When I started taking supplements (as a person who didn't swallow pills well on the rare occasions I had to) I took baby steps. Ever put on a long slinky dress that you couldn't sit in, and when you walked, each step was a delicate little wriggling along?
I took 1 supplement. Started at lowest dosage. Waited days and noted bodily reactions. If all was well (no belly cramps, bowel issues, less tired, more energy) I progressed. Increasing dosage for a few more days and noting any changes, till I got to recommended dosage. Then I'd add another supplement to my regimen. (I researched everything by Googling and taking notes.
Yesterday on Oprah, Dr. Christiane Northrup was on for the full hour. I have her first book, WOMEN'S BODIES, WOMEN'S WISDOM. I want to get THE WISDOM OF MENOPAUSE.
Her premise is that when women change the basic conditions of their lives that lead to health problems, they heal faster, more completely, and with far fewer medical interventions. Dr. Northrup is an OB/GYN trained at Dartmouth Medical School and Tufts New England Medical Center and is Assistant Clinical Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Vermont College of Medicine.
She addresses not only the symptoms but examines what is going on in your life, seeking balance body, mind and Spirit. She speaks of holistic ways to prepare and heal faster if surgery is necwssary, embracing contemporary medicine at its best, combining new techniques with natural remedies and the miraculous healing powers within the body itself.
We can have an emotional breakdown, or a physical one. We should see it as an opportunity to learn and come to know our True Selves. She calls it a breakthrough moment. You go into labor with yourself, she explains. Too much has been swept under the carpet by you and your Spirit is saying, What about me?! It gets your attention by manifesting in bodily malfunction.
Northrup says all illness begins with CELLULAR INFLAMMATION (presenting as headaches, back pain, joint pain, heart disease and cancer). So, she says that after age 35 we just have to eat less carbs, less caffeine and seek to regulate our blood sugar. She touts OMEGA 3S AND GROUND FLAXSEED as being anti-inflammatory and having many additional benefits, like elevating mood! YEAH! So, I'd start w/those. I take Flaxseed Oil. I am ER/PR-. I know Flaxseed is an area of concern for many in the med profession, but so are all supplements unfortunately due to the lack of education in medical schools in this area. Conventional med has not caught up yet w/ancient Eastern remedies or adjunctive therapies.
Northrup says more than genetics is at play. Even twins, with the same DNA, can have different health issues -- due to environment. You say, But they were raised together. Yes, but... It's all about your the environment within you! Your thoughts and your emotions (which derive your behavior) can contribute mightily to your health -- for good or bad.
The doc talks about becoming depleted of Co Enzyme Q10 through stress and our heart's need for this. So I would add CO ENZYME 10. Long ago, I was taking 75 mg when I first met Dr. Gaynor. For energy. When I met with him, he waved his hand, Is it helping? No. Not really. You need to take 100 2X a day. Later he upped me to 150 2X a day. I also take B-12 SUBLINGUALLY (could get B-12 shots at regular oncs office for that). I do this every morning and it really helps. Even more so, PHYTO FORMULA POWDER that has no taste and no texture when mixed w/a 6 oz glass of OJ kicks in after about a month and then WOW. Soooo much better.
NADA -- Co enzyme 1 -- 1... 5 mg pill taken 1/2 hr before meals 2X a day is great for mental acuity. (In other words, I'd be even more at a loss for the right word, name, title, whatever, without it.)
Dr. Weill of Harvard fame says you must take SELENIUM and a little ZINC (too much will give you stomach pains). C w/BIOFLAVINOIDS is essential. CALCIUM w/D + D3 are essential. (NOTE: I take Selenium within RM-10 Immune System Mushroom Blend.)
For bowel and tummy problems of all kinds (mucositis from chemo can be really painful and create spasms and gas big time) -- ACIDOPHILUS PROBIOTIC changed my life + FENNEL SEED to use as needed is enormously relieving in this area. Chemo kills everything, including the healthy, beneficial bacteria in your belly. This Probiotic re-balances your messed up belly and all its issues!
Healthy heart -- B6 and FOLIC ACID, still despite some reports out saying was yes, now no. Gaynor says still yes. 9 yrs of Herceptin and I'm still working so I'm sticking w/that program.
CHROMIUM very good and necessary. DL-PHENYLALALINE is a natural mood enhancer. My mood is good so I'm keeping this one. You can add later, if you choose. E -- important anti-oxidant, inhibits mets. decreases tumor burden.
Immune boosters -- I alternate one wk on w/ECHINACEA/GOLDENSEAL and one wk off. During the off week I substitute TYLMULUS/ASTRAGALUS -- so as not to build up an immunity to one or the other.
GINGKO BILOBA also helps mental alertness. And I need all the help I can get.
GRAPESEED EXTRACT helps protect the brain and spinal nerves, protects liver, enhances anti-tumor effect, strengthens connective tissue, including heart system, slows aging! I think it's working...
GREEN TEA RESERVATOL EXTRACT -- Gaynor says drink 3 cups of Green Tea a day. I'm a tea drinker, but not so fond of Green. During the yr of my met I drank green tea all day. Helps shrink tumors. Healthy for heart.
Amino acids I googled and also found on Gaynor's list -- L-CARNITHAN, L-GLUTAMINE, L-LYSINE -- I take on empty stomach -- assists in gastro absorption which is an issue for me, but also energizes and I see listed by many experts. (I always keep my eyes peeled and love corraboration.)
PERFUSIA is for good Ejection Fraction, which is key for anyone on Vit H
.
Then FOR ME, I have a host of hot flash helpers listed at the beginning of this thread. Also there are all the dosages I take. Please note I take them AM and/or PM -- with a meal!!!! OR, I have noted those I take on an empty stomach, which is as I wash my face first thing.
I hope this helps make THE LIST look a bit less daunting... Choose the areas that are most important to you to correct or support and begin there. 1 at a time.
I had tried Gaynor's LYCOPOM (pomegranate juice and tomatoes gel pill) -- powerful anti-oxidant, anti-cancer. I can't eat most fruits due to IBS. This pill gave me problems for 2 days. I stopped for 2 days, and was fine. I started again, and was cramping, doubled over, diarrhea. Threw them out. I eat tomatoes in salad and dishes and marinara sauce and I'm fine. I tried Gaynor's recommended Wheat embryo oil. Wheat is a trigger for me for IBS. 2 days on, problems w/bowel and pain. Stopped -- fine. Started again -- problems. I threw those out. I don' consider it wasted $$$ but a wise move. My body can't tolerate those things, which YOU may find beneficial. The latter is for hair and nails. I take Biotin. A little help, maybe. No hairline, thin, frail hair w/no body (vs thick, wavy hair before chemo). I'll live with it...
Lastly, I forgot -- ALPHA LIPOIC ACID -- is a must include. Detoxifies liver, antioxidant, neutralizes free radicals, protects cells from damage, can cross brain barrier, energy. This is also on many experts lists, I've noted lately.
So good luck. Dr. Northrup says -- make yourself a priority. Remember depression is anger turned inward. It's okay to be angry, but know that you don't want to live angry. She says -- we are all supposed to serve, BUT WE'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE THE MAIN COURSE. Women must learn to receive too. Giving is good, but nourishing yourself is essential to being able to give from the fullness of what you are. Don't give out of exhaustion, it will deplete you and make you physically ill. Don't give out of guilt. Give when you can to feel that joyful sense of gratification, not to feel rent and used.
UNDERSTANDING THIS PHILOSPHY IS PREVENTIVE MEDICINE! Dr. Northrup says -- MEDITATE, EXERCISE (even if it is one 10 minute walk a day) AND HAVE SEX (even if it is "self-cultivation" -- Eastern Daoist teaching vs Western *masturbation*). Love yourself just as you are. See your beauty. Feel sexy and empowered to heal yourself and nurture yourself (before you try to nurture others). All these stimulate those endorphins and get them flowing. And that in turn will make you feel joyful and ready to enjoy good health.
Andi