Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
Lutein Plus for the eyes and beyond! Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND In today’s blog I will be reviewing a very popular Invite product, Lutein Plus. Lutein Plus contains lutein, zeaxanthin and DHA. Let’s start with 2 of the most well-known eye studies, AREDS and …
Macular Degeneration part 1 Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND Macular Degeneration is more common than you might think. In fact according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology age related macular degeneration is one of the leading causes of vision loss in those age 50 and …
Grape Seed for our vision?
Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
A simple internet search for grape seed will show you how amazing grape seed really is! In fact most people know some of the benefits of Grape Seed. But what they may not know is just how amazing it is for our eyes. Let’s get going, shall we?
Grape Seed extract contains powerful antioxidants. These antioxidants are called oligomeric proanthocyanidins complex’s (OPCs). This is important because so many of the benefits of Grape Seed extract come back to this point. Additionally it is important because there have been studies that have found the antioxidants found in Grape Seed to be much stronger than other antioxidants. In fact in 1 study people who took 300mg of grapeseed extract saw an increase in blood antioxidant activity in only 5 days! Moving on to how this correlates to eye health a study in 2012 found that having a healthy level of antioxidants can protect our eyes from oxidative damage. (1)
Let’s start with a familiar topic, cataracts! Studies have found that Grape Seed extract can help to delay cataract formation by protecting cells from oxidative damage. (2) Another study found that Grape Seed extract can slow the progression of cataract formation. (3) One last study that I’ll mention before moving on found that Grape Seed extract may slow or even prevent cataractogenesis (process of formation of a cataract) or even secondary cataract formation. (4)
Since I’ll be reviewing so many conditions that affect the eyes I’ll only be reviewing these as they relate to Grape Seed extract. One of those I’ll be reviewing in full soon is macular degeneration! Please look out for my blog on macular degeneration soon. According to the Macular Society oxidants in the eye, which may contribute to the development of macular degeneration can be reduced by antioxidants. (5) As I mentioned earlier in this blog Grape Seed extract is an amazingly powerful antioxidant! The next topic, which I’ll be reviewing soon is glaucoma. Now in one study Grape Seed extract was found to protect the retinal from damage in those with glaucoma. (6)
Diabetic retinopathy is a concern that all diabetics face. Now I do want to point out that it is important to make sure that your diabetes is under control to help reduce the damage that the high sugars can cause. For more information please check out my series on diabetes! Now moving on studies have found that Grape Seed extract may protect you from diabetic retinopathy. (7) Studies have also found that Grape Seed can help to protect the retina from injury due to diabetes and elevated blood sugar. (8)
Overall to sum things up studies have found that Grape Seed extract can help protect our eyes especially by reducing oxidative stress in our eyes. (9) Now where can you find Grape Seed in the Invite health line of products? Invite Health has a formula called Grape Seed Extract with 250mg of grape seed per capsule! Grape Seed is also found in the Daily Multi with Grape Seed. Lastly there is Grape Seed extract in all of Invite’s Resveratrol products. For help picking out the best products for your needs feel free to reach out to an Invite nutritionist!
Our next topic will be Macular Degeneration!
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HEPATITIS~ THE TYPES, THE SUPPORT AND CAN IT BE PREVENTED? By: Allie Might, FMC, INHC, ATT Hepatitis is a disease that we’ve all heard about and it also triggers fear for many when it’s discussed. It is often associated with hypodermic needle drug users, …
Invite Health Gummies Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND I wanted to take the time to talk about the new products Invite has recently released. You may have noticed something about them! They are in a gummy form. Now I know what you’re thinking – But …
Summary on Respiratory Health
Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
I hope that this blog series on respiratory health has been both fun and informative! I have tried to review some of the most common respiratory concerns that come up here at Invite health. Additionally I have reviewed some of my personal favorite and in my opinion best products to use for both respiratory health as well as our immune system.
What are the best ways to naturally protect our respiratory system? Hands down the best way to protect ourselves from respiratory illness is by washing our hands!! And it is also vital to AVOID touching your face. If I could only mention 2 things to do to help protect ourselves from illness it would be to wash your hands and avoid touching your face. That is how important these things are to our overall health. The next tip is to clean regularly touched surfaces. Avoid sharing things that go into your mouth. Now I know you’re probably scratching your head saying wait – what does that even mean? Well by things that go into your mouth I mean eating utensils and obviously tooth brushes. If you are ill please be considerate and stay home if possible. Also always cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze. Overall good hygiene is the key to success when it comes to keeping healthy. (1)
Next and probably just as important as hygiene is life style. Studies have found that a Mediterranean diet can benefit our respiratory health. (2) Another life style that is important for respiratory health is to stop smoking. (3)
Over this blog series I have reviewed a number of products that I feel are the best nutrients from Invite to help with both overall immunity and respiratory health. One such nutrient is Immunity Hx. This is a combination of 3 nutrients, vitamin C, vitamin D and zinc. Studies have found that these are critical for “the growth and function of the immune cells”. (4) Please see my blog for more information on this fantastic formula. Another nutrient that has come up frequently during this series is Olive Leaf. Studies have found numerous benefits to using olive leaf. These include anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory benefits. (5) NAC is another favorite nutrient of mine! Once again studies have found many benefits for NAC including helping with thinning mucus and relieving the symptoms of conditions such as COPD and even bronchitis. (6) Black Seed is another personal favorite that has also come up quite frequently. However I’ll direct you to my product highlight for more information on this.
But how can you add these products to your daily life? For powders it is simple to mix them into smoothies or even juice or water. Pills can be swallowed or even opened and mixed into those same smoothies. If you aren’t fond of smoothies you can always mix these things into yogurt, applesauce or even into cooked oatmeal. Here are some yummy ideas to help you! Remember there aren’t any misstates in the kitchen, just an opportunity to learn!
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