Vitamins For Dummies E-Book

Christopher Hobbs

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 564

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2011

Beschreibung

"Christopher Hobbs and Elson Haas...take a complicated field and...make sense of it." --Ron Lawrence, MD, PhD, Director, Council on Natural Nutrition Don't forget to take your vitamins! It's good advice. But everybody's needs are different. Age, lifestyle, gender, ethnicity, diet, and habits all play a role in determining which vitamins and minerals you need more or less of in your diet. Like traffic lights, vitamins help regulate your body' most basic functions at the cellular level. And just like those red, green and amber beacons, they must be synchronized--not too many or too few--to get you through your life's journey in good shape. Now Vitamins For Dummies shows you how to have green lights all the way. Confused by vitamins? Mystified by minerals? Can't tell the difference between gingko and ginseng? In this straight-talking guide, two experts cut through the confusion and help you: * Get a handle on what each vitamin mineral and supplement does * Create a personalized supplement program * Understand the fine print on the labels * Combat or prevent specific ailments * Enhance memory, mood, and energy * Slow the aging progress Drawing upon their years of experience in clinical practice as well as the latest scientific research into nutritional supplements, Chris Hobbs and Elson Haas, MD, tell you, in plain English, what you need to know to make informed decisions about which supplements you take. They cover: * The ABCs of vitamins * All about minerals * Amino acids and proteins--the body's building blocks * The importance of fats and oils * Common supplements for digestion * Super-foods and other great supplements * The top 40 herbal supplements As an added bonus, Vitamins For Dummies features a quick-reference, A-to-Z guide to treatments for 90 common complaints. From acne to motion sickness to varicose veins, the authors describe complete healing programs that include vitamin, mineral and herbal supplements and lifestyle changes. Your complete A-to-Zinc guide to vitamins, minerals, herbs and other nutritional supplements, Vitamins For Dummies is your ticket to good health and long life.

Leseprobe

Vitamins For Dummies

by Christopher Hobbs, L.Ac, and Elson Haas, M.D.

VitaminsFor Dummies‚

Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc.111 River St. Hoboken, NJ 07030 www.wiley.com

Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Control Number: 99-65859

ISBN: 978-0-7645-5179-6

Manufactured in the United States of America

15 14 13 12 11 10

1O/RV/RR/QY/IN

About the Authors

Christopher Hobbs, L.Ac., is a fourth-generation herbalist and botanist — his grandmother and great-grandmother were professional herbalists, and his father and great-uncle were professors of botany — with over 30 years experience with herbs. He studied acupuncture, Chinese herbs, and Chinese medicine at Michael and Lesley Tierra’s East-West Acupuncture Program, Five Branches Institute of Traditional Medicine in Santa Cruz, and The Hangzhou School of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Hangzhou, China, earning his license in acupuncture in 1995. In 1989, he founded the American School of Herbalism in Santa Cruz, California (with Michael Tierra, O.M.D., L.Ac.) to educate professional and lay persons in the safe use of medicinal plants. He is currently the director of the Christopher Hobbs Clinic of Phytotherapy and Acupuncture, as a licensed primary health care provider in California.

In 1985, Christopher co-founded the American Herbalists Guild, the only national U.S. organization for professional herbalists, and along with David Winston, is a senior member on the admissions committee. As a consultant to the herb and natural foods industry, he was vice president and a board of trustee member of the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) for seven years, has formulated many nationally-sold products, and is a member of a number of top companies. In 1984, he started a line of herbal products now known as Rainbow Light Herbal Systems. Christopher has acted as director of herbal formulations for Rainbow Light since 1984. He currently consults for the pharmaceutical and natural products industry and is a major contributor to the successful herbal Web site, www.allherb.com. Christopher is a member of the Society for Medicinal Plants, the Society for Economic Botany, and the Society for Ethnobiology. He has lectured at Yale and Stanford Medical Schools; is a regular teacher at the University of California, Santa Cruz; and has taught at numerous schools, conventions, and symposia throughout the United States, Canada, Australia, and Europe. Christopher regularly contributes a clinic column in Herbs for Health, and his articles have appeared in HerbalGram, Natural Health, Vegetarian Times, Let’s Live, and other national health magazines. Christopher is currently on the advisory boards of the American Botanical Council, United Plant Savers, Let’s Live magazine, Herbs for Health, and other organizations and magazines. He owns one of the most extensive private libraries on medicinal plants, with over 6,000 volumes, including herb books that date from the sixteenth century. He is in the process of developing a medicinal plant preserve and educational center called the Living Farmacy.

Elson Haas, M.D., has been in medical practice for over 25 years and has helped develop the field he refers to as Integrated Medicine. He is the founder and director of the Preventive Medical Center of Marin, an integrated health care facility in San Rafael, California, where he specializes in Nutritional Medicine and Detoxification. He is also the author of five previous books on health and nutrition: Staying Healthy With the Seasons, Staying Healthy With Nutrition, A Diet for All Seasons, The Detox Diet, and The Staying Healthy Shopper’s Guide.

After his graduation from the University of Michigan Medical School in 1972, Elson received his further training in Northern California, where he has since resided. After his internship, he began further studies in many health-related fields — nutrition, herbology, Oriental medicine, exercise physiology, body therapies, and mind-body medicine — fulfilling his goal to learn something about health and healing after so many years of studying disease. Over the last two decades, Dr. Haas has incorporated, or to use a better word, “integrated,” these many healing disciplines into his family medical practice. He wrote about this process in his first book, Staying Healthy with the Seasons, published in 1981 and now in its 22nd printing.

With the great progress, awareness, and acceptance of nutritional and alternative medicine, Haas has been in the midst of this rapidly growing field. The wide availability and utilization of the thousand of products now available on the shelves of many types of stores is what makes Vitamins For Dummies essential reading to assist people in interpreting this complex field in order to achieve the great health and longevity benefits of supplementation.

Dr. Haas travels and teaches nationally and appears on numerous radio shows. He is a professional consultant for many health writers and magazines, including Natural Health, Women’s World, and Let’s Live. His upcoming book, published by Ballantine Books, is titled The False Fat Diet, about food allergies and reactions and their association to body swelling and weight. Elson lives on a farm in Northern California where he raises food and animals (llamas, ducks, guinea pigs — his idol is Dr. Doolittle, after all!) with his wife and their two children.

Contact Dr. Elson Haas and sign up for his free newsletter and receive other health information at his Web site, www.elsonhaas.com

Dedication

I dedicate this book to Beth, my partner in crime and a few legal activities (like writing this book) as well. Beth has supported me through tough times and shared in the joy of many fun and loving times, too. Our mutual love of plants, mushrooms, walking in the woods, and a life and home in nature with wild animals and plants brings extra beauty to each of our lives. We make a good team, and we still are able to be kids together and keep our sense of humor about life, at least most of the time. The miracle to me is that Beth has been able to put up with all my eccentricities (a nice way of putting it) and still keeps loving me. For this I’m forever grateful and blessed.

- Christopher Hobbs

I want to thank my wife Tara and our children for supporting me and allowing me to take the time needed on the computer and phone to complete Vitamins For Dummies. Even though there always seems to be so much to do, they remind me how important it is to take time to play, love one another, and generally keep the balance in my life.

- Elson Haas

Author’s Acknowledgments

I want to express my appreciation to Stephen Brown, N.D., my long-time friend, and scientific advisor for much of this work. His incredible knowledge of the medical and nutritional literature is amazing, and even more, his ability to evaluate the quality and bottom line of many diverse studies was extremely valuable in the writing of this book. We wanted to write a book that was fun to use, easy to read, accessible and practical, and more, could clearly separate the supplements that really have some demonstrated effects from the ones mainly promoted by manufacturers for profit, but that had no history of use or proven benefits. Vitamins For Dummies comes much closer to this ideal goal because of his efforts.

My partner Beth contributed greatly to this project in every way as editor, writer, compiler, and researcher.

I want to also acknowledge my co-author, Dr. Elson Haas. Elson has been a complete joy to work with. He helped keep the project on track and was always encouraging us with frequent communication to make sure we were meeting our time and content commitments. My belief that the two worlds of modern medicine and natural healing and herbalism are coming together is supported by the similarity of our philosophical and practical approaches to healing. Of course, Elson has lived and written about natural healing and herbal medicine for many years, and we both believe that whole foods, a good diet, regular exercise, and other good health habits always come first before supplements, no matter how helpful they may be.

Western medicine is then saved for crisis care and technological advances, not for maintaining health. That’s up to each of us in our daily acts!

I also give humble thanks to my teachers, Paul C. Bragg, and my mother, Eli, who taught me much about nutrition and health.

Our editor, Stacey Mickelbart, was super-efficient and energetically-compatible throughout the project. I respect her skills as a writer, editor, and project manager. Her help and support, and the help of her editorial assistants, made the writing of Vitamins For Dummies an enjoyable experience.

Thanks to all our technical editors, especially Dr. Donald R. Davis for his invaluable input.

Publisher’s Acknowledgments

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Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:

Acquisitions, Editorial, and Media Development

Associate Project Editor: Stacey Mickelbart

Acquisitions Editor: Tammerly Booth

Copy Editor(s): Elizabeth Netedu Kuball, Rowena Rappaport, Janet M. Withers

Technical Editor(s): Dr. Donald Davis, Hâle Deniz-Venturi, Dr. John Fitzloff, Dr. Ronald Hunninghake

Acquisitions Coordinator: Karen S. Young

Editorial Assistant: Nívea C. Strickland

Illustrations: D.D. Dowden

Composition Services

Project Coordinator: E. Shawn Aylsworth

Layout and Graphics: Angela F. Hunckler, Kate Jenkins, Jill Piscitelli, Brent Savage, Janet Seib, Michael A. Sullivan, Maggie Ubertini, Mary Jo Weis, Dan Whetstine

Proofreaders: Vickie Broyles, Nancy Price, Marianne Santy

Indexer: Tech Indexing

Publishing and Editorial for Consumer Dummies

Diane Graves Steele, Vice President and Publisher, Consumer Dummies

Joyce Pepple, Acquisitions Director, Consumer Dummies

Kristin A. Cocks, Product Development Director, Consumer Dummies

Michael Spring, Vice President and Publisher, Travel

Brice Gosnell, Publishing Director, Travel

Suzanne Jannetta, Editorial Director, Travel

Publishing for Technology Dummies

Andy Cummings, Acquisitions Director

Composition Services

Gerry Fahey, Executive Director of Production Services

Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services

Contents

Title

Introduction

About This Book

How This Book Is Organized

Icons Used in This Book

Where to Go from Here

Part I : Starting Out with Supplements

Chapter 1: Supplement ABCs

Pills and More Pills — Why Bother?

Factors to Consider When You Choose Your Supplements

The Best Way to Take Supplements — Every Day!

Get the FAQs about Taking Supplements

The Supplements We Take

Chapter 2: Getting Nutrients from Food and Popular Therapeutic Diets

Vegetarian or Vegan Diet

Allergy-Elimination Diet

Cleansing Diet

Protein and Energy-Building Diet

Modified Macrobiotic Diet

Heart Healthy Diet

Life-Extension Plan

Part II : Looking and Feeling Great with Supplements!

Chapter 3: Vitamins: The ABCs

Using Vitamins to Improve Body Functions

Vitamin A and Beta-Carotene

Vitamin D

Vitamin E

Vitamin K

To B or Not to B: The B Family Vitamins

Vitamin C

Bioflavonoids

Chapter 4: Minerals — Mining the Earth’s Nutrients

Using Minerals to Improve Body Functions

The Macrominerals

The Trace Minerals

Heavy Metals — Something to Listen To

Chapter 5: Building Blocks: Amino Acids and Proteins

Alanine: An Energy Source

Arginine: For Male Fertility

Aspartic Acid: For Mineral Absorption

Carnitine: Generating Energy

Cysteine: A Protector and Detoxifier

Glutamic Acid: Help for Alcohol and Sugar Cravings

Glutathione: The Antioxidant Amino

Glycine: For Detoxifying and Wound-Healing

Histidine: For Allergies

Isoleucine: For Building Muscle

Leucine: Helps Wounds Heal

Lysine: For Cold Sores

Methionine: Supporting Your Liver

Ornithine: Another Muscle-Builder

Phenylalanine: Helping Your Mood

Proline: For Healing Injuries

Serine: Building Healthy Cells

Taurine: For a Healthy Heart and Nerves

Threonine: A Muscle Relaxant

Tryptophan: Treating Depression and Insomnia

Tyrosine: The Antidepressant Amino

Valine: For Muscle Power

Chapter 6: Fats and Oils: The Good, the Bad, and the Oily

The Basic Fats of Life

The Essentials of Essential Fatty Acids

Benefiting from Fat and Oil Supplements

Two Fun and Healthy Ways to Get Your Fats

Chapter 7: Hormones — Not Just a Teenage Craze

DHEA

Estrogen

Hydrocortisone

Melatonin

Phytoestrogens

Pregnenolone

Progesterone

Chapter 8: Common Supplements for Digestion

Hydrochloric Acid

Digestive Enzymes: Amylases, Lipases, and Proteases

Bromelain and Papain

Green Papaya Salad

Probiotics: Acidophilus and Other Beneficial Bacteria

Herbal Digestive Supplements

Chapter 9: Superfoods and Other Great Supplements

Superfoods: Green Power and Bee Power

Green and Lean Power Drink

Coenzyme Q-10: The Fountain of Youth?

Building Cartilage with Glucosamine Sulfate and Chondroitin Sulfate

Creatine

Dimethylglycine (DMG) and Trimethylglycine (TMG)

Other Helpful Supplements

Chapter 10: Herbal Supplements: The Herbal Top 40

Aloe Vera (Aloe barbadensis)

Black Cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa)

Burdock (Arctium lappa)

Calendula (Calendula officinalis)

Cascara (Cascara sagrada)

Cayenne (Capsicum annuum)

Chamomile, German (Matricaria recutita)

Cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon)

Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)

Echinacea (Echinacea angustifolia, E. purpurea)

Elder (Sambucus nigra)

Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium)

Garlic (Allium sativum)

Ginger (Zingiber officinalis)

Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba)

Ginseng (Panax quinquefolius, Panax ginseng)

Golden Seal (Hydrastis canadensis)

Hawthorn (Crataegus oxycantha)

Horse Chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum)

Kava (Piper methysticum)

Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra)

Marshmallow (Althaea officinalis)

Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum)

Mullein (Verbascum thapsus)

Nettle (Urtica dioica)

Parsley (Petroselinum crispum)

Peppermint (Mentha arvensis)

Plantain (Plantago major, P. lanceolata)

Psyllium (Plantago ovata)

Red Clover (Trifolium pratense)

Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum)

Saw Palmetto (Serenoa repens)

Senna (Cassia spp.)

Siberian Ginseng (Eleutherococcus senticosus)

Slippery Elm (Ulmus fulva)

St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum)

Turmeric (Curcuma longa)

Valerian (Valeriana spp.)

Vitex (Vitex agnus-castus)

White Willow Bark (Salix spp.)

Wild Cherry (Prunus serotina)

Yerba Santa (Eriodictyon californica)

Part III : Supplements for Everyone

Chapter 11: Get with the Program — Supplements for Your Needs

A General Supplement Program

A Program for Women

A Program for a Healthy Pregnancy

A Program for Men

A Program for Weight Control

A Program to Support Your Immune System

A Program for Athletes and Physical Fitness

A Program to Increase Sexual Energy

A Program for Healthy Infants and Kids

A Program for Adolescents

A Program for Vegetarians

A Program for Junk-Food Junkies

A Program for Energy Enhancement

A Program to Aid Your Brain and Memory

A Program to Improve Your Mental Health

Chapter 12: As Young as You Wanna Be: Nutrition and Supplements for Longevity

A Quiz to Determine Your Aging Rate

The Indispensable Dozen: 12 Factors That Influence Aging

Supplements for Anti-Aging

Herbs for Anti-Aging

Part IV : The Part of Tens

Chapter 13: The Ten Most Effective Supplements

E and C: The Antioxidant Vitamins

The Mighty Bs: The Activity Vitamins

Calcium and Magnesium for Strong Bones and Calm Nerves

Grape Seed Extract and Green Tea Extract: The Special Antioxidants

Flaxseed Oil and Flaxseed Meal

Genistein and Daidzein: The Phytoestrogens

Spirulina and Nutritional Yeast: The Superfoods

Milk Thistle: The Liver Protector

Ginsengs: Energy Boosters and Stress Relievers

Garlic: The Smelly Savior

Chapter 14: The Ten Most Common Nutritional Deficiencies

Calcium

Folic Acid

Iron

Magnesium

Vitamin B-6

Vitamin B-12

Vitamin C

Vitamin D

Essential Amino Acids

Essential Fatty Acids

Chapter 15: Ten Common Questions and Answers about Supplements

Are Supplements Safe?

How Do Supplements Interact with the Drugs I’m Taking?

How Effective Are Supplements? Is There Any Scientific Proof That They Work?

How Long Should I Take Vitamins?

When Is the Best Time to Take Supplements?

How Much Do I Take?

What Manufacturing Guidelines Do Supplement Companies Follow?

How Do I Judge the Quality of Ingredients?

Where Do the Vitamins, Minerals, Herbs, and Other Ingredients Come From?

How Do I Pick the Best Brands?

Part V :

Complete Healing Programs for Common Diseases and Symptoms

Reference Guide: Complete Healing Programs for Common Diseases and Symptoms

Acne

Alcoholism

Allergies (Hay Fever)

Alzheimer’s Disease

Anemia

Anorexia (Loss of Appetite)

Anxiety (Panic Disorder)

Arteriosclerosis

Arthritis, Rheumatoid

Asthma

Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)

Back Pain and Strain

Bad Breath

Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy (BPH, or Enlarged Prostate)

Bladder Infection (Cystitis)

Breast Cancer

Breast Disease (Benign)

Bronchitis

Bruising

Burns

Bursitis

Caffeine Addiction/Detoxification

Cancer

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Cataracts

Cervical Dysplasia

Colds

Conjunctivitis or Pinkeye

Constipation

Cough

Cuts

Dandruff

Depression

Dermatitis

Diabetes

Diarrhea

Diverticulitis

Dry Skin

Eczema

Edema

Endometriosis

Epilepsy

Fainting

Fatigue

Fever

Fibrocystic Breast Disease

Fibroids

Flu

Food Poisoning

Hair Loss

Hay Fever

Headache, Migraine

Headache, Tension

Heart Attack

Heartburn

Hemorrhoids

Hepatitis

Herpes Simplex

High Blood Pressure

High Cholesterol

Hypothyroidism

Hypoglycemia

Indigestion (Dyspepsia)

Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Insomnia

Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Itching

Jet Lag

Laryngitis

Lyme Disease

Memory Loss

Menopause

Menstrual Cramps

Motion Sickness

Mononucleosis

Muscle Strain

Nausea and Vomiting

Nicotine Addiction and Withdrawal

Obesity

Osteoarthritis

Osteoporosis

Parasites

Pneumonia

Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)

Psoriasis

Shingles

Sinusitis

Sore Throat

Sprains and Strains

Tendinitis (Also Tennis Elbow)

Tinnitus (Ringing in the Ears)

Vaginitis: Yeast, Trichomonas, Bacterial

Varicose Veins

Appendix: Resources

Vitamin Products

Online Vitamin and Herb Information

Associations

Periodicals

Education

Software

Introduction

C ongratulations! If you picked up Vitamins For Dummies

Scientists agree that developing healthy habits can keep us feeling young longer and extend the years we have to enjoy all that life has to offer. But not all scientists agree that taking vitamins, minerals, and herbs, much less enzymes or hormones like DHEA, extends your life and prevents or treats disease. Hundreds of exciting new scientific studies show how the regular use of dietary supplements like vitamin E can promote good health and prevent disease, but these studies are scattered on the Web and in vast shelves of journals in medical libraries, and may not be easy to reach or understand.

To write Vitamins For Dummies, we reviewed thousands of studies and combined our 60 years of personal use, clinical practice, and research experience to help you make informed choices about dietary supplements. Although we’re always keeping an eye on the safety of supplements, we point out effective programs, including therapeutic diets and other healthy habits, to help you stay young and enjoy life longer than ever before.