John Arts Abundant Living www.johnarts.co.nz

One of my favourite easy-read books on health is The Seven Pillars of Health by Don Colbert M.D. I like Dr Don Colbert's advice because he bases his medical practice on well established principles of nutritional medicine, and his advice is very practical and easy to implement.Lastly he incorporates other important factors such as spiritual values for a holistic view on health and well being.

I particularly like his view on supplements. He cautions people against the potentially dangerous practice taking high doses of single or small groups of micro-nutrients. When we take high doses of a single nutrient, say a B vitamin, we are effectively using it as a drug trying to get some therapeutic response from our body. Long term high dose single nutrient supplementation in most cases should only be used under professional guidance.

High dose supplementation can easily upset the delicate balance between nutrients. Our bodies are designed to operate best with optimal levels of a vast array of minerals, vitamins and other biologically active compounds. Add high doses of a single nutrient and this balance can be upset blocking important cell chemistry and even creating new diseases. For example the body prefers zinc to copper at a ratio of about 10:1. Taking high doses of extra zinc by itself can upset this balance. This is why I prefer multi-minerals.

One reason people end up mega dosing on supplements is that there are just so many supplements available and all of them sound appealing. I often speak to people who have accumulated a cupboard full of supplements that may be unnecessary or even dangerous. Of course I am biased towards supplement use. I formulate and make supplements. However for most people, most of the time the place to start is a comprehensive multi-vitamin that is also a multi-antioxidant and multi-mineral. Some of the more complete products put all these in a single product while other companies use several products for the same purpose.

Whether you use a single or several multi-style products the important consideration is the quality of ingredients, the range of nutrients, and of course that the doses target optimal nutrient levels, and are not at levels that can be potentially dangerous. If you are in doubt it is wise to seek professional assistance.

John Arts is the founder of Abundant Health. For product information visit www.abundant.co.nz If you have questions or would like a free health plan you can contact John at john@johnarts.co.nz or phone 07 578
9051 or 0800 423 559. You can join his newsletter at www.johnarts.co.nz Read more from John at www.sunlive.co.nz