Nutritional Supplements

Many nutritionists believe that most people should take multiple vitamins the year round as supplements to their diets.

Today, there is a growing trend among health-conscious individuals to take a proactive approach to their own health by taking vitamins, minerals and antioxidants daily.

But why the keen interest in supplements?

There are many reasons: poor quality of food supply; loss of nutrients in cooked food; not eating a healthy diet; stressful lifestyle; and sickness. The supplements are also used by many to slow down the aging process and strengthen the immune system to prevent chronic diseases, like cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and diabetes.

A few years ago, California Institute of Technology, aided by Lockheed Aircraft Corporation, offered proof that most people can benefit from extra vitamins the year round.

They tested a group of healthy men whose ordinary diet was as good as average. Each man was given tablets five days a week for a whole year. Half the men were given multivitamin tablets, while the other half were given placebo (fake tablets of no value).

For the first two months there was no observable difference between the two groups.

But during the following six months, the men who had been receiving vitamin tablets forged ahead. They were absent less and scored higher in merit-rating. The vitamin tablets seemed to have the greatest effect on the workers' emotional well-being. They seemed happier, more alert.

Tidbits. "Most of our dyspepsia or indigestion is simply the irritation due to too much food or drink. It is not a disease, and medicine only adds insult to injury," claims Dr. Peter P. Chase in his book, Your Wonderful Body.

Dr. Victor Heiser, in You're the Doctor, illustrates the dangers of overeating as follows:

"It is as though you owned a boiler designed to burn a ton of coal a day, the amount sufficient to generate steam enough to run your plant. Instead of following instructions, you constantly burn two tons daily. The safety valve is then always blowing off unused steam. You are not only wasting your coal but burning out the boiler. Something similar to this is taking place in the bodies of people who overeat."

Exercise of the week. Here is an excellent reliever for office workers who sit hunched over a desk all day:

Stand erect with both arms stretched out in front. Inhale as you stretch them out to your sides. Then exhale as you slowly swing them back together in front of you. Keep the hands relaxed and feel the pull and stretch from the chest area.

Tighten your abdominal muscles and your buttocks during the process and you will also do wonders for your posture.

Do 8 repetitions the first day, adding a few repetitions each day until you reach 20 reps.

Do the exercise every hour to relieve shoulder and neck tightness.

Lack of sleep can affect your mental abilities. In a series of studies on college students, Dr Robert A. Hicks, Ph.D. found that sleeping less than 6 hours a night can reduce your ability to think creatively, lessen your ability to cope with stress and erode your problem-solving talents.