AMINO ACIDS – A MULTIPURPOSE BENEFACTOR Part 2

SUPPLEMENT SUGGESTIONS

I’m sure you’ll see that the dosages of arginine required for many of its most valuable usages are unwieldy (it is difficult to swallow a ‘vitamin pill’ containing more than 1 gram of ingre dients). Using this amino acid requires a goal-oriented mindset. I’ve prescribed arginine in dosages as low as 1 gram and as high as 30 grams. For wound healing, helping to restore sexual response and supporting the immune system, between 1,500 mg and 4 grams per day usually prove useful. As part of cardiovascular therapy, 15 grams or more a day might be necessary. You won’t obtain that much from food or even from most amino acid supplements. For convenience and economy, get a pure, powdered form of the nutrient.

• As with so much in nutritional medicine, the best therapeutic use of arginine involves finding the right balance. To help find your own ideal balance and to assure your safest use, follow a few guidelines:
• To avoid arginine’s risk of promoting free radical oxidation, supplements should be accompanied by a broad spectrum of antioxidant protection, especially from coenzyme Q10 and lipoic acid.
• Don’t give multigram doses to children under eighteen for any extended period of time. The release of growth hormone prompted by large doses is, in all likelihood, not appropriate for their young bodies.
• Take the amino acid cautiously if you have arthritis or an active infection, because an excess of nitric oxide can trigger inflammation.
• For immune strengthening, take additional lysine with arginine. While the amino acid offers some encouragement for AIDS or other causes of a frail immune system, some lnfec- tions, including herpes, may become worse because their viruses like to feed on arginine. Adding lysine to the balance may neutralize any virus-sustaining effect.