Vitamins & Supplements

I just wanted to share some of the things I use, but it's not all.  I do periodically use MSM before a really tough workout, but I haven't done that in awhile.

Cinnamon is used to help control blood sugar, and it's good for the heart.  I usually wait until there's a Buy One Get One Free at CVS, plus I usually have ExtraCare Bucks, which makes this very affordable.  Online sometimes they'll even give extra money, so I usually stock up to where I do not have to buy very often.  

Calcium, Magnesium, Zinc is basically a three in one.  Zinc is good for sports performance, your heart heart, boosts immune system, it's an anti-oxidant, helps with cancer prevention, helps you become more insulin sensitive, helps with brain function and helps for heavy metal detoxing.  Magnesium helps digest proteins, carbs & fats, a building block for DNA & RNA synthesis, activates nerves & muscles, helps lower blood pressure, helps to moderate blood sugar levels, helps with moods (like a natural antidepressant).  Calcium helps with your bones, heart health, reduce PMS (don't worry, guys), cancer prevention.

Biotin helps you with your hair and nail health, which is the main reason why I use it, but it also helps you metabolize your food better and control blood sugar levels.

Since I take quite a few things and it's a pain to open the bottles every day, a bunch of them, it helps to get a 2-week pill organizer.  This is a good amount of time for me, rather than doing a whole month at a time.

These next 3 supplements I get from Vital Health AZ.  These 3 are manufactured by ProThera and other than through Vital Health AZ or a naturopath, I have no idea how you get this otherwise.  Vital Health AZ has pretty good prices, so in the next picture, it gives the address and phone number and you can say Doris sent you.  I don't know if she mails these to people or not, as she either delivers them to me in person or I pick them up when I need them.

The MultiThera 2 with Iron are really good multi-vitamins for me.  I tend to do better with the Iron than the non Iron kind.  These multi-vitamins have a lot of great stuff.  Click on the link for all the stuff that's inside these vitamins.  They are big, too.  You are supposed to take 6 tablets, which one bottle is 1 month's supply, but my body didn't like me taking 6, so I gradually cut it down to 3 tablets, and that seems to be what my body wants.  I think a bottle costs about $27.

The Iodine Complex has 90 capsules as is 12.5 mg.  I was taking the 6.25 mg, but this last time she gave me double the dosage.  So, I take 1 about every other day (or 3 times a week - Thurs/Sat/Mon).  So, 90 capsules basically taken every other day will last about 6 months.  This is very affordable at $8, I think.

I just began taking the Hepato Thera Forte and this was mainly for the selenium, but it's really used to help detoxify the liver and the burdens our bodies face every day.  Since I am taking heart meds, this will also help with the side effects of that.  When taking iodine, you want to make sure you combine this with selenium, just like when you take Calcium, you want to make sure you take Magnesium with it.  This bottle has 90 capsules and you take 1/day, so it's a 3-month supply for $25.

These two bottles, the Vital Flora 10 and the Vital EPA/DHA must be kept refrigerated.  I also get these 2 from Vital Health AZ.  I really LOVE this probiotic and it's 100 capsules.  Last year twice I had to take anti-biotics and the first time last summer taking them, I ended up getting a UTI or yeast infection because antibiotics really mess with the flora in your digestive system.  I began taking 3 capsules of this first thing in the morning for a few days and my UTI was gone.  Since, then, I have been regularly taking this and I normally take 2 capsules a day before eating anything.  I take the fish oil and the probiotic together.  When I find that I must take an antibiotic, then I will take 3 capsules a day for the duration of the antibiotic.  This also helps to curb cravings to an extent.  If you have a lot of emotional issues, this may not do the trick.  I think 1 bottle is $18, and for me typically this is a 50-day supply.

For the Vital EPA/DHA, I take 1 softgel and that seems to be what my body likes.  I tried taking 2 a day and my body did not like this.  This is about a 4 month supply and I can't remember how much this was, but near $30 range.

This is the probiotic my kids take and also must be refrigerated.  The cost of this is $26.  For my 10 year old, I cut 1 tablet in half and he takes it before he eats anything.  If he would regularly take this, it would help him better.  So, I basically cut 20 of the tablets in half for my 10 year old and my 13 year old takes the full tablet.  With this configuration, it's a 40-day supply for them.  They need to regularly take this, though, which I'm working on them to do.

This is something I'm just starting on starting today something I'm going to do regularly for 2-3 months to see how this impacts me.  I'm expecting the ACV (apple cider vinegar) to help lower cholesterol, clear my sinuses for allergy season, reduce water retention, appetite suppressant, increasing metabolism, energizer, balance the pH of my skin and body, lowering blood sugar levels.  I saw on their site that if you keep the ACV in a cool, dry place, it has a great shelf life.  This stuff is a bit more expensive than regular apple cider vinegar.

I talked about some of the health benefits of Hibiscus in another entry, so I won't reiterate, but I also learned that it helps to lower blood pressure, too.  So, we shall see.  I plan on drinking at least 1 cup of Hibiscus tea a day, but probably more since it's really yummy.  This costs around $5 for 16 bags at Sprouts, and I saw on Amazon I could get 200 bags of organic Hibiscus for about $23 with free Prime shipping.  I will also check the Latin stores to see if they sell Hibiscus, too.