From eNewsletter 11/28/2022
DID YOU KNOW that 70% of Americans believe that disinformation, mainly from news and social media, has a negative effect on society and well-being? It has gotten to the point these same Americans cite family and friends as their most trusted sources of information.
As many long-time clients know, we stick to the research. And we only get political when government officials get in the way of the health and wellbeing of our clients.
For over 20 years, our eNewsletter has been an oasis to respite from the torrid pace of health disinformation spewed daily.
Following is an example of what paid members read Mondays and Wednesdays. Wellness topics may include diet, sleep, physical activity, supplements, stress management, new food and beverages brands, recipes, medical advances, and much more, including 24-hour access to our 46 title Action Plan library.
Don't wait to join because this Cyber Monday price is only available once a year.
*Use password: discount2018 in Guest Area
Announcements
Services Update
Cyber Monday Special!
20% OFF Sale items for December & November
25% OFF NCI Well Connect Membership
Members Only Archives Updates
Paid NCI Well Connect members will find the following titles have been updated:
Build the Optimal Youth Athlete
Blood Sugar Balance
Nutrition and Lifestyle for Cancer Prevention
Improve Your Mood
Optimal Pregnancy
Prostate Cancer Support
Heart Health
Sleep Well
Reverse Reflux
School Age Child, Optimized
Conquering Allergy and Intolerance
Babies First Foods
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Kidney Stone
MANopause
Healthy Bones
Natural Foods Shopping List
Pet Wellness
We now have a dietary supplement line for dogs and cats! ThorneVet has an impeccable reputation among veterinarians. To order from our wellness shop, please visit here (for prices, enter the Guest Area password: discount2018).
Carolyn Martinelli a.k.a. "Coach Care" will be available to answer your questions about ThorneVet pet supplements at nutroconpet@gmail.com. Please leave detailed contact information as well as the name, age, sex, breed, and/or health issue(s) and med(s) of your pet so Carolyn can respond accordingly.
Steve Minsky MS, HWC
The clinician of the future is here now. As a Health and Wellness Counselor, he analyzes and offer solutions to optimize not only the food you eat, but every aspect of your lifestyle, whether for prevention or healing. More info on Steve's services.
Online Gift Cards
Giving the gift of wellness has never been easier. Order your gift cards here.
Loyalty Rewards Reset in 2023
Less than three months left to use your accrued loyalty rewards for 2022. We keep track with every order you place, including those for pets.
Text Us If It Is Convenient
We accept text messages. Type (847) 498-3422 and text away!
US Postal Service Holiday Shipping Increase
For the second consecutive year, the US Postal Service temporarily raised their shipping rates from October 2 until January 22, 2023. For the second consecutive year, we will NOT be temporarily increasing your holiday shipping rates. They will be staying at the current pricing :)
Infection Section
Prevention
COVID-19 is endemic, meaning it is here to stay. Moreover, we are exposed to many other endemic viruses including influenza (flu), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), norovirus (stomach flu), adenovirus (common cold), monkeypox, and four other coronaviruses (common cold), among others. Support your immune system year-round with our Free Prevent and Fight Viruses 2.0 Protocol here.
Long COVID
25 to 40% of COVID patients develop Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC) or "Long COVID". If you, a family member, friend, coworker, or neighbor are suffering from PASC, schedule an appointment with Steve or purchase our self-help Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 Action Plan 3.0 (password: discount2018).
COVID-19 Vaccines
Have a happy, healthy day! Steve and Bonnie Minsky
In Today's Issue
Paid Member Content
WC Feature: Factors That May Affect Vaccine Response.
Food Focus: Produce Saves Lives.
Mythbuster: Fatigued More From Thinking Hard or Exercise?
Brand Buzz: Chest Relief Rub
Intelligently Active: Exercise or Genes Better for Longevity?
Mental Minute: Controlling Unwanted Thoughts.
Wild Card: Gluten Free Quiche
eInspire: Maimonides
Free Member Content
Did You Know?
Marvelous Magnesium
December, November 20% OFF Sale Items
Pure Genomics
Watch - Intestinal Flora Traits
Loyalty Program
Well Connect Member Benefits
*To get past the Guest Area paywall use password: discount2018
Well Connect Feature*
Factors That May Affect Vaccine Response
If and when you get a vaccine, you would like to think that it will be effective. However, there are diet and lifestyle factors that may affect your response.
Diet
Vitamin D, micronutrients in combination (including C, D, E, selenium, zinc), and (for infants) breastfeeding increase response. High sugar and refined carb consumption and overweight and obesity decrease response.
Lifestyle
Regular, aerobic exercise, habitual positive mood, and sufficient sleep increase response. Smoking, chronic psychological stress, sleep deprivation, higher salivary cortisol (the stress hormone) decrease response.
Gastrointestinal
Higher relative abundance of Bifidobacterium longum, higher relative abundance of Firmicutes bacteria, and probiotics (various) increase response. Yeast and SIBO decrease response.
Disorders and Diseases
Celiac disease with strict gluten avoidance increases response. Celiac disease with gluten exposure, Epstein-Barr virus, HIV, chronic hepatitis B or C, malaria, Diabetes mellitus, chronic renal failure, depression, and aging decreases response.
Time of Day
Administration of the vaccine in the morning is best for for most people.
Genetics
Numerous SNPs, especially immune and vitamin related, may increase or decrease response.
Marvelous Magnesium
Steve: Magnesium deficiency is often misdiagnosed because it does not show up in blood tests. Only 1% of the body's magnesium is stored in the blood. Even so, most doctors and laboratories don't even include magnesium status in routine blood tests.
Yet, magnesium is the most critical mineral required for electrical stability of every cell in the body. A magnesium deficiency may be responsible for more diseases than any other nutrient.
Among the 300 functions magnesium (a.k.a. "nature's valium") performs, pain and inflammation management of neuropathy, migraines, gallbladder disorders, brain inflammation, chronic inflammation, and peripheral nerve disorders are just several.
Here are three recent studies lauding marvelous magnesium.
A study in Nutrients found the risk of prediabetes in childbearing women was reduced with increased magnesium intake (approx. 410 mg. per day).
Researchers in Cell Host & Microbe found that addictive behaviors that deplete the brain's dopamine stores (drug use, sugar addiction, etc.) also deplete the amino acid glycine, which calms the brain. Supplementing with magnesium glycinate, which is a glycine-bound source, can put glycine back in the brain.
A study in Frontiers in Nutrition found the supplementing with between 300-450 mg. magnesium daily can improve hyperglycemia, hypercholesterolemia, and hypertension in type 2 diabetes patients.
Food Focus*
Produce Saves Lives
During a 21 year follow-up of 24,000 subjects, all-cause deaths were documented in a The Journal of Nutrition study.
After adjusting for age, sex, and potential confounding factors, fruit and vegetable intake was significantly associated with lower all-cause mortality, with the fourth and fifth highest consumers having most reduced risk versus the lowest consumers. Fruit intake was unique in its significant association with lower cardiovascular mortality in the highest consumers.
Yet again, higher intake of fruit and vegetables shine yet again with their ability to lower all-cause mortality, especially when organic.
Mythbuster*
Fatigued More From Thinking Hard or Exercise?
Hard physical labor wears you out, but what about hard mental labor? Sitting around thinking hard for hours can makes us feel worn out, too. Now, researchers publishing in Current Biology have new evidence to explain why this is.
When intense cognitive work is prolonged for several hours, it causes potentially toxic byproducts to build up in the part of the brain known as the prefrontal cortex. This in turn alters your control over decisions, so you shift toward low-cost actions requiring no effort or waiting as cognitive fatigue sets in. Thus, cognitive work results in a true functional alteration to preserve the integrity of brain functioning.
Researchers saw signs of fatigue, including reduced pupil dilation and higher levels of glutamate, only in the group doing hard work.
Is there some way around this limitation of our brain's ability to think hard? Not really, says the lead author. Rest and sleep is the best remedy to eliminate glutamate from synapses. And if you're cramming for a test, avoid monosodium glutamate-laden ramen soups!
Intelligently Active*
Exercise Edges Out Genetics for Longevity
Study authors of a Journal of Aging and Physical Activity study began keeping track of the physical activity habits among 5,446 older U.S. women (ages 63 or older) for about 20 years. They wore a research-grade accelerometer for up to seven days, measuring how much time they spent moving, the intensity of that physical activity, and their usual amount of sedentary time.
Higher levels of light physical activity and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity were associated with a lower risk of dying during the tracking period. Additionally, more time spent sedentary was associated with a higher risk of mortality. Importantly, this observed connection between exercise and a longer life remained consistent even among women determined to have different levels of genetic predisposition for longevity.
Even if you may be genetically predisposed to live a shorter life based on your genes, you can still extend your lifespan by engaging in regular exercise and sitting less. Conversely, even if your genes predispose you to a long life, remaining physically active is still important to achieve longevity.
You can have the best of both worlds by being physically active and knowing your genetic blueprint. We can also help you pinpoint the right form of exercise for your genes through our Pure Genomics Wellness screening.
Mental Minute*
Controlling Unwanted Thoughts
Trying to stop thinking unwanted repetitive thoughts is a familiar experience to most people. Often, a cue can repeatedly evoke unwanted thoughts or memories. In addition to the need to expel unwanted associations from your mind, we have to make sure these unwanted associations do not keep coming again and again in an endless loop, and do not become stronger and stronger over time.
People often reactively reject and replace the thought after it occurs, called reactive control. But every time we have to reactively reject an unwanted association, it has the potential to become even stronger.
Proactively avoiding an association in the first place, called thought preemption, can be much more efficient, and help prevent the repetitive looping of unwanted thoughts, according to a new study in PLOS Computational Biology.
The key to effective thought preemption is giving it the light touch and not trying too hard to suppress or wrestle unwanted thoughts into submission. You have to be sly and masterfully outfox yourself using a combination of executive functions and visualization.
For example, visualize wanted (positive) thoughts being covered in Velcro and Super Glue, which makes them stick to your brain's prefrontal cortex. Alternatively, unwanted (negative) thoughts are Teflon coated and slathered in Vaseline, which makes them very slippery. This visualization makes it harder for unwanted thoughts to stick or take up real estate in the front of your brain.
Whenever you notice an unwanted thought percolating or hanging out in the your mind, relax the backs of your eyes and, without exerting too much rigid mental control, visualize it slipping away. When you feel it dissolving into the background, refocus your attention on something else and don't give the unwanted thought another millisecond of rumination.
Why Pure Genomics?
Pure Genomics harnesses the science of nutrigenomics so you can understand the relationship between your genes, nutrition, and wellness at the deepest level. Covering 72 genes in 11 trait categories, we've used Pure Genomics since 2015 to help clients live longer with better quality of life.
How to Get Started
Order a genetic kit directly from 23andMe.com or Ancestry.com and send back your saliva specimen.
When your results are ready, request that we set up a Pure Genomics account for you. We just need your full name, email address, and date of birth.
You will receive an email invitation from Pure Genomics with a link to set up your account and instructions for how to upload 23andMe or Ancestry data.
You will receive a confirmation from Pure Genomics when your report is ready and we can then set up an appointment to go over your results. *Paid NCI Well Connect Members have free, 24-7 access to Pure Genomics. Non-paid members must first pay a one-time $25 processing fee to access results.
Wild Card* Brussels Sprouts and Breakfast Sausage Almond Crust Quiche
Almond Crust
2 cups Bob's Red Mill almond flour (use alternative flour for nut allergy)
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon minced fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
pinch of ground black pepper
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon water
Filling
3/4 pounds pork, chicken, or turkey breakfast sausage
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil + additional if needed
1-1 1/2 cups Brussels sprouts, sliced in half if small or quartered if large
1 large leek, finely chopped (white and pale green pars only)
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
4 large organic eggs
1/2 cup organic milk (substitute with any unsweetened non dairy milk)
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
minced parsley for serving
Preparation
Place a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400F. Grease a 9 inch tart pan or pie plate with oil. In a large bowl whisk together the almond four, garlic, thyme, salt, pepper and optional crushed red pepper flakes. Stir in the oil and water and mix until well combined. Press the dough into your greased tart pan or pie plate making sure the dough goes at least 1 1/4 inches up the sides. Bake until the crust is lightly golden and firm to the touch. About 18 minutes. Keep the oven on.
In a large cast iron skillet over medium heat, add the ground sausage and cook, using a wooden spoon to break up the meat into small pieces, until brown and no longer pink. Remove the meat from the pan and place in a bowl for later.
Wipe out the pan reserving a little of the rendered fat (no need to rinse) and add the oil.
Once warm add the chopped Brussels sprouts and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned on all sides, about 8 minutes. Add the leek and continue to cook for about 5 minutes longer (if the pan is drying out too much add a little more oil). Stir in the garlic and cook for about 2 minutes longer. Add the cooked sausage back to the pan and mix well. Remove from the heat and set aside. In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, optional red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.
Layer the sausage/veggie mixture onto the bottom of the precooked crust. Pour in the egg/milk mixture over the top of the meat and veggies. Place the pie back into the oven (same temperature) and bake until the edges are a deep golden brown and the center is set. About 30-35 minutes. If the crust begins to burn tent the edges with tin foil.
Let the quiche cool for about 10 minutes before slicing and serving. Serve with a sprinkle of minced parsley and enjoy! SERVES 6
eInspire*
"No disease that can be treated by diet should be treated with any other means."
-Maimonides
What Is a Paid NCI Well Connect Membership?
Twice Weekly eNewsletters with Tons of Extra Content
Long-form issues on Mondays and Wednesdays address all aspects of wellness including nutrition, mental and emotional health, physical activity, cooking, brand awareness, dietary supplements, medical breakthroughs, and much more.
Pure Genomics Wellness Screening
Results are free. Analysis with Steve or Bonnie is a separate fee.
Members Only Archives
Only paid members have exclusive, password protected access to our 45 title Action Plan Library, Natural Foods Shopping List (updated quarterly), and the most recent 100 issues of our email newsletter.
*Use password: discount2018 in Guest Area