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We will update this area of our website periodically. Be sure to check regularly for these informative articles that may provide you with a healthier lifestyle! We currently have the following articles: Omega 6 vs. Omega 3 - Good Balance
One of the many problems that we face in the Western world is the imbalance of fats or fatty acids in our diets. With all of the polyunsaturated fats and processed commercial cooking oils found in nearly all of our foods, it is little wonder that we have an imbalance of omega 6 to omega 3 fatty acids in our bodies. Should it then surprise us when most of our chronic degenerative diseases are said to show a build up of fatty deposits in the problematic areas? Many have found that the addition of a tablespoon or two of organic flax seed oil with a half cup of low fat cottage cheese each day will allow the body to restore some semblance of balance in this area. The addition of fruit or honey to cover up the taste of the oil is advisable unless one is diabetic and then an organic spice or ground up vegetable will do the trick. The addition of this combination with other quality food supplements in your area of health concern may be exactly what your body needs to maintain optimum health.
VITAMIN E - WHICH ONE SHOULD I BE TAKING? Vitamin E has been much discussed, misrepresented, misunderstood, and even maligned in medical circles over the years. I recall a lecture I was attending years ago when a respected cardiologist made a questionable statement about Vitamin E about which I immediately became alarmed. He was speaking on antioxidants and questioned whether Vitamin E would be considered an effective one or not. When I asked him if he was referring to d alpha tocopherol or l alpha tocopherol, he had a blank, puzzled look on his face and obviously did not know the difference or what I was making reference to. He, like so many in the medical field and even some in the health field, did not know the difference between natural Vitamin E (which comes from wheat bran and green vegetables) and synthetic E (which comes from petroleum). D alpha tocopherol is just one of the mixed tocopherols that we need daily in our diet and/or our supplement regimen. When we began processing our grains and bleaching our flours to remove the outer surface (bran) and baking our breads with that flour, the natural Vitamin E that we must have in our diet was also removed. Natural Vitamin E is thought to have many functions in the body that include the following: an antioxidant, a free radical scavenger, a safe intravascular anticoagulant, an oxygenator of cells, a stimulator of the immune system, etc. I had an old doctor friend over 40 years ago tell me if I would take 1600 IU of Vitamin E daily, I would never have a stroke or heart attack, and this I have done regularly for years. Back then we did not have to worry about synthetic Vitamin E much, but in recent years those with economic interests have introduced cheap, ineffective, unnatural, manufactured, synthetic l alpha tocopherols and dl alpha tocopherols to the unwary, uneducated public. The dl alpha tocopherol contains 10% d and 90% l alpha tocopherol, is allowed to be sold as a natural product, is far less expensive to the consumer, and is readily available. If you are not getting the benefits you expected from your Vitamin E or you are worried about toxic side effects, check to see which form you are using. The natural E should not have serious side effects, even if one over doses it, but the synthetic E (l alpha tocoperol) may have toxic side effects, including liver toxicity, even in lesser amounts. This website offers a Natural Vitamin E from Ortho Molecular Products. Just a note of caution: If you have never taken Vitamin E before or are taking 400 IU or less daily, I would recommend that you work up slowly over a three or four week period and not begin all at once. Those who have a history of hypertension should be especially cautious since the heart usually becomes more efficient in the presence of Vitamin E before the peripheral circulation catches up. It will usually take 3-5 days for that to happen and thus going up at weekly intervals is usually quite safe. Those with heart valve disease, especially mitral valve, should remain on low amounts of Vitamin E and if increasing, do so only at 100 IU per week per day amounts. If you have questions about what is right for you, please check with a qualified, knowledgeable "health care" physician. SELENIUM - WILL IT HELP PREVENT THE BIRD FLU? Recently, I was reading the October, 2006, issue of Acres USA and on page four (4) came across an interesting article entitled: "Bird Flu Bows to Selenium." Upon reading the entire article, they reported that most viral organisms cannot mutate into a virulent or infective form unless there is a selenium deficiency in the host where they reside. If that be true, that would mean most of our "flu epidemics" and many of the other infective diseases of our world could be prevented with the addition of selenium to our supplement regimen. Since most of our soils are depleted in selenium, it should not come as a great surprise to find our bodies, in this modern era of our Western world, to be susceptible to microbial infections. The 200mcg selenium capsules by OrthoMolecular Products found on this web site are not only inexpensive and of the highest quality, but may be the best protection available against "flu syndrome." I read the same propaganda about selenium toxicity that you read, but I doubt anyone need fear 400mcg per day. I personally take 600mcg per day regularly at 68 years of age and believe it to be far safer than the "flu shots" that are being promoted for seniors.
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