My last post  Nutritional Supplements – Going Going GONE  contained a article by Byron Richards which sums up perfectly the shocking plans of the FDA to destroy the supplement industry.

I hope all Americans who read it let their voices be heard by using the link at the end of that article to visit the ‘Take Action’ page on the wellness resources site and follow the instruction there.

It’s important to keep all American supplement consumers informed and up to date with this story and keep encouraging more and more people to contact both the FDA and their senators and voice their strong disapproval.

Today I’m reprinting an article from the Mercola.com website which discusses this story in further detail and also contains a link to another ‘Take Action’ site put up by the Alliance for Natural Health

FDA Set To Ban Your Supplements

Tuesday, September 13, 2011  -  Dr. Mercola

The FDA has issued a proposed mandate that represents the greatest threat to dietary supplements since 1994. Back in the early 1990s, consumers were so alarmed by FDA bullying that they staged a massive revolt. The result was that Congress passed a law prohibiting the FDA from banning popular nutrients (as the agency had threatened to do).

There was, however, a loophole in the 1994 law. The FDA was given authority to regulate ingredients introduced after October 15, 1994.

It has been 17 years, but the FDA just issued draconian proposals as to how it intends to regulate what it now calls “new dietary ingredients”. You can find the FDA Draft Guidance on New Dietary Ingredients (NDI’s) here. If implemented, some of the most effective nutrients you are taking will be removed from the market. This includes many fish oil formulas and natural plant extracts. A detailed analysis of the FDA Draft Guidance is available here.

These oppressive rules are exactly what the 1994 law (DSHEA) sought to prevent. The FDA is using its authority in direct violation of Congressional intent.

In order for these ingredients you are using today to return to the market, the FDA will require manufacturers to conduct outrageously expensive studies using absurdly high doses, in some situations multiplied by a “safety factor” up to 2,000-times the recommended dosage on a per product basis.

The FDA defines dietary supplements as being “new” if they were introduced after October 15, 1994. That means that even certain nutrients that have been safely used over the course of three decades will be subject to the FDA’s oppressive policies that mandate costly animal testing.

The FDA Views Supplements in Same Light as Synthetic Food Preservatives

According to the new guidelines, the FDA believes that “new dietary supplements” must be regulated similarly to synthetic food preservatives. The FDA guidelines have modeled the outrageous safety thresholds after those in place for food additives. This appears to be in direct violation of DSHEA, the law enacted in 1994 to protect consumer access to dietary supplements, which classifies dietary supplements as foods, not food additives.

The FDA proposes that new dietary supplement ingredients should adhere to aggressive safety margins, which are typically reserved for chemical compounds known to be dangerous in all but the most miniscule concentrations.

Since food additives or preservatives such as aspartame, monosodium glutamate, and sodium nitrate are known to cause cancer or other severe health problems, the FDA has implemented safety guidelines which limit allowable concentrations of these food additives to levels that are supposed to be physiologically inert.

The fact that the FDA is trying to impose the same limits upon dietary supplements seems to be arbitrary and completely unfounded. In fact, when someone takes a dietary supplement, their intent is to positively affect the structure or function of their bodies in some way – limiting dosages of dietary supplements to physiologically inert levels defeats the entire purpose of supplementation with health-sustaining nutrients.

The FDA’s new guidelines are so flawed that even nutrients shown to be completely safe in hundreds of human clinical studies would fail to accommodate the unreasonable safety margins.

To give you an example, each manufacturer of certain fish oils would have to conduct a one year study where animals would have to consume the human equivalent of 240,000 milligrams each day of fish oil.

Another option under the FDA’s proposed mandates is to conduct a 90-day, 1,000 – fold safety margin study in which two species of animals, one being non-rodent – likely young beagle dogs, will theoretically consume the equivalent of 2.4 million milligrams of fish oil daily. We know of virtually no species can tolerate this high dose, so by default, FDA guidelines will make it impossible for certain omega-3 supplements to be sold. (Note typical dose of EPA/DHA people take each day is around 2,400 mg—100 times less than what the FDA proposes must be tested.)

Since these are not patented drugs, no supplement maker will be able to afford these “safety” studies, which means that many of the nutrients you now purchase at low prices will convert into high-priced drugs.

Pharmaceutical Industry Profit Threatened By Low Cost Supplements

It appears that the FDA is claiming that dietary supplements are unsafe, and in order to “protect consumers” the agency must place a stranglehold on the dietary supplement industry by requesting exorbitant safety testing. These ludicrous safety thresholds are in excess of those required by pharmaceutical drugs despite studies showing supplements are far safer than drugs.

According to the 2001 report of the American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC), of the substances implicated in fatal poisonings in 2001, 84.6 percent were pharmaceutical drugs, with analgesics being implicated as the primary cause of death in 32 percent of fatalities or 341 deaths. This compares with 0.8 percent for all dietary supplements combined, even including substances such as dinitrophenol, a dangerous (and illegal) substance banned in 1938, as well as the central nervous system stimulant Ma Huang (Ephedra). Interestingly, the anti-asthma drug theophylline alone was responsible for 15 deaths, 66 percent more than all the available dietary supplements combined.

There is, however, a massive economic benefit for the drug industry if the proposed guidelines are enforced by the FDA. Health conscious Americans who properly supplement slash their risk of degenerative disease. The FDA’s new rules, if enacted, will force the price of many supplements to surge upwards, while removing many effective ones altogether. That means that more aging people will have to rely on side effect laden prescription drugs to treat the degenerative diseases they will contract because they will be denied access to health-promoting nutrients.

What You Can Do to Stop this Impending Carnage!

No one can sit on the sidelines with an emergency of this magnitude about to befall everyone who depends on dietary supplements. As citizens, we have the constitutional right to petition the government to redress our grievances. In this case, the FDA proposals pose a direct threat to our health and longevity.

We therefore have to take extraordinary measures to defend our right to continue using supplements that our very lives depend on, and to gain access to new natural ingredients that demonstrate efficacy in scientific studies.

I ask each one of you contact your representatives by following this link:

Contact your local representative now!  (Please use this link)

Recall how Consumers revolted back in 1994 and the result was a glorious victory over FDA tyranny!

Let your voice be heard by exercising your right to petition the government against these serious violations of the law and scientific principle.   Please be sure to call, fax, or send a certified letter to your representative – emails can be easily dismissed.

Here is a set of talking points for your consideration:

• My name is [Name] and I am a constituent of [Congress Member’s name].

• I am very concerned about the new FDA draft guidance on dietary supplements and new dietary ingredients.

• I request that Congress hold hearings and take action to review the FDA’s draft guidance and stop their overreach of power.

• The FDA’s draft guidance flies in the face of the original congressional intent of the Dietary Supplement Health Education Act: The guidance turns what was meant to be a simple notification system for new dietary ingredients into a preapproval scheme that Congress did not intend to create.

• Congress recognized that dietary supplements are natural ingredients and therefore inherently safer than drugs and chemical food ingredients. It did not intend that the FDA would have the power to approve or reject dietary supplements.

• The FDA’s draft guidance creates unnecessary regulations that limit my access to dietary supplements I rely on. The expensive and burdensome process will force between 20,000 and 42,000 dietary supplements to be removed from the market and will increase the cost of those supplements that remain.

• The draft guidance hurts our economy. Expert analyses show that this guidance will cause a total economic loss of $21.2 billion to $39.8 billion annually.

• Thank you for your time.

Tips:

• Be courteous and respectful.

• Keep your comments brief and focused on the facts.

• Always thank the staff member for their time taking your call.

SAMPLE LETTER TO CONGRESS:

The Honorable _________________________  Washington, DC

In direct violation of the law, the FDA is threatening to ban my access to new dietary supplements.

The FDA defines dietary supplements as being “new” if they were introduced after October 15, 1994. That means that nutrients that I have been safely using over the course of three decades will be subject to FDA’s oppressive policies that mandate costly animal testing, which translates into forced withdrawal from the market, and higher prices for me if the supplement is ever allowed to be sold again.

The Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 states that:

“The Federal Government should not take any actions to impose unreasonable regulatory barriers limiting or slowing the flow of safe products and accurate information to consumers.”

It says that Congress finds that:

“dietary supplements are safe within a broad range of intake, and safety problems with the supplements are relatively rare.”

And it says that:

“legislative action that protects the right of access of consumers to safe dietary supplements is necessary in order to promote wellness.”

 

This draft guidance does the exact opposite of what Congress intended. It imposes unreasonable barriers that limit and slow the flow of safe products and accurate information to consumers. I call upon Congress to:

1. Uphold the landmark legislation it passed seventeen years ago, and to direct the FDA to revise its New Dietary Ingredient draft guidelines to reflect DSHEA’s (and Congress’s) stated values and goals.

2. Vote against the newly introduced Dietary Supplement Labeling Act as this would give the FDA even greater arbitrary powers to remove safe dietary supplements from the market, and will profoundly impact this nation’s health in a negative way.

All of these proposals result in wasteful federal spending, while at the same time impose a massive new “regulatory tax” on consumers and the vitamin industry.

Kindly let me know what actions you are taking in response to the urgent issues raised in this letter.

Sincerely,
Name________________________________________
Address______________________________________
City______________________ST____ Zip___________

If you’re an avid consumer of nutritional supplements  then you’ve probably already heard at least something about the FDA’s  ongoing  quest to take over and essentially hand control of the entire nutritional supplements industry to the pharmaceutical companies.

In a nutshell the FDA is attempting to take away OUR RIGHT to choose and buy nutritional supplements and give complete control of the health of the population to Big Pharma.

Seven weeks ago the US  Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a long awaited draft set of guidelines for  New Dietary Ingredient Notifications (NDI’s).  This 35 page document is called  “Draft Guidance for Industry: Dietary Supplements: New Dietary Ingredient Notifications and Related Issues.”

Although this has been expected for some time now, the industry is up in arms and literally shell shocked by the scope of these changes which are being called a complete ‘game changer’  due to the effects they will have on supplement ingredients, products and companies.

Many, many. if not a large majority, of supplement companies will be forced out of business, an obvious follow on effect which many are calling the next step of the FDA to destroy the nutritional supplement industry and allow Big Pharma to step in and take control of vitamins, minerals herbs and all other natural substances.

Experts are predicting that the pharmaceutical companies will design synthetic versions of natural ingredients which,  of course, just happen to be exempt from these new proposed NDI regulations.

When this happens the prices of supplements produced by the pharmaceutical companies will sky-rocket as you will see from the example in the article below.

There is also a move by pharmaceutical companies to take effective natural ingredients that have been proven in the dietary supplement industry and start developing drugs from them.  If they do this then the FDA can deny any NDI application for that ingredient from a dietary supplement manufacturer even if that ingredient has been used for decades.

The ONLY WAY to thwart the FDA’s plans and retain our health freedom is to complain to lawmakers. If you sit back and do nothing we will all be at the mercy of the evil pharmaceutical companies who place corporate greed and profit far above human rights and our health.

I have included below an article by Byron Richards which discusses this topic in depth. He has included a link at the end where you can access a site to take action against this invasion of our health freedom.

If you value your right to choose and access nutritional supplements please use the link and exercise your rights

The FDA’s Scheme to Reclassify Nutrients as Drugs

Tuesday, August 02, 2011  -  Byron Richards, CCN

The FDA and Senator Durbin’s latest attack against the dietary supplement industry should leave consumers for natural health options at affordable prices up in arms. This attack will target some of the most popular and effective dietary supplements, removing them from the free market and placing them under control of large pharmaceutical companies. This move will drastically drive up the price of dietary supplements while severely limiting access to extremely safe and effective nutrients. For example, the GlaxoSmithKline prescription drug version of DHA fish oil (at a therapeutic dose) sells for $189 a month, whereas the equivalent, therapeutic amount of molecularly-distilled DHA sells for $35 a month in the dietary supplement marketplace. Proven to lower triglyceride levels at therapeutic amounts, it is not surprising that DHA is one of the first nutrients the FDA plans to go after. Other powerful nutrients, such as curcumin and resveratrol, are soon to follow.

This is the second article in what will be a series of articles on this critical topic. In my first article, “Senator Durbin & the FDA Viciously Attack Dietary Supplements,” I outlined the scope and nature of the attack and called readers to take action. And it is still critically important that you do take action, so please visit our new TAKE ACTION page immediately following reading this article.

The newly-proposed FDA regulations are complicated. We are just beginning to understand the full scope of their ploy. The FDA is hoping that the complexity of their regulations will confuse consumers so they do not understand the coming changes and resulting repercussions. It is my job to give you some concrete examples of how this will affect you.

It is not just DHA, curcumin and resveratrol that are slated for pharmaceutical industry takeover, hundreds of other nutrients and herbs are at risk. The unfortunate reality is if the FDA is allowed to carry out their illegal strategy then thousands of products currently on the market are likely to be deemed “misbranded drugs” and forced off the market under the FDA’s criminal campaign to wipe out an industry, and ultimately gain even greater power and profit.

The Pharmaceutical Industry’s Perfect Storm of Economic Collapse

Mapping the human genome was supposed to usher in the next generation of pharmaceutical “wonder” drugs. Scientists would identify a gene or set of genes causing each and every disease. New biotech drugs operating at the genetic level would fix the problems or compensate for them, ushering in “The Golden Age of Cures” and reaping huge 21st century profits for the pharmaceutical conglomerate.

This wishful thinking is not the case. Their first biotech drugs have caused more death and injury than benefit. At the same time, rapid advancements in tools to analyze gene function made it obvious that Mother Nature already provided a treasure trove of potential golden cures—natural, safe and effective substances already widely utilized in the dietary supplement industry.

Multiple circumstances threaten hundreds of billions in drug company profits. Their pipeline of new drugs with widespread consumer application is scant, as they gamble their future on dangerous biotech drugs with limited use.  Hundreds of their top-selling drugs are losing patent protection in the next few years, exposing them to generic competitors and massively driving down inflated profits. Widely-publicized adverse side effects and unnecessary deaths caused by many commonly-used pharmaceutical drugs have cast suspicion over their entire industry.

On the political front, Congress is looking for ways to control health care costs, even suggesting incentives for making people well—a far different tune than paying for lifetime drug prescriptions that seldom improve health. In fact, the gene science is actually proving that Western Medicine’s drugs are damaging the human genome and are a significant cause in the onset of many of the diseases of aging—the very diseases they are pretending to treat.

Pharmaceutical companies define their primary assets as patent-protected drugs, giving the drug 15 to 20 years of product sales with no competition. It is vital for them to figure out a strategy to turn dietary supplement ingredients, especially those that could be used for type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, depression, Alzheimer’s, and cancer treatment into drug company “assets,” eliminating from the free market many of the most helpful dietary supplement ingredients while drastically driving up prices for consumers.

The Poison-Dispensing Era of Western Medicine

Until the advent of the new gene-regulating drugs, virtually all medications worked on the principle of poisoning the function of a cell or enzyme system to hopefully produce a change that the doctor thinks “beneficial.” If taking a drug results in a better-looking blood sugar, blood pressure, or cholesterol number, then doctors automatically assume the person is healthier. Rather, health has nothing to do with it.  It is in the financial interests of drug companies to dispense more and more drugs, on an ongoing basis.

There is a night-and-day difference in quality of health between a person who has good numbers because they are healthy and a person who has reasonably-looking numbers because they are poisoned with drugs. Studies using high doses of metabolic and cardiovascular drugs to attempt to drive numbers down to the levels of healthy people invariably injure and even kill the participants—clearly failing to improve health quality and extend lifespan.

To make matters worse, the pharmaceutical industry fraudulently hides the actual risks of the drugs from both patients and doctors. This includes slanting, to blatantly falsifying, studies routinely published in medical journals and used for marketing, illegally promoting off-label use of drugs, using funding to bribe research universities to publish only favorable results and blacklisting researchers who refuse to accept, and paying influential doctors to present their data as independent research at medical meetings.

The scope and magnitude of the drug safety issue is a nightmare. In 2006 the Institute of Medicine (IOM) conducted interviews with FDA management and hundreds of FDA employees to ascertain issues leading to drug safety problems. Widespread conflict of interest and many other issues led IOM investigators to label FDA management as dysfunctional. Little has changed.

The Gene-Experimentation Era of Western Medicine

The human body is no slouch when it comes to elaborate complexity. It is often the case that the same exact gene signal is “good” or “bad” depending on the context in which it is activated. In fact, the same genes often behave differently in different areas of the body. Unlike earlier toxic drugs that force cell and enzyme behavior at a rather crude level, biotech drugs turn gene signals “on” or “off” at a powerfully fundamental level of cell function. Unfortunately for consumers, our understanding of genes is in its infancy.  There is daunting complexity in gene regulation, making use of any gene-regulating drug highly questionable.

One example of this problem involves diabetes drugs Avandia and Actos, which turn on the gene PPAR gamma. This gene signal helps to break down triglycerides. These drugs also stimulate the formation of new fat cells, which are more metabolically fit and therefore produce more adiponectin that stops insulin resistance. Thus, in theory, they are potentially great drugs for lowering triglycerides and benefiting people with type 2 diabetes. As these drugs became blockbusters it was soon observed that the patients taking them were experiencing devastating side effects. These drugs have no way to know the context in which they should be operating. They activate PPAR gamma in the wrong places, such as the heart, leading to a 40 percent increased risk for heart failure or heart attack. Additionally, inappropriate PPAR gamma activation in bones causes them to break more easily.

The FDA rushed these drugs to market despite the objections of its own safety supervisor who wanted to employ a black box warning for heart failure. In other words, the FDA knew about the risks but prevented the public from understanding them, and still allowed the drugs to go to market. This was a major scandal at the FDA. The FDA has finally restricted Avandia, but Actos remains available in full swing. Actos has recently been highly restricted in Europe, but in America, the FDA continues to drag its feet. This is likely because the FDA has mud on its face for approving these biotech nightmares in the first place and would rather consumers suffer injury and even die than look bad. The mainstream media fails to aggressively report on or investigate this tragic issue as they are large recipients of drug company advertising dollars.  Even when one of their own, Tim Russert, was likely killed by Avandia or Actos, they turned a blind eye.

 

DHA is a Superior and Intelligent Gene-Regulating Nutrient

The plot thickens. Nature’s nutrient DHA, typically in fish oil, is a powerful activator of PPAR gamma, helping to break down triglycerides as well as make new metabolically-fit fat cells that boost adiponectin and help fight type 2 diabetes—the exact objectives of Big Pharma’s Avandia and Actos. DHA is a near-miracle nutrient for the heart and overall cardiovascular health and also supports strong bones. It has all of the benefits of Avandia and Actos and none of the side effects.

And this is why Big Pharma is so interested in taking over many dietary supplement ingredients. The nutrients know how to work in harmony with gene function in the human body, since nutrition was a key part of human evolution. These nutrients appear to have inherent intelligence that no drug could possibly have. They understand the context of the gene signal and thus support the beneficial gene activity. They know how to behave differently in different areas of the body to promote healthy function at every turn.

Under the FDA’s new draft guidance that redefines the 1994 Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA), the FDA targets many nutrients for elimination from the market, and DHA is one of them. DHA is a component of fish oil, which is a pre-DSHEA nutrient. This means that it should be grandfathered in and not subjected to the newly-published New Dietary Ingredient (NDI) guidelines.

Various companies have been able to concentrate the DHA as well as remove toxins from the oil, enabling consumers to take higher amounts of the most important ingredient in fish oil. Consumers can now easily and safely reach doses of DHA that are consistent with studies showing extreme health benefit. Such doses of DHA are known to be safe, have been tested in clinical trials sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and are consistent with the amounts consumed by people who regularly eat fish.

The FDA’s point man on NDI guidance issues, Daniel Fabricant, has been telling the supplement industry what to expect. In a recent webinar  he was asked, “Should it be necessary to submit an NDI notification over a small change in the ratios of the long chain omega-3 fatty acids EPAto DHA in one fish oil supplement versus another? Is this really a big safety issue?”  Shockingly, Fabricant responded “If it is a different ingredient, a different chemical entity, then it should trigger an NDI notification.”

Fabricant is saying that any modification of basic fish oil should trigger an NDI notification. This is utter nonsense, but it is exactly what the FDA is attempting to do. What Fabricant did not bother to say to the supplement industry webinar audience was that an NDI application for modified fish oil would be denied, since GlaxoSmithKline already has a fish oil prescription drug on the market called Lovaza. Again, shocking.

Yes, the new guidance document makes it clear that if an existing drug contains any form of the nutrient DHA, a NDI will not be allowed (section IV.C.8-11). In other words, if modified DHA did not require an NDI notification, it qualified as a grandfathered nutrient, an obvious part of fish oil. But if the FDA decides that the newly manufactured form of the nutrient, in this case DHA, is different than its typical concentration in food, it can require that nutrient to have an NDI notification. By retroactively applying this definition to nutrients that compete with drug applications, that nutrient will automatically be denied NDI status. As of now, this is the intended fate of DHA. It is gravely unfortunate, as DHA is one of the most beneficial and effective nutrients offered by the dietary supplement industry.

This is a blatant power play to hand the entire high-grade DHA market to GlaxoSmithKline, one of the largest drug companies in the world. Lovaza already costs five to seven times what a similar amount of high-grade DHA costs—imagine how high their price will go up when there is no competition.

The Rise of Epigenetics

The new frontier of science is the field of epigenetics. A true genetic change means there is a change in the DNA sequence. Epigenetics explains factors that are not such DNA changes. Rather, epigenetic changes relate to how genes are expressed. Some are set in response to early environmental influences such as prenatal malnutrition or nutrient deficiency.  As cells split and divide, however, epigenetic factors play a large role in determining life-long human health and are strongly linked to poor health and the onset of disease. Epigenetic weaknesses magnify during aging and are major factors in the cause of cancer, heart disease, neurological and cognitive disorders, obesity, diabetes, infertility and sexual dysfunction.

This new science is finding that when toxins interfere with the human genome, they can cause lasting damage in the form of adverse epigenetic changes which can occur at any point in one’s life. This is not simply an issue of pollution. Researchers are now demonstrating that regular use of many drugs can cause adverse toxic epigenetic changes, a finding that has alarming implications for today’s medical practices. Up to this point in time, drug safety has not involved studying the impact of any drug on epigenetics.  Science now has the ability to see what is going on in this realm. The pharmaceutical industry and the FDA, unsurprisingly, have no interest in understanding and considering this new, ground-breaking information as the public would significantly reduce their intake of drugs.

On the hand, research on dietary ingredients is showing them to be powerful regulators of epigenetics and some show extreme promise for helping to treat metabolic disease and even cancer. Nutrients are showing that they possess “intelligence” and are able to tell the difference between a stressed and struggling cell (one with epigenetic weaknesses) and a cell with cancer. In the case of the stressed cell, the nutrients can fix it. In the case of the cancerous cell, the exact same nutrient can actually help kill the cancer without any adverse side effects—even overcoming mechanisms that make cancer resistant to drug treatments. Two of the very best nutrients in this category are curcumin and resveratrol, making them potential prizes for the pharmaceutical industry.

As I reported in my recent article,  “Curcumin Helps Change Gene Function to Combat Cancer,”  curcumin and resveratrol are under extensive genetic study at the MD Anderson Cancer Center. Regarding cancer, these researchers are at the forefront of all things drug and biotech. The last commissioner of the FDA, Andrew von Eschenbach, was in charge at the MD Anderson Cancer Center before joining the FDA.  Researchers at the MD Anderson Cancer Center are practically drooling over the virtues of curcumin and resveratrol. Some quotes from their recent study include the following:

Recently, natural compounds, such as curcumin, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), and resveratrol, have been shown to alter epigenetic mechanisms, which may lead to increased sensitivity of cancer cells to conventional agents and thus inhibition of tumor growth. Curcumin (diferuloylmethane), a yellow spice and the active component of the perennial herb Curcuma longa, commonly known as turmeric, is one of the most powerful and promising chemo-preventive and anticancer agents, and epidemiological evidence demonstrates that people who incorporate high doses of this spice in their diets have a lower incidence of cancer. Furthermore, epidemiological evidence exists indicating that there is a correlation between increased dietary intake of antioxidants and a lower incidence of morbidity and mortality…. How curcumin exerts its powerful anticancer activities has been thoroughly investigated, and several mechanisms of action have been discovered…. curcumin exerts its biological activities through epigenetic modulation.

Extensive research over the past five decades has indicated that curcumin reduces blood cholesterol levels; prevents low-density lipoprotein oxidation; inhibits platelet aggregation; suppresses thrombosis and myocardial infarction; suppresses symptoms associated with type II diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and Alzheimer disease; inhibits HIV replication; suppresses tumor formation; enhances wound healing; protects against liver injury; increases bile secretion; protects against cataract formation; and protects against pulmonary toxicity and fibrosis. These divergent effects of curcumin seem to depend on its pleiotropic molecular effects, including the regulation of signal transduction pathways, and direct modulation of several enzymatic activities. Most of these signaling cascades lead to the activation of transcription factors.

Interest in the effects of dietary compounds such as resveratrol which activate class III HDACs (sirtuins) is growing rapidly because of their demonstrable role in extending lifespan and in reducing, or delaying, age-related diseases including cancers…. Resveratrol, a natural compound found in the skin of red grapes and a constituent of red wine, is believed to play a significant role in the reduction of cardiovascular events.  Multiple studies have shown that resveratrol can activate sirtuin 1 (SIRT1), a histone deacetylase, and inhibit p300. Sirtuins, the class III HDACs, are widely distributed and have been shown to regulate a variety of physiopathologic processes, such as inflammation, cellular senescence and aging, cellular apoptosis and proliferation, differentiation, metabolism, stem cell pluri-potency, and cell cycle regulation.

Experimental evidence accumulated in the recent years clearly supports the idea that dietary nutraceuticals such as curcumin have great potential as epigenetic agents.

These researchers go on to cite all of the human safety and efficacy trials with curcumin, resveratrol and many other natural substances.

This is not dietary supplement companies extolling the virtues of these powerful nutrients. These are mainstream drug development researchers, stunned by the ability of nutrients to regulate epigenetics to support health and at the same time combat diseases that plague large numbers of people. The inherent capacity of these nutrients outshines that of any drug.

There should be no question in anyone’s mind as to why the pharmaceutical industry wants to claim these powerful nutrients as patent-protected drug assets. The question is more about how they plan to pull off this major scheme, this heist, from the dietary supplement industry.

Curcumin (tumeric) has been around for thousands of years and is consumed in very large amounts in Eastern and Middle Eastern cultures. This means the basic spice is protected by DSHEA. Unfortunately, curcumin has relatively poor bioavailability and raw material companies have sought to produce purified extracts with advanced production technology and combine curcumin with other nutrients such as piperine, which can elevate the biological activity up to 2,000 percent. Researchers at MD Anderson Cancer Center have conducted cancer research specifically with one such curcumin product, made by Sabinsa, and found it very promising.

Under the proposed FDA guidelines for NDIs, such curcumin extracts would retroactively become NDIs as they were not available prior to 1994. The immediate impact would be the removal of curcumin from the dietary supplement market while submitting an NDI application. Sabinsa, however, has already been granted several investigational new drug applications for their curcumin complex as they work with researchers at MD Anderson Cancer Center. Under the new FDA guidelines the net result would be eliminating all high grade curcumin extracts from the dietary supplement market, as no NDI will be granted for any ingredient that is under investigation as a new drug. Sabinsa, a dietary supplement raw material supplier, will be able to sell its rights to its curcumin compound to the highest pharmaceutical bidder while all other competing curcumin extracts, including Sabinsa’s product, will be forced off the dietary supplement market.

It is a similar story for resveratrol, which is also under investigation as a new drug. In fact, numerous highly-effective and therapeutic extracts will be targeted in this way by the pharmaceutical industry. The FDA has a glaring conflict of interest and can easily approve investigational new drug applications for any nutrient of interest to the pharmaceutical cartel, automatically blocking them from entry or existence in a competitive dietary supplement marketplace. Dietary supplement companies could spend millions trying to get the FDA to pass a NDI application. The FDA just sits on the NDI application, to ultimately approve the nutrient as an investigational new drug and deny the dietary supplement company’s NDI application.

Consumer options for therapeutic nutrition will rapidly dwindle. What is left on the market will be far more expensive and many nutrients will no longer be available without prescription. Once the pharmaceutical industry gains control of the nutrient, the new price will be ten to fifty times what consumers pay now.

A Call for Consumer Action

The most important force capable of preventing skyrocketing prices and the elimination of therapeutic nutrition from the dietary supplement marketplace is you, the consumer.  If you wait to act until the products actually begin to disappear, it could be too late. Act now and help preserve your right to a wide range of these powerful and valuable dietary supplement ingredients and products at affordable prices. Say NO to the FDA’s illegal strategy to help drug companies take over the dietary supplement industry.

Go to our  TAKE ACTION  page and, please, let your voice be heard.

Take Action!

I’m new to your site and trying to examine a product I purchased for my fibromyalgia. It is Source Natural’s ‘Fibro-Response’ with Malic Acid and MSM.

I usually never buy before researching but guess I had a “stupid” moment and did so—-but I want to know more about its contents before I start taking it.

It is so difficult to ascertain whether a vitamin/herb/supplement is a quality product.

I have used vitamins/supplements for many of my 62 years and I sure do need a product for my fibromyalgia and my arthritis.

Thank you in advance for your assistance.

Hello Maggie,

Thanks for contacting me with your question. With respect to your Fibromyalgia firstly let me congratulate you on your desire to include an all natural (non-pharmaceutical) approach to your treatment. I’m assuming from this that chronic pain/tender points are not a major symptom for you and I certainly hope that this is the case.

Since you haven’t supplied any details about the exact nature and severity of your symptoms, my initial advice would be to take a more comprehensive multi faceted approach aimed at addressing the (suspected) root causes rather than just trying to suppress/manage the symptoms. Fibromyalgia, as you would know, is a complex chronic syndrome for which the exact causes are simply not known or understood at this point. Medical researchers however tend to have a general ‘genetic’ predisposition that it is likely caused and triggered (made worse) by several factors acting together rather than one isolated underlying factor.

Non pharmaceutical treatment options for FM encompass nutrition, relaxation techniques, and exercise. Looking at your nutritional intake is a great place to start and this is where the nutritional health supplements come in. It is always recommended that FM patients have an optimal dietary regime, fluid intake, and whatever exercise is within their means. Also, to strictly limit the amount of sugar, caffeine, and alcohol they use (as these have been shown to irritate muscles and stress body systems).

You asked about the ‘supplement quality issue’ and I can tell you that although Source Naturals Supplements are of very high quality, I would not recommend their ‘Fibro-Response’ supplement you bought , very simply because the formula is nowhere near comprehensive enough. In order to address the root causes of FM (whatever they may be) you need a much broader spectrum of general and specialized nutrients on a daily basis which overall target every single organ and system in your body including your brain.

The supplement which I do want to recommend to you is called ‘Total Balance’ (in your case the Women’s ‘Premium’ version). This supplement formula contains 91 ingredients, many of which are highly specialized nutrients not found in any other health/vitamin supplements (due to their cost and need to be protected by an enteric coating on the tablet to bypass the stomach and release them in the upper intestine). SAMe (S-Adenosylmethionine), L -Carnosine and L-Glutathione (low molecular weight) are good examples of these highly specialized/highly effective nutrients.

Maggie, this Total Balance supplement I’m recommending to you is an elite grade specialty supplement for very health conscious people who want superior nutritional support to protect the health of their DNA, normalize their aging process and avoid all those 21st century influenced (and preventable) degenerative diseases which are effecting people at younger and younger ages these days. Most Importantly this formula contains ingredients from ALL the various nutrients classes (which is important in your case). It covers these nutrients categories:-

If you can afford a full daily dose of the Total Balance Women’s Premium version then this is what I recommend. If not then use whatever your budget allows.

Now, because FM affects the nervous system, I recommend that in conjunction with the Total Balance you also use another supplement called ‘Neuro Natural’. The ‘General’ version is the one to get (unless you’re having severe bouts in which case the Neuro Natural ‘Memory’ version would be better).

Omega 3 fish oil is also a key part of a highly efficious nutritional intake so if your budget allows please add in 1000mg of Omega 3 oil each day.
Maggie – just to let you know, Total Balance is the only supplement I trust for my own health and I have been using it as the foundation of my own personal supplement regime for the past 10 years. My entire family, including my mother and father, use it.

You also mentioned having Arthritis (unfortunately, a common condition with FM patients). So I’d like to tell you about a supplement called ‘Arthrit-Eze’ (also from the Xtend-Life company in New Zealand). It is, in my opinion, the most advanced all natural arthritis formula in the market (31 ingredients). This supplement was formulated to specifically treat the ROOT CAUSES of Arthritis and this is why I recommend to people with Arthritis.

The truth is that virtually all Arthritis formulas in the supplement industry only aim at suppressing symptoms, simply because they do not have enough specialized ingredients to go after the root causes of the condition.

My father had arthritis in his fingers and so I got him onto Arthrit-Eze. After 3 months he was able to stop using it as his pain and stiffness had gone. This was a fast and excellent result for him.

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MAGGIE, I’ve prepared these links for you and they will take you to the product pages for the supplements I’ve recommended (and to some pages on my website where more product info can be found):

Total Balance product info

Detailed Review of Total Balance

Neuro Natural “General’ version

Omega 3 DHA Fish Oil

Omega 3 DHA Fish Oil – what to look for in the best oils

Arthrit-Eze Product Info

I have been reading with interest your information on Olive Leaf Extract.

My interest stems from recovery from minor heart surgery for 2 stents to be implanted.

The doctors are treating me with aspirin 300mg, Plavix and 10 mg Crestor. I am about to be given medication to lower blood pressure.

As your article mentioned some conflict with antibiotics, will Olive Leaf Extract interfere with the above medication?

In addition my wife has an under performing Thyroid for which she has medication. You mention great results when taken for the immune system how will it play in this situation?

I look forward to your response

Cheers

Hello Tony

Tony, there are no direct interactions with Olive leaf and Plavix, Crestor or Aspirin (You didn’t mention the names of the hypertensive drugs, the doctors were planning to give you so I cannot answer on that).

If you are taking a multi ingredient health/vitamin supplement containing Olive Leaf Extract, then providing you are taking it in correct dosage (as prescribed by the manufacturer) and away from any pharmaceutical medication, there should be no problems. (This should be the protocol for any natural supplement).

If used on its own, Olive leaf extract is only a temporary aid, not a long-term aid.

Therefore, for your condition, the best benefits over the longer term will come from a specific natural supplement regime (rather than purely pharmaceutical).

Firstly, I would recommend Cardio-Klenz - a sophisticated supplement for the heart and arteries. The formula directly targets the circulatory system (arteries and veins). It was formulated to specifically:

>> Break down the plaque in arteries gradually and dispose of it
>> Reduce aggregation of platelets in the blood
>> Smooth the interior of the arteries to improve blood flow
>> Stabilize blood pressure
>> Increase antioxidant protection (to inhibit free radical damage)
>> Reduce calcium build up
>> Decrease homocysteine toxicity
>> Balance LDL and triglyceride levels
>> Increase circulatory strength and heart muscle function

My mother has hypertension and has been using this Cardio-Klenz supplement for the past year with very good results. She has been able to significantly reduce her blood pressure medication as a result. I personally use it myself once a year for about 5-6 months straight as an annual spring clean for my arteries.

This link will take you to the product page where you can read more about it:

Cardio-Klenz product info

Secondly, for general good health I recommend a highly advanced multi nutrient supplement called: Total Balance – it’s formula targets all organs and systems in the body. This supplement is the cornerstone of my own supplement regime (and that of my whole family).

My mother (who has just turned 80) has been on Total Balance for 3 years now and during that time she has been able to drop all her pharmaceutical medications except for a small dose of blood pressure meds.

I have used Total Balance myself for going on 8 years and I have no health problems whatsoever nor have I been sick for even one day in those 8 years. The immunity benefits I receive from it are fantastic!

Tony, if you have already read through a number of the pages in my website you would have seen the great extent I have gone to to explain the Total Balance formula to mu readers  and the reasons why it out-performs all other supplements out there.

Did you see any of the health/vitamin supplement comparisons on my site? They show the industry’s (so-called) best multi nutrient health and vitamin supplements pitted side by side with Total Balance in easy to understand and completely transparent terms – along with separate detailed reviews.

Best vitamin supplement comparisons

The premium versions of Total Balance have 97 ingredients. I recommend you take the Men’s premium version  if financially you can, (take a half or three quarter dose if you need to reduce the expense- that’s what my mother does).  Both the mens and womens versions contain 50 mg of (standardized) Olive Leaf Extract (for general health purposes).

Here’s a link to the Total Balance product pages if you would like to read up on it and I’ve included some links so that you can compare the benefits, costs and ingredients between the Premium and Standard versions:

Mens Premium Version (The one I use)

Women’s Premium Version

Men’s Standard Version

Women’s Standard Version

Compare benefits and costs

Compare Ingredients

Thirdly Tony, I recommend you take the Omega 3/DHA supplement – a supplement every health conscious person should be taking for good general health but in your case the emphasis is on the heart benefits derived from the fish oil.

There are many omega 3/fish oil products available but this one is far more advanced. Use the link just below to open the Omega 3/DHA Buyers guide (a pdf format file) which explains why the Omega3 Premium Fish Oil supplement from the Xtend-life Company in New Zealand is exceptionally more beneficial than the other Omega/Fish oil supplements in the market.

This is a functional Premium Grade completely PURE oil which is manufactured in a sophisticated way to give far greater anti-inflammatory benefits than other oils as well as containing two very powerful specialty nutrients – Lyc-O-Mato® (a complex lycopene extract from tomato oil) and Natural Astaxanthin which allow the oil to also target your skin from the inside (as in ‘de-aging’ your skin). Since I use this oil myself I can vouch for it potency and ability to do what it promises

Omega 3 Premium Oil- Product Info

Omega 3/ DHA  Buyers Guide

These three supplements represent a very good regime for the purpose of helping with general and specifically in your case, cardio health.

Tony, if you wish to start such a longer-term (helpful) natural supplement protocol, using the supplements I have recommended, you would need to begin at a low dose, away from your meds, and build up gradually to a full dose, (again away from your meds at each dose), and monitored by your doctor as you discuss potentially weaning yourself slowly and gradually down on your pharmaceutical medications.

In addition I want to stress the need for an optimal dietary regime, fluid intake, and whatever exercise is within your means, (supervised where applicable).

If you want any further help with this, especially where the drugs are concerned and the transition to a natural supplement protocol/approach to your health-care, I would need to get more info from you: Blood pressure medication, current condition severity and status, any blood results you currently have, for example, would all be helpful.

I have spoken with the Medical Nutritionist at the Xtend-Life company (the manufacturer of the above supplements) and she would be happy to advise you further if you would like to supply more information. She is based in the UK and I would put you in-touch with her via email.

With regard to your wife, I would recommend Total Balance (Womens Premium) and Omega 3 Premium Fish Oil rather than just taking Olive Leaf Extract in isolation, as these s2 supplements in combination are helpful for the thyroid – they help to balance the body systems, including hormonal. (Again take the supplements away from any pharmaceutical medication, preferably by 2-3 hours, or as near as to this time line as possible).

With more info (blood results, symptoms, severity of condition, etc) I may be able to offer further advice for your wife’s condition.

To Good Health Tony

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I’ve been taking Total Balance Men’s version from Xtend-Life for two months along with Cardio-Klenz.
One side effect I noticed was constipation… I do not take any other medication (never did in my life) and I am 72.

My wife ordered Total Balance for women a month ago, along with Viral-Protec. A few days after starting using the products, she had constipation too (she is 66)… Like me, she avoids all type of medication.

This is a strange coincidence, isn’t it? Constipation has never been a concern to us before!
Searching reviews about Total Balance, I found your nutritional-supplement-truths.com website.
I did not find any side effect such as constipation.

My wife and I do not understand what is going on and worry about this problem. Any idea or suggestion?

Response From Brett:

Hello Jack

I know that this isn’t a usual problem with Total Balance or Cardio-Klenz but I have heard about others experiencing it on occasion – including my mother a few years back.

What I tend to find is that constipation occurs when people’s systems are adjusting if their diet and fluid intake isn’t usually optimal. Total Balance is formulated to be used ‘ in addition to an improved dietary regime, increased pure fluid intake, and regular exercise daily”. This all helps the digestive system to adjust.

Total Balance also helps to eliminate some toxins initially that may have laid dormant in the system for some time. This is another cause and what is known as the toxin release or commonly “detox”. This could also be a part of what is happening here with you and your wife.

So here is what I recommend you do. Stop the supplement(s) for a day or two, until problems disappear, at the same time concentrate diligently on a good dietary regime – based on raw/steamed vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, fish, whole grains (in moderation), etc; increase your pure fluid intake (water, vegetable juicing, greens and others: 2+ liters per day, or as near as possible, daily), and whatever daily exercise you can regularly do to keep oxygenated. Then, restart the supplements again at a one tablet of each after a few days, and gradually increase this one by one until you’ve reached full dose (or the dose you want) again without any adverse effects.

In addition to this, upon rising in the morning, before doing anything else, drink 2 large glasses of room temp water, with added lemon juice to taste: STRAIGHT DOWN ( before anything else). This in itself is helpful for relieving constipation as well as cleansing the liver and digestive process before it has to begin for the day!

Jack this is the same advice I give to anyone who experiences gastric complaints after starting on Total Balance. It is a very sophisticated supplement which provides your body with a full spectrum of highly effective nutrients – targeting all organs and systems in the body (including the brain). This protocol has worked for everyone who I recommended it to – including my mother.

Here’s to great health Jack!

And here’s some links to anyone interested in reading up on Total Balance:

Men’s Premium Version   (the one I take)

Women’s Premium Version   (my mum and sister use this version)

Men’s standard Version   (my uncle)

Women’s Standard Version   (my Aunt)

Children’s Version   (my niece and nephew use this one)

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]]> http://blog.nutritional-supplement-truths.com/nutritional-supplement-side-effects/feed/ 9 http://blog.nutritional-supplement-truths.com/nutritional-supplement-help-with-pancreatic-cancer/ http://blog.nutritional-supplement-truths.com/nutritional-supplement-help-with-pancreatic-cancer/#comments Thu, 27 Aug 2009 17:29:44 +0000 Brett http://blog.nutritional-supplement-truths.com/?p=79 Question: From Olivier

My mother has pancreatic cancer. I have found a product that is a mix of minerals that I believe can heal my mother (at least 2 people with pancreatic cancer healed with it).
It is at: http://www.healthhouse.co.nz/CAA%20capsule%20ingredients.html

Now, I dont want to debate that part. I believe it can heal. That’s it. That’s not my issue.

The problem is, they have refined the product (capsule) over the years, and sadly, they have added vitamins. And synthetic vitamins (anything beside real food) have been proven to accelerate pancreatic cancer/tumors.

So my dilemma is I would like to have that supplement, but without all the vitamins. Just the minerals, which they list with the exact quantity – in a sort of custom pill, or at least a pill/source of each and have my mother take those together, for the same effect – just without the fr–ing ‘killing’ vitamins.
And I would want those minerals to be the chelated as natural as possible.

Can you please please tell me if its possible and sources where to get individual ingredients, or have them put together?

Please help me. My mother is all I have.

Thanks so much, for whatever honest answers you will give me.

Best regards
Olivier

Response From Brett:

Hello Olivier

Im very sorry to hear about your mum’s cancer and also for the long delay in replying to your question. Because of the nature of this question I wanted to run my answer by a highly qualified clinical nutritionist friend of mine in the UK before replying to you (but she is extremely busy so I have only just heard back from her).

Olivier, you asked for my “honest answers” so let me begin by saying that I very much doubt that the CAA mix of minerals that you are talking about will heal your Mum. Since, however, you do believe that it can and you have heard of successful cases, I recommend you go and see a qualified Naturopath who maybe able to give you the individual ingredients (in a chelated form for increased bioavailability) if he/she can source them directly from a supplement wholesaler (having them chelated will push the price right up!)

Certainly your mother needs hands-on help, as there is alot of investigation and hands-on examination that really needs to be done in these kinds of cases.

Again, I want to give you my honest opinion and say that the CAA supplement mix you are asking about (even with the vitamins taken away) is an ordinary and quite basic supplement. It is nothing special for pancreatic cancer or pancreatitis.

If your concern is the nature of the (synthetic) vitamins in that nutritional supplement, I would suggest perhaps forgetting that CAA ingredient mix and instead take a look at Total Balance Women’s Premium version – a specialty multi nutrient health supplement .

This is the supplement I use and from the hundreds of supplement reviews I’ve done it is by far the best health supplement available both in terms of efficacy and value for money.

I am not recommending Total Balance to you just because it is what I use or to make commission but rather because I have the considerable experience to know that it is the best recommendation I can possibly make for you mum. Total Balance contains all ingredients in the CAA supplement, but at better doses, and is combined with many other speciality nutrients (over 90 ingredients all up) , and all these are all totally natural, nothing synthetic, (This appears to be your main concern, right?)

I would suggest the  Omega 3 / DHA supplement from the same company (xtend-life). It is an extremely superior Omega 3 esterfied oil (see the ‘Omega 3 Buyers Guide’ pdf file which I have attached above to understand why it is superior). I recommend a high daily dose of at least 4 of the Omega 3/ DHA capsules to help with your mum’s overall health ( in the same way that the CAA supplement would do).

Moreover, you could also give your mum Viral-Protec to help further stimulate her immune system to try to fight infection. This may be additionally helpful.

If your mum is on any medications I would need to know what these are in order to confirm the dosage and safety of all of the above supplement recommendations. This is very important.

If you like, you can also give her additional herbal extracts to try to help cleanse the pancreas, such as cedar berries and echinacea, gentian root, for example. Dandelion root is also helpful to stimulate bile production and improve the health of the pancreas overall.

Proper diet and increased pure fluids, are all essential to this condition as I’m sure you are aware.

Hopefully this overall general health approach may bring your mum some improvement. Obviously I cannot guarantee that it will solve the actual cancer problem itself. I’m sure you know by now that once taken hold, pancreatic cancer is extremely tough to deal with.

Lastly, I’d like to tell you that there is no scientific comment or evidence that I know of that states that vitamins (or minerals), synthetic or otherwise, induce or accelerate pancreatic cancer/tumors, or indeed other types of cancer.

I believe your are referring to specifically synthetic chemical versions of ingredients, and not the natural type which are used in Total Balance and Viral Protec. I think that is perhaps where confusion lays.

Truly synthetic vitamins are definitely not good for the system, and although I know of no specific evidence that relates to pancreatic cancer, it is certainly possible that they could be more detrimental than helpful to health.

I hope this helps Olivier.

All the best to you and your mum

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I have severe bacterial dysbiosis  in my small intestine. I’ve had to use natural anti-microbials because the bad bacteria is antibiotic-resistant. I’ve been using grapefruit seed extract and berberine for 2+ weeks.

However, because the grapefruit seed extract hurts my stomach I’ve had to have it enteric-coated by a compounding pharmacist, and it costs LOTS! And because I haven’t had any “die-off” I’m worried that the enteric coating is somehow keeping the GSE from getting to the bad guys, if they are high up in my duodenum. I know that this enteric coating disintegrates within 20 minutes of hitting an active alkaline environment however, I’m not getting any “die-off,” at all. (Maybe GSE doesn’t create die-off?)

I have a couple of questions:

1)  Do you know if small intestinal fermentation dysbiosis occurs high-up in the duodenum, or in the jejunum? Because I want my enteric-coated GSE to be disintegrating wherever the bacteria is located. On one of your web pages, you said that certain ingredients including some herbal extracts “should” be enteric-coated, but I’m worried that mine isn’t getting into where it should be.

2)  Do you know of any better natural anti-microbials for bad bacteria (including Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella, plus more)? I can’t take garlic, because it’s a thiol and chelates Hg.

Thank you very much, Brett.

Response From Brett:

Hi Bernice

First of all, please understand that grape seed extract isn’t a sole cure on its own for IBS or anything related to this type of digestive condition. It is helpful as an aid, but shouldn’t just be relied on solely for cure. It’s also important to know that die-off isn’t always experienced outwardly, depending on the severity of the condition.

The condition can effect any part of the small or large intestine, but even enteric coated products would disintegrate accordingly and via the bloodstream would get to the appropriate place, so I don’t think this is a concern.

The best course of action which I recommend is to consider taking a cutting edge broad spectrum nutritional health supplement such as  Total Balance Women’s Premium version (which contains 50 mg of standardized Grape Seed Extract amongst it’s 90 + ingredients).

In addition take xtend-life’s Omega 3/DHA supplement (high DHA content!!) at 4-5 caps per day – as a good start to help balance your digestive system fully.

Additionally, taking Aloe Vera (orally) twice a day could help further. And intermittent courses of acidophilus and bifidus probiotics to help balance out the bacterial levels. Along with this start, ensure that your diet is optimal and your fluid intake is high. This all helps.

Bernice, monitor your levels and stages and I can help adjust any regimes as they progress if you wish to update me, in case anything else can be added, depending on the severity and stubbornness of the condition.

I hope this helps initially.

Brett

You are promoting the Total Balance multi nutrient health supplement so I have a question. Why doesn’t the manufacturer, Xtend-Life, release their COA’s for Total Balance to prove that all the ingredients are truly there in the claimed amounts?

Response From Brett:

Hi Gene

I contacted the xtend-life company about your question.

They said that they cannot release their Certificates Of Analysis (COA’s) publicly but if you are in New Zealand and visit their company they will show you all the COA’s.

Follow Up Comment from Gene

Hi Brett

It sounds like Xtend Life has got something to hide. Other nutritional health supplement manufacturers, Source naturals for one, has a COA in each bottle of supplements!

Follow Up Response from Brett

I think that there could be a misunderstanding here. So, I wanted to write to you again and find out exactly what you are asking for . I am still making inquiries for you with the Xtend-life company but they have asked me to clarify whether you are asking for a COA for the finished product or a COA for each individual ingredient?

Xtend-Life can certainly provide a COA for each finished batch of Total Balance. But if you are asking for a COA of each individual ingredient in the formula that would be a different story as some of that info is proprietary.

I am sure no manufacturer would release their COA’s for each individual ingredient- and I’m very sure that the Source Naturals COA you referred to is in fact a COA for their finished batch.  Xtend-Life goes to a lot of trouble and huge expense to get the right fractions and specs of each raw ingredient. This is particularly critical for the herbal ingredients. They are completely open about their formulas but if they were to hand over the COA’s for each ingredient they would in fact be handing over their entire formula to their competitors. No leading company would do that (and for multi ingredient nutritional health supplement formulas that would be a ton of paperwork).

Xtend-Life has Prof. Dr. Munem Daoud PhD; MSc; ND. heading up their R & D and product formulation. He is a world renowned bio scientist and is one of the few individuals working in the supplement industry which has both pharmaceutical and natural substance backgrounds at the highest levels. This allows him to formulate more effective natural supplement formulations that his contemporaries cannot. His credentials, affiliations, awards, patents and experience are highly impressive when you see them all.

Xtend-Life are happy for someone to visit their facilities and we will show them the COA’s for each specific raw ingredient but not give out a copy.

Gene, can you kindly let me know whether you were asking about the COA for the finished product or all the COA’s for each ingredient?

Best of Health Always

Follow Up Response from Gene

Hi Brett

Total Balance Men’s Premium version for example. Dosage is 7 tablets per day. After the batch is mixed and pressed into tablets the bottle is labeled with the dosage for each ingredient. Do check this do they take 7 tablets and break them down and test the 7 tablets to find out that the 7 tablets are true to the label claims. In other words take the ingredient Chrysin, listed at 100mg.  A  C.O.A. would either confirm or deny that there is in fact 100mg of Chrysin in 7 tablets. Hope this helps you understand what I’m getting at.

Response From Warren Matthews – Chairman, Xtend-Life Company

Hi Gene,

Brett Seagrott has passed on your comments to me as he thought that it may be appropriate to do so.

I understand what you are saying and it is a valid question.

Most companies only do a microbiological test for each batch. We also do that but additionally we do one for heavy metals as well. I do not know of any company who does a full assay on a completed multi-ingredient tablet for each batch. It is just not economically viable. To give you an idea. We have around 85 ingredients in our Total Balance and to do an assay of the batch would cost US$35,000 each time, IF a protocol can be worked out to successfully do this.

This is the price we have had quoted by various laboratories including the NSF who we are working with on our US FDA GMP compliance program. The scientists at NSF have not as yet been able to come up with a protocol to achieve a reliable assay. The problem is Gene is that you have to liquefy some of the ingredients to do the assay. In the process of doing that the chemical composition changes. We are aware of that and this is what is supposed to happen. In other words we know that if you combine two or more ingredients and then liquefy them together the chemical composition of the mixed product will change. Bit, like mixing up colors in a paint.

So, the whole process is fraught with problems and the end result is not particularly reliable. It is easy for a simple multi vitamin or mineral but not for a complex product like Total Balance which has not only vitamins and minerals but also amino acids, herbals, enzymes and other specialty nutrients.

To further reinforce this point, a few years ago we approached Consumerlab.com with the objective of having them test our products. They admitted that they could not test all the ingredients and we would just have to select a number of ingredients that could be tested. There was no point in doing that. If we were dishonest we could just make sure that those ingredients that were to be tested were present and basically put in anything for the rest.

In order to keep our products as fresh as possible we do small regular batches…generally around 1,600 bottles at a time. So, if we were to do an assay on each batch (if it could be done) it would add almost US$22 of cost per bottle which would be unacceptable to most of our customers.

Some companies make a big thing about having their products approved by a 3rd party such as Consumerlab, but it really doesn’t mean much simply because the test only applies to one batch a year and they may do 12 batches per year, and it rarely covers all ingredients unless it is a simple product with only a few ingredients.

The FDA and all regulatory bodies recognize the practical difficulties and indeed the impossibility of doing a complete assay on all ingredients. It is for this reason why GMP programs provide for the proof of ingredient input to be quantified by input. In other words having a manufacturing process in which there can be no mistakes and no deviations and everything is cross referenced. This is what we do and why we welcome anyone visiting our factory to observe the processes after which their minds are fully at rest.

I hope that this helps answer your question.

Cheers,

Warren

PS. I can assure you that the Chrysin and everything else on the label is present.   I rely on the TB Men’s Premium myself for my own continuing good health.

Could you please give me your thoughts on Wild Yam. I have been told by several female friends that it is an excellent natural alternative for helping with menstrual complications. But when I did some internet searches I came across only negative statements/studies.

Thanks

Response From Brett:

Hi Megan

Thanks for your question. I know I have written about this before but haven’t been able to locate that reader’s question.

Anyway, I know what you mean! The wild yam content you would have come across is typical of what’s happening on the web nowadays. Unqualified people posting content on which they have no idea whether it is factual, incomplete or predominantly wrong. These people are simply doing internet searches themselves and then copying/re-wording the mistakes of other unqualified website authors.

Wild Yam is an extremely useful medicinal herb for women! It is a precursor (to human sex hormones) able to help with menstrual cramps/pain, hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms.

Much of the negative content you probably came across about Wild Yam’s oestrogenic effects is quite misleading (clinical studies for traditional Wild Yam are difficult to come across outside of a laboratory conversion.)

I did some searches to see what came up on the first page of results and it was the usual statements suggesting that Wild Yam (botanical name =’Dioscorea’, active component =’diosgenin’) does not produce the medicinal effects claimed. This is because natural diosgenin from Wild Yam root and the form of alternative progesterone hormone which is synthesized by diosgenin in the lab are completely different! IE. Your body cannot convert natural diosgenin without synthesis in a lab.

Well Megan, while this is actually correct it is NOT the whole story and therefore it is misleading.

Although the same hormonal effects have not been proven in natural Wild Yam due to this claim of non-conversion in the body, the natural hormonal precursors present in Wild Yam do have similar effects to the diosgenin used in laboratory conversion.

You see the negative studies currently available can actually be used as as positive studies (because of what they don’t tell you!) What I mean is in order that natural diosgenin can be converted scientifically to create alternative hormone, the precursors MUST be set in the natural Wild Yam in the first place for this to be able to happen!

The key is that the hormonal precursors naturally present in Wild Yam logically encourage the body to produce its own hormones rather than relying on the synthetic version (albeit from part natural origin) which although gives a finished product, encourages the body to be lazy in not producing its own hormones.

The precursors are the key in the natural product, PROMOTING NATURAL HORMONE PRODUCTION!

So, we can see that the negative studies out there are actually acting as underlying positive evidence in so far as the the proven ability to synthesize diosgenin supports that the natural precursors MUST be there in natural Wild Yam.

This is not an easy topic to explain Megan – I hope I have explained it in a way that you can understand.

Let’s not forget about the Wild Yam studies proving anti-inflammatory and anti-spasmodic properties. These also contribute to the health of the female reproductive organ!

Megan- at the very bottom of this post I have included a resource which I had on file which helps backup my explanation above. The part in question is highlighted in teal green under the section titled “Quoted references”.

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Megan, here’s a heads up for you. I review hundreds of supplements each year including the ‘so called’ market leaders.

You might be interested to know that the female premium version of the multi nutrient nutritional health supplement I use contains six natural hormonal balancing precursors including Wild Yam. You won’t find a stronger female support formulation out there!

It’s called TOTAL BALANCE

This formula targets EVERY organ and system in your body. In addition to being gender specific in order to address common health problems specific to each sex (like balancing the female hormonal cascade), it’s the ONLY supplement formula to date which can SLOW DOWN AND NORMALIZE YOUR AGING PROCESS BY PROPERLY ADDRESSING ALL FOUR OF THE PRIMARY CAUSES OF AGING:

Free Radicals

Glycation

Methylation

Inflammation

It uses a WHOPPING 97 INGREDIENTS in order to get the job done !!!!

My mum, dad, sister and I wouldn’t trust our health to any other supplement because quite simply there isn’t another supplement currently out there which takes on each part of the anti aging equation with the specialized nutrients required in addition to doing all the other ‘basics’ that a quality health/vitamin supplement should do.

Use this link if you want to read up on Total Balance. (PS. If you want to give extra nutritional support to your children’s development, I’m happy to tell you that Xtend-Life has JUST RELEASED a special Total Balance formula for children! (My 14 year old niece and 11 year old nephew are already using it!)

Total Balance Womens Premium version

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Good Health Always!

Quoted References

2. “These tubers have been used in some cultures as a coffee substitute. It helps support the spleen, lungs and kidneys. Dioscoreae contains up to thirteen percent diosgenin. Diosgenin has been processed and given to patients to relieve arthritis, asthma, eczema, regulate metabolism and control fertility. Diosgenin provides the steroid building blocks for developing human sex hormones and can be used for developing muscle mass and strength. It has been used for emotional instability, chronic cough, diarrhea, and diabetes.”

4. “Medicinal Action and Uses: Antispasmodic. Perhaps the best relief and promptest cure for bilious colic, especially helpful in the nausea of pregnant women. Valuable also in painful cholera morbus with cramps, neuralgic affections, spasmodic hiccough and spasmodic asthma.”

9. “Botanical name: Dioscorea oppositae Pharmaceutical name: Radix Dioscoreae Oppositae. English: Chinese Yam Root. Properties: sweet, neutral. Channels entered: Spleen, Lung, Kidney. Functions and clinical use: Tonifies and benefits the Spleen and Stomach: used in cases of Deficient Spleen or Stomach with such symptoms as diarrhea, fatigue, spontaneous sweating, and lack of appetite. Benefits the Lungs and nourishes the Kidneys: used for Wasting and Thirsting syndrome. Because this herb moistens and is neither hot nor cold, it benefits both the Yin and the Yang of the Lungs and Kidneys. It is also used for spermatorrhea, frequent urination, and leukorrhea.”

14. “Wild yam root has been used for hundreds of years to treat rheumatism and arthritis-like ailments. The discovery of steroidal glycosides (diosgenin) in the root validated this ancient practice. Most species of yams contain large amounts of plant steroids, primarily diosgenin, a saponin precursor in the synthesis of progesterone. Without the yams, the industrial complex would not be able to meet the worldwide demand for synthetic corticosteroids. But with them, scientists can derive animal or human steroids in a fairly straightforward multi step process. Wild yams are the only really good source of plant steroids for such purposes.

Diosgenin provides about 50 percent of the raw material for steroid synthesis. It must be emphasized that there is not an equivalency between diosgenin and human steroids. It takes many synthetic steps to get from one to the other. If yam has steroidal effects on the body, it is not because it contains steroidal hormones, but because the steroidal precursors have similar effects. The body does not recognize them or mistake them for its own hormones, but uses them in a similar manner.
Research has shown that yam, yam extract and/or diosgenin possess good to excellent anti-inflammatory action.

In one series of studies, yam was found to induce a short-lived decrease in blood pressure and an increase in coronary flow when injected intravenously into rabbits. Also in rabbits, the saponins of yam, fed orally, prevented large increases in blood cholesterol levels. The good therapeutic effect of dioscorea saponins on patients with atherosclerosis combined with hypertension was confirmed in Clinical practice.
The British Herbal Pharmacopoeia recognizes wild yam root as a spasmolytic, mild diaphoretic, anti-inflammatory, antirheumatic and cholagogue, for use in the treatment of intestinal colic, diverticulitis, rheumatoid arthritis, muscular rheumatism, cramps, intermittent claudication, cholecystitis, dysmenorrhea, and ovarian and uterine pain. Bilious colic and rheumatoid arthritis are specific indications for the use of yam.”

Point 14- website source: http://www.rain-tree.com/REFKEY.htm

Todays post about anti aging secrets with respect to nutritional health supplements is a very interesting one which I’m sure you’ll enjoy reading. You’re going to discover a number of ‘eye opening’ facts which most of you won’t have come across before.

These are facts which supplement manufacturers and companies definitely don’t want you to know because they reveal major weaknesses and limitations in their products when it comes to anti aging claims.

I’ve decided to split this topic up because it’s quite a complex one. To keep it ‘readable’ and not bombard you with too much technical detail in any one post I’ve divided it into 4 parts which will appear over the next 2 weeks.

Now, if you’re a regular subscriber you will have noticed I haven’t made a post for over 2 weeks. So, first up let me apologize for that.

I’m actually on vacation in Sydney so it’s hard to get ‘online time’ as per my normal schedule.

Additionally, my website nutritional-supplements-truths.com has recently begun to ‘boom’ and I’ve become inundated with reader questions like never before. There just doesn’t seem to be enough hours in the day to get everything done that needs doing.

Anyway, enough with the excuses, let’s start digging into those anti aging secrets!

ANTI AGING SECRETS – SOME YOU KNOW SOME YOU DON’T!

That word ‘anti aging’ has been bandied around in all the various media forms for years now. So much so that of late it has totally outgrown any ‘legitimate’ roots it originally had. Now we are faced with a literal tidal wave of products in the marketplace all promoting some form of ‘anti aging’ capacity.

From a business marketing point of view the term ‘anti aging’ is simply a connotation for looking and feeling younger in some way or to some degree and ‘anti aging’ has basically become nothing more than a valuable brand through which businesses can increase sales!

But, the misleading and deceptive marketing presentations of numerous ‘anti aging’ product manufacturers, not to mention outright fraudulent practices, seems to have reached no limits! That’s because of the enormous profits driven by the antiaging phenomena and these are of course an intrinsic result of people’s natural desire to look good and maintain their youth.

With nutritional science constantly evolving and promising ‘better and better’ results, people are spending increasing amounts of their disposable income in the hunt for stronger anti aging properties.

It’s clear to me thought that an increasing number of savvy health-conscious consumers are learning to no longer be sucked in by exaggerated ‘anti aging’ claims and to take them with a grain of salt. So the lingering question as to the ‘worthiness’ of anti aging products must then become one of degree.

To what degree are anti aging benefits obtainable from a given anti aging product’?

Let’s address that question from the point of view of nutritional health / vitamin supplements.

ANTI AGING SECRETS – NUTRITIONAL HEALTH SUPPLEMENTS

Can nutritional health supplements create significant anti aging benefits for the user?

From a nutritional science standpoint the answer is “yes!”

But do they?

For almost all supplements the answer is a definite “no!” (Note I said “almost”)

To understand why this is the case we first need to define ‘anti-aging’.

The term ‘Anti Aging’ has evolved to represent a number of different common meanings and connotations depending upon whether you’re dealing with the medical, scientific or business communities.

Nutritional health supplements of course define ‘anti aging’ purely from a business perspective and as such we need to address the following common product claims:

• Stopping your aging process

• Reversing your aging process or “turning back the clock”

• Slowing down / normalizing your aging process

I would be highly surprised to find anyone who honestly believes a nutritional supplement can actually “stop” the aging process despite this subtle connotation wafting out from cleverly put together marketing presentations by disreputable supplement companies.

Most supplement manufacturers however would definitely have you believe their supplements can turn back the clock making you look and feel (biologically) younger.

But the truth is that’s not possible. Well at least not yet!

When it comes to the word ‘reverse’ (certain) supplements can undo (to varying degrees) the effects of degenerative and age-related disease thus technically speaking making some people feel and look younger. This can to some be interpreted as an anti aging response.

The market’s best nutritional health / vitamin supplements are also believed to be able to improve damaged DNA. This goes far beyond their abilities to simply limit oxidative damage to DNA through the use of antioxidants. Here we are talking about actually repairing damage that has already occurred!

That’s what the leading industry experts are trying to do right now – find a way to clinically prove that their supplements actually do repair damaged DNA.

Assuming they can do this then at that point the “turning the clock back” claim will become valid.

But, as of right now, what are we left with?

• Slowing down and normalizing your aging process!

• Bringing it back more in tune with what nature originally intended!

This is what I believe is the appropriate anti aging definition in respect of nutritional health supplements.

It must also be remembered that anti aging is relative to the times we live in and the way in which we are now aging. In other words it is linked to 21 st century environmental, emotional and dietary/nutritional stressors which are currently impacting on our aging processes.

The bottom line here is that the daily effects of these stressors has resulted in a speeding up of the aging process for an overwhelming majority of the population. Premature aging if you prefer.

MOST PEOPLE ARE AGING WAY TOO QUICKLY – FAR FASTER THAN WHAT NATURE INTENDED!

This is clear with just a casual look at the ever increasing year on year stats for degenerative disease like diabetes, cancer, arthritis, Alzheimer’s, heart disease, stroke and so on. People are contracting these life-debilitating diseases at earlier and earlier ages.

How often do we now hear of people in their 40′s having had a heart attack!

ANTI AGING SECRETS – THE COMPONENTS OF AGING

To be capable of producing significant and effective anti aging effects which slow down and normalize aging, a nutritional vitamin supplement must address the primary causes of aging!

But….

This Is A Complex And Multi-Faceted Task!

Yet 99% of supplements, including virtually all the market’s leading, so-called ‘elite’ multi ingredient vitamin / health supplements address this task via ONE APPROACH ONLY – the reduction of free radicals through the use of antioxidants!

This is why they FAIL to make any real headway!

Anti Aging Can Only Be Successfully Accomplished By Targeting The Main Components Of Aging – Not Just One!

There are numerous causes attributed to aging but without doubt four of the primary and most important ones are:

• Free radicals

• Glycation

• Methylation

• Inflammation

So, that means your supplement must be capable of:

• Using Antioxidants to reduce and control your free radical production

• Preventing Glycation which leads to Age’s

• Balancing Methylation for Healthy DNA

• Reducing Chronic Inflammation which contributes to degeneration.

The critical aspect to understand here is that these critical components ARE ALL INTERDEPENDENT ON ONE ANOTHER!

Optimizing the normalization of your aging process means you must not short change yourself by excluding any one!

ANTI AGING SECRETS – REDUCING FREE RADICALS

Today I’ll concentrate on the free radical component of aging and then tackle the other components in parts 2, 3 and 4 of this anti aging secrets topic.

Just about every supplement consumer out there has heard of free radicals and antioxidants, right!

You probably know that antioxidants are like ‘superheroes’ for your health and that free radicals are really nasty, unstable molecules wandering around inside you which can cause you serious health problems.

Antioxidants have the ability to neutralize free radicals and so your body uses them to keep your free radical population to adequate levels and minimize the damage they cause.

If your free radical levels are in excess they will accelerate your aging and basically cause havoc to your health.

Here are just some of the diseases linked to excess free radicals:

• Various Cancers

• Arteriosclerosis, atherosclerosis

• Heart Disease

• Stroke

• Arthritis

• Diabetes

• Alzheimer’s

• Emphysema

• Ulcers

• Parkinson’s Disease

• Cataracts

• Senility

Now we come to ‘Oxidation’.

Picture an apple which you’ve taken a bite out of and left sitting for 20 minutes on the kitchen sink. The exposed inside part of the apple has turned brown right! This is an example of a process called oxidation (chemicals inside the apple have reacted with oxygen in the air) and this is what oxidation does on a molecular level!

So, what you need to know here is that oxidation creates those bad guys – free radicals!

And there’s oxidation going on inside you ALL THE TIME. Just the simple act of breathing in oxygen (respiration) creates oxidation which in turn creates free radicals. So, you can’t avoid oxidation nor the creation of those nasty free radicals, they are continuous and inescapable!

But not to worry because in controlled quantities free radicals are fine. They are in fact necessary in many of your metabolic processes. The bottom line is simply to ensure that oxidative stress and the production of free radicals do not increase to the point of over production!

Remember above I mentioned that environmental, societal and dietary/nutritional stressors are to blame for premature aging.

Things like smoking including second hand smoke, air pollution, electromagnetic radiation including sunlight and x-rays, stress, exercise, food additives, toxic chemicals, smoked and barbecued foods, lack of nutrients in our diet, pharmaceutical drugs, and even alcohol all create free radicals.

In the civilized world of today you are impacted by these factors every single day. You simply cannot escape them! Three or four decades ago things were significantly different. Food was not processed as it is today and it was far more nutritious with a much greater antioxidant content. Nor were people exposed to today’s ridiculous levels of pollution and toxins.

Faced with these dilemmas you need to take action to ensure you take in enough antioxidants to meet the double challenge of these destructive free radical promoters and an antioxidant depleted food chain!

Supplements are a popular and sensible choice of action!

ANTI AGING SECRETS – ANTIOXIDANT SUPPLEMENTATION

All nutritional health supplements tackle the free radical component of aging through the use of antioxidants.

In cheap and middle of the road supplements you will always find the well known vitamin antioxidants vitamins A, C, E and the trace mineral selenium, all of which are quite weak (and very cheap ingredients for manufacturers to use!)

The up-market multis do much better by using more powerful and expensive antioxidants like green tea, gingko biloba, alpha lipoic acid, lutein, bilberry and grape extract.

BUT NONE OF THESE CAN COMPARE TO AN EXCEPTIONALLY POTENT ANTIOXIDANT LIKE L-GLUTATHIONE!

Anti aging secrets No. 1:

L-Glutathione is an absolutely critical anti aging ingredient which you definitely want to see in your supplement!

But in 99% of supplements you won’t find it for 2 reasons!

Firstly, L-Glutathione needs to be in the ‘reduced’ form. This is a smaller molecular size because ‘normal’ L-Glutathione will not pass through the intestinal walls into the blood stream.

Due to the extreme price of reduced form L-Glutathione very few supplement companies can afford to include it. That’s because almost all supplements are made to a price!

Secondly, L-Glutathione must be protected as it passes through the stomach before being released in the upper intestine! This is the only place that L-Glutathione when taken orally can be effective.

This means that any supplement containing L-Glutathione needs to be ENTERIC COATED! This is a special aqueous coating which protects tablet ingredients from exposure to stomach acid and then harmlessly dissolves when the tablet reaches the alkaline environment of the upper intestine.

Once again due to price controls enteric coating is almost never used on multi ingredient vitamin health supplements. (The unique supplement I use is a rare exception).

Incredibly there are market leading health supplements out there which include L-Glutathione in the ‘normal’ form and without enteric coating.

This is a perfect example of how supplement companies, including the biggest and most well known ones, can deceive you and hide weaknesses in their products.

Of course L-Glutathione is not a miracle worker. It needs to be backed up by a wide range of other powerful antioxidants. The synergy created as these age defying nutrients interact together at the the molecular level create far more potent results in neutralizing more free radicals and bringing their production back more acceptable levels.

Here’s a list of the most potent antioxidants which you need backing up L-Glutathione in your supplement:

• N-Acetyl L-Cysteine
• Lutein
• Bilberry Extract
• L-Carnosine
• Green Tea Extract
• Grape Seed Extract
• Gingko Biloba
• Alpha Lipoic Acid

ANTI AGING SECRETS PART 1 – SUMMING UP

At the top of this article I said that while nutritional health supplements can create significant anti aging benefits, virtually all do not. Since they are made to a price the bio-chemists formulating them simply cannot include all the ingredients that they know should be there to get the job done properly.

Just look at what I’ve revealed for our first component of aging – free radical production!

Does your supplement contain L-Glutathione in the reduced form with an effective dose amount of at least 100 mg AND is it enteric coated? Does it contain every one or at least most of the key antioxidants listed above?

Unless your using the same supplement that I do then I know the answer is ‘no’.

Now, keep in mind that free radicals are ONLY ONE of the four primary causes of aging so there’s a lot more that a supplement has to tackle to truly address the anti aging issue and protect you from degenerative disease.

In my next 3 posts I’ll address the other 3 key components of aging:

• Glycation

• Methylation

• Inflammation

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P.S. If you’d like to read a review of the one of a kind nutritional health supplement I use, just follow this link, it’s called Total Balance

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