The supplements currently open at home for me and the kids
Just for fun and interest I thought I’d show you what supplements are currently sitting on my bench, and tell you what I use them for. Let me just start by saying, I’m not taking all of these at the moment! Some I take every day, others I use from time to time for specific purposes.
I often get asked “how long should I take something for?” It’s a really good question, so allow me to elaborate with some real life examples –
Most days I take zinc, vitamin C, magnesium and a B complex, and I’m back on the cod liver oil every day. The other items I use for shorter bursts as needed. I guess I’m lucky to have a well stocked dispensary at my disposal!
Vitamin C and Bioactive B complex I take every day. This is because I’m a stress head, and I burn through these nutrients! We don’t store B vitamins or vitamin C in the body, so we need a top up each day. Even though I eat my 5+ serves of fruit and veg most days, it’s still not enough for the amount of nutrients I need. Due to my stress head tendencies I use these up faster than I replace them without a bit of supplement support.
I take Magnesium for the same reason. We do store it, but us stress heads burn through it. Our soils and food supply are deficient which makes us deficient. Did you know we use Magnesium for over 400 different processes every day, and some of those processes happen thousands of times per second?
I like the liquid magnesium, it’s high quality and tastes like a fruit tingle especially if I mix with a bit of soda water. I take it in the morning to support energy and boost stress tolerance, and in the evening to calm my nervous system to help wind down and settle for a better night’s sleep.
I take zinc each day because we need a lot of zinc. We use zinc for over 300 metabolic processes per day, especially in the brain, for hormone balance and for a strong immune system. My son takes zinc every day because he has a condition which depletes zinc called Pyroluria. It’s a genetic condition and whilst I haven’t been tested, I’m betting he got it from me, (based on symptoms).
Cod Liver oil might sound old fashioned, but boy is it super good for you! It contains a good dose of omega 3 essential fatty acids which helps keep inflammation in check. Inflammation underpins every chronic health condition, so it’s like an insurance policy. Unless you eat fish like salmon and sardines 3 to 5 times a week you aren’t getting enough omega 3s. Cod Liver oil is also naturally high in vitamin A and vitamin D which are key for the immune system. If your immune system is deficient in these nutrients it can’t mount an appropriate response to foreign invaders whether they are infections (viruses, bacteria) or toxins/chemicals, or the biggest toxin our body’s have to deal with day in and day out; stress.
Selenium – I take selenium to quickly clear cold sores, which I’m prone too (again it’s a stress thing!). Australian soils are completely devoid of selenium. I also like selenium because it is essential for glutathione recycling. Glutathione is the body’s master antioxidant. Antioxidants scavenge for free radicals which damage our cells. Free radicals cause inflammation, and glutathione undoes the damage. Once glutathione binds to a free radical it becomes oxidized and it needs to be recycled back to an active form, to work again. If its not recycled then it too becomes a free radicals, which means you need even more glutathione!
Immune Support Bundle
Zinc, Vitamin D and C tend to deservedly hold the spotlight when it comes to boosting the immune system But make way for a new star – I learnt just this week that selenium is essential for making T-regulatory cells, and it is these T-Reg cells that guide the immune system to attack viruses, but not to the extent that the immune response triggers a cytokine storm. It is the cytokine storm in the lungs which makes corona virus deadly.
I gave my little boy the Liposomal glutathione (along with vitamin C) last year to help him detoxify and recover from the general anaesthetic he had. He has the MTHFR genetic polymorphism and other genetic SNPS which means he’s a poor detoxifier of medicines. I was concerned about a regression of his autism from the toxic effects of the 4 drugs they gave him to knock him out. The liposomal form gets to the brain quickly to protect it.
Can you still take a supplement that is out of date?
There is a thyroid supplement called Thyrocsin on the bench, not because I have a thyroid condition but because it contains zinc, selenium and iodine.This product went out of date, so I’m using it up. I know that minerals still work when they are out of date. Vitamins however don’t work. Nor does fish oil, cod liver oil or probiotics . When they are out of date throw them out. Fish oil that has turned rancid (gone off, smells fishy) becomes inflammatory, instead of being anti-inflammatory.
N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) – I’m not currently taking this, but I do for a week here and there. I’ll use it (or the kids will) when they are having trouble shifting congestion. It breaks down mucous and phlegm making them easier to clear. NAC is also a key ingredient of glutathione, so I’m also getting antioxidant support – two birds with one stone. Don’t use NAC long term though, we don’t want it drying out the gut mucosa, the eyes, or the lining of the upper respiratory tract.
Withania and Relaxan – These are anti-stress herbs I use as needed. Withania is an adaptogen that helps the body adapt to higher stress demands. Relaxan is based on a Traditional Chinese medicine formula that I take when I feel irritable and are prone to flying of the handle. I’ve had this bottle for about two years. It’s empty! I’m happy to say I haven’t needed it for a long while, but there was a time in my life not to long ago that it help a lot! It worked quickly (in 10 minutes) to stop me lashing out in a way that I later regret!
The range of probiotics In my dispensary
Probiotics
The Multiflora is a probiotic. No one in our house is currently taking a probiotic, but if anyone does have digestive distress, or are getting a bit constipated, the probiotic comes back for a month or two. I used alot of different probiotics to recover my son from severe gut dysfunction back in the day.
A probiotic is also a good insurance policy to strengthen and balance the immune system, because it is our good gut bacteria that exercise our immune system and keep it strong. It’s a bit like exercising each day to build and maintain strong flexible muscles.
Most over-the-counter probiotics are a waste of time and money. They are ok for maintenance, but if you need a probiotic to correct an imbalance, fight an infection or boost your levels of good bacteria, ie. to have a therapeutic effect, then you need the good stuff from a practitioner, who can pick the right combination of bacteria strains for you. I stock 8 different products!
