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Bacteria have a reputation for causing disease, so the idea of tossing down a few billion a day for your health might seem — literally and figuratively — hard to swallow. But a growing body of scientific evidence suggests that you can treat and even prevent some illnesses with foods and supplements containing certain kinds of live bacteria.

Probiotics are live bacteria that help the body absorb nutrients and maintain the right balance of helpful bacteria. An estimated 100 trillion microorganisms representing more than 500 different species inhabit every normal, healthy bowel. These microorganisms (or microflora) generally don’t make us sick; most are helpful. Gut-dwelling bacteria keep pathogens (harmful microorganisms) in check, aid digestion and nutrient absorption, and contribute to immune function.

When the digestive tract is healthy, it filters out and eliminates things that can damage it, such as harmful bacteria, toxins, chemicals, and other waste products. The healthy balance of bacteria assists with the regulation of gastrointestinal motility and maintenance of gut barrier function.

The other way that probiotics help is the impact that they have on our immune system. Some believe that this role is the most important. Our immune system is our protection against germs. When it doesn’t function properly, we can suffer from allergic reactions, autoimmune disorders , and infections . By maintaining the correct balance from birth, the hope would be to prevent these ailments. Our immune system can benefit anytime that balanced is restored, so it’s never too late.

Research into the benefits of probiotics has been branching out, and new areas are emerging. Preliminary research has linked probiotics to supporting the health of the reproductive tract, oral cavity, lungs, and the prevention and treatment of obesity and type 1 and type 2 diabetes. A January 2016 article published in a Dermatology Journal stated, “The body of evidence demonstrating the beneficial effects of probiotics on the skin continues to grow in the published literature. Insights into their effects at the molecular level, in animal models, and in human clinical trials build the case for their role in slowing the skin manifestations of both intrinsic and extrinsic aging. The reports reviewed in this manuscript demonstrate that probiotics can restore acidic skin pH, alleviate oxidative stress, attenuate photoaging, improve skin barrier function, and enhance hair quality.”

Side effects are rare, and most healthy adults can safely add foods that contain probiotics to their diets. If you’re considering taking supplements, check with your doctor to be sure that they’re right for you.

Based on current research, whether your body is mostly acidic or mostly alkaline may be one of the most important factors that determine how healthy you are and what diseases you contract.
Human life depends upon a tightly controlled pH level in the serum. The pH level necessary for human survival is between 7.35 to 7.45 (slightly alkaline).

However, the net acid load of the human diet has changed significantly from the hunter-gatherer civilization to the present day. As agriculture became more widespread over the last several thousand years and industrialization occurred over the last 215 years, humans’ diet has dramatically become more acidic. In order to neutralize our internal acidity our bodies use our alkalizing minerals, such as potassium, magnesium and calcium. This can leave our bodies depleted of these essential nutrients, which are also so important to heart health. In addition, the modern diet is deficient in fiber and rich in saturated fat, simple sugars, sodium and chloride. This results in a diet that sends the body into a state of chronic low-grade metabolic acidosis.
Researchers speculate that abnormalities in intracellular pH regulation may be one of the driving forces behind development of type 2 diabetes and the associated cardiomyopathy and hypertension that diabetes patients often suffer. Acidity also can affect the way your blood vessels function. In large arteries, intracellular acidosis is associated with widening of the blood vessels, whereas in small arteries, it leads to narrowing of the blood vessels, and ultimately cardiovascular disease.

The first step in making your body more alkaline is not to eliminate or sharply decrease protein intake. Instead, increase your intake of fruits and vegetables and only indulge in sugar and grains as rare treats. Be certain to have several servings of fruits or vegetables with each meal. Substitute fruits and vegetables for grain-based snacks. Cut back on salt intake, as sodium chloride can trigger metabolic acidosis in a dose-dependent manner. Avoiding alcohol, soft drinks, caffeine and all processed foods is another important step and drink plenty of purified water.

Another option? Daily Peak Performance is a nutritional supplement that contains Alka-Plex granules. Alka-Plex is a mineral based crystalline composition that has localized and systemic alkalizing effects in the body. Many dietary supplements are marketed with little or no scientific studies on their impact with regard to human physiology and with no sound basis for expecting any beneficial result. The active ingredient, Alka-Plex has undergone extensive testing and has been reviewed and approved by the FDA.

All ingredients, in the amounts delivered in Alka-Plex, are recognized by law to be generally recognized as safe (GRAS). GRAS status is reached only after thorough scientific review by the American Academy of Sciences.

The FDA recognizes Alka-Plex as a New Dietary Ingredient (NDI), a regulatory requirement for dietary supplement safety and uniformity that few supplements can achieve. Alka-Plex contains GRAS ingredients in amounts that are safe and holds them in a precisely structured, slow-release composition.
More and more research today is suggesting that our bodies are healthiest when they are in an alkaline state. Taking small steps to make your body more alkaline can reap big rewards.

To learn more about Alka-Plex and how it reduces chronic metabolic acidosis, contact Denise M Chesne, RN, MS at denisemariechesne@gmail.com.

High levels of HDL cholesterol — at least 40 mg/dL for men and 50 mg/dL for women — appear to reduce heart disease. That’s why it’s often referred to as “good” cholesterol. HDL removes cholesterol from plaque in blood vessels and delivers it to the liver for excretion. So far, efforts to increase HDL levels with drugs haven’t proven to reduce cardiac risk, and no HDL-enhancing drugs have been approved by the FDA. But there are some dietary and lifestyle changes that can help.

1. Get physically active. Anything that raises your heart rate, like walking, jogging or swimming, also raises HDL. The American Heart Association recommends 30 minutes a day of moderate activity five days a week.
2. Eat better fats. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, like olive or canola oil, can raise HDL levels without increasing total cholesterol. You should get 25 to 35 percent of your total calories from fat, and around 90 percent of those calories should come from unsaturated fats.
3. Cut out trans fats. Listed on food labels as “partially hydrogenated vegetable oil,” trans fats are common in processed foods. They can increase LDL “bad” cholesterol and decrease HDL.
4. Lose weight. Being overweight increases LDL and reduces HDL. Losing even a few pounds will increase your HDL and lower your LDL and blood pressure.
5. Stop smoking. Smoking decreases HDL levels, and stopping smoking may increase them.

None of the items on this list offers a cure for low HDL, but together – getting active, eating better, losing weight and not smoking – can improve your health AND your HDL.

The blood, the fluids and all the delicate tissues in our body must remain alkaline for us to experience truly vibrant health and energy. Many of us have a diet and lifestyle that has become extremely acidic. The foods we eat on a regular basis are acid-forming, such as pasteurized dairy products, poultry, meat, trans fats, cooked oils, baked goods and refined sugars. Beverages such as coffee, tea, pasteurized juices, milk, and carbonated drinks are very acidic. Drugs, stress and anxiety all contributing to an acid over-load.  When you become too acidic, thus out of pH balance, your body becomes stressed and vulnerable to a whole host of health problems. You may experience low energy, fatigue, excess weight, poor digestion, aches and pains, and even more serious disorders. The process of rebalancing your body begins with proper diet and nutrition. This includes eating alkalizing foods, hydrating properly and integrating proper nutritional supplementation.

A major factor in the formation of chronic inflammation is the presence of free radicals occurring in greater abundance than the body’s ability to remove them, frequently referred to as oxidative stress. Free radical molecules have lost one of their electrons, are very unstable and will “steal” an electron from other cells in the area. In turn, the next molecule becomes an unstable free radical starting a cascade of events that further damages areas of injury. The body produces antioxidant enzymes designed to quench these free radicals. Antioxidants are substances that are termed “givers” because they donate an extra electron which stabilizes the free radical and prevents it from damaging other cells. But if we have too many free radicals our body cannot keep up and inflammation increases and our healing process becomes impaired

The acid-alkaline balance relates to the chemistry of the body’s fluids and tissues as measured by pH. The cells of the body must have a slightly alkaline environment to survive. With a blood pH of 7.365 the cells are in homeostasis and they receive nourishment and release waste with ease. But when we eat, drink and live an acidic lifestyle, our cells and the inner environment become toxic. Our diet and lifestyle choices will either help or harm the delicate pH balance and our overall health. Even a minor fluctuation in the blood’s pH in either direction creates distress signals in the body causing various symptoms that start out small then ramp up as the imbalance continues. Everything from a runny nose to skin eruptions, heartburn, eczema, inflammation, arthritis, poor circulation, chronic fatigue, irritable bowel syndrome, a weakened immune system to the chronic diseases of aging can be tracked back in some way to an acidic inner terrain.

Arthur Guyton, M.D., in his Textbook of Medical Physiology dedicated an entire chapter on this concept and stated that when the body is alkaline it converts free radicals to harmless water and oxygen which maintains energy and vitality. Our body needs alkaline minerals in order to function properly, and since the body cannot make them we must get them from our diet and supplements. Primary alkaline minerals like calcium, magnesium, and potassium are used by our body to make enzymes, proteins, hormones and neurotransmitters necessary for good health.  A healthy alkaline diet stores your body up with plenty of alkaline mineral reserves, while an excessively acidic diet eventually drains all the alkaline reserves and forces the body to use its own alkaline minerals to neutralize acids in order to keep your blood pH at an alkaline level. One of the ways it does this is by robbing alkaline minerals from our bones, teeth, muscles and organs.  The biggest problem with losing alkaline minerals is losing calcium from bones and magnesium from muscles and organs.

The ultimate goal is balance. So it can’t hurt to think twice about what’s on your plate at your next meal, but not doing so might threaten your health and well-being. When your body is pH balanced, it is full of vitality. You will find that you have increased energy, mental clarity, and glowing, healthy skin. Here is what to avoid:

• Ingestion of Acids (acidic diet)

• Creation of Acids (toxicity and stress)

• Improper elimination of Acids (mineral depletion)

The good news is that if you’ve suffered the negative impact of an overly acidic body, you can regain your health balance through proper diet and nutrition. This includes eating alkalizing foods, hydrating properly and integrating proper nutritional supplementation.