VITAMINS… THE GOOD… THE BAD… AND THE UGLY:

What’s the first thought that comes to mind when you think about a Natural Health store? Vitamins, right; i mean the two go together like Mutt and Jeff; and so we may as well get down to knowing something about these pills called; vitamins-n-minerals.  In this section we’ll be uncovering some facts, myths, and of course… my opinion regarding vitamins and minerals.  You can express your opinion too, although you’ll have to write your own blog to do so.

I’ll come right out and admit that this subject is not my thing; i say that for several reasons.  First of all;  i have a real hard time wrapping my tiny brain around the science… the chemistry behind it all, let alone explain it to somebody else.  Secondly; i don’t believe in vitamin supplements, for the most part anyway… more on that as we go.  And lastly; i don’t have my own lab to authenticate any of what the vitamin producers claim; i can merely share the results of my own research on the subject.  I performed much of that, i’ll have you know.

However; i do remain open to the facts on the subject; what i record today may become a myth tomorrow, hence why my book is not yet in print.  Rather it remains to be a living blog of sorts.  It’s a damage control feature enabling me to avert spreading myths and leading people astray.  The good news is that it remains to be factual, other than the odd minor adjustment and so i sleep well at night anyway.

To begin with; the term, ‘vitamin’ is loosely tossed around, in my opinion.  It alludes vitamins to be natural… biological agents as in; extracted from a plant… or some living organism.  However, this isn’t the case; as high as 90% of them are synthetic, chemical derivatives that originate from a laboratory, according to my research.  You might wanna put on a white lab smock and some goggles; we’re about to enter a laboratory.  I’ll try my bestus to not bore or confuse you.  You might appreciate the humour in it all if nothing else.

QUESTIONS:

Can you please help me find such and such vitamin?  This question comes up on a fairly regular basis at a Natural Health store.  I dunno, perhaps a customer might be experiencing; lack of energy… or they may have been catching a few too many colds, which seem to drag on forevvvver.  Others will admit to a poor diet… i dunno… perhaps they’re on the road and not able to access quality meals.  Regardless; i am of the opinion that most people are wanting to buy a multi-vitamin, in particular as an ‘insurance policy’ of sorts… or better said… an assurance policy… assurance that they are covering all their bases… getting everything they need to continue living lonnngggg and healthy.   Regardless of the reason, are you getting the mine or are you getting the shaft with such a purchase.  Allow me to share some insider tips on the subject.  Again; it’s my own personal opinion; i’m sure it’d be met with plenty of antagonistic opposition.  I mean, hey… we’re talking about a billion dollar industry here.

TYPES OF VITAMINS:

The following is not necessarily vital information in your shopping quest; however, as it is with most things, the more you know about something the more it empowers you to make good choices.  Are we good to go, then?

First of all; vitamins fall into two categories, water soluble and fat soluble.  Water soluble simply means that they are not stored in the body; therefore any excess of such will be excreted; in other words… expensive urine!  These types of vitamins should be taken on a fairly regular basis… or so the scientific narrative goes.  Fat soluble means that you have to be obese in order to benefit from them.  Seriously though… fat soluble means that they can either be utilized immediately… or the body can store them in fat tissue of the body… and utilized at a later time, if/when required.  These types of vitamins are not considered; essential agents… as in requiring daily supplementation.  In a nutshell; vitamins, B and C are water soluble… and Vitamins A D E and K are fat soluble… got it?

Secondly; vitamins are available in many different formats.  You’ll see tablets, capsules, powder or liquid.  It doesn’t stop there; some vitamins are time-released; they’re ideal for time travelers.  Seriously though; this just enables them to pop open at a specific time/location in the body… whatever year/era you might be visiting at the time.  Vitamins in tablet form have received some bad press over the years regarding their ability to dissolve.  I cannot speak for mainline box store suppliers but Natural Health retail outlets are normally pretty aware of this and will have done their homework to ensure that you’re getting an agent that will readily dissolve when it’s supposed to.  Howbeit; if you don’t trust their scrutiny then why are you shopping there?  Never mind; don’t answer that; there is a simple test to reveal this.  Drop a tablet into a glass containing a little vinegar and see how long it takes to dissolve.  Vinegar closely resembles the hydrochloric acid that is present in our stomach… er… supposed to be, anyway.  If a pill doesn’t dissolve within a reasonable time frame… say…like 30ish minutes then throw it at the crows or something and promise yourself never to buy that brand again.   If it still doesn’t dissolve even after 3ish hours, take it back to the store, throw it at the clerk… one at a time if necessary until he/she gives you back your money… ugh!

Thirdly; here’s where we go down our first technical rabbit hole; there are four types of vitamins available on the market; natural vitamins, synthetic vitamins, natural combined with synthetic vitamins, and enhanced vitamins, or so shall i call them.

What’s the difference?

Our body operates on three basic principles, the first being electrical activity and chemicals occurring with every bodily function.  This is important to know; look around you… today’s world is inundated with the same; incredible chemical and electrical activity.  You may not see nor feel the competition but i consider it to be our number one enemy to a healthy existence.

Secondly; our body is involved in a perpetual balancing act, better known as; Homeostasis; too much or too little of anything will inadvertently create a reaction of sorts

Lastly; our body undergoes perpetual renovation; tearing down old and compromised cells/tissue and rebuilding with new.

The problem is that we don’t appreciate our body’s efforts to keep us on he right side of the grass, so to speak, simply because we often feel uncomfortable (pain) when these principals are hard at work.  It certainly doesn’t help our cause to be misinformed about disease; consequently; we’ve been taught to witch hunt some malevolent microbe as the the cause of our demise.  That’s an entirely different subject; i’d best stay on track.

Do bear these principals in mind as you read on; it’ll be a good plumb line to apply regarding our subject of vitamins and minerals.

What’s the difference between natural and synthetic vitamins?  The following applies to all types of vitamins, whether they be multi-vitamins or individual vitamins.  Natural vitamins can be simply defined as; signatures from living entities; be it plants or animals.  Synthetic vitamins originate from a laboratory; they are in essence a forgery of the aforementioned; natural signatures, if you will.

Where do synthetic vitamins come from?  All synthetic vitamins come from Pharmaceutical Laboratories.  From there, they are shipped to various Natural Health Product factories to be formulated, packaged… and then onto the shelves of the Natural Health store that you’re shopping at.

Just to complicate the menu; some vitamins are both; natural combined with synthetic.  Let’s look at all natural sourced vitamins first.  The problem with all natural sourced vitamins is that you can only cram so much of nature’s matrix a capsule and/or tablet to make any difference; you’d be better off chomping on the actual fruit or vegetable, i’d say.

Ah; this is where enhanced vitamins… or so i’ll call them come into the picture; a rather interesting innovation.  Bear in mind; there’s a benevolent side to science and then there’s a malevolent side to it; kinda like a Dr. Jekyl and Mr Hyde scenario, i suppose.  However; suffice it to say this; the benevolent part of science found a way to concentrate… and also render a vitamin matrix to be more cellular available.  Now, again; i don’t have my own lab to authenticate the following claims; however, i do have some confidence in this particular process.

Enhanced vitamin technology will vary in their techniques and formulations; however, generally speaking it’ll involve a process whereby specific nutrients from a plant or animal are rendered down to a concentrated end product; one that still contains the authentic natural signature as a living source.  Did you get that… or was it clear as mud?  Well; hang on and i’ll try to make some sense out of it all.

As mentioned; the techniques and formulations to accomplish this feat will vary.  Ok… hold your head for some lab talk; generally speaking; specific vitamins and/or minerals from a plant and/or a substance are introduced/injected into an environment.  Ah… what???  Stay with me; it can be likened to artificial insemination in principal, anyway… only; instead of sperm, they’re injecting vitamins and/or minerals and instead of a woman’s environment; cervix/uterus cavity to grow the baby, it’d be a yeast culture or perhaps an algae.  These are the two most popular choices of environments known to ingest and transform substances.

The agent/environment would then go to work and break down/assimilate (digest) the specific ingredients that were added… and voila; you now have a concentrated/enhanced end product.  Such a process can be tailored to provide an unlimited variety of nutrients; again… in a concentrated form and still owning their original signature.  This is an important factor to note when it comes to assimilation, in my opinion.  The cells all throughout our body are programmed; governed by rules; it can be likened to a heavily guarded building, where signatures and/or some modem of identification is mandatory in order to enter… more on that later.

The down side of enhanced vitamins is the co$t; unlike synthetic vitamins, which require inexpensive chemical agents to formulate, the process of enhancing vitamins is pricey.  If you happen to be on a seriously restricted budget and/or have a champagne taste and a beer budget, then you’ll probably opt for the more affordable vitamin and just call it a day.

HOW MUCH TO TAKE EACH DAY:

This is where the 3 principals governing our body come into perspective again; the chemical/electric exchange that is constantly occurring throughout the body… the perpetual balancing act (Homeostasis) occurring… and lastly, the renovation process of tearing down and rebuilding that’s constantly going on.  These principals really need to be factored in when discussing vitamin dosages in particular.

All vitamins on the market, regardless of whether they are natural or synthetic will have ‘ideal‘ dosages listed on the labels.  This is known as the; RDA (Recommended Dietary Allowance).  The question is; who makes these recommendations… and how did they come up with those numbers?  The facts are that; the Government Health Agencies collaborate with the Pharmaceutical companies that make the chemicals, better known as; vitamins, and come up with a dosage that didn’t seem to hurt the poor little mouse involved in the experiments.  The problem with this RDA guide is that it serves to confuse the consumer more so than confidently guide them.

First of all; the RDA dosages are specific only to synthetic vitamins, as in chemicals; as mentioned; what about the natural formats of vitamins.  It’s like comparing apples to oranges; they are completely different items.  Consequently; this synthetic RDA dosage factor became the ‘golden standard, plumb line’ for all types of vitamins, regardless of whether they might be synthetic or natural.  This is one of many rocks that the serpent in the health care department of affairs hides under, incidentally.  Secondly; these same synthetic vitamins are liberally added to just about every refined food on the store shelves that we are consuming like, 24/7… and so who knows how much of any one vitamin you’re actually getting at the end of the day?  In other words; the government RDA standard is a redundant effort… hmm… more like a sinister ploy… ugh!

And so the question stands; how much of any vitamin do you suppose we really need?  Again; the rule of thumb for a natural sourced vitamins is different than that of a synthetic sourced ones.  A synthetic vitamin overdose could result in a 911 call; however, i’ve yet to see one, whereas a natural sourced, vitamin overdose would result in being pasted to a toilet for a spell… at the worst.  A tid-bit of advice; generally speaking, the body seldom requires a lot of any one vitamin/mineral at any one time, but rather a variety of them… at varied times… thus speaketh the body.

Albeit; we need to stop treating our bodies like construction projects; our mouths are not cement mixers; shoveling in a schwack of pills at the beginning of the day, calling it a job well done.

THE ALPHABET OF VITAMINS:

Enough said about multi-vitamins per-se; individual (isolates) vitamins are a tad more challenging to understand and/or explain.   I’ll start with this; i repeat; we seldom need a lot of any one vitamin or mineral but rather a little bit of each in order to function efficiently.

The word; ‘isolate‘ speaks for itself; it’s not complete, but rather; one lone agent of an entire matrix as normally found in nature’s packages… or better said; how science perceives such a matrix to be.  My opinion is that isolated vitamins share an equal potential of being detrimental to your health as they do being of benefit.  In other words; it’s a guessing game in the end.  It begins with how your cells are going to read such an entity.  Our cells are programmed to read signatures; nature’s packages, complete with all of the co-factors.  Natural entities are allowed entry without fuss.  Isolated agents, on the other hand; especially synthetic ones are bound to sound an alarm and summon security.

This is not to suggest all lone vitamin supplementation harmful… or even counterproductive; there may be upsides to it as well.  In cases of a severe deficiency, perhaps an isolated vitamin/mineral may very well save the day.  A few examples would be; rickets (Vit-D deficiency) and Beriberi (Vit-B1 deficiency); however, why stop at the lab for a piece of the goods when you can get the full meal deal, so to speak; nature’s complete  package?

Howbeit; a general rule of thumb to follow with isolated vitamins/minerals is; supplement only for short periods of time unless you have some means to monitor the effects of such.

This can be done on a personal basis if you are sensitive; in tune with your body… or you can solicit the services of a Naturopath clinic for blood testing; a Bio-kinesionics or a similar trained practitioner.  Bio-kinesionics (muscle testing) is a practice that utilizes acupressure points in the body to ascertain the ‘goings-on’ in one’s body on a physical level.

***Refer to section entitled, ‘Alternative Health Practices and Techniques‘ for detailed information on bio-kinesionics.

THE NITTY GRITTY OF VITAMINS:

Okay, so that was just some of the basic mainline information about vitamins, there’s much more to it than you can imagine.  As already mentioned; i have zero confidence in synthetic vitamins; i lean heavily on the natural.  Hmm… that’s a reverse from when i was a teen ager back in the 60’s, when LSD and other mind altering chemical agents were #1 on my menu; nevertheless; i was so much older than; i’m younger than that now.  Those are song lyrics from the 60’s incidentally… dang… there were some good times and some bad times in those days indeed.

First of all; we really need to define/clarify the term, ‘vitamin’ in order to understand the health benefits from these types of health supplements… if there be any.  You might be surprised to read the following, but do hear me out.  Most of what are called vitamins are not vitamins at all.  I quote; Royal Lee “What Is a Vitamin?” Applied Trophology Aug 1956.  A vitamin is “a working process consisting of the nutrients, enzymes, co-enzymes, antioxidants, and trace minerals activators.”

According to that definition, it’s really a misnomer to consider a lone vitamin, regardless of its label, to be a life enhancing agent/supplement; nature just doesn’t work that way.  Rather a vitamin is a complex organism, complete with mega factors and co-factors, many of which science has yet to discover… not that they even care; they’re too busy making a chemical mess out of God’s wonderful creation.  Albeit; it’s the magic of vitamin activity that we’re really looking for here; in other words; what happens when these organisms face off with the cells in our bodies.

Our body was/is designed to watch for… and to act… and/or react to specific signatures.  The cell will first read and hopefully recognize a signature of what just entered your mouth.  From there it will assimilate and utilize what is required to absorb and utilize the goodies… or it’ll reject/dispose of what it can’t make sense out of… or of what it does not require.  What happens if/when it doesn’t identify/recognize the signature of a substance is where the rubber really meets the road?  This is the relevant question here, and where my concerns lie.

Howbeit; as mentioned; the problem is that most of us do not have labs… or even access to labs in order to see the inside picture; in other words, what really happens inside the body at a cellular level, and so we must rely on those who do.  Even if we did have access to a lab there’s really no specialized equipment that i’m aware of anyway, that is able to detect what actually goes on inside of the cells upon the ingestion of any substance… only the results of such can be detected/measured… and even that can be misleading.

My point is this; the question at hand in relevance to our vitamin shopping is twofold; is such an item being absorbed and completely utilized by the body… and if not… what might be going on within the body in the process of rejecting and eliminating such an entity?  In other words; are we helping or hindering our body when supplementing with vitamins.  I’m sure you don’t want to be spending money doing something that is contrary to your good health.

EMP… PROOF IN THE PUDDING:

I had mentioned that i don’t have confidence in synthetic vitamins; however, there is an exception to this that i really should share.  There’s one particular multi vitamin/mineral product that continues to seriously challenge my convictions; it’s a complex, vitamin/mineral formula called; EMP.  What is EMP?  EMP is a combination of agents consisting of various synthetic vitamins, elemental minerals and amino acids.  It is a unique and very impressive product, to say the least.  I’ve heard too many positive testimonies of its effectiveness to stuff it into my box of; questionable agents, so to speak; testimonies, ranging from; insomnia, memory, anxiety, depression, ADD, ADHD… all of the way to ‘out of control’ Schizophrenia and Bi-Polar Disorders.  This particular product is literally sweeping the ‘Pharmaceutical’ approach to psychiatric challenges clean out of the building… go figure!

The question is; how?  I mean; the body must be utilizing the formulation in order to get the job done… that science miserably failed to do… and so what might be the difference?  I inquired with the manufacturer; the response was; it is a proprietary blend.  In other words; it’s a secret… ugh… i hate that!  It’s like refusing to share a favorite fishing hole.  My only suspicion was that the formulator of EMP had taken some steps to ensure that there was a natural signature of sorts involved in the processing of the synthetic ingredients in this particular blend… end of story!

CHEMIST IN THE GARDEN:

The question stands; can synthetic agents do the same job and/or a better job than natural agents?  I suppose the answer to that question is really going to depend on who you ask.  A scientist or chemist would probably be adamant to suggest that the synthetic duplicate of a vitamin will do everything… and then some of what any natural vitamin can accomplish… and all of the synthetic, vitamin producers would conveniently… amen that, of course.  Furthermore; i’ve heard positive testimonies regarding the effectiveness of many of these synthetic vitamins, although, more so on individual/isolated vitamins than multi vitamins… and so… really… like, what’s my problem?  Continue reading and you’ll see… hmm… perhaps; i’ll see, as well.

First of all; what is listed on the label of that vitamin container is no guarantee that your cells are going to get those goods.  As mentioned, vitamins found in nature are not individual molecular compounds; rather they are; biological complexes.  Furthermore; brace yourself for the following; they are multi-step biochemical interactions, whose action is dependent upon a number of variables.  Hmm… that was quite a mouthful; i wonder where it came from; my brain… or from that of some scientist?  Anyway… what this means to me is that; vitamin activity in the cells only takes place when all conditions are met, meaning; when all co-factors and components of the entire vitamin complex are present and working together.  If any of those components are missing, as in vitamins isolated from their complexes… or those that may not be working together, according to their natural laws, then some sort of imbalance is inevitable… i rest my case.  In other words; you’ll be rocking the boat to some degree.

INDIVIDUAL VITAMINS:

We’ve already discussed individual vitamins; how they are isolates, which really defines them as fragments of an entire infrastructure of what nature is perceived to produce; perhaps we should dig a little deeper and investigate how each one might work… if it indeed… does.

I suppose we can start with; how would you know if an individual vitamin wasn’t beneficial… that it was counterproductive; what sign/reaction could you expect?

I’d expect one of three possible scenarios from our cell’s perspective to present; the first being; an insignificant, small ripple effect; the result of our cells; ‘begging, borrowing and/or stealing’ associated co-factors from elsewhere in the body in order to make the incomplete and/or unreadable agent work.  In such a case, you may… or may not even feel the difference on a physical level.  However; if those co-factors could not be found and/or accessed, then a bigger wave effect could be generated, whereby some sort of imbalance will be created, and possibly upset the boat, altogether… better known as; disease.  The word speaks for itself.  A third scenario would be much more serious; that of a tidal wave, whereby some immune flags and alarms may usher in an army to defend the body against what it perceived to be a serious threat.  Howbeit; if it offers any solace; i have yet to personally witness a ‘tidal wave’ effect, where any serious injury resulted from the indulgence of vitamins.  They’re certainly a whole lot safer than any Pharmaceutical agent.

Ok, so let’s pick away at the threads of; isolate vitamins, shall we?  Individual vitamins are often synthetic in composition; and if they happen to be natural, then they will have probably undergone some sort of processing.  Nonetheless; what needs to be scrutinized is; what degree of processing?  The bottom line… the plumb line, so to speak… is as mentioned; nature always works in neat and complete little packages.

I’ll list the vitamins alphabetically as; Vitamin-A, B, C and D… onward.  Furthermore; some of these will have a little number attached to the letter just to further confuse an already confused average shopper.  Bear in mind that there are books written about each individual vitamin and so you’ll be getting the condensed form… you’re welcome!  Are you ready to go then?  Buckle up…

Vitamin A:

We may as well begin with Vitamin-A, the first letter of the alphabet.  Vit-A is not really a big seller although it should be in my opinion; it offers mega health benefits such as; immune enhancement and cancer fighter.  You’re going to notice a few different types of Vit-A available; Palmitate, Beta Carotene or Cod Liver Oil.  Cod liver oil is the natural; Palmitate and Beta Carotene are synthetic.  Vitamin A is much more than just an isolated agent extracted from a plant, animal or produced in a lab, it is the result of an interaction among mega co-factors.  Allow me to explain.  For example; the orange pigment in a carrot known as; Beta Carotene is one of many agents converted by the body into Vit-A; however; there are yet other processes that such an ingredient must undergo in order to ultimately become… Vit-A.  This process is better known as a precursor (building block).  The bottom line is that you’d have to consume more carrots than a rabbit could ever eat to match what a small portion of liver could yield… ugh… i’d be tempted to opt for the carrots and take my chances… i sooo hate the taste of liver… yuk!  Nonetheless; liver would be a closer rendition of Vit-A over that of any vegetable source, in my opinion.  My final answer; Cod and/or Halibut Liver Oil is the most popular/effective natural source of Vit-A.

VITAMIN B:

Vitamin-B; both as a multiple vitamin complex as well as individual B vitamins, is one of the biggest sellers on the market, i’d say.  There are 8 individual B vitamins, although they’re not listed as B-1 to B-8 as you might expect, but rather from B-1 to B-17… and they’ll probably discover a few more as time goes on… i dunno… science tends to do that.  It might help you to know that; most all B vitamins are naturally produced within a healthy and balanced GI Tract (Gastro-intestinal Tract).  However, judging by the high percentage of GI health issues today, i’d say that we may very well be in serious need of some supplementation.  Our food today is hardly conducive to contributing to a healthy GI Tract, no thanks to our money hungry food producers and corrupt Government Health watch agencies… ugh!  Howbeit; individual B vitamins are far from natural, more often than not.  Vit-B1, for example is produced from coal tar… go figure.

Nonetheless; i promised to share what i’ve learned about vitamins, regardless of my opinion; whether i believe in it or not; and so here goes.  As mentioned; specific isolated B vitamins are hot on the market… and do claim to alter and/or enhance various functions in the body.  For example; B-6 (Pyridoxine), B-9 (Folic Acid) and B-12 (cyanocobalamin or methylcobalamin) apparently make a great team in addressing cardio-vascular issues, namely elevated homocysteine levels and cholesterol imbalance related to high blood pressure, as does B-3 (Niacin).

Let’s look at Niacin.  You’ll notice that there are many forms of this one particular B isolate to choose from here, such as; Niacin, No flush Niacin… and Niacinamide.  What’s the difference?  Although they’re all components of the B-3 family, they are different.

TO FLUSH OR NOT TO FLUSH: 

Regular Niacin contains an agent called, Nicotinic Acid.  This is what causes the uncomfortable tingling and and sometimes, itchy feeling all over the skin, accompanied by a red face.  This is known as a flush.  Although, it’s a tad uncomfortable, it’s not dangerous to your health and it really doesn’t last too long… and so… get with it… get over it… or get counseling.  What causes this flush is vasodilatation, meaning; widening of the blood vessels and the release of histamine, the chemical that is present when you are experiencing an allergic reaction.  Aside from any unknown potential detriments of such aerobics, the arterial vasodilation maybe of some benefit all on its own; your liver might very well be getting some long awaited assistance to dump toxins.

Howbeit; the protocol should be to begin with a small dose and slowly increase it over time as the body adjusts to the flush.  You can divide the tablets or capsules accordingly.  As for where to start; everybody’s different, but the lowest dosage that i’ve seen available is; 50MG.  Hey; my first time experiment with the stuff was a whopping 500MG dose.  I felt like the top of my head was about to lift off and my pale face turned cherry red.  Nonetheless; it dissipated within just a few minutes and my head eventually returned back on top of my shoulders.

Niacin’s claim to fame is its ability to balance hormones; cholesterol in particular and therefore, would be an effective aid for cardio-vascular health.  Furthermore; i’ve witnessed some pretty seriously high dosages being successfully administered… under medical supervision of course, for psychological/emotional scenarios, such as; schizophrenia… some very high dosages.  You can research Dr Abram Hoffer for more info on this protocol.  He was extremely successful in balancing some serious health challenges with Niacin many years ago.  I’d suggest that one seek some professional assistance before indulging in high dosages of Niacin, although it has a pretty good safety record… again… a whole lot more than many other Pharmaceutical agents, endorsed by our government health watch departments.

Let’s look at ‘No-flush Niacin,’ or its other name, Niacinimide.  Although there are benefits to this agent as reported, it is not the same as that with the flush type of ‘Niacin.’  It does apparently help balance hormonal function to some degree, as well as cholesterol but… again; not nearly as effective as the regular niacin.   Personally, i prefer the regular niacin and am willing to put up with the small nuisance of a flush in order to get the goods.  You’ll have to be your own judge on whether… to flush… or… not to flush!

B-12 (Cyanocobalimin or Methylcobalimin) is probably the next most sought after of the ‘B’ family of vitamins.  The difference; both share the cobalt element; however, (Methyl) cobalimin is the natural format of B12 found in fish, beef and dairy, whereas; the (Cyano) cobalamin is a synthetic B12; it’s cobalt with a dash of cyanide.  Hmm… choose your poison.   Nonetheless; B-12 apparently works best as a team with B-6 and Folic Acid.  It is purported to be particularly effective in balancing homocysteine levels, often related with cardio-vascular issues.  Some of its other benefits include; brain and nerve function, mood and behaviour, specifically; depression and anxiety, and last but not least; muscle and joint pain.

What you need to know:

As mentioned; B-12, like many other ‘B’ vitamins are naturally synthesized in a healthy GI Tract and a deficiency often surfaces with age.  Furthermore; supplementing with a synthetic B12 can be challenging; it’s is not easily assimilated.  Many will opt for B-12 injections, while others; reach for sublingual tablets or a liquid format.  This apparently enables it to be absorbed via the salivary ducts… apparently… good luck with you B12.

Moving on to yet another B; if you habitually munched on cereal each morning as a kid, you may be familiar with this next B-vitamin; B2 (Riboflavin).  Riboflavin will be sure to appear on the ingredients list of just about every mainline, refined cereal, accompanied by its kissin cousin; (Thiamine) and mega other assorted synthetic vitamins.  The advertisement is as such; ‘Fortified with’… followed by a schwack of big words that most of us cannot even pronounce, let alone, know the meaning of.

The million dollar question is; why would they need to be adding these extra vitamins and stuff to an already wholesome food?   Are they just covering the health bases to ensure that your kids are getting ‘the best in the west’… or… is there some other reason that we may be missing… and so the plot thickens?  The facts are that the stuff in that box was deader than a door nail, nutrition wise to begin with; however, adding a schwack of synthetic agents to the concoction hardly qualifies it as healthier.  The best part of those breakfast cereal eating days was diggin deep down in the box for the prize before my brother got his grimy hands on it.  Otherwise; any nutritional value matched that of swallowing the damn prize, or so i’d say, anyway.   Ugh… how about just give us real living food to begin with and keep the chemicals in the laboratories where they belong.

Nonetheless; back to the B vitamins.  Riboflavin B-2 is apparently effective for hormone related headaches.  What-d-ya think… worth a try?  B-9 (Folic Acid) is the synthetic version of Folate… an  apparent plant derivative.  It is a popular ‘reach-for’ for pregnancy…  apparently essential for proper fetal development.  And then we have B-7 (Biotin); a popular ‘reach-for’ particularly for hair skin and nails.  Hmm… marketing has no boundaries.

Now, they leap up to B-17 (Laetrile).  Don’t ask me why they chose to classify this one as a B vitamin… or… why they didn’t just label it B-9 rather than jump all the way up the ladder to number 17.  Nonetheless B-17 remains totally natural, that i am aware of anyway.  Derived from apricot kernels, it contains a natural cyanide, which is apparently carcinogenic to cancer cells but harmless to healthy cells.  However, don’t expect to hear about it from your Oncologist, they’re just not informed about this kind of stuff.

There may be more B isolates on the market; however, those are the more popular ones.  And then you’ll come across many B formulas/combinations of various B isolates in their own percentages.  Complex B-50, B-100 and B-Stress formulas appear to be the most popular sale items in the industry.  I’d venture that to be due to the high level of stress going on bigtime in our crazy upside down world today.  Stress apparently burns up B vitamins; or so the science market place dictates; therefore, you’d best stock up on the stuff, right?   However; according to my experience, the B vitamin complexes yield approximately 90% of any positive testimonies that ‘ve heard in support of B vitamins.  It’s hard to say whether these are authentic transformations or the result of a placebo effect?

What is a placebo effect?  In a nutshell; it’s the power of suggestion; a personal game, where you receive positive results simply because you believe/imagine it to be, regardless of what might really be going on.  It’s not such a bad thing; you get the goods in the end, anyway.

Some natural sources of B vitamins to consider are; Nutritional yeast, Black Strap Molasses, Spiralina, Biostrath (Vogel) and/or Desiccated Liver to mention but a few.

VITAMIN-C… FACTS AND MYTHS:

Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid) is probably the most popular of all vitamins on the market; it’s the bigggest sell, especially in the colder, darker months when all sorts of syndromes surface, making u think that you are immune deficient and that nasty viruses/bacteria are scaling your tower to bring you down.  ***Refer to section entitled, ‘Immune System‘ for the truth about that.  Nonetheless; apparently we human beings, unlike many animals cannot produce our own Vit-C (ascorbic acid;) it must be imported in our diet.

FRAUD ALERT; 

The problem is that the Vit-C that you are probably buying is a misnomer; meaning; it is not really Vit-C.  Rather; it is a synthetic agent called; Ascorbic Acid.  There is a difference.  For example; you may recall hearing of how sailors of old diverted the muscle/connective tissue, wasting disease of Scurvy by supplementing with limes, hence the term; Limey.  Limes contain not only natural occurring ascorbic acid, along with several other vitally related co-factors, such as; Rutin and Bioflavonoids, to name but a few.  This combination (matrix) was the true magic that did the job; however the ascorbic acid that you are buying does nothing to avert/prevent scurvy.

This is not to suggest Ascorbic Acid to be of no use; mega research reveals the opposite; it appears to offer some pretty impressive health benefits.  The problem again is; that i don’t have my own lab nor do i have the savvy to negate or substantiate any of those claims.  And even if i did, we so often miss what actually goes on deeper within the body at a cellular level when a substance enters its domain, we can only measure the effects of such.

Lets look at this old, yet new kid on the block; what is the source of synthetic Ascorbic Acid?  Ascorbic Acid, whether you access it from a Natural Health Store or a Pharmacy originates from one of several international Pharmaceutical Corporation laboratories.  It’s essentially corn starch (genetically modified), processed using sulphuric acid and acetone… not a healthy agent, i’m guessing you agree.

Kegs of this ascorbic acid are then shipped worldwide to various wholesale outlets.  Here; more agents are added to it accordingly to recreate their own proprietary blend; most often to buffer its acidity and/or to enhance its absorption.  For example sodium, calcium or magnesium might be added to it in which case it’d be labelled; Sodium Ascorbic… Calcium or Magnesium Ascorbate.   It doesn’t stop there; they’re now adding a few synthetic and/or natural co-factors to the ascorbic acid such as commonly found in nature’s Vit-C package such as; rutin, bioflavanoids… and even berry extracts.  If nothing else, the latter additives should make us wonder why we as consumers don’t simply seek these nutritive agents in their natural matrix such as fruit, berries and vegetables to begin with… one million bears can’t be wrong.

The unbiased million dollar question stands; are there any benefits of ingesting synthetic Ascorbic Acid (AA)?  Apparently so, i must humbly admit, regardless of what my common sense is screaming… let’s investigate!  Aside from it being a good laxative, there has been mega research revealing it to be an effective boosting agent against pathogenic infestations in particular.  Intravenous AA has been shown to police some serious bacterial infections… including cancer.   You won’t hear about it from mainline sources; however it was once a pharmaceutical ‘standard of care’ protocol for infections, anyway; antibiotics have since conveniently replaced it.

The challenge with AA is that oral ingestion is limited.  AA is a water soluble vitamin isolate, which means that the body does not store it; it’ll use what it needs and then dispose of the rest, hence why it makes for a good laxative.  What’s the recommended oral dose of AA?  This will vary from individual to individual, but generally speaking, the body can utilize approximately 500MG at once.  Studies reveal oral ingestion of AA to offer approximately; 20% absorption rate into the bloodstream with the other 80% accumulating in the colon and then eventually on out the back door.

There are other methods of delivering AA into the body aside from intravenously that offer much higher, more tolerable dosages and apparently… more cellular absorption, as well.  One method is mixing straight ascorbic acid powder/crystals with baking soda… 1 tspn AA to 1/2 tsp of baking soda in 2 cups of water.  Best to mix it in a bottle and leave at room in the container to accommodate the chemical reaction.  Don’t worry it won’t explode; however; it’ll fiz/expand for a spell.  It tastes like carbonated water.  You’ll eventually be able to gulp down a 4 to 5 gram dose of ascorbic acid without running to the toilet as opposed to a meager 500mg of the stuff.   ***I’d suggest that you cut the recipe in half till your body gets used to ascorbic acid.  Like i said; “It is a chemical.”

Another high AA dose protocol is via a method called; Liposomal.  Liposomal AA is a formulation whereby AA is high speed blended with Lecithin… either Soy or Sunflower lecithin.  This unique package is touted to efficiently deliver extremely higher dosages of AA deep into the GI Tract as well, which then enters the bloodstream and eventually delivered to the cells.  Via this method, one can ingest a whopping 20 grams of AA in one shot without being pasted to the toilet bowl.  How does it work?  Cell membrane walls are made up of fatty acids… and well… with AA, being essentially water, it spells incompatibility… oil and water do not mix… and so wrapping the AA up into a fatty capsule, such as is the nature of Lecithin, renders the AA absorbable through these cell membranes.

Is AA harmful?  I wouldn’t label it harmful in the sense of; ‘warning… poison if ingested’ per se; however, it is a chemical and as it is with any chemical, your body is going to react to some degree.  I suppose it’d depend on how much and/or often you indulge in the practice.   As mentioned; ingesting excessively high dosages of AA can create temporary bowel discomfort.

Furthermore; i don’t have my own lab to ascertain the following; i’m just parroting other sources; overuse can apparently create bladder/kidney stones.  There are two types of kidney stones; phosphate and urate/cysteine formed stones.  In the case of urate/cysteine formed stones, the urine is best kept relatively alkaline and therefore; AA, being seriously acidic may be a contributing factor to the formation of stones.  In the case of; phosphate formed stones, the urine is best kept acidic, in which case AA may actually be beneficial.   ***Refer to section entitled ‘Minerals,’ for more detailed information on PH (acid/alkaline).  Howbeit, you’ll have to do your own homework and be your own judge on that one.  All in all, i don’t discourage the use of synthetic AA, but as for myself; i’d rather ingest it in nature’s format… pass the lemons!

VITAMIN D:

Vit-D is another big sell.  The main reason why is all the publicity that it’s been getting, especially with Osteoporosis and Cancer.  Vit-D has been proven to be one of many co-factors involved in calcium metabolism and distribution.  It’s really more of a hormone (building block) than a vitamin.  It’s a precursor (team player) for steroid hormones, in particular.  Don’t worry it’s not going to grow hair on Mrs’s chest or breasts on Mister; rather it’ll act as a switch, turning genes on and off, hence why it may be so effective with immune malfunctions and/or cancer.

Sun exposure, minus sunscreen protection, mind you is the best means of accessing mega vitamin D.  However; we really don’t get near as much sun as our Southern neighbours and so we may very well be in need of some Vit-D supplementation, especially in the darker winter months.   ***Note regarding sun and skin cancer; the incidence of skin cancer in high UV radiation areas such as around the equator and high altitude locations is not out of control as one would expect.  Sunscreens are more to be feared than the sun.  The UVD element of sunlight is apparently not the villain, able to cause cancer, it’s the UVA element.  Sunscreens fool the body by blocking Vit-D synthesis, which is our natural defense against the harmful UVA element in sunlight.  Furthermore, the carcinogens found in most sunscreens should be more of a concern, according to my research.

Not all Vit-D agents are created equal; there are a variety of sources for Vit-D to choose from.  You’ll notice some Vit-D will have a small number attached to it, the most common being; D-3.  According to the lab rats, Vit-D2 is not the the format akin to our bodies; not well absorbed or utilized… apparently.  Vit-D3, however matches the more usable format of vitamin D found in the body, the type that the sun induces our bodies to make.  D3 appears to be the winner at this stage in my research, anyway.

***Vegetarian/vegan alert; most, although not all, Vit-D3 is derived from animals.  For the rest of us carnivores, animal sources of Vit-D3 are from two main sources; fish oil or sheep lanolin.  Lanolin is that waxy substance that is secreted by the glands of sheep.  The lanolin is extracted from the sheep’s wool and processed in such a way, much too complicated to discuss here, so as to produce Vit-D3.  Vit-D from fish oil comes from the skin of fatty fish such as salmon or tuna.  It’s also found in cod liver oil… that’s the yucky stuff that Mom used to shove down our throats every morning… or else… ugh!

Bear in mind the fact that each of the aforementioned agents will have undergone some serious chemical processing.  I reiterate; most all vitamins are synthetic… or will have been subject to some serious processing in order to render them super concentrated and/or effective.  In the case of fish oil, the question of undesirable contaminants may also be an issue; our oceans are seriously polluted.  One can only trust the manufacturers to go the extra mile to ensure that none… or very little contamination is evident in the finished product.

For the vegetarian/vegan, there is a new kid on the block, namely; Vit-D3 extracted and processed from edible lichen, touting to provide high doses of D-3.  This is my personal choice for Vit-D.

VITAMIN K-2:

Guess what; science has just recently discovered a new vitamin, namely; Vit K2… go figure.  This new vitamin, coined the X factor, apparently teams up with Vit D3 and has been shown to seriously assist the body in distributing and assimilating Calcium and Magnesium.   Vit-K2 should not to be confused with vitamin Vit K1, which has been around for ions.  Vit-K1 is plentiful enough for it is common to an average diet of greens.  Vit K-2, however is much more evasive.  One of the more prominent natural sources of Vit-K2… or should I say… natural processes of Vit-2 activity is the result of consuming produce originating from grass-fed animals, such as; specific cheeses, animal fat, egg yolks and butter.  The problem is that most animals today don’t get to graze much on grass; rather they are hay or grain fed for the most part.  Needless to say; this could spell a deficiency in this new found co factor in our diets.

Nonetheless; Vit-K2 has nature’s process of fermentation written all over it.  It is apparently produced when chlorophyll rich plants undergo mega probiotic activity within the intestines of many animals.  But then again, the problem still stands; how much chlorophyll rich plants is the animal actually consuming these days in order to qualify for K-2 production?  Goose liver is supposedly the richest animal source of K-2.  Hmm… when was the last time you saw that on a menu?  Howbeit; K-2 can also be naturally produced within our very own intestinal tract (GI Tract)… in a healthy GI Tract, that is.  What-d-ya think, is North America’s diet and life style conducive to a healthy GI Tract?  I know; i just went and poked a pin in a schwack of balloons on you, but hang on to your pantalonies, i’ll show you how to be free from the bramble bush of doom and gloom as you read along.

Vit- K2 is also available as a supplement on the shelves in Natural Health Stores; however, as it is with just about any vitamin, there are different types to choose from.  But here’s the challenge; science appears to still be in the lab working on this one.  In other words, i really cannot nail down which is the best in the west until these guys make up their dang mind on it first.  It’s like i said; i don’t have my own lab and so i must rely on those who do.  What I can tell you is this; there are several prominent sources of K2 to choose from so far; Menaquinone (animal source) or Fermented Natto Bean or Chick Pea (plant source).  Both of these are natural sources; however, much like D-3, each has undergone some serious refining in order to render the magic ingredient known as; K2.

Now this normally shouldn’t be such a challenge.  I mean; if you were vegetarian then you’d most likely just opt for the Natto Bean perhaps, and if a carnivore, then you could choose either.  However; there appears to be some pros and cons controversy revolving around the related factors and co-factors of each of these sources, pitting one against the other as being the better choice.  For example; you’ll eventually be staring at a few other letters and numbers attached to each particular type of K-2.  These are merely sciences way of categorizing each type of K-2 according to their prominent factors and/or co-factors.   MK-4 and MK-7 are probably the two most prominent factors that you’ll see advertised next to the Vit-K2 supplement but similar to all of the other vitamins, there are many more co-factors involved, some of which science has yet to discover, hence why i advise to seek the natural format.

Rather than beat around the bush attempting to clarify a subject with limited information, i’ll pass on a seemingly reputable reference that explains it a lot clearer.  http://omegavia.com/how-to-choose-the-right-vitamin-k2-supplement/

VITAMIN E:

We’re not out of the scientific forest yet; we’ve yet to examine Vit-E.  Vit-E used to be quite a popular sell years ago but has since fallen off the grid lately.  From what i can gather, it received some bad press several years back suggesting it to be more of a health risk than a benefit; especially in cardio-vascular health.  Howbeit; this appeared to be with one type of Vit-E in particular.  Nevertheless; i’ve heard mega arguments for and many against Vit-E… and quite frankly my opinion still stands; it all boils down to choosing synthetic or natural; it’s all about the signature.  If your body cells can read a signature of a substance than it knows what to do with it; however if such presents unreadable then a reaction will occur.

Okay, so now that i’ve scared the hell out of you or perhaps; raised some flags regarding vitamins; let’s get down to the nitty-gritty of Vit-E.  The only concern i have with Vit-E in particular, is obtaining a fresh and active form of it.  Vit-E is an extremely delicate anti-oxidant.  If you recall anti-oxidants are agents touted to counteract premature cell burn out, a process better known as cellular oxidation.  Anyway, antioxidant agents remain stable only when left intact in nature’s package; they become extremely unstable; carcinogenic when separated from their co-factors.

Aloe Vera is one such anti-oxidant; the moment you split open one of its leaves, it becomes vulnerable; rendered to rancidity.  While the Aloe Vera on the store shelf has its benefits, it has lost its cape so to speak; hmm… ask superman what that means.  Have you ever bitten into an apple and noticed that within a few minutes, the freshly pierced portion of the apple begins to turn from a bright white to brown?  Well, that’s oxidation in action; extremely sensitive enzymes (antioxidants) are rapidly breaking down as they become exposed to the open air.  Oxygen tends to do that.  This is not to suggest that the entire apple… or Aloe Vera in a bottle is no longer beneficial, but rather it will be compromised due to this factor.

Nonetheless; what does all of this have to do with Vit-E?  True Vit-E, such as from Wheat Germ for example is a classic example of an exceptional antioxidant.   The challenge is that; because of the fact, it is also an extremely sensitive agent and therefore; vulnerable to rancidity.  Consequently; if such an agent was to become rancid then it would be counterproductive, perhaps even harmful to your health; therefore, you might wanna scrutinize your choice of Vit-E.

I sure hope you like Tacos cause the following is full of em.  Oops… i meant tocos.  Seriously though; you’ll notice mega different sources and formats of Vit-E available on the market.  Most of them come as a liquid in a soft-gel capsule, while some will be in tablet or powder format.  However; you’re gonna come across words like; DL-Alpha Tocopherol, a synthetic form of Vit-E, made from crude oil/petroleum… and; D-Alpha Tocopherol, a natural form of Vit-E, although seriously refined also.  But wait; we’re not finished yet; there are more Tocos to come; you’ll see Mixed-Tocopherols, such as Beta and Delta-Tocopherol… and when you get tired of tocos, you’ll just go and buy a bag of Hawkins Cheesies, pour a glass of brandy and forget it all cause next, you’ll now be facing off with its kissin cousin; Tocotrienols.  Now, i’m not sure what kind of tacos… er… tocos… those are but according to my research; they are apparently, vital co-factors required to connect with your cells and thereby create a true blue Vit-E benefit as nature would have delivered it.  Ugh… why not just go natural to begin with already?

I had mentioned that both the natural and synthetic Vit-E was refined; chemically processed; the question is; how so; to what degree?  D-Alpha Tocopherol, the natural source often comes from soybeans because these are the cheapest medium to work with… ugh.  Nonetheless; these are crushed and the protein removed by precipitation.  The resultant oil is distilled off to become bottled vegetable oil and then the remaining materials are further processed to remove carbohydrates.  It doesn’t stop there; the vitamin E is the resulting solvent extracted away from the remaining waxes and lecithin; if you’re wondering who ate all of your tacos.  However; these are known as; Mixed Tocopherols and Mixed Toctrienols.  A few add-ons are often tossed in to the so called; natural sourced, Alpha Tocopherol, such as; Acetate or Succinate.  Ugh… talk about a science project; i can only imagine what might be happening when these Tocos face off with the cells in your body.

And so it is that true Vit-E, very much like the other vitamins mentioned is not an isolated agent at all, but rather one part of many factors within a complex infrastructure.  Subsequently when such an agent does enter the body then each of the co-factors will play a part in performing a beneficial function within the body… or so they hope and/or market.

A resolve; i would recommend an agent known as; Astaxanthin, an extract from fresh water algae; an excellent and stable antioxidant according to my research.  Ugh… how simple/natural was that?

HELP:

I’m guessing that you’re probably a tad overwhelmed with all of the information mentioned about vitamins.  I so wish that it was a simpler subject to explain, but it is what it is.  Due to today’s questionable farming practices, which supply over 90% of today’s food supply, the nutrients in produce are just not present today as they were yester-year, and so some sort of subsidy appears to be necessary.  The question is; what are our choices?  We mentioned the different forms of vitamins available on the market; natural, synthetic, natural and synthetic mix and enhanced vitamins.  Are there any other alternatives?

I believe that there are other ways to access nutrients for our body’s needs… and hopefully you’ll be learning about some of these ways as you read on.  City dwellers will have to work smarter than country bumpkins in order to accomplish this for obvious reasons.  Apparently, an apple today contains approximately 50% less nutrition than an apple of yesterday.  Howbeit; this is not an absolute, but rather a general observation.  For example, commercially grown apples may qualify for such a deficiency of nutrients but there are other choices, such as; locally grown and pesticide free apples that can be accessed with a little shopping… shopping outside of the mainline grocery stores, that is.  Country folk can make a point to harvest a wide variety of berries in the late summer, while city mice can think ahead and purchase large quantities of such when they’re readily available in the markets.  Freezing and drying are probably still the best methods of preserving the most nutrients, I’d say.  Speaking of preserving; I consider fermentation to be an exceptional strategy in not only reserving nutrients, but also in enhancing the original substance.  For example; apple cider and sauerkraut offer a whole lot more than the original apple or cabbage ever could.

Some good natural sources of Vit-C are; lemons, rosehips, all berries and fruits.  One can simply add a half of squeezed lemon to a bottle of drinking water on a daily basis.  Add a cup of any grain/flake to a gallon of water and let it soak overnight.  The grain would be better crushed and hopefully organic.  In the morning, strain off the water; add a half of lemon and a tspn of organic black strap molasses and drink it throughout the day.  This simple concoction will offer an incredible variety of vitamins and minerals to your daily diet.

Farther on, we’ll be showing you how to access many more nutrient packed gems so that you won’t be caught between a rock and a hard place.

POWER SMOOTHIE:

A great way to ensure that your kids are getting the gold in nutrition is to send them off to school with a delicious Smoothie. Our goal is to access the maximum of nutrition and keep it tasting great when it comes to kids in particular.

Here’s an effective practical and affordable formula to ensure that you are getting all of the vitamins, minerals and other essentials that your body requires for repair, maintenance and rebuilding. Begin by pre-soaking several types of nuts and seeds in one bowl and several choices of dried fruit in another… let sit over night.  The reason for pre-soaking the fruit is obviously to hydrate them.  Seeds, nuts, grains… and beans contain a protein inhibitor… a built in padlock of sorts.  It was God’s idea that a specific enzyme be released in these particular items only when sufficient moisture was available.  This would guarantee the seed to germinate and grow up to be big and strong like its Daddy rather than wither up and die… smart move, i’d say.

Good morning; now, you can rinse and strain your nut seed mixture and add it and your dried fruit goodies to your choice of a liquid.  The reason for rinsing the nuts/seeds is to eliminate the excessive phytic acid and avoid consuming it.  It’s not necessarily toxic, but better to avoid too much of it, according to my research.  Now you wanna add some liquid; you can use just plain ol water, or your choice of a fruit or vegetable juice.  Some may prefer milk, while others would rather use milk alternatives, such as; rice, hemp, coconut or soy… preferably fermented soy… etc.

Bear in mind that many of these alternative milks are really just glorified carbs in liquid format, thanks to budget processing.  So many of them contain very little of the actual medium of which they were extracted from; consequently, the body reads the end product as sugar when ingested.  Try making your own alternative milk from any of the aforementioned mediums.  For example; hemp hearts can be pre-soaked and then blended.  Overall; don’t stress out over the type of liquid used; there will be plenty of other goodies added to the smoothie to qualify as a nutritious shake.

Once you’ve decided on a liquid, add a scoop or two of a quality protein powder.  This can be flavoured or unflavoured, depending on the rest of the ingredients that you’re adding it to.  I personally prefer a flavoured Protein with water.  Next, you can add a tablespoon or more of one or several of the following Green powders; Alfalfa, Wheat or Barley Grass powder, Spiralina, Blue-green Algae, Chlorella or Moringa.  These greens are chock full of readily absorbable vitamins and minerals and then some.  Next, I’d then be looking for one or several types of berries… 1 billion bears can’t be wrong.  Berries are not only chock full of and minerals but also contain antioxidants, flavonoids and natural Vit-C.  Some to consider are; Rosehips, Camu, Amla, Acerola, Goji, Blueberries and/or Cranberries, to name but a few.  

Our next item would be; Probiotics.  Probiotics are the beneficial bacteria common to our GI Tract, essential not only to optimum digestion but also Immunity and B-Vitamin synthesis.  These are available in either capsule format or ‘alive and ready-to go to work’ liquid form.  You can open up the capsules and dump in the powder.  Fiber would be another good additive; fiber is known as a prebiotic; it feeds the friendly bacteria.  it also serves to draw and eliminate excess hormones, sugar, cholesterol and unwanted toxins from the body.  Some choices to consider are; various Grain brans such as; Rice Bran, Oat Bran and Seeds such as; Chia, Flax, Hemp and/or Psyllium Husks.  

The sky’s the limit when you’re making a smoothie; Nutritional yeast can be added without messing with the taste.  There are several different types to choose from.  This is a good source of protein, natural minerals and vitamins; B vitamins in particular.  Athletes and/or high energy output candidates might wanna consider adding Blackstrap Molasses and/or Barley Malt, Maca, Chaga and/or Bee pollen… 1 billion bees can’t be wrong.

***Caution with bee pollen if you have allergies… you may want to try a little on your tongue first.

I am particularly fond of a unique agent called; Biostrath.  It’s a home grown formula from Switzerland, a blend of mega herbs that have been rendered down in such a manner so as to to yield their precious elements to the body at a cellular level.  This product would fall under the category of an enhanced vitamin that we previously discussed.  It comes in several formats; tablet, tincture and syrup.  The tincture or syrup would be the most practical for our application here.  Lastly; you can add one or several herbs.  Some examples to consider are; licorice, Milk Thistle, Turmeric and/or Ginger.

There now you have just concocted your very own multi vitamin, mineral… and then some.  I’d suggest one experiment by adding one or two of each group of listed items to your shake at a time, bearing in mind that… taste is a motivator.  In other words; make it appetizing.  Drink up… you’ll feel the difference.

MINERALS:

CALCIUM…OR…BUST!

The doctor informed me that I have border line Osteoporosis and advised me to supplement with calcium.  What’s the best kind of calcium and how much should I be taking each day?

Apparently, we’re experiencing an Osteoporosis epidemic.  I suppose the million dollar question… er… I mean… billion dollar question is; is reduced bone density and/or bone strength as bigggg of an issue as it’s made out to be?  Well, first of all; what plumb line is the medical establishment using to to establish this disease; what are they comparing to.  I mean, the technology to measure bone density didn’t even exist prior to 1994 and so they couldn’t be comparing today’s generation with past generations.  Furthermore; hopefully they’re not comparing the bone density of a 50 year old to that of a 20 year old cause that just wouldn’t be fair, now would it?  Hmm… we may never get to the bottom of that one.  Back when my Gramma was alive and was a few inches shorter than when she was mid-aged and shuffling along like most grannies eventually do, her condition was referred to as, old age.  Today; it’s called, Osteoporosis.  Ya gotta wonder about that.

Regardless of how it all started, the relevant question is; just how serious is this new found disease called; Osteoporosis?  Statistics reveal cardio-vascular related issues to be the #1 leading cause of death with women in North America, followed by cancer, breast cancer being the most prominent; Osteoporosis is not even on the scale.  And the plot thickens as we read yet other statistics showing high bone density in mid aged women linked to increased risk of breast cancer by… 200 to 300%.  Like… wow… I didn’t make those numbers up, it can be found in several prominent medical journals… go figure.

Nonetheless; if we are indeed in the midst of an epidemic of bone disintegration, then we need to find out why… and figure out how to address it.   First of all; there’s a difference between bone density and bone strength.  I mean a spider’s web for example has zippo for density and yet it is incredibly strong.  Glass is extremely dense but far more fragile than say… wood, in that wood contains more tensile strength, and therefore is able to flex and bend under extreme pressure rather than… snap.  Of course each type of wood will vary in that density and tensile strength as well depending on its constitution.  Lastly; too much, or too little of a specific ingredient in a cement powder can seriously compromise the overall integrity of a cement structure.  This is a more relevant factor to our subject of bone health.  Let’s investigate.

We can call our investigation; ‘The T-Bone Conundrum.’  There can be manifold reasons why bone health may be compromised; however, i’ll render it down to three possibilities.

One; a deficiency of essential required raw materials.

Two; absorption and/or distribution of essential required raw materials.

Three; a metabolic malfunction.

DEFICIENCY:

Let’s look at the deficiency concept first. The question stands; are we deficient in calcium?  You’d have to wonder why it is that a cow, packing such a humongous skeletal structure and eats only vegetation is not challenged by bone disintegration, and yet people, with a much smaller skeletal structure, and exposed to such a manifold diet, require calcium supplements in order to avert bone disintegration (Osteoporosis)?

I may as well get this off my chest right off the bat, regardless of whether or not it might put my job on the line; suggesting that somebody ingest 1500mg of calcium per day, is criminal.  I say this for several reasons, the main one being that; the average body requires only approximately 350mg of calcium per day, and assuming that one might be getting much of that, if not all of it in their diet to begin with, you really should be scrutinizing what your body might be doing with what it does not  require.

While it’s common knowledge that today’s fast and furious farming techniques are challenging the nutrients in the soil, you’d think that our livestock would also be equally negatively affected, as well… wouldn’t you?  You are thinking, aren’t you?  Good… to add to that thought then is the fact that our typical, North American diet is quite manifold. Subsequently, we have access to a smorgasbord of food choices from all over the world, and so one would expect sufficient nutrients, minerals included to be available from such a menu.

While we’re on the subject of cows; something that often pops up when customers are inquiring about a calcium supplement is the comment that they don’t drink much milk, and therefore, feel the need for calcium supplementation.  This is a prime example of advertising, or better said… manipulative marketing.

First of all; there is an incredible variety of plant sources that far surpass milk for calcium.  Secondly; the detriments of consuming cow’s milk far outweighs any benefits, according to my research.  There’s a reason why the enzyme required to digest milk disappears from our body approximately around the age of five; because we don’t require milk when past our major growth stage in life.  Human beings are the only mammals that continue to consume milk after being weaned.  Thirdly; cow’s milk today is much different than cow’s milk of yesterday.  There’s far too much science and not enough natural going on with this product anymore.  Ugh… am i popular with the dairy industry yet?

Some of the more prominent calcium sources that can be accessed from plants, many of which grow in your garden are; kale, spinach, broccoli, collard greens and alfalfa to mention some of the more common ones.  Furthermore, alfalfa has the ability to send its roots down pretty deep into the soil and so I’d expect it to find a good supply of calcium.  Seeds and nuts are also very good sources of calcium… and for those non vegetarians out there, a vast supply of calcium is available from animal products, as well.  Hopefully, you can see why i’m a tad skeptical about the ‘calcium deficiency’ theory.

Lastly; while we’re on the topic of deficiency, we also have to recognize the fact that our bones are made up of more than just calcium, there are other raw materials involved in bone building and maintenance.  The list keeps growing as the white coats play around in their labs, but these are some of the more popular players of the bone building team; minerals such as; Magnesium, Phosphorous, Boron, Strontium… and vitamins such as; Vitamin D-3 and a new comer known as; Vit-K2.  

It appears to be common knowledge that calcium and magnesium are pretty good pals on the bone building team, and even the role that Vit-D plays in bone building has managed to rank pretty high on the roster, but how about this new kid on the block; Vit-K2.  Recent studies have exposed yet another co-factor involved in calcium distribution and osteoporosis; they called their new discovery; Vitamin K-2.  Science tends to that sort of thing; make up names for the results of their experiments.  I suppose it’s much like the arrival of a newborn baby.  I mean; you’re gonna have to name it, right?  I’m really not sure how they come up with these names.  I wonder who gets the final say.  I’ll bet that they do it as a contest of sorts, where each white coat submits a name, drops it into a hat, and at the end of the experiment they throw a big party and announce the winner… what-d-ya think?  Regardless; Vit-K-2 is the name of this new co-factor.  It has demonstrated a unique ability to team up with Vit D-3 and facilitate calcium absorption/distribution… even to the point of clearing out excessive plaque build up in the arteries, as well… bonus.  Just one last note on deficiency and our cement mixture theory; your body does not require a lot of any one particular item, be it a vitamin or a mineral, but rather, a little of each of them.

***Refer to section on ‘Vitamins,’ specifically; Vit-D3 for more info on Vit-K2. 

ABSORPTION/DISTRIBUTION OF CALCIUM AND/OR RAW MATERIALS:

The availability of raw materials required for bone health is one thing, their absorption and utilization by the body is another.  The body has rules that it follows and you can be sure that our Maker has equipped it to operate within the perimeter of those rules. It begins with recognition; anything that enters the body’s domain must have an identifiable signature in order to be absorbed and utilized.  Not only does such have to be authentic but it must also be delivered in the format and order required or else the project will be seriously delayed… or even jeopardized… ugh!  Nature never supplies vitamins, minerals or any body building block as a lone entity, rather it always delivers such in a neat lil package.  When you introduce one lone agent into the body, your wonderfully balanced body is going to be naturally searching for its relatives and if none can be found the it will be stored and/or discarded… hmm… osteoarthritis or arthrosclerosis, anyone?

Furthermore, an excess of one raw material, in this case; a mineral, can create a deficiency of another, the reason for that being that individual minerals can compete for similar receptor sites throughout the body, creating a rather chaotic rendition of molecular musical chairs, so to speak.   And of course, whenever you have chaos in the body you can expect security, the Immune cops to show up.  Now our building project is not only delayed, but it can jeopardized… and even, sabotaged.

METABOLIC MALFUNCTION:

This is where we move onto the third possibility for our bone disintegration epidemic; metabolic malfunction.  Minerals are not the only agents that can act like pirates, stealing similar receptor sites; environmental, carcinogenic agents can do the same.  Probably the best example of this is xenoestrogens.  “What are xenoestrogens?” You ask.  Ugh… i was hoping you wouldn’t ask that question, now i have to spell that dang big word more than once.   Nonetheless; Xenoestrogens are chemicals that are purported to mimic estrogen.  Many of these are found in plastics.  I’m sure you’re aware of our plastic world today.  Not only do we have a plastic surgery obsession but plastic packaging has since bypassed the use of glass for food in particular.  Nonetheless; when these estrogen mimickers set up house throughout the body, you can imagine the hormonal circus that can result.  I suspect this to be one of the reasons; if not the main reason for the prostate and breast cancer epidemic we’re seeing today.

The following environmental carcinogens are especially detrimental to thyroid health; Bromine, Fluoride, Chlorine and/or radio-active Iodine.  These agents can harbour in the iodine receptors located throughout the body if the real deal iodine is not available/present.  I perceive this to be part of the reason why we’re seeing so many thyroid issues today.  Ah … but that’s an entirely different subject; refer to section entitled; ‘Endocrine System‘ for more detailed information on thyroid.

Some other clowns that can mess up our body’s mineral reserves and bone maintenance program are; Aluminum, Mercury, Arsenic and Lead.  Bear in mind that mercury and aluminum, in particular are still biggg players in vaccines.  Furthermore; our skies are now being seeded with mega nano aluminum, along with an entire host of undesirable chemicals; a diabolical geo-engineering program, employed under the guise of; saving the planet… sheesh?   What goes up will eventually come down, so don’t breathe too deep!  My point is; all of these metals are going to find their way into our wonderful bodies at some point in time.  And when they do, you’d have to wonder how our body will manage to balance the bone building process… and other maintenance processes.

***Refer to section entitled; ‘Immune Function,’ for detailed information on vaccine safety and effectiveness.

Pharmaceutical agents too can mess with our mineral balance; bone maintenance, in particular.  The problem is twofold; first of all; all Pharmaceutical agents are synthetic productions and therefore; lack the signature required for cellular compatibility.  Secondly; they are designed to alter normal body functions in some way shape or form; therefore, one can expect some degree of an imbalance to result.  This is why there’s always a lonnnng list of potential ‘contraindications,’ (side effects) listed on their packaging.  Take antibiotics for example; although there might be instances where these may be a necessary ‘reach-for’… and can even downright save a life, at the same time, they are seriously counterproductive in that they create mega collateral damage in their wake.  Not only do they interfere with the uptake of minerals, such as; zinc, chromium and calcium, they also seriously disturb the Eco balance within the intestinal tract… seriously.  And depending on how much, or how often they are applied, one’s body can be rendered defenseless and vulnerable to many negative disease syndromes, in some cases far worst than you began with.   And so our bone maintenance project is not only jeopardized by lack of appropriate materials but also sabotaged by foreign entities.

The plot thickens as we limp on to yet another possible reason as to why our bones might be creaking.  This one we have far more control over and can do something about. Let’s assume that we are indeed getting our daily quota of related construction materials and in the format required for building strong bones, aside from our aforementioned saboteurs, what might be some other reasons why the job isn’t getting done?

We need to scrutinize life style.  You’d have to admit that our lives today are quite stressful and sedentary.  Bones, like muscles, require resistance/challenge in order to remain strong and flexible.  The adage stands; ‘use it… or lose it.’  Add a schwack of stress to that menu and your poor body has to perform yet more magic to keep the troubled circus on the road.  And there’s yet one more clown to add to the bone building circus ‘gone bad;’ diet.  I’m sure that many of you are already aware of the fact that our food chain has been hijacked; that we are no longer getting the ‘real meal deal.’  Suffice it to say that our compromised food chain is yet one more straw added to our camel’s poor aching back, negatively affecting the body’s mineral reserves and balance… more on that later.

PH BALANCE:

I’d first like to bring your attention to something that I believe to be more directly involved in our ‘compromised bone structure’ query; ‘PH balance.’  What is PH balance?  Exhaustive insight into this subject would require an entire book all on its own and so we’ll just touch on the subject to expose its potential involvement here.  How about we do the simplified version to avoid hurting anybody’s brain.  PH is the measurement of whether something is acidic or alkaline in characteristic.  Numbers, ranging from between 0 to 14 are applied to determine this.  For example; the number 7 is considered to be neutral; therefore, any substance with a reading of less than 7 would be acidic, and a reading of over 7, would be alkaline, each depending on far away from the center line (7) it might register… got it!

That’s the end of your crash course on PH… back to the bone building saga… our body is in constant balancing act of maintaining a blood PH of 7.4.  It will do whatever it takes to maintain this; we can only assist it or hinder it in doing so.  Absolutely every thing that enters our body, and even that which surrounds us, both seen and unseen forces, will affect our Ph balance in some way.  Let’s pick on a food for example; lemons are pretty acidic, right?  I mean just watch your face pucker up when sucking on one… ugh!  However, the result of ingesting this acidic gem is an alkaline response created by your ever so wonderful body… neat huh?  This PH buffering act is automatic.  Even thinking about certain foods can trigger this balancing response.  I’m sure you will have experienced a mouth watering incident or two in your life.  Howbeit; this is why PH test strips can be misleading.  They are not an accurate indicator of your over all PH condition;  they only reveal what your wonderful body might be doing at the moment you wet the test strip.

The more relevant issue regarding this PH balancing act is how our body  performs the magic; more specifically; what resources does the body have to do this?  For example; where would your body access as alkaline substance in order to buffer the seriously acidic lemon you just ingested?  It surprised me to learn that the body has plenty of resources to draw from when it comes to dealing with excessive acidity, but far less to deal with excessive alkalinity.  Our first and most effective PH balancer is breathing.  Heavy breathing, accented with strenuous activity induces an exchange of oxygen for carbon dioxide, which apparently shifts an excessive acidic reading to that of more alkaline.  If you don’t feel like working out; breathing excessively into a paper bag, a process better known as; hyperventilation, will create similar results.  You won’t wanna be doing that too often.

The next avenue of access for alkaline reserves would be your kidneys… and/or pancreas… and so the show goes on.  I’d suspect our body has many Ph balancing programs, some of which science hasn’t yet discovered; however, it will always prioritize the most practical and less invasive activity to do so.  Speaking of which; i  do have a hunch, better known as a theory.  Hey… it’s my book right?  Bear with me as i set the stage.  The following is a list of minerals classified as; alkaline in nature; calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, iron and manganese.   Over 90% of our calcium reserves and 50% of our magnesium are present in the bones.  Is it possible/probable for a seriously acidic body to draw from these reserves… that is… if you don’t breathe hard and/or work out… and perhaps; are fresh out of paper bags to breathe hard into?

As mentioned; the body will prioritize its efforts to maintain PH in accordance to the degree of collateral damage caused by such; however, it will do everything… in… and outside of its rule book to keep us on the sunny side of the grass.  I’d suspect a beg/borrow of a few minerals and such from here and there to be feasible ‘reach for’ to facilitate this feat.

If this beg/borrow process should continue on for too long then there’s bound to be some significant collateral damage.  Perhaps we should investigate that possibility; there may be some relevance to our osteoporosis prognosis.  Allow me to introduce to you a new term; catabolism.  Catabolism is like cannibalism in some ways only it’s not your friend having you for supper… it’s your own body.  Hmm… how’s that for a good friend, huh?  Seriously though; ‘catabolic’ means to break down.  It’s the opposite of ‘Anabolic,’ meaning to build.  Suffice it say that our body is in the anabolic business; construction and maintenance mode; catabolism is what sometimes happens in due process.

For example; i’ve never been hungry to the point of starvation; however, i have experienced extended periods with very little food, resulting in significant weight loss.  Fat and muscle slowly disappeared; my body sacrificed/utilized it in order to survive.  I was skin and protruding bones until Gramma got to me; she reversed the wasting process.  Howbeit, my point is this; if the body will absorb fat and muscle then what about the skeletal department; our bones; could it be leaching alkaline minerals such as; calcium and/or magnesium from our skeletal structure to perhaps buffer a chronic and/or excessive acidic environment?  Hmm… food for thought… although, it won’t fatten you up.

Overall; perhaps we should be investigating the cause and attempt to address excessive acidity.  It’s no secret that we’re up against a pretty mean and heartless giant, especially here in North America.  Our food is seriously below par nutritiously; deficient in enzymes, vitamins and minerals etc.  Furthermore; our entire food chain; the air we breathe and our water is inundated with mega chemicals; all contributing acid producing, saboteurs to our bone maintenance project.

To further challenge an already challenged pilgrim, we are being assaulted by an unseen/undetectable enemy; EMF (Electrical, Magnetic Frequencies).  This negative energy is now prevalent across the globe like never before in all of history.  These energies are continuously bombarding our body like… 24/7, challenging our PH in a biggg way.  Bear in mind that all functions of our body are electrical in  nature; EMF interferes with the natural occurring electrical conductivity and polarity occurring within our body.  It’s no wonder we’re plagued with mood and behaviour syndromes; insomnia, energy drained, low libido and/or hormone imbalances.

HORMONES:

Lastly; we must recognize the hormone connection regarding compromised bone health… ugh… horriblemoans, i should call it.  Two rules/functions regarding our body and health to consider are; balance (Homeostasis) and perpetual renovation.  Our body is naturally obsessed with maintaining balance; too much or too little of anything will be dealt with in some way, shape or form.  Furthermore; it is involved in constant renovation; tearing down of old and building with new.  It’ll perform these duties until we expire… and that we’ll do some day.   Let’s investigate the perpetual renovation concept.  Normally, old bone is continuously being torn down and discarded to make way for new bone… normally.  However for this to happen, several things have to be going on.

As it is with any construction project, mega workers and raw materials are required.  Furthermore; direction, or better said; instruction is essential.  Snoop out a construction project; you’ll see mega workers, often wearing yellow hard hats and a few of them dawning white hats; these are the supervisors.  There’ll usually be more yellow hats than white hats unless of course, it’s a government project; in that case it’d be the other way around.  Seriously though; let’s look at the management department of our bone building project; the one’s responsible for drawing up and dispatching the blueprints.  More specifically, what is it that signals the body when and where to tear down the old bone… and then to access and disperse calcium and associated minerals to construct new bone?

Enter Mr. Endocrine… hmm… how would you like a name like that?  Never mind you don’t have to answer that; the Endocrine system (glandular system) is the department of the body, where many of both; the yellow and white hats, workmen and supervisors hang their hats.  Hmm… i’m impressed, Gare; you rendered a verrrryy complicated process down to that of a relatively simple one; keep up the good work.  Nevertheless; the Endocrine system is composed of mega sensors, glands and organs that are in a state of perpetual interaction with one other… a pretty sociable bunch, although, a very complicated bunch, i must say.  It’s much like an intricate test station, equipped with sensitive, sophisticated, communication technology.  Facts to consider; the Endocrine system operates on both electrical impulses and chemical exchanges.  Furthermore; conditions occurring both; on the inside, as well as from that of the outside of the body are perpetually being monitored… and our wonderful body will be sure to adjust accordingly.

The main function of the Endocrine system is to produce, store and/or dispatch chemicals; these are better known as hormones and neurotransmitters.  These chemicals relay electrical signals throughout the body that essentially initiate specific responses.  The most obvious display of this interaction is the flood of Adrenalin that instantly empowers someone to to run like hell when in a life threatening situation.  Howbeit; in this case, we’re snooping out the relationship between Endocrine function and the bone renovation process, a movie much more boring than that of King Kong versus Godzilla, I might add.   Hormones are certainly a factor to be reckoned with regarding our query.  It’s no secret that people are feeling the woes of a once finely tuned orchestra, sounding more like a room of day care center toddlers high on sugar, beating on schwack of pots and pans.  I meet mega people of all ages coming into the store seeking reprieve from their emotional woes ranging from; insomnia all of the way to life threatening PMS and uncontrollable Mentalpause… hmm… did I spell that word wrong again?  Howbeit; even Dementia and Alzheimers can be dragged into this circus ring… all of it to do with Endocrine malfunction to some degree.

How does this all relate to Osteoporosis?  Well, my suspicion is that our Osteoporosis epidemic today may also be the result of an Endocrine malfunction to some degree.  Testosterone and Estrogen in particular, are hormones that appear to have much to do with the bone building process.  Needless to say, a balance between Testosterone and Estrogen will undergo constant adjustment throughout our entire lives, from puberty right on through to Menopause for the female, and Andropause for the male.  Bearing in mind all of the fore mentioned factors involving health and balance, one must also factor in some of our ‘not so friendly,’ environmental hormone antagonists/saboteurs to the equation… including today’s technical revolution, resulting in EMF (Electrical, magnetic frequency).  Any or all of these are undoubtedly, seriously interfering with the electrically sensitive Endocrine system.  Add a schwack of chemical (carcinogenic) toxicity and the fore mentioned; hormone disrupters prevalent in our environment and it is no wonder that we’re soooo messed up.

I know, that’s a lot of baddd news, especially when there’s not a whole lot that we can do about the environment of which we’re stuck in, other than possibly, minimize our exposure to such; however, we should focus on changing what we can and accepting what we cannot change.  At least we’ll have some sort of peace of mind regarding the entire affair, and as fore mentioned; stress is one of the main contenders in our game of bone health maintenance.

I’d encourage you to read on… and hopefully you’ll gain some insight into how to get back to the top rung of the food chain.

THE FIX:

Go out and buy a truckload of Tums and then you’ll be good to go!  Ugh… of course, you know I’m not serious… you do… don’t you?  Ok, so lets get to work and make a plan.  In light of the suspects of degenerative bone health mentioned, how can we best help our body win this war?  Hopefully you’re not going to go out and buy a shwack of Tums and that you’re beyond the opinion that tossing back shwacks of calcium to the menu is going to fix your weakened bones.

First of all, the easy part; pay attention to your diet, especially the quality of food you ingest.  Seek natural supplements if you must… I’ll help you there.  Furthermore; learn to manage your life style in such a manner so as to include, work, play, rest… and pray.  you might have to seek out coping strategies to maintain balance in your every day activities in this challenging world that we live in today.  This may involve simple and obvious tactics such as; exercise, walking… or taking time out to just rest and mindlessly play… or it may involve self discipline to abstain from harmful activities, such as substance abuse and tuning into the news, much of which we have little or no control of anyway.

We’ve already addressed some of the supplements, such as; calcium and magnesium, natural sourced, of course, and Vit D-3, and K-2, and so what else can help our body to maintain this so valuable department of affairs?  Well, you can scroll to the section entitled; ‘Digestion… and Hormones, Behaviour and Emotions (Endocrine System)’ for detailed suggestions on how to change the program; however, in a nutshell, your body requires real true blue natural ingredients, minus as many environmental additives as possible.  You can find some of this in your local, corporate garden, namely; the big fluorescent lit grocery store closest to your home, but you will have to carefully read the labels and ultimately choose the best over the rest. This can be challenging if you’re stuck in the northern hemisphere like I am, but never impossible.  You can grow your own sprouts and prepare your own fermented veggies, gathered from a summer garden or natural market.  Dried fruits, nuts and seed can be soaked daily as well… and as for life style; get off your ass and do something… something extra… anything extra is a good place to start; ‘use it… or lose it!  As for the EMF constantly challenging the electrical activity going on in your body; scrutinize when you can and when you cannot get away from it.  I turn off the WIFI each evening.  Furthermore, there are products available that have been proven to counter-balance those ugly EMF frequencies so prevalent out there.  Hey… just walk bare foot on the grass or beach when it’s warm and possible… it all helps.

Regarding diet; boycott those dang carbonated soft drinks for sure!!!  Avoiding fast foods would be the next step in the right direction; they specialize in making things taste good but don’t give a dam about your health.

MINERALS… THE GOOD, THE BAD… AND THE UGLY:

If… you’re going to supplement with minerals after all that, you need to know that like vitamins, all mineral supplements are not created equal.  Supplementing in this department involves some scrutiny, and perhaps I can help with that.  Mineral supplements come from one of several sources; plants; elemental, meaning from; soil/rocks; from shells, including, egg shells and coral; and from animals, meaning from, milk, bones, meat and cartilage.  Some forms are more easily absorbed/utilized by the body than others.  What’s written on a label is no assurance that your body is going to get the goods; able to absorb and utilize such.  Similarly; the same goes for what is revealed in a lab test; it’s no guarantee that the same will occur within one’s body… and so common sense and personal experience may be your best ally after all.

For example; let’s say that you are lacking iron; what-do–ya-think; could you simply file a nail and then consume the filings… or perhaps… lick a cast iron frying pan several times a day to change that prognosis?  I’d say not; although the body is extremely resourceful when it comes to getting what it needs.  Still, it wasn’t designed to chauffeur rocks around; otherwise, God would have created us with a gizzard.   Minerals are absorbed in various ways; through our skin, through our GI Tract and even via our lungs, but the question is; are they bioavailable… meaning are the cells able to absorb and utilize such to perform the metabolic functions required for optimum health?  Keep your eye on the term; bioavailable; it’s truly relevant for not just minerals but for everything that enters our being.

Let’s go shopping.  You’re going to come across several types of mineral supplements on the market.  I’ll introduce you to some of the terminology involved with them and then explain what each means.  They’ll probably invent more as we go on but for now, you’ll see; Ionic minerals, Colloidal minerals and Chelated Minerals; these are the most common ones.

IONIC AND COLLOIDAL MINERALS:

What are Ionic Minerals?  The term Ionic is a Maverick term, so to speak, one that I’ve seen defining all sorts of things and/or activity.  I’m really not qualified to explain it away and so I’ll keep it as simple and relevant as can be.  Suffice it to say this; it revolves around electrical magnetic attraction.  Somehow, the whitecoats managed to affix an electrical charge, in this case; to a mineral.  The fact that our wonderful body functions on chemical/electrical exchanges like… 24/7 makes this process an attractive candidate indeed when it comes to bioavailability, wouldn’t you think?  You’re allowed to do that, you know?

Another term that you’ll see when mineral shopping is; colloidal.  Colloidal minerals are minerals that claim to be molecularly minute in size, and remain in suspension.  Again, I don’t know how this is done nor can I verify its authenticity; however, it sounds like it could be an advantage when it comes to absorption for sure.  Still, I can’t say what happens when it reaches the cells; in other words; is it bioavailable?

CHELATED MINERALS:

Most minerals on the market, especially individual minerals will fall into this category.  You’ll notice many mineral supplements will be accompanied by another word, such as; Calcium or Magnesium… Citrate.   These minerals are called chelates.  The mineral itself can come from several sources, such as from rocks, bones or shells for the most part… but then it is chemically bonded to specific substances.  The idea is to attach one or more co-factors to enhance its bioavailability.  In essence, the agent bonded to the mineral is acting as a chelator… kinda like a chauffeur, I suppose.  This chelator could be in an amino acid (components of protein) or other acids such as; citric acid, gluconic acid, picolinic acid and lactic acid to mention some of the more popular ones.  Science claims this chelation process to make all the difference, rendering a mineral in such a package to be readily absorbed by the body cells  regardless of the source of the mineral.  Bear in mind that all nature’s goods come in a neat little package… a matrix including a variety of co-factors required to unlock/utilize it.

What-d-ya think do Chelated minerals… or Ionic/Colloidal minerals work; are they bioavailable, as much or better than natural sourced minerals?  We’re about to open Pandora’s Box on this one and so buckle up for some controversy.  According to the producers of these minerals, they all work as good… if not better than natural sourced minerals; however, according to Gare… well… I’m not so convinced.  Howbeit, I dare not dismiss it all as false advertising because as I said; I don’t have my own laboratory to prove otherwise; I can only research what others have laid out and join the dots with a little bit of common sense.  Bear in mind; science may be able to measure what’s going on when evaluating an entity in a lab or test tube outside of the body, but there is no way of knowing what actually happens inside of the body when that entity is introduced, only the results of such activity can be measured.   Nonetheless; let’s pick away at this mineral deposit so that we end up getting the gold instead of fool’s gold… hmm… a rather relevant analogy, I’d say.

Let’s look at chelated minerals first.  How does the ‘chelated mineral package’ fit into the body’s way of doing business?  Does it qualify electrically, meaning; does it contain a legible signature, a natural vibration recognizable by the cells?  How about chemically; does its composition resemble nature’s presentation of such; in other words; does it contain the co-factors required to accommodate the mineral’s passage through the gut wall and eventually into the bloodstream and to their destined receptor cells?  Furthermore; if it does not meet the requirements of bioavailability, then is its elimination going to create a problem; an imbalance in any way shape or form?

First of all; nature’s mineral package contains a whole lot more than just one particular agent, chemically speaking.  Secondly; what ever co-factor they do decide to bond (chelate) to the mineral had better be up for a rough ride cause let’s face it; the terrain that it’s expected to endure can get pretty challenging.  I mean… aside from the radical PH environment that our sojourner has to endure is the fact that it is inevitably involved in a pretty serious process; that of digestion.  It’s called digestion for a reason; it means to dismantle… and dismantle it will do.  And so the million dollar question is; at what point in time during the digestive process would this mineral and its baggage (the chelate) part ways… and then what happens when they do become separated?

Ok… so we may not ever find that out… but then how about the end result of our mineral/chelated package; was it successfully signed, sealed and delivered so as to avert the Osteoporosis prognosis?  The facts are that we are experiencing several threatening health epidemics today in spite of the many mineral supplements available on the market, Osteoporosis being only one of them.  We’re also plagued with Atherosclerosis, (calcification of the arteries), Gall bladder, Urinary bladder and Kidney stone issues, to name but a few.  Each one of these health issues has one common denominator; mineral deposits.  Now don’t go and read into that as being that chelated minerals, or any type of mineral supplement for that matter is solely responsible for any of those woes; that is not what I’m suggesting.  It does however pose some questions, suggesting that perhaps there’s something more going on than just a mineral deficiency… and the plot thickens…

ENHANCED MINERALS:

There is yet one other mineral supplement worth mentioning; enhanced minerals.  However, due to the fact that there are so many diverse methods/techniques to accomplish this, I’m not sure what name to throw out there.  One such process is known as, Plasmolysis.  We’ve already covered this unique process in the section, entitled, ‘Vitamins,’ but we’ll review it for information sake.  The Plasmolysis process is similar to a schwack of people showing up at a Cannibal’s house expecting to be wined and dined but end up becoming dinner instead.  I know, that was a bit macabre; however, there really is some relevance.  The process begins by feeding a specific mineral to a medium of sorts; quite often, but not always, the medium chosen is nutritional yeast.  Nutritional Yeast closely resembles that of the human cell, and therefore is ideal; this is to become the host cell, so to speak.    The idea is that this yeast assimilates/digests whatever substance was added to it, in this case; a particular mineral.

There are mega benefits to this process, the main one being that it closely resembles how plants absorb, convert and present vitamins, minerals and mega other elements.  It will now contain a legitimate signature, one of which the body’s cells can identify, and therefore readily absorb and utilize.  All the associated co-factors required for balanced cellular bio-availability will be in place.  Lastly; it will be seriously concentrated, more so than any other source of such a mineral.

There are several companies now offering this processing for many vitamins as well as minerals so watch for them; Mega foods, New Chapters and Vitamin Code, are a few of the larger companies in North America offering such products.

 NATURE’S MINERALS:

There may be more scientific protocols out there revolving around mineral assimilation but suffice it to say this; there is a much simpler solution.  Let’s look at how nature packages minerals, shall we?  Nature might work slow, but the end product justifies the means.  Nature provides minerals, readily available in plants, vegetables and fruit as well as from animal products such as; eggs, meat and dairy.  The body is much more familiar with these types of minerals, although I’m sure that a Vegetarian might disagree with the animal sources; nonetheless, the body has been dealing with these food sources for centuries… trillions of people can’t be wrong.

Alfalfa is one of many plants that is extremely rich is mega minerals, even more than cow’s milk.  I’ll bet you never heard that on a TV commercial, right?  Nonetheless, the facts are that Alfalfa’s root system is capable of delving as deep as necessary in order to acquire essential minerals.  Kelp is another plant that is rich in not only, minerals, but also with mega vitamins, as well; however, ocean pollution is certainly a factor that one might want to weigh in on that source.  And then of course we have so many garden vegetables touted to contain mega minerals.  These sources may not boast biiiig numbers of calcium per se, but then again… your body does not require big numbers.  Some mineral rich plant sources to consider are; all vegetables, especially root vegetables… Kale, Spinach, Peas, Beans, black strap molasses, seeds, grains and nuts etc.  Some animal sources are; milk, honey, bee pollen, milk, butter eggs and meat.  Here’s a few hacks for ya.  Soak a cup of barley flakes in a liter of water over night… preferably energized water and then strain off the flakes a drink the water all day long.  Add a little lemon or lime to it form an extra boost.  Any grain flakes will do.  The same can be done with  diatomaceous earth, only you’ll use a few tspns to a gallon of water and let sit for a few days.

WATER AND MINERALS:

Speaking of water; I’m often asked whether or not the body can readily extract minerals from it.  This subject too requires an entire book to satisfactorily be quenched; however, due to the simple fact that we are composed of approximately 70% of this wet stuff, it really should qualify for some coverage.

You may not detect the difference with your physical senses, but not all water is the same.  I suppose in one sense, water is just water, but its characteristics and baggage that it may contain, will differ.  Let me give you an example; the water that comes out of your tap is the very same water that evaporated from the ground and eventually dropped back down onto the ground, right?  Yet, if you were to analyze the characteristics of each, they would be different.

The water that freshly fell to the ground would have little to no minerals attached to it; however when that same water eventually finds its way out from your faucet, it’s loaded with all sorts of minerals.  How’d that happen?  It happened because the freshly fallen water was energized by its atmospheric journey upward and downward through the sky along with its roiling, bubbling and swirling activity all of the way down to your faucet.  In other words, it was vibrantly alive in such a manner so as to affect whatever it came in contact with; in this case, able to contract and incorporate mega minerals. Hopefully you can see the connection to water, minerals and our health.

GARE’S LABORATORY:

I performed a few interesting experiments one summer.  The first experiment involved the purchase of three roses all at about the same early stage of opening up, prior to blooming.  You can be sure that it wasn’t on Valentines Day when ya have to sell off one of your kids in order to afford one rose, let alone three of em!  Nonetheless; note the photos… I placed one rose in a vase of water containing reverse osmosis water (bottled water), another one in a vase containing municipal tap water and a third in a vase containing the very same water that came out of my tap, but only it was energized using a device that mimicked nature’s evaporation cycle.  I was nothing short of amazed at the results.  The rose in the vase containing bottled water opened up immediately, went into full bloom and then immediately wilted within a period of approximately, 7 days.  The rose in the plain house tap water bloomed slowly and much later, and then began to wilt after about 12 days.  However; the rose in the energized water also slowly bloomed but remained bright and pink in full bloom for 32 days… and then was just beginning to wilt.  In other words; it came through the challenge, ‘smelling like a rose.’  The owner of flower shop, who originally sold me the roses was quite impressed, commenting that the longest he had ever witnessed a rose remain bright and colourful was 18 days.

Furthermore; the second experiment that I conducted was much more relevant to our mineral query.  I installed an ionizer in my home, a device purported to energize water.  Within approximately two months time, something strange happened; not just one, but all of my water taps decided to spring a minor leak… like all on the same day.  No biggy… I just tightened all of the nuts with my handy dandy crescent wrench and was good to go again.  I then opened up my water distiller element to perform a routine cleaning.  Something was different this time… very different.  The protocol for cleaning my distiller normally involved major scraping of a mineral accumulation from off of the heating elements.  This is because the minerals in the water become welded to the elements in the heating process.  The same thing happens in your kettle.  There were two things that I had noticed to be much different on this particular cleaning.  First of all; a significantly larger amount of minerals had accumulated in the heating chamber than normal, and secondly; the elements did not require any scraping whatsoever; rather, the minerals just conveniently dropped out of the heating chamber, onto my bench, rendering the heating elements clean as a whistle… note the photo of ‘heavy metal in a jar.’  The next event that occurred was; my hot water heater sprang a major leak shortly after.  I’m guessing that due to its age, it was probably being held together by years of mineral accumulation… which of course, mysteriously disappeared after installing my water ionizer.

After all of that, I’m sorry to say that I cannot assure you that water can contribute to the body’s mineral requirements.  It’s like I said; what happens within the cells while inside of the body cannot be measured; only the results of such activity can be.  However; what I can tell you is this; the same water that dropped its baggage consisting of pounds of mineral baggage over a long period of time in my home… when energized… was able to leach those same minerals back into fluid motion within a very short period of time; therefore, energized water is going to benefit the body in many ways for this one reason alone.  However; distilled or reverse osmosis treated water, each of which has had all of the minerals removed, has little to offer, for it has neither the minerals nor the electrical energy to initiate any activity within the body, according to my research.  Hopefully this will shed some light on what you’re drinking.

PH… ACIDITY/ALKALINE:

Dare to go deeper with this wet stuff?  There are other characteristics of water other than the baggage it might be carrying or the energy it may have or may be lacking; it’s called; PH.  What is PH?  Exhaustive insight into this subject would require an entire book all on its own and so we’ll just touch on the subject to expose its potential involvement here.  Suffices to say this; PH, which is short for, ‘potential of hydrogen’ is simply about acidity and alkalinity.  Every element can be classified as either PH neutral, acidic or alkaline.  Numbers from a numeric scale, ranging from between 0 to 14 are applied to determine this.  Solutions with a reading of less than 7 are considered to be acidic, and those with a reading of over 7, alkaline… got it?  We’ve already mentioned the fact that our body is an amazing balance mechanism, always at work to keep things on an even keel, a process better known as, ‘Homeostasis.’

Now, let’s look at PH and how it works in the body and how it might affect your health.  As fore mentioned; everything will reflect a specific PH.  Your blood, which contains a large percentage of water incidentally, will reflect a fairly consistent PH of approximately 7.4.  The body will strive to maintain this PH.  it is an absolute and automatic balancing act, meaning that your body will do whatever it needs to in order to accomplish this feat  We can however assist or resist its efforts in doing so.  We do so much by our choices, revolving around our diet and life style for the most part.  In essence, everything we do, especially what we ingest, will affect the PH throughout our body processes.  Specific foods that we ingest will produce either an acidic ash or an alkaline ash after such has been thoroughly processed in the digestive system.  Take a lemon for example; we all know that a lemon is acidic in nature… I mean… just watch the mouth pucker up when someone is sucking on one… like talk about tightening up the facial nuts and bolts or what; nonetheless, when that lemon is introduced into the body, your body pulls a counteractive maneuver to balance the acidic intrusion with an alkaline response… neat, huh?

Regarding diet; generally speaking, meats, grains and sugar, in particular render an acidic ash, whereas most vegetables and many fruits will result in an alkaline ash.  An ideal diet should be composed of approximately 80% alkaline producing foods and 20% acid producing foods… ideally.  However; try not to get stressed out over that concept, for stress will result in an acidic environment throughout the body as well… ugh!

Not only does the food and water… and, now; stress…. affect the PH balance of our blood, so too can the air that we breathe, along with a new comer on the block, namely; EMF (Electrical, Magnetic Frequencies).  This new unseen force has been shown to negatively interfere with the natural occurring electrical conductivity and polarity constantly occurring throughout the body.

Nonetheless; the good news is that the body has plenty of buffering resources to balance excessive acidity.  You might be surprised to learn that excessive alkalinity is a much more dangerous animal, for the body does not have near as many resources to deal with it.  “What does all of this have to do with Osteoporosis?” you ask.  When you consider today’s diet and life style here in North America, the potential for a major PH imbalance is very probable… in this case; major acidity.  Consequently if one’s overall cellular and tissue PH is consistently acidic, then our body will be looking for ways to buffer it.  After all; it needs to keep that blood PH stable and all, right?  The body will attempt to shift the PH around using various methods; for example, if it should detect an excess of acidity, then it’ll increase breathing in order to usher in more oxygen.  If that should fail, then it will draw alkaline substances from various organs that are known to have a reserve of such, like the Pancreas and Kidneys… truly a wonderful creation, wouldn’t you agree?  According to my research, it’s extremely unlikely that the body would go so far as to leach PH buffering minerals from out of the bones, and so that would not be a direct cause of Osteoporosis; however, it could be using up alkaline mineral reserves to buffer chronic acidity, which of course could indirectly have a negative impact on our bone health.

The problem is this; our body cannot make something out of nothing, meaning that it will be needing the raw materials required to balance out the major acidic environment that might be occurring in the body.  It’s no secret that the North American diet sucks; we’re surrounded by acidic producing foods, such as; excessive sugar, sodium, MSG, refined, dead, enzyme depleted, so called, food, processed vegetable fats, GMO vegies and grains.  Furthermore; our stressful life style and toxic environment, including EMF, certainly doesn’t yield to alkalinity either… and so what is a body supposed to do in order to keep such a circus on the road?  It’ll probably be looking for clowns, namely; minerals such as; calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, iron and manganese.  These particular minerals are alkaline in character.

HELP 911!!

I know… I probably stressed you all out with the fore mentioned predators on your PH balance and good health; nonetheless, there are things that we can be doing to change the direction of a distressed ship.  Let’s begin with our diets and life style, areas that we are in control of… relatively, anyway.  First of all; research and establish a reasonably, balanced nutritious diet.  Secondly; adopt a hardy life style.  You might think of attending a gym, but really, there are many avenues to address this quest.  It’s not so much vigorous exercise that can do the magic but the relaxation and motion combined, which can be accomplished by a simple walk in the park.  Biking, kayaking/canoeing or any activity that can separate you from the facade of what we perceive to be normal will do.  The idea is; to work, to play, to rest and to pray.

Okay, so let’s really zero in on the PH factor and our health.  Probably one of the worst culprits associated with osteoporosis today, is soda drinks.  This is primarily due to the fact that soda drinks are loaded with phosphorous… not to mention, excessive sugar and/or artificial sweeteners.  Each one of these are known causes of calcium depletion and/or mineral imbalance… and so abstinence from these poisons is a ‘no-brainer.’  Hmm… am I popular with your kids yet?

CHEW YOUR CUD:

Let’s take a closer look at that cow, and how it manages to maintain such a humungus bone structure, shall we?  Our cow doesn’t drink soda pop for starters, nor does consume meat… nor tons of sugar; it doesn’t even work out, as in… get mega exercise.  I mean have you ever watched a cow; they just slowly meander around a field, grazing all day long, like seldom exceeding 1/4 mile per hour… for the most part… aside from the rodeo ‘bull riding /wrangling’ that is.  Nonetheless; our cow doesn’t drink alcohol… nor does it smoke cigarettes… but camels apparently do.  Perhaps you’re not old enough to recall advertisements for Camel cigarettes back about 50ish years ago.  Heck… the same commercials advertised a doctor in a white coat sucking away on a cigarette, as well… ah, but that’s an entirely different story.  Nonetheless; our cow does none of the fore mentioned.  It wouldn’t even be consuming Pharmaceutical agents or artificial hormones, if it had a say in the matter.. poor cow.  Howbeit; our simple cow just consumes tons of green matter… like… alllll day long.  A bit boring to us as people, I suppose, but to a cow, it’s heaven.

Aside form that, our cow has not one but 4 stomachs… go figure!  This suggests to me that it might very well have a pretty efficient digestive system.  Perhaps this could be a clue to our osteoporosis query.  Maintaining a healthy GI Tract (Gastro-Intestinal Tract) is, in my opinion, the first and foremost factor to consider.  Hey don’t worry… I’m not going to suggest that you chew on grass… like… all day long… although you might consider leaning more towards the greens and vegetables in your diet than that of refined grains and over cooked meat.

As fore mentioned, foods either produce an alkaline ash within the body or an acidic ash when digested.  A simple formula to follow is that foods that are alive, natural and in their natural matrix, will contribute to an alkaline end product, whereas foods that are refined (dead)… not within their natural matrix will create an acidic end product i their wake… which, as mentioned before, means that your body will be looking for something alkaline to buffer/balance the over acidity with.  Remember… we can either assist our bodies in maintaining a constant blood PH or we can resist our bodies in doing so.

Probably one of the most important players regarding PH balance within the body is ‘Probiotics.’  Ensuring that our GI Tract is replenished with a rich hierarchy of beneficial micro-organisms (Probiotics), is going to apply much in the same way as our cow’s three stomachs.  This will not only facilitate effective digestion of our food but will also serve to discourage unfriendly bacteria from moving into the neighbourhood and smorgin out on what we cannot digest… there are plenty of those bad boys around, I can assure you, one of the worse being; Candida.  I’d never consider naming one of my kids that for sure.  Along with plenty of Probiotics, I’d seriously suggest supplementing with Digestive Enzymes, especially if most of the food you eat has been refined, is cooked and/or… micro-waved.  Don’t forget to add fiber/drawing agents to that regime…. one trillion cows can’t be wrong.  Fiber, as simple as it is, provides mega benefits, specifically its ability to draw and eliminate excess, sugar, cholesterol along with wayward hormones.  Furthermore; all three of the fore mentioned agents will serve to remove plaque build up from the wall of the GI Tract, which will allow water to readily pass through the wall and hydrate as it’s supposed to do, as well as facilitate the passage of nutrients, especially minerals into the bloodstream and eventually to their destined receptors.  EFA fats, of course should also be on our menu, especially regarding hormone balance, which in this query could very well be a part of the problem. And last but not least, top up the grocery basket with Super Greens/Berries.  We need all of the nutrition we can get if we’re going to out live that stupid cow.

FACT AND MYTHS:

Are you ready for the last one final canon ball?  A normally functioning body requires approximately, 350 mg of calcium on a daily basis… not 1500 MG’s, as you may have been told.  As fore mentioned, your body is involved in a perpetual balancing act.  This means that an ‘excess‘ of any substance will trigger a counter balance of some sort.  Consequently; your body will be searching for a way to either utilize, store or eliminate that excess.  Furthermore, if such should be an isolated entity outside of nature’s matrix, then the body will be searching for associated co factors required to facilitate the absorption of such.  In the case of minerals, it’ll be searching for trace minerals and other vital components… and if those are not readily available, then it will beg, borrow or steal associated agents from somewhere else, if that is at all possible to even do.  And last but not least, the body has to eliminate what it cannot absorb.  One can only hope that this function is accomplished simply and without consequences.

Last but not least; give your head a shake real hard from side to side in order to dismantle all of the advertising that you have been subjected to… especially the dairy advertising, that may have infiltrated your thinking processes over the years.  Note that the milk of yesterday is much different than the milk of today… poor cow… sick people!  In my humble opinion, the detriments of consuming milk far out weigh any benefits.  Perhaps our model cow may be on the osteoporosis hit list as well if we continue messing with its food source… ugh!

***Refer to sections entitled, ‘Endocrine System‘ for hormonal aids… section entitled, ‘Digestion‘ for digestive help.

***Refer to section entitled, ‘The Mystery of Water’ for more info regarding ‘Ionized‘ energized water.