Feb
24
Organic Whole Food Vitamin Supplements - Will They Work For You?
Filed Under Herbal Nutritional Supplements | 2 Comments
There are major differences between a typical supplement and an organic whole food vitamin supplement . The difference lies in the quality of the ingredients, as well as the type of ingredients and how they are obtained. An organic whole food vitamin supplement will provide more health benefits than nearly any other kind of supplement.
The key to an organic whole food vitamin supplement is that it will consist entirely of all natural ingredients. That means that there are no chemicals or additives. And it means that none of the ingredients are the result of complicated chemical reactions conducted in labs. The ingredients come directly from all naturally occurring substances.
Many of the ingredients will come from fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables contain many different types of important vitamins. Additionally, different fruits and vegetables contain different vitamins which are often shown through the different bright colors that they have. So it is important to have a sampling of many different sources to include as many essential vitamins as possible.
Another healthy ingredient that an organic whole food vitamin supplement should include will be antioxidants. Antioxidants are put to use in your body to combat free radicals, which are rogue compounds that can damage your cells, increase aging and lead to dangerous diseases and illnesses. Just as with vitamins, different antioxidants are found in different fruits and vegetables, increasing the importance of drawing ingredients from more than just one place.
Antioxidants are also found in teas, particularly green tea. It is no coincidence that green tea has been renowned as an amazing body cure-all for thousands of years. Green tea has a heaping dose of EGCG, a powerful antioxidant that your body can use to stave off aging as well as more serious health problems.
In addition to green tea or green tea extract, there are many other natural herbs that offer health benefits. Again, the key word is natural. When you take an organic whole food vitamin supplement you can rest assured that all of the ingredients occur naturally. If you are looking to improve your health, why would you turn to artificial chemical compounds?
As a matter of fact, it may be for this very reason that many individuals have found little benefit from multi-vitamins. There are several requirements for a vitamin supplement to be effective. First of all, its ingredients must be sourced from nature rather than being synthetic compounds.
Secondly, they must be easily absorbed. This is best accomplish through the use of an enteric coating that protects the ingredients until they are in the intestines where they are then released into the body.
Thirdly, there must be dozens of ingredients including vitamins, minerals, herbal extracts, amino acids, and enzymes. If your vitamin supplements include less than 60 ingredients, they are not providing the nutrients that your body needs. See herbal nutrtional supplements.
That’s what an organic whole food vitamin supplement is all about. It derives its value straight from natural ingredients. It combines them together so you receive the maximum benefits from many different vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. And there will never be any synthetic or chemical ingredients that were developed unnaturally in some lab someplace.
You can find detailed information on the most effective types of ingredients on my website.
Author: David M. Johnson
David M. Johnson has been studying health and nutrition for over 10 years as he has dealt with mood, attention, and various health issues in his own life and family. Visit his website now for more information on powerful ways to improve your health and to discover the cutting edge nutritional products he personally uses and recommends after extensive research: http://www.understand-vitamin-supplements.com
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Feb
23
How much that is available to us for nutritional supplements and diet or weight loss products is indeed overwhelming. There are many companies making excellent products. Competition to provide quality and excellent purchasing deals is high.
If you can bear with reading about products and searching for both good and bad reviews, you will find good nutritional supplements that will enhance your health, or help you gain or lose weight, safely.
Whatever you are looking for, it is best to check with your health practitioner to get pointed in the right direction for your optimum health improvements.
Some vitamin companies make vitamin combinations, or single vitamin pills that are all made in a lab. They are in the lower price ranges (most of the time). I have been told by doctors that I’ve spoken to about vitamin quality, that your body does not even recognize the lab made vitamins, and does not utilize them properly. They describe that a temporary lift in energy is often experienced, followed by an ongoing duration of low energy or even illness.
But do not mistake that phenomena with another one that occurs when you take a high powered whole food (not extracted from a food and isolated from its own digestive properties and other co-factors) supplement after a long period of deficiency: the de-toxification phenomena.
Your body will hang onto toxins created by the body in normal metabolism (daily energy burning processes) because without enough vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, good sleep patterns and good water, you don’t have the energy to get rid of the waste products properly. You are full of sludge.
When you begin a regimen of whole food supplements (or just whole food!) it is like your body has won the lottery. It goes into overdrive to get all that sludge out of you, any way it can. But you will feel tired, or worse. You make experience flu-like symptoms, aches and pains, have a few outstanding pimples, even feel nausea. If you do not understand how this happens, you will be inclined to go back to your previous routine. You might be thinking "that doctor’s nuts!" or "that web product is a scam!".
Usually this passes in a few days. Your body gets used to the input of the good stuff, and doesn’t get so crazy about getting all that sludge out at once; it knows the good stuff is the norm now.
Many doctors will advise you to work up to the recommended dosage of a new supplement. In other words you sneak it into your system slowly, maybe over a week or even a month. You probably won’t experience anything drastic if you do this, you’ll just start feeling better.
Do lengthy research on all the topics you want to know about. If you are ill, find a doctor who is familiar with the kind of treatment you feel is best for you. When you get experienced at researching products, you can trust internet shopping. You’ll learn how to buy vitamins, omega 3 oils, and good diet products on line.
I think you’ll find you have lots of choices between whole food vitamins and herbal nutrional supplements for what you want, in your price range. And you will save time and gas!
Author: Dianne M. Buxton
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Feb
23
Garden of Life - Get the Right Nutrients
Filed Under Herbal Nutritional Supplements | Leave a Comment
It’s not easy finding a good quality nutritional supplement today. There are so many companies out there selling absolute garbage. It’s sad when you want to try to improve your life, but the only thing that you are doing is throwing your money away on products that don’t offer you enough of what your body needs and some that only put more toxins into your body. Yes I said toxins. There are some companies adding additional unnecessary ingredients to their products, such as fillers, toxins, caffeine and even preservatives. I don’t know about you but those are not ingredients that I expect to find in a nutritional supplement , maybe a glass of soda but definitely not something that is supposed to help you stay healthy.
So what are you suppose to do?
You know that by adding a quality nutritional supplement to your daily routine you are going to help give your body the vitamins and minerals that it needs to run better. It seems as if it’s a catch twenty-two, doesn’t it?
Well, there is hope. While there are some manufacturers of nutrition supplements out there selling poor products, there are a few that are very good, such as Garden of Life. This company offers many products that will help to improve your body. Garden of Life uses all natural whole food in all of their products, which is much easier for you body to absorb and metabolize. So you are actually getting more of the vitamins and mineral being absorbed into your body.
Getting and maintaining a healthy body is not the easiest thing to do, and the aid of nutritional supplements helps many aspects of our lives, such as losing weight, strengthening your immune system, helping you to remain looking young and help to control your depression.
There are of course other companies that have good quality products. You just need to shop around and read all of the labels of the nutritional supplements that you are planning on buying. You want to make sure that the company is not adding any of those extra ingredients that you don’t want. What you want to see on the label is whole food nutrition, digestive enzymes, vitamins and minerals, and antioxidant protections.
Author: Ben Pate
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Feb
23
Garden Of Life - Whole Food In A Capsule
Nutritional supplement is one of the hottest products in the market these days. It is estimated that more than half of adult Americans use vitamin supplements regularly. Many people also consume mineral supplements, digestive enzymes and herbal supplements. But are all supplements made equal? While many manufacturers are producing cheap isolated vitamins and mineral supplements, Garden of Life is setting a new standard in nutritional supplements with all natural whole food ingredients.
Garden of Life products include broad spectrum probiotic formula with beneficial live microorganisms, broad spectrum digestive enzymes, super green formula packed with antioxidant green grasses, micro algae, whole vegetables and their juice, broad-base whole food vitamin and mineral supplements containing whole fruits, vegetables, mushroom and herbs, and other functional foods.
The advantages of whole food supplements are easy to explain. First of all, they are more like food than isolated vitamins. They are easier to absorb and metabolize, and less likely to cause toxic effect due to overdose. Secondly, they contain micronutrients and phytonutrients that are absent in isolated or synthetic vitamins and minerals. Some of these nutrients are cofactors required for proper absorption and assimilation of essential nutrients. Some active phytonutrients work synergistically, i.e. their beneficial effects increase when they are consumed together. Some nutrients are not biologically active themselves, but potentiate the effects of other active ingredients.
People talk about the price being a little higher for whole food supplements but when it comes to health and nutrition, there is something else to consider other than the price. The question is: would you prefer isolated vitamins and minerals and take them as ‘drugs’ or a complete matrix of food nutrients found in nature?
Information on types of nutritional supplements here.
By: Kwan H Lo -
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Feb
21
Why Should You Use Nutritional Supplements in Your Diet?
Filed Under Herbal Nutritional Supplements | 2 Comments
Why Should You Use Nutritional Supplements in Your Diet?
This article explains the benefits and the necessity of using Nutritional Supplements in your diet.
Nutritional supplements are used to fulfill a deficiency of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients in our everyday diet. A few years ago herbal nutritional supplements were not as popular among people as they are today. This is because in years passed there was not much need for anyone to take these supplements. People used to eat pure and healthy food which consisted of a balanced diet including milk, eggs, fresh fruits and vegetables, rice, fish. Basically back then our diet contained everything that we needed in order for our bodies to function correctly. Today our busy schedules have made our minds so pre-occupied that we don’t have enough time to eat enough to fulfill all our body needs. Combined with the fact that the vegetables are extensively farmed and kept on shelves for a long time, this reduces the nutrient intake that we actually eat. This is why we need nutritional supplements to maintain our health.
It is a known fact that nutritional supplements are useful for people belonging to all age groups. Children need adequate amounts of calcium, phosphorus and iron to develop healthy bones and teeth. Similarly, elderly people need all kinds of vitamins and energy vitalizing substances to keep themselves fit. These supplements also help them fight against various diseases, and some are even thought to prevent heart attacks and even cancer. Many nutritional supplements, including folic acid, are recommended to pregnant women to protect the baby from developing any abnormality. Obesity and high cholesterol can also be treated by using nutritional supplements made from natural plant and animal extracts.
Lately there has been much debate as to whether nutritional supplements are really useful or if there’s really no point in taking them. It’s true that there is no alternative for a proper balanced diet, nothing can take the place of fresh fruits and vegetables. But at the same time taking small amounts of health supplements is not harmful at all, instead it provides protection against many diseases in the long run.
You should never replace your everyday meals with nutritional supplements, although meal replacement powders are available on the market. As with any change in your diet it’s important to consult a health specialist before consuming any kind of nutritional supplement. Also don’t fall for the many attractive advertisements about some supplement products that claim to do wonders overnight. If it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is!
Natural food extracts should always be preferred over other man-made supplements. A weight loss supplement made from extracts of green tea is an example. Many other supplements are also made by combining different herbal extracts and a blend of vitamins, minerals, amino acids and fatty acids. As you must have guessed, these materials are not harmful for the body at all as they all occur naturally.
People who are taking antibiotics are advised to ask their doctor before buying nutritional supplements because they might interfere with the antibiotic course that has to be completed in order to treat an infection. Similarly diabetic patients and those suffering from high blood pressure and high cholesterol are advised not to consume any kind of weight gain or energy boosting supplement before consulting their doctor.
You also need to remember that these nutritional supplements are effective only when right amounts of each one is taken as prescribed by a health specialist. Overdose might prove to be detrimental to your health. Similarly taking less than the correct dosage, or not following the procedure correctly may not prove to be as effective for the body.
Overdose can also cause some side effects like dizziness and nausea. There are no clear signs of vitamin or mineral deficiency in the body, but when you feel that your diet is not composed of all the healthy food that must be consumed everyday, you should immediately ask your doctor’s opinion. If taken properly and as part of a healthy balanced diet, nutritional supplements are an excellent way to ensure that your body is being fed with all the necessary nutrients it needs in order to function properly and defend it from various kinds of illnesses.
| By Chris Dicicco Published: 5/31/2007 |
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Feb
21
Organic Vitamins And Herbs Of Your Own
Organic vitamins and herbs are being chosen by many people who are concerned about their health. Organic herbs and vitamins are those that are grown without the use of chemicals, either pesticides or non-organic fertilizers. Since they are purely organic and natural, they don’t have any harmful side effects associated with toxic and chemical materials. The best thing is that you can grow your own organic vitamins and herbs, not relying on supermarkets.
Perhaps you are wondering if organic vitamins and herbs are really so important. When you grow organic foods in your garden, you can partake of their bounty without washing the food. For example, if you want to taste your onion plant, you can break off a stem and take a bite! There is no need to wash off harmful chemicals first!
Also, when you are growing these plants, you do not have to wear gloves when handling chemicals, because there are no dangerous chemicals involved with organic growing! There are more vitamins in those foods grown organically, and many feel that they taste better. What’s more - you help protect the environment when you do not use those harmful toxic chemicals.
There are many reasons to enter the world of organic vitamin and herb gardening. There are many physical and emotional rewards around growing your own fruits, vegetables and herbs: you get excellent physical exercise and also reap the psychological benefit of seeing fruit of your labor.
One more reason for organic vitamin and herb gardening is its low cost. Organic foods in the grocery store are expensive and can take a considerable part of your budget. Also, because organic foods are not treated with the harmful chemicals that you are trying to avoid, they do not ship as nicely as non-organic food. This is why the organic food looks less appetizing than the chemically grown. When you grow it yourself, you can eat healthy organic vitamins and herbs that never need to see the inside of a shipping container. There is far less cost involved as well.
Organic gardening is not as hard as you probably think. It is just little different than traditional gardening. The main characteristic of organic gardening is that it uses no pesticides and chemical fertilizer. For example, if you find your organic vitamin and herb plants are infested with a pest, instead of spraying them with chemicals, you introduce another bug that eats the pest, such as ladybugs to eat aphids. There are other organic methods for pest control and fertilizing, too. The result is a healthy product you can be proud of and confident to feed to your family.
By: John Wishley
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Dec
17
Our bodies use nutrients from our food to cleanse, build, and repair. Herbs
are food. Our bodies use them as they would any other food. 
Since an herbal extract does not have to rely on the digestive system to
break down and absorb the herb as in capsules or tablets, it is a most
effective, usable means for a body to immediately absorb and utilize the
herb. This also makes a most usable product for people incapable of taking
pills, since extracts can be taken internally as well as applied externally and
absorbed through the skin.
Herbal supplements are more popular now than ever before. People are looking for new ways to improve their health, and they are turning to natural remedies rather than pharmaceutical drugs more and more.
As such, there have been countless studies performed on the therapeutic benefits and applications of various herbs and herbal extracts. Much of this research presents strong evidence that taking herbal supplements in conjunction with a healthy diet and lifestylecan be beneficial.
Herbal supplements can be used to help vision, thyroid problems, diabetes, and many, many more problems we encounter everyday.
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Dec
16
Nutritional Supplements For Chronic Pain Relief
Filed Under Herbal Nutritional Supplements | 7 Comments
Herbal Supplements For Chronic Pain Relief In Your Muscles
Muscle pain can be debilitating… Read about what the causes are and the methods for relieving them .
When 36 year old Aaron Powell, a software engineer by profession, woke up on Sunday morning and found that the muscles in his back and legs were killing him, he knew he would have to call it quits about joining his friends on the day long hiking trip they had planned. He knew what had brought on the pain in his muscles; he had been hauling furniture into the new apartment he had moved into, practically all through Saturday.
While everybody experiences the occasional back muscle pain some time or the other in their lives, for people who suffer from chronic muscle pain, it can be an incapacitating condition, with the quality of life deteriorating to a great extent. Muscle pain may be caused by a specific injury, or due to muscular spasms, or because it affects the soft connective tissues surrounding muscles such as tendons, ligaments, and fascia, or it could be as a result of a broader condition, like arthritis. It can range in intensity from aches that come on infrequently to disabling, chronic pain.
Usually, muscle pain is linked to overuse, physical exertion, or injury due to exercise. In such cases, the pain tends to affect specific muscles, starting either during the activity or after it. Tension can also result in muscle pain.
In the United States, pain in the muscle is the second most prevalent reason for visits to the doctor. According to estimates, 80 percent of Americans experience muscle pain, of some type or the other, at some part of their lives or the other. People often push their muscles right to their limits, and sometimes even beyond that. If muscles are pushed to limits that are beyond their capacity, the fibers in them begin tearing.
In fact, severely overworked muscles can develop innumerable tiny tears. The body responds by repairing these small little tears, and this is what causes the familiar ache and tightness we feel when we get a muscle pain. While most of these just cause minor discomfort, others can result in permanent disability, especially when the back and neck are affected. While there are many therapies that can provide muscle pain relief, choosing amongst them is largely dependent upon the cause of the muscle pain, how severe it is along with its duration, and of course according to what the doctor prescribes or the patient chooses.
Prescription and Over-The-Counter Medicines
These medications, which include non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen and acetaminophen, or Tylenol, are used to alleviate muscle pain. Certain nutritional supplements may also be advised in order to provide muscle pain relief. For instance, magnesium and calcium supplements are used for treating leg cramps that develop in the night. Enzyme therapy, containing bromelain, are also used to treat certain kinds of muscle pain.
Massage and Bodywork Therapies
Bodywork therapies are highly useful for providing muscle pain relief and restoring full body function. Massage, in particular, is often recommended to relieve tension and pain, which helps to increase blood circulation, thus bringing nutrients and oxygen to the muscles that are affected and also help to carry away toxic substances. If there is a strain in a muscle, a massage can prevent the shortening of the muscle while it heals.
Some of the other effective bodywork therapies are:
Reflexology: Pressure is applied to various reflex points on the hands and feet which helps the body to heal itself.
Shiatsu: This involves pressure applied with fingers to certain points on the meridians of the body, which improves circulation and eases pain.
Feldenkrais Method: In this method, new ways of moving the body helps to relax tense or cramped muscles.
Rolfing: Connective tissue and muscles are manipulated, which realigns the body according to the field of gravity.
Trained practitioners are required to perform these therapies.
Aromatherapy
In this therapy, essential oils from certain herbs and plantsare used for muscle pain relief, along with any inflammation or spasms that may accompany it. The oils are usually applied with compresses or gentle massages. Some of them can also be added to warm bathwater. Some of the common essential oils used for muscle pain are: helichrysum, ginger, peppermint, marjoram, and thyme.
At-Home Remedies
At-home remedies like ice packs are also effective for relieving muscle pain, as are physical aides like wrist wraps and back braces, which hold bones and joints in their correct positions, thus helping to reduce strain being put on the affected muscles.
Exercises for Muscle Strengthening
Physical therapists or doctors also usually prescribe certain exercises, which help in increasing muscular flexibility and strength. A physical therapy course is also useful for educating patients about the importance of using ergonomic tools, like padded chairs, which help to reduce strain on muscles. Therapists also teach patients the correct ways of sitting, lifting, walking, or doing work that requires repetitive movements, in order to prevent problems in the future.
| By Rita Putatunda Published: 9/29/2007 |
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Dec
16
Herbal Bipolar Products
Filed Under Herbal Nutritional Supplements | 21 Comments
| Herbal Bipolar Products |
With the ups and downs that are associated with bipolar disorder (sometimes referenced as manic depressive disorder in more recent times), it’s understandable that the patient might want to find a medication that can help to keep things more level. Instead of having the extreme highs and lows, the patient can manage their disorder and live a healthy and normal life. In recent years, the idea of additional medications and natural remedies to handle this diagnosis has been discussed - with surprising answers.
What is Bipolar Disorder?
When the brain is unable to regular the chemicals in the brain that affect mood, the patient can experience wide variations in their temperament. The ‘ups’ include euphoric feelings in which the patient is energetic, happy, and feels as though they can accomplish anything. They will often not eat as much, they will sleep little, and they will be very productive. However, when the brain chemistry changes, the ‘downs’ create depressive states in which the world seems lonely. The patient may be sad or angry as well as begin to isolate themselves from the world. In some ‘downs,’ the patient can begin to have suicidal thoughts along with fatigue, changes in eating habits and crying spells.
What’s hard about bipolar disorder is that there is so little known about the chemistry in the brain that it’s hard to determine how to control these chemicals. While this condition is not difficult to diagnose anymore, the medication and therapies that are tried can be successful for a time and then stop working as they once did. This may be due to another shift in the brain’s chemistry or the body simply building up a resistance to the medications themselves.
A lifelong disorder, bipolar disorder can lead to major life disruptions as swings in mood can lead to erratic and harmful behaviours that need to result in hospitalisations. Once the moods are stabilised again, the patient is free to leave the hospital, but the cycles can repeat again and again.
How is Bipolar Disorder Traditionally Treated?
While the individual cases of bipolar disorder and treatments vary, there are a few common therapies that are used more commonly:
Mood stabilisers
Anti-psychotic medications
Anti-depressants
Psychotherapy
Acute hospitalisation
Outpatient therapy
With medications like mood stabilisers, the mood can be greatly regulated over the long term. Medications like lithium are widely prescribed, but they have side effects that can be detrimental to the long term health of the patient. Other medications need to be closely monitored in the bloodstream as they can affect the liver and other organs if too highly concentrated. Other medications like anti-psychotics and anti-depressants are only used in short term therapies as a sort of bridge out of the mania or the depressive state.
Talking therapies can be beneficial when used in conjunction with medication therapy, but by itself, this does not address the brain chemistry malfunctions. Hospitalisation is a fair way to address the change in brain chemistry, but the treatment is only for issues in which the patient is suicidal and harmful to themselves and to others.
What are the Studies Saying?
That said, there are some promising studies that are linking the use of fish oil and success with bipolar disorder patients. In 1999, a controlled study used fish oil and the placebo of olive oil to see how patients with bipolar disorder responded. Results showed that moods stabilisation was possible with the use of fish oil, often helping to promote the same cellular reactions as lithium and other medications.
Another statistical analysis of countries that eat diets high in fish and fish oil showed that these countries had much lower rates or mood related disorders.
How to Increase Fish Oil Levels in the Body
The good news is that adding fish oil and essential fatty acids to the diet is a relatively simple process. With a number of fatty fishes to choose from, it’s simple to add two to three servings of these essential nutrients to your diet each week. However, with rising pollution counts in the water, scientists are wary of suggesting human consumption of anything more than two to three servings a week. Higher mercury levels in the water can damage the body and cause toxicity in the bloodstream.
Essential fatty acids can also be found in non-fish sources like flaxseed, nuts, and seeds. Many more food choices are also being fortified with Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids, so it’s easier than ever to add these to the diet.
However, finding the time to prepare fish and to find these products can be difficult. To help make this step easier, fish oil supplements are also available. They provide concentrated amounts of essential fatty acids in a convenient form. In addition, they don’t contain the high levels of mercury.
Conclusion
While dealing with mental illness requires several different approaches to therapy, adding fish oil seems to be the easier step toward more stable moods and a much more stable life.
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Dave McEvoy is an expert in omega 3 fish oil EPA with over 20 years experience; for more information about fish oil and how it can help come and visit. www.mind1st.co.uk
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