Vitamins and holistic therapies are quickly becoming mainstream treatments for thousands of illnesses ranging from the minor to those which are deadly. Vitamin E in particular, is one of the up and coming remedies being looked at by doctors around the world. A fat-soluble vitamin, vitamin E works as an antioxidant to protect our cells from damaging substances called free radicals. Free radicals cause healthy, normal cells to turn into free radicals themselves, which in turn attack other cells causing a chain reaction. Without vitamin E to stop this chain reaction, free radicals have the ability to damage us at the most basic levelour DNA. While we need vitamin E to keep us healthy and protect our bodies, there is a point that many who believe in holistic and vitamin therapies, cross over and then taking these pills becomes more dangerous than any free radical.

When it comes to any vitamin, most believe that the more they consume, the healthier they will be. Unfortunately this is a complete myth and there are limits to how much one person should ingest or apply. In a 24 hour period children should only have 11 mg of vitamin E and adults should only have 15 mg, however adults can tolerate up to 1000 mg a day. Those who are pregnant or breast feeding should stay at 15 mg a day.

While healthy, if taken in large doses over a continual time period, vitamin E can have serious consequences on the human body. Unfortunately, allergic reactions can occur at any time even if one has never experienced it before and allergic dermatitis can appear on the skin. Stomach cramps, and other flu-like symptoms occur when taking vitamin E in an oral form. In recent studies it has been discovered that continually ingesting over 400 IU every day causes a increase in early death.

With vitamins ranging from standard one-a-days to those that include bee pollen available in grocery stores and online without a prescription, it's easy to forget that these pills can be just as dangerous as taking prescription medicine incorrectly. After deciding that vitamins should be incorporated into a diet, always do the research on the benefits and health risks and then talk to a medical doctor about it. While it may be a healthy choice for some people who suffer from vitamin deficiencies, not everyone benefits from adding additional vitamin E to their diets.

*sources
Vitamin E
www.mayoclinic.com

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