Health is WEALTH!
by Jack Hayford*

I will turn 50 years old this year. Until I was almost 40, I took my health for granted. NOT SO ANYMORE!

One of the benefits of my consulting career has been to work with a number of very fine nutritional supplement manufacturers and distributors. I have met and interacted with (and learned from) world-class nutritionists, alternative medicine MDs, longevity experts, authors, scientists and supplement formulators.

As a result, I take a lot of high-quality supplements every day. And I am rarely sick. I credit my supplementation with giving me the energy to work an inordinate number of hours without mental or physical fatigue. And my doctor tells me my heart and all other vital organs are performing as if they were much younger than my chronological age.

How do you feel? How is your energy level? Do you look younger or older than others your age? If you are not happy with your own honest answers to these questions, then you should seriously consider making dietary supplementation a priority in your life. Because without your health, how much do you really have?

Wellness is a very interesting topic. About 10-15% of the general population at any given time are SICK. They have some type of illness requiring medical care.

Another 10-15% of the population is fortunate to have what some call "vibrant good health." They feel great, they're energetic and stress doesn't seem to affect them. They are active and alive. Most of these people get proper rest, proper exercise, eat a well balanced diet, and yes, most take nutritional supplements.

The remaining 70-80% of the population falls somewhere in between "sick" and "healthy." They aren't seeing a doctor for some illness but they do not have abundant energy or a great feeling of "well-being." They get worn out after (or before) just eight hours of work. They have a low tolerance for stress. They get colds easily, suffer arthritis, headaches, insomnia and other aggravating symptoms of being less than healthy.

Hippocrates (as in the MD's Hippocratic Oath which implies "first do no harm"), the father of modern medicine, said, "Let food be your medicine." He knew that most diseases are related to improper nutrition, and that a well-balanced diet is essential to good health.

However, in today's world, with our dependence on fast food and the fact that even "fresh foods" are largely devoid of nutritional value, it is nearly impossible to get everything we need for good health from food alone.

In fact, a survey of 77,000 nurses, in which they were tested for only 10 essential nutrients, showed that NOT ONE had even the minimum amount of just those 10 nutrients. Since we need as many as 90 nutrients every day to maintain optimal health, is it any wonder that YOU are not getting all the daily nourishment you need to protect your body from disease?

Even the American Medical Association, which for many years poo-pooed the need for supplementation, now recommends that every adult take a daily multi-vitamin supplement to support their diet and help prevent disease.

Does diet and nutrition play a major role in the incidence of America's greatest killers? Unquestionably, "yes."

The #1 killer in America is heart disease. Cardiovascular diseases take nearly one million lives every year. That's one person every 33 seconds! Heart disease affects people of all ages, even those who otherwise seem healthy. Even life-long athletes die of heart attacks so obviously it's not just exercise that protects us... it is diet as well.

Eskimos are known to have a very low incidence of heart disease (and yet a high-fat diet). Scientists attribute this to the fact that they eat deep cold-water fish every day. These fish are rich in Omega 3 fatty acids which many researchers believe may help protect against heart disease.

These fatty acids are found in only minute amounts in the average diet. Like almost everyone, you are likely not getting enough Omega 3 fatty acids from your food.

The #2 killer in the U.S. is cancer. Over several decades, studies have shown that people who have a diet rich in fruits and vegetables have a significantly lower incidence of degenerative diseases, such as cancer. This is likely due to the abundance of "phytonutrients" in fruits and vegetables and their "antioxidant" properties. Anti-oxidants have been shown to protect your cells from damage and deterioration.

These studies led the government to recommend that all adults consume 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables each day, to ensure that they are protected against degenerative diseases.

Are you getting 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables EVERY DAY?

Supplementation bridges the gap between what we are getting for nutrition from our food and what WE SHOULD BE GETTING. Baby boomers, that enormous demographic born between 1945 and 1955 are now my age and older. WE CAN'T AFFORD TO IGNORE THE NEED TO TAKE HIGH-QUALITY SUPPLEMENTS and WE CAN AFFORD TO BUY GOOD SUPPLEMENTS!

There are many great health products being offered in the marketplace now. The market, and the demand, is growing! Trend prognosticator Paul Zane Pilzer calls the "wellness" business the "next TRILLION dollar industry."

If you are reading this on my website, then you're no doubt interested in marketing. Think about what I've written here and see if what you sell shouldn't be somehow connected to preventative health. The people with the money NEED and WANT these products. And they will buy from you (again and again) because they are mature enough to know that, without their health, they truly have nothing.

HEALTH IS WEALTH. Theirs... and YOURS!

*Special thanks to Rudy Revac of Symmetry for contributing to this article.

Jack Hayford has been a professional network marketer and MLM consultant for over twelve years.