Many people nowadays are turning to "organics" and
"naturals" otherwise known as herbals. The rising
popularity of herbal supplements has created a new fad if
not a new health lifestyle. But before you join the
bandwagon, here are some things you need to know about this
mean, "green" dietary supplementing machine.
What are vitamins, minerals, supplements and drugs?
DRUGS are chemicals that can prevent, prolong the life,
treat other effects of a health condition, improve the
quality of life, and/or cure ailments and diseases, or
alter the function of any part or chemicals inside the
body. These drugs have approved therapeutic claims.
VITAMINS are natural substances found in living things such
as plants. Vitamins must be obtained in the body from
foods or supplements as they cannot usually be produced by
the body.
MINERALS are found in plants. Plants get their minerals
from the soil ' soil gets minerals from water washing over
rocks. For vitamins to do their job, they require
minerals. Minerals must also be obtained from food or
supplements.
SUPPLEMENTS are vitamins and minerals that have been
extracted from a plant or created in a laboratory and put
into a form that can be ingested and used by the body.
They are effective supplements, ineffective supplements and
hazardous supplements. Herbal supplements are not
classified as drugs but as dietary supplements.
Most of the manufactured medicines we now have once came
from animals and plants. Through the years, chemists
isolated the life-saving or life-curing components and
separated them from the harmful ones. This lead to the
further drug research and drug development that lead to the
production of a different variety of drugs for many
ailments and conditions from synthetic sources. But still
we have semi-synthetic drugs, as well as drug that more or
less approximate more natural composition. Since herbal
supplements are made from a mixture of crude herbs reduced
into powder or gel form, and later on packaged as tablets
and capsules, there is a possibility that life-threatening
or at least body chemistry-altering components are still
present, thus the expression of concern from the medical
community.
Vitamins and minerals go from your stomach to your
intestines. They then go through a very complex allocation
system whereby the body distributes certain vitamins and
minerals to parts of your body based on its own priority
system.
If a nutrient is needed in a certain organ that if (the
body) deems more important, it will take the nutrient from
a less important organ, and allocate it to a more important
organ. Sort of a "rob Peter to pay Paul" action. That's
why it is critical to maintain proper vitamin & mineral
levels.
Vitamins and minerals in your body should not be viewed as
independent substances, but rather as a cooperative network
of nutrients working together. If one nutrient is missing,
it throws the entire network of nutrients out of balance.
In his book Prescription for Nutritional Healing, James F.
Balch says: "A deficiency of a vitamin or mineral will
cause a body part to malfunction and eventually break down
' and, like dominos, other body parts will follow."
What do Vitamins and Minerals Do for You?
Illness and disease are not "caught." One doesn't catch
cancer, heart disease or a cold. You create these ailments
with deficiencies based on what you eat or don't eat.
Vitamins & minerals are involved in the release of energy
from digested foods. Strong, lasting energy levels are
good indicators of healthy vitamin and mineral intake.
Skin clearness, tone, and elasticity; hair strength,
thickness and color; fingernail strength, color and texture
all depend on vitamins and minerals. Some people don't
look 50 years old at 30. Some look 30 at 50.
Brain function, ability to concentrate and memory require
proper vitamin and mineral levels.
Is there a growing concern with the use of herbal
supplements?
Yes. With the rising popularity of using and consuming
anything herbal or organic is the proliferation of fake
herbal supplements that threaten to endanger lives. If
that's the case, then why are herbal supplements given drug
administration approvals? One way of ensuring the safety of
the people is to have all candidate drugs, food, drinks,
and dietary supplements registered with the proper
authority. Otherwise, they would pose more risk with these
things being sold in the black market for a hefty sum. We
could ensure the quality and safety of herbal supplements
if they get proper classification with the food and drug
administration. Moreover, people may be able to file the
proper complaints in the event a worsening of health
condition is proven to be linked to the use of a particular
herbal supplement.
Is using herbal supplements worth the risk?
Yes. It cannot be discounted that many who have tried
herbal supplements experienced an improvement in their
health—whether this is due to the herbals themselves
or due to a placebo effect, as long as they do not worsen
the condition of an individual, then using them is worth
the risk. But of course, certain things must be considered
before taking those herbal supplements
First of all, clear your condition with your doctor. Ask
him/her if taking a particular herbal supplement is safe
given your current health. People with heart, liver, or
kidney trouble or malfunction, are usually not advised to
take these, or at the minimum is to take these herbals in
minimum amounts. All substances pass through the liver and
kidney to be processed and filtered respectively. Kava,
which is used to relieve people from stress, has been
pulled out from the Canadian, Singaporean, and German
markets because it contains substances that cause liver
damage. Certain herbals such as Ephedra used for losing
weight, contains chemicals with heart-inducing effects that
can increase heart rate, which in turn can exhaust the
heart and cause heart attacks in several documented cases
by the American Medical Association.
No matter how the product pamphlet or the label of the
bottle sounds about how it has been found to be helpful in
certain health conditions, these herbal supplements are not
therapeutic. So do not substitute these for the medications
prescribed by your doctor for the treatment of certain
diseases, or for the maintenance of blood pressure,
lowering of blood sugar and cholesterol, and fight off
infections.
----------------------------------------------------
"Dr. Robin Rushlo", is a well known MLM Radio personality
and is nationally recognized as an expert in the network
marketing business.He is the current host of the radio
show, "Networking with the Blindguy"live daily from Gorilla
Broadcasting Network,and Guerilla Marketing Talk Radio
Network,providing Success and Retention Training for the
network marketing industry.He has a MS in Bio Chemistry and
Nutrition http://thegorillaspeaks.com
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