Overview
Throughout history, health care
trends and fads have risen and receded like tides of the ocean. However,
along the way some undeniable truths have emerged. Perhaps the most important
of these is the notion that food plays a significant role in the human
condition.
Mankind must have always understood - at least at some level
- the importance of supplementing the diet with particular foods when health
becomes a concern. Stone and papyrus records dating back to 4,000 BC extol
the virtues of special foods in relation to certain health conditions.
In the Orient, food has been a standard part of health care procedure for
more than 5,000 years. According to experts, the use of food as a drug
has always been important until the modern drug industry arose in the 19th
century. Indeed, prior to World War II many herbs were listed side-by-side
with chemical drugs in the U.S. Pharmacopoeia, the official listing of
accepted medicines. Even now, nearly 50% of the most used and prescribed
drugs are either derived from a plant source or contain chemical imitations
of a plant compound. Only recently has society scoffed at relying upon
nutrition as a means to improve health. For several decades in this century,
people believed that laboratories and man-made materials - not nature -
were the source of all necessary answers.
Times have changed. Today science tells us that most of
the chronic illnesses people face can be traced to lifestyle and diet.
It tells us, too, that what we eat and breathe and how we live affects
how we feel and how our bodies function.
Nature’s Sunshine Products was established
on the premise that natural foods - herbs, in particular - are beneficial
for health. It has always been NSP’s goal to make herbs available in the
purest, most effective form possible. As NSP matured, its list of product
offerings grew to include vitamins, minerals, Chinese formulations, homeopathic
remedies and other health-related items. Nevertheless, the company’s focus
remains constant - promoting and supporting optimal health through quality
and nutritional supplements.
Nature’s Sunshine Products, Inc. began
in 1971 as a kitchen-table enterprise, now is listed with over 450 natural
products, all designed to promote health and vitality. Nature’s Sunshine
has long been recognized as and remains, a world leader in the health and
nutrition industry.
Health involves three important concepts:
balance,
harmony and joy.
A truly healthy person
possesses all these elements. Optimal vitamin intake can be a vital part
of your nutritional and health program. It is difficult to impossible in
this day and age when food is highly processed to get all the vitamins
and nutrients we each need from just the food we eat. Even if we grow our
own food eliminating pesticides and unnecessary processing it is impossible
to get every vitamin/nutrient from it. Slicing and cutting our food will,
in some instances, "cut" 25% of the vitamins and nutrients from
that food, according to experts. In addition there are body conditions
which increase our need for supplemental vitamins and nutrients beyond
the "normal". Before exploring this area, go here to VITAMINS
to see the basics.
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