New technology allows locals to
check their antioxidants
February 3, 2005
By Michelle Miller
Mary Lee Olesen tries to eat a healthy diet, with five
servings of fruit and vegetables every day, and she
takes an antioxidant supplement to support eye health.
But she couldn't prove she had enough antioxidants in
her system.
Now she can.
Thanks to new scanning technology available in the
Auburn area, Olesen knows her antioxidant levels are
good.
"It's nice to be scanned and to see, yes, in fact,
this is working," she said. "Any objective
measure is very helpful to show whether the body is
actually absorbing it. People take a lot of stuff and
if the body is not absorbing it, taking supplements
is just wasting money."
Olesen, 55, found out she had levels of antioxidants
at 55,000 using a BioPhotonic scanner. Average scores
are between 20,000 and 29,000. The University of Utah
is collecting information from those scanned to determine
normal and ideal antioxidant levels.
The scanner works by sending a blue laser to the palm
of the hand, near the end of the lifeline. The light
seeks out carotenoids, antioxidants that will bounce
back green light. The machine calculates the number
of antioxidants present in the system based on how much
light bounces back.
Pharmanex, an international dietary supplement manufacturer,
bought the rights to the technology from the University
of Utah, which developed during studies into the macular
degeneration of the eye.
Warren Peskin is one of Pharmanex's independent distributors
scanning people in the Auburn area.
"What this is really about is having a conversation
about nutrition and lifestyle," he said. "As
it related to foods, how do we really know if what we
eat makes a difference?"
Peskin will hold scanner and antioxidant clinics on
Mondays in February from 7-9 p.m. at the Healing Light
Institute, 3215 Fortune Court in Auburn. After a two-hour
presentation, a free scan and a results consultation
will be held. Participants can then opt to sign up for
Pharmanex supplements that promise an increase in antioxidant
levels in 60 days.
Peskin stresses the machine is not for diagnosing illness
and is only a tool to gauge the levels of antioxidants,
chemical substances that prevent the oxidation of body
cells.
Free radicals are the culprit in cell damage. Free
radicals are created as a by-product of breathing oxygen,
and can increase with exposure to environmental toxins,
cigarette smoke and food preservatives. Emotional and
physical stress, even exercise, can lead to higher free
radical levels. They eat at healthy cell electrons,
but antioxidants latch onto free radicals before they
can cause damage.
Antioxidants are only obtainable from fruits, berries
and vegetables and supplementation. Some antioxidants
include vitamins C, E, Beta-carotene and lycopene.
Some scientists theorize that antioxidants can fight
the causes of aging, cancer and other illness. The Food
and Drug Administration has not authorized any statements
that antioxidants can help prevent disease. The FDA
cautions that there are upper intake limits for some
antioxidants.
Erich Parks, a chiropractor doctor at Dynamic Chiropractic
in Auburn, has been using the scanner on his patients
for one year. He emphasizes total body wellness at his
practice, and offers the service to patients for $10.
"We all know when we're sick but how so we know
when we're healthy," he said. "The point is
to find out ahead of time if we're healthy or not."
Although he and many doctors are put-off by its use
as a money-making venture, Parks said the bioscanner
is an effective tool.
"It does what it says it does," he said.
"It's a good tool monitoring a persons resistance
to disease."
While antioxidants are part of a healthy diet, Clare
Steffen, an Auburn naturopath, said supplementation
is often necessary due to poor diet, cooking methods
and increased toxins in the environment.
Before, people would dissolve their supplements in
water overnight as a trick to see if their bodies were
metabolizing the pills. Now, she said people can know
and take responsibility for their own health.
"It's a good start," she said. "I'm
not endorsing the company, but it's like the beginning
of a new technology for health."
Source:www.auburnjournal.com
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