Multitude of reasons to take your 'multis' - multi-vitamins - Dr. Murray's Natural Healing

In recent years, more and more Americans have discovered the benefits of nutritional and herbal supplements. While a health-promoting diet is essential to good health, so, too, is proper nutritional supplementation. While some experts say that you can theoretically meet all of your nutritional needs through diet alone, the reality is that most Americans do not.

The philosophy of optimal nutrition

Beyond this argument is the difference in how some experts view "optimal" nutrition. If an expert believes optimal nutrition simply means no obvious signs of nutrient deficiency, their answer to whether or not supplementation is necessary is going to differ from that of an expert who defines optimal nutrition as the level of nutrition that allows a person to function at the highest degree possible with vitality, energy, and enthusiasm for living. What it comes down to, then, is an argument of philosophy.

Do you believe that health is simply a state of not being sick? Or, de you agree with the World Health Organization's definition of health as "a state of complete physical, mental, and social well being, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity." It is the goal of optimal health that drives people to take nutritional supplements.

Does everyone need to take a `multi'?

I believe that everyone needs to take a high-quality multiple vitamin and mineral supplement, which will provide all of the known vitamins and minerals that can serve as a foundation upon which to build an effective nutritional supplementation program. Dr. Roger Williams, one of the pioneer biochemists of our time, stated that healthy people should use multiple vitamin and mineral supplements as an "insurance formula" against possible nutrient deficiency. I fully support this recommendation.

You may be asking the question: "Is there evidence to suggest that vitamin and mineral deficiencies exist in America?" Definitely. In recent years, the U.S. government has sponsored a number of comprehensive studies to determine the nutritional status of Americans. These studies have revealed that marginal nutrient deficiencies exist in approximately 50 percent of the U.S. population. And, for some selected nutrients in certain age groups, more than 80 percent of the group consumed less than the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs), formerly the RDAs.

These studies indicate that the chances of consuming a diet meeting the DRIs for all nutrients is extremely unlikely for most Americans. In an effort to increase their intake of essential nutrients, many Americans look to vitamin and mineral supplements.

What to expect from your `multi'

When taking a multiple vitamin and mineral formula, you may experience higher energy levels, improved brain function, fewer colds or infections, and other health benefits, or you may feel nothing. If you are among those who feel nothing, it doesn't mean that the higher levels of nutrients you are ingesting are not being used by your body. Instead of immediate results, many of the benefits are just more long term, such as a lowered risk for heart disease and cancer.

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To learn more about the value of nutritional supplements, I recommend looking to some of the excellent books on the subject. In addition to my books, the Encyclopedia of Nutritional Supplements (Prima, 1996) and the Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine (Prima, 1998), here are several other books that I think are quite good:

Atkins, Robert, M.D. Dr. Atkins' Vita-Nutrient Solution (Simon & Schuster, 1998).

Janson, Michael, M.D. The Vitamin Revolution (Arcadia Press, 1996).

Lieberman, Shari, Ph.D. and Bruning, Nancy. The Real Vitamin & Mineral Book (Avery Publishing Group, 1996).

Somer, Elizabeth, M.A., R.D. The Essential Guide to Vitamins and Minerals (HarperCollins, 1992).

Werbach, Melvyn, M.D. Healing Through Nutrition (HarperCollins, 1993).

Whitaker, Julian, M.D. Dr. Whitaker's Guide to Natural Healing (Prima, 1994).

Michael T. Murray, N.D., is widely regarded as one of the world's leading authorities on natural medicine. In addition to maintaining a private medical practice, Dr. Murray is a noted writer, educator, and lecturer, and is currently the editor of the Natural Medicine Journal.

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