Vitamin Supplements

In the ‘thirties the idea of such a list was very novel but it soon had a chance of being put to the test. With the coming of World War II and the rationing of food this type of information was very valuable. Vitamins were made available to mothers and babies, and the basic rations for everyone in this country included sufficient food for good health. Vitamins were added to margarine, bread and flour, and although food was limited and the diet was often monotonous we had all the food we needed and were healthier at the end of six years of war than we had ever been before.

Vitamins had proved their point. We believed in them, and the way was open for a new and thriving business. Health food shops sprang up in the ‘fifties and chemists started to sell an increasingly large range of vitamin preparations. Read the rest of this entry »

The history of vitamins as solo performers is very recent. They were not named until 1912 and did not enter the English dictionary until 1934 but their role in disease dates back some thousands of years. Early Egyptian records show that ox liver was used in the treatment of eye complaints; Hippocrates, ‘the Father of Medicine’, prescribed sensible diets in the treatment of illness; and in the Middle Ages when scurvy was the plague of sailors on long sea voyages, the cure was found in fresh fruit and vegetables, particularly citrus fruits. Today, we know that liver is a rich source of vitamin A and oranges and lemons supply vitamin C, and it is these factors which produce the cure, but in those days sickness and health belonged to religion and folklore as much as to the art of the healer. If a remedy worked and restored the sufferer to good health that was enough, and thanks were given to God and the doctor. Only a few scientists wondered why something had ‘worked’ and were prepared to search further for an answer. Read the rest of this entry »

There was a time, not so long ago, when people refused to believe in vitamins because they could not see them. We still cannot ’see’ them, in the strict sense of the word, but nowadays we treat them as one of the wonders of the twentieth century. The truth is that vitamins are not new. They have been in our food since the beginning of time. The only difference between then and now is that we have learned, it:^, the last seventy years, to isolate, analyse, extract and re-create them. We can put them back into our food, or manufacture them for use in medicines, cosmetics and cattle food. Finally, we can package and sell them without prescription as tablets, tonics and wonder foods. Read the rest of this entry »

Vitamin D is the joker in the pack. It masquerades as a vitamin but follows none of the rules. To begin with we don’t need it in the diet because we can make it ourselves, and secondly it doesn’t work as a coenzyme in the way that most of the other vitamins do. Vitamin D is formed from a group of chemicals which are known as sterols and react to sunlight and radiation to form the active vitamin. All animals including man possess these sterols and they are found close to the surface of the skin. When sunlight reaches the body it changes the structure of these sterols, and they are absorbed into the bloodstream as cholecalciferol and pass to the liver. Further changes occur here and the new products are transported to the kidney. Read the rest of this entry »

We are now left with one final group of commodities; the vegetables and fruit group. These are our main source of vitamin C. They also provide approximately half of the vitamin A we need and a very useful amount of the B complex and vitamins E and K. We have more control over the conservation of these vitamins than in most of the other groups of foods we have looked at. Our first responsibility lies in the way we buy our fruit and vegetables. Continental housewives select their own goods from the display at the greengrocers whereas we take what is given to us. Read the rest of this entry »

Time Release and Sustained Release

A major step forward in vitamin manufacturing has been the introduction of time release supplements. Time release also known as sustained release is a process by which vitamins are enrobed in micropellets [tiny time pills] and then combined into a special base for their release in a pattern that assures eight- to twelve-hour absorption. Most vitamins are water soluble and cannot be stored in the body. Without time release, they are quickly absorbed into the bloodstream, and, no matter how large the dose, are excreted in the urine within two or three hours.

Time-release supplements can offer optimum effectiveness, minimal excretary loss, and stable blood levels all during the day and through the night. Read the rest of this entry »

Polyps

These small annoying growths should definitely be seen by a doctor, and in most instances surgical removal is necessary. Butas far as supplements go, Dr. Jerome J. DeCosse, professor chairman of surgery at the Medical College of Wisconsi olyp s,n, used 3,000 mg. vitamin C [time release] daily on patients with p and had noteworthy success with the treatment.

Postoperative Healing

After surgery, your body needs all the nutritional support it can get.

Vitamin E, 400 IU [dry form] 3 times daily

2 vitamin C complex, 1,000 mg. with bioflavonoids, hesperidin,and rutin A.M. and P.M. Read the rest of this entry »

Constipation

Everyone is bothered by constipation at some time or other. Usually this is due to a lack of bulk in the diet or because of certain medications, such as codeine. Harsh laxatives can rob the body of nutrients, as well as cause rebound constipation and laxative dependency, so natural remedies should be your first choice.

2 tbsp, unprocessed bran flakes daily 3-9 bran tablets daily

1 tbsp, acidophilus liquid 3 times daily

A vegetable laxative and stool softener for a short time if necessary Read the rest of this entry »

Selecting Your Regimen

We all know that not everyone has the same metabolism, but we often forget that this also means that not everyone requires the same vitamins. In the following sections I have outlined a number of personalised regimens for a variety of specialised needs. Look them all over and see which ones best fit your own special situation. If you fall under more than one category, adjust the combined regimens so that you are not double-dosing yourself, only adding the additional vitamins.

You will notice that in many cases I advise what I call an nsp, a nutrition starter programme. This basic vitamin trio, taken twice daily, is my foundation for general good health. Read the rest of this entry »