The Red or the Blue Pill? Awaking to the truth that not all supplements are created equal

(RenYou) So you have taken that vitamin C tablet to boost your immunity and added a probiotic to lessen your digestive discomfort.  But very little or nothing has happened!  Your immunity is still weak and that bloat and indigestion have not abandoned your midsection.  And so your faith in the natural health approach may have been lost forever.  What your physician has been telling you all along turned out to be true, you think to yourself.  "You don't need supplements and multivitamins," you remember him/her preaching.  "When you have a headache just take pharmaceutical painkillers.  When you have high cholesterol levels take statins (which are cholesterol lowering drugs).  When your face breaks out with acne, just lather it with a facial cream made out from petrochemicals and you'll be just fine!"

Well, if this has ever happened to you then this article was simply written to restore your faith in natural healing.  Fact is, supplements could play an integral role in fortifying your health and alleviating many of today's diseases and conditions.  Certainly, relying on supplements alone while maintaining lousy and unhealthy lifestyle habits would not yield the desired results… hence the name, SUPPLEMENTS!  Supplements do not neutralize the effects of ongoing unhealthy habits.  What they do, however, is help in cleaning up the mess and improving conditions when you finally decide to fix your lifestyle habits and food choices.  And so this is the first point to keep in mind: Supplements are not magic pills. They only help when they are part of a holistic approach to healing.

The second element to keep in mind when it comes to supplements is that they weren’t all created equal.  Of the thousands of supplement brands out there, only a handful have passed the strict standards that I have set for the supplements I would use myself and even give to my 85-year-old grandmother.  Not all companies apply stringent quality control in terms of using only the best ingredients and following strict safety measures to rule out potentially dangerous contaminants.  There are so many issues that could make the difference between a supplement that works safely and effectively and another that creates more harm than good.  Here’s one way I like to look at it: We’re all well aware that all cars have four wheels and they all take us from point A to point B.  But we also know that a Rolls Royce is very different from a Fiat.  There is no room for comparison here.  The same principle applies to the realm of supplements – a vitamin C capsule from a certain brand could be completely and totally different from a vitamin C from another brand.    

You will be constantly reading about my take on the various supplement brands that I highly recommend.  I will be even reviewing specific products and sharing with you my thoughts on their level of effectiveness, mode of use and several other important variables.  While we’re on the topic, I am pleased to announce that RenYou is now an affiliate of Life Extension – one of the largest anti-aging organizations and makers of high grade natural supplements and vitamins.  Stay tuned for constant updates on the latest breakthroughs in the realm of natural supplements.   

Until then, remember the next time you go supplement shopping (or browsing) to ask yourself this very simple question, "Am I shopping for a 'Rolls Royce' or a 'Fiat' today?" 

 

Richard Labaki 

Adaptogens: the rise of the mighty stress busters

 

(RenYou) I am writing this blog post under the baking sun of the Indian Ocean.  Waves expanding and receding continuously a few inches away from my feet; the sounds are so soothing that I would not mind frying here all day.  But being a man of conscience, I feel guilty for enjoying such a euphoric experience on this secluded tropical beach as you all toil, sweat and feel trapped behind your desk job all day – only to get stuck for hours in traffic on your way back home.  While you worry about mounting bills, tight deadlines and other regular stressors of modern life, I sit here worrying about getting the right tone of tan.  I truly wish I could invite you all here, but unfortunately I cannot.  Plus, you wouldn’t even be able to locate the remote island that I am on right now.  Yes, life is a....

Disregard the aforementioned paragraph – it is anything but the truth.  Fact is I am still here in the real world, struggling and dealing with daily stress just like everyone else.  However, I am constantly doing my best to keep my stress levels in check.  Why?  The answer is too long to be addressed in a single article (I will be elaborating more in future blog posts.)  But for now, let’s just say that stress has a detrimental impact on your overall well-being, life span and physical looks.  Highly stressed people have shorter life spans, poorer health and a serious inability to manage their body weight.  Plus, wrinkles thrive in stressed out people.  Don’t shoot the messenger; I am simply stating facts uncovered by scientific research and observation. 

And so one of the tactics I employ to better deal with overall stress is through using a certain class of herbs/roots known by the scientific community as adaptogens.  In simple terms, what these therapeutic powerhouses do is empower and bolster your body.  You become more adept at handling stressful situations; your body would be more able to withstand the daily assaults.  In other words, while you cannot stop the enemy (stress) from besieging your fortress (body), you can at least fortify it and make it stronger.  And adaptogens play an integral role in your quest to ward off the attacks of stress.

When your body produces high levels of the stress hormone cortisol, and over an extended period, many health issues begin to arise.  Poor mental capacities, blood sugar imbalances, decreased bone density and muscle tissue, higher blood pressure, poor immunity and increased abdominal fat are just some of the implications.  And most adaptogens do a great job in regulating cortisol. 

Some of my favorite herbs/roots belonging to this class include Ashwagandha, Rhodiola Rosea, Panax Ginseng, Holy Basil and others.  Each one has its unique way of bringing balance to the body and making it stronger.  I have personally used and experimented with adaptogens, and I have recommended them to clients who were utterly stressed.  Results were nothing short of promising. 

In upcoming blog posts, I will be tackling each one of these amazing herbs/roots.  So stay tuned.  And drop me a line if you have any remarks or questions.

 

Richard Labaki

 

Disclaimer: Just because they were invented by Mother Nature does not mean that herbs and roots could be used by anyone.  Always consult with a specialist before use, as there are restrictions and guidelines: interactions with certain medications, allergies, pregnancy, lactation and others.