Vitamins as natural remedies are growing in popularity, as more and more people are looking for natural alternatives to prescriptions drugs.
Vitamins are essential to life. They contribute to our health in numerous ways. They regulate our metabolism and assist in the processes necessary to release energy from the food we eat.
Deficiencies in different vitamins can lead to a variety of health problems and conditions.
The various vitamins and minerals in our bodies work together in a balance that is key to optimal health. As a result, not only is it important to maintain certain levels of each nutrient in our system at all times, it is also critical that we maintain a proper balance proportional to other vitamin and mineral levels as well.
Vitamins fall into two general categories; water soluble and oil soluble.
Water soluble vitamins must be taken into the body on a daily basis, as the body cannot store them. Any excess quantities of these vitamins which are not immediately required by the body are generally disposed of anywhere from 4 hours to one day after consumption. These include vitamin C and the B vitamins.
Oil soluble vitamins can be stored for somewhat longer periods of time in the body's fatty tissues or the liver. While all vitamin supplements work best if taken along with food, this is especially true of the oil soluble ones. Without the presence of oils and fats in our system, the body cannot break them down for absorption. The oil soluble vitamins include Vitamins A,D,E and K.
As a general rule for the best absorption and benefits, oil soluble vitamins should be taken before meals and water soluble ones after meals.
In 1994 The FDA changed the nutritional labeling requirements on foods and supplements from the RDA (recommended dietary allowances) that had been in place up until that time to a new standard called the RDI (reference daily intake).
Unfortunately, the amounts defined by both of these standards are based on the minimum dosages required to ward off certain diseases caused by vitamin deficiencies such as scurvy, night blindness, beriberi, etc. They do not address the amounts required for optimal, vibrant health.
Therefore, as our desire is not to simply help you avoid scurvy, but to assist you in achieving the highest level of health you can obtain, we will be passing on to you the daily dosages for each vitamin which have been determined by numerous scientific studies to be needed by the body to achieve optimal health. Let's call these the ODI's, or optimum daily intakes.
We will also warn you along the way of some potential pitfalls you might stumble into by taking too much of a given nutritional supplement, or by getting your body out of balance with other nutritional levels.
Nutritional supplements come in various forms, including capsules, gel-capsules, tablets, sublingual (under the tongue), powders, lozenges or liquids. For the most part it is a matter of personal preference which form is taken, although people with certain health conditions may find that they absorb the liquid or sublingual forms more readily.
Below is a list of vitamins. Simply click on the specific vitamin to see information on how each one can be used as a natural remedy, the best sources in which to find that particular vitamin, as well as other factors or cautions to be considered when deciding on which types of supplements might work best for you.
Vitamin A
Vitamin B Complex
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine)
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)
Vitamin B3 (Niacin)
Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid)
Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine)
Vitamin B12 (Methylcobalamin)
Biotin
Choline
Folate
Inositol
PABA
Vitamin C
Vitamin D
Vitamin E
Vitamin K
Bioflavenoids
Coenzyme Q10
This information is not intended to diagnose or treat any specific condition, nor is it intended to replace the advice of your healthcare professional.
Balch, Phyllis A., CNC. "Prescription for Nutritional Healing". Garden City, NY.: Avery Publishing Group, 2006
Ritchason, Jack, ND. "The Little Herb Encyclopedia". Pleasant Grove, UT.: Woodland Health Books, 1995
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