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Is NAD a Healthy Weight-Loss Alternative to Ozempic?

NAD+ overcomes insulin resistance without disastrous side effects

Social media is burning up with images of celebrities who’ve dropped significant tonnage, but are mute about their methods. This is an odd phenomenon, given the characteristic eagerness of this class to publicly pledge their allegiance to the newest fad, no matter how bizarre that craze might seem to the average person on the street. Yet, at each exhibition of luminary lipid loss, the same word is uttered in hushed whispers: Ozempic.

And we have to wonder, why the muted tones? If Ozempic is a miracle weight-loss drug, shouldn’t we be shouting about it from the rooftops? Turns out there are ample reasons to be wary, and even more reasons to choose a particular safe and effective alternative: the natural coenzyme NAD.

Step 1: Design a catchy ad campaign  

Want to charge $1,200 a month for an injection whose benefits are decidedly short-term, and which puts patients at risk for numerous painful, debilitating side-effects, as well as a dispiriting rebound of the conditions they sought to alleviate in the first place? Then you must, must, must pick a catchy, long-forgotten pop song from the 1970s, whose original lyrics were all about the wondrous state of being in love.

Now you’ve got “Oh-oh-oh-Ozempic!” subliminally telling viewers of ubiquitous pharma commercials that “It’s magic.” Fossils of my era will remember the Scottish band Pilot cautioning listeners, “Never believe it’s not so!” But should we believe the advertising hype around Ozempic? Many sources, including those in the health and fitness sphere outside of Big Pharma, are telling us “No.”  

What is Ozempic and why should I be skeptical?

According to the website Health.com, Ozempic a semaglutide, a “synthetic version of a human hormone called glucagon-like peptide one, or GLP-1.” Humans secrete GLP-1 when food reaches our gut. It tells our brain that we’re full and tells our pancreas to get off the schneid and produce some insulin, the hormone that signals our cells to open wide and receive blood glucose. When all works well, GLP-1 ensures that we don’t gorge ourselves and that the vacuoles of our cells widen, taking in glucose to convert to energy. This latter process also lowers our blood glucose levels, sparing us the consequences of diabetically high blood sugar.

People with type II diabetes either don’t produce enough insulin or suffer from extreme insulin resistance, so that while their insulin’s a knockin’, their vacuoles are sayin’ “Don’t come in.” (This is a problem with cell-signaling, one of the many cellular functions that depend heavily on the co-enzyme nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, or NAD.)

Ozempic is designed to increase insulin production for type II diabetics who have had trouble getting their blood sugar under control with other methods. Ozempic is delivered via twice-monthly injections, at a cost of about $1,200 per month. Health.com tells us, “After injection, semaglutide increases insulin production and lowers blood sugar. This causes the stomach to empty more slowly, reduces appetite, and makes people feel full.” So, it should come as no surprise that Ozempic has delivered another sought-after benefit: weight loss.

Is the bonus benefit just a dangerous illusion?

The Ozempic bonus has led overweight people, especially celebrities who can afford the high price tag, to request the drug for weight loss, a use for which the FDA has not approved it. Yet, doctors seem willing to prescribe Ozempic for off-label use, a practice that is often controversial if not illegal. In fairness to these doctors, we should note that another semaglutide prescription, Wegovy, has FDA approval as a weight-loss drug. But should either of these synthetic hormone drugs be used for this purpose?

This lady in a lab coat says no. And we must listen, because she is appropriately dressed. (Also note that she’s an MD, not an actress.)

Thank you, Dr. Annette Bosworth.

A litany of side-effects, some of which are deadly

If you’ve seen an O-O-O-Ozempic commercial, you’ve heard the recitation of side effects, which range from unpleasant to deadly. The mild variety includes:

  • Fatigue
  • Dizziness or vertigo
  • Discomfort and/or skin discoloration around the injection site
  • Increased heart rate
  • Changes in perception of taste
  • Digestive problems, such as belly pain, constipation, diarrhea, flatulence, burping, nausea, and vomiting

Ozempic patients have also started reporting hair loss.

 The more serious side effects include:

  • Kidney problems, such as kidney failure
  • Low blood sugar
  • Pancreatitis
  • Gallbladder disease, such as cholecystitis or gallstones
  • Thyroid cancer
  • Allergic reactions

All of these are potentially fatal.

After reading these lists, the reasonable reader might wonder, “At what point do the risks outweigh the possible benefits?” For people who cannot control their diabetes, the disease is eventually fatal. Other messy consequences include blindness and amputation of extremities. So, a roll of the dice with Ozempic might be in order.

Alternatives to a potentially deadly roll of the dice?

However, most people with type II diabetes can control their sugar through dietary and lifestyle modification. These changes are generally not easy, which is why many so people are open to taking a magic shot, courtesy of our consistently trustworthy friends at Big Pharma. This mindset, which seems to be the basis for Ozempic’s marketing strategy, has really rankled celebrity trainer Jillian Michaels, who has voiced her concerns about Ozempic to Megyn Kelly (video below) and Bill Maher.

As Ms. Michaels explain, Ozempic treatment is necessarily short. And for many patients, the benefits sunset early, as their weight loss plateaus and the pounds rebound. Unfortunately, the side-effects seem to linger well beyond patients’ use of the drug. Another reason for concern is the psychological effect Ozempic seems to have on type II diabetics, who should maintain a strict exercise regimen. According to a report from MSN, Ozempic seems to discourage overweight people from working out.

Is NAD+ optimization a better way to manage insulin resistance?

Dr. Jin-Xiong She is a prominent microbiologist who has spent a significant portion of his career studying the relationship between cellular functions and age-related/metabolic diseases, including type II diabetes. The precursor to type II diabetes is the condition we call insulin resistance, where the cells do not respond to the insulin’s signal. This forces the pancreas to produce more insulin, eventually exhausting itself. When the body no longer produces its own insulin, a patient must take insulin orally or via injection. For people in a prediabetic state, insulin resistance causes stubborn weight gain, along with ancillary health problems.

Dr. She has studied the role of NAD in cellular functions, and in this short video, he explains four key benefits of NAD as they pertain to normal insulin sensitivity.

Unfortunately, people lose NAD due to age, stress, and lifestyle choices, such as a poor diet, smoking, alcohol consumption, and a sedentary lifestyle. This can turn insulin sensitivity into insulin resistance. The good news is that replenishing lost NAD can return the system to healthy homeostasis. Replacing lost NAD is tricky, but Dr. She has developed a highly effective supplement he calls Vitality Boost.

NAD optimization: a safe, natural path to better health

One of the great benefits of Vitality Boost is the increased energy one feels after just a few days of using the product. This can empower an overweight person with insulin resistance or type II diabetes to hit the gym and get the natural health benefits of exercise. Many people have been able to reverse type II diabetes and return to good health through dietary and lifestyle modifications. Supplementing to achieve NAD optimization makes the process easier, so more patients should be able to improve their health for the long term.

Importantly, NAD is a natural compound, not a synthetic, so there’s no list of horrendous side effects. I’ve written in this column about the numerous health benefits I’ve experienced with Vitality Boost. It’s precisely because of those health benefits that I asked Dr. She to make me an affiliate marketer for his company Jinfiniti Precision Medicine.

If you are struggling with insulin resistance or type II diabetes, I urge you to try this amazing product. Ask your doctor which is more likely to help you: the all-natural compound that’s an essential cofactor for virtually every cellular function, or the synthetic hormone with the catchy jingle, a monthly cost equal to your mortgage, and a list of side effects the length of the King James Bible.

O-O-O-I think I know what they’ll say.

Great news: Get started with NAD for 15 percent off!

Vitality Boost from Jinfiniti Precision Medicine

You can get started with Vitality Boost for 15 percent off the standard price by using my offer code KevinRush15 at checkout. Just follow this link: Jinfiniti!

Disclaimer: The column may contain affiliate links, which help support the website. When you clink on an affiliate link and make a purchase, the website receives a small commission at no additional charge to you. Thank you for your support.

Did NAD+ Cure My Allergies?

No more pills and no more sneezes!

At this time last year, I was taking two, sometimes three, all-day Loratadine pills a day, but still sneezing my head off, scratching my itchy eyes out, and gargling warm tea in a futile attempt to clear my throat of phlegm. It’s now been eight days since my last pill, and I am virtually symptom free. The only difference I can point to is … three plus months ago, I began supplementing NAD+.

(For the uninitiated, NAD+ is a naturally occurring compound our cells need to perform virtually every task of being a cell, including energy production, respiration, and reproduction. When NAD+ is depleted, as happens when we age, experience trauma or persistent stress, or make unhealthy lifestyle choices, our cells cannot perform properly, and we suffer the consequences, including premature aging and metabolic illnesses. Restoring NAD+ to optimum levels can arrest this decline and restore our vitality. I’ve written about my NAD+ experience previously on this blog, but the disappearance of my allergic symptoms is a new milestone.)

“Oh,” but you’ll say, “isn’t this the holy season of Lent? And haven’t you taken the pledge for the duration? So, maybe it’s the fact that you’ve eliminated alcohol for more than a week?” Perhaps, O Prophet of Prohibition, but I’ve gone dry for extended periods in the past, (voluntarily, not court-ordered) and I’ve never observed any change in the horrendous allergies that oppress me 12 months out of the year. This is clearly different.

Where did these allergies come from anyway?

I was not born with allergies. And as a precocious (also obnoxious) youngster, I neither understood them nor had sympathy for children who suffered from them. Allergies struck me as a sign of weakness, and don’t even get me started on asthma, which I totally regarded as a ‘sissy’ illness. So, it was either poetic justice or divine retribution that in my early teens I developed hay fever. With a vengeance each spring came the hell of itchy, watery eyes, sneezing, congestion, headache, and scratchy throat.

Back in the Jurassic period of my youth, there were no effective OTC allergy treatments, and even the prescription meds were of doubtful efficacy. I was put on Actifed, which might as well have been a sleeping pill. It wasn’t quite the hammer to the head that Benadryl is today, but it was very nap inducing. And the more I took, so it seemed, the more I needed to have any effect on my symptoms.

ill man sitting at desk and sneezing
Photo by Gustavo Fring on Pexels.com

Actifed made me feel like I was carrying a piano everywhere I went. During high school, I tried to get off it, especially during the allergy off-season (if such a time exists). But invariably I’d wind up at a house party with a feline in residence, and to avoid anaphylaxis, I’d have to beg tabs of Chlor-Trimeton from similarly afflicted friends.

I started acupuncture when I was about 26, which boosted my overall energy and gave me relief from a range of symptoms, including my nasal allergies. For a brief time, I was able to keep the demons at bay with just homeopathic remedies. But the acupuncture was too expensive to keep up, and the symptoms came clawing back, and I went crawling back to my old friend, Actifed.

Dawn of the ‘Non-Drowsies’

yellow and white red pills on blister pack
Photo by Anna Shvets on Pexels.com

In the early 1990s, they came out with Seldane, the first of the ‘non-drowsy’ allergy treatments. I was pretty desperate at that point, so I asked a doctor to prescribe it. He refused, because he’d heard of cardiac complications, such as ventricular arrhythmias, cardiac arrest, and cardiac death. He recommended continue on Actifed. I went to find a doctor who would prescribe Seldane.  

I didn’t have to take Seldane long, before Claritin became an option, and I got clear. Then the generics were released, and the price plummeted. Still, the ‘non-drowsy’ meds were really only ‘less drowsy.’ I was stuck between a rock and a hard place, since the allergies, left untreated, also knocked me out. Remember the Cowardly Lion in the field of poppies? “Come to think of it, 20 winks doesn’t sound so bad…. Zzzzzzzzzz.” The spring pollen dumps, those days when I’d come out to find my white Civic under a yellow crust of plant poison, turned me into an itchy-sneezy zombie.

Only within the last couple of years have I realized that, whereas one pill would relieve the nasal symptoms, but leave me wiped out, a second pill would relieve the allergy induced drowsiness enough that I became functional. After I moved to South Carolina, a new environment notorious for allergens everywhere all the time, I reached the point where I was taking as many as three all-day pills a day!

A couple of weeks ago, as I ingested the last Loratadine pill in my cabinet, I figured I’d better get to the pharmacy quickly. I picked up a two-month supply, but when I got home, I didn’t feel the need to open the package. No sneezing. No itching. I felt better than I had the previous year at the same time, after taking a double dose. So, I put the Loratadine tabs in the cabinet, and I haven’t touched them.

Eight days later, I’m wondering, am I finally clean? I can’t remember the last time I went this long without a torturous flareup. I don’t know if it will last. I remind myself that this is only February. It’s not even vaguely pollen season, and when that hits at the end of March, beginning of April, I may go running to my medicine cabinet, deliriously happy to find the pills I’m ignoring now. But, in this moment, it’s quite a relief to be able to abstain.

Apparently, I’m not alone: NAD+ cured Jimmy’s allergies, too!

After hearing my story, my friend Greta put me in touch with her pal, Jimmy, who’s had a similar experience. At 65 years old, Jimmy was running the customer-facing operations at a high-end steakhouse. Not the kind of position where you’d want sinusitis headaches, watery eyes, and a drippy nose. But Jimmy had severe allergies, which caused such inflammation and nasal congestion that, even on prescription allergy meds, he was going through a box of tissues a day. Because Jimmy has atrial fibrillation and high blood pressure, he can’t OTC decongestants, so he was paying a heavy price for drugs of doubtful efficacy. Like me, Jimmy’s allergies had developed over time, getting progressively worse with age, and haunting him year ‘round.

a healthcare worker measuring a patient s blood pressure using a sphygmomanometer
Photo by Pavel Danilyuk on Pexels.com

Then, he found NAD+. After about eight months of NAD+ optimization with Vitality Boost from Jinfiniti Precision Medicine, Jimmy reports that his symptoms have eased up considerably. But not just the allergies. His blood pressure has improved as well, and he has more stamina on the job. That last part is key, since he spends long hours on his feet at the restaurant and claims to cover about six-to-eight walking miles a day.

How does NAD+ treat allergies?

Perhaps the reason science has not developed a cure for allergies is that we still don’t know exactly what causes them. The puzzle seems to involve genetics, environmental triggers, and even human psychology. What we do know is that allergies are an overreactive response to perceived threats to our health. It’s possible that environmental toxins and/or emotional stress put the immune system under the type of strain that flips the switch on allergy genes, and voila !, we become sniffling, sneezing messes.

The problem sort of boils down to a defect in cell-signaling, a function in which NAD+ plays a vital role. It’s possible that the stressers that trigger allergies also deplete NAD+, or perhaps they deplete NAD+ first, which interferes with immune cell signaling, thereby causing the overreaction we call allergy. If so, it makes sense that replenishing intracellular NAD+ would enable healthy signaling and stifle any tendency for our immune system to overreact.

Scientists are exploring the efficacy of NAD+ supplementation in treating allergies and asthma. While it’s too early to declare victory, the early results are promising.

Get started on NAD+ today and recover your vitality!

My vanishing allergies is yet another reason I am sold on Vitality Boost. I’m now an affiliate marketer, and I invite you, dear reader, to recover your youthful vigor with NAD+ supplementation from Jinfiniti Precision Medicine.

Vitality Boost from Jinfiniti Precision Medicine

Enter the offer code kevinrush15 for a 15 percent discount off your first purchase, and 10 percent off every subsequent purchase.

I’ll continue to keep you updated on this blog about my progress and any new NAD+ discoveries. Until then, good luck and good health!

Disclaimer: This column may contain affiliate links. When you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, this website receives a small commission at no extra cost to you. Affiliate links help support my writing, so your participation is greatly appreciated.

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