The human body is constantly working to maintain cellular health. It does this by balancing reactive molecules to rid the body of harmful components and to clean up the oxidative stress and free radical damage that occur at the cellular level. When these reactive molecules are in the proper balance, the immune system and healing process function at their optimal level.
Every day more research and published articles are appearing about this “Redox Signaling” process, making it one of the fastest growing research fields in science. ASEA is the first and only stable, perfectly balanced mixture of these Redox Signaling reactive molecules that exists outside the body, and can be used to help maintain proper balance inside the body to support the immune system and healing process.
What Does Redox Signaling Mean to You?
Helps in the Preservation and Restoration of Healthy Tissues and Cells
When cells and tissues are damaged, by everyday living (sunlight, toxins, cuts, scrapes, exercise, infections, radiation etc.) they send out redox signaling messages for help. This starts a cascade of messengers that are quickly spread throughout the affected area where they call for action to start the healing process (blood supply is redirected, native antioxidants empowered and increased, DNA repair elicited, immune response initiated, inflammation, cell communication enhanced, regeneration efforts started, etc.). The healing process is a well orchestrated effort to either repair the damaged cells or cause the un-repairable cells to die and be replaced by healthy ones and thus restore healthy cells and tissue.
Increasing the amount of balanced redox signaling carriers in your cells and tissues simply helps to make this whole orchestrated effort much more efficient. They “grease the wheels”, so to speak, making it more likely that cells are repaired and replaced much more efficiently. Healthy cells are more likely to be able to defend themselves, the immune system is more likely to respond correctly, intercellular communication channels are clearer and more efficient. The concept is elegant, these redox signaling carriers do not force the system to act or react differently than it already does. It simply clarifies the signals that help the immune response and healing process proceed as it should, and do so much more efficiently.
Anti-Aging Benefits
As we age, the healing process becomes less efficient. Cells and tissues that are damaged or inefficient are not repaired or replaced as efficiently. Gradually these damaged or inefficient cells divide and proliferate, taking over the healthy “young” tissue and causing the downward spiral that leads to aging and death. The cells and tissues are simply not as efficient as they used to be at doing their job.
By Increasing the balanced mixture of Redox Signaling messengers that are already in the body this has the effect of making the defend, repair or replace mechanisms in the cells and tissues much more efficient: Damaged cells are more likely to repair themselves or die and be replaced by healthy neighboring cells, healthy cells are more likely to be able to defend themselves against infections, toxins, stresses, etc. In essence, cells and tissues are more likely to stay young and healthy.
Powers Up the Cell’s Antioxidant Shields
Certain Redox Signaling molecules are used to recharge and activate the native antioxidants that protect healthy cells from oxidative stress and free radical damage. Your cells are already full of these native antioxidants, they are placed as barriers that protect the more sensitive parts of the cells, such as the DNA in the nucleus. Every microsecond, trillions and trillions of these antioxidants in every cell are doing their job to protect every cell from oxidants. Oxidants are also natively produced as part of the normal metabolism of sugars that provides our cells with energy. As long as the mixture of redox signaling molecules is balanced, the antioxidants in the cells and tissues are easily able to defend themselves against such oxidants.
Increasing the amount of balanced redox-signaling molecules in the cells and tissues helps recharge and activate the native antioxidants that are already in the cells, making them much more efficient. This enhances the natural protection mechanisms of the cell, naturally, powering up the natural antioxidant shields that are already placed there for just that purpose, making the healthy cells and tissues more likely to be able to defend themselves.
Tunes Up Cell’s Communication Channels
Every cell in the body MUST be able to communicate with its neighboring cells in order to function correctly. Communication channels exist that allow messengers to run back and forth between cells. These messengers actually program the DNA in the cells to act as it should in the environment where they live. The discovery of stem cells, that are programmed to act as heart cells or brain cells or whatever tissue they stick to, emphasizes how important these communication channels are. Redox Signaling carriers help move these messengers from cell to cell as well as sending the signals inside and between cells.
An increase in the amount of balanced redox signaling molecules makes the cell’s communication channels more efficient. This is especially important when the tissues must respond to a stressor or invader. Quick and accurate response is important. Efficient communication channels make it more likely that the cells and immune systems will respond as they are designed to do.
Optimizes Correct Immune System Function
In order for the immune system to function as it should, a myriad of communication signals need to be carried between cells, signals that detect damage, signals that control blood flow and control inflammation, signals that activate the immune system response and help determine when, where and what the immune cells attack (and what they do not attack). The immune response is a coordinated effort that depends heavily on redox signaling and other types of signaling.
Increasing the amount of balanced redox signaling molecules helps make the signaling processes between cells more efficient. With clearer signals, the immune system can operate with increased efficiency. This means that the immune system will be more likely to detect and attack threats that it should engage and less likely to attack healthy cells that it should not engage. This action tends to normalize the immune system function, if overactive it will help decrease its activity, if underactive it will help increase activity. In short, the immune system will tend to operate at optimal efficiency.
Powers Up Aerobic Performance
As the energy requirements of the cells and tissues increase during aerobic activity, oxygen and sugars in the blood must be able to be transferred from the lungs and energy stores into the muscle cells and tissues. Waste products like CO2 and excess lactates must be transferred out of the cells and tissues and back into the blood and out of the body. The efficiency at which the cells can move oxgen fuel and waste products back and forth through the blood and cellular membranes determines how long the body can sustain aerobic activity. When the oxygen and energy demands of the muscle tissues exceed the ability of the body to maintain adequate delivery, the muscle cells and tissues start to burn internal energy stores anaerobically (without the use of oxygen), waste products (CO2 and lactates) start to build up and further interfere with the aerobic processes. When the internal energy stores of the muscle cells are exhausted, no more energy can be provided and muscle activity ceases completely.
Increasing the amount of balanced redox signaling molecules in the body helps normalize the redox potential in and around the cells and tissues. A balanced redox potential in the tissues increases the efficiency at which oxygen, fuels and wastes can be transferred in and out of cells and tissues, making the natural aerobic processes more efficient. If aerobic capacities are increased, then the natural length of time that aerobic activity can be sustained under high energy demands is also increased. The time that it takes to recover normal aerobic balance after an intense anaerobic effort is also shortened.
What are Redox Signaling Molecules?
Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) and Reduced Species (RS)
Our cells are literally filled with and surrounded by salt water, which becomes the principal raw material for building simple redox signaling molecules. Simple redox signaling molecules are simple molecules formed from rearrangements of the atoms in water (H20) salt (NaCl) and nitrogen (N2), the most abundant molecules of life. A few examples of simple redox signaling molecules are hydrogensuperoxide (HO2), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), hypochlorous acid (HOCl) and Nitric Oxide (NO), there are many more. Redox signaling molecules can fall into two classifications, Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) and Reduced Species (RS). When isolated, most of the individual redox signaling molecules are potently toxic, reactive and unstable. However, in all forms of life on planet earth, cells have learned to manufacture stable, non-toxic mixtures of ROS and RS that serve fundamental roles inside and outside the cells.
Perfectly pH Balanced (7.35) Mixture
In our blood, cells and tissues, perfectly balanced, stable safe mixtures of redox signaling molecules exist. It turns out that such mixtures have close to neutral pH (7.35) which is the average pH of blood and fluids carefully maintained in our bodies. It should be noted that such stable balanced mixtures of redox signaling molecules CANNOT be formed by simply stirring together individual components (which would be toxic and imbalanced), non-toxic redox signaling complexes are formed electrochemically and enzymatically by complex reactions inside the cells and tissues. The perfectly balanced complex mixtures of ROS and RS of redox signaling mixtures in the body, naturally having close to neutral pH and neutral redox potential (RP), can balance chemical equilibrium as required depending on the chemical environment they are in. This is the beauty of redox signaling messengers, they are everywhere and participate in all of the processes of life.
Species Containing Chlorine
Some of the redox signaling complexes in our body contain chlorine. This is not the same form as the unbalanced crude forms of molecular chlorine and bleach (Cl2, NaOCl) that are used to sanitize pools and water supplies. Such unbalanced forms of chlorine are notably irritating and toxic, though still tolerated. In fact, certain unbalanced mixtures are the primary weapon of choice for the immune system and are potently effective against microbes. Perfectly balanced redox signaling mixtures, in contrast, have zero toxicity are not irritating, even soothing, and are safe for all tissues in the body, including the eyes. These balanced mixtures of redox signaling molecules already exist in large concentrations in all tissues and fluids in the body and are able to be easily handled by all tissues. The secret is balance.
Produced by Mitochondria
The primary source of redox signaling molecules in living cells is the mitochondria. The mitochondria live inside the cells and produce 95% of all of the energy (ATP fuel) used in the body. There are anywhere from 10 to 5000 mitochondria in every cell. Collectively these organelles comprise more than half of the dry weight of the body. As mitochondria metabolize simple sugars from the foods we eat into the ATP cell fuel, they also produce copious amounts of ROS and RS that are quickly mixed, stabilized and balanced by enzymatic action inside the cells to form balanced redox signaling complexes and mixtures. These balanced redox signaling mixtures float around the cell and are easily neutralized by the antioxidant barriers that are placed in strategic areas in the cell to protect sensitive structures from potential damage, such as the DNA. As long as these redox signaling mixtures are kept balanced, the antioxidant barriers are easily able to neutralize them, by turning them back into salt water and nascent oxygen. Such redox signaling molecules serve as signaling messengers and carriers in all cells and tissues of the body.
