Comments on Cranky Fitness: In Which Jo Tries A Totally Unscientific Experimen...

Have you ever wondered how they get fish oil? I t...

2009-11-29T02:36:48.367-05:00

Have you ever wondered how they get fish oil? I thought too much about that one day and switched to flaxseed oil! Seems to work just as well for me, plus I don't have the gross-out factor.

Zinc oxide and carbonate are poorly absorbed by th...

2009-11-13T14:04:57.157-05:00

Zinc oxide and carbonate are poorly absorbed by the body, FYI.

I believe in supplements and eating healthy. I sw...

2009-11-11T19:34:10.720-05:00

I believe in supplements and eating healthy. I switched to an all organic diet three years and I have bever felt better

I'm not a big pill taker, just don't like doing it...

2009-11-11T14:48:59.759-05:00

I'm not a big pill taker, just don't like doing it.

But I do take some fish oil (Carlson lemon flavor), some glucosamine chondroitin w/MSM and I take a zinc/magnesium/B6 supplement at bed time. Helps me sleep well.

I know the fish oil seems to help with the inflammation in my feet and arms. I feel it's better than taking mega doses of Aleve. The glucosamine... man, if I stop taking it, my bad right knee goes south quickly.

I also take a regular old multi-vitamin. And sometimes drink a glass of water with greens powder in. Mostly though, I get my nutrients from food.

Thanks for the thoughtful response, Jo! It's just...

2009-11-11T10:15:51.168-05:00

Thanks for the thoughtful response, Jo! It's just been on my mind because I had to stop taking flaxseed oil recently because I was having surgery and my surgeon told me it thins your blood. Even after running my supplements by my doctor before, that surprised me, so I want to make sure people have a health professional verify that anything they might start taking regularly is safe!

I'm terrible at remembering to take supplements. I...

2009-11-11T09:23:10.026-05:00

I'm terrible at remembering to take supplements. I should be taking Calcium and D and very rarely remember. I need one of those old lady daily pill reminders or something. The EPO sounds intriguing and sometime back, I did buy some but can't remember for the life of me why that was. Now I have an answer to that. I'm sleep deprived. Thanks for this post. Both Crabby and POD cracked me up with their use of "whorehead."

The other supplement that works well for sleepless...

2009-11-11T08:46:15.241-05:00

The other supplement that works well for sleeplessness is xanax. And believe me, that is all in your head too!

I Iove that name Debbie Downer! And I totally read...

2009-11-11T08:43:50.109-05:00

I Iove that name Debbie Downer! And I totally read and do everything everyone writes about online.

I take tons of supplements. When someone said to me, "You have cancer," I thought, well, I didn't it from any supplements I was not taking at the time. So now I take a bunch of them. Before supplements, I was Debbie Downer AND Casey Cancer.

Great that you are on WW. I love them too. I go for the comedic relief.

And to the Crabster,
That poem:
There once was a girl, who had a little curl, right in the middle of her forehead
and when she was good, she was very very good, but when she was bad, she was whorehead.

That's the correct pronunciation.
I enjoyed this post and am going to get some EPO to go with my EVoo and the billions of other suppls. Im on. Love ya!

Well, kids, in many English-speaking places outsid...

2009-11-11T06:44:06.909-05:00

Well, kids, in many English-speaking places outside the US of A (such as down here in my part of Australia) "forehead" still does indeed rhyme with "horrid" - no past tense about it!

Interesting on the EPO sleep thingy - will check into it further. Need sleeeeeep.....

I recently stumbled on your blog and thought it wa...

2009-11-10T23:20:38.032-05:00

I recently stumbled on your blog and thought it was kind of cool. A bit of a free-thinker. This pill craze, though...doesn't seem very cranky or cool (unless you're the company who sold you all this stuff). I don't buy any of it, and think it's all in your head.

I admit I don't hear people say "forehead" a lot, ...

2009-11-10T19:32:52.702-05:00

I admit I don't hear people say "forehead" a lot, but it sounds more like "forrid" than "fore-head" to me. Maybe closer to "furrid", actually.

Still taking the vitamin supplements recommended by a nutritionist I went to in 1979, after an allergy testing that meant major diet restrictions. The restrictions are much reduced these days, but I'm still taking the supplements. Especially the calcium!

Mary Anne in Kentucky

I think that multi-vitamins are a good thing BUT i...

2009-11-10T13:32:30.255-05:00

I think that multi-vitamins are a good thing BUT if you are eating healthy I do not think they will make that big of a difference. One thing I have noticed from them is my hair and nails look better. I think that supplements have the placebo effect if you think they are working they are.

Thanks for a fabulous post Jo! Such great info! ...

2009-11-10T13:07:41.453-05:00

Thanks for a fabulous post Jo! Such great info! I'll be sticking with my prenatal until the girl is done nursing. But I'm bookmarking this post for when that time comes. Then I'm going to seriously consider ditching the ge neric multi-vitamin and trying your approach.

I do take a fish oil as well - they make "burp free" versions now. I find it also helps to take them after I've eaten breakfast. Less burps.

EPO makes you sleepy?! I would TOTALLY try that!

2009-11-10T13:01:23.006-05:00

EPO makes you sleepy?! I would TOTALLY try that!

As long as it's doctor approved (and medication in...

2009-11-10T11:45:39.146-05:00

As long as it's doctor approved (and medication interaction negative) then I don't mind placebo effects - they're still effects :) But, I'm not into the suppliments as much. I'm just wary about side effects and what they could be doing in our bodies. Then again, I sometimes take medication without knowing. Go figure.

You have quite a list there! I'm glad you posted about it - it gives a little more perspective to what each of them does! I may consider taking a few. I'm with you on the fish oils though Ick. I've heard that if you keep them in your fridge (where they should be) that it lessens the nasty burps!

If you drink coffee don't take your supplements fo...

2009-11-10T10:54:44.259-05:00

If you drink coffee don't take your supplements for at least 30 minutes before or after. Coffee is a diarhetic and doesn't allow for full vitamin/mineral absorption so it's best to take it without coffee.
Trust me, I am a trainer ;)

Primrose oil, huh? hmmmmmm Might try that. Ho...

2009-11-10T10:48:55.402-05:00

Primrose oil, huh? *hmmmmmm* Might try that. Hopefully it doesn't leave an aftertaste or odor like some supplements. Have you noticed any impact on your belly fat?

I likey my B-Complex. However, I take it in the morning. Don't know if that's better, but it definitely gives me an energy boost. And my pee is glorious. Like liquid highlighter. Can't wait til it snows!

I also take D3 (about 2K units) and a low dose aspirin. Thinking of adding vegan Omega 3 to the regimen.

Crabby, "forehead" was pronounced "forrid". Like "...

2009-11-10T10:47:10.163-05:00

Crabby, "forehead" was pronounced "forrid". Like "eye" and "me" were both said with a long "e" sound, and the "gh" in words like "daughter" was pronounced as an "f", so "daughter" became "dafter".

Now you have learned something and can go back to bed.

Thanks for this, Jo. As a chronic insomniac, I'm ...

2009-11-10T10:41:11.257-05:00

Thanks for this, Jo. As a chronic insomniac, I'm going to add that Evening Primrose to my shopping list.

I take a multi-vitamin (to cover bases), plus calcium/d, fish oil. I just started taking creatine before my workouts. Seems to help a lot -I can get through a tough workout without feeling so worn out.

I also take zinc and magnesium before I go to bed. They work to increase the benefits of your natural HGH. And I find I sleep better when taking them.

A B-50 formula with niacidamide instead of niacin will help with the flushing.

Waiting a scheduled blood test next week, but I will likely be increasing my supplemented vitamin D. We can't get enough in our diet and most of us need 1.5 hours or more a day of sunlight (unlike what the magazines say). Even in Cali I don't usually get that much.

E, I understand and agree with your points, which ...

2009-11-10T10:40:38.061-05:00

E, I understand and agree with your points, which is why I put up front that this experiment is totally unscientific. The plural of "anecdote" is sure as heck not "data", and I wouldn't want anybody thinking that my experience would be theirs. (Which is why, now that I think about it, I really should put a disclaimer up front. I'll do that in a second.)

As for the placebo effect, hell yeah: I've watched it work both in myself and in patients I've had. Part or all of the response I've been getting may be placebo; at this point, since I'm unscientific, all I can do is shrug.

I did some book-readin' and 'Net-surfin' and registered-dietician-grillin' before I ran out and bought everything, so I had a pretty good idea of what I might be lacking, dietwise. I also checked with my shrink and pharmacist to make sure the supplements I took wouldn't interfere with my Brain Drugs. (That should be included in the disclaimer, too.)

Anyway, no, I don't think you're being a Debbie Downer. You're being the voice of reason. Thank you.

Interesting. I've taken EPO in the past, in hopes ...

2009-11-10T10:39:26.883-05:00

Interesting. I've taken EPO in the past, in hopes that it would help my eczema and I never noticed a sedative effect. Then again, I tend to feel tired most of the time anyway (I've always been that way, unfortunately). I take a calcium-magnesium tablet before bed, and I try to get one that contains vitamin D & Zinc, but I don't really know if one tablet is enough to do much.

I don't take a B-Complex, though I know I should. At least my mother is always telling me I should. Perhaps I'll have to start an experiment of my own to see if it does anything for me.

Great info! I haven't done a post myself on suppl...

2009-11-10T10:23:19.274-05:00

Great info! I haven't done a post myself on supplements because the research is so contradictory, but I'll read some random thing or other, start taking something, and then forget why but keep taking it anyway. Right now, it's a multi, magnesium, calcium, D3, fish oil, and a B-50 complex--so it's good to be reminded of actual reasons some of these make sense!

However, I am perhaps most intrigued by the rhyming horrid and forehead information. So did people used to pronounce forehead "forrid?" Or were they pronouncing horrid as "whorehead?"

Sorry to be Debbie Downer, but I'm a skeptic on th...

2009-11-10T10:15:34.760-05:00

Sorry to be Debbie Downer, but I'm a skeptic on this one. I think vitamins and supplements can be helpful, but dietary supplements aren't tested or approved by the FDA and can often interact with each other or with other medications you might be taking. I'm not reflexively against someone taking them, but I AM reflexively against reading a single post on the internet by a person who believes a handful of supplements are helpful -- and I note here that the placebo effect is a hell of a drug -- and saying "Great, I'm buying and taking all those too!"

Fascinating! I'll be getting some zinc and EPO for...

2009-11-10T09:48:57.492-05:00

Fascinating! I'll be getting some zinc and EPO forthwith.

hmm.... i wonder if i could sneak the EPO into my ...

2009-11-10T09:40:13.096-05:00

hmm.... i wonder if i could sneak the EPO into my husband's dinner.. :) I swear he's up all night every night.

oh, and it's the niacin in the b complex that makes you flush.. you can get flush-free versions if it bothers you too much. don't remember what it's called tho.

I got fish oil awhile ago, but haven't been taking it.. i should start my own experiment. and the zinc.. i didn't know that could help with sugar cravings!

Comments on Cranky Fitness: In Which Jo Tries A Totally Unscientific Experimen...

Have you ever wondered how they get fish oil? I t...

Zinc oxide and carbonate are poorly absorbed by th...

I believe in supplements and eating healthy. I sw...

I'm not a big pill taker, just don't like doing it...

Thanks for the thoughtful response, Jo! It's just...

I'm terrible at remembering to take supplements. I...

The other supplement that works well for sleepless...

I Iove that name Debbie Downer! And I totally read...

Well, kids, in many English-speaking places outsid...

I recently stumbled on your blog and thought it wa...

I admit I don't hear people say "forehead" a lot, ...

I think that multi-vitamins are a good thing BUT i...

Thanks for a fabulous post Jo! Such great info! ...

EPO makes you sleepy?! I would TOTALLY try that!

As long as it's doctor approved (and medication in...

If you drink coffee don't take your supplements fo...

Primrose oil, huh? *hmmmmmm* Might try that. Ho...

Crabby, "forehead" was pronounced "forrid". Like "...

Thanks for this, Jo. As a chronic insomniac, I'm ...

E, I understand and agree with your points, which ...

Interesting. I've taken EPO in the past, in hopes ...

Great info! I haven't done a post myself on suppl...

Sorry to be Debbie Downer, but I'm a skeptic on th...

Fascinating! I'll be getting some zinc and EPO for...

hmm.... i wonder if i could sneak the EPO into my ...

Primrose oil, huh? hmmmmmm Might try that. Ho...