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With more and more people struggling with anxiety these days, it’s important to find the best and easiest ways to reduce your symptoms. The quicker you can control them and monitor the situation, the less damage it can create, reducing inflammation and decreasing the risk of developing a disease.

Taking a mindful approach through the best holistic and spiritual practices can be one of the best ways to do just that, all while learning how to be present in every moment, savoring the positive, being grateful for all the good in your life, and focusing on optimizing your overall health and wellbeing.

The Anxiety Pandemic

With the world focusing on the viral pandemic, it seems we’ve almost forgotten we’re dealing with another one, even more prevalent in our population. Anxiety disorders showcase as chronic episodes of worry and fear that cripple our way of functioning, making it hard to focus on tasks at hand, disrupting our sleep and recovery, impairing our immune function, causing discomfort in our digestive system, and draining our energy levels.

Anxiety symptoms take control of the person experiencing it and make it hard for them to relax, breathe deeper, and let go of the fight-or-flight state. Instead, they cause restlessness, inability to concentrate, headaches and other pains, fatigue and tiredness, insomnia, and more.

When left undealt with, these symptoms can progress into more severe stages, lowering your body’s ability to fight off infections and disease, causing hormonal disbalance, and making it impossible for you to perform your daily tasks.

Treating Anxiety

Current anxiety treatments include psychotherapy and medication, which are sometimes used in sync to boost their benefits. When it comes to psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy or CBT seems to be the most common and effective form. It’s a short-term treatment that helps you learn and implement specific skills in order to improve your anxiety symptoms and slowly return to all the activities you’ve avoided or abstained from because of anxiety.

CBT sometimes also includes exposure therapy, which includes encountering a situation or object that triggers your anxiety, helping you develop ways to manage the potential outcome.

In the case of medications, there are several most common types that yield the best results. Still, by themselves, they won’t do much. They’re just quick fixes to help you relax at your most anxious moments. Therefore, they’re always best combined with psychotherapy, which will help you learn to deal with anxiety symptoms and reduce their intensity over time.

Mindfulness and Anxiety

Being mindful means you’re aware of the present moment and are able to completely immerse yourself in it. Anxiety stems from worry about future situations and happenings you cannot or don’t know how to control, so when you bring the focus on the present moment and concentrate on what’s within your grasp, you take back some of that control, making your mind and body relax and realize you’re not so helpless after all.

If ignored, anxiety can severely impact your mental health and cause trauma, phobias, and worse. Implementing mindfulness practices is easier than you think, and it doesn’t take medication or trips to the psychotherapist to make them work.

Mindfulness Meditation

One of the best mindfulness practices you can use on the daily basis to approach your anxiety disorder is mindfulness meditation. There are many forms of meditation that can help you practice mindfulness and some of the most common include:

Breathing meditation – focusing on your breath is the ultimate form of mindfulness practice. It’s the only thing we do all the time and it’s the easiest way to become aware of the present moment. You can simply tune into your inhales and exhales, focusing on deepening them and imagining them calming you down. You can also count to a specific number and elongate your inhales and exhales to match, subconsciously relaxing your body and unclenching your jaw. And lastly, you can feel your breath reach your stomach on your inhale and completely empty it out on your exhale, avoiding shallow breathing patterns and activation of the nerves.
Color meditation – focusing on a specific color can help you calm your anxious mind, whether it’s in your field of vision or something you imagine with your eyes closed. Choose a color that helps you feel relaxed and focus on breathing while you think about it. The more you stay in your color, the more you’ll relax, feeling anxiety symptoms begin to dissipate.
Body meditation – Being mindful of your body helps release tension from those areas that tend to hold on to stress. Start by purposely relaxing your toes and travel upward all the way to the crown of your head, specifically focusing on your fists, shoulders, jaw, and the space in between your eyebrows. When you become mindful of how your body feels, you’ll be able to notice tension patterns when you’re feeling anxious. So, instead of focusing on dealing with your anxiety, you can turn it around by focusing on your body, and consequently, ease your mind.

Mindful Action

Mindfulness mediation is a practice that takes you into a purposeful setting, preparing you to deal with symptoms of anxiety and psychological stress encompassing it. Mindfulness techniques that focus on action take that approach into everyday situations, making you live in the present moment no matter where you find yourself. Some of the best mindful actions include:

Mindful morning routine – avoid grabbing your phone first thing when you open your eyes and be aware of your body waking up. Stretch out your arms over your head, take a few deep inhales and exhales, pay attention to the feeling of your feet touching the floor, open up your blinds and notice what’s happening outside your window. Then take that mindfulness practice into your kitchen and smell the coffee as it’s brewing, taste each bite of your breakfast, feel the water hydrating you with each sip, and listen to the sounds of your home as the world is waking up.
Mindful during the commute – commute and traffic can be very anxious environments, having you worry whether or not you’ll be late for work or instilling fear around any potential accidents. Staying mindful during your drive can help you relax while also staying more alert and actually preventing accidents and improving your reaction reflexes.
Mindful bedtime routine – instead of watching the news or going to bed with your brain already thinking of everything you have to do tomorrow, implement a relaxing, mindful bedtime routine that helps you focus on unwinding and resting. Sleep is crucial for recovery and anxiety can severely impair its quality. Focus on mindful self-care routines such as journaling, gratitude lists, bathtub soaks, or reading a book, and improve your sleep so you can recharge and be able to deal with all of your daily tasks.

Final Thoughts

Anxiety disorders are vast and variable, dependent on the person who experiences them and the situations that trigger their symptoms, all influencing their intensity and effect. Mindfulness-based stress reduction practices such as mindfulness meditation or daily actions can help you focus on the present moment and deal with one thing at a time, literally placing one foot in front of the other.

Mental health is an important topic that’s growing in popularity, helping us find new ways to deal with each disorder, issue, and illness. And with depression and anxiety being at the forefront of today’s struggles, taking mindfulness practices and implementing them in our daily lives may be the easiest and most effective thing we can do for our health and longevity.

IV therapy has become increasingly popular over the last few years, and as a result, a variety of micronutrient cocktails have been created with the goal to help support everything from dehydration and hangover to immune function and treating cancer.

High-dose vitamin C IV is mostly used in a therapeutic setting in cancer treatment, and even though there are notable benefits, there are some potential risks to be aware of as well.

The Importance of Vitamin C

Before we discuss what vitamin C IV therapy brings to the table, it’s important to give some insight into this important vitamin and explain its effect on our health and wellbeing.

Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is a water-soluble vitamin that is essential for the optimal function of our bodies. Since it’s dissolved in water, it’s not well stored in our cells, meaning we need a constant daily supply of it to maintain the necessary levels.

It’s involved in a myriad of processes in our bodies, from collagen production and hormone synthesis to boosting the immune system and protecting against free radicals. It also plays an important role in wound healing and the absorption of iron, which is why many iron supplements contain added vitamin C in their formula.

Historically, vitamin C was recognized as the perfect treatment and prevention of scurvy, a disease that decimated ascorbic acid-deficient people between the 1500 and 1800s. Today, we know that scurvy can easily be treated with high-dose supplementation of vitamin C, and with it, we can see how serious being deficient in this vitamin can be. Scurvy is rare today as some level of vitamin C can be found in the majority of fruit and vegetables, but it can be developed after only 3 months of inadequate vitamin C intake.

Vitamin C IV and Cancer

The origination of this IV treatment trails back to over 60 years ago when a Canadian doctor, William McCormick found that the majority of his cancer patients suffer from severely low vitamin C levels and scurvy-like symptoms. Through his research and observation, he developed a theory around his belief that vitamin C might help protect against cancer by increasing collagen synthesis.

This was further expanded by a Scottish doctor, Ewan Cameron, who studied the role of vitamin C and its potential in suppressing cancer development. According to his findings, vitamin C inhibits hyaluronidase, an enzyme that breaks down hyaluronic acid. This important acid is one of the major building blocks of our entire connective tissue, skin, and fluids in the joints and inside the eye. Hyaluronidase breaks it down and with it, weakens the extracellular matrix and allows cancer to easily metastasize. Dr. Cameron started treating his cancer patients with vitamin C and published a case report which showed impressive results. This led to a number of successful studies and clinical trials which showed an improved quality of life and an increased survival time in cancer patients treated with vitamin C. Still, these studies were done on a small scale and under not-so-rigorous settings.

Unfortunately, better controlled, double-blind randomized clinical trials performed by the Mayo Clinic failed to show any positive effects of high dose vitamin C in cancer patients. However, in these trials, vitamin C was administered orally, while the ones done by dr. Cameron included vitamin C IVs as well. This led to further studies that proved how when Vitamin C is taken intravenously, it bypasses the digestive system and intestinal absorption, allowing for the overall levels to stay high for a longer period of time.

These findings helped put high dose vitamin C IV therapy into consideration for cancer treatments, and even though it’s not a recommended or official cancer-fighting tool, it’s an option many doctors will mention and recommend to their patients.

The Benefits of Vitamin C IV Therapy

Tapping into the actual benefits of high dose intravenous vitamin C, research has shown a notable effect on relieving chemotherapy-related side effects as well as the overall improved quality of life in cancer patients. The benefits include:

Relieving chemotherapy-related fatigue – high dose vitamin C may cause a significant decrease in fatigue, depression, sleep disorders, nausea, and dizziness
Improved quality of life and pain reduction
Reduced inflammation and oxidative damage due to its high antioxidant characteristic

The Potential Harm of Vitamin C IV Therapy

Even though the research and clinical trials that actually support high-dose intravenous vitamin C therapy aren’t conclusive and completely approved, neither are cases of potential harm. Some research does point out the possibilities of oxalate nephropathy, hypernatremia, glucometer error, and other negative effects, but these studies are fairly small, haven’t been reproduced, and do not prove that IV high-dose vitamin C therapy is more harmful than placebo in double-blind randomized controlled trials.

Final Thoughts

Cancer is a serious and scary disease that affects every person in a completely different way – even if they’re diagnosed with the same type, same stage, same condition.

There are many other factors that affect and influence someone’s healing process, from the stress surrounding it and their support system to nutrition and other holistic and spiritual tools they might implement and make part of their journey.

And when faced with this type of diagnosis, one tries everything and uses every possible sliver of hope to hold on and try to fight this beast. So, there’s basically a non-spoken rule among cancer patients: If there’s even a tiny chance this might help, I choose to believe in it and I will try it out.

There might not be any hard evidence proving that a high dose of vitamin C will help in cancer treatment, but there is also no hard evidence proving otherwise. So, if there’s even a chance that getting this intravenous therapy might help relieve some symptoms or improve someone’s quality of life even 1%, they will almost always take it.

The power of plants and their nutrients cannot be ignored. They’ve proven time and time again how they can help support our overall health and longevity, and when it comes to dealing with an illness or disease, we need all the help we can get. Vitamin C is one of these incredible micronutrients that plays a huge role in our bodies, whether we take it through food or supplements or an IV – it’s still, undoubtedly, going to produce some health benefits, regardless of one’s health condition.

Eating clean and choosing whole foods instead of processed isn’t complicated, but actually figuring out what type of diet is the best for you and your health can be overwhelming and at times, pretty difficult to figure out.

That’s where experts like nutritionists and registered dietitians come in and help you optimize your health through specific foods that are bringing the most benefits to you and your body, all while keeping you accountable and on track with your health goals.

Who is a Nutritionist?

A nutritionist is a person with specific expertise in food and nutrition in general whose role is to promote health and wellbeing as well as manage diseases and illnesses. A nutritionist does not treat a disease or illness, but he or she supports the healing treatment through proper nutrition and creating a healthy relationship with food.

A nutritionist does not have to be certified, although when looking to work with one, it would be best to find one that is. The certification not only proves their credibility but also proves their education level and knowledge base.

A certified nutritionist is often called a registered dietitian nutritionist or RD (or sometimes RDN). This is a person who is board-certified and highly educated in the field of nutrition and dietetics. In order to actually earn the RD credentials, a person needs to complete rigorous criteria set forth by governing bodies like the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND).

They need to have a bachelor’s degree or equivalent credits in science, more specifically biology, chemistry, microbiology, anatomy, and physiology, and from 2024, all dietetics will also be required to hold a master’s degree in order to be certified.

All this to show how important the right credentials are when choosing to put your health and trust into someone who’s supposed to help personalize your nutrition and dial it down so it best fits your macro and micronutrient needs.

What Kind of Services Can You Expect From a Nutritionist?

Many people may assume that a nutritionist only gives you a meal plan and tells you which foods you should or should not eat. In reality, a nutritionist does so much more than that, as creating a personalized nutrition program for someone requires many different factors. These are the kinds of services you can expect from your nutritionist:

Creating a Personalized Meal Plan

Every person that consults with a nutritionist is always going to receive a recommendation for foods they should or should not be eating. Depending on the situation and your specific case, you might be asked to experiment with eliminating certain foods from your diet or adding a variety of foods you haven’t been eating so far. You might also be asked to abstain from most common allergens and foods that invoke intolerances as they might be inflammatory and wreaking havoc in your body.

A nutritionist may offer creating a personalized meal plan for you to follow for a specific amount of time (one month, three months, or maybe even six months) or simply give you guidelines and recommendations, but leave the actual meal ideas to you. This will differ from person to person and depend on a variety of factors, from your schedule and food preferences to the severity of your condition and living situation.

Developing a Healthy Relationship With Food

A great nutritionist will also take a step back from just the pure nutritional aspect of food and analyze your eating habits and behaviors. Do you use food as fuel, rigorously track macros, eliminate sugars because you’re afraid of weight gain, binge and restrict, “punish yourself” after indulging in the so-called bad foods with overexercising, overeat when you’re under stress, or skip meals because you always feel bloated?

There’s plenty of ways to deconstruct your relationship with food and improve not just what you eat, but how, when, and why you eat as well.

Applying a Mindful Approach To Eating

The hectic and busy lives we all lead are making us eat completely mindlessly, not even properly chewing our food, let alone acknowledging what’s even on our plates. We watch TV, scroll through our phones, reply to emails, attend meetings, and even drive while munching on what’s supposed to be nourishing for our bodies.

Unfortunately, many of us have the same approach towards cooking, which makes us reach for ready-meals, fast and processed food, and a plethora of delivery apps.

Talking to a nutritionist can help you become more mindful with your meals, avoid getting distracted while you’re eating, and begin to focus on what’s on your plate. When we put a positive intention into our time spent in the kitchen and actually sitting down and eating, we tap into our parasympathetic nervous system, helping our bodies rest and digest instead of being in constant fight-or-flight mode.

Attending a Nutritionist Consultation

When you decide to make the first step and schedule your nutritionist consultation, you might wonder what that entails and what you can expect. The initial consultation usually includes a comprehensive health and nutrition assessment.

Every nutritionist has a slightly different approach, but the premise is the same: they collect as much information as they can about your eating preferences, lifestyle habits, food cravings, and overall behavior surrounding food. They also discuss any known allergies and intolerances, as well as occurring symptoms you might be experiencing. They might also order some lab tests and blood work from your physician or review existing.

Based on this detailed assessment, your nutritionist will help you evaluate the role that food plays in your life and offer to create a nutrition plan that supports your needs and health goals, whether you’re interested in weight loss, reducing your cravings, preventing emotional eating, or need help in dealing with a health problem.

Nutritionists and Chronic Illness

Autoimmune diseases and other chronic illnesses are becoming more and more common in today’s world. In many cases, there is no cure or official treatment, but fine-tuning your nutrition and finding the right foods for you can help support your healing journey, reduce your inflammation, and with it, your symptoms.

A good nutritionist will provide you with actionable steps you can take to take control of your chronic illness and find a way to manage your symptoms.

Final Thoughts

We cannot live without food, but it can be both, our medicine and our toxin. When we choose foods that benefit our gut microbiome and boost our overall health and well-being, we can manage and control whatever condition we might be dealing with.

Schedule your nutrition consultation today and let an expert help you figure out which foods are best for you. What works for someone you know might not work for you, even if it’s “healthy.” The only diet that works for you is the one that supports you with necessary nutrients that will optimize all of your body systems, from A to Z.

Supplements can sometimes be really hard to navigate, even when you’re completely healthy. Finding the right ones for you could be tricky, especially if you’re unsure about which brand to get and what should be the best dosage.

But, when you’re diagnosed with a serious disease like type 2 diabetes, the question of micronutrient supplementation becomes even more important. More specifically, how does vitamin C supplementation affect your health, and can it actually be beneficial?

Type 2 Diabetes

A disease that’s becoming more and more prevalent in today’s age, type 2 diabetes, or diabetes mellitus, is a condition of a chronic impairment of blood sugar regulation. It occurs when there’s too much sugar in your bloodstream, making it unable for your body to properly use it as fuel and distribute it to areas where it’s going to be broken down efficiently.

This makes your pancreas unable to produce enough insulin, a hormone that regulates blood sugar levels, making your cells slow down their sugar intake, leaving a lot of sugar to circulate in your bloodstream. This is known as insulin resistance, and if left untreated, can be very harmful to your overall health and wellbeing.

Type 2 diabetes causes severe inflammation and leads to a plethora of potential complications, from impairing your immune system and leaving you compromised for a variety of viral and bacterial attacks to damaging your blood vessels and increasing the risk of coronary heart disease.

Causes of Type 2 Diabetes

The most common causes of type 2 diabetes are:

Poor diet with excess sugar intake and ultra-processed foods
Being overweight or obese
Lack of physical activity and movement in general
High blood pressure
Having a family history of diabetes
Having another blood glucose-related condition or autoimmune disease

Most of these factors are in your control, and even though type 2 diabetes has no cure, it can be managed to a point similar to remission if done correctly. That’s why it’s so important to get regular check-ups and blood draws so that you can start the healing process while you’re still in the pre-diabetic stage.

Vitamin C

One of the most abundant micronutrients found in nature, vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin that our bodies cannot produce themselves. It has to, therefore, be obtained from outside sources. The most common ways to add it into your diet is through foods that are rich in vitamin C or through supplementation.

Foods rich in vitamin C:

Citrus fruits (lemon, lime, grapefruit, oranges)
Tomatoes
Strawberries
Bell peppers
Cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, cabbage)
White potatoes

Dietary supplements contain vitamin C in the form of ascorbic acid, which mimics the form of vitamin C naturally found in foods. There are other forms of vitamin C, like sodium ascorbate; calcium ascorbate; other mineral ascorbates; ascorbic acid with bioflavonoids; and combination products, such as Ester-C®, which contains calcium ascorbate, dehydroascorbate, calcium threonate, xylonate, and lyxonate. These combinations are thoroughly researched in order to see if there’s a potential better or more bioavailable form of vitamin C that could be even more beneficial to our bodies.

The role of vitamin C in your body is extremely important, as it’s involved in protein metabolism, the biosynthesis of collagen, L-carnitine, and certain neurotransmitters, and it’s an essential part of your connective tissue which is crucial for wound healing. It’s also a potent antioxidant, helping your body fight free radicals and oxidative damage they can create, boosting your immune function.

The recommended daily intake of vitamin C was developed by the Food and Nutrition Board (FNB) at the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academies, and for adults over 19 years of age, it’s calculated as 90 mg for men and 75 mg for women. Still, these are just baselines and depending on a variety of different factors, you might need more.

Type 2 Diabetes and Vitamin C

Supplements aren’t regulated by the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA), meaning there’s no real way to know for sure how pure, potent, or efficient your supplemental vitamin actually is. That’s why it’s always best to talk to your doctor and choose only those supplements that contain the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) seal on the bottle as that means it at least adheres to their rigorous standards. This reduces the potential health risk factors of simply going to your local drugstore and getting the first bottle, not knowing what’s inside the actual pill.

When you’re dealing with a disease such as type 2 diabetes, your body is already in a very high-inflammatory state, and adding another harmful substance into the mix can only make things worse.

A placebo-controlled, cross-over study led by researchers from Deakin University and published in the journal, Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, found that people with type 2 diabetes who took a vitamin C supplement for 4 months had lower post-meal blood glucose levels, compared with those taking a placebo. Even though the study was done on a small number of participants, it showed remarkable results, potentially making a pretty strong case for vitamin C supplementation.

Another study directly tested the effect of vitamin C on glucose levels and found that there were significant reductions in fasting glucose levels, triglycerides, and cholesterol in the group that was supplemented with 1000 mg of vitamin C. This high dose was crucial as the other group only received 500mg and the results were significantly different.

In addition to that, researchers believe that doses of vitamin C in diabetics or patients with vitamin C deficiency will improve insulin sensitivity and function of endothelium, helping further showcase its powerful properties when it comes to controlling blood sugar levels.

Before you decide to start supplementing with vitamin C, it’s always best to do a full micronutrient panel, and check your vitamin C levels. With it, you will also discover any other vitamin and mineral deficiencies that can also play a huge role in the treatment and management of your type 2 diabetes. These include vitamin D, vitamin E, B vitamins, magnesium, chromium, iron, and more.

Final Thoughts

Having controlled blood sugar levels should be a goal for everyone, whether you’re healthy, prediabetic, or have a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. But when your levels are chronic, it’s always best to arm yourself with every possible fighting tool at your disposal.

And even though there isn’t specific proof that recommends vitamin C for diabetics, these studies are showing its potential, and when it comes to supplementation, almost everyone needs it. Today’s food simply isn’t as abundant in micronutrients as it once was and the environmental toxins and other harmful substances are depleting them out of our system at a much faster rate than ever before. In addition to leading a healthy lifestyle, smart supplementation is key.

Sexually transmitted diseases or STDs seem to be more common than we think, and even though most can be prevented with careful sexual interactions and protection, what is one to do when they actually get diagnosed with one?

The busy, fast-paced living of today created an environment of online dating and more sexually-focused encounters. With it, comes the inevitable risk of getting intimate with someone who might be positive for an STD which they aren’t even aware of. And even with all prevention and protection, there’s always a possibility of getting infected.

All STDs start as sexually transmitted infections, or STIs, which if left untreated, turn into sexually transmitted diseases. And while an infection might result in almost no symptoms at all, a developed disease usually comes with clear signs of something being wrong. So, what to do with an STD?

Most Common STDs

Even though there are many sexually transmitted diseases, there are some that are more common than others. And depending on which one you get diagnosed with, there are different approaches you can take towards treating them. The list includes:

Chlamydia

One of the most common STDs with barely any symptoms is chlamydia. Unfortunately, if left untreated, it can cause pelvic pain in both, men and women, as well as infertility and miscarriages. It can be transmitted through vaginal, anal, and oral sex, and infect all organs, from the penis, vagina, and cervix, to the anus, urethra, eyes, and even throat. It can also be passed to the baby during pregnancy if the mom is infected.

Since in most cases, those who are infected have no symptoms, the only way to actually know you’re positive is to get tested. Still, in those rare cases where symptoms do occur, they present themselves as abnormal vaginal, penal, or anal discharge, pain or burning while urinating and during sex, abdomen pain, and swollen or tender testicles. These symptoms are very common for a myriad of other diseases or even fungal infections, so proper testing is the only way to get a clear diagnosis.

Treatment: Chlamydia is fortunately easy to treat with a round of antibiotics and abstinence from sexual intercourse. If you have a regular partner, he or she will also have to go through a round of antibiotics so you don’t infect each other again. After 3-4 months, it’s recommended to repeat the test to make sure you’re in the clear.

Gonorrhea

This bacteria-causing sexually transmitted disease most often affects the urethra, cervix, rectum, or throat and it can be transmitted through vaginal, oral, or anal sex. Babies of infected mothers can also get positive during childbirth.

Gonorrhea is also one of the STDs which basically have zero symptoms, but it can cause painful urination and intercourse, swelling and pain in the testicles, abnormal discharge in both, men and women, abdominal pain, and even vaginal bleeding between periods. In more severe cases, it can cause puss-like discharge and high sensitivity of the eyes, increased lymph nodes in the throat, rectum problems, and even issues with your joints. If left untreated, it can lead to infertility and severe infections such as sepsis, and an increased risk of HIV infection.

Treatment: Gonorrhea is usually treated with antibiotics, but since there are different strains, you might need both, an injection and a pill. Your partner will need to go through a round of antibiotics as well, and repeating the testing in a few months is recommended.

Syphilis

Another bacterial infection causing and zero-symptom STD, syphilis is a highly contagious sexually transmitted disease that spreads through vaginal, anal, and oral sex. It can cause a plethora of serious health problems, from brain damage and blindness to arthritis and miscarriage. It can also be transmitted to the baby during pregnancy.

Unlike other STDs, syphilis has three stages:

The primary stage affects the sex organs and can show up as sores. They’re firm, round, and painless, but if left untreated, they easily progress to the secondary stage
The secondary stage can cause skin rashes and/or sores in your mouth, vagina, or anus, sometimes even on the palms of your hands and/or the bottoms of your feet. This can be accompanied by a fever, sore throat, weakness, fatigue, and more.
The third stage is very rare and it can affect many different organ systems, from the heart and blood vessels to the brain and nervous system, potentially even resulting in death. It usually occurs 10–30 years after your infection began.

Treatment: Syphilis is curable with the right antibiotics, but if you’ve developed the tertiary syphilis, some damage might be irreparable. Additional testing and treatment for both partners is crucial for getting rid of this STD.

Genital Herpes

Caused by the herpes simplex virus, genital herpes is a very common STD that can be reactivated for years to come. It rarely comes with no symptoms, and these include pain, itching, and sores in both, male and female genital areas.

Treatment: Unfortunately, there is no cure for genital herpes, and the signs and symptoms may recur, off and on, for years. There is some hope in using antiviral medications, but it just seems to be a short-term solution for when an outbreak occurs.

HPV

Caused by the human papillomavirus, this is the most common out of all sexually transmitted diseases, infecting over 50 million people a year in the United States alone. Usually spread through anal and vaginal sex, HPV can easily affect both sexes and develop zero symptoms.

In a lot of cases, HPV can recess in a year or two, but it can also create serious problems, even leading to genital warts and cancer.

Treatment: HPV isn’t curable, but the symptoms and consequential health problems related to HPV can be treated. Genital warts are treated with medication and cancers and pre-cancers have their standardized treatments depending on which type of cancer has developed.

HIV/AIDS

Probably the most dangerous of all STDs, human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV attacks the body’s immune system, making it prone to all sorts of diseases and infections. If left untreated, it can lead to the development of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, or AIDS.

HIV usually has three noticable stages:

Stage 1 – acute HIV infection which can sometimes come with flu-like symptoms
Stage 2 – asymptomatic HIV infection or clinical latency
Stage 3 – AIDS which causes severely damaged immune systems that decrease the life expectancy to only three years since the disease developed.

Treatment: There is currently no proved cure for HIV, but with proper medical care, it can be controlled. Those with an effective HIV treatment can live long, healthy lives and protect their partners. Recent discovery has sprung some hope into the treatment of HIV as a woman has been reported to have cured herself of HIV after a cutting-edge 4-year long experimental therapy.

How To Prevent STDs?

If you’re a sexually active person, the question of how to protect yourself from STDs should be important to you. And even though the only thing that can 100% work is sex abstinence, the best things you can do for your sexual health and avoid serious health problems include:

Using protection such as condoms and dental dams during oral sex
Regular testings, especially if changing sex partners
Immediate testing if any symptoms occur in order to prevent the disease from progressing any further
Having open discussions with a new partner and your sexual history
Being in a monogamous sexual relationship
Getting vaccinated for HPV and Hepatitis B
Potentially taking Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrePs) if you’re in a situation where getting HIV is more likely

Additional Things To Do If You Have an STD

In addition to using antibiotics or specific STD-related treatments, it’s important to support your overall health and wellbeing and boost your immune system so it can efficiently fight whatever bacteria or virus attacks it. These practices include:

Eating healthy foods and avoiding processed items
Regular exercise and movement
Improved sleep and sleeping hygiene
Reducing stress and implementing self-care techniques
Educating yourself on the dangers of STDs and their symptoms

Final Thoughts

Sexually transmitted diseases are extremely dangerous as they usually come with no symptoms and can cause serious health complications down the road. Using protection and regular testings, staying honest with your sex partner and being aware of any symptom development is your best way of preventing and fighting STDs, no matter what life stage you’re at.

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Predominantly sedentary lifestyle trends, insufficient sleep, and poor diet are the new normal and they’re all contributing to higher cholesterol levels. This leads to inflammation and the development of cardiovascular diseases, seriously affecting your overall health and wellbeing.

The fast-paced lives and the stressful environment we’re all participating in embrace convenience, and that’s where all the processed foods and quick solutions come in, causing more harm than good and impairing our bodies’ functions.

What is Cholesterol?

Cholesterol is a type of fat that has a waxy substance. It’s made by the human body, but it can also come from animal foods. It’s made in the liver and its role is actually extremely important as every cell in the body needs it to form outer cell membranes. These exist to protect the cell from anything coming in or out. Cholesterol also plays a part in hormone secretion, activating bile acids needed to digest and absorb fat, and the production of vitamin D.

Cholesterol exists in three main forms, or lipoproteins:

Low-density lipoprotein or LDL – the so-called “bad cholesterol”
High-density lipoprotein or HDL – the so-called “good cholesterol”
Very-low-density lipoproteins or VLDL – particles in the blood that carry triglycerides

High levels of LDL cholesterol in the bloodstream cause atherosclerosis, the formation of harmful fatty plaques that grow inside blood vessels, building up on their walls and making them narrower. This can cause poor circulation and blockages, increasing the risk of angina pectoris, heart disease, stroke, and heart attack.

The LDL cholesterol levels are measured in milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) with the following ranges:

Recommended – Under 100mg/dL
Normal – 100-129mg/dL
Borderline high – 130-159 mg/dL
High – 160-189 mg/dL
Very High -190 mg/dL and above

On the other hand, high levels of HDL cholesterol are preferred, as it helps remove other forms of cholesterol from your bloodstream. When it comes to measuring HDL, the levels are once again, displayed in milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL):

Recommended range – 60 mg/dL or higher of blood or higher
Normal (usual in healthy people) – 40 to 59 mg/dL
Low – HD levels under 40 mg/dL increase the risk of developing heart disease

Total Cholesterol

But, when a blood test measures total cholesterol levels, it takes both, LDL and HDL cholesterol into account. The target levels differ depending on your age and sex:

Men and women under the age of 19 – Less than 170 mg/dL with LDL under 110 mg/dL and HDL over 45 mg/dL
Men aged 20 and older – 125 mg/dL to 200 mg/dL with LDL under 100 mg/dL and HDL over 40 mg/dL
Women aged 20 and older – 125 mg/dL to 200 mg/dL with LDL under 100 mg/dL and HDL over 50 mg/dL

On the other hand, when measuring high levels of cholesterol, there’s even more discrepancy when it comes to age and sex:

Men and women under the age of 19

Borderline: 170-199 mg/dL with LDL 110-129 mg/dL
High: 200 mg/dL and above with LDL 130 mg/dL and above

Men aged 20 and older

Borderline: 200-239 mg/dL with LDL 130-159 mg/dL
High: 240 mg/dL and above with LDL 160 mg/dL and above

Women aged 20 and older

Borderline: 200-239 mg/dL with LDL 130-159 mg/dL
High: 240 mg/dL and above with LDL 160 mg/dL and above

Generally speaking, if a person doesn’t suffer from heart or blood vessel disease, and he or she isn’t at high risk for developing any kind of heart disease or type 2 diabetes, the optimal total cholesterol number is less than 100 mg/dL.

However, if the person does have heart or blood vessel disease, type 2 diabetes, or a variety of other risk factors, the optimal number would actually be lower than 70 mg/dL.

The Factors That Increase Cholesterol Levels

The most common factors that bring those levels up are lifestyle routines that your daily life consists of, and they include:

Poor diet consisting of ultra-processed foods, trans fats, and saturated fats
Malnutrition
Sedentary lifestyle and lack of exercise
Insufficient sleep
Smoking and excessive alcohol abuse
Obesity and being overweight
Type 2 diabetes
Certain medications
Genetic disorders (familial hypercholesterolemia)

Most of these factors can be controlled and reversed by cleaning up your diet, paying more attention to developing better sleeping habits, increasing your level of activity, limiting your alcohol and cigarette use, as well as managing your stress and weight, maintaining a healthy body mass index (BMI).

Can Total Cholesterol be High Due to High HDL?

Since having high levels of HDL is preferred, is there a possibility of having “high risk” total cholesterol levels even though your LDL is low?

Total cholesterol levels can indeed be high with your LDL cholesterol numbers in range, and in that case, they’re not posing a risk to heart disease. However, HDL levels shouldn’t exceed 116 mg/dL for men and 135 mg/dL for women, and extremely high levels of HDL cholesterol can be due to genetics.

Triglycerides

When talking about cholesterol, it’s also important to mention triglycerides since their levels are often measured together and they can severely impact your cardiovascular health as much as LDL.

Triglycerides are the most common type of fat in our bodies and they come from the foods we eat. They’re also the type of fat your body stores when your caloric expenditure is lower than your calorie intake, making you gain weight. Having a high level of triglycerides can seriously raise your risk of high blood pressure, metabolic syndrome, stroke, heart attack, and heart diseases, such as coronary artery disease.

The factors that contribute to high triglyceride levels include:

Obesity or being overweight
Smoking cigarettes
Excessive alcohol use
Certain medications
Genetic disorders
Liver or kidney disorders
Type 2 Diabetes
Thyroid diseases

Triglycerides are usually tested with your cholesterol levels and also measured in milligrams per deciliters (mg/dL):

Normal levels – less than 150mg/dL
Borderline High – 150-199 mg/dL
High – 200-499 mg/dL
Very High – 500 mg/dL and above

Final Thoughts

Cholesterol levels are one of the most important measurements of your overall health and longevity, and unfortunately, the numbers are drastically increasing. With poor lifestyle choices, processed foods, lack of physical activity, and high levels of stress, it’s no wonder we’re getting sicker and more inflamed as the years go by.

Fortunately, bringing your cholesterol levels down to a normal range is mostly under your control. Change your diet, increase your daily steps, implement a good sleeping routine, and you’re already on a great path towards keeping your cholesterol in balance, and with it, preventing heart disease.

Normal Total cholesterol levels:

Men and women under the age of 19 – Less than 170 mg/dL with LDL under 110 mg/dL and HDL over 45 mg/dL
Men aged 20 and older – 125 mg/dL to 200 mg/dL with LDL under 100 mg/dL and HDL over 40 mg/dL
Women aged 20 and older – 125 mg/dL to 200 mg/dL with LDL under 100 mg/dL and HDL over 50 mg/dL

Many people struggle with losing weight and wish for it to go faster than it actually does. There are plenty of tools out there that can speed it up, but is there a way to do it naturally?

Weight loss and weight gain are different for everyone. It depends on genetics, age, gender, level of activity, diet, metabolism, pre existing medical conditions, stress, and overall lifestyle routines. And even taking all of these things into consideration, the rate of gaining or losing weight can even differ from one year to another.

There are some general practices everyone should implement such as a cleaner and more nutritious diet, exercise routine, sleep optimization, and stress-reducing techniques that definitely make a difference. But some people do need that extra push, and that’s where our «Slim Elixer» protocol comes in. It’s a natural blend of specific micronutrients that can help lose weight quickly while staying completely safe.

Changing Your Diet

When trying to lose weight, what you eat has a tremendous impact. Ultra-processed foods, refined carbs, hydrolyzed fats, sugary drinks, and artificial ingredients create an inflammatory response in the body, bringing it into a state of fight-or-flight, trying to get rid of the harmful substances.

This brings bodily processes into a state of imbalance, making them unable to perform their functions in the most optimal way. This can lead to weight gain, or at least make it harder to lose the weight.

That’s why it’s important to focus on the nutrients you’re intaking and clean up your diet as much as possible. There’s an abundance of healthy, whole foods available to all of us. You just need to make it a priority to include them in your daily meals. Load up your plate with whole food sources such as fresh vegetables and fruit, lean protein sources, fiber-rich foods, whole grains, and healthy fats. They’ll nourish your body from the inside out, control your blood sugar levels, and help get rid of toxins as well as unwanted pounds in the best way possible.

You might also want to look into different fasting regimes such as intermittent fasting or simply skipping breakfast as research shows a connection between fasting and quicker weight loss. Still, before embarking on this train, it’s important to consult your doctor and get his stamp of approval.

Calories in Vs. Calories Out

When it comes to weight loss, it’s important to pay attention to your overall calorie intake. When you’re trying to lose weight, the amount of calories you consume has to be lower than the amount of calories you expend. This puts you in what’s called a caloric deficit which encourages your body to start burning its own fat deposits for fuel instead of only depending on the food you eat.

Keep a track of your daily meals and pay attention to your snacks, liquid calories, and how much oil you use for cooking. These can easily add up and increase your daily calorie intake without you even noticing. Without analyzing your food intake, any type of weight management is really hard to achieve. And when it comes to successful weight loss, it’s almost impossible. Nowadays, there are plenty of macronutrient calculators which can track all of the calories you eat on a daily basis and help you lose weight faster.

Mindful Eating

Another aspect of changing your diet has to do with the way you eat. Many of us are guilty of watching TV while we eat or doing a variety of random activities at the same time. Implementing techniques that promote a more mindful eating routine will help you reduce stress around meals and bring the body in the state of “rest and digest” instead of fight-or-flight. It will also help maintain a low calorie diet more easily as you’ll avoid emotional eating and focus on food for fuel.

Creating an Exercise Routine

Changing up your diet can only do so much. In order to really lose that unwanted body weight and burn calories, you do need to implement some sort of exercise regimen or at least increase your level of physical activity. This not only helps speed up your metabolism and increases your calorie expenditure, but it also improves your blood flow, sends more oxygen into your muscles, improves your cardiovascular health, increases muscle mass, maintains healthy blood sugar levels, and keeps your bones and joints healthy and thriving.

Find an activity you like doing and schedule a few sessions a week. In addition to that, increase your steps per day and make it your mission to get up every hour and move your body. Many people have predominantly sedentary jobs, which makes gaining weight really easy. The less you move, the easier it is for your body to put on extra pounds.

Pair it up with an unhealthy diet and you’re making it really hard to lose weight. Your body is struggling with inflammatory responses while your metabolism runs very slow, enabling even more toxins to pile one on top of the other. That’s why creating an exercise routine you enjoy doing and staying consistent with it is so important.

Optimizing Your Sleep Routine

Getting a good night’s sleep is crucial for your overall health and longevity. It also plays an important role in weight loss and lowering your body weight. When you sleep, your body rests, recovers, repairs all of its cells and systems, recharges batteries, and helps fight inflammation and toxins.

When you experience poor sleep, your body can’t perform all of its important processes, which can result in hormonal imbalance. More specifically, it can affect your hunger and satiety hormones, ghrelin and leptin, potentially leading to weight gain. That’s one of the most important reasons why optimizing your sleep routine is one of the best ways to promote weight loss.

Implement some of the most popular pre-bed and post-waking up routines such as limiting exposure to blue light and heavy meals a couple of hours before bed, sleeping in a dark and quiet room, utilizing a white noise machine if needed, opening the blinds first thing in the morning to activate your natural circadian rhythm, and avoiding grabbing your phone first thing in the morning.

Slim Elixer Protocol

Unfortunately, even with a healthy diet and a consistent exercise routine, many people still feel like they struggle with losing weight and that stubborn body fat. They need the extra push and luckily, there are some incredible micronutrients that in the form of injections and IV treatments can help them lose weight faster, as well as lower their cholesterol levels in a very natural way. These are:

MIC (Methionine, Inositol, and Choline)

An injection combining these three powerful compounds helps with weight loss and brings on additional health benefits. Methionine, inositol and choline are lipotropics, or compounds that help break down fat more efficiently, eliminating it from its deposits in your tissue and liver.

When used together, they create a powerful formula that boosts fat metabolism, increases the liver’s natural metabolic function, and consequently, aids weight loss.

L-Carnitine

A very important molecule in the human body, L-Carnitine is an amino acid derivative and it plays a crucial role in the production of energy as well as the metabolism of lipids. This means that it helps transport fatty acids into the mitochondria in your cells, where they can be efficiently burned for energy. This promotes weight loss as it helps burn stored fat more efficiently.

Taurine

This naturally occurring sulfur-containing amino acid is a powerful molecule with a plethora of roles in the human body. It’s found in large amounts in the heart, brain, eyes, and skeletal muscles, and its antioxidant effects protect against mitochondrial disorders and defects that occur with aging, various mitochondrial diseases, metabolic syndrome, cancers, cardiovascular diseases and neurological disorders.

Studies show its potential in treating obesity and aiding weight loss, as well as increasing fat burning during exercise. In addition, there are also studies that show taurine’s role in decreasing muscle damage.

Although it can be supplemented through food (mostly animal-based products), getting it through an IV increases its absorption and helps get straight into your bloodstream, avoiding the digestive tract which might slow down its breakdown.

B5 (Pantothenic acid)

This important B vitamin helps aid weight loss by activating lipoprotein lipase, an enzyme that breaks down fats and turns them into energy for fuel. That’s why it’s even been studied as a supplement that might help lower cholesterol levels and help maintain a healthy weight.

It’s found in a variety of foods, but when taken in the IV form, the body absorbs it at a much higher rate and with higher efficiency.

B6 (Pyridoxine)

B6 is a water-soluble vitamin that is crucial for more than 100 enzymes involved in protein metabolism as well as the metabolism of red blood cells. It also helps with increasing muscle mass and supporting weight loss by stimulating the thyroid, which has been found to be extremely beneficial with obese women and flushing out retained water in their systems.

Through stimulating the thyroid, B6 assists in metabolizing fats, carbohydrates, and proteins. This increases your metabolism and nutrient absorption rate, allowing for a more rapid weight loss.

B12 (Cobalamin)

Losing weight can be easier to achieve with injections of B12. This water-soluble vitamin is absolutely essential in maintaining the function of various systems in the body, specifically the brain and nervous system.

Studies show its connection to weight loss and fat loss, bringing into focus its ability to transform nutrients into fuel and increase your overall energy levels.

Final Thoughts

People always want to lose weight fast and when the usual “keep a balanced diet and increase your physical activity” tactics don’t really work, that makes them frustrated and unmotivated to keep pushing. Including these kinds of natural treatments into their weight loss routine can support their efforts and even speed them up.

There might be many ways to lose weight these days, but if you want to stay in the natural lane, cleaning up your diet, regular exercise regimen, and getting enough sleep combined with powerful micronutrients will do the work.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a serious condition that is becoming increasingly common each passing day. For many people, it even goes undiagnosed for a number of years until it progresses into a more complicated stage, having no other option but to use insulin therapy.

Still, before getting to that stage, there are things you can do to control your blood sugar levels. Modifying your diet, adding in exercise, and keeping a healthy weight are some of them. Pharmacological agents and insulin therapy should be your last instance.

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Also called adult-onset diabetes, type 2 diabetes mellitus is a chronic condition characterized by high blood sugar levels. Sugar, or glucose, is a normal byproduct of breaking down carbohydrates from your diet. Once it’s released into your blood, a hormone called insulin helps glucose get into your cells.

The inability to produce enough insulin, or any at all, is called insulin resistance, and it’s the main symptom of developing diabetes. When insulin isn’t there to regulate your blood glucose levels, the sugar is left to wander around your blood, unable to get into the cells where it’s supposed to. This, in turn, can cause inflammation and a myriad of health problems down the line, such as insulin-dependent diabetes, digestive and kidney diseases, urinary tract infections, negative cardiovascular outcomes, and more.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus is usually caused by obesity, not being physically active, and maintaining a very inflammatory diet. If you’re already predisposed due to family history and genetics, you need to pay even more attention to managing your weight, keeping a healthy, lower-carb diet, and getting enough exercise. Other risk factors include a history of heart disease, a history of gestational diabetes, and high blood pressure.

Symptoms of Diabetes Mellitus and Diagnosis

The most common symptoms of type 2 diabetes include:

Fatigue and chronic tiredness
Blurry vision
Increased urination and a presence of ketones in the urine
Being thirsty more than usual
Slow-healing sores
Irritability

Type 2 diabetes mellitus is usually diagnosed using the glycated hemoglobin (A1C) test that measures your blood glucose levels. When glucose is present in the blood, it sticks (glycates) to hemoglobin, the part of red blood cells that carries oxygen throughout the body. The test indicates your levels for the past two to three months and the results can show one of the following:

Below 5.7%, which is considered normal
Between 5.7% and 6.4%, which can be diagnosed as prediabetes
6.5% or higher on two separate tests, which is diagnosed as diabetes

If your AC1 tests aren’t consistent or show inaccurate measurements, your doctor may want to perform other tests such as random blood sugar tests, fasting blood glucose tests, continuous glucose monitoring, or even an oral glucose tolerance test that’s usually used in detecting gestational diabetes in pregnant women. A reading of over 200 mg/dL (11.1 mmol/L) after two hours is a strong indication of diabetes.

Controlling Your Diabetes Mellitus

Before your disease advances to a stage where insulin therapy and other oral diabetes medication are necessary, there are some actionable steps you can take to control your diabetes mellitus:

Keeping a healthy diet – Taking a rigorous look at your diet and changing it from the ground up is one of the most important pillars of diabetes management. Increasing your intake of vegetables and low glycemic fruit ensures you get high-quality vitamins and minerals your body is lacking. On the other hand, ingesting high-quality sources of protein and healthy fat is optimizing your entire system by building muscle and balancing out your hormones. The key is to stay away from heavily-processed foods and sugar, refined and bleached carbohydrates, as well as hydrolyzed saturated fats and trans fats. These foods increase inflammation in your body and not only prevent you from protecting yourself against disease but also cause the insulin response to malfunction, worsening your symptoms and leaving no other option but insulin therapy.
Regular physical activity – lack of exercise and overly-sedentary lifestyles are some of the main culprits of today’s diabetes pandemic, and maintaining a good level of regular physical activity can definitely help control and manage your blood glucose levels, and with it, your diabetes mellitus diagnosis. Exercise helps use up glucose from your muscles, liver, and your bloodstream and converts it into energy, fueling your workouts and helping you keep inflammation at bay.
Weight management – Keeping a healthy diet and implementing a regular exercise regimen are two main components of managing a healthy weight. When your body stays in its healthy range, it’s better adapted to deal with stress, inflammation, or any health threat that comes its way. Excessive weight gain and becoming obese are drastically decreasing your body’s immune response and leading up to insulin resistance.
Monitoring your blood glucose levels – wearing a continuous glucose monitor is a great way to see your fasting blood glucose levels, how they change throughout the day, which foods impact your blood glucose concentrations, and how to make better choices around your lifestyle.

Treating Uncontrolled Diabetes Mellitus

Unfortunately, when your diabetes isn’t possible to control just with food, diet, and continuous glucose monitoring, a more serious approach needs to be implemented.

Insulin Therapy

Probably the most commonly used treatment of uncontrolled diabetes mellitus is insulin therapy. There is a variety of different insulin types available (short-acting, rapid-acting, long-acting, and intermediate-acting) and it depends on your particular case which one, or a combination, will be the most effective for you.

It’s usually administered through a syringe, an insulin pump, a wireless tubeless pump, or even by closed-loop insulin delivery with an artificial pancreas. Even this type of therapy comes with potential side effects and these include the risk of hypoglycemia or extremely low blood sugar levels, diabetic ketoacidosis, and high triglycerides

Oral Diabetes Medications

Oral medications are often prescribed before insulin therapy as a less invasive treatment option that may prevent, or at least delay the need of injecting insulin. Some of the most common oral diabetes medications stimulate the pancreas to produce and release more insulin. Other types inhibit the production and release of glucose from your liver, meaning less insulin is needed to transport sugar into your cells.

Another type of diabetes medication blocks digestive enzymes from breaking down carbohydrates or making your tissues more sensitive to insulin, while a special class of diabetes medications prevents the kidneys from reabsorbing sugar into the blood.

These are some of the most common diabetes medications:

Metformin – lowers glucose production in the liver and improves your body’s insulin sensitivity in order for it to use insulin more effectively.
Sulfonylureas and Glinides – help your body release more insulin.
Thiazolidinediones – improve insulin sensitivity.
DPP-4 inhibitors – help reduce blood glucose levels
SGLT2 inhibitors – inhibit the return of glucose to the bloodstream.

GLP-1 Receptor Agonists

These medications are injectables that help slow digestion and lower blood sugar levels. They often lead to weight loss, which can furthermore help with diabetes management, improving your body mass index numbers, lowering blood pressure, and helping manage glucose metabolism.

Weight-loss (Bariatric) Surgery

In patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus with excessive weight gain and obesity (body mass index of 35 or higher), there’s always the option of getting weight loss surgery. It’s an extremely invasive, but also an effective way of managing your diabetes symptoms. Still, it doesn’t work alone. You need a complete lifestyle change in order to keep the weight off and avoid further diabetes complications.

Final Thoughts

Type 2 diabetes mellitus is often undiagnosed until the symptoms become hard to control, and even though it’s called adult-type diabetes, many young adults and children are becoming diagnosed as well. The American Diabetes Association has a plethora of helpful resources and educational materials which can help you or your loved ones struggling with this crippling diagnosis.

Whether you’ve been put on a cocktail of oral medications or have to take insulin therapy, you are not alone, and there’s a whole support community out there helping you make healthier choices to manage your type 2 diabetes mellitus for years to come.

The food we eat today isn’t as nutritionally valuable as it was 50, or even 20 years ago. The soil is depleted of many vitamins and minerals and as a consequence, so is our food.

This is where the supplement industry comes in, offering short-term and long-term solutions in pill and powder form so that they’re easy to take and become a part of your daily routine. And even though it’s always best to do a thorough analysis and find out what micronutrients you’re actually missing out on, there are some general supplement recommendations everyone should benefit from taking.

What Causes Vitamin and Mineral Deficiencies?

The lives we lead today are incredibly stressful and cause more vitamin and mineral deficiencies than we think. These are some of the most common culprits:

Poor diet – The Standard American Diet (SAD) unfortunately showcases how poorly most Americans live, not reaching even the bare minimum of fruit, vegetables, and whole-grain recommended intakes.
Stress – It can not only impair your body’s ability to absorb micronutrients but also cause chronic inflammation which is the reason for many diseases and medical conditions of today.
Environmental toxins – There are so many chemicals in the air, water, soil, and a plethora of surfaces we come in contact with throughout our daily life which can all cause vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Studies show a direct link between pollution and vitamin D deficiency, making it obvious that supplementing is necessary in order to get the vitamin D levels to an optimal level.

Vitamin D3

One of the most important vitamins almost everyone is deficient in is vitamin D3. Also called the “sunshine vitamin,” its most abundant source is the sun and most people aren’t getting enough daily sun exposure. Additionally, even if they are, the use of sunscreen, no matter how important it is, diminishes the impact of sun rays and the opportunity for vitamin D to get into our cells.

Vitamin D3 is responsible for optimizing a lot of processes in the human body. From improving the absorption of calcium and phosphorus and promoting bone health to boosting the immune system and improving energy and mood. The FDA recommends taking 600 international units (IU) for a healthy male and female between the ages 19 and 70, and 800 IU over for those over the age of 70. Still, this may be different for each individual, but it’s a great place to start. Some people, especially those with an autoimmune disease, might not be getting enough vitamin D even with the recommended 600 IU, so talk to your doctor before taking the step towards increasing your dose.

Magnesium

Most people are struggling with magnesium deficiency as they’re simply not getting enough of it through their food choices. Even more so if their activity levels are higher than average. Magnesium is

in the human body, assisting more than 300 enzymes in performing chemical reactions that lead to muscle repair and build-up, blood sugar regulation, bone and heart health, lowering the blood sugar, as well as the protection of nerve cells.

The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) of magnesium is 400-420 mg daily for men and 310-320 mg for women aged 19 and above. Still, you might need different amounts for everything to run smoothly, especially if you’re an active individual or an athlete.

Zinc

Another extremely important mineral, zinc is included in a myriad of different functions in the body, from immune function and protein synthesis to wound healing and gene expression. It can mostly be obtained from foods such as oysters, red meat, poultry, nuts and seeds, avocados, and berries. Unfortunately, the amounts we would need to eat on a daily basis far exceed normal eating habits.

The RDA for zinc is 11 mg a day for men and 8 mg for women aged 19 and older. Like with other supplements on this list, each individual might need more or less, depending on their blood analysis.

Fish Oil

Rich in omega-3 fatty acids, fish oil is one of the most important dietary supplements everyone should have in their diet. They support cardiovascular health and lower triglyceride levels, improve eye health and brain function, help reduce chronic inflammation, improve skin health and the healing of skin conditions, promote healthy growth and development during pregnancy and breastfeeding, improve symptoms of depression, and so much more.

As the name says, omega-3 fatty acids are mostly obtained from fish, so you’d have to eat plenty on a daily basis to take the recommended amounts. You can also get them from nuts and seeds, plant oils, and some fortified foods. The main omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil are eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), while the omega-3 in plant sources is mainly alpha-linolenic acid (ALA).

The RDA for omega-3 fatty acids isn’t really established, except for ALA (1.6 g for men and 1.1 g daily for women aged 18 and older). Since you can’t really go overboard, whatever is listed on a good fish oil supplement is a great place to start.

Vitamin B12

The health benefits of vitamin B12 are vast, and they include forming red blood cells, promoting gene expression, and optimizing the function of brain and nerve cells. They are mostly found in animal foods, so those following a vegan diet have no other choice but to supplement.

Vitamin B12 is extremely important during pregnancy and breastfeeding as it helps promote healthy growth and development of the fetus, preventing spina bifida and other potential defects of the central nervous system.

If you’re not eating plenty of foods from animal sources, supplementing with B12 is probably something you should pay attention to. The RDA is 2.4 mg for both, men and women aged 14 and over.

Vitamin C

Maybe the most abundant vitamin in nature, vitamin C is vital for health and longevity. It helps boost the immune system and protect against heart disease, fights inflammation, supports a healthy brain function, keeps the blood vessels clean and flowing, promotes collagen formation, and helps keep blood pressure levels in their optimal range.

It can be found in many healthy foods such as citruses, bell peppers, berries, tomatoes, cruciferous vegetables, and more. The RDA in adults aged 19 and older is 90 mg daily for men and 75 mg for women, but given the way people eat, they’re not meeting even these small daily amounts.

Therefore, supplementation is necessary. Still, it’s important to note that one can definitely go overboard with vitamin C. The Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL) is the maximum daily intake unlikely to cause harmful effects on health. For vitamin C, it’s 2000 mg daily.

Probiotics

Another important supplement that doesn’t fall under vitamins and minerals is a combination of probiotics that has a role in feeding the gut microbiome. It helps not only promote the health of the digestive system but also increases the absorption rate of all vitamins and minerals, whether taken from food or as dietary supplements.

Probiotics are a combination of different strains of live bacteria, with the most common being Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Streptococcus, Salivarius, and Bacillus. They can be found in fermented foods such as kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, pickled cucumbers, and more.

Although each person requires a different mix of bacteria strains in their probiotic supplement, it’s better to take some, even a generic brand, than none. Unfortunately, our diet isn’t as versatile as it should be in order for all of these beneficial bacteria to grow, thrive, and promote the health of our entire system. Taking a supplement will definitely help replenish some of your gut microbiota and work towards improving your digestive health, heart health, bone health, hormone health, and every other aspect of your overall wellness and wellbeing.

In Conclusion

Due to poor diet, stress, and many environmental toxins, people are definitely not taking enough essential nutrients to optimize their overall health and longevity and protect themselves from diseases and chronic inflammation. Vitamin and mineral deficiencies are becoming more and more common and dietary supplements have become a necessity.

High-quality dietary supplements offer a plethora of health benefits, helping tackle everything from vitamin D deficiency and intaking enough B vitamins to boosting the immune system and being that barrier of protection against a number of serious health conditions.

That being said, always consult with your primary physician or naturopath before starting a new supplement as your daily needs may drastically differ from the RDA or what’s written on the supplement bottle.

IV vitamin and mineral drips have become a very popular trend in recent years with everything from B complex and immune support concoctions to NAD boosters and hangover cures. Glutathione IV therapy is one of them, and it’s due to its incredible health benefits that more and more people are asking for treatments.

What is Glutathione?

Glutathione is an extremely powerful antioxidant largely composed of three non-essential amino acids: glutamine, glycine, and cysteine. It can be found in large amounts in the majority of cells in our body which showcases the great role it plays in all processes in the body. Even moreso, the glutathione levels in our cells equal the levels of glucose, potassium, and cholesterol, only strengthening the importance it has on the human body.

Unfortunately, its levels are often lower than they should be and the factors contributing to it are mostly poor diet and malnutrition, chronic stress, age, toxins, and overall inflammation. Luckily, it’s easy to obtain in supplement form, whether in a pill, intravenously, topically, or as an inhalant.

The Benefits of Glutathione

Numerous studies show the great health benefits one could have from taking a glutathione supplement. Some of the most important include:

1. A Potential Reduction of Cell Damage in Alcoholic and Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Fatty liver occurs when fat builds up around the organ, making it swell up and cause damage to the tissue and cells. A lack of antioxidants, and with it glutathione, exacerbates this damage, causing scarring of the tissue and an even more serious condition called cirrhosis.

Supplementing with high IV doses of glutathione have shown to improve protein, enzyme, and bilirubin levels in those suffering from fatty liver even several months after treatment interruption. Another great testament to glutathione’s efficacy is shown in the reduction of malondialdehyde, a marker of hepatic cell damage.

2. A Potential Reduction of Oxidative Stress

Antioxidants are extremely important in the human body as their main role is to help the body fight oxidative stress created by damaging, free radicals. When a person lacks antioxidants, the body activates its immune system and increases inflammation, finding it harder to fight diseases. According to an article in the Journal of Cancer Science and Therapy, glutathione deficiency elevates the oxidative stress which may then lead to cancer. On the other hand, higher levels of glutathione reduced the oxidative stress in cancer cells.

3. May Help Fight Against Autoimmune Diseases

Autoimmune diseases are conditions where the body fights against itself, mistaking its own cells for toxins. The immune system gets activated and starts treating healthy cells as bacteria or viruses, trying to fight them off and kill them. This causes major oxidative stress and raising glutathione levels may help lower the inflammatory response, lessening the impact of autoimmune disease reactions in the body.

4. May Potentially Improve Psoriasis Symptoms

Psoriasis is a common, chronic skin disease which tends to be on the autoimmune side, with flares coming and going throughout a person’s lifetime. To this day, there isn’t an efficient cure, but there’s plenty of therapies and treatments designed to help reduce the symptoms. A small study showed a significant improvement when glutathione levels were elevated.

5. May Potentially Increase Mobility in People with Peripheral Artery Disease

Peripheral artery disease is a blockage of vessels in the peripheral areas of the body (most commonly legs) and it’s usually caused by the buildup of fatty plaque in the arteries, or atherosclerosis. Studies show how glutathione IV treatment can help improve circulation and increase mobility, allowing the patients to walk pain-free for longer distances.

6. A Potential Improvement in Insulin Resistance Amongst Older Population

As levels of glutathione lower with age, with it comes a reduced rate of burning fat and higher rates of fat storing in the body. Research shows a potential improvement in insulin resistance as well as a promotion of fat burning when glutathione deficiency is corrected.

7. A Potential Reduction of Type 2 Diabetes

With lower levels of glutathione and potential issues with glucose metabolism, diabetes type 2 causes extreme oxidative stress and damage. Research shows a direct link between glutathione IV therapy and improved metabolic rates in those suffering from diabetes even though the exact mechanisms responsible for glow glutathione levels in type 2 diabetes have not been fully established.

8. May Reduce the Symptoms of Asthma and Other Respiratory Diseases

One of the most popular medications used to treat asthma and other respiratory diseases is N-acetylcysteine, another powerful antioxidant. It helps disintegrate the mucus accumulation in the respiratory pathways and reduce overall inflammation, causing the swelling. Interestingly enough, N-acetylcysteine is a byproduct of glutathione.

9. May Reduce Oxidative Damage in Autistic Children

Children with autism have higher levels of oxidative damage and apparently, lower levels of glutathione in their brain. A study that tackled this specific correlation and increased glutathione levels showed improvement in the amino acid cysteine, plasma sulfate, and whole-blood glutathione levels.

10. May Reduce the Symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson’s disease is a disorder of the central nervous system that affects movement. It often causes rigidness and tremors, slow movement, and loss of balance. In a placebo-controlled clinical trial, glutathione IV therapy showcased mild improvements with tremors and rigidness, potentially improving the quality of life in those suffering from this disease.

What is Glutathione IV Therapy Used For Additionally?

In addition to treating fatty liver disease, oxidative damage in autoimmune disease and autism, respiratory disease, and other serious medical conditions, many clinics nowadays offer glutathione IV therapy as an antioxidant boost without the need of prescription or a serious diagnosis.

Even though it’s naturally produced by our bodies, glutathione levels decline with age, even without other additional external toxins. A glutathione IV therapy delivers this powerful combination of three amino acids straight into your bloodstream, bypassing the digestive tract where there’s a potential for lower absorption.

Benefits of taking this treatment include:

Glutathione is an extremely powerful antioxidant that is key to almost all body functions, including:

Reducing overall inflammatory processes in the body
Skin lightening by erasing hyper-pigmentation and preventing the production of melanin in cells
Boosting the immune system, reducing oxidative stress markers, and helping fight free radicals
Providing anti-aging properties and improving skin health
Improving sleep quality
Promoting flushing out toxins in a more efficient way
Improving focus, mental clarity and energy levels

Many clinics add vitamin C into their glutathione IV due to the fact it helps elevate and protect glutathione levels in the tissue, increasing the absorption, and helping improve the efficacy of the treatment.

When compared to oral supplements of glutathione, a straight IV injection is much more likely to get better absorbed by your body as digestion can slow down, and even impair this process. Once glutathione hits the bloodstream, it’s carried throughout the entire body, reaching all of the important organs such as the brain, heart, lungs, and muscle tissue. This way, all of your cells can benefit from glutathione’s powerful detoxifying and protective properties.

In Conclusion

Glutathione is a master antioxidant which can be found in almost every cell in our body and plays an important role in our overall health and longevity. Unfortunately, its levels decline with age, but even more so with stress, toxins, poor diet, and other causes of oxidative damage, leaving us prone to disease and chronic inflammation.

Glutathione supplements, specifically IV therapy, is an amazing and minimally invasive way of increasing the levels of this powerful combination of amino acids and helping us fight off disease and fight against oxidative stress and its damage.

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