AIM Composure

Stress

Everyone experiences stress. But what triggers it is different in everyone. Personality, genes, and experiences all influence how we deal with stress.

Whatever the cause, stress is a factor in many diseases. Stress may aggravate an existing health problem, or trigger an illness if you’re at risk for the condition. Various surveys estimate that stress contributes to 80 percent of major illnesses such as cardiovascular disease, digestive diseases (ulcers, ulcerative colitis), mental disorders, injuries, nervous system and sensory-organ diseases, musculoskeletal diseases, cancers, endocrine and metabolic diseases, skin disorders, and infectious ailments of all kinds.

Although we do not completely understand how illness and stress interact, researchers are looking into it. Indeed, the field of psychoneuroimmunology has emerged, which focuses on how the central nervous system and immune system influence each other during stress.

Whatever the cause of stress, the body’s physical response to stress is similar to its reaction to a physical threat. Your body reacts to face the "challenge":

A hormone called corticotropin releasing factor stimulates the pituitary gland to release adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). This signals your adrenal gland to release more hormones, including adrenaline and cortisol.

Adrenaline and cortisol prepare your body to respond to stress. Your heart beats faster, breathing quickens, and blood pressure rises.

Blood carrying oxygen and nutrients is redirected to organs that need more energy to function with stress, such as your brain and muscles. Less blood goes to your stomach and skin.

Potential energy sources—blood sugar (glucose) and fat—are released into your blood. Fibrin, a chemical that causes blood to clot more easily, is also released, perhaps to slow or stop bleeding in case of injury.

Many of these physical changes can hurt your health over a long period of time.

• Immune system: Cortisol produced during the stress response may suppress your immune system, increasing your susceptibility to infectious diseases. Studies suggest the incidence of bacterial infections such as tuberculosis and group A streptococcal disease increase during stress. Stress may also make you prone to upper respiratory viral infections such as the common cold or flu.
• Cardiovascular disease: Under acute stress, your heart beats quickly, making you more susceptible to angina (a type of chest pain) and heart rhythm irregularities. When stress persists, increased blood clotting as a result of the stress response can put you at risk for a heart attack or stroke.

Other relationships between illness and stress aren’t as clear-cut. But stress may worsen symptoms if you’re prone to certain conditions:

• Asthma: If you have asthma, a stressful situation can make your airways overactive and precipitate an attack.
• Gastrointestinal problems: Stress can make your symptoms worse if you have a gastrointestinal disorder such as an ulcer or irritable bowel syndrome.
  
  

To help combat stress, change whatever factors you can. If possible, get out of the stressful situation. If that is not possible, there are a number of things you can do:

• Exercise regularly: The natural decrease in adrenaline production after exercise may counteract the stress response. People who are physically fit handle stress better.
• Relax: Techniques such as guided imagery, meditation, muscle relaxation, and relaxed breathing can help you relax. You can also focus on hobbies or activities you find calming.
• Find a friend: Having friends and family members for support makes dealing with stress easier.
• Eat a good diet: Be sure you get:
  • nutrients that help your adrenal glands, which stimulate the liver to convert glycogen (stored sugar) to glucose. These nutrients include pantothenic acid, vitamin C, and potassium.
  • nutrients that help fight infection that could result when ill or stressed. These nutrients include vitamin C, vitamin E, and potassium.
  • nutrients that help keep the thymus, which produces the T cells that fight disease, from shrinking and working less in times of stress. These nutrients include vitamin A, vitamin C, and zinc.
  • nutrients that are known to help out in times of stress. These include B vitamins and magnesium.

AIM Composure

AIM Composure is a special blend of the extracts of eight herbs that work together to help you in times of stress. You may find yourself more relaxed, and when combined with a healthy diet, experience a healthy sense of well-being.

Many of the individual herbs in AIM Composure also contain flavonoids. Flavonoids are chemical compounds found in fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds that often have beneficial effects. Flavonoids have been found to stimulate the immune system, and their ongoing study may contribute to a better understanding of the effects of the environment on our immune system and on the development and control of allergies.

Best results are obtained by taking 2 capsules a day, before meals. You may take them with water or your favorite juice. You may take more or less, depending on an assessment of your daily needs.

Why do you use herbal extracts instead of whole herbs?
There is a debate concerning whole herbs and herbal extracts. One view states that whole herbs give you the synergy of everything found in plants, and that some of this could be lost when extracts are made. The other view states that extracts make it possible to control the amount of the active substances—you do not have to worry about “potency” changing from batch to batch. There is merit in both of these views, and we encourage you to study the issue and come to your own decision.

AIM uses extracts for AIM Composure because we try to supply Members with a range of products.

These herbs are also in AIM Herbal Fiberblend. Why don’t I just take this?
AIM Composure was created because so many people experienced benefits from the herbs in AIM Herbal Fiberblend and asked us to give them the herbs without the fiber. You can, of course, take AIM Herbal Fiberblend and get some of the herbal effect.

Can I take AIM Composure with AIM Herbal Fiberblend or other AIM products?
Yes, you can take AIM Composure with other AIM products. Taking AIM Composure with AIM Herbal Fiberblend will enhance the herbal benefits of AIM Composure.

Will this product make me sleepy?
Some people do experience this effect, while others do not.

Do I need to take AIM Composure every day?
The needs of each individual vary. Some people feel it is useful to take AIM Composure only during times of stress. Others use it regularly as part of an overall health program. AIM Composure should be used daily during the period of supplementation in which you choose to use it (as opposed to taking it twice a week or whenever you feel like using it). There is no problem with daily use of AIM Composure from a safety point of view.

Is it better to take AIM Composure during the day, or should I only take it at night?
Take AIM Composure when you feel it is needed. Some people take it during the day to help with stressful situations, and others take it in the evening to help relax.

Which herbs are found in Composure?
AIM Composure uses herbal extracts. This means that you do not have to take as many capsules to get the same benefits, and the quantity of active ingredients remains consistent. The extracts are obtained through a process that uses water, not harmful solvents.

AIM Composure is 100 percent natural. There are no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives, nor are there any added sugars, salts, yeast, or fillers. Following are the individual herbs that make up AIM Composure:

• Alfalfa
  Affects: stomach, blood
  Alfalfa is one of the green grasses, which are some of the most nutritionally rich foods there are. It is a source of chlorophyll, beta carotene, and minerals. It is especially rich in minerals, as it pulls up nutrients from root depths as great as 130 feet.
  
• Irish Moss
  Affects: lungs, kidneys, skin
  Irish moss contains 15 of the 18 elements composing the human body. It contains vitamins A, D, E, and K and is also high in iodine and calcium.
  
• Marshmallow Root
  Affects: intestines, kidneys, bladder
  Marshmallow root derives its botanical name from the Greek word altho, which means "to heal." Humbart Santillo, in Natural Healing with Herbs, calls marshmallow root a nutritive. Michael Castleman, in The Healing Herbs, notes that it is a digestive aid.
  
• Oatstraw
  Affects: nerves, uterus, stomach, lungs
  Research has shown that oat bran, and to a lesser extent oatmeal, may help reduce high blood cholesterol. Oats contain flavonoids, a number of minerals, vitamins B1, B2, D, E, and carotene, as well as wheat protein. Santillo, in Natural Healing with Herbs, notes that oatstraw is good for the nerves, and Penelope Ody, in The Complete Medicinal Herbal, notes that it may help with depression.
  
• Passionflower
  Affects: nerves, circulation
  Passionflower was used by Native Americans to soothe the nerves, and there is evidence that it does that. Its constituents maltol, ethyl-maltol, and some flavonoids are potentially sedating, and another constituent, passi-florine, reportedly promotes calmness and ability to sleep. In Europe passionflower is used in sedative preparations.
  
• Shavegrass (Horsetail grass)
  Affects: kidneys, blood, heart, and lungs
  Shavegrass is a member of one of the oldest groups of plants on earth. The plant’s success can be attributed to its ability to grow in poor soil with minimum moisture. It has been used both internally and externally since the sixteenth century, usually as a powder. As an herb, the entire plant is used. It contains flavonoids and minerals.
  
• Slippery Elm Bark
  Affects: whole body
  Slippery elm bark was used by Native Americans as a skin ointment, and at one time it was listed in the U.S. Pharmacopoeia, a book describing medicinal preparations. Castleman, in The Healing Herbs, and Ody, in The Complete Medicinal Herbal, cite the bark as being good for digestion.
  
• Yucca
  Affects: blood
  The yucca is a cactus-like succulent common to the western United Sates and most of Mexico. It has been commonly used by Native Americans for centuries as a soap for personal hygiene.

Keep bottle tightly closed. Store in a cool, dry place, out of reach of children.