You need vitamin C for the growth and repair of tissues in all parts of your body. It helps the body make collagen, an important protein used to make skin, cartilage, tendons, ligaments, and blood vessels. Vitamin C is essential for healing wounds, and for repairing and maintaining bones and teeth.

Vitamin C is an antioxidant, along with vitamin E, beta-carotene, and many other plant-based nutrients. Antioxidants block some of the damage caused by free radicals, which occur naturally when our bodies transform food into energy. The build-up of free radicals over time may be largely responsible for the aging process and can contribute to the development of health conditions such as cancer, heart disease, and arthritis.

Evidence suggests that many people may be mildly deficient in vitamin C, although serious deficiencies are rare in industrialized countries. Smoking cigarettes lowers the amount of vitamin C in the body, so smokers are at a higher risk of deficiency. Signs of vitamin deficiency include dry and splitting hair; gingivitis (inflammation of the gums) and bleeding gums; rough, dry, scaly skin; decreased wound-healing rate, easy bruising; nosebleeds; and a decreased ability to ward off infection. A severe form of vitamin C deficiency is known as scurvy.

Low levels of vitamin C have been associated with a number of conditions, including high blood pressure, gallbladder disease, stroke, some cancers, and atherosclerosis (the build-up plaque in blood vessels that can lead to heart attack and stroke). Getting enough vitamin C from your diet (by eating lots of fruit and vegetables) may help reduce the risk of developing some of these conditions. The evidence that taking vitamin C supplements will help or prevent any of these conditions is lacking, however.

Vitamin C plays a role in protecting against the following:

Heart Disease

Results of scientific studies on whether vitamin C is helpful for preventing heart attack or stroke are mixed. Vitamin C doesn’t lower cholesterol levels or reduce the overall risk of heart attack, but evidence suggests that it may help protect arteries against damage.

Some studies — though not all — suggest that vitamin C, acting as an antioxidant, can slow down the progression of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). It helps prevent damage to LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, which then builds up as plaque in the arteries and can cause heart attack or stroke. Other studies suggest that vitamin C may help keep arteries flexible.

In addition, people who have low levels of vitamin C may be more likely to have a heart attack, stroke, or peripheral artery disease, all potential results of having atherosclerosis. Peripheral artery disease is the term used to describe atherosclerosis of the blood vessels to the legs. This can lead to pain when walking, known as intermittent claudication. But there is no evidence that taking vitamin C supplements will help.

The best thing to do is get enough vitamin C through your diet. That way, you also get the benefit of other antioxidants and nutrients contained in food. If you have low levels of vitamin C and have trouble getting enough through the foods you eat, ask your doctor about taking a supplement.

High Blood Pressure

Population based studies (which involve observing large groups of people over time) suggest that people who eat foods rich in antioxidants, including vitamin C, have a lower risk of high blood pressure than people who have poorer diets. Eating foods rich in vitamin C is important for your overall health, especially if you are at risk for high blood pressure. The diet physicians most frequently recommend for treatment and prevention of high blood pressure, known as the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet, includes lots of fruits and vegetables, which are loaded with antioxidants.

Common Cold

Despite the popular belief that vitamin C can cure the common cold, the scientific evidence doesn’t support the notion. Taking vitamin C supplements regularly (not just at the beginning of a cold) produces only a small reduction in the duration of a cold (about 1 day). The only other piece of evidence supporting vitamin C for preventing colds comes from studies examining people exercising in extreme environments (athletes such as skiers and marathon runners, and soldiers in the Arctic). In these studies, vitamin C did seem to reduce the risk of getting a cold.

Cancer

Results of many population based studies (evaluating groups of people over time) suggest that eating foods rich in vitamin C may be associated with lower rates of cancer, including skin cancer, cervical dysplasia (changes to the cervix which may be cancerous or precancerous, picked up by pap smear), and, possibly, breast cancer. But these foods also contain many beneficial nutrients and antioxidants, not only vitamin C, so it’s impossible to say for certain that vitamin C is protecting against cancer. Taking vitamin C supplements, on the other hand, has not been shown to have any helpful effect.

In addition, there is no evidence that taking large doses of vitamin C once diagnosed with cancer will help your treatment. Moreover, some doctors are concerned that large doses of antioxidants from supplements could interfere with chemotherapy medications. More research is needed. If you are undergoing chemotherapy, talk to your doctor before taking vitamin C or any supplement.

Osteoarthritis

Vitamin C is essential for the body to make collagen, which is a part of normal cartilage. Cartilage is destroyed in osteoarthritis (OA), putting pressure on bones and joints. In addition, some researchers think free radicals — molecules produced by the body that can damage cells and DNA — may also be involved in the destruction of cartilage. Antioxidants such as vitamin C appear to limit the damage caused by free radicals. However, that said, no evidence suggests that taking vitamin C supplements will help treat or prevent OA. What the evidence does show is that people who eat diets rich in vitamin C are less likely to be diagnosed with arthritis.

Taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can lower your levels of vitamin C. If you take these drugs regularly for OA, you might want to take a vitamin C supplement.

Age-related Macular Degeneration

Vitamin C (500 mg) appears to work with other antioxidants, including zinc (80 mg), beta-carotene (15 mg), and vitamin E (400 IU) to protect the eyes against developing macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of legal blindness in people over 55 in the United States. The people who seem to benefit are those with advanced AMD. It isn’t known whether this combination of nutrients helps prevent AMD or is beneficial for people with less advanced AMD.

Pre-eclampsia

Some studies suggest that taking vitamin C along with vitamin E may help prevent pre-eclampsia in women who are at high risk. Pre-eclampsia, characterized by high blood pressure and too much protein in the urine, is a common cause of pre-term births. Not all studies agree, however.

Asthma

Studies are mixed when it comes to the effect of vitamin C on asthma. Some show that low levels of vitamin C are more common in people with asthma, leading some researchers to think that low levels of vitamin C might increase the risk for this condition. Other studies seem to show that vitamin C may help reduce symptoms of exercise-induced asthma.

Other

Although the information is limited, studies suggest that vitamin C may also be helpful for:

• Boosting immune system function
• Maintaining healthy gums
• Improving vision for those with uveitis (an inflammation of the middle part of the eye)
• Treating allergy-related conditions, such as asthma, eczema, and hay fever (called allergic rhinitis)
• Reducing effects of sun exposure, such as sunburn or redness (called erythema)
• Alleviating dry mouth, particularly from antidepressant medications (a common side effect from these drugs)
• Healing burns and wounds
• Decreasing blood sugar in people with diabetes

Roberto Garcia (Health and Fitness Specialist)
http://www.newhealthandfitnessdvds.co.uk

Specialist provider of Health and Fitness information and products including: DVDs and Supplements.

Bentonite clay is an effective colon cleanser. Consuming this will help eliminate the toxins and other agents that are difficult to digest to prevent clogging in the colon. The bentonite clay actually absorbs the toxins and works like a sponge. This method has actually been used in many places for a long time now like in Africa, South America and Australia. Bentonite clay is found in the soils which will be ingested. This actually improves health and makes one feel better and cleaner.

For detoxification purposes, you can purchase some bentonite clay from online stores. You must also drink at least 8 glasses of water all throughout the day to keep you hydrated. After two weeks, you will feel a big improvement in your health and wellness. This will even get better if you combine it with a healthy diet and lifestyle. You will notice a big improvement in your energy, sleep and bowel movements.

There are also other health benefits that one may gets from adding bentonite clay to their daily diet. This actually helps in neutralizing acidity, reducing heartburn and stomach ulcers. The clay can absorb and get rid of the internal parasites and metals in the bloodstream. This can also turn into a paste for healthier skin. You can combine the paste with honey then apply to your skin. The formula will absorb all the toxins from the pores of your skin. Try this after a hot bath or sauna.

Roberto Garcia (Health and Fitness Specialist)
http://www.newhealthandfitnessdvds.co.uk

Specialist provider of Health and Fitness information and products including: DVDs and Supplements.

See if the following description – either all or some of  it-sounds familiar.
You’re overweight and have been for many years,in spite of your best efforts to shed pounds.
You feel sluggish a lot of the time, especially first thing in the morning.
Your hands and feet often feel cold. Your skin and hair are dry. You’re constipated. You have trouble concentrating. You’re depressed.
All of those symptoms and many more can be caused by an underactive thyroid gland, or hypothyroidism.
The hormones pumped out by the thyroid gland regulate your body’s temperature, so when thyroid hormones are low
so is your temperature, usually by a degree or two.
When your temperature is low, many of the body’s energy producing enzymes can’t do their job.
When they don’t work, your body doesn’t work very well, either,and every system, from your brain to your bowels, is stuck in first gear.
Blood tests, which are used by doctors to screen for underactive thyroid, are not reliable for ruling out the problem.
Often people who have normal blood tests but who do have an underactive thyroid.
Healing your thyroid requires professional care, but there are alternative home remedies that you can use to assist your physician in the healing process.

ENERGY EXERCISE: Express Yourself
The thyroid gland,  one of the seven organs of the hormone-generating endocrine system,is located in the throat just below the larynx, or voice-box.
This is also the location of the throat chakra, one of the seven centers of subtle energy in the body whose locations correspond to the endocrine glands.
To really bring the thyroid gland back into balance, a person must be willing to balance the energies associated with the throat chakra, which are the energies of expression.
Here’s a simple energy exercise to do just that.
Lie flat on a comfortable surface such as a bed or a blanket folded on a carpeted floor.
Relax and warm your diaphragm-the source of your breath and your voice-by gently massaging your upper abdominal area for a minute or so.
Next put one hand over your throat and as you exhale, start to make a sound-any sound-allowing it to emerge from your throat.
It might start as a groan or a grunt,like something constricted and caught that wants to be free. Continue to make a sound (it’s very important to remember that any sound is okay) with every exhalation.
At the same time, imagine that the sound is coming directly out of your thyroid and that the cells of the organ are vibrating with the sound like the strings of an instrument.
Do this exercise for 5 to 10 minutes every day.

People with hypothyroidism often suppress their speech and natural expressiveness, fearing what others may think about them.
By doing this exercise, the suppressed energies of the voice are loosened and released, and the thyroid is nourished at a deep level.

SUNLIGHT: Catch it Early
In early morning, go outside and look at the sun.
Light stimulates the pineal gland (the endocrine gland in the center of the brain), which in turn positively affects the thyroid as well as all the other endocrine glands.
Go outside within the first hour after sunrise and look towards the sun (not directly at it) for 10 minutes.
This technique won’t work if you look through a window or through your glasses; the light has to directly enter your eyes.

FOOD:Choose Organic or Free Range
Most meat, dairy products, and eggs contain synthetic hormones that can affect the balance and functioning of the thyroid.
Choose free range or organic meats, dairy products and eggs which don’t contain synthetic hormones.

PROGESTERONE: Ease the Symptoms
If you have premenstrual syndrome or have entered perimenopause ( when periods are irregular but haven’t stopped), using a cream that contains natural progesterone can help reduce the symptoms of hypothyroidism.
(The hormones progesterone and estrogen control the menstrual cycle.)
A deficiency of progesterone,which is very common, can affect the thyroid gland and vice versa.
Follow the application instructions and dosage recommendations on the label, starting about 14 days before the start of your menstrual period.

TYROSINE: A Balance Approach
The amino acid tyrosine combines with iodine to make thyroxine, a thyroid hormone.
You should get 500 to 1000 milligrams of tyrosine from a pure amino acid supplement balanced with good protein in your diet,  since tyrosine by itself can cause side affects in large doses.
Use tyrosine for 3 to 6 months and then being re-evaluated by your doctor.

FATTY ACIDS: Help for Hormones
These components of fat are involved in the production of thyroid hormones.
Take either flaxseed oil or fish oil, both of which are rich in fatty acids.
Follow the dosage recommendations on the label, between 3000 and 6000 milligrams a day.
In colder weather you should take the higher dosage.

TAKE THE AT-HOME-TEST
Only a doctor with experience in treating  hypothyroidism can tell you for sure whether you have an underactive thyroid.
But if you have many of the common syptoms, such as overweight, constipation, dry skin and hair, fatigue, depression and cold hands and feet,  you can conduct a simple at home test to see if a thyroid problem is the likely cause.
Just take your body temperature every day for a few days.
Your thyroid regulates body temperature, so a temperature that’s consistently a degree or two below normal is a sure sign that your thyroid may not be functioning properly.
First you’ll need a glass mercury thermometer.
Before you go to bed shake it down and put it on your bedside table.Then when you wake up in the morning, don’t move; simply reach over, get the thermometer and tuck it in your armpit for 10 minutes.
This is the best measurement you can get of your body temperature.
Do this every morning for 6 days. If your temperature is consistently low-in the low 97 or 96 degrees range,  it’s a good indication that you have an underactive thyroid, even if previous blood tests have indicated that your thyroid is normal.
It’s time to see a knowledgeable doctor about treatment.

Roberto Garcia (Health and Fitness Specialist)
http://www.newhealthandfitnessdvds.co.uk

Specialist provider of Health and Fitness information and products including: DVDs and Supplements.

Tell your doctor if you notice an increase in one or more of the following symptoms of  Parkinson’s disease:
muscle rigidity;  tremor in the limbs;  head;  neck;  face;  slow movement response;  poor balance or walking problems.

With Parkinson’s disease, connections between the brain and muscles deteriorate resulting in tremors, a stooped and rigid posture, slow and difficult speech, a mask like facial expression and eventually dementia, as the process progresses in the brain.

Conventional medicine can only respond with drugs that decrease the symptoms and perhaps slow (but never stop) the progress of the disease.

Alternative medicine doesn’t have a better answer. It does, however offer powerful treatment that can lend prescription medicines a very big helping hand.

There are various nutritional supplements that can help control or delay some of the movement-related and mental symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.

Nutritional remedies have their greatest effect when Parkinson’s first appears or has just begun to develope, someone who’s newly diagnosed with Parkinson’s should ask himself, What can I do to slow the progress of this disease and reduce symptoms.

The answer should be to include nutritional supplements.

ANTIOXIDANTS: E,C and Glutathione to the Rescue

One theory about the cause of Parkinson’s disease says that free radicals (molecular monsters produced by a wide variety of biochemical and lifestyle factors) are oxidizing or destroying the receptor cells in the substantial nigra, a relay station in the brain between the body’s muscles and the cerebellum, the area in the brain that controls movement.

Antioxidants can block that free radical damage and perhaps slow the progress of Parkinson’s. To be effective, several antioxidants must work together.

The antioxidant process is like a team running a relay race, Vitamin C runs the first lap,  become exhausted,  and is replaced by vitamin E, which is then replaced by glutathione. Then so-called co-factors of glutathione take over.

• Vitamin C daily in 3 doses with meals.
• Vitamin E daily in 3 doses with meals.
  Glutathione: The product Thiodox provides nutritional co-factors necessary to make it work

THIAMIN:  Boost Your Dopamine

Dopamine is a chemical that enables messages to be sent from brain cell to brain cell.  With Parkinson’s the availability of dopamine to the cerebellum plummets.
High levels of the B vitamin may help the brain produce dopamine, you’re need to check with your doctor to see which dosage is right for you.

TYROSINE: Another Dopamine Booster

The amino acid tyrosine is an essential precursor of dopamine, take 500 to 1000 milligrams once in the morning on an empty stomach.

COENZYME Q10:  A Potent Anti-Aging Nutrient

This vitamin-like nutrient, found in every cell of the body, is crucial for sparking cellular energy.

It is a nutrient for most people to slow aging,  people with Parkinson’s should take at least 200 milligrams a day.

PROTEIN SUPPLEMENTS:  Stop Muscle Wasting

Muscle wasting-the decrease of muscle mass-is a common symptom of Parkinson’s. Protein supplements can help maintain muscle mass.

DHEA: A Helpful Hormone

Parkinson’s have low levels of this hormone, which is secreted by the adrenal glands, so supplements may help reduce symptoms, take 10 milligrams for women and 25 milligrams for men. Take this supplement only under supervision of your doctor.

BRAIN FOOD

The following nutritional supplements strengthen the brain and mat help delay the onset of dementia in Parkinson’s.

NADH: It’s Usually Needed

This coenzyme-a molecular key that opens biochemical doors and provides energy to the brain-is often deficient in people with Parkinson’s. take 10 to 20 milligrams of  NADH a day.

PHOSPHATIDYLSERINE: To Improve Memory

This substance helps to boost the energy levels of the brain, improving memory and general mental functioning, take 300 milligrams daily in three doses with meals.

ZINC: It’s Good for the Brain

Many people with Parkinson’s are deficient in this mineral,  and those low levels may contribute to dementia,  take 30 to 50 milligrams a day.

GINKGO: For Increased Blood Flow

The herb ginkgo increases blood flow to the brain,  helping to delay dementia, take 200 to 300 milligrams in 3 doses with meals.

VITAMIN B12: Prevent a Shortfall

A deficiency of this vitamin can compromise mental functioning for poeple with Parkinson’s, take 100 micrograms a day.

Roberto Garcia (Health and Fitness Specialist)
http://www.newhealthandfitnessdvds.co.uk

Specialist provider of Health and Fitness information and products including: DVDs and Supplements.

There are many different types of dermatitis, a skin rash that can be red,  itchy,  swollen,  oozing,  crusty,  scaly,  or any combination of these symptoms.

There is irritant contact dermatitis. Allergic contact, Photo contact, Eczema, Nummular, Seborrhea,  Hand,and Peri oral.

Although a dermatologist can figure out which kind of dermatitis you have,  he may not be able to do much about getting rid of it.
Most conventional treatment fall into either of two categories.

• One is topical-a cream,  salve,  or other application that provides some degree of symptomatic relief.
• The other is oral-a prescription drug that suppresses bacteria or a virus that may be associated with the problem.

However most of the organisms associated with the dermatitis were living peacefully on your skin before the problem started.
Somehow,  the skin became less healthy,  allowing the organisms to multiply and a rush to begin.
The unrecognized cause of this weak skin is often a deficiency of the trace mineral selenium.

SELENIUM:  Stop the Organism Overgrowth

In your body,  selenium hooks up with other substances to form a compound called glutathione  peroxidase, which allows the immune system to “sample” the organisms that are inhabiting but not yet overgrowing the outer layer of the skin.

If the organisms are harmful in type or number,  immune warriors are alerted,  and they reduce or eliminate the threatening population.”Glutathione is the Rambo of the skin.

If you’re selenium-deficient,  however,  the skin doesn’t have that powerful advance warning system.

Without enough selenium in your diet and supplement regimen,  it is believed it’s impossible to improve the body’s resistance to many different types of dermatitis beyond a certain level.

To make matters worse,  it’s not that easy to get enough selenium from either food or supplements.

Intensive farming practices have depleted the soil of the mineral, while food processing removes even more and if you try to get the missing selenium from a supplement,  you may be out of luck.

Many supplement contain a form of the mineral that is poorly absorbed and therefore poorly utilized.

To make sure that you’re getting enough selenium, an easily absorbed liquid form of the mineral,  take 190 micrograms a day.

If symptoms don’t improve within 6 weeks contact your doctor.

ANTIOXIDANTS:  Helping Injured Skin Heal

Antioxidants can help repair damaged skin by disarming free radicals,  the unstable molecules that oxidize or destroy healthy cells.

Free radicals can be produced as by-products of the body’s fight against the inflammation of dermatitis as well as by exposure to sunlight, smoking, eating fatty food,  and many other lifestyle factors.  By muting free radicals,  antioxidants not only help the dermatitis heal,  they may also help prevent future flare-ups.

Here are some important antioxidants for the health  of your skin.

• Beta-carotene  12 milligrams daily

• Vitamin C: 3000 milligrams a day

• Vitamin E:  600  to  800  milligrams a day

• Zinc: 20 milligrams a day

FATTY ACIDS:  Reduce the Inflammation

Certain components in oils, called fatty acids, can help reduce inflammation and ease dermatitis
The best combination of  the full range of anti-inflammatory fatty acids,  look for a supplement that contains oil from flax seed and omega-3, omega-6, and omega-9 oils from fish.

FOOD: Avoid These Causes of Dermatitis

A sensitivity to certain foods in your diet can cause dermatitis.

A blood test that detects food sensitivities, called an IgG test is a very accurate way to discover foods that may cause an allergic reaction.

You can also do a self-test by eliminating the most common dermatitis -causing culprits one by one to see if you get any relief.

The most common trigger is dairy products.

To start your health experiment,  cut out dairy products out of your diet for 30 days.
If your symptoms improve,  you have very strong evidence that dairy is the cause.  Then reinstate dairy in your diet for 1 week.
If symptoms return,  you know that these foods are responsible.  If you forgo dairy produces,  replace the calcium that you’ll miss.

If eliminating dairy doesn’t make a difference eliminate the following foods one by one:  wheat,  sugar,  citrus fruits,  corn,  soy,  peanut butter,  chocolate,  coffee,  and alcohol.
Do the same as with dairy foods test for 30 days and slowly reinstate them for a week and see if there are any offenders.

AROMATHERAPY:  first-Rate Relief

A combination of the anti-inflammatory essential oils German chamomile  and high-Alpine lavender is considered one of the best therapies for soothing dermatitis.

HORSETAIL: Relief for Eczema

Horsetail is an ancient emollient herb that can be very helpful in soothing the discomfort of eczema.

To make a horsetail compass,  put 1 teaspoon of dried or crushed  horsetail stems in 1 cup of water and boil for 10 to 15 minutes.
Remove from the heat and let it cool until the liquid is just comfortably warm to the skin.
Immerse a clean soft cotton kitchen towel in the boiling water,  then squeeze out the excess liquid.  Wrap the towel around the inflamed area and cover with another dry heavy towel.  Keep the compress wrapped around the area for at least 10 minutes.

Roberto Garcia (Health and Fitness Specialist)
http://www.newhealthandfitnessdvds.co.uk

Specialist provider of Health and Fitness information and products including: DVDs and Supplements.