“It seems like you’re getting younger! Why aren’t you getting wrinkles? What are you using on your skin?”

Lately, those type of questions keep coming at me from female friends and co-workers. After forty or so, fighting wrinkles can be quite a catalyst for conversation.

Several years ago, I started having trouble with hormone-triggered skin discolorations on my face. My dermatologist told me it was a common problem that many people experience and instructed me to avoid sunlight, use sunscreen and incorporate “fade creams” into my daily skin care. The only other option was to try expensive laser treatments.

Unfortunately, none of those options were fool proof because the discolorations were hormonally triggered. The splotchy spots would only truly stop once my hormones stabilized (after menopause) which might take 10-15 years.

So I dealt with the my “age spots” with concealer and foundation. It was a real drag because I was very self conscious of the splotches on my face and didn’t feel comfortable leaving the house without makeup. The spots would slowly disappear in one area only to emerge in another. I used a prescription fade cream for more than 6 months but noticed no difference. A couple years and several product attempts later, I was seriously considering coughing up some big bucks to try laser treatments.

Fortunately that was about the time that I discovered the Isotonix® nutritional line for my inside and a skin care product called Pentaxyl® for my outside.

Pentaxyl® is patented blend of herbal extracts and an amazing duo of Matrixyl and Argireline. This amazing cream reduces the severity of wrinkles and furrows in addition to firming and brightening skin.

Pentaxyl® uses three bio-peptides which fight the aging process. Peptides are proteins that help the cellular structure of skin increasing firmness, hydration and smoothness. Clinical studies have shown that the peptides used in Pentaxyl will reduce the appearance of deep furrows and wrinkles in as little as 28 days of regular use. It even helps old stretch marks!

Compared to using StriVectin SD®, Pentaxyl® costs less and has more peptides.

After a month I noticed a significant improvement in the evenest of my complexion. Pentaxyl® is also so economical to use that my 4 oz. tube lasted well over 6 months! Now I can go out of the house without makeup and feel comfortable. My complexion is much more even and smooth.  So many of my friends have commented it can’t be my imagination. I finally found something that works and didn’t have to resort to lasers!

Ingesting antioxidants also provides significant benefits internally which will appear externally in the largest organ of the body – the skin. Therefore, I also drink Isotonix® nutritional supplements for their bioavailability and high nutrient absorption.

Other anti-aging products that I use and recommend for improving skin are:

Isotonix® OPC-3 Beauty Blend
Cellular Laboratories® Skin Care
Motives® by Loren Ridinger Cosmetics

A study conducted by the Department of Medicine at the Union Memorial Hospital in Maryland compared photolight therapy to the use of vitamin D on a group of subjects with SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder).

The randomized controlled trial found that after one month the subjects who received phototherapy showed no significant improvements in their vitamin D levels or in their depression. However, the group who received vitamin D experienced significant reductions in their depression and showed increased levels of vitamin D in their blood serum.

The study concluded that vitamin D3 may be a valuable treatment for SAD.

Multiple studies on the use of vitamin D for depression, anxiety and cognitive disorders have been listed at the Vitamin D Council site.

Isotonix® Vitamin D with K2 provides 5000 iu’s per dose of highly bioavailable vitamin D3 with the additional benefit of vitamin K2 for increased bone and vascular health. Many people who were disappointed with vitamin D in capsule form have enjoyed the ease of use and up to 95% absorption provided in this delicious drinkable isotonic solution.

Isotonix® products are provided exclusively through Market America and have obtained a loyal following due to their effectiveness, ease of use, and science-based formulations.

Here are some frequently-asked questions about the Isotonix® brand of nutritional supplements:

Are these supplements regulated by the FDA?

Yes, in that all nutritional supplement ingredients are regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as foods rather than as drugs (similar to how they monitor meat and dairy products). The FDA only allow ingredients to be used in the U.S. that have been deemed safe and require that dietary supplements have accurate labeling.The FDA does not focus on individual products, they focus on the amount and type of ingredients used. If questions or problems arise, the FDA can have a manufacturer substantiate label claims and, if found unsafe, have specific ingredients banned. The FDA also determines good manufacturing practices (GMPs).

Where are the product ingredients sourced from?

Isotonix® carefully selects the highest quality raw ingredients available. Quality control procedures extend from each individual ingredient to the final completed product. Ingredients are randomly tested by independent labs for isotonic capability, micro contamination, and potency in accordance with GMP manufacturing regulations.

How are Isotonix® supplements manufactured?

All of the nutritional supplements that Market America provides, including the Isotonix® brand, are manufactured in GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) certified facilities. These facilities must meet stringent levels of compliance and are verified by third-party GMP watchdogs including NNFA, Shuster Labs, NSF International, and USP. Isotonix® products have verifiable standardization and uniformity in every batch of product they produce.

Are fillers used?

No. There are no preservatives, fillers, binders, excipients, artificial colors or artificial flavors used.

Are the natural ingredients used screened for pesticides?

Yes. All ingredients extracted from natural sources (like pine bark, citrus, bilberry, grape seed, etc.) are tested with gas chromatography for pesticide residue.

How much “sugar” is in them?

Isotonix® products are sweetened with natural fructose. Fructose does not produce the extreme “highs” and “lows”  in blood sugar levels like ordinary table sugar can. In both calories and natural sugar content, a serving of an Isotonix® drinkable supplement is equivalent to a single bite of an apple or half a teaspoon of honey.

Why is “sugar” used at all?

Nutritive sugars, like fructose, provide multiple benefits including the following:

• create an isotonic solution by exerting osmotic pressure
• actively transports select nutrients across intestinal enterocyte membranes
• improves blending uniformity of ingredients
• improves flavor by covering off-tasting nutrients like zinc, copper, and B vitamins

Do Isotonix® products contain lactose, soy or gluten?

No. Isotonix® are free of milk, casein, gluten, soy, wheat, yeast, artificial flavors, starch, salt, preservatives, and dyes.

What about maltodextrin?

Maltodextrin is a sweet, easily digestible carbohydrate usually made from rice or corn. Because of its rapid breakdown, maltodextrin typically has a high glycemic index. A minimal amount of maltodextrin is used in Isotonix® products as a particle-coating agent to prevent the ingredients from clumping. Per serving, the maltodextrin dusting generates a caloric value of approximately 0.2 calories.

Are Isotonix® product hypoallergenic:

The exclusion of dyes, fillers, binders and extenders was carefully planned in the formulation of Isotonix® products, therefore no reports of allergic reactions are expected.

What advantage do Isotonix® products offer?

Isotonix® do not have to be digested to be absorbed. When taken as directed on an empty stomach they go immediately into the small intestine where absorption takes place. According to the Physician’s Desk Reference (page 1542), vitamins and minerals in a pill form are only 10-20% absorbed by the body. Isotonix® supplements are formulated based on the best clinical studies available. Additionally Isotonix® only uses the highest quality scientifically validated ingredients manufactured in pharmceutical grade facilities.

Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the human body with 99% of it stored in the bones and teeth. Beyond skeletal structure calcium impacts multiple systems including the cardiovascular, nervous system, immune response, hormone and enzyme function and healthy cholesterol levels.

44-87% of the U.S. populace are deficient in calcium. Using the steroid Prednisone leaches calcium from the bones, which greatly increases calcium requirements.

So the question is, what form of calcium is best? Frequently, people complain that they have tried supplementing with calcium or other nutrients and noticed no benefit. In the past, I had the same experience. What I found out was that it wasn’t that the compound didn’t work. The problem was that my body could not extract the benefits of the compound due to the form it was delivered in.

That is why isotonic absorption is so significant.

Many calcium supplements are made from calcium found in eggshell or oyster shell, which is difficult for the body to absorb. Other brands use calcium tablets that possess a binding agent called DCP, which does not break down in the body. Just because a brand lists a large amount of calcium on the label does not mean that your body will be able to utilize it.

Isotonix® Calcium Plus delivers results because it is isotonic.

Isotonix® Calcium Plus is a powdered form that, when mixed with the amount of water indicated, becomes isotonic. An isotonic solution is extremely easy for the body to absorb and will begin entering into the blood stream in less than five minutes. This highly efficient and active product will get to the receptor sites in the small intestine unlike many other brands of tablets which have been jokingly referred to as “bedpan bullets“.

Benefits that distinguish Isotonix® Calcium Plus are:

• It’s isotonic – (is ready to be absorbed by the intestines)
• It’s very affordable – ($18.50 for a 45 day supply)
• It’s drinkable – (and tastes good)
• It’s bioavailable – (delivers highly concentrated and active nutrition)
• It’s synergistically blended – (contains vitamins D3, C, and B2, magnesium, boron, potassium, & manganese)

Results always speak for themselves. Here are a few comments on Isotonix® Calcium Plus:

Curcumin is the most biologically active ingredient found in the herb, tumeric, which is part of the ginger family. Used for centuries in Indian cooking, this potent phytochemical (plant chemical) has been identified as an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-arthritic, anti-amyloid (inhibits abnormal protein deposits – like brain plaque), anti-tumor (causes apoptosis or cell death in cancerous cells) and enhances immune system function by increasing the production of glutathione.

If that wasn’t enough – there’s more!

A recent study published in Psychopharmacology on curcumin found that it behaves like a natural antidepressant by increasing serotonin as well as dopamine levels.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ( ADHD) and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), is often treated with antidepressants to balance MAO’s (monoamine oxidase enzymes). A safe and natural compound like curcumin could be a very welcome option for many.

Unfortunately, most natural forms of curcumin are not very bioavailable. By the time they pass from the stomach into the small intestine for absorption the active ingredient is quite degraded and has lost its potency. However, a naturally-occurring and patented form of curcumin has been developed called BCM-95®, which delivers six times more bioactive curcumin into the blood than typical curcumin.

Curcumin Extreme™ contains this optimal type of pharmacologically bioactive curcumin known as BCM-95® in a unique synergistic formula.

The Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease published study results recommending that vitamin D3 be used in conjunction with curcumin to prevent Alzheimer’s and cellular damage/destruction to brain cells caused by free radicals through oxidative stress.

According to Dr. Milan Fiala, study author and a researcher at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and the Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, “We hope that vitamin D3 and curcumin, both naturally occurring nutrients, may offer new preventive and treatment possibilities for Alzheimer’s disease.”

Isotonix® Vitamin D with K2 is a drinkable, highly bioavailable and active form of D3. Using Isotonix® Vitamin D with K2 along with Curcumin Extreme™ would be an excellent response to Dr. Fiala’s suggestion.

Migraines plague approximately 30 million people in the United States with 75% of that number consisting of women.

The treatment of migraines has spurred the creation of a myriad of pain management centers, medications, books, diets, procedures and approaches.  Addressing the physiological and/or environmental causes and then determining the appropriate solution can be daunting at best. Fortunately, many people have found relief from migraines by using nutritional antioxidants and anti-inflammatories.

Free radicals destroy and damage cells. Our bodies are equipped to handle free radicals to a certain degree, but factors such as illness, toxins, and stress can overwhelm the normal production of cellular antioxidants. This results in an imbalance that can set the stage for migraines. Supporting cellular function and immune response with potent and well-researched antioxidants can not only inhibit migraines, it also contributes to disease resistance and anti-aging.

Using isotonic formulas are a terrific way of ingesting anti-inflammatories and antioxidants. Isotonic solutions are the perfect balance of solids to liquids which allows them to pass rapidly from the stomach to the small intestine for maximum absorption.

Some highly effective anti-inflammatories and antioxidants that migraine sufferers are often lacking in are:

• Calcium and magnesium
• B-Complex
• Oligomeric Proanthocyanidins (OPC’s)
• Vitamin D
• Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10)
• L-Tryptophan
• Omega 3 Fish Oils

Fortunately all of these recommendations (except the Omega 3 oils and headrest™) are available in isotonic form through Market America. Drinkable, delicious and up to 95% absorbed these Isotonix® products, and the others, are amazingly effective.

Isotonix® Calcium Plus
Isotonix® Advanced B-Complex
Isotonix OPC-3®
Isotonix® Vitamin D with K2
Isotonix® Coenzyme Q10
Isotonix® L-Tryptophan
HeartHealth™ Essential Omega 3 Fish Oil with Vitamin E
headrest™ – Head Comfort Formula

In the United States over 6.2 million women struggle with infertility and the numbers are climbing. Up to 60% of couples have difficulty conceiving due to poor sperm mobility. Supporting overall nutrition with high-quality, bioavailable nutrients is a safe, simple, and inexpensive approach to improving this condition. Clearing up underlying nutritional weaknesses will not only benefit fertility, it will improve overall health and increase longevity.

Two powerful health and fertility supplements for both men and women are Vitamin D and Oligomeric Procyanthocyanidins or (OPC’s).

Vitamin D continues to to be in the health spotlight due to the staggering number of people who are deficient in this important nutrient. The alarming correlation between hundreds of different illnesses/disorders and low levels of vitamin D has persuaded many health care professionals to encourage supplementation.

A recent study conducted with 84 infertile women found significantly higher rates of pregnancies occurred when blood serum levels of vitamin D were increased. Fertility specialist, Dr. Anne Clark, found that one third of men tested with fertility problems had below normal levels of vitamin D.

Adequate supplementation can fall short even though approximately half of the US population consumes some type of multi-vitamin. Many people don’t know that the US RDA (recommended daily allowance) of vitamins and minerals was established as minimum amounts to prevent the onset of disease due to severe deficiency for average healthy adult males. RDA’s were not intended as sufficient nutritional amounts to establish health in the general populace or to combat disease. So using only a basic multi-vitamin may still leave many people nutritionally malnourished.

Oligomeric Procyanthocyanidins (OPC’s) are a potent combination of bio-flavonoid antioxidants that inhibit cellular free radical damage. Additionally, OPC’s provide anti-inflammatory activity, cardiovascular and joint health, plus maintenance of healthy cholesterol, vascular, and blood glucose levels. OPC’s have been found to improve fertility in both men and women.

Isotonix® produces drinkable and delicious isotonic forms of both of these fertility enhancing supplements.  Isotonix® Vitamin D with K2 provides 5000 iu’s per dose of active and bioavailable vitamin D3 enhanced with vitamin K2.

Isotonix OPC-3® contains the only isotonic form of Pycnogenol® in the world. Pycnogenol® is a patented form of French maritime pine bark. A 2002 published study found sperm mobility was increased by 38% after just 90 days of supplementation with Pycnogenol®.

An isotonic formula dramatically increases nutrient delivery into the small intestine, which in turn improves the rate of absorption by as much as 95%! Drinking these nutrients in an isotonic form requires far less digestive effort and delivers more value than typical liquid, capsule, or tablet forms.

Rapid absorption, easy digestion, and great taste are just a few reasons why Isotonix® supplements, including the Isotonix® Prenatal Multivitamin and the line of Isotonix® Children’s vitamins, are so popular.

The Wall Street Journal published the first allegations of cholesterol lowering statin drugs being associated with dementia. In the article, Dr. Orli Etingin (vice chairman of medicine at New York Presbyterian Hospital-Weill Cornell Medical Center) stated that Lipitor “makes women stupid.”

Dr. Etingin was referring to several of her patients using statins that were unable to focus, recall words and displayed other cognitive deficiencies. According to Dr. Etingin, the impairments vanished when use of the statin drug was discontinued and returned when the statins were reintroduced.

Two British experts in Alzheimers and dementia, Louise Morse and Roger Hitchins, note that the most common causes of memory loss they see in both men and women are due to depression, poor nutrition and statin drug use.

Some doctors have suspected that certain cognitive disruptions are triggered when statin drugs (like Simvastatin) cross the blood brain barrier and interfere with the central nervous system. Another possibility is that because the brain is composed largely of cholesterol, lowering cholesterol could slow thought and memory connections. Statins have also been linked to abnormal tau proteins forming in the brain, as seen in Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Lou Gehrig’s disease.

A new study may provide even more disturbing evidence as to the impact statins have on cognitive function.

This fascinating study published July 2008 in Glia by Dr. Steven Goldman and Dr. Fraser Sim discovered that statin drugs inhibit a specific type of brain cell.

These specialized brain cells are called glial progenitor cells. Glial progenitor cells function much like stem cells. They spring into action when the brain has experienced some type of distress and transform into any type of cell needed by the brain. These adaptive cells help restore white matter after strokes, infection, trauma, or inflammation brought on by the aging process, or diseases like multiple sclerosis.

Statins negatively impact glial progenitor cells by switching off their adaptive capabilities. After statin exposure the glial progenitor cells permanently became oligodendrocytes cells.

The study concluded that: “This might reduce the available progenitor pool and hence degrade the long-term regenerative competence of the adult white matter.” Furthermore, Dr. Sims states: “Researchers need to look very carefully at what happens if these cells have been depleted prematurely.”

These findings provide an enhanced awareness among neurologists and cardiologists of how cholesterol lowering statins drugs impact the brain. Several studies have attempted to show that statins provide some protection against dementia, but that evidence has been inconclusive at best. Meanwhile, some physicians are expressing concern that statins may actually increase the risk of dementia.

Resident of San Diego, 69 year old Jane Brunzie, was so forgetful that her daughter was looking into Alzheimer’s care and refused to let her babysit for her 9-year-old granddaughter. So Jane stopped taking her statin.  “Literally, within eight days, I was back to normal — it was that dramatic,” says Mrs. Brunzie.

Jane Brunzie goes on to say “I feel very blessed — I got about 99% of my memory back, but I worry about people like me who are starting to lose their words who may think they have just normal aging and it may not be.”

Interesting books, sites and  articles on statins:

Lipitor, Thief of Memory by Dr. Duane Graveline

Statin Effects Study by Dr. Beatrice A. Golomb

Truth vs Hype in the JUPITER Study (Justification for the Use of Statins in Prevention) by Dr. Michael R. Eades

Ending the Cholesterol Heart Disease Myth by Andreas Moritz

CoQ10 – Did You Know Statin Drugs Block this Heart Energy Catalyst? by J Lange

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is a vitamin-like substance naturally secreted by liver enzymes in our bodies. CoQ10 initiates cellular energy production. Critical systems (like the heart, brain and liver) rely on this energy to maintain proper functioning. CoQ10 is a biochemical catalyst that supplies vital energy.

The interesting thing about a catalyst is that it initiates an event, but is not consumed nor incorporated into the activity. Consequently, a biochemical catalyst can perform its function repeatably. Over 90% of the cellular energy generated in the human body is produced this way.

The energy that CoQ10 initiates becomes an organic molecule called adenosine triphosphate (ATP). ATP is known as the ‘energy currency of life’ because all cellular functions need ATP to store or transport their energy requirements.

Cholesterol is a soft waxy substance that composes over 50% of all cell membranes. Cholesterol is necessary for regulating hormone activity, breaking down fats, building bone, enabling immune response, plus absorbing vital nutrients like vitamin D and calcium. We get cholesterol from food and from enzymes produced by the liver.

Statin drugs lower cholesterol by blocking the production of a natural liver enzyme called HMG-CoA reductase. This enzyme enables cholesterol and CoQ10 production. Statins work by attacking HMG-CoA in the liver, which forces the liver to pull cholesterol requirements from the blood. Dr. Gerald Gau (a cardiologist and cholesterol management expert at Mayo Clinic) states that “When you start a statin, your coenzyme Q10 level in your blood drops by 50 percent.” This may explain why 72% of U.S. cardiologists polled recommend dietary supplements.

A common side effect for people who use statins is muscle pain and weakness called ‘myalgia‘ or ‘myopathy‘. A double-blind study published in 2007 found that supplementing with coenzyme Q10 for 30 days reduced myopathy by 40%. Researches at the University of California in San Diego found that the second most common reported complaint was memory problems.

Statins definitely reduce unhealthy cholesterol levels, but they also reduce very healthy and desirable CoQ10 as well. Insufficient levels of CoQ10 may be a contributing factor in the high rates of congestive heart failure among statin drug users. Additional adversaries to cardiovascular health are oxidation and arterial inflammation.

Karl Folkers was a chemist for Merck (a large pharmaceutical supplier of statin medications). Dr. Folkers warned that prescribed statin drugs should include supplemental CoQ10 to prevent unintended damage to the patient.

Dr. Folkers collegue, Dr. Peter Langsjoen states: “The antioxidant or free radical quenching properties of CoQ10 serve to greatly reduce oxidative damage to tissues as well as significantly inhibit the oxidation of LDL cholesterol (much more efficiently than vitamin E).”

The Science of Essential Nutrients draws a strikingly similar conclusion:

“Q10 supplementation is beneficial in the prevention, treatment or cure of heart disease, stroke, cancer, viral diseases including AIDS, etc. Q10 slowed aging markedly, restored youthful thymic response to viruses and tumors, and extended lifespan 50% when given to very old mice. Safety and efficacy of Q10 has been demonstrated in numerous very large clinical trials.”

Market America offers a variety of GMP manufactured antioxidant cardiovascular support products. In addition to the product listed below, in a clinical study researches found that when using Isotonix OPC-3®, “All major cardiovascular risk factors were improved with blood pressure, total cholesterol, and fasting blood glucose lowered.”

Heart Health™ System - set of 3 synergistic cardiovascular products
Heart Health™ LipiTrim Ultra – natural antioxidants for blood lipid health
Heart Health™ Advanced Co-Q10 – softgel caps with CoQ10 and vitamin E
Heart Heath™ Chewable Co-Q10 – tasty citrus flavored CoQ10 wafers
Isotonix® Coenzyme Q10 – a drinkable isotonic solution that absorbs rapidly

This newly aired video shows a striking correlation between breast cancer and vitamin D.

A March 2009 article published in the Archives of Internal Medicine explored the dramatic decrease of vitamin D in the overall population from 2001 to 2004. Seventy five percent of adults have insufficient levels of vitamin D. In addition, a significant number of teenagers, young children, and even 40% of infants have been found to be seriously low as well. Inadequate levels of vitamin D have also been measured in 50-80% of pregnant women, even though over 90% of those tested were using a prenatal vitamin.

Supplementation and dietary changes are advised to increase blood serum levels of vitamin D rather than more sun exposure according to the American Academy of Dermatology.

A study of Hawaiian skateboarders (who tended not to use sunscreen) validated this recommendation. Even in this group, 51% had significantly low levels of vitamin D. This is noteworthy considering that just 30 minutes of sunlight on the skin produces approximately 10,000 iu’s of vitamin D in the body.

Healthy adults utilized about 4000 iu’s of vitamin D daily. The Vitamin D Council suggests that supplementing with up to 10,000 iu’s daily of vitamin D3 is very safe for most people.

The bottom line conclusion is: ”Current recommendations for vitamin D supplementation are inadequate to address the growing epidemic of vitamin D insufficiency.” – 2009 March, Archive of Internal Medicine

Isotonix® Vitamin D with K2 provides 5000 iu’s of cholecalciferol (a bioavailable form of vitamin D3) plus 45 mcg of vitamin K2 in a drinkable isotonic form.