Healthy Product News

Chia and Flax – Sprouted Super Seeds Rich in Omega-3

Organic Traditions™ Sprouted Omega Chia / Flax is an excellent source of Omega-3 fatty acids and fibre that contains the powerful nutritional potential of chia and flaxseeds.

As awareness of proper nutrition continues to grow, more and more people are coming to recognize and appreciate the benefits of adding seeds to their diet. In addition to being wholesome and flavourful, seeds are well-known sources of fibre, vitamins, minerals, protein and energy. Some seeds, particularly chia and flax, are also rich sources of the essential fatty acid omega-3, an often under-consumed nutrient of great importance to every aspect of our health.  

However, it is a lesser-known fact that seeds only deliver their full nutritional benefits when sprouted. All seeds have natural anti-nutrients such as enzyme inhibitors and phytic acid, which are designed to prevent digestion. Sprouting (the process of soaking, draining and rinsing seeds at regular intervals until they germinate) dramatically increases the digestibility of the seed and changes its nutrient composition. Sprouting releases enzymes which are specifically designed to start the seed on its way to becoming a plant. The enzymes, amino acids, vitamins and antioxidants are substantially increased and become more bioavailable, allowing for better absorption. As the seed begins to grow, the natural enzyme inhibitors are eliminated and anti-nutrients such as phytic acid, tannins and insoluble fibres are decreased, further contributing to increased bioavailability and assimilation of nutrients.

With Organic Traditions™ Sprouted Omega Chia/Flax, the biotransformation that occurs through germination or sprouting allows the inaccessible nutritional value of the seeds to be “unlocked,” thereby transforming them into some of the most nutritionally dense superfoods on the planet. The increased soluble to insoluble fibre ratio and decreased enzyme inhibitors, result in increased nutrient absorption and bioavailability of essential fatty acids, protein, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and fibre. It also provides enhanced co-factors and conditions for the conversion of ALA (alpha-linolenic acid) to EPA and DHA (eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acid), essential nutrients for heart and brain function.  

Organic Traditions™ avoids conventional drying methods in favour of dehydration to ensure the highest quality product with minimal loss of pigmentation, taste or nutrients.  A “non-friction, no heat” milling process is also employed to optimally preserve nutritional value and product stability. Because of the dramatic increase in antioxidant content that results from the sprouting process, Organic Traditions™ Sprouted Omega Chia/Flax requires no refrigeration and has a remarkably long shelf life: up to four years when stored at room temperature. Best of all, it is certified organic, non-GMO, certified kosher, and gluten-free with a low glycemic index, making it a great choice for everyone.   

Available at the Big Carrot Wholistic Dispensary (348 Danforth Avenue, 416-466-8432), and other fine stores. For more information on Organic Traditions™, contact Health Matters at 1-800-304-1497 or visit www.advantagehealthmatters.com.

Newtopia Genetics: Breakthrough Genetic Test for Weight and Lifestyle Management

Newtopia, a lifestyle company dedicated to coaching people to lose weight, become more fit and enjoy an overall sense of well-being, is pleased to unveil Newtopia Genetics, a new genetic test which reveals the most effective formula for individual weight loss and lifestyle management. Deployed in Canada for the first time, Newtopia Genetics uses breakthrough genetic technology to tell individuals the best way to lose their extra pounds.

Using a simple cheek swab, Newtopia Genetics identifies genes specifically connected to one’s likelihood of gaining weight and also provides genetically driven recommendations for nutrition, exercise and behaviour management. These genetically driven lifestyle recommendations are incorporated into a personalized lifestyle coaching program to achieve the best possible results in weight loss and healthy living.

“Newtopia is pioneering a new age of affordable, personalized lifestyle management to achieve the best results in weight loss and healthy living,” says founder, president and CEO Jeffrey Ruby. “Other companies offer personal genetic testing for obesity but do not incorporate the results into an integrated program directed by a personal coach. With Newtopia Genetics, we can stop guessing at what will work and make genetically driven recommendations that are most effective for each individual to lose weight.”

While other weight loss services offer a single focus — nutrition/dieting or exercise, Newtopia combines the three main lifestyle pillars to help people lose weight, and personalize each program with genetic testing and expert support from your very own certified coach. “What is important and unique to this test is that it uses information from key obesity genes to make genetically driven recommendations in three fundamental aspects of weight management — nutrition, exercise and behaviour,” said Dr. Louis Perusse, chief designer of Newtopia Genetics, and considered a world authority on the genetics of obesity. Perusse is also editor-in-chief of The Journal of Nutrigenetics and Nutrigenomics, and professor and director of the Division of Kinesiology in the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine of Laval University.

Visit www.newtopia.com for more information or call (905) 856-8088 or 1-888-NEW-8181.

New Self-Help Tool Can Alleviate Migraines, Anxiety, and Chronic Pain  

Report by Philip Shepherd

Simple enough in appearance, Becalm Balls are actually a breakthrough technology that resulted from years of research and refinement. Robert Harris, a craniosacral practitioner and co-founder of the Cranial Therapy Centre, has been developing the balls since the mid-‘90s, when he called them The Stillpointer. In the course of his research, Harris made a major discovery: two spots at the back of the head, which when gently held, induce an instant and profound response of slack or ease — in the same way that a rope held under tension relaxes when the tension backs off. Harris compares that initial effect to the feeling that comes when you are cradled in a hammock, or when a tight deadline is suddenly put off by a week. He calls those two spots the slackening spots. When they are contacted lightly, the response creates ease not just in the body, but in the entire psyche. When they are cradled over a period of minutes, the response brings a profound relaxation to the complete nervous system.

The principle by which that kind of slack is induced in the body is based in osteopathy and craniosacral therapy. The specific slackening spots were discovered by Harris through years of teaching and therapeutic practice. He came to realize that if he could create a device that could reliably, comfortably and gently cradle those slackening spots, anyone would be able to achieve an immediate response of deepening calm. As his work with clients had demonstrated over years, that response is able to alleviate a wide range of symptoms – from migraines, anxiety and chronic pain, to a strengthening of the digestive and immune systems. In effect, such a device would empower anyone to help themselves towards a state of optimal health.

21st Century Stress Overload

To understand how Becalm Balls generate such profound benefits, it helps to understand the effect of stress on the body, and the way stress perpetuates itself in cycles. Whenever we experience stress, our sympathetic nervous system is activated (our fight or flight response), and our parasympathetic system is suppressed. The parasympathetic system is the system that enables the body to repair itself. If the effect of stress on the body comes and goes, the two systems can remain in balance. If the effect of stress lingers in the body, though, it creates a host of problems.

And chronic stress generates cycles that self-perpetuate. One cycle involves the nervous system: when we are under stress, we react more easily to stimuli; and the more reactive we are, the more stressed we become. Another cycle involves the large muscles running the length of the spine: when we are under stress, they are in a state of preparedness, slightly tensed, ready for action; but that tension puts pressure on nerve fibres that are part of our stress response system so that there is actually an increase in the signals generated by the sympathetic nervous system, which increases our tension, etc.

A third cycle is set off by the way stress tends to tighten the neck, pulling the head back: that puts pressure on the vagus nerve at the base of the skull, hampering the nerve’s ability to cancel the sympathetic response and restore the parasympathetic response. Many of us are so used to living within those self-perpetuating cycles that we have forgotten what it feels like to just turn them off.

As long as the sympathetic nervous system is active, the parasympathetic system is deprived of the resources it needs to function. That means the body can’t rebuild: the repairing of tissues is compromised, the digestion and absorption of nutrients is restricted, the elimination of toxins is slowed down, immune function is weakened and our ability to sleep is affected. To reverse that, the body’s stress response has to be taken off alert. But as we have seen under chronic conditions, that stress response becomes self-sustaining. It is that double bind that makes Harris’ discovery of the body’s slackening spots so important, and Becalm Balls such a powerful self-help tool.

How BeCalm Balls Break the Stress Cycle

Using Becalm Balls could not be simpler. The first step is to adjust the width so they will contact the slackening spots at the back of your head. Then find a comfortable place to lie on your back, and place the balls under your head so that they are exactly opposite your eyes. You can feel that spot with your fingers, because if you draw them down the back of the skull you will find a ridge there — technically known as the superior nuchel line. It is in the hollow of that ridge that the balls are placed.

The balls are of the optimal size to gently cradle the head and activate the slackening of our stress response, and they are of a consistency that can maintain that response and allow its effect to carry the nervous system into a deep, deep reservoir of absolute calm. All stress cycles stand down, and the restorative power of the parasympathetics moves into full swing. In fact, many people have commented that when they get up off the balls, they feel calmer, refreshed and more energized – some even report an increased sense of self.

To spend even 10 minutes a day in the slackened state induced by Becalm Balls can have a profound effect on your well-being. Every time you interrupt a stress cycle, it takes a little longer to establish itself as the body gets better at restoring the balance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. When the two systems truly come into balance, you are in a state of optimal health. Once you learn how to locate your own slackening spots, you can use them to help free your body from pain, insomnia, anxiety or headaches, and at the same time help to restore the balance of its digestive and immune systems. The result is an increase in mental clarity, health and general vitality.

Robert Harris, along with partner Alix McLaughlin, own and operate the Cranial Therapy Centre in Toronto. Robert is committed to bringing the benefits of his discovery to as many people as possible. He teaches seminars at hospitals, clinics and offices, demonstrating the use of Becalm Balls.

BeCalm Balls can be purchased at www.becalm.ca, as well as at the Cranial Therapy Centre, (416) 971-8674.

Philip Shepherd’s upcoming book New Self, New World from North Atlantic Books will be released in the summer of 2010. Philip is affiliated with The Institute for Sacred Activism, in Chicago.

BiologicVET™ Gives Pets the Nutrients They Need for a Happy, Healthy Life

BiologicVET™ has created a line of canine and feline nutritional supplements for daily maintenance as well as specific conditions. Dogs and cats have a unique biologic makeup that require precise daily ratios and proportions of vitamins, minerals, fatty acids and other nutrients.  Even when we choose their diet with great care, these nutrients are difficult, if not impossible to obtain from wet or dry pet foods.  Due to exposure to light, air, heat and humidity over time, nutrients lose potency and absorbability in the manufacturing process. BiologicVET nutritional supplements are all natural, great tasting and easily added to your pet’s meal.  They draw on extensive scientific knowledge and nature’s wholeness to provide optimum health, wellness, and longevity for cats and dogs, and offer a welcome form of preventive care.

Each BiologicVET product has been designed to deliver precise proportions of key nutrients to meet pets’ requirements and take the guesswork out for their human friends.  The formulas contain no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives, and are manufactured in accordance with GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices), which means the quality of all raw materials is certified and tested before use.  In addition, BiologicVET uses an airtight seal on all packaging, guaranteeing the potency and freshness of all products.

Complete and balanced nutrition gives your cat or dog better immunity, a healthier coat and skin, enhanced mobility, increased energy and more.  BiologicVET offers two products that are recommended for daily use for all cats and dogs, and five condition-specific formulas. All products are designed for dogs and cats.

DAILY MAINTENANCE PRODUCTS

BioVITES is a daily multivitamin powder formula containing key vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that replenish the immune system and support general health at every stage of your pet’s life.  Among the many benefits of this product are improved heart, liver, lung and dental health, better energy, digestion and stress management. (MSRP $39.99)

BioFATS is a liquid supply of Omega 3-6-9 fatty acids designed for skin, coat and general metabolic health.   It also helps relieve skin irritations, allergies, excessive shedding and joint discomfort.  (MSRP $39.99)

CONDITION SPECIFIC PRODUCTS

BioJOINT:  For pets with joint pain or arthritis lacking mobility and dexterity. Ideal for pets with chronic progressive joint pain or welling of joints and tissues. This product helps your pet to be more comfortable and to increase physical activity.  (MSRP $39.99)          

BioSKIN&COAT:  Perfect for pets with poor skin and coat health including skin irritations, hot spots, chronic scratching and allergies. Also formulated to treat faded, lackluster coats. (MSRP $39.99)

BioSLIM:  For overweight or less active pets with weight management problems and low energy levels, this formula helps burn excess body fat, not muscle. It also supports heart health by lowering cholesterol. (MSRP $23.99)

BioSPORT:  For very active pets that require high energy for their daily activities, including police, field, herding or racing dogs. This formula improves muscle tone while reducing risk of energy, and has numerous other benefits, including optimal hydration and electrolyte balance. (MSRP$39.99)

BioSENIOR:  For older/senior pets suffering from age related deterioration, lack of energy, arthritis and osteoporosis, this formula promotes healthy cardiovascular function and bolsters the immune system among its multiple benefits. (MSRP $39.99)

BiologicVET products are available at pet and health food stores across Canada.  To locate a retailer or to learn more about the formulas, their ingredients and the company’s unique approach to pet nutrition and wellness, please visit www.biologicvet.net.