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ZINC POSITIVE
by Lynn Hinderliter CN, L DN |
Zinc is found in higher levels in our
body than any other trace element but iron. In the days when we
were eating an unrefined diet and leading relatively stress-free
lives, this was not a problem:
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organ meats (especially liver)
soybeans, fish, spinach and mushrooms are excellent sources, as are
wheat germ, almonds, oysters and clams .
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However, processing and
refining, overcooking and soil depletion where the crops are grown
or the animals are raised affects the levels in our foods. A zinc
deficiency is therefore becoming ever more common. The standard
American diet provides an average of 8 to 11 mgs, while the MDR for
a healthy adult is 15 mg. I am not personally a great fan of MDRs,
by the way, since they are based on the needs of a perfectly healthy
person living the life of Reilly, which hardly corresponds to anyone
I know!
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One sign of the importance of zinc in
the body is that colostrum ( the first milk produced by a mammal to
nurse her baby) contains between 70 and 900 mgs in just over 3 oz.
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A simple signal of a zinc deficiency
is the presence of white spots on your finger nails. Stress
depletes zinc, and I find I can usually date a stressful occurrence
by the whereabouts of the spots on my nails. A more scientific test
is to use a small amount of liquid zinc, and hold it in your mouth
for 30 seconds. If it tastes terrible and you immediately spit it
out, your zinc levels are fine. But if you are depleted, the liquid
will taste like water to you.
Zinc deficiencies are associated with
many serious health conditions such as prostate problems, diabetes,
infertility (zinc is present at very high levels in seminal fluid),
fatigue and poor wound healing. Also poor appetite ( a deficiency
affects the sense of taste and smell), anorexia and bulimia, and
high cholesterol.
It was a sick child's refusal to
swallow a pill that led to the discovery of one of zinc's most
interesting applications as a cure for the common cold. The little
girl in question was being treated for childhood leukemia, and
instead of swallowing a zinc tablet she let it melt in her mouth.
To her father's surprise, her cold symptoms disappeared within hours
without anything else being done.
Skeptical that this really could
be effected by zinc, he and a Doctor friend set up a study with 146
volunteers, app. half of them being given a placebo. 90% of those
given the zinc tablet reported they were completely free of cold
symptoms after 7 days, where only 49% of those given the placebo
could say the same. 11% of those taking zinc reported results
within 12 hours, and a further 22% had results within a day! These
are convincing figures. There are now zinc lozenges on the market
which taste really good, as well as some that are mixed with other
cold-defeating substances such as Echinacea, Propolis, Vitamin C
etc.
Make sure you don't use zinc sulfate, as it can burn the mouth.
The importance of zinc in infancy is
now being demonstrated by research linking a zinc deficiency to
autism - the mechanism suggested is that zinc is needed to play a
role in the detoxifying of heavy metals, that vaccines play a role
in the onset of autism, that vaccines are implicated because they
contain toxic levels of mercury in their preservatives, and that
many autistic children have high copper, low zinc ratios.
If the foods I mentioned above are not
part of your regular diet, it might be wise to make sure your
supplement contains an adequate amount of zinc. I also carry zinc
lozenges handy during cold season, because the sooner one takes them
after the onset of a cold, the more effective they prove to be.
Like so many nutrients, Zinc appears to have a dark
side
if taken to excess.
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Unless you are under the care of a Doctor who says
otherwise, in my opinion it is unwise to take more than 50 mg of
zinc daily for an extended period of time. Some research is
suggesting that while a moderate amount of zinc can help prostate
problems, too much can encourage the onset of prostate cancer.
It is also important to bear in mind the
relationship between Zinc and Copper. Like a see-saw, many
health problems (Rheumatoid arthritis, immune imbalances,
Alzheimer's. even cancer) appear to be affected by the proper
balance of zinc and copper.
In any serious disease condition,
it is wise to have a mineral assessment done - for a hair test, see
RESOURCES at right - since operating in the dark can mean a decision
made on the wrong side of the scale.
| Keywords:
zinc prostate, types zinc, carriers zinc, zinc appetite, zinc
smell, sublingual zinc colds, zinc copper ratio, the vitamin
lady writes about zinc health |
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A detailed report of the role of Zinc in
Autism
Copper and Alzheimer's Disease
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