Welcome to the July edition of Your Healthy Life, and happy Independence Day! I hope this finds you and your families happy, healthy and enjoying a glorious summer. Though July is a light month for national health observances, you may find something here that applies to you or those that you love. We hope you will find our expanded topics of interest this month. Please feel free to write me with comments or questions. We appreciate your feedback!

July features the following health observances: Hemochromatosis Screening Awareness Month International Group B Strep Awareness Month Eye Injury Prevention Month National Therapeutic Recreation Week 2004 U.S. Transplant: 50 Years of Transplantation International Massage Week - July 11-17

Cheers and wellness,

You know you should exercise for overall wellness and a healthy body weight. You may also know that regular exercise can boost your energy, help you sleep better, and even promote a positive outlook. You may not be aware, however, of six additional reasons to get moving that have a significant impact on not only your short-term wellness, but also long-term longevity and chronic disease prevention. As follows:

Six vital reasons to commit—consistently this time—to a minimum of 20 minutes of exercise 3 times per week.

Clear your arteries
Immediately following a workout, levels of HDL ("good" cholesterol) rise by up to 20%. Both HDL and LDL ("bad" cholesterol) transport cholesterol, clearing it from your bloodstream and depositing it elsewhere. The reason heart experts have designated LDL as "bad" is that it often drops it's cholesterol load in your blood vessels where it can clog the lining. HDL, conversely, tends to convey cholesterol to your liver where it is used to manufacture critical hormones or is eliminated as waste. Studies have shown that HDL may even pick up cholesterol in arteries and move it to where it won't create damage.

Minimize stress levels Psychologists who repeatedly test volunteer's mental states before and after exercise have found that relief from tension is a common outcome. According to Scott Paluska, a sports medicine specialist at the Rex Sports Institute in Raleigh, North Carolina, numerous studies indicate that a single exercise session can reduce basic anxiety and daily stress. Even a simple morning walk at a good clip enhances the flow of brain chemicals like serotonin that promote a positive mood.

Reduce triglicerides, burn belly fat
When you exercise, your blood is immediately affected. Your level of triglicerides (fat particles) falls by 10-20% for a couple of hours after a vigorous workout, according to David Nieman, professor of exercise science at Appalachian State University. That's because these blood fats are converted to energy for your muscles. With regular exercise, you can consistently maintain reduced triglyceride levels, which in turn, lowers your risk of heart disease. Bonus? You may reduce belly fat, which is where triglycerides are typically stored long-term in sedentary individuals.

Boost your immune system
The moment your begin exercising, your heart starts working and your blood pressure rises, moving your immune cells out to the blood where they begin circulating. The better your blood circulation, the more efficiently your immune cells function, enhancing their ability to detect invading viruses and bacteria and attacking them before they can multiply to create problems.

Reduce your risk of breast cancer
Dr. Anne McTiernan and colleagues from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association (September 2003) that even post-menopausal women can reduce their breast cancer risks by exercising. The researchers found that women who exercised regularly reduced their risk of developing breast cancer by 20%.

Lower your diabetes risk After you eat, your food is converted into glucose, the blood sugar your body uses for energy. Before cells can store glucose for later use, they must combine it with the hormone insulin, which is produced in the pancreas. However, up to 20% of Americans are insulin resistant, meaning their cell receptors are less sensitive to this hormone. As a result, blood sugar levels spike up higher than normal and the body must produce more insulin, creating a strain on the pancreas and increasing the risk of diabetes and heart disease. What role does exercise play? When muscles begin contracting during physical activity, cell sensitivity improves and blood sugar is more readily absorbed.

According to a current research, 1 physical exercise, on a regular basis and at a sufficient level, has numerous favorable effects, including improvement of glycemic control and insulin sensitivity, decrease of visceral fat mass, increase of skeletal muscle mass, and beneficial effects on various cardiovascular risk factors such as arterial pressure, HDL-cholesterol, and triglycerides.

1 Ann Endocrinol (Paris). 2004 Feb;65(1 Suppl):S44-51.

Many of us with hectic lifestyles may be slowing our metabolic rate, encouraging our bodies to store fat more consistently than burn it for energy, says Pamela Smith, R.D., in her book The Energy Edge (Harper Collins, 1999). Erratic eating patterns—such as skipping breakfast—promote a sluggish metabolism in the same way dieting does, because your body is designed to retain calories in times of potential famine to help you survive.

Ms. Smith offers an "Energy Edge Prescription" to keep metabolism revved up, which includes smaller, more frequent meals, pairing carbohydrates with lean proteins, and above all, starting off the day with breakfast. She refers to a recent Vanderbilt study, which showed that overweight breakfast-skippers who began eating breakfast lost an average of 17 pounds in 12 weeks. The research also suggests that those who eat breakfast tend to be less hungry throughout the day, and therefore less impulsive about unhealthy snacking.

Don't worry if you don't want to consume a heavy meal first thing in the morning, a light meal is sufficient to activate your metabolism. This may be just a banana and slice of whole-wheat toast, a low-fat bran muffin, a bagel and peanut butter, or a fruit/soymilk smoothie. Even a handful of fresh, unprocessed almonds for the road will provide protein, nutrients, and healthy fat to start your day.

Why is the bran muffin an especially good choice? It appears that bran and other whole-grain foods have a preventive effect against strokes, report investigators with the Nurses Health Study conducted at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. Even if you don't eat a lot of bran, women who consumed as few as two slices of whole-wheat bread each day were 40% less likely to have an ischemic stroke.

To produce safe, effective weight loss, a dietary supplement should work through several mechanisms, including:

• Thermogenesis, the physiological production of heat to burn calories
• Normal healthy glucose/insulin response, which helps reduce the desire for carbohydrates
• Cortisol management, which helps deter the body's tendency to store fat.

Controlling these three metabolic conditions, on top of an appropriate diet and exercise program, gives people the added effect of changing their metabolism so that they can lose weight.

The Pharmanex TRA Complex TRA Complex is a synergistic blend of ingredients designed to be an integral part of the Pharmanex Weight Management Program. This proprietary formula helps promote healthy, consistent weight loss by working on multiple metabolic processes, including normal glucose/insulin response management, thermogenesis, and cortisol management. TRA Complex is completely stimulant free, making it the right approach to losing weight safely, simply, and effectively. Item: # 01003541 Size 1 bottle (270 capsules) Retail Price: $75.90 For more information or to purchase, go to: kikipowers.mypharmanex.com

HTP Complex The Pharmanex HTP Complex joins forces with TRA Complex as an effective duo in promoting healthy weight loss. HTP Complex provides an all-natural source of 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) and vitamin B6. 5-HTP is the immediate precursor to serotonin, one of the brain's primary chemical messengers for appetite suppression, satiety, and emotional balance; vitamin B6 assists in the body's conversion of 5-HTP to serotonin. 5-HTP supplementation has been shown in placebo-controlled clinical studies to reduce appetite and promote weight loss (Cangiano 1991, 1992, 1998, McCarty 2000). Item: # 01003542 Size 1 bottle (90 capsules) Retail Price: $50.60 For more information, or to purchase, go to kikipowers.mypharmanex.com

TRA and HTP Package Like the original TRA, the new TRA Complex provides a comprehensive approach to effective weight loss by addressing multiple weight management mechanisms in your body. TRA Complex combines the key active ingredients from Cortitrol®, CraveEase™, and Tegreen 97®, with calcium into one capsule—thus simplifying the recommended dosage down to only three (3) capsules, three times daily. HTP Complex provides an all-natural source of 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) and vitamin B6. HTP Complex can be taken in addition to TRA Complex to enhance appetite control and increase weight loss. Item: # 01102457 Size one month supply Retail Price: $93.40 For more information, or to purchase, go to kikipowers.mypharmanex.com.

Please call Kiki Powers at 408.364.9742 for Pharmanex antioxidant scanning events, DermaView skin screenings, and Body Fat Testing events in the greater San Francisco Bay Area this month.

Don't miss out on these great events. Your health is worth the time!

Speaking of Independence Day this month, are you on the road to financial independence? Getting your financial house in order can be considered a bona fide health issue, since emotionally draining money worries and toxic stress over debt and mounting bills can vastly undermine your wellness.

Where are you headed?
Do you feel you're getting ahead financially, or do you feel stuck in a job rut with no real leverage? Leverage is simply the ability to benefit financially from the efforts of others. According to Forbes Magazine, nearly half of the world's wealthiest 500 people are billionaires through their own business initiatives—by creating leverage.

Financial experts like Robert Kiyosaki, author of the Rich Dad, Poor Dad book series, advocate definitively that owning your own business is the key to financial success. However, the start up costs of going into business for yourself can be daunting—not to mention risky—as the majority of new business fail in the first five years. Purchasing a proven business system, such as a franchise, may yield greater success, though few successful franchises are available for purchase for under $100,000.

What are your options?
If either starting a new business or purchasing a franchise are not viable options for you, there is an additional choice to consider if you wish to create leverage and financial opportunity. This option is endorsed by Robert Kiyosaki and many other financial leaders: Network Marketing.

Why is network marketing so effective?
According to Inc. Magazine, 74% of the wealth in the United States is created through business owners. Network marketing is one of the few ways for people from diverse economic and educational backgrounds to establish their own business, allowing virtually anyone with enough incentive to become a business owner with minimal start-up costs.

Robert Kiyosaki has stated that in researching the network marketing industry, he was able to observe so many people achieving success while positively impacting the lives and financial futures of others that he began to truly appreciate the value of the network marketing business system.

What should you look for in a network marketing company?
Robert Kiyosaki says that he endorses any network marketing company that is first committed to developing you as a human being, more than developing you into a salesperson. He advises seeking a company that:

• Is a proven organization with a successful track record, and a distribution system and compensation plan that have been successful for years.
• Has a business opportunity you can believe in, succeed with, and share confidently with others.
• Has ongoing, long-term educational programs to develop you as a human being. Self-confidence is vital to business success.
• Has a strong mentor program; you want to learn from leaders who support your success.
• Has people you respect and enjoy being with.

You will achieve optimal success when you believe in the products and services you will be promoting, affiliating only with those of the highest quality and scientific credibility.

Anyone who has been pregnant has most likely experienced periods of uncomfortable heartburn, which is all but inevitable during pregnancy. For one thing, hormonal changes in your body tend to relax the smooth muscle tissue in your stomach, causing food to move more slowly through the digestive tract. While this is helpful in allowing maximum absorption of crucial nutrients, it can also cause food to ferment in the stomach.

In addition to slowing digestion, the progesterone in your body also relaxes the sphincter that separates the esophagus and the stomach, which means stomach acid can flow back up, irritating your esophagus. You can minimize the problem by:

Avoiding heartburn triggers, such as deep-fried, high-fat foods, and refined sugar. Steer clear of acid-producing items like spicy foods, coffee, and carbonated sodas. Eat smaller meals more often, rather than large meals at one sitting. Chew food thoroughly to aid digestion by reducing the amount of stomach acid needed to breakdown food. Drink your 8 daily glasses of water separately from your meals, as liquid can dilute the level of enzymes in the stomach required for digestion. Treat yourself to fresh papaya often, as it is rich in enzymes to help alleviate the problem. Natural digestive enzyme capsules may be helpful. Avoid heavy antacid usage, which may compound heartburn by slowing digestion, as they neutralize stomach acids required to process food.

The good news is that the discomfort of pregnancy-induced heartburn is a temporary one—and just think of your reward!