Category Archives: employee performance

Best Health Decreed by DNA

May 19, 2020employee performance, well-beingBest Health, cellular aging, chronic inflammation is at the root of all disease, circle of life, covid-19 self testing, David Sinclair Harvard Health, decree by DNA, extend lifespan, healthy lifestyle choices, hypotheses of longevity, inflammation and ROS, Lifespan, pharmaceutical companies, sick care societyBestinCorporateHealth

Best Health – The Decree by our DNA

Best health habits are constantly debated and argued. However, I really believe in going back to the basics – what is decreed by our DNA?

Genetics: Yes you know – what we inherited from Mama and Papa……however, don’t try and blame your parents for everything. Because the truth is our epigenetic alterations dictate more of our health and lifespan.

Epigenetics: Literally means “above” or “on top of” genetics. Those external modifications to our DNA that turn genes on or off. These modifications do not change the DNA sequence, but instead, they affect how cells “read” our genes, the orders they take from the DNA sequence.

Best Health by Genes or Pharmaceutical Companies?

Please, let’s agree that the very best health is determined by those practices that nurture our DNA.

Yes, pharmaceuticals serve a purpose. What I do believe has happened is that people accept that inevitable degradation in health will happen, and there are pharmaceuticals to help us heal or manage an illness. That is the typically accepted circle of life. I do believe we are a sick care society, rather than promoting true proactive health, health that preserved proper functioning of the cells.

Along the same line, if you ask people about aging – they will usually answer with something out of pop marketing: fine lines and wrinkles, grey hair……But Iask you to look at aging from the cell.

One of the original hypotheses of longevity posits that aging is the natural result of entropy on the cells, tissues, and organs of the animal—a slow, inexorable slide into non-functionality caused by a break down of its parts. We now can see that aging is instead at least in part genetically regulated, epigenetically regulated.

The regulation and subsequent breakdown of cellular processes (our health) represent a programmatic decision by the cell to either continue or abandon maintenance procedures with age.

Many mutations have been discovered to extend lifespan in organisms of all complexities, from yeast to mammals.

Bottom line – we are discovering that aging – cellular breakdown is not a necessity or foregone conclusion. The question is:

What are we doing, or not doing – to encourage our cells to continue with the quest to continue with their maintenance procedures?

Best Health – Preventing Cellular Aging

David Sinclair, Harvard Professor, author of the book

“Lifespan – Why we Age and Don’t Have to”:

“As a scientific definition, I’m proposing that aging is a loss of information—the information that keeps our cells healthy, the information that tells the cells which genes to read throughout our lives. And aging is a manifestation of cells losing their ability to read the right genes at the right time, which leads to cells losing their identity and tissues failing.”………

And…..

“The regulatory definition, currently, is that aging is something different than a disease. The reason is that even though it satisfies the criteria of a disease—which is a decline in function over time leading to death—aging is separated because it happens to more than 50% of us. And I’d argue that just because aging happens to more than half of us, is no reason to not include it as a disease. In fact, I would say it’s even more important that we work on trying to combat it, because aging is the main cause of all major diseases in society now.”

We have all been programmed with the fact that aging is inevitable – the way our genes are programmed. We will get older, need medications until we die….sorry for the very blunt delivery.

Now, we have great scientific data – aging is not a “fait accomplis” a foregone conclusion.

If we can protect the functioning of the cell, can we prevent disease, delay aging? Worth a try?

Best Health from the cell — Courtesy NIH, please click to enlarge

“In an older cell, accumulated damage leads to a less healthy cell. ROS build up from damaged mitochondria and contribute to a greater fraction of the proteome consisting of damaged proteins and protein aggregates.”

Yes, if not nurtured, cells will age, and disease will set in. We frequently think our “healthy lifestyle choices” are preserving the cell – when in fact we could be contributing to the demise of the cell’s performance. Stay away from pop science. The facade may look great, but it does not necessarily infer the cells are doing as well.

Chronic inflammation is at the root of all disease, causing our cells to abandon those maintenance and repair procedures…….Inflammation and ROS (Reactive Oxygen species) oxidative stress, break down the proper functioning of the cell, and we age.

Is your health worth $40/month?

Happily explain.

In Health,

Shira Litwack

Shira has been in chronic care management and prevention for 30 years, researcher, specializing in lifestyle habits including holistic nutrition, medical fitness and oxidative stress reduction. She has created and provided oxidative stress assessments, to help clients identify potential health risks. Lowering chronic inflammation for disease prevention and management is the focal point of BICH.

She partners with companies that provide immediate, affordable, accessible, reliable solutions for populations: Affordable, accessible healthcare, chronic care management, home testing…..Remote Patient Monitoring, Virtual Health, EMR

She is frequently called upon by the media, has her own podcast bringing current research to the public.

Articles featured in: Corporate Wellness Association, European Registry of Exercise Professionals, The National Post, Investment Executive Magazine, Directory of Greater Toronto, Canadian Leukemia & Lymphoma Association, Prostate Cancer Canada, Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada, Anytime Fitness, Today’s Black Woman, Today’s Seniors, Medical Fitness Network, FORCE (Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered), Willow (Breast & Hereditary Cancer Support),Myeloma Canada, Cancer Exercise Training Institute, Urban Poling for Breast Cancer, ROW – Recovery on Water for Breast Cancer, Sirius XM Doctor Radio, Medical Fitness Network

Access Hundreds of Self Tests, rapid diagnostics. Get Tested at Home! Stay at Home! Contact me for Covid-19 self testing with medical consultation Shira@BestInCorporateHealth.com

Aging and Disease: Which Comes First?

May 1, 2020employee performance, well-being3 Theories of Cellular Aging, activating our sirtuins, aggressive antioxidants, aging and disease, aging of our cells, biological age vs. chronological age Aging and disease, caloric restriction, Cell senescence, cellular aging, chicken or the egg, chronic illnesses mental and physical., glutathione SOD and Catalase, gluten sensitivity, healthy proactive lifestyle, lower oxidative stress, mitochondrial aging, mitochondrial dysfunction, Mitochondrial Theory of Aging, NRF1 pathway that stimulates our mitochondria, oxidative stress from hand sanitizers, oxidative stress theory of aging, reliable at home testing, sirtuins theory of agingBestinCorporateHealth

Aging and Disease….A Real Chicken or the Egg Dilemma!

Aging and disease…Is it time for a paradigm shift?

We have always thought that as we age, we become diseased. What we have learned the last number of years with epigenetics & the aging of our cells, it really is possible disease comes first.

Cellular aging is the progressive decline in the resistance to stress and other cellular damages, causing a gradual loss of cellular functions and resulting eventually in cell death. Aging is the progressive loss of tissue and organ function over time, from cell death. As we lose cellular function, we are more and more susceptible to disease, we age.

Disease happens with breakdown in the functioning of our cells.

Let’s take a look at the 3 most recognized causes of aging.

3 Theories of Cellular Aging:

Oxidative Stress theory of Aging
The Mitochondrial Theory of Aging
The Sirtuins Theory of Aging

Aging and Disease with Oxidative Stress

Oxidative stress causes chronic inflammation, which is at the root of our chronic illnesses, mental and physical. Fact: Lowering our levels of oxidative stress is a critical aspect of living a healthy, proactive lifestyle. Problem is – even with our best intentions, we often increase our levels of oxidative stress. Many articles here on BICH about oxidative stress and inflammation, how we can measure and lower.

How we can get our body to produce its own, homegrown most vital antioxidants

This is vital to really controlling our levels of oxidative stress. Activating our own body to produce its own antioxidant system, fights the free radicals of oxidative stress a million times greater than the antioxidants we eat. We must optimize our own NRF2 pathway, and produce glutathione, SOD and catalase….THE most aggressive antioxidants against oxidative stressors.

Oh….Those hand sanitizers we are slathering on now? A main ingredient is Triclosan (in various forms). The toxicity and oxidative stress from hand sanitizers.

2. Aging and Disease from Mitochondrial Dysfunction

You probably remember from biology class – the mitochondria are the powerhouses of our cells. Our mitochondria produce our ATP – which is our currency of energy in our bodies. and are key in metabolic homeostasis. BTW – I just thought I would add here:

Production of ATP is vital for our existence. You know what a very normal by-product is of ATP production? Oxidative stress ⚡️⚡️

Mitochondrial dysfunction has emerged as one of the key hallmarks of aging process and is linked to the development of numerous age-related pathologies including metabolic syndrome, neurodegenerative disorders, cardiovascular diseases and cancer. However, we can increase the amount of mitochondria we have, and increase the strength of our mitochondria with our NRF1 pathway.

Just as the NRF2 pathway activates our own homegrown antioxidant system, we need to call on the NRF1 pathway that stimulates our mitochondria – both in terms of quantity and quality. Aging and disease of our mitochondria is NOT a necessity of aging. We can stave off mitochondrial aging.

” Strategies aimed to enhance mitochondrial function by targeting mitochondrial dynamics, quality control, and mitohormesis pathways might promote healthy aging, protect against age-related diseases, and mediate longevity.” Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, December 2017

3. Aging and Disease with Sirtuins

NIH 2017: ” The search for an activator of sirtuins is one of the most extensive and robust topic of research”

We now have activators for sirtuins, and this is done with the NAD+ molecule.

Over the years, researchers have found that caloric restriction has a number of health benefits. We are not talking about knocking 500 calories off per day for fat loss, we are talking sever caloric restriction – in the range of eating less than 800 calories per day. Research found that by keeping calorie intake this low it provided healthy longevity, a healthier vascular system, cholesterol control, cognitive benefits including better mood, the ability to think clearer, and increases in energy.

Nobody wants to eat less than 800 calories per day, every day. Researchers discovered that by activating our NAD production, we can reap the same benefits from drastic caloric restriction, of increasing the activity of our sirtuins.

Back to our original question, which is it?

Aging ⇒ Disease OR

Disease ⇒ Aging?

Cell senescence is a growth arrest that is induced when cells reach the end of their replicative potential or are exposed to various stressors. AKA Zombie cells. These cells can also turn the healthy cells near them into zombie cells. Producing an inordinate amount of oxidative stress, is just one of the ways zombie cells destroy neighbouring healthy cells. By strengthening our cells, we have less cell senescence, and yes, research is showing – we do have the ability to stave off cell senescence.

The smallest unit of life, is the most powerful unit of life

Biological age does not have to be in accordance with the chronological age

Book a consult, provide employees with our OS assessment, a very different approach to corporate health!

Convenient diagnostic testing for many issues from Covid-19, Diabetes, Vitamin D, STDs, fertility, Flu, HIV, gluten sensitivity….let us put you in touch with reliable at home testing, hundreds of diagnostic tests with physician supervision & full privacy!

Lower oxidative stress, Redefine Your healthy Lifestyle, from your DNA! Once again, we see the data – oxidative stress and chronic inflammation is at the root of disease.

Are you worth $40/month?

Happily explain.

In Health,

Shira Litwack

She partners with companies that provide immediate, affordable, accessible, reliable solutions for populations.

NRF2 Pathway Defining Proactive Health

April 19, 2020employee performance, well-beingactivating our NRF2 pathway, approach to corporate health, bucket list, chronic care management, chronic lung inflammation covid-19, covid-19, covid-19 immune response lung function, eye health, Harvard Health on Inflammation, Live a Healthy Lifestyle activating your NRF2 pathway, lower chronic inflammation, medical fitness, NRF2 activation protective effects on the lung disorders, NRF2 and depression, NRF2 and heart disease, NRF2 and metabolism, Nrf2 at the heart of oxidative stress and cardiac protection, NRF2 pathway, NRF2 pathway and covid-19, NRF2 pathway Ocular disease, osteoarthritis and NRF2 activation, Oxidative Medicine & Cellular Longevity:, oxidative stress and inflammation, oxidative stress assessments, preventative breakthrough in the history of medicine, proactive healthBestinCorporateHealth

NRF2 Pathway – Tapping Your Greatest Inner Defense

Our NRF2 pathway is our inner unsung hero. Here, we are presenting research so that we all optimize & celebrate our unknown gift. Let’s make activating our NRF2 pathway #1 on our bucket list. How many of the other items on our wish lists are feasible without our health?

Harvard Health on Inflammation: A unifying theory of disease. Research is showing that chronic inflammation may be the common factor in many diseases”

What is the NRF2 Pathway?

The Nrf2 pathway, or signaling system controls the expression of many antioxidant and detoxification genes, by binding to antioxidant response elements (AREs) that are DNA sequences that respond to dietary antioxidants. In simple terms, NRF2 is a system from within that helps lower chronic inflammation by providing cells access to an abundance of antioxidants, to extinguish the flames of oxidative stress and inflammation.

NRF2 turns on our production of the 3 main antioxidants ( catalase, glutathione and SOD) having a 1 million to one advantage over ingesting individual antioxidants.

Washington State University 2015: “NRF2 may well become the most extraordinary therapeutic and most extraordinary preventative breakthrough in the history of medicine”

Research on Covid-19, Immune response & lung function

Why we want to activate our NRF2 Pathway:

Pubmed studies oxidative stress and diseases

Free Radicals, Oxidative Stress and Antioxidants in Human Disease

Are there Possible implications of the NRF2 pathway for Covid-19? 2018 study from Oxidative Medicine & Cellular Longevity:

Therapeutic Modulation of Virus-Induced Oxidative Stress via the Nrf2-Dependent Antioxidative Pathway

Inflammation and Recovering from Covid-19

NRF2 pathway Inflammation in lungs from Covid-19 — chronic lung inflammation in Covid-19

“After any severe case of pneumonia, a combination of underlying chronic diseases and prolonged inflammation seems to increase the risk of future illnesses, including heart attack, stroke, and kidney disease” Sachin Yende, epidemiologist and critical care physician, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center

Heart disease is the leading cause of death: NRF2 and heart disease

NRF2 and metabolism

The Role of Nrf2 in Cardiovascular Function and Disease 2017

Nrf2 as a Potential Mediator of Cardiovascular Risk in Metabolic Diseases 2019

Nrf2 at the heart of oxidative stress and cardiac protection

NRF2 and Depression:

NRF2 and mood disorders

PsychoNeuroEndocrinology

The Role of Oxidative Stress in Anxiety Disorders

Arthritis

Osteoarthritis and NRF2 activation

Cancer & Oxidative Stress

Oxidative stress, inflammation, and cancer: How are they linked?

Correlation between Oxidative Stress, Nutrition, and Cancer Initiation

NRF2 and Alzheimer’s

NRF2 and Neurodegenerative Disorders

NRF2 Autism

NRF2 Activation Protective effects on the lung disorders, pathogenesis of respiratory diseases 2019

Respiratory Complications with HIV

Potential Protective and Therapeutic Roles of the Nrf2 Pathway in Ocular Diseases: An Update 2020: (Eye health)

OK…You get the idea…..Oxidative stress leading to chronic inflammation is at the root of our chronic illnesses, mental and physical.

There are thousands of more studies available on the importance of lowering oxidative stress and activation of the NRF2 pathway.

I urge everyone to examine their choices. As we study oxidative stress and inflammation, we realize that sometimes, our best intentions with our health, can actually increase oxidative stress and chronic inflammation.

Book a consult, provide employees with our OS assessment, a very different approach to corporate health!

Lower oxidative stress, Redefine Your healthy Lifestyle, from your DNA!

Are you worth $40/month?

Happily explain.

In Health,

Shira Litwack

Shira has been in chronic care management and prevention for 30 years, researcher, specializing in lifestyle habits including holistic nutrition, medical fitness and oxidative stress reduction. She is frequently called upon by the media, has her own podcast bringing current research to the public.

She has created and provided oxidative stress assessments, to help clients identify potential health risks. From these, she designs appropriate exercise and physical activity protocols, nutrition ideas for lowering inflammation and to fall in love with fitness.

Access Hundreds of Self Tests, rapid diagnostics. Get Tested at Home! Stay at Home!

Oxidative Stress Leading to Inflammation

April 1, 2020employee performance, well-beingactivate our NRF2 pathway, antioxidant supplements, BRCA genes, breast cancer, chronic disease continues to be on the rise, chronic illness, CRP is an inflammatory marker, depression, epigenetics, healthy lifestyle, neurodegenerative disease, NRF2 activation to lower oxidative stress, NRF2 pathway, oxidative stress leading to inflammation, prediction of cardiovascular risk, rainbow of fruits and vegetables, social distancingBestinCorporateHealth

Oxidative Stress Leading to Inflammation

Oxidative stress leading to Inflammation, next stop, disease.

Going bigger, is not necessarily better.

Many of us have the very best intentions with our health. We try to eat right, exercise, take supplements, make choices we deem to be healthy. However, we frequently think more is better: more restrictive with our food choices, more intense workouts, more supplements. Let’s all examine our choices from the perspective of inflammation. First a background to

Genetics vs. Epigenetics

Genetics: The genes within our DNA we get from Mamma and Papa. These do not change.

Enter a BIG However:

Epigenetics: Tags on our DNA – which dramatically influences the way our DNA function, for better or for worse. This is where lifestyle exposures affect our gene expression, our health. This explains why identical twins, born with the same genetic material, can age very differently, based on their environment and lifestyle.

Our epigenome comprises all of the tags (epigenetic changes) that have been added to our genome regulating the expression of the genes within our genome.

Epigenetic modifications remain as cells divide and can be inherited through the generations

Point to ponder…The role of epigenetics in our evolution as a species?

Epigenetics influences which genes are switched-on, or expressed, passing on the way the genes are used.

Lifestyle can modify epigenetics; diet, obesity, physical activity, smoking, alcohol consumption, environmental pollutants, EMF, psychological stress, shift work, chemicals in diet……

Let’s look at the BRCA genes. These genes, associated with breast and other cancers, are genes that produce a tumor suppressing protein. This protein protects the cell by repairing any damages to the DNA. When there is a mutation in the BRCA genes, this protein does not function properly. The cell is now more susceptible to alterations that may lead to cancer. Epigenetics is a strong determinant over the development of cancer. The good news here: Epigenetic modifications are a central focus in researching prevention, diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer. “Epi-drugs” are now be researched.

Oxidative Stress

Oxidative stress has been my field of research for 30 years. Shortly after I got into fitness, I was intrigued on why exercise and nutrition influence our health so greatly. I knew it wasn’t just in the size jeans we wear, but in our genes. I have been blessed to work with a number of researchers over the years in the field of oxidative stress and the development of disease. Many years ago I evolved my fitness business into medical fitness and encompassed lifestyle habits to lower oxidative stress leading to inflammation.

Oxidative stress is an imbalance of free radicals and antioxidants in the body. Simply summarized, oxidative stress is electron thievery. Electrons are stable when coupled. Single electrons, called free radicals, scavenge the body to seek out other electrons so they can couple. Really is a wicked dating scene inside our cells! The electron thievery causes damage to cells, proteins and DNA. Oxidative stress happens when our redox state, is tipped with free radicals outnumbering available antioxidants.

Learn more on Pubmed about oxidative stress leading to inflammation and disease.

Sources of Oxidative Stress (OS):

OS has both endogenous (from within) and exogenous (from our world) sources.

Endogenous: Cellular metabolism. Now start thinking carefully here for the rest of the article. Energy production happens in the mitochondria of our cells. Our currency or energy is ATP. OS is a natural by-product of ATP. ……When do we produce more ATP?

The body’s natural immune response can also trigger oxidative stress temporarily.

Exogenous: No coincidence, the same list we have above for lifestyle influences on epigenetics.

Long-term oxidative stress damages the body’s cells, proteins, and DNA. OS strongly contributes to aging and is accepted to be at the root of many of our chronic conditions including diabetes, cancers, heart and vascular disease, depression, neurodegenerative disease, arthritis, Alzheimer’s, insulin resistance, IBD……More and more of our chronic issues are being linked to oxidative stress as it can lead to chronic inflammation.

Inflammation – Chronic Inflammation

Inflammation is the body’s means of fighting against invaders, such as infections, injuries, and toxins, to self repair. Chronic inflammation puts the body in a constant state of alert.

Inflammation triggered by oxidative stress is the cause of many chronic diseases, as summarized above.

CRP is an inflammatory marker. It is valued as the most clinically useful and the best marker of inflammation and is respected as a valuable tool in the prediction of cardiovascular risk.

Chronic Diseases continues to be on the Rise

Our bodies inner antioxidant system was not designed “back in the day” to manage our current barrage of OS fire from our environment and lifestyle choices. We evolved with an inner antioxidant system to manage our endogenous OS, which weakens with age and exhaustion!

According to the WHO, chronic disease is on the rise worldwide. An aging population, obesity-induced oxidative stress and changes in our environment and our lifestyle choices are contributing to this steady increase.

Digging Deeper…..We talk about obesity being an issue in disease. At the cellular level, adipocytes produce ROS. But we have a chicken or the egg issue. There are many researchers suggesting that oxidative stress causes obesity……the plot thickens……

Suffice it to say, controlling oxidative stress is paramount to a “healthy lifestyle.” What we need to do, is discover the many hidden cause of oxidative stress and extinguish the fires of chronic inflammation, best we can.

NRF2 Activation to lower oxidative stress

Oxidative stress leading to inflammation, perhaps the most unknown cause of chronic illness outside the research world. Yes, many people know to eat their rainbow of fruits and vegetables. Fabulous! How many people know about the NRF2 pathway inside the body? The NRF2 pathway produces our own homegrown antioxidants, which lower oxidative stress at a 1,000,000:1 ratio relative to eating antioxidants. Taking antioxidant supplements can have dangerous side effects. We are far safer to activate our NRF2 pathway.

Contact me to take our oxidative stress assessment, and learn how to activate your NRF2 pathway.

“Nrf2 may well become the most extraordinary therapeutic and most extraordinary preventative breakthrough in the history of medicine.” Washington State University

Healthy Lifestyle?

Exercise: This section is difficult, but needs to be discussed. I am NOT the Grinch that maligned exercise. I am a major exercise and physical activity enthusiast. The gym is my play ground, I have a gym in my home, and yes, we do not need a gym to get exercise, the world is our gym. Especially in the current times of social distancing, we can get physical activity in a number of fun, invigorating ways.

Bottom line:

Bottom line: Too much exercise in terms of intensity and duration is proven to increase oxidative stress. Yes, exercise and physical activity are a necessity for every aspect of health. Exercise has been proven to lower oxidative stress, cardio vascular risk, but the mechanisms of this are still being studied.

It has been proven that starting “on an exercise program”, then quitting abruptly increases OS. Slow and steady wins the race.

Diet plus exercise is far more effective in lowering OS, than exercise alone.

Exercise has better control on lowering oxidative stress in people who have higher levels of CRP (inflammatory marker).

Exhaustive and prolonged exercise promotes the generation of ROS, depletion of antioxidants and vitamins, induces oxidative stress, renal impairment and inflammation.
Prolonged aerobic exercise is linked to dramatic increases in oxidative stress
Less studied thus far, intense hypertrophy training (heavy weight lifting) has been shown to increase oxidative stress….
Muscle mass is imperative for healthy aging, balanced training is key.

More exercise in terms of duration and intensity could lose the beneficial effects of exercise. It is very important for those engaging in stressful exercise to support their antioxidant supply to combat OS.

Pedantic Diets:

There are many examples here.

Our body needs a variety of amino acids to function efficiently. Bioavailability of these amino acids varies amongst food sources.

There are a number of benefits to particularly picked on foods such as dairy and red meat. We need to feed out bodies the nutrients, amino acids it needs. Let’s look at some research on a few popular diets.

Keto diet: Ketogenic diets have shown to increase inflammatory markers.
Paleo diet: can be good in some respects by eliminating sugar, alcohol, but if not done carefully Paleo-ers have been shown to be deficient in fiber and certain minerals and vitamins which is hurtful to gut health, and yes pro inflammatory.
Vegan diets: Again, proceed with intense caution. Vegan diets tend to be very carb heavy. Our grains are not what they used to be. Genetic modification and toxins abound, and our soil is not what it used to be as a source of minerals. Very sorry: The digestibility and bioavailability of protein in plant foods is inferior to meat, fish and dairy products. What no omega 3s in fish????
A 2018 study showed that long term diets excessively low, or high in carbohydrates are both linked with a shorter lifespan.
Orthorexia: Very few orthorexic people will admit to this disorder. Orthorexia is the obsessive fixation on healthy food and healthy eating, excessive exercise. People with orthorexia are often on a restrictive diet. There are many chronic conditions associated with orthorexia, yes, including being pro inflammatory.

There is NO utopian diet. Our diet, exercise & lifestyle choices need to be reassessed and evolve as we age. Examine lifestyle decisions from the perspective of inflammation. The scale, a ripped physique, skinny jeans are not the omnipotent indicator of health. We need to examine what we are identifying as our markers of health. Maybe our good intentions are weakening our inner defences. Be healthy and balanced. Balance is strength!

Book a consult, provide employees with our OS assessment!

Shira Litwack

Shira has been in chronic care management and prevention for 30 years, specializing in lifestyle habits including holistic nutrition, medical fitness and oxidative stress reduction. She is frequently called upon by the media, has her own podcast bringing current research to the public.

Optimizing Gut Health- Our Mighty Microbiome

September 7, 2019employee performance, well-beingbacteriotherapy, beneficial bacteria, brain fog, carb cravings, chronic inflammation, chronic intestinal infections, diagnosed with depression, dysbiosis, fecal transplant, gastric mucosal injury, GI diseases, Gi Health, gut health, health and happiness, Leaky gut, lowering stomach acid, lowering triglycerides, microbial repertoire, microbiome, microbiota, optimizing gut health, oxidative stress, oxidative Stress and gut health, probiotics, promoting the healthy HDL cholesterol, Reducing oxidative stress is a MUST for a healthy lifestyle, toxic waste productsBestinCorporateHealth

Optimizing Gut Health for Health and Happiness

Optimizing gut health is critical for our overall health. As Hippocrates said “all diseases begin in the gut.” We often think of our stomach as an empty vat that food plops into – which could not be any further from reality.

Our gut is the host to 100 trillion microorganisms, composing our microbiota. The gut’s functions are

digestion
absorption of nutrients
excretion of waste
development and function of the immune system
gut-brain communication
production of serotonin
Helps control our hormonal levels, helping us maintain healthy cortisol levels improved ability to handle stress
A recent study of 1,500 people found that our gut microbiome plays an important function by promoting the healthy HDL cholesterol and lowering triglycerides

Many of our daily chronic issues & diseases including weight gain, high blood sugar, high cholesterol could originate from a dysfunctional gut, or a dysbiosis – an imbalance between good and harmful bacteria. We run to treat the blood sugar, cholesterol…..with medications, when maybe a first step should be balancing our microbiome.

We are first exposed to microbes when we pass through Mama’s birth canal.

Just how important is our microbiota…..Would you like to have a fecal transplant? AKA poop in a pill or bacteriotherapy – our microbiota is just that important. A fecal transplant takes microbes from individuals with a healthy flora and given to an unhappy microbiome, used to treat chronic intestinal infections. Kind of a reverse colonoscopy, these transplants are 90 percent effective in healing the gut and eliminating the infection. Imagine – transplanting bacteria to get healthy!

Optimizing Gut Health by Minimizing the Harmful Bacteria

We nurture the bad bacteria by eating refined sugars, processed foods, ingesting toxins in our food, alcohol. Our diet, lifestyle, and medications, particularly antibiotics, influence and shape the gut microbiome throughout our life. Antibiotics kill the good bacteria too, not just the bad ones.

The bad bacteria interact with the immune system in the gut to cause the release of inflammatory cytokines and stress steroids ….associated with chronic inflammation.
The good bacteria: Housekeepers of the gut, crucial to health and should dominate and control all other microbes. The beneficial bacteria provide a natural barrier and protect us against disease, free radicals, hostile bacteria, parasites, fungi, viruses and toxins that are in our food and drink that we ingest every day.

A word about probiotics to support beneficial bacteria – and they spend A LOT of money to get those billions of colonies.

It does not matter how many billions of colonies

there are – what matters is if they can survive the stomach acid to get to reach our small intestine. Most probiotics do not make it there – unless they are specifically formulated to pass through the stomach. Lowering stomach acid is NOT the answer- our stomach acid plays a very important role in our health!

Leaky gut: I feel any article about optimizing gut health would be incomplete without at least mentioning leaky gut. AKA “intestinal permeability,” a condition in which the lining of the small intestine is damaged, causing undigested food particles, toxic waste products and bacteria to seep through the intestines invading the blood stream. Leaky gut can lead to many serious health issues.

Possible signs of leaky gut include:

diarrhea, constipation, bloating & gas
skin issues such as hives, rashes
carb cravings
weakened immune system
brain fog
achey joints

Dr. Axe is a great place to research leaky gut and learn more!!!

Oxidative Stress & Gut Health

I have many articles on this site for reducing oxidative stress.

Oxidative stress ⇒⇒Inflammation ⇒⇒Chronic Inflammation ⇒⇒ Disease

Reducing oxidative stress is a MUST for a healthy lifestyle.

As Harvard says:

Inflammation is the unifying link between all disease – mental and physical

There are many causes of oxidative stress endogenous and exogenous. The oxymoron here is often we make choices we think our good for us – but we easily could be decreasing our body’s ability to lower oxidative stress.

Oxidative stress is a culprit in the pathogenesis of our GI diseases including peptic ulcers, gastrointestinal cancers, and inflammatory bowel disease.

Oxidative Stress is a strong factor in the process of gastric mucosal injury

A study in Belgium – studying the “microbial repertoire” in the gut consistently found that people diagnosed with depression were missing 2 kinds of good, vital microbes. A later Dutch study – found the same 2 microbes missing.

⇒⇒ Oxidative stress affects our gut health and can cause serious damage. Yet another way oxidative stress is at the root of all diseases

Combatting Oxidative Stress with NRF2 Pathway:

Complicated – but simply, our inner NRF2 pathway triggers our antioxidative genes. It is completely accepted the NRF2 pathway lowers oxidative stress, however, it also dramatically decreases with age. The NRF2 powers provide a million times the antioxidative power. There are hundreds of studies, peer reviewed studies that prove the incredible power of activating our NRF2 pathway. The truth is – there really is only one way to activate the NRF2 pathway – and that is with the natural supplements that have been studied, proven and accepted by our respected medical institutions.

Washington State University refers to these NRF2 activators as the “the most extraordinary therapeutic and most extraordinary preventative breakthrough in history of medicine.” These activators are recommended by the American Heart Association and have earned the accolades of hundreds of peer reviewed studies.

Our cells are forced to confront the daily cacophony of life, from oxidative stress. We have the ability to orchestrate the musicians, our cells, into the symphony of life. Contact me to lower oxidative stress by up to 40% in the first month. My Bonus for the corporate world – free educational webinars on understanding oxidative stress and inflammation – and really managing and preventing disease. email me for details.

Oxidative Stress at the Root of Disease

In Health,

Shira

Shira@BestInCorporateHealth.com. Set Up a Call

The supplement like a flu shot against oxidative stress…..

Why are we not controlling chronic illness? We must control the wildfire of inflammation and lower oxidative stress. We know oxidative stress is at the root of chronic illness such as cancer, heart disease, depression, arthritis, stroke, diabetes. Inflammation ages us and leaves us susceptible to disease….We take a flu shot to prevent the flu – one simple supplement to lower your oxidative stress by as much as 40%. 7 patents, 24 peer reviewed studies on pubmed, accolades from American Heart Association, Mayo Clinic, National Institute on Aging….Washington State: “may well become the most extraordinary therapeutic and most extraordinary preventative breakthrough in the history of medicine.”

Shira Litwack: Corporate Wellness Specialist, Chronic Care prevention & management program design, health technologies, population health management on 3 continents.

There is an estimated 750 Billion dollars in U.S. health care waste every year. Our many technologies assure you are not contributing to that $750 billion. Health technology serving the continuum from prevention through chronic illness management.

Lifestyle Management Medical Cost Transparency Best Specialists Choosing benefits Chronic Care Management

Combatting Oxidative Stress from Within

June 13, 2019employee performance, well-beingactivate NRF2 pathway, alcohol causes inflammation, call being, chronic care management, combatting oxidative stress, diet supportive of methylation, DNA methylation, epigenetic influences, heart smart habits, high levels of oxidative stress, how our choices are impacting our DNA, lower oxidative stress, mental stress, most extraordinary preventative breakthrough in the history of medicine, our own methylation abilities, population health management, workplace health programsBestinCorporateHealth

Combatting Oxidative Stress from Within

Combatting oxidative stress from within is a much smarter approach than trying to minimize our exposure. Sure – let’s try to do that as well. However, OS is internally produced and attacks us from our environment. There are many exposures to oxidative stressors that are out of our control.

How many times have you said, or heard someone else say:

“ Uncle Tom smoked a pack a day, was never sick a day and lived to be 90”.

“I don’t get it – Sally is 32, healthy, exercises, eats right…and has breast cancer!”

The body is a very complex system of chemical reactions. Those chemical reactions are dictated by both genetics & epigenetics. When we talk about living a healthy lifestyle – we need to look beyond the superficialities, and understand how our choices are impacting our DNA – definitely not always as we hope.

Oxidative stress (OS) is a fact of life. I have made it my mission in my personal life and corporate life to enlighten people about the dangers and realities of oxidative stress. Workplace health programs center around eating right, exercise, sleep – all of those are obviously critical. However, my mantra – our cell being – we have to dig deeper and investigate what epigenetic influences are sabotaging our best efforts. Illness happens because our cells have been manipulated.

Think of OS as the mortal kryptonite. OS comes from within our bodies, as it is a natural by-product of our energy production in the mitochondria of our cells. And, it is also an unfortunate by product from our environment, exposures & the thousands of choices we make on a daily basis, such as:

toxins …..abundant in all of the chemicals in our world
pollution
poor food choices
smoking (1st, 2nd, 3rd hand smoke)
drinking alcohol
exposure to radiation
constant mental stress and high cortisol production
many many more…

OS can lead to chronic inflammation. It is at the root of all of our chronic illnesses including cancers, heart disease, depression, arthritis, Alzheimer’s, neuro-degenerative disorders, macular degeneration, diabetes….you name it.

Our redox state is the balance within between OS & antioxidants. The reason we are told to “eat a rainbow” of colored fruits and vegetables is for the antioxidants (and many other healthy reasons!) to counteract the free radicals created by OS. An imbalance in our redox state – high levels of oxidative stress- alter and impair the functioning of proteins, enzymes & our DNA. Here I am discussing two ways to help control OS.

Methylate!

DNA methylation is an epigenetic mechanism adding a methyl (CH3) group to DNA, modifying the function of the genes and affecting gene expression. DNA methylation often inhibits the expression of certain genes, in a good way. For example, methylation might stop a tumor-causing gene from “turning on,” thereby preventing a cancer formation. Research shows us DNA methylation slows down as we age. Research is looking into learning to analyze our own methylation abilities. As a result, genes that were once repressed by methylated DNA start to become active, possibly allowing the development of a variety of diseases. Research is looking into learning to analyze our own methylation abilities. What we can do to reduce demethylation?

We know methylation is slowed by alcohol. Alcohol is NOT our friend. A glass of wine a day does NOT support heart health. Those studies have been ripped apart many times. I think we all know better, heart smart habits than alcohol. The very first glass of alcohol causes inflammation in the body – and yes it will in some people more than others.
We know certain nutrients in our diet are supportive of methylation including folate, B12 (decreases with age) B6 & choline.- Take a look at this list. How many of those foods are written off because people perceive them as “unhealthy” ? Beef, eggs, bananas, fish, dairy chicken, potatoes…so as always – I beg people to really think if they are eating a complete diet, really supporting their health vs. following a fad, making sweeping generalizations.

Combatting Oxidative Stress with NRF2 Pathway:

Oxidative Stress at the Root of Disease

In Health,

Shira

Shira@BestInCorporateHealth.com. Set Up a Call

The supplement like a flu shot against oxidative stress…..

Shira Litwack: Corporate Wellness Specialist, Chronic Care prevention & management program design, health technologies, population health management on 3 continents.

Lifestyle Management Medical Cost Transparency Best Specialists Choosing benefits Chronic Care Management

Addiction Recovery with NAD+

February 18, 2019employee performance, well-beingaddiction recovery, addiction relief, addictive narcotic, Alzheimer's, brain disease, chronic care management, chronic illness recovery, chronic stress, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, CTE in football players, DNA damage, heal the brain, NAD+, opiate addiction epidemic, oxidative stress, Paula Norris Mestayer, post traumatic stress, PTSD, treating addictionBestinCorporateHealth

Addiction Recovery with NAD+ – Paula Norris Mestayer

Addiction recovery with an essential nutrient in to every cell in the body. NAD+, or nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, is a coenzyme found in all living cells, and it’s required for the fundamental biological processes that make life possible. NAD+ levels decline as we age. Now, we are learning that NAD+ has remarkable qualities to heal the brain – from many ailments.

“Our nation faces an opiate addiction epidemic, and our primary response is the substitution of one addictive narcotic (methadone or Suboxone) for another. Although these drugs can provide short-term addiction relief, the price is often a lifetime of chemical slavery to the substitute narcotic—with long-term debilitating health consequences. “

-Our guest Paula Norris Mestayer

Paula Norris Mestayer, M.Ed., LPC, FAPA, is the founder of Springfield Wellness Center, which has helped thousands of people successfully break the rehab/relapse cycle. She and her colleague, Dr. Richard Mestayer, III, have also trained scores of other physicians in the protocols for utilizing NAD+ to effectively treat addiction—with minimal withdrawal symptoms and without substituting another narcotic. If you, or anyone you know or love is suffering from addiction, please call

225-294-5955

The Springfield Wellness Center have been proven to help people recover from drugs and alcohol addiction, post-traumatic stress, chronic stress, and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s to move forward and live happy healthy lives.

The brain can heal!

Addiction recovery with Paula Norris Mestayer:

The research confirming that addiction is a brain disease, not a character defect
traditional methods of treating addiction
Oxidative stress on the body – DNA damage – the root of mental and physical disease
CTE in football players – chronic traumatic encephalopathy
Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, PTSD, physical trauma & emotional trauma, chronic stress

“Addiction is not hopeless; nor does its treatment depend upon substituting another narcotic. Brains can heal; when they do, they no longer crave the addictive substance” – Paula Norris Mestayer

Shira Litwack, Corporate Wellness Specialist, chronic Care program design, health technologies, population health management on 3 continents.

The supplement like a flu shot against oxidative stress…..

Why are we not controlling chronic illness? We must control the wildfire of inflammation and lower oxidative stress. We know oxidative stress is at the root of chronic illness such as cancer, heart disease, depression….We take a flu shot to prevent the flu – one simple supplement to lower your oxidative stress by as much as 40%. 7 patents, 24 peer reviewed studies on pubmed, accolades from American Heart Association, Mayo Clinic, National Institute on Aging….Washington State: “may well become the most extraordinary therapeutic and most extraordinary preventative breakthrough in the history of medicine.”

calendly.com/Shira-Litwack

Lifestyle Management Medical Cost Transparency Best Specialists Choosing benefits Chronic Care Management

Mental Health with Integrative Psychiatry

February 18, 2019employee performance, well-beingbehavioral and mood disorders, biochemical individuality, cholesterol and mental health, chronic care management, commit suicide, gut health and mental, integrative medicine, Integrative Psychiatry, James Greenblatt, lower oxidative stress, medical cost transparency, Mental Health, mental wellness, mood problems, nutrition for mental health, orthomolecular medicine, psychopharmacology, role of stress, suicide preventionBestinCorporateHealth

Mental Health – Approaching through Integrative Psychiatry

Mental health is an integral part of health. Without mental health, there is no health.

Along those lines, we all know we should be eating right, exercising, making lifestyle choices that are responsible for good health. However, those are choices usually associated with physical health, not mental health.

Dr. Greenblatt discusses with us stress, depression, schizophrenia, and yes, the what seems to be, a recent epidemic of suicides. Did you know that most people who commit suicide had sought health treatment in the last 30 days before the suicide?

Mental Health – An Integrative Approach with Dr. Greenblatt:

Nutrition for mental health
What is integrative Psychiatry?
functional medicine approach
Gut health and mental wellness
Biochemical individuality- genetic vulnerability…the genetic/environmental dance
The role of stress
psychopharmacology
apparent epidemic of suicides
The stigma
blood tests for vital nutrients
Biological model of suicide prevention…understanding markers to go from stress to suicide.
Omega 3 fatty acids – the research – The US military and omega 3 infused foods
cholesterol & mental health…..will surprise you!
Treatment model vs. finding causes
sugar & alcohol ….correlation of co-morbid conditions with mood problems…..the “nutritional vacuum cleaners”
thyroid testing
Getting the primary doctor to perform certain blood tests
suicide prevention

Dr. James Greenblatt. Integrative psychiatry – nutrition and mental health – Dr. Greenblatt will open a whole new angle to dealing with mental health and wellness

Our Guest – Dr. James Greenblatt

A pioneer in the field of integrative medicine, James M. Greenblatt MD has treated patients with complex behavioral and mood disorders since 1988.

After receiving his medical degree and completing his psychiatry residency at George Washington University, Dr. Greenblatt completed a fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry at Johns Hopkins Medical School. Dr. Greenblatt currently serves as the Chief Medical Officer at Walden Behavioral Care in Waltham, MA and serves as an Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Tufts University School of Medicine and Dartmouth College Geisel School of Medicine.

An acknowledged integrative medicine expert, educator, and author, Dr. Greenblatt has lectured internationally on the scientific evidence for nutritional interventions in psychiatry and mental illness. Through three decades of practice and research, Dr. Greenblatt has been a leading contributor to the revolution of patients and families seeking individualized care and offers evidence-based approaches toward nuanced and integrative recovery.

In April of 2017, Dr. Greenblatt was inducted into the Orthomolecular Medicine Hall of Fame by the International Society of Orthomolecular Medicine, which has recognized significant contributors to science and medicine who operate from the perspective of biochemical individuality and nutrition-based therapies since 2004. Dr. Greenblatt shares this honor with recognized founders in the field of integrative medicine, beginning with the pioneers of nutritional psychiatry Abram Hoffer, Linus Pauling, and Roger Williams.

His book series, Psychiatry Redefined, draws on his many years of experience and expertise in integrative medicine for psychiatry. Dr. Greenblatt’s knowledge in the areas of biology, genetics, psychology, and nutrition as they interact in the treatment of mental illness has made him a highly sought-after speaker at national and international conferences and workshops. He currently offers online courses for professionals as well as specialized fellowship programs in the functional medicine approaches to integrative psychiatry. For more information, please visit www.JamesGreenblattMD.com.

The supplement like a flu shot against oxidative stress…..

Why are we not controlling chronic illness? We must control the wildfire of inflammation and lower oxidative stress. We know oxidative stress is at the root of chronic illness such as cancer, heart disease, depression….We take a flu shot to prevent the flu – one simple supplement to lower your oxidative stress by as much as 40%. 7 patents, 24 peer reviewed studies on pubmed, accolades from American Heart Association, Mayo Clinic, National Institute on Aging….Washington State: “may well become the most extraordinary therapeutic and most extraordinary preventative breakthrough in the history of medicine.”

calendly.com/Shira-Litwack

Lifestyle Management Medical Cost Transparency Best Specialists Choosing benefits Chronic Care Management

Let’s talk:

Artificial Intelligence And Your Health

December 17, 2018employee performance, well-beingAI, artificial intelligence, Artificial Intelligence and your health, big data, healthcare, healthcare solutions, lower oxidative stress, revolutionized healthcare, SiriBestinCorporateHealth

Artificial Intelligence – What Does it Mean for your Health?

Artificial Intelligence – we hear it all the time – Do we know what it means? Do we know how AI has revolutionized healthcare?

AI involves inputting vast amounts of data into computers – and let it crunch away. The term AI has been around since the 1950s – but now because of its potential for such vast reach into technology, healthcare….the implications are overwhelming.

Artificial intelligence organizes big data that exists for a particular task

calculates best processes for a desired outcome

Every time we ask Siri a question on our iPhone, or use voice command in the car – we are enjoying the benefits of AI.

cell atom data

What do these 3 words have in common?

The cell is the smallest unit of our physiology

The atom is the smallest unit of matter

Data – The raw resource that powers AI.

Keeping that data safe and secure, not violating privacy…..that is forever the challenge, think of the Facebook fiasco.

Artificial Intelligence – Reinventing Healthcare Solutions

AI is being implemented in every aspect of the betterment of our health. These examples realm of possibilities:

A Danish AI software company is using computers to eavesdrop while human dispatchers took emergency calls. The algorithm analyzed what the callers voice. The tone of voice and background noise could detect cardiac arrests with a 93% success rate compared to 73% for people trying to accomplish the same task
Virtual nursing assistants are being used to help monitor patients between doctor visits – giving people 24/7 access to tailored support
AI surgical robots are providing greater accuracy to surgery – fewer complications post-op
Clalit Health in Israel is using AI along with existing CT scans identifying patients with bone and cardiovascular disease far earlier than ever before.
University of Toronto engineering students along with the Faculty of Medicine are using AI for patients with glioblastoma. Their AI tool is reducing the time for developing radiation treatments for these patients from days to hours
AI is being used now in a number of ways to predict and treat breast cancer, including earlier diagnosing, better individualized treatments, has reduced over treatments (unnecessary surgeries)

The most exciting part is we are still early, AI is still in its infancy stage for uses in healthcare.

Re-engineering the “patient” to educated healthcare consumer. Health technology for greater transparency, and better health outcomes.

Help control workforce oxidative stress:

The supplement like a flu shot against oxidative stress…..

Why are we not controlling chronic illness? We must control the wildfire of inflammation and lower oxidative stress. We know oxidative stress is at the root of chronic illness such as cancer, heart disease, depression….We take a flu shot to prevent the flu – one simple supplement to lower your oxidative stress by as much as 40%. 7 patents, 24 peer reviewed studies on pubmed, accolades from American Heart Association, Mayo Clinic, National Institute on Aging….Washington State: “may well become the most extraordinary therapeutic and most extraordinary preventative breakthrough in the history of medicine.”

calendly.com/Shira-Litwack

Articles featured in: European Registry of Exercise Professionals, The National Post, Investment Executive Magazine, Directory of Greater Toronto, Canadian Leukemia & Lymphoma Association, Prostate Cancer Canada, Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada, Anytime Fitness, Today’s Black Woman, Today’s Seniors, Medical Fitness Network, FORCE (Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered), Willow (Breast & Hereditary Cancer Support),Myeloma Canada, Cancer Exercise Training Institute, Urban Poling for Breast Cancer, ROW – Recovery on Water for Breast Cancer, Sirius XM Doctor Radio

Health Care Dollars – The Waste and the Want

July 12, 2018employee performance, well-beingbetter health care purchasers, better lifestyle choices, corporate health program, health care, health Care Dollars, health care spending in the US, healthcare, healthcare premiums, high cost of healthcare, ICD-10 Codes WHO, lower oxidative stress, medical tourism within the United States, purchasers of health care, smart consumers of healthcare, URAC approvedBestinCorporateHealth

Health Care Dollars – The Want Because of the Waste

Health care dollars seem to out pace the speed of light.

More than $750 Billion of the total $2.5 trillion spent annually on health care in the US is waste. This number does not include the immeasurable wasted dollars from lack of prevention and better initial care. In a recent Gallup poll, people cited the high cost of healthcare as their most disturbing financial concern. According to the National Academy of Medicine, if we could save and reinvest that $750 billion in waste, more than the budget of the Defense Department, we could insure 150 million Americans. If we saved half, we could buy groceries for every family in America for a year…..that certainly puts it into perspective! And most obviously, by eliminating the waste we could halt the obscene rising costs. Some states are reporting their healthcare premiums will rise 45-57% in 2018.

There are a number of culprits labelled in this flushing of health care dollars.

hospitals discarding perfectly good supplies, multi billions
over treatment & testing
dramatic differences in costs
excessive administrative costs
pharmaceutical…….
medical errors
fraud…….

Point is, until the powers that be deal with this situation, how can we save health care dollars, and still provide people the availability and affordability in healthcare.

This is not a problem to go away quickly – it seems waste in healthcare has become almost normalized.

Harvard Business School:
“A comprehensive demand-side strategy that gives consumers incentives and information to be much better purchasers of health care, and an aggressive supply-side strategy that changes the way providers are paid so their profit margins are tightly linked to outcomes and efficiency rather than the volume of services delivered. We believe that the United States should pursue both strategies. ”

Give consumers better information to be better purchasers of health care
providers are paid so profit margins dependent on outcomes & efficiency

Let’s come better health care purchasers:

The range in costs across the country for the same procedure. A knee replacement in Tucson can cost $21K and $38k in Sacramento. Even within California, there is a $30k fluctuation in knee replacement costs.

Yes, different locations will have higher costs to cover, overhead demands.

medical procedure costs across the US — Health Care Cost Institute 2016

Greyed out states – data not available. Albeit this data is a couple of years old , however, we need to research best providers, best providers. Medical tourism within the United States.

The tragedy, more reasons to look for the best providers……

The IOM estimated deaths because of medical errors as high as 98,000 a year. … His (Martin Makary, a professor of surgery at the Johns Hopkins 2016) calculation of 251,000 deaths equates to nearly 700 deaths a day — about 9.5% of all deaths annually in the United States. Published in the BMJ, “medical errors” in hospitals and other health-care facilities are incredibly common and may now be the third-leading cause of death in the United States — claiming 251,000 lives every year, more than respiratory disease, accidents, stroke and Alzheimer’s.

The supplement like a flu shot against oxidative stress…..

Why are we not controlling chronic illness? We must control the wildfire of inflammation and lower oxidative stress. We know oxidative stress is at the root of chronic illness such as cancer, heart disease, depression….We take a flu shot to prevent the flu – one simple supplement to lower your oxidative stress by as much as 40%. 7 patents, 24 peer reviewed studies on pubmed, accolades from American Heart Association, Mayo Clinic, National Institute on Aging….Washington State: “may well become the most extraordinary therapeutic and most extraordinary preventative breakthrough in the history of medicine.”

calendly.com/Shira-Litwack

Health Tech…saving dollars and health, chronic care management…….Shira@BestInCorporatehealth.com

Let us customize your corporate health program.

Chief Health Enthusiast – Best In Corporate Health

Shira is regularly consulted by Naturopaths, oncologists, health coaches on cancer exercise and exercise adherence.
Has assembled over 20 health and fitness professionals with varying specialties to bring to corporate wellness programs
Platforms include: Speaking, One-one/group health coaching, Retreats, Course development for in house delivery, Metrics to measure success available, Partners always included
Now offering live interactive webinars, just as if each participant has a personal health coach – making corporate wellness programs affordable to all.
Shira has been interviewed & published in hundreds of resources over the last 15 years:

Migraine and Headache Awareness Month

June 6, 2018employee performance, well-beingBMI, botox treatment, CGRP medication for migraines, chronic headache and pain, corporate health engagement, corporate health programs, dehydration, diagnosed with migraines, Dr. Ian Finkelstein, episodic vs. chronic migraine, food and migraines, gluten free, headache medications, importance of physical activity, inflammatory response, June is National migraine month, migraine, migraine pain, migraine sufferers, migraine treatment, minimize the risk of migraines, over the counter medication, post menopausal migraines, providing health technology, rebound headaches, sensitivity to light, sinus headache, sleep deprivation, sleep study, tension headache, Toronto Headache and Pain Clinic, work productivityBestinCorporateHealth

Migraine Support: June is National Migraine Awareness Month

Migraine is more than just a headache. It can be a debilitating condition which has a considerable impact on the quality of life of sufferers, work productivity, and of course impact on the families. Migraines can be completely disabling, forcing the sufferer to abandon everyday activities for up to 3 days.

Often partnered with migraines:

Nausea and/or vomiting and/or diarrhea
Increased sensitivity to light (photophobia)
Increased sensitivity to sounds (phonophobia)
Increased sensitivity to smells (osmophobia)

Migraine Pounding Statistics:

• 1 in 4 Canadian households have someone effected by migraines

• One-quarter of migraine patients surveyed by Statistics Canada experienced pain that prevented activities or felt left out of things because of their condition

• Over 80% of chronic migraine sufferers in Canada are women

In the U.S., more than 38 million people suffer from migraines. Some migraine studies estimate that 13 percent of adults in the U.S. population have migraines, and 2-3 million migraine suffers are chronic.

Some more migraine stats….

91% miss work or can’t function normally during migraine attack

70% of those in a Canadian study said migraines caused problems in their relationships

69% have consulted a physician at some time seeking treatment for migraine pain

53% have severe disability requiring reducing activities or bed rest
51% said migraines cut in half their work or school productivity
***Almost half of all migraine sufferers are have not been diagnosed….I guess which goes with the next stat………
47% of people who have symptoms that meet the guidelines to be diagnosed with migraines thought they had a tension headache, sinus headache or another type of headache
24% have gone to the emergency room because the migraine pain was so severe
6% saw a doctor at a hospital for a migraine in the past three months

Migraine Treatment Approach with Dr. Finkelstein:

headache vs. migraine, episodic vs. chronic migraine
Why most migraine sufferers are women
How the workplace can minimize the risk of migraines for employees, lighting
lifestyle to prevent migraines
triggers – those can control and those we cannot
The importance of sleep hygiene – a consistent sleep cycle, sleep deprivation, sleep study, maintaining sleep patterns – even on weekends.
Food and migraines, dehydration, gluten free,
Taking too much over the counter medication, headache medications! Rebound headaches
perpetuating the inflammatory response ➨ sugar consumption, high body mass index BMI
Exercise, importance of physical activity
starting with migraines at more senior years, post menopausal migraines
acute medications & preventative medications – decreasing attack frequency
CGRP antagonist medication for migraines, Botox treatment
nutraceuticals
Acupuncture, Gammacore – stimulating the vagus nerve
Resources: Canadian Headache Society American Headache society Mychronicmigraine.ca MigraineCanada.org

Dr. Ian Finkelstein is Medical Director of the Toronto Headache & Pain Clinic. Dr. Finkelstein earned his Master of Science degree in Pharmacology, as well as his medical degree from the University of Toronto. He is the medical director of The Toronto Headache & Pain Clinic and coordinates the efforts of a multidisciplinary team. He lectures nationally and internationally on the topic of multidisciplinary management of chronic headache and pain.

Best In Corporate Health: Connected Care: Providing Integrated Value Based care providing better health outcomes. Contact us for a tour of our health technologies maximizing health & cost containment/avoidance

Providing award winning health technologies , Live interactive webinars, wearable technology programs Corporate health engagement and participation……Shira@BestInCorporateHealth.com or Make an appointment on Calendly

URAC approved health technology…..Having earned the trust of 6 million people per month

Questions, brainstorming, demos……..Shira@BestInCorporatehealth.com

Let us customize your corporate health program.

Chief Health Enthusiast – Best In Corporate Health

Shira is regularly consulted by Naturopaths, oncologists, health coaches on cancer exercise and exercise adherence.
Has assembled over 20 health and fitness professionals with varying specialties to bring to corporate wellness programs
Platforms include: Speaking, One-one/group health coaching, Retreats, Course development for in house delivery, Metrics to measure success available, Partners always included
Now offering live interactive webinars, just as if each participant has a personal health coach – making corporate wellness programs affordable to all.
Shira has been interviewed & published in hundreds of resources over the last 15 years:

Asthma Management: Lifestyle & Medicinal

May 11, 2018employee performance, well-beingasthma, asthma attack, Asthma management, asthma symptoms, cold virus, COPD, cost effective management, difficulty breathing, GSK, health technology, medication adherence, respiratory therapy, rhinovirus, September Asthma Peak, severe asthma phenotypes, sleeve sneeze, smart inhalers, spirometry, T-cell therapies, wearable technologyBestinCorporateHealth

Asthma Management: Preparation for the September Asthma Peak

Asthma management – was NOT what The Happenings had in mind with their hit “See You in September” !

Summer goes by quickly. Let’s start getting ready for asthma season.

Every September, there is a dramatic increase of children being take to Emergency Rooms with asthma attacks. Week 38, known as the September Asthma Peak, can be unpleasant for one in four Canadian students living with asthma. Alarmingly – each year in Canada – 20 children and 500 adults die from asthma.

According to the CDC, in 2013 the economic burden of Asthma in the workplace was 81.9 billion and the 2017 CDC stats say 8.3% of both adults and children have asthma, and there are 1.7 million ER visits yearly due to asthma and there were 3,615 deaths attributed to asthma.

An asthma attack is a sudden worsening of asthma symptoms caused by the tightening of muscles around your airways (bronchospasm). During the asthma attack, the lining of the airways also becomes swollen or inflamed and thicker mucus — more than normal — is produced.

Asthma Management & other Upper Respiratory Disorders with Dave Allen GSK:

Dave Allen, the head of the Respiratory Therapy Area at GSK (GlaxoSmithKline) and is responsible for the identification of novel differentiated medicines and their progression to registration and launch. He leads a group of over 200 scientists and clinicians who exploit scientific innovations that have the potential to address the major unmet needs in diseases such as COPD, severe asthma, acute lung injury and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Dave is a member of a number of GSK’s senior decision-making boards within research and development. In November 2014, Dave was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree from the University of Strathclyde in recognition of his pioneering work in drug discovery. Dave joined the company as a research chemist in 1981 after completing his MA and BA at Oriel College, Oxford. During his career he has also worked on discovering antibiotics and cardiovascular medicines, as both a medicinal chemist and project leader.

Topics of Discussion:

Why do asthma attacks rise in September? Preparing for September through out the summer
Asthma management, COPD
Asthma triggers
Developing asthma at different ages
severe asthma phenotypes
a mild asthma – sudden increase in symptoms, difficulty breathing, always take asthma seriously
The spike in asthma in Canada, Israel & other countries in September
The cold virus, rhinovirus, transferring the cold virus & asthma
Triggers for asthma
medication adherence
The Canadian Sleeve Sneeze….so smart
Research in upper respiratory disease
T-cell therapies from oncology
Researching asthma focusing on people going in and out of remission
inflammation and disease, immune response
Stop smoking – its a necessity – once there is COPD it is not reversible
Burning animal dung……..ugh….and COPD
spirometry – assessing lung function
COPD + Cardiovascular disease
Smart Inhalers – digital inhalers the future of inhalers – cost effective management

Best In Corporate Health: Providing Health Technology , Live interactive webinars, Corporate health engagement and participation……

We provide the scalability & cost savings with technology, and still provide personalized health, guiding people to have fun participating, all toward the corporate health culture.

URAC approved health technology…..Having earned the trust of 6 million people per month

health hub
personal health record….import health data into one space
digital health coaching determined by Health Risk Assessment
white labelled
Health Risk Assessment (Customizable)
Extensive reporting – Productivity, Presenteeism, Data to measure ROI VOI
wearable technology
virtual adventures
Corporate challenges
Fully integrate with other health tech
Engagement……the most robust health technology platform at an unbeatable price
Choosing the best specialist: rankings & cost
Live, interactive webinars: engagement, building health literacy –

Questions, brainstorming, demos……..Shira@BestInCorporatehealth.com

Let us customize your corporate health program.

Chief Health Enthusiast – Best In Corporate Health

Shira is regularly consulted by Naturopaths, oncologists, health coaches on cancer exercise and exercise adherence.
Has assembled over 20 health and fitness professionals with varying specialties to bring to corporate wellness programs
Platforms include: Speaking, One-one/group health coaching, Retreats, Course development for in house delivery, Metrics to measure success available, Partners always included
Now offering live interactive webinars, just as if each participant has a personal health coach – making corporate wellness programs affordable to all.
Shira has been interviewed & published in hundreds of resources over the last 15 years:

Physical Activity While Sitting

April 11, 2018employee performanceaerobic exercise, CDC preventing chronic illness, corporate health engagement and participation, desk job, drink water, elevate heart rate, employees happy, focus and productivity, great investment for employers, health of brain cells, health technology, kegel exercises, muscle mass, oxygenating the brain, physical activity, physical activity while sitting, sedentary lifestyle, sitting is the new smoking, technology platform, turkey neck, urinary control, wearable device, work stationBestinCorporateHealth

Physical Activity While sitting – Preventing Chronic Disease

Physical activity while sitting…. Make it a habit.

Given the CDC release of yet another study concluding the omnipotent role of physical activity in our lives, a brief list for the desk bound. Physical activity does not have to be in a gym. Even when confined to the deadly potential of sitting, physical activity while sitting is a habit to nurture.

Physically active = Work the muscles + elevate the heart rate (from physical activity not stress)

A brief summation from the CDC Preventing Chronic Disease Percentage of Deaths Associated With Inadequate Physical Activity in the United States

“Current physical activity guidelines recommend that adults participate weekly in at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity equivalent aerobic physical activity to achieve substantial health benefits. Conclusions:

A significant portion of deaths was attributed to inadequate levels of physical activity. Increasing adults’ physical activity levels to meet current guidelines is likely one way to reduce the risk of premature death in the United States”

Yes, sitting is the new smoking. Sitting is a reality of our computer dependant lives, so let’s evolve to:

Walk hourly, as much as possible
Get physical activity while sitting

One of the more profound experiences of my life was about 10 years ago sitting in a hospital room wth my uncle, as he was in a coma. He stroked out during angioplasty, unblocking the arteries of the heart, and lay in a coma for many months afterwards. My uncle, albeit a brilliant man in many ways, a Queen’s Counsel, he thought our beliefs in a healthy diet and exercise were “rubbish”. While he was in the coma, physical therapists came around every hour to work his muscles for him – not just to stop bed rash, but to work his muscles to pump. It is just that important.

Current stats show us most North Americans are are sitting an average of 13 hours a day and sleeping an average of 8 hours resulting in a sedentary lifestyle of around 21 hours a day……..

Do you have a desk job, spend a great deal of time driving, in front of the television, computer, dining table…….Experts say, for those with a desk job, we should start standing up at work for at least two hours a day — and work our way toward four.

One of the best investments I ever made was my work station bike. I can peddle away while I am working. There is a wide variety of work station exercise equipment. Check around for the best deals. Certainly a great investment in your health, energy, focus and productivity! A great investment for employers, work stations get employees happy, healthy & productive (oxygenating the brain), and very appreciative.

Another great investment is a heart monitor or a wearable device that monitors activity and heart rate at a minimum. Please don’t believe the calories burned in most of the devices out there. Again, we want to elevate heart rate from movement and using that precious muscle mass.

A few ideas for physical activity while sitting:

Keep resistance bands at your desk. Use them
Dance in your seat – who cares if anyone is watching – hopefully it’s contagious
Tennis ball squeeze – raise your arm in the air and squeeze, Squeeze between the knees….
Feet on the ground: step in place push hard into the floor
Pump arms, pump legs, torso twist…..
Great time to do Kegel exercises – improve urinary control & your sex life. 50-100 reps
“No turkey neck” exercises – counteract always having head down to computer
Stretch the neck gently, carefully, release stress and deep breathe
Get up and walk at least 3 minutes per hour
Drink water so vital to your health and make you go to the bathroom more often
I keep a Pilates wheel at my desk
Isometric contractions – push against a static force, such as the floor and breathe deep. Push hands against each other Not recommended for those with high blood pressure.
Many telephone calls can be done while standing

There is an endless list here.

And while watching television?

Don’t just watch DWTS, Dance with the stars. Don’t just lay down on the sofa, do leg lifts, bridges…..core work……. Choose your fav TV show – and make that an exercise time, even from your sofa.

Life combo: Our heart speeds ⇒ raising heart rate to pump extra food and oxygen to those beautiful muscles. Breathing speeds up to get more oxygen and to get rid of more carbon dioxide. The more muscles we work together, the better the physical activity.

Aerobic exercise to increase blood flow to the brain. Aerobic exercise can raise our cardiovascular function and, thereby, also increase blood flow to the brain. Further, it is very helpful for oxygenating the body, which will improve the health of brain cells and tissue connections

And a BTW here, if you think you have “no energy”, “no time”, “no strength”, “too sore” for any of these – chances are very high that you are not getting enough physical activity. The more you do it, the more you want it. Physical activity while sitting can be invigorating, the more you do it the more you want it, the more physical activity you will crave.

Rest Is Rust, Motion is Lotion!

Physical Activity while sitting at the office? – Ask us – let us get your employees happy, healthy & productive.

Providing Health Technology , Live interactive webinars, Corporate health engagement and participation……

URAC approved health technology…..Having earned the trust of 6 million people per month

health hub
personal health record….import health data into one space
digital health coaching
white labelled
Health Risk Assessment (Customizable)
Extensive reporting
wearable technology
virtual adventures
Corporate challenges
Fully integrate with other health tech
engagement……the most robust health technology platform at an unbeatable price

Choosing the best & most affordable specialist, live coaching & webinars, choosing insurance……all your health benefits simplified, integrated & most of all, affordable

Questions, brainstorming, demos……..Shira@BestInCorporatehealth.com

Chief Health Enthusiast – Best In Corporate Health

Shira is regularly consulted by Naturopaths, oncologists, health coaches on cancer exercise and exercise adherence.
Has assembled over 20 health and fitness professionals with varying specialties to bring to corporate wellness programs
Platforms include: Speaking, One-one/group health coaching, Retreats, Course development for in house delivery, Metrics to measure success available, Partners always included
Now offering live interactive webinars, just as if each participant has a personal health coach – making corporate wellness programs affordable to all.
Shira has been interviewed & published in hundreds of resources over the last 15 years:

Cyberchondria..Depending on Dr. Google

March 13, 2018employee performanceabnormal psych, affordable healthcare, anxiety, Cyberchondria, Dr. Google, employee health programs, health literacy, health technology, personal health record, self diagnosing, URAC approved, virtual adventuresBestinCorporateHealth

Cyberchondria……Is Dr. Google infiltrating our heads?

Cyberchondria – Uh Huh……the fears we get from reading too much from Dr. Google. It is not empowering with knowledge, but debilitating with anxiety. And worse of all – people are self diagnosing.

I remember when I was studying in high school and college, um, before the internet and the resident Dr. Google, I was a health sciences student – I majored in psychology & chemistry. The worse was abnormal psych. I was actually fearful and diagnosed myself with every illness.

Well now its far easier to self diagnose ourselves with every physiological & psychological illness, driving us to cyberchondria.

Avoiding Cyberchondria:

Remember how it was said “get a second opinion”? Googling our symptoms and concerns can lead to far more than “second opinions”. Check out carefully the credentials of the author, institution…anyone can call themselves an expert. As I always say, my chihuahua could post something on the internet. OK, she happens to be a very smart chihuahua, but no, she is not an accredited healthcare professional.
Send those junk emails to spam. Those emails that promise you …the “unpromiseable”. You know, the cures, achieving the unthinkable, discount drugs and supplements, ignore them all – and please do not click on any links. Scaremongering is a tactic to play with the head. A reputable source will not be sending out spam.
Do not take anything, supplement or otherwise, unless consulted with a healthcare professional. The truth is you could be creating an issue, or, have an interaction with medication.
Researchers have proven that the constant checking – attempts to self diagnose – that we go through online actually increase, rather than decrease, anxiety about physical ailments. We are not helping ourselves.
Be an active partner with your healthcare professionals. Keep a personal health record. Record any symptoms & go for regular checkups. Discuss with your healthcare professionals any symptoms or issues you might be having – but leave out the judgment and diagnosis. Leave that to the professionals.
Sure get educated. There are a number of great, reliable health sites from reputable organizations. Get on the email list and learn. Feel confident you are learning from reliable resources. Any of these reliable resources, will tell you to never self diagnose, and their information is to never replace seeking help from healthcare professionals.
Live a healthy lifestyle. Eat a healthy diet, get exercise & physical activity, breathe, have fun. It is overwhelming how living a healthy, balanced lifestyle can help you analyze more logically.
You take control, don’t let the internet control you. Be a savvy researcher. A researcher knows what goes into forming a conclusion, it is far beyond cyber surfing. Use reliable sites to learn, not to diagnose. Ask your medical doctor, naturopaths…whatever healthcare professionals you have entrusted with your health which sites they recommend. Use the information to ask informed questions, not to judge and panic. Health literacy is to be commended.
The same goes for apps. Just because someone has an app does NOT make them a health expert.
If you are blessed to have access to Tele-health or Tele-medicine, contact them with your concerns. Check out employee health programs, community health programs that have validated the authenticity of the providers. Get engaged. Become a health ambassador in your company and community.

Remember: Psychologists tell us, the experience of being left alone with our own thoughts can potentially turn out to be anything but relaxing. In fact, it can be downright anxiety producing. Ever woken up in a cold sweat? Our minds can have a tendency to race, running away with our concerns. Thoughts can spiral out of control, building a web of anxiety and confusion that is not easy to claw through the panic and back to reality. Decipher the cyberchondria from reality. Taking deep breaths, counting to five while inhaling and five as exhaling, can help alleviate fears. Go for a walk and deep breathe, tickle your senses with joy.

URAC approved health technology…..No more Dr. Google…affordable employee health

health hub, personal health record, digital health coaching, white labelled, Health Risk Assessment, Extensive reporting, wearable technology, virtual adventures, engagement……the most robust health technology platform at an unbeatable price…..Everyone deserves affordable healthcare – ask me for a demo.

Interactive corporate health programs…what a wonderful way to affordably make the world a happier, healthier place. Ask us about our digital health platform and our wearable technology program – where wellness programs are included!

Informative ➪ Informalive

Shira@BestInCorporateHealth.com

“Abbey Normal” Brain, Young Frankenstein……Enjoy!

Chief Health Enthusiast – Best In Corporate Health

Shira is regularly consulted by Naturopaths, oncologists, health coaches on cancer exercise and exercise adherence.
Has assembled over 20 health and fitness professionals with varying specialties to bring to corporate wellness programs
Platforms include: Speaking, One-one/group health coaching, Retreats, Course development for in house delivery, Metrics to measure success available, Partners always included
Now offering live interactive webinars, just as if each participant has a personal health coach – making corporate wellness programs affordable to all.
Shira has been interviewed & published in hundreds of resources over the last 15 years:

Brain Training – Multitasking Brain Brawn & Health

February 22, 2018employee performanceblood glucose control, brain brawn, brain training, cognitive strength with physical activity, corporate happy place, corporate health programs, corporate wellness specialist, depression, employee health and productivity, exercise and neuroplasticity, healthy heart practices, knee strength, mental muscle, muscle strengthening, neurogenesis, neurological training, neuroplastic training, neuroplasticity, no energy to exercise, time to exercise, wearable technologyBestinCorporateHealth

Brain Training

Brain training while exercising…..Multitasking that is proven to build mental muscle and physical health.

Think you are too busy with work , no time to exercise, too tired and no energy to exercise?

Think again. Let’s look at how achieving our health goals is brain training. We already know its a life saver. And if we have no life….then I guess time is an irrelevant variable.

No Gym required…..brain training can be performed anywhere.

Brain training requires the neurons in the brain to:

Form new neurons – neurogenesis
Change and reorganize continuously to meet the dynamic demands of the internal and external environment is termed neuronal plasticity, or neuroplasticity.

We have hundreds of studies and meta-analyses that demonstrate a direct support of cognitive strength with physical activity….faster speed of processing, better memory and executive function. For years I have known I do my best thinking while exercising. Those who know me – know my expression “Let me cardio on it”

Focusing on Neurological Training and Physical Activity While Working out.

Those who strength train know these key factors in muscle hypertrophy. The great news is time to exercise is also time for building brain brawn.

Ingredients to brain training, Neuroplasticity and Muscle strengthening:

•Repetition

•Intensity

•Timing (Coordination)

•Difficulty

•Specificity

•Salience

Neuroplastic training is accomplished working the brain and the muscles at the same time.

This is where workstations are so valuable. I have an indoor bike with a workstation. Using my workstation I accomplish:

time to exercise…even on top of gym time
build my knee strength…motion is lotion
get a cardio respiratory workout – deep oxygenation
Get my work done
nurture my neurons by causing left brain, right brain, multiple areas of my brain to play nicely together.
Feel seriously great and productive, feel energized – what a reward

Many years ago I had the privilege of meeting a world renowned surgeon from NIH. We shared a good laugh discovering we were both on the gym floor at the same time bright and early every morning. His words will always emanate with me…”I would not think of doing surgery without my morning workout…”

Muscle and Blood glucose control.

None of us are above diabetes. We are all possible candidates. If we all knew how vital our muscle mass is in blood sugar control and diabetes prevention – I am sure more of us would make time to exercise.

Depression:

The brain of depressed people processes data much slower. Our research institutions agree

the correct exercise, is a vital component to the control of depression. Depression can hamper our memory.

The correct exercise can help reduce the stress hormone cortisol. Cortisol can destroy brain cells.

Physical activity is vital to circulation as we all know for heart health – but it is also vital to brain circulation…..hydration, bringing glucose to the frontal lobe, hormonal synthesis……

Refer to “Healthy Heart Practices also Benefit the Brain” Alzheimer’s & Physical Wellness.

This is just a teaser. There is vast, fascinating research on brain training, exercise and neuroplasticity. When hiring a health coach, fitness professional – make sure they are well versed in exercising body and brain simultaneously to maximize workout time, and the many benefits of exercise. You will never say no time for exercise again.

Multitasking Brain and body health optimizing employee health and productivity …….live, interactive webinars.

Interactive corporate health programs…what a wonderful way to affordably make the world a happier, healthier place. Ask us about our digital health platform and our wearable technology program – where wellness programs are included!

Informative ➪ Informalive

Shira@BestInCorporateHealth.com

Chief Health Enthusiast – Best In Corporate Health

Shira is regularly consulted by Naturopaths, oncologists, health coaches on cancer exercise and exercise adherence.
Has assembled over 20 health and fitness professionals with varying specialties to bring to corporate wellness programs
Platforms include: Speaking, One-one/group health coaching, Retreats, Course development for in house delivery, Metrics to measure success available, Partners always included
Now offering live interactive webinars, just as if each participant has a personal health coach – making corporate wellness programs affordable to all.
Shira has been interviewed & published in hundreds of resources over the last 15 years:

Health Technology Cutting Presenteeism

December 1, 2017employee performance, well-beingBest in Corporate Health, corporate health programs, digital health platform, employee health, engaged in wellness, health and wellness programs, health related work losses, health technology, illness related absenteeism, interactive corporate heath, interactive learning, medical expenditures, presenteeism, preventing illness, productivity loss, public health hazard, TEC, Technology Enabled Care, total cost of presenteeism, wearable technologyBestinCorporateHealth

Health Technology: Boosting Engagement – Reducing Presenteeism

That pesty presenteeism – that nasty cloud over productivity – like smog over a metropolis…….health technology, waking people up to their health……

Unlike absenteeism, presenteeism is more insidious. You know when employees don’t show up for work, but we don’t know when—or how much—illness or a medical condition is hindering someone’s performance…we only detect sub par quality or productivity. Researchers have found that less time is lost from people staying home than from them showing up but not performing at full capacity.

The National Institute of Health refers to presenteeism as a public health hazard.

According to the National Health Survey the average working adult American experiences an average of two episodes of medical symptoms a month or twenty-four a year. Duration of episodes vary. The majority of the time people choose to go to work rather than stay at home. 42% of respondents say they go to work exhausted or feeling ill regularly.

Getting people engaged in their health successfully is a critical component of reducing presenteeism. Enter health technology…..to infinity and beyond!

Remember Charlie Brown’s teacher? Are we doing this with health & wellness programs?

Harvard: Health-related work losses are estimated to cost US employers more than $260 billion each year, and may cost some companies more than direct medical expenditures.

American Productivity Audit— Calculated the total cost of presenteeism in the United States to be more than $150 billion per year. Studies confirm that presenteeism is far more costly than illness-related absenteeism or disability. On-the-job productivity loss resulting from depression and pain was roughly three times greater than the absence-related productivity loss attributed to these conditions. That is, less time was actually lost from people staying home than showing up but not performing.

Gallup– 70 % of U.S. employees are not showing up to work fully committed to deliver their best performance. Adding insult to injury, 52 percent of those workers are basically sleepwalking through their day, and 18 percent of them are busy acting out their unhappiness.

Health Technology…The move from Informative ➪ Informalive

Finally, we have the ability to get people engaged in wellness, thanks to health technology. We all agree we need to get people more into wellness, taking charge of their health – managing existing conditions and preventing illness.

I know I have quoted the CDC on this many times before, so please forgive the repetition.

80% of chronic illnesses are lifestyle induced…..

But people are tired of being lectured, everyone thinks they are too busy…whatever the reason. Health technology engages people, often fascinates people, and here is some data, explaining why interactive learning is far superior to the traditional “lecture based” or reading based learning.

National Academy of Sciences– Undergraduate students in classes with traditional stand-and-deliver lectures are 1.5 times more likely to fail than students in classes that use more stimulating, so-called active learning methods.
The meta-analysis concluded that teaching approaches that turned students into active participants rather than passive listeners reduced failure rates and boosted scores on exams by almost one-half a standard deviation.

Interactive learning in the workplace….

59% of executives agree that if both text and video are available on the same topic, they are more likely to choose video
54% of senior executives share work related videos with colleagues weekly
4x as many customer would rather watch a video about a product than read about it
YouTube has over a billion users, almost one-third of all people on the internet
48% of marketers plan to add YouTube to their content strategy in the next yea
People spend on average 2.6x more time on pages with video than without

When people hear information, they’re likely to remember only 10% of that information three days later. However, if a relevant image is paired with that same information, people retained 65% of the information three days later.

Getting Employees Interactive with Health Technology…….Make it pleasure, not pain!

TEC Technology Enabled Care: A collective term for telecare, telehealth, telemedicine, digital health TEC unites health technology, digital, media and mobile telecommunications and has become a cornerstone of health technology and wellness solutions addressing many of the challenges facing the health and social services allowing access to everyone, affordability, privacy…. A good, thorough wellness platform will encompass all of these services, provide cohesion and act as a triage for corporate health as well as employee health.

The aim of TEC is to improve people’s ability to self-manage their health and wellbeing, alert healthcare professionals to potentially unhealthy changes in health, wellness compliance and support medication adherence.

Digital Health Platforms: Health Technology with endless possibilities…Happily earning the trust of 6 million viewers per month

Wearable Technology.……health technology Extraordinaire! Creating health, incentivize, reward, wellness programs all in one. Not all wearable technology are worth the faith or $$. Only choose wearable devices that present actual biometrics – NOT calculated data based on averages.

Nothing has gotten people off the couch like wearable technology.

Informative ➪ Informalive

Shira@BestInCorporateHealth.com

Chief Health Enthusiast – Best In Corporate Health

Shira is regularly consulted by Naturopaths, oncologists, health coaches on cancer exercise and exercise adherence.
Has assembled over 20 health and fitness professionals with varying specialties to bring to corporate wellness programs
Platforms include: Speaking, One-one/group health coaching, Retreats, Course development for in house delivery, Metrics to measure success available, Partners always included
Now offering live interactive webinars, just as if each participant has a personal health coach – making corporate wellness programs affordable to all.
Shira has been interviewed & published in hundreds of resources over the last 12 years:

Flu Prevention Bryce Wylde: No Flu For You!

October 24, 2017employee performance, well-beinganti-viral, astralagus root, Benefits of Genomic testing, Bryce Wylde, carb free, chronic disease prevention, ColdFx, flu costs, flu prevention, flu prevention in the workplace, flu season, flu vaccine, frailty, genomic testing, immune suppressing, inflammation, integrative medicine, lost productivity, natural health supplement, Natural Products Number, No flu for you soup, probiotic, Tis the season, transmission of the flu, Vitamin D, Wylde on HealthBestinCorporateHealth

Flu Prevention with the “No Flu For You” Formula

Tis the season…..Flu prevention should be at the top of our minds.

Flu costs the U.S. approximately $10.4 billion in direct costs for hospitalizations and outpatient visits for adults.

2016: In the US, the flu accounted for $5.8 billion in other healthcare and lost productivity costs. It is key for companies to promote flu prevention in the workplace.

2011: Canadian workers took an average of 9.3 sick days. Although nine days may not seem like a lot, when you do the math based on salary cost for lost time, those absences equal approximately $16.6 Billion, not including the price of replacement workers.

The flu can be deadly. Flu prevention should be a priority. Australia gives us a warning of what to expect from flu season. This year, Australia had a very tough flu season. Flu prevention needs to be a priority. The good news is…..flu prevention is very consistent with general good health principles, and the prevention of chronic disease.

In this show, we speak with Bryce Wylde, integrated medicine expert, host of Wylde on Health.

With Bryce we learn…..

Living Optimal at any age
Getting sick does not mean you are unhealthy….healthy vs. unhealthy
Transmission of the flu, contagious points
Defining the flu, influenza virus, debunking myths
Wearing a mask, prevention of germs….learning from different cultures
Airplane germs…debunking more myths
The flu vaccine Mercury Free Forms of the vaccine, dangers of mercury
Foods for flu prevention, sugar the many menaces, including cancer
Inflammation – with the flu and all of our chronic illnesses
Good Bugs and Bad Bugs – Probiotics, the bacteria in us, their communication
Choosing the right probiotic, stability, appropriate strains for the reason we are taking it
supplement vs. natural health supplement vs. medication
In Canada Canadian guide for probiotics…Probioticcharts.ca
Exercising – knowing the right level for immunity……the Genomics of it
Frailty…the #1 killer > cancer + heart disease
ColdFx, keeping the immune system on alert….in combination with the flu shot
Genomic testing for flu & chronic disease prevention
Vitamin D “Do the D” for the immune system, and many other necessities. Get the blood test
Choosing the right supplements for ourselves …. Bryce travels the world looking for the best ingredients for supplements
Natural Product Numbers look for the NPN a quality supplement in Canada – not available in the US
Benefits of Genomic Testing – Wellness is now personalized to our own DNA

Join us for an evening with Bryce Wylde and Dr. Mansoor, clinical genomicist November 9, 2017, 7 pm – Free Webinar What Genomic Testing can do for us. Webinar attendees will receive a promo code for a 50% reduction on their genomic test.

From Bryce to you……the No Flu for You Soup…

Eating or drinking too much sugar or refined foods curbs immune system cells that attack viruses and bacteria. This effect lasts for many hours after downing a couple of sugary drinks. One powerful solution is to eat soup! Research shows that astragalus root (a Chinese herb used to ward off flu), has powerful immune-enhancing properties. The sliced, dried root is available in specialty health food stores, Chinese grocery, and herb stores. It adds a pleasant, sweet taste when simmered in soups. Shiitake mushrooms, onions, and turmeric spice also naturally boost immunity. Garlic and onions have natural and powerful anti-viral and antibiotic effects; ginger and turmeric, a natural anti-inflammatory agent. Replace traditional pasta noodles which are immune suppressing with black bean or shirataki noodles which are carb free!

No Flu For You Soup (Serves 8-10)

1 tblsp extra virgin olive oil

2 lg spanish onions, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced

1/4 tsp tumeric powder

2 cups shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and sliced

2 lg carrots, thinly sliced

2 pieces astragalus root, either dried or freshly choped into large cubes (roughly 1×1 inch)

8 cups organic mushroom or chicken stock

2 tbsp tamari

2 cups broccoli florets

1/2 cups scallions, diced

1/2 cup chives, diced

1 pack Black bean or Shiritake noodles

Instructions: Place oil in a soup pot on medium heat and add onions, garlic, ginger, and tumeric powder and sauté for about 5 mins or until translucent. Add mushrooms, carrots, broccoli, astragalus root, choice of stock and an additional 3 cups water. Bring to a full boil then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the tamari and adjust salt to taste. Let cool for 30mins. Remove the astragalus root pieces. Garnish with scallions and chives and serve while hot.

Bryce Wylde is an Integrative medicine expert, clinician, television host, educator, author, and philanthropist, and host of Wylde On Health. Associate Medical Director at P3Health | CityTv Health Expert | Medical Advisor DrOZ show | Director My Health Report. Bryce makes supplementation a targeted science, searching the world for the cleanest, best sources for ingredients, creating the purest, most effective supplements.

Corporate health programs…what a wonderful way to affordably make the world a happier, healthier place.

Chief Health Enthusiast – Best In Corporate Health

Shira is regularly consulted by Naturopaths, oncologists, health coaches on cancer exercise and exercise adherence.
Has assembled over 20 health and fitness professionals with varying specialties to bring to corporate wellness programs
Platforms include: Speaking, One-one/group health coaching, Retreats, Course development for in house delivery, Metrics to measure success available, Partners always included
Now offering live interactive webinars, just as if each participant has a personal health coach – making corporate wellness programs affordable to all.
Shira has been interviewed & published in hundreds of resources over the last 12 years:

Engagement Culture – Analyzing the Facets of Employee Engagement

October 12, 2017employee performance, well-beingcorporate challenges, corporate health, employee engagement, employee engagement study, engagement culture, happy employees, health engagement, incentivizing, intrinsic motivator, promote health engagement, self actualization, sustainability tactics, talent engagementBestinCorporateHealth

Engagement Culture….Parsing the Synergistic Facets of Employee Engagement

Talent engagement is a process – Analyzing the engagement culture encourages us to scientifically identify the angles of creating employee engagement. Creating an engagement culture with health, checks off many boxes on the corporate wish list.

It’s common knowledge that employee engagement is imperative to the success of an organization. Engaged employees work harder, much better retention, more conscientious, become brand ambassadors, are more loyal…and let’s face it – are much more of a pleasure to work with.

ABCD:

Above and Beyond the Call of Duty

We can look at different organizations and see various levels of engagement, or even within the same organization…..By analyzing the multi-faceted dynamic components of our engagement culture, we understand how there is a synergy between multiple forces. These forces will vary by ages and stages…keeping our eyes on these moving parts, will help us promote health engagement and the engagement culture much more scrupulously. Focusing the engagement culture through health, just makes sense. We can almost interchange the words healthy and engaged, so let’s accomplish both.

The Kinetics of the Engagement Culture….

Physiological…Endorphin = Endogenous Morphine – aka “runners High” physiologically feel a thrill from engagement
Psychological: Adds meaning and a “feels right” in our minds⇒our mind is happily immersed
The Self: This fits the person I want to aspire to be. The drive toward self actualization
Socially: We are an important part of the pack – we are pack animals
Emotional: Helps us feel balanced from the engagement.

Feelings of purpose, pride, progress, connection, meaning, inspiration and loyalty
Incentivizing: Appropriately Incentivizing will always support the journey to engagement
Intellectual: We are doing this for good reason, it is healthy…..building health literacy is an important aspect of intellectual engagement
Organizational: Time, integrating the behaviors we want to reinforce into our lives, comfortably and unobtrusively. Ultimately, these new behaviors will help our our flow, they are not going to interfere with my many demands and responsibilities
Family: This engagement culture will carry over to my family – it will enhance and support family life, not make me feel like I have to choose between work and family. A 2014 employee engagement study found respondents (89%) would try a sustainability tactic at home that was introduced at work. The results emphasize how powerful the workplace can be in driving broader behavioral change and impact.
Mood: We are all in better moods, because there is an engagement culture
Competitive Edge: Healthy competition is an intrinsic motivator. Leverage it – corporate challenges are key to engagement!
Consistently Evolving….No – Not an Oxymoron. Just like we should always shake up our exercise, keep engagement fresh, new & exciting
Requited…Like a romantic drama, our commitment needs to be reciprocated
Intrigue…A quest for more…..Intrigue keeps us coming back for more
Fun: According to the 2016 Global Corporate Challenge, “The connection is clear: happy employees are high performing employees”

We can’t look for one almighty answer for engagement. Engagement tactics are also going to vary employee demographics – our reach and appeal needs to be flexible and adaptable. People above the age of 40 might be looking for more physiological cues – feeling better, not feeling so rusty getting up in the morning – where as those below thirty might be more engaged by the incentivizing, wearable technology, thrills……

Willis Tower’s Watson’s Global Benefits Attitude survey found that the 56% of employees believe their employer now has a role to play in helping them live healthier lifestyles and 3/5 employees view managing their health as a top priority in their life. Cultivating a culture of wellness is a cornerstone in the engagement culture.

Corporate health programs…what a wonderful way to affordably make the world a happier, healthier place.

Chief Health Enthusiast – Best In Corporate Health

Shira is regularly consulted by Naturopaths, oncologists, health coaches on cancer exercise and exercise adherence.
Has assembled over 20 health and fitness professionals with varying specialties to bring to corporate wellness programs
Platforms include: Speaking, One-one/group health coaching, Retreats, Course development for in house delivery, Metrics to measure success available, Partners always included
Now offering live interactive webinars, just as if each participant has a personal health coach – making corporate wellness programs affordable to all.
Shira has been interviewed & published in hundreds of resources over the last 12 years:

Health vs. Wellness – Avoiding Health Presenteeism

October 8, 2017employee performance, well-beingbiometrics, blood pressure, blood sugar, corporate health programs, diabetes, digestive health, engagement, genomic testing, Global corporate chalenge, happy employees, Health vs. wellness, healthcare providers, inflammation, mapping our DNA, medical diagnostics, metabolic syndrome, optimizing our immune system, oxidative stress, performing employees, pre-diabetes, predictor of productivity, presenteeism, production of serotonin, ROI, role emotions play in business, Rx for health, science of happy, stress, talent retention, wellnessBestinCorporateHealth

Health Vs. Wellness…What is the Difference?

Health vs. wellness, the answer is in the past and present and creating a better future.
I heard a brilliant expression from a colleague this week – a number of years ago a doctor told her she was healthy, not well. What is the difference?
Healthy: not diseased…… Wellness brings out the deeper meaning of health, which can be glossed over in health programs. By differentiating between health vs. wellness, we expose the many underlying health saboteurs, which unknowingly compromise our health.

Health vs. wellness wellness programs Best in corporate health — Health vs. Wellness A symbiosis for social, emotional & physiological engagement

Think of wellness as the opportunity for health engagement. The word “health” conjures up visions of restrictive, long lists of ” I shouldn’t”, no fun to many people. Wellness can provide the physiological, emotional and social engagement and camaraderie for sustainability and adherence to a health and wellness program…and ROI.

The World Health Organization (WHO) defined health in it’s 1948 constitution as “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” Sounds Utopic.
In pursuit of the broader WHO goals for health evolved our healthcare system. The healthcare system is financially depleted, and has become a “sick care” system. We diagnose, try to fix illness. Whether we get caught up in blaming the politicians for our healthcare crisis, we cannot ignore the erosion is largely due to unnecessary illness. Going forward, to achieve the intent of healthcare, we need to be inclusive of a thoroughly articulated view, role and definition of wellness.

Healthcare and medical diagnostics are vital, however, we need to all become our own advocates – and take charge of constantly seeking further wellness. Looking at out health is more of a current status. And whereas we know that certain diagnoses such as metabolic syndrome, pre-diabetes, carcinoma in situ, are definite calls to more proactive action -the goal of wellness is to prevent the pre-diseased state.
What is wellness? Wellness is the #1 opportunity we have in our lives. We have hundreds of options within our control to prevent even a pre-diseased state.
Take a look at these relationships:

health vs. wellness
exercise vs. physical activity
diet vs. nutrition
sex vs. intimacy

They are all often used interchangeably. Comparing does not necessitate an adversarial tone, rather, there are nuances that suggest a symbiotic relationship. They are subsets within each other, necessary partners promoting each other.

Medical diagnostics catch disease or impending disease. Genomic testing is our only diagnostic to provide the ultimate wellness, by mapping our DNA. Going to our healthcare providers, being told everything looks good, nothing is wrong – is fantastic news not to be taken for granted.We all know, we sill might not feel well. We might:

have a haze about us…something is just not right
feeling stressed and drained
erratic appetite
Feeling a lack of control in ourselves
Not being as focused, energized and productive as we used to be
Don’t feel rested and restored
Moodiness
Or, we could just be in robomode- so busy in our day to day routines, surviving each day and task as it comes, we are unaware that we are not optimized

This general malaise in health is what I call health presenteeism. We know work presenteeism is being at work in body – but not being fully there in mind – not fully functioning and is usually attributed to health issues.

Health vs. Wellness – overcoming Health Presenteeism…..

Digging Deeper
We all know the Rx for health: Don’t smoke, eat right, exercise, good sleep, manage stress. Go for regular physician check ups. Imperative. Why are these imperative to wellness? Let’s start digging.

Optimizing our digestive health. We all know the cliche we are what we eat. What his really implies is we are what we eat, digest and absorb. Our digestive tract serves many complex functions of our health. Hippocrates said “all disease begins in the gut”. Our gut performs an infinite number of daily tasks including digestion, absorption, influencing our mood with the production of serotonin, is the first step of our immune system……Our digestive tract takes thousands of attacks daily from poor food choices, digestive strain, medications, ingestion of toxins, viruses and bacteria, stress…and a central focus of our wellness efforts must be on optimizing our digestive tract.
Eliminating physiological stressors in our lives.
Oxidative stress and inflammation: Proven repeatedly to be at the root of all of our chronic illnesses.
Optimizing our Immune system
Understanding what it takes to create a healthy inner ecosystem.
The science of happy. The #1 predictor of productivity is happiness. Happy is far more than accomplishing our goals. Happiness also must have wellness embedded into its roots. How does this impact our wellness programs? A 2016 study by Global Corporate Challenge (GCC) after surveying employees from 500 organizations in 70 countries found happy employees are more productive at work. The findings confirm the role emotions play in business, and that happiness is critical for productivity and talent retention and not a job perk or something that is just “nice to have.” The connection was clear: happy employees are high performing employees.
Enjoying and embracing wellness. None of us are looking for another miserable task in our lives. Wellness practices must be engaging, integrated into a person’s life, welcomed, and perceived as fun and of great value. If we are not feeling the rewards of our wellness efforts, and we feel these practices are another strain, they are erratic and short lived. Wellness should be freedom and liberation, not rigid, restrictive or inflexible.

Wellness is a state of mind. It is a desire to optimize our health, a partner in our raison d’être, a joie de vivre. Through wellness we put a jump in our steps and feel capable of compartmentalizing and managing the many challenges life inevitably serves.

When appreciating the symbiosis of health vs. wellness, it’s easier for us to appreciate why
our blood pressure and blood sugar are normal, our diagnostics and biometrics appear acceptable – but something is just not right. It must be stress is the usual conclusion – Yes – it is stress – but we need to look at stress at a much deeper level. True wellness is helping everyone to become their own health ambassador, helping them understand the many levels of wellness, far deeper than the superficialities. Even if we are eating right, exercising – there is great variance there, and maybe our overall wellness choices, when put together – are not nourishing us at the control centers of our body – our cells. Wellness comes from much deeper than our outer facade. Wellness comes from our cell-being.

Help control workforce oxidative stress: 7 patents, 24 peer reviewed studies on pubmed, accolades from American Heart Association, Mayo Clinic, National Institute on Aging….Washington State: “may well become the most extraordinary therapeutic and most extraordinary preventative breakthrough in the history of medicine.”

Cell-being creates our inner magic kingdom that is hostile to disease, and takes the cacophony of our daily lives and creates a symphonic inner ecosystem.

Personalized Health vs. wellness programs…..Yes…..We get VERY personal……right down to the DNA….

Corporate health programs…what a wonderful way to affordably make the world a happier, healthier place.

Articles featured in: ezines, ArticlesInk, European Registry of Exercise Professionals, The National Post, Investment Executive Magazine, Directory of Greater Toronto, Canadian Leukemia & Lymphoma Association, Prostate Cancer Canada, Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada, Anytime Fitness, Today’s Black Woman, Today’s Seniors, Medical Fitness Network, FORCE (Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered), Willow (Breast & Hereditary Cancer Support),Myeloma Canada, Cancer Exercise Training Institute, Urban Poling for Breast Cancer, ROW – Recovery on Water for Breast Cancer, Sirius XM Doctor Radio

Genomics: Sequencing Preventing Disease

September 15, 2017employee performance, well-beingCancer costs in the workplace, cancer genomics, deciphering our DNA, disengaged workers, employee engagement, engagement in work, free webinar, genetic make-up, genetic testing, genome and chronic disease, genome of a cancer cell, genomic testing, genomic testing in corporate wellness, genomics, how genes interact with non-genetic factors, incentivize with wearable technology, monogenic, nutraceuticals, oxidative stress, personalized wellness, potential for disease, prevent diabetes, sequencing the genome, Targeting health, Tay-sachs disease, understanding the genome, Wealth of Health, what is the genomeBestinCorporateHealth

Genomics – Sequencing the Genome: The Science of Mapping our Genome

Genomics is changing the way we our proactive about our health, changing the way we treat disease. Genomic testing is truly revolutionizing healthcare.

My Recent Interview on Genomics and Lifestyle choices based on Genomic Testing

Recently I was asked to appear as a special guest on the Make Your Body Work podcast. The show is a Q&A format and we were talking about the following question from a woman named Ainsley:

“‘…I was reading a book recently that suggested that we can change our genes based on our lifestyle choices. This makes me wonder how important it really is to cater to our genes, or to even worry about what our genes originally say. If we can actually change our genes, then shouldn’t that be our focus? At least it would be a nice thought, if we’re able to change them.”

As you know, this conversation topic is right up my alley. I was happy to share some ideas and insights that could be helpful to you as well. Listen to the podcast

Genomics: Deciphering our DNA to Prevent and Recover from Chronic Illness

What is the Genome?

What is the difference in genetic testing and genomic testing?

Knowledge is power. Again, I am going to emphasize – according to the CDC 80 % of illness is caused by lifestyle. If we have the knowledge that we carry a genetic predisposition for an illness – you think that might help us hone our lifestyle choices?

If we know that we have a genetic predisposition for diabetes, which can more often than not be prevented by our daily choices, is that motivation for greater commitment to a life to prevent diabetes?

If we have the knowledge for a more targeted treatment protocol of disease, or a more targeted guide for our nutrition, supplementation, exercise…..think that’s motivation?

We so often want a crystal ball to gaze into our future. We do have a number of crystal balls. I am referring to the crystal balls based of science and research, Science that can read & decipher code of our DNA. I am referring to the science of genetic testing & more recently the study of genomics. The study of genetics has been with us for a long time, ever since an Austrian monk named Gregor Mendel traced heritable traits in his pea plants in the 1800s.

Genetic testing over the years has helped us isolate monogenic diseases – understand individual genes and their role in disease such as sickle cell anemia which we know strikes those of Middle Eastern, Indian, Mediterranean and yes, African heritage. Contrary to popular belief – sickle cell is related to malaria prone areas, not skin color.

Genetic testing has helped women and men discover if they are carriers of the BRCA gene mutation. Other monogenic (one gene is affected) include cystic fibrosis, polycystic kidney disease, and Tay-Sachs disease.

Now genomics: Genomics looks at a person’s entire genetic makeup – called the genome. If we look at our chronic illnesses of today – cancer, heart disease, diabetes these diseases are a perfect storm from the interaction of a number of genes……and further complicated by environmental factors and lifestyle choices…… And……the plot thickens…..
Where genomics is insanely helpful – scientifically targeting our lifestyle decisions. Genomics focuses on all of the genes and genetic material (not just one at a time) and their interaction with NON genetic factors. By understanding how genes interact with non-genetic factors over which many we have control, such as diet, exercise, and smoking, exposure to oxidative stressors……we can minimize our risk and prevent many complex diseases. Genomics allows us to choose more appropriate food choices, choose targeted nutraceuticals vs swallowing generalized vitamins that give us expensive pee, and genomics can be used in targeting treatment protocols for various diseases….Science has outdone science fiction!

Vitamins ….. Supplements . ….Nutraceuticals

We spend billions every year on vitamins and supplements. There is no question there is better health to be gained with educated supplementation, when guided by real science. Problems:

Most people take a general multivitamin – quality varies and is extremely questionable
Very often excipients (flow agents, binders, fillers, coatings, preservatives) are used that can be a health hazard
There is a very incorrect view that vitamins can only help us, not hurt us – and that is just not true. There are some conditions we could be totally unaware we have – and those supplements can exacerbate the situation
People think if some is good, more is better….just NOT true
There are water soluble and fat soluble vitamins. It is possible for fat soluble vitamins to be stores and accumulate to toxic levels
There is very little quality control
Certain supplements can encourage the growth of tumors

Just as with medication, we need to be educated as to the best choices for us. Genomic testing – alerting us to our potential for disease – helps us make educated decisions over which supplements we should stay away from, and which ones will support our health.

Genomic Testing in our Corporate Wellness Programs

Corporate Wellness Magazine:

Personalization is the secret sauce for any wellness program

Personalized wellness programs deliver better motivation, knowledge, employee engagement, and results.

A personalized wellness program also conveys a serious commitment on the part of the employer to the employee. In our current world where “attracting and keeping top talent in our organizations” is a priority, personalization is key.

Providing Employees the Wealth of Health in Genomics –

Nothing Says Value & Appreciation More Than Health. Appreciation breeds engagement

Harvard Business Review 2016: The Cost of Disengagement

Genomics Personalizing wellness programs — Targeting Health – Personalizing wellness with Genomics and Biometrics

“While a cut-throat environment and a culture of fear can ensure engagement (and sometimes even excitement) for some time, research suggests that the inevitable stress it creates will likely lead to disengagement over the long term. Engagement in work — which is associated with feeling valued, secure, supported, and respected — is generally negatively associated with a high-stress, cut-throat culture. In studies by the Queens School of Business and by the Gallup Organization, disengaged workers had:

37% higher absenteeism
49% more accidents,
60% more errors and defects.

In organizations with low employee engagement scores they experienced :

18% lower productivity
16% lower profitability,
37% lower job growth
65% lower share price over time
Businesses with highly engaged employees enjoyed 100% more job applications.

Cancer Genomics

As a scientist, corporate health provider – my passion has always been preventing cancer. It was established many years ago that cancer is only 8-10% genetics – the rest is lifestyle – exposures to mutagens, carcinogens, oxidative stress that disrupt our inner ecosystem – and create an inner biology that is a good host for cancer. We have all been touched by cancer – either ourselves, or devastated by the loss of a loved one to cancer.

Cancer costs in the workplace – courtesy Integrated Benefits Institute (IBI) 2014:

In lost work time & treatment: $19,000/100 employees/year
Lost work time and presenteeism $10,000/ 100 workers
Medical and pharmacy treatments $9,100
Absent 3.8 more days per year
Lose the equivalent of 1.8 more days per year to presenteeism.
At any given time, about 1/4 of employees with a history of cancer are in treatment.
Employees with cancer have an average of approximately four other conditions that complicate care management strategies

By studying the cancer genome, scientists can discover what letter changes are causing a cell to become a cancer. The genome of a cancer cell can also be used to tell one type of cancer from another. In some cases, studying the genome in a cancer can help identify a subtype of cancer within that type, such as HER2+ breast cancer. Understanding the cancer genome may also help a doctor select the best treatment for each patient.

The supplement like a flu shot against oxidative stress…..

Why are we not controlling chronic illness? We must control the wildfire of inflammation and lower oxidative stress. We know oxidative stress is at the root of chronic illness such as cancer, heart disease, depression, diabetes, arthritis,….We take a flu shot to prevent the flu – one simple supplement to lower your oxidative stress by as much as 40%. 7 patents, 24 peer reviewed studies on pubmed, accolades from American Heart Association, Mayo Clinic, National Institute on Aging….Washington State: “may well become the most extraordinary therapeutic and most extraordinary preventative breakthrough in the history of medicine.”

Chief Health Enthusiast – Best In Corporate Health

Shira is regularly consulted by Naturopaths, oncologists, health coaches on cancer exercise and exercise adherence.
Has assembled over 20 health and fitness professionals with varying specialties to bring to corporate wellness programs
Platforms include: Speaking, One-one/group health coaching, Retreats, Course development for in house delivery, Metrics to measure success available, Partners always included
Now offering live interactive webinars, just as if each participant has a personal health coach – making corporate wellness programs affordable to all.
Shira has been interviewed & published in hundreds of resources over the last 12 years:

Cancer – A Virus to Our Cellular HTML

September 9, 2017employee performance, well-beingalcohol, anti-malware, call phone, carcinogens, cause a cell to mutate, chronic illness, chronic inflammation, corporate health programs, data analytics, destruction of cancer, digestive health, everything causes cancer, flow of Qi, genetic mutation, genomics, geophysical exposure, gut microbiome, hormonal imbalance, HTML, immune system, incentivize, inflammation ages us, malware, minimizing risks, personalized wellness, prevent cancer, root of all disease, sequencing the genome, Virus, wearable technology, what is cancerBestinCorporateHealth

Cancer – Think of it as a Virus to the HTML Programming our Cells

I sometimes get annoyed when people say/think “Everything causes cancer”. This thought often engrains a sense of helplessness within.The truth is, if we understand what cancer is, it helps us a deeper appreciation of prevention – we are certainly not helpless…A life to prevent cancer is a life to prevent all of our chronic illnesses, infusing us with energy & power. Let’s think of cancer as a virus that has reprogrammed and is spreading malicious coding to the HTML of our cell’s genetic code.

Take a look at a beautiful website. Behind every beautiful site is HTML HyperText Markup Language, the “mother tongue” of our web browsers. Behind our being, is genetic code that dictates every cell of who we are, how we think and feel. If we have one wrong little character in the HTML of our website it can completely destroy the function of that website. Well, the same is true for our genetic code.

Now, what is cancer? Cancer is a genetic mutation, something has reprogrammed the HTML of that cell. That cell is now reproducing incorrectly and potentially very dangerously, destroying healthy cellular function. If our ecosystem is unable to shut that cell down, there is trouble. If our ecosystem is not optimized, the genetic saboteur is allowed to reproduce, and that deadly coding is reproduced.

Our bodies are a wonderland. Wonderland has an inner ecosystem that like any ecosystem needs to be kept in balance. Chinese medicine describes our flow of Qi. Without the flow of Qi, our life’s force, the ecosystem is jolted out of balance.

We live in a world that is constantly bombarding our ecosystem. Many times we are responsible for that attack: smoking, poor food choices, lack of physical activity…. And many times we do not know we are exposed to attacks on that biochemical terrain. Enter illness and disease.

Cancer is thought to be only 5-10% genetic. The rest is lifestyle, however, as mentioned above, our lifestyles consist of unknown as well as known carcinogens…..exposures that cause a cell to mutate.

Now……how magical are the powers of the right exercise? Exercise and nutrition are our body guards. When carcinogens attack, by empowering our body with the strongest possible biochemical terrain, one that is totally inhospitable to mutagens, we are able to fight the attacker and win.

Cellular Malware (aka carcinogens and pathogens):

Certain chemicals (in our food, in our air, in our meds, in our soils……..)

Viruses and bacteria

Geophysical exposures, radiation…….anyone use a cell phone?

Hormonal imbalances…..including our big wide world of phytoestrogens endocrine disrupters…

Oxidative Stress & Inflammation…..at the root of all disease

Some nasty lifestyle choices: smoking, sitting, poor food choices, stress, alcohol….

Our body depends on us to supply it with sustenance to empower the ecosystem. This not only includes our immune system, but our digestive function as well. Think of our digestive tract as the first step of our immune system. A great deal of our mood and “happy functions” come from that mysterious land called our enteric nervous system……Unfortunately – even if we eat “the right” foods, our digestive tract can be impeded by that same cellular malware. Keeping our digestive tract a “united front” against the cellular malware includes a healthy balance in our gut microbiome, and assuring we maintain healthy levels of stomach acid. Unfortunately, there is a detrimental abuse of antacids – as low stomach acid is frequently mistaken for high stomach acid. And of course our digestive health is jeopardized by all the usual saboteurs….poor sleep, alcohol, sugar, processed foods, and of course people who don’t listen to grandma – and don’t get their roughage. Cellular malware thrives without an optimized digestive tract.

Preventing Cancer: Building Our Cellular Anti-Malware: (Our Fab 4)

Nutrition..
Exercise & Physical Activity
Sleep
Minimize exposure to carcinogens, mutagens, pathogens……reducing oxidative stress & chronic inflammation

When the body is unable to fight intruders, our biochemical terrain allows mutated cells, aka cancer cells, to reproduce…and reproduce……until “we have cancer”. It is believed that everyone of us have cancerous cells lurking within, our goal is that we have the defences to shut down those cells, or force what is called apoptosis – cell suicide.

Front and center to the body’s defences are our immune and circulatory systems.

Our immune system is a pumpless system. In other words, it can produce all of the wonderful superheroes in the world (lymphocytes, macrophages, neutrophils, immunoglobins….) but if there is no pumping action from our muscles, or no muscles, the immune system can’t do its job.

Exercise is imperative for optimizing our body’s performance. Every study shows us that exercise and physical activity are an absolute necessity for every organ system of the body, and a necessity, the “managing partner” to chronic disease prevention…all of them…

Our vigilance to proactive health, by honoring the 4 components of Anti-malware is vital to the destruction of cancer, and all chronic illnesses at every level:

Prevention: enabling the body to kill those intrusions, to build a strong inner ecosystem

Management: make it through treatment, minimizing risks of side effects of treatment, fighting fatigue, getting our immune system to work in our favor, and studies show us – help better response to treatment, including protecting the body from potential side effects of medication

Prevention of recurrence. Rebuilding and equipping the immune system

Cancer occurs because their has been a genetic mutation, a change to the genetic code. The body has been attacked..the body needs to fight the attacker. By honoring our Fab 4, understanding their power, the many layers and complexities of each……we will fight cancer & chronic illness. We are NOT helpless, at all.

Corporate health programs…what a wonderful way to affordably make the world a happier, healthier place. Educate people to Prevent cancer

Help control workforce oxidative stress: Oxidative Stress is at the root of all of our chronic illnesses including cancers, heart disease, stroke, arthritis, diabetes, depression…..inflammation ages us and leaves us susceptible to disease. 7 patents, 24 peer reviewed studies on pubmed, accolades from American Heart Association, Mayo Clinic, National Institute on Aging….Washington State: “may well become the most extraordinary therapeutic and most extraordinary preventative breakthrough in the history of medicine.”

Effects of Diabetes – Sucking Life & Spirit

September 3, 2017employee performance, well-being10 steps to preventing and managing diabetes, biomarkers, CDC, chronic illnesses, community health and wellness, control blood glucose, control blood sugar, corporate health, corporate wellness, David Jenkins, diabetes distress, Diabetes sucks, effects of diabetes, Fasting glucose A1C, glycemic index, how to be physically active, insulin resistance, managing prediabetes, master hormone insulin, physical activity and exercise, prediabetes, preventing diabetes, renal diseaseBestinCorporateHealth

Effects of Diabetes – Diabetes Sucks the Life out of Us

The Multigenerational Effects of Diabetes – Physiologically, emotionally, financially, community

Diabetes is all about our master hormone Insulin, and mostly caused by our lifestyles, insulin resistance. Insulin helps control blood glucose levels by signaling the liver and muscle and fat cells to take in glucose from the blood. Insulin therefore helps cells to take in glucose to be used for energy. A lack of insulin or a losing the ability to respond to insulin (insulin resistance) leads to diabetes. Insulin is our master hormone, and masters our health.

Yes diabetes sucks, it can suck the life out of us physically, emotionally and financially. The vast majority of type 2 diabetes is a product of lifestyle. Lifestyle choices are passed down in families with a far greater influence than genetics. Given our continuing diabetes epidemic – we can most efficiently break this deadly trend educating larger populations – communities and companies.

The National Diabetes Statistics Report is a publication of the CDC providing updated statistics about diabetes in the United States. The data is collected from hundreds of sources around the country. Data here is from the 2017 report:

30.3 million people, 9.4% of the U.S. population—had diabetes in 2015
This total included 30.2 million adults aged 18 years or older (12.2% of all U.S. adults), of which 7.2 million (23.8%) were unaware of or did not report having diabetes
The percentage of adults with diabetes increased with age, reaching a high of 25.2% among those aged 65 years or older
33.9% of U.S. adults aged 18 years or older (84.1 million people) had prediabetes in 2015, based on their fasting glucose or A1C level. Nearly half (48.3%) of adults aged 65 years or older had prediabetes
Among U.S. adults aged 20 years or older with diagnosed diabetes, the estimated crude prevalence of chronic kidney disease (stages 1–4) was 36.5%
In 2014, a total of 52,159 people developed end-stage renal disease with diabetes as the primary cause
Diabetes was the seventh leading cause of death in the United States in 2015

Financial Effects of Diabetes

The total direct and indirect estimated cost of diagnosed diabetes in the United States in 2012 was $245 billion
Average medical expenditures for people with diagnosed diabetes were about $13,700 per year. About $7,900 of this amount was attributed to diabetes
After adjusting for age group and sex, average medical expenditures among people with diagnosed diabetes were about 2.3 times higher than expenditures for people without diabetes

The Effects of Diabetes

Diabetic complications are far reaching:

Because diabetes ravages the blood vessels and nerves, there are no limits at all to how much of the body can be destroyed. Diabetes most directly attacks heart health, kidneys, eyes, risk of stroke. Because diabetes effects the nerves, it can destroy mobility, digestion…..and yes memory. High blood glucose levels, over a number of years, can damage the nerves, including those of the brain, which increases the risk of dementia.

Having diabetes can also cause a mental health condition called diabetes distress. This condition shares some elements of depression, mood swings, anxiety, and stress. An estimated 33 to 50 percent of people with diabetes experience diabetes distress at some point during the course of their disease.

We feel better – diabetic and non diabetics – when we control our blood sugar.

10 Steps to Preventing and Managing Diabetes

Quit smoking – and yes – lower exposure to second hand and third hand smoke
Manage Body fat levels: Body fat releases some nasty hormones creating havoc with the endocrine system
Drink water…Try not so much at meal time as it can dilute precious digestive enzymes – rather in between meals.
Muscles are your BFF in life: All exercise and regular bouts of physical activity through out the day are imperative for every aspect of mental and physical health – but muscles are NOT just for body builders. Muscles are a critical contributor to metabolism & endocrine regulation – Muscles are imperative for blood sugar control. A nasty reality of life called sarcopenia – loss of muscle mass with age – aka use it or lose it – it a perfect explanation for increase risk of diabetes as we age. It is well proven people well into there nineties and centenarians can build muscle.
Exercise & physical activity for circulation, heart health, pumping our immune system.
Nutrition: Yes to control blood sugar, but nutrition to support exercise and muscle growth. Understand glycemic Index. Unfortunately it is not law in North America to label glycemic index, but it is in many countries of the world. I’ve linked my interview with Dr. David Jenkins – father of the glycemic index
sleep well Restorative sleep – a critical component to hormone regulation
Go for regular diagnostics to our healthcare professionals
We should all know our blood sugar levels – dialogue with your healthcare professionals, review your blood tests with them. Knowing certain basic biomarkers is more vital than knowing our weight.
With all of our wonderful wearable technology – we now have devices that track valuable biomarkers of health in non invasive ways, while enjoying the fun and healthy competition of wearable trackers. Clearly – these devices do NOT replace medical diagnostics – but they can sure help us have more educated, informed conversations with our healthcare professionals.

Managing prediabetes is a great lifestyle – Unfortunately we live in a world that is very supportive of diabetes – with all of our information on controlling and preventing diabetes – we are enveloped in a world that provides an endless supply of high sugar nutritionally deprived carbohydrates, and an inaccurate view of how to be physically active and to get exercise. It is also a great way to prevent many of our other chronic illnesses – including many cancers, heart disease….. The effects of diabetes can be so insidious, the connection is frequently overlooked. We need to focus on targeting large populations of people – so we can start passing down healthier lifestyle habits as part of our legacy.

Corporate health programs…what a wonderful way to affordably make the world a happier, healthier place. Effective corporate wellness programs preventing the devastation from the effects of diabetes

Chief Health Enthusiast – Best In Corporate Health

Shira is regularly consulted by Naturopaths, oncologists, health coaches on cancer exercise and exercise adherence.
Has assembled over 20 health and fitness professionals with varying specialties to bring to corporate wellness programs
Platforms include: Speaking, One-one/group health coaching, Retreats, Course development for in house delivery, Metrics to measure success available, Partners always included
Now offering live interactive webinars, just as if each participant has a personal health coach – making corporate wellness programs affordable to all.
Shira has been interviewed & published in hundreds of resources over the last 12 years:

Productivity from Physiological Homeostasis

July 4, 2017employee performanceBYU, chronic stress, effective wellness programs, employee productivity, exposure to EMR, free radicals, handle stress, impact of body fat, improving employee productivity, inflammation, measuring biomarkers, oxidative stress, Physiological Homeostatic Processes, physiological stress, productivity, Reactive Oxygen Species, stress response, wearable device, wearable technologyBestinCorporateHealth

Productivity: A Product of Physiological Homeostatic Processes

Improving employee productivity demands science, not just words of encouragement from the boss.

First let’s discuss our body’s aspired state…. – physiological homeostasis.

The body’s continual attempt to maintain a constant internal environment, what I call our inner ecosystem. Maintaining this stable ecosystem requires constant monitoring and adjustments as conditions change. Our environment, food choices, physical activity, sleep, exposure to physiological stressors, oxidative stressors all impact the body’s ability to achieve physiological homeostasis.

2012 Brigham Young University, 20,000 Employees.

Employees with unhealthy diets were 66 percent more likely to report having a loss in productivity
Employees who had difficulty exercising during the day were 96 percent more likely to have increased productivity loss
Employees who rarely eat fruits, vegetables and other low-fat foods at work were 93 percent more likely to have a higher loss in productivity
Smokers were 28 percent more likely to report suffering from a drop in productivity
Those who didn’t believe their workplace would support them in becoming healthier were more likely to have a drop in productivity.

The first 4 were of no surprise to me – As a proud science geek, my specialty is working with employees on the reduction of oxidative stress. These first 4 are all productivity zappers as they all contribute to oxidative stress (OS) and chronic inflammation. Not only are they productivity zappers, inflammation is the root of all of our chronic illnesses, most notably: cancer, heart disease, depression, frailty………OS is also the #1 reason for premature aging.

But the 5th point – those who didn’t believe their workplace would support them in becoming healthier were more likely to have a drop in productivity – there is a call to action for effective wellness programs.

A brief explanation of oxidative stress:

Oxidative Stress: The imbalance between the production of free radicals in the body and the ability of the body to neutralize / detoxify their harmful effects with antioxidants. ….In other words – the body’s inability to achieve physiological homeostasis.

Free Radicals: A molecule that has a single unpaired electron in an outer shell ….ROS

Reactive Oxygen Species

Antioxidants: neutralize free radicals either by providing the extra electron needed to make the pair, or by breaking down the free radical molecule to render it harmless. Making good food choices is an excellent source of antioxidants.

It is really ironic that oxygen, an element indispensable for life can under certain situations have several harmful and damaging effects on the human body. Oxygen is vital, yet it has a dark side. Oxygen free radicals occur just by breathing but excessive amounts of these free radicals occur when we are exposed to oxidative stress.

Our body is constantly bombarded with oxidative stressors…endocrine disruptors, microbial imbalance, hormonal causes including impact of body fat, smoking, alcohol……

And unfortunately – the antidote to OS, well, we just don’t provide this quite as regularly to our body as we should.

Physiological stress is the cause of “stress”. Its not running late with the report you were supposed to get to the boss. Its the effect on your body from stressing over that report, that matters. The better equipped our body is to handle stress, from a physiological standpoint, the better off we are to weather the daily storms that inevitably cross our paths. The more adept we are at handling physiological stress, the better we are at focusing, being productive to weather the storm.

Another way to look at this is acute stress vs. chronic stress.

Acute stress – yes – getting that report in on time. However, continuous acute stressors, combined with a compromised biology to handle stress can lead to chronic stress.

Chronic stress happens when the body cannot achieve homeostasis from the many OS, and can leave our body’s stress response continually in overdrive, and can continue to erode our function right down to our DNA.

Productivity Suffers – Oxidative Stress on the Brain:

Stress accumulates in an area of the brain called the amygdala. As this worsens, we enter a cycle of fear and anxiety
Potentially diminish our production of fresh brain cells
Reduce levels of our neurotransmitters which can lead to depression
Effect our breathing pattern
Effect our hippocampus responsible for memory
Prefrontal cortex responsible for decision making and impulsive behavior
Makes the blood brain barrier more permeable, allowing toxins in
Reduces the size of our telomeres
Cause brain inflammation

This is just the effects on the brain. Can we see why productivity is a physiological issue? As much as an employee is told to step up a notch – we have to take a look inside, examine how productivity is being compromised by a struggling physiology.

Best In Corporate Health: Optimizing our inner ecosystem with targeted, effective wellness programs, the real key to employee productivity

Corporate health programs…what a wonderful way to affordably make the world a happier, healthier place.

Risk Analytics with Wearable Devices

June 24, 2017employee performance, well-beingbiomarkers, bioparameters, employee health, employee risk analytics, engagement, health challenges in the workplace, health risk analytics, incentives, monitoring our health, oxidative stress, predictive analytics, productivity, quantifiable medical signs, reduce the risk, risk analytics, wearable device, wearable technology, wellness solutionsBestinCorporateHealth

Employee Risk Analytics with Wearable Devices

Risk analytics with a wearable device…..who ever dreamed! Wearable devices have come a very long way from the $5 pedometer – but hey – they gave us a great start – a thirst to develop better technology to get active and monitor our health.

Employee risk analytics allows us to investigate and identify variables, here health risks, that jeopardize our employees’ health, therefore, compromising productivity, engagement……….With the help of the analytics, we can design & help employees implement focused, targeted, sustainable measures to reduce the risk, improve their health and the health of the company.

Physicians and insurance companies are using Predictive Analytics…..Predictive analytics (PA) uses technology and statistical methods to search through massive amounts of information, analyzing it to predict outcomes for individual patients. Predictions are made for individuals, not for groups. In our scenario, we want easily obtained, yet scientific accuracy to help our employees identify any potential health risks.

It is NEVER for us to diagnose – however, if we can provide accurate data to our health care professionals, it can go a very long way.

Biomarkers are the most objective, quantifiable medical signs modern laboratory science allows us to measure reproducibly.

Body temperature is an accepted biomarker for fever. Blood pressure is used to determine the risk of stroke, heart disease, and a neon light for the potential for the development of disease. Cholesterol, triglycerides are biomarkers and risk indicators for coronary and vascular disease, and C-reactive protein (CRP) is a marker for inflammation, a precursor to all of our chronic illnesses.

The chronic illnesses I’ve included in this chart – as yes, they are health threats on their own, can also lead to other chronic illnesses. These biomarkers together provide important bioparameters to our health, and when monitored can provide vital data for our own predictive risk analytics. We can encourage dialogue with health care professionals, help our employees become their own health advocate, design programs around these bioparameters, and yes of course improve the health of our company.

Getting real data, is a preemptive attack against disease.

We can encourage our employees to gather that data in a fun (call it….in style) way – wearable technology is the sport out there now. We encourage people using the universal language of today – technology – to be more proactive about their health. And we can design our health coaching models around the results of this data, combined with an HRA

Now you have real risk data, and a real proactive, based in science, wellness solution. We are now encouraging our employees, with real time data, to seek help from their medical professionals, and are going to provide them the tools and education, motivation & inspiration needed to adopt better lifestyle choices and habits.

The Human Cloud at Work Study, amongst many other studies shows us the value of wearable technology in the workplace. Wearing wearable technology increases productivity, and plays a major role in the business environment. The wearable technology revolution is here to stay for a number of years.

According to eMarketer, nearly 40 million U.S. adults over 18 used wearable technology in 2015 — a jump of 57.7 percent over 2014. The usage of wearables is projected to hit 81.7 million adults by 2018.

ABI Research: 13 million wearable devices will be integrated into corporate wellness plans over the next five years. Wearables are perceived to offer encouragement to work toward better health, without appearing to be a requirement, and apparently, 44 percent of U.S. workers are already wearing them to work.

PwC study: 49% of respondents believe that the use of wearables in the workplace will help improve efficiency and increase productivity of employees. 67% of respondents expect that the company is willing to allocate some of its budget to purchase wearables that will support productivity.

Health Risk Analytics and Wearable Technology…Connecting the Dots:

Incentives increase success of a program
Health challenges in the workplace increase participation in the wellness program & camaraderie, promoting engagement and satisfaction
Monitoring our health increases our motivation for a healthier lifestyle
Tracking biomarkers allows us to provide health care professionals valuable data
Tracking biomarkers is valuable data for the development of specific, targeted health programs
Employee health builds productivity and engagement
People are loving wearable devices
We have to make our dollars stretch. Combining employee health analytics, incentives, wellness programs, increasing engagement, health & productivity, employee satisfaction & loyalty, coaching…..all for less than cost of the wearable device.

Employers are dedicated to providing organization and structure to their company’s day to day operations, and to creating a positive work environment for employees. We have to stop with rear view wellness solutions, especially as employee demographics evolve. With the right wearable technology we can provide for proactive health and chronic illness management, necessitated by the diversity of our workforce. Wearable technology as incentives combined with customized wellness programs offers an endless goldmine of opportunities for employee engagement, increased productivity, and enhanced safety.

Our chosen wearable technology also features germanium plates. Research is showing us germanium can counteract the multiple attacks our body receives daily from our environment contributing to oxidative stress, including removing toxins, strengthening the immune system, increasing circulation, oxygenation and restoring ionic balance.

Best In Corporate Health programs have incentives, HRA, CCA, wellness program, coaching, health challenges, reporting, sustainability, access to coaches experts in their field… all built into one clean, smooth package. Revolutionize your wellness solutions.

Corporate health programs…what a wonderful way to affordably make the world a happier, healthier place.

Chief Health Enthusiast – Best In Corporate Health

Shira is regularly consulted by Naturopaths, oncologists, health coaches on cancer exercise and exercise adherence.
Has assembled over 20 health and fitness professionals with varying specialties to bring to corporate wellness programs
Platforms include: Speaking, One-one/group health coaching, Retreats, Course development for in house delivery, Metrics to measure success available, Partners always included
Now offering live interactive webinars, just as if each participant has a personal health coach – making corporate wellness programs affordable to all.
Shira has been interviewed & published in hundreds of resources over the last 12 years:

Employee Journey Mapping with Health

June 19, 2017employee performanceCorporate culture assessment, cultural fit, customer journey mapping, customizing employee health programs, employee journey mapping, employer brand, happy place, health centric corporate culture, HRA, identify risk, journey mapping, millennial workforce, social media vibe, suitably incentivized, what are the employees saying, workplace environment, workplace productivity, workplace wellbeingBestinCorporateHealth

Journey Mapping our Employees

Journey mapping our employees allows us to tune into the corporate heartbeat.

We have all experienced customer journey mapping: whether it be secret shoppers, the thousands of customer experience surveys we are flooded with on every receipt and when making online purchases. And what about that not so subliminal data of shopping habits obtained behind the scenes. When I load my “personalized coupons” to a retail store, its amazing how they know which coupons I will get excited about – coincidentally – coupons for my frequent purchases. No of course, it is not a coincidence. I am NOT a retail purchasing or marketing expert…..but it is very obvious these stores are customer journey mapping, studying my purchases, my satisfaction, making offers to keep me coming back. …… As customers we are inundated. These stores want us to know they care about us, offer us discounts or bonus points on items we need, and most of all they journey map to keep our business.

Journey Mapping with the Health Risk Assessment and Corporate Culture Assessment

Employee journey mapping is critical, but not as honed. Journey mapping can reveal to employers a good look at the corporate culture. The corporate culture casts an aura over the company and is the sum of employee/employer attitudes, experiences, morale, perceptions…all of these together shape the company’s personality and culture. We all know how important first impressions are – the initial imprinting – employers need to be in tune with that corporate culture….and hopefully not reading about it on social media!

From the contemplation of an employee applying to a company, and the company interviewing that employee, both the employer and the employee are evaluating if there is a good, mutual, cultural fit.

➾➾➾Enter journey mapping via a corporate culture assessment.…CCA…..

Employers need to know, what is the employees’ perceptions of the corporate culture.

What are the employees saying about your company to others?
Social media vibe?
What is your employer brand, reputation?
What are you doing to attract the right people?
What constitutes the “right” fit? or the right people?
What sort of recognition, accolades do you get as an employer?
Are negative comments justified as the employee’s fault?
What is the perception of the company from customers, suppliers…..
Retention?
Sense of value by both employer and employee
sense of camaraderie, unity
Who is going the extra mile?
Perception of being suitably incentivized….encouragement & reward for good work

and most of all……..Does the employer care about me as a person. Employees don’t just want a paycheck — they want recognition, verbal appreciation and encouragement. With the millennial workforce….these sentiments are growing stronger. Attitude speaks louder than words, and can be the strongest motivating or demotivating force on workplace loyalty, productivity, engagement, and yes, on workplace and personal stress.

Numerous studies have shown us that the work environment, culture, is the most crucial factor in employee satisfaction. Epidemiologists have studied for years the relationship between numerous stresses, and the impact on health. Given that a majority of a person’s waking hours are invested at work, or thinking about work, it is no surprise that these studies have found a strong link between workplace wellbeing and health wellbeing. It has become widely accepted that a poor workplace environment can erode physical and psychological health.

Mapping A Smooth Journey: The Union of the HRA and CCA

A health risk assessment is a critical tool, when effectively used – serves as the basis for customizing employee health programs. It can raise health awareness for both employer and employee, identify risk, and most of all…be fun and engaging – instilling confidence in the employee to pursue the health program. We all know adherence to the programs can be very low. First impressions can be lasting impressions.

Connecting the dots, bringing together the HRA and CCA allows the employer a good look into the soul of the company, mapping a smooth journey. Employee journeys are critical to workplace productivity, engagement, a sense of fitting in and community. Employers validate the employees need for contribution, being heard, and can garner loyalty to the growth, success and productivity of the workplace. I know it might sound a little different, or maybe even a few “no ways”…..give us a shout, we can help you out!

Journey mapping from the HRA & CCA, births a health centric corporate culture….camaraderie, engagement and productivity through health…

…………….the corporate happy place.

Chief Health Enthusiast – Best In Corporate Health

Corporate health programs…what a wonderful way to affordably make the world a happier, healthier place.

Shira Litwack – The Corporate Happy Place medical fitness professional, Cancer Exercise Specialist , Medical Exercise Specialist, Holistic Nutritionist

Employee Wellness Toronto, Ontario – But offered worldwide!

Shira is regularly consulted by Naturopaths, oncologists, health coaches on cancer exercise and exercise adherence.
Has assembled over 20 health and fitness professionals with varying specialties to bring to corporate wellness programs
Platforms include: Speaking, One-one/group health coaching, Retreats, Course development for in house delivery, Metrics to measure success available, Partners always included
Now offering live interactive webinars, just as if each participant has a personal health coach – making corporate wellness programs affordable to all.
Shira has been interviewed & published in hundreds of resources over the last 12 years:

Frailty – A Leading Cause of Death and Disease

June 15, 2017employee performance, well-beingabdominal fat, absenteeism, age related loss of muscle, build muscle, cancer, cause of death, chronic illness, corporate health programs, depression cost millions, desk job, diabetes, disease and death, frailty, geriatric care, glucose control, heart disease, hormonal balance, lean muscle mass, lymphatic system, medical syndrome, muscle mass, musculoskeletal injuries, obesity, oxidative stress, risk of infections, sarcopenia, strength training, uncontrolled blood glucose, wellness program, workplace absenteeismBestinCorporateHealth

Frailty…The Need for Muscle Nurturance

Frailty, sadly because usually so unnecessary, is a leading cause of death. Frailty is usually referred to as a comorbidity…but if we start looking at it as a cause of disease and death, maybe prevention of frailty will explicitly be addressed and valued just as prevention of heart disease, cancer, obesity, diabetes and all of our other chronic illnesses.

The first answer that comes to mind when asked the #1 cause of death is always cancer, heart disease, some kind of chronic illness.

I am asking you to dig a little deeper understanding frailty as a cause of disease and death.

What leads to a number of the causes of cancer and heart disease……..If we focus on prevention of frailty, how many other illnesses could we prevent?

We have to connect dots here. Remember, according to the CDC 80% of chronic illness is lifestyle – not genetic.

A 2014 study by the Japanese Geriatric Society concluded:

“Frailty is strongly associated with higher mortality, especially among women. Among men, the association was explained by baseline functional capacity, comorbidity and lifestyle factors. Changes in frailty status should also be taken into consideration when planning geriatric care, as such changes could indicate a more rapid decline in health.”

We all know what frailty looks like and have an idea of what it is – but from a systemic perspective, frailty is a consequence of cumulative decline in multiple physiological systems over a lifespan.

According to Johns Hopkins, frailty increases the risk of infections, illnesses that have to be treated in the hospital, falls and disabilities, doubles the risk of surgical complications, lengthens hospital stays, and increases the odds of leaving forfeiting independence (moving to a nursing home or assisted-living facility) after a surgical procedure twentyfold.

So then, the next logical step is to ask ourselves, what caused the multiple physiological systems to break down. Please don’t say “old age”.

The brain, endocrine system, immune system and skeletal muscle are intrinsically inter-related and are currently the organ systems best studied in the development of frailty. While frailty is most often associated with the elderly, some old people never get frail. Experts now regard it as a medical syndrome.

Diagnosing frailty:

unintentional weight loss (10 or more pounds within the past year, muscle loss)
muscle loss and weakness
a feeling of fatigue
slow walking speed
low levels of physical activity

Imagine if we lived in a world where people nurtured their muscle mass as much as they nurtured other aspects of their life: finances, cars, wardrobes……

Muscle is the ultimate example in life of use it or lose it. At the ripe old age of 30 we start losing muscle mass if it is not worked…age related loss of muscle is called sarcopenia. However, many studies prove to us, and many people I personally know, we can build muscles at any age. People over 90 can build muscle.

Muscles deserve far more respect than they receive. For that reason, in every wellness program I include what I call “muscle nurturance”. Muscles are to be cherished through

food choices
exercise (yes we can destroy muscle tissue with incorrect exercise or overtraining)
Getting quality sleep
alcohol control
smoking – stop
certain medications

The misconceptions, lack of appreciation for our muscles is rampant, causing an avalanche of psychological and physiological demise. Just naming a few consequences of muscle loss, and yes, please excuse my brevity here!

Our metabolism: muscle burns more calories — even at rest — than body fat. Average: 10 pounds of muscle burns 50 calories in a day spent at rest, while 10 pounds of fat would burn 20 calories
Imperative for diabetes control: Muscle pulls sugar out of the blood to be used as fuel, lowering blood glucose levels.
For each 10% increase in the ratio of muscle mass to total body weight, there is an 11% reduction in insulin resistance and a 12% reduction in prediabetes. Prediabetes is a condition in which a person’s blood sugar is higher than normal, but not high enough to be diabetes. Ultimately, our muscles can help prevent diabetes.
Glucose control is imperative in prevention of all of our chronic diseases, including cancer and obesity
Control of oxidative stress
Uncontrolled blood glucose levels can cause us to make poor food choices
Lowering sugar intake, muscles will burn fat as a source of fuel
Strength training muscle does not have to be in a gym – it can be done in home or office, even with a desk job
There are numerous forms of activity that build muscle, not just weight lifting
Numerous studies prove strength training is critical in prevention and recovery from depression. Studies from Harvard & Duke concurred depressed people who follow a structured strength training protocol were able to overcome depression without medication, and for every 50 minutes of exercise per week the rate of depression decreased by half. This has been attributed to many physiological mechanisms triggered by strength training.
Strength training provides better quality sleep, and quality sleep is vital for muscle mass
Our lymphatic system (immune) is dependent on our pumping muscles to move the lymph throughout the body
Our heart is a muscle that needs to be trained, through exercise
strength training strengthens bones as well – drastic reduction in osteoporosis
studies from numerous institutions concur our focus and productivity our greatly improved with strength training and a higher lean mass ratio. This is attributed again to many benefits including glucose metabolism and hormonal balance, reduction of stress responses…….
Hundreds of studies on strength training and physiologically reducing stress
Muscles are one of our greatest regulators of hormonal balance…..this itself has hundreds of health benefits….
Of course the obvious: our physical strength, mobility…all dependent on muscle
Musculoskeletal injuries and depression cost millions in workplace absenteeism. Muscle work has a very strong role in the prevention and recovery of both
Alcohol can destroy muscle mass, in a number of ways
Harvard School of Public Health study: followed 10,500 US men aged over 40 for 12 years and found that of all the activities they did, weight training for 20 minutes three times a week had the greatest effect on preventing age-related abdominal fat.
Strong muscles help us breathe, oxygenate our body.

Muscle is far more than looking good. Going for walks is great – however, it does not replace muscle work. Muscle training is often called the “new running for the over 40s.

Frailty occurs with loss of muscle. When we look at this partial list, no wonder frailty is associated with cumulative decline of physiological & psychological systems, and death. Our muscles are front and center to every aspect of our health and wellness.

Corporate Health Programs – What an Incredible Way to Make the World A Healthier Happier Place…..so we make them affordable to EVERYONE……

Chief Health Enthusiast – Best In Corporate Health

Employee Wellness Toronto, Ontario – But offered worldwide!

Shira is regularly consulted by Naturopaths, oncologists, health coaches on cancer exercise and exercise adherence.
Has assembled over 20 health and fitness professionals with varying specialties to bring to corporate wellness programs
Platforms include: Speaking, One-one/group health coaching, Retreats, Course development for in house delivery, Metrics to measure success available, Partners always included
Now offering live interactive webinars, just as if each participant has a personal health coach – making corporate wellness programs affordable to all.
Shira has been interviewed & published in hundreds of resources over the last 12 years:

Financial Stress Physiological Stress

May 30, 2017employee performance, well-beingaddiction recovery, blood alcohol levels, cause of metabolic syndrome, coping mechanisms, credit balances, employee financial wellness, finances are the leading cause of stress, financial professionals, financial stress, financial well-being, financial wellness, financial wellness programs, health and wellness, health issues caused by financial stress, health tracker, high tuitions and student loans, insurance costs, lifestyle choices, physiological stress, SHRM, sleepless nights, stress in a relationship, stressed employees, uncontrolled diabetes, wearable devices, wellness programsBestinCorporateHealth

Financial Stress – An Integral Part of our Health and Wellness Programs

Financial stress ….. We are what we think.

We have all had sleepless nights worrying about something…chances are, though, it was about our finances.

An April 2017 study by CreditCards.com ( a credit card comparison company) showed money is causing 65% of Americans to lose sleep at night. Healthcare & insurance costs overtook retirement savings as the primary source of anxiety, for the first time in a decade. This is a 3% increase in sleepless nights since 2015.

Credit-debt surged passed the $1 trillion mark, according to Federal Reserve data released earlier this month

High tuitions and student loans are also a major source of stress with 34% of respondents losing sleep over educational costs.

Stress about healthcare costs have risen 9% in the past year…

High financial stress levels and concerns over debt are associated with increased risk for ulcers, migraines, heart attacks, and of course sleep disturbances, according to the American Psychological Association (APA), and those conditions are “ just the beginning of how your money affects your body and mind.” As a result of financial stress, people adopt poor coping mechanisms, lifestyle choices. In this study the APA found 69% of Americans were stressed about money, and the most common coping mechanisms included binge eating and excessive alcohol consumption and depression is a common result of financial stress.

The APA recognizes financial stress as the leading cause of unhealthy behaviors like smoking, weight gain, and alcohol and drug abuse. Other behaviors linked to financial stress are gambling and overextending credit balances. When employees turn to these coping mechanisms, the APA concluded that the stress strikes back with an even greater intensity.

Financial stress is accepted as a major cause of metabolic syndrome, which can lead to diabetes, and combine that with binge eating? A recipe for metabolic mayhem. Uncontrolled diabetes leads to a number of other chronic illnesses, including heart disease, cancer, osteoporosis……Cost-related nonadherence (CRN) to diabetic protocol, is estimated to impact 20% of all patients in the United States.

SunTrust Bank: Finances are the leading cause of stress in a relationship, according to a survey of people in a relationship or partnership. 35% of all respondents experiencing relationship stress said money was the primary cause of friction.

A 2013 study found that the greater the financial stress – regardless of personal income – the poorer a person’s performance was on an IQ test….Well – we all know when we are worried about finances – it is hard to think and focus on anything else.

The 2017 study from PwC The Employee Financial Wellness Survey found Financial stress is negatively impacting employees and costing employers. Stressed employees are found to be less productive, take time off from work to deal with their finances, and are more likely to cite health issues caused by financial stress.

Another very interesting finding of the PWC study was only 44% of those surveyed believe that their employer cares about their financial well-being ….and…..54% of millennials said that their loyalty to their employer is influenced by how much their employer cares about their financial well-being.

A Feb. 2015 study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine suicide rose 40% since 1999, the sharpest rise started in 2007. The researchers concluded the economic downturn of 2007-2009 was a contributing factor, boosting depression and anxiety among many Americans who faced job layoffs, declining home values, household financial difficulties, and reductions in retirement savings. These “external economic factors” were tied to 37.5 percent of all suicides in 2010 — rising from 32.9 percent in 2005.

where do we even start…..

Our greatest stressor is when we feel we lose control of a situation.

Financial wellness is intricately attached to health and wellness. A financially stressed employee could have a number of potential health and productivity issues. Financial stress leads to an avalanche of other well known health & workplace productivity issues.

What can the employer do?

In January 2017, SHRM (Society for Human Resources Management) said 2017 should be the year of employee financial wellness programs…….

If a financial wellness program is in place – are employees participating? If not, why?
Create a curriculum, which will install confidence in the employees as to the success – alleviate fears over potential frustrations with the program. Survey employees, all ages and stages of life as to what will best help them. Give them a selection – many employees might not know many of the options are even possible.
Technology friendly: include sites, apps for employees to engage in, build knowledge over the many financial topics, helping them identify what will be most useful for them
Access to financial professionals you have screened – saving the employees the exasperating, daunting task of choosing a financial professional. There are a number of national, regional, private…..organizations specializing in helping employers help employees in financial turmoil. Just as in health programs, we have to help employees differentiate between professionals who have a hidden agenda- marketing products for their own ulterior motive, vs suggesting products that truly fit the employees needs. Again, when people are stressed over a sensitive topic – they need unbiased help in making decisions, implementation and follow through
Keep tracking adherence – the last thing we want is people quitting – feeling helpless
As someone who offers webinars regularly, I get very picky over webinar presentations. With webinars and coaching – I insist on live and interactive. Prerecorded are only for follow up. Engagement is just too important, especially when we are talking about people who could be stressed. It is almost cathartic to people when they realize there are others in the same situation. I always have various provisions for people to ask questions anonymously, but team support can be therapeutic here. The loneliness of watching webinars alone ……not my choice. Sure, follow up coaching – one on one – great. A well lead live, interactive webinar can be a great way to put people at ease, to deal with a situation.

And… I am going to add to that…… health and wellness programs that include addiction recovery components. Nobody ever wants to think of themselves as an addict….harsh label…however as we have seen financial stress often leads to addictive behaviors. Example: we saw binge eating is a common byproduct of financial stress. Providing healthy eating programs…..will not cover the binge eating. Undoing coping mechanisms is a behavioral issue. Stress and depression programs and/or counselling may very well be necessary as well.

Fitness programs are very often a central part of addiction recovery, especially binge eating, smoking and drugs & alcoholism, frequently associated with financial stress. I have seen the results, read the studies, the success of wearable devices for adherence to these very specific recovery programs is key to recovery, that feeling and proof of accomplishment, and gaining control to conquer the black cloud from the financial stress. My preferred health tracker for incentive programs, amongst its lengthy list of biomarkers is releasing an add on later this summer (at no extra charge) that picks up on blood alcohol levels. In the case of addiction recovery, a health tracker that can monitor the most possible biomarkers is preferred. Fluctuations in a number of biomarkers can relay significant data.

Although I personally do not lead financial wellness programs, I do have very experienced financial professionals, with thorough understanding of the human heart, mind & self respect, that do offer these webinars for my health and wellness programs. I know I cannot claim to offer complete wellness programs without offering financial health. I get very irritated when I hear people use cliches such as “money doesn’t matter”, “money isn’t everything”. Reality check…..we can’t pay for the groceries by kissing the cashier. We all want to provide for our loved ones. We all agree health is a wealth, but undeniably, wealth is a part of health.

Chief Health Enthusiast – Best In Corporate Health

Employee Wellness Toronto, Ontario – But offered worldwide!

Shira is regularly consulted by Naturopaths, oncologists, health coaches on cancer exercise and exercise adherence.
Has assembled over 20 health and fitness professionals with varying specialties to bring to corporate wellness programs
Platforms include: Speaking, One-one/group health coaching, Retreats, Course development for in house delivery, Metrics to measure success available, Partners always included
Now offering live interactive webinars, just as if each participant has a personal health coach – making corporate wellness programs affordable to all.
Shira has been interviewed & published in hundreds of resources over the last 12 years:

Health Tracking with Wearable Devices

May 28, 2017employee performance, well-beingaccurate measure of calorie expenditure, basal metabolic rate, biomarkers, calorie expenditure, calories burned, choosing a tracker, corporate health, corporate health culture, creating wellness programs, fitness trackers, fitness tracking, future of our children, gainweight, health and fitness, health and well-being programs, health challenges, Health Enhancement Research Organization, health tracking, healthy competition, healthy economy, lose weight, making health decisions, medical fitness, metabolic rate, optimizing our metabolism, pedometer, physical inactivity is the new smoking, proactive healthcare, productive workforce, wearable devices, Wearables in wellness, wellness case study, workplace wellness programBestinCorporateHealth

Health Tracking – The #1 Way to Promote Proactive Healthcare

Health tracking is the most motivating, effective form of health support. I am devastated when I see articles knocking them down, even if unintentionally. Not all forms of health tracking are equal in terms of data or capabilities. However, fitness trackers are powerful, and even if certain trackers may slack in certain areas – an all or none approach in anything, loses many people.

In my many years of medical fitness, corporate health….I have worked with thousands of people who feel helpless or just too busy and stressed to think about their health. I have also seen the power of fitness trackers, healthy competition -both with themselves and others.

Our wearable devices have come a very long way from the plastic pedometers in the Special K box of cereal. The variation between devices is immense. My goal here is to help sort through using the trackers effectively for adherence and sustainability, and choosing the right tracker for you or your employees.

Just an fyi…..I have looked over many of the lists comparing available health trackers……very few of these lists present all the trackers available….I don’t know…..Maybe they don’t want to compare their favoured tracker to possible competition – beware. The truth is – when choosing a tracker – know the truth – know what is important to you. What biometrics and activity would you like to track? What do you find the most motivating? What is within your budget? Some of the more celebrated devices do NOT supply the most thorough data, and are very expensive. Make your choice based on science and fact, not marketing budgets.

February 2017 study: HERO ( Health Enhancement Research Organization) Wearables in Wellness Case Study Report:

BP started incorporating wearables in 2013. More than 75% of eligible participants enrol in the company’s annual “Million Step Challenge,” and 79% reach their goal.
HERO report makes clear, wearables are most effective when employers understand their role in a larger wellness initiative………….“We see a lot of promise in the use of wearables as a component of a comprehensive workplace wellness program,” says Jessica Grossmeier, vice president of research for HERO. “Early research supports that a device, on its own, will not change health behaviors over the long term.”
Incorporate wearables into a broader program that goes beyond a single challenge focused on physical activity. Leverage interest in wearables to engage individuals in other health and well-being programs.
Provide ongoing enhancements to program design and engagement strategies, never allowing the program to feel stale.
Keep programs relevant and fresh by responding to program evaluation data and employee feedback to continuously improve your approach.
Develop goals and objectives for your program and leverage available wearables data to evaluate achievement of those goals.

Its unfortunate but the calorie somehow stole the spotlight with health and fitness. Yes, we must watch our calorie intake, and try to make sure the calories we consume feed us the nutrition we need. However, lets take a look at the painfully oversimplified equation:

Health tracking wearable devices BestInCorporateHealth.com — It’s Complicated….Very Complicated

Calories IN − Calories Burned ➾ we lose weight or gain weight

If only life were so simple….the truth is knowing these variables accurately……NO

It became very popular for many years for cardio respiratory equipment – treadmills,
ellipticals, stair climbers, bikes…..to provide “calories burned”. This number is calculated based on the weight entered at the start of the workout, age, sometimes heart rate, duration of workout, effort…..et voila – we are told the calories we burned. Again – this is calculated based on some generalized superficial data, not on the individual and their metabolic rate and other unique data such as lean muscle mass or our basal metabolic rate.

Perhaps, in our wellness programs we should focus on optimizing our metabolism by fine tuning the many factors that sabotage our best efforts. Track those variables and behaviors. Many of our “best intentions” to improve our health – actually back fire on us – causing metabolic mayhem.

Many fitness trackers do not gather the data necessary to give an accurate number of calories burned – thats totally OK – however, do not depend on this number in making health decisions. Example: Your fitness tracker told you that you just burned 1,000 calories in that 1 hour at the gym……that, sorry to burst your bubble, is not very likely. Please don’t go out and have a hunk of red velvet cake based on those numbers.

A recent study by Stanford researchers demonstrated that most fitness trackers are not accurate with calorie expenditure data. As explained above, calorie expenditure is a calculated value – determined by a number of biomarkers. If the tracker does not measure those variables – it is not going to provide the most accurate measure of calorie expenditure. If accurate calorie expenditure is the important feature of health tracking for you, choose a tracker that measures the pertinent data to make that calculation.

Physical Inactivity is the new smoking. We need to get people physically active for mind, body and soul, for the future of our children and the future of our economy. Health tracking promotes:

health… proactive, predictive and chronic care health care
a productive workforce
a healthy economy
a solid pivotal position for creating wellness programs
creating health challenges and healthy competition motivating adherence
camaraderie
corporate health culture
family health
healthy lifestyle choices
good moods and happy hormones

I am in awe that we have the technology to really monitor our health – of course wearable devices are not a replacement of medical advice and diagnostics – but they are an incredible way to take charge of our health, and finally make that move from our society of sick care to a society of true health care.

Chief Health Enthusiast – Best In Corporate Health

Employee Wellness Toronto, Ontario – But offered worldwide!

Shira is regularly consulted by Naturopaths, oncologists, health coaches on cancer exercise and exercise adherence.
Has assembled over 20 health and fitness professionals with varying specialties to bring to corporate wellness programs
Platforms include: Speaking, One-one/group health coaching, Retreats, Course development for in house delivery, Metrics to measure success available, Partners always included
Now offering live interactive webinars, just as if each participant has a personal health coach – making corporate wellness programs affordable to all.
Shira has been interviewed & published in hundreds of resources over the last 12 years:

Corporate Responsibility And Health Centricity

May 18, 2017employee performance, well-beingbehavioral intervention, cancer, cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory diseases, corporate health, corporate responsibility, Corporate wellness programs, corporate world, cutting-edge health technologies, diabetes, economic environment, employee-cantered approach, engage employee, global burden of disease, health centric, health centricity, health promoting workplace, healthcare transformation, healthier living, healthy environment, HRA, HRO, incentivize, inflammation ages us and leaves us susceptible to disease, insulin master hormone, leading cause of death, modifiable risk factors, NCD, Non communicable disease, Predictive care solutions, preventative healthcare, proactive health, Public health, risk factors, third party advisors, well-being of workers, World Economic Forum, world health organizationBestinCorporateHealth

Corporate Responsibility Through Preventative Healthcare

Enabling corporate responsibility is our duty as anyone who services the corporate world… third party advisors, HROs and yes, corporate wellness providers. We lead people to healthier, happier more productive lives, fulfilling on many levels a large part of corporate responsibility. Connecting employee health to larger societal health is vital. We all know the studies, healthy employees are more productive, less absenteeism and presenteeism. … As a company develops a more holistic understanding of how health and wellness are linked to other important social and environmental challenges, and business challenges, it creates an awakening to the many intricacies and facets of employee health. Where many corporate health models sabotage their own success – is weak follow through.

presenting in a manner that is supportive of participation
enabling implementation and adherence
incentivizing ➪for continual support and adherence & creating a corporate health culture

Our current model of healthcare is sick care, and sadly, employers are drowning by following this same path. Health care dollars are usurped from a reactive, episodic acute care model, and of course the long term needs and dollars of chronic care. We can find different dollar values thrown around, depending on which of the thousands of costs are being tallied, but suffice it to say chronic care costs, between care and lost productivity hundreds of billions yearly.

The massive opportunity for the health of society and our economy:

Preventive healthcare

Leading healthier lives (which is a sweeping statement) and stopping the onset of illness is the holy grail of healthcare transformation and sustainability. It is the ultimate investment companies can make. We all agree we are only as strong, resilient and energized as our people.

In terms of corporate health, the model of preventive care can be further defined for implementation and precision:

•Proactive care solutions: Providing solid, science based knowledge of healthier living, helping employees with implementation, adherence, provides a health centric motivating environment to respect the endless value of health. A proactive approach also ensures that preventive action is taken to intervene well before the onset of symptoms, far before illness. Proactive health should not be confused with diagnostics, which are a part of proactive health, but certainly not the only aspect of a proactive process.

•Predictive care solutions leverage cutting-edge health technologies and sophisticated gathering of data to not only stratify risk, but even predict risk and intervene even further upstream. This can be done through effective health risk assessments (HRA), metrics and reporting from the proactive tools. Predictive care solutions available and are a lost opportunity for health when not implemented. With the increased collection of personal health and lifestyle data and improved analytics, we can generate accurate insights earlier. This allows us to anticipate issues, pinpointing where behavioural intervention is needed and provide actions to take before risk factors even arise.

NCD: Non-infectious and non-transmissible diseases that may be caused by genetic or

Corporate Responsibility Preventative health employee wellness Best In Corporate Health — Breakdown NCD: Courtesy World Economic Forum

behavioral factors and generally have a slow progression (could have been incubating for years in which hopefully identified and prevented) and long duration. These include cardiovascular diseases, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases, and diabetes. According to the CDC, 80% of chronic illness is lifestyle, behavioral, however, people need to be made aware of what many of these behaviors and exposures are.

According to a study released in 2011 by the World Economic Forum, Harvard School of Public Health “The U.S. Government and Global Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) Efforts”:

NCDs are the leading causes of death and disability globally, killing more than three in five people worldwide and responsible for nearly half of the global burden of disease.
Among the leading causes of preventable illness and related disability
Cardiovascular diseases, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases, and diabetes account for about 80% of NCD deaths
NCDs are responsible for 3.9 million deaths each year in the Region of the Americas, representing 3⁄4 of all deaths.
An estimated 200 million people in the Americas are living with NCDs, which has a tremendous impact on their life, well-being, and ability to work. This, in turn, poses major challenges to the economy, the health system and other sectors of society.
If modifiable risk factors (behavioral) were eliminated, 80% of all heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes would be prevented and over 40% of cancer would be prevented.
The causes of NCDs and their risk factors are largely determined by the social, physical and economic environment. Thus, combating NCDs requires action on the social determinants in a person’s environment, not just healthcare. Creating healthy environments and making healthy choices available and known, are critical.

Just a scary stat: Diabetes and Insulin, our master hormone: $245 Billion, Annually . Diabetes is 90% preventable

Conclusion from World Economic Forum study on Non Communicable Diseases:

A final thought: Economic policy-makers are naturally concerned about economic growth. The evidence presented in this report indicates that it would be illogical and irresponsible to care about economic growth and simultaneously ignore NCDs. Interventions in this area will undeniably be costly. But inaction is likely to be far more costly.”

Corporate wellness programs are potentially an affordable, very effective way to reduce the economic, personal and social burden of illness. Shifting to a preventive paradigm requires a holistic and employee-centred approach that involves participation and dedication from employers and employees. Again, we need to provide programs that

Provide solid science
Assess employee needs
Is supportive of corporate responsibility
Teach, don’t preach
Interaction on numerous levels vital to learning and sustainability
Engage the employee to participate
Models a corporate loyalty to the employee
Creates camaraderie & passion to infuse the corporate health culture
Inclusive of the science of change and behavioral modification
Implementation – providing employees the guidance for adherence, work/life integration, organization and time
Is inclusive of family support
Incentivize the employee for participation in a manner that is supportive of the employee’s health efforts and the health centric environment of the company
It HAS to be fun, invigorating, encouraging…not another miserable obligation and time demand in the employee’s life

Follow the hard science. A number of vague studies have been released stating that proactive health and wellness programs do not really impact the corporate bottom line. Where these myopic snapshot falls short…. …what are they measuring? Do they have an accurate, measurable value, scientific means of data collection as to illnesses that were prevented? Were they categorizing all corporate wellness initiatives into one lump? What were the measures of adherence? For these studies to deny the impact of preventative health education and implementation, is to deny greater studies lead by global health researchers and organizations….. Science proves that a strong proactive model for health which preempts illness, acute and chronic, is vital for health and economics.

World Health Organization on Corporate Responsibility:

Corporate Responsibility Best In Corporate Health — Courtesy World Health Organization

“The workplace directly influences the physical, mental, economic and social well-being of workers and in turn the health of their families, communities and society. It offers an ideal setting and infrastructure to support the promotion of health of a large audience. The health of workers is also affected by non-work related factors.”

“A health-promoting workplace recognizes that a healthy workforce is essential and integrates policies, systems and practices conducive to health at all levels of the organization. Rather than a series of projects, workforce health promotion is an ongoing process for improving work and health.”

Providing health information is a start, but only a start. Corporate responsibility affects: shareholders, customers, suppliers, employees and their families, communities, financiers, society…..and of course their own survival. The impact of health is omnipotent.

Corporate Responsibility with Health….Best In Corporate Health

The supplement like a flu shot against oxidative stress…..

Why are we not controlling chronic illness? We must control the wildfire of inflammation and lower oxidative stress. We know oxidative stress is at the root of chronic illness such as cancer, heart disease, depression, diabetes, arthritis….. inflammation ages us and leaves us susceptible to disease. ….We take a flu shot to prevent the flu – one simple supplement to lower your oxidative stress by as much as 40%. 7 patents, 24 peer reviewed studies on pubmed, accolades from American Heart Association, Mayo Clinic, National Institute on Aging….Washington State: “may well become the most extraordinary therapeutic and most extraordinary preventative breakthrough in the history of medicine.”

Chief Health Enthusiast – Best In Corporate Health

Employee Wellness Toronto, Ontario – But offered worldwide!

Shira is regularly consulted by Naturopaths, oncologists, health coaches on cancer exercise and exercise adherence.
Has assembled over 20 health and fitness professionals with varying specialties to bring to corporate wellness programs
Platforms include: Speaking, One-one/group health coaching, Retreats, Course development for in house delivery, Metrics to measure success available, Partners always included
Now offering live interactive webinars, just as if each participant has a personal health coach – making corporate wellness programs affordable to all.
Shira has been interviewed & published in hundreds of resources over the last 12 years:

Employee Incentives for Health Promotion

April 4, 2017employee performance, well-beingbest practice companies, disincentives, employee incentives, goal of a wellness program, health centric, health culture, health promotion, Health risk assessments, human capital management, Labor statistics, Maslow theory of human motivation, rewarding employees, ROI, stretching the budget, wellness platforms, workforce optimization, workplace health, workplace productivityBestinCorporateHealth

Incentivizing Employee Incentives – Fuelling Employee Wellness Programs

Employee incentives can solve the age old problem of wellness programs….You can lead the horse to water, but you cannot make it drink. Many companies offer wellness programs, but are not getting the compliance required to achieve success – healthy people and healthy profits.

Sadly, being healthy and more productive, lowering Ldl and curbing diabetes is not enough of an incentive for people to comply with wellness programs. Everyone is busy, and many people are skeptical due to previous attempts at a “healthy lifestyle” aka learned helplessness. Few programs address the daunting, intimidating, frustrating challenges- the many skills, time, organizational design for change. They are rarely motivational nor supportive to encourage people to act.

Enter employee incentives – or I should say appropriate employee incentives.

According to the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

“When it comes to health promotion programs, it’s wise to avoid the “build it and they will come” strategy. A wealth of research tells us that people need motivation to adopt healthier behaviors and, especially in the early stages. Employee incentives can jump-start participation in programs and can encourage workers to complete health risk assessments (HRAs), quit smoking, exercise more, or lose weight.”

The choice of incentives is often counter productive:

Raising health care premiums for lack of compliance? Is that not punishment disguised as incentive? This is what we call a disincentive, not incentive. Excellent for encouraging dissatisfied, frustrated employees.

Cash? Sorry – a fleeting moment ….and the expectations will be for more and more, and create a downright resentment when monetary expectations are not met.

Incentives need to be based on support of the wellness program, support of the long term intentions and success of the program….is the intention to claim “we offer a wellness program “- or is actually improving employee health and creating a health centric corporate health culture.

Sounds so obvious…but just not done

employee incentives for health promotion — The largest part of our day is at work. A health centric corporate health culture can have a profound effect on health promotion. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Your incentive program should represent, lead the corporate health culture and employee camaraderie. Creating that culture is #1 in terms of long term adherence, success of the program reaping the benefits of health in the workplace, productivity…..that all important ROI. On average, people invest 35-40% of their lives at work.

It costs about 20% of an employee’s annual salary to replace that employee.

At a minimum, perks should help retain employees. The best companies, however, create incentives that demonstrate the company’s health culture and inspire employees to health, engagement and productivity.

Some basic principles of human motivation:

When Abraham Maslow created his Theory of Human Motivation in 1943, he identified five levels of motivation or five needs that humans strive to satisfy:

Survival
Safety
Social
Esteem
Fulfilment

Human capital management, workforce optimization – it really comes down to providing health, happiness, fulfillment – really everything Maslow described in 1943.

Incentivizing Incentives……

Make it personal…The employee’s perception -is it about his/her health and happiness, first and foremost, as a person, not as your employee
The trick is to first make sure that incentives don’t unfairly penalize workers who can’t or don’t want to participate. Employers must use incentives to encourage both fit employees—as well as those with health risks such as obesity, high cholesterol or elevated blood sugar—to participate.
Don’t make it just about money. Money can make employees unhappy if they’re not sufficiently compensated to their expectations. Money has not been shown to lead to long term motivation, satisfaction or performance.
Appeal to the pack animal side of human behavior – or as Maslow said social and esteem. Creating that corporate health culture for employees to thrive, be part of the pack, camaraderie, investment in incentives is a perfect medium to nurture the corporate pack
Institutionalize your employee incentives. Again – applying the wisdom of the pack. While it’s sometimes thought to reward employees uniquely and personally, it’s can be lethal. Haphazard rewards are inefficient and can create confusion, unhealthy competition, a perception of favouritism for employees. Transparency is key.
Measure it . As we mentioned, rewarding employees isn’t just good for morale; it’s good for the bottom line. That’s why you should measure the ROI for your perks whenever possible.
Don’t forget your culture. Consistency – the power of the incentives should be respected and emanate a love and reverence to other aspects of the functioning of the company, not restricted to wellness….think about that one! Your incentive structure is a reflection of your company culture. Your perks program is an excellent way to make your company stand out.
Management needs to demonstrate a commitment to health, participate in the incentive program, camaraderie and continually reinforce the corporate health culture.

Companies are advised to avoid depending on incentives as a long-term strategy for getting employees to maintain healthy behaviors. The goal of wellness programs should be to encourage employees to value the physiological and social rewards of adopting and maintaining healthy behaviors—which will provide energy and focus for work, preventing injury and illness, feeling a greater sense of physical and psychological wellbeing.

An employee Incentive for health promotion must actually encourage the desired results, health – which will ultimately drive behavior creating a health centric corporate culture.

Incentives are a key part of workplace health promotion programs, but they are only one piece that is necessary for companies to achieve a culture of health. When they are wielded punitively or used to shift healthcare costs to sicker employees, incentives become a liability. Choose employee incentives, not disincentives. Best practice companies understand this and work hard to spread the message that improved health is its own greatest reward. Health is wealth – personal wealth and corporate wealth.

Best In Corporate Health…Stretching the Budget….Yes, Your company can have it all – Health Risk Assessments, Wellness Platforms, Coaching, Integrating wellness technology, Incentivizing Employee Incentives…….

Chief Health Enthusiast – Best In Corporate Health

Employee Wellness Toronto, Ontario – But offered worldwide!

Shira is regularly consulted by Naturopaths, oncologists, health coaches on cancer exercise and exercise adherence.
Has assembled over 20 health and fitness professionals with varying specialties to bring to corporate wellness programs
Platforms include: Speaking, One-one/group health coaching, Retreats, Course development for in house delivery, Metrics to measure success available, Partners always included
Now offering live interactive webinars, just as if each participant has a personal health coach – making corporate wellness programs affordable to all.
Shira has been interviewed & published in hundreds of resources over the last 12 years:

Cancer Awareness: ROI in Lives and Dollars

February 11, 2017employee performance, well-beingAmerican Cancer Society, Best in Corporate Health, Breast Friends, cancer awareness, cancer diagnoses, care management, chronic disease, chronic illnesses, chronic inflammation, corporate health, employee wellness programs, employees with cancer, inflammation, Integrated Benefits Institute, National cancer awareness month, oxidative stress, presenteeism, prevent cancer, ROI, workforce healthBestinCorporateHealth

Cancer Awareness – Measuring ROI in Lives and Dollars

February is National Cancer Awareness Month. Newly released data from the American Cancer Society, for 2016, reports:

1,685,210 new cancer diagnoses
595,690 cancer deaths

According to the CDC, 75% of chronic illness can be adjusted with lifestyle – however, where this fall shorts is a completely incomplete explanation of lifestyle. We all know certain basics – Don’t smoke, eat right & exercise. That’s great – but even if we are following that advice, it falls painfully short – and we are all left wondering …why do we still get sick.

According to 2014 research from IBI, Integrated Benefit Institute, a leading workforce health and productivity research and measurement organization, cancer costs businesses $19,000/100 employees per year.

Cancer Costs:

In lost work time & treatment: $19,000/100 employees/year
Lost work time and presenteeism $10,000/ 100 workers
Medical and pharmacy treatments $9,100
Absent 3.8 more days per year
Lose the equivalent of 1.8 more days per year to presenteeism.
At any given time, about 1/4 of employees with a history of cancer are in treatment.
Employees with cancer have an average of approximately four other conditions that complicate care management strategies

Impact on productivity, co-morbid conditions:

depression (16% of employees with cancer)
chronic fatigue (22%)
obesity (19%)
anxiety (14%)
chronic back or neck pain (23%)
high cholesterol (30%)
and hypertension (24%).

“Cancers present complex challenges for the workplace. At a basic, human level, a cancer diagnosis is a frightening, sometimes emotionally devastating, event. It is natural that co-workers and supervisors will want to provide support to a friend and colleague when told he or she has cancer. At the same time, balancing privacy and workplace accommodation is a critical, but sensitive, issue. Many employees with cancer will frequently feel too sick to work, while others report that remaining on the job keeps them ‘connected’ and provides a sense of routine as they undergo treatment,”

(Past) IBI President Tom Parry, PhD.

At the root of all of our chronic illnesses is the reality of oxidative stress, and a resulting condition of chronic inflammation. Nurturing our cell-being – sadly, is not incorporated into employee wellness programs, except at Best In Corporate Health, aka, Cell-Being.com.

Cancer awareness Shira Litwack, corporate health provider, on Voice America Oxidative Stress — Oxidative Stress – The Root Cause of Chronic Illness

Oxidative Stress: The imbalance between the production of free radicals in the body and the ability of the body to neutralize / detoxify their harmful effects with antioxidants. Some chemistry geek – Free Radicals: A molecule that has a single unpaired electron in an outer shell ….Reactive Oxygen Species. Our redox state, the balance in our body between free radicals and antioxidants, determines the status of our inner biology, our cell-being. Uncontrolled oxidative stress can lead to inflammation – which a certain amount is necessary – however chronic inflammation has been proven to be at the root of all of our chronic illnesses….cancer, diabetes, heart disease, depression, Alzheimers, macular degeneration, respiratory, our ability to focus, mood disturbances, autoimmune disease……….

Cancer awareness is all health awareness. Building cancer awareness into our employee wellness programs will provide a brilliant ROI, measured in both dollars, and lives.

Author…..Living a Life to Prevent Cancer is the Healthiest Lifestyle of all…..

Shira Litwack….Measuring & Maximizing Employee Cell-Being

Cancer awareness cancer in the workplace - Shira Litwack on Breast Friends Voice America — Shira talking with Becky & Sharon on Breast Friends, Voice America on Oxidative Stress and inflammation

Chief Health Enthusiast – Best In Corporate Health

Employee Wellness Toronto, Ontario – But offered worldwide!

Shira is regularly consulted by Naturopaths, oncologists, health coaches on cancer exercise and exercise adherence.
Has assembled over 20 health and fitness professionals with varying specialties to bring to corporate wellness programs
Platforms include: Speaking, One-one/group health coaching, Retreats, Course development for in house delivery, Metrics to measure success available, Partners always included
Now offering live interactive webinars, just as if each participant has a personal health coach – making corporate wellness programs affordable to all.
Shira has been interviewed & published in hundreds of resources over the last 12 years:

Brain Fog..A Reversible Saboteur to Productivity

August 10, 2016employee performance, well-beingbrain fog, cause of cancer, cellular health, chemical exposures, chronic inflammation, diabetes, diet, employee engagement, employee productivity, exercise, health programs, heart disease, hypothalamus, mental confusion, mental muscle, metabolic syndrome, multitasking, neurodegenerative disease, neurotransmitters, oxidative stress, physical activity, poor sleep, time management, To DO, weight loss diet, wellness programBestinCorporateHealth

Delete Brain Fog …..Optimize Employee Engagement

Brain fog has a powerful hand in employee productivity

Brain fog can best be described as mental confusion – we just can’t focus, harness enough mental energy to push through and accomplish what we need to get done. We make comments of having a senior moment, that very tacky expression a “brain fart”, we’re stressed….yes as common as it is…..it doesn’t make it right. Besides being very frustrating, it can be another symptom of a state of oxidative stress and inflammation in the body.

When we dissect our concerns over employee productivity and employee engagement………..brain fog.

Brain fog is yet another symptom of oxidative stress. Oxidative stress underlies all of our chronic diseases and major health concerns in our world, including heart disease,neurodegenerative disease,diabetes, metabolic syndrome, depression, Alzheimer’s, anxiety……..and yes, oxidative stress is a major cause of cancer.

The trouble with many health programs is the emphasis on the superficial, the exterior – what we all immediately see. Yes, this is what many companies ask for in a employee wellness program. However, it is our job as employee health providers to take a look at each unique company, the dynamics, the individual employees, assess the situation, and come up with wellness program that addresses oxidative stressors. So not only are we minimizing brain fog, we are minimizing those components of oxidative stress that cause serious illnesses.

We have an endless list of oxidative stressors, which eventually can lead to chronic inflammation. The frustrating part – many people follow regiments which they believe to be healthy, however, the truth is they are creating more oxidative stress to the body, causing cellular damage. A few examples:

Diet: When focusing on a typical weight loss diet, unfortunately for a number of reasons we could be creating more oxidative stress on the body. Sure, we all get excited over weight loss, but there could be much better ways. Choosing the right foods is extremely important to fight brain fog and protect our cellular health
Exercise and physical activity: Just as with diet, the wrong exercise, or thinking sporadic exercise is physical activity, can be damaging
Chemical exposures: we need to look at the daily bombardment of chemical offenders
Poor sleep: I don’t just mean hours of sleep – its quality sleep that is truly restorative
Other lifestyle exposures to mutagens, carcinogens, toxins, viruses & bacteria that alter the performance of our DNA

The hypothalamus in the center of our brain is the body’s thermostat so to speak for a number of reasons. There are numerous ongoing studies looking at the intricacies of hypothalamic function in the presence of oxidative stress. The mitochondria of our cells need to harmonize with the hypothalamus and this metabolic dynamic duo is crippled, interfering with hormones and neurotransmitters production and regulation.

Multitasking vs. Time Management: Any new habits, lifestyle modifications, change, are close to useless to introduce if not providing a phase in process. Again, nobody is looking for another miserable task in their life and very few of us have time to burn. Just providing a list of “Do”s and “Don’ts” or “should”s and “should not”s is a job less than half done. Everybody is stressed multitasking work, family and a number of other pressing “To Do”s.

In order to build a cohesive, workplace environment, we need our team members to be physically, mentally and energetically optimized. We need to build their mental muscle.

Our challenge here – there is no test for brain fog, other than questionnaires, its not like we have a definitive blood test to say “You have brain fog!”. However, what we can do is work on the bigger picture, the oxidative stress.

At Best in Corporate Health, measuring for oxidative stress we consider to be a critical focal point of all of our corporate health programs. From lunch n learns, our live interactive webinars right up to speaking and retreats, getting control of oxidative stress is paramount. Oxidative stressors are cumulative, and our exposures are from known, identifiable sources, but there are many we are unaware of. Therefore, our approach must be to faithfully eradicate the ones we can. From brain fog to chronic disease, let’s dig deeper!

The supplement like a flu shot against oxidative stress…..

Corporate Health Programs – What an Incredible Way to Make the World A Healthier Happier Place…..so we make them affordable to EVERYONE……

Shira@BestInCorporateHealth.com

We look forward to customizing your employee wellness programs!

Chief Health Enthusiast – Best In Corporate Health

Shira is regularly consulted by Naturopaths, oncologists, health coaches on cancer exercise and exercise adherence.
Has assembled over 20 health and fitness professionals with varying specialties to bring to corporate wellness programs
Platforms include: Speaking, One-one/group health coaching, Retreats, Course development for in house delivery, Metrics to measure success available, Partners always included
Now offering live interactive webinars, just as if each participant has a personal health coach – making corporate wellness programs affordable to all.
Shira has been interviewed & published in hundreds of resources over the last 12 years:

Cancer Exercise Training Institute, Urban Poling for Breast Cancer, ROW – Recovery on Water for Breast Cancer

Shira Litwack, Medical fitness professional |Cancer Exercise Specialist|Personal & Corporate Health Coach | Fitness For Disease Recovery| Industry Expert Cancer Exercise

Director of International Relations Cancer Exercise Training Institute Master Trainer

Radio talk show host/Guest/Producer Health & Fitness Radio

BSc Psychology & Chemistry| Medical Exercise Specialist|Holistic Nutrition| Addiction Recovery|Total of 18 exercise designations

Employee Engagement-Effects of Alcohol

July 29, 2016employee performanceaging, alcohol and cancer, anxiety, cell health, chronic disease, chronic inflammation, depression, effects of alcohol, employee engagement, employee wellness, engagement investment, free radical damage, health and wellness, inflammation, lifestyle strategies, mental focus, mood disturbances, oxidative stress, path of addiction, sedentary, workplace environmentBestinCorporateHealth

Employee Engagement – The Role of Oxidative Stress ?

Institute for Employment Studies report quantified employee engagement: Organizations increasing engagement investment by just 10% can increase profits by approximately US $2,100 per employee, per year.

With all of the possible best efforts by an organization to create a culture of employee engagement, health and wellness, it can easily be sabotaged by the effects of …….oxidative stress.

Oxidative stress is rarely addressed, and if it is usually only once again by addressing the outer being. Truth is, this can sometimes create more oxidative stress on the body.

Chronic inflammation is a wildfire raging in the body. The blood vessels and internal organs and systems are affected. This inflammatory process leads to free radical damage and oxidative stress and is a culprit in aging, mental focus, depression & all of our chronic diseases. Our focus must be on addressing the cellular level of health.

There are hundreds of oxidative stressors attacking the body each day. What we need to do is to implement a plan to reduce exposure to the stressors, and strengthen the body to protect itself from bombardment.

Oxidative stressors weaken both physiological and psychological function in a number of ways, and are accepted as the root of chronic disease and ultimately longevity.

A thorough health & wellness program is one that helps employees over time with realistic

Corporate wellness programs from the cell with Best In Corporate Health — Employee wellness programs usually focus on the outer 2 layers. Inflammation and oxidative stress attacks the Cell-Being

implementation and integration of healthier lifestyle strategies. In a fast placed workplace environment combined with the challenges of balancing family, stress, anxiety and mood disturbances are the norm. Facts are not enough – in fact feeding a list of facts, “shoulds” and “should-nots” is irritating. Unfortunately, people frequently turn to the immediate “fixes” such as alcohol, poor food choices, sedentary activities which increase the oxidative load on the body… leading to more stress….more fixes…….the path of addiction. The insidious part, people rarely see this cycle, until they the body has been weakened by an illness.

Some of the more common oxidative stressors, that we can control include:

Alcohol
Smoking
UV
Certain medications
certain food choices
lack of exercise/the wrong exercise/
chemical exposure
pollutants

This is a very general list. Oxidative stress is not simple and straight forward, and of course will affect different people based on their own body’s ability to neutralize.

Consider alcohol: According to the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse & Alcoholism & National Survey on Drug Use and Health 52.7% of the population fall in the range of moderate drinking+.

A recently released study (Society for the study of Addiction) Finally has labelled alcohol as a “cause” of cancer, not just a “link”. The myth of drinking “a glass of wine a day for health” has been proven to be incorrect. Alcohol and cancer is finally accepted as fact. The meta analysis was carried out in New Zealand and published in the Journal of Addiction. Alcohol-induced oxidative stress, happens with a single drink, and sobriety is no indicator of damage.

However, we are not helpless, there are a number of ways we can lower our overall, cumulative oxidative stress load.

Health & wellness programs need to reach far beyond the preaching of eating healthy and exercising. Helping each individual person identify oxidative stressors in their life is the missing link, even in those who have the very best intentions following the healthiest of lifestyles….

Creating a positive, motivating workplace environment is of course a part of employee engagement. However, the ability of an employee to “engage” is within that individual person.

Employee engagement = Corporate Culture + Employee culture (aka cell health)

Shira Litwack calls herself the “CHE – Chief Health Enthusiast” of Best in Corporate Health. Shira has assembled over 30 health and fitness professionals to bring you unique corporate wellness programs designed around your employees. No more one size fits none corporate health programs, no long guilt lists of shoulds and should nots – fun, engaging programs where “installation” is an integral part of all programs. The health coaches cover a wide range of specialties from nutrition, exercise, balancing lifestyle, family harmony, addiction recovery, disease prevention and recovery…..contact us to plan your corporate wellness solutions

Webinars Speaking Retreats Health Coaching

Remember, BICH processes include partners at no extra charge and are measurable!

Shira has been interviewed on: City TV, CTV, National Public Radio, Sirius XM Dr. Rehab Dr. Jonathan Whiteson & The Sports Medicine Show, Living Cancer Free, Web Talk Radio, Voice America, Obesity Control Center, Investment Executive.

Articles Featured In: FORCE (Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered) Willow, Cancer Exercise Training Institute, Medical Fitness Network, European Registry of Exercise Professionals, The National Post, Investment Executive Magazine, Directory of Greater Toronto, Canadian Leukemia & Lymphoma Association, Prostate Cancer Canada, Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada, Anytime Fitness, Today’s Black Woman, Today’s Seniors, Cancer Exercise Training Institute, Urban Poling for Breast Cancer, ROW – Recovery on Water for Breast Cancer

Gut Health – Our Second Brain

January 5, 2016employee performance, well-beingbelly brain, colon cancer, corporate coaching, Corporate wellness programs, digestion and absorption, digestive health, employee health issues, employee productivity, employee wellness programs, gastric bypass surgery, GI Tract, GMOs, good sources of fiber, gut health, health coaching, IBS, Leaky gut, Michael Gershon, neurotransmitters, peristalsis, popping antacids, second brain, serotonin production, vitamin supplementation, weight loss, well-being, what is healthBestinCorporateHealth

Gut Health – Nourishing our Second Brain Our Belly Brain

Gut Health? Really conjures up some not so corporate images.

Gut Instincts? That’s Your Belly Brain Calling You!

The gastrointestinal system is probably the most taken advantage of and under appreciated part of the body. It merits respect – it is the 2nd brain, and Hippocrates said “all disease begins in the gut”.

The digestive tract is the ultimate mirror of lifestyle habits – our personal sewage system. Not a very glamorous topic, but the truth is it holds the answer to many of our undiscovered medical ailments.

Our belly brain – more scientifically respected as the enteric nervous system is the reason why we get emotionally “sick to our stomach” or have a “gut feel” or “gut instinct”. Serotonin, is our “happy hormone” (key to our focus as well), and thanks to the incredible research of Dr. Michael Gershon, we now know 90% of the body’s serotonin is produced in the stomach, not the brain as assumed. The enteric nervous system can send and receive impulses & secretes neurotransmitters just like our central nervous system. Our belly brain needs care, but more often gets abuse. It needs great nutrition – especially loads of fiber, micro and macro nutrients to strengthen. -And exercise, to promote peristalsis – the passage of all we have ingested through the digestive tract, keeping proper blood flow and nutrient supply, digestion and absorption. When our GI tract is not optimized, nor are we. It means we are not absorbing the nutrition from our food properly & just passing out the internal sewage to the external sewage system. ….yeah you get it. We can have numerous unexplained symptoms and we just can’t seem to find the cause…..the answer is probably lurking in the stomach, somewhere through to the intricate coils of the colon.

Still skeptical about the belly brain? Gastric bypass surgery, where a large percentage of

Gut Health optimized as prescribed by Hippocrates in all Best In Corporate Health Programs

the stomach is removed for weight loss purposes. There, unfortunately, is a very common side effect of these surgeries of psychiatric issues – from depression, alcoholism – because of the loss of production of serotonin. It is commonly accepted people after gastric bypass surgery need careful vitamin supplementation, not just with any vitamins – with those that have a very high bioavailability – the body is now seriously compromised for absorption. Included in this is the amino acid tryptophan – which is key to serotonin production. The stomach is not just the garbage bin at the bottom of the chute – it is a vital organ, to every organ system, not just digestion.

In our world of poor food choices, lack of physical activity, GMOs, toxins and bacteria entering our compromised guts – popping antacids recklessly destroying our precious HCl, constant stress released hormones, no wonder disease is rampant.

Optimizing gut health must be a central part to a corporate health program. Our gut health is our physiological and psychological well-being.

I feel compelled to mention some great sources of fiber – that are also nutritionally gifted: celery, oatmeal, brown rice, avocados, raspberries, beans, onions….. and please be acutely aware of those fiber impostors. Many breakfast cereals claim to be “good sources of fiber” when they are not. If a cereal does not have a minimum of 5g of fiber – Yes, drink water – in between meals is best. Too much water with meals dilutes those precious digestive enzymes, HCl that are critical to digestion & absorption.

Colon cancer is our #2 killer cancer & the most preventable form of cancer. IBS, Leaky Gut are rampant, and unfortunately the majority of medical doctors are lacking in the many lifestyle, naturopathic methods of dealing with these common issues. It is thought that 80% of the population have some form of leaky gut.

Health coaching, corporate coaching, Optimizing digestive health, building our belly brain – goes hand in hand with our cell-being.

Cell-Being Well-Being Corporate Being, Employee wellness programs based on your group – Your company is the template!

I had the pleasure of Interviewing Dr. Gershon back in 2011 – please listen, learn enjoy!

Our corporate wellness programs: email Shira@BestinCorporateHealth.com to enrich your people’s lives with health, wellness, happiness, prosperity and Joie de vivre!

Cost of Smoking Employees Micah Berman

January 1, 2016employee performance, well-beingcorporate health, Corporate wellness programs, employee health issues, employee productivity, employee wellness, employees who smoke, health costs, Micah Berman, productivity, quit smoking, smoking employees, smoking related policies, The cost of smoking, what is healthBestinCorporateHealth

Cost of Smoking Employees A Quantitative Study by Micah Berman

The cost of smoking – very few actually crunch the numbers so Micah Berman has done it for you. You will say – time to implement an quit smoking program.

A June 2013 study by our guest Professor Micah Berman of Ohio State U reveals the costs of employees who smoke is far greater than estimated by the CDC years ago. The average cost burden of a smoker to the employer is approaching $6,000/year greater than a never smoked employee. Professor Berman’s data is crucial to companies considering implementing a smoking cessation program. Professor Berman will be delving into the data with us, and discussing the legalities & intricacies of encouraging smoking cessation programs, or choosing to not hire employees that smoke.

Beginning this summer, Micah Berman is joining the faculty of Ohio State University as an assistant professor with a joint appointment in the College of Public Health and Moritz College of Law. Prior to joining Ohio State, Micah taught law school at New England Law | Boston, where he founded the Center for Public Health and Tobacco Policy. The Center provides legal and policy support to state and local public health programs in New York State and Vermont. Previously, Micah established and directed the Tobacco Public Policy Center at Capital University Law School, which worked with Ohio’s tobacco control program. In addition to working with state and local governments, Micah has served as a senior advisor to the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products and as a member of the NIH Director’s Council of Public Representatives. Micah received a J.D. with distinction from Stanford Law School and a B.A. in Public Policy from Brandeis University

Bottom line:
Companies Pay Almost $6,000 Extra Per Year for Each Employee Who Smokes

Ouch
SO I know this could start a brawl – but it does beg the question – why would companies hire smokers? – yes it is an addiction – but it is still a voluntary behavior. Businesses are increasingly adopting smoking related policies, everyone of us knows the challenge of meeting budgets….so I think we can all understand why this is such an important study with profound impact.

Best In Corporate Health….quit smoking part of our corporate wellness programs. Let us look after employee wellness!

Coupling: Importance of Supportive Spouses

December 24, 2015employee performance, well-beingbehaviour change, camaraderie, cell-being, corporate health, employee health issues, employee productivity, functional coupling, happy at home, happy place, marital discord, stressed out, unhappy marriage, what is healthBestinCorporateHealth

Coupling at Home: Cell-Being to Corporate-Being

Coupling is a skill that affects workplace wellness just as a functioning family.

Family life, roles have changed drastically over the last couple of generations.

The two most significant work trends affecting American businesses and families in recent years:

The exponential growth of two-income families

and

increasing levels of job stress

The #1 failure of a corporate health process is not including spouses in the process

Having one stressed-out spouse can harm couple’s work and home lives — but what about when it’s both?…and then there is coming home and dividing up in home chores, children wanting attention…..Our roles as spouses have flipped and flopped, leaving most people stunned, confused, often resentful bickering over what’s fair, and stressed beyond manageable limits.

According to statistics, most people are not happy at home:

we know the divorce rate is over 50%
A 2013 study found over 60% of individuals are stuck in an unhappy marriage but will not walk away for fear of financial or emotional hardship

There are going to be health consequences for both the individual, and the workplace.

The corporate happy place, needs its roots at home with functional coupling.

As always – let’s listen to the data

The 2015 UK study of “changing together” published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA):

Behaviour -Change programs are more successful if they were aimed at couples rather than individuals.Couples who work together to change their unhealthy habits appear to have more successful outcomes.

At Best in Corporate Health we encourage full participation of spouses in our health processes at the same cost..the truth is for long term sustainability….health is a family affair.

If marital discord is an employee issue – we have relationship coaches to help.

We all agree how important employee health is to performance, productivity….but spousal support can be the great determinator of success or failure of a health process.

The Web of influence of the supportive partner for effective coupling:

The state of the marriage…how it affects personal performance in the workplace

Supporting each other in a healthy lifestyle..the reality of embracing healthier choices

A 2012 study conducted by Florida State University professor Wayne Hochwarter concluded:

Those who reported high levels of stress but strong spousal support — as compared to stressed-out employees without such support — experienced the following positive benefits:

•50 percent higher rates of satisfaction with their marriage;

•33 percent greater likelihood of having positive relationships with co-workers;

•30 percent lower likelihood of experiencing guilt associated with home/family neglect;

•30 percent lower likelihood of being critical of others (spouse, children) at home;

•25 percent higher rates of concentration levels at work;

•25 percent lower likelihood of experiencing fatigue at home after work;

•25 percent higher rates of satisfaction with the amount of time spent with their children;

•20 percent higher views that their careers were heading in the right direction; and

•20 percent higher level of job satisfaction.

Effective Coupling is a vital part of our Cell-Being …..

Cell-Being All the way to the Corporate – Being.

Cell-Being: True Health and Wellness

December 14, 2015employee performance, well-beingaging, alcohol, Best in Corporate Health, camaraderie, cancer, carcinogens, cell health, employee health issues, employee productivity, food choices, GMO, health process, healthiest lifestyle, heart disease, mood disturbances, oxidative stress, smoking, stress management, webinars, what is healthBestinCorporateHealth

Cell-Being: Think of Cell Being as the ultimate conductor of life. Our cells confront the daily cacophony of life, and orchestrate the musicians, our cells, into the symphony of life.

Cell-Being to Well-Being….the path to health, the path to providing employees what they need to perform at their very best. Stress management needs to come from the cell, not preaching to people what to do and how to think.

When we talk about true health – we need to go right down to the very center of our being – cell health, our cell-being…all 70 trillion!!

Our Being: Our Raison D’être, the essence of a person.

Cell health has been the focus of our health and being from ancient Chinese Medicine and the flow of Qi, meditation, Yoga…..this symphony of life is critical to being. Our current world literally throws thousands of assaults daily, it is not at all conducive to cellular function…health needs to be respected at this deepest, most central level.

With all the wonderful intentions of eating right, exercising – we still live in a world which bombards us with oxidative stressors.

What is oxidative stress? Damage to the cells that causes an imbalance, causing the cell to not function at its full potential, or even worse – malfunction and start reproducing incorrectly, out of control, destroying healthy cells …aka….cancer.

There are more fads out there claiming to be the healthiest lifestyle. Fads come and go. The truth is a life to prevent cancer is the healthiest life of all. Nurturing our cell-being protects us from the harshness of ageing, disease, stands up against viruses and bacteria and the many bombardments from today’s world…that is the art and science of cell-being.

Cell Being…..Oxidative Stress….The Real Cause of Stress....

Oxidative stressors attack relentlessly through out the day. What we perceive as “stress” is a by product of physiological, oxidative stress. How we react to stress often further oxidatively stresses our cells:

Alcohol: One of the very worse oxidative stressors of all. It is just not true…”a glass of wine a day is good for you”….just not true. A glass+ of alcohol is chosen as stress relief – when in truth – that glass of alcohol is an oxidative stressor. Does this mean we have to stop drinking all together? No. However, coming up with a balance, is part of a cellular health program.

Smoking: I have heard people rationalize smoking is good because it relaxes them, or it stops them from eating too much – it is NEVER good to smoke.

Over exercising: Exercise and physical activity power the cells, no question. However, doing the wrong exercise can be a serious oxidative stressor.

Food choices: We may have the very best intentions of food choices, however many “healthy” food choices are ultimately endocrine disruptors or various other disguised oxidative stressors. We live in a world where are off supply is tainted by hormones, and now we have the invasion of GMOs – Genetically Modified Foods.

Or, we deprive ourselves of certain foods, thinking they are hurtful, when the truth is they are a superb source of the many vitamins, minerals, essential amino acids our cells need for defence and repair.

Besides the potential oxidative stressors listed here, the truth is there are many more. Cancer, aging, heart disease…mood disturbances….many of these are the product of a disturbance to our cellular health. The functioning of our cells are are affected by the constant bombardment of viruses, toxins, mutagens, carcinogens, bacteria and we are at the mercy of having a strong inner ecosystem (immune system, circulation, digestive system….) to keep us our of cellular stress. What we need to do is discover what oxidative stressors we have in our lives, that are sabotaging our best efforts.

It is often said ” life causes cancer”. Yes, there are those awful cases, someone could have been exposed to mutagens before birth or at a very young age. Cancer is thought to be only 8% hereditary, the rest is environmental exposures.

We often wonder why we think we are doing everything to live a healthy life – yet our biomarkers don’t reflect our efforts. So very often medicine is prescribed. Yes, there are times when medications are necessary, but every medication comes with a list of potential side effects. Lets get down to the cell. Strengthen the cell, strengthen our health. If our cells are misfiring, every aspect of our being is in jeopardy.

Now lets talk about our cells on another level: Our outer cell. Think of each of us at the center of a cell -we are the nucleus of our own cell. The cell we build around us is our family, work, our environment…all of these components of the outer cell deeply influence our inner being – our cell being.

Cell Being creates a rewarding environment. It is not a restrictive prescription of misery and sacrifice, which is why people often go “off and on” a health program. With cell being comes an inner reward – this is working, a liberation – “I feel better” – the wish list of a health process is now attainable: focus, energy, productivity, health….Inner reward is the path to compliance and sustainability

At Best in Corporate Health, we factor into all of our health processes the cell-being, systemic-being and well- being of every employee. This is why we strongly encourage spousal/partner participation. Our health is the union, the interdependence of these two beings – and ultimately how they flow as one.

Chief Health Enthusiast – Best In Corporate Health

Shira is regularly consulted by Naturopaths, oncologists, health coaches on cancer exercise and exercise adherence.
Has assembled over 20 health and fitness professionals with varying specialties to bring to corporate wellness programs
Platforms include: Speaking, One-one/group health coaching, Retreats, Course development for in house delivery, Metrics to measure success available, Partners always included
Now offering live interactive webinars, just as if each participant has a personal health coach – making corporate wellness programs affordable to all.
Shira has been interviewed & published in hundreds of resources over the last 12 years:

Articles featured in: ezines, ArticlesInk, European Registry of Exercise Professionals, The National Post, Investment Executive Magazine, Directory of Greater Toronto, Canadian Leukemia & Lymphoma Association, Prostate Cancer Canada, Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada, Anytime Fitness, Today’s Black Woman, Today’s Seniors, Medical Fitness Network, FORCE (Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered), Willow (Breast & Hereditary Cancer Support), Cancer Exercise Training Institute, Urban Poling for Breast Cancer, ROW – Recovery on Water for Breast Cancer

Shira Litwack, Medical fitness professional |Cancer Exercise Specialist Personal & Corporate Health Coach | Fitness For Disease Recovery| Industry Expert Cancer Exercise

Director of International Relations Cancer Exercise Training Institute Master Trainer

Radio talk show host/Guest/Producer Health & Fitness Radio

BSc Psychology & Chemistry

Medical Exercise Specialist

Holistic Nutrition| Addiction Recovery

Total of 18 exercise designations