Enlighten me.....herbs, vitamins, natural med...what do you take?

[ChristusG]

I'm looking to make my family healthier. We have already significantly cut down on high fructose corn syrup and dyes. I try to eat as organic as possible and purchase fruits/veggies without pesticides as often as I can. I try to only purchase meat that is raised without hormones.

 

Now I want to introduce vitamins/herbs.

 

What do you take on a daily basis? I just had my blood levels checked and everything is right on track except that I'm borderline low on calcium and B12. So of course I'll need a slight supplement of those. But will I need more than what's already in a multivitamin? The doc said my vitamin D looked good, but I'm not sure what the numbers were.

 

Also, what can I give to my kids on a daily basis? I try to give them a multivitamin already (organic) on a daily basis. But what else?

 

How do you know if any of your daily vitamins/herbs have any interactions with each other?

 

Also, does anyone know anything about Olive Leaf Extract or phytocillan? A friend of mine uses these when they are coming down with something and says they really work at getting rid of whatever it is.

 

Any advice is welcome! I feel like I'm stumbled upon a topic that I'm completely clueless about! And there's so much information on the web to sort through....I dont know where to start! Or what's true!

[monalisa]

We all take a high potency multivitamin but not the cheap drugstore kind (I think the kind I take is made by Enzymatic Therapy - I take the version for 45+ women, my husband takes the men's version), plus extra C (1000 mg), D (4000 IU), E (200 IU), calcium (1000 mg), glucosamine/chondroitin/msm (arthritis in our families), Astragulus (an herb good for immunity), and fish oil (Carlson, 1 tsp per day). Sometimes I take a probiotic (Pearls by Enzymatic THerapy).

 

I give my daughter an organic multivitamin (yummi bears I think) plus 240 mg vitamin C, 3000 IU Vitamin D (drops). She is 6.

 

I learned a lot from reading a book by Dr. Julian Whitaker that you can probably find at the library (its kind of old, but he also has a website and a newsletter). Also, a book called the Real Vitamin & Mineral book by Shari Lieberman.

 

There's a lot of research/info going around that Vitamin D is the reason we get colds & flu in the winter (google it, you'll find lots of info). Most americans (myself included, I had a blood test by my dr.) are Vit D deficient. That's why we are all taking relatively high levels. Plus, its good for LOTS of other things.

 

I would visit your local health food store and ask for help from the clerks, (like Whole Foods for example). We have a great local one. Basically, the RDA for most all vitamins is entirely too low to do any good. If you take a good multi (again, NOT from Target or Walmart) you might not need anything else, but I'd say take D at least at 2000-3000 a day additional (even though your blood levels are OK now, it is winter and unless you live in Hawaii or San Diego you probably aren't getting enough sun to make enough D :)

 

Hope this is helpful!

[Jennifer in MI]

I'm no expert. But, here's what I take:

 

Pro-biotic/acidophilus

Calcium/magnesium Citrate (Kal brand)

Fish oils (Nordic Naturals)

Vitamin D (Trader Joe's Brand)

Vitamin C

I also take a supplement recommended by my chiropractor for my thyroid. She found my thyroid low based on some muscle testing.

 

I eat a TON of veggies, so I don't really think I need a mulit-vitamin. But, anyone, please tell me if I'm wrong!

 

The kids take:

 

Omega3s with DHA (Trader Joe's brand)

ImmuneC plus zinc and echinacea (Lil Critters brand) - they don't take this during the summer

Calcium (lil Critters brand)

Acidophilus, if I remember it's in the fridge!

 

We all take Elderberry right now to help ward off colds/flu. I'm also looking for a vit D for the kids.

 

I'll be watching this thread for more ideas!

[Tree House Academy]

I take:

 

2000IU Vit. D3

2000IU Vit C

Multivitamin for women

Potassium

Turmeric capsule in the form of curcumin

 

The kids take a multivitamin and 400IU of D3 (gummy drops)

 

We also drink lots of Orange Juice and milk, and try to eat a lot of green veggies and good fresh fruits.

[Jean in Newcastle]

You have to realize that my list is not for a healthy person but perhaps the supplements and what they treat might help someone:

 

2000 mg of vitamin C for the fall and winter - for my immune system

 

10,000 iu of vitamin D a day - I had a serious vitamin D deficiency which caused fatigue and pain that was like burning in my bones. Now my vitamin D levels are on the higher side of normal but I feel so much better this way.

 

Omega 3's - 2000 mg - for inflammation, memory and energy

 

B - Complex - 100 mg for energy, stress

 

NADH - 5 mg - for energy and my adrenal glands

 

Quercetin - 1000 mg - for inflammation and allergies

 

Calcium - Magnesium - 450 mg of calcium, 225 mg of magnesium

 

Selenium - 100 mcg - this is a mineral that used to be found more in soil and passed on to our food. It helps your thyroid. I take thyroid medicine and I take the selenium to help support my thyroid.

 

Probiotics - 6.8 billion in the a.m. and p.m.

 

Kids -

 

vitamin C - 1000 mg for the fall and winter - for their immune system

Vitamin A & D - 400 mg - for allergies, immune system

probiotics - am. and pm

 

ds12 -

zinc - 30 mg - he's deficient and as a boy approaching puberty he needs it

B - complex - 500 mg - this kid gets stressed easily

Omega's - 1000 mg -

Edited November 12, 2009 by Jean in Newcastle
forgot about the kids

[usetoschool]

We don't take multivitamins because I feel like it is easy enough to get many of the nutrients through food and some of them are possible to overdose on, like Vitamin A. You can meet your requirement for A by eating a sweet potato or melon or carrots. Same with C - easy to get in food. So we generally only supplement what we may be lacking in our diet like Vitamin D in the winter or Zinc when we aren't eating much meat in the heat of summer, calcium for my daughter who doesn't care for milk etc. Takes some time and research to figure out but may also prevent expensive urine :D.

 

Here is a website with a lot of detail about each vitamin and mineral, what it may interact with, how much you need, how to get it and what an excess or deficiency might manifest as.

 

http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/vitamins.html

 

We also take cinnamon, fish oil (hate the taste of fish :glare:), try to eat plenty of tumeric and other fresh and dried herbs and garlic. And to get help with digestion we drink kefir, eat yogurt and stuff like that.

 

I know there are people with deficiencies and disorders that require supplementation. Not trying to say this is the best or only way. Just believe the natural combinations of nutrients in food work pretty well for us.

 

This is also a good sight for finding information about nutrition.

 

http://www.nutritiondata.com/

Edited November 11, 2009 by jcooperetc

[LauraGB]

I take:

A multi vitamin (Enzymatic Thpy Dr's Choice Sensitive Stomach - because I need an iodine free one)

B complex (TwinLab)

Cal/Mag/D (Nature's Plus)

Acidopholus (Ultimate Flora by *I think* Renew Life)

and

B-12 Infusion from Enz. Thpy. once a week

MegaZyme from Enz. Thpy. when I need it

 

Kids take:

Multi (Nature's Plus Animal Parade, they just take 3 instead of 2 at this point because I can't find a decent, smaller, swallowable multi for thier age group)

Vit C (500mg Orange Juice chewable from Nature's Plus)

Cal/Mag/D (Nature's Plus)

B Complex (TwinLab)

Fisol Fish Oil capsule

and once a week they take the B12 Infusion

 

And that's the daily norm.

[crowscreek]

WOW!! Lots of good info here!!

 

We drink kefir every day...will have to look into some of your recommendations...

[Wyndie]

I just had my blood levels checked and everything is right on track except that I'm borderline low on calcium and B12.

 

Also, does anyone know anything about Olive Leaf Extract or phytocillan? A friend of mine uses these when they are coming down with something and says they really work at getting rid of whatever it is.

 

 

 

Make sure you are getting magnesium along with Vits A, D & K to help the calcium be absorbed properly. Supplementing calcium alone will not work without the others to help it.

 

We take Olive Leaf Extract when sick and it helps every time.

[MyLittleWonders]

I take (and dh for the most part too; we are healing our adrenals and upping low levels):

high quality multi

B-complex

1000-2000 mg. Vit. C

Vit. E and Selenium

10,000 IU Vitamin D

10 mg Biotin

Iron + vitamin/herb combo (Metagenics - both my iron and ferritin levels were extremely low)

1000 mg MSM (I think - I have a torn meniscus I'm trying to live with)

500 mg D-Glucarate (helps with estrogen dominance)\

600 mg. Magnesium (Natural Calm)

2 Omega 3 Mood (I can't remember how much, but it's a big amount in each)

 

The boys take:

high quality chewable multi

2000 IU Vit. D

Magnesium (they probably drink about 150 mg at most)

 

Ds#1 also takes 1 adult multi and 1 adult B-complex

Ds#2 also takes 1 tablespoon of both BrainChild Nutritionals Vitamins & Minerals, Spectrum Support II)

Edited November 12, 2009 by MyLittleWonders

[LauraGB]

I think if you are healthy and just starting out with supplements, a good base is to start is with a high quality multivitamin, a high quality antioxidant blend that includes things like A, C, E, Zinc, Garlic, Green Tea, Ginger, etc., and an oil like fish or flax (for the omegas). Those three things pretty much take care of things in a healthy individual. You can add as health concerns come up, but if you start out taking more than that, you'll either end up taking way too many supps or not taking anything at all because there are too many pills to take!

 

Hth!

[HeathenMom]

i'm a big believer in supplements and i take all sorts of things, but if i were stranded on a desert island with only one supplement, i'd want Udo's Choice Wholesome Fast Food.

[Guest ripplembs]

Hi,

You can check out Ripple Creek. It’s an online site that sells a wide range of discounted vitamins, minerals, herbs, and other nutritional supplements. I’ve been having Mega 100 tablets for the past month and I’m finding it very effective. It contains various vitamins and minerals in a slow release formulation. You can also try it out after consulting with your family physician.

[6packofun]

What we take:

 

Me (38):

-Nature's Way Alive! Whole Food Energizer Multi-Vitamin

-NSI (Vitacost's) Calcium, Magnesium, Vitamin D

-Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega-D3 (I *love* that they put Vit. D in this now!)

-NSI Advan-C with Quercetin and citrus bioflavenoids

 

Dh (37):

-Rainbow Light Multivitamin for Men

-Schiff MegaRed Omega-3 Krill Oil

-Nutrition Now PB 8 Probiotic Acidophilus

-NSI Advan-C

 

Preteen/Teens:

-NSI Synergy Basic Multi Version 3 (these are great)

-Krill Oil

-Rainbow Light Vitamin D Sunny Gummies (400 IU)

-C

 

Younger kiddos

-Nordic Berries multi

-Vitamin D Sunny Gummies

 

I need to find an Omega chewable or something for my younger ones.