Tuesday 30 March 2010

Drugs, Vitamins, Minerals and Supplements

eCommunity Members Events Forum Chat

Power Vegetables In A Drink
Vitamins Minerals
Click this now



Many people nowadays are turning to "organics" and "naturals" otherwise known as herbals. The rising popularity of herbal supplements has created a new fad if not a new health lifestyle. But before you join the bandwagon, here are some things you need to know about this mean, "green" dietary supplementing machine.

What are vitamins, minerals, supplements and drugs?

DRUGS are chemicals that can prevent, prolong the life, treat other effects of a health condition, improve the quality of life, and/or cure ailments and diseases, or alter the function of any part or chemicals inside the body. These drugs have approved therapeutic claims.

VITAMINS are natural substances found in living things such as plants. Vitamins must be obtained in the body from foods or supplements as they cannot usually be produced by the body.

MINERALS are found in plants. Plants get their minerals from the soil ' soil gets minerals from water washing over rocks. For vitamins to do their job, they require minerals. Minerals must also be obtained from food or supplements.

SUPPLEMENTS are vitamins and minerals that have been extracted from a plant or created in a laboratory and put into a form that can be ingested and used by the body. They are effective supplements, ineffective supplements and hazardous supplements. Herbal supplements are not classified as drugs but as dietary supplements.

Most of the manufactured medicines we now have once came from animals and plants. Through the years, chemists isolated the life-saving or life-curing components and separated them from the harmful ones. This lead to the further drug research and drug development that lead to the production of a different variety of drugs for many ailments and conditions from synthetic sources. But still we have semi-synthetic drugs, as well as drug that more or less approximate more natural composition. Since herbal supplements are made from a mixture of crude herbs reduced into powder or gel form, and later on packaged as tablets and capsules, there is a possibility that life-threatening or at least body chemistry-altering components are still present, thus the expression of concern from the medical community.

Vitamins and minerals go from your stomach to your intestines. They then go through a very complex allocation system whereby the body distributes certain vitamins and minerals to parts of your body based on its own priority system.

If a nutrient is needed in a certain organ that if (the body) deems more important, it will take the nutrient from a less important organ, and allocate it to a more important organ. Sort of a "rob Peter to pay Paul" action. That's why it is critical to maintain proper vitamin & mineral levels.

Vitamins and minerals in your body should not be viewed as independent substances, but rather as a cooperative network of nutrients working together. If one nutrient is missing, it throws the entire network of nutrients out of balance.

In his book Prescription for Nutritional Healing, James F. Balch says: "A deficiency of a vitamin or mineral will cause a body part to malfunction and eventually break down ' and, like dominos, other body parts will follow."

What do Vitamins and Minerals Do for You?

Illness and disease are not "caught." One doesn't catch cancer, heart disease or a cold. You create these ailments with deficiencies based on what you eat or don't eat.

Vitamins & minerals are involved in the release of energy from digested foods. Strong, lasting energy levels are good indicators of healthy vitamin and mineral intake.

Skin clearness, tone, and elasticity; hair strength, thickness and color; fingernail strength, color and texture all depend on vitamins and minerals. Some people don't look 50 years old at 30. Some look 30 at 50.

Brain function, ability to concentrate and memory require proper vitamin and mineral levels.

Is there a growing concern with the use of herbal supplements?

Yes. With the rising popularity of using and consuming anything herbal or organic is the proliferation of fake herbal supplements that threaten to endanger lives. If that's the case, then why are herbal supplements given drug administration approvals? One way of ensuring the safety of the people is to have all candidate drugs, food, drinks, and dietary supplements registered with the proper authority.

Otherwise, they would pose more risk with these things being sold in the black market for a hefty sum. We could ensure the quality and safety of herbal supplements if they get proper classification with the food and drug administration. Moreover, people may be able to file the proper complaints in the event a worsening of health condition is proven to be linked to the use of a particular herbal supplement.

Is using herbal supplements worth the risk?

Yes. It cannot be discounted that many who have tried herbal supplements experienced an improvement in their health whether this is due to the herbals themselves or due to a placebo effect, as long as they do not worsen the condition of an individual, then using them is worth the risk. But of course, certain things must be considered before taking those herbal supplements

First of all, clear your condition with your doctor. Ask him/her if taking a particular herbal supplement is safe given your current health. People with heart, liver, or kidney trouble or malfunction, are usually not advised to take these, or at the minimum is to take these herbals in minimum amounts. All substances pass through the liver and kidney to be processed and filtered respectively. Kava, which is used to relieve people from stress, has been pulled out from the Canadian, Singaporean, and German markets because it contains substances that cause liver damage. Certain herbals such as Ephedra used for losing weight, contains chemicals with heart-inducing effects that can increase heart rate, which in turn can exhaust the heart and cause heart attacks in several documented cases by the American Medical Association.

No matter how the product pamphlet or the label of the bottle sounds about how it has been found to be helpful in certain health conditions, these herbal supplements are not therapeutic. So do not substitute these for the medications prescribed by your doctor for the treatment of certain diseases, or for the maintenance of blood pressure, lowering of blood sugar and cholesterol, and fight off infections.

By Dr Robin Rushlo

Labels: , , , , , , ,


Friday 26 March 2010

5 Reasons Why You Should Take Vitamin, Mineral And Antioxidant Supplements

eCommunity Members Events Forum Chat

Power Vegetables In A Drink
Vitamins Minerals
Click this now



There is a vitamin, mineral and antioxidant supplement store in almost every shopping mall in the United States. We can also find vitamin, mineral and antioxidant supplement shelves in almost every super market. More and more people are taking food supplements today.

But there are quite a few people who still refuse to take vitamin, mineral and antioxidant supplements. They think that their diet is good enough and that they do not need to take any supplements. Theoretically what they are saying may be true, but in reality it is not possible to obtain all your nutritional needs from just the food you consume.

Here are 5 reasons why vitamin, mineral and antioxidant supplements are necessary in our daily life:

1. Eating a healthy and well-balanced diet every day is a difficult task.
The USDA Food Consumption Survey discovered that only 3 % of those surveyed actually ate healthful and balanced diets. And no one met the RDA (Recommended Dietary Allowances - which are set by the U. S. government about daily intakes.) consumption of vitamins and minerals.

2. The food you eat now does not contain the same amount of nutrition as it did in the past.
The nutrients in a soil have been exhausted over the years and the vegetables and fruits grown on the farm have been loosing its nutritious values. Therefore, the same amount of broccoli, for instance, contains less calcium and vitamin C than it did 50 years ago.

3. The over processed and preservative added food removes important nutrients.
Consuming even a very good diet is not sufficient if most of the nutrients, vitamins and minerals in our food are diminished by over processing and adding preservatives.

4. The RDA is only the lowest level of nutrient intakes that will prevent deficiencies in apparently healthy human beings.
The RDA was developed originally to help people reduce the rates of contracting severe nutritional deficiencies, like scurvy, rickets, beriberi and so forth which are rarely seen in our modern world. Instead, what we should be concerned with in this industrialized world are the degenerative diseases, such as heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes, osteoporosis and so forth. In order to prevent the degenerative diseases, we need to consume every day the optimal level of nutrients, beyond the RDA recommended level.

5. Complete nutritional intake is necessary for optimal health.
Using scientifically researched, complete and balanced, and quality nutritional supplements assures the necessary dietary intake for optimal health.

Choosing the quality vitamin, mineral and antioxidant supplements with safety, balance, completeness and potency in mind will help apparently healthy people stay healthy while lowering the provability of contracting degenerative diseases and enjoying a healthier and longer life.

By Miko Matics

Labels: , , , , , , ,


Monday 22 March 2010

Vitamins, Minerals And Supplements Are The Key To A Healthy Life

eCommunity Members Events Forum Chat

Power Vegetables In A Drink
Vitamins Minerals
Click this now



The discovery of vitamins as essential balance of the body is relatively recent. We owe our merit especially to the Japanese Umetaro Suzuki who discovered in 1910 vitamin B1 (thiamine) in the hull of a grain of rice. In the early 20th century, we still did not understand very well what role they could play in the organization of the human body. Today, scientists recognize the importance of dietary supplements in the prevention of heart disease, asthma, cancer, memory disorder, premature aging and in many other medical conditions. The following are some of vital supplement that our body needs to function properly, according to several researches on nutrition:

What supplements you should take?

Antioxidants have aroused much enthusiasm - These nutrients protect the body from damage due to "free radicals", compounds produced by toxins from the environment and the normal mechanisms of the body. Free radicals can damage cells throughout the body. Now days, all medical researchers confirm the benefits of antioxidants on our health, including protection against heart disease, cancer and Alzheimer's disease. Vitamins C and E, beta-carotene (vitamin A) and selenium are antioxidants on which scientists conduct numerous searches.

Vitamins - The vitamins are absolutely necessary to our body even in small quantities. Besides, with the exception of vitamin D, vitamins can not be synthesized by the body and must be present in our daily food or taking in supplements! We mainly use the range of B vitamins (B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B9 and B12), vitamin C and vitamin E, without forgetting the vitamin A and vitamin D. In short, when it comes to vitamins, all are useful and indispensable to good functioning of our organism. A lack vitamins may cause more diseases one can imagine.

Minerals and oligoelements

As for minerals, selenium and magnesium are the top supplements you should consider increase in your diet. Selenium for its huge anti-oxidant properties and the other (magnesium) for its ability to restore energy and morale. In addition, you need many of these small molecules (oligo-element) used in the composition of dietary supplements: calcium, carotene, chromium, copper or iron, each has its role in the beauty of the skin, the strength of our bones or well-being of your joints. Without forgetting the fluorine for the smallest and largest, or zinc for a perfect.

The protein, fatty acids, and amino acids

More original, compositions based fatty acid such as the famous omega 3 from fish oil or vegetable oils, are known for their positive action on mood and heart. There is the CLA (conjugated linoleic acid), which "dry" muscles by preventing fat set but also all kinds of protein and fatty acids. Among the amino acids, creatine evokes discussion. Its role to supply energy to muscle and nerve cells is sometimes controversial. Many researches have shown the outstanding role of Fatty acids in our organism. The list of proteins, amino acids and fatty acids and their role is long, I promise to talk about them in another article.

Nature provides us with everything we need for a healthy life. The vitamins, minerals, and certain herbs all around us can help us have healthy skin, clean bodies, and prevent or even cure diseases that are said to be incurable. However, taking those supplements in a daily basic in a regular food is not as easy as it sounds. You need to supplement your food with healthy vitamin supplements.

By Raphael

Labels: , , , , , , ,


Friday 19 March 2010

itamins & Minerals: Do We Need Them?

eCommunity Members Events Forum Chat

Power Vegetables In A Drink
Vitamins Minerals
Click this now



In my medical practice, whenever I begin to talk about Vitamins & Minerals, most people ask "What are Vitamins and/or Minerals, do I need them and what is the best way to get them?"

I begin by explaining that the human body requires certain essential vitamins and minerals to be introduced, usually through food, into the body on a daily basis.

The only problem with this is that our modern day farming techniques can and often does remove an amount of those essential vitamins and minerals. A government study done over seventy years ago warned us that our soils were depleted of many of the necessary nutrients (vitamins and minerals), which means if the nutrients aren't in the soil, how do you expect them to be in your fruits & vegetables? Modern farmers use fertilizers that speed the growing process, but these fertilizers lack many of the nutrients that need to be in the soil. Than there is the processing of the produce that can remove even more of the vital nutrients. So what are we to do?

The answer is very simple. You need to supplement your diet with a Whole Food Supplement. I do not mean an off the counter, at your grocery store, vitamin and/or mineral, I mean a True Whole Food Supplement. There is a very big difference between the two.

By definition (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia), whole food supplements are foods that have been compressed into tablet form, poured into capsules or powdered. The word "whole" indicates that the end product - a supplement - does not contain parts of foods, or synthetic or isolated vitamins. Ideally, the foods comprising these supplements have not been subjected to irradiation, contain no pesticide or herbicide residues, contain no GMO (genetically modified organisms), have not been sterilized, and do not contain animal products that have been subjected to steroids, antibiotics or other drugs. The belief being, the closer to nature, the more benefit foods provide the consumer.

Further, whole food supplements should not contain isolated minerals, amino acids, carotenes or any other substance that is not native to, and still intact within, the original food. Thus, a supplement that contains foods plus a mixture of isolated (also called "fractionated") vitamins, minerals, amino acids and other substances, does not constitute a whole food supplement. Examples of whole food supplement ingredients may include carrots, broccoli, kale, alfalfa, wheat grass, acerola cherry, cauliflower, kelp, wild pansy, spirulina, bovine liver, bovine kidney, radishes and quinoa.

As for your typical over the counter multi-vitamin/mineral, as Mercola.com puts it, please don't make the mistake of shopping for supplements at discount stores or large chains like Wal-Mart or Walgreen's. In my opinion, these are examples of companies that primarily use cheap synthetic ingredients.

Synthetic alternatives to whole foods are known as "isolates". Your body will absorb only a small percentage of an isolate form of vitamins and minerals and utilize even less. On top of that, there could potentially be side effects, depending on the quality of the isolate.

Many retail outlets and online sellers are primarily interested in your money, not your health. Supplements are not their specialty. Always refer to medical practitioners who specialize in Health & Wellness, for your nutritional questions.

You wouldn't go to your local Fast Food Restaurant for a nice steak, would you? The same attitude should apply to your health products. You will get what you pay for, so buyers beware.

Consider this when choosing a supplement:
Additionally, the ingredients many companies use are not only synthetic, but there is a likelihood they may not have been thoroughly tested for purity and potency.

I am very pleased to tell you that there are products on the market that were designed to meet very high standards. I was asked to help design products, programs and health plans for Health & Wellness. Our core philosophy is that in order to reach True Wellness, you must have proper weight control and proper nutrition. This can only be accomplished by using Whole Food products, exercise and a little determination.

The bottom line is that in order to achieve Your Bodies Optimal Best, you must start with a solid nutritional foundation; we at Ultra International believe we have done just that. Using nothing but the finest ingredients, our Soul Super Food and Mind Super Drink is second to none.

Soul Super Food
Mind Super Drink

By Dr Richard Prather

Labels: , , , , , , ,


Thursday 18 March 2010

Hello World!!!

eCommunity Members Events Forum Chat

Power Vegetables In A Drink
Vitamins Minerals
Click this now



Welcome to Vitamins Minerals blog... :)

Labels: , , , , , , ,


This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?

Subscribe to Posts [Atom]