As we enter
the 21st century, it would seem that we would see a decrease
in the number of diseases with all of the advancements in the
medical field which include cutting edge diagnostic approaches
and treatments that prolong life. What we are observing, however,
is that many individuals are afflicted with diseases at ages
typically thought to be associated with old age. It is not uncommon
to see individuals in their twenties, thirties and forties with
heart disease, cancer, diabetes, strokes and obesity. These
are only a few of the chronic degenerative diseases that are
leading people to an early grave. Other disease processes include
osteoporosis, arthritis and Alzheimer’s disease. In this day
and age, we can probably name someone who we personally know
whose lives have been forever changed as a result of one or
more of these health issues. What is so sad about this reality
is that many of us believe that we have no choice but to accept
sickness and disease, and this is so far from the truth. In
the remainder of this page, I will explore this topic in depth
and provide insight into the contemporary thinking on “the path
to optimal health and wellness”. Topics to be covered are as
follows:
Diet and Disease: A documented
connection
 According
to the World Cancer Report as published by the World Health
Organization (WHO), “The Western lifestyle is characterized
by a highly caloric diet, rich in fat, refined carbohydrates
and animal protein, combined with low physical activity, resulting
in an overall energy imbalance. It is associated with
a multitude of disease conditions, including obesity, diabetes,
cardiovascular disease, arterial hypertension and cancer”.
For example, although the statistics change slightly from year
to year, the most recent data for the US indicates that
60% of the adult population and 25% of the children are either
overweight or obese.
Another sad state of affairs is that most of us have become
so busy with life that many times a home cooked meal rarely
occurs in many households in the United States. Americans
have resorted to consuming fast foods and highly processed
foods in the way of boxed dinners, thus not eating foods with
high nutritional quality. Additionally, even the meals consumed
at the finer restaurants are loaded with fat and sodium, and
the portion sizes are much too large, all of which has contributed
to the obesity epidemic.
Free Radicals and Oxidative
Stress
The human body is a magnificent creation that is made up of
trillions of cells. These cells must be continually replaced
and removed due to the aging process as well as the resultant
impact of our exposure to toxins. It has been determined that
our environment is much more toxic than most of us realize.
In fact, leading scientists have calculated that we are exposed
to more toxins in 15 minutes than our great-grandparents were
exposed to in a lifetime. This is a very alarming statistic.
Toxins and environmental poisons are present in the air we
breathe, the foods we eat, and the water we drink. These factors
lead to the creation of “free radicals”, something that many
have heard of, but which only a few truly understand. The
main takeaway here is that, unless neutralized, “free
radicals” can cause severe and permanent to even
our healthiest cells.
The damage described above is referred to as “oxidation”.
Areas of the body that have been hit hard by free radical
damage undergo a process that is referred to as “oxidative
stress”. It is not really important to understand the specific
process and meaning of oxidative stress, however, it is important
to know is that several of the top medical journals (including
the New England Journal of Medicine) have reported “beyond
any doubt” that the root cause of over 70 chronic degenerative
diseases is Oxidative Stress. If we are going
to make any significant strides in achieving optimal health
and wellness, we must focus not only on the treatment of a
disease once it has manifested itself, but on the avoidance
of disease as well. To accomplish this, it is critical that
we implement lifestyle changes that give us the best opportunity
to prevent disease. These lifestyle changes include exercise,
avoidance of toxins, reduction of stress and good
nutrition.
The Case for Nutritional Supplementation
 In medical school, I was taught that a proper diet could supply
all of the vitamins and minerals that were needed and that nutritional
supplementation was not necessary. Read on to find out the latest thinking
on this.
The quality and nutritional value of the foods that we eat has been significantly
compromised by many different factors. For example, crops are typically
grown in nutritionally depleted soil, fruits and vegetables are frequently
picked too early and then shipped long distances and toxic sprays and
chemicals are sprayed on crops to prevent insect damage. All of these
realities have a negative impact upon the nutritional content that we
get from food alone.
 The
bottom line is that we need nutritional supplementation.
Further, we must become educated about what we can do to implement
healthy lifestyles into our daily regimens, and it is obvious
that it is nearly impossible to meet our nutritional requirements
by diet alone. Recent documentation published by The
Health Awareness Foundation stated that in a large 26,000
person study it was concluded that “not one person
received the nutritional requirements set forth by the RDA”
(Recommended Daily Allowance). The publication goes on to
establish that 96% of the US population dies of a disease,
and that we are NOT getting proper nutrition.
Nonetheless, old beliefs die slowly so the archaic argument
(this is what I was taught in medical school) that suggests
that a person can get all of the necessary vitamins and minerals
needed by diet alone is still hanging on in some circles,
but barely. The medical community has been somewhat divided
in the past on this issue, but recently the American
Medical Association (a very conservative organization),
released a very strong statement that says, “Insufficient
vitamin intake is apparently a cause of chronic diseases…
Most people do not consume an optimal amount of all vitamins
by diet alone. Pending strong evidence of effectiveness from
randomized trials, it appears prudent for all adults to take
vitamin supplements.”
It is important to note that quality counts in a big
way and all nutritional supplements are not
the same. Some, actually a few, are manufactured to high stands
of quality and follow pharmaeceutical-grade manufacturing
standards, while others follow the minimum standards prescribed
by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). These standards
are geared towards food products and don't set the bar very
high for nutritional supplements. The bottom line is that
you need to take good quality supplements because cheap nutritional
supplements won't get the job done in most cases.
The Next Trillion Dollar Industry
An alarming 1.3 trillion dollars per year is spent on health
care in the United States. Most of these dollars are mostly spent on
diagnosing and treating diseases and sustaining life, and are NOT focused
on wellness and disease prevention. I believe, however, that most of
us would like to achieve a state of wellness and a good quality of life.
It has been said that we are “living too short, and we are dying too
long”. Chronic diseases can render a person to the point of just merely
existing.
As people are becoming more educated and more concerned about achieving
optimal health and wellness, spending on wellness products and services
is booming. I believe this boom is happening because people are “sick
and tired of being sick and tired”. In fact, the “Wellness” Industry is
forecasted to be the next “trillion dollar (per year) industry” by the
year 2010. These dollars are focused on disease prevention and will be
spent on goods and services that enable individuals to look better, feel
better and live longer healthier lives. Don’t you want to make a difference
in your life and get control of your health and your financial future
by tapping into the next trillion dollar industry? The business opportunity
that we are offering can do just that for you!
Your Next Step: Capitalize on
the trend
Many of the wealthiest people in the world acquired their
wealth by tapping into an industry that became a part of the
next trend. For example, the Ford Family made their fortune
by capitalizing on the industrial revolution. Microsoft and
Bill Gates made their fortunes by capitalizing on the information
technology revolution. For once, don’t you want to financially
benefit from the next “big thing”. If
you are interested in getting more information on how you
can capitalize on the wellness “revolution” and get on the
road to optimal health and financial independence, I invite
you to take the first step by clicking
here. You will be directed to a page where our simple
5 step approach is provided and the next step will be up to
you.
If, however, you are uncertain about the business opportunity
but you are ready to take action to achieve optimal health
by getting information about our wellness
and weight management products and services,
then
click here to provide us with your contact information
and we will rush you some valuable information right away.
And if you are really concerned about your health and would
prefer to have a free 15 minute wellness consultation with
me, please check the box for a free wellness consultation
on the contact information page and I will personally contact
you within 24 – 48 hours. Please be sure to leave the best
time to reach you.
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