Vitamin Information Center

The current world we live in is loaded with products that claim to do the most amazing things in the world. Obviously, many of these products are huge scams, and can’t possibly do everything they say. Anti-Aging products are becoming huge as the baby boomers start to get a little bit older.

Acai berry is the new superfood that has hundreds of benefits. The main goal of many people who use it is weight loss, but it also has the ability to prevent early aging! The amino acids and certain minerals in acai berry are ideal in helping with muscle contraction that causes wrinkles. So, not only does acai berry actually help with aging, it can actually prevent it.

The fatty acids in acai berry are high in omega 3 fish oils. These oils enter the cell membranes and can actually prevent inflammation of the skin. Inflammation is the number one cause of aging, and if this can be eliminated, you will live much younger!

Many of the products on the market today are in the form of makeups and other products you put directly on your skin. They call themselves anti-aging products, but in all reality they are not at all. Anything you put directly on your skin is just used to cover up anti aging effects. No matter what they tell you, it won’t actually prevent or cure the effects of aging.

All-natural products such as acai berry are now becoming the solution. Acai Berry
is just one of many solutions that you can now find that can help prolong your young features.

Life - and certainly health - are all about balance.

If your body’s systems stay in an equilibrium, you won’t need medication, said Dr. Dominic Lascola, who developed that attitude while studying to be a chiropractor and has translated it into a new venture.

The 28-year-old Evergreen Park resident has developed a new combination vitamin pack, launched through his on-line company, www.PureCoreNutrition .com.

It’s become popular enough to be used by NFL players Eric Steinbach, of the Cleveland Browns, David Diehl, of the New York Giants and Matt Roth, of the Miami Dolphins, all Chicago-area natives.

“This is all about getting your body into its optimal situation so it can heal itself,” said Lascola, whose office is in Oak Lawn. “If you can work on a nutritional plan, focus on proper diet and exercise and include dietary supplements, you’re not going to get sick. You’ll start correcting the imbalances in the body that lead to disease.”

The daily multi-pack includes three whole-food multivitamins, two omega-3 fish oils, one probiotic blend and one digestive enzyme.

Lascola said the development started about a year ago when he was discussing supplements with Steinbach, an offensive lineman for the Cleveland Browns. The two crossed paths when Steinbach attended Providence Catholic High School in New Lenox and Lascola went to Brother Rice High School in Chicago’s Mount Greenwood community.

Steinbach took many supplements to recover from the extreme stress of his workouts. Lascola said he was annoyed at having to keep track of many pills.

“I was talking with him about how he can get all the nutrients he needs after a workout,” Lascola said. “He didn’t like the time it took sorting out these pills or carrying around the bottles. So I put together packets for him with everything he needed for one day.”

Of course, Lascola had to consider the supplement restrictions placed on professional athletes. They can’t chance taking a pill that might contain a substance banned by the NFL.

His laboratory helped him out, giving him a list of eligible and forbidden chemicals. But Lascola’s combination isn’t meant to bulk up the players.

“Understanding there are strict rules they must adhere to, of course I was really careful to analyze everything I was putting in,” Lascola said. “But the stuff they’re taking isn’t muscle-enhancing. It’s about giving them sound nutrients to recover from this extreme strain they’re putting on their bodies.”

Now that these football players are in training camp, Lascola said he hopes they’ll spread the word about the multi-packs to rookie players, especially those with no vitamin regimen.

Lascola didn’t want to limit the benefits of his daily packets to athletes. So he developed a slightly different set for average people.

One of those regular people taking the multi-pack is Lascola’s patient Sal Laspina. But while Steinbach takes the athletic recovery packs, Laspina takes the daily multi-packs.

The music teacher said he took various daily multivitamins on and off for years. He’s been taking Lascola’s combination for about three months now.

“I noticed that especially during the day when I’m teaching, I have more energy,” the Orland Park resident said. “I just feel sharper, more alert.”

He takes the vitamins while he’s eating lunch and said he likes the convenience of the packet. Sometimes he waits to take the fish oil pill until later in the day, and said it’s easy to roll up the envelope and stash it in his pocket.

“In the past, I would have to take the vitamin out of the big container and roll up the pills in a Kleenex to take later,” Laspina said. “Or I would just forget. It was kind of a pain in the neck.”

Lascola said it’s common for people to start a vitamin regimen, but drop off after a few weeks or months, especially if they’re trying to keep track of more than one supplement. He said he hopes the convenience and portability of his packets helps people stay committed.

It wasn’t a medical degree that gave Lascola the health bug. Throughout his youth, he played baseball and basketball.

“I was interested in nutrition from about age 15,” he said. “Seeing the changes the body could make just through exercise and eating right was fascinating for me.”

He said he’s amazed when his patients report more energy, better regularity and fewer illnesses - all from regulating their bodies’ nutrients. Some have even been able to discontinue prescription medications.

Also, having all the supplements in one packet is more affordable than buying two or three bottles, Lascola said.

“It makes me want to get this idea out to as many people as possible,” Lascola said.

Carole Sharwarko can be reached at csharwarko@southtownstar.com or (708) 633-6872.