I'm a great believer in natural tonics to strengthen or invigorate the healing system. - Dr. Andrew Weil
The American Heritage Dictionary says that a tonic is?
...an agent, such as a medication, that restores or increases body tone, an invigorating, refreshing, or restorative agent or influence. And a tonic is for producing or stimulating physical, mental, or emotional vigor.
Tonics are usually liquid preparations that have a combination of herbs, vitamins, minerals and other ingredients. No tonic has any magical healing effect on any disease. That may seem to be a strange thing to say in an article about Natural Tonics for Health and Wellness. Let me explain.
The only thing that can heal a body is the body itself. Nature has designed a self repair system for the human body that will accomplish the seeming miraculous. Most of the time all we have to do is stay out of the way.
Sometimes a toxic agent, biological or chemical, can overwhelm the body's capacity to heal itself. Medical science can assist by removing any overload. The body itself then takes over and does the actual healing. A tonic acts to supply the body's repair mechanism with missing nutrients so that it functions at its best.
Is it possible to help the body by supplying things it needs to do its job? Of course it is. Ordinarily these nutrients come from the foods we eat. Often our foods don't contain all the nutrients they should, for whatever reason. This is why we are beginning to see the medical profession suggesting we take a good multi vitamin and mineral supplement daily. Before this, our ancestors learned through experience, the value of getting certain substances into the body. They made tonics to supply these substances. Natural tonics can fill the gaps in our nutrition. Our own bodies will then do the rest.
You can find recipes for tonics that are made with just about any thing under the sun. Usually natural tonics are made with some single herb or a combination of herbs. Some of the more common are garlic, ginseng, ginger, and green tea. Mushrooms are also used as tonics. Chinese caterpillar fungus (Cordyceps sinensis) improves athletic performance and increases energy. Species like reishi (Ganoderma lucidum), shitake (Lentinella edodes), and maitake (Grifola frondosa) are used to boost immunity.
Even plain water can be a tonic for someone who is suffering from dehydration. After all, the human body is made up of 55 to 75 percent water.
It would seem the best way to incorporate all the minerals your body needs is to have a tonic made with something like seawater, but you can't drink seawater. The salt content will kill you.
If you went to school in the 1960's you might remember watching an educational film called Hemo the Magnificent. Hemo was the cartoon god of blood and with the real-life Dr. Frank C. Baxter, they made several films for Disney. Hemo proclaims that he's the mysterious source of life, and the good doctor informs him, "You know what you are? You're just seawater!"
So like the seas that are essential to all life on earth, our blood is essentially seawater too. Science speculates that life began in the sea. Amniotic fluid is almost identical to seawater.
Rene Quinton, a French physician, performed a famous study on the effects of seawater. Quinton experiments proved seawater and blood plasma are remarkably similar in composition. As a result, Quinton said, "All living organisms are in fact a marine aquarium." He said seawater should be used to heal.
Because of the complete nutrient content of seawater, sea vegetables, growing in clean seawater, supply all of the minerals necessary for life. Sea vegetables have more minerals than any land plant. Between 7 and 38 percent of the dry weight of sea vegetables are minerals.
Any kind of high quality natural tonic made with sea vegetables should supply the body with every mineral it needs to function at its best. That just makes sense doesn't it?
Many illnesses can be traced to mineral imbalances in the body. Minerals are responsible for many functions in our bodies, such as helping to keep our body repair systems working. Adequate minerals should be ingested every day.
Unlike medicines, which can have an immediate effect on symptoms, you may not see immediate results with tonics. Allowing your body to heal itself may take some time. Use a tonic regularly for a few months. You are letting your body do what it knows how to do. Give it what it needs and trust it to heal itself.
See if you have an increased sense of well-being or more energy when taking a tonic. Even if you don't notice immediate effects, pay attention to how you respond to physical and emotional stress. See if you become less susceptible to illnesses. Give natural tonics an honest try.
A natural lifestyle and heathy habits are among the many interests of Tom Donaldson. Tom writes about his life experiences and what works for him on his PhreMind Freenotes Life BLOG at http://tmdonaldson.com
The malabsorptive nature of the gastric bypass system prohibits adequate... Read More
Vitamins seem to be so good for everything. The newly... Read More
If you break the word apart, Nutra has to do... Read More
The multi-vitamin market is rich with choice. It's also very... Read More
During the past few years, I've become more interested in... Read More
Some fitness adherents are supplement crazy and spend money like... Read More
Not All Supplements are Created Equal. There are more supplements... Read More
Hormones are chemical messengers made up of amino acids and... Read More
Ever wondered whether amino acid supplements really work? We reveal... Read More
There are two basic types of constipation - organic and... Read More
Finding out a little about amino acid basics enables you... Read More
At some time or another, most people have taken some... Read More
PART ONEThe word Glyconutrients, is not a Brand, or Company... Read More
Over the last 2 years, the link between weight gain... Read More
Vitamin B6 is the hardest working nutrient in the human... Read More
Simply stated, the Greek word glyco refers to "sweet." Hence,... Read More
Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD) is responsible for numerous deaths in... Read More
A dose of vitamin C may give a quick boost... Read More
Moderate amounts of vitamin E in the diet can protect... Read More
L-tyrosine is a protein that the body produces from phenylamine,... Read More
Does this describe you: You walk into the living room... Read More
As with most nutrients and minerals, zinc is often ignored... Read More
Vitamin E is a family of eight related molecules known... Read More
We all know that vitamin C is one of the... Read More
Anti aging has become the latest craze.Wherever we look at,... Read More
Numerous studies and surveys have consistently shown that a majority... Read More
We have all heard that it is important to eat... Read More
Are you not feeling any results from your nutritional supplements?Here... Read More
The Greek word "Glyco" means, "Sugar". Most people think of... Read More
The initial success of penicillin generated an assumption which has... Read More
1. Most of the modern western diets contain way too... Read More
Did you know that when you take vitamins and minerals... Read More
Sometimes I ask myself why this wonderful antioxidant supplement was... Read More
It would seem that everyone is looking to squeeze the... Read More
Biological oxidation involves transferring electrons from one oxygen molecule to... Read More
There are a number of pros and cons for vitamin... Read More
Recently a television health expert was discussing the topic, "How... Read More
Nutritional Supplement ? what is it?So what is a nutritional... Read More
1. Most of the modern western diets contain way too... Read More
Nutrients form the basis for your body, emotional and spiritual... Read More
The last year hasn't been a good one for vitamin... Read More
It's never too late to change your habits, and if... Read More
It is important to understand that we are ultimately responsible... Read More
Since coral calcium is one of he hottest products on... Read More
If you think that smoking is a harmless little hobby... Read More
Coenzyme Q10 has exploded onto the health scene. This powerful... Read More
One of the questions that I frequently get asked is... Read More
Myocardial infarction is a technical term used to describe an... Read More
How can I improve my health and lifestyle beyond diet... Read More
At the present time, one out of ten adults have... Read More
With a high cholesterol and heart disease in the family,... Read More
At times, due to your busy and fast life, we... Read More
Americans are buzzing about the FDA's recent decision to reverse... Read More
If I read 1 good valid murder mystery book, would... Read More
Bodybuilding supplements generally fall under the classification of dietary supplements,... Read More
There are so many different whey protein powder products on... Read More
PART ONEThe word Glyconutrients, is not a Brand, or Company... Read More
Your body produces over 20 separate digestive enzymes that are... Read More
Nutritional supplements can play a key role in the health... Read More
Benefits of using Vitamin A products:Retinol is pure and active... Read More
While HA has dramatically increased in popularity and use within... Read More
No Money in PreventionI have been recommending a wide variety... Read More
I wanted to write this article because of my sincere... Read More
Vitamin E is a family of eight related molecules known... Read More
Before you read the rest of this article I want... Read More
I have good news for you! The answer is both... Read More
Nutritional Supplements |