Vital Wellness

Some doctors who treat people with allergies recommend that their patients get the Daily Value of magnesium, which is 400 milligrams. That’s because population-based studies have suggested that low levels of dietary magnesium are associated with an increased risk of airway reactivity and respiratory symptoms. Research also indicates that high intake cf this essential mineral can improve lung function and reduce the risk of wheez­ing. Read the rest of this entry »

Allergies are versatile. They can show up just about anywhere in your body and create an incredible variety of symptoms. They can

Allergic Reaction

affect your nose, eyes, throat, lungs, stomach, skin, and nervous system. They can make you itch, wheeze, and sneeze, make your nose run and your eyes weep, give you a headache or a bellyache, and even bring on fatigue and depression.

Allergy symptoms occur when your body’s immune system overreacts to substances in your environment. Most people can live with a little cat dan­der, dust, or pollen, for example. But people with allergies have immune systems that can react to just about anything that comes along. Read the rest of this entry »

Aside from a thiamin deficiency, excessive drinking can also cause a defi­ciency of vitamin B6, a nutrient needed for formation of red blood cells as well as reactions involved in normal cell functions.

Pyridoxine, or vitamin B6, is more rapidly eliminated from the body during heavy drinking, over 50 percent of those who drink excessively seem to have defi­ciencies. Eating a well-balanced diet that includes 1.3 milligrams of vitamin B6 can correct the problem, but only if no further alcohol is ever consumed. Good food sources of pyridoxine include meat, fish, poultry, or fortified cereals. Read the rest of this entry »

Although the body produces natural antioxidants to neutralize free radical damage, it doesn’t produce enough to handle the free

Body Cell

radical bombard­ment generated by the modern world. Your body’s natural antioxidant sys­tems were simply not designed to handle rooms full of cigarette smoke, a diet loaded with fat and constant exposure to new and more virulent viruses.

This may change once scientists learn how to alter our genes so that we produce more natural antioxidants. But in the meantime, we do have another option: enhancing our natural antioxidants with synthetic antioxidants—in a word, supplements. Read the rest of this entry »

Ours is a culture with little appreciation for spots. None of us like getting a spot on our record, on our reputation, or on our shirt. And we cer­tainly don’t like seeing spots when we’re looking into a mirror!

But as we age, many of us do begin to see spots, especially on our hands, feet, and face.

And whether we call them liver spots, age spots, or sun spots, the reac­tion is likely the same: We want a spot remover.

Technically known as lentigines, age spots are the result of excess pig­ment being deposited in the skin during years of sun exposure. So along with treatment, dermatologists also recommend avoiding exposure to the sun. Read the rest of this entry »