Children's Complete

Testimonial for Jen Ferniza's daughter... 

 
Jen Ferniza, M.S., CCN, CSCS*D
Certified Clinical Nutritionist
Research & Technical Services Director
Infinity2 Health Sciences, Inc.

CoQ10

Do you currently offer a CoQ10 product and is it something we should maintain with supplements?

Infinity2 currently does not offer a CoQ10 product. We make our decisions for which products to carry based on human needs and our products are always formulated to be balanced. You’ll notice we don’t currently offer any single nutrient products. It is important that nutrients are provided in proper balance for optimum health.

Additionally, in the case of CoQ10, CoQ10 is found in small amounts in nearly every plant, so it is provided in small amounts in EFL, InsurePlus and other Infinity2 products. Healthy individuals don’t need to supplement with a specific single-nutrient CoQ10 supplement. CoQ10 is also known as ubiquinone. It gets its name from the term ubiquitous, because ubiquinone is found in nearly every organism, plant, animal, etc. In healthy individuals, the body makes enough CoQ10 to meet our daily needs and any dietary amounts are just a “bonus”. However, in individuals with specific health conditions or those who are taking medications that affect the body’s production and/or retention of this nutrient, a CoQ10 supplement is very beneficial and recommended. Examples of individuals who should consider using a CoQ10 supplement include those with diabetes, heart disease or any type of muscular or neurological disorder (MD, M.S., etc.) and those taking statin medications to lower cholesterol.

Please let me know if I can be of further assistance.
 
Jennifer Ferniza, M.S., CCN, CSCS*D
Certified Clinical Nutritionist
Research & Technical Services Director
Infinity2 Health Sciences, Inc.

D Vitamin

Do Infinity2 Supplements contain Vitamin D?

Shitake mushroom is used as a natural source of vitamin D in several Infinity2 products.

Gout

Can you give me more information on Gout -- where is comes from and how I can help control it?

Gout is a common type of arthritis which usually affects the first joint of the big toe.  It is caused by a build-up of uric acid in the joints, tendons, kidneys, and other tissues.  Uric acid is the end-product of the breakdown of an amino acid called purine.  When too much uric acid is produced, or not enough is excreted in the urine, these uric acid crystals build up, causing pain and inflammation. Possible causes & risks of gout include:

 Excessive purine intake from alcohol, organ meats, anchovies, sardines, herring, shellfish, and yeast

 Family history

 Increased purine production from an unknown cause

 Excessive breakdown of cells from a disease or trauma, releasing protein into the blood

 Decrease in uric acid excretion from certain drugs: thiazides & salicylates

 Kidney disease

 Elevated triglyceride levels

Be sure that you work with your physician to determine the cause of the problem and obtain appropriate treatment. In addition to following your physician’s advice, you may try the following:

• Avoid alcohol and the high purine foods such as organ meats, anchovies, sardines, herring, shellfish and yeast

• Eat fresh or canned cherries daily (1/2 pound) or take a supplement containing cherry fruit extract

• Bromelain is a proteolytic enzyme found in pineapples which has been found to fight inflammation.

• Quercetin is a flavonoid that helps reduce uric acid levels.  It is found in apples, onions, and black tea.

• Drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of pure water per day to help dilute the urine.

• Essential fatty acids (EFA) have been found to have an anti-inflammatory property, and are found in fish such as salmon and tuna.  EFA supplements also contain this beneficial property.

• Avoid animal meats and fats, and avoid refined sugars.

• Celery extract or raw celery has been found to bring down uric acid levels.

• Try herbal teas containing cat’s claw, devil’s claw, olive or nettle leaf.

MSG (monosodium glutamate)

I've heard that MSG is dangerous. What is MSG and how dangerous is it?

I wouldn’t be surprised if most fast foods and packaged goods contained MSG (monosodium glutamate). It is a flavor enhancer (makes stuff taste good).

MSG is not a natural substance and does not occur naturally in any foods. Glutamate, however, does occur naturally in foods. Some foods, such as mushrooms (especially Portabello mushrooms), have relatively high levels of this particular amino acid.

Glutamate (not MSG) is an amino acid that can act as a neurotransmitter in the brain and nervous system. When it is allowed to accumulate in concentrations higher than needed for this function, it can become a powerful poison to special neurons in the nervous system. At these concentrations, it is considered an excitotoxin (a toxin that excites).

MSG is the sodium salt of glutamate. It has the same excitotoxic properties as pure glutamate and because it is used as a food additive, it can cause glutamate concentrations in the body to rise higher than normal. Other salts of glutamate, such as mono-potassium glutamate can also be toxic. Excitotoxins are a group of excitatory amino acids that can cause sensitive neurons to die. 
 
When it is consumed in high levels, MSG can be a problem because it acts as an excitotoxin in neurological tissue. It overstimulates and destroys neurological tissues (brain, nerves, etc.) and may be linked to diseases such as dementia, Alzheimers, ADD, OCD, and Parkinson’s. Individuals who have these conditions (or have them in their family) should be especially careful to avoid foods that contain MSG, because those people's neurons are more sensitive to elevated levels of glutamate than a normal, healthy person would be. It may also be wise for them to avoid foods that contain high levels of glutamate, such as mushrooms.

In normal, healthy individuals, eating mushrooms does not pose a health problem.
 
The lecture you referred to was given by Russell L. Blaylock, MD, at the annual scientific convention for the International and American Association of Clinical Nutritionists (IAACN). Dr. Blaylock is a board-certified neurosurgeon. After his father died of Parkinson’s disease in 1989, he began researching the role of excitotoxins in neurophysiology and ended up writing the book, Excitotoxins – The Taste That Kills. The book explains how MSG, aspartame, and similar substances can cause harm to the brain and nervous system and how this relates to a variety of neurological diseases. The book provides a long list of supporting published research papers.
 
According to Dr. Blaylock the following are common food additives that contain MSG. These ingredients are not MSG and are not other names for MSG, but they contain MSG based on the way they are processed:

-          Monosodium Glutamate
-          Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein
-          Hydrolyzed Protein
-          Hydrolyzed Plant Protein
-          Sodium Caseinate
-          Calcium Caseinate
-          Yeast Extract
-          Textured Protein
-          Autolyzed Yeast
-          Hydrolyzed Oat Flour
 
FYI… Aspartame (pronounced with the emphasis on "As" -- as in ass) also poses a similar problem because of the aspartate (pronounced with the emphasis on "par") component. Aspartate is an amino acid that can create excitotoxic damage similar to glutamate.
 
Jennifer Ferniza, M.S., CCN, CSCS*D
Certified Clinical Nutritionist
Research & Technical Services Director
Infinity2 Health Sciences, Inc.

Prenatal Supplements

One of my prenatal customers, 7 months pregnant, has had a blood test showing she is iron deficient.  She got a time released iron pill from the drug store to add to our prenatal.  I do not like the idea that our products can not keep her iron level up.  (She NEVER had an iron problem before she was pregnant.)  Any suggestions?

Iron deficiency anemia -- a lack of iron in the blood -- occurs in about 20% of pregnant women in the US. Iron needs are high during pregnancy because of both the increase in the mother's blood volume and the blood formed for the fetus. Iron is necessary for the formation of maternal and fetal hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying component of blood. Since a woman's blood volume increases by 25 to 40 percent during pregnancy, and the baby is manufacturing blood cells, too, the need for iron increases putting the mother at risk for anemia. Additionally, the increased blood volume and iron stores help your body adjust, to some degree, to the blood loss that occurs during childbirth. During the last trimester, the baby draws from the mother some of the iron reserves that it will need during the first four to six months of life, making iron deficiency common in the third trimester. Despite compensatory mechanisms such as cessation of menstruation and increased iron absorption, the iron requirement of pregnancy is quite high and the diet needs to be especially rich in iron. Depending on the individual’s dietary intake of iron, iron absorption capabilities and individual needs, a woman can become iron deficient even when taking a prescription prenatal.
 
The Infinity2 Prenatal formula is formulated to provide 28 mg of iron daily when taken as directed. This is the RDA for pregnant women (RDA for non-pregnant females is 15 mg). Additionally, the iron used in the Infinity2 Prenatal is a patented form of iron that has a higher absorption rate than other forms of iron.
 
In some women, especially those who have low iron stores or who were anemic prior to pregnancy, anemia can result even when taking a prenatal supplement containing the recommended amounts of iron for pregnancy. It is important to include iron-rich foods, such as organ meats, (liver, for example), red meat, egg yolks, and legumes (dried peas and beans) to maximize iron intake in this situation.
 
If your customer experiences constipation or stomach upset using the iron pill from the drug store, you may suggest that she simply increase the dosage of the Infinity2 Prenatal to get the amount of iron that her physician is recommending. Tell her to consult with her physician before stopping or starting any iron supplement.
 
Jennifer Ferniza, M.S., CCN, CSCS*D
Certified Clinical Nutritionist
Research & Technical Services Director
Infinity2 Health Sciences, Inc.

Yeast

A doctor has told a customer to avoid foods containing yeast. What do I tell my customer who is questioning whether she should avoid Essentials For Life?

Nutritional yeasts, such as those used in Essentials for Life are not the same as the pathogenic yeasts such as Candida, nor are they the same as the fermenting yeasts used to make breads, etc. The nutritional yeast is not a live, active yeast. It is deactivated and is a great source of naturally occurring B vitamins. Additionally, the nutritional yeast in EFL is gluten free. In fact, EFL is now "certified" gluten free and the new labels which should start shipping in September 2007 will indicate the gluten free status along with our "Certified for Sport" status.

Jennifer Ferniza, M.S., CCN, CSCS*D

Research & Technical Services Director

Infinity2 Health Sciences, Inc.