Guest guest Posted January 26, 2008 Report Share Posted January 26, 2008 Thanks for that info, CarolynBarbPS Also thanks to Alana.Alana - Thanks for the supplements info. I'm already taking most ofthem, but it's good to have confirmation that I'm on the right track.Noah, you asked if supplements really work. In my case, I canabsolutely tell a difference. Interestingly, the things that workbest for my breathing are actually primarily for the bowel. Forinstance, I've started using teeny doses of castor oil (about 1/2teaspoon) 2-3 times a week, and within 30 minutes after I take it, anddefinitely by the next day, I can usually feel a distinct improvementin how open my sinuses are and how freely my lungs expand.The other thing I'm trying is cooking with turmeric. (The activeingredient in turmeric is curcumin.) Here's a link to a clinicalstudy in which mice were caused to be allergic to latex. Half weregiven turmeric, and half were not. The half that received turmerichad greatly reduced eosinophils (inflammatory cells) in their lungs:http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez & artid=1796894 & rendertype=abstract.Since using turmeric, not only have I been experiencing tastier meals<G>, but my digestive system is working more effectively, andbreathing is better while on it.I've tested both castor oil and turmeric separately, and they workwell individually. So now I'm doubling up, using both. My sinusesare so CLEAR! And the lungs are definitely improving, since I'mcoughing up less "stuff," and what does come up is thinner.Also, I want to remind folks to get your Vitamin D level checked thenext time you see your doc, ESPECIALLY if you spend a lot of timeindoors or are very dark skinned and thus don't absorb much D from thesun. There's a definite connection between Vitamin D and lungfunction. From the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition: "Clinicalvitamin D deficiency (rickets) was associated with 13-fold increasedrisk of pneumonia in Ethiopian children less than 5 y of age."Hope this helps.Carolyn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 27, 2008 Report Share Posted January 27, 2008 Hi Carolyn, Thanks for your post - it's really nice to see others are into complementary and alternative medicine. Are you taking glutamine powder? That is good for the intestines. Yes - vitamin D is turning out to be a real superstar! Everything from weight loss to cancer, it seems. Do you listen to Dr. Hoffman's radio program, too? He is constantly telling people to get their D level checked. Hugs, Alana > > . > Alana - Thanks for the supplements info. I'm already taking most of > them, but it's good to have confirmation that I'm on the right track. > > Noah, you asked if supplements really work. In my case, I can > absolutely tell a difference. Interestingly, the things that work > best for my breathing are actually primarily for the bowel. For > instance, I've started using teeny doses of castor oil (about 1/2 > teaspoon) 2-3 times a week, and within 30 minutes after I take it, and > definitely by the next day, I can usually feel a distinct improvement > in how open my sinuses are and how freely my lungs expand. > > The other thing I'm trying is cooking with turmeric. (The active > ingredient in turmeric is curcumin.) Here's a link to a clinical > study in which mice were caused to be allergic to latex. Half were > given turmeric, and half were not. The half that received turmeric > had greatly reduced eosinophils (inflammatory cells) in their lungs: > http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi? tool=pmcentrez & artid=1796894 & rendertype=abstract > . > > Since using turmeric, not only have I been experiencing tastier meals > <G>, but my digestive system is working more effectively, and > breathing is better while on it. > > I've tested both castor oil and turmeric separately, and they work > well individually. So now I'm doubling up, using both. My sinuses > are so CLEAR! And the lungs are definitely improving, since I'm > coughing up less " stuff, " and what does come up is thinner. > > Also, I want to remind folks to get your Vitamin D level checked the > next time you see your doc, ESPECIALLY if you spend a lot of time > indoors or are very dark skinned and thus don't absorb much D from the > sun. There's a definite connection between Vitamin D and lung > function. From the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition: " Clinical > vitamin D deficiency (rickets) was associated with 13-fold increased > risk of pneumonia in Ethiopian children less than 5 y of age. " > > Hope this helps. > > > Carolyn > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 13, 2008 Report Share Posted May 13, 2008 , I take a vitamin supplement than is designed to provide optimal cellular nutrition. It is actually a packet of vitamins that you take twice daily or also comes in a powder than can be mixed with water if you don't like swallowing pills. If you google search the words " optimal cellular nutrition " , you will find many sites and articles (the term is generally referring to vitamin supplements well beyond RDAs), along with places on the net that sell supplements. I would also think any health food store would carry similar products. I don't want anyone to think I am selling anything, so I'm not going to name the place where I buy mine online. I like the product I take, but think there are many comparable products out there that are very similar. The idea is that the RDAs are not enough to help the body under stress from chronic illnesses that may be very depleted of key nutrient needs, instead the RDAs were developed to prevent acute deficiency diseases. You can also just google search " vitamins and asthma " , and come up with many sites that give specific recommendations for asthmatics on vitamin supplements if you just want to focus on targeting asthma. I've seen magnesium, vitamin C, and B vitamins mentioned on most sites in conjuction with asthma. In addition to my vitamin packet (which has magnesium 500 mg daily, calcium 1000mg daily, vitamin C 1000mg, along with all the all the other usual vitamins), I take a probiotic pearl with acidphilus and some other good bacteria twice daily, and CoQ10 100 mg (the ubiquinone version) daily. My vitamin packet also has a fish oil capsule and a citrus bioflavinoid capsule to be taken twice daily. It sounds like alot, but basically I swallow a packet of vitamins in the morning with breakfast and one with supper, so it isn't too bad. I kind of think of it as my medicine (along with my regular asthma and allergy meds). I take the sinus/allergy support during the spring and fall only, not all year. My asthma had been difficult to control, and while I will probably always be taking conventional asthma and allergy medication, I feel like my overall asthma control is much better since I started supplementing. I've gone from having frequent episodes of out of control requiring oral steroids to needing prednisone only once last year. Before that, I was having to have prednisone 5 to 6 times a year for flareups, despite being on a full complement of regular asthma meds. I still have to watch the pollen counts carefully, and avoid some activities outside that I would like to do but overall, I feel like my life is more normal and not defined by my asthma and I have more energy. My family has definitely noticed the difference in my health. You need to read lots about supplements and decide what will work the best for your body. Everyone is different. Design your own program, after reading alot. Start slowly and carefully. Be sure to discuss whatever supplements you are going to take with your doctor. You will find most will be very dismissive of any benefit to supplementing, but you must let them know what you are taking, because there can be drug interactions with many supplements. My current doctor would not recommend any supplements except calcium to a patient because he is not convinced of any benefit, but admits he doesn't know that much about it, and has at least been supportive of me trying them. That is probably the best you can expect, although there are some doctors who are very knowledgable. Alana has posted many links to various studies in her posts, and some of those might be helpful to you also. The book I mentioned in my previous post has many very specific vitamin/herb suggesionts for chronic fatigue syndrome. Sorry this turned out so long! Good luck, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 16, 2008 Report Share Posted May 16, 2008 Most probiotics contain acidophilus and some contain other good bacteria too. Look for the kind that come in a " pearl " form. The pill looks like a tiny bead and has a coating to pass through your stomach and be absorbed in the intestines, where you want it. You also need to talk with the staff where you buy them to make sure you are getting a good brand. I've read some brands don't actually contain live bacteria or are in a form that won't make it through the stomach. You can also get acidophilus by just eating the kind of yogurt that has live cultures from the grocery store daily. I hate yogurt, so that didn't work for me. The benefit for probiotics are for those who might have candida overgrowth in the intestines, usually from taking frequent antibiotics. Being on birth control pill and taking oral steroids also make a candida overgrowth more likely. The antibiotics kill the good bacteria in your body, along with the bad bacteria you want them to kill. Most of us ladies have probably experienced the vaginal yeast infection that often follows a course of antibiotics. Many alternative doctors feel that many people have candida overgrowth and would benefit from probiotics. I'm not sure how true that school of thought is, but after many yeast infections (after many courses of antibiotics), I decided to give probiotics a try. I've been pleased with the great reduction in yeast infections. My OB-GYN has actually started recommending either yogurt or probiotics to all his patients taking antibiotics. Hope that is helpful, > > > > > , > > > > I take a vitamin supplement than is designed to provide optimal cellular > > nutrition. It is actually a packet of vitamins that you take twice > > daily or also comes in a powder than can be mixed with water if you > > don't like swallowing pills. If you google search the words " optimal > > cellular nutrition " , you will find many sites and articles (the term is > > generally referring to vitamin supplements well beyond RDAs), along with > > places on the net that sell supplements. I would also think any health > > food store would carry similar products. I don't want anyone to think > > I am selling anything, so I'm not going to name the place where I buy > > mine online. I like the product I take, but think there are many > > comparable products out there that are very similar. The idea is that > > the RDAs are not enough to help the body under stress from chronic > > illnesses that may be very depleted of key nutrient needs, instead the > > RDAs were developed to prevent acute deficiency diseases. You can also > > just google search " vitamins and asthma " , and come up with many sites > > that give specific recommendations for asthmatics on vitamin supplements > > if you just want to focus on targeting asthma. I've seen magnesium, > > vitamin C, and B vitamins mentioned on most sites in conjuction with > > asthma. > > > > In addition to my vitamin packet (which has magnesium 500 mg daily, > > calcium 1000mg daily, vitamin C 1000mg, along with all the all the other > > usual vitamins), I take a probiotic pearl with acidphilus and some other > > good bacteria twice daily, and CoQ10 100 mg (the ubiquinone version) > > daily. My vitamin packet also has a fish oil capsule and a citrus > > bioflavinoid capsule to be taken twice daily. It sounds like alot, but > > basically I swallow a packet of vitamins in the morning with breakfast > > and one with supper, so it isn't too bad. I kind of think of it as my > > medicine (along with my regular asthma and allergy meds). I take the > > sinus/allergy support during the spring and fall only, not all year. > > > > My asthma had been difficult to control, and while I will probably > > always be taking conventional asthma and allergy medication, I feel like > > my overall asthma control is much better since I started supplementing. > > I've gone from having frequent episodes of out of control requiring oral > > steroids to needing prednisone only once last year. Before that, I was > > having to have prednisone 5 to 6 times a year for flareups, despite > > being on a full complement of regular asthma meds. I still have to > > watch the pollen counts carefully, and avoid some activities outside > > that I would like to do but overall, I feel like my life is more normal > > and not defined by my asthma and I have more energy. My family has > > definitely noticed the difference in my health. > > > > You need to read lots about supplements and decide what will work the > > best for your body. Everyone is different. Design your own program, > > after reading alot. Start slowly and carefully. Be sure to discuss > > whatever supplements you are going to take with your doctor. You will > > find most will be very dismissive of any benefit to supplementing, but > > you must let them know what you are taking, because there can be drug > > interactions with many supplements. My current doctor would not > > recommend any supplements except calcium to a patient because he is not > > convinced of any benefit, but admits he doesn't know that much about it, > > and has at least been supportive of me trying them. That is probably > > the best you can expect, although there are some doctors who are very > > knowledgable. Alana has posted many links to various studies in her > > posts, and some of those might be helpful to you also. The book I > > mentioned in my previous post has many very specific vitamin/herb > > suggesionts for chronic fatigue syndrome. > > > > Sorry this turned out so long! Good luck, > > > > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 10, 2010 Report Share Posted May 10, 2010 I agree with Bob. The amount of good quality research showing value of supplements is even worse than research on SSRI/PSSD I used to " believe " in supplements.I wanted to believe in supplements. I hated the scientific, military, and medical industry and their pawns. I was a child of the 60s hippie generation, and we believed in all kinds of herbs. My parents took vitamins, fish oil, and wheat germ daily. We bought the stuff in bulk. In short, I grew up surrounded with and consuming lots and lots of vitamins; as an adult, took a whole lot of supplements -- up to 20 pills daily during one time in my life (when I was lush in cash). I once calculated I spent nearly $50,000 over 30 years. I'm not making this up. I was, in a sense, following health advice provided by minimum wage clerks at health food stores as they drained my wallet. My health, as measured by my mood, as well as actual blood and urine chemistry tests, simply doesn't change with regard to the amount of vitamin pills or concoctions poured into my system. It would have been more efficient to flush the vitamins down the toilet. Anecdotally, I find more value in meditating, exercise, and eating a balanced diet with healthy variety of foods. Vitamin supplements may well work for some, but not for me. Before I put ANY supplement into my mouth, I research it on google scholar, and avoid sites designed to sell the supplements. Consequently, I take no nutritional supplements today unless prescribed by a doctor for a specific reason. Anyway & #8722;- SSRIs provided blessed relief, finally, after 40 years of suffering. I was able to get my life on track. But, as we all know (or we wouldn't be writing or reading this) SSRIs can cause problems on their own. I find PSSD horrid. I've not had a normal orgasm since one month after I started celexa in early 2006. I needed 60mg/day to be effective. (three years pass). I tapered and quit about two months ago. Things still suck. I'm having occasional orgasms, but they are weak or even painful. Before celexa, I always took a long time to " finish " ; on celexa I never finished. Now, I finish about 1/10 of the time. A patient and understanding partner has helped intimacy immeasurably. A partner, by the way, that I met while I was completely anorgasmic. I really wish that cure for the prescription pill problem we share would easily cured with a pill from a health food store. Anecdotally, I find more value in meditating, exercise, and eating a balanced diet with healthy variety of foods. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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