"I Wish I Could Bottle That Stuff!!!" Oops THEY DID!!!

We all have times in our lives when the going gets rough. It seems we use every drop of emotional and physical energy just to get out of bed in the morning because we know what lies ahead. We know we can't escape it.

It is hard to watch loved ones go through these times and going through the ride with them can be taxing. Love and faith sustain us through so much. It can be frustrating when you have Lupus or any physical condition that interferes with your ability to respond as effectively as you would like to the situation you are facing.

This has been a difficult year for my family. The past 2 months particularly so. I thought we had a reprieve this past week only to be blind sided again yet today. No I am not having a pity party here.... I am going somewhere with this. Tonight I was sitting here at 11:30 pm and realized Geez about 5 months ago I would not be able to sit here at this hour and write after having the type of day I just had. HECK I doubt that I would be functioning. As I had said in a earlier post, since starting Sublingual B-12 I have better concentration, memory and energy than I have experienced in years due to my lupus. I am thankful that I am able to fully participate and contribute to the things necessary during this time.

As for the Nopalea, it continues to give me mobility I have not had in years. I continue with the carving and doing things I haven't done in a long time. I continue off of the 800mg 3 x's a day of Ibuprofen and have even started lowering my Prednisone dose, which has been years since we have done that. I rarely need my pain med, unless I do something silly like run out of Nopalea. Yeap, in the not too distant past I ran short of Nopalea which has not happened to me before. I thought no big deal, I'll wait till my next scheduled shipment to come. BIG MISTAKE!!!! By the end of the week I was miserable. I was already a believer..NOW it is sealed.

If you have any issues with inflammation like: Arthritis, Lupus, sports injuries, Bursitis. Check out the information at the Sonoran Bloom site on Nopalea. Besides the intrinsic immune issues that go hand in hand with many conditions that involve inflammation. Many of the treatments involve immunosuppresant therapy. So the added benefit of this product's boost to the immune system makes it even more appealing.

As for me, I only wish I had found these 2 products earlier.

Cheers,
Lisa

Reduce Pain from the Inside Out

“Where does it hurt?” This is often the first question caregivers ask. (A caregiver may be a doctor or nurse, a friend or mommy!) We ask because we care; people often – though not always – tell us where it hurts because they are searching for a solution to their pain.

Why we hurt
Pain is a messenger system designed to tell us that something is wrong. As my grandfather used to say, “If your hand hurts, take it off the hot stove!” Pain is often designed to trigger a “withdrawal” response. We withdraw from pain because the pain tells us that we are being injured. This interpretation of pain may seem overly simplistic, especially in our world, where it is not always easy to take your hand off the hot stove, so to speak.

There are a number of different pain sensations. The feeling may seem sharp (superficial pain receptors) or dull (deeper pain receptors). It may seem to throb with your heartbeat or be constant. It may be fixed in one location or migratory – moving around from place to place. The main distinction of pain basically boils down to acute pain versus chronic pain.

• Acute pain begins to go away as soon as you remove the trigger. Take your hand off the hot stove, repair the broken tooth or drink pure water to rehydrate the dehydrated brain and acute pain goes away. The message of pain has been received, interpreted and the corrective action taken.
  
  
• Chronic pain persists after the cause has been removed or because the cause is itself a chronic condition. It is often related to inflammation – inflammation in the tissues of your body, or inflammation in the nervous system, or both. We used to have a saying to help us define inflammation: rubor, tumor, calor and dolor. These four Latin words mean redness, swelling, heat and pain.

Your brain eventually interprets the signals in a way that motivates you to confront the cause of pain. Interestingly, the brain doesn’t feel pain; it merely interprets the nerve and chemical signals as painful.

Understanding the signals
It is important for us to understand why we hurt so that we can take the proper action. The four basic pain triggers are:

1. Trauma or injury
2. Toxins or poisons
3. Emotional distress
4. Deficiency

As mentioned above, an example of a deficiency that causes pain may be a water deficiency (dehydration) causing a headache. Another extremely common form of painful dehydration is osteoarthritis (OA). In OA the soft tissue of the joint capsule loses water and withers. This may be due to a number of causes, including simply not drinking enough water. More often, joint dehydration associated with OA occurs because there are not enough minerals to hold the water in its proper place and quantity. This is why TriVita’s OptimaFlex® contains both pain/inflammation reducing ingredients and minerals associated with healthy, moist joints.

An example of toxins creating pain may be the way toxins from inside your intestines trigger rheumatoid arthritis and many other “autoimmune” disorders. Typically, a toxin from inside your system escapes into the bloodstream and relocates to the soft tissue of your organs or around your joints. Your immune system attacks both the toxins and the soft tissues. In an attempt to remove the toxin or poison, your system may destroy the tissue in which the toxin resides.

Pain caused by toxins frequently responds to Nopalea™, as the Betalains in Nopalea are both anti-inflammatory and anti-toxin. These two actions help your immune system work smarter, not harder and, ultimately, help you do what you do best: heal. This often results in reduced levels of chronic pain.

The lesson of pain
Dedicated physicians spend decades learning the antecedents, triggers and inflammatory pathways associated with acute and chronic pain. There is simply no way to address all of the particulars of pain in our Wellness Reports; however it is my sincere wish that this report gives you a little more insight into the possible causes – and solutions – for acute and chronic pain.

Take Control of Your Health

• Practice deep breathing 20 minutes or more daily
• Drink pure water – ½ ounce per pound of body weight
• Sleep peacefully to reduce pain signals and heal
• Eat nutritiously, including appropriate supplements
• Exercise daily according to your abilities – get professional help with an exercise program tailored to your needs and abilities
• Select a support team

Learn More...

• Low Back Pain
• Do-it-Yourself Pain Relief

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA, and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
© 2009 TriVita, Inc.

Learn why we consider Vitamin C to be “Vital C”

Would you like to hear something interesting about Vitamin C? Almost all mammals produce Vitamin C as ascorbic acid in their livers. But not humans. In fact, almost all animals in the Animal Kingdom produce Vitamin C every day to maintain their health. Why don’t humans produce Vitamin C? How much Vitamin C do you need to take? What effect does Vitamin C have in your body?

How much Vitamin C do you need?
Let’s answer the easy question first: How much Vitamin C does a person need to take? Well, when animals produce Vitamin C it is according to their needs at that time in their lives. A young dolphin may produce much more Vitamin C than an older sibling or parent. However, all dolphins – and all other animals – produce more Vitamin C when they have an infection, when they are exposed to toxins and when they are under stress.

So, we understand that people need different amounts of Vitamin C at different times in their lives. They also need more Vitamin C when they face challenges to their health and well-being. In past Weekly Wellness Reports, we discussed how a Vitamin C flush can help you determine how much Vitamin C you can use during a given period of your life. The Vitamin C flush was actually recommended by Linus Pauling protégé, Dr. Alfred Libby, and by the Director of the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Russell Jaffe. See below for more information on the benefits of the Vitamin C flush.

How your body uses Vitamin C
What does your body do with all that Vitamin C? Well, Vitamin C makes things happen. In the human body, Vitamin C makes almost everything happen!

Bones – All the minerals in your bones require Vitamin C to turn them from lifeless rocks into health-building minerals.

Blood – Your blood needs Vitamin C to convert iron into hemoglobin.

Thyroid – Your thyroid gland needs Vitamin C to convert copper into thyroid enzymes that carry protein.

Collagen – All of the collagen in your skin, gums and the rest of your body requires Vitamin C to convert dead protein from your diet into living tissue. This makes you look good as well as feel good!

Immune system function – Vitamin C activates a certain kind of immune cell called a lymphocyte. Lymphocytes, as the name implies, live mostly in your lymph system. However, they can travel in your bloodstream as well. Lymphocytes that have been activated by your thymus gland can go anywhere in your body to help fight disease. The thymus gland uses Vitamin C to program lymphocytes to search out one specific target and help destroy it.

Antioxidant protection – Vitamin C is also an antioxidant. Your body uses it to make glutathione – the “mother” of all antioxidants. What’s more, all other antioxidants can be refreshed by Vitamin C. Important antioxidants like Vitamins A and E can have their lifespan extended by Vitamin C. Antioxidants protect you from premature aging.

Vitamin C has so many functions that you could spend a lifetime studying this one important vitamin. Do the Vitamin C flush and determine how much Vitamin C you can use each day. I suggest that you repeat this procedure quarterly – at the change of the seasons. You will find your need for Vitamin C will diminish when you eat fresh fruits and vegetables. It will increase when you are under stress or facing illness.

Major Food Sources

Food	Serving size	Vitamin C content (mg)
Strawberries	1 cup	95
Papaya	1 cup	85
Kiwi	1 medium	70
Orange	1 medium	70
Pepper, red or green, raw	½ cup	65
Broccoli, cooked	½ cup	60
Cantaloupe	¼ medium	60
Kale, cooked	1 cup	55
Brussels sprouts, cooked	½ cup	50
Orange juice	½ cup	50
Pepper, red or green, cooked	½ cup	50
Mango	1 cup	45
Grapefruit	½ medium	40
Snow peas, fresh, cooked	½ cup	40
Grapefruit juice	½ cup	35
Artichoke, boiled	1 medium	30
Sweet potato, baked with skin	1 medium	28
Potato, baked with skin	1 medium	25
Avocado	1 medium	24
Pineapple	1 cup	24
Cauliflower, raw	½ cup	23
Snow peas, frozen, cooked	½ cup	20

Source: EBSCO

A final word on Vitamin C
The final question is: Why don’t humans produce Vitamin C like other animals? The answer is, no one knows. What we do know is that people are healthier when they eat Vitamin C-rich fruits and vegetables. And in this stress-filled, toxic world we have created, more Vitamin C is needed than a depleted diet can provide. This is why we have supplements to help us compensate for the special circumstances we face in today’s world.

Take Control of Your Health Eat Vitamin C-rich fruits and vegetables: Sweet and spicy peppers Most fruits, especially berries and citrus Dark green and yellow vegetables Leafy green vegetables Eat the right amount: Children: 5 servings of fruit and vegetables Women: 7 servings of fruit and vegetables Men: 9 servings of fruit and vegetables daily Remember, cooking destroys Vitamin C Take your Healthy Aging supplements Do the Vitamin C flush quarterly

Learn more!

• Vitamin C Flush
  Learn about how the Vitamin C flush can detoxify your body.
  
  
• Getting to the Heart of a Healthful Diet: Fruits and Vegetables
  Here’s why fruits and vegetables are good for you.

Please note that Weekly Wellness Report topics will be chosen at the discretion of Brazos Minshew and based on general relevance.


These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA, and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

© 2009 TriVita, Inc.

Which B-12 supplement is right for you?

Question: TriVita has several Sublingual B-12 supplements. Which one should I take?

Answer: It depends on your needs.

Need for Vitamin B-12
Vitamin B-12 is an essential nutrient: You cannot thrive without it. You need Vitamin B-12 to make healthy blood, healthy nerves and a healthy brain. Vitamin B-12 insufficiency is implicated in a number of common conditions: from allergies and ADHD to bipolar disorder and Alzheimer’s disease. Along with iron and Vitamin C, Vitamin B-12 is one of the most common nutrient deficiencies among seniors. You may actually be protected from a shrinking brain with healthy levels of Vitamin B-12.

There are three ways of looking at “need” in Vitamin B-12:

1. Disease. If your blood levels are low in B-12 you may be diagnosed with a medical condition called pernicious anemia. This is a serious health condition that is often caused by the inability to properly absorb B-12.
   
   
2. Complete B-12 metabolism. Is the B-12 you are taking doing what it is supposed to do? If so, your homocysteine levels will be low. If not, your homocysteine levels will be high – even though your blood levels of B-12 are also high. B-12 along with folate, Vitamin B-6 and biotin are still needed as long as homocysteine levels are too high.
   
   
3. How you feel. Are you mentally sluggish? Do you feel better when you take B-12? If so, you can continue to take B-12 simply to feel better because there is no toxicity associated with taking B-12.

Types of B-12
Vitamin B-12 is made from the mineral cobalt by beneficial bacterial in the soil and inside living organisms. When scientists make Vitamin B-12 for use in supplements, it is done in the same way. The “parent” form of B-12 is cyanocobalamine (cyan- means blue: the color of cobalt). Cyanocobalamine nourishes your entire body, and your liver uses cyanocobalamine to make other forms of Vitamin B-12. One of the major “children” of cyanocobalamine is methylcobalamine. Methyl-B12 is used in detoxification, especially homocysteine detoxification.

There are many other types of B-12. However, as long as you have cyanocobalamine, your body will make the other types as it needs them. The exception to this rule occurs when a person has been poisoned with toxins such as mercury and lead or when a genetic imbalance prevents them from completely converting B-12.

The type of B-12 for you
Most people over 30 need to take a B-12 supplement. The only certain way to get B-12 into your system quickly (besides injecting it) is to absorb it sublingually, under your tongue. Even people under 30 may take B-12 if they feel stressed, suffer from allergies or asthma, are sad, blue or tired. Vitamin B-12 is also helpful in people with ADHD and other nervous disorders – not as a medical treatment, but as a support for healthy blood, nerves and brain.

TriVita’s Sublingual B-12 is awesome in these circumstances. Or you may want to step up to TriVita’s Super Sublingual B-12 which is faster-acting and longer-lasting – with three times the Vitamin B-12. If your homocysteine levels are high, or if you have a family history of heart attack, stroke, osteoporosis, or Alzheimer’s disease, HCY Guard may be best for you.

This should help you see the need for Vitamin B-12 as well as give you the tools you need to decide which one(s) you need!

Take Control of Your Health

• Use Sublingual B-12 or Super Sublingual B-12 if:
  • You are over 30
  • You have any type of digestion issue
  • You have low energy
  • You have poor moods
  • You need to improve your memory
  
  
• Use HCY Guard if:
  • You have elevated levels of homocysteine
  • You are exposed to environmental toxins
  • You have low kidney function
  • You need detoxification

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA, and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
© 2009 TriVita, Inc.

The Fog Has Lifted With Super Sublingual B-12!

The first TriVita product I tried was Super Sublingual B-12. After starting it I could not believe the difference it had made in my life. Between Nopalea and Super Sublingual B-12, I have found a perfect combination of products that have improved the quality of my life significantly.

As I mentioned earlier I have Systemic Lupus which can affect about any system of the body. A hallmark symptom of Lupus that plagues many Lupus patients is extreme fatigue. Not the ordinary tiredness but a bone deep tiredness, where sometimes you just can't get out of bed even after sleeping 16 hours. A tiredness where walking across the the house just poops ya out.

You can also have what is called a mental fog where you feel like you have a constant hang over. Your memory is virtually non- existent at times and you learn the art of massive note taking. Short term memory takes on new meaning. It is called "minuet" term memory.

After starting the Super Sublingual B-12 I am sleeping only 8 hours a night now, if even that. Some mornings I actually "want" to sleep in, but my mind is up and at em'. My memory has improved 10 fold. I don't feel in a fog any more.

My husband and son are so excited for me. This is from just one product. When I added Nopalea to my wellness routine I was able to address other areas for even greater results. I will be posting an older Weekly Wellness Report on Super Sublingual B-12. Be sure to check out more information Here to find out what makes this product so unique.

Cheers,
Lisa

Causes of Hidden Inflammation

Inflammation is the number one medical issue facing people in North America today. There are four sources of inflammation and each one requires a pretty lengthy explanation. Rather than presenting our Weekly Wellness Report as an exhaustive list of “what may go wrong” I would like to cover:

1. The major categories of inflammation
2. How you can protect yourself
3. Nutrients you can use to help reduce inflammation

Cause #1: Toxins
Toxins cause inflammation by penetrating healthy tissue in your body and hiding there. Your immune system knows they are there and responds with acute inflammation to eradicate them – even killing healthy cells to get rid of the toxins. Toxins create death when more cells die in a single day than your body can replace with healthy cells.

Sometimes this happens very quickly, as with infection from the H1-N1 flu epidemic. The virus inhabits the lungs and airways. Your body responds with immune cells which douse the viral toxin with inflammation. So many lung cells are killed in the process that the host simply can’t replace the sick, toxic cells with new, healthy cells and the patient dies.

Sometimes toxins kill more slowly, as with air pollution causing lung cancer. Inflammation kills diseased cells but at such a slow rate that a few replacement cells keep the lungs functioning. However, over time the rate of cell replacement cannot keep up with the rate of cell death and the patient dies of a chronic lung disease such as cancer or emphysema.

Toxins are produced outside our body as well as inside our body. We must insulate ourselves from external toxins and keep our body shiny and clean on the inside through vigorous application of the 10 Essentials for Health and Wellness. Supplements such as Nopalea and Vitamin C can be very helpful in releasing hidden toxins.

Cause #2: Deficiency
Your body must replace millions of cells every hour. Building healthy cells requires that we have healthy building materials in our system all the time: oxygen, water, vitamins, minerals, enzymes and many other elements. We must give our body time to rebuild with 7 ½ to 9 hours of peaceful sleep every night.

If any element in your health routine is missing for even a moment, a cell will be created without critical building materials and the cell will be weak. A single weak cell will be eliminated by the acute inflammation of our immune system. However, poor nutrition day after day and poor sleep night after night will create a deficit between the number of healthy cells you have and the number of healthy cells you need to live. Chronic inflammation is the way your body deals with this deficit. It is the seedbed for infection, disease and an early death.

Pay close attention to the 10 Essentials and support your body with Healthy Aging nutrients. A multiple vitamin/mineral supplement, OmegaPrime, Vitamin C and Sublingual B-12 are basics for wellness.

Cause #3: Emotional Distress
Stress describes the forces trying to tear us apart: toxins and deficiencies, gravity and weather, injuries, expectations and time pressures. These are examples of things that pull us apart. The forces trying to pull us back together – homeostasis – are seen in the 10 Essentials: deep breathing, pure water, peaceful sleep, nutritious food, daily activity, emotional and spiritual support.

Emotional distress is based on how we appraise or evaluate changes in our environment. All changes are stressful – even “good” changes such as a raise at work or a new, healthy grandbaby! The changes that threaten our health and create long-term, chronic stress are those that may cause pain or loss to ourselves or to someone we care about, or that may overextend our coping resources.

Support yourself against this dangerous cause of inflammation by creating a healthy community of people around you. Use Healthy Aging supplements to create a solid foundation for coping with daily stress. Especially consider adaptogens to build a bulwark against the onslaught of daily stress from outside, inside your body and even inside your mind.

Cause #4: Injuries and Trauma
Acute inflammation is the normal response to trauma. Acute inflammation is characterized by pain, swelling, redness and heat. Using Quick-Relief Formula and Quick-Relief Gel can expedite the repair process by supporting homeostasis during the early days following an injury. I often see people benefit from taking Quick-Relief capsules (while awake) for three days following an injury. Keep the external region bathed in Quick-Relief Gel during this crisis stage.

OptimaFlex is another excellent source for a more chronic injury. OptimaFlex combined with Nopalea is an excellent combination for the discomfort and loss of mobility that characterizes chronic inflammation.

Conclusion
There are four basic causes of inflammation; therefore, there are four basic causes of chronic disease. Work to insulate yourself from these malevolent influences with appropriate nutrients and emotional/spiritual nurturing and you will improve the quantity and quality of your life!

Take Control of Your Health

• Practice the 10 Essentials each day
• Use Nopalea to detoxify
• Create a nutrient base with Healthy Aging supplements:
  • VitaDaily AM/PM
  • Sublingual B-12
  • Vital C
  • OmegaPrime
• Use Adaptogen 10 Plus to thwart stress
• Use the Quick-Relief System for acute injuries, Nopalea and OptimaFlex for chronic injuries

Please note that Weekly Wellness Report topics will be chosen at the discretion of Brazos Minshew and based on general relevance
© 2009 TriVita, Inc.

Toxins: A Major Source of Inflammation

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 OmegaPrime; at least two capsules per day helps you resist fat-so

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA, and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
© 2009 TriVita, Inc.

Inflammation and Autoimmune Diseases

We are a people on fire!

Less than a hundred years ago the common health challenges we faced were infections. With the discovery of pathogenic bacteria and the advent of proper hygiene, death from these problems became less common. Inflammation has become the new epicenter of disease, disability and death.

Inflammation and the immune system
Our immune system uses heat to destroy invading bacteria. A specialized cell called a macrophage douses the invader with inflammatory enzymes (like acids) and the heat generated in this battle destroys the invading bacteria.

Sometimes our own healthy cells become the focus for disease. This often happens because of toxic exposure. When we eat, drink or breathe a toxin, or if it is absorbed through our skin, our detoxification system works to remove it before the poison can compromise our health. Unfortunately, many of today’s poisons are simply too strong and they overwhelm our detoxification system and enter healthy cells. These cells now become the target of disease, infection and inflammation. Our immune system must treat them as hostile and use heat to destroy them.

Autoimmune diseases arise when our immune system becomes so overworked that it can no longer tell the difference between healthy cells and sick cells. It attacks all cells of a particular type equally. This body system is never able to heal and chronic inflammation sets in.

The weakest link
A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. You are only as healthy as your weakest body system. How robust you are depends mostly on lifestyle choices, somewhat on your environment and a little on your genetics.

When a toxin overwhelms your detoxification process it will likely settle in your weakest system. The immune system melts these polluted cells in an effort to save healthy cells. This is acute inflammation. With chronic toxicity comes the opportunity for chronic inflammation. In the case of chronic inflammation, the immune system attacks any sick cell as well as any healthy cell that looks like the sick one. If the immune system attacks connective tissue we say a person has lupus. If it attacks the beta cells of the pancreas we say they have type 1 diabetes. If it attacks the joints we say they have rheumatoid arthritis.

These are only a few of the more than 200 autoimmune diseases. Yet they all share one common attribute: inflammation.

Putting the fire out
Inflammation arises because of:

• Toxins
• Injuries
• Emotional distress
• Nutrient deficiency

We simply must reduce our toxic exposure to reduce the chances of developing an autoimmune disorder. And we must also develop emotional coping strategies and have all of the nutrients we need in our body in the right quantity – every moment of every day. These are the first steps to reducing inflammation.

We can directly douse the fire with anti-inflammatory Betalains such as those found in TriVita's Nopalea. A Betalain is a protein-antioxidant complex found in certain plants grown in hot climates. The hotter the climate, the more Betalains the plant needs to survive and the more we can benefit.

Nutrient strategies
According to most authorities, everyone needs to be taking a multiple vitamin and mineral supplement every day. This is even more important for people trying to tame their immune system in an autoimmune flare-up. We also need to eat foods rich in Omega-3 fatty acids and take Omega EFA supplements. These fats not only reduce inflammation but they also make your immune system work smarter, not harder. Antioxidants are critical to putting out the fire of inflammation. Betalain “protein-antioxidants” are extremely powerful anti-inflammatory nutrients. Finally, Vitamin B-12 and adaptogens form a bulwark against the blues and physical stress.

We are a nation on fire. This is at the heart of the near epidemic of autoimmune disorders we are facing. Strategies of nutrients and nurturing will help us fight inflammation and help us with what we do best: heal!

Take Control of Your Health

• Remove household cleaners from your living space
• Keep clear of chemicals such as fertilizers and pesticides
• Select certified organic foods when possible
• Take a multiple vitamin/mineral supplement
• Eat foods rich in Omega-3 fatty acids
  • Salmon, tuna, herring and other fatty fish
  • Walnuts (especially English walnuts)
• Take an Omega EFA supplement
• Help your body reduce inflammation with Betalains found in Nopalea
• Protect yourself from emotional distress with B-12 and adaptogensThese statements have not been evaluated by the FDA, and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA, and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

© 2009 TriVita, Inc.