Think & Grow Healthy
Getting your mind involved in promoting health.

We simply can not separate our thoughts from our physiology. You must make your mind healthy to allow your body to heal. How do you do this? If you are an angry person, learn to smile. If you are a worried person, learn to trust. If you are a dishonest person, learn to tell the truth. Your mind and spirit must be in harmony to achieve optimal health. In a moment, I am going to tell you about my all time favorite book for helping to control worry.

Healthy mind, healthy body. This is as much a law of nature as the law of gravity. It has been my experience that someone who spends one-half their time with a negative mental attitude will experience approximately one-half the health of someone who spends the majority of their life under the blanket of a positive mental attitude. If you follow any of the steps listed here, follow this one. If you live with a positive mental attitude, I guarantee that you will have dramatic improvements in your health! No matter what ailment you may have, a positive mental attitude will provide relief in one way or another.

The great modern day philosopher, Napolean Hill said it best when he said,“Every negative event that happens in one’s life holds with it the seed of an equivalent or greater benefit, simply seek out that seed in every negative experience you have.”

Many people have no idea how their mental state impacts the physical body. There is now an entire science that studies how the mind can impact the immune system, it is called psychoneuroimmunology. It has been known since the early 1900s that the mind impacts the body in many ways. One day I stumbled upon an old book for sale called How to Stop Worrying and Start Living, written by Dale Carnegie. This book is over 65 years old and I believe it to be one of the best books ever written on the subject of worry and mental state. He focuses a number of chapters on the discussion of how the mental state impacts health and gives many examples and techniques for changing your thought process. This book is an absolute must read.

1. Produced in FDA Approved manufacturing facilities
Now we are not huge fans of the FDA when it comes to their process of drug analysis and approval, however, we do acknowledge and accept their process of certifying manufacturing plants as being up-to-spec in relation to pharmaceutical and nutritional production.

2. Follow GMP Standards
In recent years there has been a lot of press around good manufacturing procedures (GMP), specifically with nutritional supplements. These products proudly sport the GMP insignia as though that is all that is necessary to prove the product is of high quality. GMPs are the pharmaceutical guidelines that dictate the procedures for producing medications. The press jumped right on the bandwagon, making statements like “look on your bottle for the GMP insignia for good quality products.” Although it is a step in the right direction, there is still a lot more to consider when looking for product quality. It is technically possible to encapsulate dirt while following GMP standards. You could then honestly put the GMP symbol on the bottle.

3. Independent Certificates of Analysis
The FDA comes through again by keeping tabs on independent laboratories. By having the end product tested by an independent lab, you get another certification that what is on the label is in the bottle. This is the extra step that most companies do not go through due to the extra expense.

4. Raw Materials and Standardization
When we look for the best brands, we look for products that use the raw materials and standardization used in the actual studies. If those brands are not available we then look for a product that standardizes to the same level as the product in the research. This requires a lot of time hunting down and studying research articles.

5. Proof is in the Pudding
Only when a product has passed the previous four steps do we use it in our practice. We then monitor results and if it works consistently, then we use it. If it doesn’t work, then we scrap it.

Next let’s talk about some of the more important supplements for you to learn about. The role of the multi-vitamin is to provide a security blanket of nutrition to cover deficiencies of the Standard American Diet (S.A.D) Today’s foods, including the fruits and vegetables, do not contain sufficient amounts of nutrition to allow our bodies to function at optimal levels. Likewise, a multiple vitamin that contains the minimal levels of vitamins and minerals set by the RDA does nothing to assist you in the achievement of “Optimal Health”. The One-A-Day formulas of the world fall into this category. The multiple vitamins found in the local pharmacies are typically of very poor quality because of both the dosage and forms of the nutrients provided. A lot goes into finding a good quality multi-vitamin. In all of our research we have found only a few multi-vitamins worth carrying. The Multi T/D is our most basic multi and a great orientation to natural products. It contains sufficient levels to rev up the cells without overwhelming your system. The one capsule twice a day dosing assures compliance and ease of use.

The use of a digestive enzyme is a simple step to improving your digestion.The enzyme that we have used in our practice is the Similase digestive enzyme. This is a vegetarian enzyme that will help you digest your entire meal from meat to veggies. We suggest 1-2 capsules per meal depending on your response and the size of the meal.

Omega-3 fatty acids are the most important nutritional supplement on the market today because they are so deplete in our diet and they play such an important role in our body. If you are on a strict budget, this is the supplement to start with. Research has shown that supplementing your body with omega-3 fatty acids can help:

1. Lower triglycerides (Ann NY Acad Sci.1993;683:337-340)
2. Improve psoriasis (Clin Exp Dermatol.1992;17(3):159-162)
3. Prevent blockage of arteries after angioplasty (Arch Intern Med.1993;153(13):1595-1601)
4. Helps control blood sugar (Diabetes Care.1998;21:494-500)
5. Prevents angina (Atherosclerosis.1987;64(1):13-19
6. Decreases risk of sudden death (JAMA. 1998;279:23-28)

These are just a small sampling of the studies on omega-3 fatty acids. We will be posting a lot more research on omega-3 fatty acids in the very near future.

Essential Fatty Acids are a critical part of any general health program. During the course of the war on heart disease fat became a key focus of the healthcare establishment. Before long fat and cholesterol were being stricken from our kitchens, replaced with liquid plastics we call margarines and spreads. Eggs were soon being tossed from the refrigerator replaced by a milk carton shaped fat-free egg substitute. The result was an upward surge in the incidence of heart disease as well as a downward surge in the quality of life of the American public. They were still dying of heart disease, the only difference was that their last meal now consisted of a bland egg substitute fried in a liquid plastic and washed down with a glass of milk byproduct. Fat is critical to optimal health, as a matter of fact you cannot achieve “optimal health” without the right kinds of fats in the diet!

I will simplify the discussion of fats by pointing out the two main types of fat, omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids. Although the omega-6 fats are villainized as the “bad fats” they are only bad because we eat them in excess while neglecting the omega-3 fatty acids.

Omega-6 fats come from vegetable oils, conventional beef and chicken, farm grown fish and certain nuts (peanuts, cashews, etc.) Omega-3 fatty acids are found in range-grown or grass-fed beef and chicken, flax oil, perilla oil, wild caught cold water fish and nuts such as walnuts. Because of the deficiency in the omega-3 fatty acids in the foods we eat, it has become necessary for the typical American to supplement with the healthy omega-3 fats.

The omega-3 fatty acids are important for the normal functioning of nearly every system in the body. For a more detailed description of essential fatty acids see the article Healthy Fats. If you need to cook with oil, the best cooking oil available is MacNut Australian macadamia nut oil. This oil protects the food from oxidation during the cooking process and enhances the food with powerful antioxidants and heart healthy monounsaturated fatty acids.

If you have any questions about which product to use, please contact our pharmacists. Below are described our most popular omega-3 supplements:

	Popular Omega-3 Supplements
	Product Highlights When do we use this product? Flax Oil Flax Seed Flax oil is a vegetarian source of an essential fatty acid called alpha linolenic acid (ALA). This fatty acid is utilized by the body to form other important essential fatty acids (EPA/DHA). This is a great supplement for those who want to avoid animal sources of EFAs. The minimum dose for benefits to be realized is usually one tablespoonful daily or about 9 capsules. If you have a higher fat intake or a history of heart disease or diabetes should consider adding fish oil to ensure that your body gets all the essential fats it needs. Because of the volatile nature of flax oil, we use only Barleans brand flax oil. This company specializes in the proper extraction and storage of flax oil. They also offer a special flax oil called “High Lignan Flax Oil” which may offer additional benefits to women. EPA/DHA (Fish Oil) Cold Water Atlantic Fish Fish oil is a great source of two omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA. These two essential fatty acids seem to play a role in protection of the blood vessels, heart, brain, immune system, etc. This product is used with people who have a significant risk of heart disease. Current research has shown fish oil to be a powerful protector of the blood vessels and heart through various mechanisms. Fish oil is an accepted treatment for high triglyceride levels. Because people suffering from heart disease have a need for higher levels of EPA and DHA, fish oil is the product of choice. Suggested dosage can range from 4-9 caps daily.

Below you will find the three products that we most commonly suggest for people starting with natural products.
	Multi T/D – High potency Two-A-Day Multi-Vitamin Now that you are in the Your Prescription for Health community, it is time for you to go into your medicine cabinet and throw out the Centrum(R) or any pharmacy-bought one-a-day multi. You are going to learn why as you read on. For now, just trust us. This multi is a great starter multi. It contains all the right natural forms of the nutrients and in much healthier doses than one-a-day formulas.
	Similase Digestive Enzyme This is a plant sourced digestive enzyme that will help you draw more nutrition out of your food and supplements. The enzymes in this formula will help you break down you carbohydrates, fats and proteins so that body can absorb the vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients. People generally feel healthier and more energetic as their bodies get nourished. 1 Capsule with each meal.
	Your Prescription for Health Super Omega-3 Fish Oil Enteric Coated We specially pick this formula because it is a potent and pure fish oil that is enteric coated so that there is never any fishy taste, even in people with less than optimal digestive systems. We suggest that you take 2 capsules twice daily, this sounds like a lot but fish oil is the most important supplement of all.

	Start your Supplement Program, now.
	Most people who reach this page are ready to get started right away with a nutritional supplement program. If your goal is just to learn more about health, then click the “Next Step” at the bottom of the page. It is our experience that supplements speed the achievement of a healthy lifestyle and dramatically magnify the results of any health program. To encourage you to jump in and get started we are making this OFFER at a huge discount on our most popular starter program! This will be the only time that this discount will be offered on a starter program. If you choose to move on, you will be able to get the same products at our usual 20% discount later. This is a ONE TIME discountavailable only to new subscribers to our newsletter. Once you leave this page it is gone for good. If you want to move on without taking advantage of this offer click the “Next Step” link at the bottom of the page. If you order right now, you will have 60 days to try the program. If you are not completely satisfied, you can return the empty bottles for a full refund. So, don’t miss out on this one time opportunity, choose the button below.

Disease Starts with Poor Digestion

1. Why digestion is the key to health
   
2. Why our digestion is so dysfunctional
   
3. What are enzymes and why they are so important to your health.
4. 7 Steps to better digestion

Digestion, the Key to Health

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. If digestion can’t get those building blocks to areas in need of repair, then those tissues can become diseased.

Why is Our Digestion So Dysfunctional?

1. Lack of raw fruits and vegetables. In his book, The Enzyme Factor, world renowned physician and inventor of the colonoscopy writes about his experience in exploring the colons of thousands of patients (healthy and sick). During his “explorations”, he discovered that the health of the colon was almost always a good indicator for the health of the body in general. He discovered that fruit and vegetable intake was a strong indicator of colon and overall health. He started placing his sick patients on a diet high in raw fruits and vegetables. Soon his sick patients began to feel better and better. When he re-explored the colons of his previously sick patients, he noticed that their digestive tracts were far healthier as well! He hypothesized that fruits and vegetables contain an enzyme building block, he deemed the Enzyme Factor which improves digestion and catalyzes the regeneration of the body’s 100 trillion cells.
2. Overcooking our food. Processing and heat damage or destroy the fragile enzymes that are naturally found in raw foods. This will ultimately lead to a deficiency of enzymes, vitamins and proteins.
3. Too much fluid intake at meals. By drinking large quantities of fluid with meals, we dilute the digestive juices. This results in a stomach environment that does not permit optimal digestion.
4. Eating on the run or in a stressed state. Stress of any kind can virtually paralyze the digestive tract. When we eat in a stressed state, the body diverts blood flow to the extremities and brain and away from the digestive tract.
5. Excess weight. Being overweight can cause numerous digestive problems from heartburn to gall bladder dysfunction.
6. Lack of exercise. Exercise and activity is a well-known stimulant to the digestive tract. Sedentary people commonly suffer with constipation, gall bladder problems and reflux. Activity is the catalyst of growth and repair in the body, it makes sense that the body will kick up digestion in response to exercise in order to get and deliver building blocks to the cells of the body.
7. Antibiotic use. When we take antibiotics to kill off an infection, the trillions of healthy bacteria in the gut, that are a critical component of digestion and elimination, are also impacted.
8. Chronic use of antacids. Antacid medications are used judiciously in our society. These medications were designed for short-term use while the patient recovered from a digestive event, such as an ulcer or digestive injury. Today, these medications are prescribed as a lifetime treatment for heartburn. In our opinion, this is having a catastrophic effect on the health and vitality of our population due to the fact that it prevents proper digestion and assimilation of the nutrients that we consume.

7 Steps to Good Digestion

There are a number of steps that one can take to improve digestion. So here are my tips for proper digestion:

1. Sit down while you eat.
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. Do not “preload” your fork with your next bite of food until you are done with the current mouthful.
4. Limit fluid intake at meal time. Drink fluids in between meals.
5. Concentrate on your food with appreciation while you are eating instead of the television or newspaper.
6. Consider taking a digestive enzyme with each meal. The plant based digestive enzyme that we use with great success is called Tyler Similase. This enzyme works throughout the entire digestive tract to help the body break down and assimilate the nutrients within your food.
7. Eat raw fruits and vegetables with each meal.

Consequences of Living Your Life on the Couch

The unfortunate result of common aging in sedentary people is weight gain and aging. Studies have shown that by the age of 65 we are burning approximately 500 less calories per day. That equates to 52 pounds worth of calories A YEAR! Medicine has a name for this muscle loss, it’s called “sarcopenia”.

Why Activity and Exercise is Worth Your Time

Scientists have found that you can virtually eliminate age-related muscle loss by just getting in the gym and lifting weights two or three times a week. As a matter of fact, after putting senior citizens who had lost tremendous amounts of muscle on a regular exercise program they were able to improve their strength to that of a person 20 – 30 years younger.

First Step to Getting Active

If you have become a couch potato and you want to begin the path to an active lifestyle begin simply by increasing your motion all day long. A pedometer can keep you honest about your activity level by counting your steps all day long. Your goal is to shoot for 10,000 steps every day. After you are moving again, you can begin to move faster and faster through a structured fitness program. Whenever you are trying to increase your activity it is critical that you make only small changes! As you make those changes you will sleep better, your mind will function better, blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol will begin to normalize, you will literally feel 20 years younger.

Strength Training – How to Get Started

As I mentioned, strength training can offer huge benefits to the aging body. If you are currently sedentary and looking to get started with exercise I would suggest setting up a few sessions with a personal trainer to learn the exercises. A good trainer should be able to explain proper exercise technique and be certified by a reputable certifying agency (such as ACE or NSCA) in the fitness industry. You should start with just one session per week for the first 2-3 weeks followed by 2-3 sessions per week thereafter. If you happen to love it and want to lift weights every day well then more power to you! Just make sure to alternate body parts to allow the body to repair and rejuvenate between workouts. If you live near Owings Mills, Maryland, visitwww.personaltrainingrx.com for a personal trainer recommendation.

You can significantly decrease your risk of developing such diseases as diabetes, osteoporosis, heart disease, depression, cancer, obesity, and the list goes on and on. Almost every condition known to man can benefit from a proper exercise program, so get started where you stand today! If you have not had a physical in quite a while just start with 15 minutes of walking daily until you get the green light from your doctor. Then you can pursue a more aggressive exercise program.

Simple rules for major benefits.

1. The Golden Rule That Takes The Guesswork Out of Eating Healthy
2. What is Nutrient Density and How to Use it to Your Advantage
3. Good Carbohydrates Versus Bad Carbohydrates – There Are No Bad Apples!
4. A Book Recommendation for Healthy Eating
5. How to Get Good Clean Drinking Water for Your Home

There are a few simple rules to follow when choosing the foods that are permitted to enter your mouth. Remember, every year all of the molecules in your body have been replaced with entirely new molecules. Those molecules will be comprised of the molecules that you put in your mouth through your food. So, it would make good sense to fill your body with healthy, living enzymes and nutrients.

This section will introduce you to natural eating, it is not a full course on healthy eating but it should give you plenty of information to get you started.

Rule number one, follow the golden rule: “Eat foods in the package that nature provides!” You don’t see orange juice growing on a tree, you see oranges growing on a tree. Follow this rule and you will be half way to a healthy diet. You see, when you drink a glass of orange juice you are getting the sugar equivalent of 4-6 oranges. This sugar has been liberated from the fiber of the pulp and is thus much more readily absorbed into the blood. Whenever sugar enters into the blood at such a fast rate it reeks havoc regardless of whether that product comes from fruit or not. It is much healthier to eat the whole orange. You will get the fiber and the extra bioflavonoids! This rule goes well beyond OJ, if you apply it to the majority of your diet, you will literally change your health in one swoop. It is THAT powerful. You don’t need to learn complex rules, count calories, or read packages, just eat REAL food from nature as often as possible.

Rule number two, nutrient density decides the quality of food. Nutrient density has to do with how much nutrition there is in a food in comparison to how many calories are present. High levels of nutrition and low calorie count make for an ideal food. Any food with low or average nutrient levels along with high calorie levels is considered unhealthy. If you eat lots of vegetables and fruits while following the Golden Rule, then you can almost never go wrong. Pick the fruits and vegetables that are the most colorful as these will have the most healthful qualities! Although you can not always guarantee the presence of vitamins and minerals, you can always guarantee the presence of healthy phytochemicals such as carotenoids by merely looking at the product. These phytochemicals are what give fruits and vegetables their vivid color.

What About Meat?

There is a lot of controversy regarding how meat impacts your health. On one side of the story you hear the high protein arguments and on the other the vegetarian arguments.
If we look at our Paleolithic ancestors, it is estimated that 45-85% of their calories came from animal sources such as fish, insects, birds, amphibians, mammals, etc. Scientists estimate the daily protein intake of Paleolithic man to be 300-400 grams of protein per day, along with 200 grams of fat.  (Sisson, Mark. Primal Blueprint)

The debate surrounding vegetarian versus omnivores living is ridiculous because it is possible to be very healthy or very unhealthy eating either way. Personally, I choose a omnivore lifestyle that includes large quantities of fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. I choose lean meats and consume these lean sources of protein with most of my main meals. If you choose to be vegetarian, you must be sure to supplement with sublingual B12 and consume plenty of sources of vegetarian protein. Regardless of whether you choose a vegetarian or omnivore lifestyle, there is one rule that you must follow to enjoy optimal health…

Third, cut out refined carbohydrates such as bread, pasta, white rice, candy and sugar as much as possible. There is nothing good coming out of these foods but taste. We do not need to drop them out of our diet completely, however, we do need to significantly limit their intake. With a little self-discipline we can learn to love healthier foods like we love these nutrient poor, carbohydrate based products. If you can achieve these goals, you will be well on your way to optimal health!

If you would like a great book suggestion to get you started on the path of healthy eating I would highly suggest Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson. This book really helps people understand a healthy diet and provides TONS of great health tips that you can put to use right away.

Finally, drink your water! Few people realize just how important water intake is to your body’s health. I have seen peoples energy skyrocket, blood pressures drop, allergies improve,  and memories return to youthful levels, simply by drinking more water! Here are some tips for working more water into your lifestyle:

1. Keep a 32 oz bottle of water on your desk, sip at it all day long. If you freeze it over night you can sip at it as it melts throughout the day. If you do freeze it please be sure to fill the bottle only two-thirds the way to allow the water to expand.
2. Get a NSF certified filter for home use and USE IT! A good filter is New Wave 10-Stage Filter .

If you are new to natural healing you likely have one or more of the following complaints: Low to “average” energy levels. Trouble sleeping or you don’t feel rested when you wake. You are taking 2 or more medications and you are tired of the side effects. You have recently been diagnosed with some sort of health condition (most commonly heart disease, osteoporosis, high cholesterol, high blood pressure or diabetes).

You can’t explain it fully, but you “just don’t feel well”. You are overweight and want to lose weight. Regardless of how or why you got to us, the likelihood is that you have a healthy degree of skepticism and are interested in unbiased information that will help you make major improvements in your health. Remember, our goal is major improvements in your health! We don’t just want your lab reports to look good, we want you to feel energetic, vibrant and healthy.

We have 5 main goals when starting someone on the path of natural healing, we will provide plenty of scientific data and clinical examples throughout your experience with us. Remember the proof is in YOUR EXPERIENCE.