Monday 30 March 2009

HOW TO RECRUIT LIKE PRO

HOW TO RECRUIT LIKE PRO
To: Network Marketing Professionals

From: Tim Sales

Re: Expert tips you can use to invite and recruit like a Pro


Hi Everyone,

In my recent training held at USANA Malaysia Office I Raised the topic of inviting and recruiting.So here are the tips from a MLM Guru - Tim Sales.

I really hope you spend hours learning how to invite, because this is where you get good at network marketing.

I’ve said it for 10 years: you can be terrible at everything else and still earn good money in network marketing if you’re good at inviting. If you can invite well, you can always put prospects in front of good presenters and good trainers.

The word invite in the context that I’m using it is the act of asking someone to do something. Go to a movie, meet for breakfast, watch a video, etc.

In network marketing you’re inviting people to look at either the business or the product or both.

1. Business: This is where you show and educate your prospects about network marketing. Have them really understand and believe in its ability to provide adequate income and time freedom. Then show your product or service. This style is sometimes called “top down” or “business first.”

2. Product: Show your prospects only the product (skin care, nutrition, telephone services, Internet services). After your prospect falls in love with the product they’ll know the business is viable. This style is called “bottom up” or “product first.”

The lack of understanding of these two methods causes much frustration to those of us who are in network marketing and those who are not.

Why are People Confused?
Perhaps the best way for me to explain why the confusion takes place is with an example of a stockbroker. What does the stockbroker sell? You may reply, stocks. Well, not really. What the stockbroker actually sells is that you can make money with a stock. So the money you’ll make is the product. You may have heard this referred to as “marketing intangibles.” This is very much like network marketing because often the presenter prefers to “market the intangible,” i.e., that you can make money. This isn’t necessarily a bad method, unless you’re talking to someone who doesn’t understand this conversation.



Suppose we’re talking to a person who comes from a retail sales background. Let’s say she owns a wax candle shop. If she hears a presenter talking about all the money she can make in network marketing, she’ll constantly be struggling to understand where the money is coming from. Many times these people are walking around after the typical presentation saying, "I don’t get it". The reason she doesn’t get it is because she’s used to holding in her hands the tangible product that makes her the money.

This also works in reverse. If you approach a stockbroker and rub hand lotion on his hands and say, "you can make a lot of money doing this", he won’t get it either. He’ll see it as a little “pretty party thing.” Certainly not something that could create a lot of money.

What’s My Point?
How you invite, whether business first or product first will have much to do with “knowing” your prospect. This is the reason networking with people you know is so effective. This is also why you should master both business and product invitations.

In your network marketing company, take the approach that you’re starting your own company. You need a board of directors. In network marketing we call them leaders.

The most important thing for you to understand at this point is you don’t necessarily have to know these people. You probably won’t. You may personally find these leaders or someone in your organization could lead you to them.

What character traits do you want in your leaders? What character traits do your leaders want in you? Why is this important for inviting?



Eagle EyeYour greatest asset will become your eagle eye at picking leaders. I’ve not found a better way to teach how to spot a leader than just plain experience. However, you can look for certain traits.



Character traits you DO
want in your board of directors


High Self-Esteem
Goal Driven
Entrepreneurial
Aggressive
Business Minded
Open Minded
Owner Mentality
Ready to Act Now
Decisive
Mentally Tough

Character traits you DON’T
want in your board of directors

Passive
Wishy-Washy
Close Minded
Employee Mentality
Cynical
Not Ready to Act
Low Self-Esteem
Easily Influenced by Others
Worries About What Others Think



How well you do at inviting will greatly depend on the growth of your communication skills. Most people have difficulty with communication. I did! However, the more I study it, the more I realize that communication is what makes or breaks us in life.

It’s your ability to woo your significant other. It’s your ability to get a job, get a raise, get a promotion, get along with others in the office. The signs on the road are the City communicating with us, giving us driving instructions. Whether written or verbal, communication is life. Don’t most conflicts stem from mis-communications? Ever hear “You don’t understand me?” It’s definitely a skill worthy of much research and study.

Don't Like "Sales?”
Often, when people don’t think they’re good at communication they’ll use the phrase, “I don’t like sales” or “I’m not a sales person.” Sales has nothing to do with it. In fact when you picture a sales person, what you’re picturing is a poor communicator. When you’ve been sold, you knew it. You felt it. When you’re in the presence of a really good communicator you may have bought something, but you were never sold anything.

A good communicator will never sell what his prospect won’t buy. There’s no way they could get there. A good communicator, whether a nurse or a networker listens and helps people get what they want.

That’s all. A nurse has to learn the appropriate questions to ask so he/she can find exactly what the needs of the patient are. They must also learn the appropriate responses to the standard questions and concerns the patient has. A networker also must learn the needed questions and the appropriate responses to common objections so they can help their prospect get what they want.

Qualify or Not
Both of the Invitations below are the truth. Which one do you think will work?

Invitation 1
An invite call asking a girl on a date:
Boy: “I saw you on campus the other day and I’m interested in finding out more about who you are. I grew up in Boston, my parents are from New England. My dad’s in the banking business. I’m studying finance as well. What are your interests? Are you available should I want to marry you? How many kids do you want? I want 3 kids. What’s your religion? Shall we sit down and discuss the possibilities?

Invitation 2
Boy: “I’ve seen you on campus and you seem to be a fun person. I’d like to take you to lunch and get to know you better. How does that sound to you?”

Both have the same purpose in mind for meeting.

The argument in this industry is which one is better? People who are pro invitation #1 will tell you that they’re pre-qualifying their prospects. So they’re not wasting their time on people who don’t qualify. The outcome was that this guy had to make 72 calls to get a girl to say “sure, why not.”
The outcome was 72 calls = 1 date.

People who are pro invitation #2 will say that you sit down for lunch and you put your agenda aside and you just talk and be friendly. You listen to them. Find out what their needs and desires are. Help them get it.

The outcome was, she isn’t interested in going out with you but she thinks you’re a great guy and has 3 roommates and 2 sisters who she wants to set you up with.
The outcome was 1 meeting = 5 dates.

I’m suggesting to you that invitation #1 is “sales” and that invitation #2 is “networking.”

I’ve heard distributors invite people to look at network marketing much like invitation #1. I’m not kidding. To show you, pick up a tape recorder and record yourself. Even though you know you’re recording what you say, your conversations will still resemble invitation #1. Example: “My company does this, I’m making x amount of money, my company has this, and I have this, etc...

Please understand that if you’re working in the "cold market" you need to do a little qualifying. When I’m working with an inbound call, I find it to be the only way to cut through the riff raff.

Purpose Behind Ever Running Advertisements
My whole purpose in running an ad is to find someone in transition. Some people are in transition because they’re lazy. Some people are in transition because they’ve been caught by circumstance (i.e. their corporation was sold, department eliminated, etc.). They’re the ones I’m after! Once I find them I try to get to know them very well. Devote myself to him or her and truly help them build an organization utilizing people they know.

I was recently in a boardroom of a non-network marketing company where this corporation was trying to evaluate the value of one of the partners. The absolute number one most important thing that gentleman brought to the table was his “contacts.” This placed his valuation at approximately $10 million dollars.

Networking is a very profitable industry to know. I commend your willingness to study it. Be a student of this inviting subject forever, but don’t wait more than a week before doing it, even if it’s just tiny steps.



Below are some example scripts that I’ve used. They use both invitation #1 and #2. Enjoy.

This is my favorite. It’s both effective and efficient.

You: "Jeff, this is ___, I need your help. A very intriguing business has come across my desk recently. Quite honestly it’s gotten me excited. Jeff, I'd like to send you some of the information and get your feedback and hopefully your help. “What’s your address(or)Is your address still ____?.”

*If they ask for more information right then say:

You: “I’m sure you’ve got questions and I definitely want to give you answers, but it’s the big picture that I want you to see. Not bits and pieces. That’s what’s in the video I’m sending you. I’m going to run this to the post office right now (or) call FedEx right now so you can get this right away. Jeff, promise me this video is not going to sit on your counter top…that you’ll watch it right away. Will you? Great. So let’s talk ____ (Tuesday)

You: "I have the inside track on a solid way to make serious money. You need to hear this. Listen to this audio and let me know if any lights come on."



You: “Hi Jeff, this is Mark, do you have a minute or did I get you at a bad time?”



Jeff: “No, I have a minute.”

You: “Great, I only have a minute myself...
I'm working on a side business project related to __________(fitness, technology, telephony etc). Are you familiar with the growth that's taking place with this industry?”

Jeff: “Sure!”

You: “Let me ask you a question. If the money was right and it didn't jeopardize your career, would you be open to a business idea that would allow you to take advantage of this positioning?”

Jeff: “Yes!”

You: “Great, does it make sense to get together and go through some of the details?”

Jeff: “Sure!”

You: “Are you open minded when it comes to business? ___. Good, listen to this audio and let me know if you see dollar signs.”





Hotel Meeting


You: “Do you have your calendar in front of you?”
Jeff: “Yeah, go ahead”

You: “How does Monday night look for you?”

Jeff: ”That works.”

You: “Great, meet me at the East-Gate Marriott at 6:45... do you know where that is?”


Online Movie or Presentation


You: “Hey Ted, a business colleague showed me something I want you to see. What is your email address? I’ll send it over to you right away. It will take you about 20 minutes to go through it and I believe you’ll find it very valuable.”

Send them either “What the Wealthy Buy on Pay Day” or “Brilliant Compensation.”

OR

You: "Mark, I surfed into something you’ve just got to see. Are you on the web right now? If so, what’s your email address and I’ll hurry and send it over your way. Be watching your email for a message from me.

OR



After creating an interest in your company's products or service say something like:

You: "John, what we need to do first is get you some information that will explain how we're taking our products to the market. After that we'll be able to have a more intelligent conversation. You use the Internet right? Well write this down... better yet, can you log on now?"



Conference Call


You: "Sue, a business recently came across my desk that I think is right up your alley. I can’ t explain it to you in five minutes. I need about 30. Can you take 30 minutes at 6:00 o’clock tonight? (Wait for agreement) I want to connect you into a national conference call. I’ll call you at 5:57. This will be on my dime. Take care, I’ll call you just before 6. Bye.”

So I guess now everyone know how to invite prospects to our weekly meeting or 1 on 1 meeting.

All The Best

Ahmad Riza







·

Vitamin B Reduced Risk Of Stroke

Vitamin B Reduced Risk Of Stroke
UCLA RESEARCH ALERT

http://www.newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/ischemic-stroke-patients-take-81679.aspx



FINDINGS:

Taking recommended doses of B-complex vitamins to reduce levels of homocysteine, an amino acid that increases artery disease risk, may lower ischemic stroke patients' risk of recurring stroke and other future vascular events, according to a new UCLA study of data from the Vitamin Intervention for Stroke Prevention (VISP) trial. VISP subjects who adhered well to the treatment regimen over the trial period were less likely to experience primary outcome (stroke, heart attack, or death from stroke or heart attack) than poor adherers — 13.4 percent, compared with 20.3 percent. A similar result was observed for 50th percentile or above versus below 25th percentile total pill adherence.



IMPACT:

Promoting good adherence to vitamin therapy may be a viable approach to facilitating favorable outcomes after ischemic stroke.



AUTHORS:

Lead study author Dr. Bruce Ovbiagele, associate professor of neurology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and director of the Olive View–UCLA stroke program, is available for interviews.



PRESENTATION:

The research was presented Feb. 18 at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2009.



FUNDING:

The National Institutes of Health–National Institute of Neurologic Disorders and Stroke (NIH-NINDS) and the Resource Centers for Minority Aging Research at UCLA supported this study.

Tuesday 17 March 2009

Becoming a Master Marketer - What's Love Got To Do With It? –Collette Larsen

Becoming a Master Marketer - What's Love Got To Do With It? –Collette Larsen
I was recently asked by the editors of "Networking Times" to write an article for their magazine about love and whether or not love is a factor in building a network marketing business. Well, I’ve written and submitted my article…but you’re getting it first. I believe it sheds some light on the type of people our industry attracts.

What’s Love Got To Do With It?

Everything. But all the passionate arguments I could render could not illustrate the love that is so abundant in our industry better than sharing a brief story.

Each year my company rewards its top distributors by sending us to a magical location for a few days of pampering, celebration and total relaxation. In late November 2000, our destination was the Grand Wailea on the island of Maui. This happens to be among my favorite havens in the entire world and I was eagerly anticipating a few days with some of my dearest friends – the Diamond Directors in USANA.

Shortly after arriving I called home in San Diego to check on my daughter. Sharlie was twenty-one but in spite of the fact that she is very much an adult, I worry about her. Sharlie was born with Cystic Fibrosis and battles this disease with every single breath she takes. She has rallied back from the brink of death numerous times in her young life and is currently on the double-lung transplant list.

A chilling, breathless message awaited me as my answering machine clicked on.

“Mom, if this is you…I’m in trouble. Something happened. I can’t breathe. They’re taking me to the hospital.”

I was so shaken I couldn’t function. I knew I had to get home as soon as possible but I was too emotional to know how to make that happen. My USANA family rescued me. They calmed me, helped me repack, changed my flight schedules, transported me to the airport and stayed by my side until I boarded the plane.

I arrived at my daughter’s bedside early the next morning. She was still sleeping and didn’t realize I had come back home. When Sharlie opened her eyes, I placed a fragrant lei (my arrival gift from the Grand Wailea) around her neck and said,

“Sorry I wasn’t here for you yesterday, honey. I had to run to Hawaii to pick up this beautiful lei for you.” As weak as Shar was, she smiled and gave me a tender hug.

The love of these special individuals carried me through a difficult time, but let me share the rest of the story as it has been told to me.

The morning after I left the island of Maui all the Diamond Directors and management team got together for breakfast. Prior to starting their activities for the day, they gathered in a circle to pray for my daughter and me. Then they took up a collection so they could purchase something meaningful for Sharlie.

Within days a stunning bouquet was delivered to Sharlie’s hospital room followed by an heirloom holiday quilt that warmed her heart as much as her body during those long days leading up to Christmas. She received beautiful cards, letters and gifts from each of these dear friends and they have continued to be her “adoptive” parents over the years.

I’ve always known our industry attracts people who want to make a difference – people who are of “one mind.” However, I’ve been privileged to learn through personal experience an even more important truth. We attract people who are of “one heart.”

Have a wonderful (love-filled!) day.

Collette Larsen
USANA Top Income Earners

Fokus

Fokus
Apa perbezaanya diantara mereka yang berjaya dengan mereka yang gagal ?
Adakah mereka yang berjaya mempunyai kelebihan tertentu ?

Kajian menunjukkan FOKUS merupakan aspek penting dalam melakukan sesuatu perkara.Dr Fadzillah Kamsah didalam CD beliau "Usahawan Cemerlang" mengatakan sekiranya kita mampu untuk fokus pada setiap hari maka kita akan mampu untuk fokus setiap minggu dan sekiranya kita mampu fokus pada setiap minggu kita akan mampu fokus pada setiap bulan dan seterusnya.FOKUS...FOKUS..FOKUS
Tetapi sayangnya tidak ramai diantara kita yang melihat FOKUS sebagai aspek penting dalam menentukan kejayaan seseorang.
Seorang leader di dalam industri MLM ada mengatakan untuk sentiasa fokus kita harus menyediakan "Top 5 Things to Start with Everyday" bermula dengan perkara yang paling malas untuk kita lakukan dan memastikan kita melakukannya setiap hari.

1.Follow Up dengan prospek
2.Menghubungi key leaders didalam organisasi anda melalui email atau telefon
3.Membuat temujanji dengan prospek baru / membantu downline anda
4.Prospecting
5.Membaca - sekurang-kuranya 1 jam sehari

Focus + Action = Result

Jumpa anda semua dipuncak kejayaan

Monday 16 March 2009

Pakar Motivasi - Azizi Ali

Pakar Motivasi - Azizi Ali
Didalam salah sebuah buku yang ditulis oleh financial guru/motivator - Azizi Ali
Beliau ada menanyakan

Siapakah yang mampu menjadi majikan yang terbaik untuk kita ?

Siapakah yang mampu memberikan kita gaji yang paling lumayan ?

Siapakah yang mampu memberikan maanfaat dan terma kerja yang paling adil untuk kita ?

Jawapannya tiada majikan yang mampu memberikan kita segala-galanya melainkan diri kita sendiri !

Pepatah melayu ada mengatakan

"Perahu sudah diair , Pendayung sudah ditangan "

Masa depan anda ditangan anda sendiri,bertindak dengan bijak !!

Industri Multi Level Marketing

Industri Multi Level Marketing
Salam Sejahtera,

Sedarkah anda tentang industri Multi Level Marketing dan kekuatan industri ini di mata dunia ?Pada ketika dunia dilanda kemelut ekonomi ,kenaikkan harga barang dan kos sara hidup,masalah kehilangan pekerjaan dan sebagainya industri MLM masih lagi mampu bertahan malah telah membuka banyak peluang-peluang untuk mereka yang sedang dilanda pelbagai masalah.Percayakah anda sekirannya saya katakan industri MLM sedang berkembang pesat diseluruh dunia malah nama-nama besar seperti Robert G Allen,Robert T.Kiyosaki dan Donald Trump sendiri mengakui tentang kehebatan industri ini.Dimalaysia sahaja ada lebih dari 4 juta orang yang melibatkan diri didalam industri ini.Pada tahun 2000 industri ini telah menyumbangkan 3 billion kepada ekonomi negara kita,2005 5.7 billion ringgit dan pada tahun 2008 industri ini telah menyumbangkan lebih dari 6 billion ringgit.
Tuan-tuan dan Puan-puan,
Persoalan yang harus kita tanya pada diri kita dimanakah kita pada ketika industri MLM sedang berkembang?Sudahkah anda berada didalam industri ini?Kenapa tidak?
Industri MLM merupakan platfom yang terbaik untuk kita mencapai cita-cita atau sekurang-kurangnya dapat membantu memperbaiki taraf ekomoni keluarga kita.

Renung-renungkan sejenak

Kata Dr Fadzillah Kamsah -Orang lain sibuk buat duit,kita sibuk buat alasan !

Salam kejayaan

Ahmad Riza

Sunday 15 March 2009

What is Oxidative Stress ?

What is Oxidative Stress ?
Oxidative Stress

Even though the average life expectancy in the United States has increased dramatically during this past century, our quality of life due to chronic degenerative disease has taken a major hit. We are essentially "living too short and dying too long". Most of us can simply look forward to suffering and dying from heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes, Alzheimer’s dementia, Parkinson’s disease, arthritis, macular degeneration, and the list goes on and on, unless we literally attack the underlying cause of All of these diseases—oxidative stress.
How long do you expect to live? Now envision what your last twenty years will look like. I can assure you my patients today are not as concerned with the number of years in their lives as they are the quality of life in those years. Who wants to live to a ripe old age if he or she cannot even recognize close family members because of Alzheimer’s dementia? Who looks forward to a decade or two of suffering severe joint or back pain due to degenerative arthritis?
One of my close friends told me recently that he simply wants to live until he dies. Is this your desire? It certainly is mine. That is why I recommend preventative rather than post-problem medicine—empowering people to avoid getting major diseases in the first place. Over the past seven years, I have changed my approach. I now strongly encourage and support my patients in taking a three-fold approach to health: eating well, practicing a consistent exercise program, and daily consuming high-quality nutritional supplements. I now use medication as a last resort—not as my first choice.
Do you fear growing old? Have you accepted chronic disease or pain as a given in your future? Are you willing to make necessary life changes to ensure your health? I believe a full and abundant physical life does not need to start slipping away at age forty. Each year of your life can be your very best. But first you must understand the war that is waging within every one of our bodies.
Oxygen is essential for life itself. But did you know it is also inherently dangerous to our existence? I call this the "dark side" of oxygen. And as a result, we are essentially rusting both inside and out. The same process that causes a cut apple to turn brown or iron to rust is the cause of all the chronic degenerative diseases we fear and even the aging process itself.
Consider the aging of our skin. Oxidative stress is the cause of wrinkles, sagging skin, and age spots. The next time you are with a large gathering of people of different ages, observe closely the change you see in people’s skin. Aging is a process we all take for granted, but when you look more closely, and compare a baby’s face, to that of a grandparent’s, the effects of our largest organ being exposed to all the pollutants in the air, sunlight, and cigarette smoke is baffling. This aging of the skin is an outward manifestation of "oxidative stress," which is occurring within every cell in your body.
Over the past 7 years, I have reviewed well over 2,000 medical and scientific studies in regards to nutritional supplements and their affect on your health. These studies appearing in medical journals like the New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of the American Medical Association, British Lancet, and Annuals of Internal Medicine report that beyond any doubt the "root" cause of well over 70 chronic degenerative diseases is "oxidative stress." These are the "who’s who" of diseases we all fear and want to avoid; diseases like heart attacks, strokes, diabetes, cancer, arthritis, Alzheimer’s dementia, macular degeneration, lupus, MS, fibromyalgia, and chronic fatigue. "So what," you may be wondering, "is ‘oxidative stress’?"
Within every cell of the body is a furnace called the mitochondria. As oxygen is utilized within the furnace of the cell to create energy and life itself, occasionally a charged oxygen molecule is created, called a "free radical." This free radical has at least one unpaired electron in its outer orbit essentially giving it an electrical charge. If this free radical is not readily neutralized by an antioxidant it can go on to create more volatile free radicals, damage the cell wall, vessel wall, proteins, fats, and even the DNA nucleus of our cells. Chemically this reaction has been shown to be so volatile that it actually causes bursts of light within our bodies!
Imagine yourself in front of a crackling fireplace and I’ll give you the best illustration I have to explain the process of oxidation. The fire burns safely and beautifully most of the time, but on occasion out pops a hot cinder that lands on your carpet and burns a little hole in it. One cinder by itself doesn’t pose much of a threat; but if this sparking and popping continues month after month, year after year, you will have a pretty "ratty" carpet in front of your fireplace.
The fireplace represents the furnace of the cell (the mitochondria), the cinder is the charged "free radical," and the carpet is your body. Whichever part of your body receives the most free radical damage will be the first to wear out and potentially cause one of these degenerative diseases. If it’s your arteries, you could develop a heart attack or stroke. If it is your brain, you could develop Alzheimer’s dementia or Parkinson’s disease. If it’s your joints, you could develop arthritis.
Through biochemical research we’re learning that we are not defenseless against this attack on our body by free radicals. Antioxidants are like the glass doors or fine-wire mesh we place in front of our fireplace. The sparks are still going to fly but our carpet will then be protected. As you begin to imagine the war that is taking place within every cell in your body, you can envision the two opposing forces: the enemy—free radicals; and your allies—antioxidants and their supporting nutrients.
Living a healthy life becomes a matter of balance. You must have enough antioxidants available to readily neutralize the number of free radicals your body produces. If you don’t, "oxidative stress" will occur. When this oxidative stress is allowed to persist over a prolonged period of time, you will most likely develop a serious chronic degenerative disease.
Each of us must ask, "Am I getting enough antioxidants from my diet to protect myself from this onslaught of free radicals or do I need to be taking nutritional supplements?" This is the question that I’ve had to ask myself as I have spent countless hours researching medical literature. You see I was taught in medical school that you don’t need supplements—that you can get everything you need from a good, healthy diet. And this is what I told my patients for years. I was wrong.
Since balance is the key, we need to look closely at the individual players that are at war within. The number of free radicals you produce each and every day is never the same. All the pollutants in our air, food, and water dramatically increase the number of free radicals we produce. Enormous stress, excessive exercise, cigarette smoke, sunlight, radiation, and every drug prescribed greatly increase the number of free radicals produced in the body. In fact, there has never been a generation on this planet subjected to more oxidative stress than this present one. We are literally under attack from our polluted environment, stressful lifestyles, and over-medicated society.
This ongoing attack is depriving us of our most precious gift—our health. But God did not leave us defenseless against this onslaught by free radicals. In fact, we actually have our own army of antioxidants, which are able to neutralize free radicals and render them harmless. In generations past, these defense systems were sufficient. Unfortunately this is no longer the case. Our bodies’ defense systems need additional allies.
Most antioxidants come from vegetables and fruit. This creates a gap in our protection, because our foods have become significantly depleted in their content of antioxidants and supporting minerals as a result of mineral depletion in our soils, green harvesting, cold storage, foods that are highly processed, our poor food choices and food preparation.
At a time when we are under the heaviest attack from the environment around us, our natural defense systems are becoming overwhelmed and depleted. We must do all we can to rebuild our antioxidant systems with a healthy diet, but too you need to learn how complete and balanced nutritional supplementation with high quality supplements (cellular nutrition) is our best hope in winning this war within and protecting our health.

Saturday 14 March 2009

Gel Capsules vs Tablets

Gel Capsules vs Tablets
Gel Capsules vs Tablets
Question: Recently a friend made these comments:
i) Binders in tablets are not necessary for the body, and why take them? Your liver overworks with tablets.
ii) Gel capsules are a superior method of delivering nutrients. Your liver doesn't have to work as hard and the nutrients are more likely to be absorbed, because your body doesn't have to function so well.

Ask the Scientists Response:
Excipients (non-actives) are the additives used to convert active compounds into dosage forms suitable for administration. Interest in the physical effects and properties of the excipients used in pharmaceutical formulations has increased in recent years as pharmaceutical scientists have become increasingly aware of the fundamental effects that excipients can exert on the bioavailibility, stability and overall performance of the product. Relatively small variations in the physical properties of an excipient can produce significant differences in the behavior of the formulated product. In other words, using top quality excipients is as important as using the best quality raw materials for the active ingredients.
Pharmaceutical manufacturing is a science and at Usana we approach excipients with the same scientific scrutiny that we do with all of our products. Safety, quality and effectiveness are all paramount in both our active ingredients and "other ingredients." All pharmaceutical or nutritional products, whether they are tablets, capsules, or liquids contain excipients (whether they are labeled or not).
The excipients that are used in Usana formulations are selected for their non-toxicity and contribution to the overall integrity and performance of the product. Since we use the best ingredients, minimal amounts can be added to achieve the desired effects.
USANA will continue to monitor the research concerning all of its raw materials and will be governed by credible science in order to provide you the best products for your health.
Please visit the following Health Resources link regarding tablet excipients which I hope will be helpful for you:
http://www.usana.com/USNUSUPPINGREDIE_18918.html
The scientific definition of bioavailable is: the degree and rate at which a substance (as a drug) is absorbed into a living system or is made available at the site of physiological activity. Different vitamins and minerals have different absorption rates no matter if they come from tablet, liquid, powder, or food. For example Calcium has a pretty standard absorption rate around 25-35%. The form does not generally make a significant difference. The bottom line is - a well made tablet provides a very effective delivery system for pharmaceutical medications. Most medications come in a tablet form. This is because they have been found to be the easiest and most efficient delivery system for medications. Why would vitamin supplements be any different? Does anybody doubt that an aspirin tablet is less effective because it comes in a tablet? Tableted products are more advantageous to take, simply because more active ingredients can be taken in one tablet (almost 3 times as much as a capsule and much more than liquid or spray). The stability is also much better. The USANA tablets are formulated to meet USP standards requiring full disintegration within 30 min. Tablets are also formulated to meet USP standards for dissolution. Because of the disintegration time, the vitamins and minerals found in our supplements are properly absorbed into the body and are very beneficial. Innovative formulations have been developed to optimize nutrient bioavailability. Each lot of USANA tablets is tested against finished product specifications to ensure that it meets standards for: identity, target weight, hardness, thickness, disintegration, potency, purity, and (microbial counts). USANA is committed to providing its customers with the best nutritionals that money can buy. Our formulas are carefully designed with quality and safety in mind.
In addition, there are many factors which can affect the absorption of vitamins and minerals in the body. Some of these factors are a function of the person taking the nutrient and are dependent on the age of the person, the integrity of their digestive system, the state of their health, the time of day, the person's gender, and if they were taken on a full or empty stomach. People whose nutrient needs are greater, such as growing children and pregnant and lactating women, or those who are currently deficient, may have significantly enhanced absorption rates for certain nutrients. Recently, some individuals and companies have made claims that their products are superior because they are "98-percent absorbed" or some similar number. This is a misleading statement because there are simply too many variables to say that absorption is a certain percent of the material consumed. Even absorption of minerals from food sources vary greatly. Boron, molybdenum, and iodine can be absorbed at over 90 percent while the average absorption rates of zinc, copper, and selenium can range from 30 to 80 percent depending on the form. It should seem reasonable, then, that stating an average absorption rate does not make much sense. USANA provides its vitamins and minerals in amounts and forms so that, in conjunction with a healthy diet, you will receive maximum bioavailability, full effectiveness, and uncompromised safety.
A couple of questions to ask are:
The very reason we have an industry is due to large published studies in the medical and nutritional literature that have given us the knowledge and insight into these nutritional elements. With the hundreds of studies on calcium and vitamin D and bone health, it it hardly in dispute that these nutrients can prevent bone loss. If tablets weren't any good, where did we get all these positive results?
Regarding the Liver. I guess we'll need to go over a little anatomy and physiology to answer your question. Once food, or tablets for that matter, enters the stomach it is broken down by gastric juices it makes its way to the small intestine. The small intestine is the site of absorption for nutrients. From the small intestine the nutrients make their way into the blood stream and gradually are distributed to the cells of our body. Whatever the body does not require eventually makes its way to the kidneys where it is filtered and excreted in the urine.
Bottom line, the kidneys and liver do not involved until the nutrients have been absorbed by the small intestine. Not vice-versa.

Grape Seed Extract Kills Laboratory Leukemia Cells, Proving Value of Natural

Grape Seed Extract Kills Laboratory Leukemia Cells, Proving Value of Natural
by News Release : Jan 4, 2009 : Newswise/American Association for Cancer
Research
http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/547664/


"What everyone seeks is an agent that has an effect on cancer cells but leaves
normal cells alone, and this shows that grape seed extract fits into this
category."
An extract from grape seeds forces laboratory leukemia cells to commit cell
suicide, according to researchers from the University of Kentucky. They found
that within 24 hours, 76 percent of leukemia cells had died after being exposed
to the extract.
The investigators, who report their findings in the January 1, 2009, issue of
Clinical Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer
Research, also teased apart the cell signaling pathway associated with use of
grape seed extract that led to cell death, or apoptosis. They found that the
extract activates JNK, a protein that regulates the apoptotic pathway.
While grape seed extract has shown activity in a number of laboratory cancer
cell lines, including skin, breast, colon, lung, stomach and prostate cancers,
no one had tested the extract in hematological cancers nor had the precise
mechanism for activity been revealed.
"These results could have implications for the incorporation of agents such as
grape seed extract into prevention or treatment of hematological malignancies
and possibly other cancers," said the study's lead author, Xianglin Shi, Ph.D.,
professor in the Graduate Center for Toxicology at the University of Kentucky.
"What everyone seeks is an agent that has an effect on cancer cells but leaves
normal cells alone, and this shows that grape seed extract fits into this
category," he said.
Shi adds, however, that the research is not far enough along to suggest that
people should eat grapes, grape seeds, or grape skin in excess to stave off
cancer. "This is very promising research, but it is too early to say this is
chemo-protective."
Hematological cancers—leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma—accounted for an estimated
118,310 new cancer cases and almost 54,000 deaths in 2006, ranking these cancers
as the fourth leading cause of cancer incidence and death in the U.S.
Given that epidemiological evidence shows that eating vegetables and fruits
helps prevent cancer development, Shi and his colleagues have been studying
chemicals known as proanthocyanidins in fruits that contribute to this effect.
Shi has found that apple peel extract contains these flavonoids, which have
antioxidant activity, and which cause apoptosis in several cancer cell lines but
not in normal cells. Based on those studies, and findings from other researchers
that grape seed extract reduces breast tumors in rats and skin tumors in mice,
they looked at the effect of the compound in leukemia cells.
Using a commercially available grape seed extract, Shi exposed leukemia cells to
the extract in different doses and found the marked effect in causing apoptosis
in these cells at one of the higher doses.
They also discovered that the extract does not affect normal cells, although
they don't know why.
"This is a natural compound that appears to have relatively important
properties," Shi said.

p/s : Thank you USANA for providing us a great product especially PROFLAVANOL