Senator Hatch and Terry
Terry & Marilu Henner
Dr. Gray & Terry
Terry receives Vity Award
Buddy and Bella
Buddy and Bella
Buddy and Bella
Terry on Tour
Terry on Tour
Terry on Tour
Terry at Marlene's - Federal Way
Soho, FL - 12/2011
Weekly Articles
Weekend Warrior Syndrome
When it comes to working or playing outside on the weekends, our ambition often over reaches our capabilities! Since many of us have sedentary jobs during the week that don’t give our muscles a chance to work out, it’s easy to overdo it during our time away from the office. There’s always that temptation to finish putting in a new deck all in one day, weeding “just one more” bed in the garden, or deciding to add one or two more miles onto a long bike ride on a beautiful summer day. And then the pain hits. And we realize that we’ve fallen in for “weekend warrior syndrome” once again. If that sounds familiar, I urge you not to start using prescription drugs or over-the-counter pain relievers to fight inflammation. Not only are there terrible side effects, their long-term use can even cause life-threatening problems. I have some much better (and much healthier) suggestions.
Herbal Ingredients for Peak Performance
One of the keys to staying in shape is building and maintaining your muscle tone. That doesn’t mean you have to have the built-up bulk of a weightlifter. In fact, keeping lean and muscular is probably the best bet for most of us. However, if you do get out there and overdo it – and then feel lousy afterwards – whatever regimen you’ve developed (or are trying to develop) will probably fall apart. So, building up your endurance, coping with muscle cramps, and recovering faster are some of the first things you need to work on. Two herbal ingredients that are “must-haves” for anyone who is active are whole grape (Vitis vinifera L.) extract and rhodiola (Rhodiola rosea) extract. By “whole grape” I really mean the entire fruit – skin, pulp, and seed. They are rich sources of natural, health-supporting polyphenols and oligomeric proanthocyanins (mostly known as OPCs). These powerful components protect cells from the oxidative stress that can damage your muscle tissue during exercise. Other compounds in whole grape are also very helpful. In fact, the whole grape extract I recommend has been tested in a clinical study of elite athletes. This double-blind, placebo controlled trial improved endurance by 24% and explosive power – those bursts when extra energy really matters – by 6.4% after just one month of supplementation. (When was the last time you felt like you had “explosive power” when you were out there on the weekends?) Just as importantly, this whole grape extract measurably decreased both oxidative stress and post-exercise muscle damage. Of course, being active isn’t just about tackling physical stresses; it’s about dealing with mental stress as well. After all, as Yogi Berra said: “Baseball is ninety percent mental and the other half is physical”. Rhodiola is perfect for any weekend warrior. Taken an hour before a game, workout, or heavy day of outdoor work, it’ll improve calmness and increase energy, focus, and concentration. Or, for times when you feel tired or slightly stressed even before you begin, rhodiola can help give you a mental energy boost that can get you started. This is why it’s such an important component in any herbal combination for physical performance. Unlike all of those “energy drinks” rhodiola doesn’t contain caffeine, so it won’t make you jittery or give you that “crashing” feeling later. It has been clinically tested, too. Rhodiola boosted stamina, energy, and increased plasma antioxidant levels – another plus for your physically demanding days – and recovery the day after. The rhodiola extract I recommend in combination with whole grape extract is one that is standardized to have greater than 15% rosavins – one herb’s key tested compounds. Overall, this herbal combination will help enhance blood circulation in your muscles, which in turn, reduces cramps, brings more needed nutrients that the muscles burn for energy, and carries away oxidative waste from the muscles. The short story here is that you get the energy boost you need without the crash, and your muscles get the oxygen they need, but not the oxidative stress. This means a better, healthier workout with reduced recovery time. Boosting endurance is a result of cardiovascular and neurological support and reducing biomarkers of muscle fatigue. Additionally, pushing physical limits with serious exercise creates a great deal of free radical activity in the body that relies upon healthy levels of antioxidants that maintain proper levels before any damage is done. And that’s why whole grape extract and rhodiola are two of the most important botanicals in your regimen.
| Terry recommends a product with these ingredients. Look for it at your local health food store. |
| Proprietary Complex 500 mg Containing hydro-alcoholic extract of whole Grape (pulp, seed, skin) (Vitis vinifera L.) Extract, containing >90% Polyphenols and >50% OPC’s, Rhodiola (Rhodiola rosea) Root Extract (>15% total rosavins, rosavin 9%, salidrosides 4.5%) |
Keeping Your Ligaments and Tendons Working Strong
Ligaments and tendons are tough, but they’re definitely not immune to damage, as many people know after overdoing it with weekend chores or amateur sports. Tendons are anchors that pull the bones of your arms or legs into place when the muscles contract. Ligaments, on the other hand, connect bone to bone, and are elastic. When you stretch out before exercise, you’re actually helping “loosen up” your ligaments, which can help prevent injuries, (but is something all too few people do before physical activity.) Aside from being sensible about how you exercise or get physical work done around the home and yard, there are nutrients you can add to your regimen that make an extraordinary difference in how the body repairs and maintains ligaments and tendons.
Targeted Vitamins, Minerals and Herbs Boswellia (Boswellia serrata) is a traditional botanical that does an excellent job relieving pain and inflammation. However, be careful about the boswellia extract you use. It’s important to look for one that has reduced beta boswellic acids – which can actually be pro-inflammatory. But along with that, make sure your boswellia extract has higher levels of acetyl-11-keto-β-boswellic acid, commonly referred to as “AKBA”. An extract with low beta-boswellic acid and high-AKBA is very effective, and has been clinically proven to fight pain and inflammation, so it’s perfect for anybody with a tendency to take their weekend workouts a little too seriously. I’d recommend a boswellia extract with at least 15% AKBA and not more than 5% beta-boswellic acids.
Bromelain, the enzyme from pineapple is well-known for reducing pain and inflammation, and helps heal wounds. Even though you might normally think of “wounds” as something that happens on the outside – like getting a cut on your hand — muscle tissue tears are wounds, too. And they’re more common than you might think.
Vitamins B6 and B12 are essential for keeping your tendons and ligaments functioning well, but they need to be in the active form to work quickly and effectively. In terms of vitamin B6, Pyridoxal-5-Phosphate (P-5-P) is the best. In foods or most supplements, vitamin B6 is found in one of three forms: pyridoxine hydrochloride, pyridoxal, or pyridoxamine. Inside the body, these forms of B6 have to be converted by the liver to the active form the body needs – P-5-P. So starting with P-5-P, rather than waiting for your body to convert it (which also reduces the total amount of vitamin B6 your body can use), means that it goes to work right away.
Vitamin B12 is essential for nerve signaling to the muscles. Here again, the best form is the active one, methylcobalamin. Many people have a difficult time absorbing B-vitamins – especially as they get older – and this can account for a lot of muscle stiffness. In fact, vitamin B12 deficiency interferes with your tendons’ ability to respond to signals, and dampens their reflex.
Niacinamide is a form of niacin that doesn’t cause upset stomach or the “flushing” sensation that most people associate with the B vitamin. You want to get niacinamide in your regimen if you’re at all concerned with ligament and tendon issues, because it gives the body’s anti-inflammatory abilities a real boost. First, it inhibits TNF-alpha, a pro-inflammatory enzyme. Secondly, it may be a starting material for PARP, an enzyme that helps the body’s DNA repair tissues properly. Plus, niacinamide is a strong antioxidant that fights reactive oxygen species that can inhibit muscle, ligament, and tendon movement, function, and activity.
Vitamin C is also critical to heal wounds or bruises. If you’re deficient in vitamin C, your body’s healing process slows down dramatically. I recommend the ascorbic acid form of vitamin C for this purpose – it has been the most widely tested.
Trace minerals are best when they are amino acid chelated, because they are much better absorbed by the body.
- Magnesium helps relax muscles, so you don’t get that “tightness” from activity or more recurring concerns like carpal tunnel syndrome. Deficiencies of magnesium can cause muscle cramps and numbness. Magnesium also has synergistic effects with bioactive B6 (P-5-P) and helps to facilitate its biological activities.
- Zinc is a required trace mineral for protein synthesis, cell division, and proper DNA synthesis. It helps ensure that any tendon and ligament repair proceeds along the right track to help you get active again, sooner, or to help you stay active in the first place.
- Manganese may be the most important mineral you will ever take for your ligaments and tendons — weakened ligaments and tendons is actually one of the signs of manganese deficiency. Manganese is essential for building collagen, the major component in ligaments and tendons. In fact, without manganese, the body cannot make any collagen or repair any connective tissue.
| Terry recommends a product with these ingredients. Look for it at your local health food store. |
| Vitamin B6 (as pyridoxal-5-phosphate) 40 mg, Vitamin B12 (as methylcobalamin) 500 mcg, Magnesium (as amino acid chelate) 75 mg, Manganese (as amino acid chelate) 36 mg, Bromelain (2400 GDU) 100 mg, Zinc (as amino acid chelate) 10 mg, Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) 500 mg, Niacinamide 200 mg, Boswellia (Boswellia Serrata) Extract standardized to contain >70% boswellic acid with AKBA >15% 250 mg |
Fighting Pain Naturally Last and certainly not least, let’s talk about pain and inflammation. To fight pain naturally, you want to get curcumin – the beneficial compound from turmeric (Curcuma longa) – into your regimen. However, not any curcumin will do. That’s because while curcumin has been recognized since ancient times as a valuable, and viable, natural medicine, it just doesn’t absorb into the body very easily. Because of this, many manufacturers standardize their extracts to 95% curcumin, but unfortunately, that alone isn’t very effective. Also, I’d avoid the extracts that blend curcumin with piperine – it interacts poorly with most medications and can have very negative effects on the liver. Instead, I’d recommend an effective micronized curcumin extract which is re-blended with the essential oil of turmeric for up to 10 times the absorption and blood retention of standard 95% curcumin extracts. For fighting pain, combine this absorbable curcumin extract with the same high-AKBA boswellia that also does such a great job reducing inflammation for your ligaments and tendons. As pain relievers, curcumin and boswellia form the two key players in the combination you want, because they reduce the activity of the two most significant pain pathways in the body – COX-2 and 5-LOX. Along with those botanical powerhouses, I’d recommend an amino acid combination called DLPA (D,L-phenylalanine). The “D” form inhibits the breakdown of enkephalins which are related to endorphins and are associated with positive mood, plus it relieves muscle pain. The “L” form improves mood-elevating chemicals in the brain, such as dopamine, epinephrine, and norepinephrine. So it helps reduce pain and it improves mood – which is just as important to well-being and healing. Last, but certainly not least, make sure you have just a bit of nattokinase in the mix. This enzyme extract helps promote blood flow so that other compounds that are carried in the bloodstream (such as curcumin, boswellia, and pain-killing endorphins) can reach the areas where they are needed the most. It supports balanced fibrinogen too, a compound associated with muscle damage and muscle fiber stiffness.
| Terry recommends a product with these ingredients. Look for it at your local health food store. |
| Proprietary Complex 2,181 mg DLPA (dl Phenylalanine), Boswellia (Boswellia serrata) Extract standardized to contain >70% boswellic acids with AKBA >15%, with less than 5% beta-boswellic acids, Curcumin (Curcuma longa) Extract standardized for curcuminoid complex (curcumin, demethoxycurcumin and bisdemethoxycurcumin), Nattokinase |
Enjoy Your Weekends . . . And Every Day of the Week! We all overdo it at one time or another. If you are having problems with soreness, aches and pains—regardless of reason– the nutrient formulas I have described will make an incredible difference in your life. Change that “ouch” to a “wow” and get going!