Flex Hx
Flex Hx Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND Recently I was doing a consult with someone regarding a sprained ankle. When I recommended Flex Hx we soon realized that there’s no blog on the benefits of Flex Hx! So here it is! All about the amazing …
Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
PROTEIN (POWDER): THE IMPORTANT NUTRIENT WE ALL KNOW By: Allie Might, FMC, INHC, ATT Protein is that nutrient that everyone knows and everyone loves. But how well do we know all the proteins available? Let’s navigate through one of our favorite foods and discuss …
Boosting Energy and Supporting Heart Health all with Ribose Complex
Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
One of my favorite products for heart health is called Ribose Complex. This is an amazing and complete formula for keeping our heart healthy. Ribose Complex contains D-Ribose, Alcar, Malic Acid, DMG, Rhodiola, Coq10, Bromelain, Protease and Stevia.
Let’s start with D-Ribose. What exactly is D-Ribose or Ribose? Ribose is a type of sugar that is a part of ATP, which is the energy molecule our cells. What this basically means is that Ribose helps boost the energy in our cells. In fact studies have found that Ribose helps boost energy in the heart for those with coronary artery disease. Other studies have found that Ribose helps to increase the hearts energy after a heart attack. Ribose has also been found to improve heart function in those with congestive heart failure. Other studies have found Ribose can help the chambers of the heart to have enhanced function aka the heart works better. Lastly studies have found that Ribose improves overall heart function in those with heart disease.
Alcar is an amazing supplement you may have heard of for memory and brain health. But did you know it is also good for our heart health? Several studies show that L-Carnitine can help improve symptoms of poor circulation including peripheral vascular disease. Studies also show it can help with symptoms of angina. L-Carnitine has also been found to help decrease our risk of a second heart attack or the risk of heart failure after a first heart attack. Lastly, it has been found to help improve overall heart function in those with heart failure.
Our next item is called Malic acid. Studies have found Malic acid to be very protective of the heart when there is poor circulation. Sometimes when circulation is restored there can be damage to the cells. This is called reperfusion injury. Studies have found that Malic acid is very helpful in this situation. Other studies have found that Malic acid can be very helpful for heart disease.
DMG is another important ingredient in Ribose complex. DMG has been found to help improve heart function. Other studies have found that DMG can help with our cholesterol, triglycerides and even homocysteine.
The next item is a well-known herb called Rhodiola Rosea or just Rhodiola. Studies have found that Rhodiola is very helpful in improving heart health when there is reperfusion injury due to poor circulation or even when there is damage due to a heart attack. Rhodiola has also been found to help with arrhythmia as well as lowering blood fat. It has also been shown to lower the risk of blood clots. If you have listened to our radio show then you will know that this is a favorite of both Dr. Amanda Williams and Dr. Claire Arcidiacono!
Coq10 is one of the most recommended products for heart health. Studies have found that that those who started taking Coq10 within 3 days of a heart attack are less likely to have another heart attack or even experience chest pain. For those who have congestive heart failure according to studies Coq10 may help with the symptoms. Several studies indicate that Coq10 may help lower high blood pressure. Other studies indicate Coq10 can help recovery after having heart surgery. I could go on and on but I think you can tell that Coq10 is a winner when it comes to heart health. In my clinical experience it is very helpful in people who are looking to help keep their heart healthy.
The next 2 items are Bromelain and Protease. These are both proteolytic enzymes. This type of enzyme in general may be helpful for the heart because they have an ability to fight against clots. You can image them acting like packman eating up the clots.
Lastly we have Stevia. Interestingly stevia is very good for our heart. Stevia is interesting because studies show it is good at lowering LDL and increasing HDL! Any item that helps with our cholesterol is important for our overall heart health.
Overall, I find Ribose Complex to be an amazing formula for overall heart health. It is important to keep our heart healthy before we have a problem. Very often we get calls that start with “I have a family history of heart disease”. In that case I reach for Ribose Complex first since it contains so many ingredients to help our heart. Additionally, since it is a powder it is very easy to use. It can be mixed in water, juice and even smoothies! Don’t make smoothies? That’s fine! It can also be used in things such as applesauce or even yogurt.
Our next topic will be congestive heart failure, also known as a “weak heart”
Sources
1. https://www.webmd.com/vitamins-and-supplements/ribose-uses-and-risks
2. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/d-ribose#TOC_TITLE_HDR_4
5. https://blog.davincilabs.com/blog/what-is-dmg-and-7-common-uses
7. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8898776/
10. https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/stevia-side-effects
As we age, our muscles can begin to lose strength, leading to issues such as frailty syndrome. HMB is a powerful nutrient that has been shown for its ability to support muscle mass in people as they age, as well as in athletes.
exercise
InViteⓇ Health Podcast, Episode hosted by Amanda Williams, MPH
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So you’re ready to get fit and you have questions as to what you should be taking when it comes to your pre- and post-workout routines. This is a question that comes up often and many times, people are not exactly sure what they should be doing. Should they be taking creatine before or after I workout? Should I be taking my protein powder before or after I workout? Today, I’m going to give you a basic overview of what you can be doing when it comes to your exercise routine to really optimize your cellular energy, as well as support skeletal muscle growth.†
There is so much research out there showing that there are very targeted natural nutrients, such as creatine, carnitine, glutamine and Vitamin D, that can all be very supportive. Researchers have done studies with NHL players, NFL players, college basketball players (both male and female) and college football players where they looked at Vitamin D insufficiencies and deficiencies and how that impacts their performance overall. If you have a Vitamin D insufficiency or deficiency, it’s going to slow your recovery time from any type of skeletal muscle injury.†
WHY VITAMIN D IS ESSENTIAL FOR SURVIVAL – INVITE HEALTH PODCAST, EPISODE 285. Listen Now>>
We don’t just think in terms of endurance athletes, marathon trainers and Olympic athletes. We have to think about all of us and what we should be doing when it comes to staying fit and staying healthy. We have to make sure that we have this ability to regenerate any of the energy that is expended. Each cell has its own motherboard, the mitochondria, that generates energy called ATP and we have to make sure that we can recover that. We also have to make sure that we have enough energy in the beginning to be able to exercise.†
We can look at the different things that we know can help to restore and replenish our mitochondrial energy ATP. We can look at things like ATP itself, which is a fabulous supplement that we offer. Many folks who are into working out on a regular basis utilize ATP and will take it just before they exercise. Taking ATP allows the cells within the skeletal muscle to really be more vibrant and allows for quicker recovery and repair.†
We can also look at things like ubiquinol and carnitine, both of which we know help to generate cellular ATP production. Rhodiola can also be beneficial. This is a wonderful adrenal adaptogenic herb that so many endurance athletes have used for a very long to not only help give them that extra boost during exercise, but also for that rapid recovery post-workout.†
We may know which nutrients help promote exercise performance, but the big question is often when they should be taken. This can really vary. It’s going to depend on each individual person.†
When we look at post-exercise nutrition, the whole goal is to repair that muscle tissue that has potentially been damaged and to replenish our glycogen stores. In older individuals, this is often the area where they need more support. I usually tell people who are of older age that they should take their protein powder and creatine after they exercise because that is when their body will really want more. Maybe you take your rhodiola before you exercise and then post-exercise, you use your whey protein isolate along with creatine monohydrate.†
WHEY PROTEIN: MORE THAN JUST MUSCLES – INVITE HEALTH PODCAST, EPISODE 198. Listen Now>>
Creatine has been shown to help promote healthy blood glucose and cognitive function in addition to muscle mass. But when do we take this? Once again, it really depends on the individual person. For many people, they will find that utilizing creatine post-exercise really seems to potentiate the most positive benefits.†
We can look at L-carnitine, which is a little amino acid that can generate so much power and energy production. It helps to enhance our energy output and also works as a free radical scavenger. It might be a good idea to use this nutrient after exercise because we know that we generate free radicals in our body just from exercising alone. If we want to be able to lower those free radicals, using carnitine post-exercise may potentiate a greater benefit.†
Glutamine is another amino acid that falls into that category when we think about exercising. It is very important when it comes to recovery, even when it comes to falling ill or dealing with stress. When we workout, this is effectively a stressor, which causes our glutamine stores to go down. It’s always wise to make sure we’re putting extra glutamine back in. I look at glutamine as being one of the nutrients that you would take before you workout. This is because we recognize that glutamine levels may already be at that low end, so if we put some in and then we use it up during the workout, then we still have some leftover.†
In this episode, Amanda Williams, MPH discusses nutrients that can support workout performance. She details why it is so important to get physical activity regularly and also recommends which nutrients to take prior to your workout and which to take following your exercise.†
Key Topics:
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