When i go out of town, my supplement-taking becomes a lot less organized. It's a pain to have to pack all those little bottles -- they take up a lot of space which means they have a train-case of their very own. I can't always spread them out at my destination (if i stay in one place more than a couple of days), which makes my taking them more haphazard. But when i leave some behind at home, i see pretty clearly which ones have a strong impact on my well-being.
At home, they're ranged on my side of the bathroom counter with the contact-lens solutions, deodorant, salt container for the neti-pot, electric toothbrush and scented candle -- quite a lot of clutter! But they're also organized by time-of-day when they're taken, so i don't have to seek for the first-thing-in-the-morning bottles, and the midday take-these-together items are easily identified. I use my comb as a divider between those i've already taken and the ones i haven't. If i choose not to use a particular supplement today, i turn the bottle upside-down as i put it to the left of the comb. I "have to" do things like this -- i have so vivid an imagination that sometimes i wonder if i DID take those antihistamines or just THOUGHT about it....
Being systematic about my supplement-taking has helped to define which nutrients are really necessary, and some of the conclusions are surprising. After my thyroid glandular and the iodine and selenium, i find that the most obvious things i need to pack are the IRON and the BETAINE-HCl! The latter is an "emergency" supplement -- indispensable when i'm so drained that my stomach doesn't work properly. My absorption of iron from foods is obviously so poor that without the supplement, taken on an empty stomach in company with selenium, C and B12, the amount of hair i shed is directly connected with my depletion. I see NO correlation with shedding and copper, though balance of the two minerals is theoretically essential.
The "as needed" part is where things get tricky. I "know" that cod-liver oil (or capsules of it), K2, acetyl-carnitine and CoQ10 are beneficial, and i KNOW that magnesium and zinc are essential, but i don't feel their effects much if at all. I take them in modest quantities daily. Carnitine i'm convinced is a good addition, but like vitamin C is a behind-the-scenes "plus" rather than a star on stage -- if i skip a day or two, i don't expect to experience a big difference. Tyrosine is so potent a stimulant as well as a provoker of tremors, i'm treating it very gingerly these days. If circumstances make me need to pour out my energy, i have no doubt that it is a good thing, but for an ordinary day i find it winds me up too much -- rather than improving thyroid function and boosting dopamine, it seems to prefer to take the highway to adrenaline, and i tend to secrete that a lot already. The mucuna seems to be an antidote to tyrosine's action as an upper, balancing the catecholamines.
The pregnenolone arrived yesterday and i've let a 10mg sublingual melt in my mouth twice already -- i don't notice any reaction yet, but i'll keep you informed. In my mid-life reduced-hormone state, i may find that getting used to it then dropping it again might show me its effects more clearly; that's a sure test for the iron.
[sigh] The hoops i jump through, to try to function like a normal person...!!! The young and "whole" -- that is, most paleo bloggers -- don't have a clue how fortunate they are. And it's not like i "brought it on myself with poor choices." :-P- - - ...How do you blow a "razberry" using emoticons?
Magnesium. So you cannot feel your level of magnesium? Well then you are getting enough. I sure can feel when I am low, for passing fibre or anything become difficult.
ReplyDeleteinterestingly, it's the animal fat in my diet which determines how comfortable i am in that respect. :-) i notice mineral shortages in general when i start getting muscle cramps.
ReplyDeletePride cometh before a fall you young uns. I mean I used to be a real tea bagger type. Those who never work shouldnt eat. Oh I loved my pride. Most ppl become more conservative with age. Me? It seemed the powers that be were determined to "show me how the retched and weak other half lives". Better to be enlightened!
ReplyDeletei like to think so. :-) in some cases, more experience of the world makes us more understanding, although (to be fair) in other cases people see more taking-advantage-of-the-system, and they get hardened.
DeleteIve given up with supplements, most of them never did anything for me. Theres a few I take to help with sleep but ive taken to rather making sure I get all my nutrients from food.
ReplyDeleteI still recommend green pastures cod liver/butter oil if you can afford it and dont eat any liver/butter. I take Z-12 from T-nation to help me sleep sometimes and their flameout as a good source of DHA, I have a few bottles of niacin which I also take regularly because I still feel theres benefits to the niacin flush, but thats about it.
like an "ideal" diet, it has become obvious to me that our supplement needs are VERY individual.... i understand that GP's oil IS very good, but i found that it tastes horrible. i prefer to buy their capsules for travel and take Carlson's lemon-flavored liquid at home.
DeleteI must say I no longer bother with the long list of supplements I used to take. Most of them like tyrosine, mucuna, inositol etc. have only short-lived effects for me. Most others have no effect at all like chromium, CoQ10 and stuff like that. Others were harmful like D3.
ReplyDeleteI still make sure to take magnesium citrate, a wee bit of potassium and sodium/broth when VLCing just to cover all the bases. I have noticed a definite beneficial effect from Mg especially in the luteal phase so that's the only thing I still take on a daily basis.
I take valerian root prn. I am also currently experimenting with DLPA (DL-phenylalanine) for its alleged opioid potentiating effects.
BTW, some people believe this is what treatment-resistant depression is, basically an endogenous opioid deficiency.
yeah, if you drop a supplement and don't feel worse, one would assume that it's not doing much for you. so far, i think the mucuna IS helping me -- the tremors are definitely better. you'll have to write more about the DLPA, interesting!
DeleteI have been intregued by the supplument/energy conversation as of late. I have expierenced some wonderful energyy useage and when it wanes, I need to get it back ASAP. If I were offered a choice, optimal energy useage or effortless weight loss, I would have to go with the energy. The only thing that seems to make a real diffrence for me is deep ketosis and eating very little. I am not hungry much and it seems to be that the less I eat the better I feel. Is my body/mind only happy when running on it's own fat? Supps needed?
ReplyDeletei feel similarly -- and ketosis DOES seem to make EVERYTHING run better in this body! i'm hoping the pregnenolone is going to help my energy situation.
Deletegood post & comments...I've spent so much money on supplements over the years, I wax & wane on what I take or don't take. Most of it makes sense but I rarely notice any difference in the way I feel (except muscle cramps when I'm not getting enough mg or k+). The insoitol seemed to work for awhile, but I haven't been taking it lately. I've never found anything that made an impact on my energy levels. I was a believer in D3 but now I'm questioning the value of that. I try to remember my krill oil or cod liver oil at least a few times a week. I have to be careful...I have a tendency to want to go out and buy whatever I read about...still, it's helpful to hear other peoples experiences.
ReplyDeletethank you for my part of it, and my thanks to those who contribute their experiences! i get so much helpful information from all of you!
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