Should we be taking supplements in our every day lives? That is a question many may ask. So, should we? My opinion is yes we should. In the fast paced modern world that I and millions of others live in, very rarely do we ingest all the correct vitamins and minerals our bodies need to function correctly. This may not seem a big deal, we live for a long period these days as it is. Modern medicine and treatments from doctors and hospitals are able to help and over come many problems we face. Think about this however, how many of these problems could be prevented in the first place with just a little more care and attention to how we look after ourselves.
Let us take a look at infections for instance. We have all heard the term prevention is better than cure, right? I believe Louis Pasteur said it eloquently on his deathbed, " The host is more important than the invader ". Science has increasingly found that we succumb to bugs / infection far more when our bodies are run down. What causes our immune systems to become run down? Lack of rest and sleep, not eating the correct foods, not getting enough calories, not staying health through activity, not giving our bodies enough of the correct vitamins and minerals. Most of these we can actually pretty easily do for ourselves. We can make the effort to get the correct rest, we are responsible for what we eat, we can also make sure we get enough calories through eating the right foods, also doing healthy activity to keep our bodies fit. Making sure we get the correct daily amounts of vitamins and minerals however is something we will struggle with. The human body will use more vitamins and minerals the more it works, also depending on the type of activity it does too, either physical or mental activity. Remember! the brain also has to be actively used and trained, just like muscles and internal organs.
Supplements I see as one very easy and quick source for providing our bodies with all the correct amounts of vitamins and minerals we need daily. Deficiencies of vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, B12, folic acid, C and E suppresses our immune system, making us more susceptible to infections. B1, B2 and B5 have mild immune-boosting effects. Antioxidants like vitamins A, C, E, zinc selenium help to combat free radicals in the body, vitamin C in large amounts is especially good at fighting off infections. It is the infections that produce oxidizing chemicals ( free radicals ) that fight your own troops of your immune system. Infections come in various forms, there are bacteria, viruses and fungi, as well as parasites. Below is a table giving the nutrients and which infection they work the best with:
Nutrients
Vitamin A - Antioxidant, Immune Booster, Anti-Viral
Betacarotene - Antioxidant, Immune Booster, Anti-Viral
Vitamin C - Antioxidant, Immune Booster, Anti-Viral, Anti-Bacterial
Vitamin E - Antioxidant, Immune Booster
Selenium - Antioxidant, Immune Booster
Zinc - Antioxidant, Immune Booster, Anti-Viral
Iron - Antioxidant, Immune Booster
Manganese - Antioxidant
Copper - Antioxidant
B Vitamins - Antioxidant, Immune Booster
L cysteine - Antioxidant
N-a-cysteine - Antioxidant
Glutathione - Antioxidant
Lysine - Anti-Viral
Aloe Vera - Immune Booster, Anti-Viral, Anti-Bacterial
Astragalus - Antioxidant, Immune Booster
Echinacea - Immune Booster, Anti-Viral
St Johns Wort - Immune Booster, Anti-Bacterial
Garlic - Antioxidant, Immune Booster, Anti-Viral, Anti-Bacterial
Grapefruit seed - Anti-Viral, Anti-Bacterial
Silver - Anti-Viral, Anti-Bacterial
Tea Tree - Anti-Bacterial
Artemisia - Anti-Bacterial
Bee Pollen - Anti-Bacterial
Cat's claw - Antioxidant, Immune Booster, Anti-Viral
Goldenseal - Anti-Bacterial
In closing then, supplements are an essential source for our daily intake of vitamins and minerals. Without supplementation we are very unlikely to be getting enough of what you and I need to help maintain a healthy body, a healthy immune system and thus a healthy life. Something as simple as taking a tablet a day can provide us with enough nutrients to help our bodies combat all that life and ourselves throw at it. Think about it, Health and Wellbeing doesn't have to be difficult. Learn to be kind to yourself, you are most definitely worth it.
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