The old saying, "you are what you eat," has been proven to be more true than many people think. As more and more fast food and convenience foods have come into peoples diet, the health of the person becomes at risk for vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Vitamins, in pill form, have been around for many decades. The vitamin and mineral supplements in today's market attempt to include every nutrient that a body needs to survive. Many foods, such as cereal and milk, are fortified with the daily recommended amounts of certain vitamins and minerals. By taking a single vitamin/mineral tablet daily can help reach the daily recommended amounts if it is impossible to eat right at every meal. It is generally agreed that diet plays a large role in health. This helps explain why many people are turning to the vegetarian/vegan diet or to eating a completely organic diet. By eating more natural and raw foods, they feel that they are eliminating many of the antibiotics, pesticides, herbicides and other chemical found in mass produced foods.
Many foods have, in studies, been found to protect the body against many diseases like certain cancers and heart disease and other internal organ conditions. It has been proven that soy foods can help women especially by providing a form of phytoestrogen, which is important during the peri-menopause, and menopausal stages of life.
Chinese Medicine
Chinese medicine is thought to be the oldest form of recorded medicine. The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine is believed to have been written somewhere between 2500 and 3000 years ago.The basis of Chinese medicine is the belief that the human body is connected with all forms of life contained within heaven and earth. Balance, of yin and yang (or male and female) energies or chi, is the primary goal of the physician. It is believed that all illness come from an imbalance of the chi. By bringing the body, mind and soul into balance, once more, healing begins.
Chinese medicine uses herbs, foods, acupuncture and other methods of bringing the body into balance. It also places special emphasis on the seasons, the elements, and the mind for healing and wellness.