Reduce Pain from the Inside Out

“Where does it hurt?” This is often the first question caregivers ask. (A caregiver may be a doctor or nurse, a friend or mommy!) We ask because we care; people often – though not always – tell us where it hurts because they are searching for a solution to their pain.

Why we hurt
Pain is a messenger system designed to tell us that something is wrong. As my grandfather used to say, “If your hand hurts, take it off the hot stove!” Pain is often designed to trigger a “withdrawal” response. We withdraw from pain because the pain tells us that we are being injured. This interpretation of pain may seem overly simplistic, especially in our world, where it is not always easy to take your hand off the hot stove, so to speak.

There are a number of different pain sensations. The feeling may seem sharp (superficial pain receptors) or dull (deeper pain receptors). It may seem to throb with your heartbeat or be constant. It may be fixed in one location or migratory – moving around from place to place. The main distinction of pain basically boils down to acute pain versus chronic pain.

• Acute pain begins to go away as soon as you remove the trigger. Take your hand off the hot stove, repair the broken tooth or drink pure water to rehydrate the dehydrated brain and acute pain goes away. The message of pain has been received, interpreted and the corrective action taken.
• Chronic pain persists after the cause has been removed or because the cause is itself a chronic condition. It is often related to inflammation – inflammation in the tissues of your body, or inflammation in the nervous system, or both. We used to have a saying to help us define inflammation: rubor, tumor, calor and dolor. These four Latin words mean redness, swelling, heat and pain.

Your brain eventually interprets the signals in a way that motivates you to confront the cause of pain. Interestingly, the brain doesn’t feel pain; it merely interprets the nerve and chemical signals as painful.

Understanding the signals
It is important for us to understand why we hurt so that we can take the proper action. The four basic pain triggers are:

1. Trauma or injury
2. Toxins or poisons
3. Emotional distress
4. Deficiency

As mentioned above, an example of a deficiency that causes pain may be a water deficiency (dehydration) causing a headache. Another extremely common form of painful dehydration is osteoarthritis (OA). In OA the soft tissue of the joint capsule loses water and withers. This may be due to a number of causes, including simply not drinking enough water. More often, joint dehydration associated with OA occurs because there are not enough minerals to hold the water in its proper place and quantity. This is why TriVita OptimaFlex contains both pain/inflammation reducing ingredients and minerals associated with healthy, moist joints.

An example of toxins creating pain may be the way toxins from inside your intestines trigger rheumatoid arthritis and many other “autoimmune” disorders. Typically, a toxin from inside your system escapes into the bloodstream and relocates to the soft tissue of your organs or around your joints. Your immune system attacks both the toxins and the soft tissues. In an attempt to remove the toxin or poison, your system may destroy the tissue in which the toxin resides.

Pain caused by toxins frequently responds to Nopalea, as the Betalains in Nopalea are both anti-inflammatory and anti-toxin. These two actions help your immune system work smarter, not harder and, ultimately, help you do what you do best: heal. This often results in reduced levels of chronic pain.

The lesson of pain
Dedicated physicians spend decades learning the antecedents, triggers and inflammatory pathways associated with acute and chronic pain. There is simply no way to address all of the particulars of pain in our Wellness Reports; however it is my sincere wish that this report gives you a little more insight into the possible causes – and solutions – for acute and chronic pain.

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Learn why we consider Vitamin C to be “Vital C”

Would you like to hear something interesting about Vitamin C? Almost all mammals produce Vitamin C as ascorbic acid in their livers. But not humans. In fact, almost all animals in the Animal Kingdom produce Vitamin C every day to maintain their health. Why don’t humans produce Vitamin C? How much Vitamin C do you need to take?  What effect does Vitamin C have in your body?

How much Vitamin C do you need?
Let’s answer the easy question first: How much Vitamin C does a person need to take? Well, when animals produce Vitamin C it is according to their needs at that time in their lives. A young dolphin may produce much more Vitamin C than an older sibling or parent. However, all dolphins – and all other animals – produce more Vitamin C when they have an infection, when they are exposed to toxins and when they are under stress.

So, we understand that people need different amounts of Vitamin C at different times in their lives. They also need more Vitamin C when they face challenges to their health and well-being. In past wellness reports, we discussed how a Vitamin C flush can help you determine how much Vitamin C you can use during a given period of your life. The Vitamin C flush was actually recommended by Linus Pauling protégé, Dr. Alfred Libby, and by the Director of the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Russell Jaffe. See below for more information on the benefits of the Vitamin C flush.

How your body uses Vitamin C
What does your body do with all that Vitamin C? Well, Vitamin C makes things happen. In the human body, Vitamin C makes almost everything happen!

Bones – All the minerals in your bones require Vitamin C to turn them from lifeless rocks into health-building minerals.

Blood – Your blood needs Vitamin C to convert iron into hemoglobin.

Thyroid – Your thyroid gland needs Vitamin C to convert copper into thyroid enzymes that carry protein.

Collagen – All of the collagen in your skin, gums and the rest of your body requires Vitamin C to convert dead protein from your diet into living tissue. This makes you look good as well as feel good!

Immune system function – Vitamin C activates a certain kind of immune cell called a lymphocyte. Lymphocytes, as the name implies, live mostly in your lymph system. However, they can travel in your bloodstream as well. Lymphocytes that have been activated by your thymus gland can go anywhere in your body to help fight disease. The thymus gland uses Vitamin C to program lymphocytes to search out one specific target and help destroy it.

Antioxidant protection – Vitamin C is also an antioxidant. Your body uses it to make glutathione – the “mother” of all antioxidants. What’s more, all other antioxidants can be refreshed by Vitamin C. Important antioxidants like Vitamins A and E can have their lifespan extended by Vitamin C. Antioxidants protect you from premature aging.

Vitamin C has so many functions that you could spend a lifetime studying this one important vitamin. Do the Vitamin C flush and determine how much Vitamin C you can use each day. I suggest that you repeat this procedure quarterly – at the change of the seasons. You will find your need for Vitamin C will diminish when you eat fresh fruits and vegetables. It will increase when you are under stress or facing illness.

A final word on Vitamin C
The final question is: Why don’t humans produce Vitamin C like other animals? The answer is, no one knows. What we do know is that people are healthier when they eat Vitamin C-rich fruits and vegetables. And in this stress-filled, toxic world we have created, more Vitamin C is needed than a depleted diet can provide. This is why we have supplements to help us compensate for the special circumstances we face in today’s world.
Take Control of Your Health
Eat Vitamin C-rich fruits and vegetables:
Sweet and spicy peppers
Most fruits, especially berries and citrus
Dark green and yellow vegetables
Leafy green vegetables
Eat the right amount:
Children: 5 servings of fruit and vegetables
Women: 7 servings of fruit and vegetables
Men: 9 servings of fruit and vegetables daily
Remember, cooking destroys Vitamin C
Take your Healthy Aging supplements
Do the Vitamin C flush quarterly

Healthly Blood Pressure

We typically determine blood pressure measurements with two numbers. The higher number, called the systolic pressure, represents the pressure in the artery when the heart beats. The lower number, called the diastolic pressure, represents the pressure when the heart is at rest. Healthy blood pressure is in the range of 120/80. As mentioned, ideal pressure is somewhat lower. A key to healthy blood pressure is the ratio between the two numbers. They should remain at a 3:2 ratio whatever the actual pressure may be.

If your blood pressure is “ideal,” congratulations! Your hard work has paid off. If it is higher or lower than ideal, don’t worry: Most blood pressure problems can be solved with the right approach. Let’s dissect the common problems with blood pressure and see what we can learn about possible solutions.

Systolic too high
A healthy systolic number is 120. This number represents how hard your heart must beat to get blood out to your body. If your arteries are stiff, inflexible, inflamed or too narrow your heart will have to beat harder and this will create a higher systolic number. The most common cause of a high systolic number is too much adrenaline and other stress-related hormones in the bloodstream. These hormones have the effect of artificially narrowing your arteries in a “fight or flight” stress response.

Stress-induced high blood pressure will usually be seen with a high systolic number and a normal diastolic number such as 150/80. We will often see this number normalize with just 20 minutes of deep breathing. Some people respond well to biofeedback and supplementation with:

Co-Q10, especially at bedtime to relax the heart
Vitamin C morning and evening to relax the blood vessels
Adaptogen 10 Plus morning and evening to help reduce the effects of stress

Both numbers too high
When both the systolic and diastolic numbers are high (160/110), the most common problem is inflammation leading to atherosclerosis or “hardening of the arteries.” This is a medical emergency; you should be under medical care as the disease has already progressed to the point where emergency measures are necessary. Dietary measures, such as the Dr. Dean Ornish “Reversing Heart Disease” diet, should be at the center of your self-care. Daily exercise, stress management and, very likely, medications will be needed to reverse this disease.

An anti-inflammatory lifestyle will be helpful. Include supplements such as:

Omega-3 Essential Fatty Acids from OmegaPrime at every meal to reduce inflammation
Vitamin C and Co-Q10 as suggested above
Betalains found in Nopalea can reduce inflammation in the blood vessels and help your body drain away the excess fluid associated with blood pressure

Achieving an optimal body fat percentage is also critical when caring for high blood pressure. The target body composition for men is 14% body fat; for women it is 23%. Remember, this type of high blood pressure is a medical emergency and it should be treated as such.

Diastolic too high
When the bottom number in your blood pressure reading is too high (120/90), but the systolic or top number is normal, it can mean that your lungs, kidneys and liver are not properly detoxifying your body.

Detoxification is an automatic process; your body does it every moment of every day. You can help support this process by reducing your exposure to toxins and supporting your lungs, kidneys and liver with daily nutrition:

A multiple vitamin and mineral supplement to support healthy detoxification
Vitamin C – a powerful detoxifier for the lungs, kidneys and liver
Betalains found in Nopalea also drain away toxins

For more information on detoxification, listen to the audio books, “Body Systems 101” and “Healthy Aging.”

Too high, too long
Some people find that their blood pressure will not go down no matter what they do. This often happens because of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). With OSA, a person stops breathing during sleep. Sensing the shortage of oxygen, your brain increases blood pressure to compensate. These increases in blood pressure may last into the next day (you may awaken with high blood pressure that may go down by the evening). This type of hypertension will usually not respond to medication or alternative treatments.

Treatment for OSA begins with using a breathing machine called CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) during sleep. Using CPAP at night reduces blood pressure in most people – even those without serious OSA. Eventually, reducing your body fat to the percentages listed above will open your airways enough to compensate for OSA.

Hypertension will damage you. Eventually, it will kill you. Check your blood pressure frequently. Your body is speaking to you when your pressure is imbalanced. Learning to listen will help you feel better today and be healthier tomorrow!

Learn More…

Blood Pressure
Malignant Hypertension
Sleep Apnea
Your Body Fat Percentage: What Does It Mean?

Strengthen Your Immunity

You’ve heard that the best defense is a good offense. This is especially true when it comes to your immune system. By practicing healthy lifestyle habits and reducing our exposure to infection (offense), we can better help protect against illness (defense).

What determines if you get sick or not?
Louis Pasteur and Antoine Bechamp – physicians 150 years ago – were keenly aware of the same things you and I experience every year: during the cold and flu season, some people get sick and some people don’t. Pasteur spent his life looking for what makes sick people sick. Bechamp spent his career looking for what keeps healthy people healthy – and how we can be like them! They settled their argument with the discovery that illness visits people with poor habits much more frequently than those who care for their health.

It turns out that microbes prefer to wreak their havoc on people with compromised immune systems. Simple things can compromise our immune system, including:
An imbalanced diet
Alcohol and caffeine consumption
An argument with someone you love
Just as Pasteur and Bechamp discovered more than a century ago, our health revolves around a healthy lifestyle more than the virulence of a microbe.

Help protect against illness
The phrase that describes our vulnerability or resistance to disease is “biological terrain.” The terrain or landscape of our health is made up of our genetics, our environment and, most importantly, our lifestyle. Vigorous application of the 10 Essentials yields the healthiest, most disease-resistant terrain. Skipping even one of these principles will change your terrain and leave you vulnerable to infection.

A base of healthy nutrients
Establishing a base of healthy nutrients can provide us with a very resilient terrain. The more dense the base is, the more disease-resistant our terrain will be. Taking a multiple vitamin and mineral supplement every day is an excellent start. Almost all physicians recommend an Omega-3 supplement as well. If your terrain is being remodeled by stress, you may need adaptogens to help you cope while remaining disease-resistant. Indeed, the long-term studies of adaptogens in Russia clearly demonstrated that these plants help you resist infections and speed healing.

Vitamin C
Vitamin C is a favorite for protecting against and even treating virus infections. Russell Jaffe, MD, former director of the National Institutes of Health, recommends a loading dose of Vitamin C: one teaspoon of Vitamin C crystals every 15 minutes until you “flush.” By this, he means a complete bowel evacuation. After the flush, he recommends a daily serving of Vitamin C (for one month) that is equivalent to 75% of the amount it took you to flush. This should really improve your terrain!

Echinacea
Echinacea is used in a similar way. Significant medical research from Germany suggests that an hourly dose of Echinacea will help reduce symptoms and may help shorten the duration of a virus infection. Taking a gram of Echinacea every hour for three days may even “abort” an infection that has already begun. Continue taking Echinacea three times daily for up to two weeks afterward to protect against a relapse.

Reduce your exposure
Here are some great recommendations for reducing your exposure to infection:

Wash your hands
First, the largest contributor to infection is unwashed hands. Washing your hands with soap every few hours will reduce the chance for pathogens to gain access to your system. You should also make sure they are completely dry. Then, use the disposable towel to open the door out of the washroom. Many ugly microbes lurk on door handles – usually from people who have not properly washed and dried their hands.

Clean surfaces
Next, disinfect surfaces that are shared by many people. For instance, public telephones bring you within kissing distance of hundreds or even thousands of people. Who knows what their hygiene habits were? In a typical day we may be exposed to germs from as many as 150 countries or more!

Reduce stress
Reduce stress. Stress decreases the effectiveness of your immune system. Your immune system may begin to overreact or not react in time to stop an infection when you are under stress. The source of the stress really does not matter. For instance, job stress and an injury may seem like entirely different stresses to your mind but they are treated exactly the same way by your body.

Remember, building up your terrain and reducing your exposure are keys to a great offense… which will help improve your defense!

Take Control of Your Health
Aggressively apply the 10 Essentials
Take a “base” of nutrients:
A multiple vitamin and mineral supplement
An Omega-3 fatty acid supplement
A stress-specific antioxidant supplement
Vitamin C

Reduce your exposure
Wash your hands every few hours and dry thoroughly
Disinfect common area surfaces

Learn More…
The proper way to wash your hands
A quick rinse isn’t enough to avoid infection – find out the best technique for washing

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA, and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

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Looking forward to helping you with your wellness goals!

Michael Taplin
TriVita Affiliate Member #13164958
757-846-4137