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What Vitamins do I need?

soundsystem00

soundsystem00

Bluelighter
Joined
Mar 19, 2005
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In my head less and less.
I watched several documentaries this week. Food Inc (about our food industry and how bad our food is), a documentary about the pharm industry, and a documentary about vitamins. Basically Vitamins cure the problem instead of masking it.

The question is, what vitamins do I need?? I know my doctor had mentioned that I had low Vitamin D during a testing 2 years ago, but that was it. Everything else was okay according to their tests.

Here are some of my symptoms I experience. I am guessing most of them are from a poor diet and lack of vitamins, although I am not certain what causes these. I am sober so they probably aren't being caused by drugs unless its some sort of permanent damage. My dad has a theory that I will have RLS for the rest of my life from drug-induced damage, but I don't think that is true. Anyway here they are :

1. RLS and other muscle/leg spasms.
2. Daily headaches. 1 or 2 days of the week I catch a break but its rare. They aren't usually unbearable, but present. Sometimes they are unbearable though.
3. Anxiety. Not over any potential event or situation, but a physical anxiety that is obviously my body trying to tell me something is wrong.
4. Mild depression. It isn't bad but its present and it is for no reason because everything is going pretty good if I must say myself.
5. Chronic heartburn. I have quit taking OTC heartburn meds because of healthy risks and the fact that a recent study shows that they increase the probability of getting dementia or alzheimer's disease. I take a concoction made of honey and apple cider vinegar but it tastes like shit and I'm too lazy to mix that everyday.

So, if you have made it this far in the post, thank you for your time! I know it is a lengthy one! My main reason for this is a desire to live more healthily. Removing drugs from my diet has been a great start, but it is time to do more! I know I need Vitamin D because of the tests. Since I have RLS there is a good chance I have an Iron deficiency. I think I heard that magnesium helps for anxiety but I don't remember. Heartburn and headaches, I don't know. I know that anti-inflammatory pills sometimes help my RLS and always help my headaches.

For now I ordered Magnolia Leaf Extract from liftmode and have read good things about it. It is non addictive and a natural anti inflammatory. Its also known to boost the immune system and even work like an anti biotic. Its primary use is for the treatment of anxiety , and is said to be 5 times more effective than valium in tests.

I was hoping that if anyone had the patience to thoroughly read this entire threat, first of all thank you, but also I was hoping you could recommend some vitamins to get started on for my situation. Thanks and have a good day!
 
You should be able to get most of your vitamins from a healthy diet. Staying hydrated is also important. Most people don't drink nearly enough water. With that said as far as vitamins I'd suggest vitamin d obviously, fish oil, magnesium and maybe 5-HTP or St. John's wort for anxiety. Just make sure there aren't any contraindications with any meds you're taking.
 
yea big dog i don't put much faith in vitamin supplements. THINK about it...all that shit listed on the back of a multi vitamin bottle.... i take it and i never feel any better. surely all that stuff must do something useful?? nope. (unless you are some street urchin on the verge of death it will help ) maybe in the long run it will prevent some disease??....who the fuck knows.

in the morning take freshly squeezed lemon juice. great dtox and helps your mood as well ( i am kind of addicted to it. )

i am still trying to dial it in and would love to be a vegan or something but for now i get a lot of sunlight (easy in vegas) and a lot of exercise. i walk a lot and do strength training. i am also really limiting my weed intake and honestly NO drugs are good for you. weed is very consuming but most of us are addicts and overdo everything.

diet
exercise
discipline
& healthy socializing

that's all there really is unless you are rich %)
 
I can tell you from experience that magnesium oxide will help if not cure your daily headaches. It can cause diarrhea in some, but since you already lack vitamin D you could take a supplement to counteract the laxative effect. It was incredibly relieving finding something that actually worked for my headaches, because that alone put me in a pretty bad spot mentally for a while there. Also if you take pain meds for your headaches try not to do it too often, because the rebound headaches can be wicked and last for a long time. If you are already taking pain meds daily for them then that is probably what you are experiencing, especially if you wake up with them.

As far as taking it to help for anxiety I'm not sure, but there are so many other health benefits to taking it that you have nothing to lose really. Try not consuming any caffeine if you can. It was hard for me at first but absolutely worth it in the long run. Pay attention to everything you eat so you can find out if it isn't your diet that is triggering these symptoms. Try to stay positive. It seems like you are. Two things you can control in life: Your attitude and what you put inside of your body.
 
Mental stress can present in physical symptoms. MOST, if not all the times, anxiety and depression are from mental issues. The headaches probably come from frustration of NOT knowing why you are feeling anxious and depressed when you say your life is pretty good atm!

Yes, health at a physical level is important but what about your mental health? The mind is very, very powerful, so don't underestimate it's capabilities! :D

Do you have insurance?
Go to --> http://locator.apa.org/ & search anxiety/depression or "health" (yes there's even a HEALTH category!) & enter in your zip code (you'd be surprised how many are located near you!) and find someone who accepts your insurance! Ask them how much your copay is, it's usually around $15 for 50mins.

Call AT LEAST THREE therapists. Talk to them on the phone, usually they will ask your about your issues, etc. If they don't and seem busy, I would be leery about scheduling an appointment, but that's up to you. You want to find someone who you're comfortable with. :)

Make AT LEAST THREE APPOINTMENTS! Every person is different; every therapist is different. You have to find your "match". It's kind of like dating! Haha. I mean, this is someone who you are going to pour your heart and soul to, so you have to feel comfortable and some sort of connection! Otherwise, it'd be weird! Lol.

Think of it like this, you're just giving yourself an hour a week, to YOURSELF. You're giving yourself an hour, to think and talk about yourself. You're giving yourself an hour to be in a completely safe, unbiased, and supportive environment. You deserve it, so treat yourself to an hour a week, dedicated to YOU. :)
 
First, you need to really research your vitamins and herbal supplements before buying. They are not regulated like drugs and many studies have shown that tons of products have either the wrong amount, none at all, or a different substance than what the label says.

Assuming you find a reputable brand(s), here are my suggestions.

1. A multi vitamin/mineral to be taken daily
2. Fish oil. Doesnt necessarily treat your conditions but great for the heart, brain and skin and most Americans get very little from food
3. Coenzyme Q10. You need to find the ones that say Ubiquinol or Kanek-A in the ingredients. It is expensive but besides being wonderful for heart health, has shown efficacy in headaches and potentially could help the RLS.
4. B-complex. Long term use helps with energy and may have a positive effect on the stress. Riboflavin, B2, has some evidence of migraine prevention so taking extra on top of the B-complex might work.
5. Feverfew for headaches. Probably the best herb for headache pain.
6. SAM-e for depression. You need to get an enteric coated form but studies have shown that it can reduce symptoms of depression with outcomes the same as tricyclic antidepressants. Can cause GI issues and headaches as side effects so go slow. Start at 100-200mg twice a day and increase by the same every 7-10 days as tolerated until you reach 800mg twice daily.
7. For GERD, there are a ton of supplements but I recommend finding one with aloe, ginger and marshmallow root. Pancreatic enzymes added to this would be great and you may be able to find a combo product with all these ingredients.
8. Valerian for anxiety. A really good calming herb that can relieve stress and help sleep.
9. Tumeric. Such a great natural antiinflammatory which could help with the headaches and RLS.
10. Magnesium as already stated. Magnesium Oxide is the cheapest and most available, but inferior to many other forms. Magnesium chloride, lactate and one other slipping my mind get more magnesium into your system. I will find out the name of the last.

Make sure you read up on all the ingredients and pay attention to their warnings and contraindications. Its been said ad nauseum, but just because it is natural doesnt mean it is safe. Check with your doctor or pharmacist and if they dont know, consult an alternative medicine practioner if you can. This is a long list and could cost you a pretty penny, so if you dont want to get all, 1,3,4,6,7 and 10 would be where I start.
 
Feverfew was something I wanted to try for my headaches but never got around to because the magnesium was so effective. The magnesium oxide I bought really was very cheap, about six dollars for 100 250 mg pills plus it was buy one get one free. Would like to get my hands on some magnesium powder that I could just mix into some water for better absorption. Still the benefits of using cheap magnesium oxide to treat daily migraines were impressive, and they were felt in no more then a couple days.

Been taking the fish oil capsules, but wonder how expensive it would be just to start ordering some pure natural fish oil. It's hard to trust most of the brands you see on shelves in convenience stores what with all of the additives going around.

As a sort of experiment I bought some 5-htp and took 50 mgs. Felt okay after the first dose. The next day I took 50 mgs at work. Stomach pains, headache, and overall feeling of shit. I threw it away as soon as I got home. It actually made me anxious. I took it on a full stomach and there's no way it could have been anything else. Really I probably shouldn't have been taking it to begin with since I wasn't depressed, just curious to see how it would affect my mood. I guess my brain produces enough seratonin.
 
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