By Denise Bjorkman – Tawa Labs
Let a little Collagen in your Life. Creating a positive
identity and image is more than vanity – it is a reality.
Use collagen with confidence. All the tips you need
are shared.Supplements are part of lifestyle medicine
combined with the new science of healthy ageing.
Collagen’ says Dr. Shereene Idriss a dermatologist,
speaking to Forbes, supports the use of supplements.
‘Collagen…is the holy grail of healthy skin — no
matter what age you are.’ Dr Shari Marchbein also
backs the use of supplements in her column for the
New York Times, but with one strong proviso. Be
prepared for long term use. Select supplements such
as collagen are a golden thread throughout your
genetic and physical framework, lifestyle choices,
brain, and gut health. This golden thread promises
to add to quality of life, both mental and physical.
‘Today is the oldest you have ever been and the
youngest you’ll ever be again.’ Those are the words
of Eleanor Roosevelt. Today she would be our best
advertisement for collagen.
Today’s 7 step message is about looking and feeling
younger. Your daily dose of collagen may be the
secret ingredient to promote allround wellbeing.
1. Square up with Collagen
Square up to reality. If you are like most people,
squaring up to the ageing process is avoided. Wrong
approach. Facing up to the ‘now’, revitalisation of
your body, prevents a clean-up job later.
2. Live Up with Collagen
Look good with collagen. Stop right there if you
think looking good is about beauty, because that
ideal varies from culture to culture. It is however
more about how we project a healthy look. Radiated
health causes an unconscious response, making us
a safe bet for those who want to engage with us for
their own survival. But you cannot stop there. Western
ideals about appearance and image may not be
desirable but for a century it has held fast because
there is an evolutionary bias to healthy looks. The
cosmetic industry is worth trillions of dollars because
of aesthetic appeal. A quick look at health and sport
magazines will show you that the male self-care
product industry is the fastest growing market with
more men conscious of their body image, health,
and body sculpting than ever before.
A fact of Western life. Positive emotional triggers
are youth, vitality, attractiveness, smooth skin, and
athletic appearance. Negative emotional triggers
are wrinkles, slow movement, and overall lack of
fitness. The media you will notice, continues to
promote positive images.
3. Code Up on Collagen
Does your DNA profile give you important insights?
If you could prevent early aging and the disorders
that often accompany it, would you be interested?
Most people say yes. Personalised, prevention
medicine, aka functional, integrated medicine.
Functional medicine aims at preventing disease with
informed decisions. It is the hottest subject around
the globe today and it is finally being offered as a
university subject. A DNA profile test may help you.
One drug or treatment does not fit all says Dr Jeffrey
Bland. You are born an original so do not die a
copy. You have a unique genetic structure. With a
personalized DNA profile, a registered practitioner
can help you design your own perfect diet and
lifestyle. The way you synthesise collagen is your
own. Your nutrition needs may be totally different
from a sibling or a friend. With the help of a trained
professional, you can discover a personal code for
longevity and perfect health.
Here is good news. You are only 10% of your genes.
The secret is to stop ‘bad’ genes expressing
themselves. ‘Genetics loads the gun, and the
environment pulls the trigger’ has become a meme
because it is true. 90% of the disorders that can
impact on your unmanaged life are caused by the
environment. Because you can control your
environment you can switch your genes on or off.
You have choices. Collagen steps up to the plate
for you as a valuable aid.
4. Clean up your act with Collagen
Never use age as an excuse.That is the mantra of
105-year-old Ida Keeling, American track athlete
who was still doing push ups at the age of 100. Her
message of perpetual health has earned her global
media coverage. 85-year-old Gary Player does
1200 push ups a day. He freely shares his lifestyle
choices. Gary publicly stresses the value of nutrition.
He couples his dietary requirements and supplements
to resistance training. The result is self-evident.
If you want resilience, visible body tone, a youthful
appearance and vitality clean up your act. You also
need access to rich sources of Vitamin C for collagen
health. Vitamin C is consumed in the collagen
manufacturing process and that is why large
quantities of Vitamin C are required in the diet daily.
Strength training is critical as you age because aging
begins with your muscles and once more collagen
is essential for muscle toning and strength. ‘You are
as young as your spine is flexible says Joseph Pilates,
the founder of the Pilates movement.’ Famous
pathologist, Prof William Boyd, argued on the other
hand that you are old as your veins and arteries.
Collagen is the most abundant protein in your body.
It also thickens artery walls giving it the elasticity it
needs. It is everywhere.
Collagen has ancient heritage in your body and a
structural component. Remember, collagen is
responsible for connective tissue throughout your
body: muscles, tendons, skin, bones, cartilage, and
ligaments. Collagen is the biological glue that holds
your entire physical structure together. Whichever
way you turn, collagen shows up for your attention.
5. Face up to Collagen
Collagen makes up 80% of your skin! Harvard
educated physician Dr Sara Gottfried is an expert
about the physics of aging. Collagen production
reduces with age. You once had a facial triangle of
youth. As you age, however, you lose cheek and
bone volume and the appealing, firm triangle flips.
Dr Sara calls it ‘inflammaging’ or inflammation
caused by premature aging. ‘90% of the signs of
aging and disease are caused by lifestyle not
genes…the female body is magnificent, but it does
not come with a lifetime warrantee.’
6. Heads up with Collagen
Deep inside your gut, you have what is known as
the second brain, or what scientists call the ENS –
the enteric nervous system. All day, it communicates
back and forth with your main brain. Gut
inflammation is common, but collagen protects the
gut. Inflammation is a red flag for mental health
decline and believed to be central to most diseases.
Dr Dale Bredesen, famous author of The End of
Alzheimers has shown that bad dietary habits and
environmental factors not only cause poor gut health
and inflammation – they link directly to everyday
brain health. Collagen hydrolysed peptides however,
taken in regular doses, prevents the breakdown of
your gut and have anti-inflammatory properties.
7. Close-up with Collagen
Do you look good close-up? Just looking good is
not enough,as your skin, hair, cardiovascular, bone,
spine, gut, and brain health can all tell a story.
Remember, the structure and architecture of your
body depends on collagen.
Collagen is the common denominator. Remember,
it is responsible for connective tissue in the body:
skin, muscles, ligaments, tendons, bones, veins and
arteries and cartilage. The message is a simple one.
You cannot build a house on poor foundations.
Invest in preserving it. Look good close-up, not only
from a distance!
Make Collagen part of your well-being – a
daily bouquet. Our powders are popular
because of our Tawa Lab standards and of the
ease of adding to smoothies, food, juices,
beverages, and water.
About Dr Denise Bjorkman is one of the regular
expert contributors to our education platform,
providing insight into personalised medicine,
longevity, mental and physical health, integrative
nutrition, body language and neuroscience. She is
CEO of the Neuro Business Institute, the founder of
the SA Council of Coaches and Mentors and one
of the leading global authorities on human body
language. As a seasoned personal coach, author,
legal scholar, neuro-wellness advisor, DNA profiler,
broadcaster, and socio-political scientist, her expert
consultant services have been used globally.
