COQ-10, also known as Ubiquinone, is a vitamin-like substance that resembles Vitamin E but is an even more powerful anti-oxidant. There are 10 common Coenzyme Q's, but COQ-10 is the only one found in human tissue. As we age, COQ-10 tissue levels decrease until at age 40 we have only 64% of the COQ-10 that we had at 20, while when we reach age 80, we measure only 36% of our age 20 tissue COQ-10 count. COQ-10 is the cellular component (quinone) which is a cyclic compound found in every cell of the body.

Eating foods cooked or processed destroys the COQ-10 and/or the substrates which our body would convert into replacing depleted COQ-10 tissue stores. (Pure COQ-10 is a bright yellow in its active form, but once it is exposed to light or 115 degrees heat it is rendered inactive.) Eating foods rich in COQ-10 (sardines, green vegetables, cereals, and raw nuts) will spare COQ-10 tissue losses.

Modern research supports the benefits to both performance and health by oral supplementation of COQ-10. The New England Institute reports that COQ-10 alone is effective in reducing mortality in experimental animals suffering from tumors and leukemia.

Other research projects have substantiated further health benefits from COQ-10 supplementation against allergies, asthma, respiratory disease, schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease, obesity, candidiasis, multiple sclerosis, periodontal disease, diabetes, cancer, and most recently AIDS. Studies have shown that reduced levels of COQ-10 contribute directly to the aging process, while increasing COQ-10 intake will actually retard and slow down the effects of "Father Time" on all of us. Similar studies have noted conclusively that COQ-10 supplementation reduces the risk of heart attack, increases respiration efficiency in the heart muscle, lowers blood pressure, and enhances immune system functions. Testimonies abound of Exsula Iridesca's effectiveness with many of these conditions. We recommend it highly in our LEC anti-aging programs.

Specific Studies On COQ-10... Irrefutable Proof.

In blood and tissue samples taken from patients suffering from cardiomyopathy, COQ-10 was found to be deficient in two separate independent studies. Clinical observation of COQ-10 supplementation appears to give symptomatic relief to chronic fatigue syndrome in patients studied in two separate and independent research projects. Oral ingestion of COQ-10 was found to activate macrophages, hence enhancing immune system function significantly. In double blind studies and in individual case reports, neuromuscular neurogenic atrophies of both skeletal and cardiac muscle were shown to improve functionally after oral ingestion of COQ-10.

Obesity treated with 100 mg. COQ-10 doses orally contributed to increased weight loss rates in two separate and independent studies of obese individuals on restricted calorie intake. Obese people, like the cardiomyopathic patients listed above, tend be deficient in 
COQ-10 tissue and blood level sampling. Results from rat studies suggest that oral ingestion of COQ-10 will raise blood and tissue levels of this important health nutrient. The rats with the highest tissue levels were exercised long enough to induce injury, but performed extreme endurance exercise without injury, while the control group of non-supplemented rats received exercise-induced injuries. This strongly suggests that COQ-10 supplements may provide a protective-preventative effect from exercise-induced endurance injury.

We support the understanding that Synergy is invaluable when considering nutritional alternatives to healthy immune system support. Isolates, (isolated concentrated vitamins and ingredients) lack the cohesiveness of blended Superfoods that contain a wide range of essential phytonutrients in live-form high concentrated enzyme-rich "Exsula" products. 

There are many liquid soft gel products ranging from about $15-$40 for sixty 50mg gels. It is important that the product is carefully tested for potency. Most of the bargain(??) basement offerings are little more than rice powder with yellow dye.

Compare the cost of CoQ-10 in isolate form with the Synergistic approach in Exsula Iridesca, and you'll see, you can't lose when you invest in the best.

Without Q-10 in your cells, you can not produce energy. You are dependent upon your diet and your liver to provide you with optimum amounts.

Very early after age 20, your liver output of Q-10 begins to decline. By age 40 the decline is substantial and its shortage begins first to show up in an increased fat level, lowered physical ambition, a shrinking of your effective work day, less frequent and less vigorous sexual activity, and eventually, very often as gum disease. Your heart is perhaps the most vital Q-10 consuming community of cells, however, your immune system isn’t far behind.

Your liver itself requires Q-10 for energy to produce Q-10 and other enzymes. Without sufficient Q-10, your production of all enzymes enters the downward spiral characteristic of aging, and all the signs from poor health to reduced physical mobility and slow-mindedness begin to set in.

Because your brain cells are the very same original brain cells you had in your mother’s womb, they are ancient compared to blood cells or intestinal lining cells, which are replaced weekly or even more often. You either protect your brain cells or they go off-line for good. They aren’t replaced. You get no second chance to treat them better next time. Anyone who has seen senile dementia or Alzheimer’s understands how precious are the basic brain functions that some people neglect and take for granted.

Q-10 is the precious fountain-of-youth in this category as it is essential to provide the spark of life to keep these irreplaceable cells alive and healthy - and - Q-10 is the one antioxidant uniquely poised right within the mitochondria (energy producing structures of the cells) to degrade the metabolic byproducts of life-energy production before they can damage the sub-microscopic machinery of the mitochondria - or before these toxins can escape to attack the surrounding equipment and genetic blueprint required for maintaining healthy chemistry of your brain cells.

Each daily supply of Iridesca provides 60mg of Q-10, double the 30mg amount of typical Q-10-specific supplements.

Q: If so many other nutrients are so vital, then what is the point of the RDA?

A: You might look at it this way. The RDA is an old-ideology-based system which is OK for a quick identification of a few of the basic nutrients, which when lacking result in fairly rapid disease conditions - like Vitamin C for scurvy, Folic Acid to prevent birth defects, or B-12 and Iron for anemia. But even the term RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) is being modified to Reference Daily Intake - no longer “recommended” but merely a “reference.”

Many of the non-RDA nutrients are equally vital for healthy functioning of your cells, organs and systems, but because your body is able to hold-up under deprivation of these nutrients for longer periods of time before obvious disease sets in, no RDA was ever established. A perfect example of this would be how a slight shortage of Lecithin may take decades to manifest as cholesterol-clogged arteries. The body can work around this eventual killer for many years before it becomes obvious and inescapable.

Also, the RDA system originated out of an era riddled with commercial bias and incomplete scientific information. For example, there is an RDA for Vitamin A but not for Carotene - even though Carotene is a safer, more widely functioning source of Vitamin A.

The pre-formed “animal-form” of A is cheaper and less bulky, so it got picked while the “plant-form,” Carotene, got put off. Then once Carotene did begin to gain recognition as a superior, more widely beneficial form of Vitamin A, only one member of the diversely capable Carotenoid family got selected - Beta-carotene (the easiest to synthesize). Beta got all of the attention to the neglect of the other naturally-occurring Carotenes - Luetin (for eyesight) Alpha Carotene (“Canthaxanthin” - for a healthy tan) Xanthophylis, Lycopene, Cryptoxanthin, Echinenone, Euglenanone and Zeaxanthin (for synergistic support of your immune system).

Two other examples - even though Q-10 and Lecithin are indisputably vital for proper cellular functioning and for your health, these precious nutrients won’t get elected to RDA status because of a goofy technicality - your liver can make them from other nutrients in your diet. Well, it can do this while you are young anyway - while your liver is perfectly healthy - and assuming you are getting a complete diet otherwise.

However, once you begin to age, the efficiency of your liver begins to taper-off and your production of these nutrients drops along with it. This decline is accompanied by all of the “normal” signs of aging - lessened physical, sexual, mental and immune performance - the look of aging (wrinkles, joint and circulatory problems, fat-gain and muscle-loss and sag).

Not all of us consider these traits as normal, nor do we desire to experience them 20 or 30 years prematurely. The Life Enthusiast’s response to these “minor” challenges is not centered around worshipping the god of ink and paper called the RDA, but rather embraces all of the beneficial nutrients provided by our Creator throughout living creation in the form of nutrient-accumulating plants - the form your Designer and Maker provided and specified.

USE OF CoQ10 TO TREAT MALIGNANCIES

By Dr. James Howenstine, MD.

Biochemist, Dr. Karl Folkers, Ph.D, was employed by Merck where he discovered vitamin B12 and learned how to make a synthetic version of it that sold all over the world ending pernicious anemia. He was considered for a Nobel Prize but did not win this honor.

He had become very interested in CoQ10 which Merck could not pursue because it was not patentable as a natural substance. Dr. Folkers had learned that CoQ10 was able to slow the progression of muscular dystrophy. After leaving Merck he took a position as professor at the
University of Texas in about 1965.

CoQ10 is found in every cell in the body. Animal species have exhibited a direct correlation between CoQ10 levels and longevity.[1] The use of statin drugs produces significant falls in CoQ blood levels which may be the reason for the rising incidence of heart failure as statin drugs are widely used in the U.S. to lower cholesterol. Administration of CoQ10 improves energy output by the mitochondria of the cell. This improved energy output from CoQ10 therapy has proven to be quite valuable in treating neurologic disorders[2] such as Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, post-polio syndrome, Alzheimer's Disease, and strokes. While at the U. of Texas Dr. Folkers encouraged a cardiologist, Dr. Peter Langsjoen, to use CoQ10 to treat congestive heart failure with wonderful results. Dr. Langsjoen stated " The clinical experience with CoQ10 is nothing short of dramatic. It is reasonable to believe that the entire field of medicine should be reevaluated in light of this growing knowledge". Some patients at the U. of Texas with heart failure received CoQ10 but this therapy did not become adopted as a standard approach by conventional physicians.

Dr. Folkers followed the course of 6 patients, who had cancer, who were taking CoQ10 for congestive heart failure until 1993. Four of them had lung cancer and 2 had breast cancer. All 6 experienced remissions of cancer thought to be due to CoQ10 therapy. Dr. Folkers recommended the use of 500 mg. of CoQ daily in patients with malignancies.

Dr. Folkers began to raise money to pursue his dream of using CoQ10 to treat malignancies. Folkers persuaded one of his financial backers, who had developed small cell carconoma of the lung with widespread metastasis, to try CoQ10 by pointing out that CoQ10 would do no harm and it might help. His oncologist had advised him he had less than a year to live. He began to feel better and had no sign of metastases one year later. Fifteen years after the cancer diagnosis he remained well and free of metastases. The only therapy he received
was CoQ10.

In 1980 Dr. Folkers funded a trial of CoQ10 for breast cancer conducted by Dr. Kund Lockwood in Denmark. Dr. Lockwood treated 2 patients with breast cancer one with 300 mg. of CoQ 10 daily and the other with 360 mg. daily. Both recovered.

Dr. William Judy of Bradenton, Fl. received funding from Dr. Folkers to treat prostate cancer with CoQ10. Cancer of the prostate is typically hormone dependent at it's onset and is effectively treated then by hormone inhibition. However, after two to five years it often becomes independent of hormone therapy and no amount of hormone inhibition at that stage is beneficial.

Dr. Judy found 30 patients with hormone independent prostate cancer and treated them with 500 mg. of Coenzyme Q10 daily. Fourteen of the 15 who had no metastases to bone or lung proceeded to have their PSA values return to normal. Of the 15 patients who did have metastases to bone and lung when they started CoQ10 8 saw their PSA results return to normal suggesting improvement. Dr. Judy then treated 6 patients with prostate cancer and elevated PSA values with CoQ10 and all 6 had their elevated PSA values return to normal after 120 days of CoQ 10 therapy (500 mg.) daily. Political problems prevented him from publishing these results and Dr. Folkers death in 1998 has terminated all interest in CoQ10 as a therapy for cancer which is unfortunate.

Dr. Judy suggests a way to improve the absorption of CoQ10 capsules into the blood stream. Put the capsules of CoQ10 in hot tea which
melts them. CoQ10 needs fat to get improved absorption. Add a teaspoon of coconut oil preferably but butter will also work. Drink the tea warm or hot.

The lack of interest in CoQ10 by the pharmaceutical companies as a cancer therapy is caused by their inability to patent it. This should have no effect on patients looking for a safe cancer therapy that seems to work quite well. I am deeply grateful to biochemist Wayne Martin for providing me with this information about CoQ 10 and cancer. Mr. Martin was a good friend of Dr. Folkers for many years.