Consumers Prefer Proven Supplements

This image image shows two women sitting in separate chairs at a slight angle to each other. The younger woman on the right is wearing a white lab coat which indicates she is a health care worker. She is holding a clipboard with some notes on it that is the focus of their discussion. The older woman with grey hair is on the left and in this scenario she is a subject of the clinical study.

In the ever-evolving landscape of health and wellness, a 2023 McKinsey study has shed light on a significant trend among US consumers: the increasing preference for proven supplements over organic ones. This shift underscores a broader narrative in the health-conscious community, where efficacy and evidence-based benefits are becoming paramount.

The study’s findings reveal that consumers are becoming more discerning in their choices, prioritizing supplements that offer tangible health benefits backed by scientific research. This trend is a departure from the previous inclination towards organic supplements, which was driven by a desire for natural and unprocessed products. While the appeal of organic items remains, the emphasis has shifted towards products that can demonstrate a clear impact on health and well-being.

One of the key factors driving this change is the growing body of research on the health benefits of certain supplements. For instance, omega-3 fatty acids, found in fish oil, have been extensively studied for their role in reducing inflammation, lowering blood pressure, and improving heart health. Similarly, probiotics, which are live microorganisms, have been shown to support gut health and immune function. These proven benefits resonate with consumers who are looking for reliable ways to enhance their health.

Moreover, the study suggests that consumers are increasingly seeking out products with transparent labeling and evidence of clinical trials. This demand for transparency and proof of efficacy reflects a broader trend towards informed decision-making in health and wellness.

In conclusion, the McKinsey study highlights a pivotal shift in consumer behavior, with a clear preference for supplements that offer proven health benefits. As the market continues to evolve, it will be interesting to see how supplement manufacturers respond to this demand for evidence-based products. This trend not only speaks to the changing priorities of health-conscious consumers but also underscores the importance of scientific research in guiding these choices.

#HealthTrends #Supplements #WellnessJourney #ProvenBenefits

Why Am I Passionate About Fighting Chronic Disease?

When I was growing up in the 50s and 60s it was common that we would have an occasional Sunday meal with grandparents on either mom’s or dad’s side of the family. Sometimes, on special occasions, both sides were represented at the same event.

During these gatherings the adults often talked among themselves about the goings-on in the town. Usually those conversations just flowed past me because I did not know the people involved. Occasionally there was mention of so and so getting cancer. The thing is that this was not the rare occurrence you might expect. The way the adults talked about it, this was a major concern because of the apparently large numbers of people contracting the disease in our area, just West of Ottawa.

The fear was warranted. At that time, a diagnosis of cancer was a death sentence. There were no effective treatments. The doctors used antibiotics to fight the infections that appeared routinely because the patient’s immune system was weakened. Toward the end they provided strong narcotics to deal with the pain of organs shutting down. But there was virtually nothing that was effective against the cancer itself. Later, chemotherapy was employed to attack the tumors – but that often was perceived as worse than the disease itself.

Certainly smoking contributed to the cancer rate (at the time loudly denied by the tobacco companies). However, smoking was a common pastime across the country. So that did not account for the much higher cancer rate apparent in our area.

If you asked anyone in town why so many people were getting cancer, the uniform answer was that we were downwind of the Chalk River nuclear research site. But the government told us it was safe and there had been no leaks at any time. Based on my rudimentary research years later, I concluded that the cancer rate in the Ottawa Valley downwind of the Chalk River facility was higher than anywhere else in the country. In the face of government denials, we were simply left with our own suspicions.

Regardless, this increasingly high incidence of what, at the time, was a fatal chronic disease had a lasting impact on me. And it seemed, as time passed, that the incidence of a variety of other chronic diseases was also on the rise. However, I concluded that there did not appear to be much I could do about it. So I pushed the concern into the background.

A few years ago I got involved with at business that seemed to have a positive impact on a variety of chronic conditions and other health challenges. That provided the opportunity for me to channel this passion to help people who were fighting chronic disease. It is rewarding to make a difference in people’s lives.

So why am I writing about this now?

I recently read a post that contained this: “President Carter, the 39th President of the United States, once personally saved Ottawa from a Nuclear Disaster, at risk to his own life, suffering from the effects of radiation poisoning all his life. Canada had a Nuclear Accident in the 50s and asked the US for help. Lieutenant Jimmy Carter lead a team out of New York.”

Despite government assurances at the time, we now have evidence that there was indeed a nuclear accident at Chalk River (Ref. 1 and Ref.2). Who knows – there may have been others.

It is interesting how the human mind works. Snippets of conversation around a dining room table. Stories of friends and relatives becoming ill at rates that were historically unusual. All that percolating in the subconscious over years. And then, an opportunity to have perhaps a positive impact.

Result: a personal mission.

My father died of cancer. My aunt, my mother’s sister, died of cancer. Her husband died of cancer. My brother died far too soon of leukemia, a form of cancer. Other family members have experienced a variety of different chronic diseases.

References:

Ref 1: The Jimmy Carter nuclear accident story.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/chalk-river-nuclear-accident-1.6293574/

Ref 2: The Jimmy Carter nuclear accident Newsweek Fact Check.

https://www.newsweek.com/fact-check-jimmy-carter-stop-nuclear-reactor-ottawa-canada-1660067

#ChronicDisease #Health #Wellness #HeroicAction

Improving Prostate Health

My doctor told me that every male over 50 had prostate cancer! Well that got my attention. This was during a discussion that occurred at the conclusion of a general physical when I was in my late 50s. The process for the physical included a variety of blood tests and a physical examination.

He then went on to say that generally it progressed at such a slow rate that it was not a problem and would have no impact on longevity. He said that what they were worried about was catching a prostate cancer that was progressing very quickly, since that could cause serious issues. [After some personal research it would appear that he was exaggerating somewhat. But that startling stark statement did achieve his objective of getting me to focus intently on what he was saying!]

The prostate gland is found below the bladder, with the urethra passing through it. When doctors conduct a physical (rectal) examination, one of the things they are looking for is an enlarged prostate which could indicate a problem.

He told me about the PSA test. The Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) test is a blood test that measures the level of PSA in a man’s blood. PSA is a protein produced by cells in the prostate gland, and it is a marker for various prostate conditions, including prostate cancer. Elevated levels of PSA in the blood may indicate the presence of cancer or other prostate conditions. He told me that if the result was above a certain threshold level there was a high probability that there was a cancer evolving and that action would need to be taken, possibly surgery.

When I was 64 he ordered the PSA test despite no problems indicated by the physical examination. At that point I had been on a glutathione accelerator for about two years. Later, when I asked about the results, he said there was “no problem.”

Well being the analytical person that I am, I conducted some personal research. The unit of measure for PSA tests is nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL). The normal range for PSA levels can vary depending on a man’s age, ethnicity, and other factors.

Separate research indicated readings in the 4–10 ng/mL range represents a 20 to 30 percent increased risk of cancer, 10–20 ng/mL represents a 50 to 75 percent increased risk of cancer, and anything over 20 ng/mL represents a 90 percent probability of the risk of prostate cancer developing. I found further that what was considered “normal” levels increased with age. Someone in the 60-69 age category (like me at the time) should not worry much if they got a reading of about 4 ng/mL.

It turns out that:

  • For men under age 50: A PSA level of 1–2.5 ng/mL is considered normal.
  • For men ages 50 to 59: A PSA level of 1–3.5 ng/mL is considered normal.
  • For men ages 60 to 69: A PSA level of 1–4.5 ng/mL is considered normal.
  • For men over age 70: A PSA level of 1–6.5 ng/mL is considered normal.

These normal ranges for PSA levels are based on general guidelines from the American Urological Association (AUA).

Some time later I pressed my doctor to tell me what the actual reading was. He looked up the test and told me the result was ZERO! Remember, at that point I was considerably older than the age 50 my doctor mentioned originally.

I don’t know what you concluded from this set of facts. But I know what my conclusion was! And on that basis, I will be taking large doses of glutathione accelerators for the rest of my life.

Seven years later I asked my doctor to run the PSA test again to see what had transpired. At that time I was now in my 70s and, due to my age, I had doubled the glutathione accelerators I was already taking. For my current age, normal readings are considered to be anything in the 1–6.5 range. My reading was still in the ZERO range! (For those who want details, the actual reading was 0.15 ng/mL.)

p.s. To find out what I used to elevate glutathione levels, go to the Contact John menu item and send me a message.

Need a Drink?

Let me tell you how I became re-introduced to something I knew, but apparently had forgotten. It was the early part of 2022. More and more I was experiencing periods of lethargy – a lack of energy and mental focus as well as a few other symptoms, including occasional low grade headaches. And this despite a variety of supplements I was taking that should have countered all that.

At first I thought it might be a reaction to a vaccine booster that I had in January. But as time passed the issues did not fade. Then I looked at my sleep patterns and tried to get to bed earlier as well as sleep longer. But according to my wrist-watch health monitor, my periods of sleep were uneven and restless. I did not awaken refreshed. I was getting frustrated.

I had an appointment in early June with my cardiologist. It was to include an echo-cardiogram and a treadmill stress test. I hoped my symptoms were not heart related. Since the beginning of the pandemic two years earlier I had not been to the gym for regular workouts. So I decided in late March to institute a program of walking to build up my stamina. With hiking sticks in hand I began – and quickly realized I would have to build up the distance slowly. Clearly my fitness had deteriorated.

In May I started a program of recording my blood pressure frequently to give to the doctor. And as part of that process I decided it would be interesting to see what the BP readings were before and after my walks. After a few such readings, I observed what I thought was an anomaly. Often the BP reading after the walk was lower that the reading before I headed out. I thought it should be the reverse.

My visit to my cardiologist went well. He was really pleased with my heart health based on both the ultrasound images and the stress test results. He was also pleased with the BP readings I gave him. I was relieved. While we were talking, I asked him about what I thought was a BP reading anomaly. He agreed it was unusual. He thought for a moment and speculated about a couple of things it could be. And then at the end he said “or it could be dehydration.” Well I tucked that one away for further thought.

I should have paid more attention to generally known healthy living advice in the first instance rather than assuming the observed symptoms were a result of an ailment and just trying to “power through.”

I undertook a little casual research and thought back to things I already knew about hydration (but clearly had forgotten). Whenever I felt a little peckish I would have something small to eat. But with my new frame of reference I recalled that a feeling of slight hunger can be an early indication of dehydration. So whenever I had that feeling, I now took a glass of water. About 20 minutes later I noticed the hunger had disappeared. Another symptom was a mild headache. A glass of water and most times the headache was gone after a half hour.

Frequently, I would get up in the middle of the night to relieve bladder pressure. I avoided taking a drink at that time because I was hoping not have to get up again later in the night. After my revelation, I consumed a glass of water before returning to bed. Yes I did have to get up again before morning. But the thing is that when I got up for the day I felt refreshed. And my sleep pattern monitor showed an uninterrupted sleep between bathroom visits.

I told my sister about my revelations and her response was, “Well of course.” She has something of a healthy eating focus for her own life. During a later conversation I told her my walking was paying dividends. My strides while walking were becoming much more fluid. Her response this time: “Duh!! Your muscles are now getting the water they need to function properly.” Do you have any idea how frustrating it is when your ‘kid sister’ points out your stupidity?

So how might you benefit from my challenge? Look at this set of observed issues and ask yourself whether dehydration could be the source of the problem.

  • Feeling a little hungry? Need a drink?
  • Minor headache? Need a drink?
  • Having difficulty concentrating? Need a drink?
  • Energy levels down? Need a drink?
  • Body movements not as fluid as usual? Need a drink?
  • Restless sleep? Need a drink?
  • Urine has the appearance of tea? Need a drink?

Pay attention to your body. Sometimes it gives you subtle messages. By the time it hits you over the head by you actively feeling thirsty or your urine being the color of steeped tea, you are ALREADY dehydrated!

#health #wellness

Business of the 21st Century

You may have heard of Robert T. Kiyosaki. He wrote several best selling books on money management and wealth creation, often referred to as the “Rich Dad – Poor Dad” series. The book that provided an overview of the basic structure for understanding his philosophy is known as the “Cash Flow Quadrant”. What follows presumes you have a fundamental understanding of the Cash Flow Quadrant (Ref. 1). If that is not the case, before going further, read this article: “Looking for Financial Freedom?”

Kiyosaki spent the last several decades of the 20th Century building his wealth by establishing traditional businesses (B-Quadrant). He then went on to attain financial freedom by using the money generated from those businesses to invest in income-generating real estate (I-Quadrant). In 2010 he published a book entitled “The Business of the 21st Century” (Ref. 2). In that book he said that if he had to start from scratch and do it all over again, he would not establish old-style traditional businesses – but he would focus exclusively on this B-Quadrant business model to build his wealth to fund his I-Quadrant investments.

What is Wealth?

Wealth is not the same thing as money. Wealth is not measured by the size of income. Wealth is measured in time.

If all I have to my name is $1,000 in savings and checking combined, and my living expenses are $100 a day, then my wealth equals ten days. Wealth is the ability to survive so many number of days forward. Ask yourself, “If I stop working today, how long could I survive financially?” Your answer is equal to your wealth at this moment.

The truly wealthy can live for the rest of their lives, and the lives of their children, in a very opulent lifestyle if that is what they wish, without having to work for income again.

What is Rich?

And on a related topic, Kiyosaki had this to say about the concepts of “rich” and “poor.”

In the first decade of the 21st century, Forbes magazine defined “rich” as someone who earns in excess of $1 million per year (or just under $20,000 per week). And they defined “poor” as someone who earns less than $25,000 per year.

But even more important than the quantity of money you make is the quality of money you make. In other words, not just how much you make, but how you make it – where it comes from. There are actually four distinct sources of cash flow. Each is quite different from the other, and each defines and determines a very different lifestyle, regardless of the cash you earn.

These sources of income are described in Kiyosaki’s book Cash Flow Quadrant.

If You Aspire to be Wealthy and Rich…

If you aspire to be wealthy and rich, you need to be living in both the B – Business quadrant (Business Owner/Big Business) and the I – Investor quadrant at the same time. And there is no better business model for most people than that of network marketing to become a business owner.

“I came to appreciate this business as an outsider, and after I had already built my own wealth and established my own financial freedom.

“All the same, if I had to do it all over again today and start from scratch, rather than building an old-style business, I would start out by building a network marketing business.”

Robert T. Kiyosaki

One of the observations I would make is that, if you work at it and are diligent, network marketing on its own can make you rich. But it takes things beyond your network marketing business to make you truly wealthy as described above.

What does it take to become Financially Free?

We hear the phrase “It takes money to make money.” That is not true. Also, it does not take a good formal education.

If it doesn’t take money to make money, and it doesn’t take a formal education to learn how to become financially free, then what does it take? It takes a dream, a lot of determination, a willingness to learn quickly, and an understanding of which sector of the cash flow quadrant you’re operating in.

Network Marketing is Not About Selling Products or Earning Income!

A salesperson has a job. If you work behind the counter in a department store, you’re in the E-quadrant (Employee); if you’re in business for yourself, selling insurance or homes or jewelry, you’re in the S-Quadrant (Self-employed/Small Business). But either way, you have a job, and your job is to sell.

That is not going to build your wealth or your freedom.

In network marketing, the whole point is not to sell a product but to build a network, an army of people who are all representing the same product or service to share with others.

The goal is not for you or any other individual to sell a lot of product; it’s for a lot of people to:

  • be their own best customer,
  • sell and service a reasonable number of customers, and
  • show a lot of other people how to do the same thing.

Network marketing is not about earning more income; it’s about building an asset!

What is an Asset?

Conceptually, an “asset” is something that represents value. However, the way an account thinks of an asset and the way an entrepreneur business owner thinks of an asset are different. And you must think like an entrepreneur and not as an accountant.

The accountant’s view is always from the perspective of “what is the value of things if we have to shut everything down right now?” And in the same vein a liability is something that requires you to pay money out when you shut down. So the accountant views the house you live in as an asset. That’s because if you die today, the house can be sold for a certain amount of money (say $350,000).

The problem with this view of the world is that in practical terms the liquidation scenario is not how we operate on an ongoing basis. The house we live in is only worth $350,000 when we sell it. But if we sell it we still have to live somewhere – another house that may cost us more. While we are living in the house, it has no value. In fact a person’s home has been described as a hole in the ground you pour money into. There is money need for maintenance, for upgrades, for electrical power, for heating and cooling, and the list goes on.

Your entrepreneur mind must view it differently. You have no intent of ever shutting down your business. (Nor ever moving out of your house to live on the street.) So liquidating everything is not a consideration. Your view of the world says that an asset is something that pays you money and a liability is something that costs you money. Your entrepreneur view of the house you live in is as a liability – because of all the money you have to pour into it every year.

Network Marketing is about Building Assets

Network marketing is not about earning more income; it’s about building an asset.

Actually it’s about building eight assets, all at the same time. Over time all these will pay you money.

Asset #1: A Real-World Business Education

If you are going to be successful in business, there are technical skills you need to learn that you probably did not learn in school.

For example, a critical one is the ability to get organized and set your own agenda. This is bigger than it might sound. People who enter the area of network marketing sometimes experience a type of culture shock, because they are used to being told what to do.

There are over a dozen other such skills that people must learn to run their business.

Asset #2: A Profitable Path of Personal Development

Network marketing gives you the opportunity to face your fears, deal with them, overcome them, and bring out the winner that you have living inside you.

Most people don’t have the ability to keep going, to handle disappointment and never lose sight of the vision of where they’re going. They simply haven’t been trained in that skill. But that’s critically important. That’s the real skill of someone who has mastered the B Quadrant.

Asset #3: A Circle of Friends Who Share Your Dreams and Values

You may have heard that your income tends to be about equal to the average income of the five friends you spend the most time with.

If you are considering building your own business, you need to be acutely aware of who you’re spending your time with and who your teachers are. It’s a crucial consideration.

Asset #4: The Power of Your Own Network

The richest people in the world build networks. Everyone else looks for work.

The power is not in the product; the power is in the network. If you want to become rich, the best strategy is to find a way to build a strong, viable, growing network.

That’s why network marketing is so brilliant. The companies that make up the network marketing industry now offer millions of people just like yourself the opportunity to build their own network rather than spending their lives working for someone else’s network.

Asset #5: A Duplicatable, Fully Scalable Business

If you are an amazing, uniquely skilled, superstar salesperson, then you can do great in sales – and chances are good, you will do lousy in network marketing.

The key to success in sales is what you can do.

The key to success in network marketing is what you can duplicate.

What gives your network marketing business its real power is not what you can do yourself; it’s what you can duplicate across your team. You want to build your business in a way that virtually anyone else can readily copy. And specifically, you want all your team members to copy it.

Asset #6: Incomparable Leadership Skills

While many people repeat the same overused words and phrases about dreams, more time with family, and freedom, few people inspire enough trust and inspiration to cause others to follow those words and phrases.

It is not a matter of memorizing and repeating the right words; it’s developing the ability to speak directly to other people’s spirits. This is a quality that goes beyond words. This is genuine leadership.

The truth is that having the capacity to lead is a skill set so valuable, so powerful, and so rare that it is genuinely an asset unto itself. Leadership is what builds great businesses.

Asset #7: Moving Toward Financial Freedom

A Mechanism for Genuine Wealth Creation

One of the most profound values of a network marketing business – and it is one that the great majority of people who look at this business do not quite grasp – is that it is an engine of personal wealth creation.

Robert. T. Kiyosaki, the wealth creation guru, recommends a four-step path to financial freedom:

  1. Build a business
  2. Reinvest in your business
  3. Invest in real estate
  4. Let your assets buy luxuries

In this context, steps 1 and 2 involve your network marketing business.

Asset #8: Big Dreams and the Capacity to Live Them

One of the most valuable things about network marketing companies is that they stress the importance of going for your dreams. They don’t want you to just “have” dreams; they want you to “live” those dreams! What’s more, they encourage you to dream big.

What most people fail to realize (or perhaps just don’t believe) is that the size of your dreams, psychologically, limits the size of your plans, which limits the size of your actions, which limits the size of your accomplishments.

It is the striving, learning, and doing your best to develop your personal power to be able to afford the big house (or whatever other component of your dream) and who you become in the process that are important.

The huge dream is the key starting point.

A Business Where Women Excel

During my 50 year systems career, my observation has been that the women were far more successful at developing rapport and a significant level of trust with people than men were. And that showed in the level of detail and understanding of the issues that they were able to uncover during their interactions on many projects I managed.

Why is this important? Because network marketers are in the human relationships business not the products business! And in my (admittedly biased) opinion, women are far better at developing and maintaining human relationships than their male counterparts.

Network marketing is not about making sales; it is a business that revolves around making connections. The actual day-to-day work of building a network is less like carving out a sales territory than it is like building a community.

And the supporting, coaching, and nurturing relationship of a network marketing sponsor to her growing network of apprentice networkers is the kind of relationship and interaction in which women do very well.

Understand this: Network marketing is a business model where women excel.

Bottom Line…

Network Marketing is the business model of the future. The Industrial Age with its need for huge capital investment and central control is dead.

Low Cost of Entry

In the United States, the average investment to start a small business pre-pandemic was about US$55,000. And over 50% of those failed in the first 12 months.

In most network marketing companies you can start for under US$500.

So relative to traditional business, there is a VERY low cost of entry to start your business.

Egalitarian Business

Network marketing is an equal opportunity business model. There is no discrimination with respect to a person’s gender, ethnicity, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, age or any other intrinsic characteristic of a person. It is open to anyone who has drive, determination and perseverance.

There is little of the “office politics” generally found in traditional business organizations. This is because there is no competition to get promotions and move up in the hierarchy. You get success by helping those in your organization get success.

Earn While You Learn

Network marketing is a business where you “earn while you learn.” This is CRITICAL. You do not have to learn it all before you start!

In network marketing, the training is more than theory; it’s experiential – learning by actually doing.

Huge Leverage Potential

The concept of LEVERAGE can be described simply as “small amount in — large amount out”. In this case you are leveraging your TIME by building a team of distributors who are all independently investing THEIR time and you are a beneficiary of those extra hours.

This is beneficial for you as a distributor in that you can realize the advantages of exponential leverage. The more distributors in the various levels of your distributor team, the more total sales will be made and the more commission you can earn.

What does it take to make it in network marketing?

If you can answer ‘yes’ to all of these questions you have a good chance of succeeding.

  • Are you able to carry on intelligent conversations?
  • Are you willing to put in huge amounts of personal effort? And initially, large effort for small returns?
  • Are you honest? Trustworthy? Generous with your time and expertise?
  • Do you feel emotionally rewarded by helping others?
  • Are you diligent? Are you willing to keep going in the face of adversity?
  • Are you prepared to learn new skills (e.g., business skills, communications skills)? new ways of thinking (e.g., personal initiative rather than waiting to be told what to do, business and project planning)?
  • Are you willing to endure the discomfort of trying new things, and failing, and trying again until you master them?

Network Marketing is The Business of the 21st Century!

References:

Ref 1: Kiyosaki, Robert T., Rich Dad’s Cashflow Quadrant Guide to Financial Freedom. Scottsdale, AZ: Plata Publishing, LLC 2011

Ref 2: Kiyosaki, Robert T.; J. Flemming; K. Kiyosaki, The Business of the 21st Century. Lake Dallas, TX: DREAMBUILDERS 2010

#entrepreneurship #wealthcreation #business