Many people don’t know that when you take antibiotics you actually kill the good and bad bacteria in your body.  This poses a problem after you get off the antibiotics because your body has no way to correctly fight off the bad microbials in your body, such as candidas, which can quickly spread and cause a multitude of problems. Most people don’t realize that slowly but surely the “targeted microbes” are transforming to become immune to the drugs, in the end making the proscribed drugs useless.

Now don’t get scared, help is in sight!  There has been a natural and safe solution to this problem for centuries; it’s called Olive Leaf Extract.   This amazing extract not only fights against pathological microbes but it also is effective against bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites in the body!  It also enhances the elasticity of arteries, which in turn improves blood flow, and prevents the development of some forms of heart diseases.

You might be wondering how Olive Leaf Extract is effective against viruses. Well first of all, we will look at some of what it can treat effectively: herpes, vaccinia, pseudo rabies, Newcastle’s, polio 1, 2, and 3, leukemia, and many influenza types. Also, we will browse over some of the types of bacteria and parasitic protozoan’s it fights against: malariae, lactobacillus plantarum W50, brevis 50, pediocococus cerevisiae 39, leuconostoc mesenteroides 42, staphylococcus aureus, bacillus subtilis, and so on and so forth.

So how does it work? Olive leaf extract interferes with several functions of the virus and bacteria cells, by inhibiting their shedding, assembly at the cell membrane, and budding. It also interferes with particular amino acid constructions that are essential for the survival of the cells. A really awesome thing olive leaf extract does is that it can actually penetrate infected cells and hamper further virus or bacterial reproduction. Olive leaf also encourages development of immune system cells to help fight off the virus or bacteria!

Not only does it fight against viruses and bacteria, olive leaf extract also fights against fungus, yeast, and parasitic infections. Many studies have confirmed that most of today’s common health problems are due to parasites, fungus, and yeasts. Many factors play a roll in how people come about getting these infections such as diet, use of antibiotics and other drugs, and lack of exercise. It has been shown too successfully fight against Candida albicans, Candida krusei, oral candidiasis, pin worms, tapeworms, ring worm, and many others. It also is effective against chronic toenail fungus infection which many Americans have.

On top of all of these amazing things olive leaf extract helps with, it also aids in the reduction of high blood pressure. Olive leaf extract has been clearly shown to help with the expanding and contracting of the arteries which in turn promotes healthy dilatatory action in the coronary arteries. It actually causes the constricted arteries to relax and become more flexible. Studies have shown that olive leaf extract can reduce blood pressure on an average of 68 percent in some animals, and in others as high as 36 percent. It has also been shown to have other cardiovascular benefits such as helping with barium chloride-induced arrhythmia and calcium- induced arrhythmia.

There are so many benefits that people can get from this extract and some of them I didn’t even list such as; it is a wonderful antioxidant, helps with hypoglycemia/diabetes, fights against free radicals, increases energy, can act as a microbial agent against herpes, AIDS, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, arthritis, and other autoimmune disorders. The list goes on and on.

I suggest picking up a book about Olive Leaf Extract and just reading on its wonderful healing powers. There may be one “side effect” that comes along with taking this extract; it may cause a “die off effect.” That is when all of the microbes die and your body detoxes causing symptoms which include headaches and flu like symptoms.This will reside in a week or so depending on your body.

Reference:
N.D. Ritchason, Jack, Olive Leaf Extract. Woodland Publishing 1999.

This article is for educational purposes only and is not recommended as a means of diagnosing or treating and illness.  All matters concerning physical and mental health should be supervised by a health practitioner knowledgeable in treating that particular condition.  The author does not directly or indirectly dispense medical advice, nor do they prescribe any remedies or assume any responsibility for those who choose to treat themselves.

Here is a recipe from another trainer friend of mine – staying fit doesn’t mean you can’t bake healthy recipes!

- Natural Nut Butter of your choice
- Heavy/Double Cream
- Pro Complete 40 Protein (flavor of choice)
- Use chocolate whey and crunchy peanut butter for the snickers taste.
- Also you can add a teaspoon or two of granulated splenda to sweeten it a little.

Instructions:

1) Put 50 grams of nut butter and 25 grams of whey protein into a bowl
2) Mix a little until dry and clumpy
3) Add 40ml of heavy cream. Now it magically smooths out quickly when mixed
4) Take out of bowl and shape into a bar
5) Enjoy!

Another good recipe for you – thanks to my friend!

Banana Breakfast Shake
Prep: 5 min.
1 quart lowfat milk
1 scoop vanilla or banana Pro Complete 40 Protein
2 bananas, without peel, medium, frozen
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. almond extract
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Place all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth. It’s that simple – and absolutely delicious!

Personal trainers are perfect, right? They eat healthy every day and they have the body you wish you had, right? WRONG! We are human, too, and we struggle with the things you struggle with every day. The difference, though, is our approach to our lifestyle, and our ability to let ourselves slip up sometimes. Accountability gets us back on the wagon.

So, to demonstrate how much I am just like you (and hopefully to motivate you into action), here are 5 things you probably didn’t know about me.

Number One: I despise cardio
I think it is from the devil himself! I will do it if I absolutely have to but if I don’t, I refuse.  Example: When I am prepping for a competition I will do whatever it takes to I look my best, which includes cardio. It is great for the cardiovascular system and fat lose but I like to think that I get my heart worked out enough when I throw heavy weights around.

Number Two: I don’t like vegetables
I force myself to eat them because I know the health benefits of them but I’d rather eat a cardboard box than cooked veggies!

Number Three: I’m pretty much addicted to an energy drink called A.C.T
I ask my clients to stay away from caffeine and those kinds of energy drinks but I justify this one because it is ALL natural and it only costs $1 a day. I basically have to have it or I am a cranky ol’ lady in the gym. It actually makes me smile and get excited when I think about the next time I can drink one!

Number Four: I used to have an eating disorder
I was bulimic and anorexic. My nickname back in ’05 was Mary Kate Olsen (bad, I know)! My awesome personal trainer and mentor (my mom still calls her my second mother) helped save my life would call me that; jokingly and in love of course. I would just shake my head and say, “yep, that’s me..” because I had accepted the fact that I needed help and it didn’t hurt to joke about it because I was on the right track to get my life back in order. I had reached out for help in time and I will never regret being honest with myself about that situation. Now I am healthy and happy for it.

Number Five: I wish I could cook for all of my clients
Some of my clients think they can fib to me about their diets and lifestyles.  Not exactly. I know when they have been eating well and when they haven’t – their bodies tell the story! Most individuals don’t realize how much I do care about their goals. If I could, I would cook and pack all of my client’s meals for them so that they would REALLY know what true clean eating was and how fast it would help them reach their goals. If only there was enough time in the day!

Multivitamin, by definition, means a grouping of vitamins and minerals compacted into a single pill.  Statistically, about 70 percent of Americans take a daily multivitamin, but how do you know the multivitamin you are taking is actually working for you, or healthy for you?

Unfortunately, not all multivitamins are created equal.  In fact, they are constructed in five different ways:  Natural, meaning the nutrients are obtained from vegetable, mineral, or animal sources with limited to no processing.  Natural source, meaning they are like the above but the good is processed.  Natural identical, meaning the nutrients are lab manufactured and identical in molecular structure and absorb similarly to natural nutrients.  Synthetic, meaning the nutrients are lab manufactured but are not identical, and are usually the multivitamins that are inexpensive and found in grocery stores.  Last but not at all least is whole food, meaning that these multivitamins are formed with raw materials and are extremely usable and available to the body.

The multivitamins to avoid are the synthetically made, which try to imitate natural nutrients but do not succeed because the body is not designed to process artificial and unnatural ingredients such as synthetic vitamins.  Now, the next question is how do you figure out if the multivitamin you are taking is made of synthetic nutrients? First of all, you need to be aware of the label on the back of bottle.  Read the fine print and ingredients first.  If any where it says natural and artificial flavors, sucralose (splenda), coloring, or anything starting with dl, it is synthetic.  The prefix dl (dl-alpha tocopheryl) means that the nutrient is a synthetic version of vitamin E instead of the natural vitamin E.  The natural nutrient in its scientific name starts with a d.  Also, if the label lists vitamins in its chemical name, it is synthetic.

The dirty little secret that most individuals do not know is that synthetic vitamins are 50 to 70 percent less likely to absorb in the body as opposed to natural vitamins which absorb at almost 95 percent.  Why throw away money on multivitamins that don’t even absorb…to have fluorescent urine?  You can pay a bit more for whole food vitamins and get the results you strive for; whether that is increased energy, to support an already good diet, or prevent disease, or shell out cash for vitamins that don’t work.

Consuming a high-quality, whole food multivitamin can help contribute to muscle growth, proper fat burning, and overall good health.  Think about it this way.  If you are exercising and taking a synthetic multivitamin or none at all, you are ultimately harming your body more because as you work out your body needs certain nutrients to maintain your metabolism, feed muscles, maintain naturally occurring processes, and the list goes on.  This can contribute to people wondering why their bodies have taken so long to transform into what they are striving for; and more often that not, they do not have the correct nutrition to support their activity.

So now the question is what are some names of whole food multivitamins and where can you find them?  Well, here in San Antonio there are several options of stores to purchase whole food vitamins such as Whole Foods, Sun Harvest, and Cost Plus.  In all honesty, Cost Plus is the place to go.  They sell products at whole sale; so there is no tax included and they have a very, very knowledgeable staff that works there.  That being said you should still be able to find, at all three stores, Garden of Life products which are all whole food goods and are very affordable.  If that does not fit your budget or you want something different, just ask the staff and remember the rules above.  There are also online stores that sell whole food products and supplements such as Clayton Naturals.

Remember vitamins do not replace all natural fruits and vegetables which the body loves and needs; however if you do not get the recommended daily servings, multivitamins are a necessity.  Above all, always remember to do your own research to find what works best for you and fits your life style. 

Resources: Body For Life by Bill Phillips