Primo Health Blog

Have a “Good Hair Day"

By Gene Bruno, MS, MHS

Having a bad hair day? If so, you’re not alone. Many people are dissatisfied with the appearance of their hair. In some cases, this might be because they are experiencing hair loss, slow growing hair, dry, brittle, or otherwise poor quality hair, and prematurely graying hair. Although the use of external products, such as shampoos, conditioners and hair “tonics” of various sorts common approaches to these problems, the internal use of certain nutrients and other natural substances may do much to support the appearance of healthy and beautiful hair. Before discussing these nutrients/natural substances, let’s first review some background information about hair, hair problems and hair loss.

Colostrum 

By Gene Bruno, MS, MHS – Dean of Academics, Huntington College of Health Sciences

Colostrum is the first milk that a mammal produces after pregnancy. This secretion of colostrum does not last for long; rather, it is created for the newborn to give it vital nutrients, antibodies, and other factors it needs right after birth. Therefore, after a few short days, the production of colostrum all but stops.¹

So what makes colostrum special for adult individuals? In fact, through hundreds of years of use and over 1,000 clinical studies, colostrum has been demonstrated to be safe and effective for a variety of clinical conditions. These include viral illnesses, allergies and autoimmune diseases, heart disease, cancer, weight-loss programs, athletic stress, leaky gut syndrome, wound healing, and muscle repair and growth.² In short, the most important components of colostrum can basically be broken down into two major categories: immunity modulator and growth factors.

Eye Disorders

By Gene Bruno, MS, MHS – Dean of Academics, Huntington College of Health Sciences

There are a number of different common disorders of the eye. These include cataract, conjunctivitis, macular degeneration and night blindness. Following is a brief description of each.

Cataract

The term cataract refers to any cloudiness or opacity of the normally transparent crystalline lens of the eye. A cataract may or may not cause a loss of vision, depending on the size of the opacity, its density, and its location. Severe cataracts are a major cause of treatable blindness throughout the world. Oxidative damage caused by free radicals is considered to be an important factor in aging and the development of chronic diseases, including cataract formation. For this reason, many of the dietary supplement recommendations focus on antioxidants which can neutralize the oxidative damage caused by free radicals.

Product Description

Coenzyme Q10

By Gene Bruno, MS, MHS – Dean of Academics, Huntington College of Health Sciences

Free radicals

Chemically, free radicals can be defined as a molecule with an unpaired electron. In the process of trying to balance itself by gaining or losing an electron, the free radical causes oxidative damage on a cellular level. CoQ10 has the unique property of being able to accept or donate an electron without itself becoming a free radical. By doing this CoQ10 can help neutralize free radicals and the oxidative damage they cause. This is significant since numerous disease states are thought to be due to excessive oxidative stress of free radicals, including hydroxyl radical, peroxynitrite, superoxide anion and hydrogen peroxide. In addition, CoQ10 may inhibit certain enzymes involved in the formation of these free radicals.

Product Description:

Electro-pH™ Complex supports the body's fluid electrolytes through key minerals, including potassium, magnesium, sodium, and calcium. The potassium and sodium are in bicarbonate form for nutritional alkaline support.‡ Additionally, the formula utilizes trace minerals (zinc, selenium, and molybdenum).

Suggested Use

Mix 1 scoop with up to 8 ounces of water. Mix well before drinking. Use once a day, or as directed by your healthcare professional.

Storage instructions: Store at room temperature away from direct sunlight. Keep this bottle tightly closed.

Energy Sports Drinks

By Gene Bruno, MS, MHS – Dean of Academics, Huntington College of Health Sciences

The longer an event lasts, the greater impact nutritional factors have on performance. In events lasting less than an hour, there is little need to consume extra fluid, electrolytes or calories during the physical activity. However, in longer events, problems such as glycogen depletion and hydration can occur.¹

Glycogen depletion

When liver and muscle stores of glycogen are depleted, any demanding physical activity comes to a halt. This is primarily due to a lack of readily available calories necessary to maintain blood sugar levels. As blood sugar levels drop, fatigue sets in. Low blood sugar is not immediately life threatening like dehydration but it does slow down performance.² Carbohydrate loading in the days prior to the event will help store extra glycogen, but in long term events this must also be supplemented with some immediate form of calories 2-4 hours before exercise.³

Cinnamon:
A Supplement for Diabetes, Body Composition, Cardiovascular Health & Antioxidant Protection
By Gene Bruno, MS, MHS

Don’t you just love the smell and taste of cinnamon in a warm, gooey cinnamon bun? As it turns out, the cinnamon may actually provide you with some significant health benefits (although the same can’t be said of the gooey bun; sorry). So let’s take a closer look at cinnamon.

Background

The use of cinnamon for health is not new. In fact, cinnamon bark has been used for several thousand years in traditional Eastern and Western systems of medicine, for such purposes as anorexia, bloating, dyspepsia with nausea, flatulent colic, and spastic conditions of the GI tract.¹ Cinnamon also has a history of traditional use in Korea, China and Russia for treating people with diabetes.²