Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Inflammation: the good and the bad

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HEALTH KNOWLEDGE

Inflammation Nation—The Secret Source of Disease in America (Part 1 of 3)

Normally I like to discuss a specific topic in a single e-letter, however, when it comes to inflammation, the information is just too great to be contained in a single edition of the digest. So, I am devoting several installments on this eye-opening topic on the "silent killer" which affects us all.

What do arthritis, hepatitis, colitis, dermatitis, meningitis and tonsillitis all have in common? They are all forms of inflammationyou may have known this because of the Greek suffix 'itis', which means inflamed.

But did you know that Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, strokes, heart attacks and even cancer have been linked to inflammation? Medical experts have only recently begun understanding the connection between inflammation and many (and I'm talking a lot!) of the most common degenerative diseases plaguing the U.S. today. It sounds scary but there is actually much hope in this discovery. Logically, if we can control inflammation then we can control many of the things that make us sick.

It is important that I use the word 'control' and not 'prevent'. Why? Well, not all forms of inflammation are bad. In fact, inflammation is designed to keep us healthy! Inflammation is the bodys natural defense against invaders.

Let's say you're chopping an onion and you slice open your finger. Immediately special proteins called cytokines alert white blood cells like neutrophils and macrophages to possible danger. These white blood cells arrive at the site of the cut to do damage control and block any foreign invaders from entering the wound. That's inflammation!

Most of the time, inflammation is a lifesaver that fights off disease-causing bacteria, viruses and parasites. If, at anytime, these invaders attempt to enter the body, the inflammation process is the first (and often last) wave of defense, attacking and destroying any matter that could be a potential threat, including any surrounding tissue. And just as quickly as it began, the process subsides and the body heals.

However, there are instances where inflammation forgets to shut itself off and continues to seek and destroy anything that moves, including itself! Like that Energizer bunny, it keeps going and going and going... As you can imagine, this can be a real problem, especially if the body begins to attack vital organs.

When inflammation goes awry it is referred to as chronic inflammation and it is considered an immune disorder which can lead to a host of unpleasant and possibly deadly problems. This is the form of inflammation I'll be discussing in the next two installments of this series.

Until then, here's some encouraging news:

We developed OPC Factor to be an excellent anti-inflammatory, as its contents act as inhibitors of inflammatory enzymes. That's one reason OPC Factor is good for arthritis, allergies (another form of inflammation), heart disease, and a host of other problems.

Surprised? I didn't think you'd be.

GOOD QUESTION

Q: Is it true that if everyone would just simply eat more fruits and vegetables, they wouldn't need to take nutritional supplements like OPC Factor?

A: No, unfortunately that isn't true. The reason is simple: soil depletion.

Over the course of the last century much of the soil which we grow our vegetables in has been depleted of nutrients. Over time, the continuous farming of the same soil extracts nutrients faster than they can be replaced. When you take the nutrients from the soil, you take them from the crops that need them for healthy growth. Consequently less and less nutrients ever reach the dinner table.

To illustrate an example of soil depletion, let's take a bowl of spinach. Today you may see a bowl of spinach provide anywhere from 2 to 5 milligrams of iron. Not that great when you compare it to a bowl of spinach in 1960 where it would have provided over 100 milligrams.

Depressing? The good news is that organic farmers around the world are working on ways to reduce soil depletion and improve soil quality but we may not be seeing 100% turnaround on a massive scale for quite some time, if ever.

Want a sure-fire solution? Do both: Eat a daily serving of vine-ripened organic fruits and vegetables PLUS a powerful multi-vitamin and a super antioxidant supplement like OPC Factor. How can you lose?

ABOUT DAVID

Got an OPC Factor question for David?

David Pillott is the developer/formulator of OPC Factor, a daily antioxidant supplement. If you have a question for David you can email him here.


Don't Run Out... Order More OPC Factor

If you need to update your quantities or order more
OPC Factor be sure to contact us at:

1-888-800-3986

For more information visit OPCFactor.com


Monday, August 17, 2009

Dr. Cutler Feel Better, Look Better, Live Longer
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