Happy Holidays

Happy holidays, everyone.  Christmas, Yule, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, all holidays that coincide around this time deserve respect.  It's a universal time of rebirth for the world, so now seems appropriate.

I've been silent for months, always "too busy" to post.  I'll come back soon and post again, but wanted to get your feedback.  What do you want to read about?  What information has muddled and conflicting information on other blogs, and on what information can I give my unique perspective?  Remember, this particular blog is focused on USANA Health Sciences and their products, so the usual caveats apply:  I'm a huge fan of the company and products, I use and share them daily, so it will probably include that point of view.  However, I can't tell a lie to save my life, so whatever I say will be honest. 


I've seen Google search keywords for the past month that lead to this blog, so maybe I'll come up with something.  I saw a search for "Proflavanol hype" - are you trying to see if the product matches somebody's claims?  Maybe I'll do a post or two on claims vs. reality, including what a product will NOT do. 

Leave comments.  

Looking Back, Paying it Forward

Life's too short to be selfish or apathetic.  Two years ago, I read about something that I could do in order to help a cancer patient, but I didn't feel healthy enough to do so.  Someone on Twitter had retweeted a message from http://www.BeTheMatch.org (Twitter @bethematch) looking for donors.  I wanted to help, but there was a barrier.


Five years ago I felt old.  Too old - something was wrong.  Maybe it was stress.  It had to be stress, so I got a better job.  A year went by, but I still felt weaker.  I went to the doctor - again, and again - a specialist, then another.  Each one said they didn't know how to help me.  Same thing I'd gone through for almost 20 years. 

Two years ago, I saw myself in bleak health, with unknown causes and prognosis.  The detailed blood tests ordered by my doctor were scary.  There's no way I could donate marrow in that state - I was lucky to be walking around.

Two years ago, I didn't want to let someone down when they're at the end of their rope. That's when I started down a new path, using nutrition to rebuild the foundation.  As you've read on my blog, I've been steadily improving since that day.  I know what works.  Not only do I have more focus and energy, but I'm no longer getting sick every month.

So, back to the main topic...

Recent news has me concerned about rising cancer rates.  Chemical, environmental and radiation damage, for most people, aren't suddenly obvious.  People will have unseen damage to cells, perhaps damaged DNA.  They will have kids, and some may develop leukemia.  That got me thinking of how I can help - and I remembered Be The Match.

Today, I signed up as a donor for the National Marrow Donor Program.  In a week I'll get a cheek swab kit, and if my cell types match what someone needs, I'll get a call.  And I'll happily donate a little bit of my time to save a life.  Today I feel healthy enough that someone can depend on me and my cells.

Thank you Drs. Wentz, Wood, Cuomo, and the entire research team (http://www.usana.com/dotCom/difference/experts).  Something you did made a big difference.



If you feel well enough to donate bone marrow or blood cells to someone in desperate need, please visit http://www.bethematch.org.  The website will tell you all of the good, bad and in between about the process.

Trouble swallowing pills

I'm something of a medical mystery.  For some reason, if I swallow a certain size and shape of pill, it gets stuck - my wife panics and doctors very calmly make sure the crash carts are nearby, while displaying only intrigue at the image on the X-ray.
 
I've blogged about this in previous posts, so I won't belabor the point, but I decided to try an experiment and share the results for everyone's benefit.  The question to be answered: "If I can't swallow my medicine or vitamins, what then?" 

The options I see are:

1) Don't take the pills.  Seriously, that's the decision I made for about 10 years.  Doctors prescribed me medicines and I never took them on a regular basis, meaning I never improved.  That changed recently with #4 below.
2) Crush them into 8-10 large chunks and mix with honey, like Mom Used To Do.  A spoonful of sugar, right?  No, Mary Poppins, modern medicine is far more sinister than you can possibly imagine.  Have you ever tasted blood pressure medicine in powder form?  There's a reason that shell's so thick.
3) Liquid forms.  This guarantees you'll taste the apocalypse that was so lovingly blended by your pharmacist.
4) Crush and mix into a drink you already want - maybe it'll dilute the taste.  Trust me, some substances' flavors don't ever dilute.  But this is the option I can experiment with.  Here are my experiences. 

Theory:  Salt, sweet, bitter, sour: the basic taste groups.  Counter one with another and we may just find a balance.

Sacrificial test subjects: 

• Blood pressure medicine (Diovan) 
• Aspirin
• Tylenol
• Ibuprofen
• Vitamins (USANA supplements: MyHealthPak (MHP) including Essentials, Proflavanol C200 and Hepasil)

Mixture mediums: 

• Honey and sugar
• Chocolate milk (Ovaltine, Quik)
• USANA Nutrimeal (vanilla, chocolate, strawberry)
• Juices:  orange, apple, grape, pomegranate; lemon or lime juice in water

Results:

Honey or sugar - Mixed with aspirin, tolerable.  Tylenol, Ibuprofen, Diovan tasted like the original medicine covered in a lie. The vitamins needed to be crushed to a fine, fine powder before the taste would reduce, and then not much. 

Chocolate milk - almost there.  Sweet but like the chocolate's trying to distract the taste.  Ovaltine was better than Quik, possibly because it's already mixed with a few vitamins.

Nutrimeal - Strawberry and vanilla didn't have a strong enough flavor to overpower, but I think the fiber and protein distracted taste buds a little bit.  Dutch Chocolate: bingo.  Every one of the above was reduced considerably.  A full-assault taste from the MHP completely disappear, and if crushed, they dissolve fully within minutes.  If you've ever tasted 200mg of grapeseed extract straight up, you'll know how big a deal that is.

Juices - This is interesting.  Pomegranate doesn't do a thing - too sweet. I tested the MHP with Grape and apple - only Welch's 100% Juice can counter the taste of the MHP.  Orange juice?  Only certain brands counter MHP:  Welch's Orange-pineapple-apple, Simply Orange, work well, but Tropicana from concentrate (non refrigerated) - is less effective.  It seems that better quality juice helps more.  Lemon or lime juice from a bottle don't help much either. 





I have once or twice bravely tasted the individual components of most of the MHP. The Essentials comprise the Mega Antioxidant (vitamin) and Chelated mineral (minerals).  The minerals aren't too overwhelming on their own, but the Mega AO is really intense.  I haven't tried the Hepasil yet.  Grapeseed extract is a taste you'll never forget - there's a reason they added a grape flavored coating to the pill now.  I'm impressed at the simple orange's ability to tango with the grape. 

Others not mentioned above:

• BiOmega fish oil - as I blogged previously, this I can chew on and not taste much fish at all.  I'd say that 98% of the fish flavor is neutralized by the lemon. 
• CoQuinone 100 - as far as I can tell, it's flavorless.  I just haven't found an way to puncture the capsule and extract its contents within a few seconds without a mess. 
• Pure Rest melatonin - tastes like orange, and is designed to dissolve under the tongue if shipped to Canada.  If shipped to the USA, however, the exact same pill is designed to magically dissolve in no particular fashion.  Thank you for that clarification, FDA.
• Vitamin D - It ain't a Tic-Tac, but if you take a swig o' the O-J after, you'll forget you tasted it.

Again, these are my own experiences and I am not advising you on how to take your medicine, vitamins, pills, or dissolvable tablets.  Seek proper medical attention from your own physician who knows your own situation better than some random person on the internet.  These are my opinions only and not a guarantee of performance.  However, I will go out on a limb and say:

Crushing pills usually causes them to be absorbed faster.  Sometimes that's good, sometimes it's not.  Research the medicine in question.  If it's a 'slow release' or 'delayed release' - definitely ask your pharmacist or doctor.  At the very least, hit WebMD on the web to start with.


For more information on the USANA products listed above, visit:
http://supergeek.usana.com

Product Review: Sensé Skin Care

[Visit this link and "Shop Online" to order]

Here we go, a guy blogging about skin care.  He's going to invite us to a spa party to educate us on exfoliation and pampering with floral essential oils, right?  Not quite.

Here's a fact:  Skin is skin.  It's the people underneath it that are different.  The Sensé skin and body care line is designed for skin care, plain and simple.  It doesn't care if  you're male, female or otherwise.  The main factor that differs is how oily or dry your skin tends to be - and with that, you choose a different moisturizer for each type.

So what makes Sensé different?
It's made by a company dedicated to nutrition, science, and effectiveness rather than packaging, buzzwords and fragrance.  They describe it best on the Sensé main website:

Sensé beautiful science® skin-care products offer an innovative approach to skin care. With groundbreaking, patented Self-Preserving Technology, Sensé™products contain no added chemical preservatives—meaning they stay fresh naturally—so they are more gentle and healthy for even the most sensitive skin. Our skin-care specialists have carefully formulated exclusive antioxidant complexes in every product using ingredients proven to revitalize skin cells, leaving skin looking younger and more radiant.

Developed by USANA Health Sciences, Sensé products are formulated to properly nourish and hydrate your skin’s cells. The Sensé beauty regimen is designed to be a comprehensive approach to skin and hair care that takes into account the nutritional needs of both the skin and body.

I've tried several products within this line.  Here are my notes:

Body Care:

• Shampoo - Very effective.  Minimal fragrance, but it does the job a shampoo should do - with less quantity used; my bottle from May is still about 2/3 full.  Comparing to an organic tea tree oil shampoo, this doesn't irritate, but does seem to heal the scalp at least as well.  Compared to Head & Shoulders, it's much lighter and doesn't seem to leave a film after rinsing.
• Conditioner - Like the shampoo, it doesn't leave a greasy feel.  Leave it on for 3-5 minutes and once rinsed, it's quite obviously done its job.  A lot of other conditioners feel like they won't wash out.
• Shower Gel - This has a natural orange scent which helps one wake up in the morning.  It works well, but as far as I can tell, the shampoo has the same cleaning effect and is interchangeable.  From a science perspective, I'm probably wrong, but my point is that both are very good.
• Intensive Hand Therapy - I haven't tried this myself, but I have a friend who has.  He works with irrigation systems and his hands are in water 8-10 hours a day, so he'd come home with blackened, cracked hands every day - even with several of the leading lotions.  A few days with this, and he's highly impressed at the healing ability.  Nothing else compares.  Notice a trend?

Face:

• Gentle Daily Cleanser - I've tried dozens of other face cleaners, and none come close.  This is quite simply the most effective product I've ever found.  A few dots of this cleanser will cut through average oil production, but won't leave a film.  It does its job - very well - and doesn't add any unnecessary fragrance.  You need so little that one bottle will last months.
• Hydrating Toner - I don't really understand toner well enough to judge effectiveness.  My experience is that it tightens up the pores without the sting of alcohol.  It's supposed to be used after the daily cleanser, to prepare for one or more of the following, among others.
• Night Renewal Creme - This may sound strange, but this stuff is amazing.  Its intended purpose is to feed and moisturize cells overnight.  That sounds like it'd make for a greasy pillow, but it soaks into the skin within seconds and does whatever it does to heal the skin at the cellular level.
  A fellow associate at the 2009 convention told me she used it to heal a cut instead of Neosporin, so I tried it.  It doesn't have antibiotics in it to kill an infection, but from a skin healing perspective, it's far more effective.  Neosporin and other ointments are, beyond the antibiotics, simply moisture barriers so the skin can heal itself.  The Night Renewal Creme actually feeds the skin cells so that they heal themselves - sometimes seamlessly without scarring.  In my experience, after a potential infection is neutralized, two days with this is more effective than two days with Neosporin.
• Rice Bran Polisher - This is where we exfoliate, ladies and gentlemen.  Apply a thin layer and let it sit for 15 minutes.  Then rinse - thoroughly.  Dead skin cells will be gone.  No tingling, burning or pain - but you'll want to rinse before about 30 minutes is up, when the enzymes start up on the live skin cells.  Even after an hour, it doesn't really burn - but it's obviously been on too long.  Ask me how I know.
• Nutritious Creme Masque - A thick white mask that's used to moisturize, then dries out and flush the pores when rinsed.  I don't have much experience with other masks, but this works very well, with no irritation or noticeable fragrance.

After using the skin care line, I have a new appreciation for the art of skin care.  It has an oddly rejuvenating effect - and I've had people comment that I look thinner.  I obviously didn't lose 15 pounds in a day, so think about it - what makes a person look old?  Their face looks "rough" - meaning skin isn't smooth; you can see pores and various imperfections that aren't usually present on, say, the face of a child.  Repair the skin and you'll appear younger - which can help give you the edge in a sales meeting or interview, where a mature and successful appearance is key.  Maybe it's the equivalent of a suit and tie compared to jeans and T-shirt, but visible mostly to the subconscious of the person that sees it on the other side of the table.

I'm not holding a spa party anytime soon - that's not my thing.  But to anyone that asks, I'll fully admit that this stuff rocks.  And because it does, it makes for a heck of a resale business - spend a few bucks on samples to give to a prospective customer, and there's a high likelihood they'll buy.  The products are so good they sell themselves within minutes.  You just need to say, "try it."

* I've been asked about acne and similar issues; since this line is not medicated, it's hard to say it will work against acne or eczema.  But I have read that the various products are so effective at the core values of healing skin cells so they can fight infection, that those conditions are less of a problem for a lot of people.  The fact that they're designed to be gentle probably factors in.

** If you're ordering from the website link above, and it asks for Associate/ Sponsor ID, give this information:
3970090 - Mark Holmes / Mobile, AL
If you've visited http://supergeek.usana.com, it should already have the info saved.

Product Review: Rev3 Energy Drink

* Top Pick *   Product Information

One of my favorite USANA products is the Rev3 energy drink, which comes in two forms: a can or a powder.

There are lots of energy drinks on the market - almost all of them promise a major buzz, surge of energy, athletic performance, mental edge - so how are you going to decide between them?  Same way you decide on anything - try them all.  So, with that in mind, I have had several over the years.  Here's what I thought based on two factors most people use: taste and energy.

• Red Bull - nasty taste - cough syrup is an antidote.  Extreme buzz - my head tingles - not in a good way.  Like drinking 8 cups of coffee - jittery.  People must drink this on a dare and then get hooked.
• Bawls - guarana / berry flavor is tolerable.  My head tingles.  Jittery, irritable.
• Monster - didn't like the taste, and again, the jitters were noticeable, a bit less than the others.
• There was another blue one whose name I forget - its taste put them all to shame.  I couldn't drink enough of it to get an energy boost.  Are they all designed to taste that bad?
  
• Rev3 cans - Citrus / berry / pomegranate flavor is lightly carbonated and pretty good, though it may take a few sips to adapt.  It's not designed to be sweet, but isn't as tart as grapefruit.   Energy wise, it doesn't cause me jitters unless I chug it or combine with coffee.  I get about 5 hours of steady energy boost from one 12 ounce can, measured in mental focus and physical energy - and no crash later.  From what I understand, the L-Carnitine makes a difference in muscle energy.  [Ingredients]
• Rev3 Surge (powder) - lemon tea flavor, with an herbal component.  You control the intensity.  Too much water, and it tastes weak.  Too little water, and you'll pucker.  Read the label and you're good - 12-14 ounces of water is perfect - it tastes like lightly sweetened tea with lemon added. For the energy component, I've used these for 10 hour drives with great success.  Start driving around noon, add a Surge Pack to a bottle of water midway through, and for the last 5 hours I'm totally focused, and can still sleep fine that night.  Without that help, after about 8 hours I'm starting to fade.  Anyone who's driven 10-12 hours until nighttime knows you still want mental focus at the end of the trip. [Ingredients]  Did I mention it's 10 calories and naturally sweetened?  Yes, you read that right.  

One of the main reasons Rev3 is, in my mind, superior, is its natural, low glycemic formula.  No artificial sweeteners are needed if you use the right natural sweeteners.  Think about it - the company that makes it uses real, peer reviewed science and very expensive quality testing in its other products, so why would they cut corners on their energy drink?  The combined sources of natural caffeine have a synergistic effect, so you don't need 200 milligrams.  This has been used by professional athletes to gear up for or recover from a race.

For a winter surprise... Believe it or not, if you put either version of Rev3 in a coffee cup and heat it in a microwave for about 30 seconds, it's actually pretty good heated up.  I try not to exceed 170 degrees to avoid damaging the vitamins and other vital components, so if it's too hot to sip, it's probably too hot.

The only downside to Rev3 in cans is the shipping cost.  It adds about 80 cents per can, when shipped 2,000 miles from Utah to Alabama, so it ends up being a little more than a 16 ounce Red Bull.  I'm told there's a possible freight option for orders of 50+ cases (600 cans), so my plan is to find a few retailers in Mobile that want to stock it.  When I tell the retailers that they're authorized for the compensation plan and can make enough commissions to more than pay for the product entirely, I expect a few will be willing to stock it.

If you're a retailer who has control over what you stock, contact me and I'll be happy to send you a sample and discuss how to begin retailing Rev3.  If you know four other retailers, you can even get your product for free with the compensation plan.

If you're an individual who wants to try it or if you want a local store to stock it, email me at markjholmes@usana.com.

Visit the Product Information link at the top of this post to see a summary or to order.

Product Review: Essentials, HealthPak, MyHealthPak

* Top Picks *  [Products linked here]

Today I'll be blogging about several products, because they have a lot in common: Essentials, HealthPak, MyHealthPak.  They are what I believe to be the core nutritional products that everyone should consider taking.  They are substitutes for one another - different combinations with the same goal of comprehensive nutrition.

First, the Essentials.  Comprised of two Mega Antioxidant and Chelated Mineral tablets, taken twice a day (that's 8 pills a day), the Essentials are the core formula that Dr. Myron Wentz used in his research decades ago, and it's the formula that founded USANA - enhanced every few years.  When I first joined USANA in 1996, I was taking the Essentials, and noticed a distinct improvement in my health.  I used to tell people I was 22 going on 45.  I had low energy, depression, hair loss, all kinds of things.  The Essentials didn't magically cure me, but I felt better and my symptoms were reduced.  I actually was told by a doctor that I had the health of a sedentary man in his mid 40s, and it would take years to reverse the damage done by ten Whoppers a week (yes, I'm serious).  That was a wakeup call - I knew I had to change something, but it took years and several setbacks before I would have the epiphany to actually change my habits.  Fast forward to 2009, with glimpses of stress, moves, family crises, horrible eating habits for the first decade.

When I was looking for a solution to my personal health crisis (no, you don't get the details), I remembered my positive experience with the Essentials, but knew I needed to unleash the Kraken on the free radicals I'd allowed to take over.  Enter The HealthPak - USANA's top of the line multi-vitamin product.  It's the Essentials plus an Active Calcium and an Antioxidant Booster with Grapeseed extract, Alpha Lipolic Acid, and as much resveratrol as you'd find in 5 bottles of wine.  Read the science and research as deeply as I have, and you'll see it's truly powerful stuff - in travel-friendly packets instead of bottles. For most of the past 17 months, I've taken the HealthPak and seen a consistent improvement in a lot of health issues that I struggled with for a decade or longer. I used to feel old and weak, but not so much anymore. I used to struggle with physical energy, even to breathe at times, but it's much easier now. I know I'm on the right path.


MyHealthPak: Absolute genius.  Who says, "I want to take the world's best-quality nutritional products and customize them into travel-friendly packets, with my name and custom label?"  Whoever introduced the idea, you rock.  Whoever convinced management to invest bajillions of dollars for the equipment, you rock also.   Now, add in the special pills you can add in - higher, more cost-efficient doses like Proflavanol C200, Visionex DS, and CoQunone 100.  I've created what I call a Bunker Buster Pack with the Essentials, vitamin D, along with Hepasil DTX and Proflavanol C200 - which use the new Hybrid Nutritional Technology.  That's a whole other blog post.

With HealthPak and MyHealthPak, if a friend gets sick, I can offer to share a few packets along with the nutritional information, which is printed on the box.  The sealed packets make certain that they're avoiding contamination.  When I've shared the HealthPak, in most cases I've had the friend remark how much better they feel and how they're impressed with how fast they recovered - two days instead of a week.  As for me:  I've had one sick day in 17 months. Wait, I was sick?  Yes, I admit it.  I broke my wrist and for a month all but stopped taking my vitamins because I needed two hands to use the pill crusher.  Someone at work got the sniffles, then another, then me. One Saturday I woke up with a familar headache.  I got my wife's help to crush the Essentials, and added 2000 IU of vitamin D.  Repeat twice a day.  Sunday was rough, but I was walking around and making jokes. I took Monday off to be sure I didn't infect coworkers.  I was able to attend meetings by phone and do all of my work, which as a database administrator requires mental focus.  I have no doubt that the nutritional support was connected to my healing.

This isn't a cure for the common cold.  There isn't a "cure" - there is, however, the immune system.  Let's use a military analogy, because, after all, the immune system is our internal version of the armed forces.  When you send troops into a battle, do you starve them, or do you feed them well and give them tools to do their highly trained job?  I once read that a Navy SEAL's training diet is over 10,000 calories a day.  I'd rather have that guy defending my country with his bare hands than a 90 pound weakling trying to lift a sword.

Give your immune system what it needs to defend you from disease.  As you can see from my experience above, if you stop getting the cold and flu for a year, you haven't cured it - your immune system is just dealing with invaders more effectively.  It's also doing a better job defending you against free radicals that turn cholesterol into arterial plaque and turn healthy cells into cancerous cells.  Cancer and heart disease are not inevitable.  You can do something about them, too - with proper nutrition.

Product Review: Nutrimeal

* Top Pick *  - [Product information link]  [Nutritional Stats Link]


For my first in the series, I'll start with a followup on my Nutrimeal experience linked here.  I've been drinking the meal replacement shakes off and on for 17 months, and my original assessment stands - it is great stuff.  Now that I'm in "maintenance mode", I've also kept off all the weight I lost - almost 30 pounds.  I've tried all the flavors in that time, and here are my thoughts:

• Vanilla - mild, just enough flavor to notice it.  Great for (possibly designed for) blending with something else like a fruit. 
• Wild Strawberry - "wild" does not describe intensity.  It's very mild, and like vanilla, blends well with frozen berries.
• Chocolate - pure heaven.  I've been a chocolate addict since birth, and this tastes like Ovaltine - which might be why it masks the flavor of ground-up HealthPak.  Grape seed extract can be bitter, so it took me some experimenting to find something that works.  This does, every time.
• Chocolate Whey - It's chocolate and good, but the whey formula kind of threw me for a loop.  I'll stick with the original formula as my first choice.
• Cappuccino - Not my favorite.  It definitely had a coffee type flavor, but I can see why it an orange were discontinued.
• Orange - see Cappuccino.  Tasted sort of like orange, but I don't think it hit the target.  

There are so many ways to vary coffee and orange flavors, that they'd have to focus on another company's brand recognition, like Orange Julius or Creamsicle.  The classic three flavors are doing quite well, and I'm happy to have a recipe that allows me to be creative with three base flavors.

As to effectiveness, Nutrimeal never disappoints - the taste is consistent and it's filling, with enough energy to last several hours.  Remember, when choosing a diet plan or meal replacement, you DO want enough calories to last from breakfast until lunch.  That's what they're designed for.  Artificial sweeteners are misleading; you want smart carbs, not zero carbs.  Starve the body and it goes into hibernation mode.  Get carbs too fast, and you have an insulin spike for storage as fat.

I have a regular shipment of chocolate Nutrimeal to take care of breakfast and the occasional lunch.  It's a great hurricane supply, too.  When I had to hunker down for 3 days during Katrina, I got tired of canned meat and PB&J - possibly because they weren't nutritionally complex enough.  I can live on Nutrimeal alone for 5 days if necessary.  I could probably live for 30, with most of my health, but that goes far beyond the intent of the product.

So now to answer the question : "Who needs this?"

• Anyone looking to lose weight in a healthy way, especially someone looking at a surgical option because "diets" have failed.  Nutrimeal is not a diet.  This is a simple tool that can have a potentially life-changing effect.  For someone looking to a guided diet-style method to lose weight fast, I recommend USANA's RESET program, of which Nutrimeal is a key component.  Trust me, with RESET, you'll lose weight fast and feel a lot better about your hopes in a week.  
• Anyone in a hurry who might otherwise choose to skip a meal, go for fast food, or grab a snack bar for lunch.  Managers, police, firefighters (though they'll need to add Soyamax for protein), students - the list is endless.  It costs about $3 per serving, less than a mocha at a coffee shop.  I dare you to find a healthy lunch in under 5 minutes for $3 anywhere.
• Anyone with troubled blood sugar  (i.e. diabetes); note, while I am not qualified to recommend this as a treatment, I will say that it's macro- and micro- nutritionally complex, with a glycemic index of 23.  It's been used in at least one study to demonstrate the effectiveness of low-glycemic eating on metabolic syndrome, a precursor to diabetes.  Next time you go to the doctor, ask if this specific product will help - show the doctor this study and the nutrition stats.
• Anyone at risk of losing power for 5 days at a time.  It's shelf stable for at least 18 months and a whole lot better than canned chicken.

If you know anyone that meets those criteria, email me: markjholmes@usana.com or browse my website at http://supergeek.usana.com.  If you tell me don't know anyone meeting those criteria, you're not looking hard enough. With a 30 day money back guarantee, it's worth a try.

Product Highlight Series

I thought I'd start a blog series on the various USANA products and my experiences with them.  I can't claim to be unbiased, but I will try to be fair - in a positive light.  I don't believe in focusing on the negatives, so much as finding a way to get a result or solve a problem.  In the last 17 months I've used quite a few USANA products, and I'll summarize: If I were to grade on a scale of 1-10 (10 being best), every product would get a 7 or higher, and every one is in my "would buy again" collection.  They demonstrate that the company's approach to creating a product goes far beyond sales and marketing. 

I'll add a link to each blog entry as they're created.

Products included in this series, in random order:

• Nutrimeal - all flavors
• SoyaMax
• HealthPak
• MyHealthPak customized vitamin packets, including CoQuinone 30, Ginkgo-PS
• Essentials
• Body Rox Active Calcium Chewable
• Usanimals (customer experience - I'm not a kid and don't live with any)
• BiOmega
• OptOmega
• Pure Rest
• Vitamin D
• Digestive Enzyme
• Probiotic Plus
• Fibergy - old and new formulas
• Nutrition / Snack bars - various
• Rev3 Energy Drink - Cans, Surge Pack, Super Surge Pack
• Sensé Body Care (shampoo, conditioner, shower gel)
• Sensé Skin Care (face/upper body: daily cleanser, toner, mask, night renewal, rice bran polisher)

Holy product testers, Batman, that's over 30 products in 17 months?  I've got some blogging to do! I'm sure I'll combine a few like products together for easy comparison.

If you have any questions about any of these, email me at markjholmes@usana.com and I'll include that information.

New Stuff

USANA recently had their 2010 International Convention. Like every year, it was an awesome, over the top celebration of continuing success. These guys know how to party. They won a Stevie Award for Best Live Event for last year's convention. If you want to get an idea of what a convention looks like, you can find a video on the USANAHealthSciences Youtube channel.

This year, the company announced Nutritional Hybrid Technology, which allows them to combine ingredients previously incompatible in storage into a single tablet, enabling more powerful combinations. Naturally, they released some new products: Proflavanol C100 and C200 for an incredibly powerful dose of grapeseed extract and vitamin C; and a new Digestive/Detox category. This new category includes Hepasil DTX for liver health, as well as Digestive Enzyme and Fibergy Plus fiber supplement (which if you mix with orange juice, you hardly notice its presence). Dr. Myron Wentz, founder and well-respected microbiologist, recommends everyone take Hepasil because the liver is where all of the toxins are filtered out, and it's constantly getting hammered by the environment and food we eat.

Why is detox important? Everyone's heard about environmental toxins like pollution and mercury in tuna, but few consider the impact serious enough for action. For me, the worry's a bit closer. In the Gulf, we've got an epidemic of health concerns brewing and most people don't even know it. The oil “spill” (in which millions of gallons of crude oil gushed out of a well for over two months) has contaminated the sea floor and water in ways we can't measure. People in the Gulf states will be swimming in the water and eating shrimp and oysters from water that will be contaminated with cancer-causing compounds for decades. They won't realize the oxidative stress they're putting on their cells. In some cases, they may get the common cold more often or have general fatigue. In more subtle cases, they'll be oblivious for decades and one day be told they have cancer. What people forget, though, is about 70% of degenerative diseases including cancer are preventable if we take care of ourselves. Most of the people I know can't eat an ultra-healthy, tightly controlled diet every day. We need a boost from supplements to deal with the world outside our cubicles.

Some highlights about vitamin D and supplements in general:

• Dr. Myron Wentz stated at the 2010 convention that there are over 2,500 studies showing vitamin D is an effective preventer of cancer.
• Osteoporosis Canada has published new guidelines for vitamin D intake: 400-1000 IU/day for adults under age 50, and 800-2000 IU/day for adults over 50.
  "Supplementation is necessary to obtain adequate levels as dietary intake has minimal impact" Hanley DA, Cranney A, Jones G, Whiting SJ, Leslie WD, Cole DEC, Atkinson SA, Josse RG, Feldman S, Kline GA, Rosen C. Vitamin D in adult health and disease: a review and guideline statement from Osteoporosis Canada. 2010. CMAJ 10.1503/cmaj.080663, ePub ahead of print. Retrieved online 14 July 2010. [Link]
• Participants with the highest levels of vitamin D (more than 50 nmol/L) had a 67 percent lower risk of developing Parkinson's disease than those with the lowest vitamin D levels (less than 25 nmol/L.) Knekt P, et al. Serum Vitamin D and the Risk of Parkinson Disease. 2010. Arch Neurol 67(7):808-11. [Link]
• A team of researchers from the University of Washington report that daily use of multivitamins over a 10-year period may reduce the risk of death from heart disease by 16%. Am J Epidemiol 2009 Aug 15;170(4):472-83 [Link]

If you'd like to order any of USANA's products, or have questions, just send me an email at journey@markjholmes.com. Visit my website at http://supergeek.usana.com as well.

Promoting with Social Media

Recently I've been honored to be mentioned several times by USANA's corporate blog.

http://www.whatsupusana.com/2010/04/look-where-we-spotted-rev3-part-4.html

http://www.whatsupusana.com/2010/03/drumroll-please-congrats-to-sanoviv.html

And today, the best mention yet:

http://www.whatsupusana.com/2010/04/usana-social-media-tip-9-getting.html

Jason believes that I'm using social media well. I have to admit, that's a compliment, because I think that USANA's got one of the best online presences in network marketing, confirmed by their many accolades. This got me to thinking: What have I done right?

Here's my best guess:

• On Twitter, I converse. I don't just spam out links to my site. I talk to real people. About real things - not just the USANA business. As you'll see from my tweets, I'm about more than just one thing. I'm a USANA distributor, a software engineer turned database administrator, advocate for people with autism, and a proud husband of a debut author. My USANA business may be a tenth the size it could be, but I think it's a hundred times more solid.
• I'm honest. I don't try to scam someone, not just because I can't tell a lie to save my life, but because this is a business I'm building to last a lifetime. If you build a foundation on lies, you have to continue to lie for as long as you want to maintain it. If anyone out there thinks that my USANA business is founded on lies, they are making an assumption and don't know me from a hole in the ground. If I can't change their point of view by a simple show of integrity, their mind is too closed to try any harder.
• Another thing I do on Twitter is practice Mutual Respect. When someone says something of value, I often RT (retweet) it. I'll also welcome a new USANA member onto Twitter and offer help with their business. Oddly enough, few people take me up on the offer - probably because they think since I'm crossline I have no vested interest. Here's how it works: If you help me, I'll remember that, and will recommend you to someone else one day in the future. In fact, I may do so dozens of times. So, thank you Jeremy Stansfield, Collette Larsen and Larsen Global, Lebby Salinas, Pete Zdanis, Robert Allen, Jason Miller and Tim Haran, as well as all the others who have graciously offered their insight for no personal gain. You all understand the true, positive, meaning of "what goes around comes around."
• I keep an eye out for people's needs. If they complain that they're sick, I may offer them some HealthPak samples for a few days. In almost all cases, they feel better after taking a 3-4 day supply. Not miraculously cured, but they feel an improvement they never experienced before, so they're likely to purchase the product. I'm careful not to connect that to an actual illness, though, and not only for legal reasons. While my mind can perceive the connection, it's because I've sat through scientific sessions at the USANA09 convention and read a lot of research. People have been trained that vitamins don't work... and for the most part, they're right. The once daily multivitamin is absolutely worthless. I can't convince the average person in 140 characters that their $6 bottle of SuperMegaVitaBlaster is giving them false hopes; that takes time. It takes integrity, and trust.

Bottom line - Twitter and social media of any kind are best used if you "act yourself" just like you're trying to make a friend or go on a date. Because that's what this is... relationship marketing. If you try guerilla tactics, sell-and-run, you may get a single sale and a bad reputation that'll precede you for miles. So, make friends, find friends of those friends, and just be who you are naturally. If they don't come to you for vitamins today, they'll remember you when they are ready.

If you're ready to learn about the health benefits of USANA, curious about the business or otherwise - please drop me a line at journey@markjholmes.com. Or visit my USANA website at http://supergeek.usana.com.

Not just vitamins...

Over the past few months, my coworkers have witnessed improvements in my health. I've lost weight, and kept it off. I've got more energy than I used to - which gave me the stamina to work through some intense times, and earn a promotion.

I've also avoided the numerous plagues around the office - all but one. Every time someone I work with would get sick, I'd give them a few days' supply of the HealthPak I take.

"Here, this will help your immune system fight off whatever you've got."

Some would answer, "But it's just a cold/flu/the-crud and I'll be better in a week or two." Ok, don't take my help. Suffer for a week or two. No, no, I'm trying to help here.

"Just try it." Some do, some don't.

Within two days the response of those who take the HealthPak is unanimous: "I can't believe I feel so much better - it usually knocks me out for a week or two." Sometimes it's:

I have more energy.

I can think straighter.

I can handle stress better.

So last week, about 50% of the office staff was sick at once - the local weather had temperatures swinging from 70 to 30 and back three times in a week, so getting sick was almost guaranteed. It didn't help that our office's HVAC blew cold air for half of Monday. Plus, I'd kept forgetting to take my HealthPak for a couple weeks. As soon as I felt that familiar this-is-gonna-be-a-horrible-week headache Monday night, I ramped up to the full dose. A few hours of agony Tuesday morning and I was able to function normally in the afternoon. A minor cough continued for a couple of days but I'm positive my immune system won the battle by then. The people that have joined me with taking the HealthPak - similar results. Symptoms that have typically turned into bronchitis, went away in days. What would have sent someone home for a week, didn't.

So, more energy, less sick, weight managed, got promoted. As Montgomery Scott said in Star Trek IV: "Would that be worth somethin' to ya, eh?"

Hindsight is 20/20

It's been almost a month since my last blog, so I'm going to pretend it's not from me being lazy but rather that I wanted to get a distant perspective to make sure it was unbiased. You buy that, right? OK, good. Swamp land, Florida, check.

So let's discuss the convention. Remember I had this fear that I'd be in amongst 5,000 health nuts worshipping a few select people? It was nothing like that at all. The convention experience was amazing. 7,000 people attended. It was held in the Salt Palace, which in itself is an L-shape two blocks by two blocks - Salt Lake City blocks, mind you - so going from one end to another is about 2/3 mile. The general sessions were in the Energy Solutions Arena, another 1/3 mile of a walk beyond that. In all, I walked about 15 miles - and get this - didn't get a single leg or foot cramp.

The lack of pain tells me that I was in better shape and health than a year prior, where I'd get a cramp just walking 200 feet in a parking lot. During the convention, I even lost another 5 pounds or so, and had plenty of energy through the end of the 14-hour days. I'm sure it was partly psychological, because I was having a blast.

Everyone at the convention had such high energy, especially the speakers. The company had a huge store set up, with attention-grabbing contests and games for prizes. Convention-only specials on Rev3, sampler packs of Nutrimeal and energy/protein bars, and skin care products made sure the store was constantly packed. But when the company announced they had reformulated the Essentials and HealthPak, and improved the MyHealthPak, the "new products" section of the store had hundreds of people in line until it closed noon Saturday.

There is so much to tell about the convention that I'll have to split it over a few posts. I learned a lot about the science behind the products, as well as how to promote them and the business effectively; that part isn't as hard as I thought. I'll share some of the highlights with you next time. As always, if you have questions, email me at markjholmes@usana.com or visit my website at http://supergeek.usana.com.

Off to Convention

Ladies and gentlemen, I've gone off the deep end.

I'll be attending the USANA International Convention from Aug 26-29. Four whole days of immersion into the world of USANA - new products, sales training, meeting other distributors and leaders. A dinner here and there, an awards ceremony. I'm sure I'll be able to see the man who told me about USANA first, get a very high ranking award. From what I can see, he's been promoting the company nonstop and has developed a duplicatable system of training new associates everything they need to know about finding people interested in the products, the business, or both. The only variable, then, is desire: how badly do we want success? I want success, and I'm hoping the convention stirs that desire to a point that I go after it with the passion that the leaders have.

I will be tweeting (Twitter posting) from the convention at http://www.twitter.com/mjh_usana. I've heard only great things about the convention, but I'm starting from a clear slate and will judge it on its own. I plan to be honest, straightforward, yet professional. I won't go bashing anything I don't agree with, but if it looks like 5,000 health nuts are turning the convention into a revival or Fellowship of the Sun meeting, I may just quietly duck out early. This is it: the inside view. I'll see the heart of USANA, far more detail than anyone can see on the internet. Anyone that knows me will tell you I have no capacity to lie, and no tolerance for deceit by others. If you want to know if USANA is the "real deal" then follow my Twitter account Aug 26-29.

I'm a Believer

These lyrics started running through my head Friday:

And then I saw her face
Now I'm a believer
Not a trace
Of doubt in my mind

("I'm a Believer" by Smash Mouth)

Why? Because Friday I qualified for my first USANA commission check! In fact, I passed the first level, "Sharer" and qualified straight to the second level, "Believer." To top that, I was at a tech conference when I got a call to place a last-minute order that put me over the top. I didn't even need an office. Incidentally, because I've had three solid days of technical instruction on 20 different topics, plus two 8-hour drives, the tone of this post will be less humorous - only because I'm tired. Thankfully, I had a Rev3 energy drink to keep me awake on my way home.

You may recall that in my first attempt back in '97, I didn't do so well. Since then, I've learned to start treating this as a true business. A true business needs more than one person, and this time I have support from my USANA upline, in particular Lebby Salinas who you can find on Twitter here.

Here's your first lesson in sales - timing is everything. A million things happen in someone's day, and me approaching them about health issues will get the same priority as their choice for lunch: do they go out of their way to have a healthy salad, or are they in a hurry and just get a burger? Lots of people go 50 years eating burgers and running around in a hurry, never giving their health a second thought. I'm looking for the people who have stopped to think and realize there's a gap in their preventive healthcare plan. Which brings me to the next question:

Why am I doing this?

Why, if I have a great, well-paying job, am I selling vitamins? It goes far beyond that. First, I've said before that I see a tangible benefit from the USANA products. I believe almost everyone around me can benefit from them, because I see things in a new way: There's no reason for people (adults and kids) to get sick every week by whatever's "going around." The immune system is under constant assault like an under-supplied army. Give the troops more of the tools they need, and they'll win the war faster. With a more powerful immune system, a cold may either not start or will last half as long as it would otherwise. If I had unlimited money, I'd give these away to anyone that wanted them. TINSTAAFL.

Second, stuff happens. While I'm still doing the tech stuff that I love doing, the business will make a profit, and be another stream of income should the unthinkable happen. Through no fault of any one person or company, people simply lose their jobs. The recent economy troubles reminded me how fragile my position is. I've worked far too hard to resort to being a greeter at Wal-Mart because all the tech positions have dried up and I've got to have income immediately. Think about it, do you know anyone who's in a job they hate because they had to take it urgently rather than spend time to find the one they would love? Send them my way.