Rekindled Spirits:

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Rekindled Spirits: The Natural Way To A Happy, Energetic Life

 

By Gary Bushkin, Ph.D., C.N.C., and Estitta Bushkin, Ph.D., C.N.C

July 2003

 

For many consumers, life means trudging through 40 to 60 hours of work

each week, topped off by family and home projects at night or on the

weekends. In addition, commutes to work steal precious hours from their

already hectic schedules. To complicate matters, consumers eat way too

much food, with much of it being processed, chemical-laden junk. Of

course, this just makes matters worse, because foods such as these just

serve to slow them down even more. And finally, when they are ready to

enjoy some peace and quiet, they are too stressed out, too anxious, too

depressed, and just too tired.

As a natural health retailer, what can you do to help your customers out

of this emotionally draining, nutritionally unfulfilled glut? The

answer, naturally, is to carry a variety of mood elevators and fatigue

fighters to meet their needs, as well as educate yourself on the

different conditions you will likely encounter. Doing so allows you to

better help them select the product that is right for them.

 

DEPRESSION

 

Affecting nearly 20 million people, depression is the most common mood

disorder among consumers and plays a pivotal role in overall brain

function, mood, memory, concentration, and cognitive skills. Decreased

levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin - often caused by alcohol,

smoking, caffeine, and toxins - may contribute to this condition, just

as normal levels can lead to a more balanced and elevated mood.

Depression can also be traced to folic acid and vitamin B12 deficiency.

Folic acid, vitamin B12, and SAM-e (S-adenosyl-L-methionine) are methyl

donors, or substances that donate methyl molecules to neurotransmitters,

which depend on them to function properly. In this sense, folic acid

works as an antidepressant by raising SAM-e levels.

Tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4), a derivative of folic acid, is required to

form dopamine and serotonin. Because BH4 is not available as a

supplement, folic acid is required to produce it. Vitamin B6 is also

essential to the formation of serotonin and the improvement of mood.

Interestingly, low levels of essential fatty acids (EFAs) have also been

linked to depression. EFAs help maintain cell membranes, allowing for

the proper transmission and synthesis of neurotransmitters. In

particular, omega-3 EFAs and gamma-linolenic acid are believed to help

boost the responsiveness of nerve cells to serotonin, according to the

User's Guide to Nutritional Supplements (Basic Health Publications,

2003).

 

THE ROOTS OF BURNOUT

 

The brain is a complicated, dense maze of electrical and chemical

pathways between neurons. These nerve cells have complex communications

jobs, constantly sending millions of signals down intricate pathways.

This work requires about five times the energy fuel, in the form of

glucose, than other cells in the body. When the pathways and neurons

don't receive their " brain juice " (vitamins, minerals, glucose, EFAs,

neurotransmitters, and oxygen, for example), the system malfunctions. As

a result, conditions such as fatigue and exhaustion, brain fog, or

longer-term problems such as depression, can develop. The " fast life " -

consisting of fast food, workaholic tendencies, and an extremely busy

lifestyle - is causing many consumers to burn out physically and

mentally. Typical fast food diets, rich in sugars and refined

carbohydrates, cause blood sugar imbalances that prevent the brain from

getting a steady supply of energy (dysglycemia), leading to depression

and fatigue. Chronic stress also diverts glucose away from the brain,

disrupting the balance of neurotransmitters.

 

The following factors can also lead to impaired brain function:

Alcohol and Drugs - Unlike many other substances, alcohol and drugs

cross the blood-brain barrier, gaining easy access to brain cells. This

process can damage the delicate structure of neurons and interfere with

electrical and chemical pathways, as well as central nervous system

transmission.

 

Free Radical Damage - Brain cells are susceptible, perhaps more so than

other cells, to an array of dangerous free radicals.

 

Genetic Factors - These factors play a major role in brain disturbances,

along with environmental toxins and traumatic head injury.

Heavy Metals - Aluminum, lead, mercury, and cadmium are considered toxic

to all tissues. They have an affinity for brain tissue and can destroy

it easily.

Pharmaceutical Drugs - The very nature of prescription medications and

their unnatural chemical structure is precisely why the brain has

difficulty metabolizing them.

 

SOLVING THE PROBLEM

 

To prevent this vicious cycle of mental fatigue and mood disruption from

continuing indefinitely, consumers must take action. And only through

you, the natural health retailer, can this best be achieved. Serious

health initiatives that embrace nutritional supplementation along with

diet, exercise, and stress reduction can help change the physical and

mental landscapes of your customers. It can be done, it's being done,

and it's not that complicated.

 

Here follows a smart, sensible roadmap to the peace, serenity, and

energy all of your customers want that will allow them to enjoy their

lives to the fullest.

 

5-HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan) - In the past, alleviation of depression

could be helped with the essential amino acid tryptophan, which then had

to be converted to 5-HTP, a serotonin precursor, to create serotonin. A

5-HTP supplement cuts to the chase and, when taken with magnesium and

vitamin B6, can effectively make the serotonin necessary for mood

support, a proper sleep cycle, and other healthy body functions.

 

Antioxidants - Vitamins C and E, beta-carotene, coenzyme Q10, and zinc,

just to name a few, all hunt down the free radicals that can cause

oxidative damage to neurons.

 

 

Chromium - As chromium picolinate, chromium helps balance blood sugar

levels to help prevent fatigue, depression, and brain fog.

 

Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba) - The extract of this ancient tree supplies

ginkgoflavonglycosides, ginkgolides, and terpene lactones that cross the

blood-brain barrier to improve cerebral circulation, which raises oxygen

levels, heightens memory, prevents clotting in microcapillaries,

normalizes acetylcholine receptors, and improves glucose utilization.

 

Green Foods - Green foods such as spirulina, wheat and barley grass, and

blue-green algae are rich in chlorophyll (which is almost chemically

identical to hemoglobin) and oxygenate the blood, which in turn

oxygenates the brain.

 

Huperzine (Huperzia serrata) - An extract of Chinese club moss,

huperzine inhibits a powerful metabolic enzyme called

acetylcholinesterase, which has the devastating ability to breakdown

acetylcholine, a critical neurotransmitter in the brain.

 

Omega-3 Essential Fatty Acids - As mentioned earlier, these are the

essential fatty acids alpha linolenic acid and its derivatives,

eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). They are

critical for healthy cell membranes, which control nutrients and oxygen

entering the cells, as well as toxins and carbon dioxide exiting the

cells.

Phosphatidylserine (PS) - PS is a phospholipid found in soy lecithin

that assists the entry of nutrients and oxygen into the brain. It

stimulates the release of dopamine and acetylcholine in the brain to

lift depression by promoting cell membrane fluidity and integrity.

 

SAM-e (S-adenosyl-L-methionine) - In depressed people, the production of

SAM-e, a methionine derivative, is curtailed. This reduces the binding

of the neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin to receptor sites,

preventing the improvement of mood.

 

Vinponcetine/lesser periwinkle (Vinca minor) - The periwinkle plant

contains vincamine and pervincamine, which help enhance memory, improve

concentration, and increase focus. In addition, vinponcetine increases

glucose metabolism and cerebral oxygen levels, reduces blood viscosity,

and increases blood flow while raising adenosine triphosphate (ATP)

production in brain cells.

 

THE IMPORTANCE OF ZZZZZ.....

 

A growing number of Americans are experiencing sleep disorders that

cause them to start the day tired and edgy. A major shift in their

behavior and lifestyle patterns is the primary reason for these

difficulties. At the heart of this problem are diets low in nutritional

value and hectic lifestyles. Unnatural processed foods lacking in

digestive enzymes, vitamins, minerals, EFAs, and essential amino acids

can lead to poor digestion and metabolic stress. As a result, a body can

still be digesting food when it enters its sleep and repair mode. This

interrupts the normal sleep cycle.

Work and family pressures create high levels of anxiety and over-

stimulation that also prevent restful sleep. Usually caused by fear,

pressure, fatigue, lack of sleep, or an unfortunate combination of all

of these factors, stress increases the body's anxiety levels, raising

its metabolic rate by increasing the production of stimulating hormones

such as adrenalin and cortisol. This increased metabolic rate prevents

the natural sleep mechanism from kicking in.

 

The following are natural solutions that may allow your customers to get

some much-needed rest:

 

Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) - This herb contains volatile oils,

flavonoids, and phenolic acids that have gentle, yet effective sedative

properties.

Hops (Humulus lupulus) - This herb contains the active ingredient

lupulon, which is composed of valerianic acid that gradually induces

sleep.

 

Lindenflower (Tilia x vulgaris) - Lindenflower contains flavonoids,

caffeic acids, and tannins for a mild sedative effect.

 

Melatonin - Melatonin is produced by the pea-sized pineal gland situated

at the base of the brain. It induces sleep by regulating Circadian

rhythms (our biological clock). Unfortunately, the body's production of

melatonin declines with age and it cannot be obtained from food sources,

only through supplementation.

Skullcap (Scutellaria laterifolia) - A Native American herb, skullcap is

valued for its sedative, nervine, and antispasmodic properties that

allow relaxation and easy sleep.

 

Valerian (Valeriana officinalis) - Root extracts of this time-honored

medicinal plant are extremely effective for eliminating the symptoms of

sleep deprivation and exhaustion, including insomnia.

 

BACK INTO THE GROOVE

 

Fighting fatigue and normalizing mood levels are multifaceted

nutritional tasks for your customers. The basics - good diet, exercise,

proper rest, and sleep - are critical to achieving this calm state while

maintaining the energy to do the things they want. However, this goal

can be achieved more rapidly, and more effectively, with the help of

dietary supplements that have proven track records for efficacy.

 

Gary Bushkin, Ph.D., C.N.C., and Estitta Bushkin, Ph.D., C.N.C., each

received their degrees from the Clayton College of Natural Health. They

have co-written CardioCures - Alternative Strategies for a Healthy Heart

(McGraw-Hill 2002), FAQs - All About Green Food Supplements (Avery

1999), and dozens of features for natural health magazines. Gary and

Estitta are consultants to the Natural Products Industry.

 

 

 

My Web-site: http://community.webtv.net/Yahwist/THEGREATMYSTERY