Vitamin Supplements

In order for your body to absorb the vitamin B12 that you consume, cells in the stomach lining must produce a protein called intrinsic factor. Without enough of this factor in the gastric juices, the intestines cannot absorb B12, and a deficiency may occur.

Vitamin B12 Basic Functions

•  Vitamin B12 is required for manufacturing and developing red blood cells in the marrow.
• Vitamin B12 is necessary for the body to use folic acid properly. Read the rest of this entry »

Phosphorus

Another very important mineral upon which the body depends is phosphorus. This mineral plays a leading part in many of our vital processes.

It is present in every tissue and has much to do with the growth and functions of all the cells of the body. Phosphorus enters into a great many different chemical reactions, especially those involving enzymes, proteins, and carbohydrates.

Phosphorus is essential for all the muscles. Believe it or not, you could not lift an eyebrow without phosphorus! It is part of the nuclear structure of every cell. Phosphorus also helps to maintain the normal acid-base balance of the body.

In combination with calcium it forms a large part of the bony framework on which the rest of the body depends. It is essential in building sound, healthy teeth. Most of the phosphorus in the body is stored in the bones. Like calcium, it can be drawn upon for needs elsewhere. Read the rest of this entry »

But folic acid, also sometimes called folacin, is suddenly getting attention. Studies have found that it can protect against neural tube defects (NTDs), severe birth abnormalities involving the brain and spine. Based on this persuasive research, the U.S. Public Health Service and the American Academy of Pediatrics now advise all women in their child-bearing years to consume at least 0.4 mg of folic acid per day in order to reduce the risk of having a baby with an NTD.

Information from this research has fueled new interest in folic acid, a B vitamin that was identified, synthesized. It has also caused concern, since folic acid deficiency is common throughout the world, including in the United States, particularly among infants and pregnant women. This B vitamin is important to infants because it promotes cell replication and rapid growth. Pregnant women need extra folic acid not only to help their fetuses develop properly, but also because their bodies break down the vitamin at an increased rate. Read the rest of this entry »

Thiamin is the first of the B complex vitamins and it is often referred to as vitamin B₁. Our daily intake of thiamin is calculated on the calories we need in our diet and this gives the first clue to its main function. It is involved in the production of energy in the body. If we go back to the section describing the general duties of vitamins you will remember that they act as coenzymes in the chemical reactions that take place in all normal metabolism, and some of those reactions produce energy from the food we eat. Fats, protein and carbohydrates are the three main categories of foods found in most diets. Fats are storage foods, acting as insulation and protection within the body. Read the rest of this entry »

Vitamin B12 and folate are two more vitamins which are associated with the prevention and cure of certain types of anaemia. Both vitamins have fairly complex structures. B12 is the name given to a group of cobalamins, and folate is formed from a pteroic acid. B12 is only found in animal tissues and cannot be supplied in a diet of fruit and vegetables but folate is abundant in green, leafy vegetables, and the name folate, folic acid or folacin refers to its source in foliage. (Folium = leaf in Latin.)

There are various types of anaemia, but all forms of the disease can be described as a lack of sufficient red cells capable of carrying oxygen from the lungs to the tissues. In the last section we saw how important pyridoxine can be in helping to form the protein structure of haemoglobin. Iron is also needed and must be supplied in the diet. Read the rest of this entry »

There are two distinct schools of thought about vitamin E and they can be divided between those who are concerned with the known facts and findings about the vitamin, and the others who prefer to promote its more attractive, but as yet unproven, qualities. If you study an academic text on the subject you will find that vitamin E is a true vitamin and is essential in our diet. Few of us are likely to go short of it or suffer any form of deficiency disease and the only exceptions are premature babies, and people who cannot digest and absorb any fat. Compare these facts with those presented in praise of vitamin E and you will find a very different story. It seems that vitamin E is a magic ingredient which will ensure health and happiness, improved sex life and eternal youth. It is hard to believe we are discussing the same substance, and inevitably we are faced with the problem of who to believe, and we need to know why there is such a discrepancy between the scientist’s evidence and the layman’s approach. Read the rest of this entry »

‘Vitamin‘ B15 and B17 have been much in the public eye recently though there have been more storms about their properties and management in the U.S.A. than over here. Both ‘vitamins‘ are found in the kernels of apricots and almonds. B15 has the chemical name pangamic acid and is packaged as calcium pangamate. ‘Pan’ means universal and ‘gamic’ comes from the Greek word meaning seed. This name has been ascribed to it because it is found in all seeds and many other plant tissues. B17 consists of glucose, benzaldehyde and cyanate. It is found exclusively in apricot kernels, and it has been promoted as a cure for cancer in the U.S.A., but not over here. Read the rest of this entry »

This is another borderline case which can be a medical or self help condition. Knowing whether or not you are anaemic requires a blood test which shows how much iron, as haemoglobin, you have in the red cells of the blood. Ideally it should be at a level of 14 mg per 100 ml of blood but many women have less than this amount, particularly after childbirth or heavy menstrual periods. Iron tablets may be recommended by the doctor for a short time to build up the iron in the blood but the long-term prospects should rest on correcting the diet. Unfortunately iron is not very ‘available’ in the foods we eat. This means that although we may eat plenty of iron in our meat, liver, kidney, eggs and fish it is poorly absorbed from the intestine. Read the rest of this entry »

Vitamin F [Unsaturated Fatty Acids — Linoleic, Linolenic and Arachidonic]

FACTS:

Fat soluble, made up of unsaturated fatty acids obtained from foods.

Measured in milligrams [mg.].

No RDA has been established, but the National Research Council has suggested that at least 1 percent of total calories should include essential unsaturated fatty acids.

Unsaturated fat helps burn saturated fat, with intake balanced two to one.

Twelve teaspoons sunflower seeds or eighteen pecan halves can furnish a day’s complete supply. Read the rest of this entry »

Tissue salts are inorganic mineral components of your body’s tissues. They are also known as Schuessler biochemical cell salts, after Dr. W.H. Schuessler, who isolated them in the late nineteenth century. Dr. Schuessler found that if the body was deficient in any of these salts, illness occurred, and that if the deficiency was corrected, the body could heal itself. In other words, tissue salts are not a cure, but merely a remedy.

The twelve tissue salts are:

Fluoride of lime [calc. fluor.] — Part of all the connective tissues in your body. An imbalance can be the cause of varicose veins, late dentition, muscle tendon strain, carbuncles, and cracked skin. Read the rest of this entry »