Time For Letters to the Editor

Course, that's the problem. It is time to hear from you, readers of the Guru.

What questions do you have?

What supplements have you tried and would like to know more about?

What would you like to hear more about?

Are you a skeptic? If so, what can I do to bolster your confidence in supplementing your diet for health?

Let me know. askvitaguru@gmail.com

Weighing In on Raspberry Ketones

Before Dr. Oz decided that the single best thing that everybody needs to manage their weight was raspberry ketones, nobody had ever gave a damn about them. Why did the wizard that is Oz choose them, you might ask? Lord knows I did. Well, a couple of studies released in 2005 and 2010 indicated it raised lipolysis  and the secretion of adiponectin. 

Wow, Vita-Guru, that sounds great, you say. Well it might be great, neither study was in humans. They were done in mice given a high fat diet - read here Standard American Diet. While, ultimately, your body is shaped by what you eat and how much you exercise, raspberry ketones could support your goals well. Remembering that you have many variables in your life that prevent you from achieving laboratory results, I would suggest you consider adding a couple of other supplements to your routine if you are trying to better manage your weight.

The first supplement to compliment RK would be L-carnitine. This amino acid like compound shuttles fat for burning throughout the body. Makes sense that with the RK making it easier for your body to break down fat that you would want to get it somewhere to be burned. I would also add Yohimbine. This tree bark extract has be shown to inhibit the receptors on fat cells that prevent them from releasing the stored energy, clearly also very complimentary to RK. Yohimbine can have a stimulating effect so be careful when you first start taking it.

Remember that these supplements are just tools to help you build the body you want. If you buy a hammer and swing it one way you can build a house. Swing it another way and you will tear the house down. If you swing it with your eyes closed you will hit your thumb. At the end of the day, it is still a hammer supplementing your arm to do work. The same applies to RK. Eating right and exercise are still the way you swing that hammer.

VG

Laid Low By Travel

I know this may come as a surprise to you, but I caught one of the various plagues running around now. After a high stress week where my diet was crap, I was lucky enough to spend 6 wonderful hours in an airport waiting for a delayed flight. The airport is particularly busy as it is in a city know for its child oriented tourist attractions. It was a little “Goofy” there.

That, my friends, is a recipe for disaster for your immune system. Stress, poor diet, poor sleep, no activity to speak of, no sun as I was inside from 7:00 am to past 9:00 pm everyday, then exposed to a bazillion noisy plague bombs all happy to be leaving Mouseland. None of those facts alone are very rare or harmful by themselves. It really is the combination of all of them that set me up. Now, ideally your healthy immune system is up to the challenge. But this is really more about playing the odds. This was my seventh trip through Orlando, eventually the odds of rolling craps is against you.

Gosh, oh Vita-Guru, what ever can we do to avoid such a disaster?

I am glad you ask. The first rule, which I broke, is take your Foundation 4 supplements. Yep, multivitamin, omega 3, vitamin D, and probiotic. For numerous bad reasons I chose to not bother with them this time. These are your body's key backups under times of stress. Not taking them was like not using your starting offensive line in football. Ya, the other guys are pros but not your best.

Next, shore up your immune system against the oncoming assault. I like Emergen-C products for that. They are easy to use powders that taste good. They provide a healthy dose of vitamin C plus a complement of B vitamins and electrolyte minerals. This is a nice little gift to immune system that is about to need the extra help.

The third suggestion is for that extra stress you are under. Look to the adaptogens like gingseng, rhodiola rosea, or ashwaganda. All of which help the body deal with stress and maintain healthy energy levels. Under extreme stress? Pull out the big gun, holy basil, which helps with mood as well.

But, Vita-Guru, if you are so smart why didn't you do these things?

You can stop asking questions now. What it comes down to is after 6 years of no issue traveling, I got lazy and let myself go with out prep. Like leaving for work without your phone and wallet. We all do it, but usually when we do we don't get a flat tire on the way.

VG