If you are feeling good, have lots of energy, sleep like a baby, wake rested, wake with no stiffness ready to face the day, then your plan is probably working for you.  If not, then you might want to read further…..

Each day we are exposed to free radicals- unstable molecules that steal electrons from other molecules.  Many of the physical effects we call aging are a result of free radical damage.  This process also affects our immune system and may make us more vulnerable colds and flu viruses.  No matter how healthy you try to be, you receive free radical damage every single day.

A good example of free radical damage is an apple that when exposed to air, turns brown. But when you put lemon juice (an antioxidant) on the apple, that reaction slows dramatically.  We are exposed to free radical damage on a daily basis, and nature’s solution is to produce antioxidants to protect our bodies from it.  However, in today’s highly stressful and polluted world, research shows that additional sources of antioxidants may provide added protection against the increased amount of free radical invaders we are exposed to today.  These can include environmental pollution, unbalance diets, preservatives and additives in food, insufficient physical exercise, mental stress, and even breathing put free radicals in your body.  In fact, new research has shown that we even produce our own free radicals within our bodies!  When left unchecked, this damage accumulates and can lead to serious health concerns later in life.

So how do we keep all of this free radical production in check?

Avoid pollution and other toxins.

Don’t smoke, and avoid second hand smoke

Limit your exposure to the sun.

Eat a balanced diet.

Consume at least 5-10 servings of fruits and vegetables each day.

Choose fruits and vegetables that are high in carotenoids, especially those in the red, yellow, and orange families.

OK- So you say you do not have time to do all of this, so an option would then be to

Take nutritional supplements.

But this again leads to such nagging questions as:

Am I taking the right ones?

Am I taking enough of the right ones?

Am I taking a good quality supplement?

What is a good quality supplement?

Is there a way to measure whether all the efforts you go to in order to be healthy are actually working?  Yes, and it’s called the Biophotonic Scanner.

We now have available to us a non-invasive, fast, convenient and inexpensive way to determine your antioxidant status and whether your supplements are actually protecting you from free radical damage.

The scanner works by measuring carotenoid levels in human tissue at the skin surface using optical signals.  These signals identify the unique molecular structure of carotenoids, allowing their measurement without interference by other molecular substances and profiling the person being measured with a skin carotenoid score.  Although the skin carotenoid score does not diagnose or predict disease, research concludes that skin carotenoid levels measured with the scanner correlate with and are a good indication of the body’s overall antioxidant defense system.

For a limited time, we have the scanner available at the office.   If you are interested in knowing your skin carotenoid score and how well your diet and supplements are working for you, call for an appointment to be scanned.

 Free radical oxidation occurs elsewhere in the body, not just on the skin.   So the more we do internally to reduce this process, the more results we will see on the outside.  The more antioxidants in the body, the less oxidative damage occurs.  Now we have access to a painless, non-invasive way to measure the antioxidant levels in your body.  I am working with a high antioxidant juice made from four Chinese fruits and a new multivitamin – both have been proven to increase antioxidant levels in the tissues.  What I like about these particular products is the quality control and the science that backs them.  The manufacturer even backs these two products with a money back guarantee. If, after taking them for two months, your antioxidant levels have not increased then you will get 100% of your money back.  Guaranteed. 

 Up to this point I have been talking about how to retard aging internally by decreasing oxidative stress from endogenous or internal causes. It’s just as important to look at how are bodies are breaking down the exogenous toxins or those which we are exposed to externally. Our healthy liver is the key, so we need to keep it as healthy as possible.  We can do this by way of a gentle cleanse every 4-6 months to help your body detoxify and to decrease the levels of inflammation that generally build up by the end of the year.  Not just the metabolic toxins from foods and environmental challenges, but also from our friend, STRESS!  So call me if you are interested in a gentle 3-4 week cleanse that will keep your detoxification pathways working as best as possible.

 Oh- Did I mention the word STRESS?  So now that our bodies are working well internally, and externally, and we are looking pretty good, let’s not now forget the importance of keeping our body moving smoothly and to develop methods to deal with stress.  Remember the effects of stress causes the same toxic reaction in the body i.e. releases similar biochemical toxins as actual chemical toxins or pollutants.  We cannot control what may happen to us that causes stress.  What we can control is how we let it affect us.  In January, I will be teaching a qi gong/meditation class on Thursday evenings at Indigo Wellness Center.  In this class you will learn tools on how to control how you let stress affect you.  Qi gong is a gentle way of moving the body to stretch the meridians and facilitate energy flow through the meridians. This form of exercise is available to any one of any age.  It does not matter how well you move or how much pain you may be in. This type of exercise has benefits for all of you.  Meditation is also a breathing technique that can help one learn how be aware of and how one’s body reacts to stress and to learn how to make that less of a problem for us.  The class will meet on Thursday evenings 6pm-7:15pm; the cost will be $10/class or 6 classes for $54.  Please call to register as class size may be limited to the size of the room.