Lyle Hurd: We’re visiting with Dr. Parris Kidd. One of the very first things we need
to understand about natural health is that we have to build a basic
nutritional supplement program, Dr. Kidd. Would you explain what you
consider that to be?
Dr. Parris Kidd: Well, Lyle, this is really the core of total health management, isn’t it?
Total health management being the individual taking total responsibility
for their health. Taking dietary supplements opens up a whole new
dimension for health because they do more than any other intervention can
do for the health of the person because after all the nutrients are the
substances the body uses to maintain its life processes. Nutrients are what
keep us alive and functioning. So the very basics of a dietary supplement
program would be the vitamins—vitamins A through E, including all the
B vitamins which are often underestimated, antioxidants, and most
especially vitamin C because vitamin C gives the most bang for the buck
in terms of antioxidant protection. We have a number of antioxidants in
our repertoire but vitamin C is the most cost-effective, and in a way, the
most diversified antioxidant. So a couple of grams of vitamin C a day for
an adult is really totally indicated and do not be misled by people who
suggest a couple of hundred milligrams is enough. You need really a
couple thousand milligrams of vitamin C per day. The vitamins, vitamin
C, the essential minerals—those are the very basics of a program. Let’s
say for somebody who doesn’t have a lot of money, they should be taking
the essential minerals, the vitamins, and the vitamin C. Then we start to
look at the things that are not so good for our particular bodies. We’ve
begun to identify that each of us has some little thing that’s not so good
and that’s when we look at the individual nutrients and plug in those
nutrients for those particular genetic weaknesses that we have; or little
deficiencies that we have; or little lifestyle things that we did to ourselves
and now we’re sorry about. We can target nutrients towards those
conditions and that’s called condition-specific nutrition.
Lyle Hurd: Absolutely.
Dr. Parris Kidd: So we can put together nutrient combinations on top of the basic program
to help to rebuild. For example, in my case, I had to rebuild my brain
beginning in 1994. Many people find that by midlife they are having joint
problems; they have to rebuild their joints. Some people develop prostate
problems. Some people have perimenopausal problems. Young women
have premenstrual syndrome. Each of those conditions can be addressed
using nutrients that are clinically proven to help. The way that the
nutrients are so better is that they actually go into our fundamental life
processes and affix us with our system of homeostasis. Homeostasis
means literally keeping things the same. It really means that our life
processes operate within a pretty narrow range of physical and chemical
conditions. It’s the nutrients that support homeostasis, not drugs. So, if we
can put together that type of nutrient condition-specific approach on top of
the basic program and do some physical exercise as well as keeping our
brains busy, we have the basis for a really good dietary supplementation
program. Then we can head into the more exotic areas, such as immune
support as with chronic viral infections or with cancer. And there we do
have nutrients that can make a big difference. For example, with the
relatives that I’ve been helping, and with friends, one of the first things I
suggest to them is the mushrooms. The mushrooms that have been part of
traditional Chinese medicine but that we now have in the West as
standardized preparations. Those are very good immune boosters. Then
there are things like the plant sterols which will also help with the immune
system and many, many, many other nutrients that we can find through
doing on-line searching, or through other sources of information, or
through the videos that we’re doing together in this series and I encourage
the viewer to start with the basic program and then build on top of that for
the conditions that they need to take care of—as well as doing physical
and mental exercise.
Lyle Hurd: So basically, nutritional supplementation will help you build, maintain,
and reclaim your interest in living a total healthy life.
Dr. Parris Kidd: Absolutely, Lyle, and the business of building we understand, maintaining
we understand, but reclaiming is very important because now that it’s been
discovered that the human body has stem cells—young cells that are held
in reserve through life—we know that the interaction between stem cells
and growth factors in the healthy tissue can help to actually replace tissue
that has been lost. We can make new brain circuits. We can make new
heart muscles. We can make new joint materials. What drives that is to
have the nutrients present that are required; as well as getting blood to the
area through physical exercise and having the brain run the show through
being in a good, good place spiritually and in terms of understanding that
we have to take control of our health and we have to practice every day,
mindful total health management.
Lyle Hurd: Well, thank you.
Dr. Parris Kidd: Sure.
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