The power of Pycnogenol Infographic

The power of Pycnogenol Infographic

• Controlling diabetes
• Relieving arthritis
• A healthier heart

7% reduction of LDL bad cholesterol in young healthy adults after six weeks

5.3 reduction fasting blood glucose levels in type two diabetes patients after three weeks

55% of osteoarthritis patients reported decreased pain after three months

10% increase of HDL good cholesterol in young healthy adults after six weeks

56% of osteoarthritis patients who improved physical functions after three months

53% of osteoarthritis patients reported decreased joint stiffness after three months

57% of individuals who cut blood pressure medication in half after eight weeks

Click here to find products that have Pycnogenol

Bromelain Benefits Have Power to Heal

Bromelain Benefits 
Have Power to Heal

Research suggests that this pineapple-sourced ingredient can help you protect, repair and recover from injury and illness. 
By Deedra Mason, N.D., Clinical Faculty Member 

Fruits have always brought with them a plethora of health benefits. Vitamins, antioxidants, phytonutrients and more come from just about any fruit imaginable. And yet, science is always finding new, amazing benefits around every corner.

Take the pineapple. Not only is the fruit rich in vitamins and minerals, but its stem contains a mixture of enzymes known as bromelain — one of the most researched ingredients in the nutritional supplement world over recent years thanks to its variety of benefits.

Bromelain Infographic - Try it Here

Healing, Inflammation Benefits
Therapeutic doses of bromelain have been shown to “[reduce] edema, bruising, pain and healing time following trauma and surgical procedures” until the body has completely healed, according to published studies in Alternative Medicine Review.
As a treatment for injuries such as muscle strains and torn ligaments, bromelain proved to be successful in “[reducing] swelling, pain at rest and during movement, and tenderness” while also reducing “effects of unaccustomed exercise and accelerate [the] recovery of muscle tissue.”
Bromelain’s inflammation benefits go beyond sore muscles and exercise, though. Those with sinusitis, an inflammation of the sinus cavity due to infection, allergies or autoimmune issues, have also benefited from bromelain. One study found that 85 percent of individuals who took bromelain “had complete resolution of [sinusitis] and complete resolution of breathing difficulties.”

Arthritis Benefits
Numerous studies have been conducted
on the benefits of bromelain as it relates to arthritis; in particular, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. And, with more than 50 million Americans affected by some form of arthritis, it’s not hard to find someone looking for relief. For many of those people,

bromelain could be a key to rediscovering their old selves.
Researchers have found that bromelain research “looks promising” and “may provide a safer alternative or adjunctive treatment for osteoarthritis.” 

One study found that a four-week regimen of bromelain supplementation “resulted in significant decrease in pain and stiffness in patients with knee osteoarthritis.”

Cancer Benefits
Perhaps most promising is bromelain’s potential for cancer patients. This exciting research — while still in its infancy — could provide the basis for new non-invasive treatments that can help millions upon millions struggling with the variety of forms this disease takes on.
For example, research out of Norway has found bromelain demonstrates the ability to “significantly and reversibly reduce adhesion, migration and invasion” of primary brain tumors, or gliomas. The study’s authors wrote that, “to hinder the migration of the invasive glioma cells without negative impact on neighboring bystander cells represents an attractive treatment approach ... [Bromelain] may provide a complementary treatment strategy in combination with surgical removal.”

Another recent study supports the hypothesis that bromelain does more than support
more conventional cancer therapies; rather, it directly affects a specific genetic marker associated with cancerous inflammation. According to researchers, bromelain causes
cancer cells to die while not affecting healthy, outlying cells.
This is due to bromelain’s properties as
a protease enzyme, which helps dissolve non-needed structures, such as scab
material once healing has occurred. Cancer cells “protect” themselves from detection by shielding themselves in a protein layering. Protease enzymes like bromelain help break down that layer, thus making it easier for your body to fight off the cancerous cells. These enzymes activate a so-called “cellular house cleaning” important to the maintenance of cellular health.
The potential benefits of bromelain are astounding. Helping everything from
daily aches and pains to some of modern medicine’s most concerning health conditions, bromelain can provide not only a treatment, but a preventative measure that can keep us healthy day in and day out. 

Ingredients That Improve Bone-Joint Health

Bone and joint health is one of the most common areas of health that people deal with on a daily basis. The numbers back it up:

• The CDC reports that 30 percent of Americans experience some type of joint pain each month. That number increases depending on who’s doing the reporting.
• One in five people suffer from chronic pain and the same amount, according to the CDC, have been diagnosed with arthritis by their doctor.
• By 2030, an estimated 67 million Americans ages 18 years or older are projected to have doctor-diagnosed arthritis.

These statistics have led to a surge in the bone & joint health industry, as experts predict that the sale of bone and joint supplements will exceed $9 billion globally by 2017. This booming market has led researchers to identify the top ingredients for bone and joint health – not from a marketing perspective, but to let the public know what actually works to help improve your bone and joint health.

Outside of calcium and vitamin D – long proven to benefit your bones – there are a multitude of ingredients and products claiming to improve your bone and joint health. So what works? Recently, the experts weighed in, and here’s what they found:

Vitamin K: The correlation of vitamin K to cardiovascular and bone health directly focuses on supporting proper calcium utilization. Known as the calcium paradox, it simply means getting calcium in the right place: into the structure of the bone structures instead of the artery walls). One particular form of vitamin K – vitamin K2 – promotes the synthesis of proteins involved with calcium utilization, thereby supporting bone retention and arterial health.

Magnesium: According to researchers, up to 80 percent of people do not get enough magnesium. This can have a lasting effect on bone & joint health, as magnesium is a critical component of the mineralized part of bone and supports the normal metabolism of potassium and calcium in adults. Magnesium – the fourth most abundant mineral in the body – also supports more than 300 enzyme systems, including nerve function, adaptation to stress, metabolism and more.

Glucosamine: Naturally produced by the body and a key component of cartilage, glucosamine is concentrated in joint cartilage, and has been scientifically proven to support healthy joint function and promote the normal production of synovial fluid, which lubricates your joints and regenerates cartilage.

Omega 3s: We’ve written about the benefits omega 3 fatty acids have on inflammation before, and the bone and joint health industry is catching up. The American Heart Association has recommended omega-3 fatty acids to reduce the risk of inflammation not just to improve your heart health, but your overall health, as well.

One ingredient the experts failed to mention that has been shown to help the body’s inflammatory response is Pycnogenol. Research has shown that Pycnogenol – a water-soluble, flavonoid complex extracted from the bark of the French Maritime Pine tree – may inhibit the activation of NF-kappa B and AP-1, both of which are proinflammatory mediators. In addition, studies have shown the ability of Pycnogenol to cross-link collagen fibers and strengthen connective tissue proteins.