Ortho-Adapt Vegan - 90 V-Caps

Ortho Adapt Vegan

Adaptogens are substances that increase the body's ability to dynamically shift gears when new demands are placed on us. Adaptogens mobilize our internal reserves, lessening the severity of the initial shock of the alarm phase which occurs as the body desperately tires to gear up to deal with a new threat. Adaptogens also keep the body from overreacting to the stressor, thus avoiding, reducing or delaying the exhaustion phase: the burnout that comes when the body's resources are unsustainably "strip-mined" in response to stress. Instead, true adaptogens extend the poorly named phase of resistance, that golden zone in which the body's energies and capacities are optimally mobilized to adapt to new challenges.

Adaptogens are quite distinct from substances that address some specific threat to the body, such as chelating agents to deal with heavy metals, antioxidants to quench free radicals, or antidotes to biological poisons. Instead, adaptogens activate whole-body, nonspecific defenses, redirecting the body's resources to provide energy for active engagement with all life's battles.

Orthomolecules Essential to Adaptive Response

Pantethine is the stable form of pantetheine, which is the "activated" form of pantothenic acid (vitamin B5). The biological purposes of pantothenic acid can only be fulfilled after your body converts it into Pantethine, which forms a key component of the critical metabolic factor coenzyme A (CoA). But unfortunately, your body's biosynthesis of CoA can be limited by a feedback "thermostat," which turns off the conversion of pantothenic acid into Pantethine as CoA levels rise and unfortunately, in many people the "thermostat" is set too low, leaving you with inadequate Pantethine (and CoA) levels. Providing Pantethine directly lets you simply walk around this metabolic stonewall.

The importance of Pantethine to adaptive response lies in the essential role of CoA in the biosynthesis of key adrenal hormones involved in the body's release of energy reserves in response to stress. People who are deficient in pantothenate rapidly develop symptoms that are all too familiar to people suffering with burnout: fatigue, listlessness, depression, headache, sleep disturbances, low immune function leading to more frequent colds and other infections, high blood pressure, and hypogly.

vitamin C has long been known to be critical to the ability of your adrenal glands to respond to stress. Vitamin C is essential for adrenal stress hormone biosynthesis, and concentrations of vitamin C in the healthy adrenal glands are higher than in any other part of the body except the brain. When scientists subject living things to any of a wide range of stressors, one of the most well documented results is the rapid depletion of vitamin C stores, especially in the adrenal glands.

Rhodiola rosea is one well-studied adaptogen, which has received a lot of attention lately. Also known as "Arctic Root" or "Roseroot," Rhodiola is an herb with a long history of use in the traditional medicine of Siberia, for adaptation to the rigors of life on the tundra's of North-Central Asia. Its adaptogenic balancing properties were extensively studied in animals exposed to a wide range of stressors by scientists in the former Soviet Union; more recently, interest in the herb has jumped in the West, after several randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials documented the ability of standardized Rhodiola to enhance the body's physical and mental work capacity and productivity under conditions of stress. Users find that Rhodiola is highly effective at helping with the psychological impact of stress, even as it enhances physical and mental endurance.

Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera), the so-called "Indian Ginseng," is actually not a Ginseng species at all; and while it does provide powerful support against overwhelming stress, its effects are in many ways distinct from most other adaptogenic herbs. While most adaptogens primarily work by helping the body to mobilize and maintain the physiological response to stress, Ashwagandha appears to work first and foremost by reducing the stress-related excesses of the alarmed nervous system.

Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) is the source of the phytochemical glycyrrhizin, which is partly converted in the intestine to the more active glycyrrhetic acid. Both glycyrrhizin and glycyrrhetic acid can activate the receptors for key adrenal hormones (mineralocorticoids and glucocorticoids) involved in mobilizing your energy reserves in response to stress. Glycyrrhetic acid also helps your body to keep these hormones in their more active forms, by inhibiting the enzymes (5-beta-reductase and 11-beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase) that degrade adrenal hormones into less active forms.

Eleutherococcus senticosus, or "Siberian Ginseng," is another misnomer: as is the case with Ashwagandha, it is not a ginseng species at all. But its adaptogenic properties are, if anything, better documented than those of Panax ginseng itself. This botanical was long the juggernaut behind Soviet Olympic dominance, as well as being extensively exploited in the Soviet military and space programs. After an initial focus on Panax ginseng, Russian researchers shifted their attention to Eleutherococcus after comparative investigations and clinical experience revealed its superiority. Eleutherococcus lacks the side effects observed in some users of Panax ginseng, which overexcites some people and can ironically even cause them stress. "Siberian ginseng" also has a more global beneficial effect on the immune system than Panax ginseng, and its phytochemistry and resulting benefits is more reliable than its Panax namesake.

Cautions:
Do not use if pregnant or breastfeeding. Consult a health care practitioner if you have a liver disorder, any type of acute infection, if you are taking hormone replacement therapy, birth control pills or antidepressant medication, or if symptoms persist or worsen. Consumption with alcohol, other drugs or natural health products with sedative properties is not recommended. Do not use if you have hypokalemia, high blood pressure, bipolar spectrum disorder, a kidney or cardiovascular disorder, if you are taking thiazide diuretics, cardiac glycosides, corticosteroids, stimulant laxatives or other medications which may aggravate electrolyte imbalance.