Antioxidants
Antioxidants are a group of vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and herbs that help protect
the body from naturally occurring free radicals. As the body goes through its normal
processes, in which oxygen is used to provide cellular fuel, some of the oxygen mole-
cules lose one of their electrons. When they do, the formerly stable oxygen molecules
become dangerous free radicals that then try to stabilize themselves by stealing
another electron from stable molecules, thus damaging them and creating more free
radicals. Because free radicals react so easily with other compounds, they can effect
significant changes in the body. Many different factors can lead to the production of
free radicals. Internal sources, in addition to oxygen consumption, include emotional
stress and strenuous exercise. External sources include air pollution, cigarette smoke,
factory and car exhaust, smog, pesticides, herbicides, food contaminants, chemother-
apy, and radiation. All cause the overproduction of free radicals.
Oxidative damage can be visualized by biting into an apple. After a few minutes,
the exposed part becomes brown, and that’s oxidization in action. Unfortunately, we
cannot “see” the damage being done by free radicals in our bodies. An excess of free
radicals is, in part, responsible for the effects of aging and is implicated in cancer
and a variety of chronic and degenerative conditions, including arthritis and heart
disease.
Free radicals are normally kept under control through the production of enzymes
that act as free radical scavengers, searching out and neutralizing dangerous free
radicals. As people age, they produce fewer of these enzymes, and may benefit from
dietary antioxidants such as vitamin C, vitamin E, carotenoids, the mineral sele-
nium, and the hormone melatonin. Herbs with antioxidant properties include bil-
berry, ginkgo, grape seed extract, green tea, and flavonoids. Fruits and vegetables
are the primary sources for antioxidants, though they are also available in the form
of supplements.Synergism.
The active chemicals in herbs work synergistically–that is, the action of two or more
substances achieves an effect of which they are incapable individually. Most herbal
medicines rely on the complex interplay of many chemicals for the therapeutic
action and many lose their activity when purified and isolated. For example, a num-
ber of antimicrobial compounds are found in tea tree oil, but studies indicate that
no single compound in the oil accomplishes its remarkable germ-fighting ability;
rather, the interaction of at least eight distinct chemicals in the oil seems to produce
the effects.
This complexity makes it nearly impossible for an infectious microbe to build up
resistance to tea tree oil. One of the primary problems with conventional antibiotics is
the ability of many microbes to develop resistance, thus rendering the drug useless.88 ABSOLUTE BEGINNER’S GUIDE TOALTERNATIVE MEDICINE