Blogging with Lee

Lasalocid - One More Reason Organic Is Imperative

As you may know, I've been working recently with Ori Hofmekler, author of The Warrior Diet and The Anti-Estrogenic Diet. Ori is a devout proponent of organic foods, arguing that we are just now beginning to see the negative consequences of modern farming and the use of pesticides, herbicides and drugs used in raising animals for meat.

As a result of our work, I've been doing a lot of research in to the agents being used to produce our foods, and I have to say it's rather alarming. In particular, I'm struck by news coming out of the UK about a toxic residue that's showing up in about 20 percent of eggs.

The chemical is called Lasalocid. It's an antibiotic drug that is added to chicken, turkey and other animal feed as a preventative against infection. Because it's incorporated directly into feed, it's difficult to monitor and control; so even though it's not approved for laying hens, it's showing up in eggs anyway.

What's so alarming about Lasalocid contamination? There's strong evidence that it can cause atrial fibrillation, a potentially dangerous malfunctioning of the heart. Cardiac specialists are now recommending that those with this condition and other cardiovascular concerns avoid chicken and eggs unless they are free-range.

Lasalocid is just one of hundreds of chemicals being added to our food supply without our knowledge. I've always been in favor of organic agriculture, but after researching things like Lasalocid I'm becoming downright militant in my support for the movement. So if you notice a trend toward organic here at Swanson, you'll understand why. It's not that we're just following a trend; we're making a real effort to improve the health, safety and quality of our lives, and yours.

PS: For the full story on the cardio-toxic effects of Lasalocid residues in chicken and poultry,click here or simply Google "Lasalocid atrial fibrillation".

R & D Update: Senior Muscle Retention

One of the cool things about writing this blog is that it gives me the opportunity to let you in on what's up-and-coming here at Swanson Health Products. It takes many, many months for new concepts to develop into full-fledged products and then to receive promotional space in our catalogs and online. By the time you see a new product introduction we've put hundreds of hours into it and we've already moved on to our next challenge.

Currently my team and I are working with Ori Hofmekler to develop a nutritional approach to a problem I've been concerned with for years--muscle retention. Remember Ori? I introduced him in an earlier blog post (scroll down to the July 23, 2008 entry). Ori is a physical trainer, nutrition expert and recognized authority on muscle development. Our product should be available early next year.

I'm concerned about muscle retention in seniors for a number or reasons. First of all, it's one of the first physical effects of aging and, once it begins, it influences an array of functions we wouldn't normally think are even related. For instance, with reduction in muscle mass comes reduction in aerobic activity, which translates very quickly into fatigue. So energy, endurance and muscle mass are inextricably linked.

And while loss of muscle mass is a natural part of aging (we lose anywhere from 0.5 to one percent per year after age 50 or so), new research suggests that this loss may actually trigger other processes we associate with aging. So if we can protect against the loss of muscle, if we can prolong our ability to retain as much as possible, perhaps we can protect against other negative effects of aging as well.

Evidence suggests that women have a harder time maintaining muscle mass, likely due in part to the hormonal changes associated with menopause. Ori has been instrumental in helping us understand this issue and develop an appropriate formula, as he has a deep knowledge of the relationships between our hormones and our body composition.

Almost all of the research in this area supports two primary recommendations: engage in regular resistance exercises (light work with weights) and increase the proportion of protein in the diet. There's not much we can do for you on the exercise side--it's up to you to work your muscles at least two to three times each week. But we can help you with the protein. The product we're working on is designed with proteins that are easy for the adult body to digest and use and that deliver the necessary profile of branched-chain amino acids our muscles must have to regenerate.

I know our senior muscle retention supplement will help us all as we strive to remain healthy and active as long as humanly possible, and I look forward to finalizing the formula and making it available to you. Meanwhile, take some advice from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota and simply do. This regional insurer has launched an excellent public health campaign with this two-letter title to promote one simple idea: "By grooving your body each day, you can improve your overall health and reduce your risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and other illnesses." Click the link to check it out, and don't miss the funny commercials in the multimedia section.

Something In The Water

I once had a business associate who did not particularly care for our hometown of Fargo. "There must be something in the water," he'd say gruffly when expressing his lack of appreciation for our hardworking citizens. Well, he was right: there is something in our water, traces of three pharmaceutical drugs to be precise. But who is he to talk? In the Washington, DC area where he lives, researchers found six drugs in the drinking water. And if you think that's bad, stay away from Philadelphia. Researchers there found traces of 56 pharmaceuticals in local water samples!

You've probably already seen the reports. MSNBC and CNN ran the story in heavy rotation last week. Every major newspaper placed the news prominently: according to a new nationwide survey, 46 million of us are exposed to pharmaceuticals in our drinking water every day.

It's certainly alarming and it's enough to compel anyone to avoid the tap in favor of bottled water; but that's not the solution. First, there's the environmental impact to consider (not to mention the biological impact of BPA and other components of plastic). Remember the push earlier this year to ban bottled water in order to reduce our carbon footprint? But there's another reason bottled water doesn't solve the drug-contamination issue: we don't know that it's any cleaner. Manufacturers aren't required to and thus do not test for pharmaceutical residues and the technology necessary to filter them out is cost-prohibitive on such a large scale. If you're drinking water sourced at the tap and not a natural spring (Dasani, Aquafina), there's no more guarantee of purity than if you filled the bottle from your kitchen sink.

So our water supply is tainted with drugs. Most bottled water is as well. How then do we obtain pure water? Personally, I use a reverse osmosis (RO) system in my home. RO is generally considered to be the best way to remove impurities, including pharmaceutical residues; but it has to be the right kind of RO system.

Typical RO systems pass water through a semipermeable membrane that filters out larger, heavier molecules. For effective removal of smaller impurities including residual pharmaceuticals, a second step is necessary. This involves passing the water through a secondary activated carbon filter, which traps the smaller molecules that make it through the RO filter. If you're going to use an RO system, make sure it includes a secondary carbon filter.

For a few hundred dollars you can protect your family with an RO system, but is that enough? If this issue concerns you--and experts agree it should--get involved. Many communities have a Clean Water Action group you can join, or you can join at the national level and start your own local committee. This grassroots organization has done a lot to protect our nation's waters since the early 70s. Also, contact your local agencies in charge of water, ask questions and let them know you're concerned. And finally, tell your representatives in local, state and national government that this issue is too important to be ignored. We now know there definitely is something in the water, and it's time we took action to address this growing threat to public health.

Could Your Toothbrush Be A Deadly Weapon?

This may seem like an odd topic, but bear with me. It occurred to me recently that we spend an awful lot of time worrying about the negative impact of big things we have little control over (will the LHC destroy civilization?!?) while ignoring the small things we can control. Sure, I understand the wisdom of the “don’t sweat the small stuff” message, but when it comes to our health, it’s often the “small stuff” that sneaks up and bites us in the . . .

So it happens that, while performing the perfunctory duty of daily dental care, I turned my attention to my toothbrush. It’s a great toothbrush. I love it. (You can get one just like it here.) But could this trusty tool of hygiene be harboring agents of destruction? I mean, what happens to all that junk it clears out of my oral cavity every morning? Could my seemingly friendly toothbrush be sneakily stashing bacteria for a later attack, a deviant dental deployment that would undermine all my good intentions?

Alliteration aside, it’s an issue worth writing about, so much so that a simple Google search for toothbrush bacteria turns up a whopping 461,000 results. A biochemist by the name of James Song has even written a book about it, suggesting that bacteria-laced toothbrushes could be a contributing factor to a wide range of health concerns most of which would never be considered as related to dental hygiene.

The website dentalresources.org lists five common microorganisms remaining on toothbrushes, all of which are alarming:

1. Mutans streptococcus - the main bacterium causing dental caries
2. Beta-hemolytic streptococcus - the main bacterium causing strep throat (pharyngotonsillitis)
3. Candida albicans - the main fungus causing thrush in babies
4. Coliform bacteria - these are found in the bathroom
5. Herpes simplex virus - they causes cold sores

So what can we do? First, the American Dental Association recommends changing toothbrushes every three months and immediately after an illness. Never share toothbrushes, of course, and store them away from other toothbrushes to prevent cross-contamination. Also, and this is something I personally had never considered, keep your toothbrush at least six feet away from your toilet (flushing can send bacteria spiraling into the air). And finally, the most practical advice I found is to disinfect your toothbrush by cleaning them in your dishwasher along with your eating utensil.

As I said, it’s an unusual topic and it might be “small stuff,” but I’d rather err on the side of caution to prevent the “big stuff” from robbing me of healthy years ahead.

Organic Virtues

As the debate over organic farming continues, with government and industry pushing the value of GMOs and the public questioning the safety of modern farming practices, the easiest way to contribute your voice is at your local supermarket. Your purchases reflect your position and, as the saying goes, money talks.

Grocers are hearing those voices. Even here in North Dakota, the organic options at our supermarkets are increasing rapidly and no longer end in the produce section. Organic dairy, meats and even prepared foods are as easy to come by as organic carrots. But is organic worth the additional cost?

I certainly think it is, and here’s why: your purchase makes a statement. Every dollar spent on organic foods is one more little “voice” telling the grocer that people want organic options. It’s our way to subtly influence policy from the grassroots up, and it’s working. The organic market is growing so rapidly to keep up with demand that we’re finally starting to see some reaction at the top (like Monsanto selling off their rBGH unit, for instance).

But why should you vote with your dollars in favor of organic? Because, regardless of oppositional arguments which tend to focus on world hunger and economics, organic foods are the right choice for our health and for the health of our planet. Whether or not organic foods contain more nutrients is not the issue; the fact that organic foods are produced without chemicals and GMOs is. And besides the potentially harmful affect these things have on our bodies, they also harm the land.

Choosing organic also supports small family farms and local agriculture, as most organic farms are less than 100 acres and are operated by owner-families or local co-ops. After decades of declining family farms at the hands of big corporate Ag conglomerates, organic offers an avenue for the return of an American tradition and an opportunity for rural populations to “take back the land.”

This, too, is an element of the organic movement that is having an impact at the top of the commercial level. As my friend Dr. Mercola recently reported, Wal-Mart announced in July that it will spend $400 million this year on locally-grown produce. It may not be all organic (although a majority of locally grown produce is), but it’s a step in the right direction and an important reflection of the strides that we as consumers are making toward influencing the market in a more healthy direction.

So let the politicians argue and watch as big industry struggles to adjust to changing demands while you surreptitiously vote organic with your grocery dollars. If the cashier asks why you’re smiling, tell her it’s good to fight for what’s right, even when you’re just buying dinner.

The Mathematics of Sugar and Obesity

I like to play with numbers. It’s something I’ve been doing since my youth. While some people can quote Shakespeare as if they wrote the lines themselves, I can perform complex equations almost instantaneously without ever putting pencil to paper. I’m not bragging; rather, I’m simply setting the context for the equation I’m about to share.

The other day I was talking with my friend and colleague Dr. Joseph Mercola when he told me that the latest statistics show per capita sugar consumption in the U.S. to be approximately 170 pounds per year. I did a bit of research and found that number to be quite accurate as a combined value for both sugar and high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). For the sake of this article, I’m going to wrap them together and call it sugar (after all, HFCS is just as troublesome as sugar itself).

Now, let’s break down the numbers and see what this potentially means to our weight, not to mention our health.

    One pound of sugar contains 1,860 calories.

    170 (pounds of sugar) x 1,860 (calories/pound) = 316, 200 calories.

    It takes 3,500 calories to add one pound of body weight. So . . .

    316,200 (calories) ÷ 3,500 (calories/pound) = 90 pounds.

90 pounds?! Is it any wonder we have an obesity epidemic? Now, I know that this is very reductionist and obviously we don’t keep all 316,200 calories, but even if we burn through two-thirds of those calories we’re still left with 30 pounds of unwanted weight.

It’s obvious that we need to reduce our intake of sugar and sweeteners like HFCS. But that does not mean you should turn to artificial sweeteners. They’re even more toxic and can be even more dangerous to our health. (See Dr. Mercola’s book Sweet Deception.)

So far, the best alternative I’ve found is xylitol, which is a sugar alcohol that is non-caloric and does not produce the biological responses that sugar does. But looking for alternatives, in this case, isn’t really the answer. I believe the answer lies in making conscious, healthy decisions every day. Thirsty? Don’t reach for that can of sugar-laden soda. Have a glass of water or some chilled green tea. Refrain from spiking your morning coffee with “white poison” and approach desserts with caution.

In less than 60 years we’ve almost doubled the amount of sugar we consume (statistical tracking began in 1950). We’re fatter, sicker and more fatigued than ever. It’s a sad state of affairs. And while my calculations offer a mere glimpse at the repercussions, perhaps they’ll serve as a memorable caveat that can help you resist the urge to indulge.

Customer Profile: Gary Kohls, MD

Lots of companies pay lip service to their customers, but at Swanson Health Products, we mean it when we say it is you, our customers, who make our company succeed. My father always had great personal interest in his customers and he passed that commitment down as a basic foundation on which this company stands.

This week I had the opportunity to sit down with one of our longtime customers, Dr. Gary Kohls of Duluth, Minnesota. Dr. Kohls made the six-hour journey from Duluth to Fargo just to visit our facilities and see first-hand where the products he routinely recommends to his clients originate.

I want to take this opportunity to thank him publicly for his interest in Swanson Health Products, his patronage over the years and, most of all, for the great service he provides the community of Duluth and surrounding areas.

You see, Dr. Kohls is not your average family physician. He spent many years working in the rural areas of Northern Minnesota, where many small communities exist up to an hour or more away from a hospital or treatment center of any kind. That in itself is challenging and laudable work, but for Dr. Kohls it was just the beginning.

After “burning out” on rural medicine (Imagine working 19 hour days, on your own, with little to no professional support!), the “country doctor” took a sabbatical during which he read extensively, rejuvenated his spirit and considered what his next step might be. He later accepted a position as an attending physician at a psychiatric center, and this professional re-entry set the course for the next phase of his career.

While providing basic medical services to the patients of the center, Dr. Kohls developed a deep interest in the shared physiology underlying many of their mental health issues, regardless of diagnostic labels. He determined that almost every patient had endured some sort of trauma—physical, emotional or both—prior to developing their particular brand of mental ill-health. He began digging deep into the obscure research journals most doctors don’t have the time or interest to read, educating himself on the physiology of the brain and how it is influenced by our environment and our experiences.

Today, Dr. Kohls is an expert on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and believes that an overwhelming majority of those suffering from poor mental health are experiencing physiological brain changes that occurred as a result of traumatic experiences. These changes within the brain, he contends, cannot be corrected or alleviated by the use of modern pharmaceuticals. These drugs, says Dr. Kohls, serve only to mask the problem and potentially create further biological changes within the brain that are not only dangerous but possibly permanently debilitating.

Dr. Kohls now operates an independent clinic called Mind Body Medicine, where he specializes in Holistic Mental Health. His approach focuses on education, prevention and restoration. And almost every person he sees is provided with a personalized supplementation program. (Thanks again for the business, Doc!)

This is really exciting work and Dr. Kohls should be commended for his unconventional practice. Unfortunately, the work is exhausting and he is only able to see a limited number of people. How many doctors do you know who spend a minimum of one hour with each new patient? So the good doctor is now refocusing his career yet again. He’s embarking on a mission to educate other professionals, teach them his successful techniques and also reach out to the patient community with an offer of hope and an alternative perspective to long-term care.

I fully support Dr. Kohls efforts and I am excited to help him bring his message to the greater health community. We’ll be hosting a radio call-in show on our Swanson-sponsored Saturday wellness program that airs on local Fargo station KFGO (listen online at www.kfgo.com every other Saturday at noon). We’ll also be arranging some local lectures as well, which will be filmed and posted on our partner website iHealthTube.com. I’ll keep you posted on the details as they develop.

If you’re interested in learning more about Dr. Kohls’ unique approach to mental health care and holistic wellness, or if you’d like information about how you can arrange for him to speak to your community group or professional organization, post a message in the comments section of this blog (comments are moderated prior to posting, so if you’d like your message to be kept confidential simply state “confidential” in your text). I will pass your inquiry along.

Although my time in the office is increasingly limited and much of my work (including this blog post) is done from the road, I encourage all of our customers to stop in for a visit just like Dr. Kohls did this week. We’re always happy to receive you and show you around. Thanks again to Dr. Kohls and to all of you loyal Swanson customers—without you, we would never achieve our goal of bringing wellness to the world.

Introducing a New Friend: Ori Hofmekler

Last week I had the immense pleasure of meeting Ori Hofmekler, author, innovator and, in my opinion, a true visionary in the fields of diet and fitness. Ori is the creator of The Warrior Diet program and author of the bestselling book by the same name. Most recently, however, he has been making the scene with a new book called The Anti-Estrogenic Diet – How Estrogenic Foods and Chemicals Are Making You Fat and Sick.

Ori visited our headquarters in Fargo and we spent the entire day together exploring his unique perspective on fitness and nutrition. He has an amazing background from which he developed his theories and practices. As a young man, Ori was an elite member of the Israeli Special Forces, where he first discovered and developed many of his training principles. Later, he received a degree from the Bezalel Academy of Art in Jerusalem as well as a degree in Human Sciences from Hebrew University. Although one might perceive the disciplines of fine art and biology as distinctly separate, Ori reminds us that some of our greatest artists—Da Vinci and Michelangelo for example—were also deeply interested in science and, particularly, the science of the human body.

After completing his education, Ori became a world-renowned artist specializing in political satire. His work has been published in major magazines and newspapers around the world, collected in books and displayed in prominent galleries. However, an eye injury sustained during his army days eventually caught up with this master painter and he was forced to transfer his focus from one passion to another. He left the world of fine art behind and began anew, using his knowledge of biology and physiology along with his military training to forge a brave and exciting new path.

Through his many media contacts, Ori began a new career as a columnist, author, editor and publisher (his magazine Mind and Muscle Power is no longer in print). He developed The Warrior Diet program and wrote a book on the subject, which earned immediate acclaim from scientists, medical experts, champion athletes and readers worldwide. Ori also perfected his physical training techniques, which he calls Controlled Fatigue Training (CFT), approaching fitness from a holistic perspective, methodically applying human survival principle to the exercise drills focusing on total-body movement rather than the “body-part isolation” approach common to most modern fitness practices. He now lives in Los Angeles, and although he is very quiet and modest about it, he has used his CFT program to train some very well-known individuals around
Hollywood.

Does it sound like I’m gushing? Perhaps I am a little. But the fact is that unlike so many people who don’t live up to the hype of their biographies, Ori is exactly as his bio says: a true modern renaissance man. And beyond that, he is simply a genuine, affable and incredibly insightful human being.

So why am I writing about Ori Hofmekler? Because in the coming months we’ll be working together on some exciting new initiatives. You’ll be seeing Ori in our catalogs and on our website, and you’ll have the opportunity to learn from him and benefit from some special products he’ll be designing for us. Look for the Ori Hofmekler Signature supplements under the Swanson Ultra^® label soon.

For more about Ori, The Warrior Diet and The Anti-Estrogenic diet, and his popular radio show “The Warrior Within,” visit his website at www.warriordiet.com. For a glimpse at Ori’s previous work as a world-renowned artist, check out www.orihofmekler.com. To purchase any of Ori’s books, including his latest 2008 release Maximum Muscle, Minimum Fat, click here.

Vitamin D and the News That Almost Wasn’t

Does it ever amaze you how many pharmaceutical ads you see during the nightly TV news? Often, these ads are coupled with “news” content about new drug development or mainstream medical advice advocating the use of pharmaceuticals. Lacking here is equal time for natural alternatives—lifestyle modifications, dietary considerations and, yes, supplements—that can equally impact our health and wellness.

When we do see the networks address supplements, it’s too often in the form of disparaging reports like a recent ABC News feature in which a Harvard epidemiologist revives the good ol’ “expensive urine” line that has been a favorite sound bite of the anti-supplement crowd for decades.

Meanwhile, huge stories are sidelined—real news that can truly have profound positive influences on our health and wellbeing is ignored or, at best, treated as secondary to the primary items of the day. This was demonstrated yet again in the same ABC feature I just noted when, at the end of the segment, brief mention was made to the fact that 40 percent of Americans may not get enough vitamin D.

What’s the real story here? A pundit proclaiming supplements to be unnecessary or the fact that almost half of Americans are likely deficient in a nutrient that can easily be obtained through a daily supplement? It’s maddening to see such important information hidden in the context of biased reporting.

ABC could have chosen to include the Harvard doctor’s opinions—and that’s just what they are, opinions—as part of a larger story about the real news. Instead, they buried the important information in a puff piece built around one man’s antisupplement agenda.

Luckily, a few people still practice good journalism and report on the important information of the day. While ABC skimmed the vitamin D topic ever so slightly, Rob Stein at the Washington Post dedicated an entire column to the subject.

Mr. Stein lays bare the new facts and the resulting activity surrounding vitamin D, walking the reader through the complex environment that exists where medical research and public policy meet. His focus is on the efforts to convince government to amend the official guidelines for vitamin D intake and he quotes experts who, whether supportive of raising the RDI or not, unanimously recognize that we are getting substantially less vitamin D than our sun-loving, little-clothed ancestors.

Dr. Michael Holick of Boston University, a foremost authority on vitamin D, suggests that everyone take 1,000 mg of vitamin D daily in addition to a vitamin D-containing multivitamin, regardless of government recommendations. Reinhold Veith of the University of Toronto agrees. Even a skeptical doctor at the American Cancer Society goes on record to say that “it’s definitely an area that needs more attention.”

I’ve been aware of this issue for quite some time and have written about vitamin D research in my Research Update newsletter many times over the last five years. In fact, I recently ran across an article I’ve had on file since 2005, which proclaimed vitamin D deficiency to be epidemic. Finally the issue is gaining some traction.

Will you hear more about vitamin D in the news? Perhaps, as the momentum grows and the feds begin the task of reevaluating nutritional guidelines, we will see the mainstream media provide better coverage. But more likely we’ll have to be “conscious consumers” and dig deeper to find, in the words of consummate journalist Paul Harvey, the rest of the story.

On the Rebound

You know, I’ve been writing for years in the pages of our Swanson catalogs, so when the idea came to write my own blog I thought: sure, how hard could it be? I always have ideas bouncing around in my head, but I failed to realize just how difficult it can be to capture one of them and write about it.

This occurred just the other day—writer’s block in the worst way. So I did what I often do when I need to clear my mind: I exercised. OK, I didn’t just exercise, I rebounded. And while I was bouncing around (much like the ideas in my head), I realized I was actually participating in a perfect topic.

Simply put, rebounding is therapeutic movement on a mini-trampoline. But it’s not just any exercise—it’s cellular exercise. I’ve been doing it for about 20 years, since I read a book by the founder of the rebounding for health concept, Albert Carter.

Carter is a world-class gymnast who founded an internationally renowned trampoline team back in the 1970s. His book The Miracles of Rebound Exercise sold over a million copies and literally created the industry for home-based rebounding, which is as strong today as ever.

Since Al Carter began researching the biophysical benefits of exercising with a trampoline, many others have followed suit and we now have more than adequate scientific proof that the practice does, in fact, confer unique and profound benefits.

When you rebound, you are harnessing the power of natural forces. At the top of the bounce you experience a moment of weightlessness, while at the bottom of the bounce you experience an accelerated gravitational force. And when I say you I mean every cell in your body—that’s the rebounding difference.

Rebounding actually stimulates the lymphatic system and can improve the flow of interstitial fluids between cells. This is why it’s often referred to as a “cellular exercise.” It’s low-impact, so it’s much better on the joints than other forms of exercise. Plus, there’s a wide array of techniques that can be employed for specific needs like strength, flexibility and aerobic endurance.

I rebound every day. Sometimes only for 10 minutes; sometimes for 20 minutes or more. I highly recommend it for young and old alike. For more information on rebounding, check out the company Al Carter founded, called ReboundAIR™. It’s a great jumping off point (pun intended!) for all things rebound related. The link I’ve embedded here will take you to a surprising list of rebound benefits.