Month: May 2021

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Confused about what to take for Neuropathy relief?

If you go on line and search for “natural remedies or treatments for neuropathy”, you’ll find all sorts of different vitamins and herbs talked about. One says to take this, and another one says no, you take this, or maybe this and that.   Do you take everything?  Is it confusing?  Well, maybe there is a way to sort it out.

You have to first look at what the problem really is.   No matter what the cause of the neuropathy, it is nerve damage.  The nerve has been damaged and the body needs to repair that damage.  They body will do that, if fixes cuts all the time.   But why doesn’t it just fix the damaged nerve that is giving you those stabbing pains, or the burning, tingling, and many other symptoms of this damage?

In actuality, the body can replace damaged nerves, if it didn’t do this whenever you cut your finger, you would get a numb spot because the nerve wouldn’t be working.   Then why does neuropathy develop to a point where the body doesn’t build healthy nerves and in some cases continues to get worse.

If you damage a nerve when you cut your finger, the body uses specific nutrients (vitamins) to repair the nerve.   However, it can only use the vitamins that are available. If there is significant damage to the nerves – such as damage caused by continuous high blood sugar in diabetes, a major trauma from a car wreck,  damage from bacteria or viral infections, etc., your body may not have sufficient amounts of the nutrients it needs to repair the nerve.

You may not be getting sufficient vitamins from the food you eat.  And the vitamins needed (mostly B vitamins) can get used up by other environmental factors, such as riding the body of toxins from foods and the air we breathe,  drinking beverages with caffeine, smoking, physical and mental stress and many other things that use up B vitamins. In fact, sometimes when the doctor says that the neuropathy is from unknown causes, it could be from a number of the factors that can create nerve damage, which means the body is fighting a big battle and needs a lot more vitamins then are usually available.

What is actually needed?

The B vitamins – B1 and B12 are vital to building healthy nerves.   Folic acid is needed to activate the B12.  You need D3.   You also need B2 and B6 in small quantities.

Now you also have to understand that B vitamins are usually water soluble.   This means that they wash out of the body rather quickly.   And you have to remember that the body is in need of these vitamins in its quest to build healthy nerves.  It’s having a hard time getting enough.

There are, however, forms of these B vitamins that are fat soluble and thus when the body breaks it down, the B vitamins are delivered into the blood stream (don’t let the fat soluble fool you, it won’t store in the body, it breaks down) and in the process, the cells get the much needed B vitamins.  There are also forms of B vitamins that are much more easily assimilated by the body

No, the body doesn’t need herbs, or other fatty acids to fix the nerves.  It might bring temporary relief but you have to keep taking it.    It needs its normal building blocks – vitamins – to re-build the nerves.

You can check our website www.mcvitamins.com for articles about the different types of solutions to this and many other problems.   Just go to our Search box and type in what you want to know.

To your health!

RELIEF?
For treating neuropathy go to this article on Neuropathy Relief
Yes, they have success stores and are doctor recommended.

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You have to Check the Labels, and more – Healthy Foods

There was a time when shopping at a Health Food Store pretty much assured that you got whole foods without pesticides, hidden sugars or chemicals.   That time has passed.

It is now popular to be natural and healthy.   But once something becomes popular, you are now assured that there are marketers out there that are looking to trick you into buying their products.

First you have to check the labels on any processed foods.  What is really in them?  Make sure you know what each of the ingredients mean.   An example is MSG, which has a long list of of names that actually mean they include MSG.

Emergen-C has been around for a long time.  It’s quite popular.   The company has been bought out by a drug company – Pfizer.   Yes, the world’s biggest drug company.  Pfizer has a history of health care fraud and illegal marketing of its products now wants to sell you Vitamin C.   Their big name multi-vitamin is Centrum.   This is a popular brand due to their advertising, but is actually a collection of man-made vitamins created in the lab.   In fact, people complain about side effects from taking Centrum including headaches and gassy stomach.    What will they do to the vitamin C formula?

Do you like fruit juices?  You can buy many different combinations that sound delicious and are touted as healthy.  But are they what they say they are?   Naked Juice is a popular brand which is owned by the Pepsi Cola Company.  There is a lawsuit due to the fact that their advertising states they are natural but their ingredients are not.  They are being sued for using GMOs and synthetic substances in its “Non-GMO” and “All-Natural” products.  They are hardly “all natural”.

There are more.  The bottom line is that you have to be careful about any processed foods and supplements that you buy.   You have to check the labels.

Here is a site that gives you information on GMO Foods http://www.nongmoshoppingguide.com/

On supplements, remember to look for whole food supplements, the type that your body recognizes as food, not made in a laboratory.    Some info is here http://www.mcvitamins.com/natural-vs-synthetic.htm

And for that long list of names that mean MSG   http://www.mcvitamins.com/Causes%20of%20Neuropathy/toxins-cause-neuropathy.htm#A    Boy, was I upset when I found a “homemade” soup at a health food store that I liked and checked the ingredients.  Yes, one of the ingredients listed was another name for MSG.  You have to be vigilant.

To your health!

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What is the Cause of your Neuropathy?

I’ve heard time and time again, from someone suffering from neuropathy, that they don’t know the cause of their neuropathy, and that it was called idiopathic neuropathy by their doctor. That’s just a fancy word for not knowing the cause.

There is a long list of possible causes of neuropathy.   Neuropathy means nerve damage and any way in which a nerve can be damaged, can be the cause.   It is even found that sometimes there was some earlier nerve damage, but not enough for someone to notice until something else contributed to the damage and then it became obvious that something was wrong.   So you can have more than one cause of neuropathy.  It is sometimes a combination of things

Why is it important to know what caused the neuropathy?

When it comes to fixing the nerve damage, the cause doesn’t matter.   The body needs specific tools (nutrients in the form of specific vitamins) in order to repair the damaged nerve, however, knowing the cause or causes of the damage is important.

If something is causing nerve damage, it can continue to cause nerve damage and the condition can get worse.  With diabetes, its fairly simple, keep the blood sugars low so more damage is not created.   If you are continually exposed to a toxin that can cause nerve damage, you would stay away from that toxin.

An example:  If there are toxic chemicals in the person’s environment (cleaning or maybe paints, etc.), and the person is not aware that it can cause nerve damage, and they don’t stop doing whatever it is that is creating the problem then the condition just gets worse.    A painter constantly exposed to his chemicals can get nerve damage but it might not be enough to notice until a second cause is introduced, perhaps he has a food allergy and the food thus becomes toxic to him.   Now he has two causes, and he begins to know something is wrong.

There are many variations to this.    Maybe the painter instead of a food allergy is given a medication that has a possible side effect of nerve damage again he now begins to feel symptoms as the earlier damage is made worse.

There are things that cause neuropathy, they are definable and can be addressed to stop any more damage.

We have a page on the website McVitamins.com that gives you a list of all the possible things that are known to cause neuropathy.    When you see the various causes, you can spot the cause or you can locate the combination of things that create this problem.

You can see the list here http://www.mcvitamins.com/neuropathy-risk-factors-nerve-pain.htm

Here’s to your health.

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How do you get good health when you lead a Fast Food Lifestyle?

In the 1950s, a movement was created to free the housewife of all the long hours of work it took to run a household. New gadgets abounded which helped her to cook and clean. If you look at the ads of the day, we find the latest modern convenience being advertised with this goal in mind. New types of dryers, new types of cookware, portable TVs, coffee makers, vacuum cleaners, etc. etc. Portable TVs seems to enable the housewife to watch TV wherever she was and thus be able to see the latest TV ads telling her what else she could buy to free up her time.

There were ads for new types of fabrics that you don’t have to iron. There were ads for the latest cleaning agents that cleaned things with less work. Little is said about the toxins that were added to the cookware, fabrics and cleaning solutions, but it makes things quicker.

Then the food industry caught on. Although already delivering canned and frozen foods, they started developing packaged foods, processed foods, instant cake mixes, instant coffee, and other instant types of beverages which helped shorten the time being spent on cooking. Nothing is said about what is added to the foods to keep them on the shelf longer or to enable them to be instant, etc. etc. but time spent cooking was shortened.

Then in the 60s, fast food restaurants opened up. Now you could herd you family into the local restaurant and for a minimum expense feed them. Of course, you were actually feeding them minimal nutrition as well, but it saved time.

So, yes, now that we are used to this, how do you reverse it and actually get food that is healthy but doesn’t take a long time to prepare. I’ve tried buying cooked foods at my local health food store, which is better than elsewhere but tends to be redundant, doesn’t really give you the foods that you want to eat, and you have to check the small print next to the printed of the food to be certain there isn’t something in the food that you don’t feel good about putting in your body. I’m always looking for evaporated cane juice which seems to be considered an okay way to assimilate sugar, or for the various names that MSG is called.

Yes, we are going to have to use those modern gadgets to figure out if they can make our cooking faster (mixers, food processors and vegetable juicers do help), but we really do have to confront preparing foods to get the most out of what we put into our mouths.

To your health,

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Is Organic Produce Worth The Extra Cost? by Gretchen Scalpi

Found this article and wanted to pass it forward.

Is Organic Produce Worth The Extra Cost?

We all know it’s better to eat more fruit and vegetables. But concerns about the safety of conventionally grown produce versus organically grown always comes up as well.

When produce is organic, it means that it has been produced without using chemical fertilizers or pesticides. There are some compelling reasons why people choose to buy organic produce. The main reason to eat organic produce is to avoid the pesticide residue left on foods. Hands down, organically raised food is better for the environment. Absence of pesticides results in healthier soil, water, and wildlife. Buying organically grown produce supports small farmers and contributes to biodiversity.

Some people choose organic produce because they believe it has a higher nutritional value than commercially grown produce. The comparisons of nutritional content between food organically grown and conventionally grown produce, however, shows little difference. Consider also that much of the produce we buy today is not always locally grown. We have many fruits and vegetables to choose from year round because they have been shipped from other parts of the country (or the world). The fact that a fruit or vegetable is organic does not necessarily translate to nutritional superiority simply because it’s organic. If shipped from far away, it may already be past its nutritional peak.

For many health conscious families, the purchase of organic produce is cost prohibitive. As much as they would like to eat more organically grown food, they simply cannot afford the higher cost. Most of us have a food budget and have to make choices about what we buy, and perhaps a compromise is what’s called for. There are two things you can do to take advantage of organically grown produce as much as possible.

Buy local organic produce when it’s in season. In many parts of the USA, that means taking advantage of certain fruits and vegetables during the warmer months when available. Freezing or canning local organic produce is a possible option for when those items are out of season.

Buy conventionally grown produce from the “Clean 15” list, and organic only for those foods that are on the “The Dirty Dozen” list. The Dirty Dozen are the fruits and vegetables which have the largest amount of pesticide residues, and the Clean 15 have the least amount.

The “Clean 15”:

Onions
Avocados
Sweet corn
Pineapples
Mango
Sweet peas
Asparagus
Kiwi fruit
Cabbage
Eggplant
Cantaloupe
Watermelon
Grapefruit
Sweet potatoes
Sweet onions

The “Dirty Dozen”:

Celery
Peaches
Strawberries
Apples
Domestic blueberries
Nectarines
Sweet bell peppers
Spinach, kale and collard greens
Cherries
Potatoes
Imported grapes
Lettuce

When the warm weather arrives again, make a habit of visiting your local farmers’ markets and buy local organic produce throughout the season.

© 2013 Gretchen Scalpi. All rights reserved.

Gretchen Scalpi is a Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator. She is the author of “The Quick Start Guide To Healthy Eating”, “The Everything Guide to Managing and Reversing Pre-Diabetes”, “The Everything Diabetes Cookbook, 2nd ed.” and “Pre-Diabetes Your Second Chance At Health”. Use your organic produce in the recipes from her book “Quick Start Recipes For Healthy Meals” available at http://gretchenscalpi.com/quick-start-recipes/.

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Get Ready for Summer – non-toxic products

Summer brings challenges due to the heat and the activities people do. And specific things are needed – sunscreen, insect repellent, etc. etc. etc.

Here is an article with tips for doing and feeling good in the summer AND a link to products that you can get which are non-toxic and uses pure plant medicine or essential oils.

Read article Summer Health

And don’t forget to check out the products toward the end of the article. for

Sunscreen SPF 10
Sunscreen SPF 50
Insect Repellent
After Sun Spray
Cooling Mist

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Chicken Soup when You’re Sick

Okay, what is it about chicken soup that feels good when you’re sick?  Grandma and Mom were right — a bowl of chicken soup does make you feel better when you are sick.

Why this remedy?

Well, chicken soap contains cysteine, an amino acid that’s chemically similar to a bronchitis drug to help reduce inflammation. The broth also helps thin mucus, and the protein in the chicken helps you produce disease-fighting antibodies. It also contains zinc which has been called “nature’s penicillin”

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