D o you realize how recently we've discovered the value of vitamins? Recognizing, defining, and researching the value of vitamins began less than 100 years ago. Some unknown but important factor for human health was suspected to be present in fresh foods and written about by a few visionaries during the 1500s to 1700s.1 That factor—vitamin C—was not scientifically identified until the 1930s, but it provided the foundation for all of the vitamin research that followed. The journey to that discovery began centuries earlier. Lack of Vitamins = Disease Hundreds of years ago, sea voyagers and explorers sailed the wide oceans. Journeys took many months, and since there was no refrigeration, sailors ate only the foods that would keep, such as heavily salted (preserved) meats and starches (and, of course, alcohol). They had no way to take fresh vegetables with them and knew of no reason why they should. In those days of long sea voyages, it was common for many crew members to die of scurvy on the trip. Captains knew the symptoms well: extreme fatigue; tender and puffy gums; teeth that became loose and fell out; neurological dysfunction; excessive bleeding under the skin; and bone fragility. It was not a pleasant way to go. Sea captains could log the symptoms, but no one had any idea what caused them. Doctors of the day speculated that it was from "poisonous vapors" that came from the ocean. They believed sailors simply "caught it" or they didn't; it was just a matter of luck. Although the Dutch sea captains provided citrus fruits in their ships' stores as early as the 1600s, the idea was slow to be adopted in Europe. By 1795, the British medical community finally accepted the idea, and limes were then included in every ship's stores for long voyages (which is where the term "limeys" originated). vitamin Discovery In the 1930s, the discovery of vitamin C was the dawning of a new day in nutrition research. The pharmaceutical company Hoffmann-La Roche was the first to mass produce vitamin C in 1934. Who could have predicted what would follow? In 2011, the annual revenue reported by the U.S. vi- tamin and dietary supplement industry was just under $30 billion.2 Needless to say, that's a lot of money, and vitamins can be expensive. However, one early health pioneer summed it up well when he said that if you don't spend your money on proper nutrition, you'll spend it on the doctor. When you realize how important it is to get the proper nutrition, who wouldn't want to save some money and get some free vitamins? Are you curious about which ones are free? I often refer to the free eight essentials for health, and some of those give you free vitamins. There are no pills to pop, drops to take, or shakes to make. Best of all, they're free! Essential and Free The optimal health factors I call my eight essentials are nature, sleep, relationships, the human spirit, water, nutrition, hands-on techniques, and exercise. Today, we are so disconnected from nature. We are often inside artificially lit and air-conditioned buildings, or driving in cars most of the day, every day. We rarely go outside to see the sun, and studies show how essential it is for healing. In the old days, if a newborn baby had jaundice, we were taught to give it a sunbath, weather permitting. Free vitamin D is outside for the taking. Simply make sure you expose your bare skin to some sunlight as often as you can, without overdoing it and burning, of course—moderation in all things. The next free vitamin we'll discuss relates to exercise. (Some people love it and some don't, but please hear me out. There are reasons to love exercise beyond those that motivate most people to do it.) Exercise helps your body take in more oxygen, which is our most essential nutrient. Most people can live for weeks without eating food (although we don't recommend it). We can live for days without water, but without oxygen, we can live only minutes. I call oxygen Vitamin O. What's so good about oxygen (other than the fact that we can't live without it)? For one thing, it gives us energy. Have you noticed something about depressed people? They seem listless, without energy. Did you know that taking in more Vitamin O through exercise can help reduce depression just as well as antidepressant medications? In fact, arguably better3, in the sense that the good effects are longer lasting, with fewer relapses, and Vitamin O has no negative side effects. The Fountain of Youth Another reason to love exercise is that it keeps you young. Exercise helps the body produce natural human growth hormone (HGH), which is often called the youth hormone. We produce a lot of this hormone when we're young, but production tapers off rapidly as we age; as we reach older age, we produce almost none. You may ask, "Why would I need more HGH, since I've finished growing?" In fact, this hormone helps with many bodily functions, including tissue repair after surgery or illness. It also regulates skin repair, which can offset wrinkles from aging. Now you see why they call it the youth hormone. Try fitting in a little exercise outdoors by taking a short walk a couple of times a day, as we often do at our office. Make it fun by walking with your co-workers, and take a Frisbee along (if your street is a quiet cul-de-sac like ours). Swing your arms wide to increase circulation, put some bounce in your step, and breathe deeply to bring in all of that valuable Vitamin O. You'll get a two-for-one deal with two free vitamins at once—D and O! Some of the other eight essentials relate to other free vitamins, but we'll save that discussion for another article. For now, just try adding these two to your daily or weekly routines. Think about how you can get more of vitamins D and O in your life and into the lives of your doctor's patients. In summary: "DO" get more D and O, and enjoy the healthy benefits of your free vitamins! References: hllp: www.news-medical.net health 7itamin-C-IIistory.aspx hllp: ods.od.nih.gov factsheets A/I '\lS-IIealtliProfessional htlp: ■www.health.liarvard.edu/neMrsweek/Exercise-and- Depivssion-ivport-excerpt.htm Dr. Frank King, nationally recognized researcher, lecturer, and author of The Healing Revolution: Eight Essentials to Awaken Abundant Life, Naturally! is the founder and president of King Bio, an FDA-registered homeopathic manufacturing company. He is dedicated to completing chiropractic destiny with homeopathy. Learn how to easily incorporate contemporary homeopathy into your practice by downloading your free Physician's Reference Manual at: www.SafeCareRx.com. 866-298-2740, or: [email protected].
