I always try to remember that when taking supplements, to vary days. As I load up my daily pill container for the week, I skip a day for every supplement. This is a good way to make sure I am not taking any pill 7 days in a row and that I am varying the combination of supplements I am taking on a daily basis. If I find that a supplement makes me feel bad, I stop taking it. Simple as that. If it doesn't feel good, I don't do it.
Below is just a brief overview of why I take the supplements in my own personal health care battles. If you are interested in any supplements listed, I suggest you do some independent research to find out if any would benefit you before taking anything.
Benebiotics Advanced Multi Probiotic-I take this first thing in the morning before eating. Because of my candida, probiotics often give me a period of feeling bad. This is caused by the die off symptoms of yeast meeting its demise in my intestines. This is an exception to the rule that I do not take anything that makes me feel bad. I know why this makes me feels bad. And I feel good about it because that means it is working.
Fish Oil-1200 mg (360 mg Omega-3)-for heart health. A quality fish oil supplement is generally made from smaller fish like sardines and is purified to remove mercury. There are cheaper options out there, but back to the "you are what you eat" idea, I always spend the extra money to get good quality supplements. Some people use krill oil. I have, but I found that they get really stinky sitting in the cabinet after a week or two. I was so repulsed by the last batch that I stopped buying them. If I can find less stinky ones, krill oil really is the best as far as omega-3s are concerned.
Calcium Citrate + Vitamin D-No gal should be without some extra calcium!
Vitamin D3-5000 IU per day-This is the exception to my rule to never take a supplement 7 days in a row. I take Vitamin D every day of the week. Vitamin D does so many good things it is hard to count. Without vitamin D, I feel like I have an autoimmune disorder. Everything aches, my back hurts, I feel tired. I always take vitamin D with food.
MK-7 (K2)-Vitamin K2 is good to take with calcium and vitamin D. It helps the body to place calcium in the right spots, like teeth and bones, not in the arteries, where it can cause arterial calcification. There is plenty of conjecture out there about how much to take. I take 100 mcg, but could probably be taking 200 safely. I like the one pill a day thing and mine just happen to be 100 mcg, so that is what I take.
Magnesium-400 mg per day-This helps to improve the body's use of calcium too. I want my calcium to work well and all in the right places!
Potassium-99 mg-I take a small amount of potassium to make sure I am getting enough. Sometimes my diet isn't perfect so I feel that supplementing a little bit probably helps me get all I need. Potassium helps to prevent high blood pressure and depletion of calcium from our bones, and helps balance fluid and mineral levels in the body. I make sure to take a low dose because too much potassium can be deadly!
Selenium-200 mcg-selenium is an antioxidant mineral. Selenium is great for people like me with iodine deficiencies and goiter. The thyroid gland needs selenium to function properly. Only small amounts of selenium are needed by the body, so I make sure not to take more than 200 mcg per day, and only 6 days per week. There have been studies conducted that have shown selenium benefits those with cancer and helps to prevent cancers. However, as with all studies involving supplements that can cure without big pharma being able to synthesize or control the distribution and sales of such supplement, these studies have been largely dismissed by the FDA as "inconclusive".
Esther C-500-1000mg-Immune support, need I say more?
Caprylic Acid 600 mg-this is a medium chain fatty acid that has antifungal properties. Also found in coconut oil. Anyone fighting candida needs this!
Biotin-5000 mcg-This is a vanity supplement for me, really, but it also helps to metabolize carbohydrates, proteins, and fat for energy use in the body. It does help skin and nails look better too.
Alpha Lipoic Acid-200 mcg-This is an antioxidant that helps to convert glucose into energy.
Turmeric-500 mg- I wish I could say I eat turmeric every day, but I don't. Turmeric is a powerful antioxidant and helps bolster the immune system.
J.Crow's Lugol's Solution, 2% (Potassium Iodide 4%, Iodine 2%)-This is not a pill I take but a solution. I used to put iodine on my skin and wait for my body to absorb it, but I have found that it is more effective for me to use 4 drops of lugol's diluted in a glass of water. I never wanted to drink it before because I thought it would taste horrible. But I must have a high threshold for bad tasting things, because diluted, it doesn't bother me one bit to drink it. The measurements are a bit hard to figure out exactly, but with 4 drops and an estimated up to 1.5 to 2 mg of iodine in each drop, I am getting anywhere from 6 to 8 mg per dose. Many Japanese people get 13 mg of iodine per day through their diet, so the amount I am taking is fairly conservative, but enough to hopefully keep my thyroid kicking out plenty of good hormone. I will most likely up my dosage to 5 drops per day in a week or so to allow my body to adjust. Five drops will get me closer to what the Japanese, who are way less obese than Americans with less incidence of breast and reproductive cancers despite smoking like chimneys, ingest on a daily basis.
Super B Complex-for energy metabolism. Good for people with thyroid problems. It gives me energy.
Iron Supplement-everyone with anemia has their favorite. I have tried a few different kinds in the past year and I am not sure which I like best yet. Bifera is my favorite, hands down.
Zinc-50 mcg-People with hypothyroid issues are found to have low zinc levels. Zinc helps the thyroid to function properly, in small amounts. Zinc can make people feel a little funny. Can cause some nausea, which I have experienced off and on and only to a small degree. Any feelings of sickness I have experienced with this supplement have gone away so quickly it is a non issue. It really does work wonders for the immune system so I keep on keeping on with it.
Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth-I drink a Tablespoon of DE a day.It tastes like dirt, but mildly. It isn't too offensive. This is essentially silica with the added benefit of intestinal and colon scraping. Food grade DE has lots of minerals besides silica, and also clears out the digestive tract pretty effectively (farmers use it to keep parasites out of the digestive tracts of animals). A tsp to a Tbsp a day is good enough. I notice when I take it every day for a few weeks, my skin is much nicer and doesn't dry out in the winter.
CoQ10-200 mg-an antioxidant for heart health. Always wise to keep this in rotation.
Vitamin E-400 IU-an antioxidant for immune system health. I don't take this all the time, as too much vitamin E is not good for you.
DMAE-250 mg-for brain function. I need all the help I can get here! I take this off and on. Most of the time I forget to lol!
Digestive Enzymes-I take a nice blend from the Vitamin Shoppe. Digestive Enzymes are used by many people to aid in the digestion of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, dairy, and glucose. I decided to start trying them when I bought them for my son. He has IBS symptoms and food allergies so I figured it couldn't hurt him! I do take them before I eat sometimes but I also take one with my amino acids before bedtime. I figure it may be helping to break down any food sluggishly making its way through my intestines. So far, so good.
When I am sick, I take oregano oil capsules. Oregano oil kills everything in the body (antiviral, antifungal, antibacterial) so I use it like an antibiotic. I take it for a week at most once or twice a day to kill the infection, then I follow it up with probiotics and caprylic acid to replace beneficial bacteria. Bacteria do not get resistant to oregano oil so I don't have to worry that I am creating a super bug by using it. For the kids, I break open a capsule and rub it on the bottom of their feet. One side effect of oregano oil is that it leeches iron out of your system, so I have to be careful about how long I use it because I already have low iron. It works great though and saves lots of trips to the doctor for antibiotics.
Grapefruit Seed Extract by Nutribiotic is another infection fighter I keep around the house. The ear drops work fantastic for ear infections. With kids in the house, it is nice to have a go-to cure for ear infections. They work so fast. Usually I only have to put the drops in the kids' ears once or twice before they feel right as rain again. I like the nasal spray for allergies. It clears out my sinuses right away. The liquid extract is good for cuts. I also add it to my laundry detergent for extra germ fighting.
This sounds like a lot of supplements, but they have all their time and place in my life. I am smart about taking them and try not to get too much of any one thing on a daily basis. As per usual, I am not endorsing any product or telling you to take it. I am mapping out MY personal journey only for your reading enjoyment. If you take something, it is at your own risk and I am not responsible for any bad side effects just because you read my blog. I have to put a disclaimer on here because some folks refuse to take personal responsibility for anything they do. Anywho, I am not a doctor, I am not licensed in anything, so don't take my word on all this. See your doctor if you want to start taking vitamins and you are unsure of what and how much to take.
Thank you for reading!
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