For thousands of years, certain civilizations, notably, the Chinese, Egyptians, Indians and Russians have revered herbal remedies for their healing properties. Unfortunately, many countries that used to include herbal medicines put them on the back burner as pharmaceutical drugs rose in popularity. However a renewed interest in alternatives has been revived due to the new findings from their beneficial ingredients. Today research studies published in reputable medical journals such as The Journal of the American Medical Association ^[1] & Wiley’s Psychiatry Second Edition CAM Treatments ^[2] point to the complementary role that herbs play in patients treatment. Yet, of all the herbs noted, the ability of an herb to help the body adapt to stress, improve performance and increase resistance to “the Bad Bugs” is most significant.  That herb is Rhodiola rosea from Siberia, a true adaptogen.

Adaptogens help balance our bodily functions via the neurotransmitters of the brain. Once classified as “A Russian Secret” Russian scientists are finally able to bless us with a wealth of information on this wondrous herb. ^[3] Rhodiola rosea, also known as Golden Root, has been used for centuries; in fact Siberian/Russian Rhodiola has over 45 years of clinical studies to back up its legitimacy as a safe and powerful complementary alternative. Let’s discuss one of its many important roles.

Let’s talk serotonin: Serotonin is a monoamine neurotransmitter of which 80% is primarily found in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and only 20% in the central nervous system (CNS) raphe nuclei of animals. Considering that just the slightest disturbance decreasing serotonin in the raphe nuclei can make a person become obsessive compulsive (OCD), manic depressive or schizophrenic, balancing that little bit of chemical becomes so important.  In fact an entire community of doctors now over sees patients on a regular basis to help improve this very problem.  SSRIs and other pharmaceutical drugs that alter serotonin levels are the usual treatment of these symptoms. ^[4] However many SSRIs carry unwanted side effects, especially for men.

With so much serotonin in the body you would think we would be home free. However, serotonin in the GI tract cannot cross over the blood-brain barrier, a semi permeable membrane that regulates the passage of certain substances into the brain.  Since serotonin is unable to cross over the blood-brain barrier it must be produced directly in the brain. So how is serotonin produced in the brain? An essential amino acid, tryptophan comes into play as serotonin’s raw material that can cross the blood-brain barrier. Tryptophan, when in the brain, is converted to 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) by the enzyme tryptophan hydroxylase.  The final step involves the conversion of 5-HTP to 5-hydroxytryptoptamine (5-HT), otherwise known as serotonin. ^[1]

In humans serotonin levels are affected by diet. An increase in the ratio of tryptophan to phenylalanine and leucine will increase serotonin levels as well. Fruits with a good ratio include dates, papaya and banana. Foods with a lower ratio inhibit the production of serotonin. These include whole wheat and rye bread.^[5] Research also suggests that eating a diet rich in whole grain carbohydrates and low in protein will increase serotonin by secreting insulin, which helps in amino acid competition.^[6] However, increasing insulin for a long period may trigger the onset of insulin resistance, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and lower serotonin levels.

Throughout the body there is a system of checks and balances that work to keep us healthy.  Nowhere is this more important than in the control of serotonin production in the brain.  Two powerful enzymes called monoamine oxidase and aldehyde dehydrogenase help limit the production of serotonin.  Without these two enzymes too much serotonin would be produced which would be just as bad as not enough serotonin.  Depression is a consequence of insufficient serotonin levels, this is a fact that shouldn’t be over looked. Remember brain function is dependent upon proper balance. ^[1] Enter Siberian/Russian Rhodiola rosea. Siberian/Russian Rhodiola rosea helps the brain adapt to emotional & physical stressors by balancing serotonin. Do you eat on the go?  Are constantly stressed out? Why not give a natural alternative with so much history a try?  Rosavin™ or Rosavin Plus®, brain food for a balanced brain.

REFERENCES:

1. Arctic Root (Rhodiola rosea), Carl Germano, RD. C.S.N., L.D.N. & Zakir Ramazanov. PhD Kensington Publishing Corp. 1999 Introduction
2. Wiley –PSYCHIATRY Second Edition, CAM TREATMENTS, A. Tasman, J. Kay, J. Lieberman
3. The Herb that came in from the cold, Peter Jaret, Natural Solutions, 1/01/2005
4. Wikipedia – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serotonin
5. Abu-Jayyab A. “Nutritional Pharmacology Of Sleep & Depression”. SelfGrowth.com. http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Nutritional_Pharmacology_of_Sleep_Depression.html. Retrieved 2009-12-02.
6. Young SN (November 2007). “How to increase serotonin in the human brain without drugs“. J Psychiatry Neurosci 32 (6): 394–9. PMID 18043762

This Article is copyrighted by AMERIDEN® International, Inc.

No part of this article may be reproduced by any means without the expressed written consent of AMERIDEN® International, Inc. 1/6/2010

What gives AmeriZyme® its effectiveness? Enzymes!

THE SECRET OF LIFE

……Would You Believe ENZYMES!

How can we make a bold statement like that? The fact is, without Enzymes you just simply DIE! There are three classes of elements your body needs for good health; Vitamins, Minerals and you guessed it, Enzymes. If these three elements were depleted from your body you’d be gone in weeks. While your body does not produce vitamins and minerals, which we receive from our foods, your body does make certain enzymes from its own cells. The word “enzyme” comes from ancient Greece words “N-zye.” This was a process of putting yeast in to dough. The Greeks saw that it converted yeast into the nutritious dough they baked into bread. Science has found that there are two types of enzymes; digestive and systemic. Digestive enzymes contain a broad spectrum Ph and help break down food into micronutrients readily available for your body to absorb while systemic enzymes have many other jobs in the body and are not as broad spectrum Ph, but work as a stimulant in the small intestine to enhance other functions of the body including anti- inflammatory processes.

Every living cell whether produced by animals or plants can and must make enzymes. Since your food is made of cells they therefore contain enzymes. You can even eat foods completely depleted of enzymes and still live. It has baffled science for years about whether it is good to introduce to your body more enzymes, digestive or systemic, in larger quantities than your body already produces. However it has been found that a body needing to produce more necessary enzymes on a continual basis has lead to premature cell exhaustion, which in turn may be a major cause of many illnesses. Currently it has been determined that our foods, which receive there vitamin, mineral and enzymes from the earth, are being depleted at an alarming rate. We are receiving foods that are more and more deficient in bio-available natural plant nutrients as time goes by even though our farmlands are being synthetically simulated with chemicals. This means that supplementation is not only a good idea, but also a must for optimal health.

Here’s a little health tip: Science has found that people age prematurely if they don’t get proper vitamins, minerals and enzymes. What would that mean for you? Do you want to age prematurely? I didn’t think so. If you are approaching 40, start taking your vitamin, minerals and especially enzymes. Why do I stress Enzymes, Science via medical research, have come up with some very startling statistics? If you are getting that Fortyish felling, it has been found that Enzymes of the body tend to become fewer and weaker as we age. This withering process takes place also in animals. Scientists at the world famous Michael Reese Hospital in Chicago found that older people only had 1/30th as much enzymes in their saliva as young folks in their 20’s. Dr. Eckart of Germany discovered after 1,200 urine tests that the enzymes of those over 40 were only half as rich nutrients and enzymes as those in the prime of their life.

Remember I said earlier that Enzymes have many other jobs in the body besides digesting food. In fact every function in the body requires enzymatic action. Just testing the pyloric juices of the stomach for enzyme count would be misleading and a waste of time. You may have enough enzymes to digest your food, but they may be very stretched to complete the rest of your bodily functions that provide quality life. Until now, science has no sure method or knowledge of testing to indicate intercellular enzymatic activity and therefore is rudimentary. What does all this mean to everyday folks like you and me? It means that you and I need to take personal action in preventing vitamin, mineral and enzyme depletion. Supplementing with proper nutrition will help slow down the aging process and provide us with a better quality life.

If you truly want better nutrition, want to slow down the aging process and produce a better quality of life then Enzymes will help you achieve this. But there are a few things you still need to know. Don’t look to commercial foods or drinks for your enzymes. Unlike vitamins and minerals, enzymes are killed 100% by even the slightest heat, boiling, baking, frying, stewing or roasting. However, you will find them in the natural realm, uncooked. You might say “Naturally Packaged” as raw foods. Nibbling on raw foods won’t do it either, you must eat some quantity of them, like a whole apple, not just a slice. How about two carrots, not just those few found in a salad. Please remember that raw fruits and vegetables contain about 90% water. They are filling, but the quantity eaten at any given meal contains only small amounts of enzymes. Chewing or eating raw foods five to ten times a day between meals will accomplish something much more significant. This simply means that increasing raw food intake during the day will have a good effect on your body unless you have a medical condition that prohibits you from eating raw foods.

Another and quite possibly the best way to increase necessary enzymes would be to take concentrated, properly processed plant enzymes that would assure you of optimum benefit & health. These enzymes are usually taken just before or during meals.

Be a wise & careful shopper though, there are many enzyme formulations on the market making outstanding claims. The amount of different enzymes listed on the bottle does not tell you about there activity. Two brands can have the same amount of enzymes listed, however one brand’s enzymes could be completely dead, unsuitable or low in potency which will not accomplish what you intend them to do. Also many enzyme products on the market, which have an effect in an alkaline medium, are destroyed in the stomach acid.

All of AmeriZyme® enzymes are verified live and cover a wide spectrum of Ph conditions. They are obtained from the most reputable cutting edge company when it comes to viable enzymes in America, National Enzyme Corporation, Inc. established in 1932. Coupled with Ameriden’s New Proprietary Uptake system, you may achieve 30% to 40% more nutritional uptake than you would from products three times as expensive. What does this potentially mean to you our valued customers? How about thousands of dollars yearly in better nutrition for you and your family, less health problems, less doctor’s visits and less time off work due to illnesses. We think these are important issues you care about and the reason AmeriZyme® was developed.

AmeriZyme®, Made in America, Made for Results!

Howard Peiper, N.D.

Richard L. Hall, CEO AMERIDEN

Tis the Season to be jolly, but for some December can be the Grinch stealing Christmas! So how can we keep stress from robbing our joy and shoveling our dreams into the fire?

The first thing we can do to lessen stress is make a schedule-today, don’t put it off until tomorrow.

Be flexible with time constraints and allow others to be flexible as well. Relax.  This is a season; it will pass with or without your help and most mistakes come from hurried decisions.

Take time, stop-breathe, then carry on.

On your own? Don’t go at it alone. Ask others to help you with your errands. Many people would welcome the opportunity to help and share the work load if you would only ask. Then you’ll have a reason to thank them and everyone involved will feel special & needed! Even you!

Start a new Christmas tradition or revive an old one. It may just become your new seasonal favorite.

If you need extra energy or stamina, try a cup of coffee with an added sprinkle of cinnamon, pumpkin, or peppermint spice. If Tea is your treat, green or red Rooibos teas are quick and tasty! Most important of all, don’t forget Rosavin™ or Rosavin Plus®! They can give you sustained energy and increased stamina too. Let Rosavin™ or Rosavin Plus® become your little secret for conquering the long days ahead. Everyone needs a little Ho, Ho, Ho in their life especially during this season.

Here are a few fun family recipes we thought you’d enjoy. They just might inspire you to start that new Holiday Tradition!

Spices (add to taste a dash of each): Garlic, Sea Salt, Turmeric, Dry Mustard, Oregano, Rosemary, Basil, Thyme, Sage, and White Pepper.

Directions: Mix all ingredients until well blended & cover.

Refrigerate at least 1 hour. You can also make this a day ahead. Keep covered and refrigerated until served

Serve as a topping over your favorite foods or alone with Organic Tortilla chips.

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400° F. Peel core and slice or chop apples. Place apples in small baking dish.
• Combine juice of 1/2 small lemon, Agave Nectar or granulated sugar substitute (Xylitol, Truvia, Lo Han Sweet), water and few dashes of cinnamon and then pour over apples.

Grind grissini or Melba toast into a powder using a food processor or a coffee grinder. Add dry ingredients together slowly and stir until thoroughly blended. Sprinkle on top of apple filling.

Bake: Cover dish and bake 20 minutes. Remove cover, turn on broiler and broil an additional 1-2 minutes until topping is crisp. Serve immediately.

Directions: Blend until cream texture forms. You can add a bit more sweetener if desired. Cover & refrigerate.

It can be prepared several days ahead of time. Use it as an alternative to canned Whip Cream. It’s wonderful added in coffee or your homemade Hot Cocoa. Actually, it’s Divine!

Directions: Pour dry ingredients into a glass jar. If possible use a jam or jelly jar it makes mixing and storage easier. Shake or blend so that the cocoa & sugar substitute are mixed thoroughly together. Add 1-2 Tbls to 8 oz of hot water & stir.

Top with Crème Fouetté Fait Maison (Homemade Whipped Crème) Enjoy!

Ending thoughts:

If the Grinch can overcome seasonal stress you can too! From Dr. Seuss…

“And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled ’till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before.
What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.”

Here’s hoping you have a Wonderful Christmas Season.

Russian Rhodiola Rosea, gathered from near the Arctic.

WILL ADULTERATION POISON SCIENTIFIC INNOVATION AGAIN?

RHODIOLA ROSEA -Case Study of An Industry Disease.  Is There A Cure?

Standardized, clinically potent Rhodiola rosea is a unique and exciting herbal extract that has risen to a level of well-earned consumer excitement that unfortunately is attracting cases of product adulteration, usually justified by misinformation. Apparently the increased popularity of clinically effective forms of Rhodiola rosea now make it a target for counterfeiting with innocuous and ineffective substitutes being sold to a public still too naive to protect itself from low quality alternatives that simply do not work. Unfortunately, this sad tale is all too familiar to experienced innovators in the natural products industry.

The public does not yet fully understand that only true Rhodiola rosea extract containing sufficient standardized levels of its unique active constituents, rosavin, rosin, and rosarin can insure that the consumer is getting the form of the product that works!

Despite its rising popularity, public education about Rhodiola rosea is still in its infancy. That is why articles like this are an essential “preventative medicine” against the abuses and destructive consequences of new product misinformation typically used to justify substitution and adulteration.

The tragedy, of course, is that continuing misinformation will eventually destroy public enthusiasm for the real Rhodiola rosea and diminish its bright future. Regulators and industry critics will once again be warning disappointed consumers that they cannot trust the “unscrupulous and unregulated natural products industry” as a whole! In effect, the recurrent pattern of great products being prematurely discredited and ruine

d by competitive adulteration is a sickness that eats the heart out of the integrity and fundamental health of the entire phytomedicinal industry.

Rhodiola rosea is a perfect case study of how the natural products industry constantly finds itself under attack by critics and regulators because of its historical inability to prevent this type of abuse.

Judge for yourself. here are the facts:

Rhodiola rosea (also known as golden root) is part of the Crassulaceae family of plants, indigenous to the Polar Regions of Eastern Siberia.

1. The release of information on extraordinary~ health benefits of Rhodiola rosea by the former Soviet Union in the early 1990′ s has dramatically increased interest in this unique medicinal plant. After more than 35 years of intensive research, Russian, Bulgarian and Scandinavian scientists demonstrated that highly active constituents extracted from Rhodiola rosea regulated levels of neurotransmitters in the brain.
2. ‘Pharmacological and medicinal properties of any herbal extracts are a phenomenon strictly specific to unique species of the herbs…’ (Saratikov et al. 1987). Russian botanists have identified nearly 200 species of Rhodiola genus. According to the Russian Pharmacopoeia, key active constituents in Rhodiola rosea that are responsible for its unique pharmacological and medicinal properties are actually complexes of phenylpropanoids : rosavin, rosin and rosarin. If your extract does not contain all of these active constituents then there is no guarantee that what you have been taking will work anywhere as well as clinically true Rhodiola rosea extract that does work.
3. Some suppliers of so-called “standardized Rhodiola rosea” have standardized their products to 1% salidroside. Critical evaluation of results of recent research clearly shows that the presence of salidroside and its aglycon p-tyrosol is not specific to Rhodiola genus and not the source of Rhodiola’s extensive clinical value. First identified in white willow bark (Salix), salidroside was also found in more than 22 plants, algae and in some bacteria. These active compounds have also been found in virgin olive oil as well as olive leaf extract. The presence of salidroside or p-tyrosol in our diet does have some benefit.For example, P- tyrosol in our diet does have some benefit.
   For example, p-tyrosol plays an important role in protecting against LDL oxidation and helping to regulate heart arrhythmia. There are cheaper sources of abundant salidroside available from many other natural products. Rhodiola rosea as well as many other Rhodiola species also contain salidroside and p-tyrosol. But what is unique to the standardized Rhodiola rosea extracts that produced impressive clinical effects is their full specter of pharmacologically active rosavin, rosin and rosarin. The salidroside content alone cannot be used as the objective standard for product evaluation.
4. The key quality control discovery that allowed us to see the real effectiveness of this amazing extract was in knowing that it had to be standardized to the rosavins content (rosavin, rosin and rosarin) and not according to the salidroside content as presented in Tibetan and Chinese substitutes!  Thirty-five years of clinical Research clearly proves that only full potency Rhodiola rosea extract offer full effectiveness, not the salidroside!
5. The ability of the standardized Rhodiola rosea extract to help the body adapt to stress may lie in its special ability to enhance levels of serotonin, dopamine and other vital neurotransmitters.
6. Only the Rhodiola rosea extract containing all its key active compounds (rosavin, rosin and rosarin) improves the physical work ability, shorten the recovery period after prolonged muscular workloads, normalizing the parameters of the activity of the cardiovascular system.
7. During intensive muscular work Rhodiola rosea extract stimulates the production of energy, optimizing the processes of oxidative phosphorilation, activating the phosphorilation of creatine, and stabilizing the mitochondria’s ultra-structure, while stimulating the release of fatty acids from adipose tissue.
8. Only Rhodiola rosea extract containing all its unique active constituents has shown a positive influence on the higher mobility of the human body; improving mental ability, primarily enhancing the qualitative indicators of the performed work. The effect of “prompt adaptation” arises in the organism with the introduction of the Rhodiola rosea into the central nervous system. Rhodiola rosea prevents the beginning of pathological changes in the organism, caused by immobilizing and emotionally painful stress.
9. The adaptogenic characteristics of the standardized Rhodiola rosea preparations are displayed in an increase of the resistance of the organism to the action of physical and biological factors. Rhodiola rosea prevents the experimental development of hyper and hypoglycemia, leukocytosis, leucopenia, erythrocytosis, erythropenia and hypoxia.
10. The proven of effectiveness of Rhodiola rosea extract containing Rosavin and other key compounds in treating depression led Russian scientists to use it in combination with antidepressants. Patients’ general activity along with intellectual and physical productivity increased while duration of hospital stays and side effects normally associated with tricyclic antidepressants decreased. Rhodiola rosea is a safe and effective adjunct to conventional antidepressant therapy.
11. The Rhodiola rosea preparations increase the anti-tumor resistance of the organism. They significantly inhibit the growth of experimental tumors while decreasing the frequency of their metastases: Also, the life expectancy of animals with tumors is prolonged, decreasing the outcome of spontaneous tumor growth.
12. The Rhodiola rosea preparations are prescribed as a stimulative remedy for fatigue, for people with an inclination toward asthenia during work, which require increased mental workload, in sports medicine to fight exhaustion occurring during intense muscular work: It also accelerates the recovery processes during intensive training workouts.
13. In testing the response of exhaustive muscle workloads to Rhodiola rosea extract, it was found that the herb increases the activity of proteolytic enzymes and also significantly elevates the level of RNA and protein in skeletal muscles.

However, many new US Rhodiola products do not establish or maintain true clinical potency in their formulations. Consequently, they will not work and are not worth their price… especially since a clinically potent product is readily available and is verified.

Letting people know about the genetically true Rhodiola rosea extract presents a perfect opportunity to demonstrate the natural product industry’s ability to prevent recurrent threats and set a new standard of validity and integrity.  Demand that the truth be told about real Rhodiola rosea extract will insure that consumers get the benefits they expect and pay for; this is critical to preserving the goodwill of our loyal public.  Perhaps a more proactive, consumer centered self-help industry is needed to defend and promote objective standards in new product innovations. Participatory public PR campaigns are needed to brighten the image and reality of the natural products industry as a whole. The opportunity exists because the problem persists. Who will stand up for truth in marketing while offering integrity in product innovation? It will be those of us who really care about this industry and who have the principles and power to put our ideals into practice.

Closeup of Rhodiola Rosea flowers

This article presented by:

Dr. Musa T Abidoff MD, Professor of Medicine, President and CEO, Abidoff-Farma & Center of Modern Medicine, Russian Academy of Medicinal Science.Professor Satarov AD, Russian Academy of Medicinal Sciences, Academician Emeritus of Russian Academy of Sciences, President of Medicinal Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.
Professor Krasnov, Russian Academy of Medicinal Sciences, Emeritus Academician of Russian Academy of Sciences, President of Medicinal Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.

Everyone has probably heard the word disease and can relate to it as some kind of plague of mankind, but what I believe people experience over time is ‘Dis-Ease’ with the whole situation of their health. Could it be if they just had a little peace with the process they would heal faster?

As I reflect over more than 40 years of trekking the long & winding road to great health, I cannot help, but realize my ‘assignment’ in life was to get healed; then to help others achieve the same status I have. The knowledge of maintaining or regenerating our health is right at our fingertips, so the question is “do I wait until I am sick or do I take action today.” I didn’t just go into the health care industry I grew into it! It began many years ago when I was a young, know-it-all 20 year old pursuing my dreams, studying philosophy, literature, & the humanities at a local city college while raising 2 daughters and working a 7 day shift in the restaurant business. You know, the normal everyday non-stressful life, yeah, right!

As with most, my symptoms of ‘Dis-Ease’ began in my teenage years when I wasn’t sick, but I was living in denial and I don’t mean the river in Egypt!

I began having blackouts, but was too afraid to tell anyone or do anything about them. That was most uncomfortable. I began seeing doctor after doctor and I took everything they instructed me to take and yet I did not improve; sound familiar? My disease was fast becoming my ‘Dis-Ease.’ I was “shocked” when a doctor told me I had to go to the hospital immediately because I was losing red blood cells.

Losing blood cells, where, I didn’t see or feel them leaving, where were they going, what was happening to me? The loss was from an ulcer big enough to cause such bad gastrointestinal problems that my respiratory system and skin soon gave way to allergies. The list grew quickly; what was happening to my youth? I was overwhelmed with fear, but I couldn’t give up, where would I find an answer to my problem? Weeks of testing and treatment for the bleeding ulcer ultimately cured it, but I was still at ‘Dis-Ease’ with the whole trauma.

Elated that it was gone, I was able to resume my life once again, but went right back to the cause of my ulcer, junk food. I didn’t know food played such a big deal in overall health.

Within 3 days of my junk food diet, the bleeding returned. Suddenly I came to the realization of why I had Dis-Ease, if I continued on the junk food highway, I might not live to see my 30th birthday! So began my journey to health and a ‘Dis-Ease’ Free life. It took me two more years, countless hours of soul searching & divine intervention until I was ready. Peace for some doesn’t come cheap!

I started taking Advanced Nutritional classes that were outside of the traditional realm. Can you imagine how unusual this was in the 70’s? My research & studies put me on a 360º turnaround and I have never looked back! Fortunately, for me this was a perfect time in history and my transition had great help from such mentors as Dr. Bernard Jenson, Dr. Paul Bragg, Dr. Carlton Fredericks & Dr. Benjamin Franks. I also had the privileged to have met & learned from Dr. Jonathan Wright, Dr. David Williams, Weston Price, Jack Challen, Dr. Robert Jay Rowen & Dr. Sherry Rogers to name a few. Few! That’s a whole lot of great advice.

Now let’s fast-forward 12 years, I was juicing daily, eating healthy & feeling fantastic when the dietary supplement market exploded. I knew I had to share what I learned with others so I started my own company “Vital Nutrients.” I promised myself years ago that when I started I would only work with companies who had integrity, credibility and manufactured a high quality product and I have kept my promise all along. As a result, my business continues to bring me great joy and wonderful clients who I am able to help with their health concerns.

Sometimes I feel like the “Natural Nutritional” version of Detective Colombo, but in this distinctive way, I am able to also connect with a unique variety of cliental. My clients are faithful because of my deep commitment to them and the high quality products I carry. Some of my favorites are “The Original Olive Leaf Extract” & “Rosavin Plus” by Ameriden International, Inc. It also helps that I personally use these products; I will continue to keep them as part of my daily regime and I know my clients do as well.

Our society may be caught up in the Big Pharma & the Alice in Wonderland paradigm of modern medicine, which has its place, but a healthy body & mind at peace brings homeostasis, there is nothing like it, may you all find it.

Sincerely Ron Pellegrini

I am Tricia Meteer, professional photographer, artist & entrepreneur. I have a secret to share with you and I didn’t expect to find it at work.

It all started seven months ago. I was an executive with Origins and the Estee Lauder Corporation; hopping from one airplane to the next, crisscrossing time zones and hardly getting enough sleep. If you’re working for a living you can probably identify with this and how hard it is to balance a social and family life without feeling like a ping pong ball.

This combination was constantly fatiguing me as I would have to arrive on location with a smile on my face, ready to motivate, educate & lead 50+ employees then work with the clients too. To say the least my life was challenging and keeping stress in check became part of my life’s everyday diet.

It wasn’t until Origins developed a wonderful new skin care collection called Youthtopia that I began hearing about Rhodiola rosea. Just before Origins launched the product we were each given a bottle of Ameriden’s Rhodiola rosea product called Rosavin Plus. It was first on the market in the US and well researched by doctors Richard P. Brown & Patricia Gerbarg who had used it in their medical case studies for over five years. My life was about to change for the better! I have to admit, I was skeptical.

Soon all of us at Origins were experiencing the wonderful effects of this adaptive herb both physically & mentally. Wow! What a difference it made! Rosavin Plus became my secret stress buster and I still use it to this very day.

Like so many, I became confident that life would continue as usual until I was faced with a work change brought on by the times we live in. Origins had been my life for 9 years. Little did I know the change in work would allow me to become the artist I was always meant to be.

Today I am an entrepreneur, owning a fine art and portrait photography company called Equinox Photo, based in Fallbrook, California. I balance my work with riding & training my young horses.  Part of my photo client base consists of the equestrian community and I am once again involved in traveling to shows and maneuvering around 1200 pound horses with riders on challenging courses to get those prestigious shots. What a great career change, but not without some adjustments.

Like many artists, I found myself most creative late at night. The switch in professions caused me to experience fatigue in a whole different way, especially when I often have to work extremely long days. It was then that I decided to try another Ameriden product called EZ energy, which still contained my secret ingredient (Rhodiola rosea) plus four other Adaptogens. After the first day I felt like the energizer bunny, it gave me the extra stamina and boost my body needed and to be completely honest I became more focused and ready for anything my new career threw my way.

My stamina increased so much that my husband who was training for a triathlon, took notice and gave it a try hoping to boost his workout level. Not only did his workouts improve, but also his recovery time dropped with better results. EZ Energy came through for both of us.

I love EZ Energy because it does not give me the usual jitters that come with so many energy supplements on the market. This is essential for me since a steady hand, clear mind, & quick reaction time are a must in fine art photography! We usually shoot on outside locations, which involve hauling heavy and sometimes bulky equipment to beautiful and remote places like cliffs or isolated beaches. You’ll find me frequently in the water, all for the sake of art, but no worries I still take my secrets with me. Rosavin Plus & EZ Energy should be in every professional’s bag!

Thanks Ameriden!

RESOURCES

Online shop: www.equinoxphoto.etsy.com
Website and portfolio: www.equinoxphoto.us

In 1990, after 28 years of teaching biofeedback and self-regulation techniques to college students (at SUNY Ulster), Dr. Stephen Larsen set up his own healing and counseling center at Stone Mountain Farm on a piece of choice Hudson Valley landscape, with forests, rock-climbing cliffs, and waterfalls. His wife Robin was already running a not-for profit center there, The Center for Symbolic Studies, which included seminars in personal growth, traditional wisdom, and sports challenges such as rock climbing and the flying trapeze.

Dr. Larsen had worked in state clinics and mental health facilities for a number of years as a consulting psychologist; he also had a private psychotherapy practice. He soon became dissatisfied with the dominant pharmaceutical approach, and cookie-cutter psychotherapies as ways of helping people deal with their mental and emotional problems.

For years he had observed his students and clients getting better simply from self-attention, and health-oriented regimens such as yoga and meditation, diet, exercise, and supplement use. To these was added his discovery in 1996 of a powerful new tool, the LENS form of neurofeedback, which uses minute doses of electromagnetic energy to help ameliorate a variety of serious disorders, including brain injury or TBI, attentional and other learning disorders in children, autistic spectrum disorders, and problems of anxiety and depression. The results were so dramatic that in 2006 he wrote and published one of the most successful biofeedback books of the decade: The Healing Power of Neurofeedback: The Revolutionary LENS Technique for Restoring Optimal Brain Function; now in its second printing. The book contains inspirational stories of overcoming problems, personal healings and transformations in quality of life, as well as informing the reader about the science and development of neurofeedback techniques.

The book initiated an avalanche of interest in the LENS technique, and in two years, has helped double the number of practitioners world-wide. In 2003, his colleague at Stone Mountain, psychiatrist Dr. Willie Yee, introduced him to Dr. Richard Brown, a highly regarded psycho-pharmacologist who was helping difficult cases given up on by conventional psychiatry and medicine. Dr. Brown combined his advanced expertise in conventional psychiatry with a broad knowledge of herbs and nutrition. He introduced many of his patients to yoga and breathing techniques as well. In 2006 Dr. Larsen and his wife accompanied Dr. Brown and his wife to India to present scientific studies on the effects of yoga breathing on physiology and mental health.

In the last few years, Stone Mountain Center began to regularly offer programs on yoga, breathing and the Chinese art of Qi Gong—in which both Dr. Brown and Dr. Larsen are certified. In therapeutic practice, these are combined with neurofeedback, diet and nutrition to provide a very complete approach to mental and physical health. Dr. Brown was also very instrumental, with Zakir Ramazanov, in introducing Rhodiola rosea, or Rosavin to the American public. (It had been utilized for many years in Russia to improve the performance of elite athletes, astronauts and the military.)

An adaptogen, Rosavin has many versatile uses: it helps stabilize the basic instabilities in bi-polar disorder and ADHD. It helps those with neurological problems subsequent to Lyme disease or neuro-degenerative disorders such as Parkinsonism. (See the book The Rhodiola Revolution by Dr.’s Brown and Gerbarg).

“Rosavin is now a staple on the shelves at Stone Mountain Center, along with a variety of other excellent Ameriden products such as ClearMind, EZ Energy, Bio-Antihist, AmeriZyme, and others. These are so useful for Stone Mountain Center patients, that Stone Mountain replenishes the stock on a monthly basis. Unlike prescription pharmaceuticals, the Ameriden products have little if any side-effects and actually promote health and metabolic balance. Our patients feel like these herbal supplements are friends and allies, tools and aids to help people to deal with today’s stressed-out and frenetic lifestyles,” writes Dr. Larsen.

More information about Stone Mountain Center can be found at www.stonemountain.com where there is material to read on how to cope with a variety of problems which, up until now, have seen mostly poor solutions. “By providing an integrative approach, we feel we not only address symptoms, but improve the quality of life for a large number of people. When they conclude treatment at our center, they are not only less troubled by symptoms, they have new tools and resources, and a new problem-solving attitude toward life,” concludes Dr. Larsen.

As a professional author, I understand stress. I know what a looming deadline feels like in the gut. I comprehend what an all-night re-write does to the brain. I really get what waiting for the reviews can do to my adrenal glands. While I wouldn’t choose any other profession, I’m patently aware that my chosen occupation requires a certain amount of physical support that’s beyond a brisk walk to clear the head. As I get older, I’m reminded repeatedly how without that support, I’d be operating way below par.

Twenty years ago when I got my first “real” writing job in Los Angeles, I knew nothing about herbs called “adaptogens.” I wish I had known because I probably wouldn’t have burnt out so quickly three years later at the age of thirty-one. To call my adrenal glands toast would be putting it mildly. The fatigue I felt from burning the candle at both ends was chronic and it took years to replenish my body.

It wasn’t until about ten years ago that I learned about one of the premier adaptogens on this planet: Rhodiola. I remember it well because I’d just finished writing my second non-fiction book (a book on plant medicine, ironically) and was in the midst of traveling extensively around the country to promote it. During one of the stops at an alternative health convention, I talked to someone who was raving about Rhodiola Rosea. I was convinced after speaking to her that this odd sounding herb (also known as Golden Root) was one of the herbal tickets I needed to sustain my health.

For the next five years, I tried various brands of Rhodiola but I truly wasn’t sold on just how good this plant medicine was until I stumbled upon Ameriden and their Rosavin Plus. After about three weeks on two capsules a day, I felt an absolute evening out of my stress reactions. After two months on it, I noticed that I was able to focus much better on writing projects and that my general fatigue I’d fought for years was becoming less of an issue.

Around this time, I finished my first novel, Protector, and was working on the sequel, Redemption—a book that was extremely emotionally driven and often draining on the psyche. Simultaneously, both my parents had serious health problems and so I found myself finishing Redemption while traveling out of state to tend to my ailing parents. I can honestly say that there is NO way I could have completed the book and dealt with the enormous personal stress without the aid of Rosavin Plus. Because I’d already been taking it for about one year, my body was in great shape and able to deflect the nervous tension and anxiety.Z

During that same time, I learned about Beta Factor and started taking it to strengthen my immune system. Again, I found that the Beta Factor quickly buffered my immunity. While people around me were getting sick, I was amazingly resilient.

Since then, I’ve also come to rely on EZ-Energy, which I take before I exercise or embark on any strenuous physical work. That product is awesome as well. We live in high altitude here in Colorado and I’ve noticed that the EZ-Energy allows me to breathe more deeply and I struggle less with maintaining my momentum when I’m bicycling or walking up steep mountains.

My only regret is that I didn’t know the profound power of adaptogens such as Rhodiola twenty years ago. But now that I’m aware of it, I’m almost positive my adrenal glands thank that herb every day.

Dr. Abram Ber

Born 68 years ago in Rumania to Jewish parents, by God’s grace, his immediate family was able to escape the horrors of the war by moving first to Italy, and finally settling in Montreal, Canada. Grace and perhaps a little luck brought him to Scottsdale, Arizona, where he has practiced homeopathic medicine for 30 years.

Abram Ber earned his medical degree from McGill University, with a specialty in anesthesiology. His training included the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, Royal Victorian Hospital (resident staff of anesthesiology). It was during this period in his life that he connected the dots between nutrition, diseases, and healing. His quest for knowledge brought him to Arizona in the late 1970s, where he has been in private practice ever since.

In 1981, the board of medical examiners attempted to extinguish the brilliance of this man’s life. During a difficult two years, he was hounded for his practices of holistic medical treatment. Three other physicians (and a grass roots movement of patients) joined with him to bring about the legislation necessary to establish the homeopathic medical board in Arizona. Their combined money, effort, and time made it possible for all qualifying physicians to practice homeopathic and integrative medicine, without persecution, from then on.

Abram Ber holds license # 1, issued on February 11 1982. The homeopathic licensing board and AHIMA (Arizona Homeopathic and Integrative Medical Association) have been blessed with his ongoing volunteer efforts.

Instead of listing the positions and offices with his years of service in each (most positions and numerous times), we state that he has been continuously active to guide the state of Arizona into the next century.

He made the transition from a conventional medical practice when he realized that his role as a doctor was to create a holistic wellness model. His lifelong research has produced many natural health modalities that have assisted thousands in his busy Scottsdale office.

Modalities used by Dr. Ber include:

Environmental Medicine – Allergies to food, inhalants and chemicals treated by the use of sublingual drops to desensitize the patients’ allergic reactions.

Orthomolecular Medicine – Intravenous administration of vitamins and minerals.

Treatment of Glandular Weakness – Thyroid, adrenal, and non-toxic drug free

Chronic Health Challenges Treated:

• Yeast – Candida Albicans
• Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
• Allergies – Food, Environmental, and Inhalants
• Learning Disabilities (Focus on Children)
• Auto-Immune Disorders
• Bowel Problems i.e. Crohns, Irritable, Constipation…

Contact Information:

DR. ABRAM BER, M.D.
HOMEOPATHIC PHYSICIAN
5011 N. Granite Reef Rd.
Scottsdale, AZ 85250
480-941-2141

Many people use Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) because they want to enhance their health, prevent illness, slow the aging process, or participate more in their own health care choices.  Others find prescription medications to be ineffective, suffer unpleasant side effects, or fear long-term health risks.  Without the guidance of knowledgeable health care providers, many consumers have a hard time sorting out fact from fiction when trying to evaluate all the available information.  They may fall prey to practitioners who profit financially from the sale of products they recommend. The solutions this book shares are part of a new medical paradigm, integrating the best of standard and complementary treatments for long-term brain health, mental clarity, mental focus, memory, emotional health, and well-being.  The substantial but digestible text is peppered with “clinical pearls” and case vignettes.

Although many health care professionals believe that herbs and mind-body practices enhance health, they are reluctant to integrate these approaches into their clinical work.  This is understandable considering that very few were given courses in CAM during their training.  This book teaches practical methods to safely introduce new complementary treatments into clinical practice by focusing on CAM treatments that are the most helpful, easy to administer, and low in side effects.  With this knowledge, health care professionals will better serve their clients and develop integrative treatment plans leading to health enhancement and disease prevention.  A tiered decision-making approach shows how to add layers of complementary treatments for more and more improvements using the best herbs and the most effective, least time-consuming mind-body techniques.

Consumers and clinicians will find here a resource of practical information for many of the health issues they and their families are facing.  For example, the chapter on Attention Deficit Disorders and Learning Disabilities helps families looking for alternatives to medication.  Women will discover new approaches to Pre-menstrual Syndrome, infertility, mood disorders during and after pregnancy, physical and cognitive changes of menopause, and sexual enhancement. The chapter on Disorders of Cognition and Memory introduces ways to improve brain function and quality of life for people with age-associated memory decline, stroke, traumatic brain injury, Alzheimer’s Disease and Parkinson’s Disease.  Other chapters cover mood disorders (depression and bipolar disorder), anxiety disorders (stress, post-traumatic stress disorder, combat stress, mass disasters), medical conditions (fatigue, cancer, HIV), schizophrenia, and substance abuse.

This book will inspire you to continue learning about new discoveries in complementary and mind-body medicine.  For each treatment, the research evidence, clinical experience, risks and benefits are discussed.  Extensive references assist readers in pursuing more information in their areas of interest.  Tables list resources for finding high quality supplements.

WHAT READERS ARE SAYING ABOUT THIS BOOK

This inspiring book provides hope to anyone experiencing a decline in his/her mental health.  Drs. Brown, Gerbarg and Muskin address a range of disorders spanning from mood and anxiety issues, to substance abuse problems, to weakness in memory, to learning disabilities.  After reading this book, you will feel comfortable with the concept of integrating Eastern and Western modalities into your healing regimen.  The information contained in these pages has been thoroughly researched and is presented in such a way that it is easy for anyone to comprehend.  This book offers a multi-faceted approach for treating dis-ease in the mind and body by incorporating the use of nutrition, exercise, supplementation, herbs, breathing practice and yoga with other conventional therapies.  In the true spirit of the “integrative” approach, Drs. Brown, Gerbarg and Muskin compare the successes and the failures of both allopathic and CAM treatments.  The book is complete in its presentation of material in that it also highlights the potential risks and benefits of each suggested treatment.  While “How to Use Herbs, Nutrients & Yoga in Mental Health Care” is an essential guide for all health practitioners, Drs. Brown, Gerbarg and Muskin relay their knowledge in such a clear and intriguing way that it will appeal to any audience.

On a more personal note, the information contained in this book has helped me improve my entire being in amazing ways.  By incorporating the breathing practice and introducing two herbal supplements into my daily routine, I have been able to completely stop taking the four pharmaceutical medications (antidepressants, mood stabilizers, anxiety medication and sleeping pills) which I had come to rely on to get me through life.  In less than six weeks, I was able to eliminate these four medications which I had come to depend on for almost seven years.  Now I am able to lead a more balanced, happy, and healthy existence.  I owe many thanks and much gratitude to Drs. Brown, Gerbarg and Muskin for sharing their knowledge with me and by doing so, allowing me to help myself.

-Jessica M (32 yrs old, NYC)

WHAT THE EXPERTS ARE SAYING ABOUT THIS BOOK

“A go-to source for information on integrative mental health.”

Mehmet C. Oz, MD, FACS, Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons.

“If you are a reader with mental and emotional needs going unmet by current drug therapy, you will unquestionably find the fountain of wisdom in this book…. This is a powerful book, one that has the potential to blow a gaping hole in the current wall of psychiatric ignorance of natural therapies,” writes Chris Kilham, Medicine Hunter, University of Amherst, Massachusetts.

“If you care about sustaining optimum mental health, memory, and sexual enjoyment, this book is essential reading. Drs. Brown, Gerbarg, and Muskin have written a text that has the potential to revolutionize mainstream mental health care, and provide practitioners and consumers alike the confidence to seek out alternative treatments. This exhaustive guide is the most thorough and well-written resource of its kind. I will use it as a primary reference, not only in working yogically with people suffering from depression and mood disorders, but for my own optimal well-being.”

—Amy Weintraub, Founder and Director of LifeForce Yoga® Healing Institute and author of Yoga for Depression

“Congratulations to Drs. Brown, Gerbarg, and Muskin for giving us one of the most clinically useful and practical books on integrating complementary and alternative treatments into our practices! Using wonderfully written and helpful clinical vignettes, these experienced clinicians provide us with a roadmap to understanding the options and challenges that both practitioners and patients need to navigate. For mental health professionals and consumers alike, this is a must-have book!”

—Michelle Riba, MD, Professor of Psychiatry, Associate Chair for Integrated Medicine and Psychiatric Services, Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Richard P. Brown, M.D., Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Columbia University, received his M.D. from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons (1977), his Psychiatry Residency and Fellowship in Psychobiology and Psychopharmacology at New York Hospital. He has authored over 80 scientific articles, books, and book chapters.  His grandfather first taught him about plant medicines while gathering medicinal mushrooms in the hills of Kentucky.  Every year, Dr. Brown teaches full-day courses on Integrative Psychiatry (combining standard treatments with Complementary and Alternative Medicine) at the American Psychiatric Association meetings.  In 1999 Dr. Brown introduced S-adenosylmethionine (SAM-e) for treatment of depression at the New York Academy of Medicine and coauthored Stop Depression Now, a holistic approach to depression.  Dr. Brown and Dr. Gerbarg co-authored “Alternative Treatments in Brain Injury” in Neuropsychiatry of Traumatic Brain Injury (American Psychiatric Press, 2004) and “Complementary and Alternative Treatments in Psychiatry,” in Psychiatry Second and Third Editions (John Wiley & Sons, 2003 and 2008).

Dr. Brown is a certified teacher of Aikido (4th Dan), yoga, Chi Gong, and meditation.  His chapter on “Yoga in Psychiatry” appears in the Clinical Manual of Complementary and Alternative Treatments in Psychiatry (APPI 2007).  Dr. Brown and Dr. Gerbarg have provided free consultation, training, and advice on research projects to Serving Those Who Serve (providing support and treatment for members of the 9/11 Community),  the Victim Services Center of Miami, and the International Association for Human Values.

Patricia L. Gerbarg, M.D. is Assistant Clinical Professor in Psychiatry at New York Medical College and has been in private practice for 25 years. She obtained, MD from Harvard Medical School (1975), Psychiatry Residency at Beth Israel Hospital in Boston, and psychoanalytic degree at the Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute.

Dr. Gerbarg has lectured on many topics in psychiatry including transference, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), professional ethics, women’s issues, neurobiology, and alternative treatments.  Her research has focused PTSD in survivors of trauma, mass disasters, and military combat.  Her chapter, “Yoga and Neuro-Psychoanalysis.” was published in Bodies in Treatment: The Unspoken Dimension edited by Frances Sommer Anderson (The Analytic Press, 2007).

Philip R. Muskin, MD is Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, Chief of Consultation-Liason Psychiatry at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, and chair of the APA Council on Psychosomatic Medicine.  He was the editor of Complementary and Alternative Medicine and Psychiatry, in the APPI Review of Psychiatry series (2000) and co-authored “Complementary and Alternative Treatments in Psychiatry,” in Psychiatry Second and Third Editions (John Wiley & Sons, 2003 and 2008). He is the recipient of numerous awards including the lifetime Achievement Award from the Association for Academic Psychiatry and the Society for Liason Psychiatry Award for outstanding contributions to the field.  He is Past-president of the Association for Academic Psychiatry and the society for Liason Psychiatry.  Dr. Muskin founded a volunteer program to provide emotional support for families of patients in intensive care units and served as a consultant to the Red Cross program for widows and volunteered with the NYPD Stress management Program.

PROFESSIONAL DISCLAIMER

None of the authors receive financial remuneration for the sale or promotion of any of the products or programs described in this book.  They do receive customary fees for professional lectures.

How To Use Herbs, Nutrients, and Yoga in Mental Health Care (WW Norton, 2009, ISBN 978-0-393-70525-6, hardcover, 6 x 9, 441 pages, US $34.95).  Released January 5, 2009 on Internet bookseller sites (www.wwnorton.com, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and others) and in U.S. bookstores.