BIOTIN

Biotin is a member of the B family of vitamins. Functions: vital for a healthy immune system • involved in a wide variety of metabolic reactions in the body • necessary for maintenance of healthy skin, hair, nerves, bone marrow and sex glands • plays a role in extracting energy from carbohydrates, fat and protein.

Deficiency signs and symptoms: depression • skin inflammations • nausea and loss of appetite • vomiting • chest and muscle pain • increased cholesterol levels • blood sugar irregularities • deficiencies in the manufacture of protein • extreme exhaustion • hair loss • dermatitis • paleness and smoothness of the tongue.

Biotin’s enemies: alcohol • food processing • excessive boiling of food.

CHOLINE

Choline is an unofficial member of the B family of vitamins. Because it can be synthesized in the liver, it is not regarded as a true vitamin.

Functions: associated with the utilization of fat and cholesterol

• important for the maintenance and health of the nerve cover (myelin) • essential for transmission of nerve impulses • necessary for the formation of lecithin and the production of acetyle-choline, (a neurotransmitter) • helps prevent accumulation of fats in the liver and other organs.

Deficiency signs and symptoms: liver problems and hardening of the arteries • choline deficiency may be a factor in Alzheimer’s disease, nerve degeneration, elevated blood pressure and cholesterol, stroke and immune-system problems. Choline’s enemies: food processing • excessive boiling of food• alcohol.

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As soon as you’ve completed your relaxation exercise, move right into meditation. You’re totally relaxed. Keep your eyes closed. Silently, to yourself, begin saying “one” over and over again. Say it slowly. If you can sense your heartbeat, say “one” in time with your heart. If not, say it slowly, over and over again.

Now see the numeral “1″ in your mind’s eye. See it and say it silently, slowly, over and over. Don’t count the number of times you say “one.” Just keep seeing and saying it. If you get tired of the number “1,” switch over to the word “one.” See the three letters, “o,” “n” and “e” in your mind’s eye.

If your mind begins to wander, if you start thinking about work or supper, gently bring your attention back to “one.”

If you can, see the “one” in color. See it in soft blue in your mind’s eye. See it in green, the green of trees in the woods. (When you can see it in color, or against a background, you know you’re doing something powerful with your mind.)

Keep seeing and saying “one” until you feel it’s time to stop. Don’t set an alarm to go off at a certain time. You’ll know when the session should end. Ten or fifteen minutes for the entire relaxation-meditation session should be enough, but no more than 20 minutes.

When you’re finished, slowly open your eyes. Sit quietly for a few moments, then rise and go about your business.

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OAT BRAN

A bowl of oat bran in the morning is a great way to start the day. You get fiber and complex carbohydrates, plus oat bran’s anti-cholesterol power. You can eat oat bran by itself, or mixed with oatmeal or other grains. I like a mixture of oat bran and Scottish oats, seasoned with a little cinnamon powder. Sometimes I add just a little apple juice for a different taste.

To cook oat bran, bring 1 cup of water to a boil, stir in 1/2 cup of*oat bran. Cook over low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, or to taste. Stir occasionally, watch closely and add water if necessary.

OATMEAL

Like oat bran, oatmeal is great by itself or mixed with other grains. Use old-fashioned oats or raw oats from a health food store. Stay away from precooked oats. Experiment with the different varieties of oatmeal and find the one you like best. To cook oatmeal, bring 1 cup of water to a boil, stir in 1/2 cup of oatmeal. Cook over low heat for 3 to 5 minutes, or to taste. Stir occasionally, and add water if necessary. If you like a dryer, firmer oatmeal, cook for just a few minutes over a higher heat, stirring frequently. If you like a more souplike oatmeal, use more water and cook longer. Try mixing your oatmeal with cornmeal or couscous.

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I’ve used a Super Food diet as the basis of treatment for many of my patients. One woman, Sharon R., had a 20-year history of headaches. These were painful attacks on one side of her head; pounding pain accompanied by nausea and made worse by lights.

She showed me a long list of the drugs she had tried. There was aspirin, acetaminophen, codeine, Darvon and Ibuprofen. She had been put on a beta-blocker medication (Proprandol), an antidepressant and, most recently, a calcium-channel blocker (Verapamil). All these medications helped a bit but were hardly worth the side effects they caused.

After performing a thorough physical examination, ordering appropriate laboratory tests and taking a medical and personal history to rule out disease, I persuaded her to slowly reduce, then eliminate, her medications and change from her junk-food diet to a Super Food diet. Be sure to eat plenty of carrots, spinach, broccoli, cabbage, parsley, lentils and whole grains, I told her.

She did as I instructed—up to a point. She ate all the Super Foods I recommended and her favorite candy bars, which she insisted she could not do without. But as the days passed and she noticed that her headaches were fewer and milder, she realized that they were a reaction to the additives and sugar she was used to eating. Determined never to have another of those terrible headaches, she got rid of the candy and stuck to the Super Food diet. In the months since then, her headaches have disappeared and, as a bonus, she feels healthier and more energetic than she has in years. Oh yes, she doesn’t crave candy bars anymore.

Bernice F. is another Super Food success story. She was a beautiful woman with clear, shiny skin that literally radiated health. Then she got a job as a representative for a major pharmaceutical company. Flying from city to city to put on trade conventions and meet with doctors, she ate nothing but bad hotel and restaurant food. Her diet was filled with processed foods, fatty foods, sugars and additives. Her skin became dry, and the beautiful complexion that had stopped men dead in their tracks was now pale and thick. She complained also of not being able to see well in dim light. “I must be aging,” she sighed. Aging? She was only in her late 30′s “What new drug will help my skin, Dr. Fox?” she asked.

I told her she didn’t need drugs, she needed carrots. She had the classic signs and symptoms of a vitamin A deficiency. But you don’t need vitamin A supplements, I said. Instead, eat lots of carrots, broccoli, spinach, cantaloupes and other Super Foods rich in beta carotene. Your body will convert into vitamin A exactly as much of the beta carotene as it needs.

Bernice still travels a lot, but now she stops at a market on her way from the airport to her hotel. She buys a small bag of fresh carrots and other Super Foods, which she has the hotel keep in their refrigerator for her. And she makes it a point to eat at least two carrots a day, plus as many other Super Foods as possible. Her skin has cleared up, her eyesight has returned to normal, and she’s proud of the way she takes care of her “doctor within.”

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