Attaining Medical Self SufficiencyDuncan Long
See book keywords and concepts |
| But now they are learning that even modest shortages of key vitamins and minerals, even though they don't immediately cause problems, can undermine the body's weapons against disease over the long haul.
Such shortages of key nutrients are common among older people, who often lack the money and motivation (and perhaps the teeth) to maintain a balanced diet. In factl, surveys show that 30 to 50 percent of the elderly have diets significantly poor in one or more nutrients. |
Ralph Golan, M.D.
See book keywords and concepts |
 Although we all require a certain amount of protein, carbohydrates, and fats, as well as vitamins and minerals, our differences in health, metabolism, personal taste, and body type/ genetics influence our choices in diet—one person's needs may not be the same as those of another. The following accounts demonstrate the necessity for individuality of diet selection.
TO EACH HIS OR HER OWN DIET
Consider Jack, a thirty-three-year-old patient who had adopted a strict vegetarian diet. |
Gary Null
See book keywords and concepts |
 WTieat (and other whole grains) provides a rich source of nutrients: complex carbohydrates, protein, oils, roughage, and an excellent balance of dozens of vitamins and minerals. Grinding wheat with stone rollers blends these ingredients together, yielding a product so nutritionally rich that it is prone to spoilage and attacks by vermin and fungi if not immediately used. In order to make a product that could be transported over long distances and stored indefinitely, bread less prone to spoiling was necessary. White flour was born. |
Dharma Singh Khalsa, M.D.
See book keywords and concepts |
 She took the herb Ginkgo biloba, as well as a broad spectrum of vitamins and minerals. She also took a homeopathic remedy for vertigo, in pills and injections.
In addition, she underwent a regimen of advanced medical acupuncture, and each day she performed a series of mind/body exercises designed to increase her ability to focus, and to improve her vertigo.
The acupuncture treatment, focused primarily on points in her scalp, was somewhat similar to another treatment that has elicited remarkable results among thousands of amnesia patients: transcranial electrical brain stimulation. |
The Complete Book of Alternative NutritionSelene Y. Craig, Jennifer Haigh, Sari Harrar and the Editors of PREVENTION Magazine Health Books
See book keywords and concepts |
| If you're like most people who stay current on health news, you're swimming in a sea of claims, not just for vitamins and minerals but also for a cornucopia of strange concoctions that promise to wipe out everything from hangnails to cancer. Being a smart consumer, you don't want to get duped. But how do you tell the difference between promise and puffery?
In this chapter we discuss some of the tabloidlike claims being made for many popular supplements today and what science really has to say about them. As you'll see, it's kind of a rogues' gallery. |
Dharma Singh Khalsa, M.D.
See book keywords and concepts |
| Aspects of his brain longevity program that already were a part of his lifestyle included regular cardiovascular exercise, regular mental exercise, supplementation with vitamins and minerals, and meditation. The primary changes he instituted included ingestion of lecithin, DMAE, Ginkgo biloba, a c ilorophyll-based "green drink," ginseng, and additional antioxidants. He also began doing the mind/body exercises, and eating much less red meat.
Within about Hie month, S.C. received a powerful boost from his brain longevity program. |
| Amino Acids
In addition to the above listed vitamins and minerals, some amino acids (or partial proteins) are also of special value.
Phenylalanine. The major nutritional precursor of the energizing neurotransmitter norepinephrine, phenylalanine helps brighten mood, stimulate energy, and improve memory. To feel energetic and to have a good long-term memory, it's absolutely vital that you have sufficient intake of phenylalanine. Some people take phenylalanine supplements, although this is not always necessary.
Glutamine. |
Marie-France Muller, M.D., N.D., Ph.D.
See book keywords and concepts |
 What interests him primarily is the importance of vitamins and minerals in human nutrition. This topic runs counter to what seems to be the current trend in conventional medicine, which is to shunt us onto the path of chemical prescriptions that are manipulated by pharmaceutical companies. Dr. Wallach's story is surprising.
His father was a farmer who raised veal for slaughter. He produced his own feed using his own grains and soy, which he ground together to make flour. |
| Harrel, a researcher at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, led a study to determine whether nutritional deficiencies could be a plausible cause for slow learning and mental retardation and, if so, if it would be possible to treat these conditions with vitamins and minerals. The results were, in her own words, "so extraordinary, that I was scared to believe them." The study continued for eight months and focused on sixteen retarded children whose IQs were somewhere between 17 and 70 (the average IQ is 100). |
| Our cooking methods, for example, also strip our foods of a large portion of vitamins and minerals (many of which can be found in the cooking water that collects on our plates or gets left in the pot). The deficiencies in canned foods and other highly processed products from the food industry are even more severe.
The soil, however, is where the problem begins. Because they are unable to synthesize minerals, plants must draw these substances from the soil. This is why the condition of the soil on earth is of the utmost importance. |
The Complete Book of Alternative NutritionSelene Y. Craig, Jennifer Haigh, Sari Harrar and the Editors of PREVENTION Magazine Health Books
See book keywords and concepts |
| Foods made with whole grains not only have a heartier taste than more refined products like regular pasta, white bread and white rice, they're also richer in vitamins and minerals. And whole-grain foods are also higher in fiber than their more refined cousins.
Fiber Fill-Up
Grains contain two different types of fiber, soluble and insoluble. Both kinds offer important health benefits, so they're an integral part of the Reversal Diet.
Soluble fiber is the kind found in oats, rice bran, fruits and beans: It seems to lower cholesterol levels by increasing the amount of cholesterol you excrete. |
Attaining Medical Self SufficiencyDuncan Long
See book keywords and concepts |
| Blumberg as well as other doctors caution that much research is incomplete and these doctors recommend against most "mega doses" of vitamins and minerals. Dr. Blumberg is quick to note that, "Until such studies can be conducted, it would be premature to say that we should all run out and take extra vitamin B6, for example, in order to avoid disease." But certainly there's a lot of evidence that indicates some supplements can be a big plus in otherwise poor diets.
In a trial published in the Nov. |
Jean Carper
See book keywords and concepts |
 People who think they can remedy their poor diets by taking vitamins and minerals do not realize that this is an insult to the complexity of the universe. Each food is a vast chemical factory of perhaps 10,000 or more elements.
For about the first half of the century scientists shunned whole foods for the study of their individual nutrients. Now that trend is reversing: food itself, not nutrients, is becoming the major concern.
"Exclusive concern with individual nutrients is not only unscientific but also potentially dangerous," says Dr. Mertz. |
Schuyler W. Lininger, Jr. DC
See book keywords and concepts |
 The importance of individual vitamins and minerals is discussed below.
Electrolyte replacement is not as important as water intake in most athletic endeavors. It usually takes several hours of exercise in warm climates before sodium depletion becomes significant, and even longer for potassium (p. 323), chloride, and magnesium (p. 310).33 However, the presence of sodium in fluids will often make it easier to drink as well as retain more fluid.34
Most research has demonstrated that strenuous exercise increases production of harmful substances called free radicals (p. |
the Editors of PREVENTION Magazine Health Books
See book keywords and concepts |
 Whether you're on a diet or not, a daily multivitamin supplement will help ensure that you get all the vitamins and minerals you need. The B vitamins are especially important in controlling cravings, says Dr. Levitsky.
Chart your PMS flow. Keep track of your cravings for several months to see if any patterns develop, says Dr. Kanarek. Knowing that the real reason you want that chocolate bar is that your period is due in two days may help you understand your cravings.
Be human. Succumbing to an occasional craving means that you're human. |
Schuyler W. Lininger, Jr. DC
See book keywords and concepts |
| Whole foods contain larger amounts of many vitamins and minerals, and individuals with HIV infection tend to suffer from multiple nutritional deficiencies. Nonetheless, no evidence currently suggests that dietary changes are curative for people with AIDS or even that they significantly impact the course of the disease.
Nutritional Supplements That May Be Helpful
Because individuals with HIV infection or AIDS often have multiple nutritional deficiencies, a broad-spectrum nutritional supplement may be beneficial. In one study, HIV-infected men who took a multivitamin supplement (p. |
the Editors of PREVENTION Magazine Health Books
See book keywords and concepts |
| Think of vitamins and minerals as 'oil' for the muscle engine," says Dr. Clarkson.
Help from the Doctor
If your muscles suddenly become weak for no apparent reason, view the situation as a potentially life-threatening emergency and go to the nearest hospital for treatment. And if your muscles have slowly become weaker for unexplained reasons, see your doctor to get a handle on what's happening. |
American Medical Publishing
See book keywords and concepts |
| In addition, some vitamins and minerals can cause problems for some people when taken in excessive doses. Finally, a label of "natural" is no guarantee of a product's safety or effectiveness.
If you use dietary supplements, always read product labels to determine the percentage daily value for various nutrients in the product. Also, it's a good idea to seek advice from a health professional before taking dietary supplements, particularly for children, adolescents, older people or those with chronic illnesses, and women who are pregnant or breast-feeding. |
| Many contain vitamins and minerals to supplement the amounts of these nutrients that people get from the food they eat. There also are many products on the market that contain other substances like high-potency free amino acids, botanicals, enzymes, herbs, animal extracts, and bioflavanoids.
The FDA's review of the safety and efficacy of these products is significantly less than for drugs and other products it regulates. Be cautious about using any supplement that claims to treat, prevent or cure a serious disease. |
| The difference between a safe low dose and a toxic higher dose is quite large for some vitamins and minerals and quite small for others.
A. Vitamin A
Vitamin A is found in several forms in dietary supplements. Preformed vitamin A (vitamin A acetate and vitamin A palmitate) has well-recognized toxicity when consumed at levels of 25,000 International Units (IU) per day, or higher. (Beta-carotene does not have the potential for adverse effects that the other forms of vitamin A do, because high intakes of beta-carotene are converted to vitamin A in the body at much lower levels). |
Simon Mills and Kerry Bone
See book keywords and concepts |
 All the clinical studies on ginseng have not been included in this review and because of the potentially uncertain effect of adding vitamins and minerals to ginseng, only some of the studies on this second product have been reviewed.
Effect on performance
If ginseng has tonic and adaptogenic properties, it can be expected to improve human performance and well-being in a variety of circumstances. Clinical studies tend to support this hypothesis, although some have produced negative findings.
In particular, recent studies on the effect of ginseng on physical performance have been negative. |
| Ginseng in conjunction with vitamins and minerals improved parameters such as total workload, maximal oxygen uptake, heart rate and blood lactate levels in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial on 50 male sports teachers. The authors suggested that their results indicate that the ginseng preparation increased work capacity by improving muscular oxygen utilization.137
In a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial, 43 male triathletes received either 200 mg of ginseng extract (about 1 g of root) or placebo for two consecutive training periods of 10 weeks. |
| Adverse effects were minimal in both groups.142 The effect on quality of life of ginseng extract in conjunction with vitamins and minerals was compared with placebo in a randomized, 12-week double-blind study on 390 participants. Healthy employed volunteers older than 25 years were included. Significant improvements above placebo were noted for alertness (p<0.05), relaxation (p=0.02), appetite (p=0.04) and overall score on 18 quality-of-life factors (p=0.03). Among the subgroup with the 20% lowest score at baseline, the active treatment improved both vitality (p=0.03) and depressed mood (p=0. |
| Ginseng extract with vitamins and minerals (dose not specified) caused a significant increase (p<0.05) in REM sleep compared to placebo in a 10-week double-blind trial on 20 elderly subjects. Other treatment effects were noted which suggest a positive effect on sleep quality.147 In a double-blind crossover trial to test whether ginseng improved depression and impaired performance associated with old age, 49 participants were given 1500 mg Korean red ginseng root or an identical placebo each for 10 days, with a washout period between dosages. |
Peter Radetsky
See book keywords and concepts |
 He displayed high levels of pesticides in his blood and was low in a number of vitamins and minerals, including the element sulfur. There was no doubt in Ross's mind that Kiessig's immune functions were impaired.
The final testing procedure — perhaps the most controversial technique of all — is skin testing. On the face of it, the term "skin testing" should make anyone who's ever been to a conventional allergist feel right at home. Skin testing is a staple of allergy diagnostic technique. |
Jean Carper
See book keywords and concepts |
| Walter Mertz says the same thing about vitamins and minerals. You can mix up a batch of nutrients to simulate a food, but it just doesn't work. "We know how much zinc is in human milk on which a baby grows beautifully. Now we put that same amount of zinc in an infant formula that we make, and we find that the infant will not grow. It's identical, for the main criterion for baby foods is to make them as close to human milk as possible. And they are close, but the zinc won't do it. There is something else in human milk that renders that zinc more effective. We don't know what it is. |
Phyllis A. Balch, CNC
See book keywords and concepts |
 Fresh vegetable juices supply necessary vitamins and minerals.
LL1 Avoid alcohol, caffeine, and sugar. These products increase the body's production of lactic acid.
LJ Even if it seems impossible, exercise daily. Pick exercises that do not use the most painful muscles. Increase your workout time from two or three minutes a day up to twenty or thirty minutes. While there may be some cardiovascular benefits to light exercise, the primary benefit is its effect on hormones and sleep.
LJ Be sure to get a thyroid function blood test. |
Jean Carper
See book keywords and concepts |
| Bread would flunk its government standards unless it were enriched with a broad range of vitamins and minerals. Juice drinks are bolstered with vitamin C. Cereals are fortified with fiber, vitamins, and minerals—some which nature never put there in the first place. United States Department of Agriculture scientists have even perfected a new "super carrot," oranger and fuller of carotene than ever seen before on earth, with ten times more beta carotene than God's ordinary carrots.
Clearly, we don't trust the vagaries of nature for our vitamin and mineral needs. |
| As science uncovers the secrets of physiologically valuable food substances other than common vitamins and minerals, it may become routine to expect more from food. Enriching foods in the future may mean incorporating pharmacological manipulations to bolster human defenses against various diseases, including infections. The distinction between foods and drugs grows fainter.
One way is to fiddle with the animal's biology, creating in a sense a living pharmaceutical supply house. Dr. |
Email this page to a friend
