Cardiol Forte ™   Cardiol Forte™ is a complex supplement that is meant to optimize the energy level of the cardiovascular system and enable an optimal functioning of the heart, circulation and other major organs of the metabolic system.    More than a third of the adult American population has a moderately malfunctioning cardiovascular system according to recent estimates. Even in the stage where it does not qualify yet as frankly diseased, there can be fatigue, shortness of breath with the slightest physical exertion, and an inability to overcome what is called a metabolic syndrome (obesity, high blood pressure, high blood fats, and abnormal glucose levels). While the media is focusing almost exclusively on the function of the brain and other metabolic organs, the real cause may be an inadequate energy supply to the cardiovascular system.   Cardiol Forte™ not only contains patented ingredients proven to help, but additional benefits are present due to the special rhythmical manufacturing process and the proprietary blend of the components.   What are the main benefits of Cardiol Forte™ ? Improves overall sense of well-being and energy level Fights easy exhaustion and shortness of breath occurring after even relatively minor physical exertion Improves exercise endurance, lengthens work out time, and removes post workout fatigue Improves fat burning, weight loss, lowers blood lipid levels Nutritionally aids the recovery from heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular events Helps walking for longer distance when there are circulation problems in the legs Improves sperm motility, male infertility, and sexual performance Improves lung function, the immune system, detoxification Significant nutritional support in the preventing and recovering from diabetic nerve disease of the feet (diabetic neuropathy) Significant nutritional support in preventing carnitine deficiency in vegetarians   Suggested use: Take 2 capsules twice daily for continued optimal results. During periods of sustained exercise, physical exertion or specific cardio-vascular and metabolic needs take 4 capsules twice daily or as suggested by your health care provider.   Warning: Cardiol Forte ™ is a nutritional supplement. Even though these ingredients have been shown to be beneficial for the above mentioned conditions in literally thousands of clinical and animal studies, this supplement has not been approved by the FDA for the treatment or diagnosis of any disease. (A new drug application is currently pending before the FDA for Propionyl-L-Carnitine). Only a qualified health care provider can make a valid diagnosis regarding symptoms that may be signs of a serious illness. Always obtain a medical diagnosis before starting a new supplementation, diet or exercise program-- especially in cases where heart pain, shortness of breath, high blood pressure, high blood sugar or other serious symptoms exist or persist!   Ingredients:   Glycine-Propionyl-L-Carnitine HCL (GPLC)   The nutrient carnitine has been researched in great detail for well over three decades now. With over 10,000 studies performed one can truly say that the effects of this nutrient are nearly amazing. Carnitine is a protein that occurs naturally in the body, can be obtained from food and can be synthesized from lysine and methionine, which are two other proteins available in the human organism. Under stressful conditions it has been shown to become “insufficient”. It essentially acts by increasing the fat burning in the mitochondria of the cells, especially in the heart and muscle tissues, and thus creates additional energy to be used for the essential functions in the body.   GPLC is a newer improved form of carnitine with particular relevance to the heart and cardiovascular system. It has only recently become approved and available as a dietary supplement in the United States. It is part of the so-called amino carnitines, which are mixtures of specific unique proteins with carnitine. In this particular case the amino acid connected to the carnitine is glycine which together with the propionyl carnitine is more cardiovascular and metabolic specific.   No known risks or toxicity have ever been attributed to intake of carnitine as a dietary supplement.   Vegetarian Diet and Carnitine   Nutritionally, carnitine is available essentially through meat products. In fact the name comes from having been discovered as a constituent of beef muscles. In order to be synthesized in the body we need to have available lysine and methionine. As a consequence, vegetarians must be careful at the very least to ensure that a diet rich in beans is taken since they contain lysine. However since beans are generally deficient in methionine, rice also needs to be consumed which has methionine but in turn lacks lysine.   Vegetarians can easily become deficient, if even only to a slight extent, in carnitine. In general vegetarians have circulating levels of carnitine that are lower than normal.   Several cases of carnitine deficiency have been described, manifesting in acute attacks of weakness and encephalopathy, fatty liver, raised liver enzymes, and abnormal low blood sugar. Replenishing the carnitine stores usually results in a dramatic improvement. Various studies have concluded that even in lacto-ovo vegetarians the risk of carnitine deficiency may be significant. Studies have shown that the administration of 1 g per day for two days appears to raise appreciably the total carnitine levels of both normal adults and cardiovascular patients. Even doses of 300mg to 500mg a day of carnitine should be enough to induce a detectable change of carnitine levels in normal subjects. In both ill as well as in healthy vegetarians it is likely that even lower doses may have some effect.   Carnitine and blood fats (lipids)   There is solid scientific evidence that carnitine enhances fat burning and this may suggest a role in weight reduction.   Carnitine has the property of increasing oxygen consumption and influencing the rates of long chain fatty oxidation because it is critical in the transport of fatty acids into the mitochondria. A deficiency in carnitine results in decreased fatty acid concentrations in the mitochondria and, as a result, reduced energy production. Without carnitine, none of us would be able to burn the amount of fat sufficient to produce the energy we need to survive. Within the scientific literature carnitine is known as the "rate limiting" factor in fat metabolism. The researcher Brian Leibowitz compared it to a carburetor: just as a carburetor regulates the amount of gasoline consumption, carnitine regulates the amount of fat the body can burn.    Nevertheless carnitine is not a miracle obesity cure. It must be accompanied with a sound program of diet and exercise. Unfortunately all three--carnitine, lysine and methionine-- are very sensitive to heat such that most of them get destroyed during the cooking process. In this respect carnitine supplementation in capsule form is particularly beneficial.   Carnitine administration lowers the level of plasma triglycerides in patients with type IV hypertriglyceridemia. Interestingly carnitine also lowers triglyceride levels that were elevated as the result and consequence of alcohol excess. Several studies have shown that in diabetic individuals administration of as little as 750 mg of l-carnitine per day leads to a reduction of total lipid levels by more than 24%.   Carnitine and weight loss   Without sufficient carnitine in the body fats cannot be burned and instead will remain available for deposition in the body. Although the mechanism is not fully understood, carnitine seems to lower the risk of over-eating and increases the level of satiety in the body by helping the metabolism to more efficiently transform fats into energy. Animal research has shown that rats that have a diminished ability to turn fats into energy automatically eat more. In contrast to this, animals given substances known to increase fat burning eat less. These processes may also help support the function of insulin in utilizing sugars as energy.   Carnitine and the aging process   During aging the main observable phenomenon is a lowering of vitality and a decreased ability of physiological functions to respond to outer stimuli. Unfortunately, precisely in this time the tissue levels of carnitine are known to decrease significantly. This obviously leads to a lower performance level overall.    Many individuals require extra carnitine at this time because they suffer from various diseases such as heart problems, high blood lipids, liver cirrhosis, malnutrition, low thyroid function, kidney disease, and basic nutritional deficiencies. L-carnitine supplementation leads to an increased ability to carry out a regular workload or exercise activities.    Carnitine leads to a decrease in muscle fatigue, burning, and discomfort after exercise and an improved heart function after strenuous activity. Studies have shown that carnitine treated groups suffer less of an acid-base impairment, have less residual lactic acid, have a greater aerobic performance and a more rapid recovery. Supplementation with carnitine decreases chronically high ammonia levels, suggesting reduced whole body protein degradation in response to physical activity.    Carnitine benefits patients suffering from coronary artery disease making them less likely to have an unwanted cardiovascular event in the first place and speeding up and making possible a better recovery after a heart attack, stroke etc. In double blind studies angina (chest pain) patients were shown to be able to reduce the use of conventional anti-arrhythmic drugs. Patients with congestive heart failure showed improved cardiac functions.   Carnitine has been shown to improve the mood in the elderly through a series of mechanisms: positive effects on serotonergic and cholinergic pathways in the brain; improved cardiovascular function; improved over all mobility through the effect on skeletal muscle and probably in general through an increased and more efficient energy production.   Carnitine and detoxification   Several studies have shown that carnitine can enhance the removal of ammonia and hence improve detoxification. Carnitine lowers ammonia levels by increasing its incorporation into urea which is subsequently excreted in the urine. Carnitine removes lactic acid from blood and other tissues reducing the acidity that leads to fatigue and to decreased ATP production. By functioning as a radical scavenger and lowering iron, carnitine shows its function as an antioxidant.   Carnitine and the immune system   Studies have evaluated the effect of l-carnitine on human neutrophil (white blood cell) activity. Scientists have demonstrated that carnitine influences the release of oxygen radicals from activated neutrophils. Since 1992 it has been known that carnitine enhances the function of human phagocytes, activates the lymphocytes and has a strong membrane activating effect on human T-cell lymphocytes.   Carnitine and exercise   Carnitine clearly improves the ability to exercise by increasing endurance, reducing post exercise fatigue, increasing the subject’s maximal aerobic power, reducing lactic acid, and optimizing the oxidative pathway during muscular exercise.   This is particularly important to patients with chronic respiratory insufficiency who are often severely affected by even the simplest physical activity. Treatment with l-carnitine resulted in significant improvements in exercise capability.   Improving the ability to exercise is tantamount to improving the ability to move, to do household chores and other daily work. In evaluating fitness, researchers often look at the amount of oxygen the body consumes during exercise, the aerobic capacity or V02. Aging manifests itself in the decline of aerobic capacity as the decades pass. The aerobic capacity declines 3% to 6% per decade while the body is young, but by as much as 20% or more per decade in the 70’s and beyond. The good news, however, is that by actively training and exercising one can once again raise one’s aerobic capacity by 15 to 25% and the ability to exercise is in turn made possible by feeling less tired through supplementation with carnitine.   Carnitine and chronic fatigue syndrome   Chronic fatigue syndrome is a condition of unknown etiology characterized by persistent debilitating fatigue, muscle weakness, myalgia, and abnormal activation of the immune system. (Fatigue in general is one of the most common complaints of patients visiting the outpatient clinic setting).   In vitro tests have shown that mitochondrial respiration in CFS patients is reduced. Intracellular concentration of ATP has been demonstrated to be reduced at peak exercise in CFS patients. All these results suggest a mitochondrial abnormality and indeed recent investigations in Great Britain have shown that 70% of all patients have structurally abnormal muscle mitochondria. These abnormalities may ultimately lead to the manifested fatigue.    CFS bears a striking similarity to the syndrome of carnitine deficiency. Several reports have shown abnormalities of carnitine metabolism in patients with CFS suggesting that carnitine may indeed be involved in the pathogenesis of CFS. It is possible that carnitine is not optimally absorbed by these patients or that carnitine synthesis in the liver may be insufficient. Also excessive excretion by the kidneys may be a factor. The blood levels of free and total carnitine in these patients is statistically significantly lower as compared to controls, without an important difference between men and women.    Interestingly there is an inverse correlation between free and total carnitine levels and the fatigue severity scale, such that a higher free and total carnitine level correlates with a lower fatigue severity. L-carnitine has been shown to reduce the lethargy and fatigue in a number of different chronic neurological disease processes. L-carnitine may be important in the removal of toxic substances, improving exercise capacity and leading to an overall relief of the CFS condition.   Carnitine and the cardiovascular system   The main role of carnitine is to increase the energy of the cells through movement of the fatty acids into the cellular mitochondria and their ultimate utilization for energy production. This is particularly important for the heart where fat constitutes the main nutrient as opposed to the brain where glucose is essential. Considering that the heart "never rests" it is not surprising that it has by far the largest number of mitochondria in its cells of any organ in the body. Compare roughly 200 mitochondria per cell in the skeletal muscles with 5000 mitochondria per cell in the heart. It is estimated that about one third of the heart is composed entirely of mitochondria.   As our understanding of the metabolic needs of the heart are improving it is becoming clear that nutritional supplementation with carnitine may be one of the most important factors in maintaining healthy heart cell function as opposed to waiting until a frank disease has emerged. Cardiologists estimate that up to one third of the adult population aged 45 and over (both men and women) have a mild sub-optimal heart strength function, but of these only about 2% have a frank congestive heart failure. Everybody however is at risk and the known facts suggest that a lowering of heart function is clearly indicative of energy loss. Overall the symptoms related to this condition may be lower quality of life, fatigue and shortness of breath.   Significantly, an increasingly broader understanding is emerging which discloses the fact that the heart’s strength can be weakened as a normal progression of life even before actual disease is emerging.   Cardiovascular diseases are currently the leading cause of death in the elderly. As age advances, structural changes in the cardiac system are inexorably occurring. The heart wall increases in thickness and autopsy studies confirm that older subjects without apparent cardiovascular disease have cardiac cells that are large, with an ever smaller number of cells in the heart tissues due to apoptosis (programmed cell death). Myocardial collagen and elastin increase and an increase in ventricular stiffness are matched by an increase in arterial wall stiffness. Interestingly, the aerobic capacity declines 50% from the second to the eighth decade due to an age associated decline in oxygen utilization.    The role of carnitine becomes ever clearer since carnitine helps to increase aerobic activity precisely in individuals where physical de-conditioning also contributes to the age associated decline in aerobic capacity. However, moderate aerobic training in sedentary elderly patients increases peak oxygen consumption, improves peak exercise heart strength and increases arterial compliance.   Once again, carnitine maintains the normal function of a heart that can easily begin to fail in its strength and its ability to circulate the blood, even though no symptoms have to be present for a long time. For an equally long time the heart can still perform its essential duty even though it does not get enough of a blood supply and changes in size and structure begin to appear. Fatigue and slight difficulty in exercising may be present. Considering that the heart function needs at least 60% of its energy from fatty acids, carnitine supplementation constitutes a key improvement in the requirements for cardiac health. Amazingly, in one study lasting well over a year, only 4% of patients in a carnitine treated group experienced heart failure compared with 10% in the placebo group.   Carnitine has been shown to markedly improve the quality of life of people with heart disease, even in advanced cases. In some cases, for example where heart disease was so advanced that a heart transplant was required, carnitine supplementation improved the functioning of the heart to such an extent that the patient could be taken off the transplant list.   Fewer people die of heart attacks if they had previously taken carnitine. In one study 160 people who suffered a heart attack were followed over one year. They all continued to take their regular medication, but half of them were given carnitine as a nutritional supplementation. By the end of the year 1.2% of those taking carnitine had died compared to 12.5% over those that had received a placebo.   As a consequence of hardening of the arteries, any type of strenuous, or sometimes even relatively routine activity, is followed by heart pain or angina. Significantly, in studies where patients were given carnitine daily these patients were able to withstand significant effort on treadmill walking without having any symptoms of angina.   Carnitine and sexual health   Male fertility is significantly improved by carnitine supplementation. Sperm motility increases with better levels of carnitine in the body. Carnitine not only improves peripheral circulation in general but due to this and other related mechanisms it also helps improve male sexual performance by increasing blood flow to the penis.   In one study propionyl and acetyl carnitine proved to be safe and reliable in improving the efficacy of Viagra® (sildenafil) in restoring sexual potency after a complete prostate operation was performed. Bination of these two carnitines was proven as effective as testosterone in improving the International Index of Erectile Function score, Depression Melancholia Scale score, and Fatigue Scale score. Carnitines proved significantly more active than testosterone in improving nocturnal penile tumescence and International Index of Erectile Function score.   Hawthorn   Hawthorne or Crataegus is a well studied herb for use in cardiovascular disease. Historically, it has been used for congestive heart failure, sometimes in combination with other drugs or supplements. The use of Hawthorne in hypertension, hardening of the arteries and hyperlipidemia is well documented. The active principles are procyanidins and flavonoids, which caused an increase in the blood flow of the coronary vessels and improved the oxygen supply to the heart. Besides strengthening the heart muscle, it also reduces the peripheral vascular resistance.    As an aside, Hawthorne has also been used to decrease inflammation, decrease capillary fragility and prevent collagen destruction of joints. It has a strong antioxidant effects. It inhibits platelet aggregation, and lowers serum cholesterol levels in people. In human studies, Hawthorne enhanced exercise tolerance in patients with congestive heart failure and was shown to potentiate the action of cardiac glycosides when administered at the same time.     Nettles   Traditionally a powerful heart tonic has been made from nettle leaves. More recently the anti-inflammatory quality of the nettle herbs has been appreciated. On the other hand the roots of nettles have become an indispensable part of a successful herbal formulation to combat prostate enlargement.   Nettles have been included in the current supplement based on the work of the researcher Rudolf Steiner, who valued the energetic effect of the nettles on the heart to such an extent that he exclaimed that he would have wanted "to see the nettle grow around the heart of every human being."   Rosemary   Interestingly in the last several years, Rosemary has been found to be a powerful anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant such that it now occupies a prominent position in the regular food industry. Research has shown, however, that it is ineffective if it does not have an appropriate quality control shown in the standardization of its most active ingredients of Rosmarinic and Carnosinic acids. Rosmarinic acid itself has been known for centuries to have significant health improving qualities.   Rosemary can be antiseptic, astringent, hypoglycemic, fever reducing; helpful in gastrointestinal upsets, skin diseases, bacterial infections, inflammations of the urinary system, and more. Rosmarinic acid is very bio-available because of its hydrophilic nature. Studies have shown that shortly after ingestion significant quantities were detected in the brain, heart, liver, lung, muscle, spleen, and bone, with the highest concentration in the lung tissue (13 times the blood concentration).   The German Commission E has approved the use of rosemary for blood pressure problems, dyspeptic complaints, loss of appetite, and rheumatic disorders.   Experimental data and the work of the scientist R. Steiner shows rosemary to be a significant help in “strengthening the physical structure of the heart”.     5M™ Pentas™   This interesting combination of five salts and trace minerals from slate, porphyry, apatite, and sulfur has an important energetic role. Interpreting the research done by R. Steiner one can say that it conveys a sense of stability in one’s body, of inner confidence and mental clarity.   Trace Minerals   Trace minerals have been included in this formulation because our soils are so depleted of trace minerals, due to a chemically based agriculture, that supplementation is required. The lack of trace nutrients is all the more vexing since practically no function in the body can progress properly without adequate amounts of trace minerals. We are offering a full spectrum of ionic trace minerals that is low in sodium and free of toxic heavy metals.   These trace minerals have been obtained from the Great Salt Lake, an inland sea, where the washout from the rivers, weather, and other geological processes have produced a combination of salts that are ideal for the human physiology. The trace mineral mix is standardized and guaranteed to contain magnesium, boron (!), selenium, lithium, chloride, and more than 70 other trace elements.   Trace amounts of the minerals gold and Jasper have been added in order to energetically balance and strengthen the heart.   Folic acid   Folic Acid has been included in this formulation since it is frequently encountered to be deficient, particularly in people with hardening of the arteries and other cardiovascular problems. An adequate supply of folic acid keeps homocysteine levels, which have been shown to damage the arterial walls, in a desirable range. Click to purchase Health Promotion Specials (click here)