"D" for Digestion

This is our second installment for the ABC’s of self care. This week we will concern ourselves with D; E and F.

D- Let’s use the letter D to talk about Digestion. This is a problem that affects many of us. A recent survey reported that nearly three out of four Americans are living with digestive problems. Over 70,000,000 people suffer daily from some form of digestive issues (heartburn, acid reflux, GERD (gastro esophageal reflex disorder), IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), indigestion, constipation, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and others. To relieve these symptoms many turn to over the counter (OTC) products as Tums®, Rolaids®, Zantac®, Tagamet®, or prescribed medications such as PPIs (Proton Pump Inihibitors) Nexium®, Prevacid®, Prilosec®, Protonics® and others.

I used to travel about 80 to 90% of my time. I drank a lot of bottled water. In my vehicle was always bottled water and the biggest jar of OTC antacid I could find. I suffered from heartburn daily and ate antacids like they were candy. Once I was introduced to the concept of self care and healthy choices I was able to get rid of the giant jar of antacids. I replaced bottled water with water from the Nikken Sports Bottle while traveling and the Nikken Waterfall at home. To this day if I drink bottled water, often a case of heartburn ensues shortly afterward. The simple choice of changing the kind of water I drank made a huge difference for my digestive health. I have seen similar results for others that have started their Wellness Homes with healthy water. Self Care and the Wellness Home have several choices that can aid digestion in a simple, natural ways.

“E” for Enzymes

E- Since we started this week with digestion it seems appropriate that we use the letter “E” for Enzymes. Enzymes are proteins that act as catalysts. When a substance needs to be transformed into another, nature uses enzymes to speed up the process. For example, in our stomach enzymes break down food into tiny particles to be converted into energy.

Many times, digestive issues are caused by poor enzymatic activity. Our bodies have a limited supply of enzymes. The general rule of thumb is that we lose over 10% of our enzymatic potential every ten years.

Digestive enzymes exist naturally in the raw foods we eat. Since enzymes are proteins, cooking destroys these enzymes. This places more stress on our bodies to produce digestive enzymes to breakdown our food into the nutrients we need. Our bodies produce digestive enzymes; however, it cannot produce enough digestive enzymes to keep up with the typical western diet, which is full of enzyme-depleted, cooked, and processed foods. This is one of the reasons, so many people suffer from digestive-related health problems.

The stress of modern life many times necessitates us to supplement our bodies' natural abilities. Many people take enzymes in the form of dietary supplements to replace the enzymes their body is lacking, or to fortify the enzymes found in their food to ensure complete digestion of each meal.

THE NIKKEN WELLNESS HOME SOLUTION

One product that we have in our Wellness Home to help in digestion is Kenzen® Digestion 4-20.

Recent research has shown that there are four enzyme groups critical to the digestive process. Many digestive products on the market contain only one or two of these notable enzyme groups and lack in providing optimal digestive support. Kenzen® Digestion 4-20 contains all four of these important enzyme groups, making it a superior formulation for digestion, absorption and weight management. * Digestion 4-20 contains twenty specific digestive enzymes that act on four different types of macronutrients: fats, proteins, carbohydrates and fiber.

Years of research have led to a growing appreciation that a healthy human body relies on armies of "friendly" bacteria. The good bugs keep bad bugs in check and may perform other functions essential to a healthy gut and immune system. These probiotics play an important role in digestion and in fact, produce certain enzymes to assist with digestion.

Look for more on Probiotics when we get to “P” in our series on the ABC’s of Self Care.

"F" for Family and Finances

F- I wager that most of our readers think this letter will lead to a discussion on folic acid. Nope, what I want to discuss is Family and Finances in the context of the Wellness Home.

When I think of this I am reminded of a statement that one my mentors said to me years ago, “Imagine our children growing up in a Wellness Home”. The Wellness Home is the healthiest and safest place for you and your family. It utilizes Nikken Active Wellness products and technologies that addresses the specific areas of concern in the Self Care Awakening. The Wellness Home is a haven for our family. Our children have been exposed to and have adopted the principles of self care and being Healthy by Choice that the Wellness Home provides. When growing up, they were very rarely sick and often the colds and flu bugs that were circulating around school, never set foot in our Wellness Home.

“A NATION is only as HEALTHY as its CHILDREN.” Harry Truman (1946)

Personally, I can only remember once or twice in the last 20 years that I have been sick. A healthy family includes not only physical health but many other factors. Among them is healthy Finances.

Prior to my discovery of self care and Nikken, I traveled most of my time. I loved my profession, and it provided a great income for our family. The downside was that it left a lot to be desired in terms of time freedom. I remember missing birthdays, ball games, vacations as well as dinners at home with the fam. I didn’t want to miss these things, but work seemed to come first. I knew this was unhealthy in many ways but couldn’t imagine that I would ever do anything else as an occupation. Fortunately, I discovered a company that had a vision of living a “Life in Balance”. Their philosophy was and still is to be truly healthy one must live a life in balance based on Five Pillars of Health. Healthy Body, Healthy Mind, Healthy Family, Healthy Society and Healthy Finances. Some 20 years ago, when I first discovered this, I can honestly say, the only pillar that was healthy for me was finances at the expense of the other four.

In this instance, I was very fortunate, but for many others finances are a major concern. When the finances are affected, then everything is affected. Many people work around the clock only to jeopardize their family time and their health. They spend most of their lives working, usually too hard and for too many hours, just to make more money. So, it is with the Five Pillars and the balance in our lives, one area effects the other areas either positively or negatively.

THE NIKKEN WELLNESS HOME SOLUTION

The Wellness Home is the backbone of my 20-year encore career. Through the principles of the Self Care Awakening and the Active Wellness products provided by Nikken to create Wellness Homes we have been able to develop a business that supports all Five Pillars. It is and always has been our mission to inform, inspire and empower as many people as possible to Be Healthy by Choice. The most efficient way to accomplish this is through teaching others to do the same. It starts by asking yourself, where am I out of balance? We truly value our partnerships with others and have fun, purpose and profit in their service. This is a business that truly can improve lives. If you are looking to build a purpose driven business or supplement your income by sharing Nikken Active Wellness products or start building your own wellness home we want to work with you. Fill out the form below and let's talk healthy choices for you, your family and your finances.