Care Critical Edition Internal Medicine Pocketbook Tarascon Third

To appreciate why an optimum daily intake of this nutrient is so essential in the battle against infectious disease and well-being in general, we must remember that our bodies do not make vitamin C.

The question becomes what amount of vitamin C is needed to put a person in the best of health and give them the immune protection against infectious diseases of all kinds, as well as the various degenerative diseases that are now so common.

To help you understand the truth of "what amount," here is what experts in the field of nutrition have to say:

"In order to answer this, we must first understand the concept of Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) as formulated by the Food and Nutrition Board.

"Most people interpret RDA for any particular nutrient (in this case vitamin C) as being that specific dosage that leads to the best health for all people. That is, 'if I take the RDA of vitamin C every day of my life, I will more than likely achieve the best health that can possibly be gained by the intake of this nutrient.'

"This interpretation is quite false!

"The RDA is only the estimated amount that, for most people, will prevent scurvy or death caused by vitamin C deficiency.

"The board's recommendations were adopted to indicate to the general American public the amount of vitamin C needed [45 mg] in order to avoid scurvy.

"The problem with the board's recommendations is that the medical profession took hold of them and created a misconception generally accepted by many physicians. This being:

"If there are no signs or symptoms of scurvy, we must assume that there is no deficiency of vitamin C. Therefore no need to take supplements of this vitamin.

"But scurvy is not just a symptom of lack [of vitamin C], but a final collapse, leading to death, via a breakdown and disintegration of our bodies.

"There is a large area, including colds, infections, flu and degenerative diseases that exists between the total blackness of scurvy and death, and the pure white of optimum health and resistance to disease.

"No longer can we be satisfied with the misconception that if we do not have scurvy, we do not need any additional amounts of vitamin C in order to achieve optimum health and resistance to disease."

Excerpted from Brain Allergies
by William Philpott, M.D. and Dwight Kalita, Ph.D.

Eight double blind studies have been done using between 200 mg/day and 2,000 mgs/day, which have shown an average 44% reduction in illness, thus the RDA recommendation of 45 mg of vitamin C is far too low to provide the protection needed today.

Most of the supplements on the shelves of health-food shops, drug stores and supermarkets contain "vitamins" that are man-made chemicals and "minerals" that are ground up rocks or mineral salts.

For example, most of the "vitamin C" sold in the US is ascorbic acid. This is a man-made chemical found nowhere in nature. There is no ascorbic acid in an orange, tomato or broccoli, or any fresh fruit or vegetable.

Ascorbic acid is manufactured in chemical plants by applying heat and pressure and additional chemicals to glucose (sugar), which converts the glucose to ascorbic acid. Not exactly like drinking orange juice, is it?
Ascorbic acid, being a chemical, isn't absorbed or utilized the same way as food, and can often upset the stomach and digestive tract because it is an acid.

Vitamin C as it is found in nature is not acid - it is neutral! The acid taste in oranges and other citrus fruits is caused by their citric acid content.
Some companies will combine ascorbic acid with other chemicals to "buffer" it (make it less acid). This results in the "sodium ascorbate" or "calcium ascorbate" forms of ascorbic acid.

The bottom line is that these forms of "vitamin C" as well as most other "vitamins" you find on store shelves, are man-made chemicals. They are nothing like the true vitamins found in fresh fruits, vegetables and meat.
Now, let's take a look at the "minerals" that are available on store shelves. For example, 70% of the "calcium" supplements sold in the US is calcium carbonate. This is factually finely ground up limestone rock, seashells or coral.
Only 4-7% of calcium carbonate taken as a supplement is actually absorbed by the body. Calcium carbonate is sometimes combined with other chemicals to try and improve this very poor absorption rate.

Regardless of the many different chemical forms calcium carbonate can get changed into, none of them are the same as the calcium found in a cabbage. Not even close!

These man-made chemical vitamins and ground up rock and mineral salts are called "USP" vitamins and minerals. (USP stands for United States Pharmacopoeia, which is a set of standards these vitamins and minerals are measured by.)

You may also come across vitamins and minerals that are labeled "food based". These are USP vitamins and minerals that have been physically mixed in with alfalfa or soy or some other food.

This mixing with food is done in an attempt to increase the absorption of these chemicals and ground up rock into the body. That is why you often see "take with food" on their labels.

Occasionally these "food based" products will be labeled "organic". This simply means that the alfalfa or soy the USP chemicals were mixed in with was grown organically.

Today you can find vitamins and minerals dissolved in liquid form. If the product is made with USP vitamins and minerals, you're just pumping man-made chemicals into your body.

When you place a cabbage plant in the ground, its roots grow down into the soil and rocks, and they pull up from the ground calcium and other minerals in a form that you and I can't eat.

Then through the normal life processes of the plant, it converts these minerals into a part of the plant body itself. Now the calcium has actually become a food we can eat, and our body knows how to absorb and utilize it.

To be effectively absorbed and utilized, vitamins and minerals must be the way they are in food.

One great thing about aging is that we learn from experience and grow wiser. However, sometimes this does not apply to our food choices. It's important that we understand what vitamins are important to us older folks. We have different nutritional needs than a twenty year old person may have.

We older people need more vitamins and minerals in our diet than a younger person does. Why? Because as our bodies age they get less efficient when it comes to utilizing nutritional substances. Not getting the proper amount of vitamins and minerals can lead to illness and the need for prescription medicines which further decrease our nutritional uptake capabilities. It can be a vicious circle.

Elderly people need plenty of vitamin D. This vitamin is very important for strong bones. Many older people don't get enough of this important nutrient and suffer needlessly from broken bones due to simple falls. Easily broken bones and osteoporosis can be avoided by taking the proper amounts of vitamin D. Be sure to eat a lot of dairy products to keep your bones healthy. If you can't eat dairy products you can easily obtain a vitamin D supplement from your local drugstore or from an online store.

Watch out for dangerous free radicals. They destroy healthy cells in your body and cause oxidation. This can lead to all kinds of problems such as cancer, heart disease, arthritis, Parkinson's disease, cataracts and other serious conditions. Wrinkles and saggy skin are tell-tale signs of cell damage by free radicals. You can help prevent free radical damage by taking plenty of antioxidants such as vitamin A, C and E. These contain a high amount of beta carotene which protects your body from oxidation. Make sure you eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables to insure you're getting enough antioxidants. It's also a good idea to use an antioxidant supplement such as pine bark extract, red wine extract or raspberry extract. These all contain lot's of healthy free radical fighting antioxidants.

Vitamin K is another often neglected vitamin. It's especially important for seniors as it helps to keep the blood circulation in good working order. It also helps the blood to clot properly. Vitamin K is known to help prevent Alzheimer's disease too. Some great sources of Vitamin K are spinach, cabbage, green tea and dark green lettuce. Eating them fresh is best as freezing can destroy vitamin K.

Along with the vitamins already mentioned there are other important trace minerals your body needs on a regular basis. A great source of these trace minerals is green algae which is available in supplement form. Also any kind of sea vegetable such as kelp is good too.

Try to get a well balanced variety of vitamins by eating right and taking a multi-vitamin for seniors and some antioxidants every day. You'll live longer and look and feel a whole lot better.

Blood pressure is the pressure exerted by circulating blood on the walls of blood vessels, and constitutes one of the principal important signs. Blood pressure results from two different forces. One is through the circulatory system and created by the heart as it pumps blood into the arteries. The other is the force of the arteries as they resist the blood flow. The pressure of the circulating blood reduces as it moves away from the heart through arteries and capillaries, and toward the heart through veins.

High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure usually has no symptoms. This is a main and vital problem people face in America. In fact, many people have high blood pressure for years without knowing it. This High Blood Pressure disease is also known as "Silent Killer".

High blood pressure typically develops over many years, and it affects nearly everyone eventually. The world population is getting older, and older people have a much higher risk of hypertension high blood pressure.

The one medical term of High Blood Pressure is "Hypertension". It doesn't refer to being nervous, tense or hyperactive. You can be a calm, relaxed person and still have high blood pressure. When a complication arises from hypertension, such as a heart attack, aneurysm, stroke, hardened arteries, or kidney failure, it is in the majority of cases the result of years of having high blood pressure.

Low Blood Pressure

Low blood pressure (hypotension) is pressure so low it causes symptoms or signs due to the low flow of blood through the veins and arteries. When the flow of blood is too low to deliver enough nutrients and oxygen to vital organs such as the heart, kidney, and brain, the organs do not function normally and may be permanently damaged.

Some important way to keep blood pressure normal:

1. Eat a healthy diet and reduce sodium from your meals.

2. Lose the extra pounds.

3. Reduce the quantity of fat substances that you eat

4. Eat as many fruits and vegetables as you can.

5. Limit alcohol consumption and start drinking loads of crystalline water instead.

These healthy ways will make all of you feel so much better and reduce your blood pressure problem.

Maintain or decrease blood pressure with Supplements:

In Health Market Place many supplements play a role in lowering blood pressure because a major cause of high blood pressure is narrowing of the arteries. The innermost layer of cells in your arteries releases nitric oxide to widen the arteries, and dietary supplements is a source of nitric oxide in the body. Dietary supplements have been proven to reduce hypertension and nutritional supplements can also be used to lower the blood pressure, lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of strokes, blood vessel disease and heart attacks.

Well we can say yes because as we through the description of this famous supplements we see that colon clenz is a dietary supplement and a gentle blend of nature's cleansing herbs which promotes regularity and a clean internal environment, it intended to provide nutritive support for normal bowel function and it relieves occasional irregularity and promotes a clean internal environment. Colon cleansers are popular as a way to rid your body of trapped waste and toxins in the colon that are detrimental to your health and it is a perfect for occasional constipation.

Colon Clenz help restores and promote regularity, maintain proper absorption of nutrients, boosts the energy, helps achieve weight loss. It contains very effective and some popular ingredients such as aloe Vera, black walnut, and Oregon. If people want to take a product to improve your overall health by cleansing your colon, then take one that it contain effectual ingredients you require for a thorough cleansing.

Colon Clenz is also known or described as an herbal soother for the digestive tract. If anybody has digestive problem may take and use it, but remember be careful it is not perfect for all and everybody should be careful to use it. If you're suffered, pregnant, taking services of medical practitioner must not use this product. Many people prefer a natural, gentle and safe colon cleanser like the Ultimate Colon Cleanse herbal formula, which doesn't upset digestive system.

It is one the most popular product in online health market place. Colon Cleansing is also effective for lose weight and it is still one of the safest, fastest and effective. This carefully blended formula enjoys tremendous repeat business because customers know they can count on Colon Clenz to work dependably.

Colon Clenz is a natural way to flush out all unhealthy substances accumulated by the body. It serves as a broom that sweeps the garbage out and helps renew the body. Colon Clenz is one of the products that aren't very well-known. This product is promoted as being for people who have mild constipation and it is inexpensive in comparison to most.