Periodically Optimal Health Network will offer a blog post about what supplements we recommend and why, our recommended source of the supplement, and guidance on the best way to take the supplement.

FISH OIL SUPPLEMENTS

Fish oil supplements contain omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids are essential cornerstones of human nutrition. It is essential to understand that we do not produce omega-3 fatty acids in our body, therefore we need to provide these fatty acids through diet and supplementation.

Omega-3 fats are a key family of polyunsaturated fats. There are three main omega-3s:

• Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) come mainly from fish, and are called marine omega-3s.
• Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), the most common omega-3 fatty acid in most Western diets, is found in vegetable oils and nuts (especially walnuts), flax seeds and flaxseed oil, leafy vegetables, and some animal fat, especially in grass-fed animals. The human body generally uses ALA for energy, and conversion into EPA and DHA is very limited.

Omega-3 is an integral part of cell membranes throughout the body and affects the function of the cell receptors. These healthy fatty acids provide the starting point for making hormones that regulate blood clotting, contraction and relaxation of artery walls, and inflammation. They also bind to receptors in cells that regulate genetic function. Likely due to these effects, omega-3 fats have been shown to help prevent heart disease and stroke, may help control lupus, eczema, and rheumatoid arthritis, support healthy brain function and cognition, and may play protective roles in cancer and other conditions.

Optimal Health Network recommends a minimum of 750 mg per day of combined EPA/DHA as a good place to start for all adults. Higher dosages of fish oil supplements need to be considered for issues such as high triglycerides (2000-4000 mg), depression (10,000 mg), Crohn's disease (4000 mg), and lupus and rheumatoid arthritis (6000 mg).

With over 10,000 published studies in the last three decades, omega-3 from fish oil is among the most researched natural ingredients available, and has a long history of safety and efficacy.

BUY ORTHOMEGA 820 FISH OIL CAPSULES

If you need individualized support with your supplement protocol, call us at 608-242-0200 or set up a personal consultation.

Labels: cellular health, Crohn's disease, depression, fish oil, high triglycerides, lupus, omega fatty acids, omega-3, supplements

by Stephanie Carnes
OHN Contributor

Pasteurized dairy is heated to high temperatures to kill pathogenic bacteria. Most dairies—including those that sell pasteurized, organic milk—often have filthy cesspools with cows standing in manure several feet deep. The factory dairy cow is also fed a mash full of antibiotics and hormones such as rBGH, waste products, and sometimes meat from infected animals, even though the cow is an herbivore (vegetarian).

Essential Guideline: 
Avoid pasteurized yogurt, cream, butter, cheese, cottage cheese, and ice cream.

Very few of us can truly digest today’s commercial dairy products. The reason for confining our cows in feedlots and feeding them grain rather than grass is that they produce more milk—especially when injected with biweekly hormones. Today’s grain-fed cows produce three times as much milk as the old family cow of days gone by. Unfortunately this industrial process leads to health concerns for both the cows and those who drink their milk.

Products from grass-fed animals offer a balanced ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids. On the contrary, industrialized animals whose diets are made up of grain have a high concentration of omega-6 fat which contributes to many diseases. Animals who eat grass contain at least two to four times more omega-3 fatty acids in their meat and milk. These omega-3s are formed in the chloroplasts of green leaves and algae that they consume.

Additionally, the protein in pasteurized cow’s milk is the leading cause of food allergies in both adults and children. The fat in pasteurized and homogenized milk has been altered and no longer comes with the lipase enzyme that is needed by the body to digest the milk fat. Ask around. You’ll be surprised to find how many people have already figured out that giving up pasteurized dairy has decreased the number of colds they get, the sinus problems they have, the number of ear infections their children get, and the amount of bloating they experience.

Raw dairy is a superior food, but only if you can obtain if from a farmer who has healthy animals that eat green nutrient-dense grass and has its enzymes intact.

For more info view our raw milk Resource Guide.

SOURCE: Ten Days to Optimal Health (Amelong 2006)

Labels: omega fatty acids, pasteurized dairy, raw milk