Pharmaceutical profits are down. Time to attack vitamins!

Did you hear the breaking news that multivitamins may shorten your life? Here’s how junk science from the AMA set off the media frenzy.

Bloomberg phrased it this way: “Multivitamins and some dietary supplements, used regularly by an estimated 234 million US adults, may do more harm than good, according to a study that tied their use to higher death rates among older women.” The study’s authors outrageously concluded, “We see little justification for the general and widespread use of dietary supplements.”

The study, published in the American Medical Association’s (AMA’s) Archives of Internal Medicine, assessed the use of vitamin and mineral supplements in nearly 39,000 women whose average age was 62. The researchers asked the women to fill out three surveys, the first in 1986, the second in 1997, and the last in 2004, reporting what supplements they took and what foods they ate, and answering a few questions about their health.

That’s right, all the data was self-reported by the study subjects only three times over the course of the 19-year-long study. To say the data is “unreliable” would be a generous description. This kind of “data” has no place in a valid scientific study.

Then the researchers looked at how many of the women had died by 2008. They reported that the number of deaths were somewhat higher for women who took copper, a little bit lower for women who took calcium, but about average for most of the women.

In the study, all of the relative risks were so low as to be statistically insignificant, and none was backed up by any medical investigation or biological plausibility study. No analysis was done on what combinations of vitamins and minerals were actually consumed, and no analysis of the cause of death was done beyond grouping for “cancer,” “cardiovascular disease,” or “other”—there was certainly no causative analysis done. The interactions of potential compounding risk factors is always tremendously complex—and was ignored in this so-called study.

“Multivitamin” can mean many different things, and of course changed tremendously over the 19 years during which this “study” was conducted. Were they high quality? Were the ingredients synthetic or natural? How much of each nutrient was taken? Were they really taken at all? How good is anyone’s memory in describing what took place over many years? One would assume that that the women’s diets fluctuated greatly over the same period; when self-reporting only three times in 19 years, there is a great deal of information one would naturally leave out even if some of it was accurate. No analysis was done of the effect of supplements on the women’s overall health, nor of their effect on women of other ages.

According to Dr. Robert Verkerk the Executive & Scientific Director of ANH-International;

“This study is a classic example of scientific reductionism being used to fulfill a particular need. In this case, it’s supplement bashing, a well-known preoccupation of Big Pharma — and an approach that appears to be central to the protection of Big Pharma’s profit margins.”
Read Dr. Verkerk’s article critical of the AMA’s goals and scientific methodology here.

In short, this study is less than useless: it is dangerous, because it is being used by the media and the mainstream medical establishment to blacken the eye of nutritional supplements using poor data, bad analysis, and specious conclusions—otherwise known as junk science.

What are your thoughts?

Mary Beth
www.mamabearproductions.net

Why Supplement?

Many times I hear, "I'm healthy or I'm young so why do I need to use supplements (or some say vitamins)?"  If you eat according to the food pyramid guide, breathe only clean air, drink only the purest of water, exercise at least 3 times weekly, and have no stress in your life then no you don't need to supplement.  Does this sound like you?

When I first started taking supplements, I thought to myself am I going to do this for the rest of my life?  Fourteen years later I'm still taking supplements.  I don't take a day off either.

Why do I say supplements versus vitamins?  Because the products I use and market, supplement what we don't get from our diet.  Be careful because not all supplements are created equally. 

Click here for an even better explanation of Why Supplement. 

If you are already using supplements, are you getting the results  you want?  Why did you start taking supplements?  Did a doctor recommend them?  Were you told "all brands are the same, just go to the grocery store"?

I'm not here to treat or diagnose, but many traditional doctors aren't knowledgeable in supplements.  They have their reasons.

But if you are looking for someone who has your best interest at heart, email me and we can set up a time to discuss what is best for you.  Because that is who matters, YOU.

Give yourself the gift of health this holiday season so that you can enjoy many more to come.

Many blessings,

Mary Beth
marybeth@mamabearproductions.net
www.mamambearproductions.net

Calling all teachers

It's that cold and flu season again.  Who seems to be on the receiving end?  Teachers.  Kids come to school with runny noses, coughing, and a whole array of other "fun" things. 

On top of all that, it is the stress of dealing with 30 different personalities, teaching something they love and with the hope that those children will be passionate about learning.

And if all of this isn't enough, they don't receive a raise, benefits are reduced and they are struggling financially. 

So what can teachers do to offset the affects of stress, have a balanced immune system, create an additional income to offset their paycuts, and not go crazy while doing all of this?

Let's start with stress.  When a person is stressed, reach for the good foods.  For example: fresh fruit, fresh veggies, protein.  These food choices will offset the affects of stress and put the body in a more calm state.  Did you know that stress is a major contributing factor in 100% of disease? 

Next the immune system.  It is imperative to have a balanced immune sytem to ward off the flu and it is a great prevention against more serious illnesses such as cancer.  Eating healthy 80% of the time and 20% of the time eat what you want and enjoy it.  We don't live in a plastic bubble and limiting oneself can add to stress. 

Next is a balanced immune system.  I say balanced because there are Auto Immune Disorders where the immune system is overproducing and is attacking the body.  What can one do to have a balanced immune system?  Because we can't get everything we need from our food supply, we need supplements.  Go here for my favorites. 

If you had a flu shot but want something that is a great defense against all flu bugs, click here.  If you like to know what you are putting into your body, click on the Science portion. 

Last is creating an additional income.  Teachers know that education is empowering.  I conduct Healthy Workshops for businesses, schools, churches, and organizations in the community.  My business is expanding and I'm looking for teachers to teach these workshops and have a flexible business to create an additional stream of income.  If this sounds like you or someone you know, email your resume to Mary Beth at marybeth@mamabearproductions.net. 

The Heart of a Teacher is a book and also you can see a brief video on the book.

Thank you to all teachers!  You are a blessing.

Mary Beth

Everything you need. Nothing you don't.

The United States Pharmacopeia requires just 80 tests on supplements.  This is the requirement for pharmaceutical standards. 

You get what you pay for.  Ever heard of that?  And that 's true, at least 99% of the time.  My friend Mike Eaton of Consumer's Choice Marketing offers a free service to his customers.  It's true.  I'm one of his customers. 

Anyway let's get back to supplements.  The business where you purchase your supplements, do they tell you how many tests they perform on the raw ingredients that go into their products?  Are you confident there are no pesticides, lead, mercury, etc in your supplements?   Are you getting the results you want? 

I'm proud to say I market Shaklee products. The products helped me to not only regain my health, but I feel better than ever.  Shaklee shares my vision and values.  I've received valuable education from doctors, nurses and nutritionists.  Go here and take a look.

Remember how many tests the USP requires?  Shaklee tests for over 350 contaminants, including 320 pesticides.  They also conduct over 100,000 tests annually to ensure the greatest purity and potency possible. 

You may be thinking "well those products have got to cost an arm and a leg".   Go ahead and take a look here.  I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. 

In addition to these products, you have me.  I will work with you to determine what products are right for you so you aren't spending money on products you don't need.

Contact me at marybeth@mamabearproductions.net to set up a time to talk.

Mary Beth

Creating a healthy family is like a game of follow the leader.  Your kids will do what you do, take care of yourself first.

What's Soy wrong?

No that isn't a typo.  Soy hasn't gotten a bad reputation over the years and this post is to clear up any misunderstandings. 

Actually soy has been long valued as a healthy vegetarian source of protein, recent research has discovered important compounds in soy called isoflavones provide potentially powerful health benefits of their own beyond the simple delivery of healthy nutrients in soy, from protein to minerals.

For 50 years, Shaklee scientists have recommended soy protein consumption as part of a healthy diet. However, today we are also well aware of the great confusion among consumers and even health professionals about the health benefits of soy, because of a few very limited studies on soy that have received much attention on the internet.

Mark Messina, PhD, is an adjunct associate professor at Loma Linda University and the Executive Director of the Soy Nutrition Institute. Dr. Messina, an acknowledged leader in soy research, has made studying the health affects of soy his focus for over 20 years and has published more than 60 scientific papers and given more than 500 presentations on soy foods to health professionals around the world.


From his comprehensive scientific white paper prepared exclusively for us, Dr. Messina produced a two-part summary update on soy. In a previous blog, was the content from part one.  Here is part two.

Now in Part 2, Soy and Your Health: Dispelling the Myths, linked to this letter, Dr. Messina addresses the misleading and inaccurate rumors about soy circulating on the internet. According to Dr. Messina’s careful review, many of these studies incorrectly link soy to adverse effects. So now it’s time to learn the truth about the so called “anti-nutrients” in soy, how soy really affects the thyroid, breast health, and brain function and the real differences between unfermented and fermented soy. Dr. Messina’s detailed investigation also includes reference citations of published scientific research studies he analyzed to reach his conclusions.

Thank you Dr. Jamie McManus for providing this enlightening information.

Want to speak with a person who has used soy protein for 14 years and has side benefits vs. side affects?  Contact Mary Beth at marybeth@mamabearproductions.net

Mary Beth Potrykus
Mama Bear Productions
Keeping Health in Focus

Antioxidants and Cancer

Although the internet can be a good resource for information, there are times when it provides false information and/or inaccurate information.  For example "Do antioxidants actually increase your risk of cancer?"

The source of this question and answer is a meta-analysis of 66 antioxidant clinical trials published in 2007 by Bjelakovic in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.  Although their data suggested that taking extra vitamins A, E and Beta Carotene, increased cancer by up to 16% the study excluded over 400 clinical trials because no deaths were reported in those trials.  Only trials with a significant  number of deaths were included.

So another group of scientific experts re-analyzed the data.  Their meta-analysis showed that 36% of the antioxidant clinical trials had a beneficial outcome, 60% showed no effect of supplementation and only 4% had a negative outcome. 

Just this past month the data were published from a very large clinical trial in Europe.  In this study 23,943 adults from Germany were followed for a total of 11 years.

The participants who consumed antioxidant supplements at the beginning of the study had a 48% decrease in cancer mortality and a 42% decrease in all cause mortality compared to those who did not take any supplements.

Dr. Chaney states "like most other reputable scientists, I am not yet ready to promise you that antioxidant supplements will decrease your cancer risk.  However, I think you can pretty much forget this nonsense about antioxidant supplements increasing your cancer risk."

Be selective about what you put into your body.  Not sure what supplements are right for you?  Email Mary Beth at marybeth@mamabearproductions.net to set up a Personal Confidential Nutrition Consultation.

I am passionate about helping people.


Mary Beth

Is your health, your choice?

We need doctors.  Doctors are there to make recommendations.  Ultimately it is our choice how we address a health issue.  We trust they give us the right information and that is true, but there are alternative ways to prevent and address health issues.  Read on to learn what our government is trying to do. 

Obama Attacks Nutrition


By Alan Caruba

While watching a television commercial for some prescription medication, have you ever wondered why something it states may kill you or cause serious side effects ever was permitted to be marketed to the public?
For decades I have taken a full range of vitamins, minerals and herbal supplements every morning. I don’t get head colds or any unwanted side affects. In my seventh decade, I enjoy exceptional good health. An annual physical check up is always the same. I am fine.

Millions of Americans benefit from a daily regimen of vitamins, minerals, and herbal supplements. Athletes use whey protein powders. Body builders take amino acids. Others augment food products that lack sufficient nutritional value. Their health and wellness is now threatened by the Obama administration’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Banning Health!

On the Friday before the Fourth of July weekend, the FDA published a 47-page document, the Codex Alimentarius, that would ban all nutritional and supplemental ingredients by requiring them to file documentation involving multi-million-dollar testing and the regulations would be retroactive to 1994!

This will destroy the manufacturers of these products because most are small companies that could not afford such costs. It’s not like there is a vast body of information that demonstrates any threat to health from vitamins and minerals. Quite the contrary. There is ample information on their benefits. There are libraries filled with books devoted to this.

Who would benefit from such regulation of the natural supplement industry? Big Pharma. The same pharmaceutical companies that have a long record of putting forth FDA-approved medications that later prove to be lethal are looking to use the regulatory powers of FDA to literally increase levels of illness.

In the same way Obamacare has been demonstrated to not only be unconstitutional, but also a threat to the health of millions—especially senior citizens—this callous administration now threatens to remove from the shelves of stores that sell nutritional supplements, from pharmacies, and from supermarkets and other outlets, the vitamins, minerals, and herbal supplements on which millions depend for wellness.

This constitutes a criminal conspiracy and Congress, which has ceded its law-making authority to the FDA, must hear from everyone in order to stop this assault on everyone’s health.

Frank Murray, the former editor of Better Nutrition, Great Life, and Let’s Live, is the author and co-author of fifty books on health and nutrition. They include Natural Supplements for Diabetes, Health Benefits Derived from Sweet Orange, and 100 Super Supplements for a Longer Life. He is a member of the New York Academy of Sciences.

One of Murray’s books, Sunshine and Vitamin D, notes that “With the hundreds of clinical trials published on Vitamin D in recent years—I read one study with 132 references—it is obvious that the ‘sunshine vitamin’ no longer has to play second fiddle to the other vitamins.” The same can be said for vitamins A, B, C, and E. All have amply demonstrated their value. Add to them, zink, potassium, selenium, and other mineral supplements. All those prostate advertisements are about herbal supplements!

The Obama administration that has made obesity its pet project is also famous for photos of the President eating every kind of fast food. It is rank hypocrisy, but the proposed FDA ban is literally life threatening.

Write, email, and fax your Representative and Senator to ensure that Congress intervenes with the FDA in the same fashion it is struggling to protect us against an out-of-control Environmental Protection Agency. In particular, contact the members of the House Oversight and Government Reform committee.

Your life and the lives of your loved ones literally depend on stopping this attack on real nutrition.

Americans are losing the freedom they take for granted as Big Government intrudes on every personal choice they make. The Obama administration has demonstrated its total indifference to America’s senior citizens' access to affordable medical care and now all Americans' ability to access nutritional supplements.

You are being “protected” into an early grave!