Hello Doctor!

I’ve recently bought your Absolute Acai Capsules product. I’ve not yet received it, but I had a question which your videos on YouTube did not quite address.

How much weight loss am I to expect while taking this product, without exercise? How much exercise do you recommend to boost the power of the Acai?

Thank you for taking the time to consider my questions, I hope to get an email from you soon!

Juhra,

I hate to have to break the news to you but acai is not a weight loss product. Who told you it was?

Acai is a wonderful, polyphenol rich, super-fruit, but it’s not going to shed pounds off of you. Here is what I would do: Take two caps in the morning (it is a great antioxidant) with a vegetable omelet. No snacks between meals. Have vegetables and protein for lunch and dinner. Each meal can have some fat like olive oil, avocado, olives or nuts. If you follow this program, with 20 minutes of exercise each day, I can almost guarantee that you will lose all the weight you want. In 10 weeks (no cheating) it can be as much as 30-40 lbs!

I hope this helps.

Sincerely,

Dr. Ettinger

All of our acai products:

Acai Max
An organic and Kosher Acai juice blend
Absolute Acai Powder
120 g: pure organic & Kosher freeze dried acai
Absolute Acai Capsules
Made from pure organic freeze dried acai
Absolute Acai Juice

organic sea buckthorn oil

Question: Dear Dr. Ettinger,

Are there any reactions with medications such as blood pressure, diabetes, or cholesterol or other vitamins that I should be aware of before taking any of this sea buckthorn? I also take vitamin C, vitamin E and fish oil.

Answer: Linda,

You will be fine with the addition of our organic sea buckthorn oil!

It sounds like you would also benefit from our CaliTrim. It is very safe, effective and I use it in my practice to help support my patients with sugar and cholesterol problems. It can be taken with cholesterol and/or diabetic medication. It may even help you get off of some of them.

Sincerely,

Dr. Ettinger

Question: Dr. Ettinger,

I am 52 yrs old and have already gone through menopause. I get very confused about what supplements I should be taking. I am not on any hormones and only take a multivitamin. I have an extra 20 pounds I’d like to lose but am very sensitive to anything diet.

Any suggestions?

Thank you,

Gina

Answer: Gina,

Thank you for the question. This shows me you are ready for a positive change in your life.

CaliTrim (lipotropic formula*) 1/3x day, Liquid CoQ10 (1/2 Tbsp 2x/day) and Liquid B Complex (1 tsp/day), combined with starch reduction (anything made from wheat, corn, rice, potato, rye, oat….) will help you to reduce weight gradually and naturally. STARCH REDUCTION IS VERY IMPORTANT! If you can get in 30 minutes or fast-pace walking 3 or 4 times per week, you will lose the weight even faster. Plus, you will have more energy; you heart and lungs will be healthier; you will lower your risk of developing most diseases; your sleep will be improved and more than likely, your attitude toward life and living will rise to new levels. It’s a win-win-win opportunity.

The links go directly to the products. Please e-mail me back in a few weeks to give me an update on all the areas that have been improved.

Sincerely,

Marcus Ettinger BSc, DC

*Lipotropic compounds are those which help catalyse the breakdown of fat during metabolism in the body.

Choline is the major lipotrope in mammals and other known lipotropes are important only insofar as they contribute to the synthesis of choline. (Barak, 1973)

A lipotropic nutrient is one that promotes or encourages the export of fat from the liver. Lipotropics are necessary for the maintenance of a healthy liver as well as burning the exported fat for additional energy. Without lipotropics such as choline and inositol, fats and bile can become trapped in the liver, causing severe problems such as cirrhosis and blocking fat metabolism. Choline is essential for fat metabolism. Choline functions as a methyl donor and it is required for proper liver function. Like inositol, choline is a lipotropic. Inositol exerts lipotropic effects as well. An “unofficial” member of the B vitamins, inositol has even been shown to relieve depression and panic attacks. Methionine, an essential amino acid, is the major lipotropic compound in humans. When estrogen levels are high, the body requires more methionine. Estrogens reduce bile flow through the liver and increase bile cholesterol levels. Methionine helps deactivate estrogens.

Methionine levels also affect the amount of sulfur-containing compounds, such as glutathione, in the liver. Glutathione and other sulfur-containing peptides (small proteins) play a critical role in defending against toxic compounds. When higher levels of toxic compounds are present, more methionine is needed.

Choline assists detoxification reactions in the liver. Although choline can be synthesized from methionine or serine, recent evidence indicates that choline is an essential nutrient.

Betaine hydrochloride is a powerful lipotropic and increases gastric acid.[1]

References:

1.  “Betaine Hydrochloride Information on Healthline”. Retrieved 2008-04-24. “Betaine in human nutrition.”. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15321791. Retrieved 2009-10-11.

Full product catolog for California Academy of Health (CAOH).

Liquid Weight Loss™ is a nutritional supplement containing Hydrolyzed Collagen, an easily digested and assimilated protein. The collagen protein in Liquid Weight Loss™ (LWL) helps to support the body’s ability to maintain lean muscle tissue, which in turn can facilitate fat loss. In addition, LWL contains Chromium, an important cofactor for carbohydrate utilization, as well as Carnitine, which is an amino acid that is necessary for lipid oxidation. In providing the body with the nutrients needed to utilize fats and sugars more efficiency, LWL can help to maintain a healthy body weight.

I get 5-6 e-mails per day talking-up the virtues of acai as a weight-loss miracle.  I hate to be the one to break the bad news to you, but acai has as much weight-loss capability as does red grape skins or blueberry skins.  The ability of any of the products mentioned, when taken alone, to create an environment where weight just melts off is a bold-face lie.  Meaning, if you continued with your normal way of life and just added acai, changed nothing else, NO weight would be lost.  You may physically and/or mentally feel better, because acai is a potent antioxidant and antioxidants neutralize toxic free-radicals.

Below is an example of a acai berry scam that suggests people will lose between 22-30 pounds in 14 days.  I have been taking acai powder for a year now and I still weigh the same (I eat great and I exercise 3-4 days a week.  I am not taking it for weight-loss,  I am taking acai strictly for its incredible antioxidant powers).  I love acai and I sell a ton of it in my practice, I just don’t sell it for weight-loss.  That would be highly unethical and not worth the money I would make.

Sincerely,

Marcus Ettinger DC, BSc

Acai Berry Test Results

5/5 ★★★★★

Nature’s Acai Berry blew away the competition. This is the pure acai that was showcased on CBS News and Rachael Ray. It provided a huge energy boost and healthy weight loss. Two of the three testers (women) lost over 18 lbs in the first 3 days of using it.

Total 14-day Weight Loss
Person 1: 33.1 lbs
Person 2: 27.2 lbs
Person 3: 22.9 lbs

Nature’s Acai Berry is the ONLY acai product that offers a FULL 14 day supply of acai as a free trial* and is HIGHLY recommended for anyone wanting to lose weight and detoxify their body quickly. Click here to try it for yourself now

*It has been brought to our attention that weight loss results can be doubled when Nature’s Acai Berry is used with Colon Cleanse. (also free trial*) Thanks Liz!

Hi,

I was on your site after visiting so many other sites claiming that taking acai berry supplements (Like Absolute Acai & Acai Max) results in lots of great health improvements including weight loss.  Yet your site, and another product site (Perfect Acai) claim to be organic, etc., but don’t list weight loss as a result – why is that?

Carolyn,

BECAUSE IT’S NOT FOR WEIGHT-LOSS!!!!!!!!!

Every site listing it as a weight-loss product is lying, misinformed or just completely oblivious to the physiology of the body. The only way acai will work as a weight loss product is if that’s all you eat. There is no chemical found in acai that promotes weight-loss, period. I am an acai fanatic and I have tons of clients who take it, but NOT for weight-loss. Your best case scenario, is if you take acai and you feel more energetic BECAUSE you’re doing something good for yourself and you start to exercise and diet – You will lose weight.

I hope this helps.

Sincerely,

Marcus Ettinger DC, BSc

Liquid Weight Loss™ is a nutritional supplement containing Hydrolyzed Collagen, an easily digested and assimilated protein. The collagen protein in Liquid Weight Loss™ (LWL) helps to support the body’s ability to maintain lean muscle tissue, which in turn can facilitate fat loss. In addition, LWL contains Chromium, an important cofactor for carbohydrate utilization, as well as Carnitine, which is an amino acid that is necessary for lipid oxidation. In providing the body with the nutrients needed to utilize fats and sugars more efficiency, LWL can help to maintain a healthy body weight.

Ashwagandha

by Marcus Ettinger DC, BSc.
10/3/07

A Potent Adaptogen

We live in a world where stress is a constant reality and has become accepted as a normal part of the western lifestyle. Stress is probably the most powerful influence on human beings just behind genetics. Stress exerts its profound effects on both our physical body and mental state. Research has been ongoing for decades to deconstruct the effects of stress on humans and to discover compounds that will reduce its negative effects. Ashwagandha is widely used in Ayurvedic and Western herbal formulas as an adaptogen**
- a substance that can help our bodies naturally adapt and increase resistance to physical and emotional stress.

Practitioners worldwide believe that adaptogenic herbs and supplements are an important addition to any daily supplementation program.

Anti-Stressor

Ashwagandha has been shown to increase stress resistance, improve memory-related performance, and protect against stress induced responses such as anxiety, and physiological imbalances, according to numerous animal studies and several human studies.

A comparative study of the anxiety-reducing and antidepressive actions of ashwagandha with that of Lorazepam (benzodiazepine) was conducted in mice. Mice treated with both ashwagandha and benzodiazepine exhibited a reduction in brain concentrations of a specific neuron-chemical normally elevated in those who experience anxiety. Ashwagandha, in the same study, exhibited strong antidepressive effects. The results of similar studies support the use of ashwagandha as an anti-stress adaptogen[1].

In a clinical study utilizing rats, the stress-reducing effects of extracts of ashwagandha were compared with those of Asian ginseng (Panax ginseng). Both ashwagandha and Panax ginseng reduced the number and severity of chronic stress-induced ulcers, reversed the chronic stress-induced inhibition of male sexual behavior, and inhibited the adverse effects of chronic stress on the retention of learned tasks[2].

[1]Bhattacharya SK, Bhattacharya A, Sairam K, Ghosal S. Anxiolytic-antidepressant activity of Withania somnifera glycowithanolides: an experimental study. Phytomedicine 2000;7:463-469.
[2]Bhattarcharya SK, Muruganandam AV. Adaptogenic activity of Withania somnifera: an experimental study using a rat model of chronic stress. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2003;75:547-555.

Anti-Aging

The anti-aging effects of Ashwagandha were shown in a double-blind clinical trial in which 101 healthy men aged 50-59 years received a dosage of 3 grams Ashwagandha for 1 year. Specifically, significant improvements in hemoglobin, red blood cell counts, hair melanin concentrations, and serum
cholesterol concentrations were observed.[1]

[1]Kuttan G. Use of Withania somnifera Dunal as an adjuvant during radiation therapy. Indian J Exp Biol 1996;34:854-856.

Additional information on specific terms:

**Adaptogen
(wikipedia) The word adaptogen is used by herbalists to refer to a natural herb product that increases the body’s resistance to stresses such as trauma, anxiety and bodily fatigue. In the past they have been called rejuvenating herbs, qi tonics, rasayanas**, or restoratives. All adaptogens contain antioxidants, but antioxidants are not necessarily adaptogens and that is probably not their primary mode of action.[1]

Knowledge about adaptogens dates back thousands of years to ancient India and China, but serious scientific study did not begin until the late 1940s. In 1947, Dr. Nikolai Lazarev defined an adaptogen as an agent that allows the body to counter adverse physical, chemical, or biological stressors by raising nonspecific resistance toward such stress, thus allowing the organism to “adapt” to the stressful circumstances..[1]

In 1968, Israel I. Brekhman , PhD, and Dr. I. V. Dardymov formally gave adaptogens a functional definition, as follows:

1. An adaptogen is nontoxic to the recipient.
2. An adaptogen produces a nonspecific response in the body-an increase in the power of resistance against multiple stressors including physical, chemical, or biological agents.
3. An adaptogen has a normalizing influence on physiology, irrespective of the direction of change from physiological norms caused by the stressor.

Very simply, adaptogens are nontoxic in normal doses, produce a nonspecific defensive response to stress, and have a normalizing influence on the body. They normalize the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA axis). As defined, adaptogens constitute a new class of natural, homeostatic metabolic regulators.[1]

It is claimed that adaptogenic herbs are unique from other substances in their ability to balance endocrine hormones and the immune system, and they help the body to maintain optimal homeostasis. [1] Adaptogens have a normalizing effect on the body and are capable of either toning down the activity of hyperfunctioning systems or strengthening the activity of hypofunctioning systems. However they are also functional at the level of allostasis** which is a more dynamic reaction to long term stress, lacking the fixed reference points of homeostasis. [2]

[1]Robyn Klein. “Allostasis Theory and Adaptogenic Plant Remedies” 2004
[2]Robyn Klein Masters Thesis Paper, May 2004, Montana State University, Dept Plant Sciences & Plant Pathology: Phylogenetic and phytochemical characteristics of plant species with adaptogenic properties.

**Rasayanas
**Allostasis

More data on Ashwagandha

Ashwagandha Exhibits Anti-Stress Activity in Rats
Pharmacological Comparison of Activities of Ashwagandha and Ginseng

Related Product: Adrenal Cortisol Support Formula