Lately the steroid problem amongst professional athletes has been bantered about in the media, now centering on professional baseball. Having worked on the sports medicine staffs of the Olympic team, US national swim team, Race Across America, and directly with many amateur and professional athletes - it never ceases to amaze me that this topic creates such a dramatic furor among both athletes and spectators alike!

The truth of the matter is that when it comes to peak performance at these higher levels of athletic competition - nowadays almost anything goes no matter what the cost. Furthermore, "win at all costs" mentalities have pervaded the "lower ranks" of athleticism and physical perfection as well right on down through to preteens. This is truly a disastrous commentary and one that we should all regret but usually do not until it's too late - that is, when someone gets hurt. Unfortunately this really is a bigger problem then we all would like to admit, and it occurs in places that we would never expect causing damage to people that we never hear about - but it's constantly in my face as a practicing physician.

A good example of this "win at all costs" attitude slam - dunked me in the face while I was working for one of this country's most elite teams, which I would rather not name at the moment, because it will add "more insult to (sports) injury". It involved a group of athletes that are usually not considered steroid and drug abusers. This particular occurrence took place in the mid eighties where a certain questionnaire was circulated amongst several thousand athletes, and asked this following question: "if we could provide a drug that will ensure you a gold medal at the next Olympics, knowing that the side effects of taking this drug will cause you to die within a year after receiving your gold-medal, would you still want to take that drug?" Needless to say, 40% of the respondents said yes! Talk about "win at all costs" - we're talking about the guaranteed death of all the athletes who take this drug! Yet, even with a premature death soon to follow, "gold medal glory" (and all that goes with it) is enough reward to forfeit life itself in these athlete's minds.

Although this story that I have shared with you represents a very tragic sign of the times, what is even more tragic is that peak performance is fully achievable without the use of dangerous substances - in fact it is achievable with the more strategic use of highly beneficial and nourishing substances -- indigenous to the personalized nutrition process. Although the use of personalized nutrition is widespread among our best athletes, it is perhaps one of the greatest athletic enhancement secrets kept by athletes - besides their own steroid use. Furthermore the majority of personalized nutrition oriented athletes know that this process accentuates the production and balance of their own performance improving hormones to full genetic potential - and slightly beyond. Yet there is still a certain minority of irresponsible athletes who routinely utilize the specialized nutrient-hormone-toxin tests characteristic of personalized nutrition to not only help them to achieve peak performance but also to "beat" mandatory drug testing. I'll save this story for another newsletter for inquiring minds!

Instead, let's take a closer look at how personalized nutrition will be able to completely eliminate the perceived needs of any athlete who could fall into the dangerous "steroid trap", by creating a personalized hormonal enhancement program automatically. Imagine, the perfect hormonal balance "For Your Body Only" to accompany the perfect diet (and customized supplements) - "For Your Body Only". It's an all in one procedure when it's done right. And, best of all, peak performance is assured, while overall health and wellness improves with no health robbing consequences, whatsoever!

The Nutrient - Gland - Hormone Connection - Personalized Nutrition
at it's very Best

Where do you think, hormones come from? Glands of course, but, what causes the glands that create the hormones, (which people are so willing to artificially induce unnecessarily with steroids, insulin, growth hormone etc.), that their body requires to run at peak efficiency? If you answered "nutrients" then you are partially right. If you answered "certain nutrients in specific proportions" as determined through the scientific methodology of personalized nutrition testing -- then you are completely right!

So that we truly understand the personalized nutrition - gland - hormone connection, let's define a few key words in simple terms:

Nutrient - any naturally occurring a essential-to-human chemical substance(including air and water) that provides the baseline raw material for the creation(really the release ) of energy and matter within the body for both the functional growth and maintenance of the human organism. Nutrients include minerals, vitamins, amino acids, fatty acids, sugars, and vitamin - like substances such as phytonutrient pigments which catalyze (speed up) endogenous enzyme function (or rates of reaction).

Hormone - a chemical substance produced in the body by cells or the cells of an organ, which exerts a specific regulatory effect on the activity of a given organ, or certain cells. There are different classes of hormones such as steroid hormones like testosterone, or oligopeptide hormones such as GH (Growth Hormone).

Gland - a group (aggregate) of specialized cells which create biochemical substances not for use by their own metabolic needs, rather, used to help regulate the function of other body cells. The glands which manufacture hormones after which artificial steroids, growth hormone, insulin etc. are fashioned are referred to as .ductless glands, or better termed Endocrine Glands.

Personalized nutrition -- the science of using nutrient/toxic/hormone/immunoglogulobulyn/gene -- direct tests to precisely determine biochemical individuality and the decisively correct all metabolic disturbances having to do only with nutrients/toxins/hormone interaction/genetic damage/immunoglobulins.

The Connection - all cells within the body require the perfect genetically predetermined balance of all essential nutrients in the absence of all disruptive a.k.a. toxic compounds in order to function at peak efficiency in all functions. Hormones can either augment peak efficiency of nutrient-dependent cellular function or antagonize cellular function, depending upon the balance of nutrients already within, and the balance of hormone delivery to the cell from the endocrine glands. Glandular cells produce a better balance of hormones when they are nourished perfectly just like any other cell(each with their own differing nutrient needs), and when other interactive glands are in perfect balance within themselves and in relation to all the other endocrine glands, the nervous system, and body cells.

Simply stated - perfect nutrition, as determined by the Personalized Nutrition process creates perfect functioning glands which in turn allow the most complementary absolute hormone levels and interactive hormone synergy which in turn allows one to reach their highest level of peak metabolic efficiency from which the greatest athletic achievements are possible.

More simply stated - the more personalized the nutrition, the greater the positive effects of hormones on the body - this means -- greater production of hormones for longer periods of time at higher levels that fully synergized with all body cells and physiological systems.

Simple deduction - artificial hormone induction (the use of steroids etc.) is obsolete in the presence of closely applied personalized nutrition.

Future prediction - as artificial steroid and drug use amongst athletes is eliminated by more stringent testing and tightened regulation - Personalized Nutrition will provide the only way (legally and healthfully) for people to keep on breaking athletic and physical performance records! Need I say more!?

The biggest athletic secret of all is now out!

In part two of Steroids Vs. Personalized Nutrition, we will take a much closer look at the nutrient-hormone connection at levels few people know that they can have scientific control over - once and for all.

Tip of the month

During this time of the year in the annual cycle of the seasons, our photoreceptive pineal glands act as interactional hormone regulators which stimulate the midbrain's hypothalamus gland to alter its hormone communication with the pituitary gland in an effort to ready the body for the "metabolic hoarding" (hibernation) effect of colder weather. Subsequently, your appetite may increase as your metabolism shifts into greater fat storage emphasis as preparation for the upcoming winter season. There is no better time than the present to stave off this metabolic trend by taking care of nutrient deficiencies, imbalances, and excesses with personalized nutrition. There is no other blanket protection plan that can maintain a faster metabolic rate through the "fat season" - that is, the holiday and winter season.

Remember, for those fed up with one size fits all fallacies -- including dangerous ones such as the illicit use of steroids -- we have a weekly Nutrition and Kids sponsored teleconference call that you can participate in (with other personalized nutrition followers) by calling 1 -- 217 - 322 - 6922 ID number 8880# at 7 PM Pacific Time/ 10 PM Eastern Standard Time every Wednesday, and don't forget to check out www.cdcityguide.com/tefft1.htm for more information. Until then don't let your metabolism hibernate and do not use steroids -- they are not necessary thanks to Personalized Nutrition.