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What are Amino Acids?
As the building blocks of protein, amino acids are vital to health.
Next to water, amino acids in the form of proteins make up the greatest
portion of our body weight. They comprise tendons, muscles and ligaments;
organs and glands; hair and nails; important bodily fluids, and are a
necessary part of every cell in the body.
There are over 20 amino acids, separated into two categories –
essential and non-essential. Essential amino acids are those that cannot be
manufactured by your body, hence, it is essential that you obtain them from
your diet. Non-essential amino acids can be manufactured by your body,
however, your body must have the right combination of essential amino acids
and supporting nutrients to optimize healthy protein maintenance, so
supplementation may be desirable.
Histidine
Histidine is important for the growth and repair of
several body tissues. In the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord)
histidine protects the myelin sheath that surrounds nerve fibres. If this
protective sheath degenerates a "shorting out" of the message occurs and the
signal never gets to the appropriate part of the body. This is what happens
in the disease multiple sclerosis. Histidine helps to manufacture red and
white blood cells in the bone marrow. Red blood cells are oxygen-carrying
cells. The medical term for a lack of oxygen carrying ability is anemia and
it results in fatigue. White blood cells are part of our immune system.
They protect our body from harmful microorganisms (infection) and monitor
our own cells to eliminate those that work improperly (cancer).
Histamine is a chemical that is derived from histidine. It is well known as
the cause of allergic symptoms like a runny nose and itchy, watery eyes.
However histamine is necessary for certain bodily functions like the
production of stomach acid and sexual arousal and pleasure. L-Histidine
also helps store glucose in your liver and when converted to histamine is
the chemical responsible for triggering orgasms. Histamines play a major
role in regulating ejaculations and orgasms and is a vasodilator, which
allows blood to flow to the genital areas more easily.
Histidine can be supplemented for the following conditions: multiple
sclerosis, nerve degeneration, anemia, low immune functioning, hypertension,
heavy metal toxicity, rheumatoid arthritis, impotence, low libido and
indigestion.
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