My darling husband has been coughing badly for the past week, day and night. He’s so worn out that he’s taken the afternoon off to rest in bed. I have a history of respiratory illnesses, but I haven’t been affected at all. Maybe it’s got something to do with all the Vitamin D I get from my daily walks, or the fresh fruit and vegetable juice I make every morning, the immune system boosting herbal teas I like, or the high-quality health supplements I take everyday. Andrew goes for walks daily too and he drinks the juices I make as well as the herbal teas, so he attributes my healthy immune system to the health supplements, which I’m now making him take.

I love fruits and vegetables, but it’s difficult to eat enough to get all the vitamins and minerals I need to stay healthy and keep sickness at bay. Detoxifying, nourishing and fortifying the body is particularly important for those who are dealing with illness or disease. With H1N1 sweeping the world and claiming more lives, supplementation with antioxidant-rich vitamins, trace minerals, amino acids and enzymes becomes more essential.

What should a good-quality health supplement of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients contain? At the very least, it should have a combination of the following ingredients found in my favorite formula:

* High ORAC value fruit extracts – Oxygen Radical Absorbent Capacity is the standard measure of antioxidant power. My liquid mineral and vitamin blend includes concentrated extracts from strawberry, elderberry, green tea and orange for superior anti-oxidant support.

* Vitamins – several essential vitamins including vitamins B12 and B6, vitamin C, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folate, biotin and pantothenic acid.

* Minerals – my supplement features 52 naturally occurring trace elements plus standardised amounts of key minerals including macro minerals such as calcium, magnesium and potassium, and micro minerals such as iron, zinc and selenium. These minerals are collected from rich deposits in the Great Salt Lake and blended together in an ionic form, for quick and easy absorption by the body.

* Amino Acids – these are the building blocks of proteins, and they are essential to nearly every function of the body. Protein substances make up the organs, muscles, tendons, glands, hair and nails. The essential amino acids must be ingested every day or protein degradation can result.

* Phytochemicals – phytochemicals are natural compounds found in plant foods which work with nutrients and dietary fibre to protect against disease. Studies show that phytochemicals are anti-aging and reduce the risk of many diseases, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, cancer, cataracts, urinary tract infections and osteoporosis. Phytochemicals have antioxidant effects, modulate detoxification enzymes, stimulate the immune system, modulate the hormone metabolism, and also have antibacterial and antiviral effects. Brightly-colored fruits and vegetables like raspberry, blueberry and beetroot generally contain the most phytochemicals and nutrients. These, of course, are found in my favourite multi-vitamin and trace minerals formula.

* Prebiotic – Inulin in the form of fructooligosaccharides (FOS) support vital intestinal flora in order to aid digestive health and mineral absorption. Inulins are a group of naturally occurring polysaccharides (several simple sugars linked together) produced by many types of plants, such as garlic, onions, Jerusalem artichokes and leeks. Inulin increases calcium absorption and possibly magnesium absorption. As a prebiotic, inulin promotes the growth of healthy bacteria in the body’s intestinal system.

* Fructooligosaccharides – these are special carbohydrates which increase the beneficial bacteria in the lower intestine, thereby enhancing the digestion and absorption of nutrients, detoxification and elimination processes, and the immune system. Fructooligosaccharides may help to relieve constipation and other gastrointestinal disorders.

All this goodness is blended together in my favorite formula in a liquid, ionic form, for easy assimilation by the body. Just 15 ml (roughly half a capful) of Neways’ Maximol Solutions gives me a healthy dose of the antioxidant and immune system boosting nutrients required daily. Consuming a variety of supplements from assorted bottles is a hassle, so this is really convenient.

Prevention is better than cure. How nutrient-rich and powerful is your vitamin and mineral supplement? If you’re going to take a health supplement, check that you’re getting the very best, or save your money.

Posted: July 3rd, 2009 under Antioxidants, Healing Foods, Health Supplements, Immune System Health.
Comments: 2

Some years ago, I bought a bottle of Vitamin C in tablet form. One day, when I was about to flush the water cistern, I happened to look inside the toilet bowl and noticed that my expensive Vitamin C tablet was perfectly intact. It dawned on me then that not everything we ingest is absorbed and utilized by the body. We could literally be flushing money down the toilet when we buy inferior health supplements.

Size does matter. Molecular size in this context. Molecules which are too large cannot pass through human membranes and be absorbed by the body. Whether the minerals are ionic or colloidal also can also make a difference.

Nowadays, I take a balanced multi-vitamin and multi-mineral supplement which is in liquid form, for greater absorption. The minerals are ionic, which means that they are electrically charged so that the body requires less energy to absorb them, and the minerals can be assimilated even into cell level.

Minerals generally come either in ionic or colloidal forms. What’s the difference?

In a colloid form, minerals are suspended in a stable form, where the minerals are evenly distributed throughout the medium in which they are suspended. Colloidal minerals are not readily absorbed by the body due to their relatively large size and the absence of an electrical charge. In fact, one definition of a colloid is as a substance that when suspended in a liquid phase, will not easily diffuse through a living membrane. Colloid arrangements are unable to pass through the membrane which lines the digestive tract, from the mouth all the way out. Hence, they cannot be easily absorbed by the body. To be absorbable, the body has to break these minerals down into smaller molecules.

Ionic minerals, however, easily flow across the highly selective cell membranes of the human digestive tract. Ionic minerals are charged, so the body needs less energy to absorb them. Colloidal minerals must be broken down into smaller constituents, and obtain an electrical charge, in order to cross the intestinal membrane. This electrical system allows for the easy transportation of ionic minerals from an area of higher concentration (intestines) to an area of lesser concentration (cells of the body). The body assists in this process by further charging ions during the course of the digestive process. Colloidal minerals must undergo the complete processes of digestion into smaller charged particles for absorption to happen.

Is your body absorbing and utilizing the minerals and vitamins you need for healing and wellness? I don’t like popping pills, but I’d rather fortify my body with high-quality health supplements now, than develop a serious health condition like cancer and undergo costly medical treatment with potentially-harmful drugs. Maximol Solutions by Neways is the best I’ve come across. To protect your health, choose your health supplements carefully.

Posted: July 1st, 2009 under Health Basics 101, Health Supplements.
Comments: none

Free radicals are the common cause of tissue damage. Thousands of scientific studies have linked them to every known disease. When our body cells use oxygen, they naturally produce by-products, or free radicals. These are damaged molecules which have become unstable because they have lost an electron. When that happens, they attack healthy cells nearby and steal electrons from them. Those cells then become unstable as well and end up attacking and stealing electrons from other nearby cells.

If nothing is done to stop the process, the instability spreads in a chain reaction, healthy cells quickly become damaged, and sickness or disease results. The signs of aging also begin to show. In fact, free radical damage accumulates with age.

In another post titled “Attack Of The Killer Free Radicals”, I list various ways to protect against free radical damage. One of the quickest ways is to increase your intake of antioxidants, substances which can prevent or slow the oxidative damage to our body. Antioxidants are found in various foods, but taking antioxidant health supplements is probably the easiest way to get concentrated doses.

An antioxidant is essentially a molecule capable of slowing or preventing the oxidation of other molecules. By using antioxidants to remove free radical intermediates, the chain reaction where one healthy cell after another becomes damaged may be terminated. Also known as free radical scavengers, antioxidants can prevent and repair free radical damage.

Not all antioxidant supplements are equal. Some criteria you need to look out for:

• There are many forms of free radicals, so go for antioxidant supplements which combine a wide variety of antioxidants, not just one or two substances or nutrients.

• The antioxidant supplement should have high ORAC values. ORAC stands for Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity and measures how well the food or antioxidant supplement combats health conditions like heart disease and cancer.

• To be effective, antioxidant supplements need to be easily absorbed and assimilated right up to cell level. Check that your supplements have high bio-availability before you buy them.

Choose your antioxidant supplements wisely. It could make all the difference in your battle against aging and sickness.

Posted: May 26th, 2009 under Antioxidants, Healing Foods, Health Supplements.
Comments: none