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Supplements and Vitamins?

Posted: Thu May 17, 2007 11:06 am
by Irishlass
:?:
I am recently diagnosed with MS. I am trying to get a handle on what supplements and vitamins I should be taking on a daily basis. There is so much to digest.

So far, the following few stand out throughout my reading. Can you help me with a base list of essential supplements/vitamins and appropriate dosage???

Cod Live Oil OR Salmon Oil
1,000 mg. vitamin C
400 IU vitamin E
Multivitamin

Others I have read about include
ALCAR - Dosage?
B-12
Calcium

Thanks in advance - danni

Posted: Thu May 17, 2007 2:38 pm
by syckbastid
Vitamin D is a good place to start. Appropriate dosage depends on the amount of sun you get. 2000iu per day is a middle of the road amount.

I take tons of vitamins/supplements: b-complex, magnesium, calcium, selenium, Fish oil, curcumin.

Posted: Fri May 18, 2007 1:42 am
by CureOrBust
You could add Inosine to raise your uric acid levels. I Take 2g a day; on the extreme side.

I also take NAC, sublingual B12 (metho not cyano), Lecithin (for same reason as inosine, but I have read of one person who it helped significantly)

Re: Supplements and Vitamins?

Posted: Fri May 18, 2007 2:59 am
by NHE
Irishlass wrote::?:
I am recently diagnosed with MS. I am trying to get a handle on what supplements and vitamins I should be taking on a daily basis. There is so much to digest.

So far, the following few stand out throughout my reading. Can you help me with a base list of essential supplements/vitamins and appropriate dosage???

Cod Live Oil OR Salmon Oil
These are not equivalent. Cod liver oil has a relatively low quantity of omega-3 fatty acids in it, 67 mg combined EPA+DHA per 500 mg. However, it does contain quite a bit of vitamin A and some vitamin D, 1250 IU and 130 IU per 500 mg respectively. If what you're after are omega-3 fats then you would probably do better with fish body oil supplements. I recently cut my cod liver oil down from two 500 mg capsules per day to just one per day after reading that too much vitamin A can be harmful. It was recommended to keep vitamin A below 2500 IU per day max. With two capsules I was already getting that and probably exceeding it with vitamin A found in my general diet. I also bumped up my fish body oil intake to about 5 grams per day. Note that the vitamin content in most fish body oil supplements is negligible.

NHE

Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2007 1:58 pm
by jimmylegs
hi there, just found an interesting article and thought it could stand to be in the diet section. might as well be on this thread:
Med Hypotheses. 2001 Feb;56(2):163-70. Links
The multifaceted and widespread pathology of magnesium deficiency.Johnson S.
sjohnson@qwksilvr.com

Even though Mg is by far the least abundant serum electrolyte, it is extremely important for the metabolism of Ca, K, P, Zn, Cu, Fe, Na, Pb, Cd, HCl, acetylcholine, and nitric oxide (NO), for many enzymes, for the intracellular homeostasis and for activation of thiamine and therefore, for a very wide gamut of crucial body functions. Unfortunately, Mg absorption and elimination depend on a very large number of variables, at least one of which often goes awry, leading to a Mg deficiency that can present with many signs and symptoms. Mg absorption requires plenty of Mg in the diet, Se, parathyroid hormone (PTH) and vitamins B6 and D. Furthermore, it is hindered by excess fat. On the other hand, Mg levels are decreased by excess ethanol, salt, phosphoric acid (sodas) and coffee intake, by profuse sweating, by intense, prolonged stress, by excessive menstruation and vaginal flux, by diuretics and other drugs and by certain parasites (pinworms). The very small probability that all the variables affecting Mg levels will behave favorably, results in a high probability of a gradually intensifying Mg deficiency. It is highly regrettable that the deficiency of such an inexpensive, low-toxicity nutrient result in diseases that cause incalculable suffering and expense throughout the world. The range of pathologies associated with Mg deficiency is staggering: hypertension (cardiovascular disease, kidney and liver damage, etc.), peroxynitrite damage (migraine, multiple sclerosis, glaucoma, Alzheimer's disease, etc.), recurrent bacterial infection due to low levels of nitric oxide in the cavities (sinuses, vagina, middle ear, lungs, throat, etc.), fungal infections due to a depressed immune system, thiamine deactivation (low gastric acid, behavioral disorders, etc.), premenstrual syndrome, Ca deficiency (osteoporosis, hypertension, mood swings, etc.), tooth cavities, hearing loss, diabetes type II, cramps, muscle weakness, impotence (lack of NO), aggression (lack of NO), fibromas, K deficiency (arrhythmia, hypertension, some forms of cancer), Fe accumulation, etc. Finally, because there are so many variables involved in the Mg metabolism, evaluating the effect of Mg in many diseases has frustrated many researchers who have simply tried supplementation with Mg, without undertaking the task of ensuring its absorption and preventing excessive elimination, rendering the study of Mg deficiency much more difficult than for most other nutrients.

Posted: Fri Feb 29, 2008 3:25 am
by DIM
Although I am not a PwMS I writte here for my wife that suffers from it one year now.
She follows a restricted type of BBD, takes 3mg LDN every night and the following supplements per day:

2gr Acetyl L-carnitine (4 doses of 500mg)
150 mg Pycnogenol
1gr EPA & 1gr DHA (omega-3 fatty acids)
44mg Zinc
200mcg Selenium
300mcg Chromium
700mg Calcium
400mg Magnesium
60mg vitamin E-tocotrienol
200IU vitamin E (tocopherol)
300mg vitamin C
100mg each of B-complex vitamins
400IU vitamin D
Choline bitartrate-Inositol
1gr curcumin (very imprtant as it stops MS progression according to last researches)

For candida:
2caps Achidophilus
1,5gr monolaurin (Lauricidin)
2 caps Garlic

Posted: Mon Jan 04, 2010 10:33 pm
by SandyK
I just ordered some supplements and got sticker shock! I only was able to find half on my list and it was over $150 for about a month! Eek. It doesn't get easy to do the right thing for my body.

Posted: Tue Jan 05, 2010 6:52 am
by tzootsi
Have you tried
http://www.puritansale.com/
Very inexpensive, good quality vitamins.

Supplements

Posted: Fri Jan 08, 2010 6:53 pm
by Rebecca
I did a web site on what I do for MS since I've never taken any meds. I think we need to do more, though, than just take some supplements.

Here's a link to my site. It includes information on the supplements I take. See the tab on my plan.

By the way, I think vitamin E supplements should be avoided because the research showed they are correlated with an increased rate of fatal heart attacks. I get my vitamin E by eating raw sunflower seeds--they are a great source of lineleic acid (a fat) recommended by the National Hearlth Service in the United Kingdom as well as lots of other good stuff.

Also, I think most of us need at least 4,000 IU of vitamin D. This does vary but most of us don't get any sun so with only 2,000 IU the blood level of vitamin D will stay at the low end of the normal range usually. At 4,000 IU, it usually hovers around the high end of the normal range.

A good doctor can order tests of your blood level of Vitamin D and help you figure out the dose that will keep you at the high end of the normal range. That's where you want to be since that level, the research suggests, reduces both the number of lesions and relapses.

Posted: Fri Jan 08, 2010 7:32 pm
by ndwannabe
In addition to everything mentioned I would highly recommend B3 vitamin (aka Niacin aka Nicotinic Acid) for a good body "flush"

It opens small blood vessels and the blood supplies all of our body with much needed nutrients.

Most MSers have problem with their circulation.

For this do NOT get "flush free" or "time release" B3, it will only stagnate in your liver. The only palce I found to buy a "flushing" Niacin is here http://www.vitacost.com/NSI-Vitamin-B3- ... 0-Capsules

You might want to start with less than 500mg though.

Posted: Sat Jan 09, 2010 3:26 pm
by shye
Great info on benefits of nicotinamide (niacin) and MS:
http://www.naturalnews.com/z020991.html

But ndwannabe:
Time release is NOT good to take, because it can harm the liver--but flush free works great for most of the thing pure niacin works on, except not for reducing cholesterol. It would help with MS same as pure niacin, because the flushing aspect is not the thing that protects the nerves.

Posted: Sat Jan 09, 2010 7:05 pm
by ndwannabe
shye wrote: But ndwannabe:
Time release is NOT good to take, because it can harm the liver--but flush free works great for most of the thing pure niacin works on, except not for reducing cholesterol. It would help with MS same as pure niacin, because the flushing aspect is not the thing that protects the nerves.
True that flushing is not what protects the nerves, bur flushing is what opens the small capillaries and helps the circulation. Why not use this benefit as well?

Dr. Klenner describes this effect better than I do, here http://www.tldp.com/issue/11_00/klenner.htm
– whichever dose will produce a strong body flush. Niacin dilates the blood vessels, even those that have been compressed by scar tissue, allowing a greater amount of nutrient material to reach the cell laboratory or factor comprising muscles and nerves. This constant, repeated dilatation of the blood vessels acts in the same manner as the dilating urethral catheter to correct constriction. One is chemical, the other is mechanical. Hot fluids taken at the same time as the niacin will enhance the flush

Posted: Mon Jan 11, 2010 4:36 am
by jimmylegs
@rebecca
i also eat sunflower seeds and use sunflower oil - and my vitamin e supplement is natural ratio E8 complex with four tocopherols and four tocotrienols. my current one has sunflower oil in it, and i've seen a pricier one with soy and sunflower.
studies that have shown harmful effects of vit E supplementation have, from what i've read, tended to isolate alpha tocopherol, and beyond that to use an artificial synthetic form.
artificial vitamin E does not absorb nearly as well as natural vitamin E, and besides, from what i understand, synthetic vit E is made from petroleum byproducts. interesting.

i completely agree about doing more than supplements. if i sit here at the computer all day i'll be walking funny when i get up at the end of it. luckily i have set myself physical challenges since dx so that now i have accomplished more than i probably would have without getting sick. the book dancing with ms by eva marsh is very much about retraining your body after relapse.

@ndwannabe:
agree re niacin. there is more to it than neuroprotection - the flush is key. the klenner protocol really helped me, even though it has nothing about vitamin d3

vitamin D3

Posted: Tue Jan 12, 2010 8:23 am
by Julia
I see a lot of people have different opinions on how much D3 we should supplement daily. I live in Northeast Ohio which I believe is one of the dreariest places on earth.

What would a recommended amount be? Also, I am struggling to find a soy free d3 that is also a good price. Any information?

Posted: Tue Jan 12, 2010 9:09 am
by jimmylegs
in the literature 4000IU is considered maintenance daily intake. the supplement amount depends on your estimated dietary intake and whether you are interested in maintenance, or boosting, or have other considerations to take into account.

for me, 4000IU was not enough at the outset because i wanted my level to be 50 nmol/L higher.

now, approx 4000IU/d is roughly adequate to keep me around 123 nmol/L according to the latest test. that's at 25,000IU in one drop on the weekend, and a few hundred IU each day through the week in gelcaps with cal mag etc, plus a bit in fortified organic milk and some carefully chosen fish.

i am not sure if there is soy in my liquid d3 supplement. i don't know who the supplier is but i got it from a compounding pharmacist and it's 1,000,000 IU/gm. you don't need a prescription when they don't do anything to it except put it in a bottle for you.

i'd have to search back to see how much i paid but i'm thinking something in the $30s, and at a drop a week it lasts forever. must be refrigerated. shelf life is supposed to be 3 months once you dilute it in oil, i don't have shelf life info for the undiluted product but i've had this bottle for almost a year and a half, and it's still working if my lab results are any guide :)