Acknowledgements:

The information provided regarding supplements was derived from several sources, but primarily from the following:

1. Shari Leiberman, Ph.D. and Nancy Bruning, The Real Vitamin & Mineral Book: Using Supplements for Optimum Health, 2nd Edition, Avery Publishing Group, New York, 1997.

2. James Balch, MD and Phyllis Balch, CNC, Prescription for Nutritional Healing: A-to-Z Guide to Supplements, Avery Publishing Group, New York, 1998.

3. Designs for Health Institute Patient Education Series, Designs for Health Institute, Inc., 2001.

4. James Duke, Ph.D., The Green Pharmacy, Rodale Press, Emmaus, PA, 1997.

5. The Complete German Commission E Monographs: Therapeutic Guide to Herbal Medicines, Mark Blumenthal, Senior Editor, The American Botanical Council, Austin, TX, 1998.

6. Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database, www.naturaldatabase.com, Therapeutic Research Faulty, 2001.

RDA versus ODA

Recommended Daily Allowances (RDAs) have been around for nearly 50 years. They were considered the “standard” that the average healthy person needed in their diet, or through supplementation. Research over the last half-century has demonstrated that the amounts recommended in RDAs are the bare minimum needed to ward off deficiency diseases such as rickets, scurvy and beri-beri. RDAs do not take into consideration what our bodies need to maintain optimal health. Many experts (like those listed above) recommend instead Optimal Daily Allowances (ODAs) – the amounts needed in our efforts to achieve optimal health.