Triton Nutrition

In 2013, Triton Nutrition sponsored the 2013 Never Quit Challenge, a charity jetski ride from Key West Florida to New York City, arriving September 11. The athletes, military vets and support staff relied on daily supplement packs and our Vital Vegan protein shakes to stay fueled for the 5 day ride. We at Triton Nutrition are proud to support current and former military service people and encourage you to do the same!

If you’re losing steam at the end of explosive workouts, you might want to consider adding creatine to your routine. MMA fighter and Thai kick boxer James McSweeney and Triton Nutrition® co-founder Robert Seik talk about Triton Nutrition® Kre-Alkalyn and how it’s been helping McSweeney go harder for more rounds.   Seik explains that Kre-Alkalyn is made with easily-absorbed alkalized creatine, made specifically for athletes engaging in explosive movements during their workouts. It’s perfect for boxers or heavy weight lifters.   McSweeney says since he started taking the supplement he finds he doesn’t fatigue during reps or rounds in the ring as quickly. “Since using the Kre-Alkalyn, I’ve stayed consistently explosive throughout my workouts,” he said. “I’m just as explosive the last round as I am the first.”   “You have to try it,” McSweeney said.   Take one capsule before any explosive movement and for an added boost, take another capsule immediately after. Try Kre-Alkalyn for yourself and watch your intensity last throughout your workout.   by Robert Seik, PharmD

Recovering completely means better, harder workouts ahead for MMA Fighter James McSweeney.   He recently added Triton Nutrition® Immuno Growth Factor with PRP to his nutritional regimen. He adds one scoop to his protein shakes at breakfast and lunch and another to a glass of milk before bed, for a total of three scoops per day.   James said that normally at this point in his training preparation, he feels fatigued, but with the extra focus he’s been placing on nutrition, he feels strong. He said ensuring his body’s recovery from vigorous training has played a huge role.   “The better I recover, the better I can perform the next day,” he said.   Triton Nutrition® co-founder Robert Seik explains that Immuno Growth Factor with PRP is made from pure bovine colostrum, which is a rich source of PRPs, or proline-rich polypetides. PRPs help calm down inflammation, which speeds recovery. Robert said athletes in a heavy training cycle should take three scoops of Immuno Growth Factor with PRP per day, while those in a more moderate training phase would benefit from adding one to two scoops per day to aid their recovery.   Keep checking back for more videos with James and Robert as they reveal additional elements of the nutritional and training plan that is helping James prepare for his next big fight.   by Robert Seik, PharmD

  Think you have your training and nutrition plan perfected? Don’t forget about your brain. MMA fighter and champion Thai kick boxer James McSweeney and Triton Nutrition® co-founder Robert Seik talk about Triton Nutrition's® Neurokinetic Cream and how it can help you stay focused in and out of the gym. One pump of this unique and innovative cream is applied twice daily to your inner forearms. Robert explains that fat-soluble B vitamins in their most active forms provided by Neurokinetic cream are used by the brain as co-factors to make neurotransmitters, which support healthy brain function. James said with the intense time commitment that goes into training and proper nutrition, he was excited to find a product that helps keep his mind focused and strong plus keep his mood good when he's not training hard. The easy application method means one less thing he has to take in pill or drink form, which he likes. After taking it for about five months, James said that his mood has improved in and out of the gym. He also finds he has more focus and that his mind doesn’t wander like it used to during training sessions. “It does keep me more focused,” he said. James said this is important because not only is he able to give his best during every workout, he’s more confident that his enhanced concentration and quickened reaction time will help him avoid injuries. “If you’re not concentrating, a lot of things can go bad in the gym,” he said. Try Triton Nutrition's® Neurokinetic Cream for yourself and let us know if your concentration, focus, and mood improves.       by Robert Seik, PharmD

How do they do it? How do elite athletes become, well, elite? Consistent commitment in the gym and in the kitchen. For MMA Fighter and star of Spike TV’s Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights James McSweeney, it’s finding and sticking with what works for him and incorporating it into his routine every day. That includes Triton Nutrition® Vital Vegan Protein and Vital Greens.   James said he’s tried many different types of protein over the course of his career, but they tended to leave him feeling bloated and gassy. “With the Vital Vegan Protein, it’s so much cleaner and the taste is good,” he said. Adding the Vital Greens to his morning and post-workout shakes helps him know he’s got his nutritional needs covered for the day. “I’ve got my foundation, so it takes the pressure off. Anything after is a bonus. I can’t lose once I’ve taken my drink,” he said. His personal recipes: Chocolate Vital Vegan Protein with the Berry Vital Greens or Vanilla Vital Vegan Protein mixed with Chocolate Vital Greens. “With these two products it really does help to build the foundation,” James said. “It helps my performance to no end.” Triton Nutrition co-founder Robert Seik explains that all athletes need protein to counteract the stress hormone cortisol and to rebuild muscle after a workout. Many powders contain a lot of artificial ingredients and sugars, which can cause gas. Vital Vegan Protein provides the benefits of easily digestible protein without the additions that can cause negative effects. Vital Greens provides a great source of vegetable-based nutrition which offers antioxidant protection.  Keep checking back for more videos with James and Robert as they reveal additional elements of the nutritional and training plan that keeps James in top fighting form.   by Robert Seik, PharmD

Are intense physical training and general life stress putting important hormones at risk in your body? The need for hormone replacement therapy is reaching epidemic levels, caused by nutrient deficient diets and exposure to environmental toxins.   For athletes, maintaining an optimum ratio of hormones, including testosterone, estrogen, progesterone, and DHEA, is vitally important for both men and women. Intense training causes the body to release cortisol, known as the stress hormone. The more you train, the more cortisol you release. In addition to exercise, stress from work and family life can also keep cortisol levels elevated. Unfortunately, the glands that produce hormones in the body have limited capacity. When an overabundance of cortisol is released, the body’s ability to make other beneficial hormones becomes reduced. This is called the “cortisol steal” where cortisol blocks other important hormones, putting our bodies in a catabolic, or breakdown state.   What does this mean from a health perspective? An athlete with too much cortisol and not enough testosterone could wind up training hard only to be “skinny fat”, meaning they might look lean, but not have an optimally low percentage of body fat.   The first step in hormone optimization is resetting cortisol levels, which is addressed in this video. The second step is improving your sleep cycle, which depresses cortisol and helps you recharge and reset for the next day so your glands can produce more of the hormones you want. In fact, 80 percent of the growth hormones we produce are made at night while we’re sleeping. Check out other videos that address specific hormone optimization tips for men and women as well as overall balance.   by Robert Seik, PharmD

What supplements are important to take when you are on Hormone Replacement Therapy? Certain nutrients are depleted during HRT and it is very important to replace those nutrients that are depleted.   First it is first important to eat a nutrient-dense diet. Triton Nutrition then recommends a multivitamin called Basic Multipro for Men or Basic Multipro for Women. 2 capsules twice a day is the general support dose. There is also a Performance Multivitamin for Men and for Women that is expanded.   For both men and women the two most important cofactors that you will need in addition to your multivitamin is magnesium and zinc. Triton Nutrition has Mag Powersorb and Zinc Glycinate. Both are in an amino acid chelate form, which is the most absorbable form for the body.   Women should take 2-3 capsules of the Mag Powersorb and 1-2 capsules of the Zinc Glycinate a day. If they have heavy workouts then they will need to increase the dosage up from there.   HRT also requires B vitamins supplementation in a certain form because it depletes your body's resources. Triton Nutrition's philosophy is to supply nutrients in the most absorbable, most absorbable form. You sometimes see B12 in the form of cyanocobolamin, but Triton Nutrition does not use that form, they use the active form called methylcobolamin. In Triton Nutrition's Neurokinetic Cream, the biologically active forms called methylcobolamin and hydroxocobolamin are used in the form of a topical cream. This should be applied to lean body parts, like forearms or lower legs at one pump, twice a day. If you are severely depleted in methyl donors, there is methylcobolamin and 5-MTHF, both active forms of the vitamin, and you may need a total of three pumps a day.   The reason this is called Neurokinetic Cream is because the forms found in the cream are important in the making of neurotransmitters and they are also important in the metabolism of the beautiful hormone biochemistry symphony. Hormone Replacement Therapy also depletes other B vitamins as well. If you are not getting enough in your food then you need to turn to a supplement. Triton Nutrition offers a product called B-Energy Complex, which is made of the active forms of the B vitamins. B6 is in the form Pyridoxyl 5'-Phosphate and B2 is in the form of Riboflavin 5'-Phosphate, which are the active forms. These are the most usable and valuable forms of the vitamins.   It is also important for the body to safely eliminate toxic chemicals from the body that are absorbed from environmental exposure. These chemicals are also called xenoestrogens because these toxins act like estrogens and throw off the balance of hormones in the body. These toxins are found in plastics and pesticides as well as cleaners, weed killers and flame retardants on our furniture. It is very important to eliminate these toxins from our body.   Estro Shield with DIM helps eliminate these toxins from the body. It also contains bioperine to help with absorption and Turmeric, which acts as an anti-inflammatory.   Women who are estrogen dominant either from her own body's excess production of estrogen or most likely from xenohormones from the environment will experience anxiety, insomnia and breast tenderness, to name a few.   Men with the accumulation of the xenoestrogens will notice symptoms of low testosterone. Why, because these xenoestrogens can occupy the testosterone receptor, which blocks the testosterone from binding.   by Robert Seik, PharmD

CrossFit athletes are high intensity, heavy trainers and many write in asking what they can do for nutritional support. It is important to listen to your body and when you feel that you need recovery days, it is important to take them. You should have some heavy days and some light days. Triton Nutrition was founded by Rico Ebetino, a former US Navy SEAL and Robert Seik, PharmD. What brought the two together was the topic of athletes and nutrient depletion. Both realized that a company was needed that delivered the highest quality of nutritional supplements to hard training athletes.   It is also very important to remember that you cannot just supplement someone's deficient hormones because HRT depletes your own body's nutrients. So nutrient supplementation is necessary with HRT. It is common to see someone who begins HRT and feels good initially, but over time they begin to feel bad again because their nutrients are being depleted. Add heavy training into that equation, which also depletes your nutrients and you can find extremely nutrient depleted individuals.   Robert wants to stress the food first model and that you need to try to get your nutrients first from food and then add supplements when necessary to correct those nutrient deficiencies. It is also important to get the right amount of protein in your diet for those who are training. Protein supplementation in itself can also deplete certain nutrients in your body so it is important to keep that in mind as well. B complex vitamins and magnesium are depleted with protein consumption.   So, heavy training with heavy sweating will create zinc and magnesium depletion, protein consumption will deplete your B vitamins and magnesium and lastly HRT can cause nutrient depletion it itself. Combine all three and you can create a severely nutrient depleted individual. Listen to your body and rest when necessary and correct those nutrient deficiencies.   by Robert Seik, PharmD

Immuno Growth Factor with PRP contains a very pure form of Colostrum from grass-fed, organically raised cows. It is cold-pressed in order to preserve molecules called proline-rich polypeptides or PRPs. It provides one of the best building blocks needed for muscle recovery.   On Triton Nutrition's site, you will find recipes that use Vital Vegan Protein with a scoop of Immuno Growth Factor with PRP. But for heavy training athletes, Robert recommends taking three scoops of Immuno Growth Factor with PRP a day. One scoop three times a day with water is almost like an infusion of good amino acid building blocks direct to the muscles.   A highly trained athlete who is exercising a great deal is actually compromising his or her immune system due to the stress of heavy training. It is important to listen to your body and if you're training extremely hard and raising your cortisol level then you're increasing inflammation and weakening your body's immune defense.   It is very important to balance your training, but if you're gearing up for a competition then it is important to support your body as much as possible. Immuno Growth Factor with PRP is an excellent way to do just that for those high intensity workouts. This is an excellent product for CrossFit athletes and for those endurance athletes.   by Robert Seik, PharmD

The main ways our bodies age are through the mechanisms of drying up, burning up, turn to stone and we rust. Drying up is through dehydration and the deficiency of certain minerals. We burn up through the process of inflammation. We deposit Calcium into our arteries and we turn to stone. Lastly, we rust through oxidative stress.   Our bodies are inflamed for a number of reasons. We are exposed to so many environmental toxins that are aggravating inflammation in our body. We are eating more and more GMOs that cause inflammation and we're not eating foods that are naturally anti-inflammatory.   The healthy consumption of good oils helps reduce inflammation. You also need to eat a nutrient-dense diet and if you're not then you need to make sure you supplement your diet. Most people are deficient in Omega-3 Fatty Acids, which decrease inflammation. Triton Nutrition's Omega Prime Fish Oil contains 950mg per capsule. The fish oil is isolated from small cold-water fish under the polar ice cap, which are more pure than large fish, which usually absorb more toxins.   Omega 3-Fatty Acid consumption can reduce a number of inflammatory markers like hs-CRP (high-sensitivity C-Reactive Protein) as well as many other areas in the body. It inhibits a cascade of cytokines or eicosanoids that can aggravate inflammation.   The more we train, the more fatty acids are required. Those who are on certain medications that deplete their fatty acids or those with certain diseases such as diabetes also require more of these Omega-3 Fatty Acids. These Omega-3 Fatty Acids also lower triglycerides and help balance cholesterol levels.   Another product that reduces inflammation is the D3 Ultra Drops. Vitamin D deficiency is rampant here in the United States. The Harvard School of Public Health states that the best benefits of 25-hydroxy vitamin D is seen in the 70-90 ranges. Vitamin D below 50 is associated with insomnia. Low Vitamin D means that there is an increased production of inflammatory cytokines like IL-6, IL-17, TNF alpha. Vitamin D drops are relatively inexpensive. D3 Ultra Drops are 1200 units per drop and because it is miscellized it is highly absorbable.   Immune Boost Spray is an isolated form of colostrum produced from grass-fed, organically raised cows. PRPs are extracted from this colostrum. Dr. Andrew Keech's Peptide Immunotherapy book emphasizes the importance of colostrum and the proline-rich polypeptides (PRPs). These PRPs balance the process of inflammation and balance a healthy immune system. This is very important in times of autoimmune diseases like Lupus and Scleroderma.   For more information on the benefits of PRPs please see the article Viruses and the Advantages of PRPs.   by Robert Seik, PharmD

What are the most important nutrients that you need to take to support your body's hormone balance? Triton Nutrition's philosophy is to first build the foundation, to balance your body's biochemistry with nutrition and hormones and then to boost performance.   The first thing to note is that men need to take Zinc and Magnesium. This is the best way to maximize your testosterone level. You cannot make testosterone without Zinc and Magnesium. Triton Nutrition promotes the food first model. You want to make sure you get the 6-7 servings of vegetables a day. Take loads of dark green leafy vegetables. 3.3 oz of pumpkin seeds has about 500mg of Magnesium or you can put 2 cups of Epsom Salt in a hot bath for a 30 minute soak to absorb your Magnesium. Supplements will most likely be necessary if you work out hard.   For Magnesium, Triton Nutrition recommends Mag Powersorb, 2-3 capsules a day for men, which is best absorbed on an empty stomach.   Testosterone can easily be converted into estrogen and it is important to maintain a healthy ratio. A healthy balance in a young man is to have a testosterone level at about 1000 and an estradiol level at about 20. We want to make sure that testosterone doesn't drop too much and that estradiol doesn't climb too much. This happens very easily when there is a Zinc deficiency. In order for testosterone to be converted to estrogen, all that's needed is to simply remove a single Hydrogen atom, which is the smallest atom in the world.   Triton Nutrition has a product called Zinc Glycinate, which is in the most optimal form that the body absorbs. This is called a chelated mineral. Each capsule is 20mg and Robert recommends that men take three capsules a day.  The more we exercise and the more we sweat, the more minerals like zinc and magnesium are excreted from the body.   Testosterone in women is very important as well. If women have estrogen dominance, they will experience weight gain, heavy periods, breast tenderness and PMS. Robert recommends 1-2 capsules of Zinc Glycinate a day or 20-40mg.   Triton Nutrition also has a product called Estro Shield with DIM. DIM or diindolylmethane can be found in cruciferous vegetables. Everyone should eat about a cup of lightly cooked broccoli, cauliflower or cabbage a day. This will contain some of the DIM compound. DIM safely eliminates xenoestrogens, which are toxins that are similar in structure to our own estrogen that our body makes.   Estro Shield with DIM also contains bioperine, which helps with the absorption and it also contain Turmeric, which helps detoxify and acts as an anti-inflammatory.   So Zinc helps block the conversion of testosterone to estrogen. Magnesium is needed in the body to make estrogen. Estro Shield with DIM will help balance out the estrogen and testosterone in the body and maintain a higher level of testosterone than estrogen.   by Robert Seik, PharmD

A common question is how can I maintain healthy joints and what can I do if I am experiencing joint pain? Joint pain usually means that there is inflammation present and you need to get the inflammation down. It is important to support your body's anti-inflammatory processes when you're doing your heavy workouts like those who do CrossFit.   Triton Nutrition's product called Joint Restore contains glucosamine, chondroiton as well as hyaluronic acid, which are all building blocks. The product also contains anti-inflammatories like MSM and a New Zealand green-lipped mussel extract called Etarol. If you take two capsules before a workout and then two capsules immediately following a workout it helps with joint restoration and helps reduce the inflammation.   by Robert Seik, PharmD

Triton Nutrition has the Three B Philosophy: Build, Balance and Boost.   Build requires building blocks and the first thing you need to do in order to build is to build a good foundation for the body. What this means is that you need a solid, nutritional foundation. The hormone biochemistry in our body is very complex. Each individual hormone has 300-500 different functions. These hormones have to change from one form to another and they have to activate receptors, to be deactivated and to be metabolized and eliminated from the body. All of this is a complex symphony of biochemistry that goes on and you can't have this symphony occur without the nutritional cofactors necessary. Vitamins, minerals and amino acids are very important nutrients that are necessary.   Even if you make your best effort with a nutrient-dense diet, you can still have nutrient deficiencies because our soil is severely depleted. Supplements will be necessary in order to supplement your nutrient-dense diet.   Your diet should consist of a large amount of vegetables (6-7 servings), a few select fruits (2-3 servings) and high quality proteins. It's important to eliminate those foods that are not nutrient-dense and that actually rob your body of nutrition, like flour and sugar. The top 20% of people are actually only getting 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day.   If you are someone who exercises, this will place an additional toll on your body and cause more of a nutrient depletion through an increase in metabolic processes.   Balance is the next step in the Triton Nutrition philosophy. Balancing hormones is very important. In women, it is important to balance your estrogen and progesterone. Many women do well without the added estrogen during HRT and progesterone replacement therapy is enough. The balancing of nutritional cofactors is also very important. If you are on HRT you need to consider taking additional nutrients because HRT alone can deplete certain nutrients from your body. Magnesium and B complex vitamins are certain nutrients that are often depleted. These deficiencies can make you feel weak and fatigued, often how you felt before you started on HRT. Instead of increasing your dose of HRT, you actually need to supplement those nutrient deficiencies.   by Robert Seik, PharmD

Robert Seik, PharmD is a compounding pharmacist who owns two compounding pharmacies. He receives many questions regarding hormones and nutrition and since this is an area that Robert specializes in, he would like to speak a bit on the subject. What is hormone replacement therapy and why do we need it? The hormones produced by the endocrine glands are the main signals that organs use to communicate with each other and excite the body into action. These hormones include the adrenal hormones such as cortisol and DHEA as well as the sex hormones, progesterone, testosterone and estradiol, to name a few as well as the thyroid hormone, which regulates metabolism as well as many other functions. Each hormone produced in the body may have about 400-500 metabolic functions. If one hormone is low or too high you will feel the effects of that hormone in terms of symptoms. The proper amounts of hormone levels are important because they can make us feel better, think quicker, move faster, improve our memory and keep inflammation down. We face a number of challenges in modern times with nutrient deficiencies hence the founding of Triton Nutrition to support hormones and the proper nutrient balance. We are also exposed to an enormous amount of toxins daily called endocrine disruptors, which affect the proper hormone balance. Add to that the stress of overworking and overtraining and you'll find that many individuals experience overproduction or underproduction of certain hormones. In order to maintain good functionality during menopause, andropause and the other daily stressors, it is important to focus on good nutrition and maintaining proper hormone levels. Hormone replacement therapy is one way to maintain optimal functioning for a healthy body, healthy mind and longevity. By Robert Seik, PharmD

Cortisol is a stress hormone, which is produced under stressful conditions, one of them being heavy training. A CrossFit viewer asked how they could nutritionally support their hormones under heavy training loads. The first hormone that comes into mind is modulating the hormone Cortisol.   Cortisol is a stress hormone that is produced in the adrenal glands and is designed to be released in short bursts. Cortisol is an anti-inflammatory hormone and it also helps us mobilize energy. This is used in times of fight or flight when these short energy bursts are necessary to run or fight.   In modern times, we disrupt our Cortisol production by poor sleep, overworking, heavy training and poor nutrition. Cortisol production has been directly correlated with training load. It is important to pay attention to your body and note that if you are overstressing your body and producing large amounts of cortisol, your body will start to break down. It will break down your muscle because it is a catabolic hormone.   Your body makes cortisol preferentially over other hormones.  When there is a large amount of cortisol being made, you will see other hormones decline like testosterone and DHEA. These hormones are responsible for building your body up. This is why it is important to take a rest after heavy training.   Make sure you get 20-25 grams of protein within ten minutes after heavy training. This will blunt the rise in cortisol. Triton Nutrition makes Vital Vegan Protein and ProFit Whey and these can be used in combination with Vital Greens or Vital Reds. Please check out our site where delicious recipes are listed using these proteins.   Another great product is Triton Nutrition's Immuno Growth Factor with PRP, which is a pure, cold-pressed colostrum product made from grass-fed, organically grown cows. This cold-pressed technique maintains Immunoglobulins (IgGs) and proline-rich polypeptides (PRPs). PRPs help balance inflammation and IgGs are needed because the immune system can be weakened during heavy workouts. This is a very efficient form of protein and can be combined with the other powdered forms of protein.   There are two products by Triton Nutrition that also help with Cortisol regulation: Relora-plex and Adrenal Shield. Adrenal Shield contains extract from three herbs: Chordyceps sinensis, Ginseng root and Rhodiola rosea root, which helps balance the cortisol and the other hormones responsible for balancing energy, like DHEA. This will help with afternoon fatigue.   Relora-plex is a specific blend of herbs designed to reduce cortisol. Relora-plex is specifically helpful when someone would like to start on hormone replacement therapy but his or her cortisol is elevated. You don't want to start therapy before getting the elevated cortisol under control first because the other hormones supplied during therapy won't function properly. Relora-plex allows the person to feel less anxiety and more smooth energy throughout the day. At nighttime they fall asleep faster and they stay asleep. It is important to sleep well because that is when 80% of growth hormone is produced.   by Robert Seik, PharmD

Bioidentical Hormone Therapy means that the exact molecule in the product is identical in structure to the hormone produced in our body's glands. These bioidentical hormones can be made into creams, capsules, gels, sublingual lozenges, sublingual drops and subcutaneous implantable pellets at a compounding pharmacy.   Pharmaceutical companies make synthetic hormones that are not structurally the same as what our body produces. These chemicals have been altered by attaching a group to the compound therefore making man-made chemicals that can be patented. It is possible to find bioidentical hormones that are made by pharmaceutical companies and they do this by patenting their delivery system since bioidentical hormones themselves cannot be patented.   For example, estriol or estradiol can be found in a patch form for women. Testosterone can be found in a gel form. This is how the pharmaceutical company delivers a bioidentical hormone in a patented delivery form. The molecule itself is not patented, only the delivery system.   The Women's Health Initiative and the HERS Study both showed that the synthetic form of progesterone called medoxyprogesterone acetate caused thin women to have an increase in breast cancer, ovarian cancer, heart attack and stroke. After these two studies, an enormous amount of women stopped taking Prempro and Provera. But they still continued to experience symptoms of progesterone and estrogen deficiency. Women are actively seeking information on bioidentical hormone therapy and they want answers.   Please see the video Why Hormones Are Not Enough to learn more about how it is necessary to supply your body with the proper nutrients so that your body is able to produce the hormones required for your body to function properly.   by Robert Seik, PharmD

The Protein Timing intake is very important for an athlete. It should be taken immediately after a workout, within ten minutes. During your workout you are breaking down muscle, so afterwards you need to ingest your protein portion.   An athlete's protein timing portion varies depending on the size of the athlete and the training demand. A good equation to remember is 0.8-1.4 grams of protein for every kg of Lean Body Mass. Lean Body Mass is muscle, organs and bone. There are a number of different ways to measure your Lean Body Mass and remember that 1 kilogram equals 2.2 pounds.   So, within ten minutes after training, an athlete should ingest his protein and it should be an easily digestible protein source. The maximum the human body can digest per hour is 30-40 grams. Robert Seik recommends 20-30 grams of protein following a training session. This protein will help repair tissues that were broken down, reduce muscle soreness and reduce the amount of stress hormones released.   Remember to choose a good protein supplement that is easily digestible and make sure you take the right amount of protein to suit your body size and workout.   by Robert Seik, PharmD

Protein Powder Recipes using Triton Nutrition's Pro-Fit Whey and Vital Vegan protein powders. Whey is a good protein source for those who do not have a food intolerance to Whey. Vital Vegan, which consists of 5 different vegan proteins, is highly recommended and is low in allergenicity.   Triton Nutrition offers both Pro-Fit Whey Protein powder and Vital Vegan Protein powder. Robert Seik's personal favorite it the Vital Vegan Protein powder that offers a combination of five different plant sources: Chia, Hemp, Brown Rice, Cranberry and Yellow Pea proteins that are low in allergenicity because there is no dairy component. So, there is no Casein and there is no Lactose. There is also no Soy. Soy is genetically modified in the United States, it is low in branched chain amino acids and it can be allergenic. Since the Vital Vegan does not have Casein, Lactose and Soy, it means less chance of acne, bloating, gas, asthma and postnasal drip, which are commonly seen with food intolerances. The Vital Vegan is offered in both Chocolate and Vanilla flavor.   The truth is, we live in a very toxic environment so there are also two additional ingredients found in the Vital Vegan: Calcium d-glucarate and Sulforaphane, which is broccoli seed extract and these help our body detoxify by supporting the liver and ridding the body of chemicals that are found in our environment that our body sees as Estrogen such as pesticides, herbicides and chemicals found in plastics, to name a few.   In addition, the Chia seed protein expands with liquids, so it gives us a nice gastrointestinal cleansing effect. For added brain focus, energy, and fat burning, MCTs (Medium Chain Triglycerides) are also included.   When making your shakes you can add almond milk, coconut milk, coconut water or you can just add water. Remember to add fruits and vegetables to your shake so that you alkalize the shake. Protein powder by itself causes an acidic environment. Triton Nutrition offers Vital Reds, which is an organic combination of fruits and vegetables and comes in Strawberry-Kiwi flavor and there is Vital Greens which comes in a Chocolate flavor and a Berry.   If you mix Vital Red with Vanilla Vital Vegan and Almond milk with frozen strawberries, it is delicious. For those who like chocolate, Chocolate Vital Vegan with Chocolate Vital Greens will give you antioxidants because of the Dutch processed Cocoa. Add this with Almond milk and you have a delicious shake. Remember these shakes are sweetened with Stevia, no refined sugars or artificial sweeteners. There are more recipes on Triton Nutrition's site.   To read more on good sources of protein, Triton Nutrition's Health and Wellness Resource Libray has a very nice article.   by Robert Seik, PharmD

Probiotics have a very important role in our body, specifically in our digestive tract. When they are lacking for various reasons, like after taking antibiotics, other illnesses and diseases can ensue.   Probiotics generally refers to friendly bacteria or intestinal gut flora that belong in our digestive tract. This is a 30 foot tube from end to end and it contains about 100 trillion of these microorganisms, but this is only if the digestive tract is healthy.   What are the causes of a decrease in intestinal flora? There are many. One example would be when someone takes antibiotics that kill off the bad bacteria, but in doing so the good bacteria or flora are also killed off. Many times this allows fungus to grow because the good flora is not regulating it and the person will develop a yeast infection. You don't have to take prescription antibiotics for this to happen. There are antibiotics present in our food that can do the same harm. There is also chlorine in our water supply that can also kill off the flora in our gut and the end result is the development of disease.   Many functional and regenerative physicians believe that if a person is ill and they don't quite know where to start, they start with the gut. They use the 4 R Protocol, which stands for Remove, Replace, Reinoculate and Repair.   Remove stands for remove the offending agent. Remove offending foods or the offending bad bacteria or virus that is causing harm. Replace means replace the enzymes and acids and other nutrients that have been lost. Reinoculate means the good bacteria have to be replaced with probiotics. Repair they intestinal lining if there has been a lot of damage. This may involve using amino acids like glutamine or cold processed pure bovine colostrum products that help repair.   It is very important to replace these probiotics because it is the body's main immune defense. Some physicians will say that over 70% of our main defense is through the gut. We also rely on these probiotics to digest certain foods such as beans, legumes, and nuts and they usually provide the very last steps to provide the nutrients that we need.   The gut flora is also responsible for reducing inflammation. Patients with diverticulitis, Ulcerative Colitis and Irritable Bowel Syndrome often have wiped out gut flora. Healthy bacteria secrete anti-inflammatory cytokines that keep bad bacteria at bay. When the healthy flora is gone then you can see these disorders appear. Once these flora are gone, Leaky Gut Syndrome can occur, which is mentioned in the gut health video. This means that holes have developed in the intestinal lining, which allows undigested food and other pathogens to leak into the body, which causes a whole host of other problems.   At Partell Pharmacy in Las Vegas, you can purchase VSL3, which helps treat Ulcerative Colitis. The sachets in VSL3 (the living shield) are packed with 450 billion probiotics. There are also other pharmaceutical grade probiotics available at their compounding pharmacy. It is important to look at the label when purchasing probiotics. You will find many that have 5 or 10 billion units of probiotics a day and that is why they are so inexpensive. The better quality products will contain more probiotics. Robert suggests taking at least 100 billion probiotics a day and more if you are ill or during allergy season. Why during allergy season? If we reduce inflammation in the gut by taking probiotics, we most likely can reduce inflammation in the entire body.   You can actually have your probiotic flora checked so you know what your gut status is. A Functional and Rejuvenative Physician will know the proper tests to order.   Diet is very important when considering your gut health. You can increase your healthy gut flora by eating lacto fermented foods like sauerkraut and kim chi and some yogurts rich in acidophilus. Avoid sugars and starch in the diet because yeasts and other bad flora can feed off of these types of foods.   by Robert Seik, PharmD

Neurotransmitters, the brain communicates to the rest of the body using chemical electrical signals. These chemicals are called neurotransmitters.   Dr. David Perlmutter is a lecturer for those taking their fellowship at the American Academy of Anti-Aging. He wrote a book called The Better Brain Book, which focuses on getting toxins out of the body that compromises cognitive brain function and he can improve disease parameters in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's patients.   Another lecturer who is on faculty is Dr. Eric Braverman. His book is called The Edge Effect. The book is about the four main transmitters of the brain and if you want to improve your body cognitively or physically, you should really begin with the brain and focus on the neurotransmitters.   Neurotransmitters are manufactured with amino acids and with other micronutrients and they change from one form to another. Many micronutrient cofactors are necessary for these processes to happen. The four transmitters are Dopamine, GABA, Acetylcholine, and Serotonin.   Dopamine is responsible for many functions in the body from elevating your mood to increasing fast twitch muscle fibers in athletes and increasing reaction times. Dopamine also gives us good sex drive and libido.   GABA is another neurotransmitter and this one allows us to stay calm and have a feeling of well-being. It helps balance the excitatory neurotransmitter Dopamine so that we can relax.   Acetylcholine is very important for memory and cognitive speed. Lastly, there is Serotonin, which has a very vast functionality. It regulates mood, appetite and sleep as well as some memory and learning functions. This is what SSRIs, like Prozac focus on for the treatment of depression and generalized anxiety. Instead of taking these pharmaceutical drugs you can make sure you are providing your body with the essential nutrients to make these neurotransmitters. Because remember, when you take these drugs you get side effects and create other nutrient depletions and the cascade begins.   The amino acids necessary to create these neurotransmitters are derived from eating a well-balanced healthful diet. It is important to have a healthy gut in order to absorb these nutrients, so look at the gut health video to understand this more. Your diet must have good quality sources of protein so you can get the amino acids to make these neurotransmitters. If you do not have enough in your diet then you will have to supplement.   A company called NuMedica, which makes high quality products, offers supplements to improve brain and cognitive health. Appe-Curb is one of these products. It was made to reduce cravings for sugar and other carbohydrates. It has also been shown to reduce the cravings for nicotine, cocaine and alcohol. This product contains many amino acids that are necessary to make neurotransmitters like dopamine. So, if the brain needs dopamine and it sends out signals that cause these cravings, you can provide this supplement so it can then make the dopamine it needs and the cravings go away.   There is also Neuro Methylation Cream and Cognitive Balance, which is part of NuMedica's cognitive support line. The video will give you specific details on these two products.   Dr. Kendal Stewart, a Neurologist and Neuroimmune Specialist runs the Neurosensory Centers of America out of Austin, Texas. He has much success helping ADD and Autism and other patients with severe neurological disorders by providing high quality supplements to merely balance the brain.   By taking these NuMedica products and providing your body with the necessary amino acids, nutrients and cofactors is just one step. You must also improve your immune system and reduce your toxic load.   Dr. Eric Braverman has a test in his book The Edge Effect to help you evaluate what neurotransmitter deficiencies you may have. The book is excellent-we also found the questionnaire on another site as well, click here. We do not have the test on our blog as mentioned in the video.   by Robert Seik, PharmD

Iodine deficiency has been linked to cysts in the breasts and ovaries and supplementation with Iodine has been shown to prevent, reduce and treat the disease. This is a highly researched topic with a large amount of supportive evidence.   Anti-Aging and Regenerative Physicians consider Iodine to be the forgotten nutrient. Iodine is used mainly in the thyroid, but there are numerous other functions in the body as well. There is a huge Iodine deficiency in the United States and without it, the body suffers. Iodine is used mainly in the thyroid gland to produce Thyroid Hormone, or T4, which means there are four Iodine molecules attached to it. T4 is then secreted and once it reaches the target cells, it regulates metabolic activity inside the cells when it is converted to T3 by an enzyme.   Iodine is important because it can prevent and even treat conditions of hypothyroidism (low thyroid function). Hypothyroidism has been linked to Fibromyalgia, Graves Disease, and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.   When the body is deficient in Iodine, the thyroid gland can become larger causing a goiter. There are certain areas of the country that are more deficient in Iodine than others. This is called the Goiter Belt. There is not enough Iodine in table salt to provide enough Iodine necessary for the body's needs.   There are many supplements available such as Iodoral, which is highly recommended as a superior supplement.   If you read these articles, you will find that Iodine is not the only nutrient involved with the Thyroid Hormone. In order for the transport form T4 to be made into the metabolically active T3, you need 5' Deiodinase, an enzyme, which requires the multivitamin Selenium. So, you may want to supplement with Selenium at the same time as Iodine. You can read the Blog article on Selenium to learn about its other benefits as well. Other nutrients that your thyroid needs for proper function is the amino acid Tyrosine, Magnesium and Zinc. There are also companies like NuMedica that produce Thyrodex T-150 and ThryoMedica Plus to help support the thyroid.   If Iodine supplementation does not overcome hypothyroidism and it is necessary to take thyroid hormone, compounding pharmacies like Partell Specialty Compounding Pharmacy can make compounded thyroid hormone like Levothyroxine (T4 form), or Triiodothyronine or liothyronine(T3 form), or they can even combine the two forms in a capsule in accordance with the specific ratio that the patient needs.   There are two excellent books by Dr. David Brownstein called, Iodine, Why You Need It and the other, Overcoming Thyroid Disorders if you are interested in obtaining more information.   by Robert Seik, PharmD

Have you noticed that when a person starts taking medications, more medications are prescribed to treat the side effects caused by the original medications. Many of these side effects are caused by Medications That Cause Nutritional Deficiencies that these drugs create. In the end, these medications can really add up.   Many prescription drugs on the market cause nutrient deficiencies. For example, a common medication like the statins (Pravachol, Lipitor and Crestor), which are used to treat high cholesterol, reduces CoQ10 in the body. CoQ10 is the most abundant antioxidant in the body. It is very important for muscle function. A symptom of CoQ10 deficiency is muscle aches, like thigh or trunk pain. Patients cannot feel the depletion of CoQ10 in the heart muscle, however. Absolute CoQ10 depletion can cause heart failure and death.   Another example would be diuretics that patients are prescribed for hypertension. These medications get rid of water as well as the minerals Magnesium and Zinc. When men are deficient in Magnesium and Zinc, they are unable to make Testosterone.   So, when you look at the complex biochemical cascade, many cofactors are necessary for these pathways to run properly in the body. When one or many or lacking, the results can cause a decrease in the hormones produced. See how a simple deficiency in Magnesium or Zinc caused by diuretics can cause another problem such as low Testosterone. The male then experiences the side effects of low Testosterone, which are plentiful.   If a medication causes low Magnesium, this mineral has 300-400 functions in the body. Low Magnesium can lead to an enormous amount of problems in the body. Physicians who specialize in Functional and Regenerative Medicine or Anti-Aging can test for Magnesium and there are high-quality Magnesium supplements available if you are deficient. You can look at Triton Nutrition and read the article on Magnesium to find the best form of chelated Magnesium supplement for maximum absorption and look at their online store to view their product Mag Powersorb. Low Magnesium leads to poor blood sugar control, poor bowel function (constipation), poor blood pressure control, muscle cramps and spasms, and insomnia or poor sleep. One deficiency leads to a multitude of problems.   Proton Pump Inhibitors such as Prilosec, Nexium, and Prevacid are prescribed to reduce the amount of acid in the stomach. Without a certain amount of acid in the stomach, we don't absorb certain minerals like Calcium. So, it is common to see a person who started taking Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPI) end up with Calcium depletion and weak bones. Actually, Functional Medicine Physicians believe that the treatment with acid is what is needed instead so that the lower esophagael sphincter will tighten and close off after it is signaled by a proper amount of acid in the stomach.   Your micronutrient levels can be tested. It is necessary before you start bio-identical hormone replacement therapy to supplement any deficiencies before you start on your therapy for you to receive optimal results. Also, hormone replacement therapy can cause nutrient deficiencies so you must monitor your micronutrients so they can be replaced sufficiently. The most common deficiencies that require repletion are Folic Acid, Magnesium, and Vitamin B12 after you start your therapy. These are all necessary cofactors.   For more information, Dr. Pamela Wartian Smith, a physician with American Academy of Anti-Aging, wrote an excellent book called Vitamins, Minerals, Herbs and More. There you will find specific protocols on how to overcome specific nutrient depletions. Natural database has a chart on common medications that cause nutrient depletions.   A prescription drug depletion chart complements of Maryland Medical Center can be downloaded as well.   by Robert Seik, PharmD

Make sure you supplement your diet with MSM, Chondroitin, Glucosamine and Hyaluronic Acid so that you can improve your joint health - repair. Joint Restore is a high quality product containing the proper amounts of these necessary ingredients and more. Triton Nutrition's Joint Restore helps joint health and improves joint recovery from hard workouts. It is important to not only take supplements for optimal joint health but to make sure that workouts are performed in proper form and to make sure that stretch and flexibility techniques are employed as well. When you add Joint Restore, you can give the body important cofactors and building blocks to maintain and even restore the cartilage and soft tissue of the bones. When we feel that wear and tear of our joints breaking down, we can use a joint supplement like Joint Restore to quell that, slow it down and even reverse degenerative joint disease. The two primary building blocks of cartilage are Glucosamine and Chondroitin. It is very important that these are used in a very small particle micronized form. This is only found in high quality products such as Joint Restore. But those two products are not enough. It is important to reduce joint inflammation. The synergistic collection of ingredients include MSM (Methylsufonylmethane), which also helps the body detoxify, a proprietary green lipped muscle extract (GLME), which contains very important fatty acids and oils for joint lubrication, a small amount of HLA (Hyaluronic Acid) and some minerals needed for new cartilage. One of the minerals is the mineral Maganese, which is needed by the cells that lay down new cartilage and soft tissue. It is recommended to take 4 capsules a day and it is possible to take up to 4 capsules twice a day. It is a good idea to take a dose right before a workout so you can actually pump the nutrients into the joints when your circulation increases. Joint Restore can give athletes a performance edge and it can help repair the damage from their workouts. For the average aging individual who wants to maintain joint health and improve their exercise and every day activities, Joint Restore will help slow down or repair degenerative joint disease. by Robert Seik, PharmD

D-Ribose is a supplement for athletes which helps improve energy, endurance and heart rate recovery. By reducing the free radical burden. D-Ribose for Energy is a necessary supplement for not only the athlete, but for all who are undergoing free radical production as part of the aging process.   D-RIBOSE is a five Carbon sugar, but it does not raise blood glucose levels. It is very important in the production of ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate), the body's energy currency. D-Ribose helps the body make ATP so the body has energy. It also reduces oxidative stress. Athletes have very high metabolic demands and they produce a lot of free radicals or free electrons. D-Ribose helps by reducing the free radical burden. It also helps with aging; the production of Free Radicals is what causes all of us to age.   In addition, D-Ribose helps dispose of Lactate. Lactic Acid is a by-product of muscle metabolism and D-Ribose helps with lactate disposal. D-Ribose also helps with heart rate recovery. So if you are doing long distance bicycle or interval training, heart rate can increase but it is important how fast the heart rate recovers. This is one way to measure fitness. Studies have shown that D-Ribose improves heart rate recovery.   Robert Seik likes to recommend mixing D-Ribose in a pre-workout drink and you can also add it to a shake to promote post-workout recovery. You can look at one of the articles for ideas on making shakes. Triton's D-Ribose is 5 grams per scoop and the recommendation is 1-1/2 scoops before or even during a workout for athletes. You will notice a difference.   Long distance runners and cyclists require D-Ribose because they are putting their bodies through such oxidative stress. They will notice improved endurance and improved energy in their workouts.   By Robert Seik, PharmD

A pure form of Omega 3 Fish Oil is a very important supplement for reduction of inflammation, to improve brain health and to improve your cardiovascular health. This video points out the important features of a quality fish oil.   Omega 3 Fatty Acids, fish oils are one of the most commonly talked about supplements because they have such tremendous bang for your buck from a health perspective. There is much talk about the cardiovascular benefits of fish oil and there is much focus on the research and documentation that supports that, but not all fish oils are created equal.   It is important to know how much fish oil you should take.  Here are some rough guidelines using Triton Nutrition's Omega Prime. They come in 950 mg capsules of fish oil and Robert Seik, a pharmacist, suggests to start off with 3000 mg a day and increase until you reach 6000 mg a day. It is best to divide this dose into two to three times a day because fish oils last about 8 hours in the body. We take them because they have such tremendous health benefits such as preventing disease, particularly cardiovascular disease. Fish oils reduce Triglycerides and improve the overall Lipid Profile. They also reduce inflammation in the body. This is very important for every individual, not just athletes.  It is one of the most potent natural anti-inflammatory supplements that we have access to nutritionally. Anti-inflammatory chemicals like drugs can have a lot of toxicities and side effects, in particular, like harming the gut. Not only do fish oils have cardiovascular benefits and reduce inflammation, but they also improve brain health. Our brains are made up of an enormous amount of fat, which is necessary for proper functioning. Fish oils supply our brains with the proper fats. It is very common today to give DHA to children. DHA is one of the components of fish oil and it benefits children's brains during development. There are many products on the market with fish oils, but it is very important to pay attention to the source of fish oil or you may do more harm than good. Triton Nutrition's Omega Prime Fish Oil is derived from small coldwater fish. Large fish, such as Tuna, eat a lot of small fish and they accumulate a lot of toxins. PCBs, Arsenic, and Lead are commonly found in contaminated fish oils. When you take small fish like mackerel, sardines, and anchovies and you harvest them near the polar ice cap, they are from a more pure area. Also, the molecular distillation process that produces the Omega Prime 950 dramatically reduces the amount of toxins.   So, it is very important that when you look at a fish oil, don't look at one where they measure the heavy metals, PCBs and Mercury in parts per million (ppm), but instead measure them in parts per billion (ppb).   So, when you take a very pure fish oil like Omega Prime, you will notice increased mental acuity, reduction in inflammation and improved cardiovascular health.   To read more on the importance of fish oil as a supplement, especially in the elderly, click here to be transferred to Triton Nutrition's library.   by Robert Seik, PharmD

A research study showed that the vast majority (85%) of Americans are Magnesium depleted. Since athletes require more due to their increased nutrient demand, Magnesium is one of the most important supplements for athletes. It is very important that the magnesium supplement that you use is a chelated form where the Magnesium is coupled to an amino acid for improved absorption rate. Triton Nutrition uses a patented form in their Mag Powersorb from TRAACS (The Real Amino Acid Chelate System). These forms are Magnesium Glycinate and Magnesium Malate, which are superior forms because they are readily absorbed by the body. Magnesium Citrate, Magnesium Carbonate, and Magnesium HCl are inferior forms, which are inexpensive. They are inferior because they are difficult to absorb.   So you see, cheap vitamins are cheap for a reason. Magnesium is the second most abundant ion in the body. Magnesium can help regulate heart rhythm and reduce blood pressure. In fact, certain pharmaceutical drugs such as diuretics deplete Magnesium from the body.   Athletes that train heavily need Magnesium to produce energy. The electron transport chain located inside the mitochondria requires Magnesium to function. In addition, Magnesium allows muscles to contract and relax properly. The inability of muscles to relax leads to constant tension on the tendons, which ultimately leads to injuries over time. Magnesium Malate converts to malic acid in the body and both forms can actually aid the body in ridding it of lactic acid. This allows recovery and improvement in performance.   The dosage in Mag Powersorb is 125 mg of the mixed amino acid chelate form. Some athletes require a dose as high as 2000 mg per day depending on their workout and body mass and should take it an hour before meals or one to two hours after a meal. A sedentary individual should take in about 600 mg a day on an empty stomach. For more information regarding the importance of taking an oral Magnesium supplement compared to a topical application, please click here.   by Robert Seik, PharmD

Myers Cocktail is not an adult beverage. It is actually a small volume intravenous infusion made up of vitamins and minerals. Myers Cocktail is a small 50cc vial of vitamins and minerals made for intravenous infusion. It contains B Vitamins, Calcium, Magnesium and some minerals. It is named after the physician who developed it, Dr. John Myers, a Baltimore physician.   Robert Seik, PharmD and owner of Partell Specialty Compounding Pharmacy, explains how they make the Myers' Cocktail at his USPC laboratory. This vial can then be placed in a small IV bag by a physician and given to the patient intravenously or they can draw it into a syringe and administer it over a 2-5 minute period. The idea is to achieve a very high peak plasma concentration of these vitamins and minerals. Our body's cells then take up these nutrients.   Dr. Myers used the Myers' Cocktail, which is nontoxic and safe, to treat chronic fatigue, asthma, acute muscle spasms, Fibromyalgia and those with chronic allergies. Most patients remark on the energy boost that they receive right away.   In 1984, Dr. Myers passed away and Dr. Alan Gaby further refined the formula, which is mentioned in the blog.   Vitamins and minerals are important in anti-aging as well as disease prevention and treatment.   by Robert Seik, PharmD

Brain Health - Cognitive Function is important to remember in an athlete because when they train heavily, they will deplete their neurotransmitters. Robert Seik explains how two products can help the body manufacture neurotransmitters and improve mood, reaction time and mental focus.   Neurotransmitters are chemicals that the brain uses to signal other parts of the body. Dopamine is one of the main neurotransmitters in the body. In order to build Dopamine, you need to have the building blocks. This is the basis of two products from Triton Nutrition called Neurokinetic cream and Neuro Balance capsules. The Neuro Balance capsules contain several ingredients to help build several kinds of neurotransmitters, Dopamine being one of them, and these building blocks are the amino acids Tyrosine and Choline. We also need to support biochemical processes to make sure the amino acids are used properly, so trimethyl and dimethylglycine (DMG)  make sure that happens.   Also required for the manufacture of neurotransmitters is a group of B Vitamins, specifically B12. Neurokinetic cream is a good source of B12. Many think that we have to take in B12 by mouth, putting it under the tongue or swallowing a pill, but the absorption rate is very poor this way, so Neurokinetic cream was created, which is a lotion that puts the vitamins in a fat soluble form. This should be applied topically to lean areas of the body.   A typical dosage of the Neuro Balance is two capsules a day for athletes. For the Neurokinetic cream, athletes should take two pumps twice a day either on the forearms or on the lower legs. This cream is red in color so that when you apply it to lean areas of the body you can see it easily absorbed. We do not want this cream applied to fatty areas of the body because we don't want it to stay in the fatty tissue. We want it to be absorbed so that it travels to the tissues like our neural tissues and brain that are made up of a lot of fat. The Folic Acid that is used is not in the form of Folic Acid HCl or some other low absorption form. Instead the form used is the high absorption, high potency form called methyltetrahydrofolate (MTHF). This way, by using this form it gets to the brain. Athletes notice improved mood, mental focus and quicker reaction time. Why? Because that increase in Dopamine is going to improve fast twitch muscle fiber activity and improve overall athletic performance. So, you'll want to take Triton Nutrition's Neurokinetic cream and Neuro Balance capsules for an overall improvement.   It is important to know that not only athletes need to be concerned with Neurotransmitters but also the average aging individual will also notice an improvement in mental clarity, mood and increased response time.   by Robert Seik, PharmD

The type of protein source that you choose is very important. This video details the protein sources that are the best for your diet and those that cause bloating, flatulence and are just poor choices because they lack branched chain amino acids.   Robert Seik educates us on the proper protein sources one should have in their diet.   Whey protein is a highly marketed protein, which is very popular with athletes because they like the anabolic effect of the amino acid leucine which is found in whey. Many, however, have an intolerance to whey such as gas, bloating and postnasal drip. If you you don't experience any of these symptoms then whey protein is a good, cheap option.   Soy protein is not a good option for protein because 100% of soy is genetically modified and it is very low in branched chain amino acids. Branched chain amino acids, leucine, isoleucine and valine, are necessary to build muscle. Many also have a food intolerance to Soy.   Casein is dairy derived. If you have intolerance to Whey you may have intolerance to Casein as well. If you don't have intolerance to Whey then you will mostly likely have it with Casein.   Robert Seik's advice is to eat Vegan Protein that combines Chia, Hemp, Pea and Brown Rice and Cranberry. This way you have a combination of protein sources and they are very low in allergenicity. Chia also fills you up so this is good for those seeking weight loss.   Remember that intolerance to a protein source can range from gas and bloating, asthma, postnasal drip and even acne. When you choose your protein source, Vegan Protein is highly recommended and you may also want to choose Whey as long as you do not have an intolerance.   Triton Nutrition offers Pro-Fit Whey and Vital Vegan Protein. For those individuals who have difficulty taking in their required protein amount in food sources, these protein powders are easily made into shakes and offer a nice addition.   by Robert Seik, PharmD

Compounding pharmacies take prescriptions from physicians and make products that are not commercially available by using the active pharmaceutical ingredient. These prescriptions are customized specifically to what the patient needs.   What is a compounding pharmacy? Robert Seik, PharmD, is trained in functional and rejuvenative medicine and owns Partell Specialty Pharmacy, which is a compounding pharmacy in Las Vegas. He explains exactly what compounding pharmacies are and what they do.   The original way medications were prepared were with a mortar and pestle and specific ingredients were made for each individual. The ingredients included were only what the person needed and designed specifically for that person's needs. It's only been in recent history where manufactured drugs have become the primary therapy. Compounding pharmacies have always been there.   Compounding pharmacies take prescriptions from physicians and make products that are often not commercially available by using the active pharmaceutical ingredient. These prescriptions are customized specifically to what the patient needs.   For example, a physician can write for a multi-ingredient cream that is applied to the skin to treat for an area of pain. Perhaps this patient is unable to tolerate oral medication, so a topical cream can be made with superb absorption, using only the necessary ingredients, without added toxic chemicals and fillers and with the person's specific allergies in mind.   You can also have compound hormone therapy that may not be offered commercially like bio-identical hormone therapy with the exact dosages needed for that particular person. So, customized hormone therapy to order; exactly what the patient's blood or saliva test showed the deficiency to be.   Creams, capsules, gels, sublingual troche, specialized eardrops and eyedrops can all be made. They can also make sterilized products with their sophisticated clean room that allows products to be sterilized, which is highly regulated. Sterilized injectables such as nutrients, Vitamin D, CoQ10, high dose B12 as methylcobalamin, which is not commercially available, can all be made at a compounding pharmacy. Certain products can be made preservative-free or gluten-free. It is important to know that many commercially available products contain preservatives, gluten and other added fillers that may or may not be safe for the patient. PCCA, Professional Compounding Centers of America, is where Partell Pharmacy purchases many of their active ingredients. It is highly specialized and many compounds are made on site with highly sophisticated equipment, so it takes many more personnel to run a compounding pharmacy. You can go to Partell Pharmacy's web site to see photos of the compounding pharmacy and to learn more.   by Robert Seik, PharmD

Amino Acids supplements are an excellent addition to your diet. 18 grams of Amino Pro 21 gives you just as much muscle building activity as 45 grams of Whey protein. Take it immediately after a workout if you want to repair those damaged muscles.   Amino acids are the basic building blocks of proteins. So, when we eat protein sources, our digestive system breaks it down into the individual components, which are amino acids. Amino acids are used to build muscle, repair all of the body's tissues, and to make the many enzymes in our bodies that are used to regulate metabolic and detoxification processes. So, supporting your system is a very good idea, especially if you are an athlete.   Amino Pro 21 is an amino acid supplement offered by Triton Nutrition. This is a supplement to any kind of protein you may be taking in your diet. A typical dose of Amino Pro 21 would be 1 to 3 capsules, three times a day. These can be used immediately after a workout. There is no digestive breakdown necessary to take in an amino acid; it goes right into your circulatory system and goes right to the muscle to repair after a workout.   Amino acids are more potent than protein. 18 grams of an amino acid has just as much muscle building activity as 45 grams of whey protein.   by Robert Seik, PharmD

Support Cell Energy Production and Reduce Inflammation with Power Restore. Specially formulated to help athletes recover from tough workouts, it reduces inflammation, oxidative stress, and improves the way our our cells make energy.   What is unique about this product is the synergistic blend of specific nutrients that when used together, allow your body to recover from workouts. One of these nutrients is Curcumin, which is derived from the spice Turmuric. It has been highly researched and proven to reduce inflammation.   Also included is a group of amino acids, such as Methionine, Citruline, Arginine, and Ornithine that are utilized in the electron transport chain to help our cells make energy.   In addition, a blend of antioxidants, are also in this product, such as N-acetylcysteine (NAC), ALA, Resveratrol, Quercetin, and CoQ10. If you want to learn more about the importance of antioxidants you can go to Triton Nutrition's library.   When you begin using Power Restore, it is suggested by Robert Seik to take 2 capsules before a workout and 1 capsule right after. For the average individual who trains to maintain their physique, Power Restore would also benefit them by improving recovery time, reducing inflammation to prevent future injuries and increasing energy.   By Robert Seik, PharmD

Multivitamins for Men and Women are recommended for every athlete and the majority of adults. Athletes need multivitamins because of their increased metabolic demand. It is important to take a multivitamin that has the nutrients in their proper forms so that they can be absorbed.   You need to consider your total nutrient intake to be a combination of diet and supplements. Supplements are just that, a supplement to an already nutrient dense diet. Micronutrients should not just be obtained from a multivitamin.   It is very important to take a high quality multivitamin that contains nutrients in the right form, which would be absorbable forms in a dosage that matters.   When looking at the label on Triton Nutrition's Basic MultiPro for Men, you see that the minerals are listed. The way humans are designed to absorb minerals is in the form of plants. Plants that pull minerals out of the ground and then we eat the plants. Cheap Multivitamins are nothing more than crushed up rocks and dirt and are bodies were not designed to absorb nutrients that way. When plants pull the minerals out of the ground, they actually couple them with an amino acid. This is called chelation. TRAACS minerals, which are used in both the Basic MultiPro for Men and in the Basic MultiPro for Women, is a real amino acid chelate system. So, this puts the minerals in the most absorbable form. This means when you swallow the multivitamin, it is actually absorbed and enters your blood system.   For example, when looking at B Vitamins, not all B Vitamins forms are created the same. So Vitamin B6, Pyridoxine, can come in the form Pyridoxine HCl , which is very cheap and you can find this in cheap multivitamins. This form is very difficult to absorb. The form of B6 called Pyridoxine 5'-Phosphate is a superior form and is easily absorbed. This is located in Triton Nutrition's Multipro.   Another example is Vitamin B2, Riboflavin. The form of Riboflavin called Riboflavin HCl is cheap, but very difficult to absorb. Riboflavin 5'-Phosphate is the superior form, which is readily absorbed by your body.   So you see, these are two examples of superior forms of nutrients and why spending money on inexpensive multivitamins is a waste because they are not being absorbed properly. It is very important to take a superior, high quality multivitamin that contains nutrients in forms that can be absorbed by your body.   You can learn about Spectracell Micronutrient Testing that allows you to identify your micro-nutrient deficiencies at Triton Nutrition. Triton Nutrition offers many Multivitamin supplements to suit your needs. They offer specific multivitamins for males and females or for those who may prefer a liquid form. If you are an athlete, there are multivitamins specifically for you.   by Robert Seik, PharmD

COQ10-Ubiquinone is an antioxidant that is critically important for athletes and for those individuals on Statins, a medication used to lower cholesterol. It is highly recommended for all individuals because it is a powerful antioxidant, so it helps battle free radicals, which cause injury to the body.   CoQ10, also known as Coenzyme Q10, is the most abundant antioxidant in the human body. An antioxidant scoops up harmful free radicals. Free radicals are constantly being produced by the aging process and by exercise. Free radicals can then cause DNA damage, inflammation, and can also increase the production of stress hormones. In order to reduce these processes, it is necessary to take antioxidants.   CoQ10 is actually the only antioxidant that is found within our cells. Inside our cells we have organelles called mitochondria. The job of mitochondria is to produce ATP (Adenosine triphosphate) and this is what our body uses for energy. This energy production cannot happen if we are lacking CoQ10. This deficiency is found particularly in athletes because of their high metabolic demand.  Without this repletion of CoQ10, one can experience muscle soreness, accumulated fatigue and waste products like lactic acid, so endurance and performance is compromised. In fact, muscles just don't heal.   Robert Seik, a pharmacist, warns that individuals taking statins to lower cholesterol can experience a depletion of CoQ10, which leads to muscle soreness. It is very important to replenish this because the tissue that normally has the densest accumulation of CoQ10 in the body is the heart. Depletion of CoQ10 in the heart leads to death. So if you are on statins, it is very important to take CoQ10. If you are an athlete it is also very important to take CoQ10. Often, you will see long distance runners dying from cardiovascular failure. This is often caused by CoQ10 depletion in the heart.   The form of CoQ10 supplementation is very important. The powdered form of CoQ10 compressed into tablets is a poor form because we typically only absorb 1-2% of it when we take it by mouth. Ubiquinol is an inadequate form because it enters the blood stream but it does not go into the cells. A Superior form of CoQ10 is in the form of Ubiquinone.   CoQ10 Power 100 by Triton Nutrition contains the form Ubiquinone. This form is nanoparticlized and it is dissolved in oil because fats enhance the absorption of CoQ10. So, this form can be easily absorbed and it can enter the cells, but you must also have the proper dose.  CoQ10 Power 100 comes in 100 mg capsules. Make sure you don't take your CoQ10 at the same time as your fish oil because it can actually inhibit the absorption rate.   If you take CoQ10 as an athlete, you can actually improve your performance, endurance, strength and recovery. You can increase your dosage of CoQ10 when you are approaching an event.   A recommended dosage of CoQ10 is 100-200 mg a day, but it has been proven to be safe in clinical studies with a dosage up to 400-1200 mg a day because we can actually use it to treat disease. It has been shown to treat Essential Hypertension and certain heart arrhythmias and in athletes it has been shown to decrease creatinine, which is a waste product and help rid the body of lactic acid.   by Robert Seik, PharmD

Vitamin-Mineral Supplementation. Robert Seik, owner of Partell Specialty Compounding Pharmacy, details the importance of micronutrients such as vitamins, minerals and amino acids in your diet to prevent and treat disease. Learn how Functional and Regenerative Physicians can prevent and treat disease without the use of medications.   Anti-Aging and Regenerative Medicine, focuses on the prevention and treatment of disease by using vitamins, minerals and amino acids so that the use of medications can be avoided. Robert Seik, a Compounding Pharmacist is trained in this type of medicine from the American Academy of Anti-Aging. He works with Physicians in this particular focus of medicine as well as assisting with their medications at Partell Specialty Pharmacy.   The foundation of a healthy diet is a good, dense diet full of micronutrients. Robert is an advocate of the Paleolithic Paradigm Diet, which involves a diet rich in mostly fruits and vegetables and healthy portions of lean meats. This diet focuses on low glycemic index foods, which means carbohydrates that enter your blood stream slowly. High glycemic index foods that enter your blood stream quickly, like refined sugar, white potatoes, and white bread, to name a few, cause enzymatic and hormonal changes in the body that are not beneficial.   Unfortunately, even a carefully planned diet these days can lack vital nutrients because of our mineral depleted soils and poor crop rotation. Also, because of convenience, many of the foods we eat were picked long before they end up in the grocery stores.   This is why supplementation is so important. So, you need to begin with a healthy diet and then add supplements. It is critical that these supplements be high quality, pharmaceutical grade that are typically found in compounding pharmacies or offered through physicians' offices trained in anti-aging. These brands are not found in drug stores or grocery stores. How are they different? They are manufactured in bioavailable forms that your body is able to utilize. Many of those cheap supplements found in those other stores are cheap for a reason. They are low quality that your body is not able to absorb or utilize. So you see, your body is actually not able to use these minerals and vitamins, so you are wasting your money.   CoQ10 is recommended for the treatment of high blood pressure and heart disease (cardiovascular disease) and also for an athlete, it can improve fast twitch muscle fiber response and workout recovery. Iodine and Selenium can improve thyroid function as well as a host of other functions in the body before someone decides to take medications, which may produce side effects or contain harmful phthalates. Please view the video on Iodine deficiency to learn more. Compounding pharmacies also offer amino acids that can help build neurotransmitters that can help balance the brain and improve cognition, your memory and ability to think and learn quickly. You can also improve sleep and curb hunger and appetite with micronutrients from these physicians and compounding pharmacies before using medications. So, by using these natural substances, it is possible to prevent or treat diseases without the use of drugs.   At compounding pharmacies, patients can fill individualized prescriptions from functional and rejuvenative physicians in their sterilized lab. This way the patient can receive exactly the dosage necessary according to their lab tests.   by Robert Seik, PharmD

Gluten Sensitivity has become more prevalent and there are numerous research articles linking gluten sensitivity to chronic disease. Gluten is a protein in wheat and many other grains such as wheat, barley and rye. For those sensitive to Gluten, it can actually irritate the lining of our gut and cause inflammation. This inflammation can increase the permeability of the lining and cause Leaky Gut Syndrome, which was mentioned in the gut health video. Leaky Gut Syndrome is linked to Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Scleroderma, all chronic autoimmune disorders.   Since grains store so well and because they are so inexpensive, it is often a common staple in our diet as opposed to more nutrient dense foods. Also, the grains in America have become genetically modified (GMO), so our grains have more gluten in them than they ever have before. We also harvest our grains differently than we did in the past. They are not exposed to the sun and weather, but instead they go straight to the silo.   It is very difficult to eat a gluten-free diet because of these factors. You can find gluten in everything. Many Americans are sensitive to gluten and they don't even know it, but even those who are not would improve their overall health if they went gluten-free.   There are many references to live gluten-free. Gluten-Free Living for Dummies is a recommended book and we've listed other references below. If you remove grains, sugars and dairy from your diet and follow the Paleo Diet, Robert feels you will improve your overall health. He also likes to remove the soy and corn so that the top 5 offenders are removed. Soy and corn are almost 100% modified in the United States. Genetically modified crops have been linked to the development of many autoimmune disorders.   If you've been told that you have gluten sensitivity and you need to heal your gut, this means that your gut lining is irritated and inflamed and you are unable to absorb certain nutrients because of this damage. Over time, a person ends up with sever nutrient deficiencies because of this damage to the nutrient receptors in the gut.   For someone who is diagnosed with Celiac disease, it actually takes someone 10-20 years of exposure before they are actually diagnosed positive through a blood test that shows the antibody gliaten. Gliaten is only one of sixteen peptides found in wheat. By the time you have been diagnosed with Celiac disease you have lost most of your villi in your gut and have very poor absorption. What about those years before the diagnosis when the person is sensitive to gluten and the damage to the gut may be mild, but creating more and more damage over time. This is when you need to act.   There is a kit by NuMedica that was created to heal the gut called Gluten Sensitivity and there is NuMedica Gluten Sensitivity GI Restore, which is 100% Bovine Colostrum. This comes in powder, capsule and spray form, which goes under the tongue. All of these help heal the gut.   It is important to know that many commonly used medications may or do contain gluten, such as antibiotics, antihypertensives, levothyroxine, OTC decongestants, and pain relievers including acetaminophen, aspirin, and ibuprofen products. So, if you eat a Gluten-free diet and Robert recommends the Paleo diet, and take these supplements to help heal, you can improve your gastrointestinal function and watch your health soar.   Gluten-Free References Gluten-Free Gourmet Series by Bette Hagman-cookbook Gluten-Free Kitchen by Roben Ryberg-cookbook Gluten Intolerance Group-www.gluten.net   By Robert Seik, PharmD

We are exposed to numerous environmental toxins, more and more each day. Detoxification is very important in order to rid your body of these toxins to prevent damage and improve your health. In this Environmental Toxins Video you can learn more.   Robert Seik, PharmD and owner of Partell Compounding Pharmacy in Las Vegas, received much of his training from the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine. Here he learned the damage that environmental toxins cause to our bodies and our health.   Physicians employ different types of detoxification methods in order to rid their patients of environmental chemicals. There are over 80,000 different synthetic chemicals that we are exposed to in our environment and the number is growing every day.   Here's some examples of these toxins. You can breath in Mercury vapor from coal fired electric plants and vapors from burning gasoline. The chem trails from jets contain heavy metals such as arsenic, cadmium and lead. Second hand smoke contains numerous toxins and even the water that we shower in and drink are contaminated with pharmaceutical drugs, such as cholesterol lowering drugs and synthetic estrogens that are derived from horses found in birth control pills.   There are endocrine disruptors that modify our hormone systems in a bad way. They can come in and block the function of our own body's hormones. If you drink a cup of hot take out coffee with the plastic lid, you are drinking BPA. BPA is a very potent hormone disruptor. These endocrine disruptors are involved in obesity, diabetes, depleted hormone levels and cognitive disorder and many, many more.   Heavy metal toxicity has been linked to Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's Disease and a whole host of other neurological disorders. This is why it is important to try to reduce the amount to toxins in the body to a greater degree than the amount you take in. There are many different techniques available to reduce your toxic load. There are clinical treatments available from physicians and there are many over the counter high-quality medications that are available, which are mentioned in the detoxification video.   Be aware and try to eat a healthy diet with very little pesticides, avoid environmental toxin exposure as much as possible and try to rid your body of the toxins in your body with exercise and the other methods of detoxification that are mentioned in Robert's video, Detoxification Basics.   by Robert Seik, PharmD

How do we age, we burn up, dry up, turn to stone and we rust. This video gives you the details of aging and how you can delay the process.   When Robert Seik, PharmD, owner of Partell Specialty Pharmacy received his training from the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine, a physician, Dr. Eric Braverman, lectured to the audience on the processes that cause aging. Simply put, he said we burn up, dry up, turn to stone and we rust.   If you support the body's physiologic symptoms to help us maintain our good health, to maintain good repair and to rid the body of environmental toxins, it is possible to maintain our body's functions as long as we live.   We dry up-our body needs water and it needs certain ions, like Sodium, Magnesium, Potassium and Calcium. These ions tell the water where it belongs. Water needs to flow in and out of cells so it can be used during metabolic processes, lubricate the joints, and help keep the cells clean. If we don't have the right balance of these electrolytes then water doesn't go where it is supposed to go. That's why in Functional Medicine, they focus on Magnesium supplementation, which is found in dark green, leafy vegetables. Sodium is also a large focus, which you can find in pure nutrient dense sea salt, like Hawaiian or Mediterranean sea salts.   Dehydration is also a problem. Mild dehydration may manifest as slight fatigue, brain fog and hunger, Robert recommends that people in Las Vegas drink at least a gallon of water a day as well as 1 Liter per every hour of exercise. This water should be pure water, not exposed to a lot of environmental toxins.   How do we burn up? Inflammation in your body drives the disease process. Even low amounts of inflammation that might be causing a mild amount of pain. This mild inflammation could be causing your cardiovascular system to deteriorate. Over time, mild inflammation can really have a lot of negative health effects. Mild inflammation can transition into overt inflammation, which can cause autoimmune disease. There are inflammatory cytokines on blood tests that can be measured to evaluate just how bad the inflammation is in the body.   Ways to reduce the inflammation would be to avoid or reduce exposure to the things that cause this inflammation. For example, feedlot beef is very different from grass fed beef and you would want to avoid eating the feedlot beef. There are no Omega 3 fatty acids in the feedlot beef and it contains Arachidonic acid, which actually propels the inflammatory molecules. Grass fed beef is rich in Omega 3 fatty acids.   Omega 3 fatty acids are actually one of the top nutrient deficiencies in America. A recommended supplement is to take a high quality supplement of Omega 3 fish oil, 3000-6000 mg/day, even 9000 mg a day for those with people with cardiovascular disease in order to quell that inflammation.   There are other anti-inflammatories as well, such as the herbs Boswellia and Cat's claw. Vit D also reduces inflammation and maybe that is why low vitamin D is associated with diseases of inflammation.   Why do we turn to stone? Environmental chemicals and our body's inability to put Calcium where it really belongs both cause atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries. We are unable to put the Calcium into the bone because of several factors. Hormones and cofactors are important players in activating and allowing osteoblasts to bring that Calcium into the bone. When these are off balance or depleted the Calcium ends up where it shouldn't-in our arteries.   How do we rust? Our body oxidizes and this is why antioxidants are so important.   Our body oxidizes and this is why antioxidants are so important. We need to start off with a very nutrient dense diet first. We then can add antioxidants such as Vit A, Vit E, Vit C, and Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA). Robert likes to add CoQ10 to these for complete coverage. Metametrix Ion panel can help you identify your deficiencies, your toxic burden and allows you to measure your total body status of antioxidant nutrients (www.metametrix.com). A Physician must order this test.   So, if we're not drying up, burning up, turning to stone and rusting then our body will maintain better functionality overall including cognition, cardiovascular health, joint and bones and your overall health will improve.   by Robert Seik, PharmD

Maintaining gut health is very important and there are many different factors that you need to know such as food sensitivities, enzymes, probiotics, and amino acids in order to do so.   The gut is a 30 foot tube from end to end and it is actually how humans interact with the world. If you spread out the surface of the gut including all of the villi and microvilli, it will cover the size of a tennis court. All of the foods we eat, all of the micronutrients, are absorbed through the gut.   There are good bacteria that are in the gut and they belong there. These healthy flora, also called probiotics when you find them in supplements, help us to digest the food that we intake. There are about 100 trillion organisms that reside in our gut. If this balance is upset, we compromise our gut health. These organisms are often the last step necessary for food digestion, so that we get the micronutrients from the food. Without these organisms, we can become nutrient depleted.   Maintaining gut health is very important. You can take probiotics in order to maintain and prevent loss of your healthy flora, especially when you are taking antibiotics that may compromise your healthy flora. Partell pharmacy offers many different probiotics that you can find on their online store. One of them is Ortho Molecular Ortho Biotic.   But, maintaining gut health is more than just taking in probiotics. You can also take digestive enzymes that are made by the pancreas such as Ortho Molecular Products' Digestzyme V. These enzymes actually decrease as we age so it is important to supplement in order to properly break down food. Fiber is also a very important factor to maintain proper gut health.   Something else that is important to know, is that certain foods that we are sensitive to, also called a food intolerance, can actually damage the gut over time. These food sensitivities can have such mild symptoms that you may not even know you have this intolerance. You may not break out in hives or have a severe reaction like difficulty breathing, but instead it might be mild bloating or post nasal drip or mild muscle aches. You may not even know that you are having an issue with these certain foods. So, even these mild food sensitivities can harm your gut.   Some of the common offenders are Casein, which is a protein found in milk products and Gluten which is found in wheat, rye and barley. This is why Dr. Seik is an advocate for the Paleolithic diet that removes dairy, grains and sugar from the diet. There is a test available to check for multiple food sensitivities such as gluten, wheat and dairy located through www.cyrexlabs.com. A medical physician must register at this site to order the test. The recommended test is array #4.   It is important to learn about Leaky Gut Syndrome, where holes are formed in the gut from food sensitivities and from many other causes. These holes allow undigested food particles through, which triggers the body to mount an immune response. Rheumatoid Arthritis and Lupus, both autoimmune disorders, have been associated with Leaky Gut Syndrome. Please see the blog regarding causes and common symptoms and conditions linked to Leaky Gut Syndrome.   You can heal the gut with Glutamine and other amino acids. Dr. Seik recommends a cold-derived colostrum product after the offending agents like casein or gluten has been removed. Please review the video on Gluten sensitivity to learn more.   So, you see the importance of having a healthy gut and how important it is to know your food sensitivities. Many individuals who are sick and tired, but are unable to find the cause can start out by improving their gut health.   by Robert Seik, PharmD

Carbohydrate loading is not necessary for athletes. Make sure you have adequate caloric intake before, during and after training, but carbohydrate loading itself is not necessary.   Many athletes ask about carbohydrate loading. No, it is not necessary for athletes to have carbohydrate loading, even those athletes that are endurance training. It is, however, important to replace carbohydrate stores with Glycogen from foods such as fruits and vegetables.   When you're replenishing your Glycogen stores after a workout with fruits and vegetables, your body's tissues, primarily the liver and muscle, are going to store the Glycogen. The liver can store approximately 200 grams of Glycogen and muscle can store approximately 150 grams of Glycogen. So, together we have about 350 grams of Glycogen on hand at any time in storage.   What does this mean? If you have an endurance athlete running at a high pace with a high VO2 output that athlete may use about 600 kilocalories per hour. If you look at a person's 350 grams of Glycogen store, there is approximately 1400 kilocalories which is greater than two hours of of high VO2 training.   Now, caloric need can vary based on certain factors such as body mass, exercise output, and other stressors such as very low temperature and high altitude. In these cases they require much more calories. But, the bottom line is...athletes do not need carbohydrate loading.   by Robert Seik, PharmD

It's very important to take in Carbohydrates correctly. The amount, timing and the source of carbohydrates are very important. We want to avoid simple sugars and instead ingest complex carbohydrates, the same type that our ancestors ingested.   Carbohydrates-How Much?   The amount, timing and the source of carbohydrates are very important. We want to avoid simple sugars and instead ingest complex carbohydrates that are high in fiber such as green, leafy vegetables and certain fruits with their rind intact; we don't want to juice these fruits. Complex Carbohydrates can also be found in beans, which also have a high amount of fiber. This high amount of fiber is important because the fiber will absorb the glycogen from the carbs slowly but our body will be able to use these carbs to replace the ones that were utilized during the workout.   Post workout is the most important time. You want to make sure carbohydrate intake is within 30 to 60 minutes after a workout to recover the glycogen that we're going to burn out of the liver and the muscle. Remember, this is NOT carbohydrate loading. Everyone's need is going to vary. An athlete doing shot put will need less than a long distance swimmer. A typical replacement for a boxer after 1 to 2 hours post-training will require 80 grams of carbs. Whereas a long distance swimmer or runner who works out several times a week may need 80-100 grams of carbohydrates after their training session. This reduces stress hormone production, inflammation and it promotes recovery.   Athletes can take carbs in before a workout 30-60 minutes prior that are high in glycemic index as long as they are not sugars. This is following the Paleolithic (Paleo) Diet by Dr. Cordain. High Glycemic index foods that are not sugars are sweet potatoes, some green leafy vegetables and certain fruits. These enter the bloodstream quickly, but remember that this is for the athlete and this is not carbohydrate loading.   by Robert Seik, PharmD

MCT Oil is a nutrient used for energy, to quell hunger and to burn fat. Athletes can add this to their protein shake and individuals who would like to lose weight can make a delicious salad dressing using the MCT Oil.   MCT stands for medium chain triglycerides and we use these molecules for energy. We distinguish MCTs from LCTs (Long Chain Triglycerides) because MCTs are much more readily absorbed and converted into energy more quickly. They are very similar to a carbohydrate, but they don't raise our blood glucose.   Athletes have used MCT Oil since the 1970s, but Robert thinks it is one of the forgotten nutrients.  So, Triton Nutrition is bringing MCT oil back to the forefront. MCT Oil is used to increase energy for high endurance athletes and athletes with high intensity workouts like fighters require energy. Athletes can use 1-2 Tablespoons in a protein shake before an endurance event. Just make sure that the MCT oil is tolerated and it should be at low doses. This way an athlete will notice increased energy and performance.   Medium Chain Triglycerides can also increase thermogenesis, which means it can help burn fat and quell hunger. So, MCT Oil is not just for the athlete. For individuals who wish to lose weight, a wonderful way to use MCT Oil is as a salad dressing. Instead of using calorie dense oils like most salad dressings, there is a recipe located in the Triton Nutrition library showing you how to make your own salad dressings with the MCT Oil.   by Robert Seik, PharmD

Vitamin D has many roles: it is important in reducing the risk of cancer, infections from viruses and other pathogens, reducing inflammation, and improving mood. This video is specifically on Vitamin D Sleep and Video, and its importance.   Vitamin D is a critical vitamin and many believe that it should not be called a vitamin. The chemical structure of vitamin d actually looks more like a hormone. Vitamin D has numerous benefits and actions in the body. Its role is important in reducing the risk of cancer, infections from viruses and other pathogens, reducing inflammation, and improving mood. This video is specifically on vitamin d and its importance in sleep.   Robert Seik, PharmD often recommends vitamin D to many, many people because in America, we consume more prescription sleep aids per capita than any other country. We also don't get very much sun exposure. In Las Vegas, Nevada, the average person has a very low vitamin D level when measured in the blood. It's measured by hydroxy vitamin D, the chemical form.   Vitamin D is made in the skin when exposed to sun. Have you ever noticed how much better you sleep during a beach vacation? Most of us, however, on a daily basis cover up our bodies with maybe only the arms and neck exposed to the sun and that is just not enough surface area for vitamin D production.   There are different rates of vitamin d production based on skin type, but if you expose Caucasian skin to the sun 25,000 Units of vitamin D can be produced with a large amount of surface area exposed.   If vitamin D level is high, it allows the brain to release melatonin, which is the primary hormone of sleep made in the pineal gland. The pineal gland only releases melatonin if the level of vitamin D is high enough and this induces the sleep cycle. There is a separate program on melatonin so that you understand its importance, but vitamin D is a key regulator.   There are also many other benefits of vitamin D. There are many research articles on the benefits of vitamin D and Robert often hands people a list of over 43 clinical studies showing the benefits. Vitamin D can help you sleep with out the toxicity of drugs, with out becoming dependent on a medication. It reduces the cancer risk of prostate and breast cancer and reduces the rate of respiratory infections from viruses, reduces inflammation and increases bone density, just to name a few.   Triton Nutrition has two options for vitamin D. They offer D3 Ultra Drops, which is a miscellized form. This means that the Vitamin D is surrounded by a little vessel of fat and these drops can be placed under the tongue. This increases absorption. One drop is equal to 1,000 Units. Robert recommends that people take 3-5 drops at night and if you do this before bedtime it will enhance your sleep. Some people ask about overdosing on Vitamin D. Since Caucasian skin can make 25,000 Units, the dosage that Robert recommends is far above the RDA. The USRDA is barely enough to prevent and index disease known as Rickets, brittle bone syndrome, which is caused from severe Vitamin D deficiency.   Las Vegas residents will often have levels of hydroxy Vitamin D from 20-90. Robert likes to see people at levels of 70-90. If people are deficient at around 30 and they take the 3-5 drop dose of the D3 Ultra Drops, it would take them a very long time to catch up. In this case, when levels are that low, Robert has the person squeeze the dropper bulb and fill up the entire glass dropper and put that under their tongue every day for 2-3 weeks. Afterwards, they can drop down to the maintenance dose of 3-5 drops at night.   There is an article on the website that you can read on vitamin d and the importance of sleep and its many other important functions and also the importance of Vitamin D in athletes.   Some people like to have a more portable form of Vitamin D, so Triton Nutrition offers capsule form in D3 5000.  Each capsule is 5000 mg and a recommended maintenance dose is one capsule at night.   There are studies showing Vitamin D supplementation at up to 30,000 Units to be safe and there are European studies that show 150,000 Units for three days to treat upper respiratory tract infections that may be viral in nature.   So Triton Nutrition offers a 5000 dosage which is more than you would see at most health food stores, but at Triton Nutrition makes sure they offer meaningful nutrition at an appropriate dose that matters, which is much more than the typical USRDA.   So if you want a cheap, easy, non-toxic way to enhance your sleep, try taking vitamin D. The D3 Ultra Drops are approximately 20 dollars a bottle and it contains 600 drops in it. If you take the 3-5 drops a day it will last you between 4-6 1/2 months.   Vitamin D and Sleep, getting a better nights rest.   by Robert Seik, PharmD

Robert Seik explains the importance of protein supplementation within 10 minutes after a workout and how you need to supplement your B vitamins since protein will deplete your supply. Probiotic supplementation is also necessary for proper protein digestion. Protein consumption depletes B Vitamins such as B12, B6, B2 and Folic Acid. Athletes are already burning through these because of the great metabolic demand that they are placing on their body, so it is very important to supplement with a complex B Vitamin. When B Vitamins are depleted, you will notice a lack of energy and with serum testing you will notice a rise in certain inlammatory markers. The maximum dose of protein should be 30-40 grams and Robert actually suggests 20-30 grams maximum dosage at one time. In order to digest protein, you need to have a healthy flora of probiotics. Many individuals have to take in 75-100 billion units of probiotics a day just to keep up with the protein digestion demand. It is also very important to balance your protein intake. If you only take in protein, your body will become very acidic. This acidity in your body will allow vital minerals to leach out, especially the ions Potassium, Magnesium and Calcium. This causes muscle cramps, diminished recovery and less productive workouts. The best way to balance the protein is with dark, leafy green vegetables that alkalize the body and help replenish those minerals. by Robert Seik, PharmD

There are many different ways that our hormones can become imbalanced. Endocrine disruptors, nutrient deficiencies, stress and the use of anabolic steroids, which can cause permanent irreversible damage. All these can cause Low Natural Testosterone-Low T.   A simple overview on how our body produces Testosterone in the testes is as follows. It starts in the brain. The hypothalamus in the brain releases Gonadotropin Releasing Hormone (GnRH). Underneath the hypothalamus is the pituitary and the GnRH causes the front portion called the anterior pituitary to release Luteinizing Hormone (LH). This Luteinizing Hormone then travels to the testes and causes them to release Testosterone.   This whole system is self-regulating. When Testosterone is at the right level it creates a feedback to the hypothalamus to stop releasing GnRH. This means less LH is released and then testicular production of Testosterone is reduced. This is called negative feedback or feedback inhibition. If the Testosterone level is too low then GnRH is stimulated for release, which increases LH, which then increases testicular production of Testosterone.   The causes of hormone depletion can occur any where along the entire cascade pathway just described. Dr. Seik learned a lot from Dr. Edward Lichten, who lectures on what a dramatic effect that endocrine disrupting chemicals (environmental toxins that disrupt our endocrine system) have on our HPGA Axis. HPGA stands for Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenal Gonadal Axis.   Many of these endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are very similar to Estrogen, such as Dioxin and Bisphenol A (BPA) from plastics. There are thousands of chemicals in our environment, toiletries, cosmetics, cleaners and housing materials that we are exposed to on a daily basis. Since 1975 till today, the average sperm count in men has reduced by 50% and this coincides with hormone decline. EDCs are at fault. These EDCs that act like Estrogen can mimic and inhibit the release of hormones causing an imbalance in the body.   Another factor that can disrupt our hormones is stress. Stress can actually cause hypogonadism, where the testicles are not producing enough testosterone. There are many different kinds of stress that can cause this such as emotional stress, physical stress from environmental toxins and there is also overtraining stress that you find in athletes that leads to exercise-induced hypogonadism.   One of the most prevalent of the endocrine disrupting chemicals is Anabolic Steroids. They are typically synthetic chemicals, which means they are not structures made by the human body. There can be prescription anabolic steroids, which have a good therapeutic application, but there are an enormous amount of advertisements in magazines that offer quasi-steroids, or knock-off molecules that are very similar to testosterone. Many athletes are looking for the benefits that testosterone offers, like building muscle, increased strength, energy and increased workout production.   The problem with these chemicals is that there is not a good way to test for the presence of all of them in the blood and there is also not enough knowledge on the effects that these quasi-steroids have on the system because they do not act the same way that testosterone does. They can cause a permanent malfunction of the HPGA Axis.   Another example of how delicate this system is with regards to nutrient deficiency is how Zinc deficiency can decrease Testosterone. Zinc acts in many different ways. It is needed for the production of Testosterone and it prevents the conversion of Testosterone to Estrogen by inhibiting the aromatase enzyme. Why this is important is because Estrogen is a very strong inhibitor of LH. So, if you don't have zinc then you have Testosterone conversion to Estrogen and then Estrogen inhibits the release of LH, which then means the testicles are not going to be producing as much Testosterone.   Now think about this in regards to chemicals in our environment that mimic Estrogen and you can see how they can cause lowered Testosterone levels.   by Robert Seik, PharmD

How much protein to take, you first must consider your source, the timing of your intake and the demand that each individual requires. Lean Body Mass and the type of training for each individual is critical for proper protein intake. When Robert Seik of Triton Nutrition evaluates an athlete and his nutritional status, he evaluates the protein source, the demands that the individual requires and how much that athlete is currently taking in his diet and supplements. An athlete’s protein intake should take into account the protein from the food and from any supplements. They also need to calculate the demand that their body requires and to also address the type and amount of training. Make sure that Lean Body Mass is calculated and then remember that .8 to 1.4 grams per kg of Lean Body Mass is the total amount of protein required per day for that individual. For example, an average 110 pound female athlete will require approximately 55-80 grams of protein a day depending on her workout. A 300 pound male who may have 250 to 270 pounds of Lean Body Mass will require much more per day especially if they are a football player completing 4 hours of practice a day. This protein is necessary for protein synthesis and repair. Proteins are made up of amino acids and these amino acids are used to repair muscles and to manufacture enzymes in the body. The majority of enzymes are made in the liver and they have the job of helping rid your body of waste material, to help build bone and muscle and to build neurotransmitters, which improves brain function. by Robert Seik, PharmD

Prostate Health, one of the reasons men develop BPH, benign prostate hyperplasia is because of too much estrogen and an imbalance between testosterone and estrogen. There are high quality herbs and minerals that can prevent excess estrogen from enlarging the prostate, which is detailed in this video.   The prostate is a gland that surrounds the urethra. We store urine in the bladder and when the prostate swells it makes it difficult to urinate. In aging men, a common question asked by their physician is how many times do they get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom because they cannot completely empty their bladder.   Estrogen can induce BPH, benign prostate hypertrophy or hyperplasia, which means new cells. It is important to have some estrogen in the body as mentioned in the video Estrogen and Men, but there is a dangerous effect of having too much estrogen.   Dr. Eugene Shippen, author of Estrogen the Culprit wrote that excess estrogen will actually cause the prostate to grow and create more cells or hyperplasia. That is estrogen's job during the first two weeks of a menstrual cycle in a woman: to create more tissue in the uterus to get ready for the egg if it becomes fertilized and implants during pregnancy.   If men don't properly balance testosterone and estrogen (50:1 ratio) with nutrients as mentioned in the Estrogen in Men video, they could end up with BPH.   Triton Nutrition has a great product called Prostate Shield and it is called that because it protects the prostate with high quality herbs. It's been know for a long time that Saw Palmetto, Pygeum, Zinc and other minerals as well that support the prostate. Triton Nutrition has received a large amount of feedback from men stating that their prostate has shrunken in size and their urine flow is better.   If a man has a large amount of estrogen then Prostate Shield may not be enough. They may need Estro Shield with DIM. DIM is naturally obtained from cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage and you can learn more about that product in the video Estrogen in Men.   Zinc is also important for a man to take in the chelated form like Triton Nutrition's Zinc Glycinate. Zinc is needed for the biosynthesis of testosterone and to prevent the conversion of testosterone to estrogen by inhibiting the aromatase enzyme. This is also detailed in the Estrogen in Men video.   A good maintenance dose of Prostate Health is to take Prostate Shield, one capsule twice a day. For men with more severe BPH, Robert has recommended up to 3 capsules twice a day with 1-2 capsules of the Estro Shield with DIM and 3 capsules of the Zinc Glycinate.   by Robert Seik, PharmD

Metabolic efficiency is when our body burns less carbohydrates and instead burns more fat. We can achieve this by reducing our intake of high glycemic index foods.   Robert Seik, PharmD discussed metabolic efficiency and how it may be achieved. We can achieve metabolic efficiency by reducing our consumption of high glycemic index foods, foods that enter our bloodstream quickly such as bread, cereals, pasta, sugars, and fruit juices.   The old way of thinking was that athletes needed a huge carbohydrate load and that we had to go from one large carbohydrate load to the next in order to workout efficiently and in order to load up on energy for our events.   Lecturers at the American Academy of Anti-Aging, like Bob Seebohar, MS, RD,CSCS, CSSD has proven that metabolic efficiency is achieved when you can increase the amount of fats that you burn for your total energy needs and decrease the total amount of carbohydrates. Every time you consume carbohydrates, you blunt your metabolic efficiency because you stop the burning of fats.   Robert shows you a graph of a person who is metabolically inefficient working out. As they increase the intensity of a workout, they will try to burn more carbohydrates but they will not be able to burn fats because they are inefficient. The negative effects of this is that there is not a lot of energy produced from burning carbohydrates as there is when fat is used. Also they have to keep taking in carbohydrates. Taking in large amounts of carbohydrates and sugars causes a lot of gastrointestinal stress and overloads the digestive system.   When working out, the blood is being pumped to the muscles, not to the intestines where digestion takes place. If you have ever heard of runner's diarrhea, this is why it happens.   It is important for everyone to have metabolic efficiency, whether an athlete or not. So, it is necessary for everyone to deny themselves those high glycemic index foods. Vegetables are carbohydrates, so you are still eating carbohydrates. When you restrict those high glycemic index foods, your metabolic efficiency will improve the total overall burning of carbohydrates for energy and your body is now trained to burn fats for energy.   Robert is a strong advocate of the Paleo diet and he believes that following the diet is the way to achieve metabolic efficiency. There are simple rules to follow such as no sugar, no grains and no dairy. It is easy to tell if your plate is Paleo or not. If you look down and see a portion of protein that is the size of your hand or the palm of your hand and the rest of the plate is piled with dark green, leafy vegetables or minimally cooked colorful vegetables. These vegetables are very fibrous and the carbohydrates are absorbed very slowly into the bloodstream so the hormone insulin will not surge. Remember that the spiking of insulin causes the cessation of fat burning.   If Americans would stop their intake of flour and sugar and switch them out with healthy vegetables, they would lose weight dramatically and they would not be so vitamin and mineral deficient.   For those athletes who need a little push to achieve that metabolic efficiency point, there are cofactors that Robert recommends. Triton Nutrition offers ALA Complex, which is alpha lipoic acid and it helps us burn fat by aiding the mitochondria in our body to activate the energy cycle. You need alpha lipoic acid to hang around and it is actually in and out of the bloodstream very quickly, but Triton Nutrition's ALA Complex tablets are designed to slowly release the alpha lipoic acid over 4-6 hours.   CoQ10 is critically important. It is naturally found in the body and it is the most abundant antioxidant in the body that lives inside the cell. It lives inside the mitochondria or the powerhouse of the cells and it is needed for energy. Your muscles need energy and when they run out of energy they just can't perform well. Your brain also needs CoQ10. Triton Nutrition has CoQ Power 100 that is CoQ10 in 100mg miscellized capsules.   There are certain drugs that deplete CoQ10 (Coenzyme Q10). The statins, cholesterol lowering drugs, like lipitor is a very potent inhibitor of CoQ10 and individuals on statins will often feel weak and have difficulty walking because their body's CoQ10 has been depleted. We can feel the muscles aches and weakness when our skeletal muscles lose their CoQ10, but we can't feel when our heart muscle loses CoQ10 and this is very dangerous. The most dense CoQ10 in our body is actually located in the heart and these medications decrease the stores and we don't even know it. The heart needs energy to beat. Please see the video on CoQ10 to learn more about this. There is also a list of medications that cause nutrient deficiencies, complements of the Maryland Medical Center if you want to see what nutrients you may need to supplement.   So, if you want to become more metabolically efficient, go Paleo, reduce your intake of high glycemic index carbs, avoid all grains, all sugars, all dairy and you will become more metabolically efficient. Remember to add CoQ Power and ALA Complex to achieve your overall metabolic efficiency point.   by Robert Seik, PharmD

Melatonin is released by the pineal gland and it is needed for sleep and it is also an important antioxidant. Many of us know that Melatonin is necessary for sleep and an important antioxidant, but did you know that it helps release Growth Hormone?   Melatonin is released at night when we fall asleep. When the light stimulation goes away from our eyes and the proper vitamin D levels are present to set the pineal gland, melatonin is then released in a big pulse. This starts the process of a deep restful sleep.   Melatonin supplementation has been recommended by Anti-Aging Physicians for a very long time because of its antioxidant properties and it is also brain protective. It has been studied in its relationship with reducing the risk or preventing certain cancers and is studied as a potential role in cancer treatment.   Melatonin also helps us release Growth Hormone. We need the super hormone Growth Hormone so that our body can repair and recover. The majority of the Growth Hormone that we have is released at night when we sleep. This is one reason why it is important to improve the quality of your sleep and Melatonin is a good way to do that.   Triton Nutrition has Melatonin sublingual tablets. Robert feels the best way to absorb Melatonin is underneath the tongue. Each tablet is 3 mg and the bottle is 60 tablets so if you use one tablet at night then it will last you two months.   Jim LaValle, clinician, nutritionist and lecturer for the American Academy of Anti-Aging, recommends taking a very high dose if someone is having a problem with insomnia. He recommends 18 mg a night for up to a month. This is a huge signal to the brain that now is the time to go to sleep. Most people stop using this dose after 2-3 weeks because they now have a good sleep cycle. They may never need Melatonin again, but they can use a small dose to initiate sleep so that they can have restful and productive sleep.   If you have problems waking up in the middle of the night, but have no difficulty falling asleep, you can take 1-3 tablets when you wake up and it will allow you to go back to sleep quickly. This is a very inexpensive way to get restful sleep.   Insomnia can be caused by stress or an imbalance of certain hormones, Melatonin being one of them. Sleep medications may make you unconscious, but that is not necessarily deep restful sleep. The next day after the use of these prescription sleep medications, you feel groggy as if you had a drug overdose. Most of these drugs on the market are meant to be used for only a short period of time, but we often find that people use them chronically.   YOUR IDEAL SUPPLEMENT REGIMEN - DELIVERED Whether you’re an elite soldier or an elite athlete, Triton Nutrition has the combat-grade products and clinical expertise you need to improve your physical and mental performance, and to prevent injury.   by Robert Seik, PharmD

A small amount of estrogen is necessary in men to ensure proper function. Too much estrogen can create an imbalance. Xenoestrogens, zinc deficiency and magnesium deficiency all play a role. Proper supplementation and detoxification is important to maintain proper balance.   Men and women both have the sex hormones testosterone and estrogen. The small amount of estrogen that men have in their body is needed for very important functions.   Sometimes you can find an imbalance between testosterone and estrogen in men. Dr. Eugene Shippen wrote an entire chapter in his book called The Testosterone Syndrome about problematic estrogen and why estrogen elevation in men can lead to many negative effects in men and actually oppose the beneficial effects of testosterone.   Male Estrogen (or Estrogen in men) can become relatively high in men because testosterone converts to estrogen by just one chemical step. An enzyme in the body called aromatase removes a single Hydrogen atom, the smallest atom in the universe, from testosterone and converts it to estrogen.   One important consideration is the impact of environmental toxins that are very similar to estrogen called Xenoestrogens, which are endocrine disruptors. This includes many chemicals from plastics, diethylstilbestrol and numerous pesticides, so you can also view the video on Detoxification Basics to learn more on combating the Endocrine disruptors. These Xenoestrogens act like estrogen in your body even if they don't raise the estrogen level itself. Your body does not know the difference.   Another factor is that the enzyme aromatase is halted by zinc, a strong aromatase inhibitor. Zinc deficiency is very common in men, so a highly recommended product for men is zinc glycinate from Triton Nutrition. The zinc is in a chelated form to ensure proper absorption.   Why is zinc deficiency so common? First of all, men don't eat enough fruits and vegetables. The way that these fruits and vegetables get zinc is by pulling the zinc up from the soil and chelating or binding them to an amino acid. So, Triton Nutrition's form of Zinc Glycinate is in the proper chelated form like that found in fruits and vegetables.   Men should take between 40-60 mg a day of Zinc amino acid chelate or specifically Triton Nutrition's chelated form Zinc Glycinate. This dosage does depend on body size and a person's activity level. Zinc is a mineral that we lose with intense exercise. It's lost through sweat and through urine, so it must be repleted. If not supplemented then testosterone can be rapidly converted to estrogen.   Older men who are taking medications are often zinc deficient because there are many over-the-counter and prescription medications like diuretics that actually cause zinc to become deficient as well as many other nutrient deficiencies.   Zinc is also required in the biochemical steps that construct testosterone. Magnesium, which is also a common deficiency, is required for the biochemical pathways leading to testosterone formation as well.   Why is a small amount of estrogen needed in men? Estrogen actually sits on the receptor site for testosterone to make sure the receptor works when testosterone is present. We also need estrogen to sit on the sites in the brain to protect the brain and to also balance lipids like cholesterol in the blood.   According to Dr. Eugene Shippen's book The Testosterone Syndrome, when requesting blood tests ask for the total testosterone level and the total estradiol level. This ratio is very important and what Dr. Eugene Shippen recommends is a 50 to 1 ratio of testosterone to estradiol. This means a young man with a 1000 testosterone level will have a 20 estradiol level for a proper 50 to 1 ratio.   When someone is deficient in zinc, they will not have this 50 to 1 ratio and after they begin supplementation, they will notice the ratio of low testosterone to high estradiol change towards the 50 to 1 ratio. The aromatase inhibition of zinc and the proper supplementation of zinc for testosterone production will gradually bring the hormones back into balance.   Another supplement recommended for the detoxification of environmental estrogens is Estro Shield with DIM (Diindolylmethane). DIM is found naturally occurring in cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli and cauliflower. DIM helps get rid of the environmental estrogens that are in the body and also the estrogen made in the body if it is in excess.   Our bodies are designed to produce, utilize and then get rid of certain hormones and DIM makes sure that our elimination pathways that excrete excess estrogen in the urine are activated.   You will also find curcumin in Triton Nutrition's Estro Shield with DIM. Curcumin or turmeric is a potent anti-inflammatory but it also enhances detoxification pathways.   Also found in Estro Shield is Biopterin, a black pepper extract, which enhances the absorption of the nutrients in the gut. If you are interested in testing that determines micronutrient deficiencies, Triton Nutrition offers SpectraCell Nutrient Testing that will provide you with the specific mineral, vitamin or amino acid, which may be deficient.   by Robert Seik, PharmD

B Vitamins have many important functions and are responsible for many biochemical reactions in the body. One very important function is B Vitamins for Energy. Without a full spectrum of B Vitamins we do not have energy. B Vitamins are necessary as co-factors to make hormones and neurotransmitters so that are brain can communicate and it affects our mood. We also need B Vitamins to help us detoxify.   The important thing is to make sure you get your B vitamins from a very nutrient dense diet. We promote the food first model. We talk about the Paleo diet and how it can help you achieve metabolic efficiency, but we often have to add supplements because our food does not have as many nutrients as we need. Also, athletes burn through these nutrients particularly because of energy expenditure and that's when B Vitamins are depleted.   There are times when athletes can over consume protein and it is important to know that protein depletes B Vitamins. When we have protein metabolism activated, B Vitamins are co-factors that are taking the amino acids from protein that is being broken down. These amino acids are then being used to make over 65,000 enzymes that our liver produces, to make tissue that need to be repaired from use.   Triton Nutrition has a special form called B-Energy Complex that follows GCMP standards and that delivers the nutrients in a form that is absorbable. For example Vitamin B-2, which is called riboflavin. Riboflavin HCl (Riboflavin Hydrochloride) is very inexpensive to produce and you will often see this form in many poor quality supplements, but it is poorly absorbed. Riboflavin-5'-Phosphate, which is the best form for us to absorb and utilize, which is the most abundant form found in nutrient dense foods is the form that Triton Nutrition uses.   Vitamin B-6 or Pyridoxine is often found in the form of Pyridoxine HCl in poor quality and cheap supplements. Again, this form is poorly absorbed so you aren't actually taking in the amount that you think you are. Triton Nutrition uses Pyridoxal-5'-Phosphate, which is the active form.   Vitamin B-1 or Thiamine can be found in the form Thiamine HCl, which is actually quite usable, but you also need to take the fat soluble form, which gets into the brain and that's called Benfotiamine. We need B Vitamins in the brain to make neurotransmitters. There is also Vitamin B-12 known as methylcobalamin, which is the active form of Vitamin B-12. If someone is very low in Vitamin B-12 they may need to take a sublingual tablet in order to boost their levels. Vitamin B-12 in the form of methylcobalamin can also be found in Triton Nutrition's NeuroKinetic Cream. The reason it is called NeuroKinetic Cream is because it has the necessary ingredients to make neurotransmitters. NeuroKinetic Cream also has 5-MTHF, a special form of Folic Acid.   The B-Energy Complex also contains Folic Acid, B-3 in two forms and B-5. So when looking for a B Vitamin Complex you want to make sure you have the active forms of the B Vitamins.   by Robert Seik, PharmD