Xtend-Your-Life Newsletter
Issue - 12th August 2005
Dear Subscriber,
In this weeks we are providing a guest article written by Joanna-Roselyn Machin, BSC, GradDips (Nutri, Psych), HDips NH, a Health and Nutritional Psychologist.
It is well worth reading and I am sure thought provoking for most people.
Hope you enjoy it... in good health,
Warren Matthews
Malnutrition! Are you dying from it and don't know?
"'Malnutrition' - any nutritional disorder caused by an insufficient, unbalanced or excessive diet, or by the impaired absorption of nutrients by the body."
"No! I am not malnourished!" you are probably telling yourself! But are you sure?
Surprisingly... even in affluent societies where people are overfed and overweight malnutrition is rampant, but generally undiagnosed! Most people are suffering from this condition and yet are totally unaware of it!
The sad reality is that if you live in a modern society it is highly probable unless you have a program that ensures you are getting the right amounts of all necessary vitamins, minerals, amino acids, enzymes and trace elements, you will have some degree of malnutrition.
This will ultimately lead to a wide range of negative health conditions, the cause of which is generally misdiagnosed and as a result are rarely successfully treated!
Malnutrition Facts:
Most overweight people suffer from malnutrition and are at severe risk of related chronic diseases.
Most dieters and elderly people suffer from malnutrition.
Prescription drugs and OTC (over-the-counter) preparations exacerbate malnutrition by robbing the body of essential nutrients.
Malnutrition causes anything from fatigue to psychological disorders such as depression and anxiety.
Malnutrition prevents recovery from illness and increases susceptibility to other health problems.
It is misdiagnosed in up to 70% of hospital patients and 45% of outpatients, and costs the tax payer billions of dollars each year!
With the right nutritional makeup however, our body is able to maintain good health and even has the ability to heal itself.
"Surely if I eat a reasonable diet I am getting all the essential nutrients I need?"
This should be the case... but thanks to the reasons outlined below it is virtually impossible these days to get adequate amounts of essential nutrients from diet alone! Consider the following:
Nutrition Facts:
Over the last 50 years our staple foods - potatoes, tomatoes, other fruits and vegetables - have lost the majority of their nutrients.
Much of the modern diet consists of foods that are processed. These not only lack essential nutrients but contain dangerous additives such as hydrogenated oils, emulsifiers, flavorings, preservatives and artificial colorants, many of which are known to be carcinogenic.
Many of today's diseases, mental, physical and neural, are proven to be caused by nutrient deficiencies.
Nutrient deficiencies play a critical part in chronic degenerative diseases. A direct result of improper nutrition.
35% of vitamin and mineral users and 16% of herbal and other supplement users take these products because they know they are good for them, but they don't actually know why.
Over 70% of cardiologists take supplements to help prevent heart disease, but their patients do not.
(American Journal of Cardiology).
Yesterday
In bygone days people were able to get all their nutrients from nature. Their own farms and communities produced sufficient crop to sustain surrounding villages and towns.
Meat was either hunted in the wild or farmed and produced also within local communities.
Farmland was treated as a valuable and respected commodity, as without healthy farmland, survival would become harsh and overall health difficult to maintain.
In the 1800s and before, crops were fertilized with only organic matter. Over the last century however, as the economy grew and the emphasis changed to mass-production and profits, maintaining a sustainable 'healthy' resource became quite a low priority.
Around 1945 plant material was analyzed to discover that nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium were the essential elements needed for crops to grow.
Note: Modern science has since then clearly proven than in addition to the basic substances referred to above, many other trace minerals and elements are also essential in order to promote healthy and substantial growth.
Nonetheless, back in 1945 and acting on 'flawed science' the widespread use of chemical fertilizers began and nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium were applied consistently to the earth.
When farmers began applying these three elements they did get bigger crops. However, with repeated use, problems began. Over time these very chemicals caused millions of micro-organisms to die and the ground to become sterile. With intensive use of the land the soil became stripped of its elements, plants lacked essential nutrients and as such became sick and prone to insect damage and various other plant diseases.
To combat these problems, farmers starting adding further chemicals to try and correct nutrient imbalances. On top of this, herbicides, fungicides and pesticides became commonplace in an effort to control or prevent crop diseases brought about by nutrient deficiencies. These additional toxic chemicals depleted the soil nutrients further, killing more micro-organisms.
This situation is comparable to the problem of antibiotics killing friendly bacteria in the intestinal tract as well as the harmful bacteria causing infection.
These intensive farming methods began a downward spiral, constantly depleting the soils of their natural components. Although 'modern' commercial crops can now be 'manufactured' to look good, due to the soils lacking so many nutrients the finished product does not contain the nutrients they once did... Nutrients so essential for good human health.
To make matters worse many of these chemicals used in the production of these crops find their way into our bodies by a multitude of different ways. They cause molecular destruction and lead to the inevitable degenerative diseases we are familiar with today.
So, when you eat that healthy salad or slice of multi-grain bread, it is a fact that you are getting less nutrition today than from the identical foods grown in the same soil over fifty years ago.
Today
Much of the food we buy today lacks essential nutritional components to sustain our health. As indicated above, fresh fruit, vegetables and whole grain food may look good, but if analyzed show major deficiencies in vitamins, minerals, enzymes and amino acids, which have largely been replaced by undesirable additives! Also, despite there being some real question marks over the long term safety of some genetically modified foods, they continue to slip quietly into our food chain.
It is a misconception that the many chemicals added to preserve our food for long storage or transportation actually work. In actual fact, because of their very nature, they only deteriorate the nutrient content further, although they do help maintain the appearance of the food.
Add to this, the environmental pollutants we are subjected to every day, not only from substances that we are in contact with but also within our water (thanks to the dumping of industrial waste) and the very air we breathe, which is causing widespread respiratory disease, and there is little wonder that the health of the worlds population is steadily and surely deteriorating!
Be Aware of the Problem!
Don't be one of those people who do not contemplate their health until having some kind of health 'scare'. If you are still young it is likely that you feel invincible, but if you want to maintain healthy joint and circulatory strength throughout adulthood, for example, act now to ensure that you can significantly reduce the likelihood of suffering from a degenerative disease later in life.
The inescapable fact is that as we age our immune system's efficiency decreases. Stresses and chemicals of modern living further weaken this system and increase risks of diseases such as heart disease, stroke, arthritis and diabetes. When you further add into this cocktail, over the counter and prescription medicines there is a real recipe for disaster which is currently unfolding in an unprecedented manner. It is well established that these medicines 'steal' essential nutrients from the body.
The key if you wish to avoid degenerative disease is to try to balance your body with the nutrients it is lacking. This means avoiding the malady that most of the population live with... MALNUTRITION!
Conclusion
After more than 50 years leading medical journals now admit that nutritional supplementation is necessary in spite of some 'authorities' suggesting that it is still possible to obtain all essential nutrients from a standard western diet.
Nonetheless, Experts conclude that:
Most people do not consume enough nutrients by diet alone.
Inadequate intake of vitamins, minerals, enzymes, essential fatty acids, plant extracts and amino acids is linked to chronic disease including coronary heart disease, cancer and osteoporosis.
Nutrients found in some nutritional supplements, in sufficient and adequate amounts do reduce risks of chronic disease, improve quality of life and increase longevity.
What Should You Do?
Don't gamble that somehow you will be exempt from the ailments afflicting so much of the population... take action now! In addition to being conscious of the need for a good diet and sensible lifestyle habits, take a quality broad based nutritional supplement.
Supermarket supplements, although inexpensive, are actually poor value for money and of low efficacy as they cater for a mass market using inexpensive, lower quality ingredients. These limit the benefits to the consumer. They also have a tendency to use high quantities of these cheap ingredients, leading to a dangerous imbalance of nutrients. In the case of nutrients, more is not always better.
If you truly want to give yourself and your family the best possible chance of avoiding disease or to help overcome current health problems, then you would be wise to consider
Toal Balance from Xtend-Life as a foundation nutrient aid, as it is considered to be the most effective broad based supplement available in the world today.
Avoid as much as possible processed foods because of the additives and of course try to get as much fresh air and exercise as possible.
Important notice: All material provided within the newsletter XTEND-YOUR-LIFE is for informational and educational purposes only, and is not to be construed as medical advice or instruction. No action should be taken solely on the contents of this publication. Consult your physician or a qualified health professional on any matters regarding your health and wellbeing or on any opinions expressed within this newsletter. The information provided in this newsletter is believed to be accurate based on the best judgment of the editor but the reader is responsible for consulting with their own health professional on any matters raised within.
