Vitamin E: Vitamin E improves heart function and helps to limit tissue damage during infection, injury, illness or surgery. Therefore, it is often recommended that supplementation with vitamin E be initiated before a planned surgery, unless you’ve had bleeding issues or a stroke. It can also be helpful after surgery, injury, infection or illness because during these events, oxygen rich blood is temporarily shut off from the damage site. When oxygen is restored to the damaged area, a flood of free radicals and toxins infest the area. Antioxidants such as vitamin E mop up these free radicals and prevent further damage from occurring.

Vitamin A: Vitamin A is necessary for cells to be able to “grow up” and mature. This is very important for tissues to completely heal. Vitamin A works with vitamin C and zinc to produce new tissues and collagen. Vitamin A also aids in creating new blood vessels to nourish newly formed tissues.

Vitamin C: Trauma, surgery, illness, and infection all quickly deplete your vitamin C stores. You may become deficient almost immediately. Vitamin C is a necessary nutrient for the production of collagen and elastin, which are necessary for healing to occur. Collagen makes up the structure of tissues, skin, bones, and blood vessels. Elastin gives the sites the flexibility that they need to withstand swelling, stretching, or future trauma. Vitamin C strengthens the immune system, gives each cell a protective barrier against free radicals, removes damaging free radicals from the body, and helps to prevent and control inflammation. Your doctor may recommend that you supplement with a non-acidic form of vitamin c, like sodium ascorbate vitamin c powder, before and after surgery.

Protein: Generating new tissues requires a lot of protein. Normal protein levels facilitate the formation of fibrous tissues. If there is not enough protein available to properly heal a wound, the body will produce fluid to protect the area while it heals. This leaves people more prone to infections, tissue breakdown and other post-operative complications.

Fiber: Urinary tract and bladder infections are very common after surgery. This is generally because the use of urinary catheters leaves this area open to infection. However, these types of infections can also occur when patients do not drink enough fluids after surgery. While the body is healing, its fluid requirements will be higher. If a high volume of fluid isn’t present, then toxins and bacteria can sit in the bladder too long.

Fiber keeps the bowels moving. This also helps to prevent dehydration and flushes the bladder out regularly. Fiber also helps to strengthen the immune system and reduces inflammation. If infection does occur, fiber can help you to recover faster.

Always remember to discuss any vitamins and supplements that you are taking, or plan to take, with your physician.

About the Author: Phil Le Breton is owner at Wholesale Nutrition. He has a strong interest in helping people achieve greater brain and body health with vitamins and supplements, with an emphasis on vitamin C powder. Wholesale Nutrition has provided the world with the best vitamin C and wholesale vitamins since 1970. Visit http://www.nutri.com to buy high-quality discount vitamins today!

Reprinting: This entire article may be reprinted free of charge provided that the “About the Author” section of the article, sources, and all links in the article are included. For shorter quotations, a clear link to the blog post or Wholesale Nutrition is sufficient.

Sources:

http://www.healthy-vitamin-choice.com/supplements-for-surgery.html

http://inhumanexperiment.blogspot.com/2009/08/protein-vitamins-and-wound-healing.html

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100302171531.htm

http://www.ajcn.org/content/68/2/447S.full.pdf

Autoimmune diseases are characterized by one common thing. They all arise from an overactive immune response to some sort of trigger. The body overreacts to small invaders or dysfunctions and attacks full force, even damaging healthy cells. The immune system can even mistake a normal cell for an invader and take it over. This is what makes autoimmune disorders so hard to treat. A lot of times, by the time they are noticed or diagnosed, healthy tissues have already been damaged.

Autoimmune disorders are normally treated with medications that suppress the immune response. These are called immunosuppression drugs. More than eighty different illnesses are classified as autoimmune diseases or are believed to be caused by autoimmunity, putting autoimmune disorder in the top ten list of leading causes of death among women in age groups up to 65 years of age.

Combating autoimmune diseases starts with creating a “good nutritional foundation over a long period of time”. This can greatly reduce the risk of developing diseases triggered by an autoimmune response. Patients with disorders such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis will usually have low serum levels of beta-carotene, vitamin E, and vitamin A.

Treatments involving inflammation reducing vitamins and supplements have been shown to delay or prevent the onset of autoimmune diseases. Antioxidant treatments can be used to treat symptoms of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases through their anti-inflammatory activity. Vitamin C is a great supplement for helping to create long-lasting protection against the effects of autoimmune disorders. Vitamin C helps cells to protect themselves from immune response attacks. It also helps to calm the immune system, making it more selective about what it considers a foreign pathogen.

Many people choose to prevent the diseases that their autoimmune dysfunction can cause, rather than wait for it to attack and damage healthy tissues. Eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables along with supplementing with antioxidant vitamins can be a great, natural way to control inflammation and prevent disease. Speak with your doctor about monitoring blood serum levels of certain vitamins to make sure that you are getting enough of each. Daily recommendations can change based on the amount of inflammation in your body. Since people with autoimmune disorders generally carry more inflammation, it is important to monitor vitamin levels.

Ask your doctor which supplements will be best for you. Vitamin C is a great way to control inflammation. It is available in many forms, including sodium ascorbate, which is a more bioavailable form of vitamin C than ascorbic acid. It is generally recommended to patients who need to supplement daily because it is a non-acidic form of vitamin C. People with stomach problems or sensitivities to acids generally are more tolerant of sodium ascorbate than other forms of vitamin C. Working with your doctor will help ensure that you choose the best vitamin C for your heath situation.

About the Author: Phil Le Breton is owner at Wholesale Nutrition. He has a strong interest in helping people achieve greater brain and body health with vitamins and supplements, with an emphasis on vitamin C powder. Wholesale Nutrition has provided the world with the best vitamin C and wholesale vitamins since 1970. Visit http://www.nutri.com to buy high-quality discount vitamins today!

Sources:

http://www.lef.org/protocols/prtcl-017.shtml

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/51913.php

Reprinting:

This entire article may be reprinted free of charge provided that the “About the Author” section of the article, sources, and all links in the article are included. For shorter quotations, a clear link to the blog post or Wholesale Nutrition is sufficient.

There are two basic types of fiber; soluble fiber and insoluble fiber. Soluble fiber dissolves in water and forms a gel in your digestive tract that helps lower glucose levels and your LDL (bad) cholesterol levels. Soluble fiber is found in peas, beans, apples, citrus fruits, carrots, barley and psyllium. Insoluble fiber does not dissolve in water and essentially travels through your digestive tract intact. Insoluble fiber is good for relieving constipation, adding bulk to the digestive system, and generally helping things to move along. Whole grains and some vegetables are good sources of insoluble fiber.

Increased amounts of fiber in the diet have been associated with improved blood pressure, reduced inflammation and heart health protection. Soluble fiber has an effect on the immune system that helps to boost immunity and help our bodies to recover faster from infection. Basically, our immune cells are “attack” cells that migrate around attacking whatever they can find that isn’t supposed to be there. This is why immune cells are often referred to as “pro-inflammatory cells”.

In a study done by Gregory Freund at the University of Illinois, soluble fiber was found to increase the production of interleukin-4, an anti-inflammatory protein. He found that this protein production actually “changes the personality of immune cells” from “pro-inflammatory, angry cells to anti-inflammatory, healing cells that help us to recover faster from infection.”

Discovering that soluble fiber has such a profound effect on the immune system brings to light some interesting questions. Freund believes that these findings show us that obesity and inflammatory related diseases, such as diabetes and heart disease, could be avoided with increased soluble fiber intake. When the body becomes obese, it compensates in an effort to protect itself. Fat cells produce hormones to try and combat the inflammation that is caused by the fat cells themselves. Soluble fiber helps to protect obese animals and people from “further inflammatory insults, such as heart attack or stroke”.

Combining anti-inflammatory vitamins and minerals with an increased fiber intake has been shown to significantly improve the strength of the immune system, even calming an over-reactive immune system associated with autoimmune disorders. The good news is that in all of these studies it was found that it didn’t take an exurbanite amount of fiber to reap the benefits. Normal supplemental amounts were found to be very effective. Products such as Wholesale Nutrition’s “Eurofiber” contain vitamin C and a synergistic combination of the best soluble fibers that there are. Add soluble fiber and vitamin C to your diet and see how your health can change.

About the Author: Phil Le Breton is owner at Wholesale Nutrition. He has a strong interest in helping people achieve greater brain and body health with vitamins and supplements, with an emphasis on vitamin C powder. Wholesale Nutrition has provided the world with the best vitamin C and wholesale vitamins since 1970. Visit http://www.nutri.com to buy high-quality discount vitamins today!

Sources:

http://www.nutri.com/index.cfm/product/38_22/eurofiber.cfm?CFID=56282236&CFTOKEN=57335583

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/fiber/NU00033

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100302171531.htm

(OMNS Apr 14, 2011) Scientists have long studied the effects of mega-doses of vitamin C to treat a wide variety of illnesses and diseases. Research documents vitamin C as one of the best antiviral agents available. Vitamin C has been shown to neutralize and eliminate a wide range of toxins, and to enhance host resistance, greatly augmenting the immune system’s ability to neutralize bacterial and fungal infections. Most importantly, there is extensive published research demonstrating vitamin C’s anti-cancer properties. (1)

In the 1970s, Hugh D. Riordan, M.D. and colleagues began studying the underlying causes of cancer and ways to treat cancer in a non-toxic fashion. From this research came the Riordan Intravenous Vitamin C Protocol for Cancer. (2) This protocol is widely recognized in the integrative and orthomolecular medicine community and is commonly used as an effective adjunct to conventional oncologic therapy.

Oncologist Victor Marcial, M.D., has experience using it. He says: “We studied patients with advanced cancer (stage 4). 40 patients received 40,000-75,000 mg intravenously several times a week. . . In addition, they received a diet and other supplements. The initial tumor response rate was achieved in 75% of patients, defined as a 50% reduction or more in tumor size. . . As a radiation oncologist, I also give radiation therapy. Vitamin C has two effects. It increases the beneficial effects of radiation and chemotherapy and decreases the adverse effects. But this is not a subtle effect, is not 15-20%, it’s a dramatic effect. Once you start using IV vitamin C, the effect is so dramatic that it is difficult to go back to not using it.” (3)

In 2009 and 2010, Riordan IV-C and Cancer Symposiums brought together medical professionals, researchers and IV-C practitioners from the United States and abroad. The latest advancements in intravenous vitamin C cancer therapy were presented in detail, recorded on video, and are now available for free access at http://www.riordanclinic.org/education/symposium/2009.shtml (twelve lectures) and http://www.riordanclinic.org/education/symposium/2010.shtml (nine lectures)

OMNS readers are urged to have their physicians (especially oncologists) watch these important presentations.

References:

(1) Free access to full text papers at http://www.riordanclinic.org/research/journal-articles.shtml and also http://orthomolecular.org/library/jom/

(2) Download the Riordan protocol free of charge at http://www.doctoryourself.com/RiordanIVC.pdf or http://www.riordanclinic.org/research/vitaminc/protocol.shtml

(3) Presentation at the Medical Sciences Campus, University of Puerto Rico, April 12, 2010.

Also of Interest:

Video clip: Is Vitamin C Better than Chemo for Cancer? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxveVAMir4o&feature=related or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfJLpPs1gTQ&NR=1

YouTube access to Riordan IV-C Symposium Videos. http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=riordan+ivc+symposium&aq=f

If your hospital or doctors say that they cannot obtain injectable vitamin C: http://www.orthomed.com/civprep.htm or http://www.doctoryourself.com/vitciv.html

If your hospital or doctor says that the hospital will not allow IV vitamin C: http://www.doctoryourself.com/strategies.html

If your hospital or doctor says that IV C is illegal: http://www.doctoryourself.com/VC.NZ.Sept.2010.pdf

En Español:

1) Video de los comentarios del Dr. Victor Marcial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbOXgG998fI

2) Presentan primera gu¡a ortomolecular para el manejo del c ncer: http://www.wapa.tv/noticias.php?nid=20100428195518

Nutritional Medicine is Orthomolecular Medicine

Orthomolecular medicine uses safe, effective nutritional therapy to fight illness. For more information: http://www.orthomolecular.org

The peer-reviewed Orthomolecular Medicine News Service is a non-profit and non-commercial informational resource.

Editorial Review Board:

Ian Brighthope, M.D. (Australia)
Ralph K. Campbell, M.D. (USA)
Carolyn Dean, M.D., N.D. (Canada)
Damien Downing, M.D. (United Kingdom)
Michael Ellis, M.D. (Australia)
Michael Gonzalez, D.Sc., Ph.D. (Puerto Rico)
Steve Hickey, Ph.D. (United Kingdom)
James A. Jackson, Ph.D. (USA)
Bo H. Jonsson, M.D., Ph.D. (Sweden)
Thomas Levy, M.D., J.D. (USA)
Jorge R. Miranda-Massari, Pharm.D. (Puerto Rico)
Erik Paterson, M.D. (Canada)
W. Todd Penberthy, Ph.D. (USA)
Gert E. Shuitemaker, Ph.D. (Netherlands)
Jagan Nathan Vamanan, M.D. (India)

Andrew W. Saul, Ph.D. (USA), Editor and contact person. Email: omns@orthomolecular.org

To Subscribe at no charge: http://www.orthomolecular.org/subscribe.html

All B vitamins are water soluble, as well as vitamin C. These vitamins can be kept at adequate levels by eating whole grains, meat, eggs, fish, milk, vegetables, and citrus fruits. However, water soluble vitamins are very delicate and are often destroyed during food preparation, storage, or when they are heated. Therefore, many nutritionists recommend getting your B and C vitamins from eating raw foods and by taking vitamin supplements.

B vitamins basically help your body turn food into energy. It is common to be deficient in B vitamins for many reasons. Alcohol consumption is one of the leading causes of vitamin B deficiency in the US. Not only does alcohol tax your body and increase the need for certain vitamins, but it draws fluid from your cells making it impossible for the foods that you do eat to mix with enough water to provide you with enough B vitamins.

Grains are a good source of B vitamins. However, a lot of the grains that we eat in the US are refined and processed to the point that they offer little or no nutritional value. If you eat refined grains, make sure that the product you select is “enriched”. This means that thiamin (B1), riboflavin (B2), folate (B9), iron, and niacin (B3) have been added.

B vitamins not only help us to get energy from our food, but they are also vital in almost every other function of the body. They aid in vision, appetite, skin health, red blood cell production, breakdown and absorption of proteins, the formation of hormones, the body’s use of fats, and many neurological functions. Deficiency can cause fatigue, depression, muscle weakness, mental confusion, dermatitis, irritability, anemia, sleep disorders, kidney stones, cramping, numbness, and a loss of appetite.

The last water soluble vitamin is vitamin C, or ascorbic acid. Vitamin C is not produced by the human body and must be consumed in the diet or in supplement form. Vitamin C is most known for its immunity benefits, but it is also responsible for collagen and elastin production in the body. Collagen and elastin are needed to repair vessels, bones, teeth, and other tissues all over the body. Without enough vitamin C, the body is forced to use cholesterol to patch up spots damaged by normal wear and tear, inflammation, or injury. Cholesterol makes a hard, brittle repair, which can put you at higher risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, arthritis, and many other disabling and life threatening conditions.

If you purchase discount vitamins, make sure that they are of a high quality. You can get wholesale vitamins and supplements online. Vitamin C powder is considered to be the best vitamin C on the market because it is highly absorbable and effective. B vitamins should normally be taken as a “B complex” unless your doctor tells you that you are deficient in one type of B vitamin. Always consult with your doctor before starting a vitamins and supplements routine.

About the Author: Phil Le Breton is owner at Wholesale Nutrition. He has a strong interest in helping people achieve greater brain and body health with vitamins and supplements. Wholesale Nutrition has provided the world with discount vitamins and the best vitamin C since 1970. Visit http://www.nutri.com to buy high-quality, low-cost wholesale vitamins today!

Plaque is made of a few different components found in your circulatory system. Calcium, blood clotting materials, cholesterol, fat, and waste products all circulate around your body. When they start to clump together, they get deposited on the walls of the arteries, causing them to harden and narrow over time.

Even if you’re young, you should be concerned with arterial plaque. It generally starts to build during the teenage years and steadily increases as you age. One reason that you may get more plaque is your lack of vitamin C.

Vitamin C is an essential nutrient used in the production of collagen and elastin. Collagen and elastin are needed to repair and maintain the walls of the circulatory system. Veins, arteries and capillaries are all dependant on vitamin C to maintain their strength and integrity. If you don’t get enough, then your body starts using cholesterol to make repairs. Cholesterol creates a more rigid, fragile repair than collagen and elastin do. Collagen and elastin make flexible soft repairs. Maintaining a regular intake of vitamin C helps your body to keep its arterial walls healthy.

Vitamin C has also been shown to not only maintain, but to improve the health of the circulatory system. It has been proven that vitamin C, taken daily, can reduce the amount of plaque build-up on artery walls, over time. This can greatly reduce your risk of heart attack, stroke, and death. Plaque in the coronary artery leads to heart disease and heart attacks. Build up in the carotid artery leads to stroke and reduces the amount of oxygen that your brain receives. If plaque builds up in your legs, you can lose them to infection, experience intense pain, or suffer from numbness of the legs and feet.

Speak with your doctor about the dangers of plaque in your arteries. Have your cholesterol levels checked regularly and ask your physician about a vitamins and supplements routine that can benefit you personally. Vitamin C supplements may be recommended for improving your circulatory system health and removing dangerous plaque from your arteries. The best vitamin C is a highly absorbable, buffered form, generally found as vitamin C powder. Talk with your doctor about which form is best for you.

About the Author: Phil Le Breton is the owner at Wholesale Nutrition. He has a strong interest in helping people achieve greater brain and body health with vitamins and supplements. Wholesale Nutrition has the best vitamin C powder on the market (C-Salts). Visit http://www.nutri.com to buy vitamin C supplements of the highest quality.

Vitamin therapy has proven helpful in controlling seizures with many patients. When used in conjunction with anti-seizure medications, results can be more favorable. Certain vitamins can make the medications more effective, reducing the need for higher dosages. Parents concerned with side effects of the medication are turning to vitamins and supplements to help their children avoid seizure episodes.

One common side effect of the medications is vitamin and mineral deficiency. Deficiencies in vitamin K, vitamin D, and calcium are most common. When levels of these vitamins and minerals are low, the patient is more likely to suffer from immunity problems. Depressive moods, low energy, and tooth decay also commonly result from these deficiencies. Supplementing can help to maintain better mental and physical health, which will also help most children to have fewer seizures.

Many successful trials and studies have been centered around vitamin E therapy. Vitamin E has shown to be especially helpful in reducing seizure activity in children. Adding vitamin E to the anti-seizure drug treatment produced favorable results for many children that didn’t respond to the drug alone.

B vitamins have also shown favorable results. Anti-seizure medications can cause reduced absorption of vitamin B12 and B6. Vitamin B levels should be monitored in children on anti-seizure medications. Without a proper balance of B vitamins in the body, the brain cannot properly supply melatonin and serotonin, both necessary for mood stabilization, proper sleep, and a sense of well-being. Children with lowered or altered levels of B vitamins, melatonin and serotonin are likely to have more seizures than children of the same condition with normal B vitamin levels.

Vitamin C supplements work with vitamin E in the brain to support and protect nerve cells from oxidative damage that can occur when a child is on anti-seizure medication or when a child has a seizure. In fact, studies are now showing that best vitamin C can have an anti-convulsive effect and reduce the amount of free radical peroxides produced by seizures. Vitamin C supplements have shown promise in becoming a normal part of seizure therapy, reducing the occurrence, severity, and damaging effects of seizures.

If you do decide to give your child vitamins and supplements as part of their seizure therapy routine, speak with your neurologist first. Some vitamins can interfere with anti-seizure medications and should be monitored closely. Others may become depleted or are poorly absorbed, so dosages may need to be altered to meet the needs of your child.

About the Author: Phil Le Breton is the owner at Wholesale Nutrition. He has a strong interest in helping people achieve greater brain and body health with vitamins and supplements. Wholesale Nutrition has the best vitamin C powder on the market (C-Salts). Visit http://www.nutri.com to buy vitamin C supplements of the highest quality.

The teen years are an especially important time in development, but they can also be a very stressful time. These are the years when bone is gaining mass, the brain is developing quickly, and hormonal systems are finding their balance. All of these things require proper nutrition and exercise to develop properly.

Free radicals form when cells are exposed to pollutants, food additives, stress, smoking, alcohol and even exercise. Free radicals that come from regular exercise actually help to strengthen the immune system, strengthening the immune system, and making it possible for the body to detoxify and clear out excess free radicals. However, changes in exercise programs, sudden increase in activity, and even only working out every few days puts teenagers at increased risk of damage from oxidative stress.

Oxidative stress occurs when something throws the body out of whack. It causes extra free radicals and peroxides to form in the blood, damaging all parts of every cell that it comes in contact with, including DNA. Teenagers that aren’t armed with the right vitamins and minerals can suffer serious damage internally. Oxidative stress in the teenage years can age organs very quickly, affect brain development, begin the onset of disease, and cause hormonal imbalances that make the teen years even harder to deal with.

Keep in mind what a delicate time the teenage years are. Neurological cells at this age are in an excited state, called long-term potentiation (LTP). LTP allows teenagers to excel in many areas by enhancing the ability of synapses to communicate with each other. However, this sensitivity also makes the brain more vulnerable to damage. Adult brains may recover from free radical attacks, but teenage brains do not. These hyperactive cells are usually killed when exposed to free radicals and toxins.

Teens should follow regular, balanced, exercise programs. Fruits and vegetables, as well as vitamin C supplements, should be consumed daily. If a regular exercise program is not maintained, or if there are not plenty of fruits and vegetables in the diet, then vitamins and supplements may be necessary. Antioxidant vitamins, such as the best vitamin C, beta-carotene, and vitamin E, can help protect cells from free radical damage and prevent oxidative stress. Talk with your child’s doctor about supplementing before you buy vitamins. Have them check your teen’s blood levels of vitamin D, vitamin C, and other common deficiencies. Use the best vitamin C, vitamin E, and other antioxidants to help your teen combat free radical damage.

About the Author: Phil Le Breton is the owner at Wholesale Nutrition. He has a strong interest in helping people achieve greater brain and body health with vitamins and supplements. Wholesale Nutrition has the best vitamin C powder on the market (C-Salts). Visit http://www.nutri.com to buy vitamin C supplements of the highest quality.

Mild depression is often characterized by anxiety, obsessive thoughts or actions, lack of interest in activities that the person used to enjoy, mood swings, and a general blue mood. Changes in your lifestyle, diet, relaxation practices, a regular amount of sleep, and supplementing with certain vitamins and minerals can improve the symptoms of mild depression and help you get your life back. Do some research about your specific symptoms and talk to your doctor before you buy vitamins and supplements.

It is important to keep in mind that vitamins and exercise may not solve all of your problems. Some neurological symptoms may be genetic and therapy and/or medication may be necessary to find relief. However, many vitamins work directly on the neurotransmitters that are affected by these genetic abnormalities and can still be an effective form of treatment. Work with your doctor or therapist because you should not try to combat depression alone. With that said, let’s take a look at which vitamins may be able to help you and why.

Vitamins, such as vitamin D, have proven very useful in combating depression. Vitamin D3 is the more active form of vitamin D and has proven to be helpful in treating mood disorders. Vitamin D is often called the “sunshine vitamin” because our bodies normally produce it when exposed to the sun. However, a lot of things can hinder our production of vitamin D and more people than ever are deficient, despite their sun exposure.

Inadequate levels of B vitamins can cause the nervous system to malfunction, causing many depression symptoms to worsen. B vitamin deficiencies also hinder red blood cell production and the delivery of oxygen to the brain, leading to depression and fatigue. Serotonin production is also hindered by low B vitamin levels. B vitamin deficiencies are most common in patients with severe psychiatric problems. The nervous system and serotonin levels are also hindered by a lack of thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, iron, selenium, vitamin C, and folate.

Many vitamins and minerals have a role in maintaining a healthy mental state, but none so much as vitamin C. Vitamin C facilitates the production of acetylcholine, which has a calming effect on all of the body’s processes. It is also necessary for your body to make serotonin, which is used in regulating anxiety levels, as well as making it possible for you to get recuperative sleep. Vitamin C clears out toxins that affect neurological transmitters and that cause mass inflammation and oxidative stress. It protects all of your cells from damage and invasion, but particularly your brain tissues.

Discuss your symptoms with your doctor before you buy vitamins. A supplement regimen should start with the best vitamin C so that your body can properly synthesize the other vitamins and supplements that your doctor recommends.

About the Author: Phil Le Breton, the owner at Wholesale Nutrition, has a strong interest in helping people achieve greater brain and body health with vitamins and supplements. Wholesale Nutrition has the best vitamin C powder on the market (C-Salts). Visit http://www.nutri.com to buy vitamins or buy supplements of the highest quality.

Vitamins are not a miracle cure for back pain, but they can drastically retard degenerative back diseases, rebuild weakened discs, and even prevent osteoporosis and osteoarthritis. With the proper balance of vitamins and supplements, you can make your spine resistant to disease, injury and avoid years of agonizing pain or disability.

Vitamin D, magnesium, vitamin C, potassium and calcium are building blocks for your bones. Vitamin D helps your bones to absorb calcium. Many Americans do not get enough vitamin D and deficiencies are widespread. We get vitamin D from the sun, but a lot of people do not absorb enough, even in direct sunlight, so supplementation is necessary for many. The same goes for potassium and magnesium, which mineralize in bones, hardening and strengthening them.

Supplementing with calcium is also recommended because we can use up our calcium stores so quickly. Load bearing activities, like walking, also help to increase bone density, so exercise is recommended for most patients that experience back problems. Make sure that you talk to your doctor and have bone density screenings if you experience back pain.

Our bones are constantly replacing and rebuilding themselves. They need collagen and elastin to do this. We cannot produce either without vitamin C. It is estimated that we replace around 10% of our bone mass every year. Just imagine what a year of insufficient nourishment can do to your bones.

Disc problems are extremely painful and can be debilitating. Supplementing with calcium and magnesium for your bones can help with your discs, but you also need vitamin C, B vitamins, zinc and essential fatty acids.

Vitamin C deficiencies account for almost all of the herniated disc cases in the United States. Discs are subjected to more mechanical stress than any other connective tissue. Without enough vitamin C, they cannot repair themselves. Furthermore, the muscles need a lot of vitamin C to function, and if they don’t get enough, they draw nutrients from bone and connective tissues, like intervertebral discs. This quickly depletes them of the nutrients that they need to remain strong.

Muscle strain and weakness add to the stress that our discs must handle. Studies have shown that vitamin C can offer significant relief of muscle and nerve pain in the lower back. It nourishes muscles, making the production of healing collagen and elastin possible.

Discs basically are a tough bubble filled with fluid. The tough exterior is constantly breaking down and has to be rebuilt. If there is not enough vitamin C to make collagen and elastin for the job, then the bubble can develop weak spots and be susceptible to bursting.

Inflammation is also a problem that is often widespread through the body. Inflammation causes the body to use up vitamin C very quickly. Therefore, inflammation is doing more than causing you pain, it is also putting your discs and other connective tissues, like bone, at risk.

Supplementing with the best vitamin C can help control inflammation that causes back pain and spasms. It can also build up discs in your back and help to repair bone. Talk with your doctor about which vitamins and supplements may be right for you before you buy vitamins and you could be on your way to a healthy spine.

About the Author: Phil Le Breton, the owner at Wholesale Nutrition, has a strong interest in helping people achieve greater brain and body health with vitamins and supplements. Wholesale Nutrition has the best vitamin C powder on the market (C-Salts). Visit http://www.nutri.com to buy vitamins or buy supplements of the highest quality.