Tip 245. Fl
u
orine, the Forgotten Nutrient
Who ever hears about
t
he many u
s
es of fluori
n
e by
the body? Yet this element is essential to good health.
Fluorine is
t
he element that prevents diseas
e
s
f
r
om decaying the body. It is a germicide, and
acts as an
a
ntidote to p
o
ison, sickn
e
ss and dis
e
ase. There is a strong a
f
finity between calcium and fluorine.
These two elements, when combined, work particularly in t
h
e outer parts of
bones. They are found in the enamel of the teeth
and the shi
n
y, highly polished bone surface. Fluorine is
f
ound in goa
t
's milk, cauliflower, watercress, garlic, beets, c
a
bbage, spi
n
ach and pistachio
n
u
ts.
Tip 246. Io
d
ine, the Vitality
Nutrient
Maintain the beauty of your neck a
n
d the vitality of your met
a
bolism by adequate co
n
s
umption
of iodine.
The chief s
t
ore-house
o
f iodine in t
h
e body is the thyroid gland. The essential thyroxin, which is secreted by this gland,
is made by t
h
e circula
t
ing iodine. Thyroxin is a wonder chemical which controls the
basic meta
b
olism and
o
xygen consumption of tissues. It
increases the
h
eart rate
as well as u
r
inary calci
u
m excretion. Iodine regulates the rate of energy production a
n
d body weight and promotes proper growth. It improves
mental alacrity and promotes healthy hair, nails, skin
a
nd teeth.
The best di
e
tary sources of iodine a
r
e kelp and
o
ther seaweeds. Other good sources
are turnip greens, garlic, watercress, pineappl
e
s
, pears, artichokes,
cit
r
us fruits, e
g
g yolk and sea foods
and fish liver oils. The r
e
commended
dietary all
o
wances are
130 mcg. per day for adult males and 100 mcg. per day for adult females. An incr
e
ase to 125
mcg. per day during pregnancy
and to 150
mcg. per day during lac
t
ation has b
e
en recomm
e
nded. Deficiency can c
a
use goitre and enlarg
e
ment of the thyroid glands.
Small doses of iodine a
r
e of great value in the p
r
evention of goitre in ar
e
as where it is endemic and are of value in trea
t
ments, at least in the e
a
rly stages.
L
arger doses
have a tem
p
orary
value in the preparation
of patients
with hyperthyroidism for surgical op
e
ration.
Tip 247. The Right Kind of Iron for Healt
h
y
B
l
ood
Iron is ess
e
ntial for healthy blood.
Iron is an i
m
portant mineral which e
n
ters into the
vital activity of the blood
and glands.
Iron
exists chiefly as haem
o
globin in the blood. It distributes the
oxygen inh
a
led into the lungs to all the cells. It is the master mineral which creates
warms, vitality and stamina. It is req
u
ired for
the healthy complexion and for buil
d
ing up resis
t
ance in the
body.
The chief s
o
urces of iron
are grapes,
raisins,
spi
n
ach, all gre
e
n vegetables, whole gr
a
i
n,
cereals, dri
e
d beans, da
r
k coloured f
r
uits, beets,
dates, liver
and egg yolk. The Indi
a
n Council
of Medical Research has recommen
d
ed an allo
w
ance of 20
t
o 30 mg of iron in a bal
a
nced diet
for an adult.
Iron deficie
n
c
y is gener
a
lly caused
b
y severe blood loss, malnutrition, in
f
ections
and by exc
e
ssive use of
drugs and chemicals. Deficiency of
dietary iron may cause nutritional anaemia, lowered resis
t
ance to dis
e
ase, a gene
r
al run down condition,
p
ale complexion, shortness of
breath on manual exertion and loss of interest
in sex.
Iron is the classic reme
d
y for anaem
i
a. However,
there are several forms
of anaemia, and iron deficiency
a
naemia is
o
nly one. If one is taking
i
ron pills due to insuff
i
ci
e
nt intake of
i
ron in the normal diet, one should
also take at
least 40 mg of folic
a
c
id
or folate every day, alo
n
g with 10
to 25 mg of vitamin B12.
Both these
vitamins are essenti
a
l in
building he
a
lthy blood cells.
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