Vitamins and medicine from pharmacy

[Katzateer]

Another Dr. Oz show and 3 more supplements recommended. If you take everything recommended on the show by experts you have to take so many pills you will choke on them.

And the amount of prescription drugs are crazy too. Do they really make us healthier? If someone comes in the pharmacy where I work and they are in their 50's I can almost always guess which meds they are picking up- the blood pressure, cholesterol, and diabetic meds. Big money for the pharmacy companies.

I want to try all there detox programs but not sure what to believe. I am beginning to believe I will try gluten free if I can. And it sounds like dairy free is very healthy too but can I give up cheese..........

[BrerGnat]

Dr. Oz is such a sellout. He makes so much money promoting this supplement and that supplement. Drives me crazy. I just ignore it, mostly.

There are certain supplements that have verifiable scientifically proven benefits (like Vitamin D, Iron, and Folic Acid for women), but the MAJORITY of them are just wastes of money. The body processes vitamins and minerals best from FOOD sources, and the stuff in bottles mostly just gets excreted in urine. There is a saying that Americans have the most expensive urine in the world, because we are the largest purchaser of all these supplements.

I take a multivitamin about once a week, that's it. I also take a specific digestive probiotic/enzyme blend daily to help with IBS issues, because it works for me personally, although a ton of other similar "supplements" didn't help me at all.

I give my kids three supplements: a multivitamin (due to being super picky eaters), Omega 3 gummies (proven to help regulate mood in children with Autism), and Fiber gummies (self explanatory, LOL!)

[BrerGnat]

I want to try all there detox programs but not sure what to believe. .

Don't believe any of it.

Your body has the best Detox system there is...it's called your Liver and Kidneys.

If you have healthy, disease free Liver and Kidneys, you don't need to "detox" your body. It gets detoxed every minute of every day. It is simply not true that "toxins" build up in your body. If that happened, you'd die.

[MNNHFLTX]

Studies show there are definitely some supplements that have value, but I think it's better to research them on your own then take the word of someone promoting them on TV. I personally don't take a multi-vitamin but do take Vitamin D3 (with Vitamin C) as my level was extremely low, a problem many women have. I also take fish oil for the Omega 3 fatty acids (proven for heart health/cholesterol-lowering), cinnamon for blood sugar regulation (I used to have episodes of low blood sugar) and calcium. I also take milk thistle for liver health--something that's probably not necessary, but after losing my dad to liver cancer, I know it can't hurt.

While on the subject, I just want to warn people of the dangers of taking in too much acetaminophen (Tylenol). It can be very toxic to the liver, especially if a person drinks any alcohol at all. They just lowered the "acceptable" cumulative dose at our hospital from 4000 mg per day to 3000 mg, and obviously that's not taking alcohol or any kind of liver deficiency into account.

[AvonleaCF]

I take one over-the-counter multi-vitamin a day. It's supermarket brand (Trader Joe's) and is just a boring old once daily multi formulated for women (whatever that means). No idea if it does anything, since I still get a bad cold about 2x per year, no matter how often I wash my hands! But I still take my vitamin. :)

I used to drink Emergen-C or Airborne 1x per day leading up to a Disney trip (and while there), but it didn't really do anything, and I hate the taste, so I just stick with the multi.

[SBETigg]

My recent blood work showed that I'm deficient in Vitamin D and iron, so I am now on supplements for those. I take fish oil and flax oil caplets just because they're supposed to be good for your circulatory system. I have no cholesterol issues, so that's probably not even necessary. Too many vitamins can be a bad thing, too, though. Your system will flush most of them out as toxins once you exceed a certain level, so spending lots of money on supplements can literally be money down the drain.

Nutritionists will also tell you that the whole gluten free movement is overkill. Very few people actually have issues related to gluten consumption-- but they are out there and those people need the gluten-free diet. But most of us are better off just eating a sensible diet from all food groups. Reducing sugar and refined flour consumption is never a bad thing, but gluten free is not what every body needs.

[Dulcee]

Don't believe any of it.

Your body has the best Detox system there is...it's called your Liver and Kidneys.



Sigh. I wish more people realized this.

Your body does a very good job of cleaning itself out. It has for thousands and thousands of years.

This goes along with the whole no gluten craze. Our bodies are designed to break down carbohydrates. Very, very few people are actually unable to deal with the gluten that comes along with many of them.

Eat a REAL diet. If your great-great-grandmother wouldn't have recognized it as food, don't eat it.

Your body does its best job of getting the nutrients that it needs from natural, whole, real foods.

[Dopey's Girl]

I have some close friends who have Celiac and are gluten free, so I've done some research on that one. Unless you have to avoid gluten, it's not a great way to go.

Many products that are gluten free are replacing it with other things (fats) to help give the item a more normal texture that it doesn't really help with weight loss, or overall health. Also in a body that can digest the gluten your digestive system needs it to help continue to function normally..

Now I'm Pooh-Sized, but working to change that. My Dr has advised a diet of fresh foods (meat, veggies, fruit) and whole grains (in moderation) as well as getting my tush off the couch as often as possible. He told me that clenses, or other fads tend to do more damage than good, because none of them have been studied over any period of time.

[KylesMom]

It's funny you bring this up, because my mom who is 70 and is in great health is really pushing me to start taking all of these "suppliements" that she's read about and is part of her health regime. I've simply told her that my doctors are aware of our family history, and if they think I should start taking supplements of any kind they'll recommend them. I am VERY against self-medicating, as I've seen it do more harm than good with mixing your own coctails of pills. I laugh when I see these TV shows and infomercials telling us we "must" take these cure-alls! :mickey:

Beth, thanks for passing on the information about Tylenol!