Xtend-Life-Questionst
11th January 2005
Please click on the question of interest:
Question: From Marty. (Subject: Prednizone and liver?)q1
I underwent cosmetic surgery to remove puffiness from below my eyes in the middle of October. The doctor put me on some post-operative drugs including an antibiotic and prednizone.
I noticed that I seemed weak after the operation and, at first, attributed this to simple post-operative convalescence. However, I got the flu and was ill for two weeks during this recovery period. This struck me as peculiar and my history is to go years, even decades, without any noticeable illness.
Several days ago a nurse told me that the way prednizone works is to suppress the immune system to inhibit the body's natural inflammatory response. This strikes me as a plausible explanation for the two weeks of flu.
A few days ago I started to take your Total Balance and noticed some improvement. My energy has improved and I seem to be more like my old self.
My main question now pertains to the pain through my midriff. It seems to be becoming more localized and seems to be focusing around my liver. I do recall reading that drugs do compromise the liver.
If this is the case, what would you recommend that I do to help rehabilitate my liver?
Answer: From Nicolien.
Total Balance will help rehabilitate your liver as it contains many ingredients that are known to be beneficial for the liver. The key ones are: Selenium, Zinc, Betaine, Vitamin B1, B12, C, E, Alpha Lipoic Acid, Lecithin, L-Carnosine , Phosphatidylcholine, RNA, Taurine, Aloe Vera Polysaccharides, Beta Glucans, Gingko Biloba, Mahonia Grape, and Turmeric.
If you continue with Total Balance at the full recommended daily dose of 6 tablets you will be providing the nutrients that will be helpful in enabling your liver to recover. It would also be a good idea to take additional silymarin (extract of St. Mary's Thistle or Silybum marianum). You will find this supplement at your local health food store.
Lecithin granules are also very good for the liver as well. It is inexpensive and can be purchased from your local health food store as well. Take up to two tablespoonfuls per day.
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Question: From David. (Subject: Cortislim...)q2
I have a question regarding Cortislim.
What would be the most obvious and simplest differences to point out to a skeptic or comparison shopper? Also, when you indicated they would be better off using TB you also mentioned using the Bee pollen and fish oil. Did you mean that any of those products by them would be a match for Cortoslim or combined?
Obviously, using them combined would be quite a bit more expensive. Can you quickly point out two to three easily demonstrable advantages that TB alone would have over either of the other two that would be best.
Answer: From Nicolien.
One of the first things to do when making product comparisons and keeping value for money in mind is to check the amount of active ingredient per bottle, and at the same time look at the type of ingredients and most importantly the delivery system.
I mention the delivery system because many ingredients, particularly some herbal extracts are substantially destroyed by stomach acids thus reducing their efficacy significantly.
In the case of Cortislim the active ingredient per capsule is approx 550mgs which based on 60 capsules gives total actives per bottle of 33,000mgs. In comparison each tablet of Total Balance contains 700mgs of actives (excluding excipients and the enteric coating). There are 90 tablets per bottle thus giving 63,000mgs. Almost double! That is the first significant difference.
With regard to the type of ingredients you will note that 250mgs of each capsule (almost half of it) is either Vitamin C or Calcium carbonate (the most inexpensive form of calcium). Total Balance uses very little of these substances because we are using more active substances such as alpha lipoic acid etc. However, these other substances can be 10 - 20 times more expensive. This is the next significant difference.
Cortislim uses a capsule to contain the ingredients so they are all released in the stomach and thus vulnerable to damage from stomach acid. In contrast Total Balance uses a very sophisticated delivery system with enteric coating which releases the active ingredients in the upper intestine which is where the nutrients pass through the intestinal lining into the blood stream. This is another significant difference.
I honestly can't see how Cortislim would be more effective as a weight loss aid than Total Balance which addresses a much wider spectrum of nutrient deficiencies, any one of which could contribute to weight abnormalities. There is nothing really special about any of the ingredients in Cortislim as they are all well known.
Oh... another significant difference is the price! $49.99 plus S & H. for around half of the actives, 50% of which are really inexpensive. Compare this with Total Balance at $33.95 (Unisex version), particularly when you get free shipping on two bottles or more plus 10% discount for loyalty members.
Regarding the other products I mentioned: the Omega 3 is very beneficial for overall health and should be part of all supplement regimes. The Bee Pollen has benefits for increasing energy and helps as a natural appetite suppressant but is not essential when taking Total Balance but is a good adjuvant.
You would be able to add the Omega 3 to one bottle of Total Balance and still only spend about the same as one bottle of Cortislim. Hope this helps explains the main differences.
NOTE: Cortislim refers to 50mgs of Chromium Polynicotinate per capsule. I assume that is an error on the website as that amount would be very dangerous.
By the way there is currently a nationwide lawsuit underway against Cortislim by plaintiffs in 26 states. For more info about that please go to:
http://stress.about.com/od/cortisol/a/cortislim.htm
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Question: From John. (Subject: Lead poisoning...)q3
I just received my first shipment of your cholesterol formula and am looking forward to trying it. However, on a radio program this morning I heard a report of a man who had severe lead poisoning following the use of guggulipid extract (one of the ingredients in the formula). I did a quick search on the web and found other such stories. I was wondering if you check your formula for the presence of lead or other heavy metals? Thanks for any information you can provide.
Answer: From Nicolien.
It's shocking isn't it! There is no excuse for this. But... you can rest easy as there are no heavy metals present in any of our products. We only buy our raw ingredients from reputable manufacturers with reliable 'certificates of analysis' verified by independent laboratories.
Apart from the fact that we are passionate about ensuring that our products are as pure as humanly possible, all our staff and their families depend upon them for their own personal use... myself included. If you would like to see a copy of the COA for the guggul that we use please let me know.
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