Benefits of Alive’s Super One Plus:

• One a day
• Time released
• Completely vegetarian
• Yeast and gluten free
• No preservatives or fillers
• Excellent value
• High in the B-Complex which is great for stress
• Made in Canada

If you are looking for a high quality multivitamin, that is convenient, the whole family can take, and is reasonably priced, the Alive Super One Plus is an excellent choice.  As always we look forward to seeing you soon at Alive Health Centre, Morning Sun and Supplements Plus

Nordic Naturals DHA for: Brain Development, Focus and Concentration. Teenagers, Adults and Pregnant woman can use this excellent high quality source of DHA.

I get many emails from parents who are concerned about their childrens lack of focus.  Below are the tips that you can use to help improve your childs concentration.  Hope you enjoy the read!

Concentration problems are extremely common these days, but there are many things we can do to help them along the way.  First we will discuss the safe supplements you can give them: 1. A good quality fish oil 2.A B-Complex. 3. A good multivitamin. This is simple but a good start. 

 
1. Fish Oil: They can take either liquid or capsules.  Also if your family is vegetarian or allergic to fish they can use Flax oil instead, but Fish Oil is the best choice because it is more concentrated in Essential Fatty Acids (EFA’s).  Just a reminder that there are two EFA’s: EPA and DHA.  EPA is good for inflammation, skin conditions such as eczema, heart and joints.  DHA is what children need for concentration, focus, and development of a healthy brain. 
 
Good Brands: Nordic Naturals, Nutra Sea or Norweigian Gold Fish oils.
 
2. B-Complex.  Royal Jelly comes in softgels and it is rich in B vitamins, Amino Acids, and it is great for the immune system.  I took Royal Jelly all throughout University and I never had to have coffee.  It provided me with stamina, focus, and concentration instead of false energy which is typically what students use to get through the day.  It also helps you with stress. Royal Jelly is more expensive than a plain B Complex, but it has the added benefits for the immune system.  If cost is a concern a B-Complex is a great start.  B-Complex comes in capsules, tablets, as well as liquid.  Liquid is not the best taste, but it is possible hide the taste in a shake or juice.  Capsules are the easiest to swallow and are definately convenient.
 
Good Brands For Royal Jelly: Honeslty, Royal Jelly by Alive Brand is fantastic.  I take this one still everyday.  I never travel without it.
 
Good Brands for B Complex: Alive, or Sisu are great choices.
 
NOTE: for dosages and specifics it is best to go over this in the store.  Dosages depend on the size of the child, not necessarily the age.  I am always at the Oakridge Mall Alive Health Centre in Vancouver BC.  If this is no where near you we have lots of stores in BC, Alberta and Ontario.  If this is not close to you feel free to call the Oakridge location @ 604 263 3235 and we can do mail orders.
3. Lastly, a multi vitamin would be a great addition.  Depending on your childs size you can give them an adult one.  If they are a smaller frame, not putting on weight, then definately give them a teenager multi. 

Extra Tips

• Extra Vitamin D is also safe, helpful, and it is very inexpensive.  This is fabulous for mood (happiness).  
• I know this is obvious, but make sure they are drinking water.  Sometimes a lack of focus is as simple as dehydration.  
• In terms of diet, make sure they are not getting too many sweets and sugar, try to balance this.  Pop is the worst which you probably already know.  Sugar can make kids tire so fast.  They drop like a rock. 
• If your child has a hard time concentrating after lunch they may need to adjust their diet, eat smaller meals, but more frequently throughout the day to balance their blood sugar.  
• Lastly, but probably MOST IMPORTANTLY, keep them active!  Even if you feel your child is not into sports, expose them to lifestyle activities, like hiking, skiing, or swimming.  Also, encourage them to play and get outside.  When they learn to sit inside all day on the weekends and after school it is hard to break the habit.  When there is time for play, they can complete their homework faster, but of the same quality and their concentration increases dramatically.

Our kids are our future, let’s help them be the best they can be.  As always, we look forward to helping you in the stores at which ever location is nearsest you!  See you soon!

Dr. Tasreen Alabhai N.D. guest on The Beat shares some easy steps to change your life in a big way.

a well known Naturopathic Doctor in the Vancouver area and she was on the morning show to discuss the small changes we can make that will make a big difference.  Part of the problem with New Year resolutions is we make them too large and we become overwhelmed and often times we cannot follow through. 

This is what Dr. Tasreen Alibhai, N.D. had to say about:

• Key Nutrients, supplements
• A suggestion for a detox
• Easy exercise
• Smoking
• Getting rid of Belly Fat
• The importance of Routine
• Lastly, her most important tip!

If you have never taken any supplement before and you have no idea where to start these were her suggestions, (Note she was not brand specific, because Naturopaths will often have their own lines, if you are not ready to see a Naturopath yet I put a few different brands.  They are excellent quality.

1. Good quality Multivitamin.  This is your foundation and it will help you with your energy levels, and your exercise program. If you want a one a day try Alive Super One Plus, or if you need a smaller pill try Platinum Multivitamins.
2. Good quality fish oil with no toxins, they should have IFOS testing.  Alive Wild Salmon Fish Oil with the small fish i.e. sardines is excellent, if you need a higher concentration of EPA and DHA the omega 3 essential fatty acids then you can try Renew Lifes Fish Oils, or Nutrasea.
3. B-Complex will help you combat stress.  B vitamins are good for so many functions in the body and a good one to try is the Alive B-Complex 100.  There is also a B-50 available in capsule if you have trouble swallowing.  Lastly, Prairie Naturals has an excellenet B-Complex in liquid form.

Next she talked about DETOXING:

She suggested to try letting your organs naturally detoxify themselves.  How do you do this?  This is where you need to truly cutt out sugar, cutt out coffee, fatty foods, alcohol etc.  This gives your body a rest particularily your liver.  This is common sense, but of course you need to eat fruits and vegetables that are rich in dark colours.  She also recommended that you eat veges that are root veges, such as: yams.  Also it is great to consume onions and garlic.  Lastly, rather than drinking juice, coffee and caffinated teas, try having water with lemon.  It is recommended to have the water at room temperature.

Exercise you can handle:

Most of us cannot fit in an intense exercise and if we can we can never stick to it unless we were born to do it and absolutely love it.  Therefore, like many other Doctors and Naturopaths, include moderate exercise of 30 minutes a day.  A brisk walk even counts and it is something that everyone can afford.  Also little lifestyle changes that can make a big difference: park further away from the door, walk to places if possible, take the stairs etc.  All of these things can really add up.

Quitting Smoking?

If you are trying to quit, you need all the help you can get.  Her two suggestions were: load up on antioxidants to help you detox, secondly, you can use the herb Avena Sativa to help reduce nicotene cravings.  She does note that with herbs you should always check with a health care professional to make sure you can take it.

Belly Fat?

Are you doing everything you can to loose stubborn belly fat?  This is nothing new and we have been helping customers with this at Alive Health Centre, Morning Sun and Supplements Plus for years and there has been lots of success.  However there are still people who do not know about the correlation between stress and belly fat.  Everytime we get stressed, Cortisol is a hormone that releases and when we have too much circulating around in our system, belly fat gets produced.  We have a great supplement called Relora that balances Cortisol and reduces your belly fat.  People often combine Relora with CLA which is Conjugated, Linoleic Acid and this is a natural fat burner. 

Her last two important tips were stressing how important routine is for your body and drinking water.  Most of us walk around dehydrated and our bodies are 60 to 70% water.  Also routine gets your body in balance.  When you sleep at the same time every night and wake up at the same time Melatonin releases properly.  This hormone is not only what allows you to sleep but it also replenishes your body.

As always thanks for reading and we look forward to seeing you at Alive Health Centre, Supplements Plus, and Morning Sun to help you reach your health potential!  Make 2010 your best year yet!