Agnostic.com
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How do you feel about supplements? Do you take them? Are you leery of them?

The FDA doesn't heavily regulate supplements. Some people swear by them-- others swear against them. Where do you stand?

[scientificamerican.com]

silvereyes 8 Feb 16
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29 comments

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6

Eating a well-balanced diet is the best approach, however, the level of processing that packaged food go through makes it near impossible to attain such a goal. I feed my family well, choosing good foods in enough variety to cover nutrition pretty well, however. I know that supplementation helps me. When I started taking a high-quality multivitamin every day along with a few other things, I didn't notice a change right away, or even a few months down the road. Others DID see a difference in me. My skin was better, I was more active. I was a little slimmer--all things I didn't notice, myself.

About a month ago, skimming through information from the genetic testing I had ordered, I discovered that there are things that I am genetically predisposed to be deficient in. Adding supplements made a marked difference.

Others might not benefit at all or might need even more supplementation to see a benefit. As for me and my house, through experimentation, I know what works for us and we stick to it.

As for the FDA, I trust nature more than bureaucracy. There ARE good things that come out of their work, but I suspect that a good deal of what they publish is based on profits rather than our health.

Meep70 Level 7 Feb 16, 2018
5

One of my docs wrote me a prescription for a high-dose Vitamin D supplement.
Insurance stopped covering it and the out of pocket cost was unreasonably high so I just started taking over the counter stuff.
The doses are lower, but something is better than nothing I suppose.

Paul628 Level 8 Feb 16, 2018

Nice thought but for those of us up around the 42nd latitude we just can’t get enough sunlight! @silvereyes

@silvereyes Too cold...too cloudy. 😉

I got a prescription for vitamin D too. I passed.

@silvereyes Here 60f yesterday, today 30's. 😟

@Paul628 - I don't remember what mine is, but I am very fortunate in that as long as it is generic, we get reimbursed 100% on prescriptions.

@A2Jennifer Amazingly following prolongued skin cancer prevention campaigns many in Australia are vit D deficient.

Yes, I think the current advice is to NOT try to meet vit D needs with unprotected sun exposure for that reason @FrayedBear

5

pretty much aspirin and coffee.

hankster Level 9 Feb 16, 2018
4

I take glucosamine and have for over 20 years. I have experienced negative effects from stopping taking it for a while, so I resumed using it. That happened a couple of times. I also, at 68, seem to have fewer problems with arthritis than many others my age, but I don't know if that's necessarily attributable to the glucosamine. A couple months ago, I began taking magnesium, on the recommendation of a Physician's Assistant to whom I made mention of my peripheral neuropathy. It has lessened that condition by 50-70%. So, those things work for me.

Condor5 Level 8 Feb 16, 2018

@silvereyes what's that for? How does it help you?

Oh, I forgot about Magnesium. I WAS taking it for a while for leg cramps, but for some reason I stopped. I had a reason, but remembering.... ha!

I did notice, however, that when I lost some weight and was exercising regularly my calf/shin/feet cramps decreased by about 80%.

@silvereyes I found it a big help with anxiety and sleeping.

4

I take Vitamin D based on my Doctor's recommendation and on the fact that there's evidence for its usefulness. I don't profess to know everything about every supplement, but it's my understanding that unless your diet is extremely deficient most of 'em are a waste of money.

chicagojcb Level 7 Feb 16, 2018

Oh look my urine has turned yellow/ orange. It used to happen but does no longer but I'm a very poor veggie and fruit eater.

@FrayedBear I'll take your word for it. Prefer not to look.

#Urine #Colour

@chicagojcb you really should at your own - people are now seriously researching the topic and it can tell you a few obvious things.

Did you know that children were used in the 1800's to test for diabetes by drinking other peoples urine? That if you are dehydrated it will go darker in colour? Have a look at this:

What The Color of Your Urine Says About You (Infographic) – Health Essentials from Cleveland Clinic [health.clevelandclinic.org]

@FrayedBear I DO look at my own. I just dont' wanna look at yours. 🙂

@chicagojcb I hadn't realized that I had been misunderstood! Argh! Obviously wasn't in a funny mood - come to think of it I wasn't because I ran out of download allowance which necessitated going on the tablet which had never been set up for Agnostics. Com. 😟

4

No, thank you. To each their own.

KKGator Level 9 Feb 16, 2018

Nothing venture nothing gain?

@FrayedBear While I can appreciate looking at it that way, I feel I already take enough stuff as it is. I have no desire to add anything else. Also, to be honest, I don't have much faith in the quality control. Even though the FDA is bought and paid for by Big Pharma, they do have people who spend their time testing most things for quality and safety. That the FDA doesn't test most of what people refer to as 'supplements', doesn't exactly fill me with confidence. I also don't want to take anything that could conceivably interact with what I'm already taking. I have other reasons, but I'll stop there.

@KKGator Not arguing about your decision but wondering whether the foodstuffs that you eat are tested to an equally rigorous degree to ensure they are not contaminated with insecticides, weed killers, heavy metals and other toxic materials? I understand that you do not even have honest labelling of food in that GMO product is sold as organic.

4

I don't take them, but I'd certainly be leery of them: while they're unregulated, you can never be sure what's in them and some manufacturers may be adding questionable ingredients to either save money or boost effects, as more than one professional athlete (Alberto Contador being a good example) has discovered.

Another example would be the US cyclist Amber Neben, who tested positive for anabolic steroid 19-Norandrosterone in 2003. She argued that she had not intentionally doped and that she had consumed the drug in a contaminated supplement and the Court for Arbitration in Sport found in her favour, giving her a six-month ban dated from the positive test which allowed her to continue racing with the agreement that she would submit to more regular tests - and she passed every test from that date onwards. It's her 42nd birthday tomorrow, incidentally; she's still racing and still passing anti-doping tests.

Jnei Level 8 Feb 16, 2018
4

There are a few I take. I drink chamomile tea on a fairly regular basis. I do that for headaches. I have also used holy basil as well. It has a calming effect. There are a few others I have used. Won’t necessarily swear by any. Other than the two I mentioned. I have seen the effects on me specifically from both.

ChrisJones Level 6 Feb 16, 2018

I specifically started using it for migraine headaches. I was actually quite surprised that it reduced the number of migraines I was having by at least 75%. @silvereyes

@ChrisJones that’s great! Do you drink it daily for migraine prevention or use to treat when they onset?

My only experiences with chamomile tea -- twice I think -- were really bad nightmares. Never again. 🙂

Daily now. Started as a treatment. But eventually it became a habit. So now it’s daily. @A2Jennifer

3

There is a mountain of double-blind, crossover studies in reliable peer-reviewed journals showing the efficacy of many supplements. They also show how some aren't worth the money or can even be dangerous. Because the supplement industry is essentially unregulated in the US you also have to be careful to only buy from a reputable company. I usually buy from NOW, EAS, NatureMade and Universal. One final thing a supplement is in addition to a good diet. It's added nutritional insurance because if we are truly honest with ourselves very, very few of us eat anything like a complete, healthy diet.

kmdskit3 Level 8 Feb 16, 2018
2

as most studies show supplements generally have the effect of raising the monetary value of your urine and not a lot else

weeman Level 7 July 17, 2018
2

There's no reason to take a supplement aside from compensating for a known and verified deficiency.

d_day Level 7 Feb 17, 2018
2

I take vitamins

2

I'm only leery in the respect that most are over rated. Because of fillers and the fact that your body doesn't absorb the full dosage amount (take 500 mg of something, your body will only absorb a portion, often only half of that). The best supplements are liquid and go straight into your system BUT they charge outrageous prices for them.

By most standards, I eat a very healthy diet, but I still don't get everything I need. So, to supplement my healthy diet, I take a strong multi-vitamin and D (because I don't spend enough time outside). At night I take fast dissolving Melatonin to help with sleep. (I just recently started taking them 20 mins before bed, I'm asleep within 10-15 mins of laying down. Where without them, I might be awake 30-90 mins before falling asleep)

I think I'm doing ok, no colds or flu for about 4-5 years and I don't get a flu vaccine. Several people around me have been sick this winter, but I came through with no problem. I can't say for sure it's the supplements but probably a combination of diet and supplements.

BeeHappy Level 9 Feb 16, 2018

And avoiding germ carriers?

2

Some supplements show up on lab tests. Vitamin D is one. Magnesium Citrate is another one I take. B-12 is a vitamin that is low in vegetarian diets. Not all supplements are created equal the, of course, the better ones cost more.

JackPedigo Level 9 Feb 16, 2018
1

Eat well and prosper

1

I go back and forth on them. Just the other day saw an article about infants contracting a deadly fungal infection from tainted pro biotics given in a hospital.
Probiotics are all the rage now... it's always something.
What was it, another study found supps at Target et al didn't have any of the stated ingredients. 😮

I do keep some things around, Vit D, magnesium, milk thistle, but don't take them regularly.

Here's the infant/probiotic article [forbes.com]

Qualia Level 8 Feb 17, 2018
1

When I am under the weather I take spatone which is a water based iron supplement it doesnt make you as constipated as the tablets. My doctor gives me the tablets so at least I know I need them.

jacpod Level 8 Feb 17, 2018
1

Following amazing benefit received from eating raw organic garlic (not radiation neutered imported garlic) to cure a sore throat some years ago, I started taking garlic, horseradish and vit C pills. The cost amounts to about US$10 for 3 months supply. Whether through real or placebo affect I have been very healthy during the time taking them. Equally I found that taking grapeseed capsules enabled me last winter to survive without sox when outdoors. Peripheral blood flow is something I have monitored every year and my testing podiatrist assures me that the blood in my big toes still has good pressure. My blood tests identify vit D deficiency so I now take a supplement. I dropped the antiinflammatories after many years of consumption on learning that the ultimately cause kidney failure.

FrayedBear Level 9 Feb 17, 2018

@silvereyes A tablet bought at the supermarket. It is manufactured by an Australian company PharmaCare Laboratories P/L. Trade name "NaturesWay" out of garlic powder, horseradish root, ascorbic acid, fenugreek seed and marshmallow root.

1

Beyond mere supplements comes this report from several years ago about the mysterious deaths of naturopaths. The article also has interesting links to similar articles and makes accusations of FDA tampering by big pharma.
29 Holistic Doctors/Practitioners Found Poisoned, Some Nearly Dead. Another Attack on Alternative Medicine? - David Avocado Wolfe [davidwolfe.com]

FrayedBear Level 9 Feb 17, 2018

David Wolfe is a charlatan.

@d_day is the news false?

@silvereyes thanks.

1

I used to take them.

From Matol's Km, to a ton of pills, to tea, and on and on. I was a newbie in multi-level marketing peddling that stuff for a minute.

None of that stuff helped me in ANY noticeable way.

After that, I took regular over the counter supplements - vitamins, probiotics, etc. None of that made a difference either. Ever.

Then I started reading and saw a good documentary which cited science and completely stopped.

And, here I am. Same body. Same level of health. I take one prescription vitamin D a month, and I get the rest of my vitamins from food.

BlueWave Level 8 Feb 17, 2018

Vitamins typically result in little more than very expensive urine.

1

I don't know much about the. Dr. Oz did a segment on them. Something about desolving it in vinegar to see how effective they are. It's been a while since I've watched it.

JoeMastle Level 7 Feb 16, 2018
1

I prefer to get my nutrition from well-balanced diet. However, my doctor recommended that I start supplementing calcium, since I don’t drink milk, so I do that. Most other types of supplements (non-nutrient) I think range from useless to potentially dangerous and primarily serve the purpose of lining the pockets of the manufacturers.

A2Jennifer Level 8 Feb 16, 2018
0

The doctor says "Take the calcium". The science says "causes polyps in many".
Me?????????????????????????????

Mooolah Level 8 July 17, 2018
0

Unless medically prescribed I'd steer clear of that stuff.

0

I take some of them. Nature Made is supposed to be a legitimate brand, and so I take their supplements. I am never going to get the nutrients I need from food, and so I feel I need to add supplements, but I'm pretty careful with them. I don't take the fad drugs, just the ones that I know I can't get enough of. Vitamin D is especially hard for me. I seem to always find myself lacking that.

Benthoven Level 8 Feb 17, 2018
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