Energy, Stress Support & Immune Strength with Bio-Strath

Laura chats with Naturopath Dr. Owen Wiseman about increasing energy, supporting the body through stress, and increasing immunity, all with the help of Bio-Strath, an awesome whole body supplement. Tune in to find out what it is and how it could help you!

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Links Mentioned

A. Vogel website – get 20% off site wide with coupon code: newmamanation20

Dr. Owen Wiseman:
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Transcript

You’re listening to The Love & Lettuce Podcast, episode number 27. Today I am you guys doing my first ever interview on my podcast? I am so excited. I’m interviewing Dr. Owen Wiseman. And we are talking about bio strath one of my all time favorite supplements. Dr. Owen Wiseman is a naturopath, I will let him introduce himself. When we get started. We recorded the interview already. And it was just so fun to talk to someone who is so passionate not only about BIOS dress but about health as well just as much as I am. So I can’t wait for you to hear and get all your questions about bio stress that you may or may not have. Because you may not know what the heck I’m talking about answered. Here we go.

Hey, this is Laura Lima, holistic nutritionist and founder of New Mama Nation and host of The Love & Lettuce Podcast. I am here to help mamas know what to eat to give them energy and help them feel fantastic so they can better enjoy life with their littles. And remember, this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and does not replace medical advice from your healthcare provider, and is not intended to diagnose or treat any medical condition. As always, please consult your healthcare provider to find out what is right for you. With that said, let’s get to the show!

Could you use more energy, mama? I mean, who couldn’t, right?

Get my free New Mama Energy Guide, where I’ll give you 10 tips to increase your energy, stat. Go to bit.ly/newmamas to get your free copy. 

One of my favorite supplements is called Bio-Strath. yYou probably have heard me talk about it lots of times on my Instagram stories. And it is kind of like a whole body tonic or a whole body elixir kind of like a multivitamin. But I would say even more comprehensive. It’s got vitamins, it’s got minerals, amino acids. So many other naturally occurring nutrients. It’s bio-available, meaning that you can digest and absorb it into your cells where those nutrients need to be.

So your body can use it for energy. It’s also great for stress. It’s also great for supporting a healthy immune system. Bio-Strath is amazing. And you can now get 20% off with my coupon code. NEWMAMANATION20. If you go A.Vogel’s website and use code NEWMAMANATION20. And as a side note, you can actually get 20% off the entire A.Vogel site. And my other favorite product is called Echinaforce. You will see it there. Because my friends, it is so good for colds and flu. It helps to support a healthy immune system. I take it whenever I feel like I’m getting a cold or a flu, any kind of symptoms.

And the best part about it is that it is safe during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Yes, there are so many supplements that just aren’t able to make that claim. But this one can so Echinaforce. I love it. There’s also Echinaforce Jr. for the kiddos. And of course Bio-Strath and PS there’s Bio-Strath Jr. for the kids as well love it. So A.Vogel with coupon code NEWMAMANATION20.

Dr. Owen Wiseman

I am here with Dr. Owen Wiseman. Today, I am so excited to talk about probably one of my favorite supplements ever called Bio-Strath. And I have personally been using the supplement, or taking it I should say, for at least 15 years. So welcome Dr. Owen. Thank you so much for having me. Yeah, me too. Let’s talk about you, you because you’re a naturopathic doctor, right?

How did you get into this field? And how did you start talking about what made you choose bio stress and products like it?

Yeah, so I’ve been an MD for a number of years now still feels pretty weird to say that but the journey to get to this point actually used to be a clinical researcher at our local children’s hospital. Really enjoyed that. And we’re studying from Andy Waller was always going through that a couple of things happen there that just kind of disenfranchised me and I knew I wanted to explore different avenues of health and really engage with someone’s health on a deeper level just like you through diet through lifestyle. So actually ended up shadowing with an MD and that was it. I recognized what I wanted with someone was time and I just wanted to spend time getting to know someone and getting to know them beyond this symptom that they were coming to see me. 

So even in my practice how that’s translated, I really am not interested in appointment by appointment solutions. And much like you do, it’s all about transforming someone’s health, instead of just, here’s the pill of the day or the supplement of the day.

I love that. It’s been a good journey. Good. And how did you start with bio strap? Because with your researching background, I’m so curious, what made you jump onto that one? As I have?

Yeah, Bio-Strath was interesting. So they’ve actually been around since the 1960s -1961. To be more specific, so they’re decades old. And when you have a product that is that old, it really gets you interested in there how it works. And I think one curiosity I always have, especially coming from a heavy research background is how does that product work? How is it doing what it’s doing? So one thing I always really enjoyed about Bio-Strath was that they have over 35 different clinical trials.

So when a customer when a patient when a client asks you, how am I getting the benefit from this, you’re not sitting there spinning some marketing gimmick language, and it’s this, it’s the most amazing thing ever, we shrink the molecule so they get into your cells easier. It’s easy to have a conversation about it says what it does. It’s backed up by clinical trials because a lot of people are fine with the anecdotal evidence and well, you know, this has worked for a lot of people. And this is how they felt.

But no, Bio-Strath actually has clinical trials to back it up with so many different health benefits. And I do love that about it. Exactly, exactly. That was my big thing is I never I remember interviewing with a few different companies. And we were looking at sign a consulting contract. And a lot of them really quickly asked me about what’s your sales experience? I don’t have any I have never been in retail. So I don’t have sales experience, but I educated experience. And that was something that with Bio-Strath that got me really interested where I went. Okay, they haven’t asked me a single thing about numbers, which again, are not my forte. So I like this, I like the fact that they really are just focused on the education side. I totally agree with you. And yeah, I just I love that. It is about education. It’s not just about here’s this thing, and you know, yeah, it’s gonna be great. Just, you know, just do it. This is why it could help you. And this is how to take it. And these are the amazing things that it can do in your body and for your body. So I totally agree with the education part.

I used to work at a health food store for many years. And for me, it was never about the sales. In fact, we wouldn’t get commission for anything. And if we had, it would have felt weird. It might sound weird to hear that. But I always maintained that it would feel strange to me if I knew that, oh, I should sell more of this product or that product. No, like it was all about this is how I feel about you, the customer coming in. And what this could potentially do for you. It wasn’t about just pushing one thing. So I love the education side of it, for sure. Especially if I was struck, you need to know like, What the heck is this thing?

So let’s get into that. What exactly is Bio-Strath?

Yeah, so it’s a fermented product, basically, is what it comes down to. And some of the language they like to use – it’s a multivitamin and mortar. I know what we’ll chat about that later. But when it comes to what exactly it is. So that kind of involves going a bit into the history. Like I said, the company itself was founded in 1961 by the current CEOs father, Friedrich. And so Friedrich was battling this condition called Meniere’s, and it’s basically a disease of the inner ear so really affects your balance. It gives you a sense of vertigo, you get dizzy spells, you get hearing loss, and he had tried everything, and in most cases, many years only affects one ear. And he had been to a specialist and nothing was working. And it’s pretty traumatizing in your day to day life when you fall over, especially if you’re elderly. And then he ended up going to see this German physician, Dr. Walter Strathmere. 

I never knew that. And he had made this yeast product. It’s like an herbal yeast. Elixir is what they called it back then. He took it for a while per Dr. Scott Myers recommendations and the Meniere’s cleared up. So immediately, Friedrich being a business man, he goes, I need to get this into the hands of everybody. Everyone could benefit from this. And so they came to an agreement about licensing the product for manufacture. And that’s how Bio-Strath really came to be what it is today.

It’s across 50 Different countries now. So there is a huge success. But the question at the core of that is what exactly is it? Yeah, so it’s this yeast and I like to describe it as an inactive yeast. So people are thinking, oh my gosh, is this going to feed yeast infections or breed them? I always say no. Oh no, no, like actually it can help. It can help with it. But that’s a side note.

How does it work in the body?

So it’s an inactive fermented yeast substance. So what does that mean? How does it work in the body in the cell? Yeah, so there’s a proprietary plant and herb blend that they use the Dr. Walter Stroud Meyer put together. So basically, what they do right now is, that blend is put together with Saccharomyces serve ACA. And that yeast species, and the plants and herbs sit in these 412,000 liter tanks that go really, really deep into the ground. Just massive. And they ferment over two months. And in that two month period, these yeast cells break down the plants and herbs, way more efficiently than we ever could. If we spent months and months with the food, we could break it down equally as small, but because these microscopic species can get at really, really small components of the different plants and herbs, they’re releasing way more than what we release.

So at the end of that two month period, you end up getting this product that’s basically just all these different plants and herbs broken down into basic building blocks. That’s it. So so much easier for our bodies to digest and absorb those nutrients. Exactly, yep. Wow, I love that.

How does it compare with a typical multivitamin?

Because people will take the one pill a day, even a three a day. And I’m not saying they’re bad. Certainly, they have their place. But how does it compare?

Yeah, so in North America, we definitely fall prey to the idea of, well, if a little is good, then more must be better. And that includes our multivitamins. I mean, mega doses seem to have become the norm. So I really like Bio-Strath as an option, because the nutrients have already been fermented by those yeast species. So it makes it way easier on the gut when they’re already bioavailable like they are. And that isn’t just me saying they’ve done countless studies on fermentation. We know if we look at cultures, with kefir or sauerkraut or kimchi, that they’re releasing so many more nutrients.

There was a study in 2016. And basically, researchers wanted to study the bioavailability of iron in fermented foods. So more specifically, I think it was iron bioavailability in fermented foods, and it was found to be greater in lactic acid fermented vegetables than in fresh vegetables. So lactic acid fermentation is exactly what’s happening with those foods that I mentioned earlier. And when you actually measure the iron absorption in the blood of the human participants in that trial, they absorbed 100% more iron from the fermented foods.

Wow, look at that. It’s amazing. Those smaller amounts of the fermented nutrients or the fermented vegetables turned into these nutrients in Bio-Strath. The smaller amounts becoming a lot more easy for your body to digest and absorb and therefore use, as opposed to a multivitamin or one vitamin or mineral that might not have that same bioavailability. Yeah, because we tend to a lot of the big, big multivitamins or that shotgun approach, we’re just going to put in as much as we can fit into that one capsule or serving size, and just hope that you absorb it. But that’s the problem because we’re assuming that their gut is super healthy, no inflammation and can easily absorb it. Which we know is not true for most of North America.

Exactly, that’s the point, right? And I’m not against, in fact, I’m very much for taking isolated nutrients where necessary. So for example, magnesium 100%, I take extra magnesium on its own depending on the type of magnesium that is glycinate, the citrate versus the oxide, and so on. So they have their place. But this is almost like I think of it like a whole body, as you said, elixir or whole body tonic, where I just take it and I know that it covers my bases and so much more than that, too. But I really do feel the difference with it.

Bio-Strath Benefits

So can you talk about the benefits because for me personally, I just feel energy and not just physical energy, but mental as well. And as busy moms, we need all the mental energy that we can get. And I noticed when I’ve forgotten to take it or when I haven’t bought a new one in a while and I’m like, Oh my gosh, what am I doing? Like I need my Bio-Strath. I noticed it is a noticeable difference for me.

Yeah, and you’re preaching to the choir here. I’m definitely I think many of my patients, all the new moms, they come to me and they think I probably have one of those seven day am to pm pill organizers, but usually a one handful kind of Doc. So that’s a big part. And we just want something that we can quickly take. We know it’s good. We know it’s going to give us all the building blocks that we’re taking. So I am definitely in that camp with you. But in terms of the benefits, like I mentioned earlier, one thing that attracted me to Bio-Strath was all of the different clinical trials.

So a big tag line that you often hear, it is good for the whole family. And it is true because when you look at the range of studies, they haven’t been so narrow to only focus on a single type of group. So we’re only focusing on adults between 40 and 60. What they’ve done is we’ve looked at studies with children with ADD and ADHD, saying they did a trial on an entire eighth grade class, and they gave half of them by a shot. The other half didn’t the group taking bio shot, did better on their academics and their grades like nutrition, but this is what we do. Right? Yeah, just help the kids get their basic nutrition. Of course, they’re gonna perform better. Yeah.

So you were talking about the studies that were being done in the different groups? Was there another one that I cut you off when you were talking about oh, no, I could go on, right? Oh, yeah, no, they did the, they looked at even the number of absences and kids taking Bio-Strath. So the group taking Bio-Strath were in school more often than the group that wasn’t immediately if you can keep your kid in school more often, when they’ve looked at elderly people and memory.

So elderly people given a Bio-Strath supplement, they actually had a better memory, they’re better working memory, better short term memory as well. So immediately, again, we’re looking at just basic nutrition with our elderly loved ones, oftentimes, appetites not their thirst isn’t there. And you know, that just slows down and all that? Yeah, out the window. So if you can just help them meet their basic needs. They’re gonna do better. Yeah. So it’s so easy to do to take weight.

How do you take it?

I know that there’s the my favorite one is the elixir. So the original, syrupy substance. It tastes kind of like honey, it’s very sweet. My girls love that one too. But it does come in tablets as well. And it comes in drops too. Yeah. So really, for that, I prefer the elixir to I really like kind of that molasses. See viscosity that? Oh, yeah, molasses. It’s more molasses than honey. That’s true. And it does have honey in it. And so I’ve actually put it over kind of frozen yogurt before. It’s really good. I had someone that I met and one of the stores telling me about that and that is genius. Good idea. Never thought of that, you need to license that idea!

Yeah, exactly. So the popsicles is another big one. I love just making a mix of the Bio-Strath elixir, and I’ll thin it out with a bit of water, turn it into a popsicle, and then the young people in your life here. It’s already naturally sweetened with honey and malt. So you don’t have to add anything, either. Yes. That idea? Like yes have a popsicle. Do you want a popsicle? Yeah, this is just water. You just mix it? Yeah, exactly. And you know that they’re getting the nutrients and you’re tricking them into doing something good. I love it because they’re really concentrated. So compared to the tincture, the tablets in the elixir are definitely more concentrated. So with the tabs, they are a choking hazard under two under three. But what I’ll do again, for the young people just crush it up. And then you can sprinkle it into their applesauce, you can sprinkle it into salads, that you’re giving them any type of food just to give them that nutrient boost. And they’re not going to know the difference.

Really, these are things that we don’t think about. And I often talk about super nourishing your foods. So adding hemp seeds, and putting in some coconut oil to your almond butter when you’re dipping your apple slice into it. But I never thought about why Ostroff tablets as an another way of super nourishing your food? And it really would. That’s a good idea. Yeah. And I love that line.

And I mean, earlier even you just mentioned that energy and how you notice that your energy really does take a dive after you haven’t taken it for a number of days. And that’s, that kind of goes back to your question about Bio-Strath and how is it different from common multivitamin? So what you find in there because of the fermentation process with the yeast, is you actually get a lot of added nutrients in there. So things you don’t find in a multivitamin like L carnitine, less than mannin glutathione, even beta glucans. And for perspective, l carnitine. Is a shuttle for those fatty acids that we break down and convert into energy.

So immediately you’re getting an energy boost. l carnitine. Supports cognitive health. It seems to be particularly useful for those with ADD, ADHD, and chronic fatigue syndrome. So right there is our energy boost that are beyond the basic B vitamins. Absolutely.

Bio-Strath and pregnancy/cancer

And so you touched on this, but I’m going to get into it again. So energy for sure. Immune Support, huge now there have been clinical trials, I believe on cancer patients as well. Is that right? It’s a tricky road to walk. And it’s same with our pregnancy study. So they actually tracked pregnant women who were 18 getting Bio-Strath. And it helped me maintain their hemoglobin levels throughout pregnancy. So instead of feeling anemic and tired and fatigued all the time, it actually helped maintain their levels. And that’s, I’ll dive into this in a moment. But that’s related to the bioavailability of the nutrients and iron.

So that’s one study, but you don’t often hear about it, because there are restrictions just around talking about certain demographics, pressure from me. And on the other side is the cancer patients. So over in Switzerland, they’ve actually used it alongside patients that were receiving radiation therapy and chemotherapy and just think, what other natural health product do you find approved in chemo trials? 

So just to keep that energy up, just even to like normal, as opposed to so much energy. So it’s being depleted from the chemotherapy, radiation we assumed so even just to bring them back to their baseline like or, or close to it is just amazing. And their mental outlook, probably, and their emotional health. Now they track the vitality, their perspective on their health. And that’s a big thing with me, cancer and mortality is when we look at weight management. With cancer, we know one of the biggest predictors of death from cancer is weight. And if the weight is declining, declining, declining, how is your body going to function? So the nice thing is with Bio-Strath, we actually saw that their weight was maintained. And in a few patients that huge amount, the weight actually went up, I’m not talking, they put on 10 or 15 pounds, but even just going up a pound a pound and a half.

Bio-Strath and stress

That’s a really, really good outlook for their cancer as opposed to losing. Yeah, absolutely. Now what about stress, because stress is such a huge thing as well, for pregnant mamas, new moms, moms and toddlers. So talk about the benefits of bio strath when it relates to stress.

Yeah. So stress is definitely a big one. I think, especially as if anyone’s listening as you know, Laura’s another new mom as of six weeks. So there’s a lot of stress there with being a new mom. And the big thing for me is, how do we manage it? How do we cope with it because as soon as our body gets stressed, it drives us into an inflammatory state, our cortisol jumps up and our immune system gets heavily impaired. So right away, I’m thinking, all right, this is going to deplete a lot of nutrients, I need those nutrients to stay up so I can actively defend against things.

So with Bio-Strath, when they’ve looked at stress studies, even when you look across most of the studies, patients report feeling, or participants in the study report, feeling a better outlook on life and better general perspective of their own health. So when obediently you’re feeling alright, this is helping to decrease stress, and it’s a chicken egg scenario. But when it comes to zinc, we know that low zinc is associated with anxiety, and we stress chicken egg because is it low zinc, causing it or anxiety and stress depleting it? Right? Yeah, exactly. That’s a year. Yeah.

Either way. You’re getting it from Bio-Strath and a bioavailable form. Exactly. And that’s why it’s nice, too, they just released Bio-Strath Blessing, I think, last year. So if you find that your diet, you’re just particularly deficient in zinc, when you do an analysis with nutritionists like yourself, that’s a really good way to actually boost it up, particularly for that one nutrient. Or if you’re getting sick all the time. You don’t have the lab results, but you are just constantly man, I am getting the runny nose that’s going around or I just want to prevent getting it. Yeah, one with extra zinc could be great.

How do we take it?

Yep, exactly. How do we take it? I know that it suggests doing it multiple times a day. And then that’s a really big drawback for people. So could we say, well, you could have your full day’s dose in one meal? Or would we say we’re only having that small, let’s call it a small dose once a day. And that’s enough, like what do we do?

Yeah, so I’m normally kind of all in one handful. I have the tablets right here. And so usually in the morning, if I’m having breakfast, that’s when I’ll do most of them. Because the best kind of supplement is the one that you actually take. So the more complication and confusion we add especially in New mamas life, where we look at, oh, you have to take your Bio-Strath an hour away from this product and you have to take it breakfast and lunch but don’t take it too close to bed because the L carnitine. And B vitamins are going to be too stimulating. All all.

I’m sure many of you are hearing is obstacle obstacle obstacle. That’s all you’ve introduced. So like for me? Yeah, just take it all at once. That’s when most of us tend to take the most supplements and be the most compliant. Yeah, that’s what I do. I take it with breakfast. Hey, if I get it in with lunch too great, but if I take it once a day, typically I feel great with it. So it’s good to know that that is, quote acceptable. 

For sure, I mean, even, I always get asked what’s the healthiest lunch that my kid can have? And I’m like the one that they eat. Because you want them eating something, as opposed to throwing out or bringing it home and not having any energy throughout the day. Exactly. Their body will at least piece out, like piece together the nutrients that they can get from their meal. I agree with you.

Bio-Strath Jr.

So speaking of kids, so I know they just released junior version of Bio-Strath. Can you tell me more about that? This is exciting.

Yeah, I’m really excited that they actually just released that because we often always see products, kind of marketing for the adults, and then the adults end up passing them on to their kids. So now you have a product that specifically for those age groups for the junior group. So I mean, even looking at your three young ones, your three littles, we think, all right, that’s it. That’s a broad range of ages. So how do we really target all of them?

And so at just up to two teaspoons per day, that’s all that our littles actually need to get when it comes to Bio-Strath Jr. And like I said, with everything being fermented already, you know that they’re getting that nutrient boost. And I love your idea of how do we add things to other foods to make them that much more nutritious. Because that’s what our kids need. Yeah, I love it. I feel like I’ve said that a lot in this podcast, but I do love it. I really do.

Free of lactose free of MSG, free of preservatives, artificial coloring. So a really safe choice for growing tots, especially when we look at the link with artificial coloring and add or cognitive issues. Like, think about that people. When you’re choosing a multivitamin, I know that a lot of them. Thankfully, these days don’t have the same amount or any of the artificial colors or flavors, though a lot do. And sweeteners. It’s like, should you even give that my question is like, No, I’m actually not giving a multivitamin at all. If that’s my only option, I’d rather get the nutrients from food for my kids. But this is a way of getting it so much more naturally, without all those things. I mean, I love it when it doesn’t even contain allergenic substances when they’ve actually looked at allergy studies and people reacting to it because we do post marketing surveillance when things go on to the market to track reactions. And do we need to change the formulation but nothing’s been reported ever in terms of an allergenic response to it.

So it’s, it’s good for people who are fructose intolerant, it’s good for people, the tablets, at least if you’re gluten intolerant. I mean, it’s good. Just good. Yeah, that’s a good point. If you’re gluten intolerant, you can take the tablets, that’s the one for you. And also the drops are not the drops. Also the drops. It’s just the elixir with the honey that we try to be mindful of. Okay, got it.

Is it safe during pregnancy and breastfeeding?

I know you mentioned this is a gray area. What is your response to that? I personally take it. I took it during all three pregnancies. I’ve taken it during all three breastfeedings. But what is the official answer?

The official answer in all of the other countries outside of Canada is yes. Like the official answer. Yeah, take it. It’s fine. It’s been studied in pregnant nursing women. If it hadn’t been okay, sure, we’d be a little more careful. But it’s been studied in pregnant women. It’s been studied alongside chemo patients. It’s a pretty safe product. I would gamble. It’s like so that’s what I think of it as. Yeah. So unofficially, yes. In Canada, it’s totally fine for that group. Okay, thank you.

Well, thank you so much, Dr. Owen for coming on and talking about as I said, one of my favorite supplements. And I wish you all the health and keep taking that Bio-Strath and I wish you a continued stress free enjoyment of your new newborn. Thank you. I will continue to enjoy that. Take care, Laura.  

Well, there you have it, friends. That was so much fun during my first ever interview. And I can’t wait to do more honestly. And if you have thoughts about who I should interview, or what topics you’d like me to cover, either in solo episodes or other interview episodes, please do let me know. And I guess I’ll call them guest episodes as opposed to interview episodes.

So please do let me know you can go to my Instagram @lauraannlima and send me a DM or you can go to my Instagram profile. And leave me a comment on the blog or on the Instagram post that talks about this podcast episode which you will see once this is out it will already be there.  

Have a great day, my friends and I’ll talk to you next week. Bye.

Thanks for listening to The Love and Lettuce podcast to find out how to work with me and for more great info check out newmamanation.com. This is Laura. Until next time, love and lettuce.