1. Why Constipation Hurts Your Health
2. What Nature Wants As It Pertains To Bowel Movements
3. How To Stay Regular
4. How Much Fiber You Need And Which Fiber Supplement To Choose

Bowel movements are something that we are not really allowed to talk about in our society. It is something that many people are uncomfortable discussing other than in the confines of the doctor’s office or in very private settings. Somehow, it has become lost in us that this is a very normal, vital part of our body functioning properly, and should be as fully understood and open to discussion as our blood pressure or cholesterol. So, here is to making the topic of bowel movements and proper bowel function an acceptable part of any health care discussion.

Do you have a constipation problem? How do you define constipation? I have seen reports from doctors say that for some people it is perfectly normal, just their particular rhythm, to have one bowel movement every 3 days. In my opinion, this is not what nature wants. It is not normal, although it may be typical (but so are high blood pressure and diabetes), to have one bowel movement every 3 days.

This is what nature wants: FOOD IN, FOOD OUT. If you eat 2 to 3 meals a day then you should be having 2 to 3 bowel movements a day. Food in, food out, get it? Do you doubt me? Here’s an example: people who have dogs as pets usually feed their dogs twice a day and the dogs have 2 bowel movements a day. And if a dog went 3 days without having a bowel movement then the owner would have him to the veterinarian immediately. So why would we assume that we are any different from other animals in the animal kingdom?

So, now the issue is, what happens in our body when we are not as regular as we should be? Let’s assume that you eat 3 meals a day and have a bowel movement every other day, and let’s look at a week at a time. That is 21 meals and only 4 bowel movements. What happens to those other 17 meals? I’ll tell you, they hang around, they ferment, they turn into toxins, and those toxins reabsorb into your system. And those toxins can be responsible for all sorts of conditions, like: acne, bad breath, bloating, indigestion, brain fog, arthritis symptoms, diabetes, hormonal imbalances, cancer, etc.
What kinds of things are important to help keep you regular?
Diet & Fiber. The government recommendation for dietary fiber intake is 25 – 30 grams a day, which means you actually need more like 50 – 60 grams. Getting that from diet alone takes some dedication, including plenty of fresh fruits, veggies, grains & beans, with the emphasis on legumes, grains and beans (a banana has only 1 gram of fiber). There are many fiber supplements on the market,however, not all are good. There are three main guidelines for choosing a good fiber supplements:

1. Fiber should be full of nutrients – Many fiber products on the market are made od psyllium or some other nutrient poor fiber. Unfortunately, these fibers are constantly wanting to hold onto nutrition and thus can bind important vitamins and minerals. I recommend fiber supplements that contain ground seeds and vegetables such as flax seed, chia seeds,  rice bran, carrot, hemp seed, beet fibe, etc. One such fiber is called 4Fiber by Genesis Today. This formula is nutrient dense and thus mimics what nature intended.
2. Fiber supplements should contain a good blend of soluble and insoluble fiber.
3. Fiber should not contain harsh or abrasive irritants such as psyllium or senna.

Exercise. Getting exercise is one of the things that signals your bowels to keep moving along. My best recommendation is to walk, jog or run on a regular basis. And that means getting out and taking a walk for a minimum of 30 minutes at a healthy pace at least 3 times a week. And please don’t tell me that you get plenty of exercise at work. That is activity, not exercise. You need to walk just for the sake of walking, not walking from the parking garage to the office building.

Water Intake. One of the major reasons for irregularity is lack of fluids. And the best fluid to drink is water. It should be either filtered or bottled water, never from the tap. And here is a formula to figure out how much water you need. Take your body weight and multiply by 0.7. This is the number of ounces you need on a daily basis. So a 200 pound man needs 140 ounces, or 14 ten ounce glasses of water a day. A 140 pound woman needs about 100 ounces. This is much more than the 8 glasses a day that we have been told.

Probiotics. Probiotics are the bacteria in the gut which play very important roles in supporting immune function, vitamin and mineral absorption, fiber metabolism and control of negative organisms growth. Many things in our lifestyle impact these very important organisms such as stress, antibiotic use and chlorine in the water. There are many on the market, the formula that we use in our practice is called Enteropro and generally only requires one capsule daily for maintanence.

And what do you do about the accumulated toxins that have built up over the years? I recommend taking on an internal cleansing program consisting of herbs and fibers that will cleanse all of the organs of elimination in your body, including the lungs, kidney, liver, skin, and lymph. See the special below if you are interested in a powerful way to give your body a clean slate.

1. The Foundation Program for Intermediate/Advanced Nutrition Programs
2. Learn About Coenzyme Q10
3. Learn About Our Choice Bone Mineral Formula
4. Learn About REAL Vitamin C

So you already know that you should be on a multi-vitamin, an omega-3 fatty acid and a digestive enzyme. So, what’s next? First, let me list the specific products that we suggest for the intermediate/advanced program:

Foundation Program for Intermediate/advanced:

1. Pure Encapsulations Nutrient 950 3 Capsules Twice Daily
2. Wholemega by New Chapter
3. Tyler Similase Digestive Enzyme

Now let me discuss some of the supplements that many people can benefit from. These products are generally considered optional add-ons to the above mentioned foundation program. I will provide a thorough description of each supplement.

1. CoQ10 - Coenzyme Q10 is called ubiquinone by scientists because it is so ubiquitous in the body being found in significant quantities in every living cell. The cells concentrate the coenzyme Q10 within the mitochondria in order to catalyze the production of energy through the burning of oxygen. CoQ10 is such an important cofactor that when levels are not optimal the cells begin to lose their function and disease settles in. At a 75% deficiency your body can no longer sustain life and you die. The organs that are most vital to our survival are usually the ones that are the first to suffer. This occurs because these organs such as the heart, liver, kidneys and immune system all require the most energy to function. Incidentally, you will find very high concentrations of CoQ10 in a gelcap for best absorption. Certain medications such as statin drugs and certain blood pressure medications decrease the body’s ability to produce CoQ10. If you are on these medications, you may require much higher doses in order to prevent a deficiency. Of these meds, the statins are the greatest culprit. You may require 300-400 mg to prevent disease. In recent months a new, advanced form of CoQ10 hit the market called ubiquinol . This form of CoQ10 absorbs better and may get into the mitochondria more readily where it can do its most good.
2. Progena Osteo Plus - This formula contains all of the minerals necessary to feed the bone building cells. By providing the right forms and doses of calcium, magnesium, boron, silica, and other trace minerals this formula will support healthy bones and joints. The sophisticated nutrition enthusiast understands that the bones require more than just calcium alone. In fact, the bones are equally dependant on minerals and proteins such as those minerals listed above. Progena has formulated a product that combines calcium and magnesium at nearly 1:1 which is optimal for our diet which is highly biased towards calcium.
3. Food Souced Vitamin C - Vitamin C is a very important nutrient in our body. At some point in our evolution, we had lost the ability to produce this vital nutrient as we became dependant on vitamin C in our diet. Vitamin C probably plays thousands of important roles in our bodies and thus tops the list of important nutrients. The vitamin C that works best in the body is not the ascorbic acid found in most health food supplements. In fact, the ascorbic acid is not vitamin C, rather it is the protective shell of the vitamin C molecule which is comprised of bioflavonoids, minerals and enzymes. To get the full benefit of true vitamin C, you will want to get your vitamin C from food sourced products such as a supplement called Pure Radiance C by the Synergy company.  This is a concentrateof various fruits and herbs that contain high levels of true whole food C.

1. What is the first key to staying healthy?
2. The power of enzymes
3. 7 steps to flawless digestion

The key to maintaining health is a properly functioning digestive system. Simply put, your body must be able to take something from the outside world, break it down into its smallest parts, and absorb those parts to be able to build and repair. It is at the very moment that your body stops doing this that disease or illness begins. Secondary to that, if there is a backup in the sewage system of your body then digestion cannot work properly.

Your stomach actually has two parts. The upper part, also known as the “Cardiac Stomach” is basically a warm, moist chamber where food sits for about 20 minutes after being eaten. While sitting there food enzymes begin to break the food in your stomach down. All foods coming directly from nature are equipped with the proper enzymes to break themselves down. Leave a piece of raw meat out on the counter and it will start to degrade…part of that process is caused by the enzymes going to work. This is the very reason “aged” beef is tender, it is already breaking itself down. Once the food has sat in the upper stomach for a period of time, it drops to the lower part where the body then does the rest of the digestion work, mostly from the work of the liver and the pancreas.

Ideally, this process is a fifty-fifty proposition. Half of digestion is done by your body and half is done by the enzymes that are in the food. But what happens with most of us? Zero percent gets done by the enzymes and we expect our bodies to do all of the digestion work. This happens because the food that we eat no longer contains the enzymes. There are four things that we do to food that kill the enzymes; 1) cooking food over 118 degrees, 2) processing food, 3) microwaving food, and 4) drinking carbonated beverages.

When you ask your body to do all of the digestion work there are 2 important things that may result. First, the food you eat does not get digested completely. Second, and maybe more important, your liver and pancreas become overworked, stressed, and they start to ignore all of their other functions. The liver is responsible for clearing toxins from the body and processing cholesterol. The pancreas is responsible for the body using sugar appropriately and efficiently. Adult Onset Diabetes was rarely seen in this country until we started eating a processed food diet. Now, doctors feel it is only a matter of time before everyone ends up with sugar problems.

Enzymes are compounds within your body and within the food that catalyze or speed a chemical reaction. Some chemical reactions in the body would occur so slowly that they would not be able to sustain life without these vital enzymes. As enzymes deplete, the body’s chemical metabolic reactions slow and tissue repair and building is interrupted. There are two main types of enzymes in the body; digestive enzymes and metabolic enzymes. We already touched on the digestive enzymes, now let’s discuss metabolic enzymes. The metabolic enzymes are responsible for repair and maintenance of the body. The problem is, both the digestive and metabolic enzymes draw from the same enzyme building blocks. If your body is forced to produce more of the bulky digestive enzymes there will not be enough building blocks then the metabolic enzymes suffer. This is why eating raw food is so important and why it is equally important to use digestive enzyme supplements with cooked food.

There are a number of other things that can also improve digestion. So here are my tips for proper digestion:

1. Sit down while you eat (and this coming from a pharmacist!).
2. Take 10 long, deep breathes before eating. This will reset the nervous system so that blood flow is diverted from the extremities to the digestive tract where you need it most.
3. Chew your food completely before you swallow.
4. Do not “preload” your fork with your next bite of food until you are done with the current mouthful.
5. Do not drink even moderate amounts of fluids while you are eating (this only dilutes your digestive juices).
6. Concentrate on your food with appreciation while you are eating instead of the television or newspaper.
7. Consider taking a digestive enzyme with each meal. The plant based digestive enzyme that we use with great success is calledTyler Similase.

1. The Missing “Activity Secret” for a Raging Metabolism
2. A Special Tool That You Can Use to Keep Your Metabolsim Stoked All Day

Call me an optimist but I am going to assume that if you are considering yourself a seasoned practitioner of the wellness lifestyle, you already workout 4-5 times a week. In this section I am not going to waste time preaching to the choir about the benefits of activity and exercise. Instead, I am going to spend our brief time together teaching you an advanced technique that is designed to supercharge your metabolism all day long. If my assumption is correct then you exercise for 30-60 minutes a day, 4-5 days a week. During this 30-60 minute period, your metabolism elevates as the energy manufacturing engines get firing. What happens after your workout is complete? Well, depending on the intensity of the workout, the metabolism can be elevated for a few minutes or a few hours before it returns to normal. What if we could increase your metabolism all day long instead of just for two to three hours during and after your workout?

So let’s get into this amazing technique, it’s simplicity is going to blow you away! All you have to do to take advantage of this powerful technique is get up and do 2-3 minutes of oxygenating activity every 30-60 minutes or so. By getting up out of your chair and doing thirty jumping jacks, a few minutes of jogging in place, some push ups or chair squats you will boost your metabolism, activate fat burning enzymes, burn up sugar and keep those energy producing engines of your cells firing away. Here is the magical piece of the principle,your metabolism doesn’t immediately return to normal once the activity stops. It takes about 30 minutes for your metabolic engines to get the signal to back to baseline. At that point you kick them back up by doing 2-3 more minutes of activity. More magic happens, metabolism is the key to feeling energetic. By activating your metabolic pathways regularly throughout the day you will energize and oxygenate all of your tissues. The bottom line…you feel much better! You may also sleep better.

Now let me tell you about my greatest obstacle in putting this technique to use. When I first started practicing this technique I would find myself getting caught up in my work and forgetting to do my 3 minutes of movement. I was still much more active, but I was not utilizing this principle to its potential. So, I did some research and found a tool that is so simple and so ingenious that I wished that I had thought of it first. This product got me up and moving every 35 minutes on the dot! The product is called The Invisible Clock II. This tiny pager-sized timer can be set to have a repeatable countdown that either vibrates or beeps to alert you that it is time to move. I set the repeat timer and every 35 minutes it beeps or vibrates to remind me to spark my metabolism with 2-3 minutes of activity. I have felt more energetic and creative throughout the day, probably due to the increased circulation to the brain.

1. When Good Fruits Go Bad
2. When Refined Carbohydrates Are Ok to Eat
3. Where Dr. Atkins Went Wrong
4. How Many Meals to Eat per Day

Diet is perhaps one of the most confusing areas of health because there are so many people claiming so many different diets are the “best”. There are more different diets on the market today than ever before. Which has the best formula? Well, this question does not have a cut and dry answer because there is a lot of metabolic variance in our population. Let me give you an example. Fruit is considered very good for you as long as you eat it in the package that nature provides. Generally speaking people do not develop diabetes or get fat from eating fruits. However, if you are diabetic or heavily insulin resistant then it would be in your best interest to limit your fruit intake until your insulin resistance is improved. Not to confuse you further but many diabetics can eat fruit freely without any negative consequences to their blood sugar. The simple point is the diet that works best for you is the diet that works best for you! We can make general statements about what is most likely to be healthy but in the end you must put it to the test for yourself. So let’s start with a review of the tried-and-true principles that appear to apply to most people, we will then speak to the possible exceptions. Remember, as we move into intermediate and advanced principles, we are moving away from cookie cutter suggestions into more fluid and customizable principles:

1. Eat your food in the package nature provides. Simply put, oranges are good, orange juice is not so good. Eat fresh veggies over canned veggies. High fiber grain products generally are healthier than low fiber grain products. Simple enough…le’s move on.

2. Refined carbohydrates are generally bad…most of the time. For most people refined carbohydrates are not useful unless food is scarce. In a world of culinary abundance refined carbs are the most common cause of obesity, diabetes and heart disease. However, there is a place for refined carbohydrates amidst people who workout heavily or take part in competitive sports. When you workout heavily you can quickly deplete your carbohydrate stores in your muscles. During heavy activity, muscle is damaged and requires repair. This repair can not take place until the sugar stores have been replaced and can then fuel the repair process. By taking your refined carbohydrates directly after weight training, when your muscles are most sensitive to insulin, you can enhance recovery from activity, speed muscle repair and decrease soreness. Here is the golden nugget for people who are not competitive athletes, when you intend to have a pasta meal or some other high carb meal, try timing the meal soon after your workout. This will help with recovery and keep your blood sugar from spiking. This is especially helpful if you are lifting weights. So, this means that if you simply refuse to give up your pasta then the second best option is to make a pact with yourself that you will exercise vigorously before having your meal.

3. Eat lean protein. One area where me and the late Dr. Atkins part ways in our protein philosophies is in the quality of the protein in question and the quantity. I do not ascribe to the philosophy that you can eat bacon, butter, high fat beef, etc for every meal and still be healthy. Great sources of protein include lean beef, chicken, eggs and fish. I believe that people should lean towards a raw, vegetable and fruit rich diet. If you eat meat, you must make sure that you make an effort to enhance your intake of living plant foods to help balance your body. I also suggest eating free range meat and eggs whenever possible. So how much meat should you eat? The answer is…it depends. When you look at our closest mammal relatives you see that the apes are primarily vegetarian, although, if a lizard happens to scurry by they may pick it up and toss it in their mouth. They are what is called opportunistic carnivores. I declare myself the same. I try to eat most of my food as raw vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds, however, if a filet mignon falls on my plate I will eat that too. I suggest limiting meat intake to one serving or less per day and making sure that we eat lots of fruits, vegetables and healthy nuts. If you are a bodybuilder or on a heavy weight lifting program then you may want to increase this intake. Athletes and fitness buffs should get extra protein from egg whites and whey protein shakes and smoothies to account for their extra needs.

4. Meal Frequency, how often should we eat? This is a common questions, so let’s answer it. From my research I have come to the following conclusion. Generally, most people will be healthiest with small, frequent meals. This is especially the case with people who are working out on a regular basis. If you eat meals with refined carbohydrates then make sure that you limit the portion size and only three of the five or six meals contain refined carbs. You should allow a 4-5 hour period between those refined carb containing meals. This will allow time for the body to process the carbohydrates, metabolize out the insulin and will allow the body time to burn some of those carbs away between main meals.

Our goal in this section is not to make you an expert in natural health but to help you make meaningful and sustainable improvements to your program. We will teach you some of our advanced techniques for making major improvements in your health. We will focus on five main areas of interest for people who are already naturally oriented. Hopefully, you will continue your path to growth through our online newsletter, articles and health protocols. These areas are the five areas that you will focus on today.