Why take Food Supplements
for Health?
In an ideal world we would not need to take dietary supplements for health but with modern food production and processing, so many nutrients these days are stripped from the raw ingredients, so we need to supplement our diets to come even close to getting all the healthy nutrients we need.
It is always wise to seek the advice of a nutritional therapist, but I have mentioned below some of the more important vitamins and minerals that we all need – especially in the fight against cancer.
The RDAs (recommended daily Allowance) of vitamins by the Food Standards Agency are far too low to do much good. They are actually just the amounts a person needs to prevent deficiencies.
With modern farming methods and our food now being so low in vitamins and minerals, we all need to supplement our diets if we are to remain healthy, or better still, have optimum health.
Before you go out and buy supplements, one of the problems with the do-it-yourself approach to their use is that sometimes these substances can work against each other. Which means that levels of one nutrient can affect levels of another in the body.
This is called Synergy. For example if you take calcium then you will also need to take magnesium – and what will work well at a certain level for someone else may not work as well with you – as you are unique with your own set of health circumstances.
One way to avoid this problem and to help you gain better health would be to have an Individual Health Report. This report works out the correct levels of nutrients that YOU need including dosages, based on your answers to a full and comprehensive online questionnaire and is designed to assess your overall state of health.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is THE number one nutrient which the body just can’t do without. It strengthens the immune system and fights infections. It also makes collagen, keeping bones, skin and joints firm and strong.
It is also a powerful anti-oxidant, detoxifying pollutants and also protecting against cancer and heart disease. It also helps make anti-stress hormones and turns food into energy.
This is best taken in its “buffered” form either as Calcium or Magnesium Ascorbate as a powder or in crystalised form. A buffered form means that the acidity has been removed and is easier on the stomach. If you are to avoid an acid stomach taking the ordinary and cheaper form often used in baking, it is best to take the buffered kind.
People with active cancer need a lot of vitamin C and it has been shown in many health trials to help enormously in the fight against cancer. The more you are able to take the better. The only side effect you may experience is a laxative effect. If you find this effect, it means you have reached bowel tolerance so reduce the amount until your bowels return to normal.
Vitamin C should be taken in measured doses throughout the day dissolved in juice or other cold drinks rather than all at once. Don’t be afraid of overdosing on vitamin C – we lost the ability to produce vitamin C in our own bodies many years ago – but animals still retain this ability and produce as much vitamin C that is needed to overcome illness.
Many health studies have been carried out and it has been shown that amounts of 10 grams (10,000 mg) and above has been the most effective in combating cancer and other illnesses. Any excess in the body will be excreted normally.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A is in 2 forms – from animal origin, retinol, which stores in the body and beta-carotene, from vegetable origin. The safest way of supplementation is from beta-carotene.
A healthy intake should be between 1000 – 3000 mcg. Vitamin A is needed for healthy skin, inside and out, and protects against infections. It also protects against many forms of cancer. Vitamin A is also essential for night vision.
Acidophilus
Acidophilus clears excess yeast from the gut and should be used as a detoxifier for 3 months at a time. It also boosts the immune system.
Acidophilus is essential if the gut is to make full use of the food that you eat. The good bacteria that it replaces can be depleted after a dose of antibiotics so it is always wise to go on a course of acidophilus after a course of antibiotics.
Good bacteria, or bowel flora, at healthy levels ensures that the maximum amount of nutrients from food are absorbed as it passes through the gut wall into the bloodstream. So in this way it improves the immune system.
Irritable bowel syndrome and bloating after food can mean that you need to take a course of acidophilus for several months to build the flora back to a healthy level. Usually two a day are taken but you should always check the label.
Vitamin B6
Vitamin B6 is vital for protein digestion and how it is taken up by the body, brain function, and hormone production. It helps balance sex hormones, hence is useful for PMS and the menopause.
It is also a natural anti-depressant. It also helps to control allergic reactions. Supplements: 100mg once daily should be taken. Pyidoxine is best, it works with B complex vitamins as well as zinc and magnesium. It is best supplemented with food and zinc.
Vitamin B12
B12 is needed for making use of the protein we eat and helps the blood to carry oxygen, so is essential for energy. It is also essential for nerves, and deals with tobacco smoke and other toxins. It works with folic acid, and is best taken as a B-complex with food. 500ug a day should be taken.
Calcium
Calcium promotes a healthy heart, clots blood, promotes healthy nerves, contracts muscles, improves skin bone and teeth health, relieves aching muscles and bones, maintains the correct alkaline/acid balance in the blood and reduces menstrual cramps and tremors. A lot of uses!
Calcium is reasonably well absorbed in any form. Vitamin D and boron also help with absorption Exercise also helps to utilise calcium.
Robbers of Calcium are hormone imbalances, alcohol, lack of exercise and caffiene so supplementation is recommended to ensure you are getting enough. Stress also causes increased secretion of calcium from the body.
Vitamin D
A daily intake of 2000ius for adults is generally safe. Vitamin D helps to maintain strong and healthy bones by retaining calcium. You should have enough exposure to sunlight as Vitamin D is made in the skin.
What is enough exposure? In the Summer months you should ensure your skin is exposed regularly to the sun - not so much that you burn, but enough to get a healthy glow. More information about the benefits of sunlight can be found here
With enough sunlight exposure dietary supplements may not be necessary. It has been discovered that some people were becoming vitamin D deficient due to being over-zealous about protecting their skin from the sun!
If we have enough Vitamin A, C and E it protects Vitamin D absorption. Lack of sunlight and fried foods rob vitamin D from the body so during the winter, supplementation is recommended.
Vitamin E
Vitamin E is a powerful anti-oxidant, protecting cells from damage, including against cancer. It helps the body use oxygen, prevents blood clots and thrombosis.
Vitamin E is also good for the skin, and improves wound healing. Adequate levels of Vitamin C and selenium helps with absorption.
Omega 3 Oils and EPA
EPA is an essential Omega 3 oil which comes from oily fish such as sardines, tuna, mackerel, herring, and salmon. This is necessary for the brain and nervous system to work well, and for the immune system, the heart and the skin.
A common sign of deficiency in Omega 3 oils is dry skin. Not suitable for individuals taking anti-blood clotting medication such as Warfarin, Coumarin and Heparin. It is also not suitable for individuals allergic to fish or fish by-products.Omega 3 oils with EPA should be taken as a minimum of 1000mg once a day
Flaxseed Oil
The best seed oils for Omega 3 fats are flax (also known as linseed), hemp and pumpkin. Flax seed oil in particular is a super food in its own right- in fact it is the highest quality oil available in all of nature and vital in fighting cancer.
It has been extensively tested and shown to reduce tumours, and make the heart run more efficiently, reducing heart disease significantly.
The best oil is virgin linseed (or flaxseed) cold pressed unrefined oil free of additives rather than the over processed variety found on some supermarket shelves. Flaxseed oil capsules can be taken -1000 mg twice daily - or one tablespoon of unrefined cold pressed oil a day is also a good idea.
MSM (Organic Sulphur)
It was discovered in the fifties that MSM tends to turn malignant tumours into benign tumours. And then the research stopped. Why? MSM is cheap and cannot be patented.
MSM makes cells permeable (which is known to aid in the treatment of cancer), strengthens collagen (which helps stop the spreading of cancer and thus may turn malignant tumours into benign tumours), helps maintain a proper pH (which cancer cells don't like), and causes a host of other benefits for treating cancer, some direct and some indirect.
MSM is sold in tablet form and can be purchased in any health food shop. The dosage recommended is 1000mg twice a day with food.
Selenium
Selenium contains antioxidant properties that protect against cancer causing agents, reduces inflammation, stimulates the immune system to fight infection, and promotes a healthy heart.
Selenium protects the membranes of each of our body's 60 trillion cells. The more selenium consumed the lower the incidence of cancer. Several physicians have found that when sufficient selenium is taken by cancer patients to raise their blood levels of selenium to the desired range, their tumors began to shrink"
Dr. Gerhard Schrauzer of the University of California says: "If every woman in America started taking selenium today, or had a high-selenium diet, within a few years the breast cancer rate in this country would drastically decline."
Dr. Raymond Shamberger of the Cleveland Clinic Foundation advises people to increase their intake of selenium to 200 micrograms a day, because "it can reduce the cancer rate dramatically for some type of cancers, particularly cancer of the colon, breast, esophagus, tongue, stomach, intestine, rectum, and bladder." It also helps Vitamin E’s action.
Zinc
Zinc is a component of over 200 enzymes in the body, and essential for growth as well as important for healing. It also controls hormones which are messengers from organs and ovaries, and aids in the ability to cope with stress.
It promotes a healthy nervous system and brain and aids bones and teeth formation. It helps hair to “bloom” and is essential for constant energy. 50mg once a day should be taken
About Multi-Vitamins and Mineral Supplements
A good multi-vitamin should contain at least 1,500mcg of A, 5mcg of D, 100mg of E, 250mg of C, 25mg each of B1, B2, B3, B5 and B6, 10mcg of B12 and 50mcg of folic acid and biotin.
A multi-mineral should provide at least 10mg of iron, 10mg of zinc, 2.5mg of manganese, 20mcg of chromium, 25mcg of selenium and ideally, some molybdenum, vanadium and boron.
However you will never get enough of the above vitamins and minerals into one tablet. Good quality, combined multivitamin and mineral formulas recommend two or more tablets a day to meet these kind of levels.
Essential vitamins and minerals are often supplied in too small a quantity to do much good and are best taken separately. These are Vitamin C, Calcium and magnesium.
Further Reading
How A Chemical Found In Broccoli Can Help Prevent Cancer Cells From Spreading By As Much As 90% By far, one of the most exciting developments that has taken place in the nutrition and health world
Learn more about The Benefits of Mangosteen which include a 400 year history as a powerful, natural antioxidant with over 40 xanthones in the pericarp of the fruit.
A Kernel of hope Many people believe that eating apricot kernels, a food source rich in a vitamin called B17, can protect against and even help to cure cancer.
A herbal recipe discovered more than seventy years ago by Canadian nurse Rene Caisse.
Essiac is the name given to the remedy which is her surname written backwards.
Ms. Caisse received it from a middle-aged female patient who had obtained it from an Ojibwa Indian Medicine Man. The Medicine Man offered his help to the patient because he knew the woman was suffering from breast cancer. The patient recovered from her cancer and saw no reoccurrence during the span of the next thirty years.
How drug companies are trying to limit alternative health choices Its happening in the US already - we should be aware of this threat and preserve our rights to take vitamins and minerals for our health.
Your Total Wellness has some excellent information about vitamin supplements available on the market today - contact them here
My favourite source for additive-free vitamins and supplements
Back to Home Page
|
