In Part 1 of Strength Training we discovered how little attention is paid to the health of your endothelial cells and their importance to athletic performance. In Part 2 we learned how the endothelial [...]]]>

Addressing the One Critical Factor That Makes ALL the Difference for Enhanced Athletic Performance

In Part 1 of Strength Training we discovered how little attention is paid to the health of your endothelial cells and their importance to athletic performance. In Part 2 we learned how the endothelial cells create capillary beds to improve circulation. We also learned that your endothelial cells create nitric oxide which is critical to blood flow. In this concluding part we are going to put it all together so that you can completely understand how this impacts your training, performance, and recovery in strengthen training.  

We’re also going to look at the two critical amino acids needed by your endothelial cells. One you’ve most likely heard of but the other one is seldom talked about or used, yet it can make a significant difference in all phases of human performance. 

Training for Muscular Strength and Endurance!

There are many different training programs designed to help you build strength, stamina, speed, endurance, and power specific to your strength training goals. Foundational to every training program is your ability to fuel muscle tissues with the oxygen and nutrients they need to sustain your efforts. It also becomes the limiting factor in your athletic performance because of the difference between anaerobic and aerobic energy production and the waste products they produce. 

In the simplest of terms, 1 unit of glucose will produce 2 units of energy during anaerobic respiration and the resulting waste product is lactic acid. In aerobic respiration 1 unit of glucose will produce 36 units of energy and the resulting waste products are carbon dioxide and water. Aerobic respiration produces 18 times more energy and its waste products do not negatively affect muscle contraction like lactic acid does. Yet, the waste product of carbon dioxide enhances the lungs ability to saturate the hemoglobin molecules of the red blood cells with oxygen.  

With enhanced circulation, that comes from properly repairing and fueling your endothelial cells to optimize their production of nitric oxide, you are able to keep this ideal metabolic exchange for a longer period of time.   

By properly nourishing your endothelial cells you will help them increase capillary beds to the working muscles, tissues, and organs involved in your strength training program. This will increase their ability to produce nitric oxide, the master signaling molecule of your cardiovascular system. These two factors will improve blood flow and deliver more oxygen and nutrients to the working muscles. This will allow them to work at a higher aerobic capacity for a longer period of time. This will allow you to work at a higher intensity with less lactic acid formation for quicker recoveries so that subsequent training sets can be performed at a higher intensity with less lactic acid buildup. This improves your anaerobic threshold, which is the limiting factor for most people.  

Improved blood flow results in improved performance of the working muscles, faster recovery, and better muscle development to maximize your strength training program. This applies to both general fitness and specific muscular development for your particular sport. 

Performance in Strength Training!

While there are many factors that can affect your performance, most athletic ability is a product of your training and the ability to properly fuel your body to meet the demands of your event. Just like in training, properly nourishing your endothelial cells to improve their ability to properly produce nitric oxide can make a significant difference in your athletic performance.  

Critical to your performance will be your body’s ability to deliver needed oxygen and nutrients to meet the intensity of your event, and to sustain that intensity for as long as needed. By optimizing the health of your endothelial cells you will help improve circulation. Improved circulation improves the delivery of needed oxygen and nutrients while carrying away the waste products that can be a limiting factor in performance. Again, you have significantly improved your anaerobic threshold, which is usually the limiting factor for most people in strength training and affects everyone’s performance. 

Recovery in Strength Training!

Just as the endothelial cells, and their ability to properly produce nitric oxide, improve both training and performance, they will also have a positive effect on recovery. Recovery is a combination of waste product removal and reloading the muscle tissues with the nutrients they need for repair and energy production. Again, this is a function of improved circulation.  

When your endothelial cells properly produce nitric oxide for improved circulation, you work at a higher anaerobic threshold, which means less lactic acid production. With improved circulation it’s easier to remove this limiting waste product to speed recovery. Improved circulation also delivers the needed nutrients to reload the muscle tissue and facilitate any tissue repair. All of this means quicker recovery from both your training and performance activities. 

Two Critical Amino Acids for Strength Training!

There are two amino acids that are critical to properly nourishing and repairing your endothelial cells to optimize their ability to produce nitric oxide. They are L-arginine and L-citrulline. Many have heard of L-arginine since there is a wealth of information and products in the marketplace. Few have heard of L-citrulline yet it is just as important to the health of your endothelial cells as L-arginine. 

The essential amino acid L-arginine is found in foods like eggs, tuna, chicken, peanuts, and beans. However, when isolated and properly brought into the body, L-arginine has the ability to produce some remarkable results. Specific to strength training, research shows the following benefits: 

• Precursor for the synthesis of nitric oxide.

• Stimulates growth hormone, which is essential for large muscle mass, multi joint exercises, as well as high power exercises.

• Improves blood circulation and aids in blood pressure regulation.

• Improves insulin sensitivity to help normalize blood sugar and replenish post workout glycogen stores.

• Supports protein synthesis. 

Your endothelial cells use L-arginine to create nitric oxide. Most research indicates that for you to receive a therapeutic effect you need to consume at least 5 grams of pharmaceutical grade L-arginine. This means both the quantity and quality of L-arginine used is extremely important.  

The amino acid L-citrulline is very hard to obtain from food alone so supplementation is the best option. Most vascular researchers will tell you that L-citrulline is equally important, maybe even more important, than L-arginine because it significantly extends the ability of the endothelial cells to properly produce nitric oxide.  

Typically, a therapeutic level of L-arginine creates a 30 minute to 2 hour window of improved nitric oxide production. By including the proper amount of L-citrulline you can extend this improved nitric oxide production to 24 to 36 hours. This extended window of improved nitric oxide production allows for significant health benefits. This helps to repair the endothelial cells so that they can work optimally. This provides improved blood flow so that muscles, tissues, and organs that have been used during all phases of strength training can recover quicker for better results. 

Additionally, L-citrulline can bypass the destructive nature of the enzyme arginase that everyone carries in their blood stream. Arginase destroys L-arginine, which can limit nitric oxide production. L-citrulline provides an alternative pathway for the endothelial cells to convert L-citrulline to L-arginine for improved nitric oxide production. This is especially important for African Americans since they have a genetic predisposition for carrying higher levels of arginase in their bloodstream. 

Unfortunately, most L-arginine products sold as nitric oxide enhancers do not include this critical amino acid L-citrulline. 

ProArgi-9 Plus for Strength Training!

ProArgi-9 Plus is a clinically proven, natural, nutritional supplement that is uniquely designed to repair the endothelial cells that line all of your cardiovascular system to improve their ability to create nitric oxide. This product was originally designed for clinical use for those with cardiovascular health issues. It has both long term and short term clinical results. Results that have clearly demonstrated ProArgi-9 Plus‘ ability to remarkably improve the health of the endothelial cells and enhance their ability to create nitric oxide. This has resulted in dramatically improving circulation and eliminating or substantially reducing cardiovascular challenges.  

As this product has been applied to strength training it has produced remarkable improvements for athletes. Improved training, improved performance, and improved recovery have all been noted by those who have made ProArgi-9 Plus a part of their nutritional program. Most athletes will take 1 ½ to 2 scoops of ProArgi-9 Plus approximately 30 minutes prior to their workout or performance. By the time they have completed their warm up it’s in their system to help provide their endothelial cells with the necessary ingredients for improved nitric oxide production. It then significantly enhances their ability to work at higher intensity levels with less lactic acid formation for quicker recoveries. Because ProArgi-9 Plus includes L-citrulline it helps to enhance the body’s ability to repair so that recovery is quicker.  

This overall improvement in training, performance, and recovery has helped those who strength train see significant gains in the gym and during their athletic performance. This Nobel Prize winning information in the area of anatomy, biochemistry, and nutrition has produced documented clinical results for improved cardiovascular health. This same information can also be applied to strength training to enhance all phases of your athletic performance. 

Together we can work to save a million lives!

Dan Hammer 

Dan Hammer has a background in biology, chemistry, and exercise physiology. He used to run one of the largest health club operations in the Chicagoland area and has been helping people with their wellness issues for more than 25 years.

The information contained in this article is for general information purposes only and never as a substitute for professional medical advice or medical exam. The information contained in this article has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and should not be used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease without the supervision of a qualified medical doctor.

In Part 1 of Strength Training we discovered how little attention is paid to the health of your endothelial cells and their importance to athletic performance. It doesn’t surprise me because most physicians [...]]]>

Addressing the One Critical Factor That Makes ALL the Difference for Enhanced Athletic Performance 

In Part 1 of Strength Training we discovered how little attention is paid to the health of your endothelial cells and their importance to athletic performance. It doesn’t surprise me because most physicians and health care professionals don’t even talk about this subject with their patients.  

Yet this organ called the endothelium and all its endothelial cells play a critical role in the health of your cardiovascular system. Every component of athletic performance centers on the health of your endothelial cells and their ability to properly produce nitric oxide, the master signaling molecule of the cardiovascular system. 

In Part 2 we’re going to look at sports science and strength training and why you need to pay attention to your endothelial cells and their ability to produce nitric oxide. 

Sports Science and Strength Training!

Sports science has come a long way in helping all levels of athletes improve their strength training. From teaching us the importance of developing your core muscles which provide a stable base for all your movements; to different strength training programs which improve muscle strength, tone, and endurance allowing you to stave off muscle fatigue and help to limit injury; to the importance of proper nutrition to both fuel and repair. Yet, there is still one factor that most leave out and that is the health of your endothelial cells and their ability to produce nitric oxide (NO).  

According to Darryn Willoughby, PhD, CSCS, FISSN at Baylor University: 

“Arginine has been well researched and has many beneficial effects, especially in terms of cardiovascular health. Its main mechanism of action lies in boosting NO. NO is a signaling molecule within muscle cells that may have many anabolic effects, including increased nutrient transport and vasodilation. Arginine boosts nitric oxide by stimulating nitric oxide synthase, the enzyme that makes NO. Research suggests it may help improve exercise performance, support protein synthesis, boost growth hormone levels at higher doses, and even help replenish postworkout glycogen stores.” 

What Dr. Willoughby is pointing out is that nitric oxide plays a significant role in all phases of strength training. And, the organ of the body that is key to producing it is your endothelial cells that make up your endothelium. It is foundational to the cardiovascular system’s ability to deliver the necessary oxygen and nutrients needed for muscular contraction and relaxation. Additionally, that same cardiovascular system is needed to remove the waste products created during energy production so that the muscle and organ systems can work optimally or as close to optimally as possible. 

Many serious strength training athletes spend a lot of time, money, and effort on training, nutrition, and equipment. Equally important is spending time making sure your endothelial cells are properly repaired and supplied with the amino acids they need for improved nitric oxide production. 

Why Pay Attention to the Endothelial Cells and Nitric Oxide Production?

As promised I’m going to open your eyes and mind to information that can take you to a whole new level of strength training. But first a little background. 

Your endothelium is a thin layer of cells that line the interior surface of your entire cardiovascular system including your heart. These cells are called the endothelial cells. When added up, the volume of these endothelial cells would cover the surface area of 8 tennis courts and weigh as much as the liver. That’s amazing since the endothelium is only one cell thick and can’t be seen by the human eye.  

Once thought to be just an inert membrane, research over the last 25 years has shown that the endothelium is an active, multi-functional organ that plays a vital role in metabolic, immunologic, and cardiovascular health. Most researchers today would tell you that your endothelial cells ultimately determine the health of your blood vessels. It’s these blood vessels that are delivering the needed oxygen and nutrients for your athletic performance as well as removing the waste products that help determine the speed of your recovery. All key to strength training. 

One critical function of the endothelial cells is facilitating the formation of new capillaries. While this is important in wound healing, it also plays a significant role in muscle creation and in the heart’s ability to develop collateral vessels to improve delivery of oxygen and nutrients. This collateral vessel formation is also key to improving your ability to fuel your muscles with oxygen and nutrients as well as effectively removing waste products. 

Another critical function of the endothelial cells is the production of nitric oxide. Nitric oxide is the master signaling molecule of the cardiovascular system. It regulates the muscle tone of your blood vessels allowing them to dilate for improved blood flow into the working muscles, tissues, and organs. Nitric oxide stops blood platelet cells from grouping together to enhance blood flow. Nitric oxide transmits messages between nerve cells. Nitric oxide is associated with the process of learning and memory for improved cognitive function so that your head is clear and focused in the gym. According to Dr. Jonathan S. Stamler – Professor of Medicine at Duke University Medical Center: 

“It does everything, everywhere. You cannot name a major cellular response or physiological effect in which [nitric oxide] is not implicated today. It’s involved in complex behavioral changes in the brain, airway relaxation, beating of the heart, dilation of blood vessels, regulation of intestinal movements, function of blood cells, the immune system, even how fingers and arms move.” 

From airway relaxation for improved lung function to dilation of the blood vessels for improved delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the muscles, tissues, and organs, nitric oxide plays a critical role in strength training.  

In Part 3 we are going to examine how your endothelial cells and their ability to properly produce nitric oxide impacts your training, performance, and recovery in strength training. This final part will help you understand how you can experience substantial and significant improvements in your overall strength and fitness; but only if you nourish your endothelial cells properly. 

Together we can work to save a million lives! 

Dan Hammer 

Dan Hammer has a background in biology, chemistry, and exercise physiology. He used to run one of the largest health club operations in the Chicagoland area and has been helping people with their wellness issues for more than 25 years.

The information contained in this article is for general information purposes only and never as a substitute for professional medical advice or medical exam. The information contained in this article has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and should not be used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease without the supervision of a qualified medical doctor.

I just recently wrote a very long article on strength training for another website and I thought I would share it with you. Why? Because it has a great deal to [...]]]>

Addressing the One Critical Factor That Makes ALL the Difference for Enhanced Athletic Performance – Part 1

I just recently wrote a very long article on strength training for another website and I thought I would share it with you. Why? Because it has a great deal to do with human performance since it centers on cardiovascular performance.

Whether you are a competitive athlete or just living and breathing, your human performance and how well you function is highly dependent upon the one critical factor most people never pay attention to. That critical factor is the health of your endothelial cells and their ability to properly produce nitric oxide.

While this article was written to help athletes improve their strength training, performance, and recovery it also applies to those whose only exercise is pushing the buttons on their remote control. Here is the first part of this groundbreaking article on strength training: 

“The field of strength training is both very broad and extremely dynamic. Broad because of the types of activities athletes engage in to improve their strength and conditioning. These activities could include general strength and conditioning programs for overall fitness to very unique and specific programs tailored to their particular sport. It could include resistance training, interval training, speed and agility training, plyometrics, injury prevention, and a wide range of other worthwhile methods to achieve the goal of increased muscular strength and endurance.

The area of strength training is also extremely dynamic because science continues to unlock the complex association between biochemistry, nutrition, physiology, anatomy, and other scientific disciplines that can help to enhance athletic performance through improved strength training. Research and science that can be used to enhance general health and physical fitness as well as enhanced physical performance during athletic events.

‘Whether you are a professional athlete or just a fitness enthusiast, the following information will be eye opening!’

That’s a bold statement but if you continue to read the rest of this article you will see an area of anatomy, biochemistry, and nutrition seldom addressed in the textbooks written on strength training. Yet these three components have Nobel Prize winning science and cutting edge vascular research that hasn’t yet been properly applied to strength training. Whether you’re a recreational athlete or a professional athlete, this sound scientific information has resulted in clinical proof and application for improved cardiovascular health. It now has the potential to take your strength training program to a whole new level.

One Common Element Found in Training, Performance, and Recovery!

While there are a wide variety of training programs and techniques to prepare you and your body for your athletic performance, when you break it all down there are just 3 components to improved strength training. These components are:

Training

Performance

Recovery

However, when you look at these 3 components, central to everything is your cardiovascular system. While your heart is vitally important to this system it’s not the organ that will make the ultimate difference. That organ is the endothelium that lines all of your cardiovascular system including your heart!

Most people in strength training have never even heard of this organ. One of the best books on strength training is Conditioning for Strength and Human Performance by T. Jeff Chandler and Lee E. Brown. In 476 pages of excellent information, with a specific chapter on “The Cardiorespiratory System”, there was not one mention of this organ. Even the Index has no listing for the endothelium.  

Yet this organ and the critical functions that it performs are central to the health of your cardiovascular system. It is the key component in your body’s ability to deliver needed oxygen and nutrients to fuel your muscles as well as effectively remove waste products that can limit your strength training workout and overall results.  

The rest of this article will help show you how important this little known, but critically important organ is to strength training. It all centers on the endothelium’s ability to properly produce a simple molecule called nitric oxide and all the impact nitric oxide can have on training, performance, and recovery.” 

Intrigued? I hope so!   

If you’re an athlete of any kind I’m going to help you understand how you can take your strength training program to a whole new level. In Part 2 I’ll explain some sports science and why you need to pay attention to the health of your endothelial cells and their ability to properly produce nitric oxide.  

Together we can work to save a million lives! 

Dan Hammer 

Dan Hammer has a background in biology, chemistry, and exercise physiology. He used to run one of the largest health club operations in the Chicagoland area and has been helping people with their wellness issues for more than 25 years.

The information contained in this article is for general information purposes only and never as a substitute for professional medical advice or medical exam. The information contained in this article has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and should not be used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease without the supervision of a qualified medical doctor.

I’m using these quantities because most research shows that to receive a therapeutic [...]]]>

In my last post I showed you the amount of food you would need to consume to take in 5 grams of L-arginine, 1 gram of L-citrulline, and 400 micrograms of folic acid. Three key nutrients for cardiovascular health.  

I’m using these quantities because most research shows that to receive a therapeutic benefit you would need to consume these amounts. L-arginine and L-citrulline are necessary for improved nitric oxide production. Folic acid is needed for proper red blood cell production and heart health. When people realize all the food they need to eat, and the limited menu they have to choose from, they begin to ask the question: 

Is it better to get these critical nutrients through food or supplementation? 

This video answers that question. Enjoy it and I’ll have some observations to make after you watch it: 

Observation 1 - As you saw from the video there is a strong case for proper supplementation especially when you factor in calories, cost, and convenience. The cheapest meal you could consume was 12 ounces of black beans, 2.7 pounds of watermelon and 1 cup of Total cereal at a cost of $4.45. This meal would also bring 813 calories into your body. 

Observation 2 – Instead of conventional food you had two other choices. Your first choice would be to go to your local health food store and purchase three supplements: L-Arginine, L-Citrulline and Folic Acid. While this is the least expensive way at $1.86 it also means taking 13 capsules per day. You would need to take 1 Folic Acid tablet, 2 L-Citrulline capsules, and 10 L-Arginine capsules.  

Just remember, if you choose supplementation then make sure that you only use the natural “L” form of the amino acid and never the “D” or synthetic form. Additionally, make sure that the product uses “pharmaceutical grade” ingredients. This ensures that the ingredients meet exacting standards so that product quality and consistency is maintained from batch to batch. This is especially important for L-arginine products.  

There are a lot of “nitric oxide” products in the marketplace. They are widely used by weight lifters to help them experience improved workouts and increased muscle mass. But, “nitric oxide” products are not to be played around with. It’s extremely important to know who the product formulator is and what experience they have in properly isolating L-arginine so that it can be effectively brought into your system.  

It’s also important to know if the product you’re considering has any clinical studies associated with it. Clinical studies that can support its effectiveness in truly improving the health of your endothelial cells so that they can properly produce higher levels of nitric oxide. 

Observation 3 – As you know I’m a firm believer in ProArgi-9 Plus. It’s your other choice. While it’s slightly more than the supplements, it does provide you with 9 additional ingredients all designed to help improve cardiovascular health. When compared to the food choices, it is $2.00 cheaper and significantly lower in calories. This allows me to properly support my cardiovascular system, especially my endothelial cells. It also allows me more flexibility in my diet for other healthy organic foods. While there are a handful of other good products in the marketplace, none have the clinical studies to support their effectiveness like ProArgi-9 Plus.  

Observation 4 – I made a pitch for eating organic foods at the end of the video. While organic foods are certainly higher in cost than the store bought brands it’s worth the extra expense in helping improve liver function. As I shared in the video, every added “chemical ingredient” has to be processed by your liver, which takes away its ability to help your body in other needed areas. If you want to have your eyes opened to the food industry and how they manufacturer our food sources, then rent the DVD Food Inc. from your favorite rental source.  

Well, I hope this video and post has been educational and beneficial in helping you see proper supplementation as a complement to making good food choices.  

Together we can work to save a million lives!

Dan Hammer

Dan Hammer has a background in biology, chemistry and exercise physiology. He used to run one of the largest health club operations in the Chicagoland area and has been helping people with their wellness issues for more than 25 years.

The information contained in this article is for general information purposes only and never as a substitute for professional medical advice or medical exam. The information contained in this article has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and should not be used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease without the supervision of a qualified medical doctor.

Quite frankly, you could not live without nitric oxide. It’s a critical [...]]]>

I’ve written many articles about the need for L-arginine and L-citrulline. How critical they are for nitric oxide production. How your endothelial cells use these two amino acids to create nitric oxide, the master signaling molecule of your cardiovascular system.  

Quite frankly, you could not live without nitric oxide. It’s a critical molecule in many biological functions but especially for good cardiovascular health. So, I’m often asked: 

What foods can I eat that contain L-arginine and L-citrulline? 

To answer that question I went shopping, bought some foods and put together the following video. Enjoy the video and I’ll have some observations to make after you watch it:

In preparing this video I came across an excellent chart that lists food sources high in the amino acid L-arginine. I’ll provide you a link to this chart at the end of this article. It was an eye opener, even for me. It changed my thinking on dairy products and it even helped me to discover the reason why Rocky Balboa was able to beat Apollo Creed in the Rocky movies. Let’s start with some observations. 

Observation 1 – Plant based foods are a better source of L-arginine then animal products. The chart I found lists the L-arginine content in 100 grams of food. 100 grams is just slightly less than a ¼ pound. You’ll note that if you wanted to get 1 gram of L-arginine or more in your diet, there are 15 choices for plant products but only 5 choices for animal products. 

Observation 2 – So much of the literature recommends dairy products as a good source of L-arginine yet it’s listed last on the chart. You would have to drink 44 ounces or just slightly less than 1 ½ quarts of milk to get 1 gram of L-arginine. Not good for those who are lactose intolerant. 

Observation 3 – Most research indicates that for you to receive a therapeutic benefit from L-arginine you need to consume at least 5 grams of this amino acid at one time. So I selected 6 food items from the list that I thought would be common food choices. I did the math conversations to look at how much food you would need to eat to take in 5 grams of L-arginine. I also looked at the number of calories and grams of fat it would bring into your body. Here’s what I discovered and what I based most of the above video on: 

Peanuts – 6 oz / .36 lb = 918 calories and 70 g of fat

Beans – 12 oz / .75 lb = 338 calories and 1.5 g of fat

Tuna – 10 oz / .63 lb = 528 calories and 18 g of fat

Chicken Breast – 15 oz / .92 lb = 756 calories and 5 g of fat

Salmon – 15 oz / .92 lb = 865 calories and 42 g of fat

Eggs (Whole, Raw) – 21 oz / 1.34 lbs = 915 calories and 55 g of fat 

Observation 4 – Now you can see why weight lifters choose beans, tuna, and chicken breasts as their primary source of protein. It provides them with the proper amount of L-arginine with the least number of calories and grams of fat. Even though peanuts have a higher concentration of L-arginine when you factor in calories and grams of fat it’s not the first choice if you need to watch you weight. 

How Rocky Balboa Beat Apollo Creed! 

Observation 5 – This is the Rocky Balboa observation. Go back and watch the first movie and compare Rocky’s diet to Apollo Creed’s. Remember the scene where Rocky cracks open about a half dozen eggs into a glass and then drinks them raw, yoke and all. Whether he realized it or not (and I’m sure he and Sylvester Stallone didn’t) he was loading his body with L-arginine to improve his blood flow. This maximized his workout program and improved his cardiovascular stamina.  

Observation 6 – There is not much of a choice in foods for L-citrulline. Watermelon is your one and only good food choice. You can read my article, “The Need for L-Citrulline!” to get more information on this subject. 

When people realize all the food they need to eat, and the limited menu they have to choose from, they begin to ask the question: 

Is it better to get these critical amino acids through food or supplementation? 

Well, I’m putting the finishing touches on this video and will have it posted in a couple of days. 

Together we can work to save a million lives! 

Dan Hammer 

P.S. Here is the URL for the chart I used in the information above:

http://www.dietaryfiberfood.com/larginine-high.php 

Dan Hammer has a background in biology, chemistry and exercise physiology. He used to run one of the largest health club operations in the Chicagoland area and has been helping people with their wellness issues for more than 25 years.  

The information contained in this article is for general information purposes only and never as a substitute for professional medical advice or medical exam. The information contained in this article has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and should not be used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease without the supervision of a qualified medical doctor.