• Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12 is one of the top ten health supplements because it strengthens the immune system and helps relieve the effects of physical and mental stress on the body.  Because 10-30% of adults over 30 may not absorb Vitamin B12 from food well, the University of Maryland Medical Center’s Complementary Medicine Program recommends daily health supplements containing vitamin B12 to all adults over the age of 50. 

• Green Tea Extract

The catechins in green tea extract, especially one known as ECGC (Epigallocatechin Gallate) protect your body against respiratory and digestive infections, short circuit the reproduction of cancerous cells, help lower high blood pressure, reduce the levels of LDL and total cholesterol in your blood, and – believe it or not – helps fight cavities.  Green tea extract should definitely be an ingredient in any health supplements that you take regularly. 

• Vitamin D

While scientists say that ten minutes a day of full summer sun is enough for your body to manufacture all the Vitamin D that it needs, they also suggest that anyone living in the northern states should be taking health supplements with Vitamin D during the winter months in order to get enough Vitamin D for their body’s needs. 

• Alpha Lipoic Acid

Health supplements containing alpha lipoic acid (ALA) may help your body control its use of insulin, helps protect against memory loss in aging and may be beneficial in treating Alzheimers’ disease and stroke victims, increases blood flow to the nerve endings and helps reduce tingling and other symptoms of neuropathy.  The antioxidant properties of ALA are what make it so important as part of a daily regimen of health supplements. 

• Calcium

According to the National Institutes of Health, the average American gets less than half their needed calcium from his daily diet.  Because our high protein diets and the high consumption of caffeine also deplete the body’s supply of calcium, the NIH recommends daily health supplements containing calcium for most American adults. 

• Saw Palmetto (for men)

Beta sitosterol, the active ingredient in saw palmetto, is one of the most effective treatments for the symptoms of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia, a prostate condition that affects over 60% of American men over 50. According to the Complementary Medicine Program at the University of Maryland Medical Center, the recommended dosage for treatment of the early stages of BPH is difficult to get in tea or tincture.  They recommend daily health supplements containing 160 mg of saw palmetto extract standardized for 85% to 95% of fatty acids and sterols for best effects. 

• Black Cohosh (for women)

Black cohosh has been used for over 40 years to treat menstrual cramps, hot flashes, mood swings, irritability and sleep disturbances.  Dozens of scientific studies over the years have proven the effectiveness of black cohosh in treating those symptoms.  Even the American College of Gynecologists recognizes the value of using black cohosh to treat menopausal symptoms, though they suggest limiting treatment with black cohosh to six months or less.  Health supplements containing black cohosh can help relieve the symptoms of painful menstruation and pre-menopause in women and greatly increase the enjoyment of daily their daily lives. 

• Vitamin C

Daily health supplements containing Vitamin C can help your body combat the effects of aging and boost the immune system to help you combat common illnesses.  It seems to prevent cataracts (Nurses’ Health Study) and protect the eyes against macular degeneration, the most common cause of vision loss among older adults.  Vitamin C, along with Vitamin E, may also help prevent Alzheimer’s disease. 

• Coenzyme Q10 (CO Q10)

Since its discovery in 1957, CO Q10 (ubiquinone) has been widely studied.  It’s a component in the mitochondria in every cell in your body, where it seems to function as an antioxidant.  Among the benefits associated with taking health supplements containing CO Q10 are fewer and less severe migraines, lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, reduced incidence of atherosclerosis, increased energy and heightened immune system. 

• Fish Oil (DHA and EPA)

The omega 3 essential fatty acids found in fish oil, DHA and EPA, are essential for your body to make new cells, particularly brain and nerve cells. Because of the low availability and contamination of natural sources of fish oil and omega 3 fatty acids, health supplements containing fish oil extracts, particularly DHA, are a vital source of these important nutrients. 

While it is certainly possible to take each of these health supplements separately, most nutritional experts recommend choosing a multi-benefit health supplement.  Our personal choice of all the daily health supplements we’ve researched and tried is Total Balance, a formulation created by the R&D department at Xtend-Life Natural Products in New Zealand.  We particularly like the fact that Xtend-Life is committed to the concept of synergy, and carefully formulates all of its nutritional and health supplements to work together and support each other.

Total Balance, Xtend-Life’s complete daily health supplement, is made in three different formulations to take into account the varying needs of men and women at different stages in their lives.  The Unisex formulation contains all the essential nutrients recommended for your body’s daily needs in a formula that is carefully balanced to make full use of each of them.  Total Balance Plus for Men adds the most potent herbal extracts, minerals and phytonutrients to promote prostate health in adult men.  Total Balance Plus for Women is created specifically to address the needs of women with extra calcium, vitamins and herbal extracts that relieve and prevent cramping, hot flashes, mood swings and other symptoms associated with menopause and premenstrual syndrome.