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Vitamins are essential food factors. They don’t nourish or provide energy, but enable nourishment to be utilized and energy to be generated. Vitamins are activators and regulators, and when they are present in our foods in adequate amounts, they ensure good health. When vitamins are lacking in our foods, deficiency diseases, like heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis and arthritis, soon manifest themselves. Although the discovery of vitamins goes back to the beginning of the last century, men have long recognized the existence of food factors which cured disease. In 460 B.C. The famous Greek physician Hippocrates correctly advised giving ox liver ( which is rich in vitamin A ) for eye diseases. He also described the disease we know as scurvy, which can be cured with vitamin C. In 1768 Captain James Cook sailed around the earth, a journey that took 3 years. He returned without a single death among his crew from scurvy, which was a remarkable achievement in those days. His secret was : he served his men a drink made of sprouted barley, prepared fresh daily and used liberally. Unknown to Cook, this drink supplied an abundance of vitamin C, which is essential to prevent scurvy. The RDA Levels, which are daily dietary allowances, recommended by the U.S. Government, consisting of Vitamin C (against scurvey) 60mg, Vitamin E, 15 IU and Vitamin D (against Rickets) 200 IU , did a good job to eliminate those diseases, but consuming the RDA’s will not even come close to helping prevent a degenerative disease, and our EPIDEMIC health stats prove that. Here follows a list of the principal members of the vitamin family: Vitamin A This is needed to prevent eye, ear, nose and sinus trouble; it also prevent kidney and bladder ailments, skin disturbances and gall-bladder infections. This vitamin is essential to prevent respiratory ailments, such as bronchitis, coughs, colds, etc.and for colitis and other infections of the intestinal tract. The richest source of vitamin A is fish liver oil. The Vitamin B group: This group comprises at least eleven vitamins, i.e., B1, B2, B6, B12, pantothenic acid, inositol, niacin, folic acid, biotin, para-amino-benzoic acid, choline, and possible others. A lack of these vitamins can have a damaging effect upon the nerves, skin, digestion, appetite, eyes, blood cell supply, muscle tone, and can cause anaemia, headache, migrane, constipation, chronic fatigue and other ailments. The best sources of the B group vitamins are unprocessed cereals. Vitamin B1(thiamin) is needed for overweight conditions, palmitation, headache, irritability, exessive fatigue, and oedema. Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) loses its potency when exposed to light. This vitamin is beneficial for sores or cracks at the corners of the mouth, burning or dryness of the eyes, disorders of the cornea of the eye, burning sensation of the feet and ‘twilight’ blindness. It is useful for cataract in conjunction with vitamin C and E. Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) This vitamin is used for the more serious forms of neuro-muscular and nervous disease, such as disseminated sclerosis, myastenia gravis, muscular distrophy, and Parkinson’s disease; in conjunction with certain other vitamins.It also gives relief in the ‘morning sickness’ of pregnancy. Vitamin B12 was discovered in 1948, and is now being used most successfully (together with other vitamins) to combat pernicious aneamia. This vitamin has several other uses. Beneficial in multiple sclerosis, and other neuro-muscular diseases;in osteo-arthritis, osteoporosis (brittle or soft bones), and skin troubles Choline. The function of choline is to transport fats in the body. When choline is lacking, fats accumulate in the liver and can give rise to cirrhosis of the liver.a rich source of Choline is egg-yolk, liver and wheatgerm. It is also found in peas, cabbage, potatoes, soya beans and spinach. Folic Acid stimulates the normal growth and reproduction of red blood cells in the bone marrow. The principal use of folic acid is to prevent simple anaemia, and it has been used with success to cure this ailment. Folic acid should not be used for pernicious amaenia, for which vitamin B12 is necessairy. Niacinamide (Niacin) has proved beneficial for vertigo, nausia, vomiting, skin lesions, head noises, insomnia, neuritis, tender gums, diarrhoea, depression, and loss of appetite. A severe deficiency of niacinamide can give rise to pellagra.The symptoms of this disease are skin disorders, digestive disturbances, degeneration of the nervous tissue and mental aberrations. Pellagra is common among those whose diet has been deficient in liver, lean meat, milk, eggs and other protein foods, also green vegetables. Pantothenic acid is required for growth and normal functioning of living cells. The richest sources are: liver, yeast and rice polishings. Egg-yoke, peanuts, wheatgerm, molasses, soyabeans, dried peas, and beans are also good sources of this vitamin, which is partially lost by the head of cooking and the use of sodium bicarbonate when cooking vegetables. It is also leached away in the water used for cooking vegetables. Pantothenic acid is very effective for painful burning feet and for the pains of neuritis. It has also been beneficial for inflammation of the intestines and stomach. According to Adelle Davis in “Let’s Eat Right To Keep Fit”, pantothenic acid improves defective memories and ‘appears to offer awards of positive health and perhaps can help to extend youthfulness.’ Para-Amino-Benzoic Acid (PABA) in such serious diseases as lupus and other rare forms of skin disease, together with other vitamins. It is effective in preventing and healing sunburn. Vitamin C is destroyed by cooking. A lack of vitamin C can result in influenza and colds. fragile capillaries, spongy and bleeding gums, joint pains, rheumatism and arthritis, and bone ailments. It is needed for tissue replacement,for cartilage, strong teeth and bones. The best sources of vitamin C are fruits and vegetables. Vitamin D is essential to prevent and cure rickets. It is also required to ensure healthy teeth bones, normal growth and heart function. The effect of sunlight on the oil glands of the skin causes a provitamin called ‘ergosterol’ to be secreted on the surface of the skin. After the ergosterol is acted upon by the ultra-violet rays of the sun, it is converted into vitamin D and absorbed into the body through the skin. Vitamin E. This vitamin is normally present in cerials, and cerial and vegetable oils, before the various refining and actractive processes are commenced. A lack of vitamin E gives rise to serious heart ailments, hypertension, high blood pressure, rheumatic heart trouble, hardening of the arteries, varicose veins and ulcers, loss of muscular power, cataract, kidney and liver ailments, and retinal diseases. Vitamin E strengthens muscular tissue and reduces the body’s requirmentsL for oxygen. It also improves the circulation, dissolves blood clots, and prevent their formation. Vitamin F (Lecithin) – also known as unsaturated fatty acids. The best sources of this vitamin are unprocessed cerial and vegetable oils, such as soyabean oil, wheatgerm oil, peanut oil, olive oil, etc. Lethitin is needed to prevent eczema, dandruff, falling hair, brittle nails, underweight conditions and retarded growth. It is also beneficial in emulsifying cholesterol, a hard and waxy substance that silts up veins and arteries, and leads to hardening of the arteries and thrombosis. Vitamin K. This vitamin is concerned with the normal coagulation of blood. When it is lacking, blood takes longer to coagulate. Vitamin K concentration tends to be low in new born babies, which explains a number of cases of haemorhagic disease in the newly born. It is now usual to give expectant mothers vitamin K injections, late in pregnancy. Vitamin K is found chiefly in the leaves of green vegetables. Vitamin P (the flavenoids), This vitamin comprises hesperidin, rutrin, citrin etc. Hesperidin is a flavenoid extracted from oranges and appears to be more effective when taken with vitamin C, as each supplement reinforces the action of the other, called synergy. Rutin is obtained from buckweat. Extensive clinical research has shown that the flavenoids are necessary to prevent cappilary fragility. When the capillaries are healthy, the absorption of infection from mucous surfaces during the course of the common cold and influenza, is greatly reduced and both ailments are more quickly and easily thrown off.
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multivitamins, essential food factors, vitamin A, vitamin B, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12,
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