Currently viewing the category: "supplements"

My Daughter Takes Kids Vitamins

By On · Add Comment · In children, diet, nutrients, nutrition, parents, supplements, vitamins

Most everybody knows that I place a high importance of supplementing with vitamins. I think it’s pretty impossible for the average person to get the full amount of nutrients they need from food alone. It’s possible but unlikely.

So if I think adults need to take vitamins, do you think I feel it’s necessary for children, too? You bet I do; so I make sure my children take their daily vitamins as a supplement to their healthy diets. I like Jarrow Kids Multi because they taste good, and Jarrow products have exactly what their label says they do. They’ve been tested by a third party organization, so I know I’m giving my children the best.

If you want to make sure your children are getting the best nutrition possible, consider supplementing their healthy diets with vitamins. You’ll get to see them grow vibrantly into healthy and energetic little beings. That’s the greatest gift any parent can ask for.

Kids Need Vitamins

By On · Add Comment · In nutritional deficiencies, supplements, vitamins

How stupid would this sound? Most people who exercise don’t really need to; their health status is good already, so exercise is actually overkill. Retarded, right? OK, check this out:

According to a recent study, many children taking vitamin supplements don’t need them because they are not at risk for nutritional deficiencies. Sounds reasonable so far, right? Not to me, but keep reading. The report goes on to say that children who might benefit the most from nutritional supplements, including those with overall poor health or diet, may be the least likely to take them. Alright then, so they’ve established that supplementation is necessary, at least under certain circumstances. Hang in there, this will make sense shortly.

The researchers also say that the children who tend to take vitamins are “the healthiest and most active with a balanced diet.” The conclusion from the researchers, at least as the media is reporting it, is that healthy children receive all their nutrients from their diet, and don’t need supplements. But is that true? I think another possibility is that the healthier children just live healthier lifestyles. Is income and education level a part of the equation? Sure, but equally important is that healthier kids take their vitamins. So isn’t it possible–hang on to your hats now–that taking vitamins adds to the overall level of health?

Duh! Vitamins are important–and this study is just more evidence in support that claim.

*Just so you know, the media has totally misreported the conclusions of this study. Just another example of media distortion of the truth.

Bright Light and Vitamins Help Dementia

By On · Add Comment · In Alzheimer's, antioxidant, dementia, elderly, insomnia, light, melatonin, sleep, sun, supplements

What’s the best thing you can do for a loved one suffering from dementia? Open the shades and let the light shine through during the day, and give them melatonin supplements at night. This according to a recent study out of the Netherlands this month. The research, conducted at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience in Amsterdam, showed that increasing light exposure, either from the sun or from fluorescent lights, along with nightly melatonin supplementation, helped elderly people suffering from dementia improve their sleep, mood, and overall well-being.

The study looked at 189 elderly Dutch women who were split into groups according to whether they were exposed to bright lights, given melatonin supplements, or both. Other groups were given standard Alzheimer’s medication, while others were given nothing at all. They then looked at various mental factors such as cognitive function, mood (as in depression and agitation), and sleep function. The researchers found that the group receiving bright lights and melatonin fared as well as those on the Alzheimer’s medication. Considering the side effects which usually accompany the medication (nausea mostly), these findings offer a great deal of encouragement.

I find this study especially interesting as I believe we can extrapolate these observations to the general population. I highly advocate both regular sun exposure and melatonin supplementation for overall health and well-being. Think about it: the source of all energy in the solar system is our sun. Every plant, animal, microbe, fungus or algae needs energy either directly from the sun, or by consuming another energetic life form. Either way, the energetic chain begins with the sun. Nothing could survive without the life-giving force of our primary star. So why would anybody avoid it? Yes, I know: skin cancer propaganda is at its highest–dermatologist need to market too–but we all need sunlight, plain and simple.

Melatonin is a naturally produced hormone that helps regulate our circadian rhythms, or our sleep cycles (you’ve read about it in The Six Keys To Optimal Health, right?). It is also a great natural remedy for insomnia. Melatonin has many other non-sleep related benefits. For instance, it has antioxidant properties. It has also been studied as a therapy against certain cancers. And it has also shown promise as an agent to boost memory and learning ability. Throw this in with the current findings on dementia, and what you’ve got is a very useful little substance.

One does need to be careful with both sun exposure and melatonin, though. Obviously, too much sun-worship can cause serious health problems. And taking melatonin every day can cause dependence, nasty withdrawals, and sluggishness when taken in too large a concentration. So I recommend taking it a couple time a week only, and then laying off completely for longer stretches, like say a month or so. Other than that, both practices should be highly beneficial and therefore done by everyone.

Natural Cures “They” Don’t Want You to Know About

By On · Add Comment · In Biotape, calcium citrate, Coral Calcium, Dr. Nick Show, FDA, health, health book, infomercials, Kevin Trudeau, Natural Cures "They" Don't Want You to Know About, supplements

This month, on the Dr. Nick Show podcast, I review the mega best selling health book, Natural Cures “They” Don’t Want You to Know About by Kevin Trudeau. Boy, what a blast. This guy is a trip. Read this fantastic article about him from the Washington Post.

Trudeau was banned from selling supplements by the FDA for his false claims about the product Coral Calcium. From what I understand, Coral Calcium is not better than calcium citrate as far as absorption goes, and anyway, Trudeau said it could cure cancer. Dummy! You can’t say that. One, because it’s just not true. And two…well, because it’s not true, and furthermore, people might believe you.

He was also banned from selling any health product on infomercials for both his claims on Coral Calcium and his product Biotape. Biotape, according to Trudeau could cure chronic pain. I don’t think it worked very well. Hmm, I see a pattern here.

So, on to the health book publishing biz. Natural Cures has sold over 5 million copies. Very impressive. And it has been proclaimed the greatest selling health book of all time. Wow! Kudos, man.

Anyway, I don’t think the book is totally useless. Check out my review on the Dr. Nick Show.
Here are some real Natural Cures books:
Enjoy.

Which One Is The One?

By On · Add Comment · In Atkins Diet, burn, calories, diet, exercise, fitness, Jenny Craig, South Beach, supplements, The President's Council on Physical Fitness, The Zone, weight loss, Weight Watchers

Atkins, South Beach, The Zone, Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig – which diet is the best? Well, if you listen to the latest flavor-of-the-month diet guru, then their diet is the best. Want to know one of the quickest ways to riches – write a diet book, open a weight loss clinic, or market your trim slim miracle supplements to a desperate culture. That’s it – instant millionaire.

Just ask Dr. Phil. Or Kevin Trudeau. Ask them about the biggest scam “they don’t want you to know about”. Yup, Dr. Phil discontinued his weight loss program – guess he wanted to keep some sort of credibility. The other guy? He doesn’t care. Trust me – he doesn’t care. To quote Mr. Trudeau, “It’s always about the money.” Uh huh, yeah, whatever.

Here’s the skinny: To lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you take in. To gain weight, you need to take in more calories than you burn. To break even, your calorie intake must equal exactly what you burn. Simple mathematics.

Yes, some diets work for some people. But no diet works for all people. And according to a recent study, many diets work about the same – which is, not very well. Never thought I’d do it, but if I’ve got to endorse a diet, it would be Weight Watchers. Their protocol is to control, or watch, the amount of calories one takes in on a daily basis. Duh! Makes sense to me. And…they offer coaching and support, something I think is absolutely essential.

You can’t do it without exercise either. There are metabolic reasons for this – you can read about them in detail in my upcoming book, The Six Keys To Optimal Health -but suffice it to say that without a fitness routine to help you burn calories, you won’t find success by dieting alone.

See what the The President’s Council on Physical Fitness has to say about it.

Copyright © 2013 Dr. Nick Campos - All Rights Reserved.