Description

In this health video you will learn the building blocks of dietary supplement programs.

Transcript

Lyle Hurd: We’re visiting with Dr. Parris Kidd. One of the very first things we need to understand about natural health is that we have to build a basic nutritional supplement program, Dr. Kidd. Would you explain what you consider that to be? Dr. Parris Kidd: Well, Lyle, this is really the core of total health management, isn’t it? Total health management being the individual taking total responsibility for their health. Taking dietary supplements opens up a whole new dimension for health because they do more than any other intervention can do for the health of the person because after all the nutrients are the substances the body uses to maintain its life processes. Nutrients are what keep us alive and functioning. So the very basics of a dietary supplement program would be the vitamins—vitamins A through E, including all the B vitamins which are often underestimated, antioxidants, and most especially vitamin C because vitamin C gives the most bang for the buck in terms of antioxidant protection. We have a number of antioxidants in our repertoire but vitamin C is the most cost-effective, and in a way, the most diversified antioxidant. So a couple of grams of vitamin C a day for an adult is really totally indicated and do not be misled by people who suggest a couple of hundred milligrams is enough. You need really a couple thousand milligrams of vitamin C per day. The vitamins, vitamin C, the essential minerals—those are the very basics of a program. Let’s say for somebody who doesn’t have a lot of money, they should be taking the essential minerals, the vitamins, and the vitamin C. Then we start to look at the things that are not so good for our particular bodies. We’ve begun to identify that each of us has some little thing that’s not so good and that’s when we look at the individual nutrients and plug in those nutrients for those particular genetic weaknesses that we have; or little deficiencies that we have; or little lifestyle things that we did to ourselves and now we’re sorry about. We can target nutrients towards those conditions and that’s called condition-specific nutrition. Lyle Hurd: Absolutely. Dr. Parris Kidd: So we can put together nutrient combinations on top of the basic program to help to rebuild. For example, in my case, I had to rebuild my brain beginning in 1994. Many people find that by midlife they are having joint problems; they have to rebuild their joints. Some people develop prostate problems. Some people have perimenopausal problems. Young women have premenstrual syndrome. Each of those conditions can be addressed using nutrients that are clinically proven to help. The way that the nutrients are so better is that they actually go into our fundamental life processes and affix us with our system of homeostasis. Homeostasis means literally keeping things the same. It really means that our life processes operate within a pretty narrow range of physical and chemical conditions. It’s the nutrients that support homeostasis, not drugs. So, if we can put together that type of nutrient condition-specific approach on top of the basic program and do some physical exercise as well as keeping our brains busy, we have the basis for a really good dietary supplementation program. Then we can head into the more exotic areas, such as immune support as with chronic viral infections or with cancer. And there we do have nutrients that can make a big difference. For example, with the relatives that I’ve been helping, and with friends, one of the first things I suggest to them is the mushrooms. The mushrooms that have been part of traditional Chinese medicine but that we now have in the West as standardized preparations. Those are very good immune boosters. Then there are things like the plant sterols which will also help with the immune system and many, many, many other nutrients that we can find through doing on-line searching, or through other sources of information, or through the videos that we’re doing together in this series and I encourage the viewer to start with the basic program and then build on top of that for the conditions that they need to take care of—as well as doing physical and mental exercise. Lyle Hurd: So basically, nutritional supplementation will help you build, maintain, and reclaim your interest in living a total healthy life. Dr. Parris Kidd: Absolutely, Lyle, and the business of building we understand, maintaining we understand, but reclaiming is very important because now that it’s been discovered that the human body has stem cells—young cells that are held in reserve through life—we know that the interaction between stem cells and growth factors in the healthy tissue can help to actually replace tissue that has been lost. We can make new brain circuits. We can make new heart muscles. We can make new joint materials. What drives that is to have the nutrients present that are required; as well as getting blood to the area through physical exercise and having the brain run the show through being in a good, good place spiritually and in terms of understanding that we have to take control of our health and we have to practice every day, mindful total health management. Lyle Hurd: Well, thank you. Dr. Parris Kidd: Sure.