I can only recount my own experience. A few years ago I started to get significant pain in one foot whilst walking, which I treated with visits to the physio and gel packs, but which would come back very frequently. The ankle joint had become very susceptible to getting hurt and swelling. On a couple of occasions, I hurt it very badly and could barely walk for a few days or weeks. According to the specialist, my bones are slightly misaligned and cause stress on my ankle joints, which apparently is wearing away the cartilage and causing pain. In mid- to late October last year I started taking glucosamine and MSM on a daily basis (3 glucosamine, 1 MSM). After a short time I noticed a very significant improvement. I should say that, at around the same time, I also bought some trainers with an air pocket along the whole sole, since that kind of "suspension" helps me avoid sharp impacts on the ankle joints. The trainers are marvellous. They have undoubtedly helped. I also lost a little weight (dropping from 76kg to 70kg), but since I wasn't overweight to begin with I don't think it's very significant. The frequent pains have now practically disappeared. I no longer have to use gel packs and antiinflammatory cream on a daily basis (I hardly use them at all). The ankle joints have become much less susceptible to injury. I have only been to the physio once since October. The reason I think that the glucosamine & MSM have helped is that, even when indoors, when I'm not wearing the trainers, I notice a big difference. I can tolerate my feet and ankles being in positions (for example when seated) that previously would have caused pain. I also tried wearing more normal shoes for a while and found I could tolerate them without too much problem. I even tried some boot-like shoes that had previously caused my a lot of pain, and could walk with them for a week or more without any serious effects. It would be nice if the science were clearer on this, and if we knew why it seems to help some people, and not others, but in my case I'm prepared to say that it's helped, a lot. I think it's good to retain a healthy scepticism about all these things, but in my case I had very little to lose by trying it. For now, the results have been very convincing.

Anyway, Kelly - wow! Your weight loss is quite an accomplishment! What type diet did you follow? Biotin is good for your nails too isn't it? Can you tell a difference there? Tina, I first started on Weight Watchers and exercise but even though I had wonderful success I decided that I wanted to know more about the calories and nutrients I was putting into my body. I switched to using an online journal (myfooddiary.com) that gives me more detailed info including what percent of my calories are coming from fat/carbs/protein. I'm doing some serious weight lifting and need to keep my protein up to 30-35%. My total calories that I eat everyday is based on my resting metabolic rate and the calories I burn through working out. If I have a light workout day I eat fewer calories. When I'm really on top of things and meeting my daily goals I can easily lose 2.5 to 3lbs per week. Biotin is great for nails and hair as well as boosting the metabolism. I have a hypothyroid and starting taking medication a year ago and my hair fell out badly. It's still not back to the way it was but is a little thicker. Yes, the niacin reaction is immediate. I don't get the hot flash feeling or flushing (which is weird because I am very fair and flush very easily). My rash is/was a ring around my neck and slightly raised. It took a little over a week to go away.

I will do what I can to answer the questions posed above. The One-A-Day Over 50 multivitamin is an inferior product. All One-A-Day products are, as are any Centrum products or anything from WalMart, Costco, or any big box store. Like any other industry, the supplement industry is tiered. The highest grade raw materials go into professional products because the vendors that sell them have access to near-infrared spectrophotometry, atomic absorption spectrophotometry, inductively coupled plasma technology, or high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to insure they are getting what they paid for. Raw materials that are rejected at that level roll down hill until they find a buyer, with WalMart-like operations being the bottom of the barrel. With supplements, you generally get what you pay for. As a rule of thumb, the higher the quality of raw materials, the more pure (i.e. the less incipients), the better they are absorbed by the body and the more useful they are when they are absorbed. While we are on the subject of cost, you should be aware that a multivitamin typically includes flowing agents, lubricants, binders, and fillers. Some of these may be necessary, some may be included simply to decrease the cost of making the product. Various fillers, like lactose (milk sugar) can cause allergic reactions in susceptible individuals. The best insurance that you are getting a good product is to a) educate yourself about companies that have a good reputation and b) do your research. Natures Way makes a fairly good, consumer grade product. If you would like to see what an excellent professional grade product looks like, go to the Thorne Research site that I have included below. And no, I have no financial affiliation with them or NatureÂs Way. Moving on, once you have high quality raw materials, they need to be placed into a matrix that the body can adequately break down so the nutrients can be absorbed. Generally, capsules (not caplets) are superior to tablets in this regard, since tablets are created under enormous amounts of pressure, which make them more difficult for the GI system to break down, particularly if you have gastritis or hypochlorhydria. The trade off here is convenience vs absorption. The tablet is more convenient because you may have to take only one per day, whereas with capsules you may have to take 3 a day or 3 twice a day. But then, if the tablet passes right through you, you are literally just throwing money down the toilet. Some vendors like to throw in what I call a "fairy dusting" of impressive sounding herbs with their multivitamins that "combat stress" "support adrenal function" and "enlarge the size of your reproductive organs." If you think about this for a short time, you will see what a poor strategy it is to take such products. For one, you probably do not need all of those herbs. In fact, some may be contraindicated for you. For example, if you are dealing with rheumatoid arthritis, you should typically not be taking Panax ginseng, which is a favorite addition to such multivitamins. Second, consider again the tiered nature of the industry. The same forces that affect the making of a multivitamin also operate in the world of botanicals. If you are buying a "fairy dusted" multivitamin with Panax ginseng at your local Safeway there is a almost no chance that you are a) getting it a therapeutic dose and/or b) getting real Panax ginseng given that people have paid upwards of $2000 for one perfect Korean red ginseng root. In addition, the active ingredients in herbs fade over time unless they are preserved in some way, as in a tincture; this disintegration is sped up exponential when the herb is powdered (as they are to put into multivitamins), since you have exponentially increased the surface areas exposed to heat, light, and oxygen. Professional level and some health food store (not GNC, but a real health food store) level supplement vendors control for this; most department store level vendors do not. If you need botanical medicines, purchase them separately from a quality provider and take them at the therapeutic dose. End of story. The OP mentioned that she wanted a multivitamin because "I donÂt always eat right." She also requested that people share their favorite multivitamin. I just want to mention in this regard that a multivitamin is not a magic bullet or an insurance policy. It does not take the place of eating correctly, in large part because it does not provide the macronutrients (e.g. protein, carbohydrates, essential fatty acids, etc.) that the vitamin and minerals require as substrates. It also does not take the place of a rational eating plan that includes appropriate water intake (not soda, which is dehydrating because of the sugar content, or milk, which is problematic in so many ways except for making money for the dairy lobbyists) and exercise. You can take the highest level multivitamin available, but if your primary meals are Twinkies and cola, an ER visit is not too far in your future. Finally, you should really consider that what works well for one person may not work well for you. To give one easy example, pre-menopausal females really do need a formulation with iron, whereas men typically should avoid iron if they are eating correctly, unless they are anemic, because it can be pro-inflammatory in the body.

I wanted to follow up that I tried the Vitamin C powder from Good Molecules listed in Terezosa's link above: https://getgoodmolecules.com/collections/products/products/vitamin-c-booster-powder I did a bit of research on the company itself and ended up ordering a few additional products to try, including: https://getgoodmolecules.com/collections/best-sellers/products/hyaluronic-acid-serum https://getgoodmolecules.com/collections/products/products/niacinamide-serum https://getgoodmolecules.com/collections/products/products/silicone-free-priming-moisturizer https://getgoodmolecules.com/collections/products/products/yerba-mate-wake-up-eye-gel I've used them for the past month, and I can tell a big difference in my skin. I'm not convinced about the eye gel, but the Vit C (which I use 3-4 x a week), niacinamide, hyaluronic serum and priming moisturizer seem to work well. The prices are very reasonable, so if you want to try any of these products just to see if they'll work for you, before moving on to more expensive brands, this might be the way to go. Thank you, Terezosa, for the recommendation!