Tag Archives: oxidative stress

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 Program Designer — Shira Litwack, BSc, Corporate Wellness Specialist, Chronic Care recovery, medical exercise, holistic nutrition, addiction recovery

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

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

Alzheimer’s Disease and Oxidative Stress

September 2, 2019well-beingAlzheimer's disease, Alzheimer’s Disease is the 6th leading cause of death in the United States, antioxidant defenses, cancers, diabetes, free radicals, glutathione, increase glutathione, increase glutathione by 300%, inflammation, master antioxidant, methylation, oxidative stress, ravages if inflammation, the brain is an easy target, ways to increase glutathioneBestinCorporateHealth

Alzheimer’s Disease and Oxidative stress

Alzheimer’s Disease hits an estimated 5.8 million Americans of all ages have (Alzheimer’s Association). Now, an estimated 5.8 million Americans of all ages are living with Alzheimer’s dementia. By 2050, this is expected to be 14 million This number includes an estimated 5.6 million people age 65 and older and approximately 200,000 individuals under age 65 who have younger-onset Alzheimer’s.

Alzheimer’s Disease is the 6th leading cause of death in the United States.
One in three seniors die with Alzheimer’s and it kills more than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined
In 2019 Alzheimer’s is costing the nation $290 billion. By 2050 that is expected to rise to $1.1 trillion
Among people age 70, 61% of those with Alzheimer’s dementia are expected to die before the age of 80 compared with 30% of people without Alzheimer’s — a rate twice as high
The saddest stat of all: Only 16% of seniors receive cognitive assessments in doctors’ checkups.

Harvard: Inflammation is the unifying link between all diseases – Mental & physical. Oxidative stress, if uncontrolled leads to inflammation.

Quick review of oxidative stress (I have many articles here to check out on oxidative stress). An imbalance in our redox state as a result of increased free radicals and a decrease in antioxidant defense. Free radicals are molecules that contains one or more unpaired electrons in its outer shell, trying to rebalance itself by snatching another molecule’s electrons. This imbalance causes a significant decrease in the effectiveness of antioxidant defenses, such as glutathione.

There are many causes of oxidative stress, both endogenous & exogenous, and unfortunately in unavoidable. Again, please refer to my many other articles here.

Pubmed: Tissues and organs, particularly the brain, a vulnerable organ, are affected by ROS due to its composition. The brain is largely composed of easily oxidizable lipids while featuring a high oxygen consumption rate. In other words – the brain is an easy target to suffer the ravages of inflammation.

Now: If we all learned about oxidative stress, how to minimize it – maybe we could prevent a lot of these cases of Alzheimer’s – and the other top diseases killing us?

More and more research is proving Alzheimer’s disease pathology is of oxidative stress. This Alzheimer’s Disease related increase in oxidative stress has been attributed to decreased levels of the brain antioxidant, glutathione.

A 2018 human study published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, showed glutathione to be significantly depleted in Alzheimer’s patients compared to those without Alzheimer’s. Glutathione, referred to as the master antioxidant, is accepted as the omnipotent anti-oxidant that protects the brain from free radical damage. Researchers are hoping these findings will give us another measure to use when diagnosing potential for the advancement of Alzheimer’s disease or recognizing those that are in the early stages of advancement.

Ways to increase glutathione:

Spinach, avocados, asparagus
sulphur rich foods: Beef, fish, poultry. To a lesser extent vegetables such as cruciferous vegetables and allium vegetables (garlic and onion, don’t brown it!)
vitamin C rich foods
Selenium rich foods (please no Selenium supplements – can be toxic)

Glutathione deficiency is also seen in immune function issues, and is very much implicated in the aging process, DNA damage, and of course is a huge cause of oxidative damage. Glutathione also plays a key role in energy production and methylation, two integral processes at the core of normal cellular function. Methylation is an important part of many cellular repair functions, including the recycling of glutathione and detoxification.

Heart disease, stroke, cancers, diabetes…. all of our top killers are, oxidative stress is a major factor in all of them. Learning how to properly control oxidative stress, is really what a proactive lifestyle is all about.

There are other ways to increase glutathione from within your own body, by as much as 300%.

There is a pathway in the body that unfortunately decreases with age, but now due to medical technology, can be activated.

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

Nutritional Sabotage? Our Own Worst Enemy

April 10, 2019well-beingbrain food, chronic inflammation, controlling chronic illness, diabetes prevention, eliminate entire food groups, enzymes and coenzymes, increase in mortality, moderation diet, nutritional sabotage, oxidative stress, short term gratification, weight lossBestinCorporateHealth

Nutritional Sabotage?

Nutritional sabotage is an excellent example of the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

We go on these fad diets, “healthy clean eating” programs, where we eliminate entire food groups. Are we better off?

Let’s talk about a few examples.

No carb: the Go To diet for a very long time.

A few points.

The Moderation study: Dr Sara Seidelmann, clinical and research fellow in cardiovascular medicine from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, led the research. The study of more than 15,400 people in the US found that diets both low and high in carbohydrates were linked with an increase in mortality, while moderate consumers had the lowest risk of mortality.

These findings were confirmed in a meta-analysis of studies ( study of hundreds of other studies combined ) including over 432,000 people from more than 20 countries. Bottom line results:

Average life expectancies for 50-year-olds:

Moderate carbohydrate intake – additional 33 years

Very low carbohydrate intake- 29 years

High carbohydrate intake – 32 years

Nutritional sabotage? an excellent example here. The millions of people who do not eat carbs for instant gratification of weight loss – these studies seem to confirm nutritional sabotage, albeit the very best intentions.

Again – we have to define a carb – of course we are not referring to and excuse for pizza & pasta parties, chips, junk food. That’s another form of nutritional sabotage. When we say carbs – we are referring to fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes & beans……

Brain food: Our brains consume up to 20% of the energy used by the entire human body, more than any other organ. The brain is about 2% of body weight, but receives 15% of the cardiac output and uses 20% of the total body oxygen consumption. Rather needy organ! The brain uses about 25% of the total body glucose (from carbs) utilization. Junk carbs are terrible for the brain in a number of ways (oxidative stress and inflammation), yet those good carbs we are talking about are vital. The body can use ketones (from a deprivation of good carbs) as an energy source….let’s just say not a preferred source, we can talk about this in another blog.

Dairy: Another popular belief is to eliminate dairy. Truthfully, I was devastated when Canada removed dairy from the food guide. I am all for getting people to eat more legumes, plant based foods. Fact is like other foods, moderation is key. Dairy is still an excellent source of calcium, vitamin D, protein, micronutrients….supports bone growth, hormone production, a very long list. I do not think it is realistic for children to eat enough legumes, oily fish to compensate. Dairy is also, according to numerous studies, to have a role in diabetes prevention. Once again – we are saying moderation – and we are not talking bowls and bowls of sugary fatty ice cream, 18% cream in our coffee…..But a bowl of greek yogurt has endless nutritional benefits – including a natural food source of probiotics (mix in some oatmeal for the prebiotics), protein and precious enzymes, coenzymes and micronutrients. And please, don’t fool yourself about giving your kids calcium from those chocolate spreads……

There are benefits to being a vegetarian – if people are doing it properly – and not living on a diet of pasta and potatoes. Are they eating fish, nuts, seeds, legumes, fruits & vegetables? With many people – being vegetarian is nutritional sabotage, they frequently are low in B12, calcium and the iron in vegan foods is not as easily absorbed by the body as the iron from animal sources – there is a real skill necessary for a healthy vegan or vegetarian diet. However, eliminating all animal products from the diet increases the risk of certain nutritional deficiencies. From the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition: “Micronutrients of special concern for the vegan include vitamins B-12 and D, calcium, and long-chain n-3 (omega-3) fatty acids. Unless vegans regularly consume foods that are fortified with these nutrients, appropriate supplements should be consumed. In some cases, iron and zinc status of vegans may also be of concern because of the limited bioavailability of these minerals.”

I recently did an interview with Dr. Ross Grant, on the importance of NAD to lower oxidative stress, which can lead to chronic inflammation, in our diets, NAD is a coenzyme our bodies can assemble. However, we need to assure our body is getting the precursors it needs to manufacture the NAD: Yeast, niacin, Nicotinamide Riboside (NR) from cow’s milk, fish, chicken……..what happens if we eliminate entire food groups?

Points to ponder…..its not just about popping a multivitamin for vitamins and minerals that might be missing in our diets. There are hundreds of more examples here. Our bodies are a symphony of chemical reactions, fuelled by enzymes and coenzymes we need to assemble. Food and exercise are our very best medicines. Exercise needs to be efficiently fueled too. Don’t just look at the immediate results – look at the longer picture of health. Make sure your best intentions are not nutritional sabotage.

Oxidative Stress at the Root of Disease

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.”

Set Up a call!

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

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:

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:

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:

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

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