OPC-3
You've probably heard about the importance of combating free radicals quite a bit over the last few years (or at least 10,000 times if you watch Dr. Oz), but what does all of this really mean? Free radicals are everywhere - there's absolutely no way you can avoid them...all you can do is follow a clean eating lifestyle and supplement using powerful antioxidants to ward off the free radicals.
Not to scare you and make you want to crawl into a cave and spend the rest of your life there, but consider the free radicals we're exposed to through our daily routines:
While you sleep, you are exposed to free radicals through the (not-so-clean) air you breathe (unless you have a good air purifier). Then, when you wake, you're exposed to other germs and toxins in our water and household products, detergents on your towels, the plastics your food is packaged in, pesticides on our produce, outdoor and other indoor pollutants, and the annoying list goes on. Next, your workday is filled with stress with more germs and more toxins...the attack on our body is relentless and, if it's not controlled, it WILL lead to oxidative stress within our body which will cause inflammatory diseases (like arthritis, lupus, vasculitis, respiratory diseases), ischemic diseases (like heart attacks or strokes), neurological disorders (like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's), cancer and certain pathological disorders commonly associated with aging. You can read this excellent pharacognosy review if you want to learn more about free radicals and antioxidants.
As I said above, following a clean eating lifestyle of increased protein, low glycemic index carbs, fruits and TONS of vegetables will help you fight the oxidative stress caused by free radicals. I also highly recommend that you consider juicing (using a Vitamix to retain the fiber) to get the necessary nutrients you need, but, to be honest, all of this is not enough. This is where we'd like to introduce you to one of our favorite products, OPC-3.
OPC-3 is packed full of the highest quality natural antioxidants you can find on the market and it is the only product that combines grape seed, red wine, pine bark (Pycnogenol®), bilberry and citrus extracts. In case you were wondering, OPC is the acronym for oligomeric proanthocyanidins which are very powerful antioxidants found in nature. Here are a couple ingredients that make us love OPC-3:
- Red Wine Extract - Red wine extract is a powerful antioxidant and contributes to maintaining healthy circulation by strengthening capillaries, arteries and veins, and promoting overall cardiovascular health.
- Pine Bark Extract (Pycnogenol®) - Pycnogenol® is a natural plant extract from the bark of the maritime pine tree, which grows exclusively along the coast of southwest France. This unspoiled and natural forest environment is the unique source of pine bark.
As one of the most potent natural scavenger of free radicals, Pycnogenol® combats many aggressive free radicals before they cause oxidative stress to vital organs. Its super-antioxidant capabilities help support healthy blood platelet activity, support healthy blood glucose levels, reduce mild menstrual cramping and abdominal pain, maintain joint flexibility, promote cardiovascular health, improve erectile dysfunction, maintain healthy cholesterol levels and support a healthy complexion.
If you were to do a quick search on PubMed for the effectiveness of Pycnogenol® in treating certain disorders, you'd find thousands of articles. Here's one example where Pycnogenol® was used to reduce fasting blood glucose levels, waist circumference, blood pressure, triglyceride levels, and increased good cholesterol (HDL) levels. It also reduced free radicals by nearly 35%!
I have hereditary high-blood pressure (one of the reasons I started eating clean!) that is now mostly under control, but comes and goes during times of high stress, especially in the mornings. I can feel it as soon as I wake up...heart pounding, but not racing, so I go take a couple capfuls of OPC-3 and can honestly feel my blood pressure drop within a minute...it's crazy!
We've also heard dozens of reviews about how OPC-3 has been used to improve allergies (sometimes even eliminate them!), arthritis, migraines, and the list goes on and on.
If you knew anything about me, you'd know that I'm a skeptic...people told me about OPC-3 and how awesome it was and I didn't believe them. They told me to do some research just on one of the ingredients (Pycnogenol®) and see if that changed my mind. After digging through some PubMed articles, I was willing to give it a shot and I'm glad I did. I really can't tell you how much I love this product (if you can't already tell by the length of my post)! So, if you don't believe me, do some research...click the product link and Google or PubMed the ingredients.
Isotonix® OPC-3®
