Let’s get this new year started off right. For a first article of the year, vitamin A is a great place to begin. Vitamin A was the first vitamin to be recognized as vital to life. McCollum and Davis discovered it in 1915. They found that certain lab animals, when deprived of certain foods like butter and animal fats, developed eye disease which eventually led to blindness. In cases which hadn’t developed too far, the addition of proper foods was able to reverse the condition.
Investigating foods with protective properties led them to the discovery of yellow pigmented foods and the green leaves of some foods, which also provided this element. Their work proved that food plays a major role in protecting certain parts of the body. They found that low grade infections occurred in the eyes, tonsils, lymphatic system, sinuses, ears, etc. Basically, mucous membranes throughout the body.
You would think, with the body being able to store vitamin A to a considerable extent, that deficiencies wouldn’t be all that common. It’s critical to store up abundantly in our youth so as to avoid many health pitfalls.
It was found that upon examination of animals which were killed after withholding vitamin A foods that abscesses could be demonstrated in the tonsils and the sinuses with pus buildup in the ear and mastoid cells.
With the massive abuse of antibiotics used for repeated childhood ear infections, this should send a signal to all of humanity that our kids aren’t suffering from an antibiotic deficiency, but instead, they’ve not been getting vitamin A from the get go. If this critical nutrient were present in abundance, ear infections would be rare indeed. Unfortunately, bringing in the vitamin A after the infection has already set in, is like closing the gate after the horse has been stolen.
An ear infection is screaming that we need to improve the supply of vitamin A. When dealing with infection which has already set in, we need to address the rest of the vitamins. Vitamin B complex is required to promote metabolism and toxin removal. Vitamin C promotes phagocytosis, and vitamin D maintains blood calcium levels, which is known to increase resistance and infection elimination.
So, how do we load up on vitamin A early on to avoid these infections. Vitamin A should be abundant in Mother’s milk, provided she’s consuming high vitamin A foods like butter, healthy animal fats, and yellow vegetables. Unfortunately many mothers either choose not to nurse their babies, or have difficulty with their milk. Although formulas claim to be fortified to be every bit as beneficial as mother’s milk, we still see an abundance of ear infections. Not good enough?
Are there ways to increase vitamin A ingestion in our babies? Absolutely. When adding foods other than mother’s milk, introduce yellow vegetables like Squash, carrots, sweet potatoes and yams. Green foods are also acceptable in the first stages of nutrition. Unfortunately, cereals, fruits, and fruit juices are frequently the first thing baby gets. Unfortunately, these add to the glycemic load and can initiate allergies and obesity.
Since vitamin A is responsible for maintaining the health and integrity of epithelial tissues, many secondary syndromes can arise as a result of deficiency in this area. Mild deficiencies of this nutrient result in retarded growth, gastrointestinal disturbances, low resistance to pathogenic invasion, keratinization of epithelial cells, cutaneous eruptions, and impaired function of visual purple (pigment that allows us to see).
In looking at gastrointestinal disturbances, consider the dramatic rise in gluten intolerance. This is something which was virtually unknown when I was young. Today, it’s one of the fastest growing concerns in our country.
Since vitamin A protects our tissues against immune attack, those with repeated bronchitis, pneumonia, even the common cold, should assume they’re probably deficient. Synthetic vitamin A in fortified foods doesn’t cut it. You need real food nutrition. In cases of cystitis where no offending organism is detected, immediate relief may be obtained with a whole food vitamin A support like Cataplex A from Standard Process, or their whole food nutritional support known as Catalyn. This is a complete support which far surpasses any commercial vitamin supplement out there.
Investigating foods with protective properties led them to the discovery of yellow pigmented foods and the green leaves of some foods, which also provided this element. Their work proved that food plays a major role in protecting certain parts of the body. They found that low grade infections occurred in the eyes, tonsils, lymphatic system, sinuses, ears, etc. Basically, mucous membranes throughout the body.
You would think, with the body being able to store vitamin A to a considerable extent, that deficiencies wouldn’t be all that common. It’s critical to store up abundantly in our youth so as to avoid many health pitfalls.
It was found that upon examination of animals which were killed after withholding vitamin A foods that abscesses could be demonstrated in the tonsils and the sinuses with pus buildup in the ear and mastoid cells.
With the massive abuse of antibiotics used for repeated childhood ear infections, this should send a signal to all of humanity that our kids aren’t suffering from an antibiotic deficiency, but instead, they’ve not been getting vitamin A from the get go. If this critical nutrient were present in abundance, ear infections would be rare indeed. Unfortunately, bringing in the vitamin A after the infection has already set in, is like closing the gate after the horse has been stolen.
An ear infection is screaming that we need to improve the supply of vitamin A. When dealing with infection which has already set in, we need to address the rest of the vitamins. Vitamin B complex is required to promote metabolism and toxin removal. Vitamin C promotes phagocytosis, and vitamin D maintains blood calcium levels, which is known to increase resistance and infection elimination.
So, how do we load up on vitamin A early on to avoid these infections. Vitamin A should be abundant in Mother’s milk, provided she’s consuming high vitamin A foods like butter, healthy animal fats, and yellow vegetables. Unfortunately many mothers either choose not to nurse their babies, or have difficulty with their milk. Although formulas claim to be fortified to be every bit as beneficial as mother’s milk, we still see an abundance of ear infections. Not good enough?
Are there ways to increase vitamin A ingestion in our babies? Absolutely. When adding foods other than mother’s milk, introduce yellow vegetables like Squash, carrots, sweet potatoes and yams. Green foods are also acceptable in the first stages of nutrition. Unfortunately, cereals, fruits, and fruit juices are frequently the first thing baby gets. Unfortunately, these add to the glycemic load and can initiate allergies and obesity.
Since vitamin A is responsible for maintaining the health and integrity of epithelial tissues, many secondary syndromes can arise as a result of deficiency in this area. Mild deficiencies of this nutrient result in retarded growth, gastrointestinal disturbances, low resistance to pathogenic invasion, keratinization of epithelial cells, cutaneous eruptions, and impaired function of visual purple (pigment that allows us to see).
In looking at gastrointestinal disturbances, consider the dramatic rise in gluten intolerance. This is something which was virtually unknown when I was young. Today, it’s one of the fastest growing concerns in our country.
Since vitamin A protects our tissues against immune attack, those with repeated bronchitis, pneumonia, even the common cold, should assume they’re probably deficient. Synthetic vitamin A in fortified foods doesn’t cut it. You need real food nutrition. In cases of cystitis where no offending organism is detected, immediate relief may be obtained with a whole food vitamin A support like Cataplex A from Standard Process, or their whole food nutritional support known as Catalyn. This is a complete support which far surpasses any commercial vitamin supplement out there.
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