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| WHY TAKE PHYSICIAN FORMULATED? |
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In medical school I was taught that supplemental vitamins were not needed if a person ate a well balanced diet. It was explained that all the vitamins and minerals necessary for good nutrition were contained in the foods we ate. That was an altruistic concept at that time and is even more so today
Crop rotation has been proven to deplete the topsoil of nutrients since 1936, yet the practice flourishes today. Fruits and vegetables are routinely picked before they are ripe to facilitate their shipment to large supermarkets. Grains are processed, which depletes much of their nutritional value. Livestock is given antibiotics and steroids to increase profitability at the expense of nutritional value. The net result of these and other commercial practices is that we are not getting the nutritional value that is claimed on the packaging, of the majority of the food we eat.
Besides the decreased nutritional value of today's foods, who has the time to cook and prepare three well balanced meals in today's hectic world? The family unit rarely sits together for one meal a day let alone three!
The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) recently reversed its long-standing anti-vitamin policy by stating that "it appears prudent for all adults to take vitamin supplements" (JAMA. Vitamins for Chronic Disease Prevention in Adults. 2002; 287: 3127-3129).With the poor eating habits of today's youth, can a similar recommendation for children and adolescents be far away?
How can you determine which supplements are right for you? There is no federal regulatory body overseeing production to ensure quality control. How do you know that you are receiving the ingredients listed on the bottle? More importantly, how can you be sure that your body is actually absorbing those ingredients?
In order to address these issues, I formulated a liquid, maximum strength, multivitamin complex geared to meet the needs of today's active adult.
Physician Formulated Multivitamin Complex supplies all of the daily requirements of essential minerals and vitamins. Awaken Nutrition obtains a certificate of analysis from its processing laboratory to verify the contents of its products.
Most important, Physician Formulated Multivitamin Complex is supplied in a great tasting, liquid form. Research has shown that only 10 to 20 percent of solid pill and tablet supplements are absorbed by the body. Most supplements in pill form are "cold compressed". This inhibits easy breakdown, making absorption difficult. This is especially true for anyone with gastrointestinal disorders. As we age, our bodies produce significantly lower levels of digestive enzymes which are necessary to break down and Most important, Physician Formulated Multivitamin Complex is supplied in a great tasting, liquid form. Research has shown that only 10 to 20 percent of solid pill and tablet supplements are absorbed by the body. Most supplements in pill form are "cold compressed". This inhibits easy breakdown, making absorption difficult. This is especially true for anyone with gastrointestinal disorders. As we age, our bodies produce significantly lower levels of digestive enzymes which are necessary to break down and process solid foods and nutrients. Thus a liquid multivitamin is most advantageous for the elderly and for anyone whose GI tract is not operating at optimal levels.
Maximum absorption and bioavailability of nutrients is the key advantage to taking liquid supplements. Vitamins and minerals supplied properly in liquid form have shown a 98 percent absorption rate.
This Vitamin Complex is not for everyone. It was formulated for adults leading a fast paced, high stress lifestyle. You will notice that the Percent Daily Values are 100% or above on all ingredients except Calcium and Potassium. Calcium cannot be manufactured in liquid form in large doses without adversely affecting the nature of the liquid. Potassium is readily available in the diet. I recommend a calcium supplement, especially for women taking this product.
The large doses of B6, B12, and Folic Acid are provided to address homocysteine levels. Homocysteine is an amino acid that is released as the body digests protein. An elevation in plasma Homocysteine has been shown to be an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Elevated levels of homocysteine occur when the body does not have the necessary co-factors to break it down. The necessary co-factors for the breakdown of homocysteine are Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, and Folic Acid. High doses of these vitamins have been shown to reduce homocysteine levels by up to 72%.
Lithium has been added as an amino acid chelate. Lithium is a mineral. It belongs to the same family as sodium and potassium. Prescription strength lithium can be given in total daily doses up to 1,350mg per day. Prescription Lithium should generally not be given to patients with significant renal or cardiovascular disease, severe debilitation or dehydration, or sodium depletion, since the risk of lithium toxicity is very high in such patients. Physician Formulated contains a mere 0.5mg per day if taken as directed. I feel that this dose is safe in the vast majority of adults. However, if you have any of the above-mentioned conditions or if you are taking prescription medications, consult your physician before taking this product.
Physician Formulated contains Lithium in response to current research which strongly suggests that it has a neuroprotective effect in small doses. According to their report in the Lancet, Wayne State University researchers found that Lithium has the ability to both protect and renew brain cells. Lithium increases production of a major brain protective protein called "bcl-2" in both human and animal brain cells. Furthermore, researchers have reported that Lithium inhibits beta-amyloid secretion, and also prevents damage caused by beta-amyloid protein once it is formed. Beta-amyloid peptide is a signature protein involved in Alzheimer's disease. The more beta-amyloid protein that is formed, the worse the Alzheimer's disease becomes. Neuronal degeneration in Alzheimer's disease is caused by the formation of neurofibrillary tangles and the over activation of a brain cell protein called tau protein. Lithium has been found to inhibit both of these problems in research studies.
Physician Formulated contains Stevia in lieu of aspartame or sucrolose. The growing body of evidence demonstrating the toxicity of Aspartame made its exclusion from this product an easy decision. I decided against sucrolose based on the fact that its pre-approval research showed potential toxicity. Sucrolose has no long term history of safe use, no independent monitoring of health effects, no long-term human studies, and no independent studies. Stevia was chosen for Physician Formulated because it is a natural, non-caloric herb that has been used as a sweetener and flavor enhancer for centuries. It is interesting to note that while no one in Japan has complained about any Stevia related health problems for the past 30 years, over 75% of food additive related complaints are about Aspartame, which is supposedly safe.
The U.S. has the highest incidence of degenerative diseases of any developed country on earth. In addition, the infectious diseases are coming back; antibiotics are getting less effective with each passing year. Our confidence in prescription drugs is weakening. People recover from illness because the immune system overcomes the problem.
Our only hope of better health is to do everything possible to build up our natural immune system. One of these preventative measures is nutritional supplements.
I hope you will make Physician Formulated Multivitamin Complex the cornerstone in your overall nutrition plan for healthy living. |
Sincerely,
Nicholas J Messina III, M.D. |
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