Welcome to www.dentalwellnessnetwork.com. (aka www.welliesnet.com)

Wellness is the personal, ongoing process of health enhancement focused on an optimum, preferred future by proactive people willing to take responsibility for themselves.

Wellies are the individuals who make this a lifestyle by choice. 

Wellies FAQ’s

For your convenience, this page is divided into two sections. The first is Wellie Consumer FAQ’s and the second is Wellie Prosumer FAQ’s.

Wellie Consumer FAQ’s – as answered by Ken Southward D.D.S. Click on your question and it will display the answer from the list below.

What differentiates wellness from health?
What is a Wellie consumer?
What is oxidation and oxidative stress?
What are free radicals? 
What is the health equation?
What are “outside the body” or exogenous sources of free radicals? 
What are “outside the body” sources of antioxidants? 
Do you believe everyone should supplement their nutrition? 
Why is inflammation both good and bad? 
Why are dentists interested in optimum nutrition and wellness? 
Will there be other benefits? 
How does one find out which nutritional supplements to take? 
Do multi’s look after all my needs? 
Why is this called an integrative approach? 
Can you explain ‘over-choice’ and ‘free choice’? 
Is ‘making supplementation a habit’ really that important?  
What brand should I take? 
How do I place an order?
Is product information available? 
How can I measure my antioxidant levels? 
Where can I get more wellness information? 

Wellie Prosumer FAQ’s -- by Ken Southward D.D.S.

What is a ‘prosumer’?
Can anyone participate in the new economy?
How do networks grow? 
How is revenue generated? 
Who will these leaders be?
How do I get more answers and support? 

Wellie Consumer FAQ’s

What differentiates wellness from health? Health is a need when it is defined as the absence of disease. Our needs go away after they are satisfied. An example is “I have two cavities. I need them filled so I can be healthy again.” In this context, health is dependant on the dentist taking control. It is focused on things (cavities) in the present.
Wellness is a value. When we value something, we want more of it. Each person must take personal responsibility for enhancing wellness. While a dentist or other professional may facilitate wellness, control rests with the individual client. It is focused on the process of dental decaying in this example and its impact in the future.

What is a Wellie consumer? Wellies consume products and services to help them meet their wellness goals. They may purchase exercise equipment, better dentistry, power toothbrushes, more fresh fruits and vegetables, nutritional supplements, books and other information services relative to wellness.

What is oxidation and oxidative stress? Oxidation causes steel to rust and an apple to turn brown when cut. Oxidation in the body is recognized as aging. The body produces antioxidants to protect itself from oxidation. Oxidative stress occurs when oxidation exceeds antioxidation.

What are free radicals? Free radicals are unstable molecules generated as part of the energy production cycle in the cells. The good news is that the body can use them to oxidize and kill bacteria. The bad news is that they can also damage many parts of the cell, including the DNA. Antioxidants are used to harmlessly neutralize the free radicals.
Free radicals can be endogenous (produced in the body) or exogenous (produced outside the body and absorbed).

What is the health equation? In simple terms, if oxidation by free radicals is equal to antioxidation, the equation is balanced and the person is healthy. If oxidation exceeds antioxidation, the difference between the two is called oxidative stress. To balance the equation in this case, the body calls on its inflammatory response to even things out. The equation can be expanded to state-
Endogenous free radicals + exogenous free radicals = endogenous antioxidants + exogenous antioxidants + inflammation.

What are “outside the body” or exogenous sources of free radicals? The bacteria in dental plaque, smoking, medications, too much sun, poor diet, pollution and emotional stressors are but a few.

What are “outside the body” sources of antioxidants? Brightly colored fresh fruits and vegetables are the main sources, hence the recommendation to eat 5-10 servings per day. When is the last time you ate 10 servings in one day? High quality nutritional supplements which are enhanced with antioxidants are an excellent source. They do not require lifestyle changes like diet or extra time commitments like exercise, so they are convenient and cost effective.

Do you believe everyone should supplement their nutrition? Yes. Wellies interested in optimum nutrition will view this as insurance that their micronutrient needs are met. It is not, however, a replacement for a balanced diet. Wellies will do both.
Those focused on the absence of disease will often view nutritional supplements as an unnecessary extra, naively believing that you can get everything you need from the food you eat. In today’s hustle, bustle, fast-food, polluted world, few can.

Why is inflammation both good and bad? Inflammation is our body’s immune system at work. Whenever we have an irritant, like plaque on our teeth or a sliver in our finger, the body’s immune system inflames to control the oxidative stress. Remove the irritant and the gingivitis or the inflamed finger get better. This is controlled inflammation to an acute or short term stressor.
Long term or chronic stressors like smoking, pollution, excessive sun and poor diet require constant, ongoing inflammation to cope. Eventually, the body’s antioxidant resources are exhausted and the inflammatory response starts to break down the body either in the area of local trauma or genetic weakness. Local examples would be periodontal disease from plaque, lung cancer from smoking and skin cancer from excessive sun exposure. Genetic weaknesses may show up as cardiovascular disease and diabetes, both inflammatory diseases with a genetic predisposition.

Why are dentists interested in optimum nutrition and wellness? Only recently have dentists started to recognize periodontal disease as an inflammatory disease. Previously believing that oral bacteria were the cause of dental diseases, dentists limited their efforts to the outside of the gums and only one oxidative stressor (dental plaque). Recognizing inflammation as the cause of breakdown encourages dentists to now try to help clients minimize several other oxidative stressors as well as dental plaque. Dentists can now start to treat dental disease from the inside of the body as well. As well as decreasing oxidants, they will encourage increasing antioxidants over the long term and utilize new drugs to modulate the inflammatory response in the short term.

Will there be other benefits? Yes. Since many degenerative diseases are inflammatory in nature, efforts to prevent dental diseases may also be seen as efforts to prevent or minimize cardiovascular problems, diabetic complications, reduce the pain of arthritis and prevent some cancers. While dentists do not treat any of these diseases directly, there is a direct link between them and dental disease through the process of inflammation.

How does one find out which nutritional supplements to take? I recommend a high quality multivitamin/mineral/antioxidant program. Lyle MacWilliam, author of The Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements explains it this way – “ The average consumer has limited ability to select the individual nutrients in their most bioavailaable forms and dispense them in appropriate and balanced amounts. It is far better to purchase a professionally designed broad-spectrum nutritional supplement in which the questions of completeness, potency, balance and synergy have been factored into the formulation."

Do multi’s look after all my needs? For the most part, we all basically have similar nutritional requirements. These similar or foundation needs are best satisfied by 8-10 servings of fruits and vegetables every day and optimized by your multivitamin/mineral/antioxidant program. At the same time, we are all different in our needs due to age, gender, genetic make-up, activity levels and more. For these unique needs, optimizers can be added to the foundational program, but not substituted for it. Examples would be Coenzyme Q10 for seniors, natural hormonal support for menopausal women and prostate support for men over 50. These are broad categories that do not require any diagnosis since the effort is to prevent problems, not to cure them.

Why is this called an integrative approach? Traditionally, dentists and physicians make a diagnosis and then use allopathic means like drugs or surgery to cure the problem. In alternative approaches, a diagnosis is still made by a naturopath or homeopath, and a natural or herbal type remedy would be recommended as an alternative to the pharmaceutical method. A complimentary approach is added to the others to enhance them.
An integrative approach focuses on prevention and immune system support so it blends with all the others without conflict. No approach recommends poorer nutrition. The integrative approach seeks to facilitate the client or consumer optimizing their nutrition over the long term. It should never be regarded as a cure.

Can you explain ‘over-choice’ and ‘free choice’? There are over a thousand brands of nutritional supplements. This is ‘over-choice’ so we go through a process of elimination to come down to the one to purchase. The biggest problem with ‘over-choice’ is that people often become so confused that they give up before choosing one to try.
‘Free choice’ refers to the ability to try another choice if the first one does not meet our expectations. Ideally, people will make the right choice the first time, but no system will serve all people. ‘Choosing to act’ is the most important part.

Is ‘making supplementation a habit’ really that important? Absolutely. Over the long term, nothing will help you succeed like making the supplementation of your nutrition a habit, just like cleaning your teeth. To do this, supplementing must be convenient so many multi’s come in single dose packs which is easier than fumbling through several bottles. Breakfast and dinner are the ideal times to supplement on a daily basis. Automatic shipping options, like a magazine subscription, make the supply automatic as well as more cost-effective.
The bottom line is that someone who uses a mediocre brand habitually will do better than someone else who uses a top brand on occasion. Habit is that important!

What brand should I take? The short answer is one that you can take habitually and obtain automatically. To help you cut through the ‘over-choice’ maze, allow me to offer my own preference, Pharmanex LifePakNano. It is complete, potent, balanced and uses that latest nanotechnology to enhance absorption. It comes automatically every month and is billed to my credit card. The box contains 60 individual packets that fit easily into my pocket if I’m not at home. Their LifePak is a little cheaper but make sure you take the Marine Omega as an optimizer. It is included in the Nano program.
I would offer you other suggestions but I am concerned it would only confuse the issue. You always have ‘free choice’ if this does not work for you. Pharmanex is also available in almost 40 countries around the world, making it one of the most widely distributed.
Please understand that this is not so much a product endorsement as it is a product preference. K.S.

How do I place an order? Every Pharmanex customer is issued their own identification number. To get it, you must be introduced by a present member of their network. If you know someone already, contact them. If you don’t, you can use our number (CA6001489). See more options and information under the ‘Prosumer FAQ’s.
In North America, the easiest is to call Pharmanex’s toll free number (1-800-877-6100) or outside North America, you can go to www.pharmanex.com and click on the "select a market" box to get your country’s number. If you prefer ordering online, you can link through our personal web site , choose your country, register for a number and proceed with your order details.

Is product information available? Go to www.pharmanex.com and click on the ‘Products’ tab.

How can I measure my antioxidant levels? Once again, we come to Pharmanex. They have the nutritional patent rights to the Biophotonic Scanner. It is a laser measuring tool that can determine the level of carotenoids (a type of antioxidant) in the skin on the palm of your hand in about 3 minutes. The scanner elevates nutritional supplementation to a scientific level rather than an opinion level. Go to www.pharmanex.com and click on Scanner for more information. This measuring tool puts you in control because you can measure where you start and monitor your progress.

Where can I get more wellness information? The Simple Secrets to Better Health is an online e-book written and updated by ‘yours truly’ in response to this very question. The story attempts to demonstrate real-life decisions that people make relative to their health and the ‘inside story’ explains the emerging understanding of inflammation, balanced diet, moderate exercise and supplementing your nutrition. It is available at www.dentalhealth.ca , click on the Simple Secrets tab.

Wellie Prosumer FAQ’s

What is a ‘prosumer’? The word was coined by Alvin Toffler to describe the convergence of the ‘PRO-ducer’ or the ‘PRO-vider’ and the ‘con-SUMER’. It is an appropriate word for the emerging knowledge economy. Some of the best examples of product providers that have capitalized on recognizing ‘prosumers’ is Home Depot and Ikea. Buy it cheap and assemble it yourself so you become part of the production process. In the digital world, would you care to hire a provider like a librarian or become a prosumer and do it yourself through Google?
Digital networks are emerging to allow individuals to capitalize on society’s shift to prosumers. This shift has been described as the ‘free agent’ society with people helping themselves as consumers while also helping others as providers. Massive computing power invisibly facilitates the world-wide digital networks emerging today.

Can anyone participate in the new economy? You probably are a consumer already. If you have ever purchased anything online or by telephone, you are a digital consumer. You may also bank online.
You are probably also a provider. Have you encouraged someone to go online and make a purchase or recommended a book to them. If so, you have provided information to them or what is known as ‘word-of-mouth’ advertising. You have done it but you haven’t been paid for it. Now you can! Amazon.com for example will compensate you for referrals through what is known as their affiliate program. Credit cards can compensate you through travel points. Even some professional offices offer some recognition for referrals. Pharmanex is one of many networks that will compensate you for participation as a provider.

How do networks grow? Everyone first starts out as an individual consumer. When you have received value, you may choose to share this with others. At this point, you have shifted over to the prosumer side by providing information and consuming products. Many people share information as a hobby and have no vested interest in whether you act or not.. Others want to facilitate you taking action along with them because it would be better for both of you. Essentially, you take on the role of a support person for them. This is a network model known as "Servant leadership" because you serve those to whom you provide services or products. For example, dental clients (consumers) are served by dental team members (prosumers) who are in turn supported by the dentist (prosumer).
The most successful networks are built on win-win relationships between consumers and prosumers Similarily, the most successful dental practices are built on win-win relationships between clients/patients and dental professionals.

How is revenue generated? Most dental professionals have a sincere interest in products their clients/patients may be taking, nutritional supplements included. Refering clients to a "direct from the manufacturer" system for wholesale pricing and automatic delivery not only serves the client better but it relieves the professioanl from product support.This allows them to focus on wellness dentistry. Like an affiliate situation, however, the manufacturer communicates activity to the professional and may pay them a small commission based on volume. The 3-6% barely pays the overhead to provide the service, so I expect most dentists will view it as a revenue neutral but essential service to help control inflammatory dental diseases. Just as sterilization of instruments is an essential but non-profit part of a dental practice, informing clients/patients is also an integral part of modern dentistry. This is even more important in litigious societies as the standards of care are being increased rapidly by more knowledgeable consumers.
Some dentists expand to satelite practices or a group of offices. Likewise, in a digital network, one can expand your network by introducing more consumers yourself or add leverage by helping other prosumers build networks of their own. Manufacturers like Pharmanex will track this for you and compensate you for your duplication efforts. At this leadership level, you are more in a business management role rather than a dental role. It will be important for dentistry's new leaders to step forward to fill these roles. They have the potential to build world-wide networks and to be compensated well beyond what most wet-finger dentists can hope to earn on their own. More importantly, they will be the ones who lead the wellness dentistry movement towards a healthier society.
In the words of management guru Robert Kiyosaki, "The richest people in the world look for and build networks. Everyone else looks for work."

Who will these leaders be? Charles Darwin wrote, "It is not the strongest or the most intelligent that will survive. It is the ones who are most adaptable to change."
Recognizing that dental diseases are caused by the body's own, uncontrolled inflammatory response rather than by bacterial breakdown is the biggest change. All the other details like quality nutritionals and digital networks are already in place and waiting for leaders to take action. Author Malcolm Gladwell, in his book "The Tipping Point", describes this time when the innovators and early adapters have done their work. Ironically, this work was never done with dentistry in mind. Now it is time for the people to lead the shift to the early majority or the time of greatest growth. Some will "network", others will "just work".

How do I get more answers and support? You can e-mail Dr. Ken Southward