Someone please talk to me about vitamins and supplements

[Parrothead]

I purchased some One A Day for women today and some time release iron pills. There were so many other vitamins and supplements to choose from, I had no idea what they were for.

 

Those of you that take supplements, what do you take and what do you take them for?

 

TIA!

[Kimber]

I take a boatload just to survive.

Every morning I take

 

Co Q 10 (It's better than coffee and it reduces the risk for breast cancer and lowers cholesterol. It decreases around the age of 40 and most people need to supplement then. I can't function without my CoQ 10. It's really just a vitamin, like vitamin B. But when it was named, they called it co-enzyme q10 rather than vitamin q10. All vitamins are in fact co-enzymes.)

 

Bcomplex (I take this almost regularly. It doesn't pep me up as much, but it regulates my hormones and keeps me from retaining fluids. Mostly take it for homones.)

 

Multi-vitamin ( I take least often. I simply take it for the iron, when I feel foggy headed. It works.)

At Night

 

I always take cal/ mag with vitamin D. It puts me to sleep like a baby. I gave some to my mother and she said she slept deeper than she usually does. (Sometimes I'll take magnesium alone. But only if I'm out of the one with the vitamin D.)

 

Sleep Aweigh (It's liquid collagen. It's supposed to firm everything up and keep things from becoming loose. I started this after my foot injury, hoping it would impact my joints. It makes me sleep even deeper than the cal/mag alone.

 

Systemic Enzymes (These prevent aging and help the body to perform all activities. Enzymes are the catalyst for all bodily reactions. They are normally in raw foods. But we don't eat enough raw foods, so we don't get them. Enzymes turn the apples brown. These also eat away scar tissue in the body.)

 

Digestive Enzymes (Same basic premises as before, but these aid in digestion in the stomach. These are taken with food. The systemic ones are taken without, so that they are absorbed in the blood.)

 

Omega 3's (Help with memory and muscle tone and skin elasticity. Keeps you young.)

 

Multi-Mineral (I take these at night also. These help with sugar balance and electrolytes and heart and....) We don't get enough minerals.

 

Without my vitamins, I'm sluggish moody and cranky. Miserable! They keep me calm, energized, and optimistic about life. The difference is huge!

 

And, btw, it's taken me years to determine what my body needs. I didn't just jump into all of these supplements at once. I started with one and focused on the way my body responded to it. After a while, I addressed another symptom and kept on until I am where I am today. And basically, I feel GREAT!!!!

Edited December 2, 2008 by Kimber

[beansprouts]

I take Rainbow Lite Women's one-a-day, cod liver oil and flax oil.

[Peela]

Those of you that take supplements, what do you take and what do you take them for?

 

 

Two green powder supplements- one bee pollen based and one powdered vegetable based.Both also contain dried barley shoots (like wheatgrass) and herbs. I stir them into juice or blend them in smoothies. They help compensate for lack of vegetables in the diet, and unhealthy food. They just top up the nutrient bank.

 

At the moment I am taking a psyllium fibre/herb mix for gentle bowel and liver cleansing. Its summer here and I feel like I need a bit of a cleanse from too much heavy food. I am also taking a liver herb mix for the cleanse.

 

Chaste tree for hormones.

Natural progesterone cream for hormones.

 

Various oils- evening primrose, fish, flax seed, codliver, at various times.

 

At times I take a multivitamin, and I often take a liquid iron supplement but not presently.

[Parrothead]

I take a boatload just to survive.

Every morning I take

 

Co Q 10 (It's better than coffee and it reduces the risk for breast cancer and lowers cholesterol. It decreases around the age of 40 and most people need to supplement then. I can't function without my CoQ 10. It's really just a vitamin, like vitamin B. But when it was named, they called it co-enzyme q10 rather than vitamin q10. All vitamins are in fact co-enzymes.)

 

Bcomplex (I take this almost regularly. It doesn't pep me up as much, but it regulates my hormones and keeps me from retaining fluids. Mostly take it for homones.)

 

Multi-vitamin ( I take least often. I simply take it for the iron, when I feel foggy headed. It works.)

At Night

 

I always take cal/ mag with vitamin D. It puts me to sleep like a baby. I gave some to my mother and she said she slept deeper than she usually does. (Sometimes I'll take magnesium alone. But only if I'm out of the one with the vitamin D.)

 

Sleep Aweigh (It's liquid collagen. It's supposed to firm everything up and keep things from becoming loose. I started this after my foot injury, hoping it would impact my joints. It makes me sleep even deeper than the cal/mag alone.

 

Systemic Enzymes (These prevent aging and help the body to perform all activities. Enzymes are the catalyst for all bodily reactions. They are normally in raw foods. But we don't eat enough raw foods, so we don't get them. Enzymes turn the apples brown. These also eat away scar tissue in the body.)

 

Digestive Enzymes (Same basic premises as before, but these aid in digestion in the stomach. These are taken with food. The systemic ones are taken without, so that they are absorbed in the blood.)

 

Omega 3's (Help with memory and muscle tone and skin elasticity. Keeps you young.)

 

Multi-Mineral (I take these at night also. These help with sugar balance and electrolytes and heart and....) We don't get enough minerals.

 

Without my vitamins, I'm sluggish moody and cranky. Miserable! They keep me calm, energized, and optimistic about life. The difference is huge!

 

And, btw, it's taken me years to determine what my body needs. I didn't just jump into all of these supplements at once. I started with one and focused on the way my body responded to it. After a while, I addressed another symptom and kept on until I am where I am today. And basically, I feel GREAT!!!!

Thank you! I need to try a few of the ones you listed for the reasons you listed them. I'll add them one at a time and if I can feel a difference.

I take Rainbow Lite Women's one-a-day, cod liver oil and flax oil.

Why the oils? What do they replace, protect or enhance?

Two green powder supplements- one bee pollen based and one powdered vegetable based.Both also contain dried barley shoots (like wheatgrass) and herbs. I stir them into juice or blend them in smoothies. They help compensate for lack of vegetables in the diet, and unhealthy food. They just top up the nutrient bank.

 

At the moment I am taking a psyllium fibre/herb mix for gentle bowel and liver cleansing. Its summer here and I feel like I need a bit of a cleanse from too much heavy food. I am also taking a liver herb mix for the cleanse.

 

Chaste tree for hormones.

Natural progesterone cream for hormones.

 

Various oils- evening primrose, fish, flax seed, codliver, at various times.

 

At times I take a multivitamin, and I often take a liquid iron supplement but not presently.

Why the oils?

 

Thanks for the info everyone.

[Chloe]

What is good for the skin?

 

Anything that increases energy?

[muffinmom]

I've been taking the following for about 6 months and they have helped dramatically. Particularly love the natural progesterone cream!

 

for mood/brain chemistry: L-tryptophan, Pyridoxal-5-phosphate (apparently this combo stimulates serotonin production); plus PharmaGabaPro and L-methionine--all of these 3x/day (the tryptophan and methionine are amino acids, I think; the pyridoxal is B vitamin; can't remember the PharmaGabaPro--maybe amino acid as well)

 

for blood sugar stability/liver support: Pantothenic Acid, Niacinamide, and B-complex drops--2x/day (these are all B vitamins)

 

for allergies: coleus forksholi (sp?), and Boswellia--2x/day

 

for hormone balance (I have estrogen dominance): nat. progesterone cream at night (for the last 2 weeks of every cycle)

 

general calming effect: Cal/Mag--a calcium/magnesium supplement--a powder I mix in 8 oz. water and take at night. I've been sleeping so well since I started taking this!! Love it.

 

 

If you can get yourself to an MD who does integrative medicine, then you can have something tailored to your needs. That's how I knew what to take.