Cellular Nutrition & Why You Need Vitamins

"I believe in treating chronic conditions without the use of pharmaceuticals". Susan Blum, MD

Free Radicals - What they do to Our Body

For our body to function and for all our biochemical processes, oxygen is used to create energy. In this process of using oxygen, the cells create a by-product referred to as free radicals. Free radicals are a form of "activated oxygen" that cause damage inside our body, much the same as a cut apple turns brown. This is called oxidative stress.

In addition to our own biochemical processes, free radicals are produced by exposure to environmental toxins such as pesticides in food and water, and heavy metal exposure such as mercury from fish consumption.

Over many years, small oxidative changes in our body can produce disease. Blood vessels, cell membranes, even DNA are damaged in the process. The medical literature shows us that this process contributes to over 70 chronic degenerative diseases, including coronary artery disease, cancer, diabetes, Parkinson's, arthritis, macular degeneration, MS, and lupus.

Benefits of Antioxidants - Why we Need Them

At the cellular level, our body needs anti-oxidants to protect it from this type of damage. In an ideal world, we would get all the anti-oxidants we need from the food we eat. This is not realistic in our culture today when the food supply is not as nutrient dense as it once was. Medical studies have shown that less than 1% of the American population obtains the RDA level of all essential nutrients. Also, most people have been and continue to be exposed to stress and environmental toxins that have drained their bodies of necessary vitamins, and now require larger doses to improve and optimize cell functioning.

Cellular Nutrition IS preventive Medicine

Cellular nutrition is providing the body with all the antioxidants along with the supporting B vitamins and antioxidant minerals at optimal levels. This is "preventive medicine" at its best because we can literally attack the disease process at its core by preventing oxidative stress from occurring. It is also "nutritional medicine" at its best by treating disease by correcting the underlying nutrient deficiencies.

In our office, we use a simple urine test Organix to determine the level of vitamins inside your cells and personalize your recommendations. However, I always cover the Foundational Nutrition basics before adding specific recommendations based on test results. The Foundational Nutrition basics are a good place to start for a general prevention program or if you haven't taken supplements before.