BERRIER'S BEST GUESSES:

Vitamins, Minerals and Herbs

[Take most vitamins with meals; drink lots of clean water.]

1. Beta-carotene: [even better is mixed carotenes.] 10,000 iu per day. It's a free radical destroyer throughout the body (cancer-deterrent), especially in the lower intestine and colon. It is “pro-vitamin A”, and is non-toxic, even in large doses. Better yet is “mixed carotenoids.”

2. Vitamin C: non-toxic even in huge doses. Some stomachs can't take much regular C; they should take buffered C (Ester-C) or Calcium ascorbate, both of which are easy on the stomach. You can take as many as 20 grams (20,000 mg) or more per day. It is a cancer deterrent throughout the body, especially in the lymph system. About 70% of regular vitamin C is lost in one day, but only 5% of Ester C is lost in a day. I recommend you take both kinds. Drink lots of water with it, since it's a mild diarrhetic. This is probably the most important of all the vitamins. It works in the water parts of the body, which is about 70% of it. [Some doctors now say 500 mg in a. m. and p. m. is enough.]

3. Zinc: Works with C. About 30mg daily for men, somewhat less for women, unless they are athletes. It is a healer mineral, but can be toxic if mega-doses are taken for a long time.

4. Vitamin E: Build up to 800 iu daily. Check with your doctor first, if your blood pressure is high. Works in all the fat parts of the body, and keeps fats (even in the blood) from spoiling.

5. Selenium: Very important anti-cancer mineral. Take 200-300mcg per day. Works with E. Can be toxic if mega-doses are taken for too long a time. A recent Harvard study shows this mineral to be extremely important for a cancer-free body, especially in breast and lymph tissue, since most of our soils are depleted of selenium.

6. B-vitamins: B-6 is a healer vitamin; no doses over 200mg morning and evening. I take 100 in morning. My wife takes 100 in morning and 100 in evening. B-6 helps stop PMS and bloating. It's a mild diarrhetic, so drink lots of water. [It also helps CTS—carpal tunnel syndrome.] B-12 is also a very important vitamin. It helps form red blood cells and helps overcome fatigue. All the B's work best in conjunction with the other B-vitamins. Only B-12 is best taken on an empty stomach or sub-lingually, or sniffed as liquid up the nose (believe it or not).

7. Multivitamins: most brands will be okay; take one a day to get the basic need of the others.

If you have heart problems, take Coenzyme Q-10. Take at least 30mg daily. It is a powerful cancer deterrent and heart strengthener. The liquid kind works best. It's also in almost every cell of the body. At the age of 40 you'll have much less Co Q than at 20. At 60, you'll have less than ½ the amount at age 20. It will help to stop chest pain and protect the heart. Along with this (and carnatine and the others above), I would certainly take hawthorne, an herb that opens the capillaries of the heart so the heart can feed itself. There are other heart helpers; ask at your local health store.

If you have cholesterol problems, take 6-12 “grapefruit pectin” tablets daily with your meals. It acts as Drano to your arteries. It is more powerful (and safer) than most drugs for lowering cholesterol. [Such drugs can harm your liver and kidneys.] Also, flax oil (with E) thins the blood, as does garlic. These protect against heart attacks, especially thrombosis (clots), by keeping the red cells from clumping together.

Ground flax seed can be a great help in carrying cholesterol out the colon. [It also helps constipation.] Doctors recommend 800 mcg. of folic acid per day; it is known to lower triglycerides and cholesterol.

If you feel you need willpower help with your eating, look up “hoodia.” It's an herb that has been used in Africa by warriors for thousands of years. It has just recently been studied by doctors. It has no negative side-effects. Hoodia helps people feel full and gives them strength to go farther without food and water. It doesn't interfere with sleep patterns. Look it up; find the site in which “Consumer Report” deals with it, and order the one they say is best. It's called “Desert Burn.” If you follow directions on the jar you get (it's about $35 per month), you will find it easier to lose weight.

If you want to protect yourself against macular degeneration (eye problems in old age), take the herb bilberry and the phyto-chemical lycopene, with the above vitamins. 320 mg. daily of bilberry is best.

It is my recommendation that most people would be much healthier if they would stop eating so much meat and dairy products. At 98.6 degrees [body temperature], meat rots. Milk actually does not do your body good, or your bones either, for that matter. America consumes more meat and dairy products than most places in the world, and we still have the highest levels of osteoporosis, heart disease and cancer in the world! Orientals are often the healthiest people into old age. They eat a diet based on rice and vegetables. They don't use milk or cheese much at all. Soy products also seem to help the bones and the health of the body. My wife and I use soy milk more than any other kind. It's excellent on cereal. Tofu is good in hot and sour soup. There are also meat substitutes made of soy that are very good. I was surprised when we began eating them. The baloney and sausage taste just like the meats, and it contains much less fat and is easier to digest. [So far, I don't like the soy “burgers.”] Once a person changes eating habits, it becomes almost second nature. I eat meat occasionally and greatly enjoy good fish. If you do eat the American diet of meat and diary, you'll have a much higher chance of being overweight and having blood pressure and heart problems. But if you do, be sure to take calcium and magnesium spread out through day and at bedtime.

These suggestions are the result of more than 24 years of study and reading. My dad got cancer in 1977, and I've read everything on health I could get my hands on since then. I'm not a medical doctor, so don't take what I say here as law. Just recognize that I've probably read more than your doctor on this subject. Prevention is much better than cure and cheaper than doctors and hospitals! The FDA and AMA may not recognize my suggestions as helpful.

The main thing I've not mentioned here is exercise. I highly recommend a regimen of 3 good workouts per week. Take it easy at first, but build up to at least 20 minutes per workout, whether weight training, walking or swimming. Work up a sweat. This will provide aerobic maintenance. God bless you as you live a healthy life-style.

If you are over 50, you might want to take hyaluronic acid, which strengthens joints, skin, hair et al. My wife and I both take it—and we could tell the difference within 2 weeks! (I'm 61 and she's 56.)