TriVita Article on Toxins: A Major Source of Inflammation

by Dr Brazos Minshew, Trivita’s Chief Science Officer
Have you ever walked down the cleaning aisle at the supermarket? What was your experience? I hate it! In fact, I completely avoid that aisle. If I need something, I hold my breath, quickly get what I need and beat a hasty retreat from that toxic soup.

The soaps, bleaches, softeners and fragrances in the cleaning aisle are all in sealed containers. Yet, they still give off an overwhelming, nauseating stench that may make a person sick for hours. What happens when we bring those containers home? They continue to give off toxins. Only now, the containers are open and the process happens 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Our toxic environment

In North America we are inundated with toxins every moment of every day. Pollution in our air, water and food challenges our ability to detoxify and adapt. Worse still, the place we think of as a haven from stress – our home – is likely the most toxic environment we face in our daily routines. Toxins released from household chemicals, fabric, carpet, fragrances and pesticides seep into our body in tiny amounts even as we sleep.

Toxic waste, like barnacles on the hull of a ship, drags us down. It slows the efficiency of our mitochondria (the energy-producing engines inside our cells). Noxious chemicals create fatigue, headaches, digestive disturbances and moodiness. Eventually, toxins become the focus for inflammation.

Inflammation

Your body uses acute inflammation to try to neutralize toxicity. Think of your reaction to a bee sting: redness, swelling, heat and pain. This is not caused by the toxins in the bee venom. It is the reaction of your body as it tries to eliminate the toxicity:

• Redness is the increase in blood supply to bring in immune system antibodies and remove the neutralized venom.
• Swelling is the lymphatic fluid that dilutes the concentrated poison while providing proteins for repair of the tissue damaged by the toxins.
• Heat comes from immune system activity as it battles the invading contaminant.
• Pain causes us to guard that area from further damage.

Chronic inflammation occurs when the toxins are not completely removed from an area. A good example of this may be found in simple lawn chemicals, like fertilizers and pesticides. Certain fertilizers are potassium-based. Potassium is important for human health. When we are exposed to these fertilizers, our cells may accept the potassium along with the toxic “attachments.” Your immune system will constantly attack these contaminated cells until it destroys them. Clusters of diseases like Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis have been linked to these fertilizers.

Home sweet home – isolate and insulate

Neutralizing toxins in the body begins with isolating ourselves from chemical exposure. We must be diligent if we are to protect our family from toxic overload. Chemicals should be stored out of the living area in a place that is well-ventilated. This is especially true if there are children in the home, as developing brains are up to 10 times more likely to suffer damage from toxins than an adult nervous system.

Insulating ourselves against toxic exposure is equally important. Two nutrient classes shine when it comes to protection from pollution:

• Essential fatty acids – Many of the toxins we face are fat-soluble. We need “clean” fats in abundance to displace toxic fats in our brain, liver and other regions of our body.
• Antioxidants – Antioxidants neutralize toxins and Betalain antioxidants found in Nopal figs have two added benefits over standard antioxidants:
  • Betalains drain away the toxin from an affected area
  • Betalains shore up the cell membrane to help promote healing.

Betalains turn out to be our best tool in combating the causes of inflammation: toxins, stress, injury and nutrient deficiency. Use this excellent tool liberally to help you resist the increasing onslaught of toxins both inside and outside of our home sweet home!

Take Control of Your Health Breathe deeply Remove toxins from your living area Use HEPA filters for cleaner air Drink pure water Granular carbon filters remove many toxins Ultraviolet light kills many pathogens Mineralized, alkaline water displaces poisons Eat nutritiously Select organic foods Pre-soak fruits and vegetables Focus on high-antioxidant fruits and vegetables Supplement with Nopalea Betalains help your body neutralize toxins Betalains help your body drain away toxic waste Betalains help your body repair tissue damaged by toxins Supplement with TriVita OmegaPrime; at least two capsules per day helps you resist fat-soluble toxins

Source: TriVita Weekly Wellness Report May 30, 2009.

Perilla Seed Oil & TriVita’s OmegaPrime

Perilla seed oil and allergies

Many people turn to decongestants and antihistamines during allergy season. But these often have side effects such as sleepiness, which can make their use impratical. These are some natural aids that you can use to help minimize your symptoms without the unpleasant side effects. One of these is Perilla seed oil.

Perilla seed oil is an essential fatty acid (EFA) that helps reduce inflammation in your airways and digestive tract. People with asthma and allergies find that their symtoms are less frequent and intense with Perilla EFA. It actually helps reduce both sinus inflammation ans stomach bloating, which often occur with allergies.

Perilla seed oil is found in TriVita OmegaPrime along with other healthy EFAs.

The EFA’s in OmegaPrime are critical for all adults in every stage of life – from development and growth to healthy aging.

When it comes to our health and our pressing need for EFAs, it’s important to choose the right product. Choosing TriVita OmegaPrime means you’ll get the best. Its name says it all.

To find out what the name OmegaPrime stands for see article entitled TriVita’s OmegaPrime Contains Essential Fatty Acids for Vibrant Good Health

TriVita’s OmegaPrime Contains Essential Fatty Acids for Vibrant Good Health

Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) support the body’s health in two ways:

1. Fighting Inflammation

• Help reduce cardiovascular inflammation – to lower the risks of heart disease, heart attack and stroke.
• Lessen joint inflammation – to ease joint pain and inflammation for increased flexibility
• Relieve respiratory inflammation – to lessen any inflammation related to allergies and asthma.

2. Development Growth and Healthy Aging

• Help the brain – EFAs nourish the brain, support its development and protect against deterioration – all of which help boost brain function for improved memory, concentration and focus.
• Protect circulation – EFAs help raise levels of HDL (good cholesterol) and lower levels of triglycerides and unhealthy LDL (bad cholesterol)- which help lead to a healthy heart and circulatory system.
• Support hormone production – EFAs are a key building block for the production of the body’s healthy hormones – which assist with all body processes and help support an overall sense of both physical and mental balance and well-being.

Why TriVita OmegaPrime is so significant to our health

The human body has a daily need for EFAs. They play a key role in helping to sustain vibrant good health in adults of all ages. EFAs nourish the body’s:

• Heart
• Brain
• Skin
• Glands
• Joints

EFAs are also critical to the hormone production process. And, since the body cannot produce EFAs on its own, outside sources like food and supplements containing EFAs are necessary.

TriVita OmegaPrime’s EFAs support our wellness in so many ways, starting with helping to reduce runaway inflammation. Many of us don’t realize this, but runaway inflammation can lead to serious health problems in the body involving the heart, arteries, lungs, joints and more.

The EFAs in OmegaPrime® are critical for all adults in every stage of life – from development and growth to healthy aging

When it comes to our health and our pressing need for EFAs, it’s important to choose the right product. Choosing TriVita OmegaPrime means you’ll get the best. Its name says it all – Omega and Prime stand for:

OMEGA Omega-3 and -6 EFAs
P	Premier blend of essential fatty acids from 4 sources -Fish, Flaxseed, Evening Primrose and Perilla Seed
R	Right balance of Omega-3s and Omega-6s. with, higher level of Omega-3s as they are more absent from our diets
I	Inflammation-fighting formula that supports us from our 20s on up – from development through healthy aging
M	Mercury/contaminant-free fish oil, which is the result of an exclusive 10-stage process to ensure its purity, potency and quality (plus a higher level of Vitamin E for maximizing the fish oil’s potency)
E	Evening Primrose and Perilla Seed Oils -the most potent EFA’s for Inflammation

The American Heart Association recommends…

Taking EPA and DHA Omega-3 fatty acids to benefit heart health. Studies show Omega-3 helps people at risk for coronary heart disease. Studies show .5 to 1.8 grams of Omega-3 fatty acids ingested daily, significantly reduce heart disease. The AHA recommends healthy people and those at risk for, or who have heart disease, take .5 to 1.8 grams of Omega-3 daily.

NOTE: 1 capsule of OmegaPrime contains .5 grams (500 milligrams) of Omega-3 fatty acids.

Source: TriVita Magazine February 2009 pg 12.

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Chronic Bronchitis and Emphysema

by Brazos Minshew, TriVita’s Chief Science Officer A man with emphysema was asked about his experience with the disease. He answered by describing the desperation of never getting a full breath. “What if you went to take a breath and nothing happened?” he asked. That is what having emphysema is like: you breathe, but nothing happens. Oxygen cannot get in and carbon dioxide can’t get out. The result is a feeling of slow suffocation. Emphysema and chronic bronchitis are also called chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). These two conditions affect more than 25 million people in North America. COPD is the #4 killer right now and, with the current rate of increase, it is destined to be the #3 killer in just a few short years.

Common causes Emphysema is triggered by smoking and irritants in the air. Emphysema traps carbon dioxide in the lungs and prevents oxygen from getting into the bloodstream. An interesting facet of our lung physiology is that the urge to breathe is triggered by an increase in carbon dioxide, not a deficiency of oxygen. As carbon dioxide builds up, the urge to breathe reaches a point of panic and desperation. This is the experience of people with emphysema. Chronic bronchitis is caused by inflammation in the lungs from pollution, allergy, infection and certain enzyme deficiencies. Often, medications that open the airways and bring relief to people that suffer with chronic bronchitis cause great distress when they wear off and the airways snap closed again. The rate of COPD from chronic bronchitis is increasing every year as pollution and allergies increase. Reducing your risk Reducing inflammation. People that are prone to inflammation are more likely to contract COPD. Therefore, helping your body reduce inflammation with nutrients such as Omega oils is vitally important. OmegaPrime uses perilla seed oil as a specific anti-inflammatory for the respiratory system. Avoiding irritants. Triggers for COPD include smoke and pollution. One key to respiratory health is isolation from these irritants. Don’t smoke Use air filters Stay indoors during high pollution days. Using Vitamin C as an antihistamine can also help protect delicate lung tissues from damaging pollution – including pollen. If inflammation has already developed in the lungs, proteolytic enzymes such as those found in Breathe Easy can be helpful. Another enzyme called CoEnzyme Q-10 is critical for lung health as it helps increase energy in the lung tissues and helps reduce resistance in the transfer of oxygen and carbon dioxide. Finally, antioxidants such as those found in Adaptogen 10 Plus and Super Antioxidant Complex can help improve your lungs’ ability to function under even the most difficult circumstances. The importance of breath Physicians can accurately predict how long you will live (barring accidents) based on your lung volume (called FEV-1). You can increase your lung volume by practicing deep breathing and increase lung efficiency by: Reducing inflammation Protecting lung tissues from pollen and pollution Increasing lung energy Providing protection with antioxidants. Source: TriVita Wellness Report, November 15, 2008

Perilla Seed Oil Bursts With Omega-3 Fatty Acids

No wonder it’s such an important part of our OmegaPrime formulation By Brazos Minshew, Chief Science Officer What would you think of a food that could help balance your immune system, help reduce your cholesterol and improve your ability to breathe? Perilla seed oil is just such a food!

Perilla seeds have been used as a source of food and medicine for thousands of years. As interest in traditional remedies has grown in modern medicine, scientific studies have been carried out on perilla seeds as a possible remedy for allergies. This is notable because the number of people diagnosed with allergies (allergic rhinitis) has significantly increased in recent years. A person experiences an allergy attack when the tiny cells that line the sinuses burst. These are called “mast cells” and they are filled with histamines, the substances that cause allergy symptoms. Pollen and other allergens rupture these cells and release the histamines in large amounts. Anything that stabilizes these cells and keeps them from bursting gives welcome relief from allergy misery. What scientists are learning is that the oil from perilla seeds is a powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. It not only reduces inflammation in the sinuses, but in all areas where mast cells release inflammatory histamines: the sinuses, lungs, joints, intestines and skin. So, perilla seed oil acts as an anti-inflammatory to relieve allergies, gastritis and even asthma. That’s why I put perilla seed oil in OmegaPrime: different oils reduce inflammation in different tissues. Fish oil reduces inflammation in the arteries, flax oil in the reproductive tissues, evening primrose oil in the brain and bones and perilla seed oil in the sinuses, lungs and intestines.Is there any solid research on these applications for perilla seed oil? Absolutely! Studies conducted on people with asthma showed that perilla seed reduced the inflammation in the lungs, reduced the hyperactive immune system leukotrienes in the lungs and improved lung volume. At the same time, doctors measured cholesterol levels and found that perilla seed oil reduced total cholesterol, LDL (bad) cholesterol and triglycerides. Also, perilla seed oil raised the levels of beneficial, protective HDL cholesterol. In the past, medications called bronchodilators were used to open the airways in asthma attacks. These medications worked pretty well in emergency situations; however, they did not stop the inflammation and they did not address the immune system’s role in allergies and asthma. Newer, stronger drugs were developed that both opened the airways and reduced airway inflammation. A milestone in medicine was achieved when a class of drugs was developed called leukotriene inhibitors. Leukotriene inhibitors were “the missing link” in allergy and asthma treatment, as well as with irritable bowel syndrome. They reduced the hyperactivity of the immune system and provided longer relief than anti-inflammatory drugs alone. Soon, however, the dark side of these medications emerged as many patients contracted serious infections from a suppressed immune system. Perilla seed oil was shown to be a remarkable leukotriene inhibitor that did not suppress the immune system! It is also a powerful antiinflammatory. Perilla stabilizes the mast cells so histamines are not released. What is more, perilla seed is showing positive results in studies against human cancer cells, irritable bowel disease and depression. All without any side effects. What a marvelous discovery! When you take TriVita OmegaPrime, you’re getting so many benefits in this physician approved formula – including the remarkable effectiveness of perilla seed oil. Source: VitaJournal December 2008 pg 11.