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Maintaining Your Health with Supplements and Vitamins

If you have an e-mail account, you've probably received messages from companies trying to sell you a dietary supplement that will enhance your love life, melt 50 pounds off your body and give you healthier, younger-looking skin. As you probably know, not everything you read is true and anything that seems too good to be true probably is.

However, just because there is no magic "cure all" pill, there are a number of available supplements that can significantly improve your health.

Finding the Right Vitamin Supplement
With today's focus on healthy living, there are a variety of nutritional stores in which you can find a vast array of supplements, from healthy weight loss supplements to supplements for men and women to standard daily vitamins.

If you're not sure which vitamin supplement is right for you, talk to a salesperson. They'll be more than happy to provide you with a regimen of supplements to suit your needs. Of course, you should tell the salesperson if you are taking any medications, such as blood pressure pills or even birth control, as the supplements could affect the drugs' effectiveness. You should also notify your doctor before you start taking any vitamin supplements, liquid mineral supplements or healthy weight loss supplements.

If you are pregnant or nursing, you should not take any type of supplement other than those provided to you by your physician.

Dangers of Taking Supplements
When taking vitamin supplements, liquid mineral supplements or any other type of supplement, it is important to know the potential risks. Here's a list of some common supplements and the dangers they pose:

• High doses of Vitamin A can cause severe liver damage, birth defects and diarrhea.
  
• Selenium can cause nervous system damage, severe skin problems and nausea.
  
• An overdose of iron can cause death in children.
  
• Taking too much Niacin can cause liver damage.
  
• Overdoses of Vitamin B6 have been linked to nerve disorders.
  
• Taking too much Vitamin D can cause severe kidney, heart and blood vessel damage.
  
• Ginseng, an herb that is often sold in beverages to give you an energy boost, has been linked to sleep loss, anxiety and high blood pressure.
• Comfrey has been connected to liver disease.
  
• Ma huang (also known as the popular weight loss drug ephedra) has been known to cause nerve damage, high blood pressure and muscle injury.
  
• Bitter orange extract (often used in weight loss supplements) has been linked to heart attacks, strokes and death.

Healthy Weight Loss Supplements
There are a variety of healthy weight loss supplements available on the market to help dieters achieve their goals:

• Green Tea: Green tea has received rave reviews when it comes to helping people lose or maintain weight. Green tea (camellia sinensis) is said to increase your metabolism, thus increasing your body’s ability to burn calories.
  
  While you can simply buy green tea in the beverage section of your grocery store, you can also find green tea supplements at health stores. According to a recent study, green tea supplements helped participants lose 2.5 pounds a month.
  
  
• Fenugreek (liquid extract): Fenugreek, a plant whose leaves are used as an herb and whose seeds are used as a spice, is believed to lower blood sugar and aid digestion. Fenugreek also decreases the absorption of carbohydrates into the bloodstream.
  
  
• Chitosan: Commercially produced chitosan is a powder made from the ground exoskeletons of crustaceans. It supposedly has the ability to soak up the fat from the food that you eat. It is also believed to inhibit LDL (bad) cholesterol and increase HDL (good) cholesterol.
  
  
• Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA): Found in greater quantities in our body when we were young, Alpha Lipoic Acid decreases with age. ALA is relatively inexpensive and is used in Europe as a treatment for heart disease and diabetes. This supplement is also a powerful antioxidant. Vitamin E is believed to boost the powers of ALA.
  
  It's important to remember that there's no magic supplement to take the place of exercise and good nutrition. However, a quality vitamin supplement, liquid mineral supplements and/or herbal supplements can be a healthy addition to your diet and exercise routine.

Check with your physician if you have any questions regarding adding a supplement to your regimen.