I came across an interesting article in NUTRA Ingredients-USA.com (November 27, 2012 edition) the other day.

You've probably seen the Sensa ads. You just shake these "magic" crystals on your food and the pounds melt away. And, by the way, it's not salads they are shaking the crystals on. It's pizza, hamburgers, French fries and the like.

The "magic" crystals are made from maltodextrin (a carbohydrate derived from starch), tricalcium phosphate, natural and artificial flavors, soy and milk ingredients. The manufacturer claims that these crystals suppress appetite and lead to weight loss.

Supposedly, these claims are supported by two clinical studies showing, for example, that people using the Sensa crystals lost an average of 30 pounds over six months while the control group only lost two.

Now if you think these claims sound too good to be true, you aren't alone. California District attorneys filed a false advertising lawsuit against the manufacturer of Sensa crystals, and last week the manufacturer agreed to settle and pay $800,000 in civil penalties and $105,000 in restitution to California consumers.

According to NUTRA-Ingredients-USA-com, it turns out that neither of the clinical studies was good enough to be published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal.

And, the lead researcher for one of the studies admitted in a deposition that she had no scientific training and was not qualified to conduct a nutrition intervention study.

So another great sounding ad bites the dust. There is no magic formula or magic ingredient that will just make the pounds melt away. The physiological equation has not changed. Weight loss occurs when calories out exceed calories in. And permanent weight loss requires lifestyle changes.

The weight loss industry is rife with grand claims and hype. Just remember the old saying if it sounds too good to be true, it probably isn't.*

What's important to you when deciding on a weight loss program?  Simple?  Support?  Quality of products (no stimulants)?  Price?  If you said yes to any or all of these, contact me at marybeth@mambearproductions.net.  I chose to partner with Shaklee and they share my values and vision.

Mary Beth Potrykus
mamabear.myshaklee.com

 *Thank you Dr. Stephen Chaney for this information.

Shocking news about Dr. Oz

I subscribe to Natural News and I was shocked and VERY disappointed to hear that Dr. Oz has been bought.  Monsanto must have gotten to him and unfortunately the almighty dollar has won.

So after years of preaching about healthy eating, exercise and supplements he now says organic food is an "elitlist" and only for 1% of the American population.  Really?!

I am and SO ARE YOU worth eating organic food.  In fact that is the way God intended food to be.   

You can read more about at http://www.naturalnews.com/038157_Dr_Oz_organic_food_sellout.html

Not sure what to eat, what supplements are right for you?  I'm here.  Contact me at marybeth@mamabearproductions.net for a 30 minute complimentary consultation.

Be healthy, be well.

Mary Beth
www.mamabearproductions.net

Can what we eat affect our kids?

Genetic information resides in our DNA. 

During conception, we pick up some DNA from our dad & some from our mom, and DNA was what makes us a unique individual. 

Environmental influences can affect our health personally, but did you ever dream that the effects of those environmental influences could be passed on to our kids?

But today we know that environental influences can actually modify our DNA and that those modifications can be passed on to our offspring - a process called epigenetics.

So can what we eat affect our kids?

According to two articles in FASEB Journal, the answer might be yes!

One study female rats were either on a standard rat chow or a "junk-food diet" high in fat and sugar during pregnancy and lactation.  When the weaning rats were then separated from their moms and exposed to a variety of foods, both the male and female offspring showed a marked preference for high fat foods.

The second study female mice were maintained on standard mice chow or a low-protein diet during pregnancy and lactation. 

Their offspring had a lower body weight and less fat surrounding their major organs throughout their life. 

This study not only shows that the diet of the moms influenced the eating behavior and body composition of their offspring, but that this chain in eating behavior was caused by a permanent modification of their DNA. 

Most prenatal nutrition advice is based on what it takes to have a healthy baby - not on what it might take for your child to experience better health through their life. 

My personal opinion is, yes your baby "gets what you get and twice as much".  So if you're thinking about having a baby, start a healthy diet now.  And adding high end supplements (ensuring there isn't any contaminants and they are whole food high end is best) will only increase the chances you will have a healthy pregnancy and healthy baby, now and in the future. 

Mary Beth

**Thank you Dr. Stephan Chaney for providing this information.

Hunters

Gun hunting season starts November 15th in Michigan.  Right now is bow hunting season.

With that said, are you a hunter or do you know a hunter?  If you do, are they looking for a scent eliminator that isn't toxic? 

If they are, Basic H2 has worked very successful for hunters.  It's just another use of this amazing product.

Here's Ron May's story:  As a user of Shaklee Basic H for nearly 30 years, I have found it to be effective for numerous tasks, not all of which involved cleaning or disinfecting.

On two occasions, my bird dogs were sprayed by skunks while in the field. Basic H is the ONLY solution I have ever found to be just about 100% effective in removing the odor.

Other uses I have found for Basic H include eliminating human odor while deer hunting. When hunting clothes are washed with it, then stored in a plastic bag, human odors are eliminated. It also works on equipment wiped with a mild solution on a sponge, but the most important property Basic H has for the deer hunter is that it completely eliminates human body scent!

As a former Product Specialist for Cabela's Retail, Inc., I have had the opportunity to use many of the so-called scent eliminators on the market today. While many of them do work to some degree, none of them, in my opinion, are as effective as Basic H. I simply use it full strength like a body wash when I shower each morning before going deer hunting. I wash my hair with it each day as well. Just make certain to keep it out of your eyes. In bathing with Basic H over the past 25 years, I have had deer come as close as three feet of me, downwind, without detecting me! My best buck was a magnificent 12-pointer, shot downwind of me at about 40 yards.

Basic H is an absolutely amazing product , and I am surprised that more hunters haven't discovered its many uses for the sportsman.

 

Basic H has been reformulated and is now Basic H2.  It is more concentrated (use half as much). 

 

To view this amazing product and to order, click here.  To view all products, go here.

Be safe and good luck hunting.

Mary Beth

Thyroid..Other options

I find more and more people with thyroid problems.  Why?  Well it all goes back to what we are putting into our bodies.  Super pesticides (which you can find on non-organic food) and fall into the Genetically Modified food category, fast food restaurants, the air we breathe (full of pollutants), and too much bottle water (the plastic bottles have harmful chemicals especially when left in a warm environment).

Iodine deficiency is associated with thyroid disease.  Here is a simple test you can do at home to check your iodine levels:  Take a Q-tip, dip it into a 2% tincture of iodine, and paint the area the size of a silver dollar on your thigh or belly. This will leave a yellowish stain that should disappear in about 24 hours if your iodine levels are normal. If the stain disappears in under 24 hours, it means your body is deficient in iodine and thirstily sucked it up.. If that's the case, keep applying the iodine to different sites, until the stain lasts a full 24 hours.  Not only will you have diagnosed your iodine deficiency, but you will have treated the deficiency and improved your thyroid function. If you're on thyroid medication and you use this treatment, you'll find that you can cut back on the dosage-- or possibly discontinue the drug altogether!  It is always best to communicate with your doctor.  (Thank you Sharon O'Donnell)

Dr. Brouse recommends, for hypothyroidism:  CorEnergy, Alfalfa, Soy Protein (Energizing or Cinch), Vitalizer and Vivix to stabilize.

Other Shaklee supplements that are recommended are Stress Relief Complex and B Complex.  Why these two?  Because they offset the affects of stress which harms our bodies and stress is something that is in our every day lives. 

Dr. Thelma Jones, MD states:  Iodine and Vitamin D Deficiency have been associated with thyroid, breast and ovarian cysts.  However, a word of caution that Iodine should not be used in Hashimoto's thryoiditis.

There is a product called Armour Thyroid (a natural alternative to synthroid), which I suggest communicating with a Holistic Doctor before taking. 

If you still have questions or would like a complimentary 30 minute consultation, email me at marybeth@mamabearproductions.net. 

I'm here to help.

Mary Beth

Halloween Love story Read to the end

Love Story   I will seek and find you. I shall take you to bed and have my way with you. I will make you ache, shake and sweat until you moan and groan. I will make you beg for mercy, beg for me to stop. I will exhaust you to the point that you will be relieved when I'm finished with you. And when I am finished, you will  be weak for days. All my love, The Flu Now go take your supplements, then get back to work!

You can't always believe what they say

Every supplement manufacture will tell you they manufacture their products to the highest quality control standards. Are they all telling the truth?

You probably knew that not all of them could be telling the truth. How else could you explain the investigative reports that surface from time to time showing that some supplements picked up at random from health food stores or purchased over the Internet have serious contamination problems or sometimes have no active ingredient.

The good news is, the FDA, after years of inaction, is finally starting to inspect the manufacturing facilities of some of these companies and to put the really bad players out of business. Of course the bad news is that the FDA doesn't have nearly enough inspectors to inspect the many thousands of manufacturing facilities in the United States. And nobody may be monitoring the manufacturing facilities for those supplements that are made overseas.

So can you really believe the claims of product quality made by every the supplement manufacturers? A report about an FDA action against a supplement company, based in upper state New York, is a clear no.

The company in question states on their website: "Our quality products begin with the purchase of the finest ingredients and packaging materials from carefully selected suppliers. Incoming raw materials undergo stringent quality control inspections - for potency and purity - to assure conformance to the product specifications. Careful storage and handling of raw materials maintain optimal viability of all components."

That sounds pretty good. But in fact the FDA recently filed an injunction to halt the production and distribution of dietary supplements by that company because of a number of violations of current standards for Good Manufacturing Practices in the manufacturing, packaging, labeling and holding operations of their dietary supplements.

Specifically the FDA alleged that the company failed to conduct appropriate tests or examinations to verify the identity of raw ingredients prior to their use and failed to qualify suppliers of raw ingredients through confirmation of their Certificate of Analyses through tests or exams prior to the use of the ingredients that the suppliers provided. Basically the FDA is saying that the company failed to live up to its claim that they carry out "stringent quality control tests for purity and potency".

The FDA also alleged that they failed to use effective measures to protect against the inclusion of metals or other foreign materials in their dietary supplements.  In other words the FDA is saying that they may have introduced contamination into their products in the manufacturing process.

And finally the FDA alleged that they failed to hold the components on the diet components, dietary supplements under conditions that do not lead to mix up contamination or deteriorations of components as required. In other words the FDA is saying that the company failed to live up to its claim that they perform "careful storage and handling of raw materials [to] maintain optimal viability of all components".

While these are allegations that ultimately may need to be proven in a court of law, it appears that the facts may be very different from the quality control claims made by the company. I wish I could tell you that this was an isolated case. But as the FDA is starting to investigate supplement manufacturers they are finding more and more manufacturers who are cutting corners on product quality to keep their operating costs low.

So my advice to you is that it may not always be the best idea to buy the cheapest product that you can find on the Internet. You may not be able to believe the quality control claims that the manufacturer makes. My advice is to go with a reputable company that has a long-standing reputation for product quality.*

Buy from people you know, like, and TRUST.  As they will only sell you products from a company they know, like and trust. 

Mary Beth Potrykus
www.mamabearproductions.net

*information provided by Dr. Stephen Chaney