Frequently Asked Questions

Vitamins and Minerals

Vitamins and minerals are essential to life. They contribute to good health by regulating the metabolism and assisting the biochemical processes that release energy from digested food. Vitamins are considered micronutrients because the body needs them in relatively small amounts compared with nutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins, fats and water. Foods and minerals are needed to absorb vitamins. Having the proper balance of vitamins and minerals is very important. They are essential for growth, vitality, health and resistance to disease. Enzymes are essential chemicals that are the foundation of human bodily functions. They are catalysts (activators) in the chemical reactions that are continually taking place within the body. As coenzymes, vitamins work with enzymes, thereby allowing all the activities that occur within the body to be carried out as they should. Orthomolecular medicine is the treatment of disease using vitamins in large quantities to act therapeutically or in some cases replace an existing deficiency.

Minerals are the basic constituents of all living matter. They are needed for the proper composition of body fluids, the formation of blood and bone and the maintenance of healthy nerve function. They are also used in the regulation of muscle tone, including that of the muscles of the cardiovascular system. Like vitamins, minerals work as coenzymes, enabling the body to perform its functions, including energy production, growth, and healing. Because all enzyme activities involve minerals, they are essential for the proper utilization of vitamins and other nutrients.

Herbs

Herbs are used in all cultures as healing aids. They support the body’s inherent healing capacity by acting as tonics, being nutritive, eliminative and supportive for overly taxed organs. In herbal supplements the crude substance is used to treat a condition at the physical level. Theoretically, botanical medicines have similar therapeutic uses to the medicines that exist in the conventional drug world but with a fraction of the potency and with the bonus of a “holistic” action. This means that the plants’ active ingredients are not the only ingredients that play a role in healing. The majority of today’s herbal remedies and photo chemicals exhibit varying degrees of therapeutic value. While some, such as ginkgo, valerian, and saw palmetto seem genuinely useful, others such as monkshood and nightshade can actually be dangerous.

Homeopathy

The science and art of homeopathy embody what many people envision as a 21st century medicine. Homeopathy is a medical approach that respects the wisdom of the body. It utilizes medicines that stimulate the body’s own immune and defense system to initiate the healing process. In a sense, the role of homeopathic remedies is similar to that of enzymes and hormones in controlling homeostatic balance within the organism to maintain a functioning harmony between all parts. Thus, the minute doses of homeopathic potencies act as a catalyst to stimulate the body’s natural defense mechanism. Homeopathic medicines are individualized according to the totality of the person’s physical, emotional, and mental symptoms. While this medical approach is widely recognized to be safe, it can be potentially very effective in treating the new types of diseases that are afflicting us now and will affect us in the 21st century.