Re: so many pills...

[Guest guest]

This is how we view it at our house:

It's part of recovery. Well people don't need all those supplements.

Sick people do and most of us are sick and wish to live somewhat

normally. As Andy's book says..you can either suffer through chelation

miserably and take 3-5 years off of your life while you recover..or

you can enjoy life and take your supplements to boost you through

chelation so you can live your life while you remove the metals. It's

optional though..

Taking pills is not for everyone...I hate it personally, I gag but if

I don't do it..I feel like crap and can't be a human being or enjoy

life. So for me it's not optional. I don't have 3-5 years to lay here

and moan. Nor do I wish to spend a part of my life in chemotherapy

fighting to stay alive someday. And I don't wish to lose my mind to

Alzheimer's so I never know my grandchildren. When your body has been

poisoned...nothing in it works right, so you must provide it with

extra things to facilitate it to work right. That is if you wish to

ever get healthy and feel better. Taking all these things is not

forever..just a part of recovery.

Some people choose to do a whole foods type of thing instead of taking

pills..which works IF you don't have food sensitivities and problems

digesting it all. This is an option. Not for us though, as we don't

want to live on powdered greens and oddball foods the kids won't

touch. But people do it.

Health is something people take for granted until they don't have it.

Often not realizing that being healthy takes thought and it takes

work..it does not just happen. Somehow in society we got the idea that

our health is a given right and we have to take no responsibility for

it. We can just let the doctors tell us what to do, we can eat

whatever we want..and there will be no consequences. It's just not true.

None of us have been poisoned by our vitamins. Vitamins and minerals

are the building blocks of life, without them the body dies. So I

don't feel taking vitamins is dangerous. Taking prescription drugs is

dangerous.

None of us take all the pills for every ailment...cause that would be

50 pills yes..you have to pick and choose what your willing to ignore

and what is essential to get by in life. But...your treatment and

recovery are up to you. We can only give suggestions that pertain to

the protocol followed here and what has helped others.

I know I don't take 50 pills a day, but probably at least 10. Most

people are on that many prescriptions a day and still feel like dog

pile and they are going to die. Vitamin C is not going to kill me, but

Lipitor, or Prozac will by suppressing disease and never fixing

anything. It depends on how you look at things I guess. I see vitamins

and as part of healthy living, since our modified poorly grown food

supply no longer provides enough of them...I see them as essential to

a well functioning body. I feel better if I take them.

But this is not for everyone. There are groups that discuss " other "

methods of healing and detox. I do totally understand your frustration

with the pills....I don't like the fact that most of my kitchen

cabinets are vitamins now...but you know what?..I have a normal 5 year

old son now who is not autistic..I also have a much healthier self and

the rest of my family...because we are using vitamins and minerals on

Andy's advice. So for us...it's not a burden..it's vital. I also

noticed that my kids don't get sick all the time like their peers do.

Why? Because my kids take vitamins and eat healthy.

I think each person should do research on each vitamin/mineral or

supplement they plan to use,to see what it does, the doses that should

be used, what to look for in toxicity or overdose..etc. Why the body

needs it and what it does in the body. Know what your using..and how

to use it. Choose what you really need, that actually helps you.

But essentially, on this group..if you post about a problem..you will

get a supplement usually in reply. A regular doctor will give you a

prescription for that same problem.

You don't have to take any pills. But then again, you might not feel

any better either. I know my thyroid didn't start working by me

wishing it would...I have to swallow my Armour everyday. It sucks..but

what choice do I have?

>

>

> I wonder sometimes about the safety of taking so many supplements.

> Is the answer always another supplement?? If I took a pill for every

> symptom, I would be taking about 50+ pills a day. Every bad mood,

> ache, creak, twinge is always answered with another supplement. I

> sometimes think this board goes overboard sometimes with all the

> pills. Does anybody else think this?

>

> VAl

>

[Guest guest]

With all of the supplements I'm on, I take about 15 pills at each

meal, plus a few pills in between meals. That's roughly 50 pills per

day. When chelating, that's another 3, 8, 11, or 16 pills per day.

Plus some liquid flax oil.

In one year, that's over 20,000 pills.

I have just made it such a habit that I hardly think much about it. I

don't enjoy swallowing pills, but I've gotten so used to it that I

just down the 15 at each meal in about 1 minute flat (2-3 per swallow).

Ironically, though I'm committed to taking this army of supplements,

I'm honestly not sure if any of them directly help with any of my

symptoms. Even all of them together don't seem to really make me feel

any different. They probably are, at least in some subtle ways, but

it's not obvious for me like for some other people.

So I don't take them primarily for symptom relief. I take them to

support my body during chelation and through the healing process, with

the idea that even though I don't necessarily " feel " a difference

right now, my body needs them and this support will help facilitate

recovery, and eventually I'll be very glad I took them.

I take supplements...

- to support the liver (essential during chelation - milk thistle)

- to support the adrenals (mine are dysfunctional - DHEA, ACE)

- for cell membrane/brain repair (Omega-3s)

- to reduce oxidative stress (antioxidants)

- to maintain good excretory processes (oat bran, physillium, fiber

tablets)

- to improve digestion and absorption of essential nutrients (betaine

HCL + digestive enzymes)

- to help my foggy and sluggish brain (DMAE, L-tyrosine, lecithin...

these I hoped would have noticeable effects but the jury's still out)

- to support energy production (magnesium, Bcomplex)

- and some others (Vit D, selenium, zinc, taurine).

It's easy to forget why I'm taking certain ones, and I often have to

do some research to figure out why I'm actually taking it. For those

supps that I try primarily for symptom relief but are cost prohibitive

(e.g., hydergine, CoQ-10) and don't seem to make much difference, I

simply stop taking them and focus on what seem to be the " key

supplements " for supporting chelation. I've tried MANY more

supplements that are not included on my current list above.

Anyway, that's what I'm doing and why. It ain't cheap, so I certainly

hope it's doing the good that I think it's doing. Vitacost.com has

been a nice way to get some good deals on these supps...

Darren

[Guest guest]

I don't like swallowing pills. I have gone through the " why " of each

and every supplement and am convinced that I need them all to heal,

and actually need more than I am taking, but have a certain pill limit.

I also believe that it is a good idea to do as much as we can with

diet so that we are avoiding problematic foods, taking healing foods,

and getting as many of the nutrients we need from food as possible.

With the damage that the mercury has done to the body, and the state

of our food supply, I think that supplements are essential to some degree.

Andy has said in some of his previous posts that there are only

certain supplements that are essential. Some of these can be obtained

in inexpensive powdered form (adding ascorbic acid and MgSO4 to food

and drinks, for example, takes care of two of the most important

supplements). Glutamine, glycine, inositol, and some others are also

available in powder and can be easily added to foods. Probiotics can

be obtained by making yogurt.

J

>

>

> I wonder sometimes about the safety of taking so many supplements.

> Is the answer always another supplement?? If I took a pill for every

> symptom, I would be taking about 50+ pills a day. Every bad mood,

> ache, creak, twinge is always answered with another supplement. I

> sometimes think this board goes overboard sometimes with all the

> pills. Does anybody else think this?

>

> VAl

>

[Guest guest]

VERY well-put, Jada -- you summed it all up very nicely indeed.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

Supplements are VITAL for mercury-poisoned people, to not only get

better, but to live a more normal life in the interim.

Suzanne

>

> This is how we view it at our house:

>

> It's part of recovery. Well people don't need all those supplements.

> Sick people do and most of us are sick and wish to live somewhat

> normally. As Andy's book says..you can either suffer through

chelation

> miserably and take 3-5 years off of your life while you recover..or

> you can enjoy life and take your supplements to boost you through

> chelation so you can live your life while you remove the metals.

It's

> optional though..

>

> Taking pills is not for everyone...I hate it personally, I gag but

if

> I don't do it..I feel like crap and can't be a human being or enjoy

> life. So for me it's not optional. I don't have 3-5 years to lay

here

> and moan. Nor do I wish to spend a part of my life in chemotherapy

> fighting to stay alive someday. And I don't wish to lose my mind to

> Alzheimer's so I never know my grandchildren. When your body has

been

> poisoned...nothing in it works right, so you must provide it with

> extra things to facilitate it to work right. That is if you wish to

> ever get healthy and feel better. Taking all these things is not

> forever..just a part of recovery.

>

> Some people choose to do a whole foods type of thing instead of

taking

> pills..which works IF you don't have food sensitivities and problems

> digesting it all. This is an option. Not for us though, as we don't

> want to live on powdered greens and oddball foods the kids won't

> touch. But people do it.

>

> Health is something people take for granted until they don't have

it.

> Often not realizing that being healthy takes thought and it takes

> work..it does not just happen. Somehow in society we got the idea

that

> our health is a given right and we have to take no responsibility

for

> it. We can just let the doctors tell us what to do, we can eat

> whatever we want..and there will be no consequences. It's just not

true.

>

> None of us have been poisoned by our vitamins. Vitamins and minerals

> are the building blocks of life, without them the body dies. So I

> don't feel taking vitamins is dangerous. Taking prescription drugs

is

> dangerous.

>

> None of us take all the pills for every ailment...cause that would

be

> 50 pills yes..you have to pick and choose what your willing to

ignore

> and what is essential to get by in life. But...your treatment and

> recovery are up to you. We can only give suggestions that pertain to

> the protocol followed here and what has helped others.

> I know I don't take 50 pills a day, but probably at least 10. Most

> people are on that many prescriptions a day and still feel like dog

> pile and they are going to die. Vitamin C is not going to kill me,

but

> Lipitor, or Prozac will by suppressing disease and never fixing

> anything. It depends on how you look at things I guess. I see

vitamins

> and as part of healthy living, since our modified poorly grown food

> supply no longer provides enough of them...I see them as essential

to

> a well functioning body. I feel better if I take them.

>

> But this is not for everyone. There are groups that discuss " other "

> methods of healing and detox. I do totally understand your

frustration

> with the pills....I don't like the fact that most of my kitchen

> cabinets are vitamins now...but you know what?..I have a normal 5

year

> old son now who is not autistic..I also have a much healthier self

and

> the rest of my family...because we are using vitamins and minerals

on

> Andy's advice. So for us...it's not a burden..it's vital. I also

> noticed that my kids don't get sick all the time like their peers

do.

> Why? Because my kids take vitamins and eat healthy.

>

> I think each person should do research on each vitamin/mineral or

> supplement they plan to use,to see what it does, the doses that

should

> be used, what to look for in toxicity or overdose..etc. Why the body

> needs it and what it does in the body. Know what your using..and how

> to use it. Choose what you really need, that actually helps you.

> But essentially, on this group..if you post about a problem..you

will

> get a supplement usually in reply. A regular doctor will give you a

> prescription for that same problem.

> You don't have to take any pills. But then again, you might not feel

> any better either. I know my thyroid didn't start working by me

> wishing it would...I have to swallow my Armour everyday. It

sucks..but

> what choice do I have?

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

>

>

> I wonder sometimes about the safety of taking so many supplements.

> Is the answer always another supplement??

Hi Val ,

I had a hard time accepting I needed so much.. I fortunately had

freinds who beleived in it as I could not beleive I would be

so deficient.. I always ate extremely well.. But I have found that

without supplements I am a wreck.. I have found through trial

and error the ones I really need and I stick to those

while I do chekation.. A vitamin can take away pain

immediately, can heal a heart problem, can get rid of

infections and bacteria.. Supplements are essential..

I started with the regular amoung listed on the bottle ,

but I have resigned to knowing when it says take one I

need more, sometimes 4 times the amoung. I am so thankful now for

my supplements adn to heck what people think when I am out

eating and I have to pull my vitamins out.. I have seen

soooo much improvement with them, and I enjoy having my kitchen

organised for all of my vitamins. It has gotten to the point

after many years of trying so that I feel I am in control.

NOwadays with the internet info it would be alot faster to

figure out just what to take for my personal needs.

Nanci

[Guest guest]

>

> With all of the supplements I'm on, I take about 15 pills at each

> meal, plus a few pills in between meals. That's roughly 50 pills

per

> day. When chelating, that's another 3, 8, 11, or 16 pills per day.

> Plus some liquid flax oil.

>

I thought I would share my list for those doing their own

research

These are the ones I found have immediate affects... and I

now know that i am deficient if the symptoms come back..

Sometimes after chelation the symptoms may get worse again so I

up my dose...

5HTP depression goes away { it came back after a few

years . I had stopped FDC because of my kidneys and I was

on too high a dose.] Once I figured out to take D=mannose

for bladder/kidney infection and the herb nettle tea I

restarted with low doses of just DMSA... 6 mg... I got

depression again after the first round..

Epsom salts ... endometriosis pain... goes away immediately

twitching, and balancce problems,sleep

Magnesium... keeps my bowels open

Manganese.. helps my liver.. used to have pain in my liver area

lecithin - helps with irritable bowel , stiff ankles, startle

tremors where I get a major twitching all over

vitamin d balance problem

black currant seed oil.. balance incordintion problem

pregnenolone hormone concentration improved, fatigue alot

better

chromium hypoglycemia gone

Coenzyme Q10 mitral valve prolapse a heart defect --

cured in one month

Selenium and zinc--- staph infection --- I saw a staph

infection on the corner of my mouth improve over night. I had

been on antibiotics already but it had come back in a few

days.. IT totally healed with the higher dose of three a

day..

Vitamin A Staph infection.. This is my most recent find.. I

was taking the one pill 10,000 mg recommended but got my

nerve up to up it to 30,000 ... I felt an improvement in

two days..

I take the following daily and increase after chelation round

milk thistle

vitamin c

all of the minerals seperately so I can get higher doses than

are in a regular mult mineral formual --- boron,molybedenum.

potassium. copper { wonder if I should be on it = I did notice

I felt better taking it}

Vitamin B s high potency

desicated thyroid

digested enzymes with ox bile--NOW brand

HCL

NAC

protein powders.. I rotate.. Alpha Whey,, Rice,,, Hemp

oils... flax, efamol,

Quercitin --helped with my food and chemical sensitivities

beta carotene, vit e

that seems to be it.. plus I watch what I eat and rotate

as much as possible.. like Darren I have tried alot of

supplements ,

I stick to these as I notice the biggest improvements with

them

nanci

[Guest guest]

>

>

> I wonder sometimes about the safety of taking so many supplements.

> Is the answer always another supplement??

Taking supplements is very important. Your body needs appropriate

nutrients in adequate doses to offset the effects of mercury in your

body and to heal the damage mercury has caused. Andy says proper

supplementation also will slow down the accumulation of new mercury in

your system. Read p. 83-87 of Amalgam Illness.

The most critical supplements are vitamin C (3-4 times per day),

vitamin E, magnesium, zinc, and essential fatty acids. If you have

problems with supplements, or if you aren't totally convinced you need

them, try to take this minimal set.

When mercury is messing you up in certain ways - hormone imbalance,

depression/anxiety or other emotional/mental problems, various other

metabolic problems, digestive problems, pathogen issues, etc - you

really need to address these problems, too, so you can stay relatively

comfortable and functional during the process of chelation.

In my experience, chelation stirs up symptoms. I would not still be

doing this without the 25 pills I take with every meal and some

additional ones before, after, and between meals. I need them.

People will vary as to how many different problems they need to

address and therefore how many pills they need to take and what other

types of interventions they need (eg, diet). Go through the section in

the book called " What to do about mercury poisoning " and figure out

what mercury is doing to you and what to do about it.

Keep a notebook with your list of problems and make notes about what

Andy suggests for those problems. It is best to try new things one at

time, so it takes a while to start these things, tinker with doses and

the like, and then maintain the habit. The notebook will help you

remember and organize the information and ideas. You can prioritize it

according to what problems cause you the most trouble and address

those ones first.

If I took a pill for every

> symptom, I would be taking about 50+ pills a day. Every bad mood,

> ache, creak, twinge is always answered with another supplement. I

> sometimes think this board goes overboard sometimes with all the

> pills. Does anybody else think this?

I think supplements are critical. Our food supply has become depleted

of nutrients and even relatively healthy people need supplements that

were not so necessary fifty years ago. Sick people need far more

nutritional support than healthy people, especially when the sickness

is caused by mercury interfering with the way our bodies make use of

nutrients.

You may not be able to address EVERY bad mood, ache, creak, twinge,

etc, but addressing the worst and most overwhelming problems will help

you remain functional. For many of us, this can even improve our

lives and help us be more functional than we have been.

--

> VAl

>

[Guest guest]

thanks everybody for your responses. I am just now sticking to a

regular supplement plan. It may be helping me a little. It's good to

hear how much these supplements are helping everybody. Makes me more

motivated to continue " swallowing all these darn pills! " . Hope I

didn't offend anyone - that wasn't my intent.

Val

[Guest guest]

Hi Val,

Dh, the kids and I take gobs of pills daily. It was weird at first, and now it

seems normal.

You can always try a supplement holiday, and see if you notice any change when

you

reintroduce them.

[Guest guest]

Val, I think you already got some really good replies to this, but I'll just add

my 2 cents.

I understand your frustration and concern, and I have gone through phases

myself, of just being sick and tired of taking all this stuff and wondering what

it's doing or whether it's really helping or not. When you take so many, it is

really hard to tell what is doing what, and whether you really need them all.

Sometimes if you go off of something or some stuff for awhile, you may notice

after awhile, that something comes back, or you don't feel as good, etc. It can

take awhile to realize it, but this is one test you can try. For example, last

summer, I ran out of some stuff and didn't re-order, and wasn't as good about

taking my supps, and I think especially my immune boosters, and low and behold,

I got really sick in the fall. So I got back on track with all my stuff,

especially my immune boosters, and I never got sick all winter, even when other

people had some terrible viruses that they couldn't shake. I often felt like a

virus was trying to get me, but I would take all my stuff, and it never turned

into the full blown cold, etc. So I know that stuff works for me, so I am very

motivated to take it now.

Another example just earlier this week. We went camping for a few days, and

it's alot of work getting ready to go, and even doing it, and we have a pickup

camper, so its up and down the stairs constantly, so I knew this would be hard

on me. Anyway, the first morning I woke up in the camper, I was laying there,

aching all over and thinking, oh no, I really over-did-it and am going to pay

for this and will have a lousy time, etc. Well, I had packed all my supps in

baggies, so I took my morning supps, and after they had time to kick in, I felt

*much* better. I was actually amazed at how well they worked. And I wound up

having a really good day with good energy and did lots of stuff with the kids.

So, that test told me I really need this stuff.

Now, some days I still feel like crap, no matter what I take, but I think if I

didn't take anything, I would feel even crappier all the time and wouldn't

hardly function at all. And I do believe that chelation requires extra

supplements, and I agree with others, that at least part of that is that we need

alot of extra stuff for healing. There's been alot of damage done to our

bodies, and it's going to take a long time and alot of supps to heal them.

So, here's just some other ideas, that you could try or maybe find useful. The

pills I take with food, I spread them out during my meal. I take a few bites,

swallow some pills, take another bite, swallow more pills, etc. This seems to

make it more bearable/tolerable. This has worked well for me. I actually keep

all my supps right on my kitchen counter, and I often stand there and eat, take

a bite, swallow some pills, etc. The other reason I like having them there is,

if I'm in one of those moods where I really don't feel like taking tons of them,

then I very selectively only take the ones I consider the most important.

Andy's top four are Vit C and E, zinc and magnesium. And I know I have to have

my hormones/adrenal support, and can't skip them.

Another tip I got from , when I discussed this with her, being

tired of taking all this stuff, she said to give yourself one day a week off,

and it can be kind of a psychological thing, giving yourself a break, and then

she said you may find that you don't feel as well that day, and then that will

be motivation to take your supps, and that you'll know they are helping. And

she did stress the importance of taking digestive aids, if you need them, and I

do, that they help you absorb what you're taking, and this is very important.

And lastly, I would never take all this stuff without it being recommended by

Andy. I have truly come to trust his knowledge and expertise in this area, and

I feel safe following his advice/suggestions. And we have to remember that we

don't have to take every single thing suggested in the books. They are

suggestions that may help you feel better while you chelate, and some things

will work for some and not for others, so he suggests alot of things to give you

some options to try. It is up to you to decide how many things you want to try.

And I think what many of us do is, occassionally, try something new and see if

it helps. And you can also drop something and see if you notice a difference.

Ok, I yacked long enough Hope this helps.--------Jackie

In frequent-dose-chelation seashell_555 wrote:

I wonder sometimes about the safety of taking so many supplements.

Is the answer always another supplement?? If I took a pill for every

symptom, I would be taking about 50+ pills a day. Every bad mood,

ache, creak, twinge is always answered with another supplement. I

sometimes think this board goes overboard sometimes with all the

pills. Does anybody else think this?

VAl

[Guest guest]

thanks, Jackie. You know, I do think I notice a subtle improvement?

Its so hard to tell when you have so many things going on.