Vitamins, Supplements. Do you use them?

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mrsdrshot
mrsdrshot Posts: 154 Member
in Food and Nutrition
So, last year I was sick with every bug that came through my house, my neighborhood, possibly the state. I was (no kidding) sick from November until June. I'm not normally prone to every virus, but there you have it.

One of the reasons I decided to get back on the wagon and eat better was that I don't want to go through that again next winter! I'm also taking a multivitamin, a vitamin C and a D every day to try and build up my immune system.

I'm thinking about fish oil as well, but haven't started on that.

I know that you can get (and should get) all that you need from what you eat, but I also feel like with our corporate growing mechanisms and such, that it's much harder to get those vitamins than it was years ago. (Maybe I'm listening to too much NPR)

Anyhow, thoughts? What do you take or don't take and do you think it helps? Thanks!

Replies

  • distinctlybeautiful
    distinctlybeautiful Posts: 1,041 Member
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    I take vitamin D, iron, and flaxseed oil (which has the same thing in it as fish oil). I just take them because I saw a nutritionist back in grad school who tol me those are the ones I needed. I know the iron is good because I donate blood, and if I haven't been taking them my iron usually isn't high enough to donate. To be honest though I don't really notice a difference in how I feel. I'm not always good at noticing that kind of thing though. Sorry! I wasn't very helpful!
  • Mycophilia
    Mycophilia Posts: 1,225 Member
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    I take multivitamins and fish oil because my diet is terrible micronutrientwise. And because I got a years supply dirt cheap on black Friday last year.
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    edited August 2015
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    On the advice of my internist I take a multivitamin and vitamin D3/calcium because I'm borderline low on D. I also take a low dose iron supplement every other day because I donate blood on a regular basis. Everything else comes back normal on my blood tests so I don't take anything else because I don't need it. Keep in mind that an excess amount of vitamins like C just flush out of your body. Don't overdo it or you're literally pissing your money away. :smile:
  • katkins3
    katkins3 Posts: 1,360 Member
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    I started having joint pain in my shoulder and when it didn't go away one of my Jazzercise buddies suggested glucosamine chondroitin. It takes six weeks or so to build up and work, but it took the pain away. After awhile, I stopped taking it and in six weeks my shoulder pain was disrupting my sleep again. When I started taking it again, it again took six weeks to eliminate the pain in the shoulder joint. It is the one OTC supplement I take daily. ( I've been taking it for six or seven years, I'm 65 now, and do Jazzercise every day, along with walking and yoga.)
  • gothchiq
    gothchiq Posts: 4,598 Member
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    I do. The doctor told me to take Vitamin D, CoQ10 (because I take Lipitor), Omega 3/6/9 oil capsules, and Vitamin C. For a while I took calcium and iron too, but I found ways to adjust my diet to get more in food. When I was eating 1200 it was literally impossible to get the US RDA of nutrients on so few calories. Maintenance is 1440 so that makes me able to eat more dairy and red meat for those 2 nutrients. I have some kind of issue with absorbing or producing vitamin D so I will always have to take high doses of that. There are some other things I also take. After a night when I consume alcohol, I take milk thistle as liver support. I take fenugreek on those rare occasions I eat a sweet, because I'm prediabetic. Blood tests have shown that these things have gotten my vitamin and mineral levels to normal, and my blood sugar is much better, so the doc advises I continue taking the supplements.
  • WildCatClimbs
    WildCatClimbs Posts: 35 Member
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    First of all, if it helps, I am a Certified Sports Nutritionist with a B.Sc in Human Biology...so hopefully I am not totally clueless.. :) I take a womans multi, a good probiotic(I use Peak Probiotics), Vit C, FishOil+D3(I use Stronger Faster Healthier liquid), Calcium, and Magnesium(Natural Calm) at night before bed. I don't know if the multi is helping, but I know I feel a difference if I don't take the probiotic, fish oil+d3 and magnesium. I have not gotten sick in over 6 years. (totally jinxing myself here). I do eat pretty clean though as well and drink a ton of water. Certain things though don't go dosing for yourself(like Iron, it is easy to OD and it will make you sick, get tested first), and B vitamins(they get stored in the liver, taking too much can cause some weird nerve symptoms), as well as the fat soluble ones. My diary is public I think if you want to get an idea of how I eat in conjunction to those supps. Got to figure out what makes you feel good :)
  • katkins3
    katkins3 Posts: 1,360 Member
    edited August 2015
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    Also, for ladies suffering with hot flashes, Black Cohash (spelling?) is an OTC supplement that helps many women.
  • mrsdrshot
    mrsdrshot Posts: 154 Member
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    Lots of good information, thanks! Now I'm interested in taking glucosamine (I have that shoulder pain too), calcium (I've had 4 children, I'm sure I've been robbed!) and probably iron (I'll ask the doc firs though.)
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
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    WildCatClimbs wrote: »
    First of all, if it helps, I am a Certified Sports Nutritionist with a B.Sc in Human Biology...so hopefully I am not totally clueless.. :) I take a womans multi, a good probiotic(I use Peak Probiotics), Vit C, FishOil+D3(I use Stronger Faster Healthier liquid), Calcium, and Magnesium(Natural Calm) at night before bed. I don't know if the multi is helping, but I know I feel a difference if I don't take the probiotic, fish oil+d3 and magnesium. I have not gotten sick in over 6 years. (totally jinxing myself here). I do eat pretty clean though as well and drink a ton of water. Certain things though don't go dosing for yourself(like Iron, it is easy to OD and it will make you sick, get tested first), and B vitamins(they get stored in the liver, taking too much can cause some weird nerve symptoms), as well as the fat soluble ones. My diary is public I think if you want to get an idea of how I eat in conjunction to those supps. Got to figure out what makes you feel good :)

    The bolded part is very true. I used to work with a guy (he recently retired) who was drinking energy drinks all day long. He ended up with nerve issues in his hands and was out of work for a few months because of it. Most of us get more than enough B vitamins in our food that a supplement is completely unnecessary.
  • oh_happy_day
    oh_happy_day Posts: 1,138 Member
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    I take Vitamin D - I'm deficient and don't want to spend any more time in the sun because I'm very fair. Magnesium - helps manage my migraines and helps muscle recovery.

    I have found that I'm sick much less since I've been exercising regularly and eating well. I used to get every virus that went around the office. Now I get colds maybe once or twice a year.
  • karahm78
    karahm78 Posts: 505 Member
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    I take a multi, fish oil, and a calcium supplement daily. No other herbs/nutraceuticals beyond those.
  • erimethia_fekre
    erimethia_fekre Posts: 317 Member
    edited August 2015
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    You need a probiotic, bad. Garden of life makes a unbeatable refrigerated option that is high strain that most people do not have negative reactions to (IE diarrhea, bloating etc). You just need to take one women's instead of three a day since it'll yield 28 billion organisms roughly.

    When you get sick, up your onion and garlic intake. Onion is a good prebiotic and garlic is a good antifungal/ antibacterial.

    I currently take protein supplement, electrolyte tablets, cranberry/garlic (fighting a UTI) and pomegranate before my workout
  • erimethia_fekre
    erimethia_fekre Posts: 317 Member
    edited August 2015
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    The bolded part is very true. I used to work with a guy (he recently retired) who was drinking energy drinks all day long. He ended up with nerve issues in his hands and was out of work for a few months because of it. Most of us get more than enough B vitamins in our food that a supplement is completely unnecessary.

    Having too much b in your system is bad but it doesn't stay in there for long. it doesn't store in your liver since it isn't a fat soluble vitamin.
  • Furbuster
    Furbuster Posts: 254 Member
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    I take a multivit with a good B12 content. I have a tendency to make a batch of something, eat that and then go into the next thing so my diet sometimes doesn't vary for 3 days. Just to cover my bases and give me that extra oomph that I sometimes lack.
  • firebloom
    firebloom Posts: 109 Member
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    I started taking the kind organics women's multi after I got a job at a primary school and started catching all of the bugs off the kids. I haven't gotten sick again once in the 8 months or so since I've been taking them (touch wood).
  • Lourdesong
    Lourdesong Posts: 1,492 Member
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    Vitamins don't noticeably do anything for me except make my bank account smaller and when tracked make me way over on many RDA's.

    Hard for me to justify the time and cost of vitamins when I don't experience any benefit. And I'm not about to experiment with different brands or supplements in the hope that I might attain some benefit when there doesn't appear to be any deficiencies in my diet and I'm not suffering from any health problems anyway.
  • RuNaRoUnDaFiEld
    RuNaRoUnDaFiEld Posts: 5,864 Member
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    katkins3 wrote: »
    Also, for ladies suffering with hot flashes, Black Cohash (spelling?) is an OTC supplement that helps many women.

    Nobody should take that without getting a Drs approval. It has so many cautions and side effects and even links with female cancers.
    I am a fan of supplements but they are NOT caution free, please check with a Dr before you take any of them!
  • ChelleBelle2708
    ChelleBelle2708 Posts: 131 Member
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    I have a thyroid condition which has left my immune system totally shot to pieces, so take a few suppliments which have had a great benefit to me.

    B12 Methylcolbalamin - this is the most purest form of B12 you can buy all be it a tad expensive, but my consultant said other B12 vitamin suppliments are not as effective without Methyl in them.

    Magnesium - very important for the brain, especially if you suffer from Brain fog, memory problems.

    Omega 3 -although usually in the form of 1tsp each of Chia & ground Flax Seeds in a smoothie each morning. The brain needs Omega 3 to lubricate the nerve endings, and the body is unable to produce Omega 3 so we must suppliment where possible to maintain healthy brain function. Also if using Flax seeds they must be ground down as the body is unable to extract nutrients from a whole flax seed.

    I was also on Vit D and Calcium after my operation to remove Thyroid as my Parathyroid went into shock, but I am reducing my intake of these now.

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