MCVitamins News
Your Nutritional Education Site
1. Nutritional Supplements: Signs & Symptoms
2. Amino acids are latest in growing list of nutrients shown to extend
life span
3. Modern medicine discovers that a strong immune system really does
cure colds, flus
4. How to Brand a Disease - and Sell a Cure
5. Is Inflammation burning up your Health
6. Could Glutathione Be a Predictor of How Long You Will Live?
Nutritional
Supplements: Signs and Symptoms
Author: Andrew Stratton
Yes, the best way to get all the
nutrients your body needs is through whole foods. That
should be easy right? Our culture of fast and
convenient foods means that we are eating a lot of
processed foods that don't contain enough of the
nutrients we need. As a result, nutritional
supplements are big business because we know we aren't
eating right. Even in developed countries like the
United States it is still possible to become deficient
in important nutrients. Illness, poor diet and
environment can all create deficiencies. Here are the
signs and symptoms associated with a deficiency in
specific vitamins:
A - A lack of this can create problems with vision,
particularly night-time sight. It can also cause the
conjunctivitis of the eye to thicken or form milky
white spots. If you take a nutritional supplement for
A, be aware that it is fat soluble which means it
stays in the body longer making it easier to take too
much.
Thiamine (B1) - This is an example of how poor diet
and illness can create deficiencies. Alcoholics
commonly lack enough thiamine. Beriberi is the disease
that results and it attacks the nervous and
cardiovascular systems of the body. Memory acuity and
muscle control are greatly compromised. Edema and
congestive heart failure are also a risk. B vitamins
are water-soluble so they pass through the body faster
than fat-soluble ones. It also means that you don't
have to take these nutritional supplements with food.
However, you may have to take more of it throughout
the day as opposed to one dose with a meal.
D- Sunlight helps the body produce its own D, but
dangers of skin cancer have more and more people
covering up. Luckily, most dairy foods have D added to
it. But, if there is a deficiency, osteoporosis is an
increased risk. Vitamin D facilitates the absorption
of the calcium in the body and without it; bones lose
out on the calcium they need. There is also a
correlation to depression and fatigue. Research has
shown that a D nutritional supplement works to
alleviate the symptoms of seasonal affective disorder
or SAD. Vitamin D is fat-soluble so, again, it stays
in the body longer making it more possible to take too
much.
C- Not enough C affects collagen production in the
body. Collagen is a major building block for bones and
tissue to it is essential. Because it facilitates the
absorption of iron, a lack of C may cause you to
become iron deficient anemic. C is water-soluble, so
like the B vitamins, it passes through the body rather
quickly and may require you to stagger your
nutritional supplement dosing throughout the day to
maintain good levels.
B12- B12 is essential to red blood cell production and
proper functioning of the nervous system. It is found
in the liver. Vegetarians and people with autoimmune
diseases are at risk of a deficiency. Anemia is the
result when the body is low on red blood cells.
Fatigue, weakness, numbness and reduced mental acuity
are all symptoms of a deficiency. Because it is
water-soluble, regular dosing may be necessary to
maintain proper levels, particularly if you fall into
the at-risk categories above.
Before taking any nutritional supplements, it is a
good idea to talk with your doctor. If you are
concerned about deficiencies, he can test you and then
prescribe a proper dosing schedule. It is possible to
take much of a good thing, so read the dosing
instructions on the bottle and follow your doctor's
recommendations.
There are signs and symptoms associated with a
deficiency in specific vitamins. Fatigue, weakness,
numbness and reduced mental acuity are all symptoms of
a deficiency of vitamin B12.
Author: Andrew Stratton
For what each of the vitamins and mineral do go to http://www.mcvitamins.com/Vitamins/vitamins-minerals.htm
For
a good whole food Vitamin & Mineral Formula, go to http://www.mcvitamins.com/WSN/whole-food-supplements.htm
Amino acids are latest in growing list of nutrients shown to extend life span
Researchers are zeroing in on specific nutrients and natural therapies that not only can prevent and heal disease but promote longevity.
http://www.naturalnews.com/030270_amino_acids_longevity.html
Modern medicine discovers that a strong immune system really does cure colds, flus
Researchers from the Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge,
England, have made a fascinating new discovery about the way the body's
immune system fights off infections. Contrary to popular belief within
mainstream medicine, the body's natural antibodies are capable of
fighting off a virus and killing it, even after the infection has
entered cells -- and this phenomenon occurs naturally without the need
for drug interventions.
http://www.naturalnews.com/030269_immune_system_colds.html
How to Brand a Disease - and Sell a Cure
The manner in which prescription drugs are marketed today can be readily understood if you read the 1928 book "Propaganda," by Edward Bernays, the father of PR.
Bernays knew that public relations business was less about selling things than about creating the conditions for things to sell themselves.
See also our article - Inventing Disease http://www.mcvitamins.com/inventing-disease.htm
Is Inflammation burning up your Health
Inflammation -- the immune response your body uses when you're
injured -- can spiral wildly out of control and become a chronic
condition that can cause health problems and symptoms, and even damage
your bones. Discover how chronic inflammation can smolder inside your
body for years without you knowing, and find just which steps you can
take today to cool the fire inside.
What is inflammation and what can you do about it Go to http://www.womentowomen.com/inflammation/whatischronicinflammation.aspx?
(Not just for women)
Also an article Is Inflammation making you Hot & Bothered? http://www.mcvitamins.com/chronic-inflammation.htm
Could Glutathione Be a Predictor of How Long You Will Live?
By Judy Thompson
All cells in the body need water, oxygen, glucose and glutathione. The
levels of glutathione in our cells could be predictive of how long we
will live. For exhaustion and chronic fatigue sufferers reading this,
the information that follows is vital to you!
What is glutathione? It is a tri-peptide, or a small protein composed of
the amino acids cysteine, glycine and glutamate. Glutathione is made in
every cell of the body and it must be made by the 3 amino acids,
cysteine, glycine and glutamate.
Your body is either replicating healthy cells and delaying the aging
process or it is replicating unhealthy cells and speeding up the aging
process. Every cell makes and recycles glutathione. The largest amount
of glutathione in our bodies is found in the liver, lining of the lungs,
kidney, heart and brain.
Why is glutathione important?
1. It is a major antioxidant produced by the cell. It is able to
neutralize free radicals and recycle other antioxidants such as vitamins
C & E. Glutathione actually helps your body more efficiently use the
other antioxidants.
2. It is the body’s most effective detoxifier. It binds to undesirable
toxins, pollutants, and cancer-causing chemicals, etc. and excretes them
through the urine or gut.
3. It improves immune response
4. It helps regulate the cell’s vital functions, such as synthesis and
repair of DNA.
5. It contributes to the production of red blood cells.
6. It helps in wound healing.
7. It helps build lean muscle mass.
8. It inhibits harmful viruses and bacteria in the gastrointestinal
tract.
9. It increases one’s aerobic exercise capacity by up to 13%.
While glutathione is produced naturally in our bodies, glutathione
levels decrease with age at the rate of 1% a year after age 20. In
addition, levels of glutathione can be reduced by stress, exercise,
infection, injury and environmental toxins. People who live to 100 years
of age, will have glutathione levels similar to 30-50 year olds.
Reduced glutathione levels can result in lower energy, insomnia,
cellular damage, inflammation, accelerated aging, and a weakened
resistance to various diseases, including heart disease, cancer,
arthritis and many other diseases. People with any defined disease have
decreased glutathione levels compared with healthy individuals the same
age. Low levels of glutathione are actually a marker for over 200
medical conditions. It could be said that low levels of glutathione
equal cellular aging, disease, and death!
Glutathione helps to improve mental function, increases energy, improves
concentration, permits increased exercise, and improves heart and lung
function.
WHAT FOODS ARE HIGH IN GLUTATHIONE?
Avocado, watermelon, asparagus, walnuts, grapefruit, potato, acorn,
squash, strawberries, orange, tomato, cantaloupe, broccoli.
Glutathione must be produced within the cell itself. Oral glutathione in
pill form is not absorbed and will be eliminated by the liver before
reaching the blood stream. Injectable glutathione is degraded by the
time it gets to the cell and much of it cannot pass the cell membrane.
HOW CAN A PERSON INCREASE THEIR GLUTATHIONE
LEVEL?
In addition to being able to get glutathione in some foods (as listed
above), the best way to increase glutathione is through a glutathione
precursor. Since glutathione is produced within the cell itself and
cannot be easily absorbed into the cell, a person needs to consume a
product that will enable the body to produce its own glutathione within
the cells. This product would be considered to be a glutathione
precursor.
A good glutathione precursor helps your body neutralize free radicals
and build healthy cells. Your body replaces about 1% of your cells
everyday. Your skin, body, organs, tissue are all constantly in a state
of regeneration. Otherwise, your body cells are constantly dying and
being regenerated. Thus, in about 3 months time, your cells and you, as
a person, can make positive strides in getting healthier!
TO SUMMARIZE
The levels of glutathione in our cells are predictive of how long we
will live. Few other factors are as predictive of our life expectancy as
is glutathione. It may be referred to as the “master antioxidant”
since it regulates the actions of lesser antioxidants including vitamin
C and vitamin E in the body. It is the most important antioxidant to
overall health.
About the Author: Judy Thompson
Why Do Diets Fail So Often?
These days, many people are commonly looking to lower their weight. People will often struggle with various diets in an attempt to bring their weight under control. The results are usually a lot of effort and little long-term success.
The article below will shed some light on why the usual approaches to dieting can lead to failures:
"As a rule, diet books are based on two assumptions about dieting. The first is that diets do not affect the speed at which the body works - the metabolic rate. The second is that the weight lost on a diet is all or almost all fat. These are not true."
"Much of the weight lost on a diet is not fat; and any initial fast loss includes almost no loss of fat."
"Initial weight lowering on a diet is no mystery. The loss consists principally of glycogen (a form of glucose in a water solution), as well as additional water."
"Diets slow down the metabolic rate."
"In our minds we know the difference between going on a diet and being subjected to famine or starvation. But our bodies do not know the difference. When we go on a diet we activate the mechanisms in the body that protect us and preserve us in times of famine. And what does the body need to keep it going between times of famine? Fat. The more people diet the more their bodies will protect the stores of fat."
excerpted from Dieting Makes You Fat
by Geoffrey Cannon and Hetty Einzig
The solution to bringing one's weight under control is to adopt an eating program suited to your body's needs, a dietary program that more closely matches the food that our bodies evolved with, which is a high protein, low carbohydrate diet, which is high in vegetables and salads.