Unveiling the Power of Modified Citrus Pectin: A Natural Solution for Detox and Healing

Welcome, Synergy listeners. We are so happy to have you here today. We get a unique opportunity to talk about a incredible product. Huh, Kel?

I know, right?

Pectisol C. Modified citrus pectin.

And listen, modified doesn't just mean modified. Okay, you're gonna have to listen to this podcast because just like natural on a label doesn't necessarily mean anything, modify doesn't either. So remember, pectisol C. And we're not doing a commercial. We have nothing to gain from this. But it really does make a difference, right?

It does. Yep. So hang on, pull up your bootstraps, have a pen, have a pencil, and take some good notes. Meet Ruby, a trailblazer with over 25 years of expertise in integrative medicine, functional nutrition and nutraceutical science. Ruby's journey into Hawaiian holistic health began at UC Berkeley, where she graduated with honors in global health and medicine. Under the guidance of renowned expert Dr. Isaac Iliaz, M.D. ruby expanded her knowledge and passion for integrative medicine and functional health approaches and became a certified functional diagnostic nutrition practitioner. Ruby has taken all of her learnings into her current role as the Director of Education for ecogenics, a leader in high quality health supplementation. Join us as we dive into Ruby's incredible journey and discover the incredible benefits of the famed modified citrus pectin product called Pectazole.

We're so, so blessed today to have Ruby with us from ecogenics Labs to talk about a subject that's near and dear to our hearts, Pectisol C. But also to dig into Galactin 3. I really wanna dig into, like, why would we even be discussing pectisol C and really dig into that? But, Ruby, will you be so kind as just to share your story? How did you even get into this space?

Yeah, so I've always had an interest in natural health and natural medicine. Took my first herbalism course as a teen. In college, I kind of made my own major trying to study alternative medicine and Chinese medicine in different areas of medical ethnobotany. And then after college, in the early 2000, I started working with Dr. Isaac Elias at his clinic, Amitabha Medical Clinic in Northern California. And that and Dr. Elias is the founder and formulator of the Ecogenics line and specifically introduced pectisol, the original and now only researched modified citrus pectin. That was back in 1995. So I started working with him as a medical assistant in the early 2000s, and that's where I really learned about the incredible benefits of Pectisol as well as some of the other products and really more about his approach in treating patients. And then in 2010 I joined the Egogenics team and have played a lot of different roles there. And it's been very exciting to see the research on pectisol just skyrocketing. And this is research that we as a company, Ekinogenics, has nothing to do with. We only find these studies in the published literature via Google Scholar alerts. And it's a new study on modified citrus pectin, galectin 3. And of course the materials and methods are listing pectisol by Egogenic. So it's so exciting to see this interest explode. And it all has to do with the mechanism of pectisol in being able to inhibit this protein, which we'll talk about Galectin 3. So a few years ago I started the functional diagnostic nutrition program and completed that and slowly building a small practice, mostly just with friends and family at this point. But it's a very exciting field as well because we do have access as practitioners to diagnostic labs and that kind of approach. So it's very exciting to see just this research momentum and sort of the coalescence of all these different new findings really making their way into the forefront of integrative and functional medicine. Because they'll say, I've heard the saying it takes 18 years or so for some sort of clinical discovery to make its way into the exam room and be part of standard practice and standard of care. Well, today we know we don't have that kind of time and we need answers now. And so it's really exciting to be working with practitioners who are really the early adopters and understand the importance of these breakthroughs and are really utilizing them with incredible successes in their practice. So it's just so thrilling and exciting to see and really we see it in the benefits from our customers and from our feedback from practitioners. And it's truly life changing. I mean, we hear things like, I've spent hundreds of thousands of dollars and nothing has worked until I tried pectisol. We hear that regularly.

We're so excited that the research, yeah.

The research is incredible. But in addition, the clinical benefits that we're observing that our practitioners are reporting, that our customers are writing to us and calling to us about, and I'm still on earth today because of pectozon. We just, you never get used to hearing it. As many times as we hear it, it's still feels like a miracle. So it's really, we're so blessed to be here and being able to share this message and really just help people improve their lives.

Yeah. So I have to tell a little bit on Lori and myself. We got introduced to pectisol C years ago, probably 2012ish.

It's been a while.

And honestly, because I think the research wasn't there at the time, it got thrown into the category of fiber. And so it was an expensive fiber and we had other fibers. And so it kind of just fell off my list of utilization until this WHO concept of galectin 3 kind of raised its head. And I started digging into the research and realizing how powerful pectisol C as blocking that mechanism of action of Galactin 3.

And I've gotta chime in right there too, because my love of your product and pectazol C and I say your product, but you know Dr. Ilyaz, right? His research and his product, you know, I was turned onto all of that more. So I've been testing for Galectin 3 in my clinic for years. And I had a patient, I had a specific patient who was near and dear to my heart because it was actually a family member of one of my team members whose Galectin 3 came back elevated. And I went on this mad search for what in the heck I could do to help him. And that's when I stumbled across all of the beginning research and then the survival paradox book and implemented that change with him. And he has actually seen marked improvements in that. And then in addition to that, when Covid happened, the other C word we like to say, right, the other C word is I saw tremendous increases in galectin 3 and to the point where I reached out to our clinical lab, asking them, are they seeing this happen during COVID And then putting those pieces together of, ah, I have a tool in my toolbox that I can help with. So that is my story and my love of and the reason why I think we're here today.

Yesterday.

Yeah.

So let's dig into Galactin 3. Tell us, Ruby, what is that protein?

Yeah, so it's a protein that's produced by the body that is activated in times of stress, illness, injury, infection, even psychological stress. They've shown Galectin 3 will go up within minutes. So it's been studied in the. I don't know when they first started studying it, back probably in the 70s or 80s. And they've known for a long time, probably, you know, in that time that it was a driver of cancer. And so for a Long time it was seen as this big cancer promoter and it's titled or termed the guardian of the tumor microenvironment. And it works to support the process of angiogenesis of blood vessel formation to feed the tumors. It blocks the immune system from attacking the tumor. It forms a special sort of shield around the tumor, sort of a sticky protein surface to shield it and so many other pro cancer mechanisms at the cellular and genetic levels. And so they've known that for a long time. And then in like right around the probably mid 2000s and then right around 2010, the research started really taking off in other areas of health and other conditions. And in 2011, it became recognized as an FDA approved biomarker for heart failure. So it was studied heavily in populations for chronic heart failure or congestive heart failure and heart disease. They've studied it in kidney disease, in liver disease, and now it's being being studied in pretty much any inflammatory condition. Hence the research explosion as well with pectisol as the most researched galectin 3 inhibitor. So it's a tiny protein in the body that has a lot of different functions when it's inside the cell. It's beneficial for cell growth and development. But when it secretes outside into the extracellular space, it starts to spur this cytokine cascade. And it can take just a little bit of Galectin 3 going up in the bloodstream for all these other cytokines to just skyrocket and go really high within minutes. So typically that's in response to, you know, an injury or. And so it's the body's normal repair process. Right. We need some inflammation to get to these areas to fix things. But when the threat has passed, that inflammation is supposed to go and subside. And in today's age, we're just not seeing that we're sub. We're subjected to all kinds of ongoing chronic issues. Stress, infection, subclinical things, old injuries that never properly heal, you know, toxins, diet. They've shown with mycotoxin exposure and damp building syndrome that galectin 3 is higher. In people with exposure to heavy metals, Galectin 3 is higher. And these are clinical studies. So it goes up in response to toxins. So really any threat and just what we know of our lifestyles, our environments today, we're constantly in, you know, this inflammatory milieu and being bombarded from all angles. So it makes sense that Galectin 3 is really an issue and what Dr. Elias will say about the test. So the Galectin 3 blood test is a really useful tool, and it's available through LabCorp in the major labs and not very expensive. But what can be misleading about that test is that, number one, the test doesn't distinguish between a single galectin 3 and 5. Galectin 3 proteins stuck together as a pentamer, they're called. And then these pentamers stick together and form these lattice formations and these hyperviscous formations through the body and biofilms and, you know, hardening of tissues, et cetera. So that test could be, literally, your levels could be five times higher than what's being shown on the test, because it counts 5 and 1 as the same level. You know, it still counts it as one, even though it could be five. And then the other issue is that oftentimes it's sequestered. The galectin 3 is sequestered around the tumor microenvironment or around the area of injury or in biofilms and not in the bloodstream. So levels may be artificially suppressed on those labs, but really it could be much higher in the tissues, and that's where the problem areas are. So in that regard, it's not necessarily a test to determine whether somebody should be on modified citrus pectin. Pectisol. We recommend that everybody, just due to the amount of toxins, stress, everything that we have going on today, at the very least, take that low dose of 5 grams a day, that baseline, lowest dose. And then if there's any issues, of course, going up to that higher dose. And now what Dr. Elias has also said is that he'll use the test as a marker to follow his patients. So he knows that at the baseline, they're here. If it's starting to rise, there's an issue that maybe he's not seeing or they're not seeing, you know, with other symptoms, or if the levels are really high but the patient is asymptomatic, then that's something to dig deep into, because there's obviously something going on. So additional diagnostics would be, you know, indicated there.

Yeah, I was curious about that because I went back and pulled all my Galactin 3 levels for my patients that I've done over the last few years and have yet to have one elevated. And I wasn't sure if it was because those reference ranges are set specific for heart failure or if there was some other nuance that I just wasn't sure about. So that's. I'm glad you answered that.

Well, in opposition of that, in my practice, I have a Significant amount of positive Galectin 3. And we treat. She's in Mississippi and I'm in Florida. My population average, older chronological age. Right. More life experience and exposures, let's say. And I have a tendency to have higher levels. But I do believe he speaks to. Well, maybe I shouldn't. Less than 15 in most clinical labs. But is that not. Is that true?

Yes. For the dose, the clinical studies use a dose of 15 grams a day. So that's typically the high dose. The 5 grams a day would be the baseline dose. So for anything that you're really going after that 15 grams a day or if you're not seeing results with the 5 grams, then definitely going up to the 15 grams. And sometimes practitioners will even go higher than that up to 20, 25 grams. And the really the one thing to watch out for is the gut discomfort because it is a fiber and it's a prebiotic. So for some people who are sensitive to that, it may cause some of that rumbling, some of that transitional fiber related in the gut. But if it's well tolerated, then it absolutely can be taken at higher amounts. If those are bringing the benefits.

Is a reference range on Galectin going to change much like Labs LabCorp vs Cleveland Heart Lab Quest the reference range on the Glatin?

Not from what we've seen. But again, you're right, those reference ranges are part of a much wider bell curve. As we know in those other conventional labs they have that wide bell curve where they're counting in all of the elderly and less healthy populations. And in functional medicine, we look at a more narrow bell curve. So there's the. That issue. But yes, it also is set to what is typically understood as, you know, congestive heart failure biomarker. So there's just some nuances I think with the test and I don't think enough practitioners are really using the test, utilizing the test to its full capacity and to be able to get a better interpretations on those readings and perhaps adjusting those standard levels.

I think you're very right because I know in the clinic I've been doing them for years. As soon as Cleveland Heart Lab added it to their panel, it was something I started to use and I didn't quite know how to use it in the beginning. Just as, you know, providers of care, it's a learning curve, right. With everything. And so I had to just sit back and watch. Right. And it took me quite a long time to start connecting some of those dots. And some of those dots were not just cardiovascular, as you said, but kidney as well, kidney disease also. And then, as I said with COVID and I think you hit the nail on the head, and I wanted to go back to it as cytokines. Right. So, you know, that word I don't think a whole lot of people really knew much about.

Right.

And then during COVID I think everyone started to hear about it because that was either you were going north or south. Basically, at the point at which you had that cytokine storm, you were either gonna heal, right, get better, or, you know, obviously the storm took you down a worse path. So having a test like Galectin 3 has been very nice to have. As just another to your point, you can't look at one diagnostic marker. It doesn't tell the whole story. You have to look broader.

Exactly, exactly. And it's fascinating with the cytokine storm in the clinical data around Covid, because you may have seen some of these studies. They started to come out right around the beginning of the pandemic where they're testing Galectin three levels upon admission into the hospital with COVID and they're able to use those levels as biomarkers to predict the severity. They have higher levels likely to be ending up in the ICU and on ventilators. The other fascinating thing and that they found is that the spike protein is nearly identical in the shape to galectin 3. So what they're calling for in these publications is the use of galectin 3 inhibitors not only to tamp down the cytokine storm and prevent that severe Covid, but also to bind to the spike protein and prevent viral entry and prevent, you know, that spike protein from doing damage. So what we've seen in our practitioner, with our practitioner feedback is regardless of where they're at, whether it's preventative, they've done prophylactic, or they have their active. Whatever's going on that modified citrus pectin is bringing down that cascade and really helping to modulate the immune system and bring benefits in that regard. So even for, like, the long haulers, et cetera. So it's fascinating to see this research just exploding in terms of what this protein is capable of. And Dr. Elias's book is a great read, the Survival Paradox, because it really highlights how can this paradox exist in our body, this contradiction, where it's supposed to help us, but yet can be helpful, hijacked by pathogens to their own benefit, hijacked by cancer cells to expand and metastasize. And what's going on here? And it's just a fascinating look into sort of how we've become very dysregulated with all of everything's going on in our world today, in our environments.

So where is this derived, this raw product derived from? Give us a little backstory to it. Yeah.

So pectisol is modified citrus pectin and it is the original and the only proven effective modified citrus pectin supplement. It's derived from regular citrus pectin. So we know of regular citrus pectin as, you know, useful in jellies and jams and cooking, but also for digestive health. It's a great fiber. It doesn't absorb into the bloodstream, it just passes through the digestive tract. But it can help with detox and for extra fiber support in the gut. But modified citrus pectin, our pectospal specifically, is modified with a very specific enzyme and heat ph treatment process to break down the size of the molecules from around 300 kilodaltons to about 15, 5 to 15 kilodaltons. So it's a much, much smaller molecular structure in size and that's what allows it to absorb into the bloodstream from the small intestines. So regular citrus pectin fiber will not, not absorb into the bloodstream. Pectisol is the only modified citrus pectin that has this correct molecular weight and structure for it to absorb into the bloodstream and then from there binding to Galectin 3, blocking Galectin 3 activity and also helping to bind and remove heavy metals and other toxins from what we've seen with our practitioner testing, including mycotoxins and others. So it's an amazing detoxifier because it's so gentle and it works in the circulation. It is a binder, it's a fiber, but it's much more than a binder. So that's what we'll say, you know, when we're promoting it for detoxes. Yes, it's an excellent detoxifier, but it's so much more than that because it's really removing some of these really heavy hitting toxins, but also helping to attenuate that inflammatory process that has been caused and driven by these toxins.

And because it's a binder, it has to be taken a certain way. Right. So speak to specifically how to take it in a way that it's gonna be most effective.

Yeah. So it's best taken away from food on an empty stomach. So the, that's 30 minutes before or an hour and a half after a meal. Now Some people have added it, say, for example, to a small amount of food or in a feeding tube solution or sometimes with some of the animal studies, the dogs needed it added to their food because they wouldn't drink the water. And it still shows some benefit. But for optimal benefit, we recommend and always, you know, just to take it on an empty stomach so you can absorb it fully and have that full scale of bioactivity and bioavailability. Now you can take it with other binders at the same time. And we do have another excellent binding formula, Glypho Detox, that helps to remove pesticides, including glyphosate. We've shown in some pre published case, clinical case data and that those two can be taken together. So you can take it with other supplements as well. We don't necessarily recommend taking it with other minerals and vitamins. However, it's a very unique binder in that it's shown in the clinical data to only selectively bind to heavy metals, to toxic metals and not to essential minerals like calcium, magnesium and zinc. Also very gentle and unique in that way because so many other binders do strip nutrients, even the natural ones that you know, are still, you know, can be very harsh in stripping some of those nutrients from the body and you need to replenish them.

So Ruby, is this considered a soluble and insoluble fiber or just insoluble?

It's not considered insoluble the way like regular pectin would be. So it does dissolve. It can take a bit of time to dissolve in liquid, but adding hot liquid can help. It's very heat, heat stable. So sometimes people will say, oh, it's a bit clumpy and it takes a bit to actually mix up. But letting it sit for longer will dissolve it. Hot water can help dissolve it. And then you can add a little cool water or cold water to your desired temperature. Some people add it to their tea or coffee. And then we also have a mixer on our site that is really helpful.

Little frother handheld one and beginning to implement this into a treatment plan. Is there somewhat of a titration up? Like can we expect a Herxheimer response? Much like other things that we, you know, that sometimes we see with the start of certain supplements.

That's a great question. So typically we see a reduction in Herx responses with this product and some practitioners are using it in part of their anti Herx protocols. And so it's an excellent way to attenuate that Herx reaction because we know that it's binding to galectin 3, which binds to the LPS, the lipopolysaccharides, those endotoxins. So and also it's binding directly to those LPS toxins themselves. So binding to the galectin 3 stuck onto those toxins and then binding to the LPS toxins themselves in addition, with the antigollectin 3 activity bringing down that inflammatory over immune overreaction and then at the same time helping to just clean out, you know, those toxins that are going to fuel that sort of milieu, that process. But yeah, so, so one caveat though is that because Galectin 3 is believed to form the backbone of the biofilm structures, some people do experience a bit of detox reaction if they're starting out taking pectisol for the first time and they have a high biofilm burden or high toxic body burden, and they're not addressing it with other protocols and other supplements. So for those very sensitive people, there is sometimes a bit of reaction where maybe they'll see a bit of a flare, but it's not like what you would see typically with a really harsh biofilm breaking protocol or some of these other harsher detox protocols that really just tend to spur the dumping or the sudden heavy release of toxins and pathogens into the circulation or into the.

This is a biofilm disruptor.

It's a gentle one. We don't see it as similar on the level of the enzymes and some of the, like lumbrokinase for example, and some of these other harder hitting ones. But it is slowly starting to break up those lattice formations. And whether that's in the biofilms, in the gut or throughout the body, there is some movement that happens with the circulation. And so sometimes there can be a little bit of flare ups in that regard. But typically what we hear is a reduction in those, those issues.

No, I love it. You know, we often talk to our patients about, you know, where does this fit in? Right to their nutritional support treatment plan, because many of them are on, particularly in the early days of really making a shift in their overall health and wellbeing. They're on a lot of things, right. So they have their foundational products, they have their repletional things, things that are filling in the gaps and then they have their optional. And I'm kind of thinking about this as a. This is actually something that may be very foundational long term.

Absolutely. Yeah, it really is. And working in the clinic with Dr. Elias and other practitioners, that's really how they've been using it. And one of the amazing things is that in all the studies that they've tested it with, all the published studies and in clinical observation, it's highly synergistic. So it seems to enhance everything that it's combined with, whether it's a conventional protocol, antibiotics, chemotherapy, et cetera, or herbal formulas and different supplements that it's tested with. So they see that in the published literature and they see that clinically. And it's termed. Some people nickname it the Great program enhancer because it makes anything else that you're doing work better. And part of the idea that is by breaking up these galectin three hyperviscous structures, it's just allowing these target compounds to get to where they're supposed to go, right? So it's kind of clearing the path, it's clearing out the bloodstream from toxins and really allowing these other compounds to do their job. So it's just fascinating to see the benefits in combination with any other detox program, any other health protocol. Pectisol is really becoming one of these top foundational products because of the number of benefits. And then because it's such an enhancer, it's such a synergistic enhancer with essentially anything that we've tested it with.

I think one of the biggest challenges of implementing that I have seen so far is the how, because it is a little bit more tedious to get it in the liquid, right? To, you know, to just take it. So I'm just curious, I have to ask, what is the highest. How do I put this? The number one form that people are actually purchasing. Is it the powder? Is it the chewables? Is it. I'm just curious, is it the capsule?

The powder is definitely the most popular. And we have the lime powder and the plain powder, so those are our most economical. But also, I think people like just the way that there's flexibility with that. Some people just don't like taking capsules, or they're already taking so many other products that they have capsule fatigue. So it just gives a nice. A different delivery system. But yeah, it can be premixed. So sometimes people will do the full 15 grams in a larger container of water and keep that in the fridge and drink that throughout the day. The other thing that people can do is split up their doses. So instead of taking. Taking three a day, if you're doing the high 15 grams, split it into two doses a day. So seven and a half, and seven and a half twice a day. Instead of trying to do five grams three times a day. Because that can get a little bit difficult with the empty stomach requirements. And if you're trying to time it around supplements, it's not as important to wait the 30 minutes before or the hour and a half after with supplements because that's not a full meal. So you should be able to absorb some of those, shorten those windows a bit. But definitely with any medications you want to take them apart, as far apart in the day as as long possible, just.

And the equivalent of capsules and the tablets to the scoop is.

The capsules are six capsules per five grams. So either one scoop is five grams or six capsules. And then with the chewables, it's two chewables for, I believe, two and a half grams. So four chewables for five grams. But it is a bit dose limiting with those chewables because they contain erythritol. And I. It seems like we're going to be reformulating that one. There's a lot of talk about that because the erythritol is dose limiting for people with the gut stuff. So stay tuned for that. But yeah, that one is a convenient form just on the go, you know, if you just need to supplement your normal dosing or if you're just not taking, you know, that full 15 grams. We also just launched our new stick packs. So those are in the lime and the powder versions as well. And those are just a great convenient alternate form essentially for travel or convenience.

So we have to talk about cancer, right?

Yeah, I mean, we're living in this modern world, right? We're bombarded constantly with toxins and inflammations. And I think about, you know, Lori and I both run functional medicine practices and we talk a lot about the physical stressors, which are, you know, anemias, infections, whether that's an occult infection and oral cavity or digestive tract. We talk about blood sugar dysregulation as a physical stressor and then we talk about our chemical stressors, all the things that we're being exposed to, our air, our food, our water. So we say clean air, clean food, clean water. And then we talk about the emotional side of things. And I know in the book, he really did a great job, that survival Paradox book, in talking about the impact of emotional stress and its activation on Galactin 3. And you know, we all know as providers that stress plays a big part in illness and I think especially in cancer, cancer activation. But wow, to see that researched and to see that founded and to know that we have a tool like Pectisol C that can come in and fill in the gaps, but we also have to do our foundational work. We still have to work on those stressors. So to your point, this is an adjunct to a protocol, an adjunct to something that we're already working on. And so I love that about the product and I do think segueing into cancer and talking about that, specifically how that could be used as part of a treatment protocol for prevention.

Yeah, so we are very careful about how we talk about that. However, it's fascinating to see that there's an outpouring of research on galectin 3 in that area, but also with our product. So we have a recent study in prostate cellular health showing, and this is a clinical study and it's showing that men who had failed other protocols were given grams of pectisol a day and over the course of 18 months, a significant number of them had stabilized their PSA level and slowed down the rise of psa, slowed down the PSA double or increased the PSA doubling time, slowed down that rise and with no progression seen biochemically and in scans. So that was a long term trial with I believe, starting out with 59 patients out of multiple oncology centers in Israel and just really showing good, solid, solid results in that area of supporting healthy PSA for men in, in this boat. And that's what we've seen clinically as well. That's where the product has really originally been used as a support, you know, adjunct of support alongside other protocols. And what we've shown as well in the, the published literature, as well as clinically, observationally, is a synergistic effect with other conventional oncology support protocols. So it can be, under the supervision of a trained health professional, be used alongside these other protocols to potentially have them working even better. And we do have a lot of practitioners in that boat who are using that with good success.

I always have to ask the question, what's the downside then? Because it sounds like there's just so many reasons to use it. Is there a downside? Is there anything, are there any acute or absolute contraindications anytime we shouldn't be using it? Maybe certain types of treatment that we should not combine it with, not that's.

Been shown or known so far, it's not contraindicated with any specific compounds, any approaches. Now just to underscore the importance of working with a professional health professional, as you know, for patients that that's essential. Finding somebody who is versed in the world of supplements and can you add this in, in a way that makes sense for, for you as the individual based on your health history, et cetera. So that, that is key. Now the one thing that I will say, and I mentioned it earlier, is there is a bit of a limiting factor with any, any people that are sensitive to fiber. So if they're sensitive to fiber, their gut's very sensitive, or to prebiotics, they may have to increase their dose more slowly to help sort of build up that tolerance. And, and that's obviously done in conjunction or under supervision with their provider. And then in terms of, because it has potassium and sodium in it and those are added to as part of the modification process and to mirror what's naturally found in the citrus peel in terms of the ph, that can be too high for some people who are on sodium or potassium restricted diets, especially for advanced kidney disease. So if the EGFR is 40 or below, then it wouldn't be indicated or at a much lower dose dose. And that's a pretty advanced case there. But that's just something to think about and we don't hear much from practitioners that are trying to use it in that regard. So don't have a lot of data there, but that's what Dr. Elias will say. And I think it's just something that, you know, you have to monitor a lot more closely because of those sodium and potassium levels. But aside from that, there aren't any known contraindications with any compounds, any other areas of health, etc. Et cetera.

Can you talk a little bit about the use in metabolic dysfunction? So like dysregulated blood sugar, insulin, where is the role there? I was reading a few little articles in that regard. I think that would be wise to dig into.

Yeah, we do have people using it in those areas, practitioners using it, and we don't have a lot of published data on pectisol in those specific areas, except we do have some cognitive benefit to tests that they've shown in animal studies with a type 2 diabetes model supporting cognitive function where it would have otherwise declined. So that's some fascinating data there. But there is a role for galectin 3 in insulin dysregulation and metabolic syndrome. Dr. Elias talks about it in his book. And pectisol is not seen to spike blood glucose levels. So it's definitely a helpful supplement in those areas or can be. And especially because of the detox benefits and helping to reduce those toxins that you know and that inflamed the supporting healthy inflammation, essentially is kind of at the foundation of metabolic health, as with, you know, every other area of health. But yes, there IS data in galectin 3 and insulin function. So definitely something to consider for, for those folks as well.

Yeah, I think it's interesting that they highlighted cognitive function with diabetes. Right. Or insulin resistance, because we know now that type 3 diabetes shows up as dementia. And I think targeting that Galactin 3 in that way early. Right. Can be profound for those patients as far as preserving cognitive function. And that's what we all want. No one wants to have decline in cognitive function.

Exactly, exactly. And there is Fascinating data with galectin 3 in plaque formations in the brain and those types of processes, pathogenic processes. And we have amazing feedback from our own customers on supporting brain health and support, you know, reducing brain fog and more mental clarity. And that was something that we didn't really expect. So, you know, until that research came out fairly recently. And now we're getting all the feedback from, from our customers. So it's, it's really fascinating to see kind of the research taking off. But then at the same time as, you know, more people are using it, finding more benefit, reporting, you know, just anecdotally as well, in areas that, oh, we hadn't thought of, but it, it just makes sense. I mean, Galectin3, if you're wondering if Galectin3 is involved in any inflammatory issue, you can do a Google scholar or a PubMed search and you're likely to find at least one study.

So what's on the horizon? What's next? It sounds like you guys have a lot going on there. I know you aren't personally doing the research, but you are the benefiter, I would assume, as a company of everybody else's research that is. Has been so great. So what's on the horizon?

Yeah, it's really exciting. So we do have another clinical study planned out of Israel in Men's Health, so that I think slated for, to start early next year. So that's very exciting. And then working additionally with other scientific groups and research groups that want to study it in, you know, just expanding the data, different areas where it's being studied. So we're really hopeful and excited about those partnerships coming up. And you know, I think where things are going too is as there's increased recognition of the impacts of toxins in our environment and you know, we're learning more about the dangers of microplastics and you know, they're trying to ban these forever chemicals. I think there's going to be more research into specific compounds that actually help to address and possibly even remove these toxins from the body. Because for so long it's been said, oh they can't be, you can't detox them or they don't even store in the body. So I do see movement in those areas of recognizing the role of toxins in that they actually can be stored in the body and that we do need specific compounds to help remove them. And really starting to dig deep into finding those. What's appropriate, what's effective and what we believe is that pectisol is, you know, a really effective broad spectrum spectrum binder that has these potentials. So we're excited to see some of that research expand as well.

That's great. I'm super curious if there's ongoing research in the spike protein and Covid and just the heart related issues that you know, surfaced throughout that. Because that is honestly was very eye opening during that time. And you know, so much to, as I mentioned earlier, you know, calling up the clinical lab director at Cleveland and saying are you seeing. Because this is what I'm seeing, you know, and seeing that Glactin 3 go up significantly and stay up long after they had their acute infection and in those that didn't have the infection had the injection. So we saw it in both cases which I found very, very interesting.

That is interesting.

Yeah. There is, I think I found one study now linking or starting to talk about long Covid with galectin. So really a recognition kind of a shift from the acute, from driving that acute cytokine storm and you know, severity upon admission to much more of the long term effects and what they're seeing there. And obviously this is a new area, but it's wonderful to see that they're recognizing that and looking into Galectin 3 as a driver of that and as a possible therapeutic target.

Yeah. As a variable.

Because we've seen that and the feedback that we get from, from our practitioners matches right up with that.

Yeah. As a diagnostic marker to track. Right. Progress with your treatment plan. When you implement something, you want a clinical marker to be able to test beyond a patient telling you they're feeling better. It's beyond that because people can often feel better and still be markedly inflamed. We know that.

Yeah, yeah. It's so true. And we're just sort of used to, we're like the frog boiling. We're just sort of of used to these, these sort of subclinical issues or we just chalk them up to normal Aging, so. So yeah, there's definitely a lot to. To improve on and really dig into there. I wanted to go back just quickly to the idea around, you know, our lifestyle and addressing our stress and really the importance of, you know, being able to manage that. And just this, there's a really fascinating study with Galectin 3 showing that REG meditation or other stress relief practices doesn't have to be meditation. Like listening to calming music can, over time bring down your Galectin 3 levels significantly, but it takes practice. So initially they started the study and it took a while after practicing and for the galectin 3 levels to even budge. And then after six weeks of regular practice in these relaxation methods, the galectin 3 levels would go down much faster and significantly. So it just underscores the importance of maintaining that daily practice or that regular practice if you can't do it daily. But just getting into those habits and how they can really make a difference.

Yep. We often talk about James Clear's book, Right. Atomic Habits. You know, we don't rise to the level of our goals. We fall to the level of our systems that we have in place. And that is a daily strategy. And I love what you said, but it does take practice. I think people come out of the gate and go, oh, I should be able to meditate. And it's a practice. It takes time to develop those skills.

Retraining the body, retraining the brain, how to fire and wire. It does take time. And it doesn't have to be a long meditation. That's the thing.

Exactly.

As small as 5 minutes, 15 minutes a day can be enough to help just calm that limbic system, help things be more stable, because we're living in that sympathetic, overdriven state and that fight or flight, day in and day out.

Yeah. And I just love the fact that you have reiterated that throughout. You know, so many times when we're talking to companies, you know, when they're talking about a product, oftentimes it's all about the product. And what you're saying is, this product is great. It is. But that has to be paired with what are you doing? You know, what are you eating? What are you doing to mitigate your stressors, what are your practices on a daily basis? And I just want you to know I appreciate that. I do. And I think we need to be speaking loudly about that because we do need these buffers. I see this as a buffer. Right. It's a buffer. But we need to make sure that we are also speaking about what are those Foundational principles that we need to be doing on a daily basis to. To get the full benefit.

Exactly, the full benefit, as you said, because you know, you could be eating, you know, the standard American diet and skipping sleep and whatever and take some of these products to help with inflammation or other products and feel kind of feel okay, you can make it through your day. Right. And, but you're not getting the full benefits when you're, when you're using them to attenuate unhealthy lifestyles. You're just surviving. And I think too many of us are in that boat where we're busy and we just don't pay close attention and we eat on the go and you know, we have all the different things in our lives that you know, just what we have to take care of. So I think just being able to take a step back and recognize just how, you know, important the foundations are and nothing is going to get you to that optimal wellness if you don't have those foundations. That's right, an amazing product like Pectisol, it's going to help significantly. But if you want to get that full benefit and optimize your health, there's so, you know, there's some basics to really lay the groundwork with first and Pectisol can really help with that as well. So I think it's kind of like that perfect combination.

And I think we're all looking through the lens right now of what can we do, what's economical. Right. Because you look at supplementation, whether it be food based supplements or nutritional supplements, vitamins, minerals, nutrients, those types of things. But we look at them as it's a cost or through the traditional person's mindset, it's often a cost, but it's really an investment and you want to get the most out of your investment. And the way to get the most out of your investment is to see it as just that. It's another piece of the equation, but not solely by itself to get the most out of it.

I feel like fiber is a separate food group. We're not getting enough fiber in general. And for Lori and I in our practices, we oftentimes fiber is a non negotiable when someone's on hormone replacement therapy because we know the impact that it can have in helping balance those hormones and keep things regulated in a better way. And so finding a way to make that budget friendly has been the quest. But this can do so much more. That's the thing I like about it, it's fiber and so much More, you know, we're regulating those inflammatory markers. The other caveat to hormone balancing is oftentimes we can't get the hormones to behave if the levels of inflammation are high. And in fact, I typically won't even implement hormones in a patient patient that have high levels of inflammation because we know that can lead to dangerous consequences for those patients. And so I think this is going to be a really phenomenal tool to plug those holes for our patients. Yeah, sure.

For sure. Well, thank you so much. I didn't know if there's anything. I know that there might be a little bit of confusion, and I think it would be ideal to kind of talk about it. With Ecogenics and Clinical Synergy, there are two separate companies, right. Or names, but are they the same products?

Yeah. So Clinical Synergy. So Egogenics is the parent company founded in 1995 by Dr. Isaac Elias, and Clinical Synergy was introduced around 2016 as a separate health practitioner line, really catering to health practitioners. So it's a different website, different labels. The products are the same, but there's slightly different dosing. And there are a couple products in the Clinical Synergy line that are not in the ecogenics line because those really should be used under practitioner supervision. One of those is an Artemisin and complex, so needs to be pulsed and dosed specifically. And the other difference with Clinical Synergy is that there are a lot of resources for the health practitioner on that site. So once they have an approved account and they can log in, they can access the published research, they can access white papers, protocols, training videos, There's a lot of educational support geared for the practitioner to implement the products in their practice. Now, Ecogenics is available direct to consumer, and health practitioners can also purchase that line as well and dispense those products to their patients. And some practitioners prefer that because they know that patients recognize that brand, so it's just easier for them to implement. And then with Ecogenics, those products obviously are on Amazon, so the Clinical Synergy are not. And so that's the benefit for some practitioners who want to just keep dispensing from their practice, essentially.

Okay.

And I do think those are important questions because those are the questions that we will often get to. You know, I saw this. Is it the same? And I want to go back to what you said about, you know, I've always been a firm believer and I think, Kelly, you and I have been the same about utilizing, whether it be a vitamin, mineral, nutrient or a prescription of sorts. It is a prescription. It is Being prescribed to you for the treatment of it can have. When you mix it with certain things, there's a certain way to take it. All of that communication is so important for the outcome. So really appreciate what you said about that. Because there are certain products and product lines, it sounds like those are things that you as a company believe. The same thing is that these should not be used, just someone buying it online. I also know for sure that there's a lot of fraud happening in the industry and it's extremely difficult, difficult to manage what happens online with whether it be Amazon or just anyone selling online. I don't think it's unique to Amazon in any way, shape or form. And so I think as practitioners, I really appreciate when we can direct buy. We know it is your product and there are just a lot of people doing a lot of sketchy things out there and you can't count on it these days. And so whether or not it has, you know, one label or another. So thank you for having that differentiator because I think more people do need to have access to it and Ecogenics allows that to happen. But for providers like ourselves that really create treatment plans unique and individualized to the patient, we appreciate the ability to do it that way.

Yeah. And we do offer a lot of training opportunities to train our practitioners on the use of the products so they can reach out to us to schedule one on one trainings, trainings for their clinic. And that's part of what I do as well as Director of Education. So I love just sharing the research and the various ways that the products can be used for different populations and.

How they should be used. Right. So yeah, it sounds like that is near and dear to your heart and we, we appreciate that so much. Well, thank you so much for taking time today to talk to us about Peptisol C and about the research. I'm incredibly excited about utilizing it more. I've been using it for a while myself and looking forward to sharing it with more of our patients. And we just really appreciate you taking the time out of your busy schedule schedule to meet with us today.

Thank you so much for having me. This has been wonderful.

The Synergy Podcast is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing or other professional healthcare services, including the giving of medical advice and no doctor patient relationship is formed. The content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical conditions they may have and should seek the assistance of their healthcare professionals for any such conditions.