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Learning About the Digestive System

 

The Digestive System

The digestive system is the means by which the body transforms food into the energy it needs to build, repair, and fuel itself. On average, an adult body processes roughly 2 1/2  gallons of digested food, liquids, and digestive secretions each day.

Digestion begins in the mouth, where food is chewed by the teeth and mixed with saliva. The saliva helps lubricate both the mouth and the food and dissolves food particles to enhance taste and facilitate swallowing. Saliva also cleanses the mouth and teeth.

Chewing is important because as food is ground into increasingly fine particles, digestive juices containing enzymes mix with it. The more thoroughly food is chewed, the more complete the digestive functions are that occur at this point.

Once food is swallowed, it travels through the throat or pharynx to the esophagus. Both the pharynx and esophagus are muscular tubes that work through a series of contractions to move the food along and eventually empty into the stomach. The stomach then churns it into a paste called chyme, which is easier to digest. Some of the components of the food, such as water and sugar, are absorbed directly from the stomach into the bloodstream.

The next stop is the pyloric sphincter, which serves as the gateway to the small intestines. The digestion of starches, proteins, and fat occurs in the small intestine with the help of secretions that originate in the pancreas, liver, and intestinal villi.

How different nutrients are digested

Carbohydrates (starches and sugars), proteins, and fats are made up of extremely complex molecules that must be broken down or digested in order to be useful to the body. The process of digestion changes starches and complex sugars into simple sugars, proteins into amino acids, and fats and into fatty acids and glycerin. In these forms the nutrients can finally be absorbed into the bloodstream.

The digestion of carbohydrates begins in the mouth. Saliva contains the enzyme ptyalin, which changes some of the starches into sugar and makes them available to the bloodstream. The process continues in the stomach.

Proteins begin the digestive process only after reaching the stomach. This is due to the presence of hydrochloric acid and another enzyme called pepsin. Only a small amount of absorption occurs between the stomach and the bloodstream; most of it takes place after the contents have moved on to the small intestine, where it is met by pancreatic secretions that contain the enzymes amylase, trypsin, and lipase. Amylase works to change starch into simple sugars, trypsin breaks down partially digested proteins, and lipase splits fats into fatty acids and glycerin.

In addition to these fluids, the intestinal walls produce secretions that, while milder than pancreatic juices, perform similar functions. Bile, which is produced in the liver and stored in the gallbladder, also flows into the small intestine through the bile duct. Bile helps to further digest and absorb fats. In addition to producing bile the liver stores fats, carbohydrates, proteins, and vitamins. It also absorbs poisons and toxic substances before neutralizing them.

About 90% of absorption takes place in the small intestine. Food is digested when it has been broken down into particles small enough to be absorbed by the tiny blood lymph capillaries located in the walls of the small intestine. From there the nourishment is circulated to all the cells in the body.

Factors in digestive health

There are many ways to abuse and weaken the digestive system. Overeating, constant snacking and diluting digestive secretions with liquids can all place undue stress on digestive organs. Eating too fast, or feelings of emotional stress adversely affect digestion. In addition, as people age, the amount of hydrochloric acid (HCL) their bodies produce decreases. The decrease start between ages 35-45. By age 55, almost everyone has reduced levels of HCL.

Heredity may also be a factor in digestive health. Some people begin life with digestive organs predisposed to problems. Of course, when this is the case, any kind of abuse only compounds the problem.

What are enzymes

Enzymes are complex organic substances produced in plants and animals that catalyze or speed up chemical reactions in cells and organs. The digestive enzymes work with the body fluids to break down large chemical chains into smaller particles. The body is then able to absorb and utilize these smaller food particles.

The importance of enzymes

Enzymes are the catalysts of all chemical changes that occur in the body. They are found in both the food we eat and in our bodies. Without enzymes, body functions would be too slow to sustain life. Unfortunately, although they are absolutely essential, each person is born with a limited potential for enzymes. That's why maintaining an adequate supply of enzymes play such an important role in supporting the health of the body.

When the enzymes that exist naturally in foods are destroyed by heat, wilting or other abuse prior to digestion, the body must create new ones before it can properly digest the food. One of the best ways to help maintain a healthy supply of enzymes in the digestive system is to be fresh, raw fruits and vegetables as often as possible in addition to the enzymes these foods contain, fruits and vegetables are a rich source of the vital coenzymes (vitamins) needed by the body on a constant basis.

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About Nature's Sunshine Products

 The History of Nature's Sunshine

In 1972 there was a man who had terrible stomach problems. His name was Gene Hughes; he had heard that eating cayenne pepper could help this problem. So he tried eating a teaspoon of raw cayenne pepper and it worked, however the taste of the pepper in his mouth and down his throat was less than desirable. His wife Kristine suggested that he place the pepper into easy to swallow gelatin capsules, which he did. It was a lot easier to tolerate and solved the problem of the nasty taste. They soon found there was a market for their newly discovered packaged herbal remedy. With the help of four family members they began a small family business, selling encapsulated cayenne and other herbs and supplements to health food stores.

The family realized that if they used direct marketing as a method to sell their product, they could touch many more lives. This business model afforded them to provide two aspects. First, the ability to educate individuals who bought the product about vitamin and herbal supplements; and secondly, to provide them the opportunity to share in the success of the company. Today Nature’s Sunshine Products (NSP) can be found in 30 countries, represented by nearly 600,000 distributors.

Nature Sunshine's Process of Quality

Nature Sunshine's process of quality starts with the harvesting of the raw herb from the fields where it is extracted, into the manufacturing process, and all the way to the finished product(s) that are shipped to your home. We hear stories, time after time, of people who have tried other brands of supplements and not getting similar results. Using our products you will experience the same results consistently, because of our constant attention to quality.

NSF International, a non-profit, non-governmental organization and world leader in standards development and product certification, presented Nature’s Sunshine with the NSF Good Manufacturing Certification.

NSF is a leading, third-party auditor of companies involved in the health and public safety sectors. Their certification of our manufacturing facility means we passed an extensive audit by NSF staff, including an examination of production equipment and a thorough evaluation of our policies and procedures and our manufacturing processes.

When it comes to making quality products that yield results, there is no substitute for success. With over 40 years of experience, no company in the health supplement industry works harder to provide quality vitamins, minerals and herbal formulas.

At Nature’s Sunshine we pride ourselves in our team of scientists, each chosen for their specific knowledge of product research, development and quality control. With Nature’s Sunshine you can be sure you’re getting the highest-quality, best-formulated products available.

Testing – We Have 600 Tests at our Disposal to Guarantee Quality

An small example of some of the tests we perform on our products are: mold and yeast, potency, moisture content, E. coli, infrared spectrometer, gamma counter, dissolution, viscosity, particle size microscopy, Ash, acid insolubility, heavy metals, particle size, pH, volatile oil, salmonella, environmental, high-performance liquid chromatography, thin layer chromatology, finished product auditing, total bacteria testing, mass spectrometer, foreign organic and inorganic material, anaerobic and microbiology testing.........

Technology

NSP meets or exceeds current government Good Manufacturing Practices and pharmaceutical quality standards. Our 250,000+ square-foot facility includes a climate-controlled warehouse and cutting-edge laboratory equipment. This allows us to manufacture consistently high-quality products for our customers all over the world.

Nature’s Sunshine achievements:

  • In 2001, NSP was recognized as one of the best public companies to work for by Utah Business Magazine. This was based on several criteria, including employee benefits, work environment, 401(k), etc.
  • Business Ethics has listed Nature’s Sunshine in its Top 100 Corporate Citizens for four years straight, 2003-2006.
  • In 2002, Nutritional Outlook magazine named Nature’s Sunshine Manufacturer of the Year for its outstanding quality and manufacturing excellence.
  • In October 2004, Selling Power ranked NSP number 8 in America’s 500 Largest Sales Forces—Direct Sales.

 Check out more Nature's Sunshine Products!

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Learning About Circulatory System Health

 

The Circulatory System

The role of the circulatory system is twofold: it delivers oxygen and nutrients to all parts of the body while picking up waste and toxic materials that need to be eliminated. It accomplishes this monumental task through a network of nearly 60,000 miles of blood vessels and a fist-sized organ, the heart, which pumps more than 2,000 gallons of blood through its chambers each day.

Transporting your life blood

blood vessels are divided into three main categories: arteries, veins, and capillaries. Arteries are thick-walled vessels that carry blood from the heart to all parts of the body. Each time a person's heart beats, the elastic walls of the arteries swell to make room for the blood that is forced into them. The muscles inside the walls contract slowly, in effect squeezing the blood and forcing it to move along the arteries toward the capillaries. If arteries lose their elasticity, known as arteriosclerosis or hardening of the arteries, the heart has to work much harder to keep the blood circulating. Like a machine, if the heart is overworked and not properly maintained, it cannot function optimally.

The Lymphatic System

In addition to moving the blood along, the squeezing process forces fat globules, along with tiny protein particles, and other nutrients to go outside experienced to go outside of vessels walls. Once these things are out, due to their size, they cannot re-enter. Instead, they are collected along with other cellular debris lying between cells.

The lymphatic system picks up these partials and mixes them with plasma, which forms lymph. The lymph is then purified, recycled in the lymph nodes, and added back to the blood. This process, which is vital to the circulatory system, is also essential to the success of the immune system.

The Return Trip

Veins are thin-walled blood vessels. There purpose is to return the blood from the body to the heart. Many larger veins have values to prevent a back-flow of blood. If these values experience prolonged or excessive pressure, veins can become overstretched, and the values maybe destroyed or become impaired. This results in problems like varicose veins. Capillaries are the smallest blood vessels in the body. They serve as intermediaries, connecting arteries with veins. Since capillaries are extremely small and have permeable walls, it is possible for capillaries to reach nearly every cell in the body and to transfer substances. including important nutrients, to and from the tissues.

The Heart 

The heart is made up primary of muscles that facilitate its pumping action. This most vital of organs consists of four compartments or chambers. The upper two are referred to as the atria, and the lower two as ventricles. Oxygen-poor blood enters the right atrium and moves through it to the right ventricle. From there, blood is sent via the pulmonary arteries to the lungs so that it can pick up a fresh supply of oxygen. Once it has taken on a supply of oxygen, blood moves through the pulmonary veins, first to the left atrium and then to the left ventricle.

The heart beat is sustained by the sinoatrial (SA) node, which functions as a pacemaker. A healthy heart has a regular beat, although the rate can vary depending on serveral factors including age, sex, physical activity, and emotion.

Heath Factors

For the circulatory system to function properly, the heart must be strong, the vessels capable of safely transporting optimal amounts of blood, and the blood itself must be healthy. Serious problems can arise when these conditions are not met. Each year approximately 25% of all deaths is the US occur from heart attacks, and the majority of these are attributable to hardening of the arteries. In addition to heart attacks, a poor circulatory system can lead to strokes, kidney disease, varicose veins, blood clots, and a variety of other conditions that can kill or severely limit enjoyment of life.

Three major factors that contribute to circulatory problems are hypertension (high blood pressure), high levels of triglycerides are cholesterol in the blood stream, and smoking. Nutrition has been linked directly to hypertension and high levels of triglycerides and cholesterol. Other factors include: obesity, heredity, and emotional stress. Unfortunately, the threat of problems increases significantly when more than one factor is present. That means that when a person has three risk factors, his or her chances for disease are 6 times greater that when only one is present.

How can you maintain a healthy circulatory system? Most experts agree that the keys are to avoid smoking, monitor your diet, exercise regularly, and manage stress. 

Herbs for Circulatory Support:

Blood Pressurex (60 caps)

Circulatory System Pack (30 day)

Nervous Fatigue TCM Conc. (30 caps)

Red Yeast Rice (120 caps)

Solstic Cardio (30 packets)

Vari-Gone® (90 caps)

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Learning About the Urinary System

 The Urinary System


The urinary systems consist of two kidneys, each having a ureter connecting it to the bladder. The bladder is then connected to the urethra and, which ultimately leads to opening out of the body. The function of the urinary system is to produce and remove a waste product called urine, and to regulate the amount, alkalinity or acidity, and consistency of body fluids.

Kidneys filter blood. Every minute, one fourth of the blood in the body enters the kidneys, which are composed of about 2 million microscopic filters called nephrons. The nephrons are responsible for absorbing nutrients and eliminating toxins and other waste material from the blood. In addition, the kidneys help regulate other bodily functions by secreting the hormones renin, erythropoietin, and prostaglandin. Renin helps control blood pressure, while erythropoietin helps stimulate the body to produce more red blood cells.

Prostaglandin is not limited to the kidneys. In other tissues and situations, it causes smooth muscles to contract or relax, is involved in as normal fluid collection in the body, is responsible for some types of fevers, and pain. It also is heavily involved in the process of inflammation. But in the kidneys, prostaglandin causes dilation of the veins and helps with the urine-making process. The bladder is a sack like organ located in the pelvis. It's function is to store urine until it is excreted. It is made up of three layers of involuntary muscles that provide you with the ability to expand and contract. When empty, the bladder shrivels up to the shape of a small prune and, but it swells and stretches as needed to hold urine. Most people's bladder's can hold about a pint of urine.Then, when the bladder is full, the walls expand and send impulses to the brain telling it to urinate.

Urine is 96% water. The other 4% includes a mix of urea, salt, sugar, proteins, fats, vitamins, and coloring from bile pigments. Its color is usually clear or yellow, though this depends upon the diet and health of the individual. Urine as a distinct ammonia-like smell that is primarily due to the nitrogenous waste it contains.


The factors in urinary health.

Kidneys are designed to keep blood clean. They spend every minute of the day filtering out impurities. However, like any intricate structure, they have limitations. Even so, modern society seems to dictate that they must deal with more and more abuse. Drinking water frequently during the day can alleviate some potential problems by helping the kidneys flush toxins from the body.

Healthy cells need the proper concentration of salts. That's why potassium and sodium are crucial to the body's fluid balance. More than half of the water in the body is located inside the cells. The rest is mixed with salt-rather like diluted seawater-that bathes the cells.

 The kidneys are the major regulating mechanisms for maintaining proper sodium and potassium balance. They are designed to excrete extra potassium and save sodium. In times past, there was plenty of potassium in foods, but not as much sodium. Today, people eat more foods that contain sodium ( mainly processed foods with added sodium) and not as many fresh foods with natural potassium.

Unfortunately, even with a high sodium diet the kidneys still have sodium and excrete potassium. Obviously we can't change the ways our kidneys function, but we can change our diet. Since food processing lowers the potassium content of foods, we should eat plenty of fresh foods.

Herbal supplements, vitamins and minerals can also help provide the urinary system with the nutrients it needs to efficiently perform its delicate chemical balancing act.

 

General Nutrition

It's probably an illusion that Americans are well nourished. We may be over fed, but not with substantial nutrients. Chances are that most Americans are not getting all the additional support they need to maintain good health from their diets alone.

 Dietary surveys indicate that 30 - 50% of the total caloric intake of the typical American is made up of highly processed, adulterated a nutrient deficient foods. For example, white flour has been deprived of the 60% of its original calcium, 71% of phosphors, 75% of iron, 67% of copper, and 85% of manganese. The loss of vitamins is similar.

The National Research Council's Committee on Diet and Health has stated, "A comprehensive review... indicates that diet influences the risk of several major chronic diseases."

Studies show that health and longevity are increased by avoiding smoking, drinking moderate amounts of alcohol or none at all, controlling weight, reducing stress, exercising regularly and eating a well balanced diet.


Learn to eat Smart.

The first step to eating smart is making sure your diet includes sufficient amount of fiber and other essential nutrients, and restricting the amounts of fat and refined sugar and flour that you consume.

The American Cancer Society recognizes a relationship between certain types of cancer and the way people eat. Most people should eat as varied a diet as possible and become better acquainted with all kinds of fresh vegetables, fruits, fish, poultry, eggs, 100% grains, nuts and seeds. 

The American Heart Association proposes that total fat intake should be less than 30% of total calories consumed. Saturated fat intake should be as low as possible and polyunsaturated fat should be less than 10%. Amounts of monounsaturated fat can be as high as desired as long as it doesn't increase total fat intake to more than 30% of daily calories.

Nature's sunshine provides products aimed at increasing the levels of General Nutrition for all systems in the body. Make sure that you're getting the nutrients you need. 


Urinary System Herbs Include:

Cranberry & Buchu Conc. (100 caps)

JP-X (100 caps)

Kidney Activator TCM Conc. (30 caps)

Kidney Drainage (2 fl. oz.)

Urinary System Pack (30 day)

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