Smoother, stronger skin and hard healthy nails. Too good to be true — what’s the catch? The catch is you have to start reading. Not on a bus, or at work or on the, you know. Read in privacy and consume this knowledge. It has taken a lot of work and it only serves you in one sense and me in the sense of doing that which is right instead of that which is easy. Quality of life is everything. Pay attention as this is not just about skin, hair, nails and biochemistry. It’s about life….

Sorry it took so long to those who waited. I did my best.

A few years ago we did a study on a group of chickens, which consisted of a chicken feed, a basic supplementation regimen (control group) and an additional altered carbohydrate supplementation (experimental group). I also had some women and me take part in this experiment. After 8 weeks, everyone’s nails were like rock, their hair was stronger and, in some women, became curly (probably due to disulfide linkages). They also talked about how “incredible” their skin had become. Since “incredible” is not really a scientific measurement and I have neither the skill set nor expertise to identify normal skin from incredible skin, I cannot say what they truly meant. I only know that all these women continue to take the supplement cocktail to this day.

The point I am trying to introduce is that many “cosmetics” claim to enhance the skin from the outside in. I often hear how cosmetics “change the skin and provide anti-aging.” My reply is that most good cosmetics protect the skin from sun and environmental damage and, because the skin rejuvenates so quickly, 14 days later, wow — magic! Beautiful skin! Hardly. New skin (dead skin) is now at the topmost layer and looks great because it got there undamaged. I’d say that if a cosmetics company truly wanted to make skin “healthy,” a two-pronged approach would be far superior to a sole topical application for a myriad of reasons, the major one being that it is almost impossible to get something to adsorb across the skin (dermis) unless it contains various materials that penetrate the dermis, which would ultimately do more harm then good. The skin is a “first line of defense mechanism,” the largest organ in the body and fearsome barrier for a reason.

At some point “common sense” must hopefully prevail at the obvious levels and all of the fundamental levels of our daily lives. “Our products hydrate the skin,” Really, from the outside? If that were true, the “product” would penetrate the dermis, prevent any water from escaping the skin and, incredibly, transfer the trapped water in the product matrix into the skin. That is impressive, also most highly unlikely. If it does anything, it might prevent dehydration in that area, which is kind of funny in itself because I’ve never had a dehydrated arm or a dehydrated hand. You are either dehydrated or not. End of story! As an example, if you’ve ever stayed in the bath or a shower too long, then taken a look at your fingertips and the rest of your skin, does it look like hydrated skin to you? Just sayin…

In our experiment, the cosmetic side effects were never truly determined or disclosed because the experiment was designed to create a significantly stronger bone matrix in the femurs of chickens. Based on proprietary information and the intellectual property (IP) that was discovered, the experimental ingredients remain proprietary. That IP will come out in a product line via some company, of that I am sure.

However, the control group received nothing of a proprietary nature. All they received were ingredients that would allow the bodies natural bone-making metabolism to function at an optimal level, based on our perceived knowledge.

Many times, I hear that supplementation is a waste; eat healthy, do this, do that…. In the real world, at least the one I come from as a single parent with two young children, a full-time Dad and full-time scientist, eating healthy to me is sometimes just being able to sit down and eat with my kids.

Has anyone ever heard the quote, “The convoy runs as fast as the slowest ship.” It comes from the WWII convoys transporting supplies to the UK. The convoy could only go as fast as its slowest ship, which meant that the entire convoy was susceptible to attack because they all had the disadvantage of moving only as fast as the slowest ship.

From a biochemistry perspective, the human body works the same way. The body runs as fast as the slowest “ship.” Take vitamin K as an example. Where do we get it? If you believe dieticians, it comes from “good” food —wrong! We can get it from supplements — wrong! Over 90% of vitamin K is manufactured in the intestinal tract (IT) by the intestinal flora. Vitamin K has many uses and its biochemistry is far too complex to go into here but, should you get a stomach insult and clean out your IT, you will be low or have almost zero vitamin K in your system. Your body does not keep large stores of this vitamin, in fact it is the least stored vitamin in the body. If you wonder why you still feel crappy and have no energy days after a single bout of diarrhea, well, you no longer need to wonder why.

My point is simple: the human body’s biochemistry system is extremely complicated. When your body uses about 20 million carbonic anhydrase enzymes per second, please do not tell me there is ever an easy fix.

During our experiment the women and I had the benefit of stronger hair and better skin (so the women said), nails as hard as rock (I can attest to that) and curlier hair, probably due to an increase in disulfide linkages.

In the end, what benefits did the women notice after 6 months? Strong skin, strong nails, increased libido, increased energy, better sleep, stronger hair, less or no muscle cramping, increased memory function and, for those who worked out, an increase in lean muscle mass. What was the cocktail? I’ll tell you what I took and still continue to take because I know my body.

Note, all supplements are not created equal. If you pay less you are probably getting less. I have tested the brand names I take and I know they are accurate. Also, a word of caution, do not take this combination at night as your mind will be on full alert. If you make that mistake, read a biochemistry book. You still will not fall asleep. 🙂

My supplemental regiment: 1 tablet of good multi-vitamin (suggested dose is 2); 2 omega 3s (1 am, 1 pm) with food (increases HDL, should have specifically-identified EPA and DHA levels greater than 400); 2000 mcg sublingual B12; 20,000 IU vitamin D3; 400 mg magnesium; 2 packets of unflavored Knox gelatin (1 am, 1 pm — do not forget this one, stir in a glass of water); a good liquid probiotic (kefir) with a glass of low-fat chocolate milk after the probiotic; calcium (calcium citrate malate — read directions); and potassium gluconate (read directions). Increase water consumption to at least 2 liters of water each day. Everyone will tell you more. I am telling you to be realistic. This plays a huge role in fat burning.

This is basically what the women and I took. I have left out a few proprietary items as they are directly related to the experiment and have little to do with skin and nails. I would add a component every third or fourth day so if something does not agree with you, you will know what it is. Eat something first, take you supplements and eat something on top of that. Do not take on an empty stomach. Do not take with coffee. Water is your best bet. When taking the probiotic, ensure 20 billion cfu lacto type organisms. Check with your doctor to see if there are any issues with any meds you take (highly unlikely, but check). Omega 3s will thin the blood a bit. If you are going to have a surgical procedure, they will ask you what you are taking. Tell them.

Again, this is the cocktail of supplements I currently take. If you are only really concerned with skin, hair and nails, take the Knox gelatin, 2000 mcg sublingual B12, 5000 IU Vitamin D3 and a liquid probiotic. followed by chocolate milk. Again, this is based on knowing your current Vitamin D3 levels in your blood. A person can always start at 1000 IU and work their way up.

If you have any question please email me directly and I will do my best to reply in a timely matter. If you’ve had a recent electrolyte panel, that is always helpful in discussing what you need to take to enhance your quality of life. These are guidelines and not meant to replace information or direction you may or may not have been given by a health care professional.

Word of caution: Trace elements are considered trace for a reason. Do not go on a journey to try and control trace elements, as that will probably get you dead. Eat a broad healthy diet, whatever that means.

If you read this far, then it is only fair to tell you the secret of life: “Change comes from within.”

Good luck, best wishes and be an island!!
~Rob

Chromaceutical Advanced Technologies, Inc.