Scientific Living » Supplements

How to Choose a Supplement

Scientific Living — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 21:48:15 +0000

Many people are becoming more aware of the benefits of a regular supplement program. A good supplement program can prevent (or even reverse) serious illness. However, a poor supplement program can be worthless, expensive, and even dangerous.

Know What You Want to Achieve

This is the first step. It is a requirement. I have seen people walk around the GNC, and the salesperson starts telling them that supplement X is great for health, and the shopper puts it in their basket. That is not a reason to buy a supplement. You need to decide:

1. What health problem(s) do I currently have that I want to address? If you aren’t feeling 100%, but are not sure what is the reason. Then now is not the time to go dumping money on lots of supplements. A few key ones might be okay, but focus most of your effort on getting to the root cause of your problem.

2. What preventative goals do I want to achieve? Am I at higher risk of some illness than other people (i.e. cancer)? Am I an athlete and want peak performance?

Google Like Mad

Collect all sorts of opinions on what kind of supplements can be helpful for your goals. This is where you learn the names of ingredients that may appear in supplements that you would want to try.

Use Google Shopping

Say you wanted something to boost your immune system. For example, if you google shopped for “immune support”, then you can take a look at what ingredients appear in the supplements that come up in that search.

Research Individual Ingredients

After learning about what ingredients may make a supplement that interests you, there are a couple things to do. Go back to google and educate yourself about those ingredients. Also search for specific ingredients in Wikipedia. They will often have a nice summary.

You may think there is not much to this, but there can be a lot. Say you want to take a garlic supplement. Do you want the allicin from garlic? Do you want all the other components from garlic? What is the difference between allicin potential and allicin yield? What is enteric coated garlic? Does the garlic lose its potency if exposed to stomach acid? There are differing opinions on the answers to these questions. If you go with just one source of information- especially if that source has a financial incentive to bias the information- then it is very likely you can make a less than optimal decision.

Research Effective Doses

Here’s another example. Claritin is an over the counter allergy pill (antihistamine). If you look it up on Wikipedia, its active ingredient is loratadine. It comes in 10mg pills, because that is the highest FDA approved dosage to not cause drowsiness. But guess what? One study showed that Loratadine is not significantly different than placebo at doses below 10mg! Though some may benefit, most people are eating a placebo. To get real effect, more than 1 pill would need to be taken. Is that safe? Are you willing to do it? I sure don’t know, but wouldn’t you want to research on the web about what doses other people are taking?

Here’s another example. Say you get a supplement designed to heal your intestinal lining, such as L-glutamine. Some supplements deliver 500mg a serving. Some supplements deliver 5000mg a serving. Things like this should give you some insight into how much is safe, and how much you may want to take.

Get Product Suggestions from Other People

Once you have an idea of what kind of products and ingredients are out there for you, if you can, find a group of experienced people and ask them for links to what products they use. A good way is to search for Google Groups or Yahoo Groups for people who are in a similar situation you are in. For example, you might find a cancer support group, and could ask what kind of supplements people there are using.

Make Sure It’s Safe

Say you want to get a product called “XXX”. Just take the extra five minutes to make sure it’s safe. Google things like:

“XXX dangers”, or
“XXX safety”, or
“XXX contamination.”

This can be important. Say for example you want to take a chlorella supplement. Chlorella is a very popular super food, detoxifier, and heavy metal chelator. People sometimes use it to treat themselves for high levels of mercury. Did you know that some chlorella supplements may actually be contaminated with mercury? Did you know there is also speculation regarding if it is a strong enough chelator to actually remove mercury from your body? If it is not strong enough, it could in fact just redistribute mercury in your body, and make your health problems worse.

The moral of the story is to make sure it’s safe. Someone else may personally take a chlorella supplement everyday. They have weighed the risks and benefits in their situation, but you have to make up your own mind about your situation when it comes to the particular supplements you want to take.

Have a Few Trusted Sources of Information

I personally have a handful of doctors, whose opinions I value. I check their websites every time I want to try something new. This is a tremendous resource. It is very easy to pay big money to go and see your doctor, and then have them tell you their opinion about a supplement. If the doctor says that he encourages it, he probably knows something about it. If the doctor says he does not encourage it, he may know something about, but it is also likely he doesn’t. Those of you who have had the experience of seeing many doctors in your lifetime may realize that doctors are typically “down” on things that they are not “up” on. In this wonderful age of internet, you can easily collect the general opinions of several doctors at once. This is great news. If you only could consult one doctor, you’d get mislead quite a bit, as doctors tend to disagree quite often.

Let’s consider a couple relatively famous doctors for example: Dr. James Wilson encourages the use of glandular extracts in treating endocrine related conditions, such as adrenal fatigue. He has his own reasons, experience, and arguments. If you go and see Dr. Andrew Weil, you’ll see that he thinks glandular extracts might actually be unsafe. They definitely can’t both be right!

Don’t Skimp Out on Quality

If you are going to get a supplement, buy a high quality one. A high quality one does not always mean expensive. But we are talking about your health here. This is not about something trivial. You can pretty much forget about Walgreen’s, GNC, and Costco. I strongly recommend buying from online sources. If the brands carried in those stores are the best ones for you, then they should show up on your stringent internet research anyway, and be the ones left standing.

Other Ingredients

Make sure there are no substances you are allergic to in the supplement. Many supplements now market themselves as being “hypoallergenic”. Also, get a feel for what brands tend to have lots of additives and artificial ingredients in them. These won’t kill you, but if you have a choice between two equal products, pick the one without additives.

Check Multiple Buyers

Once you have found a supplement, check the prices of that supplement at multiple places.

Calculate the “Bang Per Buck”

You may find two products you can’t choose between. One way to break the tie is to calculate the cost per unit of substance in the supplement. For example, say a vitamin C supplement has 100 pills, each with 500mg of vitamin C. Say it costs $20. This gives you a value of:

(100 pills) X (500 mg per pill) / $20 = 2500 mg per dollar

Say a second vitamin C supplement you were considering gives you 1500 mg per dollar. Then, if all other considerations are equal, you probably want to get the one that is 2500 mg per dollar.

The Simple Few

My personal experience is that getting supplements with TONS of ingredients that try to do too much are typically less effective, and more expensive. Tend towards buying supplements with fewer ingredients. Say you are taking a supplement for energy with a bunch of ingredients. It makes you feel better. How are you to know which ingredient(s) is that one that is really helping you? Also, if you knew the ingredient, maybe you could buy it for cheaper individually, and take higher amounts of it?

Read the Serving Size

Some supplements may seem like a great deal…until you read that a serving size is three pills. It’s a nice way to make your product look like it is only one-third of the cost.

Don’t Be Impulsive

Countless times I have wasted money on supplements because I was impulsive. I reasoned it out that a certain product may help me, and then I bought it. Then the next day I would find out some more information that made me change my mind, or made me realize there was a better supplement I could have gotten.

Try your best to at least wait 24 hours before clicking the purchase button!

Buy Online

You will get far more variety. No question about it. Two good websites are iHerb and LuckyVitamin.

Try to buy in batches. For example, instead of buying something once every week, buy everything at once only one time a month. You can save a bundle on shipping costs this way.

Also google for promotion codes for the website you are buying from. You may be able to get a discount when buying online.

Be Organized

Buy a pill holder if you take a lot of things. Get one that has 4 slots per day. You can also keep and Excel spreadsheet with info on where you bought all your supplements. That way, you can always go back to the web to look up more info on it, and you will never forget where you got it when you need to reorder.

Take Pills At the Optimal Time

Some pills need to be taken on an empty stomach. Some are taken with food. Follow the directions. Some need to be taken a certain time day. Also, don’t take all your pills for the day all at once, but space them out over the day. Your body will absorb more of it.

Summary

Do your homework, and be disciplined. Supplements can be very costly, and have the potential to help or hurt your health. If you stay on top of it, you can be sure to find your way to an effective supplement program.

Disclaimer: This article is not medical advice. This is opinion and is for informational purposes only. If seeking medical advice, consult a licensed physician.

Related Articles:

Miracle Mineral Solution 2 (MMS2): A Cure For Malaria and AIDS?

Scientific Living — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 23:08:12 +0000

MMS2 is receiving reported results with malaria, HIV, and other illnesses. Also see the comments section.

Background on MMS1

Jim Humble is a proponent of a natural remedy called Miracle Mineral Supplement (formerly called MMS, but now called MMS1). The long and short of the story is that MMS is a way of getting chlorine dioxide ion into the body. The theory is that amongst components of the human body, all pathogenic organisms have a negative charge. This means that MMS would oxidize any pathogen it comes in contact with. When you steal an electron from something, it has fundamentally changed. In other words, it would kill the bugs on contact. One interesting thing about this supplement is that it is incredibly cheap and you can even make it at home. For all the details of this, you can read Jim Humble’s book on MMS. The science behind it, I must admit does not seem entirely clear, but there have been significant reports of success with MMS:

MMS has been used clinically in Africa where something like 70,000 cases of Malaria have supposedely been cured. However, there is not much mention of this in the United States.
It is said to have a 100% success rate in curing malaria in less than 1 day.
Malaria is widely considered to be the worst disease of mankind.
Though AIDS patients do not always test negative after using MMS, they are said to become completely functional people again after three or four days of use.
Hundreds of other diseases have reportedly benefited from using MMS
200,000 Americans are estimated to have used MMS

Strange that you have probably never heard of a supplement that may cure malaria and sometimes AIDS, isn’t it? It just sounds too good to be true, right? On one hand, there are thousands and thousands of successful reports from people using MMS. On the other hand, there is not a single organization with any significant money to speak of that has either bothered to prove or disprove the validity of MMS with any large research studies. What company would want to pay money to help a supplement that would not improve their profits? After all, people can make it in their kitchen sink! It is perfectly logical and believable that this lack of research is to be expected. So the “lack of research” argument does not go very far is proving that this is some kind of scam. I actually got significant benefit using MMS to fight off an overgrowth of intestinal yeast. I also personally correspond with several people who have also been helped by MMS significantly. I also know some doctors who recommend taking it in a pulsed fashion for the treatment of babesia.

MMS has actually been used for a very long time to purify water for drinking by killing pathogens in the water . Of course, it took our brilliant society 100 years to ask, “I wonder if I could swallow that stuff and have it kill bugs inside of me?” Then again, you wouldn’t swallow boiling water, even though it kills bugs. But it appears MMS happens to be a safe substance when used correctly.

You can read more about MMS on your own, as I really want to be one of the first people to blog about MMS2

MMS2 (Miracle Mineral Solution 2)

MMS2 (calcium hypochlorite) is a mineral that reacts to produce hypochlorous acid when ingested. It is a substance native to the immune system that white blood cells use to kill pathogens. This has been known for 80 years. In all that time, it is hard to believe that no researcher thought to try supplementing a human being with more hypochlorous acid to kill pathogens.

Jim Humble claims many thousands of people have already contacted him reporting the use of MMS2 in conjunction with MMS1 is effective in treating hundreds of diseases. He claims that all people that followed a combination protocol for HIV not only became asymptomatic, but tested negative for the virus! That is an improvement over MMS1.

How to Get it?

Go to your local pool store and buy the highest percentage calcium hypochlorite you can find. Fill up a size-zero capsule with it, and swallow with a glass of water. It is that easy, and costs almost nothing. When you swallow the calcium hypochlorite (typically used for pool disinfecting) it will react and turn into hypochlorous acid in your body.

Well, I guess there isn’t all that much to say about it yet, so it is probably better just to read Jim Humble’s post on the MMS2:

Jim Humble Introduces MMS2

For a ballpark protocol for something like HIV, Humble mentions the use of 1 size-zero-capsule filled with MMS2, taken every 2 hours, for 8 hours of the day. Continue for 3 weeks. Always take with 1 or 2 cups of water. He also mentions some info for using MMS1 simultaneously.

It might be mentioned that Humble does not come into the United States and is in relative hiding, presumably for fear of various authorities. Perhaps this is or is not a sign of some truth behind his claims, depending on how you look at it.

Even a small chance of uncovering a cure for malaria and AIDS is worth intense investigation. Yet not surprisingly, money and organization for such research is not apparently forthcoming.

Update On Product Sources 12/13/09

Information doesn’t hurt anyone. But remember, whatever you do you do at your own risk! Here are the best sources I can find for a complete MMS2 setup:

Calcium Hypochlorite, 78%
Size Zero Capsules
Optional Capsule Filling Machine

Update On Clinical Effectiveness of MMS2 4/13/2010

Please read the comment below by a Dr. who has reported his success with thousands of patients! I’ve exchanged emails with him, and he really does seem to check out as a real source!

Update on Dosing Instructions 6/15/2010

This site has more up-to-date information on the use of MMS1 and MMS2.

Update on MMS Banning 7/31/2010

The FDA has issued a safety warning against MMS and may soon ban sales.

Disclaimer: This article is not medical advice. This is opinion and is for informational purposes only. If seeking medical advice, consult a licensed physician.

Related Articles:

19 Ways to Beat Cardiovascular Disease Naturally

Scientific Living — Thu, 06 May 2010 23:18:11 +0000

There are many ways to address cardiovascular disease naturally. The best thing to do is to get an integrative physician to help you put together a natural medicine program. Not just any amounts, brands, or combinations of supplements can be haphazardly thrown together. It might even be dangerous. Still, it is important to research options on your own. Also, remember that not all supplements are created equal, and that you should be very stringent when choosing a supplement(s) to ensure both safety and effectiveness. Here is a list of natural supplements and remedies for cardiovascular health in no particular order:

(FYI, since I first wrote this article, I have compiled a list of 21 more items, and 6 common treatments that are dangerous as well as a list of 8 more ways to beat cardiovascular disease naturally)

1. Nattokinase:

Nattokinase is a fibrinolytic enzyme derived from the Japanese food Natto. It is used in alternative medicine to dissolve unhealthy coagulation in blood.
More info: 1, 2, 3

2. Dan Shen (Chinese Salvia)

Dan Shen a traditional Chinese herb that is used to treat blood pressure and strengthen the heart, as well as many other things.
More info: 1, 2, 3

3. CoQ10 Ubiquinol:

Ubiquinol is a form of CoQ10 that may be 8 times as effective as ubiquinone (the common supplement form of CoQ10). It is antioxidant, promotes heart health, helps maintain blood sugar, and has many more benefits.
More info: 1, 2

4. Vitamin C:

Vitamin C has nearly endless health benefits including encouraging collagen formation.
More info: 1, 2, 3, 4

5. Resveratrol:

Resveratrol sold as a supplement is primarily derived from Japanese Knotweed. It has effects on heart disease, cholesterol, cancer, and it seems just about every disease on the planet.
More info: 1, 2, 3, 4

6. Hawthorn Berry:

Hawthorn berry has been used as a cardiovascular tonic since the early 19th century.
More info: 1, 2

7. D-Ribose:

D-ribose is a naturally occuring sugar found in all living cells. It is a precursor of ATP, the body’s universal energy molecule. It promotes cellular metabolism, which can treat a variety of illness such as cardiovascular disease and chronic fatigue.
More info: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

8. Cordyceps Sinensis:

Cordyceps Sinensis is a fungus used to fight hypertension, abnormal blood clotting, and atherosclerosis. It is used in traditional Chinese medicine. It has many other benefits such as, immune system strengthening, detoxification, and increased stress tolerance.
More info: 1, 2

9. Reishi:

Reishi contains plant sterols and gonoderic acids which help maintain healthy blood pressure, lower triglyceride levels, and remove excess cholesterol. It also regulates platelet stickiness. Reishi reduces inflammation by stimulating the production of white blood cells.
More info: 1, 2, 3

10. L-carnitine:

L-carnitine is an amino acid that helps the body metabolize fat for energy. It has been shown to reduce blood and tissue lipids and increase ability to sustain cardiac contractions.
More info: 1, 2, 3, 4

11. Seanol:

Seanol is a molecule derived from cava Ecklonia algae that may be 100 times more powerful than any single other antioxidant. It also has actions relating to blood thinning, hypertension, and inflammation.
More info: 1

12. Dark Chocolate:

Scientific evidence shows that eating dark chocolate my reduce cardiovascular risk.
More info: 1, 2, 3

13. Green Tea:

Green tea contains the antioxidant quercetin, and the the flavanols called catechins, which is known to help prevent inflammation.
More info: 1, 2

14. Alpha Lipoic Acid:

Alpha lipoic acid is an antioxidant and helps reduce the buildup of cholesterol.
More info: 1

15. Chlorella:

Chlorella is a micro algae touted to have countless health benefits. It improves heart elasticity, reduces serum cholesterol, and helps prevent atherosclerosis.
More info: 1, 2

16. Garlic

Garlic has been shown to lower blood pressure, decrease platelet aggregation, as well as decrease triglycerides and LDL (“bad”) cholesterol. Garlic also may increase HDL (“good”) cholesterol.
More info: 1, 2, 3

17. Ginseng:

Ginseng is anti-inflammatory and improves circulation.
More info: 1

18. L-arginine:

L-arginine is an amino acid that compensates for a cardiovascular risk factor called ADMA.
More info: 1, 2, 3, 4

19. Magnesium:

Magnesium can be used to treat irregular heart beat, lower blood pressure, and prevent angina.
More info: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Anyone have any cardiovascular success stories?

Disclaimer: This article is not medical advice. This is opinion and is for informational purposes only. If seeking medical advice, consult a licensed physician.

Related Articles:

21 MORE Ways to Beat Cardiovascular Disease Naturally, and 6 Common Treatments That Are Actually Dangerous

Scientific Living — Mon, 31 May 2010 04:06:53 +0000

I already got a lot of attention when I shared 19 ways to beat cardiovascular disease naturally. But the list does not stop there. As always, only start natural regimens with the help of an integrative physician, or an open-minded doctor. Of course, diet and lifestyle are really the main factors to address:

(FYI, since I wrote this article, I published yet another list of 8 ways to beat cardiovascular disease naturally)

1. N-acetyl cysteine:

NAC can lower homocysteine levels, which are a major contributor to heart problems and heart attacks.

2. Vitamin B6:

Deficiency in this nutrient can cause elevated homocysteine.

3. Folic acid:

Deficiency in this nutrient can cause elevated homocysteine.

4. Vitamin B12

Deficiency in this nutrient can cause elevated homocysteine.

5. Potassium:

Studies have shown those who consume the most potassium are less likely to have heart attacks.

6. Phytosterols:

Phytosterols compete with cholesterol for absorption, thereby naturally lowering your cholesterol. Olive oil is one good food source.

7. Brush and floss well:

Gum disease is a major cause of bacteria that can eventually travel through the bloodstream to your heart, and cause disease. Oral hygiene can reduce this risk.

8. Yogurt:

Yogurt contains lactic acid, which has been shown to lower gum disease, and therefore lower chance of heart complications.

9. Avoid high fat diets:

High fat intake is correlated with increased levels of endotoxins, which can damage the cardiovascular system.

10. Synergistic oral chelation products:

There are a handful of effective OTC products for chelation that can reverse microvascular clogging. Microvascular clogging often does not show up on standard diagnostic tests.

11. Vitamin E (natural mixed tocopherols):

Helps prevent blood clots.

12. Omega-3 oil:

Helps prevent blood clots.

13. Gingko:

Helps prevent blood clots.

14. Aged garlic:

Helps prevent blood clots.

15. Salba

The grain called salba has been shown to improve insulin resistance, high blood pressure, and vascular disease.

16. Soy

Soy has been shown to lower blood pressure.

17. Black tea:

Black tea (and some other teas) contains polyphenols, which have been shown to lower homocysteine.

18. Curcumin

Curcumin can lower C-reactive protein.

19. Fiber:

Eating enough fiber can lower C-reactive protein.

20. Policosanol:

Policosanol has been shown to lower cholesterol and raise HDL cholesterol at the same time.

21. Berberine:

Berberine is a compound in goldenseal that has been shown to lower cholesterol and raise HDL cholesterol at the same time.

6 Common Treatments That Are Actually Dangerous:

1. Calcium:

Studies have shown that supplementing calcium actually increases your risk of heart attack. If you have osteoporosis, find the cause of the calcium leak with the help of an integrative physician, and do not just cover it up with calcium supplements.

2. Aspirin:

Aspirin does help prevent blood clots, but does have a risk of bleeding with sustained use. It is better to get help finding effective alternatives to aspirin, that don’t have side effects.

3. Zetia:

The drug Zetia has been shown to actually INCREASE your cardiovascular risk.

4. Avandia:

Avandia is a diabetes drug the can increase risk of heart attack by 43%. By the way, the FDA knew it had problems and knowingly didn’t put the necessary warning on the product. Good job FDA.

5. Statin drugs:

Statin drugs reduce your ability to make CoQ10, which increases your risk for heart disease.

6. NSAID’s:

NSAID’s like ibuprofen may increase your risk of heart failure by 30%. They also compete for the same enzyme pathway (cox-1) as aspirin, which cancels the good effects of aspirin.

With sustained effort, I hope more people can overcome their own cardiovascular diseases naturally, without dangerous drugs. And I sincerely doubt these are the only pharmaceuticals that increase cardiovascular risk.

Disclaimer: This article is not medical advice. This is opinion and is for informational purposes only. If seeking medical advice, consult a licensed physician.

Related Articles:

8 MORE Ways to Beat Cardiovascular Disease Naturally

Scientific Living — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 21:10:40 +0000

More effective natural alternatives just seem to keep forcing themselves onto me. But just because there are lists like 19 ways to beat cardiovascular disease naturally, and 21 MORE ways to beat cardiovascular disease naturally, does not mean that you should just go out and get all of this stuff. The brand, the amount, the specific form of the desired ingredient, and many other factors matter. Consulting with an integrative physician can help you find the exact products that may help you.

1. Multivitamin:

Multivitamins have been shown to improve various cardiovascular risks.

2. Ayurvedic Herbs:

The ayurvedic herbs Convolvulus P, Arjuna, Tribulis T, Rauwolfia may improve heart disease.

3. Suppositories for Chelation:

Chelation is usually in in-office procedure to remove toxic heavy metals form the body, which plays a critical role in cardiovascular disease. I already mentioned oral chelation formulas that may help. But it seems that there are some specific products for chelation through a suppository that may just be better than anything else.

4. Green Superfoods:

High vegetable intake may improve cardiovascular disease. Raw vegetable juice and green superfoods are two great ways to address this.

5. Iodine:

Iodine has many crucial roles in cardiovascular disease.

6. Oxidation Therapy:

Oxidation therapy is usually an in-office procedure that few doctors offer anymore. Some forms of this therapy are ozone autohemotherapy, IV hydrogen peroxide, ultraviolet blood irradiation, and IV Vitamin C. Some people try to do oxidation therapy at home through rectal ozone insufflation.

7. Exercise:

It goes without saying that this is critical.

8. Phosphatidylcholine:

Phospholipid exchange is usually an in-office procedure that can also be done through oral supplementation with specific products. It has numerous health benefits.

Disclaimer: This article is not medical advice. This is opinion and is for informational purposes only. If seeking medical advice, consult a licensed physician.

Related Articles: