Is a zinc supplement for ADHD really useful or is it just another myth waiting to be debunked? Studies have shown that ADHD children had a lower level of zinc in their bodies so it seems wise to add zinc for ADHD children if their diet is not a healthy balanced one.

A study in Iran showed that children who were taking a psychostimulant drug for ADHD together with a zinc supplement showed considerable improvement in their symptoms as opposed to another group of children who were just on the drug with a placebo. The doctors concluded that it would be beneficial to change a child’s diet or take a zinc supplement.

What does zinc do?
It is an essential element in the production of melatonin which in turn helps to manufacture dopamine which increases the ‘feel good’ effect , similar to that produced by endorphins. Normally humans produce little zinc yet it is an essential mineral which helps to combat colds, heal wounds and is vital for producing blood and protein.

Which foods contain zinc?

Your best bet is to go for whole grain stuff like pasta and wheat germ. Eggs, meat, milk, cereals, nuts, tofu are also good sources. The bottom line, I think, is to ensure that your children get approximately 15mg of zinc a day from their diet but if you are not sure or cannot be bothered, a good all round multivitamin will do the trick. If your kids are vegetarian, you may need to up the dose by half as much again as the zinc found in vegetables is not as easily absorbed as that contained in meat.

Decision Time
Unfortunately, just by giving zinc for ADHD children is not going to solve the problems experienced by them but it will certainly help. There will be other decisions, perhaps more pressing, to take. Remember that the taking of psychostimulants has mushroomed out of all proportion simply because the drug companies paid for research (only that with favourable results) so that a powerful lobby grew up around prestigious universities, the medical profession and anyone else who wanted to get on the bandwagon. Just visit the FDA site to see how many warnings there are about these drugs!

The Solution That Some Doctors Will Not Even Mention
Now that some parents have woken up to the awful truth about the risks associated with these ADHD medicines (Ritalin, Adderall, Concerta and Strattera) they want to make an informed choice and they want natural remedies for ADHD which are not going to damage their children’s health! These remedies are ideal and can be combined with dietary changes, combination therapy and also with a zinc supplement for ADHD. If you want to find out more about these safer and cheaper medicines, the link below will give you some food for thought and make your family life more enjoyable again.

by Jacob Wilson

I can’t help but shake my head whenever I hear gym morons discuss creatine. It has become the ultimate ” tall tail ” in bodybuilding today. And the myths and stories concerning this supplement, become more and more preposterous as the years go by. The plain fact of the matter is that most people who take creatine, do not even know what it is, or exactly how our bodies use it. I find this puzzling, because I do not believe in ever taking supplements that I do not fully understand. After you finish reading this article, the myths and tall tales concerning creatine will be completely dissolved and like myself, you will shake your head when rookies in the gym, cluelessly discuss the effects of this supplement.
Questions and Answers: I receive at least a handful of letters a day concerning creatine. I will post the most frequently asked of those below.

Q: Is Creatine a Steroid?
A: I would like to dispel this myth by giving you the definition of what an anabolic steroid is. These are synthetic versions of the male hormone testosterone. Creatine, as you will see below is not. Basically anyone who says this should immediately be labeled a gymbecile.

Q: What is Creatine?
A: First, let me emphasize that our bodies already produce creatine naturally. Did you ever watch the transformers when you were a kid? Well if not, there were groups of robots called ” combiners. ” They would join together and form an even larger and more massive robot, crushing everything in their paths! Our liver does the same thing with the three amino acids, Arginine, Glycine and Methionine. It combines them to form creatine, much like the constructicons combined to form devastator! Ok so that was a lame example, but it explains the process quite nicely.

That being said, it is also important to understand that over 95 percent of this substance is found in our muscles. With the remainder being stored in our brain, heart and other parts of our bodies.

Q: The clerk at my local sporting goods store, explained to me, that when your body runs out of food at night, your muscles can take the creatine in them and use it to fuel their growth.
A: I don’t believe I will even waste my time dispelling his explanation. How moronic can you get? My real question is, where do these people get there information from? I actually have a theory on this very matter. I believe, that there is a moronic website that is the complete opposite of abcbodybuilding. I’ve tried to crack the code, but gymmorons.com just didn’t work. Perhaps they are trying to hide their identity? But regardless of my theory, the guy is dead wrong!

Q: What exactly does creatine do?
A: I will break down the uses of this supplement into 4 sections.
1. Creatine works mainly to increase our Creatine Phosphate System
This is a very difficult concept to understand. And what I am going to do, here is place an excerpt from my article on energy systems in here. It will explain how our body’s use energy, and how creatine fits into this!

The Three Energy Systems
What we will now discuss is how our muscles are fueled to contract in virtually every situation possible. You see, a different energy system is used for a heavy set of 4 repetitions then compared to a set of 12 repetitions. Each of these is linked with a particular muscle fiber type. If you can manipulate the energy system, then you can drastically increase muscle mass.
Firstly I need to emphasize that our muscle fibers store ATP. The problem is that we only have enough to fuel contractions for about 3 seconds, and even in the most well trained bodybuilder that supply can only last about 5-6 seconds. So what is the point of having such a low amount of stored energy? It’s essentially designed to give you a quick burst. You name the sport( barring chess ) and every athlete will tell you the benefits of being able to call on a quick burst of energy! What becomes painfully obvious at this point is that 3 seconds will not power 90-99 percent of traditional bodybuilding sets. Therefore our body must have a way of producing more energy to sustain contractions! This is where the 3 fueling systems come into play!
note: again, all three energy system’s function is to produce ATP. These processes dominantly take place in the mitochondria( about 95 percent of the ATP in your muscle stores to be exact ! ) that lie inside of the sarcoplasm of the muscle fiber. For now I will explain the energy systems, further on I will explain how to increase their proficiency!

Phosphagen System
To replenish the ATP levels quickly after the initial energy boost is used up, muscle cells contain a high-energy phosphate compound called creatine phosphate(PC). To state the obvious, this compound contains a phosphate. Your muscle cell releases enzymes that break the phosphate off of the PC molecule, then this phosphate is transferred back to the ADP to reform the high energy molecule ATP.

To recap, when your body uses ATP, it breaks one phosphate off of it which produces energy. This burst fuels contractions. What is left after a phosphate is broken off of ATP is the molecule called ADP.

Our muscle fibers contain 5 times as much creatine phosphate then it does ATP. Your cell sends out enzymes that break off the phosphate from the creatine. The Energy released from this sever and the phosphate molecule are recombined with the ADP to again form ATP. The PC system provides an additional 10 to 20 seconds of energy to allow us, as bodybuilders to continue an intense set!

A process such as this can occur in the blink of an eye, which makes it very efficient! Again, for the conscious athlete( when I say conscious, I mean one who improves this system ) this will provide a good 15-20 seconds more energy for contractions, and perhaps a bit more. You see creatine phosphate stores run out about this time. In total ATP stores and the creatine phosphate system provide about 25-30 seconds of maximum muscular contraction. This system is the powerhouse for extremely high intensity activities. If it is weak then you will have a difficult time lifting heavy weights for any extended period of time. This will be extremely detrimental if your goal is to hit the denser fast twitch IIb fibers.
One way to increase your creatine stores is obvious. You can easily saturate your muscle cells with creatine by actually supplementing with it. Your body already produces it, but supplementation assists in the saturation process. You can see why this is a proven product. It literally speaks for itself in functionality, and has proven to be one of the safest substances on the shelves today!

Millions have used creatine for over a decade with absolutely no side effects whatsoever. And the amount of studies to back up its safety are second to none! This is a tried and true power house. You can learn more about it by reading my article, creatine myths and facts.

My recommendation is to load it for 5 days at 15-25 grams broken up into 5 grams servings per meal. This will saturate your muscles with creatine. Following this period simple maintain saturation with 5-10 grams a day. Then start the process over in about 8 weeks. On a side note, steak is also beneficial to refilling your PC stores. It to is rich in this substance!
What System is Beneficial For – It allows you to contract your muscles up to a total of 30 seconds of
intense exertion( with the ATP system )! The benefits are obvious. Anytime you lift heavy, you call on this system to back you up. If you play other explosive sports then it is also obvious. A play in football is relatively short and would rely heavily on the PC system. Hockey shifts are also relatively short, many elite teams only allow 30 seconds shifts of all out work per player. You name it: martial arts, soccer, rugby, all have the need for superior functionality of the PC system.
2. Increases The Pump!
Creatine has been shown to super hydrate your muscles( cell volumization; it literally draws water into the muscle cells). This increases pumps dramatically! Even while on low carbs, creatine can help and maintain your pump in the weight room.

3. Increases The Reparation Process of Bodybuilding.
Muscle growth occurs, via a process known as the dehydration synthesis. What does this mean? The dehydration synthesis is the process in which larger molecules are formed. In this case we are referring to muscle protein. And this is also referred to, as of course protein synthesis.
Consequently, many journals point, to creatine actually enhancing this.

Overview:
The main function of creatine is to provide our muscles with more energy. More energy means that our muscles can contract harder therefore our body must adapt to the greater amount of stress that we put our bodies through. It super hydrates our muscles and improves protein synthesis.

Q: How exactly does Creatine Apply to An Athlete?
A: Simple, it does so by enhancing your creatine phosphate energy system. This does a number of things:
1. Increases explosion – Most athletes notice more explosiveness after utilizing this supplement
2. Allows yourself to push yourself harder and longer.
Note: Interestingly enough, creatine in some studies has been shown to buffer lactic acid. If this be true, then one can see how it can enhance any sport that requires one to run.

Q: What are the side effects of Creatine, and in General how safe is it?
A: As stated above, creatine is not, and I repeat not a hormone. Therefore it does not have the side effects associated with any Prohormone or illegal steroid.
There have been hundreds of studies done on creatine that all show that it is a safe supplement.
To further prove its safety two an a half million kilograms of creatine were consumed in the United States alone in 1999! That statistic alone speaks volumes about the safety and efficiency of this supplement! Not only that, but creatine has been the number one supplement on the market for almost a decade and no one has reported any adverse side effects from it. ( aside from the ones I listed above. )

Q: I don’t workout, but do you think that creatine will build muscles and help me to lose fat?
A: No! If you don’t workout I cannot imagine what supplement would help you. Creatine provides your muscles with more short term energy – but that is wasted if you do not exercise them. If you take creatine you should push yourself even harder in the gym. The idea is with more energy you should be able to workout harder. A harder workout leads to increased muscle mass.

Q: Since Creatine makes you gain weight should I not take it on a cut?
A: Yes, creatine causes your body to hold water, but that is a good thing! The fact that your muscles are super hydrated even on a cut is fantastic. I see absolutely no correlation between taking creatine and our body storing fat. If anything, creatine will assist us in maintaining more lean mass while dieting. In my mind there is no point to discontinuing the use of creatine while trying to burn fat.

Q: Can I take Creatine and Protein at the same time?
A: Firstly, protein is a food product. If you couldn’t take creatine and protein at the same time, then you would have to be a strict vegetarian and still you would end out consuming around 40 grams a day just from normal foods. To top this off, creatine is not much use without a significant protein intake. What is the point of pushing your muscles further than they are used to, if you are not going to provide the amino acids necessary for their repair?

Q: Which supplement is Better Creatine or Protein?
A: ( I probably get asked this question at least once a day through email.) Amino acids are the building blocks of our muscles. If you do not get enough than there is no point to working out. Creatine is an outstanding supplement, but if you have to choose from getting at least 1 gram a day of protein or getting your creatine then opt for the protein. However I do want to stress that creatine is an excellent supplement. In fact for assistance in muscular gains I would rate it second only to whey.

Q: I just got myself some creatine. Now I only started with half the dosage, because creatine fires me up and I don’t want too much of a buzz in the weight room! So how should I up the dosage?
( Yes I know what you are thinking ( LOL ). I get these kinds of questions everyday though. I answer them because I was a rookie at one time too. )
A: Ummm, their are two things that come to my mind.
1. Your creatine has been spiked with caffeine or ephedrine
2. Your creatine has gone rotten and is causing you to have hallucinations ( LOL ). Or a ” Buzz ” before your workout.
Creatine is not and I repeat not a stimulant! It should not make you have these feelings. Read my article next month on the subject and you will see why. Until then, if your container of creatine really gives you a buzz, then. throw it away immediately!

Q: I am breaking out, is it because of the creatine?
A: ( Again ) Creatine does not effect hormone levels in any way. So the answer is no.

Q: I am a woman and I was thinking about taking creatine, but I don’t want to become huge and veiny like a man.
A: If that is the case, then I would suggest that you do not eat like the ” huge and veiny ” men that you do not want to look like. Creatine will assist you in your workout, but only calories will make you grow. Yes, creatine is an excellent supplement for mass, but only if you are eating for mass.

Q: Do you feel that creatine is cheating? I want to earn my muscles the hard way and don’t want to cheat to get them.
A: ( I can’t stand these types of questions!!! ) Yes, you would be cheating. You would be cheating yourself out of great gains by not supplementing with it!

Q: Is there anything I can take to make creatine a more effective supplement?
A: Excellent Question!
a. The first thing I would like to emphasize is that creatine will not work if you are not properly hydrated! It relies heavily on this, so you must drink tons of water, if you want optimal results from it. Super hydrating your body will also improve your weight room pumps tremendously!
B. Creatine is good stacked with high glycemic carbs, as well as sodium–they both facilitate creatine transport into muscle cells. This is recommended only for your post workout meal.

Q: What is the best method, dose wise, of taking creatine?
A: For creatine to produce optimal results, muscle stores must be topped off or saturated with it. To accomplish this you need to load the creatine for 5 days at 20-25 grams, spread out throughout the day into 4-5 servings. This is the quickest and in my opinion the ” best ” way to saturate your muscles with creatine. Following this phase, all you need is to take 5-10 grams a day to maintain your saturation levels. After this, any creatine you take will be excreted as creatinine.

Q: Do I need to take my creatine with carbohydrates to make it effective?
A: Whenever we digest carbohydrates our pancreas secretes the hormone known as insulin. The simpler the carb, the higher a burst of insulin our pancreas releases to deal with them. The good thing about insulin is that it actually drives nutrients into our muscles to assist them in recovery. If you take creatine with fast burning carbs, it will increase the absorption rate in your muscles. However, insulin is also responsible for fat storage. Therefore my suggestion to you would be to only use a sugar spike like this with your post workout meal. This is because this is the least likely times that your body will store fat. Insulin control, is a massive subject and you might consider reading 13 weeks to burning fat, to become better acquainted with it .

Q: Do I need to Cycle Creatine?
A: My recommendation is to load for 5 days, followed by a 5-10 gram maintenance dosage for 4-6 weeks. Following this, there are two particular strategies:
1. You can take one to two weeks off and then start the cycle over. Many athletes attest to receiving a better results this way.
2. However, several athletes will never come off of it. They will load it for 5 days, maintain for a few weeks and then reload again. This is increasingly becoming the more popular method of usage.

Conclusion
Creatine, like a classic novel has stood the test of time; and yet, so many people have picked it up without reading it. My intent in this article was to fill this void and if I answered just one of your questions than it was worth writing. If there was something that I did not cover, than feel free to ask about it in our forums. Until then, indulge yourself in perhaps the most revolutionary, natural supplement to ever hit the athletic market!
Jacob Wilson ( Trainer@abcbodybuilding.com )

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Optimum Micronized Creatine Powder, 2000 Grams: Muscle Energizer And Strength Builder!

NOW Creatine Monohydrate Tabs, 1500mg/250 Tablets: Maintains ATP Production For Energy During Intense Exercise

Every part of you is made from minerals – your bones, cell structure, lymph liquid, arteries, organs, tissue, muscle, hair, and so on. You cannot live without minerals. Your body does not produce minerals.

Where do you get your minerals? You get them from vegetables and fruits and good supplements. Since only 10% of the people eat enough fruits and vegetable, the rest of you are deficient in minerals. If we eat enough vegetables and fruits, why do we have to take a mineral supplement?  Long time ago when the soil was rich in minerals, vegetable and fruits were jammed pack with minerals. Fruits and vegetables were not picked early, frozen, waxed, radiated, or stored in argon gas. Those who ate these vegetables and fruits obtained an adequate supply of minerals and seldom has a deficiency.

Today the opposite is true. You and I cannot get enough minerals from eating fruits and vegetables. Now we eat more cooked vegetables, more vegetables in packages, fruits and vegetables that are waxed, and vegetables from other countries not processed properly.Today, we need to supplement our eating habits with a live mineral liquid to make up for the lack of minerals in the good food and junk food we eat.

Here is a partial list of illnesses and their related mineral deficiencies and below each mineral is the food that is highest in that mineral.

Calcium – receding gums, PMS, panic attacks, muscle cramps, lungs weak, low back pain, kidney stones, insomnia, bone weakness, bone spurs, calcium deposits.

Foods – cheeses, cottage cheeses, dulse, greens, kelp, goat milk, sesame seeds, unrefined cereal grains, seeds and almonds.

Sodium – restless nerves, poor eyesight, mental confusion, lack of saliva, frontal headache, white coated tongue, cracking joints, fatigue, offensive breath, stiff tendons, stiff joints

Foods – goat milk, goat whey, black mission figs, apples, apricots, kale, kelp, prunes, raisins, strawberries, sunflower seeds, black olives, celery, dulse, asparagus, greens,

Potassium – fearfulness, mental illness, low energy, pains and aches, body acidity, tendency toward violence, suspiciousness, loss of ambition, nervousness, negativity

Foods – black olives, dulse, potato peeling broth, bitter greens, kelp, Irish moss, various seeds and nuts, apple cider vinegar, soy milk, spinach, goat milk, grapes, apples, bananas, cheese, cucumbers, fish, dale, lettuce

Magnesium – A.D.D., anorexia, arterial calcification, low calcium absorption, convulsions, depression, gastrointestinal disturbances, growth failure, menstrual migraines, osteoporosis, tremors, hot temper, fainting

Foods – seeds and nuts, yellow cornmeal, rice polishings, wheat germ, avocados, coconuts, spinach, goat milk, grapes, honey, whole wheat.

Phosphorus – constant weakness, neuralgia, numbness, lack of confidence, slow oxygenation, sensitive to noise or criticism, fatigue

Foods – meat, egg yolk, dairy products, fish, almonds, rice bran, pumpkin seeds, soybeans, lentils, sunflower seeds, almonds, various types of beans, carrots, pecans, lentils, cabbage

Manganese – A.D. D., asthma, carpal tunnel syndrome, convulsions, loss of libido, miscarriage, retarded growth rate, still birth, TMJ, nightmares

Foods – black walnuts, and other nuts and seeds, pineapple, parsley, leaf lettuce, celery, blueberries, black eyed peas, apricots

Copper – A.D.D., anemia, arthritis, behavior-violent, cerebral palsy, high cholesterol, eyelids sagging, gray or white hair, hernia, liver cirrhosis, learning disabilities, low blood sugar, slow healer, high risk of strokes, varicose veins

Foods – liver, sea foods, almonds, greens, leafy vegetables, whole grain cereals,

Selenium – age spots, aging skin, Alzheimer’s, cancer, cystic fibrosis, fatigue, heart palpitations , HIV, hypothyroidism, liver damage, muscular weakness, scoliosis

Foods – wheat germ, bran, whole grains, onions, broccoli, eggs, seafood’s, milk products, meat, asparagus, tomatoes, mushrooms, nuts

Iodine – goiter, menstrual difficulties, thinking confused, heart and lung problems

Foods – kelp, fish, dulse, sea plants, watermelon, okra, mustard greens, green peppers, eggplant, brussels sprouts, carrots chives, artichokes, agar

Iron - fatigue, low auto-immunity, anemia, depression, low blood pressure, slow speech, poor memory, susceptibly to colds

Foods – greens, unsulphured dried fruits, dulse, kelp, Irish moss, black cherries, black berries, liquid chlorophyll, strawberries, celery, spinach, rice polishings sunflower seeds, blackstrap molasses, eggs, goat milk, pinto beans

Zinc – A.D.D., hair loss, congenital birth defects, body odor, brain defects, diarrhea, slow healer, heart defects, hernia, impotence, lung defects, prostate enlargement, loss of sense of smell, short stature, webbed toes

Foods – goat milk, brewer’s yeast, pumpkin seeds, wheat germ, wheat bran, high protein foods, cow’s milk

Chromium – A.D.D., unexpected weight loss, low sperm count, pre diabetes, manic depression, learning disabilities, impaired growth, hyperactivity, coronary blood vessel disease, cataracts, low blood sugar

Foods – brewer’s yeast, whole grain cereals, clams, meat, cloves and spices, corn oil.

There are more minerals than the ones listed above. This is just a start, so that you can see why minerals are so important. A consistent lack of a specific mineral can lead to a serious illness.

By taking Zinc you may ba able to hold off the onset of dementia or Alzheimer’s. Most older people and those with dementia and other mental disorders have been found to be deficient in zinc. In most studies zinc has been shown to improve mental capacity in elderly people.

To get zinc into your blood stream you need to have a specific acid that is excreted by the pancreas. This acid is called “picolinic acid” When food containing zinc or zinc supplements reache the small intestine, duodenum, the pancreas excretes picolinic acid. This acid binds with zinc and moves it across your intestinal wall and into your blood stream.

Picolinic acid is created in the liver and kidneys from the amino acid tryptoph. This amino acid then moves into the pancreas. If you have diabetes or if your pancreas is overworked or weak, you will not be excreting enough picolinic acid and will not be providing enough zinc to your brain. You will need to supplement your diet with zinc.

The type of zinc you need is one that is bound with picolinic acid. This type is called “zinc picolinate.” There are other type of zinc supplements such as zinc citrate and zinc gluconate, but they are not absorb as good as zinc picolinate. If you cannot get zinc picolinate then the next best is zinc gluconate.

The body has many uses for zinc and this can contribute to a deficiency of zinc in your blood and in your brain.

The body uses zinc to help,

• with enzyme chemical reactions
• antioxidants prevent arteriosclerosis
• DNA prevent dementia or Alzheimer’
• with cells activity
• kidneys maintain acid base balance
• with carbon dioxide removal
• make pancreatic enzymes
• your liver to detoxify alcohols
  and the list goes on and on

Here are some of the foods you should add to your diet to get more zinc.

beef, lamb, cheese, yeasts, oysters, Shrimp, herring, sunflower seeds, Pumpkin Seeds, Sesame Seeds, wheat germ & bran, Mushrooms, Spinach, Squash, Asparagus, Collard Greens, Broccoli ,Chard, Miso, Maple Syrup

Zinc can be toxic in excessive amounts. A safe amount to take is 20 – 25 mg per day. Do not take more than 40 mg per day. Toxic effects are stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, cramps, and diarrhea.

Add these foods and zinc picolinate to your diet in an effort to starve off dementia and Alzheimer’s. There are a more special nutrients that you should include in your diet to prevent degradation of your mental thinking. These Nutrients will be discussed in other other articles.

Iron and Dementia
In the US iron deficiency has been found to be a major problem in people of all ages. Everyone knows the lack of iron causes anemia. Iron is the center of our red blood cells, which allow oxygen to be carried throughout your body and into your brain. Your brain uses over 20% of the oxygen available in the blood. Lack of oxygen has a major impact on your brain’s health and in the formation of dementia.

When a person is deficient in iron, they may have difficulty in keeping a conversation or in keeping a good attention span.

The actual ability to absorb iron into your body is dependent on the amount of acid you have in your stomach. If you have acid reflux or heartburn and are using drugs or antacids to get relief, you are affecting your ability to absorb iron.

To absorb iron, the pH in your stomach has to be normal, 1 – 2 pH. Under these conditions, iron in your stomach chemically reacts with other chemicals and is prepared for absorption in the small intestine.

When you take drugs to reduce the acid in your stomach, the iron does not chemically react and change for proper absorption in the intestine. The result is iron deficiency.

Here are some of the best foods that have iron.
Fried liver, fried kidney, fried chicken liver, wheat bran, ovaltine, coco powder, spinach, parsley, radishes, peas, leeks, carob bar, sesame seeds, pistachio nuts, dried coconut, cashew nuts, muesli, cornflakes, oatmeal, brown rice, total cereal, baked potato. Use 25 to 50 mg of iron supplement daily. If you take iron supplements check with your doctor to see if you really need them. Take excessive iron can result in poisoning. Keep iron supplements away from children.

B-Vitamin
The B-vitamin folic acid and B12 have also been a major problem in the US. B12 has been consistently found deficient in people with Alzheimer’s. Folic acid and B12 have been found to improve mental health in people who were in metal institutions.

Folic acid and B12 work to produce neurotransmitters and replace nerve cells. The lack of neurotransmitters is responsible for loss of a good memory.

To make sure B vitamins work for you in keeping your mental capacities in tack start making sure you are getting them in your diet or taking them as a supplement. If supplementing, use the B50 or B100 complex.

It appears that after a certain age B12 will not help in alleviating mental changes or problems.

Here are some the best foods that have B vitamins.

It is always best to get your minerals and vitamins in food. In food, minerals and vitamins are combined with other chemicals that allow your body to absorb them better than supplements.

Author Bio
Rudy Silva is a Natural Nutritionist. To learn more about the other nutrients you need to hold off signs of dementia or Alzheimer’s go to www.for–you.com/dementiaremedies

Article Source: http://www.ArticleGeek.com – Free Website Content

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is responsible for the development of healthy collagen, which is necessary to hold body tissues together. A vitamin C deficiency can cause split ends and hair breakage, yet this is easily reversible with an increase to normal vitamin C levels. Vitamin C can be found in foods such as fresh peppers, citrus fruits, melons berries, potatoes, tomatoes, and dark green leafy vegetables.

Vitamin E

Vitamin E is necessary to provide good blood circulation to the scalp by increasing the uptake of oxygen. Vitamin E is derived from foods such as green leafy vegetables, nuts, grains, vegetable oils, and most ready-to-eat cereals, which are fortified with vitamin E. Vitamin E deficiencies are rare in people in North America and Europe.

Copper Supplements

Copper is a trace mineral that is also necessary in the production of hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is vital to the process of carrying oxygen to tissues and to the hair follicle. Good sources of copper are liver, seafood, nuts, and seeds.

Iron

Another key mineral vital in the production of hemoglobin is iron. Iron is found in two forms, heme and non-heme; heme iron is much easier to absorb into the system. Of course most people know that red meat is a good source of iron, however red meat is non-heme iron and is difficult for the body to absorb, as are many iron supplements.

Good heme iron sources are green leafy vegetables, kidney beans, and bran. Also, one can increase the absorption of non-heme iron into the body by consuming non-heme food sources and vitamin C sources in the same meal.

Zinc

Zinc is another vital component of healthy hair. Zinc is responsible for cell production, tissue growth and repair, and the maintenance of the oil-secreting glands of the scalp. It also plays a large role in protein synthesis and collagen formation. For this reason, zinc is important for both hair maintenance and dandruff prevention.

Most Americans are deficient in zinc. Most foods of animal origin, particularly seafood, contain good amounts of zinc; oysters are particularly rich in zinc. Zinc is also found in eggs and milk, although in much smaller amounts. Zinc from sources such as nuts, legumes, and natural grains differ from than those found in animal sources and are not easily used by the body. Oats are a good source of zinc, which is readily absorbed by the body.

If you take antacid for heartburn you lower your ability to digest and absorb vitamin C and iron. As you make your stomach acid more alkaline, with antacids, your ability to absorb vitamin C and iron decrease.

Most of us don’t think about our metabolisms very much.  But the metabolism is a crucial part of our make up that helps us maintain our weight levels and that regulates how the foods we eat provide energy and stamina for the challenges we face every day.  But the situation that might arise in your life where you detect that your metabolism is not functioning as expected would be if you have regulating your diet and exercise with an expectation of weight loss and it simply will not happen.  This may be a symptom of inactivity in your thyroid gland, which is a condition known as hypothyroidism. 

Other symptoms of hypothyroidism might include low sex drive, fatigue, listlessness, poor memory or a shorter temper than usual.  The condition can even result in problems with your skin and yellowing of your teeth and finger and toenails.  The good news is that hypothyroidism is very often the result of low iodine in your system, which can be corrected with supplements that are easy to access and use.  This means that a condition that you might have considered to be chronic may be easily treated so you can return to a healthy lifestyle once the iodine levels in your body are normalized.

The thyroid gland has an important job of regulating the rate at which our bodies burn calories, retain water and nutrients and burn fat.  If the thyroid glad doesn’t get the iodine it needs to operate, it can slow down which causes the body to retain fat and water, which results in weight gain that will not go away.  The resulting slowing of the metabolism means you will feel sluggish, slow witted and you will tire easily.  These symptoms are easy to misdiagnose as a dire disease.  But by having your doctor look at your level of iodine retention and how well your metabolism is functioning, he or she may simply recommend iodine supplements to jump start that thyroid and get you on track to a healthy weight and a healthy lifestyle in no time.

What might be surprising is that the body needs just a small amount of iodine retention to function properly.  In most cases, iodine can be absorbed from foods.  It is present in salts and some types of seafood such as kelp.  So there are natural supplements that can be used to return your body to a healthy iodine level.  But if you are going to pursue a treatment of iodine supplements other than through food therapy, be sure you get a doctor’s guidance because he or she can recommend the necessary vitamins you will need to accompany the increase in iodine and the prescription for your supplements can be tailored so you are not susceptible to iodine overdose.

It is essential for everybody to include some calcium in your diet for the health of your teeth and bones.  Calcium, after all, is the dominant substance that makes up the skeleton that is the core of who we are.  For the body to be able to replenish bone tissue, a steady diet of calcium is needed.  This need is even more pronounced during anytime of great physical change including childhood, adolescence, during pregnancy or illness and in the senior years.  If senior citizens do not keep their calcium levels up, osteoporosis can become a serious and potentially dangerous problem.

The problem comes in when we just don’t consume enough of the right kinds of foods to assure that we will get our daily requirement of calcium.  This is why keeping a supply of calcium supplements on hand is important and making it your routine to take those supplements daily will be a great insurance about enduring a calcium shortage and the associated health problems that can come from that.

Of course, the best way to correct any vitamin or mineral deficiency is through diet.  But that is not always possible.  Calcium supplement tables are very easy to find.  They are sold in bulk for very reasonable prices in almost any supermarket or drug store without a prescription.  They are relatively safe to take without doctor’s direction as long as you use some common sense.  And a daily habit of taking a supplement to give you the calcium you need will go a long way toward avoiding bodily disorders related to calcium shortage in your body.

Most calcium supplements are sold in pill or powder form.  The important thing to keep in mind is to pay attention to the dosage levels which in most cases call for you to take calcium once a day with a good supply or water usually during a meal or directly after eating.  It is not recommended to take a supplement of calcium on an empty stomach.  Taking it with food and lots of water assures swift delivery through your digestive system and reduces the chances of an upset stomach.

If you are taking other medications, it is also advised you do not take calcium within 3-4 hours of taking anything else.  To be perfectly sure it is ok to take these supplements, discuss it with your doctor when you can to make sure there won’t be an adverse reaction to something else you are taking.  Also, calcium can aggravate other conditions such as problems with your thyroid, stomach problems or any difficulty with the intestines.

So when in doubt, wait on taking calcium until you are sure you can do so safely.  This is good advice when taking any new supplement.  Even if the supplement is sold over the counter, it still pays to be mindful of your health when taking something new to assure the outcome will be beneficial and positive for you.

Sadly, the way most people find out about the importance of magnesium in their systems is when they are deficient in magnesium and they suffer the health consequences.  It is really too bad they have to go through the symptoms of a magnesium shortage because supplements to the diet that can help you maintain a healthy level of magnesium in your system are easy to access, inexpensive to buy and simple to use.

The truth is that magnesium has a part to play in some of the most important elements of our health and well being.  Magnesium plays a part in the generation of insulin, which enables our blood to process sugars.  Too little magnesium, then, can quickly lead to diabetes which, as you know can be deadly. Magnesium is a critical component that enables our blood to clot when we are hurt.  To put it bluntly, without magnesium in your diet, you could bleed to death just by cutting yourself shaving.

Magnesium plays a role in the generation of new cells, which is a routine activity in every organ of your body including your skin.  Magnesium helps your body produce and maintain healthy teeth and bones and it is an important mineral for the functioning of your heart and circulation system without which none of us could live.  In fact, magnesium even helps us fight off depression.  There have been cases where someone diagnosed with dire mental disorders were on their way to a treatment of harsh mood altering chemicals or institutionalization when a simple adjustment to the diet to include more magnesium corrected the problem.

One therapeutic value of magnesium that has been discovered of late was its value in fighting PMS and other distressing issues related to the monthly menstruation cycle for women.  Magnesium helps to stabilize the levels of sodium and potassium in the body, which is one of the causes of water retention in women during those uncomfortable days.  The outcome is the difficulty many women have during their periods is significantly reduced.

It isn’t hard to find supplements to raise the magnesium content in your body.  It is always preferable to increase your vitamin and mineral content through the foods you eat.  But if you do take advantage of the many supplements on the market to help you with your magnesium content, consider getting your doctor’s insights on the change to your diet particularly if you are taking other medications.  This is always a wise approach to introducing changes to what you consume that are intended to benefit your health.

Most of us don’t think about our metabolisms very much.  But the metabolism is a crucial part of our make up that helps us maintain our weight levels and that regulates how the foods we eat provide energy and stamina for the challenges we face every day.  But the situation that might arise in your life where you detect that your metabolism is not functioning as expected would be if you have regulating your diet and exercise with an expectation of weight loss and it simply will not happen.  This may be a symptom of inactivity in your thyroid gland, which is a condition known as hypothyroidism. 

Other symptoms of hypothyroidism might include low sex drive, fatigue, listlessness, poor memory or a shorter temper than usual.  The condition can even result in problems with your skin and yellowing of your teeth and finger and toenails.  The good news is that hypothyroidism is very often the result of low iodine in your system, which can be corrected with supplements that are easy to access and use.  This means that a condition that you might have considered to be chronic may be easily treated so you can return to a healthy lifestyle once the iodine levels in your body are normalized.

The thyroid gland has an important job of regulating the rate at which our bodies burn calories, retain water and nutrients and burn fat.  If the thyroid glad doesn’t get the iodine it needs to operate, it can slow down which causes the body to retain fat and water, which results in weight gain that will not go away.  The resulting slowing of the metabolism means you will feel sluggish, slow witted and you will tire easily.  These symptoms are easy to misdiagnose as a dire disease.  But by having your doctor look at your level of iodine retention and how well your metabolism is functioning, he or she may simply recommend iodine supplements to jump start that thyroid and get you on track to a healthy weight and a healthy lifestyle in no time.

What might be surprising is that the body needs just a small amount of iodine retention to function properly.  In most cases, iodine can be absorbed from foods.  It is present in salts and some types of seafood such as kelp.  So there are natural supplements that can be used to return your body to a healthy iodine level.  But if you are going to pursue a treatment of iodine supplements other than through food therapy, be sure you get a doctor’s guidance because he or she can recommend the necessary vitamins you will need to accompany the increase in iodine and the prescription for your supplements can be tailored so you are not susceptible to iodine overdose.