Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is one of the most common intestinal disorders in the world.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is one of the most common intestinal disorders in the world. In fact, one in 10 people suffer from this condition at any given time. There's no cure for IBS but thankfully it's more of an inconvenience than a life-threatening disease.
As you may have guessed, April is IBS Awareness Month, and we hope that this article will help you understand the symptoms as well as possible natural solutions which may help address this condition.
So what are the symptoms? Well, they're pretty common - one of the reasons why IBS can be misdiagnosed. For example, most IBS sufferers complain of bloating, gas, diarrhea, constipation and the urgency for bowel movements. However for some, IBS can cause serious abdominal pain alone, even without any of the abovementioned symptoms.
Now you may be wondering what causes IBS. Well, it seems that stress plays a major role in the development of the condition. Some medical professionals believe that the risk of developing IBS increases dramatically after a serious gastro-infection, which itself can be a stressful ordeal.
Psychological factors along with the person's emotional wellbeing may also be linked to IBS, often compounding the symptoms, causing pain and discomfort, and generally making the person feel even worse.
It should then come as no surprise that one of many effective methods used to help people cope with IBS is enabling them to reduce feelings of anxiety and stress. People with IBS should try practicing relaxation techniques such as yoga and meditation in order to help reduce the effects of this condition.
Another effective method to help address IBS is the daily intake of natural health supplements. This is because inflammation is a common occurrence with digestive conditions.
Many customers have come back to us raving about our Omega 3 / DHA Fish Oil and its ability to help reduce inflammation and their IBS symptoms. In fact, some customers have even commented on how effective the fish oil has been in reducing the symptoms associated with various intestinal disorders such as Crohn's and Coeliac Disease.
Their testimonials only confirm what our clinical studies have shown that our Omega 3 / DHA Fish Oil has some astonishing natural anti-inflammatory properties. You can read all about this product by visiting our website.
Lastly, following a diet that's free of all lactose-products is a good place to start in order to help reduce the effects of IBS. If you have any dietary or nutritional questions regarding IBS or any other condition you may have, please feel free to visit the Xtend-Life Blog and click the Ask a Question button on the right-hand side of the page to submit your question and comments.
Most of us know that being physically active is vital for maintaining general health and wellbeing. It doesn't matter what you do, just as long as it involves movement that gets your heart rate up, your muscles working, and your lungs expanding and contracting. Yes, that means getting off the couch for a start!
Believe it or not, despite the obesity epidemic affecting many Western countries, more and more people are becoming very passionate about sports and exercise. Some of these people have distinct goals in mind such as losing excess weight, improving fitness and coordination levels and/or gaining some natural muscle mass.
Others are looking to improve their health, feel better and help prevent conditions associated with a sedentary lifestyle such as type-2 diabetes and heart disease.
Of course nutrition plays a big part in exercise and sports. This is because your body needs the right nutrients and fuel to function at its very best. The key is to get the right amount... not too little and not too much.
Unfortunately, some people go overboard and resort to steroids and drugs in order to perform better than their bodies can handle. Some even take a cocktail of powders and other chemical-based substances that have little or no scientific backing. That's not even taking into consideration the immediate risk of drug interactions as well as the long-term health risks.
Safe and natural supplements should always be considered before paying hundreds of dollars on artificial products and drugs that could either not work or worse... kill you!
Most sports supplements are actually ordinary supplements with higher doses. This is because most athletes require a lot of oxygen when performing. The combined effect of large intakes of oxygen with depleted nutrients during exercise can lead to the formation of oxidative stress in the body, ultimately raising the number of those nasty molecules called free radicals.
Natural health supplements, like Total Balance contain potent bio-active ingredients that provide a wide range of health benefits, especially when it comes to neutralizing free radicals.
Total Balance's unique delivery system ensures that your body not only absorbs optimal amounts of these bio-active ingredients, it also gives you the boost you need by replenishing depleted levels of key nutrients, brought on by various factors such as age, exercise intensity, and how healthy your system actually is.
For example, take L-Arginine which is found throughout our Total Balance range. Researchers have recently found a 16.7% increase in the anaerobic threshold (a fancy word for exercise capability) for subjects aged 50+ after they took a supplement containing L-Arginine.
Other natural supplements like our Omega 3 / DHA Fish Oil are good for helping maintain an athlete's overall health and wellbeing, regardless of his/her age or fitness level. So with this in mind, why not try these awesome 'sport supplements' from Xtend-Life. They may not look like some of the heavily-marketed sport supplements out there, but they're definitely a much safer option and could even be more beneficial for you!
Through my experience with your skincare range I decided to give the supplements a go and consulted with Jo Machin for assistance as I have had multiple ongoing health issues since the age of 18.
I suffer from Carcinoid Syndrome (corrected through surgery), HIV+ (18 years+), 6 x heart bypass (atherosclerosis), and have had a kidney transplant.
One month ago I started on Omega 3 Premium, Total Balance Men's, and Cardio-Klenz. Within two weeks the swelling in my ankles has completely disappeared, as have most of the inflammatory complaints that I suffered.
I feel so much more energized and have commenced a light weight exercise routine at the gym and I'm swimming again. I have not done this for about 10 years due to feeling constantly ill.
I keep my doctors informed about what I am taking in addition to their medications and have yet to have some follow-up blood work done to confirm improvement in blood pressure, blood count etc.
I feel so much better and look forward to ongoing improvement as the months and years go by. Thanks for your innovative and cutting edge products.
Mark - Australia
I have just come across your website and I am very impressed by your products. I have a couple of questions that I hope you may be able to answer for me. I am currently looking for a good antioxidant day cream that won't be broken down by free radical activity.
I understand that a lot of antioxidants in creams get used up fast and become ineffective within a short time. How would your Age Defense Active hold up as an antioxidant cream?
Also one quick question with regard to nano-technology, I have read a lot about this and there seems to be a lot of worry about these tiny particles getting into the blood stream and maybe having adverse effects. Are there safety concerns regarding the nano-technology in your products?
From Paul
It is correct that many conventional products only have a temporary effect on the surface layers of the skin. They are surface moisturizers.
Our skincare range affects multiple layers of the skin - some ingredients can absorb down to 7 layers. They help protect and rejuvenate the cells at their basic function level, preserving and encouraging further creation of elastin, hyaluronic acid, and collagen. This way the skin is healed, corrected and is generally more youthful and healthy.
With regard to nano-technology, the technology used for our Nano-Lipobelle is totally natural; it isn't the same as the industrial nano-particle process that you are referring to.
The Nano-Lipobelle material consists of CoEnzyme Q10 - a powerful and na tural antioxidant - wrapped in a 'nano-shell' of a natural oil material - in this case Lecithin. These shells are referred to as 'nano' material and in fact occur naturally in a huge number of situations.
While nano-technology can be used to deliver materials that do not occur naturally in skin cells, such as zinc oxide or artificial preservatives, we use nano-technology to deliver natural material to the skin cells to aid in its regeneration and health.
Kind regards, Joanna Machin, MSc GradDip Medical Nutritionist Xtend-Life Natural Products (Intl) Ltd
Running 12kms may not sound like much to an elite athlete, but for the Xtend-Life staff members who ran in this year's City2Surf fun-run in Christchurch, New Zealand, each kilometer was definitely felt - even three days later for some!
Every year in March, the Xtend-Life New Zealand office participates in this event as a company social outing. For those Christchurch staff members who are keen to participate, each one has a choice of which route he/she would like to walk or run - either the 6km route from Porritt Park to the QEII stadium near the coast, or the 12km route starting from Cathedral Square in the heart of Christchurch and finishing at the same venue as the 6km route.
Most of the staff opted for the shorter distance, which was clearly a wise choice as most arrived at the finish line in high spirits and feeling refreshed. The crazy few who chose the 12km route arrived at the Xtend-Life stand looking a bit weary, stiff, and sore - but still smiling nonetheless, proving that exercise really does release some 'feel-good' emotions.
Xtend-Life Assistant General Manager, Michelle Nicholls, says that the City2Surf is a permanent fixture on the company's calendar as everyone thoroughly enjoys themselves: "It's a great way to get the team together outside of the office. The fact that we're doing a bit of exercise at the same time also helps! A cold drink and a BBQ afterwards always goes down well as it gives everyone a chance to relax and share their experiences from the day."
You can see photos from this year's City2Surf, as well as from last year's event on our Facebook Fan Page. Well done again to those who took part in the event.
Don't worry if the word in the brackets seems impossible to pronounce. It's probably the same why almost every health professional and scientist refers to S-Adenosyl methionine simply as SAMe (yes, you got it 'sam-mee').
Let's sit down and get to know SAMe a little better, after all it is one of the most important compounds in your body. Discovered back in 1952, SAMe is a naturally occurring molecule that is distributed throughout the body's tissues and fluids. Concentrations are highest in childhood and decrease with age.
So what does SAMe do? Well, it contributes to the synthesis, activation and/or metabolism of hormones, neurotransmitters, nucleic acids, proteins, and phospholipids. In English? Basically, SAMe helps switch on and switch off various genes, proteins, DNA and other molecules in order to keep many parts of the body in healthy working condition.
Part of the 'methyl groups', SAMe maintains cell membranes and especially helps produce and break down brain chemicals such as dopamine, serotonin, and melatonin. It's also an essential fuel for a process called methylation. 'Geez, what's with the big words?' we hear you say.
Okay, in order to explain methylation, let's look at the process when it's applied to homocysteine... a by-product of a very important amino acid called methionine. When methionine is methylated, homocysteine hangs around and needs to be methylated in order to convert back into methionine. If it doesn't, then you'd be in serious trouble!
Here's why. Homocysteine is like a big bad bully and needs to be addressed properly (yes, you guessed it... with methylation) in order to prevent the following:
Now, to explain methylation and SAMe as far as the brain is concerned, let's look at the natural antidepressant serotonin, one of the most common chemicals in the brain.
Serotonin needs to be switched on (or methylated) before it can do its stuff. Without being activated, serotonin is pretty much a useless brain chemical and without it working, depression can easily sink in. This is where SAMe comes into play. It helps methylate many natural chemicals, genes and molecules throughout the body.
SAMe also likes working with friends, namely vitamin B12 and folic acid. If you have low levels of these vitamins in your system then guess what... your levels of SAMe will also be low, which means less switching on and off of important molecules, ultimately leading to a rapid deterioration in your health.
Maintaining optimal levels of SAMe can be achieved by taking a daily oral supplement. However, not all supplements are created equal. If the tablet isn't enteric coated, then the SAMe in the product will be rendered ineffective by stomach acids.
We use optimal amounts of SAMe in our Total Balance and Neuro-Natural product range. All the tablets are enteric coated, ensuring that SAMe is released in the upper intestine for maximum efficacy.
For more information about these products and the role that SAMe plays in methylation, simply visit www.xtend-life.com and click on the various Total Balance and Neuro-Natural product pages.
Last month I talked about changing the format of my personal blog to link in with the new Xtend-Life Blog. Well, after reflection we have made some further changes and improvements which will simplify the 'experience' for readers and negate the need for my own personal blog.
In a nutshell, this is what we have done:
1. On the Xtend-Life Blog the 'Question and Answers' section has been expanded to include 'Comments' as well. These Q&As/comments will be published on the Xtend-Life Blog along with the answers. These will be put in a directory format which will make them easier to scan so readers can look at them before asking their own question, in case it's already been covered. We will also provide a facility so readers can add their own comments on the Q&As/comments if they wish. As this section of the blog builds up, we will add a search facility.
2. If someone wishes to pose a question directly to me they can still do so via the above system.
3. As part of the blog we have put a section in place which will enable a customer/reader to communicate directly with me privately, should any issue arise concerning Xtend-Life that they would like to discuss with me which they feel that I should be aware of.
When you are next online I would appreciate it if you could go to www.xtend-life.com, click on the blog tab and have a look. We would all welcome your comments.