The Organic Affair

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome: An Alternative Approach

2010-08-30T08:45:00.000-07:00

Beginning July, The Organic Affair owner Donna Mayfield will join the Freedom from PCOS Inner Circle Board of Directors, advising and contributing on nutrition and natural supplements.

Freedom from PCOS is a Web site devoted to helping women cope with the troubling effects of polycystic ovary syndrome, which can affect women’s menstrual cycle, ability to have children, hormones, heart and appearance.

It’s estimated that some 5 million women in the U.S. suffer from PCOS, and the condition can appear in girls as early as age 11.

Though the cause of PCOS is presently unknown, experts agree the underlying problem is hormonal imbalance. Women with PCOS make more male hormone, or androgens, in their ovaries, and they generally also have a higher serum level of the hormone insulin.

Though an array of drug therapies are currently used to treat PCOS symptoms, some of which carry the possibility of significant side-effects and the potential of unintended consequences, there are several natural considerations as well.

First and foremost – think about a few lifestyle changes, particularly your diet. A diet high in whole grains, fruits, vegetables and lean meats and low in processed foods and added sugars is a good place to start.

For hormonal imbalances, an excellent consideration is always primrose, sometimes known as evening primrose oil. Primrose is a natural estrogen promoter, containing lignans, calcium, magnesium, zinc, vitamin E and essential fatty acids.

Primrose oil has long been linked to supporting a healthy response to menopausal symptoms and menstrual problems associated with hormone imbalance. Note: Primrose should not be used during pregnancy.

Borage oils, also containing essential fatty acids, the B vitamins along with iron, magnesium phosphorus and zinc, act as an adrenal tonic and gland balancer and may also help maintain a healthy hormonal balance.

In any event, essential fatty acids and oils are, well, essential to a healthy diet. Omega 3 is found in oily, cold water fish like salmon, herring and sardines. The American Heart Association recommends eating them twice a week. Other sources are spirulina, pumpkin, chia and flax seeds.

Grape seed, borage oil and primrose oil are good natural sources of Omega 6.
If we have enough omegas 3 and 6, our bodies will produce omega 9, monounsaturated oleic and stearic acid, whose benefits include boosting the immune system and prevention of artery hardening. Omega 9 also helps regulate the ratio of omegas 3 and 6.

Regardless of your condition or symptoms, a healthy, lean diet is always the best place to start. Reduce the junk and gunk and make sure to check your oils.

To follow Donna and The Organic Affair on Freedom from PCOS or to refer a friend to the site, go to www.freedomfrompcos.com/inner-circle.

Jim Mayfield is the lead shipper and loader for The Organic Affair, online retailer of natural, organic whole food vitamins, supplements, organic teas, and natural skin care and cosmetics at www.theorganicaffair.com.

Copyright ©2010 Jim Mayfield

Gingko Biloba: Food for Thought

2010-08-23T08:38:00.000-07:00

You may have heard about the latest study on ginkgo biloba. The one that said there was no real evidence that ginkgo really did much of anything. Really.
It’s no wonder people just give up, don their hiking boots, load a stout llama (email me if you want to hear my lama, with one “L” story about Donna and the San Diego airport) and disappear deep into the Bitterroot Mountains of Montana. Forever.

Honestly, can it really be this hard? The ginkgo is an ornamental Chinese tree that has been around for thousands of years. People have been using the extract from its leaves for about as long, and I suppose, according to the most recent study, for absolutely no good reason.

Centuries ago people began crushing ginkgo leaves and pulling out the good stuff knowing it wasn’t doing them any good. And it makes sense. They knew golf clubs wouldn’t be invented for another couple hundred years, so what else was one to do after a Saturday morning of hunter-gathering.

I don’t mind a beaker-head. Some of them are surprisingly nice people, and a select few can actually name the city where the Chicago Bears play. But they also used to think the world was flat and the earth was the center of the universe.

If you need some anecdotal – translate: real world – evidence as to whether there’s anything to ginkgo, follow the money.

It seems one of the largest health care companies in the world with cubbies and crannies chock full of beaker-heads, Bayer AG, (that’s right, the aspirin guys) has introduced a new line of…Oh, my word, someone slap me…nutritional supplements.

Say it isn’t so.

Among this German-based conglomerate’s offerings is a formula of omega-3s and – you guessed it – ginkgo biloba to “help support healthy brain function, memory, concentration, and mental sharpness.” Their marketing words; not mine.

I guess they don’t play much golf in Germany.

Now say what you want about big-time pharmaceutical companies, but you can’t argue the fact they know how to turn a buck. According to Bayer’s web site, its nutritional supplement subgroup alone generated 9.4 billion euros worldwide in 2005, which translates to roughly a nifty $11.3 billion.

And I suppose they poured all that effort into products that don’t do anything for you.

OK, you take my point.

Ginkgo increases blood flow to the brain and central nervous system, thereby enhancing memory and brain function.

It is also an antioxidant, and it’s beneficial properties have been linked to favorable outcomes in depression, dementia, eczema, cardio issues and may slow the progression of Alzheimers in some individuals.

Here at The Organic Affair, we have our own ginkgo and omega-3 formula in Neurozyme by New Chapter, an herbal extract obtained without the use of chemical solvents. Unlike the process used by…other companies.

One important word of caution: if you presently take medications, especially blood thinners and/or over-the-counter pain killers, please consult your physician or health care provider before starting a ginkgo regimen as the herb can sometimes act as an anti-coagulant, and there is a risk of internal bleeding.

The seemingly never-ending confusion and contradictions surrounding supplements is hard to fathom at best. If you need to take an aspirin, I’ll understand.

Jim Mayfield is the lead shipper and loader for The Organic Affair, online retailer of natural, organic whole food vitamins and supplements at www.theorganicaffair.com.

Copyright ©2010 Jim Mayfield

Dietary Supplements - Why Researchers Are Missing the Point

2010-08-03T15:23:00.000-07:00

Somebody asked me the other day why we sell vitamins and supplements when studies abound saying we can get everything our bodies need from a healthy diet.

I couldn’t have been happier.

It is true, one probably can get all the nutrients and vitamins one needs through eating right and keep the body functioning well with the proper amount of exercise. Supplement bashers of all stripes, especially medical researchers, have no problem opining that dietary supplementation is a waste and of little force because, they drone, we can get everything we need…yada, yada, yada.

We’re not arguing with them. They are just missing the point.

How many weeks running have you had your two to three servings of cold-water fish or other source of omega fatty acids? How many consecutive days running have passed since you had your five daily servings (at the very least) of fruits and vegetables? The government recommends at least two cups of fruits and three cups of veggies daily.

Ok – have you had an apple in the last couple of days? Something? Anything?

Then there is the whole issue of processed and fast foods. The fact of the matter is America is tilted toward fast and convenient; healthy is probably back deep in the pack, running well off the pace. How many fast-food restaurants do you pass on your way home? Now, how many fresh produce stands do you pass along the same route.

A recent New York Times article stated Americans eat 31 percent more packaged and processed food than fresh food. The Center for Disease Control states the average American eats three burgers and four orders of fries per week.

That ain’t cold-water fish.

The percentage of kids who are overweight has tripled over the last 30 years, and obesity has become such a pandemic that governments have considered a weight tax on sweetened foods.

That’s why we sell natural, high-quality vitamins and supplements. We sell them because we – you, me, most of us – do not eat as well as we should for optimum health and we need them. This really isn’t news.

A 1998 article in the New England Journal of Medicine noted that since 1970, 25 percent of Americans regularly consumed a daily multivitamin and folic acid, and – lo and behold – these folks and their children were healthier.

There are just a myriad of vitamins, fats and nutrients that our bodies need for peak performance and health, and most likely we’re not eating the right foods or the right foods in the right amounts to get them.

If you’re eating the right things in the right amounts, then you may not need to supplement with something specific or generally with a daily vitamin. But before you start dancing on the tables, you’re still not out of the woods, tough guy. There’s also the issue of the laundry list of enzymes and hormones your body stops producing with age. That’s stops producing with a capital “stops.”

That’s for next week. For now go eat an apple and take your vitamin.

Copyright ©2010 Jim Mayfield

2010-08-03T15:18:00.001-07:00

Chia Seed: Lots of Good Stuff in a Small Package

2010-07-26T08:25:00.000-07:00

It is an ancient seed once prized by Aztec warriors who would never entertain a conquest without it and considered it a Superfood for endurance. It is a whole food source of pure Omega3, and just recently Dr. Oz featured this dynamic little seed on Oprah recommending it for dietary fiber and omega-3’s.

And you thought chia was only used to sprout “hair” on terra cotta likenesses of sheep, Uncle Charley and Homer Simpson.

Chia, known formally as salvia hispanica, is a remarkably nutritious seed that is power packed with omega-3’s, omega-6 and loaded with high-ORAC antioxidants, calcium, potassium, magnesium, iron, zinc and many trace minerals.

While it is a staple among hikers and mountain climbers, chia seed taken everyday can easily become a dietary essential for anyone who suffers from PCOS by enhancing your energy, stamina and endurance.

Pound for pound, this tiny little seed – about 1 mm in diameter – is chocked full of proteins, oils and dietary fiber. About 34 percent of chia is oil, and 64 percent of that is omega-3, an essential fatty acid.

It’s important to know that our bodies do not produce omega-3. We can only ingest it by eating cold water fish like herring, salmon and sardines or spirulina, pumpkin or chia seeds.

The American Heart Association recommends at least two servings of an omega-3 source weekly.

More importantly, chia absorbs more than 12 times its weight in water, prolonging hydration and helping the body regulate body fluids and the absorbtion of nutrients and also maintaining electrolyte balance.

Researchers also believe the gel that forms when chia begins to absorb moisture creates a barrier of sorts between carbohydrates and digestive enzymes, slowing the conversion of carbs to sugar. The decreased conversion rate is the primary factor in increased endurance without the highs and lows, peaks and valleys, normally associated with the process.

PCOS symptoms range broadly, and rarely will one find one “magic pill” for the condition. So it is vitally important to start at the beginning, where the rubber meets the road, with a well balanced, healthy diet.

Incorporating chia, with its abundance of protein, fiber and essential oils, is sound addition to anyone’s diet, no less for those that suffer from PCOS.

Now, go water Uncle Charley’s head.

The Complex Nature of B Vitamins

2010-07-19T08:37:00.000-07:00

It’s hard to overestimate the importance of vitamin B complex, primarily because vitamin B is not one compound, but eight different vitamins your body uses, quite literally, from head to toe.

Turkey, liver and tuna are excellent sources of B complex, and these water-soluble compounds can also be found in whole, unprocessed foods such as molasses, lentils, whole grains, potatoes, bananas, tempeh and c hile peppers.

As with most vitamins and nutrients, if you’re eating a wholesome, healthy diet, you can expect to get the B complex vitamins you need. If you’re not eating right, however, you need to consider other sources.

New Chapter's Coenzyme B Food Complex™ delivers 8 different nourishing probiotic vitamins as well as 11 stress-balancing, soothing and restorative herbs and mushrooms cultured for maximum effectiveness.

Thiamine (B1) is absolutely essential for daily function. Every part of your body, especially the heart, needs it to make energy.

Riboflavin (B2) assists in the production of red blood cells, helps the nervous system to function properly and activates B6 and folic acid to make them more effective.

Niacin (B3) has been shown to be an effective treatment for high cholesterol and helps breakdown and release energy from carbs, fats and proteins.

B5 is converted to pantethine, which can lower triglyceride and to a lesser extent reduce blood serum cholesterol levels, benefiting those with high triglyceride levels and Type 2 diabetes.

B6 is needed to produce the neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine, so its cognitive attributes are particularly important. There is also strong evidence that B6 can significantly lower chances of heart disease, and it has been linked positively to treatments for PMS, childhood asthma and Alzheimer’s disease.

B12 is important for metabolism and maintaining a healthy nervous system and cognitive function. It is necessary for calcium absorption, and research indicates that the body’s ability to absorb B12 declines with age. It should be noted that B12 is not available from plants, which is a considerable concern for those on vegetarian and vegan diets.

Biotin (B7) is required for the formation of certain nucleic acids and glycogen, and important enzyme in the digestive and energy-producing process. It is also necessary for healthy hair and nails.

Supplementation of folic acid, or B9, is recommended during pregnancy, and research also shows its use may slow the effects of age on cognitive functions and the brain. Its key function is metabolizing fatty and amino acids, and it also helps in the production of red blood cells.

The B complex vitamins also reduce the effects of stress on the body.
So which one do you want to do without? Oh, and by the way – and we’re not making eye contact with anyone here – but a study found in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that an over-abundance of alcohol intake reduces vitamin B levels in the body.

Just thought you might want to know before Friday night.

So think about what you’re eating. If you’re not getting your vitamin B, you’re not getting a lot of things your body needs.

Jim Mayfield is the lead shipper and writer for The Organic Affair, online retailer of natural, organic whole food vitamins, supplements, and organic teas. Visit us at www.theorganicaffair.com.

New You for the New Year - Part I: Vitamins

2009-12-31T11:41:00.000-08:00

Well, it’s that time of year again. You know the time.

You were reminded of it as you cinched up that new Christmas belt that was your size last year.

And again when you bent over to lace up the freshly unwrapped sneakers and realized high-tops would have been an excellent idea to avoid having to reach quite that far.

OK. We all need to get back in shape. It’s the same resolution every year, but this time let’s not savage ourselves and make it our own Day of Atonement; let’s just get to it – shall we?

Let’s also keep it simple. My own favorite personal philosophy. Unless you actually enjoy knotty and labyrinthine procedures – like building the space shuttle – there’s really no reason this whole supplement thing needs to get complicated.

How about a basic supplementation plan in three quick installments. This week: vitamins; next week: omega fatty acids, followed by beneficial flora – bacteria we need – in week three. Hang on. Here we go.

Vitamins. There are 13 of them. Take your pick, real or…unreal – as in synthetic.

Grab your bottle of Flinstones there on the counter. Notice it contains “vitamin C.” You then skim to the ingredients and find it does, in fact, contain sodium ascorbate, which many of us recognize as a form of vitamin C.

Not quite so fast, tough guy. Sodium ascorbate is a buffered form of ascorbic acid, which on some level over the years we relate to vitamin C. But neither ascorbic acid nor sodium ascorbate IS vitamin C. Sorry to have to break that to you.

Ascorbic acid is a component of vitamin C, but if you only ingest ascorbic acid, you’re eating what amounts to the outer wrapper of the chemical nutrient we label vitamin C.

Vitamins are tiny bio-chemical complexes, the whole of which are greater than the sum of their parts. Without any one part, the nutritional effectiveness is diminished or lost. Think about it. Do you want the outer ring that holds everything that is vitamin C together or do you want the whole enchilada?

Most of the vitamins found on shelves are of the synthetic variety. Man-made chemical isolates (as in outer ring only) of vitamins that occur naturally. They are cheap to manufacture, market and sell, and they are...well, cheap.

Frankly, when your body gets to a synthetic chemical that purports to be some portion of a vitamin or nutrient, it has no idea what to do with it. And many times, it does absolutely nothing with it, not because it doesn’t want to help you out but because it can’t.

The alternative to the man-made vitamin variety is the natural, whole food vitamin. It is essentially exactly what the name implies. Whole, complete food.

The pure, non-chemical manufacturing process for natural vitaimins involves removing the water and fiber from vitamin-rich plants and then culturing and fermenting the result into a predigested natural food. In addition to recognizing and using the nutrients, your body doesn’t have to supply any “missing links” from its own stores.

You can find a number of natural whole food vitamin selections here. One of the first things you’ll notice is that whole food vitamins are more expensive. A number of factors are at work here.

Distilling natural food and nutrients is a more expensive process. The natural vitamin manufacturers are also outside the major marketing chain of the big three chemical suppliers to the world’s vitamin makers: Hoffman-La Roche, Ltd., a subsidiary of Swiss drug giant Roche Holding AG; BASF AG of Germany and France’s Rhone Poulenc.

Those three companies control over 75 percent of the world market for human and animal vitamins. Talk about your economies of scale. It all boils down to the old adage you get what you pay for.

So chuck the man-made chemical pills called Flintstones and OneADays (both made by Bayer) and get on a good, solid, natural vitamin your body can use.

It’s a good start and won’t hurt at all – not nearly as much as all those situps you’re committing to right about now. Put down that cupcake, cupcake.

Next week: Omega oils.
Copyright ©2009 Jim Mayfield

New Chapter's 5LX Receives Consumer Labs Approval Seal

2009-12-18T03:48:00.000-08:00

We are pleased to announce that New Chapter’s Prostate 5LX has been approved by Consumer Labs, which independently tests the quality of health and nutrition products.

Through its independent labs in White Plains, NY, Consumer Labs has been identifying the best – and not quite the best – in health and nutritional products for the last 10 years. Over 12,000 products and 250 brands of almost every type of popular nutritional supplement have been tested at the Consumer Labs facility.

The proprietary formula of Prostate 5LX contains saw palmetto, green tea, stinging nettle, ginger, rosemary and selenium in addition to pumpkin seed oil and extra virgin olive oil.

According to the Prostate Cancer Foundation, prostate cancer will affect one in 38 men between the ages of 40 – 59 and one in 15 in men ages 60 -69. More than 65 percent of all prostate cancers are diagnosed in men over the age of 65. It is the most common form of non-skin cancer in America, the foundation states.

Though the foundation notes that genetic predisposition may play a role in the disease, recent studies also indicate that diet and lifestyle can have a positive effect.

Green tea and omega-3 fatty oils have also been shown to play a beneficial role, and the foundation urges men to attempt to live a healthy lifestyle and to reduce their stress levels with good nutrition and exercise.

At The Organic Affair, we pride ourselves in carrying only the finest in whole food vitamins and supplements. Our manufacturers follow national Good Manufacturing Practices and formulate their products from only the finest and purest ingredients.

Additionally, we know that a vitamin or supplement alone simply will not get the job done. We encourage each of you to research our products and make the changes necessary to become a more healthy, vibrant you.

This latest addition to the Consumer Labs approved products from New Chapter joins the company’s Zyflamend, CalMag Bone Health, Berry Green and TurmericForce nutritional supplements.

Our Kids Are Not Eating Right

2009-10-09T13:43:00.000-07:00

You’d think the H1N1 Swine Flu and ever-present threat of biological terror would be more than enough to keep all the gears humming at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, but it seems they’ve got something else to worry about.

CDC now points to a 2007 survey of 100,000 high school students that shows fewer than 10 percent of our kids are eating the combined recommended daily amount of fruits and vegetables.

With breath-taking lucidity, the CDC labeled these findings “poor” in a report just this week.

The report found that only 13 percent of U.S. high schoolers get at least three daily servings of vegetables (French fries don’t count) and just 32 percent get two servings of fruit.

Fewer than one in 10 get enough of both combined.

And we haven’t even covered the section on eating disorders.

OK. So tell me the kids don’t need something extra in the tank. Tell me a good multiple vitamin, quality protein powder and/or greens powder won’t help, and – in some cases – isn’t absolutely necessary.

There was also a recent article suggesting that supplements would not take the place of food, which apparently is something some fools in some corners are considering, and which we at The Organic Affair have never maintained.

What we do believe is that quality supplements from reputable manufacturers are an excellent source of nutrition to pick up the slack.

Kids move fast. Before they get out the door, consider Kids Multi, by Jarrow, either of the excellent one-daily vitamins by New Chapter, Pure Essence Life Essence multi and maybe even Greens + Wild Berry Burst, an excellent source of nutrient-rich green superfoods.

If your child isn’t eating right, and the fact is she’s probably not, give them a little something extra in the morning. It’s fast, it’s easy, and it will let the good folks at CDC rest a bit easier at night.

'Tis the Season

2009-10-01T11:21:00.000-07:00

According to several nutritional sources, millions of Americans suffer from reactions to airborne allergens. For some, these reactions are a discomforting nuisance; for others they can be debilitating.

You can decrease the effect allergens have on you with nutrients that support normal digestive, respiratory and immune function.Those who suffer with allergies have immune systems that overreact when exposed to allergens. Ingesting airborne substances, such as ragweed and pollen, irritate the sinuses and lead to an allergic response.

Our system produces an antibody called IgE (immunoglobulin E) to fight allergens. IgE attaches itself to white blood cells called mast cells that are concentrated in our respiratory and digestive tracts where allergens tend to enter the body. When stimulated, these mast cells release many chemicals, primarily histamine, which cause most allergy symptoms.

Allergic reactions can also release other compounds in the body to produce an inflammatory response.Allergens thrive everywhere - indoors and outdoors. The most common allergens are pollen, molds, animals and animal dander, dust, dust mites, food and some food additives, industrial pollution and smoke.

Join me next time as I share more information on how to combat sinus and allergies.

Credits:

Happy woman: Lucas Janin/flickr