Interesting article!

I don't take multi-vitamins, but I do take 2g of fish oil, plus 4 tbs of fresh ground flax seed daily. Both have kept me from having to take cholesteral meds and HRT. I suffered with severe menopausal issues and HRT side effects made me so sick. Flax being a phytoestrogen has been my lifesaver, I will never be without it! Both have also had a wonderful effect on my skin and hair.

Kat how are you feeling?

Did read it, thanks, but Q-10 could be dangerous if you are taking high blood pressure meds that thin your blood. I almost ended up in the hospital twice because of severe nose bleeds. Also before a person takes some suppliments they need to get a complete blood panel check up from their Dr. I found out I was low in Potassium and Vit D. Vit D is very important in the Northern tier states due to the shorter days and lack of sunshine.

Hmmm........I'm not sure I'd trust information from a guy named Jim Healthy. LOL

I wouldn't trust supplement information from me either, as I'm hardly an expert. But I believe supplementation should be an individual thing. What my body needs might not be what your body needs.

I do need magnesium, that's for sure, although I wouldn't limit it to Jim's recommended magnesium citrate. I take several kinds (in one capsule), including magnesium malate. He failed to mention the relatively recent discovery that calcium supplements encourage the formation of plaque in arteries, a rather important fact.

I get my Omega-3 from walnuts.

I've never taken a multi-vitamin, although they're probably a good idea. Just yesterday, a friend who has tons of energy recommended her favorite: Solaray Once-Daily High Energy. I looked them up on Vitacost.com--$15.91 for 120 capsules. Not bad, but they were out of stock. ;-)

I eat food. No supplements. I think supplements need to be regulated. In my opinion they are more dangerous than smoking pot which personally I am not a big fan of either. They can really mess with other drugs you may need to take and even your individual body if you have a condition you are unaware of.

I thought it was interesting that Consumer Reports rated Centrum Silver as the "worst vitamin for seniors in its class." There must be millions of seniors taking that one. I'm going to see if I can find the Consumer Report at the library tomorrow because I'd like to see which one they rated the highest.

Eye Dr has me taking 3 Thera Tears oil caps, 2 ICaps,
1 Lutein daily for dry macular degeneration (wet is bad)
Family Dr ..Citrical Caps..bone density test was good but
she says take the pills, I could start losing bone at any
time (I'm 64).
I usually take vitamin B & C also, sometimes other
vitamins and minerals.

Matti-I have psoraisis and taken Flax seed oil in the past. It helped my scalp so much!! I've been slacking off though and need to get back on track!

No expert on supplements, but here's my experience with the vitamin D recommendation. On July 1, while we were in another state, I slipped and broke my leg. In the ER, the first thing the doc asked me was if I was taking vit. D, I said no, he said start taking it today. I mentioned that I already take a multi-vitamin; he said to add the vit. D. Had to stay in that town over the July 4th weekend in order to see the orthopedist whom the ER doc wanted to re-check my leg. And the first thing that orthodoc said was that I needed to be taking vit. D (I am in my sixties). As soon as we returned home to California I saw a local orthopedist, and once again, the same thing, take a vit. D supplement. Yes, I know, I got the message! It seems that vit.D is what's recommended for senior bone health and healing. And I am very fair, burn easily, and do not spend any more time in the sun than is absolutely necessary.

Then three weeks ago I had an acute bronchial infection and spent 4 days in the hospital (all is well now, actually I am, knock on wood, a strong, healthy woman), and once again, "take your vit. D, Sable". My internist, after reviewing all my meds and supplements (not that many), insisted on this. I also asked him about vitamin C. He said please - just eat tomatoes (in any form) and citrus and dark leafy greens every day and that will be fine. We do that already!

This is an good topic. Will be interested to read what others have to say.

Pekemom, lutein is good, but if I were you I'd look into bilberry. It's long been known to prevent macular degeneration. I don't know if it helps an existing condition, but it wouldn't hurt to find out. I take it, and it helps prevent my formerly frequent nosebleeds.

Alisande, thanks for the tip, I think I have some.
I used to have frequent nosebleeds too but it turned
out to be high blood pressure.

The only ones I take regularly is Vitamin D and B12. My body starts to ache when I am low on it. I had over $50k in medical tests done two years ago to figure out the cause of my body pain and it turns out it was a severe vitamin D deficiency. Nothing like a $2k deductible for a $10 prescription. :) It's amazing to me. I think most people would benefit from it. If my back starts aching, I pop a couple Vitamin D and I feel better by the next day which is almost instant in a supplement timeline. :)

I have to take the B12 since I don't eat any animal products.

I sometimes take a multi-vitamin and a vegetarian DHA. I've played around with a calcium supplement but I'm prone to kidney stones and I tend to form them after a few days of calcium supplementation. I don't eat dairy so I get my calcium from greens and my blood levels were fine last time I checked so it's working.

I take a fistful of supplements twice daily, recommended by Dr. Andrew Weil and endorsed by my endo. Cinnamon, cranberry, Bioten, Lutein, Vitamin B complex, Milk Thistle, Alpha Lipoic Acid, Vitamin E, Evening Primrose, chromium, coQ10........and a few more.

They have made a huge difference and thanks to them I have been able to drop a few other medications. Tho the Rx are cheaper!

Interesting but I don't see that Jim Healthy has any credentials that would make me believe anything he has to say is based on any credible evidence. The best advice I ever got was at a continuing medical education course delivered by a registered dietician many years ago. He advised that it's best not to become "tablet dependent" meaning getting your nutrition from supplements. Rather you should eat a wide variety of foods in as close to the original state they grew in - meaning their whole natural state vs. processed. Excellent advice long before this kind of thinking became popular.

Yup, the Vitamin D-3 supplement has been recommended by every MD we know. Also Omega-3. DH and I take those two, a small dose of Co-Q-10 and a 'senior' vitamin. We try to eat a balaced diet, avoiding too much fat, sugar, salt, coffee/tea. He's better about exercising than I am.

I've had kidney stones, so no extra calcium or 'bone-building' stuff for me.

I do wonder about the enormous number of supplements on store shelves. I guess it is true that Americans have 'the most expensive urine in the world'. lol

I have parkinson's disease, and my neuro says, that our body's don't know how to process pill vitamins. Best bet is to eat the proper foods, veggies, and fruit.

If you folks living in the northern tier states feel somewhat deprived of Vitamin D via sunlight ... how about the Canadians on the prairies above you?

Nestled here among four of the Great Lakes, I'm a substantial bit below you - some say that we're even with northern Calif ... that'd sort of make CA rather like CA, no?

Hi Matti5,

Do you know someone who lives in an area where they grow flax, whom you'd like to visit?

Visit a farmer in the area while you're there and buy some raw flax, which won't be costly.

The person who rents my brother's farm in Saskatchewan grows flax, and when I go out there I get about a bushel, for which he refuses payment ...

... and I grind my own in the blender.

I add it to cooked porridge, in the breadmaker, etc.

I suspect that it helps keep my hair shiny (the little of it that's left).

ole joyfuelled ... with some addition from ground flax (I've heard that the unground stuff just says, "Hi!" on the way in ...

... and "Bye" on the way out ....

... and hasn't left much useful behind on the trip through). I'd like to try to find someone who can vouch for the validity of that claim.

Too bad the ex-, the dietitian, has been gone for a while (but we didn't talk much, for 35 years or so).

o j

The ex-, trained in hospital diet 50 years ago, who was second head for a while and later head of food service in a local psych. hosp., used to say that most doctors knew very little about nutrition: only had a course or two.

Have no info to offer regarding more recent situation.

I haven't taken food supplements:: have followed the advice that good, well-balanced food takes care of most folks' nutritional needs.

ole joyful

Love my supplements. I got off my arthritis medication with a mix of supplements and diet. I take fish oil, vitamin D (same as D3), turmeric, white fish protein and digestive enzymes. Ugh, hated the routine of it though as some are to be taken 10 minutes before meals, some during meals. I used to believe my diet was enough but I converted after great results.