ChronicallyMe

I’ve just restocked on most of my regular vitamins and suppliments.  A change to my regular immune focused multi-vitamin (a new formula) has meant I’ve needed to double check I’m taking safe doses of everything.

Isn’t the internet (and world) full of contrasting information?  Or should that be opinion?

I am either:

• optimising my nutrition and immune system
• not taking high enough doses of stuff to have an impact
• taking too high or too regular a dose of stuff and so setting myself up for toxic levels of substances, comprimising my immune system, and possibly other health complications
• or I am making very expensive wee because we can’t absorb tablet supplements anyway

Sigh.  Even my books on CFS/ME by doctors disagree on which to take and even if to bother at all.

So I am shuffling striding boldly forwards, taking safe doses of various supplements because they haven’t given me any ill effects in the last 18 months and because I’ve just bought another 3 months supply! 

Oh and because when I stopped taking them last year I caught my first ME cold which developed into a chest infection which took me 3-4 months to get over.

This post is about me the suppliments I which  choose to take.  It’s not plucked out of thin air - I have done research and there are reasons why I do and don’t take certain things (right now).  I’m not an expert.  I’m just sharing my list for interest only.  Ok then.

Here’s my current list of pills and potions I take daily:

• Immune supporting Multi-vitamin (including selenium, vitamin E, K, B1, B2, B6, folic acid, cystine, chromium and bioflavanoids amongst others) - Vitabiotics Immunance from ChemistDirect
• L-Carnitine - 500mg (+30mg from muti-vit) - Lifeplan L-Carnitine 500mg from Lifeplan
• Vitamin D (D3 cholecaliferol) - 500iu (+400iu from multi-vit) - Higher Nature Vitamin D 500 iu from GoodnessDirect
• B12 - 1000ug (+14ug from multi-vit) - Lifeplan High Strength B12 1000ug from Lifeplan or GoodnessDirect
• Magnesium with calcium - 66mg (+50mg from multi-vit) - I can take more if nauseous. Lifeplan Magnesium with calcium 500mg from Lifeplan

Plus:

• Zinc - I’m now getting 15mg from my multi-vit so will only suppliment additional 15mg if I am fighting a virus - Lifeplan Zinc Amino Acid Chelate 15mg  from Lifeplan
• Vitamin C - 1000mg (+ 150mg from multi-vit) - Natures Aid Low Acid Vitamin C 1000mg from SimplyNatural. I may start taking this every few days as some suggest it can have a bad effect having it daily.  This is the one brand that doesn’t irritate my stomach when taken at high doses.

Plus currently:

• D-Ribose - 10g twice daily - ATP Pure D-Ribose 250g from MuscleForm
• Co-Enzeyme Q10 - 200mg daily - Natures Aid Q10 100mg from QuickVit
• Probiotic (lactobacillus sporogenes) - 3 times daily - Higher Nature Lactogest 90 tablets from GoodnessDirect
• AllicinMax - 1 a day - Allicin International (not, I repeat not Health Perception) from QuickVit

I have also tried in the past:

• N-Acetyl Cysteine 600mg daily
• Astragalus (I will start taking this again soon)
• Omega 3, 6 and 9 (fish and flax seed derived)
• High doses of AllicinMax/Allimax

I shop around for deals on the vitamins/brands I use and have used UK based suppliers including

• www.goodnessdirect.com
• www.quickvit.co.uk
• www.chemistdirect.co.uk
• www.simplynatural.org.uk
• and EU based www.supersmart.com

My preferred brands are:

• Lifeplan
• Nature’s Aid
• Higher Nature

I find generic supermarket and Holland & Barratt can make me feel bloated, sluggish or irritate my stomach.

I eat daily fresh fruit, vegetables and protein.  Drink water, peppermint tea, fennel tea and a small glass of grape juice.  Take very little and only occasional dairy, wheat, sugar, deep fried anything. No alcohol, caffeine, carbonated drinks, red or dark meat,  eggs.  Avoiding MSG and artificial sweeteners wherever possible.

Here I am being as careful as possible, being as healthy as possible and still stuck at being at my lowest health ebb of my life. 

It used to frustrate me when I read about what CFS people took to help when they were clearly still very ill.  But I know without being careful and without taking control of my nutrition things would be much worse.  There’s always going to be someone who tells me I should be taking x suppliment and someone else telling me I shouldn’t.  I think this is more of an art than a science.

I do know that whenver I write “nutrition” my brain always thinks “nuture” instead.