Liquid Vitamin Supplements - More Effective Than a Chewable?

By Danna Schneider
Background on the History of Vitamin Supplementation in America
Did you know that, on average, an estimated 40% of all Americans take a multi vitamin or vitamin supplement? And yet, what they don't know is that more than 90% of their vitamin supplement's nutrients are not adequately absorbed by the body, rendering them virtually useless, or at the very least, very watered down and ineffective for their intended therapeutic purpose. You'll see why a liquid vitamin supplement is so much more effective than the ever so common chewable or 'horse pill' vitamin that so many Americans take, thinking they are really gaining a benefit.
So, why are multivitamin supplements so popular in American society? Well, it is largely due to our generally fast paced lifestyles, which can make it difficult to ensure we consume all the proper vitamins and minerals in each meal. Hence, the booming market of multivitamin supplements and mineral supplements was born in an effort to improve our lives by feeding our bodies what they weren't getting through our natural diet and food selections, and to compensate for high stress, high anxiety lifestyles.
Why a Liquid Multi Vitamin vs. a Chewable?
The primary reason that liquid vitamin supplements are dramatically more effective in the human body is that, due to their liquid nature, they are much more easily digested and more readily absorbed by the digestive tract, rather than passed through the body in hard pill form, undigested, and unused.
Since the body needs to work less to break down the vitamins and minerals in a liquid form, it is much more quick to absorb and disperse the nutrients to the various areas and organs of the body via the blood stream, to be utilized and used by the organs that need them the most.
In chewable or whole pill form, many times the majority of the nutrients are not even broken down in the digestive tract due to the "dense" nature of the vitamins and minerals, and they are therefore passed through the body at the most crucial moments of absorption where the body "snaps up" the nutrients it craves and needs to most, as undigested.
The popularity of the liquid vitamin supplement has grown leaps and bounds in popularity precisely for this reason. The American public has been growing more and more tired of feeling run down, and they want a vitamin that is going to really work, and make them feel great. Liquid mutlivitamins are answering that demand - and they're proving to be extremely effective in doing so!
Visit Liquid Vitamin Supplement for information on a very effective liquid multivitamin created by a master herbalist with many years in the naturopathic and herbal field. Danna Schneider is the founder of Herbal Therapeutics Herbal Medicine and Supplements, which offers the latest articles, products, product reviews, and helpful lifestyle tips in herbal medicine and alternative healing.
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An Introduction to the Principles and Practice of Energy Medicine

By Aruna Bakhru M.D.
Energy Medicine was known and practiced by almost all the ancient great civilizations and is now being newly rediscovered by the West. Biomedical research is now moving in the direction of a new model for the human body, the Energy field model. This is the same model that the ancient civilizations of China and India based their philosophy and their medical systems upon. (The Ayurvedic and Yogic systems, the Acupuncture meridians etc.) This new model moves away from the premise that life came from chemical soup towards the concept that life came from electrical charges of energy i.e. physics rather than chemistry. At the basis of chemistry we find energy, electromagnetic or other forms of energy.
One of the basic premises of these energy based medical systems is that there is a circulation of energy in the body that follows an orderly path along the meridians. This energy is known as chi or prana. We already have proof of the existence of electrical fields’ e.g. EKG, EEG etc.
In addition to the circulation of energy, there is a force field of energy in and around a human body similar to the field around a magnet. This field can be impacted positively or negatively and it can be seen by certain sensitive individuals. It is also known as the aura. It generally extends a little beyond the body hence the term “Don’t invade my space”, if someone stands a little too close for comfort.
Then, there are the chakras. These are whirling vortexes of energy, situated along the spinal column. These are not physical but energetic in nature and they act as step down transformers. They step down the higher finer vibrations down to the physical level and these are believed to produce their effects at the level of the meridians, the mind and also at the hormonal level.
Another basic premise or concept of Energy Medical systems is that – this energy is not a mindless or as we say in medicine, subtentorial, kind of energy. Rather it has “intelligence”.It knows what is wrong and will attempt to correct it. Also, it is possible to communicate with this inner intelligence to find out what is wrong and what can be done to correct it.
In physics, it is very well known that as you attempt to cut matter into smaller and smaller building blocks, you reach a stage at which you can go no further because matter dissolves into energy. Medicine, as it stands today is light years behind physics.In Ayurvedic Medicine, there is the concept of the three doshas – pitta, vata and kapha. These are thought to lie at the energy-matter interface or the mind-body junction. Mind is considered to be in the realm of energy. That is why the mind can effect a powerful impact on the individual person’s health.
This flow of energy can be impacted negatively or even blocked, in many ways. Toxins like pesticides, plastics, chemicals can block its flow. So can negative emotions as well as negative thought patterns. A cut made across acupuncture meridian can impede the flow of energy through the meridian. There are several other ways, too numerous to mention in this article that the flow of energy can be blocked.
The methods of treatment at the vibrational level are also too numerous to mention them all. Homeopathy, Ayurvedic and Chinese herbs, Sound, Light and Color therapy, Meditation and Yoga are just a few. In fact, electrical healing is now going mainstream. Several articles have been published on the use of pulsed electromagnetic fields in accelerating bone healing in fractures.
The basic principle on which most of the energy healing systems work is the principle of harmonics. We all know, from our school level physics that if you line up a set of tuning forks and then strike one, soon all of them will be vibrating at the same frequency. To further understand this we need to look at another concept of energy medicine that is “disease first occurs at the vibrational level”. Not at the cellular or even DNA but beyond that at the level of this energy flow or force field that I mentioned earlier and so the cell or tissue or organ will first begin to vibrate at a “sick frequency” before any disease has appeared or can be detected by chemical or radiological means. Conversely, a diseased organ or tissue etc can be treated (provided the illness is not far advanced) by introducing the “well” vibration and soon per the principle of harmonics, the organ will take up the healing vibration and return to health. So homeopathy for example will work as an all or none phenomenon. Either the “remedy” as it is called will work, if it is the right vibration or it will do nothing at all.
Energy Medicine has its limitations. There are certain things it can or cannot do. It cannot treat disease in the Western medical sense. It rebalances energies or a blocked or stressed flow of energy along a meridian pathway can be corrected. There is no cook book to follow for each disease or illness because each individual is different. That is why it is complementary medicine. Western medicine and Energy medicine can be likened to the Electromagnetic spectrum. Western Medicine is like the visible light, and then you have what lies outside, the invisible portion which may be likened to Energy Medicine.
Dr. Aruna Bakhru is Board Certified in Internal Medicine. Additionally, she was awarded a Fellowship from the American College of Physicians. She has been listed in the millennium edition of Marquis Who's Who in America, Who's Who in Medicine and Healthcare and Who's Who in the World.
Visit her website at http://www.thecenterforenergymedicine.com/
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Fiber: Soluble and Insoluble (You Need Both)

By Gabe Mirkin, M.D.
Fiber is the structural material of plants and is found in all fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts and other seeds. It is a type of carbohydrate that your body cannot break down, so you can't absorb it. There are two types: soluble and insoluble. Insoluble fiber adds bulk to your stool and helps to prevent constipation. Soluble fiber binds to fat in the intestines and keeps some fat from being absorbed.
Insoluble fiber may help to prevent colon cancer by speeding cancer-causing agents through the digestive system. It helps with weight control because it binds to water, creating bulk that makes you feel full. It can help control diabetes because it slows the rate at which your body absorbs glucose.
Soluble fiber has an added benefit. When you add more soluble fiber to your diet, it lowers blood levels of the plaque-forming LDL cholesterol. Soluble fiber is degraded by bacteria in the colon to form types of fatty acids that are absorbed into the bloodstream and help to block the synthesis of cholesterol by the liver. This is the only food component we know will lower blood cholesterol when you add more to your diet. However, people who have high blood levels of cholesterol must do a lot more than just add soluble fiber to their diet. They also should not smoke, not be overweight, and exercise regularly.
You should eat at least 30 grams of fiber per day, and the average North American gets only 11 grams. There's very little fiber in the typical diet of hamburgers, pizza, fried chicken and coke. Foods made from animal products never have any fiber, and processed foods made from grains, vegetables or fruit frequently have most of the fiber removed. Wheat berries, baked potatoes, apples and oranges contain many times more fiber than bread, potato chips, apple jelly or orange juice.
Don't worry about whether you are getting soluble or insoluble fiber; you need both kinds, and both are found in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans. If you're not getting enough fiber, don't try to correct the situation by adding fiber supplements, lots of bran cereal or foods made with added ground-up fiber. When you eat whole fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans, you get all of the vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals nature packages with the fiber. Introduce more high-fiber whole foods into your diet gradually to avoid digestive discomfort.
Dr. Gabe Mirkin has been a radio talk show host for 25 years and practicing physician for more than 40 years; he is board certified in four specialties, including sports medicine. Read or listen to hundreds of his fitness and health reports at http://www.DrMirkin.com
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Potassium Supplements Don't Treat Fatigue in Exercisers

By Gabe Mirkin, M.D.
Tiredness and cramps in athletes can have many causes, but lack of potassium in their diets is not one of them. Many years ago, Dave Costill of Ball State University tried to create potassium deficiency in runners. He couldn’t do it because potassium is found in all foods except refined sugar, and his athletes would not stay on a diet that consisted only of hard candy.
The kidneys and sweat glands conserve potassium so well that you don’t lose much. If an athlete develops potassium deficiency, it is usually caused by drugs, such as diuretics or corticosteroids, or by diarrhea or repeated vomiting. Some athletes try to control their weight by making themselves vomit. This is called bulimia, and the person usually denies vomiting. Their physicians can prove that they are vomiting by ordering blood and urine tests. If blood levels of potassium are low and urine levels are high, vomiting is a likely cause. Ask your daughter’s doctor to do a work-up for other causes of chronic tiredness. If none can be found, she may overtraining and should talk to her coach about changing her workouts.
Don't be misled by advertising for sports drinks that you need to replace potassium during exercise and so need their products. The only mineral you need to replace during exercise is salt. Furthermore, if you did need potassium, it is found in virtually all foods. You don't need to buy special drinks.
Dr. Gabe Mirkin has been a radio talk show host for 25 years and practicing physician for more than 40 years; he is board certified in four specialties, including sports medicine. Read or listen to hundreds of his fitness and health reports at http://www.DrMirkin.com
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Diabetic? Exercise Is Essential

By Gabe Mirkin, M.D.
Thirty-five percent of all Americans will develop diabetes, which can cause heart attacks, strokes, blindness, deafness, impotence, amputations, kidney failure and sudden death. Three studies show why virtually all diabetics should exercise. The first study shows that exercising before a meal markedly reduces the rise in blood sugar that usually peaks 20 minutes after you eat (Lipids in Health & Disease, October 2005). The second shows that exercise lowers HBA1C in diabetics (Journal of Obesity, October 2002), while the third shows that exercise lowers high blood pressure (Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, August 2005)
When you eat, your blood sugar level rises. In diabetics, most of the damage is done within 20 minutes after you eat because that’s the time that blood sugar levels are at their highest. The higher blood sugar rises, the more sugar sticks on cells. Once sugar is stuck on a cell, it can never get off. It is eventually converted to a poison called sorbitol that destroys the cell. This cell destruction causes all of the horrible side effects of diabetes.
Doctors measure the amount of sugar stuck on cells with a blood test called HBA1C. The first goal in treating diabetes is to use drugs and diet to get HBA1C below 6. Since blood sugar levels are highest 20 minutes after you eat, you should do everything possible to prevent the high rise in blood sugar that follows meals. The only places that your body can store sugar are in your muscles and your liver. After you eat, sugar goes from your intestines into your bloodstream. Then if your muscles are empty from exercise, the sugar can pass into your muscles. However, if your muscles are full because you do not exercise, the sugar has no place to go and blood sugar rises to very high levels to stick to cells and destroy your body.
Exercise is also vital for diabetics because it helps to control blood pressure. Eighty percent of diabetics die of heart disease, and anything that increases risk for heart attacks puts diabetics in danger. High blood pressure is a major risk for heart attacks and strokes. Since exercise lowers high blood pressure, it helps to prevent heart attacks and thus to keep diabetics alive.
Dr. Gabe Mirkin has been a radio talk show host for 25 years and practicing physician for more than 40 years; he is board certified in four specialties, including sports medicine. Read or listen to hundreds of his fitness and health reports at http://www.drmirkin.com/
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