Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
You’ve probably heard of the benefits of calcium for your bones, but did you know that this mineral is also important for your muscles, energy, skin and more? Learn more about the role this powerful nutrient plays in the body from Jerry Hickey, Ph.
As you’re creating your summer skin care routine, don’t forget to consider what you’re putting inside of your body. Purples HxⓇ is rich in antioxidants and anthocyanins that can help protect your skin from damaging UV rays.
vitamin c serum
Invite Health Podcast, Episode hosted by Amanda Williams, MPH
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With the heat of the summer upon most areas of the country, I wanted to discuss something that is very important. Hydration matters. Staying hydrated throughout the summer months is key because we have a lot more fluid loss. I always turn towards the Alkalizer Powder during the spring and summer, when you have a lot more humidity, which can make us more prone to electrolyte imbalances. This is because we lose the minerals in our body as we lose fluids. While hydrating the whole body is extremely important, today I want to talk about a skin care tip for the summer months.†
THE IMPORTANCE OF HYDRATION IN THE HEAT OF SUMMER – INVITE HEALTH PODCAST, EPISODE 111. Listen Now>>
Let’s talk about our Vitamin C serum. This is a really handy thing to have along with you for the hot summer months. It contains 10% Vitamin C, which is a high amount. It is combined with aloe, an Italian fine wine blend and marine collagen. These ingredients offer antioxidants that help to nourish, hydrate and support the skin. Vitamin C and collagen pair especially well together because they work synergistically to maintain the elasticity and tone of the skin.†
This Vitamin C serum is especially useful during the summer because we know we’re going to be exposed to high amounts of skin-damaging free radicals, not only from the environment, but also from the sun’s UV radiation. Studies have shown that overexposure to these two factors can accelerate the aging of the skin, partly because it causes the collagen in your skin to degrade. We’re already losing collagen as we get older, but then we add insult to injury by adding UV radiation and environmental pollutants. This drives up oxidative stress in the skin and that is why we need Vitamin C.†
Vitamin C helps to promote collagen formation, which helps to mitigate damage caused by free radicals. This allows us to maintain the firmness and youthfulness of our skin. We know that topical Vitamin C is one of the most effective ways to help to bolster up your collagen synthesis.†
I oftentimes say that it’s a two-pronged approach: you want to take an internal, hydrolyzed collagen such as the Collagen HxⓇ or the Collagen tablets. Then, we want to be using our Vitamin C serum topically to help support the collagen fibers from the outside in, so this is really key.†
ALL ABOUT HYDROLYZED COLLAGEN – INVITE HEALTH PODCAST, EPISODE 23. Listen Now>>
In this episode, Amanda Williams, MPH explains why a Vitamin C serum can be so beneficial for your skin. She describes the relationship between collagen and Vitamin C and offers recommendations for promoting your skin health this summer.†
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You’ve probably heard of the microbiome and good bacteria before, but do you know what role they play in your body? Learn about how your microbiome impacts digestion, immunity, skin health and so much more from Amanda Williams, MPH.
Photo by Jenn Kosar on Unsplash Mushrooms are not just a popular pizza topping or delicious addition to a meal. They have been used as food and sometimes as medicine for centuries, especially in Asian cultures. They are exploding onto the health and beauty market …
Bacteria is commonly thought of as negative. There are plenty of harmful bacteria that can lead to a number of risks when it comes to the bacteria inside of your body. But with harmful bacteria comes beneficial bacteria called Probiotics.
Probiotics are friendly bacteria that make up the microbiome in your gut or digestive tract and are the key to good health, especially to good digestion and regularity. Bacteria, though naturally present in the body, accounts for two pounds of bio-mass in your intestines, which need a balance of beneficial bacteria to promote good health.
Levels of probiotics decrease with age and can also be affected by other factors, including a poor diet and obesity. As the levels of probiotics decrease, problematic bacteria in the gut thrive, which can lead to digestive problems like bloating and gas.
There are many reasons why your doctor or certified nutritionist would recommend taking a probiotic supplement. Supplements come in various forms and there are plenty of different brands and ingredients to choose from. A nutrionist/doctor will be able to recommend which probiotic is best for you..
Probiotics may be beneficial for you if –
Antibiotics were created to eradicate bacterial infections, but they can cause damage and interrupt the balance between good and bad bacteria in your gut. Symptoms of this imbalance include diarrhea and gas. Taking probiotics during the course of your antibiotics can help replenish the good bacteria and help reduce some of the side effects. Talk to your healthcare provider before starting any medication or a supplement protocol.
According to a report in the April 2002 issue of Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics, researchers analyzed the results of 34 studies and concluded that the use of probiotics during antibiotic therapy resulted in a 50% lower risk of developing Antibiotic-Associate Diarrhea (AAD) compared to those taking a placebo, in both children and adult data from the study.
In a 2013 study published in the British Journal of Nutrition, researchers found that probiotic supplementation over a 24 week period showed significantly higher weight loss than those who took a placebo. In the double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized trial of obese men and women, each subject consumed either two capsules of probiotics or a placebo. Each group was submitted to moderate energy restriction for the first 12 weeks, followed by 12 weeks of weight maintenance. After 24 weeks, a significant treatment between sex interactions was observed. The mean weight loss in women in the probiotic group was significantly higher than that in women in the placebo group.
Probiotics, especially the Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium species, have been shown in numerous clinical trials to support healthy digestion. When your gut bacteria is balanced and healthy, it keeps your entire digestive system working as it should. This allows for healthy digestion and absorption of foods (carbohydrates, fats and proteins), maintaining acidity of the colon and normalizing bowel movements, eliminates issues with gas, and supports the ability to digest dairy products.
According to the American Academy of Dermatology, emerging research is finding that the benefits of probiotics may extend beyond the digestive tract and into the skin. “In fact”, the website reports, “skin prone to acne or rosacea has shown improvement with daily probiotic use, giving dermatologists reason to consider supplementing traditional acne therapy with a dose of this beneficial bacteria.”
Whitney P. Bowe, MD, FAAD, a board certified dermatologist and clinical assistant professor of dermatology at Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai Medical Center, reports that oral probiotics – sold as dietary supplements containing Lactobacilli and/or Bifidobacterium – could influence skin conditions by affecting what is known as the “Gut-Brain-Skin Axis”. Here’s how it works, according to Bowe – stress in combination with processed foods that lack fiber can slow digestion, which changes the type and number of bacteria that live in the gut into unhealthy bacteria. Eventually, the gut lining becomes leaky and toxins are released into the bloodstream, causing inflammation throughout the body, including flare ups of acne or rosacea.
According to the University of Colorado’s department of Urogynecology, one area where probiotics have been studies is in women with recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs), which occurs due to the transmission of pathogens (bacteria) from the rectum and/or vagina to the urethra or bladder. According to a randomized, controlled trial (published to the universities website) involving treatment of UTIs with Lactobacillus probiotics, there was a 73% reduction in episodes of recurrent UTI compared with the previous year. The control group had six UTIs per patient per year vs. 1.3 UTIs per patient per year after intravaginal administration of probiotics.