Body and Soul Reconnection

We now have a substantial body of data showing that if everyone took a few supplements every day, they could significantly lower their risk of a multitude of serious diseases.
– David Heber, M.D., Ph.D., of the Center for Human Nutrition at the University of California, Los Angeles.

In my experience the above statement is very true.  The right supplements at the correct amounts can have somewhat miraculous results.  The issue at hand is that not all supplements are created equal.  The worst offenders of putting out inferior products are the “name brand” companies.  In my opinion, their bottom line seems to be profit not quality.  It seems if they can get away with creating a low cost product and charge an amount the health conscious market is willing to bare, this is what they will do.

It has been discovered that many of the “name brands” are processed at high temperatures (destroy medicinal properties), contain petroleum derived chemical solvents, such as ethyl cellulose and are coated with methylene chloride, a carcinogenic material. According to Dr. Zoltan P. Rona, M.D., “Although most healthy people will have no obvious side effects from ingesting small amounts of toxins found in cheap vitamins, the long term consequences of continuous, daily intakes are potentially dangerous. Over 7% of the population displays sensitivity to these chemicals.” Dr. Rona says that allergic reactions include fatigue, memory loss, depression and insomnia.  I have had a client come to me once which was inexplicably feeling terrible.  We finally discovered it was a multi-vitamin they were taking.  Once they stopped taking the vitamin they felt better.

In the laboratory, chemists can duplicate sea water that is chemically identical to natural sea water, but if you put fish in this synthetic water they will die. Obviously, there is a life-supporting difference between natural and synthetic.

BEWARE of the results from studies done on vitamins or minerals.  If they were performed by laboratory produced supplements the results will not be accurate.  If they are performed with “natural” based supplements and the whole complex of the nutrient, then these studies will be more reliable.

A ONE A DAY DOES NOT CUT IT

Research has been done on some of the national brand vitamins including Centrum and Centrum Silver.  Their formulas are not just inexpensive…but cheap. They have sub-optimal levels of certain important nutrients.  But the problem isn’t just the important missing ingredients. It is the chemicals that shouldn’t be there. Take Centrum Silver as an example. Centrum’s ingredients are all synthetic and include seven different chemicals, solvents or dyes.

If you do not plan to commit to quality natural vitamins, then you should consider not taking any at all. Natural vitamins are developed directly from plants and other materials and only contain wholesome ingredients.  They keep the integrity of the complex family of  nutrients. For example, chromium is a mineral which when deficient can cause hypoglycemia or diabetes type II.  In it’s natural state, chromium is a glucose tolerance factor or GTF and it helps protect us against these blood sugar level disorders.  But GTF is not really just one factor. It’s a whole family of factors.

Unfortunately many chromium products on the market are from chromium picolinate, which is a single isolated compound that is made in the laboratory. Chromium picolinate does not contain the glucose tolerance factor. And yet, GTF is the main benefit of the natural micro-nutrient chromium. So, it doesn’t make sense to take the isolated synthetic chromium. You are not receiving expected health benefits. You might as well be throwing your money away.  Most micro-nutrients are found in families like those in chromium.  Another example is Beta-carotene. Almost all of the beta-carotene on the market is an isolated synthetic compound made from acetylene gas. It’s no wonder that some of the testing done with the synthetic form of beta-carotene has produced mixed results, and in one study on smokers, produced a negative result.

For my clients I recommend Nature’s Sunshine Products (NSP – over 35 years of experience in high quality supplements).  Regarding their Chromium supplement, NSP increases its absorb-ability by adding chromium nicotinate to its regular chromium amino acid chelate.  Added to 500 mcg of GTF Chromium in each tablet is a blend of red clover tops, yarrow flowers and horsetail herb. Each of these herbs by nature have higher concentrations of chromium than other botanicals.

To compare ingredients with what you are currently taking or plan to take, I suggest you go to the www.NaturesSunshine.com website and look-up the label information.  This is a good start towards discovering how well your supplements are being manufactured for ultimate absorbability and medicinal properties.

There are a handful of other well intended manufacturers which produce quality products.  Expect to invest $1.00 to $1.50 per day to keep your body at its biochemical optimal levels.  Obviously if there are current health issues which need to be resolved the per day cost increases.  However, the cost quickly decreases as your body returns to balance.

Consuming natural vitamins is fundamental to improving and keeping your health intact and it’s much easier to prevent health problems than it is to treat them. I plan to live a long life but not in a deteriorated state.  This is my wish for you.  Own your Health!

** If you would like to order some of the Nature’s Sunshine products (NSP) I highly recommend to my clients, call them at 1-800-453-1422 and you can use my account number #576437-6. Tell them you want a drop ship order. For more information about NSP go to my Health Analysis page and read the last section.