Podcasts about lingzhi

Conoce cómo el hongo Lingzhi, o Reishi, apoya a las personas que viven con diabetes. Este adaptógeno puede apoyar contra las complicaciones de la enfermedad (cardíacas, renales y visuales); mejorando la calidad de vida de quienes desde hace muchos años padecen diabetes. Descubre más en nuestro artículo. °°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°° Te invito a ver el artículo de la semana: https://elcoachdetusalud.com/evita-las-consecuencias-de-la-diabetes-con-hongo-lingzhi/ °°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°° Déjame saber ¿qué piensas? Comenta abajo

Lingzhi Zhuang is a chinese exhibition maker, project space and gallery owner based in Shanghai. Her gallery LINSEED was established in 2022, focusing on a younger generation of asian and international artists. Having studied at Goldsmith's in London, Lingzhi received the call to take a post at Pearl Lam Galleries, one of the most acclaimed galleries in Asia, asking her to move to Shanghai. After several other stations Lingzhi decided during Covid to open her own space and ultimately her gallery LINSEED in 2022. The gallery highlights emerging artists and fuses asian and western approaches. Lingzhi relates the beginnings of her project space, the support she received to realize her vision and how she founded her gallery LINSEED in challenging times. She reflects a new generation in China, to which she herself belongs to. Young people leading nomadic lifes, often going abroad to study in the UK, the US or elsewhere and bringing back those manifold influences to their home country. She herself attaches great importance on friendship, trust and community. Although having learned her skills in galleries with a more corporate background, she believes in a new way of working together, while still not losing view of the business side of things. Lingzhi also talks about the solo presentation of Asami SHOJI (b.1988, Japan) which LINSEED will show at Independent New York 2024. It will be featuring Shoji's latest series of daily and gestural paintings that encapsulate the passing of time and life. Each painting in this series, created in a continuous sequence, represents a specific day or moment, reflecting the artist's state and her environment. Recorded January 29, 2024, 32 min., language english Links: https://www.linseedprojects.space/https://www.independenthq.com/ https://van-horn.net/podcast/ #VoicesOnArt #IndependentSpecial #IndependentArtFair #NewYorkCity #LingzhiZhuang #Linseed #Shanghai #VanHornGallery #van_horn_duesseldorf #DanielaSteinfeld #Art #Talk #Storytelling #Podcast

“We need to have a paradigm shift in our consciousness. If we don't get our act together and come in commonality and understanding with the organisms that sustain us today, not only will we destroy those organisms, but we will destroy ourselves.” - Paul Stamets Ganoderma lucidum, also called Reishi or Lingzhi mushroom, is noted as the king of herbs. It has been a treasured royal medicine in China and other parts of the world for centuries.   It is a magnificent medicinal mushroom that has been proven to have profound effects on diabetes, arthritis, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and other autoimmune diseases. A small quantity of it can go a very long way. In today's podcast, you will hear a lecture given by Dr. Bob Rakowski on the super-powerful Reishi mushroom. He is a well-known functional medicine doctor. I am giving you information not to tell you what to do, but rather to help you figure out what is best for you and to be intentional about it. As human beings, one of the things you can do to make the biggest difference in your life is to mindfully choose what you put in your system. The Reishi mushroom positively impacts how your body and mind operate. Its effects compound every day to make you live better and healthier.  Anyone can experience its magical powers. If you want more information about this, then do not hesitate to contact us. Email us at info@mi365.me so we can share more knowledge and support you on your journey to live intentionally. Highlights: ⚡️ Ganoderma lucidum or Reishi/Lingzhi mushroom is a universal immune modulator. ⚡️ There are more 10-11-year-old children who are now afflicted with Type2 diabetes. ⚡️ Too much inflammation can burn you up and out. ⚡️ Cancer starts when there is low oxygen, low nutrients, high acid, chronic inflammation, and immune suppression secondary to constant or persistent distress. ⚡️ A drug without side effects is not a drug. ⚡️ The brain is the most nutrient and energy-dependent, stress and toxin-vulnerable system in the body. ⚡️ Reishi mushroom has all the nutrients in doses that can make a difference to human health without any known toxicity. Important stories:

Script: https://tcmpodcast.me/episode-24-magic-mushroom-of-immortality/ Lingzhi mushroom with its medical properties represents one of the most significant Chinese medical fungus with two thousand years recorded history as health enhancer, promoter of longevity, and detox of mind and spirit. Since the old times, Chinese monks believe that Ganoderma lucidum - lingzhi, help people to see spirits or become spirits themselves by receiving the magical energy of the immortals. The Latin lucidum, means “shiny” refers to the appearance of the fungus' fruiting body. Lingzhi (Chin. 霊芝) - “spirit mushroom”, is one of the most famous medicinal mushrooms. In the past, lingzhi was very expensive because it only grew in the wild... Info: www.tcmpodcast.me

What's the hype behind Red Reishi mushroom?In this month's podcast episode, we discuss the mushroom growth process, the many health benefits of Red Reishi, and how Nootropics Depot created the most potent Red Reishi extract on the market! This month, your hosts Emiel and Erika dive into an exciting conversation about:Red Reishi cultivation, processing, and originsHow Ganoderic Acid benefits mood, sleep, respiratory health, and cardiovascular healthThe difference between mycelium versus fruiting body mushroom extractsSupplement stacks to maximize the benefits of Red ReishiNootropics Depot's latest product releasesBe sure to subscribe to the In Search of Insight podcast on your favorite streaming platforms, and join a community of like-minded nootropics geeks just like you on Reddit at r/NootropicsDepot.Follow Us On Social Mediahttps://www.facebook.com/NootropicsDepot/ https://www.instagram.com/nootropicsdepot/ https://www.reddit.com/r/NootropicsDepot/new/

Xiaojing Yan is a Canadian artist whose work embraces the combination of her Chinese roots and education at Nanjing Arts Institute (B.F.A., 2000) with higher education at George Brown College in Toronto (2004) and an M.F.A. in sculpture at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (2007). Her unique point of view brings together the past and the present, encompasses culture and nature, art and science. Yan is a recipient of numerous awards and grants, including the 2014 Outstanding Young Alumni Award from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Project Grants from the Canadian Council for the Arts, the Chalmers Arts Fellowship, Mid-career Grants from Ontario Arts Council, and many more. Most recently, she has had solo shows at Maison Hermès, Shanghai, China, Art Gallery of Northumberland, Cobourg, ON, Canada, Richmond Art Gallery, Richmond, BC, Canada and Suzhou Museum, Suzhou, China, Varley Art Gallery, Markham, ON, Canada. Yan has also completed public art projects and commissions in Canada and China including her 2018 installation Cloudscape at the Royal Ontario Museum and 2019 Window display "Into the Dream" for Maison Hermès. It's my pleasure to learn more about the unique ethos behind her art and her intimate relationship with reishi mushroom, also known as lingzhi.    TOPICS COVERED:   Following the Artists' Path from China to Canada  Engaging Space in Creating Art  Inspiration from Chinese Mythologies, Stories and Iconographies  Connection to Nature in Eastern and Western Cultures  Forces of Modernization Reshaping Relationships with Nature  Rise of the “Moderners”   Weighing Human Progress and Environmental Homeostasis  Imbuing Art with Meaning Before and After Creation  Pearls and Cicadas used to make Sculptures  Roles of Artists in Communicating Balance in Nature  Making Art with Lingzhi AKA Reishi  Chinese Culture and the Mushroom of Immortality  Cocreating Art with Nature   Rise of Mycelium in Art and Design  EPISODE RESOURCES:   Xiaojing Yan Website: https://yanxiaojing.com/   Xiaojing Yan Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/xiaojing.yan.studio/?hl=en   Lingzhi: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lingzhi_(mushroom)   "Scholar's Stone": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gongshi   "Classic of Mountains and Seas": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classic_of_Mountains_and_Seas   

Naturopathic medicine uses natural remedies to help the body heal itself through herbs, massage, acupuncture, exercise, and nutritional counseling. Lingzhi or Ganoderma lingzhi, also known as reishi mushrooms, is used in traditional Chinese medicine and is dubbed the ancient “mushroom of immortality.” Charlie sits down with functional medicine doctor Dr. Bob Rakowski as they discuss the reason why reishi and natural remedies, in general, are not in mainstream medicine and the benefits of incorporating reishi in your supplementation. Plus, hear Dr. Rakowski's supplement cocktail to help reduce and manage stress.“When you're healthy, it makes all the difference in the world.”- Dr. Bob Rakowski In this episode:Why isn't reishi adapted in mainstream medicine?Benefits and effects of taking reishi mushroomHow to do a stress resetUnderstanding what Ganoderma is and how it worksResources:Get your coffee HERE - https://organocoffeecharlie.myorganogold.com/gb-en/beverages/Men's Program Shreddin8 - www.shreddin8.comCJ Shredding Squad FB Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/cjoachingFREE Abs Training Course - https://cj8weekshred.com/freeabguideBook Your FREE Six Pack Strategy Call HereClick here to join our exclusive Facebook Community – https://cjcoachingcommunity.com/Download your free copy of our Abs Blackbook here – http://freeabsguide.com/black-bookConnect with Dr. Bob Rakowski:Website - https://www.drbobrakowski.com/Facebook - https://web.facebook.com/DrBobRakowskiInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/dr_bob_rakowski/Twitter - https://twitter.com/hidrbob?lang=enConnect with Charlie Johnson:Website - https://www.charliejohnsonfitness.com/Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/CharlieJohnsonFitness/Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/charliejohnsonfitnessYouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCh_TVSETtwjxuAvn-AOqifQ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Let's strengthen and support our immune systems. This week we dive into mushrooms and their impact on our immunity and anti-aging crusade. You may be surprised at the healing and restorative benefits of mushrooms. Mushrooms are magical! We've talked about the amazing benefits of mushrooms before but today we dive deeper into the top 7 mushrooms that support our health. Listen in to learn how chaga, turkey tail, shitake, maitake, cordyceps, lion's mane, and reishi mushrooms work hard to keep us healthy and our immune systems strong.   What Mushrooms Are In 7M+? Turkey tail, chaga, shiitake, maitake, cordyceps, lion's mane, and reishi.   Chaga Chaga has been used for centuries, primarily in the East. It's known for its immune support and soothing properties. Many traditional healers have used it as a soothing tea for a powerful and natural digestive support. It's also shown the potential to help maintain healthy blood pressure levels that are already within the normal range. Chaga also has very powerful antioxidant properties that make it a powerhouse on its own.   Cordyceps Cordyceps have been shown to help regulate a healthy immune system. They're also strong inflammation fighters. Cordyceps were at one time so highly-valued that it was only allowed to be consumed by the Emperor of China, who lived 100+ years, and still fathered children into his 100s. Also known for the ability to support sexual health and athletic ability, Cordyceps have been the most sought-after nutritional mushroom in the Orient.   Lion's Mane Lion's Mane is known to support brain health, boost cognitive function, and aid against age-related memory loss. It also helps maintain mental focus and function, as well as promoting healthy digestive function through its powerful regulation of bacteria.   Turkey Tail It's considered one of the best-researched mushrooms on Earth. Its benefits are just as strong as other nutritional mushrooms, such as Reishi, Cordyceps, and Maitake. It contains powerful antioxidant nutrients and high levels of selenium, vitamin D, and vitamin B3, which are crucial for boosting and maintaining immunity. Turkey Tail is so effective, we've put it in several of our supplements.   Shiitake The benefits of Shiitake mushrooms for your immune system are some of the most well-documented for any type of nutritional mushroom. Perhaps its greatest influence is in the activity of the tiny cells responsible for protecting your immune system from inflammation. A recent four-week study showed that daily use of Shiitake mushrooms boosted the immune response in young adults. They have the potential to keep your immune cells protected from inflammation and the signs of aging. Lentinan Lentinan is a polysaccharide extracted from the fruit body of the Shiitake. So, deep within the Shiitake mushroom is Lentinan. Lab studies show that not only is Lentinan effective at supporting a healthy immune system, but it also has cholesterol-lowering properties. Maitake Lab studies show that this nutrient-rich wild mushroom is not only effective at supporting a healthy immune system. It can also help regulate blood pressure Support healthy blood sugar Fight off abnormal cell growth Maintain healthy inflammation… and much more! It's no wonder many cultures around the world use the magical maitake mushroom as a powerful healing tonic and medicinal food.   Reishi Nicknamed the “Mushroom of Immortality.” It's not hard to see why Reishi mushrooms have been used in natural health remedies for hundreds of years. It seems every year, science uncovers new uses for this wonder nutrient. It may be thanks to the complex compounds found in Reishi mushrooms that help regulate and support an aging immune system, reduce inflammation, and assist in healthy heart function.   Why Take 7M+? You're going to have a hard time going to the grocery store and picking out all these mushrooms and getting them into your diet. And not only that, but you can buy a lot of these different mushroom products individually, in their own capsule form, in a bottle, and pay $50 for each one in a bottle, or you can get all of these wrapped into one product, a blend of all of these mushrooms that work synergistically together. The reason why I think this product is so powerful and mushrooms are so powerful, our immune system, and we also talked a lot about the gut and the bacteria and the gut health, all of it supports our overall health, not only from the physical perspective, but our emotional perspective.   What Is the Aging Process? It's all of the functions and systems in our body slowing down, shutting down in a sense, going slower, slower, slower, slower, to the point where you're just not as healthy as you once were. But we're seeing through the research, we've talked about today in this podcast, in a previous podcast, that we actually can do things to keep ourselves healthier longer.   Supplements Jonathan Recommends Everyone Take Multi-Vita-Maxx Turmeric 3D 7M+   Resources: Empowering You Organically Podcast on Telomeres Organixx 7M+ Organixx Multi-Vita-Maxx Organixx Turmeric 3D Antioxidant properties of several specialty mushrooms Chaga Chaga mushroom extract inhibits oxidative DNA damage in human lymphocytes as assessed by comet assay Ergosterol peroxide from Chaga mushroom (Inonotus obliquus) exhibits anti-cancer activity by down-regulation of the β-catenin pathway in colorectal cancer Cordyceps Lion's Make Chemistry, Nutrition, and Health-Promoting Properties of Hericium erinaceus (Lion's Mane) Mushroom Fruiting Bodies and Mycelia and Their Bioactive Compoundsh Gastroprotective Effects of Lion's Mane Mushroom Hericium erinaceus (Bull.:Fr.) Pers. (Aphyllophoromycetideae) Extract against Ethanol-Induced Ulcer in Rats Turkey Tail FDA Approves Bastyr Turkey Tail Trial for Cancer Patients Medicinal Mushrooms (PDQ®) Shiitake Consuming Lentinula edodes (Shiitake) Mushrooms Daily Improves Human Immunity: A Randomized Dietary Intervention in Healthy Young Adults. Effects of shiitake (Lentinus edodes) extract on human neutrophils and the U937 monocytic cell line. Lentinan Gordon M, Guralnik M, Kaneko Y, et al. A phase II controlled study of a combination of the immune modulator, lentinan, with didanosine (ddI) in HIV patients with CD4 cells of 200-500/mm3. Combination therapy with lentinan improves outcomes in patients with esophageal carcinoma. Reishi Ganoderma lucidum ("Lingzhi"), a Chinese medicinal mushroom: biomarker responses in a controlled human supplementation study. Randomized clinical trial of an ethanol extract of Ganoderma lucidum in men with lower urinary tract symptoms. Study of potential cardioprotective effects of Ganoderma lucidum (Lingzhi): results of a controlled human intervention trial. Maitake Anti-diabetic activity present in the fruit body of Grifola frondosa (Maitake). I. 11 Surprising Health Benefits of Mushrooms Chaga Mushroom Benefits: Top 10 Things You Need to Know About Chaga Reishi Mushroom Health Benefits: 11 Reasons to Love Lingzhi

Let's strengthen and support our immune systems. This week we dive into mushrooms and their impact on our immunity and anti-aging crusade. You may be surprised at the healing and restorative benefits of mushrooms. Mushrooms are magical! We've talked about the amazing benefits of mushrooms before but today we dive deeper into the top 7 mushrooms that support our health. Listen in to learn how chaga, turkey tail, shitake, maitake, cordyceps, lion's mane, and reishi mushrooms work hard to keep us healthy and our immune systems strong.   What Mushrooms Are In 7M+? Turkey tail, chaga, shiitake, maitake, cordyceps, lion's mane, and reishi.   Chaga Chaga has been used for centuries, primarily in the East. It's known for its immune support and soothing properties. Many traditional healers have used it as a soothing tea for a powerful and natural digestive support. It's also shown the potential to help maintain healthy blood pressure levels that are already within the normal range. Chaga also has very powerful antioxidant properties that make it a powerhouse on its own.   Cordyceps Cordyceps have been shown to help regulate a healthy immune system. They're also strong inflammation fighters. Cordyceps were at one time so highly-valued that it was only allowed to be consumed by the Emperor of China, who lived 100+ years, and still fathered children into his 100s. Also known for the ability to support sexual health and athletic ability, Cordyceps have been the most sought-after nutritional mushroom in the Orient.   Lion's Mane Lion's Mane is known to support brain health, boost cognitive function, and aid against age-related memory loss. It also helps maintain mental focus and function, as well as promoting healthy digestive function through its powerful regulation of bacteria.   Turkey Tail It's considered one of the best-researched mushrooms on Earth. Its benefits are just as strong as other nutritional mushrooms, such as Reishi, Cordyceps, and Maitake. It contains powerful antioxidant nutrients and high levels of selenium, vitamin D, and vitamin B3, which are crucial for boosting and maintaining immunity. Turkey Tail is so effective, we've put it in several of our supplements.   Shiitake The benefits of Shiitake mushrooms for your immune system are some of the most well-documented for any type of nutritional mushroom. Perhaps its greatest influence is in the activity of the tiny cells responsible for protecting your immune system from inflammation. A recent four-week study showed that daily use of Shiitake mushrooms boosted the immune response in young adults. They have the potential to keep your immune cells protected from inflammation and the signs of aging. Lentinan Lentinan is a polysaccharide extracted from the fruit body of the Shiitake. So, deep within the Shiitake mushroom is Lentinan. Lab studies show that not only is Lentinan effective at supporting a healthy immune system, but it also has cholesterol-lowering properties. Maitake Lab studies show that this nutrient-rich wild mushroom is not only effective at supporting a healthy immune system. It can also help regulate blood pressure Support healthy blood sugar Fight off abnormal cell growth Maintain healthy inflammation… and much more! It's no wonder many cultures around the world use the magical maitake mushroom as a powerful healing tonic and medicinal food.   Reishi Nicknamed the “Mushroom of Immortality.” It's not hard to see why Reishi mushrooms have been used in natural health remedies for hundreds of years. It seems every year, science uncovers new uses for this wonder nutrient. It may be thanks to the complex compounds found in Reishi mushrooms that help regulate and support an aging immune system, reduce inflammation, and assist in healthy heart function.   Why Take 7M+? You're going to have a hard time going to the grocery store and picking out all these mushrooms and getting them into your diet. And not only that, but you can buy a lot of these different mushroom products individually, in their own capsule form, in a bottle, and pay $50 for each one in a bottle, or you can get all of these wrapped into one product, a blend of all of these mushrooms that work synergistically together. The reason why I think this product is so powerful and mushrooms are so powerful, our immune system, and we also talked a lot about the gut and the bacteria and the gut health, all of it supports our overall health, not only from the physical perspective, but our emotional perspective.   What Is the Aging Process? It's all of the functions and systems in our body slowing down, shutting down in a sense, going slower, slower, slower, slower, to the point where you're just not as healthy as you once were. But we're seeing through the research, we've talked about today in this podcast, in a previous podcast, that we actually can do things to keep ourselves healthier longer.   Supplements Jonathan Recommends Everyone Take Multi-Vita-Maxx Turmeric 3D 7M+   Resources: Empowering You Organically Podcast on Telomeres Organixx 7M+ Organixx Multi-Vita-Maxx Organixx Turmeric 3D Antioxidant properties of several specialty mushrooms Chaga Chaga mushroom extract inhibits oxidative DNA damage in human lymphocytes as assessed by comet assay Ergosterol peroxide from Chaga mushroom (Inonotus obliquus) exhibits anti-cancer activity by down-regulation of the β-catenin pathway in colorectal cancer Cordyceps Lion's Make Chemistry, Nutrition, and Health-Promoting Properties of Hericium erinaceus (Lion's Mane) Mushroom Fruiting Bodies and Mycelia and Their Bioactive Compoundsh Gastroprotective Effects of Lion's Mane Mushroom Hericium erinaceus (Bull.:Fr.) Pers. (Aphyllophoromycetideae) Extract against Ethanol-Induced Ulcer in Rats Turkey Tail FDA Approves Bastyr Turkey Tail Trial for Cancer Patients Medicinal Mushrooms (PDQ®) Shiitake Consuming Lentinula edodes (Shiitake) Mushrooms Daily Improves Human Immunity: A Randomized Dietary Intervention in Healthy Young Adults. Effects of shiitake (Lentinus edodes) extract on human neutrophils and the U937 monocytic cell line. Lentinan Gordon M, Guralnik M, Kaneko Y, et al. A phase II controlled study of a combination of the immune modulator, lentinan, with didanosine (ddI) in HIV patients with CD4 cells of 200-500/mm3. Combination therapy with lentinan improves outcomes in patients with esophageal carcinoma. Reishi Ganoderma lucidum ("Lingzhi"), a Chinese medicinal mushroom: biomarker responses in a controlled human supplementation study. Randomized clinical trial of an ethanol extract of Ganoderma lucidum in men with lower urinary tract symptoms. Study of potential cardioprotective effects of Ganoderma lucidum (Lingzhi): results of a controlled human intervention trial. Maitake Anti-diabetic activity present in the fruit body of Grifola frondosa (Maitake). I. 11 Surprising Health Benefits of Mushrooms Chaga Mushroom Benefits: Top 10 Things You Need to Know About Chaga Reishi Mushroom Health Benefits: 11 Reasons to Love Lingzhi

Today on Mushroom   Hour we are joined by internationally renowned herbalist Dr. Christopher Hobbs. Dr. Hobbs is a fourth-generation herbalist, licensed acupuncturist, herbal clinician, research scientist, consultant to the dietary supplement industry, expert witness, botanist and mycologist with over 35 years of experience. He is also a prolific writer and has authored or co-authored over 20 books, including the new “Christopher Hobbs's Medicinal Mushrooms, the Essential Guide.” Christopher has lectured on herbal medicine world-wide. He earned his Ph.D. at UC Berkeley with research and publication in evolutionary biology, biogeography, phylogenetics, plant chemistry, and ethnobotany. Time to dive deep into medicinal mushrooms!   TOPICS COVERED:   Embracing Generational Tradition of Herbalism in a World of Toxic Notions  Discovering Mushrooms in the 1970s  Herbalist World View  Elevating Consciousness  Allying with Plant & Mushroom Spirits  Importance of Spiritual Wellbeing  What is Medicine?  Chemistry of Medicinal Mushrooms and the Immune System  One of Medicinal Mushrooms Biggest Benefits - Fiber  Effects of Beta Glucans & Ancient Receptors in the Body  Secrets of Medicinal Mushroom Products  Starch Testing our Mushroom Powders  Healing Powers of Reishi  Why Do We Put Up With It?  EPISODE RESOURCES:   Christopher Hobbs' Website:  https://www.christopherhobbs.com/  Christopher Hobb's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drchristopherhobbs/  Christopher Hobb's IG: https://www.instagram.com/christopherhobbs1/?hl=en  "Christopher Hobbs' Essential Guide to Medicinal Mushrooms": https://www.amazon.com/Christopher-Hobbss-Medicinal-Mushrooms-Consciousness/dp/1635861675/  "A Modern Herbal": https://www.amazon.com/Modern-Herbal-Complete-Margaret-Grieve/dp/1626542236/  "Back to Eden": https://www.amazon.com/Back-Eden-Jethro-Kloss/dp/0940985101/  Dr. Edward Shook: https://www.biblio.com/edward-e-shook/author/587245  Dr. John Christopher: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Christopher_(herbalist)  Dr. Michael Tierra: https://planetherbs.com/owners/dr-michael-tierra-l-ac-o-m-d/  Ed Smith: https://m.facebook.com/herbal.ed  Susun Weed: http://www.susunweed.com/  Rosemary Gladstar: https://scienceandartofherbalism.com/  Reishi (mushroom): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lingzhi_(mushroom)  Boletus edulis (mushroom): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boletus_edulis

Let's strengthen and support our immune systems. This week we dive into mushrooms and their impact on our immunity and anti-aging crusade. You may be surprised at the healing and restorative benefits of mushrooms. Mushrooms are magical! We've talked about the amazing benefits of mushrooms before but today we dive deeper into the top 7 mushrooms that support our health. Listen in to learn how chaga, turkey tail, shitake, maitake, cordyceps, lion's mane, and reishi mushrooms work hard to keep us healthy and our immune systems strong.   What Mushrooms Are In 7M+? Turkey tail, chaga, shiitake, maitake, cordyceps, lion's mane, and reishi.   Chaga Chaga has been used for centuries, primarily in the East. It's known for its immune support and soothing properties. Many traditional healers have used it as a soothing tea for a powerful and natural digestive support. It's also shown the potential to help maintain healthy blood pressure levels that are already within the normal range. Chaga also has very powerful antioxidant properties that make it a powerhouse on its own.   Cordyceps Cordyceps have been shown to help regulate a healthy immune system. They're also strong inflammation fighters. Cordyceps were at one time so highly-valued that it was only allowed to be consumed by the Emperor of China, who lived 100+ years, and still fathered children into his 100s. Also known for the ability to support sexual health and athletic ability, Cordyceps have been the most sought-after nutritional mushroom in the Orient.   Lion's Mane Lion's Mane is known to support brain health, boost cognitive function, and aid against age-related memory loss. It also helps maintain mental focus and function, as well as promoting healthy digestive function through its powerful regulation of bacteria.   Turkey Tail It's considered one of the best-researched mushrooms on Earth. Its benefits are just as strong as other nutritional mushrooms, such as Reishi, Cordyceps, and Maitake. It contains powerful antioxidant nutrients and high levels of selenium, vitamin D, and vitamin B3, which are crucial for boosting and maintaining immunity. Turkey Tail is so effective, we've put it in several of our supplements.   Shiitake The benefits of Shiitake mushrooms for your immune system are some of the most well-documented for any type of nutritional mushroom. Perhaps its greatest influence is in the activity of the tiny cells responsible for protecting your immune system from inflammation. A recent four-week study showed that daily use of Shiitake mushrooms boosted the immune response in young adults. They have the potential to keep your immune cells protected from inflammation and the signs of aging. Lentinan Lentinan is a polysaccharide extracted from the fruit body of the Shiitake. So, deep within the Shiitake mushroom is Lentinan. Lab studies show that not only is Lentinan effective at supporting a healthy immune system, but it also has cholesterol-lowering properties. Maitake Lab studies show that this nutrient-rich wild mushroom is not only effective at supporting a healthy immune system. It can also help regulate blood pressure Support healthy blood sugar Fight off abnormal cell growth Maintain healthy inflammation… and much more! It's no wonder many cultures around the world use the magical maitake mushroom as a powerful healing tonic and medicinal food.   Reishi Nicknamed the “Mushroom of Immortality.” It's not hard to see why Reishi mushrooms have been used in natural health remedies for hundreds of years. It seems every year, science uncovers new uses for this wonder nutrient. It may be thanks to the complex compounds found in Reishi mushrooms that help regulate and support an aging immune system, reduce inflammation, and assist in healthy heart function.   Why Take 7M+? You're going to have a hard time going to the grocery store and picking out all these mushrooms and getting them into your diet. And not only that, but you can buy a lot of these different mushroom products individually, in their own capsule form, in a bottle, and pay $50 for each one in a bottle, or you can get all of these wrapped into one product, a blend of all of these mushrooms that work synergistically together. The reason why I think this product is so powerful and mushrooms are so powerful, our immune system, and we also talked a lot about the gut and the bacteria and the gut health, all of it supports our overall health, not only from the physical perspective, but our emotional perspective.   What Is the Aging Process? It's all of the functions and systems in our body slowing down, shutting down in a sense, going slower, slower, slower, slower, to the point where you're just not as healthy as you once were. But we're seeing through the research, we've talked about today in this podcast, in a previous podcast, that we actually can do things to keep ourselves healthier longer.   Supplements Jonathan Recommends Everyone Take Multi-Vita-Maxx Turmeric 3D 7M+   Resources: Empowering You Organically Podcast on Telomeres Organixx 7M+ Organixx Multi-Vita-Maxx Organixx Turmeric 3D Antioxidant properties of several specialty mushrooms Chaga Chaga mushroom extract inhibits oxidative DNA damage in human lymphocytes as assessed by comet assay Ergosterol peroxide from Chaga mushroom (Inonotus obliquus) exhibits anti-cancer activity by down-regulation of the β-catenin pathway in colorectal cancer Cordyceps Lion's Make Chemistry, Nutrition, and Health-Promoting Properties of Hericium erinaceus (Lion's Mane) Mushroom Fruiting Bodies and Mycelia and Their Bioactive Compoundsh Gastroprotective Effects of Lion's Mane Mushroom Hericium erinaceus (Bull.:Fr.) Pers. (Aphyllophoromycetideae) Extract against Ethanol-Induced Ulcer in Rats Turkey Tail FDA Approves Bastyr Turkey Tail Trial for Cancer Patients Medicinal Mushrooms (PDQ®) Shiitake Consuming Lentinula edodes (Shiitake) Mushrooms Daily Improves Human Immunity: A Randomized Dietary Intervention in Healthy Young Adults. Effects of shiitake (Lentinus edodes) extract on human neutrophils and the U937 monocytic cell line. Lentinan Gordon M, Guralnik M, Kaneko Y, et al. A phase II controlled study of a combination of the immune modulator, lentinan, with didanosine (ddI) in HIV patients with CD4 cells of 200-500/mm3. Combination therapy with lentinan improves outcomes in patients with esophageal carcinoma. Reishi Ganoderma lucidum ("Lingzhi"), a Chinese medicinal mushroom: biomarker responses in a controlled human supplementation study. Randomized clinical trial of an ethanol extract of Ganoderma lucidum in men with lower urinary tract symptoms. Study of potential cardioprotective effects of Ganoderma lucidum (Lingzhi): results of a controlled human intervention trial. Maitake Anti-diabetic activity present in the fruit body of Grifola frondosa (Maitake). I. 11 Surprising Health Benefits of Mushrooms Chaga Mushroom Benefits: Top 10 Things You Need to Know About Chaga Reishi Mushroom Health Benefits: 11 Reasons to Love Lingzhi

Let's strengthen and support our immune systems. This week we dive into mushrooms and their impact on our immunity and anti-aging crusade. You may be surprised at the healing and restorative benefits of mushrooms. Mushrooms are magical! We've talked about the amazing benefits of mushrooms before but today we dive deeper into the top 7 mushrooms that support our health. Listen in to learn how chaga, turkey tail, shitake, maitake, cordyceps, lion's mane, and reishi mushrooms work hard to keep us healthy and our immune systems strong.   What Mushrooms Are In 7M+? Turkey tail, chaga, shiitake, maitake, cordyceps, lion's mane, and reishi.   Chaga Chaga has been used for centuries, primarily in the East. It's known for its immune support and soothing properties. Many traditional healers have used it as a soothing tea for a powerful and natural digestive support. It's also shown the potential to help maintain healthy blood pressure levels that are already within the normal range. Chaga also has very powerful antioxidant properties that make it a powerhouse on its own.   Cordyceps Cordyceps have been shown to help regulate a healthy immune system. They're also strong inflammation fighters. Cordyceps were at one time so highly-valued that it was only allowed to be consumed by the Emperor of China, who lived 100+ years, and still fathered children into his 100s. Also known for the ability to support sexual health and athletic ability, Cordyceps have been the most sought-after nutritional mushroom in the Orient.   Lion's Mane Lion's Mane is known to support brain health, boost cognitive function, and aid against age-related memory loss. It also helps maintain mental focus and function, as well as promoting healthy digestive function through its powerful regulation of bacteria.   Turkey Tail It's considered one of the best-researched mushrooms on Earth. Its benefits are just as strong as other nutritional mushrooms, such as Reishi, Cordyceps, and Maitake. It contains powerful antioxidant nutrients and high levels of selenium, vitamin D, and vitamin B3, which are crucial for boosting and maintaining immunity. Turkey Tail is so effective, we've put it in several of our supplements.   Shiitake The benefits of Shiitake mushrooms for your immune system are some of the most well-documented for any type of nutritional mushroom. Perhaps its greatest influence is in the activity of the tiny cells responsible for protecting your immune system from inflammation. A recent four-week study showed that daily use of Shiitake mushrooms boosted the immune response in young adults. They have the potential to keep your immune cells protected from inflammation and the signs of aging. Lentinan Lentinan is a polysaccharide extracted from the fruit body of the Shiitake. So, deep within the Shiitake mushroom is Lentinan. Lab studies show that not only is Lentinan effective at supporting a healthy immune system, but it also has cholesterol-lowering properties. Maitake Lab studies show that this nutrient-rich wild mushroom is not only effective at supporting a healthy immune system. It can also help regulate blood pressure Support healthy blood sugar Fight off abnormal cell growth Maintain healthy inflammation… and much more! It's no wonder many cultures around the world use the magical maitake mushroom as a powerful healing tonic and medicinal food.   Reishi Nicknamed the “Mushroom of Immortality.” It's not hard to see why Reishi mushrooms have been used in natural health remedies for hundreds of years. It seems every year, science uncovers new uses for this wonder nutrient. It may be thanks to the complex compounds found in Reishi mushrooms that help regulate and support an aging immune system, reduce inflammation, and assist in healthy heart function.   Why Take 7M+? You're going to have a hard time going to the grocery store and picking out all these mushrooms and getting them into your diet. And not only that, but you can buy a lot of these different mushroom products individually, in their own capsule form, in a bottle, and pay $50 for each one in a bottle, or you can get all of these wrapped into one product, a blend of all of these mushrooms that work synergistically together. The reason why I think this product is so powerful and mushrooms are so powerful, our immune system, and we also talked a lot about the gut and the bacteria and the gut health, all of it supports our overall health, not only from the physical perspective, but our emotional perspective.   What Is the Aging Process? It's all of the functions and systems in our body slowing down, shutting down in a sense, going slower, slower, slower, slower, to the point where you're just not as healthy as you once were. But we're seeing through the research, we've talked about today in this podcast, in a previous podcast, that we actually can do things to keep ourselves healthier longer.   Supplements Jonathan Recommends Everyone Take Multi-Vita-Maxx Turmeric 3D 7M+   Resources: Empowering You Organically Podcast on Telomeres Organixx 7M+ Organixx Multi-Vita-Maxx Organixx Turmeric 3D Antioxidant properties of several specialty mushrooms Chaga Chaga mushroom extract inhibits oxidative DNA damage in human lymphocytes as assessed by comet assay Ergosterol peroxide from Chaga mushroom (Inonotus obliquus) exhibits anti-cancer activity by down-regulation of the β-catenin pathway in colorectal cancer Cordyceps Lion's Make Chemistry, Nutrition, and Health-Promoting Properties of Hericium erinaceus (Lion's Mane) Mushroom Fruiting Bodies and Mycelia and Their Bioactive Compoundsh Gastroprotective Effects of Lion's Mane Mushroom Hericium erinaceus (Bull.:Fr.) Pers. (Aphyllophoromycetideae) Extract against Ethanol-Induced Ulcer in Rats Turkey Tail FDA Approves Bastyr Turkey Tail Trial for Cancer Patients Medicinal Mushrooms (PDQ®) Shiitake Consuming Lentinula edodes (Shiitake) Mushrooms Daily Improves Human Immunity: A Randomized Dietary Intervention in Healthy Young Adults. Effects of shiitake (Lentinus edodes) extract on human neutrophils and the U937 monocytic cell line. Lentinan Gordon M, Guralnik M, Kaneko Y, et al. A phase II controlled study of a combination of the immune modulator, lentinan, with didanosine (ddI) in HIV patients with CD4 cells of 200-500/mm3. Combination therapy with lentinan improves outcomes in patients with esophageal carcinoma. Reishi Ganoderma lucidum ("Lingzhi"), a Chinese medicinal mushroom: biomarker responses in a controlled human supplementation study. Randomized clinical trial of an ethanol extract of Ganoderma lucidum in men with lower urinary tract symptoms. Study of potential cardioprotective effects of Ganoderma lucidum (Lingzhi): results of a controlled human intervention trial. Maitake Anti-diabetic activity present in the fruit body of Grifola frondosa (Maitake). I. 11 Surprising Health Benefits of Mushrooms Chaga Mushroom Benefits: Top 10 Things You Need to Know About Chaga Reishi Mushroom Health Benefits: 11 Reasons to Love Lingzhi

What's hot today might be out of the zeitgeist tomorrow. Are people still doing goat yoga? Are skinny jeans really the new mom jeans? There are so many trends to keep track of and so many “next big things,” it's impossible to know what's real and what's just a passing fad. For a business, it's important to understand the distinction, and it's even more important to have products that will thrive regardless of the different cycles your industry will run through. Lopa van der Mersch says she has that kind of product with her company, Rasa, which makes a coffee alternative with adaptogen blends. Lopa has a fascinating story, including inadvertently entering into a cult, navigating tricky co-founder relationships, and building up a business to more than $2M in revenue all from her garage.On this episode of Up Next in Commerce, Lopa explains why she believes that her product will be a game-changer regardless of societal trends, and she breaks down how to spot something phony or bad for you, whether it's in a product or even in a partner or personal relationship. Enjoy this episode! Main Takeaways:Finding the Right Match: When partnering with a co-founder, especially one who is a close friend, some things you should consider are their skills and their ability to resolve conflicts. Ask yourself would you hire this person to do this job if they were not your friend? And think back to how you have handled conflicts with each other in the past. If you are comfortable with the answers to those questions, you can feel more confident in that person as a partner.Culture Shock: Growth in any industry is related to what is happening in common culture. When something is trending, a corresponding industry will rise. Today's society is focused on health and wellness more than in the past, so companies that deal with products in that space are on the rise. But to stay solvent even when the trends change, companies need to ensure that they have products that are worth something and add to a person's life regardless of whether it's trendy or not.Let It Come, But Also Go After It: Striking the right balance between organic growth and focusing energy and money into specific channels is difficult. The key is to make sure that you are diversifying your efforts wherever you choose to try to gain attention. Play with the levers of what's working in one area, but continue to invest elsewhere so that when one thing begins to fail, you have other options. For an in-depth look at this episode, check out the full transcript below. Quotes have been edited for clarity and length.---Up Next in Commerce is brought to you by Salesforce Commerce Cloud. Respond quickly to changing customer needs with flexible Ecommerce connected to marketing, sales, and service. Deliver intelligent commerce experiences your customers can trust, across every channel. Together, we're ready for what's next in commerce. Learn more at salesforce.com/commerce---Stephanie:Hey everyone. And welcome back to Up Next In Commerce. This is your host, Stephanie Postles, CEO at Mission.org. Today on the show, we have Lopa van der Mersch who currently serves as the founder and CEO of Rasa. Lopa, welcome.Lopa:Hi, great to be here. Thanks for having me.Stephanie:I am very excited to have you on. So your history as we talked about before the show started is very intriguing and I think our guests would love to kind of start there and hear a bit about your background, childhood, all of the things about Lopa.Lopa:All right. Well, let's see how long we have. So it's all a question of where do I start, right? I mean where do we plug in? But I will say I think a good place to plug is around when I was 16, I first heard the word enlightenment, I don't even remember in what context and I was like, that. I want that, whatever that is. And I started reading spiritual books on Taoism and Buddhism and I went from being this incredibly miserable teenager, like the most, like special. I know like everybody's miserable as a teenager, but I was extra. I'm extra about everything. And then I kind of went through this awakening process as I discovered this other dimension to life and I was just hungry and I was positive and I saw beauty everywhere and it was great.Lopa:I started getting into yoga and I kept on finding myself wanting a deeper and deeper relationship with a teacher. And then I did find a guru, like a real guru from a lineage in India and studied with him for a long time and learned a tremendous amount. Spirituality was a huge focus of my life. I've probably done six months of retreats over the years. And for a while three to four hours of meditation practice a day and I was hardcore. And at some point in there, I started to sort of question the navel gazing nature of it all and was like, what else can I give to the world? And what else can I bring to the world? And through serendipity in many ways, I found a job in the bio char industry.Lopa:And for those who aren't familiar, bio char is short for biological charcoal. It's charcoal that you add to soil to both sequester carbon and improve soil quality. And I helped co-found two businesses there. I worked for Richard Branson's Carbon War Room while I was there. I spoke at TEDx. It was like I was in the right place at the right time in an industry that was really growing specifically for its focus on being a potential solution for climate change. And then after, I don't know, five years of eating, breathing, sleeping, sweating bio char, and then practicing and doing retreats when I could and all of that, I left that context and went on and around the world trip with my now husband and just at the very end of that trip, we inadvertently as always happens, got into a cult. And no one knows you're getting into a cult when you're getting into a cult. Nobody's like-Stephanie:Okay, how do I even know if I'm not in one right now then?Lopa:It's a great question. So there's sort of two distinctions of cults. We are all in a certain cult in terms of modern society, in terms of our involvement with media and the way that it shapes the way that we think. All of that could be considered a cult. And depending on how you look or who you talk to, that could be seen as a benign cult or a destructive cult. Many religions are benign cults. But in this context we were in what could be considered a destructive cult or another framing that they use in cult academia is high demand group. And so one of the ways that you can assess if am I in a cult kind of situation, how much demand is there for your time, for your attention, for your devotion, for your money? And in this context, we were pretty much 100% of our time was focused on this cult. My husband was working at the time and found it incredibly hard to maintain his job and all of his duties in the cult context.Stephanie:How did you inadvertently get into it? Did you meet one person and they're like there's this cool thing, it kind of sounds like this, and it's just like a community of just like besties. And then you get in there and it just turns into more and more and more work, or what does that look like?Lopa:Yeah. Yeah, it's always gradations. So we met somebody and she was talking about her experiences with this woman. And often people don't think of women as having that, but it usually there's some kind of narcissistic component to any cult dynamic. Not necessarily though. And I will also say too, just because I think it's important to understand, you can be in a cult of two and another way to look at that is an abusive relationship. So that would be considered like the smallest size of a cult and then bigger ones are what we normally think of when we think of cults. So if you're in a relationship and you're like am I in a cult of two, look at how much demand is on your time and how much are they trying to limit the world around you?Lopa:So yeah, we met this woman, she was telling me about her experiences and they were amazing and mystical and psychedelic in many ways. And I was like, all right, this sounds like what I want. Yeah. I want that magic. I want that other worldliness. And so we went to go see her and she's a very powerful, very charismatic woman and there's real great spiritual teachings in there too. Nobody joins a cult just because they're like, oh, I want to get abused. That sounds great. There's something that draws them in. And usually it's a trauma bond that keeps people in because there's like, oh, today it's a little bit of love and tomorrow I'm going to humiliate you and today, you're the best thing ever. And tomorrow I'm going to question every aspect of your sense of self.Lopa:So it started as this charismatic, interesting, powerful woman who had a lot of energy. I did have psychedelic experiences around her. Cool. That's fun. Without any drugs and it's the context there. And there are some things that I probably should have been like um, she gravels and hisses and speaks in tongues and stuff.Stephanie:A little off putting.Lopa:Yeah, yeah. But I was like, well, everybody around her kind of did it. And so that normalized it and was like, oh, well maybe I just don't get it. And maybe okay, if I start doing that, then I'll be more spiritual too. And all that kind of stuff. And with almost any cult or context, it gets more and more insane literally. It's like an onion. The outer layers and people who just come to a class here and there, they might be like, she's amazing. What are you even talking about? This is not a cult.Lopa:And then as you get deeper and deeper in and closer into that kind of inner circle, that's where things like some of her like... Sorry, I'll go back and say for the first six months or so, it was like bliss. It was amazing. It was just awesome. And I felt so seen and so loved and all of that. And then after some time is when, and in spiritual contexts, you're trying in some way to break your ego down. And so the eco breaking down a scene in this context of like, well, I need this and so I'm being humbled.Stephanie:Yeah, you need that abuse and ripping apart every piece of need because I [inaudible] and I need to be separate from that.Lopa:Exactly. Exactly. So this is part of the growth and I just have to sustain it and all of that, and it can be tricky to assess if that is real, is it really actually good? And you do need to be cut down in some ways or we all have times in our lives where somebody gives us a reflection that we really don't like but we really fricking need. And that can really hurt to let it in. I think a prime present tense example is people beginning to see the embedded racism in their system for white people and I think that's a reflection that none of us really want to hold, but we have to. It's important to hold and that's a big ego, like we have to let the knife go in on that one, for example.Lopa:But then in these more kind of abusive context, it's like you have to look very closely at what is this person's motive? Do they really feel like it's coming from I am actually trying to help you in some way. And she always said that she was and this was all for us and all for love and all of that. And when it came down to it, some of the things that really kind of set us off towards the end was just realizing how incredibly unhumble she was and how unwilling to receive feedback or any kind of bi-directional. She gives a lot of feedback in our direction. And then we're like, are you kind of sitting on a pedestal and then freaks out. And so those were some of our cues. And sometimes it is, you find just this tiny little cue, and then that's the thread that lets it all kind of break down and then you realize, whoa, wait a second, what are we doing? Where are we? Why are we prioritizing every minute of our lives around this person?Stephanie:Wow. Can you get out? Because I always hear when you're in-Lopa:It's hard.Stephanie:It's hard to get out. So what does it look like you trying to get out of that?Lopa:Yeah. I mean, it's different for every person. For us, it was an outside reflection from somebody who was a relative stranger who brought up. He was like, I'm sure she's a really beautiful person, but I see some red flags and I'm just a little bit concerned and then gave some examples of other teachers who were very humble. And I don't know if he specifically chose these teachers because they're very humble or what, but it was a strange experience. My husband and I were both on the phone with him at the time. When we got off the phone, it literally felt like a bubble popped.Stephanie:Wow.Lopa:We were, wow. Okay, something changed. And we felt kind of naked and exposed. And then we were like oh, we just need to give her some feedback. She's kind of lost her humility and she's like, I am that, I am everything. And so we just need to sort of remind her of her humanity a little bit, right, because we're all humans. And there was a process of, we gave that piece of feedback and then over the next three weeks, there were 3000 emails sent between the group. I went back and looked at my gmail and it was like 3006 or something, crazy. 3006 or something absurd. I'm trying to [inaudible] language out of my vocabulary. And my husband really saw it quickly and was out and for me, it took a little bit more time where I was kind of questioning myself, oh, maybe she is the real deal and I just can't take it and all of that.Lopa:And therapy was a really big part of the healing and the reconciliation and finding my core sense of self again, which got adjusted over the course of this whole time. It was like, somebody questions your motive once and you're like, oh no, that's not where I'm coming from. And then they do it again and you're like, what do you mean? And then they keep doing it and keep doing it. And you move a little bit off of your center over and over because you start to question yourself, well, maybe I am this kind of showy person and you start to believe that. And that's gaslighting and that's how that happens. So for me, it was a process of kind of reexamining all of my beliefs and all of the dogmas that I'd picked up in the course of my life and all of these different things to get back to kind of what feels like a core solid sense of self and a lot of therapy.Stephanie:Wow. That's intense. Okay. So you get out of this cult and then what happens after that?Lopa:Yes. Well that year was a doozy. I now call it my own personal 2020. Now that we've had 2020, I'm like, oh, that was my 2015 because yeah, I left the cult, 3000 emails, I had an emergency back surgery while I was pregnant, I moved across the country a week later, lost a family member, had an emergency cesarean birth that was traumatic, I had a huge falling out with my family. I was fried. And so Rasa actually really came out of necessity. Necessity is the mother of invention. I was fried and I was like, I need something to help me keep going because now I had a baby waking me up, really precious little munchkin. And I tried coffee. I've never been a big coffee drinker because it's a little too much for my system. I tried coffee and was like, whoa, okay, irritability, jitters, panic attacks, sleep is even more messed up. No. This is a hard no.Lopa:And so I looked at all the coffee alternatives out there and tried them all. And I was like, really? This is it? Come on, we can do better, right? And I've been a big herb person, just an enthusiast. I love herbs. I've always had lots of jars of herbs in my kitchen and stuff like that. And I was like, can't we just put a bunch of really good herbs in there? And then I started to really think about here, looking at coffee in this coffee cup that people just don't even really question, this ritual of drinking coffee, it's even built into so many aspects of our culture in terms of don't talk to me until I've had my second cup of coffee kind of stuff.Stephanie:Community stuff like let's meet up for coffee.Lopa:Yes, totally, totally. People talking about how coffee is their personality. And I started being like, wow, this is something that people often actually used to override their body signals. So like their body's like, I'm tired. The answer is not rest or downshift a little bit or maybe I need a little time in nature or anything like that. The answer is often coffee.Stephanie:Yeah.Lopa:Coffee is the tool of a society that does not give two shits about anything except for your productivity in a way. And we buy into that and we do that. And I say this also in the context of not saying that I'm sure a lot of people listening, entrepreneurs, people out there in the world are like, no, you do not blah, blah, blah, my cup of coffee. I understand that. I really get it. It's not that coffee is bad or coffee is the devil. It's about how you're relating to it. Just like how you're relating to anything. Like a glass of wine with dinner is not a bad thing. It's a beverage, but if you have a real dependency on that, and that is something that you really need and you have two or three or four, it's all about right relationship fundamentally. So yeah, I started looking at that and I was like, wow, everybody's just drinking coffee, coffee jacks up your central nervous system. It causes a cortisol flood from your adrenals.Lopa:So it's literally triggering a stress response which is part of why you feel so amazing. And because the cortisol is there to help you be able to beat the tiger or run away from the tiger or whatever. And I was like, wow, that doesn't necessarily put us into our best selves. When I am revved up, I'm not necessarily kind of grounded in my best decision-making, my cognitive executive function is not operating from that wide spacious perspective. And so I was like, all right, what if we, and then there was this other kind of aha about coffee is also one of the few accepted bitter tastes in our culture.Lopa:We don't tend to love bitter in our society, but coffee is super bitter. And so as chocolate is the other one. And I was like, so there's a bunch of amazing herbs out there. Some of them taste kind of like crap, but if you stick them into this like rich, robust cup and with other things that are kind of masking the taste, you can actually get people to drink something that's going to be incredibly healthy for them every single day and is actually going to help them regulate their stress response.Lopa:And so that's where at that point, I started working with a herbalist. I love herbs and there's a bit of a trend out there of people just being like, oh, there's all these trendy things out there, let's just go ahead and throw them into a bag and sell them. And herbalism is a very, very long standing tradition. That's the original medicine, the people's medicine and there's a lot of science in there too. And so I think it's really important. It's very different to have a herbalist formulated product versus trendy things in a bag products. And so I worked with a herbalist and they actually did the formula. And so that was five years ago. We were kind of in beta for roughly two years. And then we hard launched in April of 2018 and now I am founder and CEO of a 20-person business and things are going great.Stephanie:Wow. That's amazing. So when thinking about formulating the product, did you go into it already knowing I want to have for sure these things in it, or did you really just relinquish control and just say, you tell me, here's maybe the benefits that I want to see or I want it to taste maybe a little bit bitter or not at all? How did that relationship go about?Lopa:With that original relationships, so that was my original co-founder, who was a very, very dear friend and now has a royalty on her formula and we bought her out. We didn't bring out the best in each other in a business context. So that's really good, if you're going to start a business with a close friend, you really want to look at them from the angle of would I hire this person to do these things? And have I ever gotten into significant conflict with this person and how did we do? And because as soon as you're dealing with money, it becomes almost like a marriage, it's way intense. And just our friction didn't quite work, but so she had these herbs that she was already working with. Lopa:And I made suggestions, I was like, I think we should add this. And I think none of them ended up in the final formula, but I was like, it needs to taste good. It needs to be really functional. It needs to have an energy component. It doesn't have to match coffee because coffee, I think is an unsustainable energy spike. But it does need to give people some kind of lift and I wanted it to be gluten-free, have no natural flavors, anything like that. So it's just herbs. And she went to town, we now have a herbalist on staff who is a clinical herbalist and he has reformulated that same formulation probably 40 times or something. And some of that is we've done some major reformulations to just continue to improve the taste and continue to improve the functionality. And then sometimes there's like, oh, this herb has a sustainability consideration and so we're going to swap that out and, oh, we're going to change it to a different source.Lopa:And then that source has a different taste. And now we have to adjust everything. But we actually taste every single batch of herbs and reformulate every single time based on the strength of the harvest of the herbs because you're always adjusting for climate and things that are totally out of our control and we want to have a consistent taste.Stephanie:Yeah. I love that. So the one thing I want to talk about too, and understand more is the industry as a whole around adaptogens because I feel like that word now it seems like it's on every product. And sometimes I'm like, well, how do I know what an adaptogen is? Is it real? Is it not? Because it seems like a trendy thing. And how did you think about that when entering into this industry?Lopa:Yes. Oh man, don't get me started. So first, how do you know what an adaptogen is? And is it real? So these are herbs that have been used for thousands of years in traditional context, in [inaudible], in Chinese medicine. And then in the 1940s, a Russian scientist named Nicola Lazaroff, there we go, thank you. He was basically tasked with giving Russian super soldiers and athletes an edge without a crash. And so he went to work studying all sorts of substances, including herbs and fell on these types of herbs, and he was like, oh, wait a second. This does give them the edge. They can go longer, harder, faster, more, and then they don't have a crash after the fact which is what happens with stimulants. And that's the issue with coffee is you get that crash in the afternoon because it's a kind of an unsustainable lift.Lopa:And so he initially started working with eleuthero which was the original adaptogen. And there are over 3000 studies on eleuthero, it's one of the most studied herbs and all through his research. And that term was coined, I believe, in the early 1950s. And so in order to be called an adaptogen, a herb needs to, we call it the four Ns, it needs to have a normalizing effect on the body. So it helps balance, helps you find homeostasis against environmental, physical, emotional, mental factors, all kinds of stress. It needs to be non-toxic in normal therapeutic doses. So it has to be basically safe. It's not going to, basically safe for most people. It needs to be nonspecific in terms of, there are many herbs where this herb is very good for the liver or this herb is very good for the blood.Lopa:These are herbs that work systemically and holistically in the whole body. And then that relates specifically to number four which is neuro-endocrine. It needs to have an impact on your neuroendocrine system which is your nervous system and your endocrine system coming together. And both of those, I want to go a little bit into the science, but so you have two main pathways that your body uses to communicate that you're under stress which is your hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis and your sympathoadrenal system, hypothalamus pituitary adrenal axis is HPA. And the HPA axis is how your hormones tell your adrenals that there's a stress issue. And then your SAS is neuro-transmitters. And these herbs strengthened those two systems, literally like exercise. So they say that it mimics stress. But it's actually in a good way.Lopa:It's a eustressor. So it's actually like exercise is stressful for our bodies but it's in a good way, because we're getting stronger, we're getting more resilience, all of that, we're getting more flexible. And so adaptogens are literally doing that to your body's stress response system. So they have to have that neuro-endocrine impact as well. And this is also really interesting, just seeing adaptogens trending so much, many companies out there, I think, do not understand that there is a scientific criteria. It's not a marketing term. And there's actually a pretty small class of herbs that are scientifically substantiated as being adaptogens.Stephanie:Yeah, I was going to ask like how many are out there that have that claim against them?Lopa:Yeah. So it depends on who you talk to and who you look at. And we're actually working on coming out with a whole here is the definitive adaptogen guide. Here's what actually has the scientific backing. Here's why we chose these particular herbs based on these scientists and based on what we know and here's the list and here's what gets adaptogen washed. And this is a term that we've coined adaptogen washing where somebody calls something an adaptogens and it's not. So there's about, I think it's 39. And that number is changing based on the science. Sometimes they'll do a few more research studies and be like, oh, actually this one drops off the list or they do a few more research and they're like, okay, this one's definitely on the list. But depending on which scientist you talk to, there's either nine or 12 definitive adaptogens and then roughly 20 to 25 other probable adaptogens or secondary adaptogens.Lopa:And to be generous to the industry, we call anything that is probable, possible, secondary or primary an adaptogen. But many things that we see get mislabeled as adaptogens out there are Chaga is not an adaptogen, lion's mane, all the functional mushrooms, people are like, functional mushrooms are adaptogens. Nope, there's just two. And that is cordyceps and Lingzhi.Stephanie:I love Lingzhi.Lopa:Yeah, turmeric is not an adaptogen. Actually there is one other mushroom that's very little known called [inaudible], I think. But yeah, Chaga is not an adaptogen, lion's mane, turmeric. I've heard Matcha be called an adaptogen, [inaudible]. People just kind of throw it on anything. And this is an interesting case of an industry growing because we're overstressed as a culture. And this was going back to one of your questions about did we know what we wanted to put in that cup? And were we aware of that? We want to put the best stuff ever in a cup and adaptogens are the best stuff ever especially as a superior way to stimulate yourself that's more sustainable. And I believe that they're trending because people need them. That's what's happening right now. And there's a pretty uneducated consumer base.Lopa:And so there's a lot of knowledge to understand. And adaptogens tend to grow in really extreme environments which is why they're expensive. They grow on the tops of mountains, in desert, in these kinds of contexts. And it can be hard to actually get a full harvest out of them in the same way as like you could for other herbs.Stephanie:There's definitely a lot of education needed around this space. And it seems like so many new things are popping up. I mean, I was just at brunch the other day where my friends were talking about Ayurvedic diets and oils to use. And I mean, it was so much, I probably was like oh my gosh, I don't even know how to consume all the things you're telling me because it feels like everything I'm doing, I just never knew about any of this. Well, the same thing with adaptogens and understanding what that is. And there's a whole revolution, I think, of this new kind of nutrition and dieting and way of thinking that is going to take some time to educate the consumers on what that actually is and who's a phony and who's real and what's an actual real product or not.Lopa:Yeah. And what's actually going to have an impact. It wouldn't be such a problem, I think to have adaptogen washing if it didn't like also devalue the herb itself. And to another point, if I gave you something and was like, this has CBD and it doesn't have CBD, you'd be like, what the heck? And some people do call CBD an adaptogen, it's not, and that doesn't make those herbs any less amazing. Just don't mislabel them.Stephanie:Yeah, just use the right words.Lopa:Yeah.Stephanie:So yeah. I completely agree. So when you're starting this company, a lot of founders start out and they're really excited. And then sometimes they're kind of like how's this going? Is this my thing? Get a little distracted, and I want to kind of hear how your journey went with getting really excited about this, knowing you had a solution to something, what did that look like after you had landed on, I want to start this company? Was there any hesitation ever or wondering is this even my thing?Lopa:Yeah. Yeah. I think that's pretty normal. I hope to normalize that for people like, I've definitely had entrepreneurs come to me and be like, I'm not sure if I want to do this anymore and I'm like, that's okay. You'll have those days. It's really hard to create something. And yeah, I mean, my trajectory, let's see, that first two years there was a lot, well, the co-founder conflict really kind of clouded, yeah, my situation for a little bit. And so I was like, well, maybe I should do something else. And maybe I should focus on other things. And I just kind of kept coming back to this and I just kept being like, this is a good idea and I feel like it needs to happen. And I couldn't believe that there wasn't something like this out there. And then, I mean, it's been stressful.Lopa:It is a lot of work and learning how to run a business while running a business is hard. If I were to do this all again, I'd be like, oh, wow, this is going to be a lot easier going forward. I've been the co-founder in a few businesses, but it's very, very different to be actually at the helm. And the buck stops at you kind of thing. And yeah, work-life balance has been tricky. I have two kids now. I actually hard launched Rasa when my second son was four weeks old. Tough planning. It didn't quite go to plan as I'd hoped. And there's definitely a sense of the business would take as much energy as I would possibly give it. My kids would take as much energy as I would possibly give them. And so there's this feeling of, it's never quite enough.Stephanie:The mom guilt. The mom guilt is so real. I feel that [inaudible], yeah, I'm in the house recording. My three kids are usually on the other side of the door and I'll just be like should I be out there with them and having to be like, no, boundaries. Most people, well, not now, but used to go to an office and be away and that's okay. You got work to do. And yeah, work-life balance is definitely a struggle especially working at home now in the same presence as kids and family members and pets and all of that.Lopa:Yeah. We actually originally made the Rasa headquarters out of our garage so that I could be closer to my kids. I just wanted to be able to breastfeed for a bit, put the baby down to a nap, come back. And so we were in my garage until last September. It worked great for that time. And I was like, well, we're running a $2 million business out of my garage. This is solid, it's a small garage. It's not like a big old thing. But it was my garage. We had a storage unit in the back. We had a shipping container in our driveway. We had a shed, it was in all of our basements, pretty much every room had something Rasa-related. And so I was like, all right, we got to get out of here.Stephanie:Yeah. Your neighbors are like, what's this girl doing over there?Lopa:I know. They were like, this zoning. It was not up to code, but we're out now. So forgiveness rather than permission.Stephanie:Yeah, yeah, I agree. So I want to talk a bit about Amazon too because I saw that you were part of the Launchpad program, what do you call it? And I haven't had anyone on the show at least that I know of who's been a part of that. So I want to hear about your experience being on that and spreading the word about Rasa and getting in front of new customers and just being on Amazon in general.Lopa:Yeah. I mean, Amazon in general, Amazon has been a really solid channel for us, which is part of why we went with the Launchpad program. It's been just very consistent. The growth has been pretty steady and predictable. The customers there have been great too. We have some really consistent customer retention on Amazon which I think is not what we really expected. We have a lot of subscribers there. And so we were on the Launchpad program for about a year. We actually are just in the process of pulling out of it. They do take a 5% cut and basically, I think if you have somebody on the team who's really managing it closely and is really taking advantage of every single opportunity that they have, I think it's probably a really good program. We did not have that.Stephanie:What are the opportunities that they provide within that program?Lopa:Yeah, there's a lot of promotional potential. Some of those come with additional revenue cut. Some of those just require additional marketing planning and that sort of thing. And I'll say we have tended to... We actually for about the last year have really under indexed on Amazon. I think we could have autopiloted it. And we were like, oh, well Launchpad will be good and blah, blah, blah. So we may actually go back to the Launchpad program once we have our Amazon growth strategy a little bit more, but a lot of promotional opportunities, get on the front page. You get chances to do extra deals. They have the lightning deals and I don't manage the Amazon super closely. So our Amazon guy could tell you a little bit more, but yeah, a lot of emails came through where I was like, huh, we should probably do that, but we don't really have time. We don't really have the marketing bandwidth.Lopa:And I think now I look back and we're like, well, we want that 5% margin back. We can put that into ad spend. And I think that that's going to be a better use of that capital at this time. And if we had actually been taking advantage of all those emails that came through, you can get a dedicated account manager who will help audit your ad spend and all that stuff. If we were doing that, I think it would have been a great program for us. And it was positive, we've seen growth, but not quite enough to warrant 5% on every bag.Stephanie:Yeah. Yeah. That's quite a hefty margin to take out. For them to do-Lopa:On top of their original 30%, yeah.Stephanie:Ooh, that's a lot. So you pulled back to focus more on ad spend. I mean, what kind of channels were you relying on to get the word out? Because even though it is a big trend around this industry, I still feel like it's pretty niche to get in front of the right people who understand it and are ready to buy around this. I think it might be a little harder of a sell to get in front of someone who has to do the research like me to be like, well, what is an adaptogen? Is a good for me? And how did you go about finding the right people in the platform that'll work for you?Lopa:Yeah, well, we're really going after the coffee market and adaptogens are the way that we're doing that. So adaptogens right now, it's a $25 billion industry, but most of that's in Asia and because they have a cultural context around using these herbs in daily life that we just don't have. And so we are actually bringing a cultural context for these herbs through the coffee ritual and coffees is a $465 billion market. So we like that TAM a lot better. So that said, most of our customers are actually coming to us for a coffee alternative and then they're like, oh, it actually supplies all these benefits as well. And I think that's one of the things that we've been kind of working on and finding our positioning and our messaging in terms of yes, it's a beverage and it's delicious and it's intended to replace entirely or replace partially your coffee ritual.Lopa:But then it also has all these ancillary benefits, not ancillary. I mean, we get incredible customer reviews that say that it's just life changing. And so I think there's a way, and I think that's part of why we get an amazing long tail retention on our customers because we're delivering on more than they expected in terms of the impact. But most of our customers, we've been pretty heavily focused on Facebook. That's been our major scaling channel and that's a really interesting context right now because the iOS 14 change. And I think also with the pandemic ending, the buying patterns ending we hope, the buying patterns are shifting a bit as well. And so people are going back to their third spaces. They're going back out in the world a bit more.Lopa:And CACs are only going up. They're not coming down ever. So we sort of had a little... Facebook's been amazing for us. And I have had this little bug in the back of my head for like two years where I've been like we can't put all our eggs in this basket. We had one ad that, I mean, I think this one particular ad had done a million dollars in revenue for us or something. And it was based on something, it was a relevancy score. So in Facebook, they were categorizing by relevancy and it had a 10 out of 10 relevancy and we were like we could just dump money into it and it would just keep returning money. And it was amazing. And then they dropped the relevancy score as a factor all in their algorithm. And it was like our cash cow has died. It just suddenly, because the way the algorithm was prioritizing, it just didn't deliver in the same way. And we were like, wow, we're at the helm or we're at the whim of something that we have very little control over.Lopa:And so we're starting a little bit of a channel diversification strategy just to have a little bit more health in terms of what we're doing in the business.Stephanie:So many companies start out that way that I can think of and I think it's perfectly okay to rely on one channel. I mean, I've talked to a couple where they're like in chat within Instagram DMs, or Facebook chat, that's where our company's at. And I mean, we kind of went through that at mission too. We were very reliant on media and we became the top on there. That was where our business model was headed until one day they made a few changes and we're like, whoa, that just disrupted our entire business. Why are we relying on someone else's platform? We need to get off here and diversify. What kind of channels are you trying out now? And how did that make you rethink, relying on any platform in general?Lopa:Yeah, I mean, that's the thing. If you're diversified, then you have a little bit of a hedge. And so if something changes, you're like, cool, we're going to just flex the lever a little bit more over here. So we've been very under-indexed on B2B wholesale in general. We've never had a salesperson and we just considered it part of customer care. And if somebody came to us and was like, we'd like to order for our store, we'd be great. And that was kind of it. And so now just knowing that you can really scale a business that way, too. We're going to be investing in that a bit more. So we're in like, I don't know something like 600 retail stores at this point and-Lopa:So yeah, wholesale, actually investing in growth on Amazon, PR is something that we've also done almost none of. So actually working to in-house PR, I have come to kind of think of PR agencies as black holes where money goes to die. So I'm really keen on in-housing it. And influencers is also something that we've been very under-indexed on, just haven't put anything towards and it's all been organic, which is great. And we've had a lot of organic movement in all these things, but there's a difference between letting it come to you versus like, okay, now we're going to really focus on this. And then we have some international opportunities opening up as well.Stephanie:Cool. That's amazing. All right. So I know we're getting short on time and I do want to talk about crowdfunding and I know you mentioned you were very excited about that. So I want to dive into why are you guys crowdfunding? Why do you choose that approach? And you also mentioned innovative marketing ideas around that so. I want to hear all the things.Lopa:Yes. Yes. So DTC has allowed this new level of customer relationships and we have a lot of intimacy all across our communications and people always tell us they feel like they're talking to a friend instead of a company. And we love that and incredible brand love as well. And we feel like the logical next step of that is becoming crowdfunded or community-owned. And we've had lots of investors come and knock on our door and be very interested in what we've done and what we've been able to build, bootstrapped especially for a CPG business. And the thing that just kind of keeps coming up and especially for VCs, VCs are very extractive capital. And we actually talk about it internally. Like VCs are the coffee of money.Lopa:Coffee is an extractive energy source for your body. VCs are an energy extractive source of money for your business. And we do a lot of things differently. In our business, our culture is, I think pretty remarkable. We're doing a lot around sustainability. There's a lot of things where we're prioritizing a triple bottom line instead of a bottom line, just the bottom line. And we get nervous about the idea of getting into a relationship with somebody who's like, well, yeah, you can't treat your employees that way and you can't do this and that.Stephanie:You've got to return the fund to be worth it to me.Lopa:Exactly. Exactly. And we know that our customers love the way that we do things and want us to be more and more that way. So we're very excited about that and they just changed the regulations so that you can raise 5 million via crowdfunding instead of just one per year. And so we're very excited about, we're going to be hopefully one of the first to actually close a $5 million round crowdfunding. And some of it, we've just realized like damn, these businesses can be real capital intensive. And we're trying to do this with capital constraints which means people constraints and bandwidth constraints. And then we're trying to do a very high integrity product with a lot of value in the product and compostable packaging and just fair trade as much as we can all across the business and treating our employees really well.Lopa:And all of these different things that just does cost money, cost more. And then we're like, well, we want to grow as well. We want to invest in growth. So we've been basically break even except for investment in growth for a while. And we were like, if we had more capital to invest in growth, we know that the business is financially sustainable and really solid. And so if we just can get that growth capital and so that's basically why we're doing it. And when you're building a brand that people love, going into some of our marketing strategies around this, when you're building a brand that people really love, and then they're also becoming owners of that brand, I think there's a big question about what's secret, and what's not secret.Lopa:And there's a lot of secrecy in the CPG world and in business in general. And we are seeing that the more transparent we are, the more our customers just eat it up. And they love the behind the scenes about the business. And they love just knowing about why we made a certain change in our packaging and stuff like that. That's where we get the most responses. It's kind of crazy. And so we are shifting towards being more and more open about margins, our run rate and including people in these details allows them to be included in this incredible journey of launching this product. And so we're going to be doing a lot more around this. We're kind of working on building the internal content engine to be able to just be a more and more transparent and share more and more about what it takes to do this and the hard decisions and the hard moments where I'm like, oh my God, my kids and this and the business and all that stuff.Lopa:But our customer reviews are incredible, so incredible. We have to be editing them for the FDA. We've had people say that they had a Rasa baby, it's made them more patient with their partners and their kids and all that. And that's why we got into plant medicine. We knew the power of these things. And so I think crowdfunding is a way of getting people invested in the business and having the business actually be like herbs were originally the medicine for the people and now it's going to be a business about herbs for the people as well. And so it just feels like it's really perfectly aligned.Stephanie:I love that. I mean, I think the idea too around transparency, not only does that give your customers things to look at and engage with you, but I think it also invites help too. If someone sees oh, your margins are around this. Let me come in and help you because I think maybe in the CPG industry, maybe they should be around here. I've got this idea around logistics that might help you enhance that. So I think the more you share, the more other people might come in and be able to actually help and want to lift everyone up in the process.Lopa:Yeah. Absolutely. Absolutely. And I think in the industry, that is really valuable. Sometimes there's always a question of how much feedback you get from where. And sometimes you're like, wow, that's a lot of people that want to help and I don't really know what they're doing.Lopa:But I mean, that said, we listen to every piece of feedback too. And I think going back to the cult conversation a little bit, when you get feedback that you don't like, you have to look at it and say like, okay, if 1% of this is true, what part would be true? And then look at that. And that's one of the nice things too about DTC is that we have been able to actually iterate our products very quickly based on customer feedback. And I think having more transparency also means that we're going to be able to crowdsource product ideas and reformulate things to match people's needs more and stuff like that which we're really excited about.Stephanie:Yeah. Yeah. Super exciting. All right. Let's do a quick lightning round. Lightning round is brought to you by Salesforce commerce cloud. This is where I ask a question and you have a minute or less to answer. Are you ready?Lopa:Yes.Stephanie:All right. What's your favorite Rasa drink to enjoy in the morning?Lopa:Super Happy Sunshine.Stephanie:Okay. Awesome. If you had a podcast, what would it be about and who would your first guest be?Lopa:It would be about cultivating energy intelligence, emotional intelligence but energy intelligence. Yeah. And my first guest is a great question. I have not even thought about that. I mean, if I could just wave a magic wand, I would actually have Brené Brown because we don't think of the way that we hold ourselves in our vulnerability as being actually kinks on our energy. And I think that her work around vulnerability and shame is actually very energy liberating.Stephanie:Yep. Yeah. I love her. What's up next on your reading list or your podcasts list?Lopa:Oh man. I have such a long list. I'm in the middle of The hard thing about hard things by Ben Horowitz. And I'm also reading a book about the ancient Indian martial arts that I practice called [inaudible] and I'm in the middle of like five books right now. Another great one, oh, just Hunt, Gather, Parent.Stephanie:Oh, I'm reading that now.Lopa:It's so good.Stephanie:So good. Yeah.Lopa:Oh my God, so good.Stephanie:It makes you-Lopa:And it's working.Stephanie:[inaudible] parenting in general like oh, why are we basing our parenting advice off? What does she say? The past 100 years or something when there's time-tested things that work for thousands of years that we can tap into and around the stress of the parenting right now is only on essentially the mom or mom and dad where we're doing the same work that used to be 15 people, grandparents, cousins, aunts, and uncles. And I'm like, there's going to be a shift though. I think it's going to start heading in that direction again.Lopa:Yeah, I think so too. And on the podcast, Fred, I'll say, I actually was looking at your list of podcasts and I was like, oh my God, I need to be listening to all of these. So well done. I love business-Stephanie:[inaudible] podcast, hey. I love that. Yeah, check them out. They're good ones. Launching new ones all the time too. And the last one, what is the best piece of advice you've ever gotten? It can be business, personal or from the cult, whatever comes to mind.Lopa:Best piece of advice I've ever gotten. Lopa:What comes up is that purpose is a red herring and that so many of us, I think in this, it may be a little bit less for your audience. But I think that this quest for what am I supposed to do and what is my purpose? And I can only really do something once I have my purpose. The advice was stop wallowing and trying to find your purpose and do something. And you will find your purpose in the process of acting. You will find the things that don't feel aligned and then you'll adjust. And so it's about help someone and help something and you'll find purpose in the process of doing.Stephanie:That's amazing advice. And that's actually perfect for our audience right now. I mean, people trying to start businesses and I mean, you probably went through this too. I know I have of, is this my thing? Am I passionate about this? Do I want to do this for the next 100 years? And I love that. Just start doing it and you will figure it out.Lopa:Yeah.Stephanie:That's perfect. All right, Lopa, well, I've loved having you on. It's been such an engaging conversation. It's really fun to hear about your life and Rasa. Where can people find out more about you and your company?Lopa:We are at wearerasa.com and we actually have a discount code for you guys. If you use the code upnext, you'll get 20% off your order. And we're also on Amazon and we're on Instagram and Facebook at We Are Rasa.Stephanie:Amazing. I'm definitely using that code. I cannot wait to try it. So thank you so much for joining us. We'll have to have you back for round two to hear how the company is going because this is such a pleasure.Lopa:I would love that. Thank you.

Anthony Basil Rodriguez is a New York-born independent photographer and filmmaker. Since childhood he has been oriented toward a range of visual worlds. As a teenager, Anthony began to carry around an old film camera that his younger brother had lying around from a school project. Eventually taking his hobby more seriously, Anthony obtained a job pushing carts in order to buy his first digital camera. One day after a thunderstorm he was discovered by a local news station knee-deep in floodwaters collecting photos of the aftermath. He spent the following three years submerged in live television, editing daily newscasts. During this time, he honed and developed a true eye and skill for editing, videography and ultimately storytelling. Since leaving the news industry Anthony has continued to push his craft, interlacing realms of photography, video and film. This work continues to bring Anthony around the world in pursuit of research and documentation of rare plants, disparate peoples and the flux of global society. One of his current projects, Growing Back to Nature, really caught my attention as it features foragers, citizen mycologists and seekers who are trying to carve out a future path based around a more holistic connection with our planet and what it is live more in tune with natural systems.   TOPICS COVERED:   Anthony Discovers a Talent for Visual Media  Breaking into Television News Production  Childhood Passion for Plants  Ethnobotanical Adventures  Bananas – The Fruit that Changed the World  Worldwide Cultural Influence of the Banana  The Jamaican Banana King  How Traveling Extensively Changes Us  “Growing Back to Nature” Docuseries  Influence of William Padilla-Brown  Wasteland Rebel and Zero Waste Lifestyle  Changes in the Art & Craft of Film in the Social Media Age  Power of Storytelling to Shape Society  Getting Our Sh** Together Could be Fun  EPISODE RESOURCES:   Anthony Rodriguez Website: https://anthonybrodriguez.com/  Anthony Rodriguez IG: https://www.instagram.com/revofthought/   Growing Back to Nature Website: https://growingbacktonature.com/  Growing Back to Nature IG: https://www.instagram.com/growingbacktonature/  "Banana: The Fate of the Fruit that Changed the World" (Book): https://www.amazon.com/Banana-Fate-Fruit-Changed-World/dp/0452290082  "Conquest of the Tropics" (Book): https://www.amazon.com/Conquest-Tropics-Creative-Enterprises-Conducted/dp/0342184768  "When the Banana was King" (Book): https://www.amazon.com/When-Banana-Was-King-Jamaican/dp/9768202238  William Padilla-Brown Website: https://www.mycosymbiotics.net/  Reishi (Mushroom): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lingzhi_(mushroom)

Coronavirus is still with us this Fall and Winter. Tune in to find out from Jonathan and TeriAnn why BOOSTING your immune system right now may not be the way to go. We help you understand your immune system; innate and adaptive, cytokine storms, and the role of beta-glucans, or a β-glucans for short, play in SUPPORTING your immunity. Which leads you into the magic of mushrooms. Here’s a hint…they aren’t just for anti-aging! “Boosting” your Immune System may be the worst thing you can do during a pandemic… The single best thing you can do for your health and the health of your loved ones is to take steps towards supporting the health of your immune system. And I chose the word “support” carefully because new research is now showing that... Immune SUPPORT is better than an immune BOOST during a pandemic! Let’s Look at The Immune System The immune system protects the body from possibly harmful substances by recognizing and responding to antigens. Antigens are substances (usually proteins) on the surface of cells, viruses, fungi, or bacteria. Nonliving substances such as toxins, chemicals, drugs, and foreign particles (such as a splinter) can also be antigens. The immune system recognizes and destroys, or tries to destroy, substances that contain antigens. Your body's cells have proteins that are antigens. These include a group of antigens called HLA antigens. Your immune system learns to see these antigens as normal and usually does not react against them. Important Distinctions of Your Immune System Innate Immune System The innate immune system is made of defenses against infection that can be activated immediately once a pathogen attacks. The innate immune system is essentially made up of barriers that aim to keep viruses, bacteria, parasites, and other foreign particles out of your body or limit their ability to spread and move throughout the body. The innate immune system includes: Physical Barriers such as skin, the gastrointestinal tract, the respiratory tract, the nasopharynx, cilia, eyelashes and other body hair. Defense Mechanisms such as secretions, mucous, bile, gastric acid, saliva, tears, and sweat. General Immune Responses such as inflammation, complement, and non-specific cellular responses. The inflammatory response actively brings immune cells to the site of an infection by increasing blood flow to the area. Complement is an immune response that marks pathogens for destruction and makes holes in the cell membrane of the pathogen. The innate immune system is always general, or nonspecific, meaning anything that is identified as foreign or non-self is a target for the innate immune response. The innate immune system is activated by the presence of antigens and their chemical properties.   The Adaptive Immune System: Precision and a long memory If the body’s first line of defense – the innate immune system – is unsuccessful in destroying the pathogens, after about four to seven days the specific adaptive immune response sets in. This means that the adaptive defense takes longer, but it targets the pathogen more accurately. Another advantage: It can remember the aggressor and acts specifically against certain antigens. If there is new contact with an antigen that is already known, the defense response can then be quicker. This way the defense responses of the adaptive immune system are more efficient and faster than those of the innate defense, if the antigen is already known. The adaptive immune system can remember the antigens because it produces memory cells. This is also the reason why there are some illnesses you can only get once in your life, because afterwards your body becomes “immune.” While after first contact with the pathogen it takes several days for the immune system to respond, a second infection often has no consequences, or at least the symptoms are weaker. The adaptive immune system has several parts that react in different ways, depending on the place in the body where the pathogen is. Antibodies are made available for germs outside the cells (in the blood and in body fluids). To eliminate pathogens that are inside the tissue, a cell-mediated immune response is necessary. These parts of the adaptive defense include: T lymphocytes B lymphocytes antibodies as soluble proteins in the blood cytokines in the blood and tissue as hormone-like messenger substance Cytokines Cytokines form a group of proteins that participate in cell signaling, intercellular communication and in many cellular and immunological functions. They are prominently involved in inflammatory responses and defense against viral infections. If the other parts act like soldiers protecting you, then cytokines are like Navy Seals, sent in for only the toughest missions.  These cytokines are small molecules in the body that are released by certain cells to help coordinate the battle against infection. So, you might be thinking “Great! How do I get more of these hard-working cytokines into my system?” And that makes sense. If they’re the best of the best for fighting illness, then you’d want more of them, right? Well, it’s not so simple and now some doctors have recently made a startling discovery… As it turns out, “boosting” cytokines during a pandemic like this might cause what some doctors call a “cytokine storm.” And this cytokine storm might be the explanation of why some people rapidly decline in a pandemic, while others are able to stay healthy. Scientifically speaking, a “cytokine storm” is when, in some cases, the body's own immune system actually overreacts to an infection.  And that’s when problems can start. While cytokines are generally a good thing for your immune system… Too many of them at once might actually cause an overreaction.  This “overreaction” could cause more damage to the body’s own cells than to the invading disease cells it's trying to fight off. Your Cellular Immunity Defense System There is one thing that almost every single medical doctor does agree on when it comes to diseases… A compromised immune system is the single biggest risk factor anyone can have. You might be wondering… How do I build the foundation of my immune system without overloading it? Fortunately, there is something you can do, and it has to do with what doctors and medical researchers call... your Cellular Immunity Defense System Cellular immunity protects the body through: T-cell mediated immunity or T-cell immunity: activating antigen-specific cytotoxic T cells that are able to induce apoptosis in body cells displaying epitopes of foreign antigen on their surface, such as virus-infected cells, cells with intracellular bacteria, and cancer cells displaying tumor antigens; Macrophage and natural killer cell action: enabling the destruction of pathogens via recognition and secretion of cytotoxic granules (for natural killer cells and phagocytosis (for macrophages); and Stimulating cells to secrete a variety of cytokines that influence the function of other cells involved in adaptive immune responses and innate immune responses. Cell-mediated immunity is directed primarily at microbes that survive in phagocytes and microbes that infect non-phagocytic cells. It is most effective in removing virus-infected cells, but also participates in defending against fungi, protozoans, cancers, and intracellular bacteria. It also plays a major role in transplant rejection THIS LITTLE-KNOWN NUTRIENT - Activates Your Cellular Immunity Defense System It’s called a beta-glucan, or a β-glucan for short. Outside of freshman chemistry class, you may never have heard of a beta-glucan.  But these β-glucans attach themselves to white blood cells and stimulate them to seek and destroy bacteria and viruses.   Your body already has natural bacteria killing cells called B cells and T cells, and dozens of research studies show that once β-glucans are in your system, they activate and strengthen these killer cells.   It’s like sending every little immunity soldier into battle with a rocket launcher packed with an unlimited supply of bacteria-seeking missiles.  And that’s not all they do…  Remember those little immunity defenders called cytokines?  We know that overloading the system with them can cause a “cytokine storm,” but striking the right balance of them can really fortify your immune system.  Well, that’s part of the magic of β-glucans...  β-glucans are what trigger natural and healthy cytokine production and those little cytokines are what spring to action in an immune response.    So, the more β-glucan you have in your body, the stronger your immune system.  AND what’s more, β-glucans naturally regulate your cytokine production, so they won’t “overload” and cause a dangerous cytokine storm.  So, you might be asking, how do I make sure my β-glucans are strong and that my system has enough of them to fight off infectious bacteria?  Well, there is one superfood that contains extremely high amounts of β-glucan.    The #1 Superfood That Fortifies Your Cellular Immunity Defense System: NUTRITIONAL MUSHROOMS - The Cutting Edge of Natural Immune System Research Just by using nutritional mushrooms regularly, researchers say you can increase your levels of β-glucans more than any other nutrient on earth. It’s like having a never-ending supply of reinforcements to send into the war against infectious diseases. Researchers have found that nutritional mushrooms contain 0.53 grams of β-glucans per 100 grams of mushrooms, which makes them far and away the most β-glucan-rich food you can find on the planet.   3 Mushrooms That Act Like “Turbo Shots” To Your Immune System  SHITAKE In a 2011 study, 52 healthy adults, aged 21 to 41, took home a 4-week supply of shiitake mushrooms. They were told to eat one 4-ounce serving of the mushroom every day.  Then after the 4 weeks were completed, they returned for some simple blood work.  Their results showed a decrease in inflammatory proteins which the researchers thought was a pretty good benefit in itself…  But then they looked a little harder at the data and saw that each patient's B cells, T cells, and natural bacteria-killing cells had all increased.  When they finally figured out what triggered this response, it was no surprise that it was all connected back to the β-glucans that came from the shiitake mushrooms they had been eating.  "If you eat a shiitake mushroom every day, you could see changes in their immune system that are beneficial," said Food Science and Human Nutrition Professor Sue Percival, who was the leader of the study.    She also said that those β-glucans were not only able to "Enhance the immune system,”  ... but “also reduce the inflammation that the immune system produces." And the benefits of shiitake don’t just stop there, because these mushrooms flood your system with other nutrients like B vitamins, vitamin D, selenium, niacin, and 7 of the 8 essential amino acids.   Plus, the enzymes packed into shiitake also make it easier for your body to absorb almost any nutrient.   Which means if you’re already taking a vitamin C or D supplement for your immune system, shiitake will actually make those supplements work better!  REISHI Known as the Mushrooms of Immortality, reishi mushrooms are packed with polysaccharides, antioxidant properties, and those crucial β-glucans that can help with immune function. As early as 206 BC there are writings about reishi mushrooms being used to help people live longer. Today’s researchers now know that they were living longer simply because their bodies were better equipped to fight off disease. Simply put, they had super strong Cellular Immunity Defense Systems.Again, it’s thanks to the high content of those powerful β-glucans! In fact, reishi mushrooms have been shown to have as much as 5.8% levels of β-glucans, higher than any other mushroom strain on earth.   MAITAKE Remember those important cytokines?  Well, we know it’s important to strike the right balance of them in your system…  So that you have enough of them to help your immune system fight off bacteria...  But not too many to cause a dangerous “cytokine storm”.  It turns out that maitake mushrooms may just be the secret to striking this delicate balance.  A 3-week study of a group of healthy young women taking Maitake mushrooms resulted in the benefits you might expect.  Similar to reishi and shiitake, they all saw improvements in their immune systems thanks to the increase in β-glucans…  But the study with maitake gave researchers some really exciting results with those cytokines  It turns out that maitake was able to trigger both stimulatory (IL-2) and suppressive (IL-10) cytokines.   That means they were able to increase the cytokines, but not past a certain level so they got out of control. But here’s where things really start to get interesting…  Maitake is not the only mushroom researchers have studied for the immune response…  While it was by far the strongest in supporting the immune defense reaction…  There was one way they were able to trigger an even bigger response…  They combined it with shiitake!  And it was that combination that was stronger than any other. MUSHROOM POTENCY CAN BE INCREASED EXPONENTIALLY WHEN THEY ARE USED TOGETHER!  Just look what happened when the research team from the National Institute of Complementary Medicine, the School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, and Integria Healthcare started mixing mushrooms together…  They started with nine varieties of whole mushroom extracts.  They tried them each individually with some pretty good results…  But then they tried mixing a few of them together, and as you’d expect, the results dramatically increased.  And when their work was done do you know which 3 of the 9 mushrooms worked best for the immune system?  You guess it - the magical trio of reishi, shiitake, and maitake.  When these 3 were combined, the lead researcher told the media that they came together to create and immune system “super-force.”  “What we found that was surprising was that the (combination) gave three to four times the impact that what we would expect,” Associate Professor Joe Tiralongo said. 7M+ by Organixx  7M+ is a breakthrough proprietary formula that ensures you’re getting the most powerful combination of those 3 crucial mushrooms packed with those β-glucans at a level no other mushroom supplement can offer. The anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of 7M+ give you what you need to help support your immune system like nothing else on the market.  And… It turns out there’s so much more that mushrooms can do for our bodies than just immune support.   That’s why Organixx added 4 other nutritional mushrooms into this formula…. CHAGA Chaga has been used for centuries primarily in the East. It's known for its immune support and soothing properties. Many traditional healers have used it as a soothing tea for a powerful and natural digestive support. It's also shown the potential to help maintain healthy blood pressure levels that are already within the normal range. Chaga also has very powerful antioxidant properties that make it a powerhouse on its own. CORDYCEPS Cordyceps mushrooms have been shown to help regulate a healthy immune system. Cordyceps were at one time so highly valued that they were only allowed to be consumed by the Emperor of China (who lived to 100+ years old and still fathered children into his 100s). Also known for the ability to support sexual health and athletic ability, cordyceps have been the most sought after nutritional mushroom in the Orient. LION'S MANE One of the more interesting mushrooms coming from the ancient east. Lion's mane is known to support brain health, support cognitive function, and aid against age-related memory loss. It also helps maintain mental focus and function, as well as promoting healthy digestive function through its powerful regulation of bacteria. TURKEY TAIL Turkey tail is considered one of the best-researched mushrooms on earth. Its benefits are just as strong as other nutritional mushrooms such as reishi, cordyceps and maitake. It contains powerful antioxidant nutrients and high levels of selenium, vitamin D, and vitamin B3, which are crucial for boosting and maintaining immunity. Fermentation INCREASES the Power of Nutritional Mushrooms Most other mushroom supplements don’t take this into consideration. They simply get a basic mushroom formula and bottle it up. That strategy does work a little better than just eating whole mushrooms… But fermentation takes it to a whole other level of potency and that’s exactly what the team at Organixx has done with 7M+ and their proprietary fermentation process. Fermentation is simply the process of breaking something down so that the highest amount of nutrients can be extracted. Research found that fermented mushrooms are, indeed, the best way to increase the levels of those powerful β-glucans. Fermentation also extracts all the healthy and beneficial other nutrients that are packed into mushrooms. This means that those nutrients can get into your system better because they’re more bioavailable. The Ingredients in 7M+ Are Certified Organic – Why That Matters to YOU! Once a nutrient like mushrooms are harvested, they are then dried and concentrated down to a very potent dose. This sounds like a good thing because you’ll get a higher dose of the nutrients, as we discussed already… But if those mushrooms were not grown organically, that means pesticides and poisons were used on them. And when they are concentrated down, you’re not only getting high amounts of nutrients…. but HIGH CONCENTRATIONS OF POISONS too! Why 7M+ for You and Your Family 7M+ is specifically formulated to give you everything you need to help support immunity and feel younger and healthier. This year, with the entire globe dealing with a health epidemic, maintaining your immune system might be something that makes all the difference. With 7M+, you get seven of the world’s finest beneficial mushrooms, jam-packed with β-glucans – nature’s powerful sickness-fighting ingredient. With the immune-supporting power of 7M+ working throughout your entire body, you can help increase your and your family’s odds of staying well even during times like this. Only two capsules a day provide you with a completely safe, 100% natural, and amazingly effective formula to support immunity… and help you live a longer and healthier life! RESOURCES 7M+ by Organixx https://shop.organixx.com/a/secure/checkout/PS9gd0VOOLThuCn8OMXV?ch-tn-box=third-box&gl=5d88ec0f02e26b5443380841 Empowering You Organically Episode 47: The Magic of Mushrooms https://organixx.com/empowering-you-organically/the-magic-of-mushrooms-episode-47/ Cytokines https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/cytokines Cytokine storm: An overreaction of the body's immune system https://www.newscientist.com/term/cytokine-storm/#ixzz6KBGrH9ZF Cytokine Storms May Be Fueling Some COVID Deaths https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/20200417/cytokine-storms-may-be-fueling-some-covid-deaths NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/797584 Into the Eye of the Cytokine Storm https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3294426/ COVID-19: consider cytokine storm syndromes and immunosuppression https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30628-0/fulltext The innate and adaptive immune systems https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279396/ Cellular Immunity https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/cellular-immunity The immune system review https://www.khanacademy.org/science/high-school-biology/hs-human-body-systems/hs-the-immune-system/a/hs-the-immune-system-review Cell-Mediated Immunity https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/cell-mediated-immunity Cell-mediated immunity https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cell-mediated_immunity Types of immune responses: Innate and adaptive, humoral vs. cell-mediated https://www.khanacademy.org/science/high-school-biology/hs-human-body-systems/hs-the-immune-system/v/types-of-immune-responses-innate-and-adaptive-humoral-vs-cell-mediated Edible Mushrooms: Improving Human Health and Promoting Quality Life https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4320875/ Determination of Glucan Contents in the Fruiting Bodies and Mycelia of Lentinula edodes Cultivars https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4206800/ Beta-glucans in edible mushrooms https://www.researchgate.net/publication/263256678_Beta-glucans_in_edible_mushrooms Shaping the Innate Immune Response by Dietary Glucans: Any Role in the Control of Cancer? https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7016572/ Consuming Lentinula edodes (Shiitake) Mushrooms Daily Improves Human Immunity: A Randomized Dietary Intervention in Healthy Young Adults. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25866155 Ganoderma lucidum (Lingzhi or Reishi) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK92757/ Immune-enhancing effects of Maitake (Grifola frondosa) and Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) extracts https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4202470/ Immune-modulating Effects of Maitake Mushroom Extract https://www.naturalmedicinejournal.com/journal/2009-12/immune-modulating-effects-maitake-mushroom-extract Synergistic immuno-modulatory activity in human macrophages of a medicinal mushroom formulation consisting of Reishi, Shiitake and Maitake https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/authors?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0224740 Researchers prove mushrooms are magic for your immune system https://thenewdaily.com.au/life/wellbeing/2019/11/08/mushroom-medicines-health-benefits/  

Coronavirus is still with us this Fall and Winter. Tune in to find out from Jonathan and TeriAnn why BOOSTING your immune system right now may not be the way to go. We help you understand your immune system; innate and adaptive, cytokine storms, and the role of beta-glucans, or a β-glucans for short, play in SUPPORTING your immunity. Which leads you into the magic of mushrooms. Here’s a hint…they aren’t just for anti-aging! “Boosting” your Immune System may be the worst thing you can do during a pandemic… The single best thing you can do for your health and the health of your loved ones is to take steps towards supporting the health of your immune system. And I chose the word “support” carefully because new research is now showing that... Immune SUPPORT is better than an immune BOOST during a pandemic! Let’s Look at The Immune System The immune system protects the body from possibly harmful substances by recognizing and responding to antigens. Antigens are substances (usually proteins) on the surface of cells, viruses, fungi, or bacteria. Nonliving substances such as toxins, chemicals, drugs, and foreign particles (such as a splinter) can also be antigens. The immune system recognizes and destroys, or tries to destroy, substances that contain antigens. Your body's cells have proteins that are antigens. These include a group of antigens called HLA antigens. Your immune system learns to see these antigens as normal and usually does not react against them. Important Distinctions of Your Immune System Innate Immune System The innate immune system is made of defenses against infection that can be activated immediately once a pathogen attacks. The innate immune system is essentially made up of barriers that aim to keep viruses, bacteria, parasites, and other foreign particles out of your body or limit their ability to spread and move throughout the body. The innate immune system includes: Physical Barriers such as skin, the gastrointestinal tract, the respiratory tract, the nasopharynx, cilia, eyelashes and other body hair. Defense Mechanisms such as secretions, mucous, bile, gastric acid, saliva, tears, and sweat. General Immune Responses such as inflammation, complement, and non-specific cellular responses. The inflammatory response actively brings immune cells to the site of an infection by increasing blood flow to the area. Complement is an immune response that marks pathogens for destruction and makes holes in the cell membrane of the pathogen. The innate immune system is always general, or nonspecific, meaning anything that is identified as foreign or non-self is a target for the innate immune response. The innate immune system is activated by the presence of antigens and their chemical properties.   The Adaptive Immune System: Precision and a long memory If the body’s first line of defense – the innate immune system – is unsuccessful in destroying the pathogens, after about four to seven days the specific adaptive immune response sets in. This means that the adaptive defense takes longer, but it targets the pathogen more accurately. Another advantage: It can remember the aggressor and acts specifically against certain antigens. If there is new contact with an antigen that is already known, the defense response can then be quicker. This way the defense responses of the adaptive immune system are more efficient and faster than those of the innate defense, if the antigen is already known. The adaptive immune system can remember the antigens because it produces memory cells. This is also the reason why there are some illnesses you can only get once in your life, because afterwards your body becomes “immune.” While after first contact with the pathogen it takes several days for the immune system to respond, a second infection often has no consequences, or at least the symptoms are weaker. The adaptive immune system has several parts that react in different ways, depending on the place in the body where the pathogen is. Antibodies are made available for germs outside the cells (in the blood and in body fluids). To eliminate pathogens that are inside the tissue, a cell-mediated immune response is necessary. These parts of the adaptive defense include: T lymphocytes B lymphocytes antibodies as soluble proteins in the blood cytokines in the blood and tissue as hormone-like messenger substance Cytokines Cytokines form a group of proteins that participate in cell signaling, intercellular communication and in many cellular and immunological functions. They are prominently involved in inflammatory responses and defense against viral infections. If the other parts act like soldiers protecting you, then cytokines are like Navy Seals, sent in for only the toughest missions.  These cytokines are small molecules in the body that are released by certain cells to help coordinate the battle against infection. So, you might be thinking “Great! How do I get more of these hard-working cytokines into my system?” And that makes sense. If they’re the best of the best for fighting illness, then you’d want more of them, right? Well, it’s not so simple and now some doctors have recently made a startling discovery… As it turns out, “boosting” cytokines during a pandemic like this might cause what some doctors call a “cytokine storm.” And this cytokine storm might be the explanation of why some people rapidly decline in a pandemic, while others are able to stay healthy. Scientifically speaking, a “cytokine storm” is when, in some cases, the body's own immune system actually overreacts to an infection.  And that’s when problems can start. While cytokines are generally a good thing for your immune system… Too many of them at once might actually cause an overreaction.  This “overreaction” could cause more damage to the body’s own cells than to the invading disease cells it's trying to fight off. Your Cellular Immunity Defense System There is one thing that almost every single medical doctor does agree on when it comes to diseases… A compromised immune system is the single biggest risk factor anyone can have. You might be wondering… How do I build the foundation of my immune system without overloading it? Fortunately, there is something you can do, and it has to do with what doctors and medical researchers call... your Cellular Immunity Defense System Cellular immunity protects the body through: T-cell mediated immunity or T-cell immunity: activating antigen-specific cytotoxic T cells that are able to induce apoptosis in body cells displaying epitopes of foreign antigen on their surface, such as virus-infected cells, cells with intracellular bacteria, and cancer cells displaying tumor antigens; Macrophage and natural killer cell action: enabling the destruction of pathogens via recognition and secretion of cytotoxic granules (for natural killer cells and phagocytosis (for macrophages); and Stimulating cells to secrete a variety of cytokines that influence the function of other cells involved in adaptive immune responses and innate immune responses. Cell-mediated immunity is directed primarily at microbes that survive in phagocytes and microbes that infect non-phagocytic cells. It is most effective in removing virus-infected cells, but also participates in defending against fungi, protozoans, cancers, and intracellular bacteria. It also plays a major role in transplant rejection THIS LITTLE-KNOWN NUTRIENT - Activates Your Cellular Immunity Defense System It’s called a beta-glucan, or a β-glucan for short. Outside of freshman chemistry class, you may never have heard of a beta-glucan.  But these β-glucans attach themselves to white blood cells and stimulate them to seek and destroy bacteria and viruses.   Your body already has natural bacteria killing cells called B cells and T cells, and dozens of research studies show that once β-glucans are in your system, they activate and strengthen these killer cells.   It’s like sending every little immunity soldier into battle with a rocket launcher packed with an unlimited supply of bacteria-seeking missiles.  And that’s not all they do…  Remember those little immunity defenders called cytokines?  We know that overloading the system with them can cause a “cytokine storm,” but striking the right balance of them can really fortify your immune system.  Well, that’s part of the magic of β-glucans...  β-glucans are what trigger natural and healthy cytokine production and those little cytokines are what spring to action in an immune response.    So, the more β-glucan you have in your body, the stronger your immune system.  AND what’s more, β-glucans naturally regulate your cytokine production, so they won’t “overload” and cause a dangerous cytokine storm.  So, you might be asking, how do I make sure my β-glucans are strong and that my system has enough of them to fight off infectious bacteria?  Well, there is one superfood that contains extremely high amounts of β-glucan.    The #1 Superfood That Fortifies Your Cellular Immunity Defense System: NUTRITIONAL MUSHROOMS - The Cutting Edge of Natural Immune System Research Just by using nutritional mushrooms regularly, researchers say you can increase your levels of β-glucans more than any other nutrient on earth. It’s like having a never-ending supply of reinforcements to send into the war against infectious diseases. Researchers have found that nutritional mushrooms contain 0.53 grams of β-glucans per 100 grams of mushrooms, which makes them far and away the most β-glucan-rich food you can find on the planet.   3 Mushrooms That Act Like “Turbo Shots” To Your Immune System  SHITAKE In a 2011 study, 52 healthy adults, aged 21 to 41, took home a 4-week supply of shiitake mushrooms. They were told to eat one 4-ounce serving of the mushroom every day.  Then after the 4 weeks were completed, they returned for some simple blood work.  Their results showed a decrease in inflammatory proteins which the researchers thought was a pretty good benefit in itself…  But then they looked a little harder at the data and saw that each patient's B cells, T cells, and natural bacteria-killing cells had all increased.  When they finally figured out what triggered this response, it was no surprise that it was all connected back to the β-glucans that came from the shiitake mushrooms they had been eating.  "If you eat a shiitake mushroom every day, you could see changes in their immune system that are beneficial," said Food Science and Human Nutrition Professor Sue Percival, who was the leader of the study.    She also said that those β-glucans were not only able to "Enhance the immune system,”  ... but “also reduce the inflammation that the immune system produces." And the benefits of shiitake don’t just stop there, because these mushrooms flood your system with other nutrients like B vitamins, vitamin D, selenium, niacin, and 7 of the 8 essential amino acids.   Plus, the enzymes packed into shiitake also make it easier for your body to absorb almost any nutrient.   Which means if you’re already taking a vitamin C or D supplement for your immune system, shiitake will actually make those supplements work better!  REISHI Known as the Mushrooms of Immortality, reishi mushrooms are packed with polysaccharides, antioxidant properties, and those crucial β-glucans that can help with immune function. As early as 206 BC there are writings about reishi mushrooms being used to help people live longer. Today’s researchers now know that they were living longer simply because their bodies were better equipped to fight off disease. Simply put, they had super strong Cellular Immunity Defense Systems.Again, it’s thanks to the high content of those powerful β-glucans! In fact, reishi mushrooms have been shown to have as much as 5.8% levels of β-glucans, higher than any other mushroom strain on earth.   MAITAKE Remember those important cytokines?  Well, we know it’s important to strike the right balance of them in your system…  So that you have enough of them to help your immune system fight off bacteria...  But not too many to cause a dangerous “cytokine storm”.  It turns out that maitake mushrooms may just be the secret to striking this delicate balance.  A 3-week study of a group of healthy young women taking Maitake mushrooms resulted in the benefits you might expect.  Similar to reishi and shiitake, they all saw improvements in their immune systems thanks to the increase in β-glucans…  But the study with maitake gave researchers some really exciting results with those cytokines  It turns out that maitake was able to trigger both stimulatory (IL-2) and suppressive (IL-10) cytokines.   That means they were able to increase the cytokines, but not past a certain level so they got out of control. But here’s where things really start to get interesting…  Maitake is not the only mushroom researchers have studied for the immune response…  While it was by far the strongest in supporting the immune defense reaction…  There was one way they were able to trigger an even bigger response…  They combined it with shiitake!  And it was that combination that was stronger than any other. MUSHROOM POTENCY CAN BE INCREASED EXPONENTIALLY WHEN THEY ARE USED TOGETHER!  Just look what happened when the research team from the National Institute of Complementary Medicine, the School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, and Integria Healthcare started mixing mushrooms together…  They started with nine varieties of whole mushroom extracts.  They tried them each individually with some pretty good results…  But then they tried mixing a few of them together, and as you’d expect, the results dramatically increased.  And when their work was done do you know which 3 of the 9 mushrooms worked best for the immune system?  You guess it - the magical trio of reishi, shiitake, and maitake.  When these 3 were combined, the lead researcher told the media that they came together to create and immune system “super-force.”  “What we found that was surprising was that the (combination) gave three to four times the impact that what we would expect,” Associate Professor Joe Tiralongo said. 7M+ by Organixx  7M+ is a breakthrough proprietary formula that ensures you’re getting the most powerful combination of those 3 crucial mushrooms packed with those β-glucans at a level no other mushroom supplement can offer. The anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of 7M+ give you what you need to help support your immune system like nothing else on the market.  And… It turns out there’s so much more that mushrooms can do for our bodies than just immune support.   That’s why Organixx added 4 other nutritional mushrooms into this formula…. CHAGA Chaga has been used for centuries primarily in the East. It's known for its immune support and soothing properties. Many traditional healers have used it as a soothing tea for a powerful and natural digestive support. It's also shown the potential to help maintain healthy blood pressure levels that are already within the normal range. Chaga also has very powerful antioxidant properties that make it a powerhouse on its own. CORDYCEPS Cordyceps mushrooms have been shown to help regulate a healthy immune system. Cordyceps were at one time so highly valued that they were only allowed to be consumed by the Emperor of China (who lived to 100+ years old and still fathered children into his 100s). Also known for the ability to support sexual health and athletic ability, cordyceps have been the most sought after nutritional mushroom in the Orient. LION'S MANE One of the more interesting mushrooms coming from the ancient east. Lion's mane is known to support brain health, support cognitive function, and aid against age-related memory loss. It also helps maintain mental focus and function, as well as promoting healthy digestive function through its powerful regulation of bacteria. TURKEY TAIL Turkey tail is considered one of the best-researched mushrooms on earth. Its benefits are just as strong as other nutritional mushrooms such as reishi, cordyceps and maitake. It contains powerful antioxidant nutrients and high levels of selenium, vitamin D, and vitamin B3, which are crucial for boosting and maintaining immunity. Fermentation INCREASES the Power of Nutritional Mushrooms Most other mushroom supplements don’t take this into consideration. They simply get a basic mushroom formula and bottle it up. That strategy does work a little better than just eating whole mushrooms… But fermentation takes it to a whole other level of potency and that’s exactly what the team at Organixx has done with 7M+ and their proprietary fermentation process. Fermentation is simply the process of breaking something down so that the highest amount of nutrients can be extracted. Research found that fermented mushrooms are, indeed, the best way to increase the levels of those powerful β-glucans. Fermentation also extracts all the healthy and beneficial other nutrients that are packed into mushrooms. This means that those nutrients can get into your system better because they’re more bioavailable. The Ingredients in 7M+ Are Certified Organic – Why That Matters to YOU! Once a nutrient like mushrooms are harvested, they are then dried and concentrated down to a very potent dose. This sounds like a good thing because you’ll get a higher dose of the nutrients, as we discussed already… But if those mushrooms were not grown organically, that means pesticides and poisons were used on them. And when they are concentrated down, you’re not only getting high amounts of nutrients…. but HIGH CONCENTRATIONS OF POISONS too! Why 7M+ for You and Your Family 7M+ is specifically formulated to give you everything you need to help support immunity and feel younger and healthier. This year, with the entire globe dealing with a health epidemic, maintaining your immune system might be something that makes all the difference. With 7M+, you get seven of the world’s finest beneficial mushrooms, jam-packed with β-glucans – nature’s powerful sickness-fighting ingredient. With the immune-supporting power of 7M+ working throughout your entire body, you can help increase your and your family’s odds of staying well even during times like this. Only two capsules a day provide you with a completely safe, 100% natural, and amazingly effective formula to support immunity… and help you live a longer and healthier life! RESOURCES 7M+ by Organixx https://shop.organixx.com/a/secure/checkout/PS9gd0VOOLThuCn8OMXV?ch-tn-box=third-box&gl=5d88ec0f02e26b5443380841 Empowering You Organically Episode 47: The Magic of Mushrooms https://organixx.com/empowering-you-organically/the-magic-of-mushrooms-episode-47/ Cytokines https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/cytokines Cytokine storm: An overreaction of the body's immune system https://www.newscientist.com/term/cytokine-storm/#ixzz6KBGrH9ZF Cytokine Storms May Be Fueling Some COVID Deaths https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/20200417/cytokine-storms-may-be-fueling-some-covid-deaths NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/797584 Into the Eye of the Cytokine Storm https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3294426/ COVID-19: consider cytokine storm syndromes and immunosuppression https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30628-0/fulltext The innate and adaptive immune systems https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279396/ Cellular Immunity https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/cellular-immunity The immune system review https://www.khanacademy.org/science/high-school-biology/hs-human-body-systems/hs-the-immune-system/a/hs-the-immune-system-review Cell-Mediated Immunity https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/cell-mediated-immunity Cell-mediated immunity https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cell-mediated_immunity Types of immune responses: Innate and adaptive, humoral vs. cell-mediated https://www.khanacademy.org/science/high-school-biology/hs-human-body-systems/hs-the-immune-system/v/types-of-immune-responses-innate-and-adaptive-humoral-vs-cell-mediated Edible Mushrooms: Improving Human Health and Promoting Quality Life https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4320875/ Determination of Glucan Contents in the Fruiting Bodies and Mycelia of Lentinula edodes Cultivars https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4206800/ Beta-glucans in edible mushrooms https://www.researchgate.net/publication/263256678_Beta-glucans_in_edible_mushrooms Shaping the Innate Immune Response by Dietary Glucans: Any Role in the Control of Cancer? https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7016572/ Consuming Lentinula edodes (Shiitake) Mushrooms Daily Improves Human Immunity: A Randomized Dietary Intervention in Healthy Young Adults. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25866155 Ganoderma lucidum (Lingzhi or Reishi) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK92757/ Immune-enhancing effects of Maitake (Grifola frondosa) and Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) extracts https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4202470/ Immune-modulating Effects of Maitake Mushroom Extract https://www.naturalmedicinejournal.com/journal/2009-12/immune-modulating-effects-maitake-mushroom-extract Synergistic immuno-modulatory activity in human macrophages of a medicinal mushroom formulation consisting of Reishi, Shiitake and Maitake https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/authors?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0224740 Researchers prove mushrooms are magic for your immune system https://thenewdaily.com.au/life/wellbeing/2019/11/08/mushroom-medicines-health-benefits/  

“Boosting” your Immune System may be the worst thing you can do during a pandemic…   The single best thing you can do for your health and the health of your loved ones is to take steps towards supporting the health of your immune system.   And I chose the word “support” carefully because new research is now showing that...   Immune SUPPORT is better than an immune BOOST during a pandemic!   Let’s Look at The Immune System The immune system protects the body from possibly harmful substances by recognizing and responding to antigens. Antigens are substances (usually proteins) on the surface of cells, viruses, fungi, or bacteria. Nonliving substances such as toxins, chemicals, drugs, and foreign particles (such as a splinter) can also be antigens. The immune system recognizes and destroys, or tries to destroy, substances that contain antigens.   Your body's cells have proteins that are antigens. These include a group of antigens called HLA antigens. Your immune system learns to see these antigens as normal and usually does not react against them.     Important Distinctions of Your Immune System   Innate Immune System The innate immune system is made of defenses against infection that can be activated immediately once a pathogen attacks. The innate immune system is essentially made up of barriers that aim to keep viruses, bacteria, parasites, and other foreign particles out of your body or limit their ability to spread and move throughout the body. The innate immune system includes:   Physical Barriers such as skin, the gastrointestinal tract, the respiratory tract, the nasopharynx, cilia, eyelashes and other body hair. Defense Mechanisms such as secretions, mucous, bile, gastric acid, saliva, tears, and sweat. General Immune Responses such as inflammation, complement, and non-specific cellular responses. The inflammatory response actively brings immune cells to the site of an infection by increasing blood flow to the area. Complement is an immune response that marks pathogens for destruction and makes holes in the cell membrane of the pathogen.   The innate immune system is always general, or nonspecific, meaning anything that is identified as foreign or non-self is a target for the innate immune response. The innate immune system is activated by the presence of antigens and their chemical properties.   The Adaptive Immune System: Precision and a long memory If the body’s first line of defense – the innate immune system – is unsuccessful in destroying the pathogens, after about four to seven days the specific adaptive immune response sets in. This means that the adaptive defense takes longer, but it targets the pathogen more accurately.   Another advantage: It can remember the aggressor and acts specifically against certain antigens. If there is new contact with an antigen that is already known, the defense response can then be quicker. This way the defense responses of the adaptive immune system are more efficient and faster than those of the innate defense, if the antigen is already known.   The adaptive immune system can remember the antigens because it produces memory cells. This is also the reason why there are some illnesses you can only get once in your life, because afterwards your body becomes “immune.” While after first contact with the pathogen it takes several days for the immune system to respond, a second infection often has no consequences, or at least the symptoms are weaker.   The adaptive immune system has several parts that react in different ways, depending on the place in the body where the pathogen is. Antibodies are made available for germs outside the cells (in the blood and in body fluids). To eliminate pathogens that are inside the tissue, a cell-mediated immune response is necessary.   These parts of the adaptive defense include:   T lymphocytes B lymphocytes antibodies as soluble proteins in the blood cytokines in the blood and tissue as hormone-like messenger substances   Cytokines Cytokines form a group of proteins that participate in cell signaling, intercellular communication and in many cellular and immunological functions. They are prominently involved in inflammatory responses and defense against viral infections.   If the other parts act like soldiers protecting you, then cytokines are like Navy Seals, sent in for only the toughest missions.    These cytokines are small molecules in the body that are released by certain cells to help coordinate the battle against infection. So, you might be thinking “Great! How do I get more of these hard-working cytokines into my system?”   And that makes sense. If they’re the best of the best for fighting illness, then you’d want more of them, right?   Well, it’s not so simple and now some doctors have recently made a startling discovery…   As it turns out, “boosting” cytokines during a pandemic like this might cause what some doctors call a “cytokine storm.”   And this cytokine storm might be the explanation of why some people rapidly decline in a pandemic, while others are able to stay healthy.   Scientifically speaking, a “cytokine storm” is when, in some cases, the body's own immune system actually overreacts to an infection.    And that’s when problems can start.   While cytokines are generally a good thing for your immune system…   Too many of them at once might actually cause an overreaction.    This “overreaction” could cause more damage to the body’s own cells than to the invading disease cells it's trying to fight off.     Your Cellular Immunity Defense System There is one thing that almost every single medical doctor does agree on when it comes to diseases… A compromised immune system is the single biggest risk factor anyone can have.   You might be wondering… How do I build the foundation of my immune system without overloading it?   Fortunately, there is something you can do, and it has to do with what doctors and medical researchers call... your Cellular Immunity Defense System   Cellular immunity protects the body through:   T-cell mediated immunity or T-cell immunity: activating antigen-specific cytotoxic T cells that are able to induce apoptosis in body cells displaying epitopes of foreign antigen on their surface, such as virus-infected cells, cells with intracellular bacteria, and cancer cells displaying tumor antigens; Macrophage and natural killer cell action: enabling the destruction of pathogens via recognition and secretion of cytotoxic granules (for natural killer cells and phagocytosis (for macrophages); and Stimulating cells to secrete a variety of cytokines that influence the function of other cells involved in adaptive immune responses and innate immune responses.   Cell-mediated immunity is directed primarily at microbes that survive in phagocytes and microbes that infect non-phagocytic cells. It is most effective in removing virus-infected cells, but also participates in defending against fungi, protozoans, cancers, and intracellular bacteria. It also plays a major role in transplant rejection.     THIS LITTLE-KNOWN NUTRIENT - Activates Your Cellular Immunity Defense System   It’s called a beta-glucan, or a β-glucan for short.   Outside of freshman chemistry class, you may never have heard of a beta-glucan.    But these β-glucans attach themselves to white blood cells and stimulate them to seek and destroy bacteria and viruses.     Your body already has natural bacteria killing cells called B cells and T cells, and dozens of research studies show that once β-glucans are in your system, they activate and strengthen these killer cells.     It’s like sending every little immunity soldier into battle with a rocket launcher packed with an unlimited supply of bacteria-seeking missiles.    And that’s not all they do…    Remember those little immunity defenders called cytokines?    We know that overloading the system with them can cause a “cytokine storm,” but striking the right balance of them can really fortify your immune system.    Well, that’s part of the magic of β-glucans...    β-glucans are what trigger natural and healthy cytokine production and those little cytokines are what spring to action in an immune response.    So, the more β-glucan you have in your body, the stronger your immune system.    AND what’s more, β-glucans naturally regulate your cytokine production, so they won’t “overload” and cause a dangerous cytokine storm.    So, you might be asking, how do I make sure my β-glucans are strong and that my system has enough of them to fight off infectious bacteria?    Well, there is one superfood that contains extremely high amounts of β-glucan.    The #1 Superfood That Fortifies Your Cellular Immunity Defense System:   NUTRITIONAL MUSHROOMS - The Cutting Edge of Natural Immune System Research   Just by using nutritional mushrooms regularly, researchers say you can increase your levels of β-glucans more than any other nutrient on earth.   It’s like having a never-ending supply of reinforcements to send into the war against infectious diseases.   Researchers have found that nutritional mushrooms contain 0.53 grams of β-glucans per 100 grams of mushrooms, which makes them far and away the most β-glucan-rich food you can find on the planet.   3 Mushrooms That Act Like “Turbo Shots” To Your Immune System    SHITAKE In a 2011 study, 52 healthy adults, aged 21 to 41, took home a 4-week supply of shiitake mushrooms. They were told to eat one 4-ounce serving of the mushroom every day.    Then after the 4 weeks were completed, they returned for some simple blood work.    Their results showed a decrease in inflammatory proteins which the researchers thought was a pretty good benefit in itself…    But then they looked a little harder at the data and saw that each patient's B cells, T cells, and natural bacteria-killing cells had all increased.    When they finally figured out what triggered this response, it was no surprise that it was all connected back to the β-glucans that came from the shiitake mushrooms they had been eating.    "If you eat a shiitake mushroom every day, you could see changes in their immune system that are beneficial," said Food Science and Human Nutrition Professor Sue Percival, who was the leader of the study.      She also said that those β-glucans were not only able to "Enhance the immune system,”    ... but “also reduce the inflammation that the immune system produces."   And the benefits of shiitake don’t just stop there, because these mushrooms flood your system with other nutrients like B vitamins, vitamin D, selenium, niacin, and 7 of the 8 essential amino acids.     Plus, the enzymes packed into shiitake also make it easier for your body to absorb almost any nutrient.     Which means if you’re already taking a vitamin C or D supplement for your immune system, shiitake will actually make those supplements work better!    REISHI Known as the Mushrooms of Immortality, reishi mushrooms are packed with polysaccharides, antioxidant properties, and those crucial β-glucans that can help with immune function.   As early as 206 BC there are writings about reishi mushrooms being used to help people live longer.   Today’s researchers now know that they were living longer simply because their bodies were better equipped to fight off disease.   Simply put, they had super strong Cellular Immunity Defense Systems.   Again, it’s thanks to the high content of those powerful β-glucans!   In fact, reishi mushrooms have been shown to have as much as 5.8% levels of β-glucans, higher than any other mushroom strain on earth.   MAITAKE   Remember those important cytokines?    Well, we know it’s important to strike the right balance of them in your system…    So that you have enough of them to help your immune system fight off bacteria...    But not too many to cause a dangerous “cytokine storm”.    It turns out that maitake mushrooms may just be the secret to striking this delicate balance.    A 3-week study of a group of healthy young women taking Maitake mushrooms resulted in the benefits you might expect.    Similar to reishi and shiitake, they all saw improvements in their immune systems thanks to the increase in β-glucans…    But the study with maitake gave researchers some really exciting results with those cytokines    It turns out that maitake was able to trigger both stimulatory (IL-2) and suppressive (IL-10) cytokines.     That means they were able to increase the cytokines, but not past a certain level so they got out of control.   But here’s where things really start to get interesting…    Maitake is not the only mushroom researchers have studied for the immune response…    While it was by far the strongest in supporting the immune defense reaction…    There was one way they were able to trigger an even bigger response…    They combined it with shiitake!    And it was that combination that was stronger than any other.   MUSHROOM POTENCY CAN BE INCREASED EXPONENTIALLY WHEN THEY ARE USED TOGETHER!   Just look what happened when the research team from the National Institute of Complementary Medicine, the School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, and Integria Healthcare started mixing mushrooms together…    They started with nine varieties of whole mushroom extracts.    They tried them each individually with some pretty good results…    But then they tried mixing a few of them together, and as you’d expect, the results dramatically increased.    And when their work was done do you know which 3 of the 9 mushrooms worked best for the immune system?    You guess it - the magical trio of reishi, shiitake, and maitake.    When these 3 were combined, the lead researcher told the media that they came together to create and immune system “super-force.”    “What we found that was surprising was that the (combination) gave three to four times the impact that what we would expect,” Associate Professor Joe Tiralongo said.   7M+ by Organixx   7M+ is a breakthrough proprietary formula that ensures you’re getting the most powerful combination of those 3 crucial mushrooms packed with those β-glucans at a level no other mushroom supplement can offer.   The anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of 7M+ give you what you need to help support your immune system like nothing else on the market.   And… It turns out there’s so much more that mushrooms can do for our bodies than just immune support.   That’s why Organixx added 4 other nutritional mushrooms into this formula…. CHAGA Chaga has been used for centuries primarily in the East. It's known for its immune support and soothing properties. Many traditional healers have used it as a soothing tea for a powerful and natural digestive support. It's also shown the potential to help maintain healthy blood pressure levels that are already within the normal range. Chaga also has very powerful antioxidant properties that make it a powerhouse on its own.   CORDYCEPS Cordyceps mushrooms have been shown to help regulate a healthy immune system. Cordyceps were at one time so highly valued that they were only allowed to be consumed by the Emperor of China (who lived to 100+ years old and still fathered children into his 100s). Also known for the ability to support sexual health and athletic ability, cordyceps have been the most sought after nutritional mushroom in the Orient.   LION'S MANE One of the more interesting mushrooms coming from the ancient east. Lion's mane is known to support brain health, support cognitive function, and aid against age-related memory loss. It also helps maintain mental focus and function, as well as promoting healthy digestive function through its powerful regulation of bacteria.   TURKEY TAIL Turkey tail is considered one of the best-researched mushrooms on earth. Its benefits are just as strong as other nutritional mushrooms such as reishi, cordyceps and maitake. It contains powerful antioxidant nutrients and high levels of selenium, vitamin D, and vitamin B3, which are crucial for boosting and maintaining immunity.     Fermentation INCREASES the Power of Nutritional Mushrooms Most other mushroom supplements don’t take this into consideration. They simply get a basic mushroom formula and bottle it up.   That strategy does work a little better than just eating whole mushrooms…   But fermentation takes it to a whole other level of potency and that’s exactly what the team at Organixx has done with 7M+ and their proprietary fermentation process.   Fermentation is simply the process of breaking something down so that the highest amount of nutrients can be extracted.   Research found that fermented mushrooms are, indeed, the best way to increase the levels of those powerful β-glucans.   Fermentation also extracts all the healthy and beneficial other nutrients that are packed into mushrooms. This means that those nutrients can get into your system better because they’re more bioavailable.     The Ingredients in 7M+ Are Certified Organic – Why That Matters to YOU! Once a nutrient like mushrooms are harvested, they are then dried and concentrated down to a very potent dose.   This sounds like a good thing because you’ll get a higher dose of the nutrients, as we discussed already…   But if those mushrooms were not grown organically, that means pesticides and poisons were used on them.   And when they are concentrated down, you’re not only getting high amounts of nutrients…. but HIGH CONCENTRATIONS OF POISONS too!     Why 7M+ for You and Your Family   7M+ is specifically formulated to give you everything you need to help support immunity and feel younger and healthier.   This year, with the entire globe dealing with a health epidemic, maintaining your immune system might be something that makes all the difference.   With 7M+, you get seven of the world’s finest beneficial mushrooms, jam-packed with β-glucans – nature’s powerful sickness-fighting ingredient.   With the immune-supporting power of 7M+ working throughout your entire body, you can help increase your and your family’s odds of staying well even during times like this.   Only two capsules a day provide you with a completely safe, 100% natural, and amazingly effective formula to support immunity… and help you live a longer and healthier life!         RESOURCES 7M+ by Organixx https://shop.organixx.com/a/secure/checkout/PS9gd0VOOLThuCn8OMXV?ch-tn-box=third-box&gl=5d88ec0f02e26b5443380841   Empowering You Organically Episode 47: The Magic of Mushrooms https://organixx.com/empowering-you-organically/the-magic-of-mushrooms-episode-47/   Cytokines https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/cytokines   Cytokine storm: An overreaction of the body's immune system https://www.newscientist.com/term/cytokine-storm/#ixzz6KBGrH9ZF   Cytokine Storms May Be Fueling Some COVID Deaths https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/20200417/cytokine-storms-may-be-fueling-some-covid-deaths   NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/797584   Into the Eye of the Cytokine Storm https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3294426/   COVID-19: consider cytokine storm syndromes and immunosuppression https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30628-0/fulltext   The innate and adaptive immune systems https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279396/   Cellular Immunity https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/cellular-immunity   The immune system review https://www.khanacademy.org/science/high-school-biology/hs-human-body-systems/hs-the-immune-system/a/hs-the-immune-system-review   Cell-Mediated Immunity https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/cell-mediated-immunity   Cell-mediated immunity https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cell-mediated_immunity   Types of immune responses: Innate and adaptive, humoral vs. cell-mediated https://www.khanacademy.org/science/high-school-biology/hs-human-body-systems/hs-the-immune-system/v/types-of-immune-responses-innate-and-adaptive-humoral-vs-cell-mediated   Edible Mushrooms: Improving Human Health and Promoting Quality Life https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4320875/   Determination of Glucan Contents in the Fruiting Bodies and Mycelia of Lentinula edodes Cultivars https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4206800/   Beta-glucans in edible mushrooms https://www.researchgate.net/publication/263256678_Beta-glucans_in_edible_mushrooms   Shaping the Innate Immune Response by Dietary Glucans: Any Role in the Control of Cancer? https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7016572/   Consuming Lentinula edodes (Shiitake) Mushrooms Daily Improves Human Immunity: A Randomized Dietary Intervention in Healthy Young Adults. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25866155   Ganoderma lucidum (Lingzhi or Reishi) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK92757/   Immune-enhancing effects of Maitake (Grifola frondosa) and Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) extracts https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4202470/   Immune-modulating Effects of Maitake Mushroom Extract https://www.naturalmedicinejournal.com/journal/2009-12/immune-modulating-effects-maitake-mushroom-extract   Synergistic immuno-modulatory activity in human macrophages of a medicinal mushroom formulation consisting of Reishi, Shiitake and Maitake https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/authors?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0224740   Researchers prove mushrooms are magic for your immune system https://thenewdaily.com.au/life/wellbeing/2019/11/08/mushroom-medicines-health-benefits/     Subscribe to Empowering You Organically  Never miss an episode!    APPLE PODCASTS                 SPOTIFY                 GOOGLE PODCASTS  

“Boosting” your Immune System may be the worst thing you can do during a pandemic… The single best thing you can do for your health and the health of your loved ones is to take steps towards supporting the health of your immune system. And I chose the word “support” carefully because new research is now showing that... Immune SUPPORT is better than an immune BOOST during a pandemic! Let’s Look at The Immune System The immune system protects the body from possibly harmful substances by recognizing and responding to antigens. Antigens are substances (usually proteins) on the surface of cells, viruses, fungi, or bacteria. Nonliving substances such as toxins, chemicals, drugs, and foreign particles (such as a splinter) can also be antigens. The immune system recognizes and destroys, or tries to destroy, substances that contain antigens. Your body's cells have proteins that are antigens. These include a group of antigens called HLA antigens. Your immune system learns to see these antigens as normal and usually does not react against them.   Important Distinctions of Your Immune System  Innate Immune System The innate immune system is made of defenses against infection that can be activated immediately once a pathogen attacks. The innate immune system is essentially made up of barriers that aim to keep viruses, bacteria, parasites, and other foreign particles out of your body or limit their ability to spread and move throughout the body. The innate immune system includes: Physical Barriers such as skin, the gastrointestinal tract, the respiratory tract, the nasopharynx, cilia, eyelashes and other body hair. Defense Mechanisms such as secretions, mucous, bile, gastric acid, saliva, tears, and sweat. General Immune Responses such as inflammation, complement, and non-specific cellular responses. The inflammatory response actively brings immune cells to the site of an infection by increasing blood flow to the area. Complement is an immune response that marks pathogens for destruction and makes holes in the cell membrane of the pathogen. The innate immune system is always general, or nonspecific, meaning anything that is identified as foreign or non-self is a target for the innate immune response. The innate immune system is activated by the presence of antigens and their chemical properties.   The Adaptive Immune System: Precision and a long memory If the body’s first line of defense – the innate immune system – is unsuccessful in destroying the pathogens, after about four to seven days the specific adaptive immune response sets in. This means that the adaptive defense takes longer, but it targets the pathogen more accurately. Another advantage: It can remember the aggressor and acts specifically against certain antigens. If there is new contact with an antigen that is already known, the defense response can then be quicker. This way the defense responses of the adaptive immune system are more efficient and faster than those of the innate defense, if the antigen is already known. The adaptive immune system can remember the antigens because it produces memory cells. This is also the reason why there are some illnesses you can only get once in your life, because afterwards your body becomes “immune.” While after first contact with the pathogen it takes several days for the immune system to respond, a second infection often has no consequences, or at least the symptoms are weaker. The adaptive immune system has several parts that react in different ways, depending on the place in the body where the pathogen is. Antibodies are made available for germs outside the cells (in the blood and in body fluids). To eliminate pathogens that are inside the tissue, a cell-mediated immune response is necessary. These parts of the adaptive defense include: T lymphocytes B lymphocytes antibodies as soluble proteins in the blood cytokines in the blood and tissue as hormone-like messenger substances Cytokines Cytokines form a group of proteins that participate in cell signaling, intercellular communication and in many cellular and immunological functions. They are prominently involved in inflammatory responses and defense against viral infections. If the other parts act like soldiers protecting you, then cytokines are like Navy Seals, sent in for only the toughest missions. These cytokines are small molecules in the body that are released by certain cells to help coordinate the battle against infection. So, you might be thinking “Great! How do I get more of these hard-working cytokines into my system?” And that makes sense. If they’re the best of the best for fighting illness, then you’d want more of them, right? Well, it’s not so simple and now some doctors have recently made a startling discovery… As it turns out, “boosting” cytokines during a pandemic like this might cause what some doctors call a “cytokine storm.” And this cytokine storm might be the explanation of why some people rapidly decline in a pandemic, while others are able to stay healthy. Scientifically speaking, a “cytokine storm” is when, in some cases, the body's own immune system actually overreacts to an infection.  And that’s when problems can start. While cytokines are generally a good thing for your immune system… Too many of them at once might actually cause an overreaction.  This “overreaction” could cause more damage to the body’s own cells than to the invading disease cells it's trying to fight off.   Your Cellular Immunity Defense System There is one thing that almost every single medical doctor does agree on when it comes to diseases… A compromised immune system is the single biggest risk factor anyone can have. You might be wondering… How do I build the foundation of my immune system without overloading it? Fortunately, there is something you can do, and it has to do with what doctors and medical researchers call... your Cellular Immunity Defense System Cellular immunity protects the body through: T-cell mediated immunity or T-cell immunity: activating antigen-specific cytotoxic T cells that are able to induce apoptosis in body cells displaying epitopes of foreign antigen on their surface, such as virus-infected cells, cells with intracellular bacteria, and cancer cells displaying tumor antigens; Macrophage and natural killer cell action: enabling the destruction of pathogens via recognition and secretion of cytotoxic granules (for natural killer cells and phagocytosis (for macrophages); and Stimulating cells to secrete a variety of cytokines that influence the function of other cells involved in adaptive immune responses and innate immune responses. Cell-mediated immunity is directed primarily at microbes that survive in phagocytes and microbes that infect non-phagocytic cells. It is most effective in removing virus-infected cells, but also participates in defending against fungi, protozoans, cancers, and intracellular bacteria. It also plays a major role in transplant rejection.   THIS LITTLE-KNOWN NUTRIENT - Activates Your Cellular Immunity Defense System It’s called a beta-glucan, or a β-glucan for short. Outside of freshman chemistry class, you may never have heard of a beta-glucan.  But these β-glucans attach themselves to white blood cells and stimulate them to seek and destroy bacteria and viruses.   Your body already has natural bacteria killing cells called B cells and T cells, and dozens of research studies show that once β-glucans are in your system, they activate and strengthen these killer cells.   It’s like sending every little immunity soldier into battle with a rocket launcher packed with an unlimited supply of bacteria-seeking missiles.  And that’s not all they do…  Remember those little immunity defenders called cytokines?  We know that overloading the system with them can cause a “cytokine storm,” but striking the right balance of them can really fortify your immune system.  Well, that’s part of the magic of β-glucans...  β-glucans are what trigger natural and healthy cytokine production and those little cytokines are what spring to action in an immune response.  So, the more β-glucan you have in your body, the stronger your immune system.  AND what’s more, β-glucans naturally regulate your cytokine production, so they won’t “overload” and cause a dangerous cytokine storm.  So, you might be asking, how do I make sure my β-glucans are strong and that my system has enough of them to fight off infectious bacteria?  Well, there is one superfood that contains extremely high amounts of β-glucan.    The #1 Superfood That Fortifies Your Cellular Immunity Defense System:   NUTRITIONAL MUSHROOMS - The Cutting Edge of Natural Immune System Research Just by using nutritional mushrooms regularly, researchers say you can increase your levels of β-glucans more than any other nutrient on earth. It’s like having a never-ending supply of reinforcements to send into the war against infectious diseases. Researchers have found that nutritional mushrooms contain 0.53 grams of β-glucans per 100 grams of mushrooms, which makes them far and away the most β-glucan-rich food you can find on the planet.   3 Mushrooms That Act Like “Turbo Shots” To Your Immune System  SHITAKE In a 2011 study, 52 healthy adults, aged 21 to 41, took home a 4-week supply of shiitake mushrooms. They were told to eat one 4-ounce serving of the mushroom every day.  Then after the 4 weeks were completed, they returned for some simple blood work.  Their results showed a decrease in inflammatory proteins which the researchers thought was a pretty good benefit in itself…  But then they looked a little harder at the data and saw that each patient's B cells, T cells, and natural bacteria-killing cells had all increased.  When they finally figured out what triggered this response, it was no surprise that it was all connected back to the β-glucans that came from the shiitake mushrooms they had been eating.  "If you eat a shiitake mushroom every day, you could see changes in their immune system that are beneficial," said Food Science and Human Nutrition Professor Sue Percival, who was the leader of the study.    She also said that those β-glucans were not only able to "Enhance the immune system,”  ... but “also reduce the inflammation that the immune system produces." And the benefits of shiitake don’t just stop there, because these mushrooms flood your system with other nutrients like B vitamins, vitamin D, selenium, niacin, and 7 of the 8 essential amino acids.   Plus, the enzymes packed into shiitake also make it easier for your body to absorb almost any nutrient.   This means if you’re already taking a vitamin C or D supplement for your immune system, shiitake will actually make those supplements work better!   REISHI Known as the Mushrooms of Immortality, reishi mushrooms are packed with polysaccharides, antioxidant properties, and those crucial β-glucans that can help with immune function. As early as 206 BC there are writings about reishi mushrooms being used to help people live longer. Today’s researchers now know that they were living longer simply because their bodies were better equipped to fight off disease. Simply put, they had super strong Cellular Immunity Defense Systems. Again, it’s thanks to the high content of those powerful β-glucans! In fact, reishi mushrooms have been shown to have as much as 5.8% levels of β-glucans, higher than any other mushroom strain on earth.   MAITAKE Remember those important cytokines?  Well, we know it’s important to strike the right balance of them in your system…  So that you have enough of them to help your immune system fight off bacteria...  But not too many to cause a dangerous “cytokine storm”.  It turns out that maitake mushrooms may just be the secret to striking this delicate balance.  A 3-week study of a group of healthy young women taking Maitake mushrooms resulted in the benefits you might expect.  Similar to reishi and shiitake, they all saw improvements in their immune systems thanks to the increase in β-glucans…  But the study with maitake gave researchers some really exciting results with those cytokines  It turns out that maitake was able to trigger both stimulatory (IL-2) and suppressive (IL-10) cytokines.   That means they were able to increase the cytokines, but not past a certain level so they got out of control. But here’s where things really start to get interesting…  Maitake is not the only mushroom researchers have studied for the immune response…  While it was by far the strongest in supporting the immune defense reaction…  There was one way they were able to trigger an even bigger response…  They combined it with shiitake!  And it was that combination that was stronger than any other.   MUSHROOM POTENCY CAN BE INCREASED EXPONENTIALLY WHEN THEY ARE USED TOGETHER! Just look what happened when the research team from the National Institute of Complementary Medicine, the School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, and Integria Healthcare started mixing mushrooms together…  They started with nine varieties of whole mushroom extracts.  They tried them each individually with some pretty good results…  But then they tried mixing a few of them together, and as you’d expect, the results dramatically increased.  And when their work was done do you know which 3 of the 9 mushrooms worked best for the immune system?  You guess it - the magical trio of reishi, shiitake, and maitake.  When these 3 were combined, the lead researcher told the media that they came together to create and immune system “super-force.”  “What we found that was surprising was that the (combination) gave three to four times the impact that what we would expect,” Associate Professor Joe Tiralongo said.   7M+ by Organixx 7M+ is a breakthrough proprietary formula that ensures you’re getting the most powerful combination of those 3 crucial mushrooms packed with those β-glucans at a level no other mushroom supplement can offer. The anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of 7M+ give you what you need to help support your immune system like nothing else on the market.   And… It turns out there’s so much more that mushrooms can do for our bodies than just immune support. That’s why Organixx added 4 other nutritional mushrooms into this formula…. CHAGA Chaga has been used for centuries primarily in the East. It's known for its immune support and soothing properties. Many traditional healers have used it as a soothing tea for a powerful and natural digestive support. It's also shown the potential to help maintain healthy blood pressure levels that are already within the normal range. Chaga also has very powerful antioxidant properties that make it a powerhouse on its own. CORDYCEPS Cordyceps mushrooms have been shown to help regulate a healthy immune system. Cordyceps were at one time so highly valued that they were only allowed to be consumed by the Emperor of China (who lived to 100+ years old and still fathered children into his 100s). Also known for the ability to support sexual health and athletic ability, cordyceps have been the most sought after nutritional mushroom in the Orient. LION'S MANE One of the more interesting mushrooms coming from the ancient east. Lion's mane is known to support brain health, support cognitive function, and aid against age-related memory loss. It also helps maintain mental focus and function, as well as promoting healthy digestive function through its powerful regulation of bacteria. TURKEY TAIL Turkey tail is considered one of the best-researched mushrooms on earth. Its benefits are just as strong as other nutritional mushrooms such as reishi, cordyceps and maitake. It contains powerful antioxidant nutrients and high levels of selenium, vitamin D, and vitamin B3, which are crucial for boosting and maintaining immunity.   Fermentation INCREASES the Power of Nutritional Mushrooms Most other mushroom supplements don’t take this into consideration. They simply get a basic mushroom formula and bottle it up. That strategy does work a little better than just eating whole mushrooms… But fermentation takes it to a whole other level of potency and that’s exactly what the team at Organixx has done with 7M+ and their proprietary fermentation process. Fermentation is simply the process of breaking something down so that the highest amount of nutrients can be extracted. Research found that fermented mushrooms are, indeed, the best way to increase the levels of those powerful β-glucans. Fermentation also extracts all the healthy and beneficial other nutrients that are packed into mushrooms. This means that those nutrients can get into your system better because they’re more bioavailable. The Ingredients in 7M+ Are Certified Organic – Why That Matters to YOU! Once a nutrient like mushrooms are harvested, they are then dried and concentrated down to a very potent dose. This sounds like a good thing because you’ll get a higher dose of the nutrients, as we discussed already… But if those mushrooms were not grown organically, that means pesticides and poisons were used on them. And when they are concentrated down, you’re not only getting high amounts of nutrients…. but HIGH CONCENTRATIONS OF POISONS too!  Why 7M+ for You and Your Family 7M+ is specifically formulated to give you everything you need to help support immunity and feel younger and healthier. This year, with the entire globe dealing with a health epidemic, maintaining your immune system might be something that makes all the difference. With 7M+, you get seven of the world’s finest beneficial mushrooms, jam-packed with β-glucans – nature’s powerful sickness-fighting ingredient. With the immune-supporting power of 7M+ working throughout your entire body, you can help increase your and your family’s odds of staying well even during times like this. Only two capsules a day provide you with a completely safe, 100% natural, and amazingly effective formula to support immunity… and help you live a longer and healthier life!   RESOURCES 7M+ by Organixx https://shop.organixx.com/a/secure/checkout/PS9gd0VOOLThuCn8OMXV?ch-tn-box=third-box&gl=5d88ec0f02e26b5443380841   Empowering You Organically Episode 47: The Magic of Mushrooms https://organixx.com/empowering-you-organically/the-magic-of-mushrooms-episode-47/   Cytokines https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/cytokines   Cytokine storm: An overreaction of the body's immune system https://www.newscientist.com/term/cytokine-storm/#ixzz6KBGrH9ZF   Cytokine Storms May Be Fueling Some COVID Deaths https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/20200417/cytokine-storms-may-be-fueling-some-covid-deaths   NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/797584   Into the Eye of the Cytokine Storm https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3294426/   COVID-19: consider cytokine storm syndromes and immunosuppression https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30628-0/fulltext   The innate and adaptive immune systems https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279396/   Cellular Immunity https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/cellular-immunity   The immune system review https://www.khanacademy.org/science/high-school-biology/hs-human-body-systems/hs-the-immune-system/a/hs-the-immune-system-review   Cell-Mediated Immunity https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/cell-mediated-immunity   Cell-mediated immunity https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cell-mediated_immunity   Types of immune responses: Innate and adaptive, humoral vs. cell-mediated https://www.khanacademy.org/science/high-school-biology/hs-human-body-systems/hs-the-immune-system/v/types-of-immune-responses-innate-and-adaptive-humoral-vs-cell-mediated   Edible Mushrooms: Improving Human Health and Promoting Quality Life https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4320875/   Determination of Glucan Contents in the Fruiting Bodies and Mycelia of Lentinula edodes Cultivars https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4206800/   Beta-glucans in edible mushrooms https://www.researchgate.net/publication/263256678_Beta-glucans_in_edible_mushrooms   Shaping the Innate Immune Response by Dietary Glucans: Any Role in the Control of Cancer? https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7016572/   Consuming Lentinula edodes (Shiitake) Mushrooms Daily Improves Human Immunity: A Randomized Dietary Intervention in Healthy Young Adults. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25866155   Ganoderma lucidum (Lingzhi or Reishi) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK92757/   Immune-enhancing effects of Maitake (Grifola frondosa) and Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) extracts https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4202470/   Immune-modulating Effects of Maitake Mushroom Extract https://www.naturalmedicinejournal.com/journal/2009-12/immune-modulating-effects-maitake-mushroom-extract   Synergistic immuno-modulatory activity in human macrophages of a medicinal mushroom formulation consisting of Reishi, Shiitake and Maitake https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/authors?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0224740   Researchers prove mushrooms are magic for your immune system https://thenewdaily.com.au/life/wellbeing/2019/11/08/mushroom-medicines-health-benefits/     Subscribe to Empowering You Organically  Never miss an episode!    APPLE PODCASTS                 SPOTIFY                 GOOGLE PODCASTS  

Coronavirus is forefront in all our minds right now. Tune in to find out from Jonathan and TeriAnn why BOOSTING your immune system right now may not be the way to go. We help you understand your immune system; innate and adaptive, cytokine storms, and the role of beta-glucans, or a β-glucans for short, play in SUPPORTING your immunity. Which leads you into the magic of mushrooms. Here’s a hint…they aren’t just for anti-aging! “Boosting” your Immune System may be the worst thing you can do during a pandemic…   The single best thing you can do for your health and the health of your loved ones is to take steps towards supporting the health of your immune system.   And I chose the word “support” carefully because new research is now showing that...   Immune SUPPORT is better than an immune BOOST during a pandemic!   Let’s Look at The Immune System The immune system protects the body from possibly harmful substances by recognizing and responding to antigens. Antigens are substances (usually proteins) on the surface of cells, viruses, fungi, or bacteria. Nonliving substances such as toxins, chemicals, drugs, and foreign particles (such as a splinter) can also be antigens. The immune system recognizes and destroys, or tries to destroy, substances that contain antigens.   Your body's cells have proteins that are antigens. These include a group of antigens called HLA antigens. Your immune system learns to see these antigens as normal and usually does not react against them.     Important Distinctions of Your Immune System   Innate Immune System The innate immune system is made of defenses against infection that can be activated immediately once a pathogen attacks. The innate immune system is essentially made up of barriers that aim to keep viruses, bacteria, parasites, and other foreign particles out of your body or limit their ability to spread and move throughout the body. The innate immune system includes:   Physical Barriers such as skin, the gastrointestinal tract, the respiratory tract, the nasopharynx, cilia, eyelashes and other body hair. Defense Mechanisms such as secretions, mucous, bile, gastric acid, saliva, tears, and sweat. General Immune Responses such as inflammation, complement, and non-specific cellular responses. The inflammatory response actively brings immune cells to the site of an infection by increasing blood flow to the area. Complement is an immune response that marks pathogens for destruction and makes holes in the cell membrane of the pathogen.   The innate immune system is always general, or nonspecific, meaning anything that is identified as foreign or non-self is a target for the innate immune response. The innate immune system is activated by the presence of antigens and their chemical properties.   The Adaptive Immune System: Precision and a long memory If the body’s first line of defense – the innate immune system – is unsuccessful in destroying the pathogens, after about four to seven days the specific adaptive immune response sets in. This means that the adaptive defense takes longer, but it targets the pathogen more accurately.   Another advantage: It can remember the aggressor and acts specifically against certain antigens. If there is new contact with an antigen that is already known, the defense response can then be quicker. This way the defense responses of the adaptive immune system are more efficient and faster than those of the innate defense, if the antigen is already known.   The adaptive immune system can remember the antigens because it produces memory cells. This is also the reason why there are some illnesses you can only get once in your life, because afterwards your body becomes “immune.” While after first contact with the pathogen it takes several days for the immune system to respond, a second infection often has no consequences, or at least the symptoms are weaker.   The adaptive immune system has several parts that react in different ways, depending on the place in the body where the pathogen is. Antibodies are made available for germs outside the cells (in the blood and in body fluids). To eliminate pathogens that are inside the tissue, a cell-mediated immune response is necessary.   These parts of the adaptive defense include:   T lymphocytes B lymphocytes antibodies as soluble proteins in the blood cytokines in the blood and tissue as hormone-like messenger substances   Cytokines Cytokines form a group of proteins that participate in cell signaling, intercellular communication and in many cellular and immunological functions. They are prominently involved in inflammatory responses and defense against viral infections.   If the other parts act like soldiers protecting you, then cytokines are like Navy Seals, sent in for only the toughest missions.    These cytokines are small molecules in the body that are released by certain cells to help coordinate the battle against infection. So, you might be thinking “Great! How do I get more of these hard-working cytokines into my system?”   And that makes sense. If they’re the best of the best for fighting illness, then you’d want more of them, right?   Well, it’s not so simple and now some doctors have recently made a startling discovery…   As it turns out, “boosting” cytokines during a pandemic like this might cause what some doctors call a “cytokine storm.”   And this cytokine storm might be the explanation of why some people rapidly decline in a pandemic, while others are able to stay healthy.   Scientifically speaking, a “cytokine storm” is when, in some cases, the body's own immune system actually overreacts to an infection.    And that’s when problems can start.   While cytokines are generally a good thing for your immune system…   Too many of them at once might actually cause an overreaction.    This “overreaction” could cause more damage to the body’s own cells than to the invading disease cells it's trying to fight off.     Your Cellular Immunity Defense System There is one thing that almost every single medical doctor does agree on when it comes to diseases… A compromised immune system is the single biggest risk factor anyone can have.   You might be wondering… How do I build the foundation of my immune system without overloading it?   Fortunately, there is something you can do, and it has to do with what doctors and medical researchers call... your Cellular Immunity Defense System   Cellular immunity protects the body through:   T-cell mediated immunity or T-cell immunity: activating antigen-specific cytotoxic T cells that are able to induce apoptosis in body cells displaying epitopes of foreign antigen on their surface, such as virus-infected cells, cells with intracellular bacteria, and cancer cells displaying tumor antigens; Macrophage and natural killer cell action: enabling the destruction of pathogens via recognition and secretion of cytotoxic granules (for natural killer cells and phagocytosis (for macrophages); and Stimulating cells to secrete a variety of cytokines that influence the function of other cells involved in adaptive immune responses and innate immune responses.   Cell-mediated immunity is directed primarily at microbes that survive in phagocytes and microbes that infect non-phagocytic cells. It is most effective in removing virus-infected cells, but also participates in defending against fungi, protozoans, cancers, and intracellular bacteria. It also plays a major role in transplant rejection.     THIS LITTLE-KNOWN NUTRIENT - Activates Your Cellular Immunity Defense System   It’s called a beta-glucan, or a β-glucan for short.   Outside of freshman chemistry class, you may never have heard of a beta-glucan.    But these β-glucans attach themselves to white blood cells and stimulate them to seek and destroy bacteria and viruses.     Your body already has natural bacteria killing cells called B cells and T cells, and dozens of research studies show that once β-glucans are in your system, they activate and strengthen these killer cells.     It’s like sending every little immunity soldier into battle with a rocket launcher packed with an unlimited supply of bacteria-seeking missiles.    And that’s not all they do…    Remember those little immunity defenders called cytokines?    We know that overloading the system with them can cause a “cytokine storm,” but striking the right balance of them can really fortify your immune system.    Well, that’s part of the magic of β-glucans...    β-glucans are what trigger natural and healthy cytokine production and those little cytokines are what spring to action in an immune response.    So, the more β-glucan you have in your body, the stronger your immune system.    AND what’s more, β-glucans naturally regulate your cytokine production, so they won’t “overload” and cause a dangerous cytokine storm.    So, you might be asking, how do I make sure my β-glucans are strong and that my system has enough of them to fight off infectious bacteria?    Well, there is one superfood that contains extremely high amounts of β-glucan.    The #1 Superfood That Fortifies Your Cellular Immunity Defense System:   NUTRITIONAL MUSHROOMS - The Cutting Edge of Natural Immune System Research   Just by using nutritional mushrooms regularly, researchers say you can increase your levels of β-glucans more than any other nutrient on earth.   It’s like having a never-ending supply of reinforcements to send into the war against infectious diseases.   Researchers have found that nutritional mushrooms contain 0.53 grams of β-glucans per 100 grams of mushrooms, which makes them far and away the most β-glucan-rich food you can find on the planet.   3 Mushrooms That Act Like “Turbo Shots” To Your Immune System    SHITAKE In a 2011 study, 52 healthy adults, aged 21 to 41, took home a 4-week supply of shiitake mushrooms. They were told to eat one 4-ounce serving of the mushroom every day.    Then after the 4 weeks were completed, they returned for some simple blood work.    Their results showed a decrease in inflammatory proteins which the researchers thought was a pretty good benefit in itself…    But then they looked a little harder at the data and saw that each patient's B cells, T cells, and natural bacteria-killing cells had all increased.    When they finally figured out what triggered this response, it was no surprise that it was all connected back to the β-glucans that came from the shiitake mushrooms they had been eating.    "If you eat a shiitake mushroom every day, you could see changes in their immune system that are beneficial," said Food Science and Human Nutrition Professor Sue Percival, who was the leader of the study.      She also said that those β-glucans were not only able to "Enhance the immune system,”    ... but “also reduce the inflammation that the immune system produces."   And the benefits of shiitake don’t just stop there, because these mushrooms flood your system with other nutrients like B vitamins, vitamin D, selenium, niacin, and 7 of the 8 essential amino acids.     Plus, the enzymes packed into shiitake also make it easier for your body to absorb almost any nutrient.     Which means if you’re already taking a vitamin C or D supplement for your immune system, shiitake will actually make those supplements work better!    REISHI Known as the Mushrooms of Immortality, reishi mushrooms are packed with polysaccharides, antioxidant properties, and those crucial β-glucans that can help with immune function.   As early as 206 BC there are writings about reishi mushrooms being used to help people live longer.   Today’s researchers now know that they were living longer simply because their bodies were better equipped to fight off disease.   Simply put, they had super strong Cellular Immunity Defense Systems.   Again, it’s thanks to the high content of those powerful β-glucans!   In fact, reishi mushrooms have been shown to have as much as 5.8% levels of β-glucans, higher than any other mushroom strain on earth.   MAITAKE   Remember those important cytokines?    Well, we know it’s important to strike the right balance of them in your system…    So that you have enough of them to help your immune system fight off bacteria...    But not too many to cause a dangerous “cytokine storm”.    It turns out that maitake mushrooms may just be the secret to striking this delicate balance.    A 3-week study of a group of healthy young women taking Maitake mushrooms resulted in the benefits you might expect.    Similar to reishi and shiitake, they all saw improvements in their immune systems thanks to the increase in β-glucans…    But the study with maitake gave researchers some really exciting results with those cytokines    It turns out that maitake was able to trigger both stimulatory (IL-2) and suppressive (IL-10) cytokines.     That means they were able to increase the cytokines, but not past a certain level so they got out of control.   But here’s where things really start to get interesting…    Maitake is not the only mushroom researchers have studied for the immune response…    While it was by far the strongest in supporting the immune defense reaction…    There was one way they were able to trigger an even bigger response…    They combined it with shiitake!    And it was that combination that was stronger than any other.   MUSHROOM POTENCY CAN BE INCREASED EXPONENTIALLY WHEN THEY ARE USED TOGETHER!   Just look what happened when the research team from the National Institute of Complementary Medicine, the School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, and Integria Healthcare started mixing mushrooms together…    They started with nine varieties of whole mushroom extracts.    They tried them each individually with some pretty good results…    But then they tried mixing a few of them together, and as you’d expect, the results dramatically increased.    And when their work was done do you know which 3 of the 9 mushrooms worked best for the immune system?    You guess it - the magical trio of reishi, shiitake, and maitake.    When these 3 were combined, the lead researcher told the media that they came together to create and immune system “super-force.”    “What we found that was surprising was that the (combination) gave three to four times the impact that what we would expect,” Associate Professor Joe Tiralongo said.   7M+ by Organixx   7M+ is a breakthrough proprietary formula that ensures you’re getting the most powerful combination of those 3 crucial mushrooms packed with those β-glucans at a level no other mushroom supplement can offer.   The anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of 7M+ give you what you need to help support your immune system like nothing else on the market.   And… It turns out there’s so much more that mushrooms can do for our bodies than just immune support.   That’s why Organixx added 4 other nutritional mushrooms into this formula…. CHAGA Chaga has been used for centuries primarily in the East. It's known for its immune support and soothing properties. Many traditional healers have used it as a soothing tea for a powerful and natural digestive support. It's also shown the potential to help maintain healthy blood pressure levels that are already within the normal range. Chaga also has very powerful antioxidant properties that make it a powerhouse on its own.   CORDYCEPS Cordyceps mushrooms have been shown to help regulate a healthy immune system. Cordyceps were at one time so highly valued that they were only allowed to be consumed by the Emperor of China (who lived to 100+ years old and still fathered children into his 100s). Also known for the ability to support sexual health and athletic ability, cordyceps have been the most sought after nutritional mushroom in the Orient.   LION'S MANE One of the more interesting mushrooms coming from the ancient east. Lion's mane is known to support brain health, support cognitive function, and aid against age-related memory loss. It also helps maintain mental focus and function, as well as promoting healthy digestive function through its powerful regulation of bacteria.   TURKEY TAIL Turkey tail is considered one of the best-researched mushrooms on earth. Its benefits are just as strong as other nutritional mushrooms such as reishi, cordyceps and maitake. It contains powerful antioxidant nutrients and high levels of selenium, vitamin D, and vitamin B3, which are crucial for boosting and maintaining immunity.     Fermentation INCREASES the Power of Nutritional Mushrooms Most other mushroom supplements don’t take this into consideration. They simply get a basic mushroom formula and bottle it up.   That strategy does work a little better than just eating whole mushrooms…   But fermentation takes it to a whole other level of potency and that’s exactly what the team at Organixx has done with 7M+ and their proprietary fermentation process.   Fermentation is simply the process of breaking something down so that the highest amount of nutrients can be extracted.   Research found that fermented mushrooms are, indeed, the best way to increase the levels of those powerful β-glucans.   Fermentation also extracts all the healthy and beneficial other nutrients that are packed into mushrooms. This means that those nutrients can get into your system better because they’re more bioavailable.     The Ingredients in 7M+ Are Certified Organic – Why That Matters to YOU! Once a nutrient like mushrooms are harvested, they are then dried and concentrated down to a very potent dose.   This sounds like a good thing because you’ll get a higher dose of the nutrients, as we discussed already…   But if those mushrooms were not grown organically, that means pesticides and poisons were used on them.   And when they are concentrated down, you’re not only getting high amounts of nutrients…. but HIGH CONCENTRATIONS OF POISONS too!     Why 7M+ for You and Your Family   7M+ is specifically formulated to give you everything you need to help support immunity and feel younger and healthier.   This year, with the entire globe dealing with a health epidemic, maintaining your immune system might be something that makes all the difference.   With 7M+, you get seven of the world’s finest beneficial mushrooms, jam-packed with β-glucans – nature’s powerful sickness-fighting ingredient.   With the immune-supporting power of 7M+ working throughout your entire body, you can help increase your and your family’s odds of staying well even during times like this.   Only two capsules a day provide you with a completely safe, 100% natural, and amazingly effective formula to support immunity… and help you live a longer and healthier life!         RESOURCES 7M+ by Organixx https://shop.organixx.com/a/secure/checkout/PS9gd0VOOLThuCn8OMXV?ch-tn-box=third-box&gl=5d88ec0f02e26b5443380841   Empowering You Organically Episode 47: The Magic of Mushrooms https://organixx.com/empowering-you-organically/the-magic-of-mushrooms-episode-47/   Cytokines https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/cytokines   Cytokine storm: An overreaction of the body's immune system https://www.newscientist.com/term/cytokine-storm/#ixzz6KBGrH9ZF   Cytokine Storms May Be Fueling Some COVID Deaths https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/20200417/cytokine-storms-may-be-fueling-some-covid-deaths   NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/797584   Into the Eye of the Cytokine Storm https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3294426/   COVID-19: consider cytokine storm syndromes and immunosuppression https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30628-0/fulltext   The innate and adaptive immune systems https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279396/   Cellular Immunity https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/cellular-immunity   The immune system review https://www.khanacademy.org/science/high-school-biology/hs-human-body-systems/hs-the-immune-system/a/hs-the-immune-system-review   Cell-Mediated Immunity https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/cell-mediated-immunity   Cell-mediated immunity https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cell-mediated_immunity   Types of immune responses: Innate and adaptive, humoral vs. cell-mediated https://www.khanacademy.org/science/high-school-biology/hs-human-body-systems/hs-the-immune-system/v/types-of-immune-responses-innate-and-adaptive-humoral-vs-cell-mediated   Edible Mushrooms: Improving Human Health and Promoting Quality Life https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4320875/   Determination of Glucan Contents in the Fruiting Bodies and Mycelia of Lentinula edodes Cultivars https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4206800/   Beta-glucans in edible mushrooms https://www.researchgate.net/publication/263256678_Beta-glucans_in_edible_mushrooms   Shaping the Innate Immune Response by Dietary Glucans: Any Role in the Control of Cancer? https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7016572/   Consuming Lentinula edodes (Shiitake) Mushrooms Daily Improves Human Immunity: A Randomized Dietary Intervention in Healthy Young Adults. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25866155   Ganoderma lucidum (Lingzhi or Reishi) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK92757/   Immune-enhancing effects of Maitake (Grifola frondosa) and Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) extracts https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4202470/   Immune-modulating Effects of Maitake Mushroom Extract https://www.naturalmedicinejournal.com/journal/2009-12/immune-modulating-effects-maitake-mushroom-extract   Synergistic immuno-modulatory activity in human macrophages of a medicinal mushroom formulation consisting of Reishi, Shiitake and Maitake https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/authors?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0224740   Researchers prove mushrooms are magic for your immune system https://thenewdaily.com.au/life/wellbeing/2019/11/08/mushroom-medicines-health-benefits/  

Coronavirus is forefront in all our minds right now. Tune in to find out from Jonathan and TeriAnn why BOOSTING your immune system right now may not be the way to go. We help you understand your immune system; innate and adaptive, cytokine storms, and the role of beta-glucans, or a β-glucans for short, play in SUPPORTING your immunity. Which leads you into the magic of mushrooms. Here’s a hint…they aren’t just for anti-aging! “Boosting” your Immune System may be the worst thing you can do during a pandemic…   The single best thing you can do for your health and the health of your loved ones is to take steps towards supporting the health of your immune system.   And I chose the word “support” carefully because new research is now showing that...   Immune SUPPORT is better than an immune BOOST during a pandemic!   Let’s Look at The Immune System The immune system protects the body from possibly harmful substances by recognizing and responding to antigens. Antigens are substances (usually proteins) on the surface of cells, viruses, fungi, or bacteria. Nonliving substances such as toxins, chemicals, drugs, and foreign particles (such as a splinter) can also be antigens. The immune system recognizes and destroys, or tries to destroy, substances that contain antigens.   Your body's cells have proteins that are antigens. These include a group of antigens called HLA antigens. Your immune system learns to see these antigens as normal and usually does not react against them.     Important Distinctions of Your Immune System   Innate Immune System The innate immune system is made of defenses against infection that can be activated immediately once a pathogen attacks. The innate immune system is essentially made up of barriers that aim to keep viruses, bacteria, parasites, and other foreign particles out of your body or limit their ability to spread and move throughout the body. The innate immune system includes:   Physical Barriers such as skin, the gastrointestinal tract, the respiratory tract, the nasopharynx, cilia, eyelashes and other body hair. Defense Mechanisms such as secretions, mucous, bile, gastric acid, saliva, tears, and sweat. General Immune Responses such as inflammation, complement, and non-specific cellular responses. The inflammatory response actively brings immune cells to the site of an infection by increasing blood flow to the area. Complement is an immune response that marks pathogens for destruction and makes holes in the cell membrane of the pathogen.   The innate immune system is always general, or nonspecific, meaning anything that is identified as foreign or non-self is a target for the innate immune response. The innate immune system is activated by the presence of antigens and their chemical properties.   The Adaptive Immune System: Precision and a long memory If the body’s first line of defense – the innate immune system – is unsuccessful in destroying the pathogens, after about four to seven days the specific adaptive immune response sets in. This means that the adaptive defense takes longer, but it targets the pathogen more accurately.   Another advantage: It can remember the aggressor and acts specifically against certain antigens. If there is new contact with an antigen that is already known, the defense response can then be quicker. This way the defense responses of the adaptive immune system are more efficient and faster than those of the innate defense, if the antigen is already known.   The adaptive immune system can remember the antigens because it produces memory cells. This is also the reason why there are some illnesses you can only get once in your life, because afterwards your body becomes “immune.” While after first contact with the pathogen it takes several days for the immune system to respond, a second infection often has no consequences, or at least the symptoms are weaker.   The adaptive immune system has several parts that react in different ways, depending on the place in the body where the pathogen is. Antibodies are made available for germs outside the cells (in the blood and in body fluids). To eliminate pathogens that are inside the tissue, a cell-mediated immune response is necessary.   These parts of the adaptive defense include:   T lymphocytes B lymphocytes antibodies as soluble proteins in the blood cytokines in the blood and tissue as hormone-like messenger substances   Cytokines Cytokines form a group of proteins that participate in cell signaling, intercellular communication and in many cellular and immunological functions. They are prominently involved in inflammatory responses and defense against viral infections.   If the other parts act like soldiers protecting you, then cytokines are like Navy Seals, sent in for only the toughest missions.    These cytokines are small molecules in the body that are released by certain cells to help coordinate the battle against infection. So, you might be thinking “Great! How do I get more of these hard-working cytokines into my system?”   And that makes sense. If they’re the best of the best for fighting illness, then you’d want more of them, right?   Well, it’s not so simple and now some doctors have recently made a startling discovery…   As it turns out, “boosting” cytokines during a pandemic like this might cause what some doctors call a “cytokine storm.”   And this cytokine storm might be the explanation of why some people rapidly decline in a pandemic, while others are able to stay healthy.   Scientifically speaking, a “cytokine storm” is when, in some cases, the body's own immune system actually overreacts to an infection.    And that’s when problems can start.   While cytokines are generally a good thing for your immune system…   Too many of them at once might actually cause an overreaction.    This “overreaction” could cause more damage to the body’s own cells than to the invading disease cells it's trying to fight off.     Your Cellular Immunity Defense System There is one thing that almost every single medical doctor does agree on when it comes to diseases… A compromised immune system is the single biggest risk factor anyone can have.   You might be wondering… How do I build the foundation of my immune system without overloading it?   Fortunately, there is something you can do, and it has to do with what doctors and medical researchers call... your Cellular Immunity Defense System   Cellular immunity protects the body through:   T-cell mediated immunity or T-cell immunity: activating antigen-specific cytotoxic T cells that are able to induce apoptosis in body cells displaying epitopes of foreign antigen on their surface, such as virus-infected cells, cells with intracellular bacteria, and cancer cells displaying tumor antigens; Macrophage and natural killer cell action: enabling the destruction of pathogens via recognition and secretion of cytotoxic granules (for natural killer cells and phagocytosis (for macrophages); and Stimulating cells to secrete a variety of cytokines that influence the function of other cells involved in adaptive immune responses and innate immune responses.   Cell-mediated immunity is directed primarily at microbes that survive in phagocytes and microbes that infect non-phagocytic cells. It is most effective in removing virus-infected cells, but also participates in defending against fungi, protozoans, cancers, and intracellular bacteria. It also plays a major role in transplant rejection.     THIS LITTLE-KNOWN NUTRIENT - Activates Your Cellular Immunity Defense System   It’s called a beta-glucan, or a β-glucan for short.   Outside of freshman chemistry class, you may never have heard of a beta-glucan.    But these β-glucans attach themselves to white blood cells and stimulate them to seek and destroy bacteria and viruses.     Your body already has natural bacteria killing cells called B cells and T cells, and dozens of research studies show that once β-glucans are in your system, they activate and strengthen these killer cells.     It’s like sending every little immunity soldier into battle with a rocket launcher packed with an unlimited supply of bacteria-seeking missiles.    And that’s not all they do…    Remember those little immunity defenders called cytokines?    We know that overloading the system with them can cause a “cytokine storm,” but striking the right balance of them can really fortify your immune system.    Well, that’s part of the magic of β-glucans...    β-glucans are what trigger natural and healthy cytokine production and those little cytokines are what spring to action in an immune response.    So, the more β-glucan you have in your body, the stronger your immune system.    AND what’s more, β-glucans naturally regulate your cytokine production, so they won’t “overload” and cause a dangerous cytokine storm.    So, you might be asking, how do I make sure my β-glucans are strong and that my system has enough of them to fight off infectious bacteria?    Well, there is one superfood that contains extremely high amounts of β-glucan.    The #1 Superfood That Fortifies Your Cellular Immunity Defense System:   NUTRITIONAL MUSHROOMS - The Cutting Edge of Natural Immune System Research   Just by using nutritional mushrooms regularly, researchers say you can increase your levels of β-glucans more than any other nutrient on earth.   It’s like having a never-ending supply of reinforcements to send into the war against infectious diseases.   Researchers have found that nutritional mushrooms contain 0.53 grams of β-glucans per 100 grams of mushrooms, which makes them far and away the most β-glucan-rich food you can find on the planet.   3 Mushrooms That Act Like “Turbo Shots” To Your Immune System    SHITAKE In a 2011 study, 52 healthy adults, aged 21 to 41, took home a 4-week supply of shiitake mushrooms. They were told to eat one 4-ounce serving of the mushroom every day.    Then after the 4 weeks were completed, they returned for some simple blood work.    Their results showed a decrease in inflammatory proteins which the researchers thought was a pretty good benefit in itself…    But then they looked a little harder at the data and saw that each patient's B cells, T cells, and natural bacteria-killing cells had all increased.    When they finally figured out what triggered this response, it was no surprise that it was all connected back to the β-glucans that came from the shiitake mushrooms they had been eating.    "If you eat a shiitake mushroom every day, you could see changes in their immune system that are beneficial," said Food Science and Human Nutrition Professor Sue Percival, who was the leader of the study.      She also said that those β-glucans were not only able to "Enhance the immune system,”    ... but “also reduce the inflammation that the immune system produces."   And the benefits of shiitake don’t just stop there, because these mushrooms flood your system with other nutrients like B vitamins, vitamin D, selenium, niacin, and 7 of the 8 essential amino acids.     Plus, the enzymes packed into shiitake also make it easier for your body to absorb almost any nutrient.     Which means if you’re already taking a vitamin C or D supplement for your immune system, shiitake will actually make those supplements work better!    REISHI Known as the Mushrooms of Immortality, reishi mushrooms are packed with polysaccharides, antioxidant properties, and those crucial β-glucans that can help with immune function.   As early as 206 BC there are writings about reishi mushrooms being used to help people live longer.   Today’s researchers now know that they were living longer simply because their bodies were better equipped to fight off disease.   Simply put, they had super strong Cellular Immunity Defense Systems.   Again, it’s thanks to the high content of those powerful β-glucans!   In fact, reishi mushrooms have been shown to have as much as 5.8% levels of β-glucans, higher than any other mushroom strain on earth.   MAITAKE   Remember those important cytokines?    Well, we know it’s important to strike the right balance of them in your system…    So that you have enough of them to help your immune system fight off bacteria...    But not too many to cause a dangerous “cytokine storm”.    It turns out that maitake mushrooms may just be the secret to striking this delicate balance.    A 3-week study of a group of healthy young women taking Maitake mushrooms resulted in the benefits you might expect.    Similar to reishi and shiitake, they all saw improvements in their immune systems thanks to the increase in β-glucans…    But the study with maitake gave researchers some really exciting results with those cytokines    It turns out that maitake was able to trigger both stimulatory (IL-2) and suppressive (IL-10) cytokines.     That means they were able to increase the cytokines, but not past a certain level so they got out of control.   But here’s where things really start to get interesting…    Maitake is not the only mushroom researchers have studied for the immune response…    While it was by far the strongest in supporting the immune defense reaction…    There was one way they were able to trigger an even bigger response…    They combined it with shiitake!    And it was that combination that was stronger than any other.   MUSHROOM POTENCY CAN BE INCREASED EXPONENTIALLY WHEN THEY ARE USED TOGETHER!   Just look what happened when the research team from the National Institute of Complementary Medicine, the School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, and Integria Healthcare started mixing mushrooms together…    They started with nine varieties of whole mushroom extracts.    They tried them each individually with some pretty good results…    But then they tried mixing a few of them together, and as you’d expect, the results dramatically increased.    And when their work was done do you know which 3 of the 9 mushrooms worked best for the immune system?    You guess it - the magical trio of reishi, shiitake, and maitake.    When these 3 were combined, the lead researcher told the media that they came together to create and immune system “super-force.”    “What we found that was surprising was that the (combination) gave three to four times the impact that what we would expect,” Associate Professor Joe Tiralongo said.   7M+ by Organixx   7M+ is a breakthrough proprietary formula that ensures you’re getting the most powerful combination of those 3 crucial mushrooms packed with those β-glucans at a level no other mushroom supplement can offer.   The anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of 7M+ give you what you need to help support your immune system like nothing else on the market.   And… It turns out there’s so much more that mushrooms can do for our bodies than just immune support.   That’s why Organixx added 4 other nutritional mushrooms into this formula…. CHAGA Chaga has been used for centuries primarily in the East. It's known for its immune support and soothing properties. Many traditional healers have used it as a soothing tea for a powerful and natural digestive support. It's also shown the potential to help maintain healthy blood pressure levels that are already within the normal range. Chaga also has very powerful antioxidant properties that make it a powerhouse on its own.   CORDYCEPS Cordyceps mushrooms have been shown to help regulate a healthy immune system. Cordyceps were at one time so highly valued that they were only allowed to be consumed by the Emperor of China (who lived to 100+ years old and still fathered children into his 100s). Also known for the ability to support sexual health and athletic ability, cordyceps have been the most sought after nutritional mushroom in the Orient.   LION'S MANE One of the more interesting mushrooms coming from the ancient east. Lion's mane is known to support brain health, support cognitive function, and aid against age-related memory loss. It also helps maintain mental focus and function, as well as promoting healthy digestive function through its powerful regulation of bacteria.   TURKEY TAIL Turkey tail is considered one of the best-researched mushrooms on earth. Its benefits are just as strong as other nutritional mushrooms such as reishi, cordyceps and maitake. It contains powerful antioxidant nutrients and high levels of selenium, vitamin D, and vitamin B3, which are crucial for boosting and maintaining immunity.     Fermentation INCREASES the Power of Nutritional Mushrooms Most other mushroom supplements don’t take this into consideration. They simply get a basic mushroom formula and bottle it up.   That strategy does work a little better than just eating whole mushrooms…   But fermentation takes it to a whole other level of potency and that’s exactly what the team at Organixx has done with 7M+ and their proprietary fermentation process.   Fermentation is simply the process of breaking something down so that the highest amount of nutrients can be extracted.   Research found that fermented mushrooms are, indeed, the best way to increase the levels of those powerful β-glucans.   Fermentation also extracts all the healthy and beneficial other nutrients that are packed into mushrooms. This means that those nutrients can get into your system better because they’re more bioavailable.     The Ingredients in 7M+ Are Certified Organic – Why That Matters to YOU! Once a nutrient like mushrooms are harvested, they are then dried and concentrated down to a very potent dose.   This sounds like a good thing because you’ll get a higher dose of the nutrients, as we discussed already…   But if those mushrooms were not grown organically, that means pesticides and poisons were used on them.   And when they are concentrated down, you’re not only getting high amounts of nutrients…. but HIGH CONCENTRATIONS OF POISONS too!     Why 7M+ for You and Your Family   7M+ is specifically formulated to give you everything you need to help support immunity and feel younger and healthier.   This year, with the entire globe dealing with a health epidemic, maintaining your immune system might be something that makes all the difference.   With 7M+, you get seven of the world’s finest beneficial mushrooms, jam-packed with β-glucans – nature’s powerful sickness-fighting ingredient.   With the immune-supporting power of 7M+ working throughout your entire body, you can help increase your and your family’s odds of staying well even during times like this.   Only two capsules a day provide you with a completely safe, 100% natural, and amazingly effective formula to support immunity… and help you live a longer and healthier life!         RESOURCES 7M+ by Organixx https://shop.organixx.com/a/secure/checkout/PS9gd0VOOLThuCn8OMXV?ch-tn-box=third-box&gl=5d88ec0f02e26b5443380841   Empowering You Organically Episode 47: The Magic of Mushrooms https://organixx.com/empowering-you-organically/the-magic-of-mushrooms-episode-47/   Cytokines https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/cytokines   Cytokine storm: An overreaction of the body's immune system https://www.newscientist.com/term/cytokine-storm/#ixzz6KBGrH9ZF   Cytokine Storms May Be Fueling Some COVID Deaths https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/20200417/cytokine-storms-may-be-fueling-some-covid-deaths   NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/797584   Into the Eye of the Cytokine Storm https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3294426/   COVID-19: consider cytokine storm syndromes and immunosuppression https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30628-0/fulltext   The innate and adaptive immune systems https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279396/   Cellular Immunity https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/cellular-immunity   The immune system review https://www.khanacademy.org/science/high-school-biology/hs-human-body-systems/hs-the-immune-system/a/hs-the-immune-system-review   Cell-Mediated Immunity https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/cell-mediated-immunity   Cell-mediated immunity https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cell-mediated_immunity   Types of immune responses: Innate and adaptive, humoral vs. cell-mediated https://www.khanacademy.org/science/high-school-biology/hs-human-body-systems/hs-the-immune-system/v/types-of-immune-responses-innate-and-adaptive-humoral-vs-cell-mediated   Edible Mushrooms: Improving Human Health and Promoting Quality Life https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4320875/   Determination of Glucan Contents in the Fruiting Bodies and Mycelia of Lentinula edodes Cultivars https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4206800/   Beta-glucans in edible mushrooms https://www.researchgate.net/publication/263256678_Beta-glucans_in_edible_mushrooms   Shaping the Innate Immune Response by Dietary Glucans: Any Role in the Control of Cancer? https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7016572/   Consuming Lentinula edodes (Shiitake) Mushrooms Daily Improves Human Immunity: A Randomized Dietary Intervention in Healthy Young Adults. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25866155   Ganoderma lucidum (Lingzhi or Reishi) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK92757/   Immune-enhancing effects of Maitake (Grifola frondosa) and Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) extracts https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4202470/   Immune-modulating Effects of Maitake Mushroom Extract https://www.naturalmedicinejournal.com/journal/2009-12/immune-modulating-effects-maitake-mushroom-extract   Synergistic immuno-modulatory activity in human macrophages of a medicinal mushroom formulation consisting of Reishi, Shiitake and Maitake https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/authors?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0224740   Researchers prove mushrooms are magic for your immune system https://thenewdaily.com.au/life/wellbeing/2019/11/08/mushroom-medicines-health-benefits/     Subscribe to Empowering You Organically  Never miss an episode!    APPLE PODCASTS                 SPOTIFY                 GOOGLE PODCASTS  

The mushroom commonly known as the Reishi Mushroom is also known as 'The Mushroom of Immortality'. The Reishi mushroom has been used in Chinese medicine for over 2,000 years and has an interesting story behind it that I discuss in the podcast. The reality is that it was coined the name of 'The Mushroom of Immortality' because it was believed to have the benefit of making people live longer or even forever. While there are over 250 species of the Ganoderma genus the one used back in Ancienet china was the Ganoderma Lucidum or the Chinsese name was Lingzhi. In modern day there are over 100 different clinical studies done on the Reishi mushroom to include many health benefits: 1. Anticancer benefits 2. Stabilize blood vessel formation 3. Immune system boosting 4. Liver protection 5. Blood pressure lowering 6. Cholesterol lowering 7. Preventing heart attack and stroke by stopping platelet clumping 8. Prevents allergic reactions 9. Anticancer benefits 10. Extremely potent antioxidant whose benefits are still being studied As well as many specific anti-aging benefits to include cellular protection and hormonal balancing. You can learn more about the many health benefits of The Mushroom of Immortality, how to prepare it and where to buy it in an article I have written here: https://curativemushrooms.com/the-mushroom-of-immortality-reishi-benefits

We are replaying one of the most popular shows for you this week!    * * *   Mushrooms are magical! We’ve talked about the amazing benefits of mushrooms before but today we dive deeper into the top 7 mushrooms that support our health. Listen in to learn how chaga, turkey tail, shitake, maitake, cordyceps, lion’s mane, and reishi mushrooms work hard to keep us healthy and our immune systems strong.   * * *   What Mushrooms Are In 7M+? Turkey tail, chaga, shiitake, maitake, cordyceps, lion’s mane, and reishi.   Chaga Chaga has been used for centuries, primarily in the East. It’s known for its immune support and soothing properties. Many traditional healers have used it as a soothing tea for a powerful and natural digestive support. It’s also shown the potential to help maintain healthy blood pressure levels that are already within the normal range. Chaga also has very powerful antioxidant properties that make it a powerhouse on its own.   Cordyceps Cordyceps have been shown to help regulate a healthy immune system. They’re also strong inflammation fighters. Cordyceps were at one time so highly-valued that it was only allowed to be consumed by the Emperor of China, who lived 100+ years, and still fathered children into his 100s. Also known for the ability to support sexual health and athletic ability, Cordyceps have been the most sought-after nutritional mushroom in the Orient.   Lion’s Mane Lion’s Mane is known to support brain health, boost cognitive function, and aid against age-related memory loss. It also helps maintain mental focus and function, as well as promoting healthy digestive function through its powerful regulation of bacteria.   Turkey Tail It’s considered one of the best-researched mushrooms on Earth. Its benefits are just as strong as other nutritional mushrooms, such as Reishi, Cordyceps, and Maitake. It contains powerful antioxidant nutrients and high levels of selenium, vitamin D, and vitamin B3, which are crucial for boosting and maintaining immunity. Turkey Tail is so effective, we’ve put it in several of our supplements.   Shiitake The benefits of Shiitake mushrooms for your immune system are some of the most well-documented for any type of nutritional mushroom. Perhaps its greatest influence is in the activity of the tiny cells responsible for protecting your immune system from inflammation. A recent four-week study showed that daily use of Shiitake mushrooms boosted the immune response in young adults. They have the potential to keep your immune cells protected from inflammation and the signs of aging. Lentinan Lentinan is a polysaccharide extracted from the fruit body of the Shiitake. So, deep within the Shiitake mushroom is Lentinan. Lab studies show that not only is Lentinan effective at supporting a healthy immune system, but it also has cholesterol-lowering properties.   Maitake Lab studies show that this nutrient-rich wild mushroom is not only effective at supporting a healthy immune system. It can also help regulate blood pressure Support healthy blood sugar Fight off abnormal cell growth Maintain healthy inflammation… and much more! It’s no wonder many cultures around the world use the magical maitake mushroom as a powerful healing tonic and medicinal food.   Reishi Nicknamed the “Mushroom of Immortality.” It’s not hard to see why Reishi mushrooms have been used in natural health remedies for hundreds of years. It seems every year, science uncovers new uses for this wonder nutrient. It may be thanks to the complex compounds found in Reishi mushrooms that help regulate and support an aging immune system, reduce inflammation, and assist in healthy heart function.   Why Take 7M+? You’re going to have a hard time going to the grocery store and picking out all these mushrooms and getting them into your diet. And not only that, but you can buy a lot of these different mushroom products individually, in their own capsule form, in a bottle, and pay $50 for each one in a bottle, or you can get all of these wrapped into one product, a blend of all of these mushrooms that work synergistically together. The reason why I think this product is so powerful and mushrooms are so powerful, our immune system, and we also talked a lot about the gut and the bacteria and the gut health, all of it supports our overall health, not only from the physical perspective, but our emotional perspective.   What Is the Aging Process? It’s all of the functions and systems in our body slowing down, shutting down in a sense, going slower, slower, slower, slower, to the point where you’re just not as healthy as you once were. But we’re seeing through the research, we’ve talked about today in this podcast, in the last podcast, that we actually can do things to keep ourselves healthier longer.   Supplements Jonathan Recommends Everyone Take Multi-Vita-Maxx Turmeric 3D 7M+     Deeper Dive Resources Empowering You Organically Podcast on Telomeres https://organixx.com/empowering-you-organically/telomeres-and-slowing-down-aging-episode-46/   Antioxidant properties of several specialty mushrooms https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0963996901001508?via%3Dihub   Chaga https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inonotus_obliquus   Chaga mushroom extract inhibits oxidative DNA damage in human lymphocytes as assessed by comet assay https://content.iospress.com/articles/biofactors/bio00676   Ergosterol peroxide from Chaga mushroom (Inonotus obliquus) exhibits anti-cancer activity by down-regulation of the β-catenin pathway in colorectal cancer https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378874115300477   Cordyceps https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cordyceps   Lion’s Make https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hericium_erinaceus   Chemistry, Nutrition, and Health-Promoting Properties of Hericium erinaceus (Lion’s Mane) Mushroom Fruiting Bodies and Mycelia and Their Bioactive Compounds https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.jafc.5b02914   Gastroprotective Effects of Lion’s Mane Mushroom Hericium erinaceus (Bull.:Fr.) Pers. (Aphyllophoromycetideae) Extract against Ethanol-Induced Ulcer in Rats https://www.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2013/492976/abs/   Turkey Tail https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trametes_versicolor   FDA Approves Bastyr Turkey Tail Trial for Cancer Patients https://bastyr.edu/news/general-news/2012/11/fda-approves-bastyr-turkey-tail-trial-cancer-patients   Medicinal Mushrooms (PDQ®) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK424937/   Shiitake https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiitake   Consuming Lentinula edodes (Shiitake) Mushrooms Daily Improves Human Immunity: A Randomized Dietary Intervention in Healthy Young Adults. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25866155   Effects of shiitake (Lentinus edodes) extract on human neutrophils and the U937 monocytic cell line. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10190187   Lentinan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lentinan   Gordon M, Guralnik M, Kaneko Y, et al. A phase II controlled study of a combination of the immune modulator, lentinan, with didanosine (ddI) in HIV patients with CD4 cells of 200-500/mm3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10503166   Combination therapy with lentinan improves outcomes in patients with esophageal carcinoma. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22200763   Reishi https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lingzhi_mushroom   Ganoderma lucidum ("Lingzhi"), a Chinese medicinal mushroom: biomarker responses in a controlled human supplementation study. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14756912   Randomized clinical trial of an ethanol extract of Ganoderma lucidum in men with lower urinary tract symptoms. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18097505 Study of potential cardioprotective effects of Ganoderma lucidum (Lingzhi): results of a controlled human intervention trial. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21801467   Maitake https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grifola_frondosa   Anti-diabetic activity present in the fruit body of Grifola frondosa (Maitake). I. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7820117   Organixx 7M+ https://shop.organixx.com/collections/immune-support/products/7m-plus   Organixx Multi-Vita-Maxx https://shop.organixx.com/collections/daily-nutrition-multivitamins/products/multi-vita-maxx   Organixx Turmeric 3D https://shop.organixx.com/products/turmeric-3d?_pos=1&_sid=985c8e583&_ss=r

We are replaying one of the most popular shows for you this week!    * * *   Mushrooms are magical! We’ve talked about the amazing benefits of mushrooms before but today we dive deeper into the top 7 mushrooms that support our health. Listen in to learn how chaga, turkey tail, shitake, maitake, cordyceps, lion’s mane, and reishi mushrooms work hard to keep us healthy and our immune systems strong.   * * *   What Mushrooms Are In 7M+? Turkey tail, chaga, shiitake, maitake, cordyceps, lion’s mane, and reishi.   Chaga Chaga has been used for centuries, primarily in the East. It’s known for its immune support and soothing properties. Many traditional healers have used it as a soothing tea for a powerful and natural digestive support. It’s also shown the potential to help maintain healthy blood pressure levels that are already within the normal range. Chaga also has very powerful antioxidant properties that make it a powerhouse on its own.   Cordyceps Cordyceps have been shown to help regulate a healthy immune system. They’re also strong inflammation fighters. Cordyceps were at one time so highly-valued that it was only allowed to be consumed by the Emperor of China, who lived 100+ years, and still fathered children into his 100s. Also known for the ability to support sexual health and athletic ability, Cordyceps have been the most sought-after nutritional mushroom in the Orient.   Lion’s Mane Lion’s Mane is known to support brain health, boost cognitive function, and aid against age-related memory loss. It also helps maintain mental focus and function, as well as promoting healthy digestive function through its powerful regulation of bacteria.   Turkey Tail It’s considered one of the best-researched mushrooms on Earth. Its benefits are just as strong as other nutritional mushrooms, such as Reishi, Cordyceps, and Maitake. It contains powerful antioxidant nutrients and high levels of selenium, vitamin D, and vitamin B3, which are crucial for boosting and maintaining immunity. Turkey Tail is so effective, we’ve put it in several of our supplements.   Shiitake The benefits of Shiitake mushrooms for your immune system are some of the most well-documented for any type of nutritional mushroom. Perhaps its greatest influence is in the activity of the tiny cells responsible for protecting your immune system from inflammation. A recent four-week study showed that daily use of Shiitake mushrooms boosted the immune response in young adults. They have the potential to keep your immune cells protected from inflammation and the signs of aging. Lentinan Lentinan is a polysaccharide extracted from the fruit body of the Shiitake. So, deep within the Shiitake mushroom is Lentinan. Lab studies show that not only is Lentinan effective at supporting a healthy immune system, but it also has cholesterol-lowering properties.   Maitake Lab studies show that this nutrient-rich wild mushroom is not only effective at supporting a healthy immune system. It can also help regulate blood pressure Support healthy blood sugar Fight off abnormal cell growth Maintain healthy inflammation… and much more! It’s no wonder many cultures around the world use the magical maitake mushroom as a powerful healing tonic and medicinal food.   Reishi Nicknamed the “Mushroom of Immortality.” It’s not hard to see why Reishi mushrooms have been used in natural health remedies for hundreds of years. It seems every year, science uncovers new uses for this wonder nutrient. It may be thanks to the complex compounds found in Reishi mushrooms that help regulate and support an aging immune system, reduce inflammation, and assist in healthy heart function.   Why Take 7M+? You’re going to have a hard time going to the grocery store and picking out all these mushrooms and getting them into your diet. And not only that, but you can buy a lot of these different mushroom products individually, in their own capsule form, in a bottle, and pay $50 for each one in a bottle, or you can get all of these wrapped into one product, a blend of all of these mushrooms that work synergistically together. The reason why I think this product is so powerful and mushrooms are so powerful, our immune system, and we also talked a lot about the gut and the bacteria and the gut health, all of it supports our overall health, not only from the physical perspective, but our emotional perspective.   What Is the Aging Process? It’s all of the functions and systems in our body slowing down, shutting down in a sense, going slower, slower, slower, slower, to the point where you’re just not as healthy as you once were. But we’re seeing through the research, we’ve talked about today in this podcast, in the last podcast, that we actually can do things to keep ourselves healthier longer.   Supplements Jonathan Recommends Everyone Take Multi-Vita-Maxx Turmeric 3D 7M+     Deeper Dive Resources Empowering You Organically Podcast on Telomeres https://organixx.com/empowering-you-organically/telomeres-and-slowing-down-aging-episode-46/   Antioxidant properties of several specialty mushrooms https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0963996901001508?via%3Dihub   Chaga https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inonotus_obliquus   Chaga mushroom extract inhibits oxidative DNA damage in human lymphocytes as assessed by comet assay https://content.iospress.com/articles/biofactors/bio00676   Ergosterol peroxide from Chaga mushroom (Inonotus obliquus) exhibits anti-cancer activity by down-regulation of the β-catenin pathway in colorectal cancer https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378874115300477   Cordyceps https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cordyceps   Lion’s Make https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hericium_erinaceus   Chemistry, Nutrition, and Health-Promoting Properties of Hericium erinaceus (Lion’s Mane) Mushroom Fruiting Bodies and Mycelia and Their Bioactive Compounds https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.jafc.5b02914   Gastroprotective Effects of Lion’s Mane Mushroom Hericium erinaceus (Bull.:Fr.) Pers. (Aphyllophoromycetideae) Extract against Ethanol-Induced Ulcer in Rats https://www.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2013/492976/abs/   Turkey Tail https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trametes_versicolor   FDA Approves Bastyr Turkey Tail Trial for Cancer Patients https://bastyr.edu/news/general-news/2012/11/fda-approves-bastyr-turkey-tail-trial-cancer-patients   Medicinal Mushrooms (PDQ®) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK424937/   Shiitake https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiitake   Consuming Lentinula edodes (Shiitake) Mushrooms Daily Improves Human Immunity: A Randomized Dietary Intervention in Healthy Young Adults. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25866155   Effects of shiitake (Lentinus edodes) extract on human neutrophils and the U937 monocytic cell line. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10190187   Lentinan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lentinan   Gordon M, Guralnik M, Kaneko Y, et al. A phase II controlled study of a combination of the immune modulator, lentinan, with didanosine (ddI) in HIV patients with CD4 cells of 200-500/mm3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10503166   Combination therapy with lentinan improves outcomes in patients with esophageal carcinoma. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22200763   Reishi https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lingzhi_mushroom   Ganoderma lucidum ("Lingzhi"), a Chinese medicinal mushroom: biomarker responses in a controlled human supplementation study. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14756912   Randomized clinical trial of an ethanol extract of Ganoderma lucidum in men with lower urinary tract symptoms. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18097505 Study of potential cardioprotective effects of Ganoderma lucidum (Lingzhi): results of a controlled human intervention trial. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21801467   Maitake https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grifola_frondosa   Anti-diabetic activity present in the fruit body of Grifola frondosa (Maitake). I. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7820117   Organixx 7M+ https://shop.organixx.com/collections/immune-support/products/7m-plus   Organixx Multi-Vita-Maxx https://shop.organixx.com/collections/daily-nutrition-multivitamins/products/multi-vita-maxx   Organixx Turmeric 3D https://shop.organixx.com/products/turmeric-3d?_pos=1&_sid=985c8e583&_ss=r

Mushrooms are magical! We’ve talked about the amazing benefits of mushrooms before but today we dive deeper into the top 7 mushrooms that support our health. Listen in to learn how chaga, turkey tail, shitake, maitake, cordyceps, lion’s mane, and reishi mushrooms work hard to keep us healthy and our immune systems strong.   * * *   What Mushrooms Are In 7M+? Turkey tail, chaga, shiitake, maitake, cordyceps, lion’s mane, and reishi.   Chaga Chaga has been used for centuries, primarily in the East. It’s known for its immune support and soothing properties. Many traditional healers have used it as a soothing tea for a powerful and natural digestive support. It’s also shown the potential to help maintain healthy blood pressure levels that are already within the normal range. Chaga also has very powerful antioxidant properties that make it a powerhouse on its own.   Cordyceps Cordyceps have been shown to help regulate a healthy immune system. They’re also strong inflammation fighters. Cordyceps were at one time so highly-valued that it was only allowed to be consumed by the Emperor of China, who lived 100+ years, and still fathered children into his 100s. Also known for the ability to support sexual health and athletic ability, Cordyceps have been the most sought-after nutritional mushroom in the Orient.   Lion’s Mane Lion’s Mane is known to support brain health, boost cognitive function, and aid against age-related memory loss. It also helps maintain mental focus and function, as well as promoting healthy digestive function through its powerful regulation of bacteria.   Turkey Tail It’s considered one of the best-researched mushrooms on Earth. Its benefits are just as strong as other nutritional mushrooms, such as Reishi, Cordyceps, and Maitake. It contains powerful antioxidant nutrients and high levels of selenium, vitamin D, and vitamin B3, which are crucial for boosting and maintaining immunity. Turkey Tail is so effective, we’ve put it in several of our supplements.   Shiitake The benefits of Shiitake mushrooms for your immune system are some of the most well-documented for any type of nutritional mushroom. Perhaps its greatest influence is in the activity of the tiny cells responsible for protecting your immune system from inflammation. A recent four-week study showed that daily use of Shiitake mushrooms boosted the immune response in young adults. They have the potential to keep your immune cells protected from inflammation and the signs of aging. Lentinan Lentinan is a polysaccharide extracted from the fruit body of the Shiitake. So, deep within the Shiitake mushroom is Lentinan. Lab studies show that not only is Lentinan effective at supporting a healthy immune system, but it also has cholesterol-lowering properties.   Maitake Lab studies show that this nutrient-rich wild mushroom is not only effective at supporting a healthy immune system. It can also help regulate blood pressure Support healthy blood sugar Fight off abnormal cell growth Maintain healthy inflammation… and much more! It’s no wonder many cultures around the world use the magical maitake mushroom as a powerful healing tonic and medicinal food.   Reishi Nicknamed the “Mushroom of Immortality.” It’s not hard to see why Reishi mushrooms have been used in natural health remedies for hundreds of years. It seems every year, science uncovers new uses for this wonder nutrient. It may be thanks to the complex compounds found in Reishi mushrooms that help regulate and support an aging immune system, reduce inflammation, and assist in healthy heart function.   Why Take 7M+? You’re going to have a hard time going to the grocery store and picking out all these mushrooms and getting them into your diet. And not only that, but you can buy a lot of these different mushroom products individually, in their own capsule form, in a bottle, and pay $50 for each one in a bottle, or you can get all of these wrapped into one product, a blend of all of these mushrooms that work synergistically together. The reason why I think this product is so powerful and mushrooms are so powerful, our immune system, and we also talked a lot about the gut and the bacteria and the gut health, all of it supports our overall health, not only from the physical perspective, but our emotional perspective.   What Is the Aging Process? It’s all of the functions and systems in our body slowing down, shutting down in a sense, going slower, slower, slower, slower, to the point where you’re just not as healthy as you once were. But we’re seeing through the research, we’ve talked about today in this podcast, in the last podcast, that we actually can do things to keep ourselves healthier longer.   Supplements Jonathan Recommends Everyone Take Multi-Vita-Maxx Turmeric 3D 7M+     Deeper Dive Resources Empowering You Organically Podcast on Telomeres https://organixx.com/empowering-you-organically/telomeres-and-slowing-down-aging-episode-46/   Antioxidant properties of several specialty mushrooms https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0963996901001508?via%3Dihub   Chaga https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inonotus_obliquus   Chaga mushroom extract inhibits oxidative DNA damage in human lymphocytes as assessed by comet assay https://content.iospress.com/articles/biofactors/bio00676   Ergosterol peroxide from Chaga mushroom (Inonotus obliquus) exhibits anti-cancer activity by down-regulation of the β-catenin pathway in colorectal cancer https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378874115300477   Cordyceps https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cordyceps   Lion’s Make https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hericium_erinaceus   Chemistry, Nutrition, and Health-Promoting Properties of Hericium erinaceus (Lion’s Mane) Mushroom Fruiting Bodies and Mycelia and Their Bioactive Compounds https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.jafc.5b02914   Gastroprotective Effects of Lion’s Mane Mushroom Hericium erinaceus (Bull.:Fr.) Pers. (Aphyllophoromycetideae) Extract against Ethanol-Induced Ulcer in Rats https://www.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2013/492976/abs/   Turkey Tail https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trametes_versicolor   FDA Approves Bastyr Turkey Tail Trial for Cancer Patients https://bastyr.edu/news/general-news/2012/11/fda-approves-bastyr-turkey-tail-trial-cancer-patients   Medicinal Mushrooms (PDQ®) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK424937/   Shiitake https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiitake   Consuming Lentinula edodes (Shiitake) Mushrooms Daily Improves Human Immunity: A Randomized Dietary Intervention in Healthy Young Adults. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25866155   Effects of shiitake (Lentinus edodes) extract on human neutrophils and the U937 monocytic cell line. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10190187   Lentinan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lentinan   Gordon M, Guralnik M, Kaneko Y, et al. A phase II controlled study of a combination of the immune modulator, lentinan, with didanosine (ddI) in HIV patients with CD4 cells of 200-500/mm3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10503166   Combination therapy with lentinan improves outcomes in patients with esophageal carcinoma. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22200763   Reishi https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lingzhi_mushroom   Ganoderma lucidum ("Lingzhi"), a Chinese medicinal mushroom: biomarker responses in a controlled human supplementation study. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14756912   Randomized clinical trial of an ethanol extract of Ganoderma lucidum in men with lower urinary tract symptoms. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18097505 Study of potential cardioprotective effects of Ganoderma lucidum (Lingzhi): results of a controlled human intervention trial. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21801467   Maitake https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grifola_frondosa   Anti-diabetic activity present in the fruit body of Grifola frondosa (Maitake). I. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7820117   Organixx 7M+ https://shop.organixx.com/collections/immune-support/products/7m-plus   Organixx Multi-Vita-Maxx https://shop.organixx.com/collections/daily-nutrition-multivitamins/products/multi-vita-maxx   Organixx Turmeric 3D https://shop.organixx.com/products/turmeric-3d?_pos=1&_sid=985c8e583&_ss=r

Mushrooms are magical! We’ve talked about the amazing benefits of mushrooms before but today we dive deeper into the top 7 mushrooms that support our health. Listen in to learn how chaga, turkey tail, shitake, maitake, cordyceps, lion’s mane, and reishi mushrooms work hard to keep us healthy and our immune systems strong.   * * *   What Mushrooms Are In 7M+? Turkey tail, chaga, shiitake, maitake, cordyceps, lion’s mane, and reishi.   Chaga Chaga has been used for centuries, primarily in the East. It’s known for its immune support and soothing properties. Many traditional healers have used it as a soothing tea for a powerful and natural digestive support. It’s also shown the potential to help maintain healthy blood pressure levels that are already within the normal range. Chaga also has very powerful antioxidant properties that make it a powerhouse on its own.   Cordyceps Cordyceps have been shown to help regulate a healthy immune system. They’re also strong inflammation fighters. Cordyceps were at one time so highly-valued that it was only allowed to be consumed by the Emperor of China, who lived 100+ years, and still fathered children into his 100s. Also known for the ability to support sexual health and athletic ability, Cordyceps have been the most sought-after nutritional mushroom in the Orient.   Lion’s Mane Lion’s Mane is known to support brain health, boost cognitive function, and aid against age-related memory loss. It also helps maintain mental focus and function, as well as promoting healthy digestive function through its powerful regulation of bacteria.   Turkey Tail It’s considered one of the best-researched mushrooms on Earth. Its benefits are just as strong as other nutritional mushrooms, such as Reishi, Cordyceps, and Maitake. It contains powerful antioxidant nutrients and high levels of selenium, vitamin D, and vitamin B3, which are crucial for boosting and maintaining immunity. Turkey Tail is so effective, we’ve put it in several of our supplements.   Shiitake The benefits of Shiitake mushrooms for your immune system are some of the most well-documented for any type of nutritional mushroom. Perhaps its greatest influence is in the activity of the tiny cells responsible for protecting your immune system from inflammation. A recent four-week study showed that daily use of Shiitake mushrooms boosted the immune response in young adults. They have the potential to keep your immune cells protected from inflammation and the signs of aging. Lentinan Lentinan is a polysaccharide extracted from the fruit body of the Shiitake. So, deep within the Shiitake mushroom is Lentinan. Lab studies show that not only is Lentinan effective at supporting a healthy immune system, but it also has cholesterol-lowering properties.   Maitake Lab studies show that this nutrient-rich wild mushroom is not only effective at supporting a healthy immune system. It can also help regulate blood pressure Support healthy blood sugar Fight off abnormal cell growth Maintain healthy inflammation… and much more! It’s no wonder many cultures around the world use the magical maitake mushroom as a powerful healing tonic and medicinal food.   Reishi Nicknamed the “Mushroom of Immortality.” It’s not hard to see why Reishi mushrooms have been used in natural health remedies for hundreds of years. It seems every year, science uncovers new uses for this wonder nutrient. It may be thanks to the complex compounds found in Reishi mushrooms that help regulate and support an aging immune system, reduce inflammation, and assist in healthy heart function.   Why Take 7M+? You’re going to have a hard time going to the grocery store and picking out all these mushrooms and getting them into your diet. And not only that, but you can buy a lot of these different mushroom products individually, in their own capsule form, in a bottle, and pay $50 for each one in a bottle, or you can get all of these wrapped into one product, a blend of all of these mushrooms that work synergistically together. The reason why I think this product is so powerful and mushrooms are so powerful, our immune system, and we also talked a lot about the gut and the bacteria and the gut health, all of it supports our overall health, not only from the physical perspective, but our emotional perspective.   What Is the Aging Process? It’s all of the functions and systems in our body slowing down, shutting down in a sense, going slower, slower, slower, slower, to the point where you’re just not as healthy as you once were. But we’re seeing through the research, we’ve talked about today in this podcast, in the last podcast, that we actually can do things to keep ourselves healthier longer.   Supplements Jonathan Recommends Everyone Take Multi-Vita-Maxx Turmeric 3D 7M+     Deeper Dive Resources Empowering You Organically Podcast on Telomeres https://organixx.com/empowering-you-organically/telomeres-and-slowing-down-aging-episode-46/   Antioxidant properties of several specialty mushrooms https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0963996901001508?via%3Dihub   Chaga https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inonotus_obliquus   Chaga mushroom extract inhibits oxidative DNA damage in human lymphocytes as assessed by comet assay https://content.iospress.com/articles/biofactors/bio00676   Ergosterol peroxide from Chaga mushroom (Inonotus obliquus) exhibits anti-cancer activity by down-regulation of the β-catenin pathway in colorectal cancer https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378874115300477   Cordyceps https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cordyceps   Lion’s Make https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hericium_erinaceus   Chemistry, Nutrition, and Health-Promoting Properties of Hericium erinaceus (Lion’s Mane) Mushroom Fruiting Bodies and Mycelia and Their Bioactive Compounds https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.jafc.5b02914   Gastroprotective Effects of Lion’s Mane Mushroom Hericium erinaceus (Bull.:Fr.) Pers. (Aphyllophoromycetideae) Extract against Ethanol-Induced Ulcer in Rats https://www.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2013/492976/abs/   Turkey Tail https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trametes_versicolor   FDA Approves Bastyr Turkey Tail Trial for Cancer Patients https://bastyr.edu/news/general-news/2012/11/fda-approves-bastyr-turkey-tail-trial-cancer-patients   Medicinal Mushrooms (PDQ®) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK424937/   Shiitake https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiitake   Consuming Lentinula edodes (Shiitake) Mushrooms Daily Improves Human Immunity: A Randomized Dietary Intervention in Healthy Young Adults. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25866155   Effects of shiitake (Lentinus edodes) extract on human neutrophils and the U937 monocytic cell line. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10190187   Lentinan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lentinan   Gordon M, Guralnik M, Kaneko Y, et al. A phase II controlled study of a combination of the immune modulator, lentinan, with didanosine (ddI) in HIV patients with CD4 cells of 200-500/mm3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10503166   Combination therapy with lentinan improves outcomes in patients with esophageal carcinoma. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22200763   Reishi https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lingzhi_mushroom   Ganoderma lucidum ("Lingzhi"), a Chinese medicinal mushroom: biomarker responses in a controlled human supplementation study. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14756912   Randomized clinical trial of an ethanol extract of Ganoderma lucidum in men with lower urinary tract symptoms. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18097505 Study of potential cardioprotective effects of Ganoderma lucidum (Lingzhi): results of a controlled human intervention trial. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21801467   Maitake https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grifola_frondosa   Anti-diabetic activity present in the fruit body of Grifola frondosa (Maitake). I. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7820117   Organixx 7M+ https://shop.organixx.com/collections/immune-support/products/7m-plus   Organixx Multi-Vita-Maxx https://shop.organixx.com/collections/daily-nutrition-multivitamins/products/multi-vita-maxx   Organixx Turmeric 3D https://shop.organixx.com/products/turmeric-3d?_pos=1&_sid=985c8e583&_ss=r

Sachin Patel shares his latest presentation regarding the multiple benefits of  Reishi mushrooms. In this episode, Sachin shares with the audience the knowledge reached after researching for more than a year about the incredible impact mushrooms have in promoting healing and health. “Mushrooms are more human than they are plant,” says Sachin,  “sharing about 50% of human DNA”; this is the reason they are more powerful than plants to help people. Enjoy this awesome episode and learn how to start right away to incorporate more mushrooms into your daily life.   Key takeaways: [2:48] What are mushrooms? [3:10] Mushrooms are more human than plant. [4:34] The right conditions for mushrooms to grow. [5:02] Mushrooms turn hydrocarbons into carbohydrates. [6:06] Magic mushrooms to treat depression, Alzheimer's, anxiety and PTSD. [7:25] Lingzhi mushroom. [7:59] Mushrooms have been around before all other plants. [6:25] Anatomy and life cycle of a mushroom. [9:00] Mycelium healing power. [9:58] Reishi’s detox power. [10:39] Pattern for success. [12:55] Research about Reishi. [12:38] The pharmaceutical companies will never create a cure as nature does. [14:15] Five legal medicinal mushrooms to incorporate daily. [14:50] Benefits of Ganoderma lucidum. [16:06] Reishi as a mushroom with spiritual potency. [16:30] Reishi increases blood circulation. [17:40] Reishi helps modulate blood sugars. [20:01] Alzheimer’s will cripple the U.S. [21:11] Reishi helps the bodies’ production of antioxidants. [21:53] There is a mathematical formula for the shape of everything. [22:44] Benefits of Reishi. [23:16] How you sleep is how you heal. [24:35] The trillionaire secret. [24:55] The autonomic nervous system and its two divisions. [26:30] Fly or flight and Rest and Digest. [29:28] Reishi relaxes the nervous system. [30:20] Negativity and stress surround us every day. [31:45] Amazing results. [37:27] How to consume more medicinal mushrooms? [37:08] Which mushrooms to eat at different times of the day. [37:54] How to grow mushrooms? [39:03] Mushrooms are sustainable and eco-friendly. [40:01] Questions from the audience.   Mentioned in this episode: Learn more about Sachin Patel Perfect Practice: How to Build a Successful Functional Medical Business, Attract Your Ideal Patients, Serve Your Community and Get Paid What You’re Worth, by Sachin Patel The Motivation Molecule: The Biological Secrets To Eliminate Procrastination, Skyrocket Productivity, and Get Sh!t Done, by Sachin Patel “Become Living Proof,” Sachin Patel Speak with Sachin

In this special episode of Terrifying Enlightenment, we are joined by Lloyd Chambers: a personal development coach and serial entrepreneur currently focusing on helping people build successful coffee businesses. Tune into to learn more about the highly medicinal mushroom known as Reishi (also known as Ganoderma and/or Lingzhi). Lloyd is now working with Organo Coffee, which is a multi-billion dollar coffee company that combines coffee with this wondrous fungi that any mycophile and/or health enthusiast will happily include in their holistic diet. Lloyd also has some very interesting personal stories to share, which we think you will find most interesting – not to be missed! Purchase Lloyd's book here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Visualisation-Realisation-Using-Imagination-Success-ebook/dp/B07FRQRRCQ Check out Lloyd Chambers & Organo Coffee with these links: WEB: https://changethelens.myorganogold.com/ie-en/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/MrLloydChambers https://www.facebook.com/ChangeTheLensYouLookThrough/ Insta: https://www.instagram.com/uchangethelens/ https://www.instagram.com/lloydscoffeecorner/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/2seeis2have

It's already the weekend and that means it's time for our HouseCall shows! Here are this weekend's community questions! Erin: Hi Dr. Cabral, I can't thank you and Julia enough for the positive influence you are having on our family and our health. Your health coach Julia has been amazing in guiding us, answering our questions and encouraging us on our path to health. My husband and I are both on our healing journeys and it is all thanks to you and your team! We listen to your podcast every day and talk about you and your teachings to all our friends and family. My question for you today is concerning my mother. She is 73 years old and has suffered with Polymyalgia Rheumatica for many years. She has been taking prednisone and the side affects are debilitating, always hungry, weight gain, hair loss to name a few. She was looking into biologics based on the recommendation of my sister-in-law, but then discovered they are only available for those suffering from Rheumatoid Arthritis. Today her doctor gave her a prescription for Celebrex. We would love for her to work with you and ultimately be prescription free and pain free. I think she has digestive and possibly hormone balance issues too. What would you suggest to be the best place for her to start? Thank you again for all you do. You are making an amazing difference in the world by sharing your knowledge, passion and compassion with others! Take care, Erin  Monique: Hi Dr. Cabral! Monique here again, Im sure youve answered this question before or something similar but I just wanted to get a more direct answer! My nephew (boyfriends nephew) is a little over a year and a half and is having symptoms of a problem that runs in the family, with only the men. For the past maybe 5-6 months he has had a constant runny nose and now the doctors are saying he has fluid build up behind his ears. My boyfriend and almost every man in the family has had tubes put in their ears for this same problem when they were very little. For a while when he first started eating harder foods he started having very disgusting poops and getting sick often. I believe he has taking a few different kinds of medication but im not sure exactly what. I truly believe from all that I have learned from you that it is all related and he has some type of sensitivity. His mother doesnt think so, she is a nurse, and believes he might just have to get the tubes too. I want so badly to help but dont want to step on toes over the truth. I know they will do whats best but im also not sure how to go about explaining this to her. He is an awesome kid and has great parents and family but they just dont understand the natural health side and the true issue and solution that will last forever instead of the alternative(conventional medicine). Love them want to help them as much as I can, what do you suggest for me to do in my position and what do you believe is happening with him. Thank you so much for all you do truly. Monique Taylor: Hello Dr. Cabral, I have been trying to figure out why I get weird dizzy spells in my bed room. My husband pointed out last night that we sleep within 5 feet of the circuit breaker in our apartment. Unfortunately, there is no where else to put our bed because of the size of our apartment. Do you have any recommendations on how to block the EMFs from the circuit breaker? I'm also aware that apartment at are like hot spots since there is so much WIFI surrounded you. Any advice or recommendations would be greatly appreciated! As always, grateful for your help!   Elizabeth:  Hi Dr. Cabral I was reading about pure gum turpentine and how it's been used medicinally since ancient times and was used in ancient Babylon to treat stomach problems, inflammations, joint pain, ulcers etc. I trust your view so wondered your opinion on this remedy. There was an interesting article on this and Lingzhi mushrooms by Dr Mark Sircus. Thank you for all that you are and do... look forward to future podcasts :) Dee: Hi Dr Cabral. I appreciate your podcast very much. It's the only podcast I listen to! I had a question about menstrual cramps. I am 46 yrs old and have sporadic cycles. (3 weeks late, 1 week early etc) The first two days of my period are pretty unbearable and I'm in excruciating pain. I had high hopes that the CBD oil would help with the pain, but I've tried it for the past 3 cycles and I don't see a noticeable difference. I'm even taking it every 2 hours and I'm not having any relief. Can you recommend anything natural to take for that kind of pain? Years ago I took Advil and that did help, but I'm not using chemicals anymore and am struggling to find something natural that helps. Thank you  Lauren: Hi, Thank you in advance for everything. I am addicted to your podcasts. You are great! My dad has severe tennis elbow (bursitis) that he left untreated for a while. He received cortisone shots and some PT etc and nothing permanently helps. He had an MRI and it is torn. He is a chef and can't take off so resting really isn't an option at this time as he is always using elbow/wrist. The pain is severe and I was wondering if there is anything more natural that he can be doing. Can this inflammation be linked to other issues / problems? Should he be following any specific diets? Thank you!  I hope you enjoyed the show and be sure to check out part 2 tomorrow! - - - Show Notes & Resources: http://StephenCabral.com/582 - - - Get Your Question Answered: http://StephenCabral.com/askcabral  

Eduardo Quezada Vivo.  Tenemos como co-anfitrion a Roberto Arguello ex-oficial de la policia de Los Angeles y mi compañero de trabajo en KMEX TV Canal 34 de Univision. - Protestas en España por el IVA. - Soraya Saenz de Santamaria Mujer poderosa en España. Roberto Arguello nos explica como "re-inventarnos" para tener exito en la vida, y nos hablara de un producto que contiene un elemento usado por siglos en la medicina china, el Lingzhi, "el hongo de la inmortalidad" o sea  el Ganoderma Lucidum, con propiedades "antitumorales, antihipersensitivo, antiviral e inmodulador" De que se trata? escuchalo en este programa especial. Si deseas participar llamanos al tel 1(888)436-5684 Guest Host will be Roberto Arguello ex LAPD officer and renown motivational speaker. If you want to call in live and speak with the host, be sure to dial  (888)436-5684. You will be placed into the caller queue where you will still be able to hear the show while you are on hold.