How Vitamin B-12 Became a Mainstay of Wellness

Dr. Libby brought his depth of knowledge to TriVita’s early TV programming.

Dr. Libby’s legacy of pioneering continues by Dr. Scott Conard

“To ‘B’ or not to ‘B’” – that was the title of an address I gave at a wellness conference in Scottsdale, Arizona recently. I was speaking, of course, about Vitamin B-12, and the event gave me the chance to review its growth from an undervalued vitamin to a recognized powerhouse in health. It also gave me the chance to recall my early involvement with TriVita® and respect for the work of Alfred Libby, M.D., the inventor of TriVita Sublingual B-12, B-6 and Folic Acid.

As you may know, Dr. Libby was a pioneer in nutrients and health, and an associate of Linus Pauling, Ph.D., the two-time Nobel Laureate and “Father of Vitamin C.” Early in his career, Dr. Libby discovered the dramatic health changes that B-12 could make, and worked for decades to raise awareness.

“We’ve given people back their lives”

Along with B-12, Dr. Libby was the “star” of the original TriVita TV infomercials beginning in 2000. It is still his original, patented formula (contained in over 11 million boxes of Sublingual B-12 sold) that has helped so many. Here, I’ve selected some of his memorable thoughts:

“We’ve given people back their lives,” Dr. Libby said. At the time, painful and expensive injections were the only way to supplement effectively with B-12. And, undiagnosed B-12 deficiency caused untold damage.

“B-12 deficiency, undiagnosed and untreated, wreaks havoc,” he declared. This “havoc” took many forms: • Moodiness • Low energy • A heart-damaging buildup of homocysteine • High cholesterol

He would talk about patients who, with Sublingual B-12, went from moodiness and lethargy to enthusiasm and energy… older people, sent to nursing homes because they were disruptive and difficult, becoming “functional human beings again”… heart patients having their blood pressure and cholesterol levels stabilized.

A key element in Dr. Libby’s Sublingual B-12 is its unique delivery system: “sublingual” means under the tongue, where the tablets dissolve and get quickly into the bloodstream. This is crucial to maximum absorption and maximum benefit.

Dramatic effects, and a change of career

In my own medical practice, I found the same kinds of patient results that Dr. Libby witnessed years before. In fact, that’s how I came to be associated with TriVita and Sublingual B-12. For years, my medical practice specialized in treating the elderly. Patients would come into my office complaining that they had no energy, felt “low” and depressed and they would beg for B-12 “shots.” After their shots they became so much more alive, so much more well, that I changed course in my career.

I founded TienaHealth to focus on preventive medicine, convinced that the way to make a difference in people’s lives was to help them get the vitamins and nutrients they need before health issues arise. After the world lost Dr. Libby in 2002, I began speaking up about Sublingual B-12 for TriVita, and am proud to continue today.

My own experience has shown me the truth of Dr. Libby’s statement: “It’s so fulfilling, so gratifying to be involved with this (Sublingual B-12)… and with the right company, TriVita.”

On his original infomercial, Dr. Libby would gesture toward the phone banks and say, “When I see the phones light up it reminds me of the song, ‘You Light Up My Life.’ That’s how I feel when I see those lights; people’s lives are lighting up.”

Having seen so many lives “light up” with Sublingual B-12, I can only say I wholeheartedly agree.

Source: TriVita VitaJournal February 2009 pg 6.

TriVita makes the Connection between Vitamin B & ADD

The Sublingual B-12 you’ve come to love could help your kids and grandkids overcome a common behavior disorder by Dr. Brazos Minshew High homocysteine levels and high stress go hand in hand. A recent study in Sweden tested children between the ages of 9 and 15. They found that the children with the lowest test scores had the highest levels of homocysteine, a stress-related hormone usually found in adults! The impairment associated with elevated homocysteine was called “neurocognitive.” Neurocognitive disorders include Attention Deficit Disorder (A.D.D.), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (A.D.H.D.), Oppositional- Defiant Disorder (O.D.D.), Tic Disorder (TD) and many others. Neurocognitive disorders are directly linked to elevated homocysteine in children.

There are many signs and symptoms associated with these brain disorders. The key is to distinguish between being energetic and being hyperactive. For instance, all children are easily distracted by exciting events. A child with brain impairment may be distracted by insignificant sights, sounds and smells. All children and adults make mistakes. A child impaired by a neurocognitive disorder will carelessly make mistakes even when the risk of injury is obvious. Learning disorders, depression and emotional fragility are all consequences of brain inflammation associated with elevated homocysteine. What can be done for elevated homocysteine levels? Homocysteine is a protein used in crafting a healthy foundation for all cells – brain cells, heart cells, bone cells – all of your cells. The problem with homocysteine occurs when it escapes from the cells and gets into the bloodstream. This happens because of nutrient deficiencies. One cause of nutrient deficiency is poor diet. Another cause is stress because stress uses up nutrient resources. When you run out of nutrient reserves, homocysteine can escape into your bloodstream where it goes on a rampage. It damages the cells our young ones are trying to build – including brain cells. Exposure to toxins (like lead) and injuries can also create homocysteine. The nutrients most closely associated with reducing homocysteine are Vitamins B-12, B-6, folic acid and biotin. These B vitamins form a balanced family of nutrients responsible for keeping homocysteine in the cell where it belongs. If one of these nutrients – especially Vitamin B-12 – is deficient for any reason, homocysteine will escape into the bloodstream. As the homocysteine levels rise, performance declines. Hyperactivity may be the result. Several medical studies have demonstrated that a balanced combination of B-12, B-6, folic acid and biotin can dramatically reduce blood levels of homocysteine. So far, no prescription drugs reduce homocysteine. Certainly, the common drugs given to children with behavior disorders (Ritalin, Strattera, Focalin, Adderall) will not reduce homocysteine, though they may change behavior. The B-12 family of vitamins is proven to reduce homocysteine. Nutrient deficiency leads to Neurocognitive disorders , such as A.D.D. and A.D.H.D. What is more, the B-12 family of vitamins can reduce the impact of stress. This works for children as well as for adults. If your young ones start to fidget or get a little moody, if they can’t concentrate or are not performing at school as well as they used to, try supplementing a healthy diet with TriVita’s Sublingual B-12. In addition to a healthy diet and balanced B-12 supplements, families can benefit from strategies to help improve organizational skills and relationships while reducing stress and frustration. These services are usually provided by health care professionals. Some children – especially as they enter their teen years – benefit from coaching. Nutrients (such as Sublingual B-12) and nurturing (encouragement and coaching ) go a long way in improving behavior . Most of us have experienced the benefits of supplementing our diet with balanced nutrients. Doesn’t it make sense that our stressed-out children and grandchildren could benefit too? Let’s give our kids the very best chance possible to develop into healthy adults without the damaging effects of stress and elevated homocysteine by supplementing with Sublingual B-12 as early as age eight. Children and teenagers will love the sweet, berry taste of TriVita Sublingual B-12. An appealing taste makes it more likely that they’ll use Sublingual B-12 consistently, which is important if you want to see behavioral changes. Adults with a family history or recent diagnosis of high homocysteine levels should consider supplementing with TriVita HCY Guard rather than TriVita Sublingual B-12, B-6 & Folic Acid. Source: VitaJournal July 2007 pg 8

Trivita’s 10 Secrets To A Healthy Heart

Like the Tin Man, your heart is one of your most valuable possessions. But, it’s not as simple as going to the Wizard of Oz and asking for a new one. You only have one heart, and it’s your job to make sure it lasts. These 10 helpful hints will help increase your chances of having a strong, healthy heart. 1.The American Heart Association (AHA) has reported that testing levels of an enzyme called GGT may predict the risk of death from cardiovascular disease. High levels of GGT indicate an increased risk of future cardiovascular disease. The risk is even higher for people under 60. You should be able to request the test from your doctor, along with other critical heart markers such as CRP, LDL, and Homocysteine. 2. A healthy marriage reduces job-related stress, and lowers blood pressure, according to a recent report from the AHA. Keeping blood pressure low through emotional satisfaction, healthy diet, and exercise is critical in the healthy functioning of your heart. 3. Excessive body fat at a young age is an indicator of future cardiovascular problems. As a parent, grandparent, or caregiver for the young, be sure you are supporting children’s heart health by encouraging exercise and a healthy diet. 4. For adults, excessive body weight frequently leads to cardiovascular problems, including high blood pressure. High blood pressure in turn increases an already risky situation for your heart. Consult your health care provider to find your best weight range, and keep your weight at that level to avoid complications from cardiovascular problems. 5. For obese or overweight men and women, the risk of heart attack and stroke was twice as high when high blood pressure was also a factor. 6. High cholesterol levels are never healthy, but the AHA has reported that men who keep themselves physically fit can cut their risk of cardiovascular-related death in half – even if they have high cholesterol. 7. Before visiting your health care provider, you may find it helpful to take a test online to calculate your risks for heart disease. The AHA offers a free quiz at www.americanheart.org/cld. 8. Men, in particular, have a well-deserved reputation for “toughing it out” whenever something hurts. When it comes to chest pain, there is no worse course of action. Particularly after age 40, all chest pains should be evaluated by your health care provider. If chest pain persists more than two minutes, or includes a feeling of heaviness in your chest, call 911 immediately. 9. Know all the signs of heart attack. Besides chest pain, symptoms can include: shortness of breath, nausea, lightheadedness, cold sweats, and pain in the neck or arms. (Heart attacks start slowly with mild symptoms, leading to easy dismissal.) Never ignore the signs! 10. The amino acid homocysteine – which normally is an essential and good chemical in your body – can build up to harmful levels, and requires B-12, B-6 and folic acid to bring them back to safe levels. Eating whole foods such as citrus, tomatoes and other vegetables, and supplementing your diet with B vitamins is key to lowering homocysteine and protecting your heart. Source: VitaJournal January 2007 pg 11

Cut Your Risk Of Heart Disease

“C” how simple: Five smart ways to keep your health on a steady beat

What’s at the heart of good health? Of course, it’s that amazing muscle that sets the rhythm of life: the heart. To keep our hearts beating strong and long, experts recommend several proven, simple approaches. You’ve probably heard many of them (and if you practice TriVita’s 10 Essentials for Health and Wellness, you’re already doing a lot to stay heart-smart). But one vital area – proper nutrients – may not always be part of the picture when it comes to lowering the risk of heart disease.

#1: vitamins like “C” are key
It’s a sad fact of modern life: Much of our food is so processed and preserved that it doesn’t really nourish us. So, we often miss out on the essential vitamins and minerals needed for good health. This is why it’s so important to take quality supplements that promote a healthy heart… especially Vitamin C.

Vitamin C helps our bodies in several key ways:

• Helps grow and repair tissues• Needed to form collagen for skin, scar tissue, tendons and blood vessels • Aids in healing wounds • Repairs and builds cartilage, bones and teeth.

If you asked your heart, though, it would say that Vitamin C’s best work is as an antioxidant. This means it blocks some damage caused by oxidation inside the cells of our bodies. The heart is dangerously vulnerable to this damage, which is often indicated by high levels of homocysteine (HCY).

Unfortunately, our bodies can’t make Vitamin C or store it. So, if you don’t always get the C you need from food, it’s important to take the highest quality Vitamin C supplement available: Non-Acidic Vitamin C Crystals and Time- Release Tablets from TriVita. (For a great savings offer, see the ad on this page).

#2: help your heart with knife and fork
It’s true: You can eat your way toward (or away from) better heart health. Try to limit the trans fats and hydrogenated oils in foods like margarine, fast foods and fried foods. Also, cut down on refined sugar from cakes, cookies and candy. To lower cholesterol, cook with extra virgin olive oil and garlic for flavor.

#3: Make exercise part of life
To help keep life – and your heart – pumping along, make exercise a regular routine: try for three to four times a week, for at least a half hour per activity. Remember to start off slow, stretch before and after exercising, and drink plenty of water. Be sure to check with your healthcare professional before beginning any exercise program.

#4: Don’t light up, lighten up
To lighten the load on your heart, don’t light up. If you smoke, do all you can to stop, and to avoid exposing yourself to secondhand smoke. Both of these can cause heart disease.

#5: Check in with check-ups
Your regular health check-ups should include blood tests for four different substances that can indicate possible heart disease. These are: cholesterol, triglycerides (fats), homocysteine and C Reactive Protein. Let these five steps move you toward a healthier heart, a healthier you.

Source: VitaJournal August 2008 pg 8

Women, Make Health Your Top Priority

Summary
Taking care of yourself is essential to living a longer, healthier life
By Dr. Tammy Pon, M.D.

Only a few short years ago the life expectancy for women reached a peak in modern history, with most women living to an average 79 years of age! In honor of this very special issue that addresses women’s health, I’d like to discuss a few of these issues and the strategies needed to meet this new future of longevity and vitality.

Heart disease

Heart attacks and heart disease kill more women than any other cause. Women have a death rate from heart attacks that is 70% higher than men. There are two reasons for this: One is that a heart attack in a man does not look like a heart attack in a woman. The second is that women’s heart attack symptoms are often misdiagnosed in the emergency room (ER).

A heart attack in a woman is not always the “elephant sitting on my chest” feeling that accompanies a heart attack in men. Instead, there may be an “impending sense of doom” accompanied by shortness of breath, fatigue and low back pain, jaw pain and shoulder pain. Also, if a man comes into the emergency room sweating, with shortness of breath and chest pain the ER staff will automatically assume “heart attack.” When a woman enters the ER with similar symptoms, many in the ER staff will assume “panic attack!” The delay in treatment to differentiate these two conditions may cost a woman her life.

A woman is not a man. Yet, medicine assumes that the heart attack symptoms commonly presented by men are the standard for measuring ER reactions. With aging women outnumbering aging men by more than 2:1, it’s time for emergency room staff to be more aware of women’s unique health needs.

How women keep healthy hearts

The key to heart health is to recognize our need for nutrients and nurturing. Women of average size should eat seven servings of fruit and vegetables every day and sleep from 7 ½ to 9 hours every night. And women need exercise, too. Weight-bearing exercises are important, too because they strengthen your bones and prevent osteoporosis.

Talk about your anxieties with another woman. Why? In one study, talking with a woman reduced the blood pressure of both men and women, while talking with men did not. Stress management along with consistent exercise, proper rest and plenty of fruits and vegetables holds the promise of a healthy heart. Be diligent about testing risk factors as well: blood pressure, triglycerides, blood sugar, body composition, homocysteine, C-Reactive protein and lipids.

Bone health

Another risk that comes with the blessing of a longer life is osteoporosis: thinning bones. Take Vitamin D supplements as well. Eat calcium-rich foods – especially fruits and vegetables. Remember, cows get the calcium for their own bones from vegetation. I’ve already mentioned exercise for heart health. Weight-bearing exercise becomes critical now for bone health. The extra weight increases bone metabolism and draws nutrients to the weakest areas of bone to strengthen them. Don’t rely on medications alone to promote healthy bones. Take charge of your bone health now to protect against osteoporosis.

Dealing with menopausal symptoms

At a certain age, a woman ceases to be fertile and her periods stop. Menopause is a new experience this century for women in our culture. A hundred years ago most women simply did not live long enough to experience menopause. Find expert healthcare providers who can guide you through these changes with a maximum focus on nutrients and nurturing and a minimum focus on medications. With proper care, heart health and bone health can be improved and menopausal symptoms may be reduced or even eliminated. Taking the appropriate supplements can help us face our increased longevity with enthusiasm and vitality.

Source: VitaJournal October 2008 pg 6.

For more information on menopause, visit trivita.com, click on health articles and then the VitaJournal archive.

Are You At Risk? What’s Your Homocysteine Level?

High homocysteine often leads to serious, debilitating conditions including: Stroke Heart Attack Coronary Heart Disease Diabetes Osteoporosis Dementia Alzheimer’s

Help reduce the risk of degenerative diseases Homocysteine (HCY) is like cholesterol. An elevated homocysteine level is very dangerous… it can wreak havoc when it’s too high! You can’t feel dangerous, elevated HCY levels The damage can rarely be reversed. Most North Americans are poorly prepared to handle the effects of a stroke. It’s hard to fully recover from a stroke, so that’s a good reason to start taking TnVita’s HCY Guard immediately to help reduce your risk. When your homocysteine level is too high, your body suffers During the methylation cycle, when HCY fails to recombine the “leftover’ protein into methionine, this excess HCY escapes into your bloodstream. It may begin to build up and cause destructive explosions to the most delicate tissues in your body. For example, it can damage your arteries, brain, bones and even your DNA. The results can be devastating This is the kind of damage that high levels of homocysteine can cause inside your body and brain: Thickening and hardening your arteries and weakening heart tissue —this can lead to strokes and heart attacks by shredding your most delicate tissues and inflicting thousands of tiny paper cuts inside your arteries and brain • Building fibrous webs in the synapses of your brain — this may lead to dementia and Alzheimer’s disease • Impacting DNA function, causing potentially dangerous cell or DNA mutations • Leaving your bones unable to absorb calcium, causing weak bones and osteoporosis • Contributing to the damage done by many degenerative diseases. Risk Factors A family history of: Cardiovascular disease, Stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, Osteoporosis, Diabetes • Low Vitamin B-12, B-6 and Folic Acid levels • Gastric disturbances, breathing difficulties or kidney issues • Age aver 50 • Pregnancy • High stress • Poor eating habits • Lack of exercise • Excessive smoking or coffee drinking. Source: TriVita Magazine, November 2008 pg 10. TriVita’s HCY Guard helps maintain healthy homocysteine levels, get yours here today!

The Truth About Alzheimer’s Disease

In recognition of Alzheimer’s Awareness Month the follow article is an excerpt taken from November 2008 VitaJournal Pg 22. Summary Alzheimer’s Disease - Separating Myths from Facts During National Alzheimer’s Awareness Month, some strategies that will help you ward off disease by Brazos Minshew, TriVita Chief Science Officer
Myth: Alzheimer’s disease is genetic; there is nothing we can do about it.Truth: AD is the accumulation of many years of damage to your brain, causing plaque to build up and nerves to tangle. There are prevention strategies that work to help reduce the damage to our brain and to reduce the chances of AD. The chances of being diagnosed with AD increase as we age. AD affects about half of people age 85 and older.
A gene defect that predisposes a person to AD is called the MTHFR defect. This gene pumps out HCY in very high amounts. What is the solution for elevated HCY? Foods and food supplements rich in B vitamins. (A published clinical trial of HCY Guard demonstrated that it reduced elevated HCY levels by 35% in just 42 days!) So, while there are definite genetic markers to help us determine our AD risk, there are also proven strategies to help us protect against the damage that may lead to AD. Reduce your risk by reducing toxic, inflammatory, brain-destroying levels of homocysteine. Myth: Only drugs are powerful enough to stop Alzheimer’s disease Truth: AD prevention depends to a large extent on the choices we make every day. According to the National Institutes of Health, the majority of AD prevention strategies rest in our own hands. o Reduce toxins, including toxic levels of HCY o Meticulously manage your blood pressure, blood sugar and LDL (“bad” cholesterol) levels o Increase antioxidants and nutrient-dense foods o Supplement your diet with proven nutrients for healthy aging o Reduce inflammation with Omega-3 essential fatty acids o Protect your head from injury o Stay socially engaged o Commit yourself to lifelong learning. During National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month, let’s use this opportunity to learn all we can about AD prevention strategies and implement them daily. To view this article in its entirety click here