M.D. advice, vitamins, truth or farse?
where does one draw the line? i know in the navy SEAL nutrition guide it always talked about how the majority of excess vitamins are passed thru urine and never achieve any purpose.
case in point, i know a certain female living in a certain house, who after watching some bozo vitamin ad on some stupid tv show and listening to stupid tape ads and flyers, is now taking up to and in excess of a HANDFUL OF PILLS per day. i mean its like eating m&m's. they fall out of the palm of her hand! zinc this, c that, ginko this, blah blah blah....not to say 250.00 per month for these so called wonder drugs.
is she obsessed? is this DANGEROUS? shes gaining weight, not losing it.
this woman will not listen to me. im concerned.
HELP.
case in point, i know a certain female living in a certain house, who after watching some bozo vitamin ad on some stupid tv show and listening to stupid tape ads and flyers, is now taking up to and in excess of a HANDFUL OF PILLS per day. i mean its like eating m&m's. they fall out of the palm of her hand! zinc this, c that, ginko this, blah blah blah....not to say 250.00 per month for these so called wonder drugs.
is she obsessed? is this DANGEROUS? shes gaining weight, not losing it.
this woman will not listen to me. im concerned.
HELP.
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Most of the literature I have been reading lately says that any supplements should not contain over 100% of the RDA of anything. If you read the labels on a lot of this stuff, it has 1000-1500% of RDA. It is very possible to cause serious health issues by taking too much of many certain vitamins and minerals. And a lot of the DRs that recommend this stuff are share holders or even owners of the companies that sell it. The heart Doctor that is on Fox every weekend says that MOST people do not need supplements at all and you should have your levels checked first to see if you do anything extra. 0 -
Vitamin C is a water soluble vitamin. Whatever your body does not use will be sent along through the urinary system.
A friend of mine took 2 vitamin C pills 3 times a day. Each pill contained 866% DV of Vitamin C. His doctor told him that the worst that would happen would be stomach cramps, if he had them then back off on the supplements. Never did have a problem.
I take on a daily basis, L-glutamine (amino acid that aids in protein metabolism), Ginkobiloba, and green tea. When I first started taking them, I immediately felt better, more energy, slept better(because I wasn't nodding off during the day), could remember things better.....
My experience with vitamins and supplements have been positive. I'd check with a couple pharmicists as to whether there are any issues with mixing the different pills.0 -
that woman in that certain house argues that most RDA's are way below what is really needed. for sake of arguement, wrong drug or not, let me say.... potasiums daily should be 3000mg per day, but a pill only contains 99mg's because the fda wont allow a pill to contain more, thus 30 pills are needed to get to the RDA. it just doesnt seem right. 0 -
I take lots of stuff from the health food store. I know what I am doing, and these supplements are crucial for my health.
You can get too much of some things. If a man takes too much iron, he can get damn sick, and even die.
As for the megaoverdose this gal is getting of potassium, I am not sure about that one. I do know that you heart runs on a balance of potassium and salt. If you run low on potassium, you will die, similar to a heart attack. On the other hand, one of the three drugs given in lethal injection to criminals is potassium chloride. It stops the heart. So a big dose of potassium chloride by IV is fatal. Whether a massive dose of potassium orally would harm you, I am not sure, but it doesn't sound too good.
I believe that most people need vitamin and mineral supplements.0 -
Vitamins A, D, E, and K are fat-soluble and will build up in your body if you take excess amounts of them. Things like Ginko Biloba are NOT vitamins, they are herbal supplements. 0 -
granted, sometimes 100% pill supplements arent needed, especially if pills and normal food intake are performed in balance. like if you eat a bananna and it gives you 500mg of potasium, great! that means only 2500 are now needed daily in pill form. the thing is unless you measure EVERY FOOD in conjunction with pills, you can OD or undermedicate daily.
her other argument is that food isnt what it use to be. non organics, poor soil, and hybids throw off measuring of good foods, thus pills are needed to balance it back.
inputs????
anyone?0 -
"her other argument is that food isnt what it use to be. non organics, poor soil, and hybids throw off measuring of good foods, thus pills are needed to balance it back."
I completely agree with this, regarding minerals. You may read that spinach, for instance, contains so much of such and such minerals. Well, that is true, the spinach will uptake those minerals, IF they are present in the soil.
In modern industrial farming, if you have been growing spinach in the same field for 40 years, all the good minerals have been taken up by previous crops. The farmer adds nitrogen, potassium, and what is the third one, phosphorus? These chemical fertilizers will make the plant big and green, but they do nothing to add the minerals, such as zinc, iron, copper etc.
Therefore, we need mineral supplements.0 -
If you eat a proper and well balanced diet you should get all the vitamins and minerals that you need each day. Most of us cannot eat a perfect diet, so it is recommended to take 1 multivitamin a day, and these usually contain 100% of the RDA for each vitamin and mineral, though a few of the minerals do not reach that high, which means you should get them from food. The 1 multivitamin is sufficient, because you have to remember that you will still get a lot of the same vitamins and minerals from the food you eat as well, which will make up for those that are short in the pill. I don't remember the exact number, but from pharmacology we learned the the RDA is set at the amount that will meet the needs of 99% of the population I believe. Same goes for drug dosages, I looked that one up. If she insists on taking extra vitamins, go with the B vitamins or C, they can help when sick, and they are water soluble, so they will be excreted if not used. The fat soluble ones remain in the body if not used, and they can lead to more problems than an excess of B and C, and the fat soluble vitamins include A,D,E,K. Taking too much or not getting enough vitamins and minerals will all lead to problems of some kind, and too much C can lead to kidney stones if the person is inclined to it. As for potassium, yes sodium and potassium are very important in heart and muscle function, and if she wants more potassium she should get it from bananas and other foods (check the labels). Not sure if eating too much potassium will kill you, but it can kill when given too much through IV.
If she is looking for more info, check out the new food guide pyramid website at http://www.mypyramid.gov/0 -
I take 14 different doctor prescribed medications for my various ailments. I won't take anything that isn't FDA tested, so that I shouldn't have to worry about negative interactions(WOW - triple negative!!).
Since most, if not all, homeopathic supplement treatments aren't FDA tested, I don't take them - even though I'd like to try a few because of the results others have had.
I guess I take plenty of pills, anyway.
D.0 -
it would appear that she seems to have an argument for the pills.
since, eating a well balanced diet....with food that isnt exactly what its suppose to be on the surface, makes taking suppliments valid.[?][?]0 -
I swear by vitamin C and take supplements based on my activity level, when I was working out regular Icould not eat enought to completly reach full potential without supplements 0 -
quote:Originally posted by bobski
is now taking up to and in excess of a HANDFUL OF PILLS per day. i mean its like eating m&m's. they fall out of the palm of her hand! zinc this, c that, ginko this, blah blah blah....not to say 250.00 per month for these so called wonder drugs.
is she obsessed? is this DANGEROUS? shes gaining weight, not losing it.
this woman will not listen to me. im concerned.
HELP.
Look below the surface.
Have you considered a mood disorder?0 -
the woman is looking for a quick fix to her weight gain and lack of interest in using her 2000.00 excercise bike![:(][:I] 0 -
I have treated several overweight patients using ear accupuncture and a sensible diet. 0 -
Use Of Some Supplements May Increase Mortality Risk
Science Daily - Contradicting claims of disease prevention, an analysis of previous studies indicates that the antioxidant supplements beta carotene, vitamin A, and vitamin E may increase the risk of death, according to a meta-analysis and review article in the February 28 issue of JAMA.
Many people take antioxidant supplements, believing they improve their health and prevent diseases. Whether these supplements are beneficial or harmful is uncertain, according to background information in the article.
Goran Bjelakovic, M.D., Dr.Med.Sci., of the Center for Clinical Intervention Research, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark, and colleagues conducted an analysis of previous studies to examine the effects of antioxidant supplements (beta carotene, vitamins A and E, vitamin C [ascorbic acid], and selenium) on all-cause death of adults included in primary and secondary prevention trials. Using electronic databases and bibliographies, the researchers identified and included 68 randomized trials with 232,606 participants in the review and meta-analysis. The authors also classified the trials according to the risk of bias based on the quality of the methods used in the study, and stratified trials as "low-bias risk" (high quality) or "high-bias risk" (low quality).
In an analysis that pooled all low-bias risk and high bias risk trials, there was no significant association between antioxidant use and mortality. In 47 low-bias trials involving 180,938 participants, the antioxidant supplements were associated with a 5 percent increased risk of mortality. Among low-bias trials, use of beta carotene, vitamin A, and vitamin E was associated with 7 percent, 16 percent and 4 percent, respectively, increased risk of mortality, whereas there was no increased mortality risk associated with vitamin C or selenium use.
"Our systematic review contains a number of findings. Beta carotene, vitamin A, and vitamin E given singly or combined with other antioxidant supplements significantly increase mortality. There is no evidence that vitamin C may increase longevity. We lack evidence to refute a potential negative effect of vitamin C on survival. Selenium tended to reduce mortality, but we need more research on this question," the authors write.
"Our findings contradict the findings of observational studies, claiming that antioxidants improve health. Considering that 10 percent to 20 percent of the adult population (80-160 million people) in North America and Europe may consume the assessed supplements, the public health consequences may be substantial. We are exposed to intense marketing with a contrary statement, which is also reflected by the high number of publications per included randomized trial found in the present review."
"There are several possible explanations for the negative effect of antioxidant supplements on mortality. Although oxidative stress has a hypothesized role in the pathogenesis of many chronic diseases, it may be the consequence of pathological conditions. By eliminating free radicals from our organism, we interfere with some essential defensive mechanisms . Antioxidant supplements are synthetic and not subjected to the same rigorous toxicity studies as other pharmaceutical agents. Better understanding of mechanisms and actions of antioxidants in relation to a potential disease is needed," the researchers conclude.0 -
The human body is an amazing machine. Almost all excess vitimans and minerals simply flow through the body. So if you take a supplement it will never include a level that puts you at risk.
Men really should not take iron supplements, women on the other hand need iron due to blood loss from periods. If iron is needed a doc should prescribe and monitor the level.
A balanced diet will include the majority of all necessary vitimans and minerals as several folks above have stated.
That said, it is important for older folks to take a supplement due to the fact that they are not active and do not eat as balanced a diet as most more active, younger folks.
Be carefull with herbal supplements. Many are good for you in the right doses. Some are very, very dangerous and you need to get a good reference book about herbal supplements before you launch yourself on a "healing path" by taking huge doses of certain popular herbs. If you don't know, ask the questions and do the research to find the answers. My humble opinion.0 -
I THINK SHE JUST NEEDS TO DIG SOME POST HOLES.[:X] 0 -
In life, many things are taken for granted. You may receive a healthy dose of vitamins and minerals with a pill, or with a "healthy and balanced diet" along with relatively light exertion.
We have evolved as a species to the point that we start to gain weight due to a lack of activity; our forebears carried water, worked fields, chopped wood, and generally did without TV or radio for entertainment.
Our design enables us to work upright for long periods of time, consume enough to keep working all day, and store the rest as fat for the leaner times ahead (our species had several close calls over the years), and extracting the vital elements from our food to keep building bone, hair and skin.
Some folks have metabolic conditions that prevent the normal amount of nutrition from being absorbed, and coupled with the overprescription of formulations to alleviate same; we have started to tinker with our very body chemistry in a wholesale rush to "be healthy".
It's already been mentioned that the excess vitamins would pass through, and that the fat-soluble ones remain, but consider the mineral content of your system prior to self-medication. If there's a history of exposure to heavy metals; you should definitely get some blood work done to establish a baseline of your levels before you eat so much as 1 Centrum Silver.
If you have resided in an Urban setting most of your life; you probably have colds or the flu every year, and sometimes more than one episode per year. So you take Aspirin and drink Gatorade and think you've got it whipped, when you discover you have trouble sleeping, or breathing, or your fingers and toes are cold all the time, and you still think it's just bad circulation.
So you go buy some stuff to increase circulation, plopdown in front of the TV, pop a coupla brewskis, order a pizza, and wait to feel better.
Is there a point?
BTW, she's not being irrational; she's being a WOMAN0 -
Lots of advice. I'll weigh in on the "mostly it's a waste of money" side of things.
And too much of anything is potentially dangerous, which sounds glib but is true...you can die from drinking too much water.0 -
Thank you for the article, PC. Makes me "feel" better.
D.0 -
a push mower might help her.... 0 -
Run a google search for Vitamin A posioning. The fat soluble vitamins (most notably A and D) CAN and HAVE been taken in TOXIC amounts. Eating liver from Grizzlies or Polar bears can make you very sick or kill you- the A and D from the fish get really concentrated in the liver of the bear. Yeah, a lotta folsk do not eat right- but the fix is to eat right- NOT to gobble a handfull of Doctor Whatsis Miracle Pills. With regrets, the term "Medicine Show" came into the vocabulary as a result of gullible folks. Notice that the term is still here? So are they. PS- Dinner tonight will consist of pork chops (from our pigs) cornbread (made with buttermilk and lard) black eyed peas, Taters and onions (last of the spuds from our garden) and Kale- canned from our garden. Funny thing- my cholesterol is in the middle of the normal range. Don't have an exercise bike. A hoe, rake, and a splitting maul seem to do it for me. Try turning off the TV, man. Good luck- you are fighting skilled opponent- ad companies.[:p] 0
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