The HS-Omega-3 Index®

A note from Chris Janelli of Our Favorite Health Products, LLC.

Our Favorite Health Products is working closely with Dr. William Harris to introduce and market his test for omega-3 levels in the bloodstream.

The test, known as the HS-Omega-3 Index, was developed by Dr. Harris, PhD, an internationally recognized expert in the relationship between omega-3 levels and heart disease. Dr. Harris has received five NIH grants to study the effects of omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA) levels on human diseases.

The HS-Omega-3 Index test measures levels of EPA and DHA in red blood cell membranes. Research has shown a correlation between a high HS-Omega-3 Index and a reduction of relative risk of sudden cardiac death. At the highest omega-3 levels, risk for sudden cardiac death is reduced by about 90%.

Preliminary data indicate the potential benefit of omega-3 oils in a wide range of medical conditions, including pregnancy. While optimal levels have not yet been established for ideal levels of EPA and DHA in all circumstances, the HS-Omega-3 Index may be used to monitor the omega-3 levels in patients who are encouraged to take fish oil supplements or to add fish to their diets, such as women planning to get pregnant and pregnant women.

It is widely accepted that the essential omega 3 fatty acid DHA plays a vital role in fetal development. After 30 years of clinical research, the need for adequate DHA during pregnancy seems to be acknowledged.

Results of clinical research tell us that children born of women who consume DHA during pregnancy have better coordination and visual acuity, what’s more, children born to women who under consume DHA during pregnancy have a higher risk for low verbal IQ scores, reduced fine motor skills and less developed social and communication skills.

Experts recommend pregnant women consume at least 200 mg DHA per day. This modest DHA recommendation is currently not met by about 90% of pregnant women. In fact, average intakes are less than 80 mg/day.

While the HS-Omega-3 Index test is primarily used to establish a baseline risk profile for sudden cardiac death and to help patients reduce their risk, it can also be used by women planning a pregnancy as an important indicator to guide their omega-3 supplementation program. An Index of 8% to 11% higher would indicate healthy levels of Omega-3 EPA+DHA.

It is known that the Index can be raised by eating a diet rich in Omega-3s, but even if a woman is consuming 200 mg DHA per day, an amount recommended for a pregnant woman, people vary and each person's response to supplemental Omega-3s varies, particularly in pregnancy when nutrient requirements increase.

Dr. Harris feels that an HS-Omega-3 Index between 4% and 8% can be corrected by increasing the EPA+DHA intake by ½ -1 gram (500 - 1000 mg) per day. This can be accomplished in two ways: eating more oily fish and/or taking fish oil supplements. On the other hand, if the Index is less than 4%, his recommendation would be to raise intake by 1-3 g (100 - 3000 mg) per day; significantly more than the 200 mg recommended for pregnant women.

If you would like to get references for many of the above statements please send me an email at john@ourfavoritehealthproducts.com

A post when there is nothing to say, but don’t forget what I told you.

I have to pen a post, but what to say. The push of our site is simple. How many times can we tell you to exercise, a little or a lot, it doesn’t seem to matter a lot, try not to become corpulent, don’t get constipated and join a club with modest supplement intake, fiber, omega 3, a multivitamin, vitamin D, in winter, and whatever your doctor recommends to give yourself a better chance of living a healthier life, if not a longer one?

We’ve added some products and seem to be moving in the direction of natural cosmetics. I just put up a new European line.

But, I did go to the Galapagos Archipelago, as we now call it, over Thanksgiving.

There are many lessons to be learned from such a trip. Keep humans out from where they do not belong. Get rid of introduced species; kill them off no matter what. And the locals can do the job better than the imports, if you will only get out of the way and let them do it.

So on most islands there are no humans, no billboards, no johns and leave before sundown. No relieving oneself whilst in the National Park. A good thing to, it keeps the group moving and concentrating on the objective.


All the naturalists, hiding their resentment, as a good host should, whilst showing around the comparatively affluent foreigners, are Ecuadorians. The ship we were on was crewed by Ecuadorians, as I believe is the requirement. The standard of input and service from our hosts was extremely high, they were proud of their land and the product they delivered.





It’s a good trip, if you get a chance.

John Oram

Do you know how much Omega-3 is in your bloodstream?

We have noted many times that the difficulty with supplements is not only to know what type to take but how much to take. We direct you to the numerous US Government sites that give excellent guidance and the latest knowledge. On these sites the skeptic can find much information on what is efficacious and what is definitely not.

Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids are getting a lot of press. The situation is far from clear and some studies appear to be contradictory. Some say increase omega 3 and lower the intake of omega 6 to get the omega 3 to 6 ratio more in line with our ancestors, somewhere in the region of 1 to 12. And then a reputable study supports the idea that omega 6 is useful in of itself and an effort should not be made to cut back on foods high in omega 6 fatty acids.

The omega fatty acid debate seems to be heading in the cholesterol direction, a marker for general good health with lower instances of many chronic diseases. By reducing inflammation, omega-3 fatty acids are associated with a lower risk of heart disease, both in persons with a history of heart disease and in healthy individuals.

Most of us have heard the suggestion that we eat more fish, particularly those with a high fat content.

So, it would seem the key is to know how much omega 3 is in your system and what the ratio of omega 3 to omega 6 is.

Our Favorite Health Products is now selling the HS-Omega-3 Index® Test on its website. This is a new test that measures blood levels of protective omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA in relation to all omega fatty acids. The desired HS-Omega-3 Index® is 8%, but most of us have an index in the range of 3 to 4%.

With the results of the HS-Omega-3 Index one can know how effective the fish oil supplements one is taking are and adjust ones intake accordingly.

If your HS-Omega-3 Index is between 4% and 8%, the recommendation would be to increase your intake by 500 to 1000 mg per day, either by eating more oily fish or taking omega-3 fish oil supplements. With an HS-Omega-3 Index of less than 4%, the recommendation would to increase the intake by 1000 to 3000mg per day.

The personal HS-Omega-3 Index report allows you to determine the success of your current omega-3 intake or adjust your ongoing intake to achieve a desired level.

The HS-Omega-3 Index® is an accurate, precise and validated measure of your red blood cell omega-3 level. The assay is reproducible and highly responsive to changes in omega-3 intake. Individual variability in the HS-Omega-3 Index® is very low.

The HS-Omega-3 Index® Test is available at our website.

We urge you to go to the US Government sites mentioned in out prior post and visit the American Heart Association site for the latest information on omega 3 fatty acids.

John Oram

Probiotic? Prebiotic? What’s the difference? Are they useful?

A probiotic is a supplement or food containing live bacteria that provides a health benefit. A prebiotic is food for the bacteria.

Ingesting live healthy bacteria of a preferred strain can be beneficial, sometimes. A medical intervention or condition that decimates the gut flora, as we like to call it, will leave us in difficulty until the gut is repopulated with these little friends who are greatly missed when not in place to help with the passage of waste through the colon. They give their all for our benefit, at least the good ones do. So, an active repopulation effort is very worthwhile.

The bacteria in our system are not all to be welcomed home. But normally the good outweigh the bad.

A probiotic can also solve a problem by producing what the body does not produce or does not produce enough of. The most obvious example is lactose intolerance. The body does not produce sufficient lactase; a bacterium can produce lactase to make up the difference.

The bacteria in our bodies can be classified in three different groups, the beneficial, the harmless and the pathogenic, those that cause diseases. The diseases caused by pathogenic bacteria include cholera, diphtheria, leprosy, syphilis, tuberculosis, typhoid fever and food poisoning, to name a few.

Studies supporting the claims of probiotic efficacy are many. A symptom of lactose intolerance is diarrhea. A probiotic, added to milk, reduces the incidence of diarrhea in children. It also appears that strengthening gut flora gives generally positive results in situations where groups congregate for long periods, such as schools, with more apparent benefit for the young.

The natural benefits have resulted in efforts to improve nature. We now have GM bacteria.

But what of GM modified bacteria? Genetically modified, that is. The development of GM bacteria is a large and ever growing part of the pharmaceutical industry. The hope is that the GM bacteria will do its good work as designed and not become a rogue or pathogen. These GM bacteria are in a sense drugs and the initial results are very promising. The most studied and therefore the most modified bacteria are Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus, both found in fermented milk products.

So, some strains of gut bacteria are useful and many are hyped and oversold.

Read the label and head for a .gov web site.

John Oram

A copper bracelet is no substitute for the good daily intake of dietary fiber

What is the difference? It’s all in the name. A medication is designed t treat, cure or control a disease, a dietary supplement is a supplement to our diet. A dietary supplement provides vitamins, minerals and other food ingredients that we do not get naturally in our diet due to our choice of what we eat or what we want to eat.

It therefore seems a good idea, not to ingest dietary supplements that we would not find in a “normal” diet. No easy task. Who decides what a normal diet is? A good starting point is, believe it or not, a Government web site. The sites all end in “.gov”. Most also have toll free numbers, if you can get through the automatic phone menu. They are very helpful and give excellent input on dietary supplements. Try the following: The Administration on Aging, the Food and Drug Administration, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, the National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, the Office on Women’s Health, and the Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Information Center.

Adjusting your diet is an option, but some of us just do not want to eat the foods that provide the benefit. We cut down on red meat, it must have some benefit, we exclude certain types of fish from the menu, we hope, for their benefit, we do not want the calories that come with the benefit or we don’t like vegetables and see no need to suffer when we have an alternative.

Unfortunately advice on how much or a supplement to take is another matter. One study suggests more another less, for some supplements ingesting more just means that more is excreted. Reading the label may be the best advice, but make sure the supplement is made by a reputable supplier. Visiting the websites of more than one reputable manufacturer may also be helpful and you can always ask your doctor.

That Omega 3 fatty acids are an important ingredient in the food we eat seems to be well confirmed. Studies supporting the benefits of Omega 3 fatty acids appear at the rate of several each month. Two of the latest studies seem to indicate that Omega 3 fatty acids may prevent age related sight loss and may protect diabetics from heart failure. If we do not want to eat the foods that contain Omega 3fatty acids, for whatever reason, a supplement may be a good idea.

A summary: Fiber, make sure you get enough. A multivitamin may make up for a modern diet. Omega 3 fish oil seems like a good idea for those of us that do not eat fish in a great enough quantity. To those basics we can add calcium, for women, and vitamin D in the winter for those of us in the sun-starved regions. If constipated or lactose intolerant, return your system to balance, increase fiber intake or repopulate the gut with the necessary bacteria to break down lactose before it reaches the colon.

John Oram
www.OurFavoriteHealthProducts.com

The sun goes down; you may need a vitamin D supplement.

The precursor to make vitamin D is produced by the action of the sun on our skin. Staying out of the sun, therefore, reduces our production of vitamin D. That much we know. Should we sit in the sun for a period each day or to listen to our inner voice that says “stay out of the sun?” We can do both, exposing only those parts that are well accustomed to the sun’s rays, legs and arms, for example. If we do not get enough sun we can review our diet to ensure a good intake of D or take a supplement.

The young have great need of vitamin D and calcium, hence vitamin D fortified milk. Vitamin D deficiency, often combined with a poor diet, can result in Rickets, a softening of children’s bones. Whilst most notable in the young, the effect can also be seen in adults, in which case it is classified as Osteomalacia. Older women are often counseled to take vitamin D and calcium to help protect against osteoporosis.

Vitamin D’s other benefits include the reduction of inflammation. Inflammation is a good thing, apparently, in the healing process, but a damping down of inflammation can also be a benefit, a calming of our body’s overzealous efforts that can result in joint and other pain. We are also told, in technical language, difficult to understand, that the calming effect and benefit of vitamin D is seen at the cell level. We need it, let’s make sure we get enough.

The US Government, in the form of the National Institutes of Health’s Office of Dietary Supplements, has much to say on the subject. If you would like to take a look, here is the link.

Classified vitamins are generally good, that’s the reason they have the classification. We need them. Normally, we get most of, if not all, our needs from our diet, not forgetting the sun, unless we have an aversion to certain types of food or load up on only certain dietary choices. However, unlike other vitamins, vitamin D is not found naturally in most foods. Fish, high in fatty acids, such as salmon, sardines and tuna, have a high level of D. Much vitamin D that we find in food has been added, such as in milk.

An area of concern is that of the correct dosage. Studies are constantly being completed with new ideal daily requirements suggested. In the case of vitamin D the suggested daily requirement seems to be increasing. The daily requirement also increases with age, with suggested daily requirements doubling and tripling as we advance into our latter years.

So, be aware of the need for vitamin D, but use your judgment, not too little and not too much, but more as you age.

John Oram
John@OurFavoriteHealthProducts.com

Hübner Silica Gel, another interesting product at OurFHP.

A boating accident leads us to Hübner Silica Gel.

"I was struggling with knee pain as a result of a boating accident, I received a recommendation for Hübner Silica Gel and I am amazed how well it worked for me," said Owen of OurFHP.

Owen was introduced to Hübner Silica Gel by someone who had been experiencing chronic knee pain for years. Before scheduled knee surgery, as a last attempt for temporary improvement and pain management, he tried Hübner’s Silica Gel. Three weeks later and a month prior to surgery he saw a significant improvement in knee function and pain relief, so noticeable that he cancelled the surgery. The operation was cancelled.

Shortly thereafter, Owen slipped on a boat and dislocated his knee. After a period of significant pain, he also started taking Hübner’s Silica Gel. Two weeks later, the healing process seemed to accelerate, with noticeable improvement. In addition to the Hübner Silica Gel, Owen took Nordic Naturals Omega-3 Fish Oil for its purported ability to improve joint lubrication. The combination of the two products helped Owen recover and saved a visit to the doctor’s office.

Hübner Silica Gel contains silicon. Silicon, a component of silica, gives structure to all living things, plants and animals alike. Plants use more, animals less, a trace by comparison. For us, it is essential and found in numerous organs and constructive elements of our bodies. Silicon gives strength and support to nails, hair, skin, connective tissue, tendons and ligaments.

Follow the link and take a look: Hübner Silica Gel

As we always have to say; Hübner Silica Gel has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

John Oram, john@OurFavoriteHealthProducts.com

Become a Menber, Join a Club

I don’t want to get in the middle of the debate.

The health care debate continues. I don’t want to get in the middle. Having been responsible for health benefits for many employees for many years, like others, I have some ideas of what we need. A major effort was made to encourage employees to reduce their health risk.

We know a few things about staying healthy. Don’t smoke, don’t drink to excess, don’t eat to excess or eat too much of the myriad of foods that the myriad of experts say are not good for you, exercise, not necessarily in an organized fashion, but walk, climb stairs, be active, stay out of the sun, but get some sun and push your family and friends to do the same. Have regular checkups and the tests suggested from time to time for your age and health situation. Easy, no? No.

The objective in all of this is to join the many overlapping groups, clubs that have a lower incidence of health problems. Members do not always live longer, but tend to have a better quality of life, as a group. There are no guarantees and, for many, it’s a difficult concept to accept. What’s the point, all that effort for a possible, not a probable benefit? Forget the lifestyle changes, live as before and compensate with pills, for many, lots of piles, competing pills, expensive pills.

Most of the products on out site, www.OurFavoriteHealthProducts.com, are dues for various health clubs. Increase your daily fiber intake; you joined the high fiber intake club, better health for the group. Omega-3 fish oil: same thing, another club with better health for members. Take a good multivitamin, you joined another club. Use a good laxative when you need it, welcome to the free and easy club. Constant constipation is not good for you; it stretches where you do not want to stretch.

So, join a club, join as many as you feel comfortable with.

Today, we see articles on the need to control sugar intake. A report from the American Heart Association brings this to the fore. The American Beverage Association and The Sugar Association see things differently. But those that contol their intake will see benefits.

Like many businesses, now we are up and running, we are adding a more products to our site. In a couple of weeks we will have the full line of L’Erbolario natural herbal beauty care products and some other innovative natural health and personal care products. We have already extended our line of Nordic Naturals Omega-3 and Konsyl products.

John Oram

Why DairyCare?

The why, starts with a problem for some, but not for all. The probability that you are lactose intolerant varies with your origins, but more on that later.

A lack of the lactase enzyme in the small intestine allows the lactose in dairy products to pass, unmolested, through to the colon. Once in the colon the resident bacteria, using their DNA to adjust their preferred food source to lactose, use the unprocessed lactose, via fermentation, to produce gas and more gas, mainly hydrogen, carbon dioxide and methane. The result is lactose intolerance discomfort, the cramp, the bloat, the gas expletive and diarrhea. The resulting pain in the gut culminates in a desire to move in the direction of the rest room.

The enzyme lactase breaks down lactose sugar to a simple sugar, which is able to be absorbed into the blood stream through the small intestine, just as you would want it to be. Normally the bacteria of the lower level, the colon, do not have the option of lactose to eat, but when they do, the result is a bout of lactose intolerance.

DairyCare has two ingredients, lactase, always useful, and live Lactobacillus Acidophilus, which, in the small intestine, produce lactase.

The developer of DairyCare solved two problems in designing this product. The first problem was how to keep the Lactobacillus Acidophilus alive, ready to do their job, and, the second was how to deliver them, unharmed, through the cauldron of the stomach to the tropical regions of the small intestine. The first problem was solved by giving them an environment conducive to sleep, similar to suspended animation. The second problem was solved with a capsule impervious to stomach acid, able to navigate the stomach. So, DairyCare delivers the lactase enzyme and live Lactobacillus Acidophilus to the small intestine.

Let’s return to your origins, Europeans, with exception of the Dutch and some Scandinavians, range from 5 to 20% of the population who are lactose intolerant. The rest of the world, except where the population is of European origin, range from 40% to 100%, with the vast majority at the higher levels.

The choice is yours, a single dose of DairyCare each day or the aggravation of adjusting your diet.

John Oram

Why SennaPrompt?

One of my favorite subjects is constipation. You are constipated and I have to adjust my life to suit you. I sit in our hotel room and wait, no trip around town to see the sites this morning. Or, "pull over at the next gas station, I am feeling lucky today."
SennaPrompt capsules contain a blend of psyllium fiber and senna herb extracts. SennaPrompt’s all natural ingredients promote the timely relief for constipation. The senna herb extract gets the muscles on the right path and the psyllium provides a natural stool softener. The result should be a bowel movement in 6 to 12 hours. Many users find that it works overnight. The label gives you a range of how many capsules to take, 1 to 5 capsules once or twice a day. It’s a pretty wide range, so use your judgment, most people will know whether they need more or fewer capsules, but some experimentation may be necessary.
The best long-term product if you have an ongoing problem with constipation is Konsyl Original, the fiber supplement. SennaPrompt is an occasional use product and a transition onto the high dose Konsyl Original fiber supplement is recommended. Fiber, recommended by doctors, takes from 12 hours to several days to work, hence the need for a faster acting product in the interim.
A SennaPrompt capsule has 500 mg of psyllium fiber, a bulk-forming laxative, and 9 mg of sennosides, a stimulant laxative. So, you can calculate how much fiber and how much stimulate laxative you are taking. SennaPrompt should be taken with plenty of liquid, a full glass.
Stories of constant long-term use of aggressive abound and the indication is that they become habit forming to the point where nothing functions without a dose. SennaPrompt may help the transition to a fiber supplement.
So, why SennaPrompt? This product is not as aggressive as other laxatives. It is natural and the fiber element is something you want to take everyday anyway, you have a solution that gets you on the road to a high fiber diet, what you wanted, or even needed, in the first place.
So, SennaPrompt can be considered a little boost, when you need it, take it occasionally, not constantly, combine it with a high fiber diet and you know what you need for that.
John Oram

Join the Omega-3 club

When you take your daily dose of an Omega-3 fish oil supplement, you join a club, the Omega-3 users group. A club that, according to countless, it seems, studies and research papers confers on its members a lower incidence of various maladies and an improvement in general well being, not necessarily for you, but for the many of the group. Anything to improve your chances of having a higher quality of life is maybe worth the effort. We have to say that Omega-3 fish oil is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease and the statements and conclusions of the various studies outlined in the following articles have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
The following articles make interesting reading on the potential benefits of Omega-3 fish oil. Follow the links, if you would like to read the entire article.
Visit our site at OurFavoriteHealthProducts.com and look at Nordic Naturals omega-3 fish oil supplements, considered among the beat on the market.
Omega-3 may Prevent Blindness in the Elderly: Study
By Stephen Daniells
23-Jul-2009 - A diet high in omega-3 fatty acids may prevent the development of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of blindness in the over-50s, suggests a new study. Read the full article
Omega-3 consumers unaware of benefits: Unilever survey
By Lorraine Heller
23-Jul-2009 - Most Canadian seniors actively seek out omega-3 food products, but many amongst them are still not clear about the specific health benefits of the fats, according to a survey sponsored by Unilever Canada. Read the full article
Omega-3 DHA boosts memory for healthy adults, not Alzheimer’s sufferers
By Stephen Daniells
13-Jul-2009 - Daily supplements with the omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) may improve both memory function and heart health in healthy older adults, according to a new study from Martek. Read the full article
If you follow the links, you will find many more articles on the benefits of Omega-3.
John Oram

Why fiber and, if fiber, why psyllium? And if psyllium, why Konsyl Original?

How many times do we have to hear it? You need fiber in your diet. Count the many ways you can get it, it seems food producers can find fiber in anything, even, occasionally, when it is not there. And counting is the objective. You need your daily dose, depending on who you listen to, some 25 to 40 grams, most of us get about 15 grams, so they say. Ah, but does not weight and age make a difference? Sure it does. But, not to be too technical, women need 25grams and men 40grams, all very approximate, as you get older, so rumor has it, a little less will do. If you get it, dietary fiber that is, you feel it, and some of us just get it because we happen to like to eat the right things. You can also get too much, which will inhibit the absorption of minerals and vitamins, but few of us will have this problem, underachieving is the norm when it comes to ingesting dietary fiber.

Then you have your soluble and insoluble fiber. What does that mean? Soluble is soluble in water, insoluble is not. Both have benefits, you need both, and together make psyllium, which is actually the seed husk, the most beneficial fiber, for its ratio of soluble to insoluble fiber, about two thirds to one third, and the ability to get to the fiber you need with ease.

How can I make up for the deficiency of fiber in my diet? Read on.

Each dose of Konsyl has 6 grams of fiber, more soluble than insoluble, as we said. Konsyl can be taken up to three times a day, if you are only getting 15 grams, this is useful. But, start slowly. Addressing your fiber deficit all at once can cause a problem. Let your system get used to the additional fiber intake over a number of weeks.

For the record, Insoluble fiber is; the part that keeps the stool harmonious and keeps diarrhea at bay, the part that keeps you regular, the part that keeps constipation a memory and is recommended in cases of diverticular disease. IBS, irritable bowel syndrome, is frequently mitigated by taking Konsyl Original. Soluble fiber is the part that does the good things you cannot feel, except for the lightness in your step and, hopefully, lower medical bills. Soluble fiber helps control blood pressure, helps lower cholesterol, helps control blood sugar, lowers the risk of heart disease and provides food the good gut inhabiting bacteria.

The big benefit of Konsyl is the dose, it’s the largest on the market, but it has other good attributes: easy to take 100% natural psyllium fiber, no sugar or sugar substitutes, gluten free and safe during pregnancy. Konsyl has been recommended by doctors for over 50 years.

We recommend the Konsyl Shaker Cup to mix your daily dose or doses of Konsyl Original with water or whatever other juice or beverage you want to use. You can use just about anything to mix with Konsyl. Konsyl should only be taken with liquids, 8ozs for each dose.


So, take your Konsyl Original and do yourself a good turn, and those around you, they will be happier as well.

John Oram

John@ourfavoritehealthproducts.com

Visit our web site: www.OurFavoriteHealthProducts.com