Posted by IsoM on January 2, 2002, at 14:15:05
In reply to Questions for IsoM re vitamins, herbs » IsoM, posted by Cindylou on January 2, 2002, at 12:20:58
Cindy, what I'm writing you is my opinion based on what science & actual facts I know of. I realise not everyone will agree with me & that's fine but you did ask. Before I answer your question, for any others who may read this, I did manage a health food store a number of years ago & am a firm believer in good & sound nutrition but...
What your chiropractor is telling you is essentially bogus. There is no way by "muscle testing" that anyone can diagnose whether a person is low in certain nutrients or not. It's akin to many other 'New Age' treatments like swinging a pendulum in front of a person or holding a supplement near them to judge reactions. For effectiveness, it ranks along with telling a person's health by looking at the entrails of a chicken or by tossing dice. What benefits are felt is by placebo effect.
You can request blood tests from a doctor that CAN measure many levels of certain nutrients such as folic acid, B12, iron, calcium levels, etc. It may not just be blood tests but there are bonafide methods to tell.There are herbs which do have therapeutic effects - some are very potent, some aren't. My biggest beef with herbs is because they're not regulated, there's no guarantee on the potency of the active ingredients. Many different tests have been done on herbal supplements, some even by high school students as science projects, most by news agencies (using good labs for testing) reporting on herbs as a health-related news item. Tests have come back showing varying amounts of active ingredients - some have even come back showing absolutely none of what's supposed to be in the herbal supplements!
If you think you have a good source of herbs, you can always check with a good pharmacist for drug interactions with herbs. There's a thick handbook most pharmacies carry listing all known interactions. You can use this site to check for some drug interactions yourself & the benefits of the herbs you listed.
http://www.thedacare.org/healthinfo/
Just choose Herbal Remedies & also the Safety Checker.One time when I went off Paxil, I tried St. John's wort from a trusted company. I saw no effects though I went to the maximum level. Maybe it's not effective with my chemistry.
As for vitamins - it's from a chemistry & biology viewpoint, I have taken university levels courses, but never finished my degree, so my info is pretty factual. Whether a plant synthesises a vitamin, or a laboratory does, IF it's the same molecular structure, it's the same vitamin - same properties & benefits. Some vitamins cannot be synthesised successfully. Vitamin E is one of them. The synthetic form is a mirror image of the natural form (like our left hand vs our right hand). The synthetic form is relatively inactive so the natural form is needed. But for the B complex vitamins & vitamin C, lab-synthesised forms are just as effective & much, much cheaper. Still, I prefer to get my B vitamins from food as few, if any, B complex tablets have all the B vitamins or in a proper proportion. I use wheat germ, grains, beans, & nutritional yeast flakes for my B vitamins.
If you want to take a B supplement instead, you'll find much less expensive tablets in a good drug store. Just buy the ones that say "Stress" tabs (it generally includes vitamin C too) - they're the best balanced.
As for protein, it's *highly* unlikely you're deficient in protein by what you wrote. If he's recommending amino acid supplementation, that's all proteins are - amino acids, & you wouldn't need them either.
I do so understand how you feel taking meds. Sometimes I get fed up with them, but I've tried to do without antidepressants three times now. I realise that even with the healthiest diet, good & active lifestyle, & a positive cheerful outlook, I still need something extra. Chalk it up to bad genetics and/or a polluted environment now - I don't know but I do need extra.
Sorry to sound such a sour note about your chiropractor's recommendations but so much of what's said is phrased in "pseudo-scientific" language & it sounds believable for someone who may not have the science/biology/chemistry information to really analyse what is said.
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> Hi IsoM --
> I have been wanting to get someone's opinion about a chiropracter I see, who believes all mental health issues are nutrition related, and can be treated solely through vitamins, herbs, etc.
>
> He mostly uses Standard Process vitamins ("Cataplex B" "Catalyn" etc.) and some by Biotics Research Corp.
>
> He determines what vitamins I need, and how many pills I should take, by "muscle testing." (Have you ever heard of that before?) For me, he said I was extremely low in Vitamin B and protein (even thought I am very conscious of eating a lot of protein and not too many carbs).
>
> Then, he threw some herbs my way, also by Standard Process. They include: "Chaste Tree", and a combination of Schisandra fruit, Damiana leaf, Skullcap herb, and St. John's Wort.
>
> I have not taken the herbs, because I hear that they can be just as potent as meds but aren't regulated by the FDA ... I'm too leary to take them.
>
> Do you know anything about what I've mentioned here? About the Standard Process company (who claims that they are "all natural" and that any other vitamin out there is not doing anything for you because it is not even synthesized into your system)? About muscle testing? Or about the herbs I mentioned?
>
> I greatly appreciate your feedback. I am getting fed up with all the meds I try that don't work, and would love to be able to be treated "naturally," although I am skeptical.
>
> If this post doesn't catch your eye since it's from an earlier thread, I'll make it a new thread later.
>
> Thanks again,
> cindy
>
poster:IsoM
thread:86991
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20011222/msgs/88561.html