Ask Jayna
I welcome your questions on health concerns, weight management, and supplementation. Simply send me an email. I'll respond as soon as possible with an answer. Your question and answer may be posted here if it is useful to others. Note: for privacy, names are always ommitted. Disclaimer Statement: The information on this site is not intended for the diagnosis or treatment of any disease. If you have any severe medical symptoms, please contact your doctor immediately. Be sure to consult your doctor when taking any new supplement or beginning a new health regimen to verify its safety for your specific health profile. The information provided here is gathered from a variety of established sources, including The Centers for Disease Control and the American Medical Association. However, it should not be used in place of consultation with your doctor.
Insomnia - Q: I have developed terrible insomnia. I have tried meditation and other relaxation techniques. But I still wake up a lot in the night, and I usually can't get back to sleep. I don't want to take sleeping pills. Is there anything else I should try?
A: Insomnia and other sleep disorders affect millions of Americans. There are therapists, clinics, and pharmaceuticals devoted to solving our sleep problems, which can affect our ability to learn, work, fight disease, and manage our weight, blood pressure, and stress. I have a few recommendations to offer you. For severe issues, definitely think about finding a sleep clinic devoted to resolving sleep problems.
Suggestions:
1. Definitely keep up the relaxation techniques. One that is particularly effective is clearing your mind of everything and concentrating completely on your breathing. Be sure to let go of all other thoughts and continue returning your consciousness to breathing in and breathing out. It takes practice, so keep trying.
2. Another thing I always recommend is doing something non-productive and non-stimulating right before bed. For example, bed time is a terrible time to work on taxes, but it's a great time to do Sudoku puzzles, read a relaxing book, or take a nice warm bath with some lavendar oil in it.
3. Establish a routine. Try heading to bed every night at the same time. There is some evidence that going to bed before 11:00 p.m. assists the body in utilizing the deep sleep cycle most effectively.
4. Bedtime is a great time to take a good calcium supplement, such as Isotonix Calcium Plus. Both the calcium and the magnesium are helpful in lowering stress and promoting relaxation.
5. Other natural supplements you can take that might help include valerian root, hops, passionflower, and melatonin. One supplement that contains all of these ingredients is Prime Dreamz. I've found it very effective to take a straight source of valerian on some nights (available from your local natural foods store), alternating with the Prime Dreamz.
Detoxification
Q: I am interested in a detoxification regimen, but I have a busy schedule and a lot of meetings. I don't want to be running to the bathroom all the time. What should I do?
A: First, I recommend starting your detox on a weekend when you don't have a lot scheduled. If you have not done a detox before, or have had an unpleasant experience with a previous product, it's best to give yourself as much of a controlled environment as possible so that you can make adjustments. Our liver and colon detox program, called the NutriClean 7-Day Cleansing System, is very gentle. Most people find that their digestion and elimination are not markably different during the cleanse. NutriClean is a 7-day cleansing and detoxification program, and is very easy to follow. If you do experience more elimination activity than you are comfortable with, instructions are provided for adjusting the amount of laxative. Click here to request more information.
Energy & Weight Concerns
Q: I have been told that taking vitamin B-12 sublingually will boost my energy level. I am 53 and weigh 220 pounds and am 5' 4". I have problems losing the weight. I also have extremely low energy and am very tired. I work from 7 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and then come home to clean up after a retired husband. Stress is a major problem in my life too. I do hope you may have some suggestions for me, and would appreciate anything you can suggest. Thank you.
A: Low energy and stress are problems that so many of us deal with today. Some of the things you might want to look at that can contribute to these issues are diet, exercise, and the supplements you take. I'm sure you've heard those recommendations before. Hopefully the specifics I will give you will help you to begin a new journey toward better health and wellness. Let's look at each of these topics individually.
Diet
One of the most important things you can do for your energy is to alter your diet. If you can even change a few things, you may see some improvement pretty quickly. I recommend eating a low glycemic index diet. You can find tons of information on the Glycemic Index on the internet. The glycemic index is a measurement of the effect that any given carbohydrate food has on your blood sugar level. The kinds of carbohydrates you consume affects your metabolism, your energy, and your weight.
Do a Google search on "glycemic index," and print out a list of foods that are rated on the index. High glycemic index foods are typically simple carbohydrates and foods that are treated by the body as simple carbohydrates, which means they spike your blood sugar level and drop it. (Think of high glycemic foods like a fire cracker. They burn up fast.) Then we tend to need to eat more, because our body begins asking for something to bring that blood sugar level back up. Also, when our blood sugar level drops, we get cravings for a jolt of energy (e.g. high glycemic snack foods), and we get onto a roller coaster that is terribly hard on the body and ultimately makes us much more prone to metabolic syndrome and diabetes. Potatoes, white rice, white flour products, and sugar-laden foods are some of the foods you want to avoid.
Go for the whole grains, the minimally processed foods, the healthy protein foods, and the veggies, and you'll find that your energy level remains steadier. Also, read labels, avoid foods with a lot of preservatives and "bad fats" such as trans fats and saturated fats. A great resource for information, as well as supplements that can assist you in improving your metabolism, is the Transitions Lifestyle System. (Go to www.newvitalitywellness.com, and click the Transitions logo.) This phenomenal program is not a diet, but a way to improve your diet and your metabolism. It includes a journal, videos that provide excellent education in how to eat low glycemic index foods and improve your exercise regimen, snacks and delicious entrees, and supplements that help your body to process carbohydrates and fats. I can answer any questions you may have about this program.
Exercise
You do have a really busy schedule, and I understand how difficult it can be to fit exercise into such a hectic day, especially when you have very little energy! Here's my recommendation: get yourself a mini trampoline, and plant it in your living room in front of the TV. In the evening, bounce on your trampoline while watching a show. (NOTE: I strongly recommend that you consult your doctor before beginning a new exercise regimen.) Bouncing on the mini tramp is one of the absolutely best exercises you can do to build muscle and improve your cardio-vascular health, and it's easy to work into your busy schedule. Because muscle dictates metabolism, your metabolism will improve when you build more muscle! You'll be so thrilled with your results. Also, get some small weights, maybe just five pounds each, and do some lifting every day. Even doing a very light weight training program will make a difference.
Supplements
You are right that a B-12 supplement can improve your energy. But do include the diet and exercise changes I've addressed above in addition to starting on B-12. To get an effective source of B-12, you might want to try an isotonic form. The Isotonix brand supplement line is an excellent way to take a very absorbable, bio-avalable form of B-12. (Go to www.newvitalitywellness.com, and click on the Isotonix logo.) It is really the next best thing to getting B-12 shots, because in the isotonic form it is the same osmotic pressure as your body fluids. It does not need to be broken down and processed to be absorbed by your body. This is true of all over-the-counter supplements in pill form; they are typically not absorbed readily by the body. In addition to the B-12 complex, the Isotonix line offers a multi-vitamin, vitamin C, anti-oxidants, a vision formula, and calcium.
A special note about calcium is that it can really help to take your stress level down. The Isotonix Calcium Plus supplement is taken in a split dose, morning and evening, for maximum absorption. It will not only bring your stress level down, it will also help you sleep well. And when we're well rested, we tend to be less stressed.
One More Thing
I would like to address one additional factor that can affect your weight, your energy level, your stress, and your ability to absorb nutrients like B-12. And that is detoxification. Over time, our bodies tend to build up toxins and our digestive system can become clogged up, slowing everything down and further causing toxic build-up. One of the best things you can do for your body to launch your new wellness program, is to do a detox.
With all of my clients, the very first thing I recommend is the Nutri-Clean 7-day Cleansing System. (Go to xn----9sbif7bbcmdtk.xn--j1aef.xn--p1acf, and click the Health & Nutrition link, then scroll to Digestive Health.) This is a very gentle liver and colon cleanse that can assist your body in getting rid of that toxic build-up. It includes a pleasant drink that you mix each morning, and some tablets that you take twice a day. It is very easy, and it gets results. Believe it or not, the average person is carrying around between 5 and 25 pounds of excess build-up in their colon. Doing a cleanse is the absolute best thing you can do for your body to begin your weight management program.
Click here to request more information on any of these topics.
- Acid Reflux
- Q: I have acid reflux that wakes me up in the middle of the night. What do you recommend?
- A: Some very simple things you can do include: not eating before bed, cutting out soda, and eating slowly. Try to eat when relaxed, not rushed. Even taking some deep, relaxing breaths prior to each meal will help. Some people have trouble with reflux after eating chocolate. You might want to experiment with removing chocolate from your diet for a week or so to determine if your reflux improves. Or avoid eating chocolate late in the day.
- As for product recommendations, the absolute best product we offer for reflux is our Complete Aloe, a drinkable form of aloe that comes in apple-kiwi flavor, apple-strawberry, or plain.
- Aloe contains many nutritional qualities that assist digestion, the body's pH balance, and overall health. Complete Aloe contains 13 of the 17 minerals needed for good nutrition, as well as triglycerides that supply the fatty acids essential for healthy body tissue, carbohydrates that assist digestion, twenty of the twenty two amino acids required for good nutrition, and enzymes that help reduce inflammation and indigestion. Click here to request more information.
Calcium Intake Q: My physician has recommended that I increase my calcium intake. I know there are lots of different kinds of calcium. How do I know that the calcium I'm taking is being absorbed?
A: You are right that calcium comes in many forms. Sources from bone meal, dolomite, or unrefined calcium should be avoided. Good sources include calcium citrate, calcium sulfate, calcium lactate, and calcium gluconate. For more information, see the full article on calcium in the Healthy Living section.
Our Isotonix Calcium Plus is a highly bioavailable form of calcium that your body can fully utilize. Additionally, it is an isotonic nutrient, which is a drinkable delivery system that helps your body to absorb a much higher percentage of the supplement vs. taking a pill form. Our Isotonix line includes antioxidants, minerals, multi-vitamins, a B-12 complex, vitamin C, digestive enzymes, a vision formula, and calcium.
Click here to request more information.
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