Xtend-Life-Questionst
26th July 2005
Please click on the question of interest:
Question: From David. (Subject: Combining Neuro-Natural with Effexor...)q1
I am inquiring about whether the Total Balance Formula for men, and the neurological formula for depression is safe to use with the pharmaceutical effexor XR 75 mg. per day, that I am now taking.
Response: From Nicolien.
The Total Balance Men' Plus is fine to take with Effexor, but it is best to leave a gap of at 2 - 3 hours between the two. However, Effexor and our new Neuro-Natural Serenity can not be taken together.
I have included a summary below about anti-depressant medications and 5-HTP (an ingredient of Serenity). "If you are currently being treated with any of the following medications, you should not use 5-HTP without first talking to your healthcare provider.
Antidepressant Medications
Individuals taking the antidepressant medications known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) (such as Lexapro, venlafaxine (Effexor) fluoxetine (Prozac), paroxetine (Paxil), sertraline (Zoloft), and citalopram (Celexa) and monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) (such as phenelzine, isocarboxazid, selegiline, and tranylcypromine) should not use 5-HTP as these medications enhance the action of these drugs and may increase the risk for developing a dangerous condition known as "serotonin syndrome." Serotonin syndrome is characterized by mental status changes, rigidity, hot flashes, rapidly fluctuating blood pressure and heart rate, and possibly coma. Similarly, other drugs for depression that interfere with the uptake of the neurotransmitter serotonin, namely trazodone and venlafaxine, may also lead to serotonin syndrome when used along with 5-HTP (5-Hydroxytryptophan).
Effexor works by increasing serotonin activity in the brain. 5-HTP and L-tryptophan are converted to serotonin in the brain, and taking them with Effexor may increase Effexor-induced side effects. Until more is known, 5-HTP and L-tryptophan should not be taken with any SSRI drug, including Effexor."!
NB: It has recently been brought to our attention by a customer that her personal experience of side effects with Effexor included such as hugely increased symptoms of OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder), such as severe nail biting, with the potential of making habits worse. It was also reported that withdrawal side effects in this case caused severe dizziness, tinnitus, migraines, nausea and panic attacks. To read this customer's experience click here.
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Question: From Fred. (Subject: New Generation Total Balance...)q2
You mentioned that you were about to release a new generation Total Balance which contains a special form of L-Glutathione. I haven't seen anything on your website so I was wondering when you expect to release it?
Answer: From Warren.
Actually we have been shipping out the new version of Total Balance Women's Plus for the last two weeks and the Men's Plus for one week. The Unisex will follow sometime during August.
We will be posting up the info on the website for the TB Women's Plus and Men's Plus by the 3rd August when we will be making the price adjustment that I referred to a few weeks ago. In the meantime all orders of TB Men's and Women's Plus are all being shipped at the old price even though they are the new generation.
In case you want to review the labels you can do so by clicking here.
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Question: From Helen. (Subject: Levels of calcium and folic acid?)q3
I received your email explaining that the products are intended to be used with each other, therefore no risk of too much of any one item need be a concern. This caused me to look more closely at the amount of each ingredient in the Total Balance formula, and while it may indeed be in complete balance with each other ingredient, I feel many ingredients are quite low in the general spectrum. 100mg/day of calcium is exceedingly low for anyone, especially those of us who have parents with osteoporosis.
Folic acid is recommended by most resources to be 800/daily, while Total Balance only provides 500. I have starting supplementing with more calcium, but this is making me question the amounts of many of the ingredients, since it seems like Total Balance is only intended to be "total" if supplemented with your other products. I am assuming you are not utilizing the low levels of RDA to assess the correct amount needed for an individual person. Please clarify.
Answer: From Warren.
The dosage amounts we use are based on an average person in average health and although we have designed all our Xtend-Life products so they can safely be taken together, the amounts are adequate for those people who are only taking a single product. The level of calcium that we use in Total Balance is for someone on a normal diet. Some people may need more, particularly if they have been diagnosed with osteoporosis.
There are three important things to bear in mind.
One, is that most peoples calcium deficiency is not due to a shortage of calcium intake but rather a leaching of the calcium from the bones due to a shortage of a whole host of other nutrients. Total Balance addresses those issues.
Two, is that there is an enormous difference in the bio-availability of different types of calcium. For example, calcium carbonate is nowhere near as bio-available as Calcium Citrate which we use in Total Balance. But, that's not all...there are many co-factors that have to be present to help the absorption of calcium and two of the most well known ones are boron and vitamin D. There are, however, many others which are also present in Total Balance. This is why we combine our calcium product with the phytonutrients.
The 100mgs of calcium that we include in TB would, because of its combination with the other ingredients be equivalent to a lot higher amount of 'normal' calcium on its own.
Three, is that calcium is one of the cheapest ingredients that it is possible to use in a supplement. This is why many products have high amounts in them. It makes the product look better but it costs almost nothing extra to add more calcium.
Therefore our philosophy is that instead of filling up our Total Balance with such a cheap substance which has limited benefits compared with the other more bio-active ingredients we use, we would rather if someone needs a calcium 'top up' that it be taken as an additional supplement. Therefore we can ensure that the TB remains as effective as possible within the number of tablets that are taken.
Folic acid recommendations vary widely and in some countries the legal maximum is only 500mcg. Provided that you have a reasonable diet and are in average health, this is enough. In fact, many people who use fortified foods are now getting overdosed with folic acid.
Once again folic acid is a cheap substance and the cost per tablet is negligible because so little of it is used. Even if we doubled the amount to 1000mcg or 1mg the cost is still negligible compared to other ingredients.
Honestly, if it was desirable and/or indeed safe to increase the dose of folic acid or some of the other vitamins we would do so. I would do it just for my own personal benefit and that of my family, but it is simply not needed. None of us take any additional doses of these substances.
Hope this clarifies our rationale a little better...remember, more is not always better...UNLESS you have a chronic condition which needs to be treated with high doses of some of these substances. If this is the case, those higher doses should be monitored by a competent health practitioner.
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