Inner Health and Outer Beauty in support of Psoriasis Awareness Month…

At Nikken, we like to promote Active Wellness as a way of living. It’s a proactive rather than a reactive approach to life. That means taking measures to maintain health both physically and mentally on an ongoing basis. 

Ironically, as we make huge advances in technology, we continue to be confronted with challenges that often have no sure-fire solutions. This is the case with psoriasis, a chronic autoimmune disease that affects more than 125 million people worldwide.¹

No one knows the exact cause of psoriasis, but since August is Psoriasis Awareness Month, it is a good time to learn about it, whether we suffer from outbreaks or not. Researchers believe psoriasis can be triggered by cuts, scrapes or surgery, as well as emotional stress, infections and even certain medications, such as beta-blockers that control blood pressure and antimalarial drugs.²  This skin disorder causes skin cells to multiply 10 times faster than normal, building into bumpy red patches with white scales.³ It’s not contagious but sometimes occurs with members of the same family.  

Although not curable, certain precautions can be taken to help prevent flare-ups:

• Stay warm in cold, dry weather. Researchers have shown that psoriasis occurs more often in wintry weather, so limiting the skin’s exposure to the cold is a proactive measure.

• Keep skin moisturized. Dry skin is a trigger and can make scaling more severe. A humidifier may be helpful, especially in winter months. Alternatively, use TRUE elements^® Marine Organic Skin Care to cleanse, tone and hydrate skin year round.  All of the Organic TRUE elements^® range contains specific formulations of enriching marine extracts and is suitable for sensitive skin.

• Get short, regular bursts of sunlight, because ultraviolet radiation has immunosuppressive effects. UV light therapy is a known treatment option for psoriasis.  Remember to always take care in the sunlight!

• Make sure to get enough Vitamin D, since a deficiency is common in people with psoriasis.

• Reduce stress. Reports suggest that stress may trigger flare-ups in 68% of adults with psoriaris.⁴ Practice yoga and meditation to ease stress.

• Eat a whole food diet that includes nuts and seeds, since they contain good fats, which may help improve skin health. Avoid food that is known to be inflammatory, especially processed carbohydrates and anything with lots of added sugar. 

• Stay hydrated. Dehydration is found among people with psoriasis, especially females 60 years of age and older.⁵ Keep a PiMag Waterfall^® in your kitchen for cooking purposes as well as drinking and take a PiMag^® Water Bottle with you everywhere!

• Omega-3 fatty acids, commonly found in fish and flax seeds may help to reduce inflammation and assist skin health.  Kasai Omega Oils is rich in Omega 3 and Omega 6 as well as Borage Oil, known for treating hair and skin conditions.

All the precautions mentioned above may help those trying to prevent psoriasis flare-ups. They also are part of the Active Wellness approach to wellbeing for anyone seeking to maintain or improve health—physically and mentally.

1. https://www.philips.co.uk/c-e/challenge-psoriasis/psoriasis-stop/life/staying-well-hydrated-with-psoriasis.html
2, 3. https://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/psoriasis/understanding-psoriasis-basics#1
4. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324185.php
5. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322302.php

12th August 2019

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Help Keep Our Beaches and Oceans Clean

Healthy oceans are the life support system for our planet providing 97% of the Earths livable habitat. In order to help keep our oceans and marine life sustainable, we need to keep our beaches clean.

Beaches are home to many creatures that depend on both land and sea to survive. Even sea creatures that live solely in the water are affected by polluted beaches when rubbish that accumulates on the beach is washed out with the tides. In addition to plastic and paper rubbish, chemical and human wastes on the beach also wash out to sea.

Plastic pollution impacts virtually every living organism in, or thriving off of, the oceans of our world.¹ (https://nikkeneurope.wordpress.com/2018/04/09/rethink-plastic/). Today many sea creatures that are found dead often have huge amounts of plastic debris in their internal organs.

Every person who visits a beach in any part of the world can help keep our beaches and oceans clean. We each can commit to making a difference and educating our children, so they can practice green behaviors from an early age. If you haven’t already started, this summer is a great time to take action:

1. “Take 3 for the Sea” is an organization that teaches people to take three pieces of rubbish with you when you leave the beach or any waterway. By doing so, you will have made a difference. Participation in this program has burgeoned to 129 countries with 300,000 people educated in helping to make plastic pollution a thing of the past.²
2. Don’t drink bottled water. (https://nikkeneurope.wordpress.com/2019/06/03/stay-hydrated-the-smart-way/) More than one million plastic bottles are purchased every minute around the world. ³ They require large amounts of energy and water to produce, then end up clogging landfills.
3. Use re-usable alternatives to plastic bottles. You can buy re-usable water bottles everywhere, but you can only purchase the PiMag^®Water Bottle with the nano-technology filter system at Nikken. At home, you can make a difference by drinking filtered water from a PiMag Waterfall^® – good for Active Wellness as well as minimizing your personal carbon footprint.
4. Use re-usable tote bags and containers. Avoid buying food and other items wrapped in plastic. For example, when buying fresh food, buy whole fruit and vegetables instead of pre-cut, prepackaged versions wrapped in plastic. Carry out with your own totes.
5. Decrease chemical usage as much as possible. Pesticides, fertilizers and weed killers are harmful for our oceans—the closer you live to the sea, the more likely those chemicals will end up there. About 245,000 square kilometers (about the size of the UK) are known as “dead zones” where marine life cannot survive, due to chemical poisons in the eco-system.
6. Opt for mineral sunscreens or non-nano zinc oxide as the primary active ingredient. Chemicals such as oxybenzone and octinoxate that are commonly found in popular sunscreens are not eco-friendly. Once these chemicals make their way off beach bodies into the ocean, they can damage coral DNA. Sunscreens without these damaging chemicals are called “reef-safe.” ⁴
7. Be careful what you flush down the toilet. Medicines have been detected in ground water and marine life. For example, 4500 wet wipes were found in a 154 square-meter portion of the River Thames in London in 2017, an example of what doesn’t break down in the flushing process. ⁵

Share your knowledge of eco-friendly habits with friends and family. The more people who commit to making a difference, the better chance we have of maintaining the lives of our beaches and oceans.

1 https://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/marine-animals-are-dying-because-of-our-plastic-trash/

2 https://www.take3.org/?gclid=CjwKCAjwg-DpBRBbEiwAEV1_-F4JC9qmJy35k0TPp6tB0pi5o-jQFIESz_NNK61DuzePtQM2QoFj_xoCpJsQAvD_BwE

3 https://www.take3.org/the-plastic-facts/

4 https://oceanconservancy.org/blog/2019/05/25/4-ways-help-protect-ocean-beach-summer/?ea.tracking.id=19HPXGJAXX&gclid=CjwKCAjwg-DpBRBbEiwAEV1_-NIxzfGU-rDeqiEyBfzBtl-AOOB3v8vGZ9Ekzb0xAswuQwI2d1A-vBoCL9EQAvD_BwE

5 http://mentalfloss.com/article/546495/things-you-can-do-help-keep-oceans-clean

31st July 2019

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Healthy Food That Reduces Your Carbon Footprint…

Most of us know there are benefits to going organic and going “green.” Although both are beneficial in the pursuit of Active Wellness and for planet Earth, there are differences. Going organic is health-centered while going green requires sustainable practices that impact economic, social and ecological factors that help protect Earth and its resources. In other words, sustainable food is virtually always organic, but not all organic food is sustainable.

Choosing sustainable food helps reduce an individual’s carbon footprint, which is the “amount of greenhouse gases produced to directly and indirectly support human activities, usually expressed in equivalent tons of carbon dioxide.”¹ The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations claims that by switching to organic agriculture farmers can reduce up to 66% of carbon dioxide emissions.² Large agricultural companies argue that some organically grown produce have a higher overall energy consumption and land use. This discrepancy presents the most obvious difference between simply organic, and actually sustainable, food.

The less processed the food is, the more sustainable it is. When you eat a raw organically grown vegetable or fruit, you are eliminating the carbon footprint of the power used in cooking by gas or electricity. Also, some vegetables have a carbon footprint nearly as serious as meat, because they are grown in green houses that use a lot of heat and light.

Here are some steps you can take to reduce your carbon footprint with what you eat:

1. Eat locally produced organic food.

2. Reduce your consumption of non-grass fed red meat and dairy. This is not only environmentally friendly but also heart friendly.

3. Research which fruits and vegetables are most carbon-friendly. For example, lentils require very little water to grow. They actually clean and fortify the soil, making it easier to grow other crops. Beans in general (including kidney, black, pinto, etc.) have a low carbon and water footprint. These legumes also have high nutritional values because of their protein and fiber content. Rice, on the other hand, is water intensive.

4. Mussels are harvested on long collector ropes suspended in oceans, and while growing, they eat naturally occurring food in the water. In the process, they filter and clean the water, even extracting carbon to make their shells. They have very little environmental impact.³

5. Buy fish in season from local farmer’s markets or fisheries that practice sustainable fishing.

6. Buy food in bulk when possible. The less packaging, the more sustainable the food. Use your own recyclable and reusable containers.

7. Eat what you buy. Reduce food waste by freezing excess and repurposing leftovers. Teach your children early in their lives to develop eating habits that are not only healthy but also helpful to planet Earth.

As you reduce your carbon footprint, KVB^® Meal Replacement Mix can help you with the transition to being more plant-based in your diet. It’s made with organically grown ingredients that provide a nutritious source of vegan protein.

1. https://timeforchange.org/what-is-a-carbon-footprint-definition
2. https://www.terrapass.com/eat-your-way-to-a-smaller-carbon-footprint
3. https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/environment-food-cooking-sustainability/

22nd July 2019

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HOW Prebiotics & Probiotics Help the Gut…

In the past decade, word has gotten out more and more consistently that good bacteria helps us digest food and keep the gut healthy and happy. A happy gut is responsible for overall health in a big way – both physically and mentally.

Probiotics are the good bacteria found naturally in the gut. They are actually live cultures, which means they’re active and functional, allowing them to help boost immunity, gastrointestinal health and overall wellness.¹ Probiotic bacteria can also be found in yogurt and fermented foods such as sauerkraut or kimchi. Since what we eat and drink passes through our gastrointestinal tract every day, it’s no surprise that our diets affect the gut microbiome. Studies have shown that even a single day of a strict animal-based diet or plant-based diet can alter the composition of the gut microorganisms – but that we typically revert to our regular microbiome once our diets go back to normal.²

Newer research shows that probiotics work more efficiently when assisted by prebiotics. Unlike probiotics, prebiotics are not found naturally in the gut. Instead they are found in non-digestible carbohydrates and fibers that stimulate the growth of good bacteria.³ Prebiotics are found in fibrous components of fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Bananas, onions, garlic, leeks asparagus, artichokes, soybeans and whole-wheat grains are examples of foods containing prebiotics. Prebiotics work by supporting the good bacteria that are naturally present in the gut and help them proliferate.

Since some prebiotics feed both good and bad bacteria, it makes sense to incorporate the right prebiotics to support both natural and ingested probiotics. Well-established prebiotics like inulin,oligofructose (FOS), and galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) help fuel the human gastrointestinal tract, which contains trillions of microbes.⁴

The synergistic effect of prebiotics with probiotics has led to the emergence of a category referred to as “synbiotics” to promote digestive health and overall wellness. When the correct prebiotics are provided in the exact proportions necessary to maximize the desired health effects of the specific probiotic strains through stimulating the growth and activating the metabolism of health-promoting bacteria, symbiosis occurs.⁵ Eating whole foods is the best way to obtain prebiotics and add probiotics to the diet.

Nutritional supplementation is also helpful such as Nikken’s KENZEN Lactoferrin 2.0^® and KENZEN^® Digestion Complex 4 – 20, which contain prebiotics and/or probiotics. KENZEN^® Super Ciaga^®, an organic mix berry juice drink, which provides a substantial ORAC value to boost your immune system.

Incorporate these into your daily regimen and help your gut stay healthy!

1. https://www.eatright.org/food/vitamins-and-supplements/nutrient-rich-foods/prebiotics-and-probiotics-creating-a-healthier-you
2. https://foodinsight.org/nutrition-101-prebiotics-probiotics-and-the-gut-microbiome/
3, 4, 5. https://www.nutraceuticalsworld.com/issues/2019-04/view_features/flora-amp-fiber-for-a-healthy-microbiome/1931

8th July 2019

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The importance of bone health…

Bones play many roles in the body – providing structure, protecting organs, anchoring muscles and storing calcium. Regardless of age, everyone needs to keep their bones healthy.

From birth we build bone mass, with bone density peaking between the ages of 20 – 30. Up to age 30, the body makes new bone faster than it breaks down old bone, so bone mass increases.¹ After which, more bone is actually lost than formed, as healthy bone formation slows down.²

Studies show that taking calcium supplements may not be enough for optimum bone health, because the body finds calcium difficult to absorb. Less than 20% of the calcium we take in through food or supplements gets absorbed through the body.³ If it’s not absorbed and utilised, it can’t do its job of strengthening and building our bones.

Bone health becomes more challenging and critical as we grow older and life spans lengthen. Osteoporosis is a global disease and estimated to affect 200 million people globally, while 55% of people older than 50 are at an increased risk for fracture due to low bone mass.⁴

That’s why Nikken developed NEW Kenzen^® BDZ^® – utilising the latest developments in the science of maintaining healthy bones.

Kenzen^® BDZ^® is formulated to work with the body’s ability to absorb and utilize the necessary calcium that contributes to the maintenance of normal bones.

Kenzen^® BDZ^® is formulated with three patented blends, each with exceptional bone health attributes:

1. MenaQ7^® – is a natural form of Vitamin K2, which contributes to the maintenance of normal bones. It’s alsothe only clinically validated, patented vitamin K2 with long-chain menaquinones. Long-chain means its naturally-derived rather than synthetic. Naturally -derived is more readily utilized by the body and stays in the body for longer.

2. Aquamin^® – is a unique marine plant multi-vitamin complex that is rich in calcium magnesium and 72 trace minerals, known to be bioavailable. The marine algae are sourced from the pristine waters of Iceland.

3. ParActin^®– also known as the botanical Andrographis Paniculata. ParActin^® has been designed to help in the natural support of inflammatory response and joint function.An innovation formulation of world-renowned field researcher and scientific investigator Dr. Juan Hancke.

Kenzen^® BDZ^® also contains two ingredients from the Ayurvedic tradition:

CurcuCare™ a concentrated amount of the highly studied phytonutrient Curcumin, found in Turmeric, used for over 4000 years to support a healthy lifestyle. Curcumin extract has greater bioavailability than standard Turmeric.

Boswellia Serrata also known as Indian Frankincense, can contribute to maintenance of healthy joint function, mobility and flexibility.

The NEW Kenzen^® BDZ^® (#15530) is now available to order – click here :

1,2,4. https://www.iofbonehealth.org/osteoporosis-musculoskeletal-disorders
3. https://connect.uclahealth.org/2019/02/06/calcium-is-key-to-bone-health/

26th June 2019

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Supporting Men’s Health for an Active Wellness Lifestyle…

Research shows that men seek regular medical care less often than women and they’re more likely to choose unhealthy or risky behaviour. The more committed you are to choosing healthy lifestyle choices; the easier it is to maintain your health.

June is Men’s Health Awareness Month and here are some useful tips to help Men maintain good health:

1. Routine check–ups are important to monitor heart health. According to the British Heart Foundation charity, men are more likely than women to develop heart disease at some point in their lives.¹

2. Don’t smoke. Avoid exposure to second-hand smoke, air pollution and chemicals, as much as possible.

3. Limit alcohol. Imbibe in moderation, which means up to two drinks a day for men 65 and younger and one drink for those older. Moderate alcohol use for healthy adults means up to two drinks a day for men age 65 and younger.²

4. Eat a healthy diet. Choose vegetables, fruits, whole grains, high-fiber foods and lean sources of protein, such as fish and free-range chicken. Limit foods high in saturated and trans fat, sodium and sugar. Supplement your daily diet. Containing lycopene, powered garlic, tomato and pumpkin seed, Nikken’s Kasai for Men (#2515) is designed to help contribute to men’s wellbeing.

5. Exercise regularly. It’s common knowledge that exercise boosts physical and mental wellbeing. Make sure you are supported in your exercise routine to avoid injuries. Wear suitable footwear and support your muscles during the harder training sessions and after. The KenkoTherm DUK® Tape (#4065) from Nikken is made from flexible cotton tape; it can help promote greater freedom of movement and can be worn while exercising or all day long. Take advantage of the current offer – buy 6 to receive one FREE (use code 88056).

Father’s Day is nearly upon us… what better gift for an active Dad then the Nikken  PowerBand® (#5216), a comfortable magnetic bracelet that’s perfect during sports and other activities.

This month of June, let’s celebrate all the Men in our lives.

1. https://blog.bhf.org.uk/cardiovascular-disease-is-it-because-im-a-man-6efd2dae5ba8
2. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/alcohol/art-20044551

10th June 2019

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Stay Hydrated the Smart Way…

Most of us have drunk pre-bottled water at some time. It’s sold everywhere – in supermarkets, corner shops, concert venues, theaters, etc. Can we even imagine not drinking pre-bottled water? Realistically, it’s important not only to imagine it, but also imperative to start practicing it. Planet Earth depends on us.

According to a new European Environment Agency (EEA) report, between 75 and 96 % of the assessed area of Europe’s regional seas have a contamination problem.¹

Although most people are led to think of bottled water as being healthier than tap water, bottled water is not subjected to the same high level of scrutiny and regulation that the government mandates for tap water. In fact, the chemical pollution standards for bottled water and tap water are nearly identical – most brands of bottled water are simply filtered tap water.

Water is life and an Active Wellness lifestyle requires drinking plenty to maintain a healthy body. We also owe it to ourselves and future generations to minimize waste in order to save the environment. Producing less plastic waste bybreaking the bottled water habit is key to this effort.

Here’s why:

• In 2015 in Europe, 1,8 million tones of PET bottles were collected and recycled; this represents only 59% of the bottles sold on the market.²
• Along with plastic bags, plastic bottles are the most prevalent source of pollution found on our beaches and shores. Each year, plastic bottles are in the top 10 litters most found on coastline during collections in Europe. ³
• Once you add in the water needed to manufacture paper labels and transportation fuel, it actually takes closer to six bottles of water to produce one liter of bottled water.⁴
• From production to disposal, plastic water bottles contribute to air pollution. And many of the chemicals that go into their production continue to leach out into the air and into the water they hold.

Get used to taking a reusable water bottle when on-the-road and using a countertop water filter at home. Filtering tap water at home and from water fountains elsewhere can help remove impurities and make water safer to drink. Pathogens, dirt, chemicals and other contaminants are effectively removed by micro-, ultra- and nano-filters.⁵

As we look forward to other innovations, we can all contribute to the wellbeing of the environment by drinking filtered water instead of pre-bottled water.

Nikken is a pioneer in water filtration and helps us break the bottled water habit. The PiMag® Water Bottle and the PiMag® Waterfall feature state-of-the-art filtration that exceeds NSF standards. Both feature multiple filtration systems that help remove chloramine, chlorine, cysts, lead and bacteria.

1. https://www.eea.europa.eu/signals/signals-2018-content-list/articles/close-up-2014-an-ocean
2,3. https://surfrider.eu/en/le-blog/plastic-bottles-key-figures-environmental-disaster/
4. https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2013/10/28/241419373/how-much-water-actually-goes-into-making-a-bottle-of-water?ft=1&f=1007
5. https://www.livestrong.com/article/152739-water-purification-advantages-disadvanages/

3rd June 2019

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