A unique blend of vitamins, amino acids, healing herbs and botanicals designed to counteract the damaging effects of stress while promoting increased energy and vitality.

Stress is a natural part of life. In fact, “good” stress – like the kind you experience when you face a challenge successfully – can be quite beneficial. A moderate amount of stress may improve heart function, stimulate the brain and increase resistance to infection.

Unfortunately, too much stress puts real strain on your body. Being highly overstressed can drain you of energy, damage your arteries, cloud your mind, and overwhelm your immune system. Chronic stress increases your risk of developing heart disease or diabetes. Excessive or chronic stress also disrupts the function of your endocrine system, contributing to fertility problems.

The naturally smart energy and stress blend® was formulated specifically to counteract the damaging effects of the stress response while improving your overall energy level. This unique dietary supplement features a powerful combination of essential vitamins, minerals and amino acids enhanced by healing herbs and botanicals that support the body’s nervous system.

Beneficial Ingredients

• B1 (Thiamin) – necessary for proper adrenal gland function, proper immune function and neurotransmitter synthesis. Thiamin also helps metabolize food and alcohol. Low thiamin levels can present as poor memory, fatigue, muscle weakness and blindness. Chronically low levels of thiamin can contribute to heart disease, brain damage and even death.
• B2 (Riboflavin) – required for energy production and proper utilization of oxygen. Riboflavin deficiencies can lead to fatigue, blindness, anemia, and crusting around the mouth.
• B3 (Niacin) – necessary for the body’s production of energy. Niacin is also used to treat high cholesterol, schizophrenia, neurological disease and Raynaud's syndrome (a blood vessel disorder that causes an individual’s hands and feet to get very cold).
• B6 (Pyridoxine) – works together with folic acid work together to regulate homocysteine levels. Homocysteine is a byproduct of protein breakdown that damages arteries and makes them prone to cholesterol deposits, increasing the risk of blood clots, cardiovascular disease and infertility and miscarriage.
• B5 (Pantothenic Acid) – vital for the production of energy, proper immune system function and adrenal stress hormone production. Pantothenic Acid is sometimes referred to as the “antistress” vitamin.
• B7 (Biotin) – essential for fat and protein metabolism, effective immunity and gene function. Biotin deficiency is rare, but is most common in elderly, diabetes and individuals taking too many antibiotics.
• B9 (Folic Acid) – especially important for women of childbearing age because folic acid deficiencies are linked to birth defects such as neural tube defects. The recommended daily allowance is 400 mcg for all women of childbearing age (including those on birth control) but pregnant women should be taking 800–1000 mcg of folic acid a day. Alcoholics, heart disease patients and people taking antibiotics should also be on folic acid supplementation.
• B12 (Cobalamin) – required for normal gene function, energy production, a properly functioning immune system and the formation of blood cells. Cobalamin should always be taken with folic acid because folic acid can mask anemias due to cobalamin deficiency.
• Vitamin C – important for the synthesis of carnitine, which is essential for combatting stress damage. Vitamin C also has many other beneficial effects, including antioxidant activity that reduces free radicals in the body. When there are more free radicals than antioxidants the body is more susceptible to disease. This condition is call oxidative stress. Oxidative stress can result in significant damage to cell structure. Conditions caused by oxidative stress include cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes, and chronic inflammatory disease. Increasing blood serum levels of vitamin C may have the beneficial effect of lowering oxidative stress. Vitamin C is also important for synthesizing collagen and neurotransmitters. Vitamin C is maintained in many tissues in the body as well as in the blood stream. These tissues include adrenal glands, pituitary gland, thymus gland, the retina, and the corpus luteum (cyst on the ovary after ovulation that sustains early pregnancy).
• Chromium Picolinate – a nutritional supplement which may help increase the efficiency of insulin, which in turn helps a body metabolize sugar and maintain healthy blood glucose levels.
• Zinc – believed to have important anti-aging, antioxidant properties, particularly for the skin and muscles. Zinc is also useful for wound healing after an injury, for prevention or reduction in severity and duration of the common cold, prevention of sunburn and windburn and can protect against diaper rash, halitosis (bad breath) and dandruff. Studies show that zinc is effective in treating for age-related macular degeneration and for acrodermatitis enteropathica (a fatal genetic disorder that affects zinc absorption). Zinc has also been shown to be an effective antimicrobial agent in the gastrointestinal tract.
• Copper – an essential nutrient that can help combat oxidative stress.
• Calcium – important not only for building stronger, denser bones and preventing osteoporosis, but also for releasing neurotransmitters and muscle contraction (including contraction in the heart muscle).
• Phosphorus – forms part of the structural framework for DNA, RNA and the components of cellular membranes. Phosphorus also transports energy into our cells. Low levels of phosphate are caused by malnutrition or the inability to absorb phosphate. Metabolic syndromes can draw phosphate from the blood or pass too much phosphorus into the urine. Excess phosphate in the bloodstream can cause diarrhea and a hardening of the organs and soft tissue. Too much phosphorus can also interfere with the body’s ability to utilize iron, calcium, magnesium and zinc.
• Vitamin E – important for supporting cardiovascular and circulatory health. Vitamin E also has a beneficial effect on conditions such as heart-disease and pre-diabetes.
• Panax Ginseng Extract – a commonly recommended supplement in traditional Chinese medicine, believed to improve circulation, increase the blood supply, stimulate recovery of the body after illness, renew and revive the body, and improve the body's resistance to stress, trauma, anxiety and fatigue. Panax ginseng is also used as an aphrodisiac in cases of sexual dysfunction and for the treatment of type II diabetes. Ginseng is also commonly used in energy drinks. The most common side effect is insomnia, the inability to sleep, but other side effects may include nausea, diarrhea, headaches, nose bleeds, breast pain, and blood pressure issues (either high blood pressure or low blood pressure).
  CAUTION: Panax ginseng is considered to be safe even in high doses. However, ginseng can lead to induction of mania in depressed patients so special care should be taken if you are on antidepressants. Also, in Chinese medicine, panax ginseng is not recommended for individuals using anti-infective herbs. Consult your physician prior to use if you are taking any daily medications or are pregnant.
• Guarana Extract – comes from a plant that is native to the Amazon basin and is especially common in Brazil. Guarana is naturally rich in caffeine, having twice the amount than found in coffee beans, and has been found to improve memory, alertness and mood. Guarana extract is commonly used as an energy booster in soda and energy drinks.
  CAUTION: Consumption of guarana extract is considered safe; however, there is some anecdotal evidence that excessive consumption of energy drinks containing Guarana may contribute to seizures in some individuals. Consult your physician prior to use if you are sensitive to caffeine or are taking any medications.
• Berry Complex – A proprietary blend of natural raspberry, blueberry, cranberry, and pomegranate extracts that provide an antioxidant boost.
• Tri-Amino Blend – a vital blend of three amino acids: L-Taurine, L-Glutamine and L-Carnitine (as L-Tartrate).
• Taurine – an amino acid naturally found in food. Vegan intake of taurine is low so supplementation for these individuals is important. Studies suggest taurine is needed for proper maintenance and functioning of skeletal muscles and is effective in reducing cirrhosis of liver by removing fatty acid deposits. Taurine has also been shown to be effective for lowering blood pressure and has beneficial effects on atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. It is also used as a supplement to prevent epileptic seizures and uncontrollable facial twitches. It may have an anti-anxiety effect in the central nervous system. Like ginseng and guarana, taurine is frequently used in energy drinks.
• Glutamine – an amino acid that synthesizes protein, regulates the acid-base balance in the kidney, and is a source of cellular energy. It is the most abundant naturally occurring nonessential amino acid in the body. Glutamine (as well as taurine) directly crosses the blood brain barrier. It circulates in the blood and is stored in skeletal muscles. Studies show that glutamine is useful in the treatment of illnesses, injury, trauma, burns; side effects of cancer treatments, and in wound healing for postoperative patients.
• Carnitine – an amino acid that is required to generate metabolic energy. It is essential for the transport of fatty acids into mitochondria, the “cellular powerhouse” for the generation of ATP. ATP transports chemical energy within the cells for metabolism.

Understanding the Stress Response

When your brain perceives a threat, it floods your body with the hormones needed for a burst of energy. This is the “stress response” – a mechanism used by the central nervous system to manage levels of adrenaline and cortisol in the body.

An infusion of hormones like adrenaline and cortisol is what allows you to take action quickly if you face a threat. It also mobilizes your body’s resources for dealing with injury: white blood cells flock to your capillary walls, ready to be activated if you sustain a wound.

Unfortunately, in today’s world, we face many stressors. Between fighting traffic to get to work, paying bills and dealing with daily responsibilities, our stress response system is constantly activated and thus low levels of cortisol and adrenaline are being produced at all times. These stress response systems hormones cause blood pressure and heart rate to increase. As that happens, blood is shunted away from vital organs such as the heart, kidneys, brain and even the reproductive organs and is sent to the large muscles of legs and arms (so as to facilitate “fight or flight”).

The stress response also causes white blood cells to stick to the capillary walls, ready to be activated if you sustain a wound. Your energy sources, including sugars and fat, are mobilized to give you fuel.

Effects of Chronic Stress

When your stress response system works properly your parasympathetic nervous system will override the sympathetic nervous system. Your blood pressure goes back to normal and your heart rate goes down. Your stress hormones, blood sugar and blood clotting levels all drop and blood flow to all your internal organs resumes.

Having a chronically sustained level of stress can cause an excess of the stress hormones and lead to problems like high blood pressure, high triglycerides, insulin resistance, high fasting blood sugar, lower bone density, alterations in function of the immune system and has been linked to depression and memory loss.

Stress also leads to overeating, because cortisol causes us to crave carbohydrates (comfort food). Moreover, it causes us to store all those calories as fat in the most dangerous and most unflattering area: the abdomen. An excess of stored abdominal fat is a major risk factor for diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Stress also has a detrimental physiological effect on the endocrine system, inhibiting the release of gonadotropin releasing hormone (the hormone that starts the ovulatory cycle), thus, adversely affecting ovulation, fertilization, tubal function and implantation. A study at Harvard University that assessed stress and fertility concluded that stress reduction could increase pregnancy rates in couples being treated with assisted reproductive technologies by up to 55%. Good nutrition and exercise as well as stress-reduction techniques like meditation, yoga, mental imagery, and support groups contributed to these improved pregnancy rates.

Counteracting the Effects of Stress

B vitamins are an essential ingredient in supplementation to counteract the effects of stress. They support the nervous system, maintaining healthy brain cells and regulating the metabolism of carbohydrates, the brain's source of fuel. B vitamins are also necessary for the production of neurotransmitters (serotonin and dopamine) which regulate mood and conduct messages through the brain.

Beyond their impact on the brain and the nervous system, B vitamins enhance immune system function and also promote cell growth and division (including the red blood cells that help prevent anemia). They may also be necessary for supporting and increasing the rate of metabolism and maintaining healthy skin and muscle tone.

Deficiencies usually involve more than one B vitamin. For best results, supplements should always include a complete complement of B vitamins that will work together to achieve synergistic effects.