Misleading health information – again?

Question: from Meliss

Warren what do you think about this..It was sent to me?

“Dear Meliss:

Probiotics are bacteria and enzymes are acids. To be healthy
you need less bacteria and less acid with more alkaline electron
rich foods and drinks.

High blood pressure is caused by increased acidity and a deficiency of
sodium, magnesium and potassium.

pHour salts and pHlavor salts will help.”

Answer: from Warren

I don't know who sent you this but unfortunately it is typical of the uninformed comments and half truths that circulate the health supplement business.

Probiotics are indeed bacteria but they are friendly bacteria. Your body needs friendly bacteria otherwise you would become very sick. Normally you do not need to take probiotics unless you have been on a course of antibiotics. But, if you do take them they will certainly not do you any harm. So, that was a very misleading statement.

As for enzymes being acids and indirectly suggesting you should avoid them, then that is another irresponsible statement. Enzymes are crucial to life and most of us do not get enough in our diet alone.

In so far as alkaline drinks to reduce acidity are concerned they may be helpful but I would reserve my opinion on that. 

One of the best remedies to increase alkalinity in the digestive system is to drink a blended mixture of lemon and limes. If you put a pH paper in the blend you will find it is acid. Then drink it and later on test your urine. It will have become more alkaline. So, in other words in this case acid turns to alkaline in the body. 

I can't see how high blood pressure is caused by acidity. It is caused by a buildup of plaque in the arteries constricting the flow of blood thus forcing the heart to work harder. The pH of the blood is always within a very narrow band otherwise you would die.

However, it is possible that the surrounding tissue may be excessively acidic and thus cause inflammation which in turn could cause artery restriction, but for that to happen someone would have to be right over the top with regard to their acid levels and that would be relatively rare.

Some people think that if you focus on being highly alkaline that you will never get a disease. That is a somewhat over the top exaggeration. It is all about balance and excessive alkalinity can be as damaging as excess acidity.

You can test your acid/alkaline levels quite easily by going to the chemist and getting some pH strips and testing your level both with saliva and urine. If you are excessively acid start taking some lemons and lime and it will soon come right.

I thought that you might find a report on the above of interest.

Before starting I should mention that we have had a lot of requests over recent weeks asking when we are going to publish the report about understanding blood tests, cholesterol and how to avoid heart disease.

This report was referred to in the 6th Feb issue of Xtend-Your-Life. I want you to know that we have decided to complete this report and publish it in 2 or 3 parts in the next 2 or 3 newsletters. The first part will be released in our 3rd April 2002 issue. I am sure that you will find the information very interesting because it touches everyone either directly or indirectly.

Now to the Natural Products Expo...

It's the biggest show of its type in the world!

This year we (Xtend-Life Natural Products) were one of the 3,000 plus exhibitors at the Expo. We were invited by the New Zealand Government to be part of a small New Zealand contingent in the International Pavilion which was one of four large pavilions in the Anaheim convention center.

It's a trade show and targets the natural products industry... and it's huge. It's almost impossible to get around all of it in three days, so I only saw a small part of it prior to the show opening each day. However, last year when we were not exhibiting I did visit the Show and had time then to review it quite thoroughly.

The growth of Natural Products worldwide has certainly been phenomenal over recent years as this show attests to. 'Natural products' encompasses all types of products... dietary supplements, skin care and personal care, organic foods etc.

It's heartening to see that the public in general are driving this growth by becoming much more aware of the importance of substituting synthetic man made products for natural ones wherever possible. One of the biggest growth areas is in organic foods. In fact I will devote a later newsletter to the importance of eating organic foods, which includes all types of meat whenever possible.

Wide variety of exhibitors

Most of the exhibitors were there to sell their products either to retailers, distributors or health professionals. All the big names in the industry were present such as Twin Labs, Solgar etc. In addition to these big Companies there were multitudes of other smaller businesses promoting their goods. Some good... some bad... some dishonest... some so questionable that in my opinion they are fraudulent.

Many of these questionable goods still find their way on to retailers shelves, particularly if they are supported by a good sales hype. It's quite amazing how so many businesses only care about money and profits and don't really care about providing their customers with quality and value for money. But...I'm not going to dwell upon that.

Wide variety of visitors

It was interesting to see the large variation of people who visited the show. They came not only from all over the USA but also other parts of the world. What was particularly noticeable were the large number of visitors we had at the booth from Asia. In fact on the first day about 80% of our visitors were either from Taiwan, China, Korea, Malaysia, Thailand and Japan.

From the USA, apart from distributors and retailers we had visits from a wide range of people including MD's, and nutritional specialists. I also had a visit from a professor in Gerontology from the American River College in Sacramento. CA. She had some very interesting insights on the subject of 'successful aging'. She runs an online course on this subject which I will do some research on and I may possibly do a report in a later issue of this newsletter.

Also visiting the show was Patricia Bragg whom you probably have heard of if you have had an interest in natural health for a long time. Her father Paul Bragg was one of the pioneers of the natural products industry many, many years ago. In fact it was Paul Bragg who got me interested in heath when I attended one of his seminars 34 years ago. Patricia is very distinctive as she walks around the show. She exudes vibrant health and always wears a Hawaiian type straw hat covered in tropical flowers.

Other personalities

There were also other well known personalities at the Expo which I had the pleasure of talking to. The three most notable ones were Jack La Lanne, Dr Robert Atkins and Dr Ronald Klatz.

DrKlatz is the author of a number of books on anti-aging including 'Grow Young with HGH'. His books have tended to be quite controversial, not so much as a result of their content but because he is often quoted out of context by people that are selling what is little more than 'snake oil' under the guise of HGH (Human Growth Hormone). These Companies will often cite results of studies and trials done with HGH which are reviewed in DrKlatz book. They attempt to give the reader viewing the advert the impression that they can expect the same results from their products which is absolute nonsense. DrKlatz speaks and writes sense and does so in a realistic and conservative manner.

I am sure that you have heard about Dr Atkins and the Atkins clinic. He is a very strong proponent of natural health who gained notoriety about 10 years ago when he published the Atkins New Diet Revolution. The thrust of his book (just recently updated) is that the 'official' food pyramid is all wrong and is a major cause of obesity in America. I couldn't agree more. I have for some years followed the principles of eating that he advocates, and he is 100% right. However, the controversy that has followed him over the years is remarkable. His method of eating has been branded as unsafe by much of the establishment and portrayed as a diet full of fat. This is a deliberate distortion of what he preaches and he deserves credit for helping change many thousands of peoples health for the better.

I am not sure of his age but I believe he is well into his 70's... and he looks great.

A living icon

Jack La Lanne on the other hand is 87 and his wife is 78. This couple is a living example of what good nutrition, supplementation and exercise can do for you.

For those who have not heard of Jack La Lanne he is somewhat of an icon in America having been responsible for the growth of health gyms, the first of which he started in California over 50 years ago. Jack La Lanne was a sick child. Ironically, it was Paul Bragg who put him on his path to health...over 70 years ago...more than 30 years before Paul Bragg influenced my life.

Anyway, Jack and his wife are an inspiration to all who meet them. They both look great! They have more energy and flexibility than most 30 year olds with incredibly sharp minds. No fat on either of them and Jack still does amazing physical feats. They are living proof of the view amongst an increasing number of experts that the human body is more than capable of living to 100+ free of any disease and able enjoy every minute of it right to the end.

All you need is knowledge and a certain amount of discipline. With the knowledge the discipline becomes real easy as it is not a chore when you are feeling great as a result of what you are doing.

I will over the coming months and years through this newsletter try to get this knowledge to you.

In good health,