Are Cheap Vitamins as Good as More Expensive Ones?
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April 30, 2008 |
8. Are the cheap vitamins as good as more expensive ones?
All the experts agree: You usually get what you pay for. To maximize absorption, Dean goes for food-based organic vitamins, which are usually pricier. The budget-priced ones tend to include synthetic vitamins and fillers, she says.
Regardless of cost, the bottom line is that no standard production rules exist for supplements. Look for the USP (United States Pharmacopeia) symbol or the GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) or the Consumer Lab seals in order to ensure the product's purity. These mean that the supplements have passed tests to confirm that they contain the ingredients listed on the label and in the amounts listed.
©2007 Revolution Health Group, LL C.Labels: health, supplements |
posted by Maggie @ 8:51 pm   |
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Do Vitamins Lose Potency Over Time?
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April 29, 2008 |
7. Do vitamins suddenly become completely ineffective after the expiration date?
They don't become entirely useless. "Vitamins and minerals are components of food, so they lose potency over time," Lieberman says. Regardless of the expiration date, once you open a supplement bottle and expose it to light and air, you should use the contents within a year or throw it away.
©2007 Revolution Health Group, LL C.Labels: health, supplements |
| posted by Maggie @ 8:48 pm |
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Do I Need Extra Vitamins if I Exercise?
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April 28, 2008 |
6. Do I need extra vitamins if I exercise?
Exercise produces free radicals in the body. (Free radicals are believed to play a role in more than 60 different health conditions, including the aging process, cancer and atherosclerosis.)
If you work out more than 30 to 60 minutes a day, you may want to up your antioxidant intake to counteract this stress.
Also, you lose minerals like magnesium and potassium through sweat, so avid exercisers are wise to add a complex multimineral vitamin to their daily program.
©2007 Revolution Health Group, LLC.Labels: health, supplements |
| posted by Maggie @ 8:46 pm |
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Which Vitamin Supplements Should I Take?
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April 27, 2008 |
5. I want to take one multivitamin and just a couple of supplements. What should they be?
To round out your nutrition, add a comprehensive multimineral vitamin with calcium, magnesium, zinc and more.  Then put in more detoxifying and stress-sapping vitamin C. Fish oil can provide essential omega-3 fatty acids for healthy heart, skin, hair and nails. And if you're older than 40, Lieberman thinks coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is worth the investment for its powers against heart disease and cancer. ©2007 Revolution Health Group, LLC. Labels: health, supplements |
| posted by Maggie @ 8:40 pm |
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Can Vitamins Harm My Health?
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April 26, 2008 |
4. Can vitamins harm my health?
It's possible to overdo fat-soluble vitamins because the body doesn't flush them. Instead, the extra amounts can build up in fat tissues and the liver. But you'd have to chomp a lot to do any damage.
"You could cause harm if you swallowed an entire bottle of vitamin D," Lieberman says. "If you took too much vitamin A, you'd have toxicity. But the first thing you'd experience is a headache."
The adult RDI for vitamin D is 1000 (international units) IU a day (it used to be 400 IU), and the RDI for vitamin A is 5,000 IU a day.
©2007 Revolution Health Group, LLC.Labels: health, supplements |
| posted by Maggie @ 8:34 pm |
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Are "Natural" Vitamins Better Than "Synthetic" Vitamins?
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April 25, 2008 |
3. Are "natural" vitamins better than "synthetic" vitamins?
It depends. Old studies on vitamins C and B6 showed no difference or greater absorption from synthetic ones.
But fat-solubles are different. Natural vitamin E (d-alpha-tocopherol) is more available to the body than synthetic vitamin E (dl-alpha-tocopherol or all-rac-alpha-tocopherol).
"The body does judge them differently," says Carolyn Dean, M.D., a naturopathic doctor, wellness consultant and author of The Magnesium Miracle (Ballantine, 2006). In other words, the body has evolved to digest natural food, and so it can tell the difference between real and fake.
Dean recommends downing only food-based organic vitamins in order to make the best use of your vitamins.
©2007 Revolution Health Group, LLC.Labels: health, supplements |
| posted by Maggie @ 8:32 pm |
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Are Higher Doses of Vitamins Better?
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April 24, 2008 |
2. Are higher doses of vitamins better?
Let the debate begin. According to Lieberman, the government's reference daily intakes (RDI) are minimum-wage nutrition. "They don't take into account that vitamins can treat, mitigate and prevent disease," she says.
Taking high levels of niacin (vitamin B3), for example, can lower cholesterol. The catch? For some people, megadosing on niacin can cause liver inflammation. A more common reaction is flushing -- redness, burning and tingling of the face.
Also, excess fat-soluble vitamins such as A, D, E and K don't get excreted like water-soluble vitamins, so they can build up in the body's fat tissues and the liver and potentially cause harm.
In reality, however, toxicity is rare.
Your best bet: Don't take matters into your own hands. Instead, consult with your health care practitioner for your particular needs."Our society thinks more is better," says Jill Place, a Los Angeles-based nutritionist and registered dietitian. "I don't believe in therapeutic doses of vitamins unless someone needs them for specific illnesses."
©2007 Revolution Health Group, LLC.Labels: health, supplements |
| posted by Maggie @ 8:27 pm |
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Vitamins - The Top Ten Questions Answered
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April 23, 2008 |
We are told vitamins ward off nutritional deficiencies and, even more, can help prevent dire conditions like cancer, osteoporosis and heart disease. But with the shelves lined with so many options, how do you know which pills are best to pop?
We talked to leading nutrition experts to get answers to your top 10 vitamin questions:
1. Why do vitamins make my urine yellow?
The body flushes out extra water-soluble vitamins, but the bright yellow color comes mostly from B2 (riboflavin), according to certified nutrition specialist Shari Lieberman, Ph.D., author of The Real Vitamin and Mineral Book (Penguin, 2007).
Found naturally in cheese, yogurt, eggs, meat, beans and spinach, vitamin B2 is essential for healthy eyes and helps maintain a strong immune system. B2 deficiencies are also linked to psychiatric disorders.
©2007 Revolution Health Group, LLC.Labels: health, supplements |
| posted by Maggie @ 6:57 pm |
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Color your diet: Fresh fruit 10 ways
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April 22, 2008 |
Content provided by MayoClinic.com
 Nature offers many sweet choices for eating well: juicy red cherries, plump purple plums, and orange, luscious tangerines, just to name a few. In fact, all fruits fit into a colorful and healthy diet.
You can enjoy fresh fruits as they come: whole or perhaps sliced. But with minimal work, you can transform fresh fruit into lively snacks, side dishes, desserts and meals.
Here are 10 ways to reinvent and
rediscover these sweet options.
* Grilled fruit slices. Cut apples, pears or peaches into chunks, brush lightly with canola oil and sprinkle with cinnamon. Place on skewers or wrap in foil. Grill on low heat for 3 to 5 minutes.
* Peach honey spread. In a bowl, add 1 sliced peach, 2 tablespoons honey and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Mash with a fork until the mixture is the consistency of chunky applesauce. Serve as a topping for pancakes or French toast, or serve it over roast chicken or pork.
* Lemon-lime fruit dip. Mix together 1/2 cup low-fat, sugar-free lemon yogurt, 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice and 1 teaspoon lime zest. Serve with pineapple chunks, strawberries, diced kiwi, sliced bananas and grapes.
* Frozen fruity pops. In a blender, add sliced strawberries and bananas, 1/4 cup orange juice, and 3/4 cup low-fat strawberry yogurt. Blend until smooth. Pour into 2- to 3-ounce molds or paper cups with sticks placed in the centers. Freeze for 3 hours or until completely frozen.
* Romaine and fresh strawberry salad. Combine 2 cups romaine lettuce and 1/2 cup sliced strawberries in a bowl. Drizzle with 1 1/2 tablespoons raspberry vinaigrette dressing and toss well. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon cashews.
* Blueberry-banana smoothie. In a blender, add 2 fresh or frozen bananas, 1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries, and 1 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt. Blend until smooth.
* Plum salsa. Mix together 1 cup chopped plum, 1 teaspoon dried cilantro, 2 tablespoons chopped onion, 2 teaspoons cider vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon hot sauce and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Serve with roasted or grilled chicken breasts.
* Broiled (Grilled) fruit kebabs. Place cubed fruit, such as cantaloupe, pineapple, mango or honeydew, onto skewers. Place skewers on a baking sheet and sprinkle with brown sugar. Broil until slightly bubbly, about 2 minutes on each side.
* Berries a la mode. Place 2 cup berries, such as raspberries, blueberries or strawberries, in a baking dish. Sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/3 cup low-fat granola. Bake at 350 F until fruit is bubbling, about 30 minutes. Top each serving with 1/2 cup fat-free vanilla ice cream.
* Mango salsa pizza. Mix together 1 cup chopped red or green bell peppers, 1/2 cup chopped onion, 1/2 cup chopped mango, 1/2 cup chopped pineapple, 1 tablespoon lime juice, and 1/2 cup fresh cilantro. Spread over a 12-inch prepared pizza crust. Bake at 425 F until the toppings are hot and the crust is browned, about 5 to 10 minutes.
©1998-2007 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER)Labels: food, health, nutrition |
| posted by Maggie @ 5:16 pm |
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Three Key Steps in the Fight Against Fibromyalgia
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April 18, 2008 |
Remove toxins, allergens & stresses from your body.
Reset the autoimmune system (order a cease-fire).
Rebuild the damaged bodily tissues (with high-tech nutrition). Overcoming Fibromyalgia is a bit like rebuilding a city that has been bombed during an aerial war. The 3 steps are:1. Negotiate a political decision to stop the bombing - this normally means you have to remove combatants from the city. If the enemy believes that there are still combatants in the city... they will continue to order bombing raids. 2. Recall the bomber planes. 3. Start repairing and rebuilding. Combatants = toxins or allergens or stresses. When toxins settle into a tissue area... the immune system believes it has an enemy. It will not stop believing that until the foreign elements leave. So, the first step is to detoxify the body of toxins. This includes heavy metals, allergens, etc. Ordering a cease-fire is only possible because of a substance called Collastin that has been found to help modulate immune system response, essentially telling the immune system to relax and not fight today... and antioxidants that police the town and stop damage from free radicals. Finally, damaged tissues must be rebuilt by the most effective nutrition possible. This includes a balanced approach of all... not just some of the 25,000 nutrients that the body needs. An approach that is not comprehensive ensures that real healing cannot take place. Fibromyalgia has been overcome by persons who apply the above tactics. There is no single magical bullet that conquers Fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia is developed over time as a person becomes toxic and body systems are degraded. It can be overcome by rebuilding these systems through time. While many of the body systems replicate new cells every five months, nerve cells take two years or longer. So, efforts to overcome Fibromyalgia are going to be long-term efforts (two years). Labels: health, nutrition |
| posted by Maggie @ 8:30 am |
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Fibromyalgia
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April 14, 2008 |
This is part of an article I found - go to this link to read the rest of the article.
Fibromyalgia is a stiffness and pain syndrome involving muscles, connective tissues (tendons, ligaments), bursae, and joints. It is also characterized by severe fatigue that is unrelieved by sleep because often Fibromyalgia patients do not get much, if any, stage 4 (or Delta) sleep—the "healing" phase of sleep where repair of bodily tissues takes place.
Risk factors for developing Fibromyalgia are:
* A family history of depression - research has shown that Fibromyalgia is more common in people with a family history of depression.
* Gender - two-thirds of Fibromyalgia sufferers are women
* Low Thyroid Function - studies have shown that Fibromyalgia is more common in persons with low thyroid function.
What is the cause of Fibromyalgia?
Medically speaking, Fibromyalgia does not have a known cause, however, usually Fibromyalgia sufferers:
1 Do not process lactic acid normally
2 Do not sleep well
3 Have lowered pain thresholds
4 Have low thyroid function
5 Have low serotonin levels
6 Have low progesterone levels
7 Have impaired immune system function
8 Have high toxic/allergic levels
9 Have low glutathione/antioxidant levels
10 Have experienced a structural stress such as a whip lash or fall
Although correlation does not denote causation, the most logical approach for anyone is to treat each of the above correlative factors as if it might be a cause.
In other words, treatment for Fibromyalgia might well include, and should using our logic:
1 Participating in low impact exercise routines and diet regimens that facilitate processing of lactic acid.
2 Endeavoring to sleep more soundly and regularly.
3 Reducing stress and increase dietary calcium and magnesium... which leads to lowered pain thresholds.
4 Endeavoring to increase thyroid function.
5 Endeavoring to increase levels of serotonin.
6 Endeavoring to increase levels of progesterone.
7 Endeavoring to improve immune system functioning.
8 Detoxifying our bodies.
9 Increasing glutathione/antioxidant levels
10 Remedying structural damage to nerves (chiropractic or osteopathic intervention, sauna or massage therapy)Labels: health |
| posted by Maggie @ 8:14 am |
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