Audio: Maximize Your Nutrient Assimilation

Doug Corrigan: Good day to you and welcome to this edition of Young Living’s product education series. I’m Doug Corrigan, the Director of Global Training and Education for Young Living Essential Oils, and today we’re going to address a topic that affects millions of Americans – namely, poor digestion. We’re going to discuss three key Young Living products that can really promote the digestion and absorption of critical nutrients. It’s estimated that 60 to 70 million Americans struggle to maintain optimal digestive function each year. I would say the number, in fact, is far, far more than that. It’s one of the most common issues out there. But with just that number we can directly associate that digestive function is costing these folks more than $141 billion annually.

Because the foundation – the very foundation – of your health originates in your gut, this fact has catastrophic consequences for your health. It’s been said time and time again that you are what you eat and in fact, it goes deeper than that in the sense that you are what you eat, but furthermore you are what you absorb; and digestion is the process of breaking those nutrients down through a variety of processes, chemical and otherwise, that help to get those nutrients into a form that the body can use for producing energy, for reconstructing, for all the different things that the body has to do for the function of all the different organ systems. Now if our digestion is not working properly the whole machine does not work as well as it could; and unfortunately, our modern times have really put a dent into what is optimal digestion. Now optimum health and vitality really require proper digestion and absorption of nutrients, and that includes all the vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and other beneficial phytonutrients. All those things are dependent upon digestion to be utilized by the body.

As mentioned earlier, this current topic is going to include three fundamental products that support healthy digestion; specifically Essentialzymes-4, Fennel essential oil, and Spearmint essential oil. This discussion couldn’t have come at a better time as we’re presenting this information as we’re just entering the time of year when the holidays are upon us, but no matter what time of year it is – it could be the summer barbecue season – there are all kinds of different situations in our lives that sometimes put us in line for consuming those difficult-to-pass-up foods, candies, and desserts. They often taste good going down, but once they get in the body these forms of foods that are highly processed and highly refined and often very rich and concentrated in all kinds of sugars and complex foodstuffs – not natural foodstuffs, many times very processed foods – these things are hard for the body to handle. The inability to digest foods and nutrients properly sometimes results from an occasional deficiency in digestive enzymes and in fact because we’re consuming so many foods that are enzyme-poor, well frankly we just don’t have enough enzymes to handle the problem. It’s far better for you to eat foods that have active enzymes in them and that can actually contribute to your requirements for enzymes in the body.

Many foods naturally contain enzymes and those help the body to naturally assimilate and utilize these nutrients; but the processes of cooking and manufacturing often leave foods without enzymes. In our efforts to sanitize and keep our foods safe when stored over a long period of time and not eating them fresh, well that also kills all the active and live enzymes so when we consume those foods they have none of their own enzymes and the body has to produce, through all different types of organ systems, the enzymes to handle those foods and our bodies just quickly run out of the resources to do that. Your enzyme reserves must be restored through better eating habits (as the best scenario), and of course you can also do it through supplementation. Optimal enzyme levels help you properly digest all the macronutrients like proteins, fats, and carbohydrates; and these are essential to your overall wellbeing. A great supplement in this regard is Essentialzymes-4. Of course there are many enzyme products that help and assist in other ways and in different ways, but today we’re going to concentrate on Essentialzymes-4, a multi-spectrum enzyme concept specially formulated to aid the critically-needed digestion of dietary fats, proteins, fiber, and carbohydrates; a very broad-spectrum enzyme system is what you get in Essentialzymes-4. The dual time-release technology releases animal- and plant-based enzymes at separate times within the digestive tract, and this allows for improved (in fact, tremendously improved) optimal nutrient absorption. This proprietary blend of enzymes helps you use the nutrients that you ingest from food and supplements, and it helps you to continue to move forward on your path towards optimal wellbeing. Oftentimes a lot of people in Young Living already recognize the need for supplementation of high-quality nutrients, and they also recognize the need for improving their diet. We live in a community where people are actively moving down the path to improvement in both those areas. But many times if your digestion is not working you can be wasting your money. Enzymes are one of the things you can take as insurance that you actually get what you are hoping to get from your food!

Let’s start with protease. Protease is one of the enzymes that you get in Essentialzymes-4. It helps you to digest and utilize fats, and supports the healthy function of the digestive, circulatory, and immune systems. It can also help to really balance and improve energy levels. Now amylase is included in Essentialzymes-4 to promote digestion of starches; something that is very important if you consume the typical American diet. When you eat plant foods, you ingest a significant quantity of cellulose, which is a major component of a plant’s cell wall. Cellulase helps your body break down a portion of this insoluble plant carbohydrate and converts it to a substance called beta-glucose. Because beta-glucose is released more slowly than regular glucose it provides more sustainable energy. Lipase aids the digestion of fats (lipids) and increases the nutritional value of healthy fats that you ingest by promoting the digestion and absorption of essential fatty acids. Another enzyme in Essentialzymes-4 is peptidase which, as its name suggests, helps break down peptides into their component amino acids – we’re talking about proteins here. Another crucial enzyme in this remarkable formula is phytase, and this enzyme has the ability to release phosphate and other essential minerals from a plant compound called phytic acid. This action may support your body’s ability to absorb and utilize vital minerals, and can neutralize some of the negative effects of some of the compounds in plants like phytic acid, which has some downside unless it’s quickly converted into harmless or even productive phytonutrients.

Derived from the fruit and stem of pineapples, bromelain is a protein-digesting enzyme able to break down a wide variety of protein types. This remarkable enzyme not only supports the digestion and absorption of proteins, but research suggests that it supports a healthy inflammatory response. Pap ain is derived from unripe papaya fruit, and aids in digestion of proteins because pap ain is very effective at breaking down protein fibers. It’s widely used in South America as a digestive aid following the consumption of meals where there’s a high amount of meat. Of course we don’t do that in America – I’m jesting of course, we eat all kinds of meat in America! Pap ain is tremendous in regard to that, as well as bromelain and some of the other protein-focused enzymes. So you start to get an idea of all the different ingredients in Essentialzymes-4 that are tremendous in this regard.

Now we move into more of the aromatic plants; specifically essential oil-containing plants like anise. Anise has been cultivated since ancient times to be used as a digestive aid. Until recently this herb had been largely forgotten. Fennel is another herb that’s been used for centuries to support a healthy digestive system. Both anise and fennel contain a very intriguing compound (in fact, anise and fennel essential oils are to a large extent composed of this compound) called anethole, which aids the digestion of rich foods and may help settle the stomach during the occasional period of unease. Anise contains up to 95% anethole, and fennel up to 80% anethole. Also there are some interesting studies in regard to how it aids the pancreas, and many different studies coming out support the fact that anethole is a very critical and intriguing phytocompound that we need more of in our diets. Let’s talk about ginger; ginger has been used for thousands of years to promote a healthy digestive tract. There may not be a more famous essential oil or plant in regard to digestion. We have mint and we have ginger, and then fennel right there as well, but ginger is tremendous in this regard. Rosemary is also involved here; it aids and balances digestion and has been used for occasional digestive upsets throughout history. Now tarragon, a great aromatic, is stimulating to digestive secretions and appetites.

Many of these herbs are really tonics in the sense of how they act, they help the digestion to either get stimulated or to be quieted a little bit depending on what the body needs. That’s the tonic effect; it’s really one of the things that’s so magical and important about understanding how plant medicine works in the body, the tonic effect. The tonic capacity means if your body needs to be pushed or moved in one area or one direction, say it’s too hot meaning you have digestive upset, then these things can oftentimes quiet it. If you need to have more digestion, more acids because maybe you’re not getting enough, they can stimulate those things. Now try to find pharmaceuticals that can do that same type of thing! They just don’t work in the same way, and it’s one of the great things about plant medicine; there are only upsides that work in conjunction with your body. It’s plain to see that Young Living has put together here, with regard to Essentialzymes-4, an unmatched team of digestion-supporting phytonutrients and enzymes that will really help you make the most of the foods you eat. When you get those nutrients into your body you will naturally feel better. So many people out there have digestion that is compromised to such an extent that the minute they eat something that doesn’t agree with them it renders them tremendously miserable, so we see here an opportunity to really help us to get more of the food that we need, and also just to get through some of the issues that are caused by indigestion. Many people go to the pharmacy to try to get antacids and all kinds of digestive aids, when in reality it can be as simple as taking enzymes or rubbing some essential oils on your belly – and why wouldn’t you do that instead of causing harm with pharmaceutical solutions?

Historical records strongly suggest that members of the mint family, as I was talking about a little while ago, particularly spearmint (though peppermint is also great in this regard but today we’re going to focus in on spearmint). They (the mint family) have been an integral part of ancient medical systems in Rome, Greece, and Egypt for as long as recorded history – thousands of years. Spearmint was frequently used in these ancient medical systems for a variety of gastrointestinal complaints, and today spearmint is considered a tremendous digestive aid, among other uses. It’s used frequently to flavor toothpaste and gum; spearmint has therapeutic value in each of these regards as well as it supports the healthy function of the gallbladder, an essential organ located beneath the liver which stores bile. The bile stored in the gallbladder is so critical in regard to our response to fat; helping us digest fats. Spearmint also balances and aids metabolism, that’s why it’s used in many of our products like Citrus Fresh and Slique Essence which use spearmint to really help balance the body and aid metabolism. Many users report that spearmint is tremendous for occasional digestive issues. One of the interesting things, too, is that spearmint can be a tonic for assistance with thyroid function. So spearmint’s minty, slightly fruity aroma is not quite as strong as peppermint but can profoundly influence your overall wellbeing. When you diffuse it, it helps open and release emotional blocks and encourages feelings of balance.

We discussed some of the digestive benefits of fennel already but this is an essential oil that by itself can also provide relief to countless individuals that are suffering from indigestion. Even better than that, [Fennel Vitality] essential oil encourages a feeling of fullness, which can help you avoid overeating. Whether applied topically or inhaled, it really appears to help promote a healthy and balanced appetite and again, helps prevent us from overeating. Lastly, many users report that [Fennel Vitality] also helps with occasional bowel sluggishness, so if you’re a little sluggish in the bowels, fennel can really help in this regard. It has a sweet, earthy, anise-like aroma and in medieval times it was often used to ward off evil spirits! We have Halloween coming up and if we’re worried about any evil spirits coming our way, well we could perhaps utilize fennel as in medieval times – we jest a little bit about some of those things, but think about the impact and the experience that mankind has had with these different essential oils; there’s probably more to these things than we even realize, as we know that there’s always an emotional impact from the essential oils as we use them and as we breathe them in. In fact, fennel is oftentimes related to providing courage and strength; just the aroma of fennel can really help us in that regard – and doesn’t that make sense? I mean, what happens when we start to feel fearful or uneasy? We start to feel queasy in our digestive tract; we often say it goes right to our gut and we feel imbalance there. Doesn’t it make sense that fennel can help us to bring balance there, to help us to feel strong in the face of fear, and those things can help make us resistant to all kinds of emotional distress?

There you have it; three fantastic products. One of the tremendous things about using essential oils, whether it’s Spearmint or Fennel as we’re discussing today and of course Di-Gize is another tremendous product in regard to digestive health and it contains some of the products that we’re talking about today – one of the great things about these essential oils is that when our digestion is compromised, sometimes the last thing that we want to do is pile more stuff into our mouths and into a tummy which is already feeling ill at ease; so one of the great things about essential oils is that we can use them topically. We can also use them through the mouth but they don’t have to work through the digestive system to get effect. Because these oils are volatile compounds and they evaporate or can move quickly through tissues, freely through tissues and through cell membranes and throughout the body, one of the great things about using aromatics in regard to helping digestion is that they can truly be a bridge that can balance things independent of the digestive system; balance the body and help your digestive system get into place where you can then treat it and help it with other aids like enzymes or different fibers or probiotics. So sometimes essential oils can be an important bridge to help us achieve balance independent of the digestive system, and really can be an important bridge.

So now that you have some great tips, that doesn’t give you the excuse to go out and make all kinds of errors and eat the things that you know you shouldn’t! Why not make it a tandem attack on your digestion and start eating foods that are rich in enzymes; eating a few more raw foods wouldn’t hurt. Sometimes people don’t like to eat raw foods because their digestion is so compromised they have a more harsh effect. Again, here you can use essential oils as a bridge to get your body balanced and get where you want to be. Of course, when you do indulge, Essentialzymes-4 can come to the rescue but you don’t just have to take this product when you feel like you have indigestion; Essentialzymes-4 is something that can be taken on a regular basis. In fact, I would say that most people don’t even realize how deficient they really are in regard to their enzymes. If you’re eating 70% to 80% raw foods or fermented foods and all those different types of things you might be able to cut back on your enzymes a little but as for me, I’m taking enzymes and I eat a pretty good diet; not to that extent of raw foods, but as for me I take enzymes as an insurance policy because I know how critical it is to get the most, to get the maximum nutrition, from every bite of food that we can. Enzymes help me to do that, as well as essential oils. That’s why many times people will give you those aromatic plants, maybe a sprig of spearmint or a sprig of peppermint or a little drink of fennel or ginger with those heavier, bigger meals; you will feel a huge difference and eating will become pleasant again. Doesn’t that sound like a great thing? Sometimes people will actually avoid eating because every time they eat they feel sick, and that’s because their digestion is so poor. So let’s get back on track with some of the tips that we’ve talked about today; a fast, fast way to really make massive strides in your health. I’m a big believer in these products and until next time I wish you Godspeed in your quest for health.

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