VR Columns
Erectile Dysfunction is No Joke
How many of you remember the Smiling Bob TV commercials for a natural product called Enzyte? Whether he was holding a limp hose as he watered the grass, or dressed as Santa next to a strategically placed North Pole, we all chuckled, and the owners sold a ton of ineffective, untested, poor quality products. That ...
Making a Personal Connection With Customers
In every business, you need to make connections. As a health food store owner or manager, your connections with returning customers are most likely more personal to begin with. After all, the very nature of supplements and the concerns they support easily lend themselves to discussing highly specific and private subjects. But these days there ...
The Skin Hydration & Anti-aging Effects of Oral Ceramides
What do you believe is more impactful on the appearance of the skin: 1) diet, 2) optimal hydration, or 3) anti-aging skin care products? According to a study by Mintel, 36 percent of consumers responded that they believe diet has a visible effect on the skin, with 44 percent believing the same for hydration, but ...
Cross Training to Burn Fat!
People who exercise may see cardiovascular training and resistance training (weights) as two distinct types of exercise. However, when you put them together, you have the most powerful combination for fat loss success. One of the perennial questions about exercise for fat loss is whether to concentrate on aerobic exercise (cardio) or resistance training (weights). ...
French Grape & Wild Blueberry Extracts to Enhance Memory and Learning Capacity
Dietary supplements marketed as cognitive enhancers generally fall into two primary categories: those that enhance memory in aging adults with cognitive decline, and those positioned as nootropics—supplements that improve one or more aspects of cognitive function in healthy people of different age groups, including students. Often, research on nutraceuticals used in either type of supplement ...
Seven Steps for Continued Success
In my last column, I wrote about strategizing throughout the year and regularly assessing the health of your business. This time, I’d like to talk a little more specifically about setting goals, because I don’t think you can overemphasize that aspect of your business if you want to stay successful. A New Year means a ...
Phosphatidylserine: A Nutraceutical for Mental Performance, Mood and Stress
Given the title of this article, it may be your impression that I am positioning phosphatidylserine (PS) as a “brain nutrient.” If so, you are correct. The fact is that this phospholipid is an integral component in the structure of the brain and spinal cord and is active at cell membranes (including synaptic membranes which ...
New Thoughts on Menopause, Hormones & Herbs
To be, or not to be? That is the question, at least according to Hamlet. Another query amongst women of a certain age might be: to use HRT (hormone replacement therapy), or not use HRT? That is certainly a big question, with strong advocates on both sides of the equation. I started out working in ...
Gus Vickery, MD
Dr. Gus Vickery is a licensed, practicing medical doctor who helps individuals experience their full human potential through health optimization. He is the author of Authentic Health, a well-respected speaker, and the founder and directing physician of Vickery Family Medicine in Asheville, NC. He established his practice with a commitment to delivering holistic, compassionate and ...
Grown Up Immune Support
Remember when we were kids playing hide and seek? Or tag? If you got to the lamppost or picnic table or whatever else was designated safe, you were “free.” You had immunity. You couldn’t be tagged. Wouldn’t it be nice if that our actual physiological immunity worked that way! We could all call “Olly olly ...
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