Sources Of Information
DISCLAIMER: Nothing is offered as advice, below. Always ask your doctor about anything health-related.
Where do you look for information or help?
All sources are not created equal.
I have read articles about people who did some stupid things. Wait a minute! Can we say that horrible word, stupid? What does it mean? Should I ask a friend or look in a dictionary? What does the dictionary say?
Stupid is an adjective. An adjective describes a noun. “having or showing a great lack of intelligence or common sense.”
Stupid can evidently mean showing a great lack of intelligence or common sense and that may mean that things appear that way.
Being ignorant can look like stupidity to others who don’t share the same ignorance.
Okay. Relax.
One article, that I read, was about a man who put himself in the hospital by taking too much Vitamin D3. Why did he not know it was too much? Why did he not know that it is an oil-based vitamin and can accumulate in the body (unlike water-soluble vitamins: B-Complex and C, for instance)? Why did he not know the symptoms of an overdose of Vitamin D3? Did he bother to research it? Did he research it? Was it an attempted suicide and he changed his mind and decided to live?
He may have been intelligent, but ignorant. Did we mention irresponsible?
Your Sources
Find reliable sources. How often have you heard that you should consult your physician about nutrition? It sounds pragmatic and reasonable and practical except for one thing. Would it be a good idea to ask your doctor what was covered regarding nutrition in medical school? What do chemists know about nutrition, or biochemists or nutritionists?
Doctors most likely know about Rickets and Scurvy and even Pelagra. They probably also know about the vitamin that helps to prevent night blindness (Vitamin A) and other nutrients, such as coenzyme Q10, Ubiquinol, etc.
I had a singing student who was an Orthopedic surgeon. He told me that he studied nothing about nutrition in college. He knew that he did not know from school, but he did do his own independent research of things like Glucosamine and Chondroitin.
A great source for a layperson is Linus Pauling Institute.
There, you can find nutritional information such as what things vitamins may help or support. You can dive deep, if your background is chemical or medical and discover what is going on at a microscopic or molecular level within cells and systems, should you seek a profound understanding of nutrition.
You can also discover how much of which vitamin or vitamins is found in specific foods that you eat.
Why would a singer want to know anything about nutrition?
“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” so the saying goes.
Maintaining or building health is good for anyone and singers usually have as much desire to stay or get healthy as anyone else.
Start With The Alphabet
Vitamin A is good for mucus membrane health. Your vocal folds are mucus membrane on the exterior of them. Vitamin A is oil-based. It’s best to not overdose with it. Research it and find out what that means.
B-Complex is complex, but often comes in 25 mg, 50 mg, and 100 mg doses. The B vitamins are water soluble, but B6 can cause permanent nerve damage if you take too much of it. How much is too much? Do research on this. B1 is Thiamine. B2 is Riboflavin. B3 is Niacin, but most supplements use Niacinamide, instead. There are reasons for this. Research it. B4 is Adenine, but you don’t see it in B-Complex pills. B5 is Pantothenic Acid, or Calcium Pantothenate. B6 is Pyrodoxine Hydrochloride. B7 is Biotin. B8 is skipped. B9 is Folic Acid, or Folate. B12 is Cobalamin. All these vitamins are necessary for optimal health but in specific quantities and ratios, depending upon an individual’s needs.
Vitamin C is Ascorbic Acid and is water soluble. Research what it is good for.
Vitamin D3 is oil-based. There is research about it that you should check out.
Vitamin E is oil-based.
It is possible to overdose on any vitamin, but the ones which are oil-based can be especially dangerous, so research that.
Am I saying to take vitamins? No. Ask your doctor.
There are other nutrients to research, such as amino acids and minerals.
Singers and others should seek knowledge to support maintaining or rebuilding good health, so as to handle preventable problems if and when possible. Use common sense. Be informed. Be responsible.