I have heard of many different vitamins and supplements. I take various ones for
various reasons. I take iron, vitamin D, vitamin C, biotin, potassium, a multivitamin
and most recently I started taking vitamin B12. Previously I thought vitamins and
supplements were a waste of money and I did not take any. I read various reports
on how you should get enough vitamins from the food that you eat, and if you take
supplements, it does not work well, and they are not absorbed into your body. That
all changed when I started having odd medical issues such as unexplained dizziness,
rapid heartbeat and palpitations, and just generally not feeling well. I made several
trips to the ER and had various heart tests performed and the only thing that they
could find was I was anaemic and was low on potassium. So, I started taking iron
and potassium supplements and a multivitamin. Shortly after taking those supplements
my medical issues went away. After this I knew from personal experience that taking
supplements and vitamins that your body is lacking do work and works very well.
zz zz zz I started taking vitamin C and vitamin D daily because I read that those
vitamins were helping to defend against Covid 19, and I work night shift, so I don’t
get to see much of the sun. I started taking biotin because I have very thin hair and
nails and I read that this could help with that – so far, I have not seen much
evidence on this supplement. Lastly, I recently started taking B12 because I read that
certain drugs you take can interfere with your absorption for this nutrient, such as
proton pump inhibitors and I take Omeprazole.
zz zz When I am investigating a supplement or vitamin, I try to read articles that are
backed by the government and not ones that are selling the vitamin or supplement. I
learned a lot from our readings this week on vitamin supplementation, and that it can
harm you if you absorb too much .There are many different vitamins such as
Vitamins A, B6, B12, C, D, E, and K. There are different forms of multi vitamins
for women, men, and children as well as prenatal vitamins for pregnant women. I do
take multi vitamins. Not like I should, however I base my information on the
nutrient value. For example I deal with being anaemic, so even though I wasn’t
pregnant, I would take prenatal vitamins because for me it would help me out more
that regular iron or regular vitamins. I have also taken B Vitamins in liquid form
that would go under the tongue. B vitamins help out with energy and metabolism. I
believe the information is based in science nutrition. Science has a way of backing
up any nutritional research. Vitamins are also found in the food we eat so that the
food supplies us with nutritional value. I have been making the necessary changes to
make sure that the food I eat is more nutritious. I also plan to be more consistent
with taking my daily vitamins for extra support. I have heard of a few different
vitamins or supplements such as B-12, One a Day, and Vitamin C and D to name a
few. These vitamins I am sure many people have heard of or may even take like
myself. I am not that consistent with my B-12 vitamins as I should be but I do take
them pretty often! I have been using these vitamins for a while now and I was
introduced to them by my aunt. I also have taken women’s vitamins as well for
energy. If I am not mistaken Vitamin C or D can help with your immune system, I
am not sure exactly which does what. I am not really sure if the information about
these vitamins are nutrition scientific or not. B-12 prevents you from feeling weak
and also helps with your blood cells and things in that nature. It also helps with
weight loss as well. I have to get more consistent with taking my daily vitamins like
I have been in the past because now I don’t take them as often as I should. I have
heard of many types of vitamins and supplements, especially when I worked in a
pharmacy. I am very familiar with B-12 because I was given shots while going
through cancer treatments and I still receive them monthly. I get blood tests every
few months to monitor my B-12 levels and they are always low but without daily
sublingual doses and monthly shots, it is very low. When I feel like my body may
be lacking vitamins or nutrients, I always talk to my doctor first to get his opinion.
Then I will ask my pharmacist for her opinion because she is very knowledgeable
about supplements, and I trust her. Between working with my doctor and pharmacist,
I have come up with a daily regimen of vitamins and supplements that work for me.
I will also research medical websites, like Mayo Clinic, to read articles pertaining to
what vitamins or supplements I may need, also how and when I should take them.
My vitamin and supplement schedule will also change depending on other factors in
my life. For example, in the winter when I get very little sunlight I will take
Vitamin D, then in the summer I do not need to because I am getting plenty of
sunshine every day. Also, if I am having digestive issues and can not eat the
recommended servings of fruit and vegetables, I will take Vitamin C. I have also
learned to take sublingual vitamins when possible to ensure that my body is
absorbing them, especially since I have digestive issues. Whenever I look into buying
new supplements or vitamins, I tend to mostly look at reviews which is really not a
good way to research a product. I usually just look at the promotional videos of the
company selling the product with them saying all the beneficial ingredients that are
within the product not knowing myself if those ingredients are healthy or not. A
company I do enjoy buying from a lot is called Bare Performance Nutrition, ran by
a U.S. Army veteran. Reason I looked into his company was because I was also in
the military at the time and was looking for supplements that did not have anything
illegal in them that can pop up during my random pee tests that was done
throughout the year in the military. Even though his company was still small, he by
far had the best tasting protein and pre-workout I have ever tasted. Usually when I
look at ingredients, I try not to dive too deep into it. The main points I am looking
at is to make sure it is non-gmo, gluten free and no artificial preservatives or
sweeteners. Luckily, his products do not contain non of those.If anyone is ever
looking for a green drink, I would recommend checking his out. By far the best
tasting green drink that provides natural energy and boosts your immune system.
There are always some new fad vitamin or supplement coming out. I have been
using collagen powder daily in my coffee. This helps my hair, teeth, nails and skin. I
have noticed the benefit from using it consistently. My hair is growing and my skin
has become clearer. I think that there is some benefits for bones as well from taking
it. I also started to take apple cider vinegar gummies. This may just be the next big
fad, but I have noticed a difference in my digestive health from taking them. My
daughter is really good about taking her daily multivitamin which has all the needed
vitamins in one instead of taking multiple pills. I myself haven't been as on top of
taking vitamins as I should. I should start taking calcium pills just because I don't
drink milk. Unfortunately, I cant say that I am taking these vitamins and supplements
because of science, more so I am taking them because I see the benefits from others
and would like to see if they will work for me as well. I, too, have heard of many
different supplements and vitamins for all sorts of things. Every day there is
something new being pushed out that claims to improve or prevent health problems. I
personally take a daily vitamin, B Complex and collagen powder. Vitamins and B
complex have always been recommended because we do not always absorb the proper
nutrients from diet alone. I do not think I question that all too much because of
multiple recommendations for adults and children. I recently started adding collagen
to my drinks after researching benefits. I also bought it to the attention of my
primary care physician who saw no issues with this kind of supplementation.
Collagen is used for tissue health, hair, skin and nail health as well. It is said to
have important proteins, which is I think is most important in our overall wellbeing.
However, like everything else there can be negative side effects. I have also looked
into those and concluded that the side effects are minimal, and the benefits outweigh
the risks. I have heard of many vitamins like A, E, C, and D. The supplements that
I have heard of and taken are one a day vitamins for women which are vitamins that
supplement to ensure that you are getting the recommended daily amount needed.
After our readings this week, I realize that the supplement is not needed if a proper
diet is being eaten unless there is a medical reason for taking them. According to
Davidson (2020), "Experts agree that vitamin supplements are not a substitute for
nutrients from food. Most healthy people in developed countries who eat a varied diet
high in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains get enough vitamins and do not need a
vitamin supplement, although many take a daily multivitamin as “insurance.” The
exception to this is vitamin D, which is found naturally in few foods." Vitamin D
can be gotten by simply spending 15 to 20 mins a day in the sun. This should give
a normal healthy person the dose of vitamin D that they need for a day but using
sunblock does diminish the amount of vitamin D that your body gets. I have heard
about many different vitamins and supplements. I know many people take them for
different things. I had to take vitamin D once because after my blood work the
doctor found my vitamin D level was low. My mom takes different types of vitamins
like B12 and a daily women’s vitamins to help with your overall health. How I
decide on whether or not it’s a good idea to take it is if I’m not sure about taking
it I ask my pharmacist when I go to pick my medication up. I also ask my mom to
see what she thinks about it because I know she has been on a lot of medication
due to her illness she has and also having to deal with my grandmother that it was
easy for the doctor to ask what she didn’t have and what medications she wasn’t on
verses what she did have or what medications she was on. I think it all comes down
to it’s your choice what you want to put in your body but it is good to get an
opinion. I have heard of many supplements and vitamins. I have only take the B12
gummy supplements to help with my energy level and also Iron medicine to help
build my iron and keep my iron levels high. The way I go by taking supplements i
do my research on them medicine and I see all the side effects, and I also get
another Doctor to get their opinion on the medication I will be taking. For example
undergoing my epilepsy I was taking one kind of seizure medicine and it was not
helping me so my church member who is also a Doctor talked to my mother about
the medicine and she helped get me off the medicine and I started taking another
kind of medicine that caused me not to have any seizures or major side effects that I
did not have to deal with from the new medicine. Overall, I currently do not take
any medicine for one many medications that we are taking now can affect the liver,
I learned that from my brother doctors and nurses when he was battling cancer. You
hear a lot about vitamins and supplements, and what you put into your body is your
choice. zz zz I choice not to put any supplement into my body because of my medical
history. I have taken some vitamins that I was told to take by my physician. I took
Vitamin D when my back hurt and I felt a little on edge. After a sometime taking
this I felt so much better. I done the research and there were studies supporting this.
“The women received vitamin D therapy for eight to 12 weeks to replenish their
blood levels. After treatment, their levels increased to 32 to 38 ng/mL. The women
also reported corresponding improvements in symptoms of depression following
vitamin D therapy. I also to a B12 shot when my levels were low in my blood
work. My physician taught me how to inject myself with these. I know that people
take these for energy, but I only took these as long as my levels were low in my
blood work.I never really thought about my information being based on nutrition
science. I always just went by what my physician said I need in vitamins and took
them.
