As of 1996 the Journal of American Medical Association reported that vitamin and mineral supplement sales were a 6.4 billion dollar market. The FDA reported that 53% of adults, or 101 million Americans, took vitamin and or mineral supplements with the most dramatic increase in single vitamin supplements. So with over half the population taking vitamin supplements why are our immune systems failing? Eight of the top ten western killers are related to a weakened immune systems and 23.5 million Americans suffer from autoimmune diseases such as Lupus, Multiple Sclerosis, Celiac's, Diabetes type 1 and many others.
So what gives? Well for one thing vitamins and minerals work best in the body when combined with enzymes and phytonutrients, not isolated. They are meant to be eaten not taken, our bodies run on food not vitamins. Although we are well intentioned trying to maintain our health or heal naturally vitamin supplements are as far from being food as are drugs. Synthetic reproductions made from food bi-products do not operate the same in our bodies, and many of the isolated vitamins are actually damaging to the body by creating a mineral or enzyme deficiency. For example if you take a mega dose of vitamin C in ascorbic acid form what you are getting is only the one component of the complex. Vitamin C's real immune protecting power comes from organic copper, a trace mineral we get from the soil if we eat organic. Medical research on AIDS found a relationship between copper deficiency and ineffective lymphocytes. Copper is the real protector. Vitamins found in food are bundled with enzymes, trace minerals, and phytochemicals.
The whole is greater than the sum of it's parts has never been more true than in our supplements. If you are taking a multivitamin without minerals and enzymes you could be doing real damage to your health. If you take the isolated supplements your body needs to combine them with their synergistic components pulling from other organs in the body creating an imbalance. So at the worst you could be doing damage and at the best you just have some expensive urine. Many of us have mineral deficiencies due to pesticide burned soil, processed food, and mega synthetic vitamin usage so personally, I only recommend whole food vitamin, mineral, and enzyme supplements for a balanced healthy body. I use Standard Process whole food supplements.
