How to Use Selenium for Health

Although your body only needs small doses of selenium for good health, if the fruits and vegetables you eat were grown in selenium depleted soil, you may not be getting enough of this trace mineral. You get selenium by eating meat and fish. However, if the animals ate grains low in selenium or fish lived in water that did not contain adequate amounts of selenium, again, you may not be getting enough of it in your diet.Some minor symptoms of selenium deficiency include muscle weakness, muscle inflammation, muscle pain and red blood cell fragility. If you have any of these symptoms and suspect you are not receiving enough selenium, you may want to see your doctor to test for selenium deficiency.

Instructions

• 1

  Eat foods generally higher in selenium content such as Brazil nuts, tuna, cod, turkey, mushrooms, brewers yeast or wheat germ. Selenium supplementation should not be a normal part of your daily habit. If testing by a health care professional shows you are low in selenium and have a health condition that may be helped by supplementation, your doctor may suggest you specifically take a selenium supplement.

• 2

  Take selenium to prevent prostrate cancer when suggested by your health care professional. Studies have shown, with men who have a low selenium level but normal PSA levels, that supplementing may prevent prostrate cancer which seems to be a growing ailment in older men.

• 3

  Add selenium to your diet if you have cancer and tests have shown a low levels. Studies have shown that most cancer patients have a low level of this mineral, but it is unknown why. Studies continue to show that added selenium supplements and bringing the level of this mineral to normal in a cancer patient will have a beneficial result. Up until now it seems it has made a marked difference in some cancers and no difference in others.

• 4

  Check your selenium level if you have hypothyroidism. Ask your health care professional for a test for this mineral as selenium is necessary for the conversion of thyroxin, the thyroid hormone. Studies have shown a deficiency in selenium can cause mental slowdown, fatigue, miscarriage and goiter which are all symptoms of hypothyroidism.

• 5

  Test for selenium deficiency if you have diabetes II. Studies have shown that selenium levels are absolutely related to the disease. Diabetics generally show a lower selenium level. However, studies are still being conducted to see if additional selenium will help this disease.

• 6

  Wash your hair with a selenium containing shampoo if you have dandruff. This mineral seems to alleviate the problem for dandruff sufferers. You will find it in many dandruff relieving shampoos.