Archives for March 2010

Synthetic Vs. Natural Vitamin Supplements: Which Is Better?

Vitamins are organic compounds that help in the body’s metabolism and maintenance. Vitamins can be absorbed from numerous food sources, but are especially abundant in fruits and vegetables. However, there may still be nutrients that your body will not be able to absorb, or that you may not be getting enough of from your diet. This is why vitamin supplements are important.

There are 12 essential vitamins that our body needs to function effectively. These include Vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B12, C, D, E, K and folate. These vitamins have been shown to protect the body from certain illnesses, including heart disease and cancer. Lack of vitamins in the body can result in various diseases, including blindness, anemia, birth defects, bleeding disorders and bone deformities, among others. Vitamin supplements provide your body with the recommended daily amounts of essential vitamins, and help prevent the development of these diseases.

Nowadays, numerous vitamin supplements exist, available in different forms. Vitamin supplements are available in all health stores and can also be ordered online. These vitamin supplements can generally be divided into two categories: natural and synthetic. At present, there is a continuing debate regarding which kind of supplement is more beneficial to the body.

Natural vitamin supplements are vitamins extracted from natural food products and processed to create a food supplement. Meanwhile, synthetic vitamin supplements are man-made vitamins chemically processed in a laboratory.

Research has been leaning more towards natural vitamin supplements as the more beneficial product between the two categories. Studies on synthetic vitamin supplements have resulted in mixed results. Some scientists believe that taking synthetic vitamin supplements could result in numerous side effects, especially when the vitamins are taken in large amounts. This is because synthetic vitamin supplements contain numerous chemicals, which could react adversely with your body. Just as lack of vitamins results in various diseases, excessive intake of vitamins have also been known to cause a myriad of toxicities, including hypersensitivity reactions, diarrhea and bone damage, to name a few.

Recent studies have also shown that natural vitamins are better absorbed and processed by the body than their synthetic counterparts. This allows you to get the most out of your supplements, ensuring that you have adequate vitamin levels in your body.

Since natural vitamin supplements appear to be the better choice, it is best for you to find a natural supplement that can provide all these benefits.

When choosing a natural vitamin supplement, make sure that the supplement contains all 12 essential vitamins. Also, check that the supplement is really natural. Some synthetic products manipulate their advertising to make it appear that the product is natural, when in fact, it isn’t. Look closely into the ingredients used in the product, and research on them. Take advantage of some websites that allows you to check up on these supplements and their contents. Finally, before taking any natural vitamin supplements, it is best to consult a qualified nutritionist or your physician first.

Don’t forget that no vitamin supplement can replace a healthy, balanced diet. It is recommended that you eat a vitamin-rich diet, which can be achieved by increasing your intake of vegetables and fruits. A healthy diet, complemented by a high-quality natural vitamin supplement, can ultimately give you a stronger body and help you live a longer life.

ABSTRACT: Vitamin supplements are necessary to keep your body healthy. Natural vitamin supplements can provide you with adequate amounts of vitamins needed in your diet, without the side effects associated with its synthetic counterpart.

Mario Churchill is a freelance author and has written over 200 articles on various subjects. For information on the best natural vitamin supplements or nutritional vitamin supplements checkout his website.

Alternative Medicine Can Offer You Benefits Without Side Effects

There are many different types of medications out there that doctors prescribe for relief. It can be a long process working with your doctor to find the one that works well for you. Prescription medications fall into many categories so if one doesn’t work well for you they will likely prescribe you something else to try. The dose of it to take may need to be tweaked as well.

It seems like the cost involved with prescription medications continues to increase all the time. Even if you have health insurance you may discover many of these medications aren’t covered. You may have a co-pay that you need to give out of pocket each time you go in to have the prescription filled up again. The other major concern is the side effects.

When you pick up a prescription medication you will be given a list of the possible side effects. Some of the most common ones include headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, irritability, and the inability to sleep. The way in which a particular medication affects you will depend on many factors. The severity of the side effects will also vary. You may suffer from them for only the first few days or continually while taking that medication.

This can pose some serious problems though so many people are turning to alternative medicine. When you are taking medication to get relief from a medical concern the last thing you want is side effects to make you feel worse. It is unrealistic too that you can function normally with them. It is almost impossible to work all day when you feel sick or you have diarrhea.

Since there are natural remedies out there that fall into the category of alternative medicine you can get results. However, you get those results without the side effects. That means you can get back to feeling good again. You can go on about your life and not have to worry about it. This is even more important if you are suffering from a problem that you will need ongoing treatment for.

Why does the medical community withhold information about alternative medicine? There are quite a few theories about this. First, they do make quite a bit of money off of the pharmaceutical companies for recommending certain medications. Second, they don’t want their patients to get into the habit of self medicating.

However, if you do still see your doctor on a regular basis then tell them you are looking at alternative medicine. You have ever right to refuse to use prescription medications so that you can save money and avoid the side effects. Take the time to do your own research so you can evaluate various types of alternative medication that could replace those prescriptions for you.

The process can be one of trial and error as there are quite a few different types of alternative medicine for the same medical concern. Try one to see what type of results you get. If it isn’t what you were after then try something else. Even if you haven’t had much success with prescription medications you just may find a form of alternative medicine that works wonders.

Cindy Browne loves everything to do with alternative health and is an author of articles about blah . Visit her site for more information on getting healthy.