Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
Jerry Hickey is a pharmacist and radio personality and fills the esteemed role of Scientific Director and President of Invite Health. He has spent his professional life analyzing nutritional information and medical studies with the aim of creating the highest quality and most natural nutraceuticals …
Osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis, is inflammation in the joints, mainly due to a breakdown of cartilage. Osteoarthritis frequently occurs in the knees, hips, spine, and the fingers. Common medical treatments do not usually improve healing or change the path of this condition. …
Diabetes is a vicious and life-threatening disease. It is a condition where your blood sugar is continuously and seriously elevated (and your triglycerides are also). The excess circulating blood sugar is very destructive inflaming tissues in the heart and circulation, in the eyes, brain, kidneys, and nerve tissue leading to all manner of serious and life threatening diseases.
Diabetes occurs because for various reasons your cells become resistant to the effects of the hormone insulin; insulin normally stores sugar in your cells. However, long before full blown diabetes occurs, at a stage referred to as pre-diabetes, your blood sugar is already modestly increased and the beginnings of damage to your kidneys, your blood vessel walls, and to your eyes is already occurring (perhaps it should be renamed early stage diabetes); even a modest elevation in blood sugar should always be looked at seriously.
Diabetes type 2 is the more common version that occurs when the body’s cells become resistant to the effects of insulin. This results in elevated levels of sugar and triglycerides in the blood. The most common cause of type 2 diabetes is truncal obesity or having an apple shaped body instead of a pear shaped one. New evidence indicates that an increase in the circulating levels of CRP (C-reactive protein), an enzyme tied into inflammation and heart disease, is a major indicator of impending diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes refers to an autoimmune disease that attacks and destroys the insulin producing cells in the pancreas; it is much less common. People with type 1 diabetes always require insulin.
To determine your risk of developing diabetes your doctor will perform a test on your blood after you fast for 12 hours. If your blood sugar after fasting is lower than 99, you are likely okay. However, if the blood sugar is between 100 to 125 mg/dL, you have impaired fasting blood glucose and your risk of developing diabetes is increased. You are also at risk for developing cardiovascular disease. For many individuals diet, exercise, and particular nutrients are very beneficial at this point and can help restore blood sugar levels down towards normal. Some drugs are also prescribed for this effect. If your fasting blood sugar is above 125mg/dL, you are considered to have full blown diabetes and, because diabetes is a vicious disease, it must be treated aggressively.
A1C is a blood test that measures average blood glucose over the past 2 to 3 months and is the best way to measure overall glucose control. It should be measured 2 to 4 times a year and the goal is less than 7 percent.
Symptoms may include feeling tired or ill, excessive thirst, frequent urination, sudden weight loss, blurred vision, slow healing of infections, and genital itching.
For more information on how to manage diabetes or the disease in general, visit the American Diabetes Association at http://www.diabetes.org/.
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has reported roughly one in four women over the age of 65 have osteoporosis of the hip and spine, a painful and debilitating bone disorder. Yet, this disorder only plagues less than 6% of men over the age of …
A new study published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research has conducted a telephone survey of adult residents in Canada during 2011 and 2012. Researchers “examined the responses of 3,933 adults aged 18 and above participating in the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health’s Monitor …
FEATURED IN INVITE® HEALTH’S SUMMER 2015 CATALOG
Suddenly, one morning you wake up with a stiff, swollen, and painful joint. You most likely have arthritis. In the United States, more than 50% of individuals over 60 years of age have osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis followed by Rheumatoid Arthritis (1). Arthritis can be defined as inflammation in the joint, and is usually coupled with degeneration of the cartilage tissue. Arthritis pain generally worsens with weight-bearing activities such as exercising, stairs, walking uphill or even walking on a flat surface. These activities are all a part of daily living; which may lead to a decrease in quality of life.1 Undenatured type II collagen is a functional, natural product that may support joint degeneration due to normal wear and tear. More Americans are switching to natural products to slow progression of cartilage degeneration and promote healing.
The framework of human joint cartilage is primarily Type II collagen. Undenatured Type II collagen (UC-II) is derived from the sternum of chickens, and sourced and manufactured in the United States, where it is now available in a once a day capsule. Type II collagen for joint support was discovered decades ago. However, the use of chicken collagen was discovered in the early 2000s by researcher Dr. Moore, who was searching for a naturally safe treatment for his daughter in her 20s, suffering from incredible joint pain. His investigation and research led to the development of the correct preparation of type II collagen from chickens that proved most effective for his daughter’s joints. It is important that the sternum cartilage is undenatured, as cooking the cartilage destroys the therapeutic effects.1 UC-II is prepared using a low-heat, non-enzymatic process. The scientific preparation of glycosylation preserves the biological activity and therapeutic benefits of UC-II and is designated as GMP-certified and GRAS (Generally Regarded as Safe).1,2
Mechanism of UC-II
Chronic, strenuous mechanical stress on chondrocytes causes breakdown of cartilage, inflammation and the release of type II collagen into the blood stream. Because type II collagen is not supposed to be in the blood stream, it is recognized as foreign and is attacked by killer T-cells. These immune cells also attack type II collagen in the joints, which can lead to further inflammation. UC-II has been shown to slow the progression of arthritis via oral tolerance, a mechanism that works with the gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT or immune tissue) of the small intestine. When UC-II is orally administered, it interacts with the GALT to release T-regulatory cells that dramatically slows inflammation and deactivates killer T-cells.2,3
Clinical Trials
In one study, 40mg of UC-II was compared with 1500mg of Glucosamine Chondroitin. UC-II was found to be more effective than Glucosamine Chondroitin against stiffness and pain in the knee in climbing stairs, up from sitting, walking on a flat surface and even night pain. At the end of the 90-day study, UC-II reduced stiffness and pain 40%, whereas Glucosamine Chondroitin was 15%.1 Another study looked at joint pain from strenuous exercise on healthy joints. This was the first study of its kind. These experts felt that joint pain from strenuous exercise may indicate possible future joint problems. Their hopes were that UC-II might prevent damage to joints and preserve joint health. Subjects taking UC-II were able to exercise longer before experiencing any joint discomfort, and extended the offset of joint discomfort after exercising. Studies show fewer inflammatory makers with the use of UC-II.2 7 In these human clinical trials, UC-II showed statistically significance compared to placebo and glucosamine-chondroitin at only 40mg daily. In dogs, UC-II also shows significant decline in pain, stiffness over time, with no adverse effects.4,7
Current pharmacologic strategies for joint pain and degeneration mainly address anti-inflammatory and immune suppression mechanisms, both of which have limited success. Many studies support UC-II supplementation for joints to improve overall quality of life and activities of daily living.1 It supports arthritic, healthy joints, and joints that endure strenuous activities. Joint support is now in a convenient dose of one capsule a day. Take 40mg on an empty stomach prior to bedtime.1 UC-II has undergone rigorous third-party research and testing, and is proven effective, safe, and well-tolerated with no adverse effects.4,5,6,7 Now you can plan for long walks, adventurous hiking trails, or start training for the marathon.
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