide rights to this product. 

LEARN ABOUT NATUAL INTERFERON.

Understand how it boosts the body’s production of natural interferon and optimizes your natural immune response process.

 Shaklee Dist.

Grace Health, Human Body immune system, interferon

My Mother passed away September 1, 2008 at the age of 89.  She lived a long life and was a wise woman in many ways.

When Mother would visit her doctor he would sometimes say something like this, “Because of your age, you should be on this drug.”

My mother would read the side effects and say, “Why would anyone want to take this?  I’ll go home and take some more of my good supplements.”  And she would.

My Dad will soon turn 96.  He lives at home and does not take prescription drugs.

I recently came in contact with GWEN OLSEN, a courageous woman. Click on her name to get to her web site and watch her videos.

She has granted me permission to post her information.  I appreciate her willingness to come forward to tell her story and allow me to share it. 

It has long been my belief that as a country we are over-drugged, over-fed and under nourished.

 Think of a vehicle.  What does it run on?  Most likely it is gas or diesel.

What would happen if someone put milk, water or juice into the fuel tank?

There would be one big mess and the vehicle would not function at all!

What about your body?

Your body was made to run on water and nutritious foods.  When foreign matter is put into it, how long and how well do you think it will run?

 Amazingly, our bodies are very resilient.  They are very forgiving to the abuse inflicted on them.  But eventually they will break down and stop functioning.

How much better off would they be if they were treated as a fine piece of machinery instead of being taken for granted?

Have you watched or read the ads for the drugs on the market?  Have you listened to the side effects?  The cures sound worse than the disease!

 The person that lives within the body is the person responsible for its health.  Only one body is issued to each person. 

Yes, there are times when drugs are necessary and even essential, but for the rest of your life??

Get educated, take responsibility for the health of your body.  Make your life count.  Help those you love.

Shaklee Dist.

Grace Health, Human Body drugs, Health

Making the claim that your company has the “best supplements” on the market has been around for a long time.  So how can a consumer know which are the best?

Ask the question, who does the scientific research and proves the products work?

The Gold Standard for any product claim starts with the science.  Once a company makes a product and proves that it works, it submits its research for peer review. 

This means the scientific community looks at all the data, tries to disprove it, and if it passes their scrutiny and validation, it is submitted to a reputable scientific or medical journal for publication.

This is a long, expensive process. Most supplement companies have never had even one article accepted for publication.  Makes one wonder why?

 Why would they subject their product to a peer review?  Could it damage their reputation?

 Beware of who does the research, who will benefit, and if it is real science behind the product.

 What You Should Look For

Look for studies done on real people, not in test tubes, in culture dishes, or on animals.

Have double blind studies been done…that’s when a person doesn’t know if they are taking the real thing or not.

Have the studies been done by reputable companies or universities?

Studies should be done on the finished product as formulated by a particular company.

What are the product claims…have the clinical trials been done on their particular product or is a company using phrases such as “our product contains xyz ingredients proven to blah, blah, blah.”

Maybe the xyz ingredients have been proven to do “blah, blah, blah,” but were studies done on their particular product and proven to work?  Big difference.

One 50 Year Old Supplement Company spent millions of dollars to prove their product was better than others on the market.  Called the 50th Anniversary Study.  No one had ever done a study like it.

If the results were good or if they were bad, they would be published.  Big Risk?  Not to this company.  They had confidence in their products  because they do over 83,000 annual quality controlled tests.

 An interesting thing happened.  Other companies started using the 50 year-old company’s research to validate their products.  Ethical??  I think not! 

It was the largest study ever done with long-term supplement users. It was conducted in collaboration with researchers from the UC Berkley School of Public Health.

They found that people who took this 50 year-old company’s supplements had markedly better health than people who took either no supplements or other brands of multivitamins.

How can other companies validate their multiple vitamins with a study that produced these kinds of results?  The study was published in the Nutrition Journal, Oct. 2007.

From the study, new technology emerged, and smart pills were developed.  They know where to go, where to dissolve and where to absorb. 

An exclusive, breakthrough delivery system, clinically proven to create a foundation for a longer, healthier life.   

Shaklee Dist.

Grace Health, Human Body clinical trials, supplements

Crickets, grasshoppers, termites, beetle bugs…no, no, no.  Wrong kind of bugs.  There are people who eat them though.

I’m talking about bacteria. Good bacteria.

In the U.S. we don’t like bacteria. I’ve already discussed how we try to kill all bacteria to live in a germ free environment. (Anti-bacterial soaps)

But without bacteria, all the waste we produce would never decompose.  What a mountain of garbage that would create.

If all we eat and drink did not decompose and pass, there would be a world of hurt.  Maybe there is.

From all the advertisements for digestive problems, I would suggest, there is.

Good and bad bacteria are a part of our digestive system.  We want to have more good than bad. 

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly….not an old movie.

The Good…beneficial bacteria, help the body dispose of waste.

The Bad…harmful bacteria and yeasts also inhabit the body and are kept in check by the good guys. 

If there are not enough good guys to do this, the bad take over and do a number on the body’s health.

 The Ugly…once the Bad guys take over…big health problems began to surface.

Bladder infections, vaginal infections, yeast infections.

The use of too many antibiotics (they kill the good guys) may contribute to the development of infections such as staph, strep, and pneumonia.

Digestive problems including constipation or diarrhea, gas, bloating, belching and indigestion may occur.

Are you getting the picture? 

These are the mild ones.  If not corrected, more serious conditions such as acid reflux disease, hemorrhoids, ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s, IBS, and more could result.

There is a war going on in your body between the good and the bad bugs.  Who will win?  What can you do to help the good bugs?  Eat More of Them.

For a more detailed report, go to our Environmental Family Health Web site newsletter archive and open the newsletter “Want Good Health? Eat Lots of “Bugs!”

It is the sixth from the bottom on the right side.  User name and password will be provided in the box that pops up.

Shaklee Dist.

Grace Health, Human Body bacteria, digestive problems, infections