Vitamins and Supplements, Be Wary: Part One
The nutrients we derive from food can only be as good as the quality of the soil in which the produce is grown. Food process, refining, storage, processing, freezing and even air play a part in depleting the essential nutrients. We should try to eat better and not simply pour supplements down our throats. On the other hand, we know we can't possibly eat enough of the right things without gaining excessive poundage.
Now that we are learning how poorly we have nourished ourselves, we are playing catch up by adding supplements. This is a GOOD thing. Having said that, there are many supplements with exotic names that sound innocent enough, and I am seeing them all over the Internet. Some we need, some we don't and each individual is different.
All supplements are not created equally
· Look for fillers. Fillers are used in supplements to make the production easier and faster. Unfortunately, these fillers compromise the effectiveness of the nutrients in the supplement. Fillers are often called "flowering agents" on the label. Some common fillers include stearic acid, Titanium Dioxide,magnesium stearate and gelatin.
Put simply, fillers are the extra ingredients that are added to most vitamins and supplements. These ingredients take the form of thickeners, starches, gums, and oils which are all used to help maintain the shape of pill-type supplements. Artificial flavors and colors are there to make chewable supplements more pleasant to use. While these fillers make your vitamins easier to consume, they also block minerals from being absorbed. Malabsorbtion is already a common problem with for PwMS/CCSVI, which is why we take supplements in the first place. But supplements with filler can make the problem even worse.
~ Read the warning statement. Some supplements are not safe for certain medical conditions. For example, some will read, "Do not use if pregnant."
~ Look for recommendations for use. A good product will state when and how to take the product. It also may include different doses for different ages and men and women.
~ Look for the "USP" label. This will ensure that the vitamin meets all the standards of the U.S. Pharmacopea (USP). The USP tests for proper strength, purity, disintegration, and dissolution properties. Having said that. It is my opinion that there is still no guarantee, but at least it meets acceptable minimal guidelines or standards.
~ Choose standardized herbal supplements when looking for a herbal supplement. Standardizations guarantees consistency in the product. You may also want to look for herbs that are bio-available so that they are able to work past the digestive system
~Partially hydrogenated soybean oil is used in soft gels. Hydrogenated oils are extremely toxic. Watch for sucrose and corn syrup on the label.
When companies manufacture prescription drugs, they really don't care what goes into them as long as the active ingredient is there. Prescription drugs, in addition to containing highly toxic chemicals that are supposed to be medicinal, also contain highly toxic fillers, colors and other additives that sometimes even counteract the intended effect of the drug. When those pharmaceutical companies decide to branch out into nutritional supplements because it's a hot industry, they carry over these same manufacturing practices to nutritional supplements. This is why you don't want to get your supplements from these mega corporations that are actually owned by Big Pharma. It's better to get something from smaller companies that are focused on the need for the supplement, not solely profit margin.
Your soft gel may not be filled with salmon oil at all; it may have a miniscule amount of salmon oil in it, but the rest of it is just filler. It could be soybean oil, hydrogenated oils or some other form of filler. It could be something that's actually dangerous to your health, We need to read the ingredients labels on vitamins, minerals and supplements, in addition to reading the ingredients labels on foods, as I've always recommended. Just because you buy something that looks good on the label something that claims to have flax oil, salmon oil or vitamin B in it doesn't mean it's actually good for you.
*Calcium needs to have an acidic environment in order to be broken down and assimilated by your digestive system. If you don't have acid in your stomach, then you can't absorb the calcium. And if you don't have vitamin D in your small intestine, you can't absorb the calcium, either.
* B-12 Sublingual is much better than oral but not as good as injectable B-12. It is one of the cheapest vitamins with the best results.
* Chelated calcium is better than everyday run of the mill calcium tabs.
*Excessive amount of water-soluble vitamin will be discarded in the urine. Fat-soluble vitamin will be stored in the body, especially the liver.
In my blog yesterday, in order to be fair to the people who have taken and recommended them, I mentioned a couple of supplements that have proven beneficial for some PwMS. However, after reviewing them and talking with a nutritionist who works with CCSVI patients,and my pharmacist friend,I thought it best to bring up these points since they affect US. Be cautious if you are taking these RX drugs. The manufacturers' name and generic are listed.The herbal supplements that can cause problems are listed with them:
Plavix® (Clopidogrel): astragalus, bilberry, borage, borage seed oil, cayenne, clove, dong quai, evening primrose oil, feverfew, garlic, ginger, ginkgo biloba, ginseng (American, Panax, and Siberian), green tea, kava kava, licorice, pau d’arco, saw palmetto, stinging nettle, turmeric, valerian, vitamin E, white willow, and yarrow.
Coumadin, Jantoven® (warfarin): acerola, alfalfa, allspice, angelica, astragalus, bilberry, bladderwrack, borage, borage seed oil, bromelain, cayenne, chlorella, clove, dong quai, evening primrose oil, feverfew, garlic, German chamomile, ginger, ginkgo biloba, ginseng (American, Panax, and Siberian), grapefruit, grape seed, green tea, kava kava, kelp, licorice, niacin, papaya, pau d’arco, pineapple, psylium, quinine, red clover, rose hips, saw palmetto, soybean, spinach, stinging nettle, St. John’s wort, sweet clover, valerian, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin K, white willow, wintergreen, and yarrow.
Pletal (Cilostazol): digitalis, Indian squill, squill.
Lovenox® (Enoxaparin): alfalfa, allspice, angelica, anise, arnica, astragalus, bilberry, bladderwrack, borage, borage seed oil, bromelain, cayenne, clove, dong quai, evening primrose oil, fenugreek, feverfew, garlic, German chamomile, ginger, ginkgo biloba, ginseng (American, Panax, and Siberian), goldenseal, grape seed, green tea, kava kava, licorice, papaya, parsley, pau d’arco, pineapple, red clover, saw palmetto, stinging nettle, St. John’s wort, sweet clover, turmeric, valerian, vitamin E, white willow, wintergreen and yarrow.
Aspirin (Bufferin, Ecotrin): allspice, angelica, anise, arnica, astragalus, bilberry, bladderwrack, borage, borage seed oil, bromelain, calcium, cat’s claw, cayenne, clover, dong quai, English Hawthorn, evening primrose oil, fenugreek, feverfew, folic acid, garlic, German chamomile, ginger, ginkgo biloba, ginseng (American, Panax, and Siberian), grape seed, green tea, kava kava, licorice, onion, parsley, passion flower, pau d’arco, pineapple, potassium, quinine, red clove, saw palmetto, stinging nettle, St. John’s wort, sweet clover, turmeric, uva ursi, valerian, vitamin C, vitamin E, white willow, winter green, yarrow, and zinc.
If you are taking Plavix®, warfarin or Lovenox, garlic may increase the risk of bleeding or bruising. If you are using ginko biloba and taking aspirin, Heparin, Plavix®, ibuprofen, Lovenox®, Aleve, or warfarin, you may also have increased risk of bleeding or bruising.
Here are some other common herbs that people take without realizing the side effects or how they might interact with medications.
St. John's Wort sometimes is taken for anxiety and depression. Those who also are taking antidepressants or anti-anxiety medications, such as Prozac, Zoloft, or Paxil, should beware. Mixing St. John's Wort with these medicines can cause serotonin syndrome - with symptoms that may include agitation, rapid heart beat, flushing, and heavy sweating - that may be fatal.
Dong quai, which some women take for menstrual disorders and to ease symptoms of menopause, has been linked to cardiovascular problems, such as irregular heart rhythm and low blood pressure. Taking the herb along with an antihypertensive drug could cause the blood pressure to plummet, putting one at risk of stroke.
Some people take echinacea, which enhances the immune system, for the common cold. However, those who also take Lipitor, Celebrex, and Aleve face an increased risk of liver damage. Echinacea also can be harmful for those who have multiple sclerosis, diabetes, HIV infections, or allergies.