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I would like to contribute to the discussion about antioxidants. I especially would like to concur with Kathie T.'s assessment about their benefits. In graduate school I worked in the university's reactor, doing my thesis research on the degradation of cable insulation due to gamma radiation. We were doing accelerated aging tests on the cable insulation, to simulate in a short time, the long term effects of radiation on the insulation. In order to speed up the rate of degradation, higher than normal rates of radiation were used and oxygen was circulated through the containers which held the insulation, while they received radiation down in the reactor pool. Oxygen increases the degradation rate of any organic material. The reason for the research was to examine the feasability of extending the life of current reactors (and thus their control systems, including cable run to emergency systems) given the prohibitive expense of building new ones. The only method of approximating the degradation of the system over perhaps twenty or more years of exposure is via accelerated aging. The way this relates to antioxidants and humans is that any organic material (rubber, cable insulation, living bodies, etc.) will degrade when exposed to oxygen. This is a natural reaction, but certain factors can increase the rate of degradation (radiation, pollution and toxins, etc). When we irradiated cable insulation at high doses, with oxygen, they became brittle rather quickly and easily cracked. Human bodies are meant to age, but perhaps some of us, due to certain combinations of factors and our own genetic makeup, are particularly vulnerable. These factors may include sensitivities to environmental factors such as pollution and pesticides (which are, I have read, chemically similar to certain anti-depressant/anti-psychotic drugs which sometimes causes Parkinson-like symptoms. The most famous drug is the hallucinogenic MTPP, which caused PD in some young people in CA and which researchers use to cause PD in animals (because they do not get it naturally as do humans)). Although the jury is still out on the actual benefits of mega-doses of antioxidants for humans, more than likely they are not harmful, and are probably of benefit. By scavenging the free radicals, they probably contribute to reducing the oxidative degradation. Obviously, the best way to get certain antioxidants (vitamins C & E) are through foods, but in extreme cases such as PD, one's body may need higher than usual doses to cope. So, personally, I am all for using them, and have also begun to explore having a naturopath (a western trained M.D. who uses diet and herbs versus drugs typically) help me in choosing herbs and dietary changes which will help in my fight against accelerated aging effects. I may also undergo testing for environmental sensitivities and a subsequent detox program, in order to help me pinpoint and avoid/fight the effects of environmental factors which may be contributing to my disease. I still intend to continue the drugs I am taking, but wish to supplement them with other natural methods also. I do not advocate discontinuing any drugs which are working and solely depending on antioxidants, however. Since the causes are probably many and their effects synergistic, so should one's method of defense include a variety of methods. Wendy T.