Trainman News

Your Money's Worth
By Mary Sheridan

Enterprising clerks at the corner drugstore keep saying these early autumn days, "Bought your winter supply of vitamins yet? This is the time to start taking them, you know, to avoid colds." And the way to buy them, they add, is to get the "big economy size," in the $8-$10 bracket.

Youngsters and adults who have been out of doors regularly during the summer have probably stored up enough Vitamin D to last them thru the winter. If not, milk fortified with vitamin D and A is much cheaper than vitamin pills.

If you have a skin rash or disease, or nervous disorder, you may need a temporary supplement of the vitamin B family--or maybe your individual need is for vitamin C. How can you know? You can't. Vitamin prescription is in the family doctor's domain, and if the authority remained there, many Americans would retain more of their health along with their dollars.

We are over-publicized with the glowing ads of what vitamins can do to create sparkling health, sex appeal, ageless youth, hair on bald heads. Dreaming the dreams, and telling ourselves that vitamins can't do any harm, we dose ourselves. We are under-publicized on the facts that over-dosage of vitamins can lead to serious vascular and kidney diseases and can upset an individual's body balance.

People of everyday good health-and that means the majority who get up in the morning and go to work -can get all the vitamins they need from a well-balanced selection of foods - fresh fruit and vegetables, milk, eggs, cheese or fowl or meat, nourishing bread. Those who think they need vitamin supplements would do better by themselves to drop in on a doctor before dropping in on a drugstore counter. If a doctor prescribes vitamins, remember to take them only according to the dosage recommended.