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tamasaburo
USA
136 Posts |
 Posted - Aug 16 2013 : 10:41:42 AM
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Hi guys, for the past several months I've been experimenting with various vitamins, herbs, supplements, Chinese medicine, etc. Initially it was to treat a health problem I was having, and I had pretty good results, but recently I caused myself a new problem (resurgence of an old problem of panic and insomnia) by taking a supposedly Ayurvedic herb designed to boost concentration and energy (mucuna--I don't recommend this one, obviously!), and now I'm kind of trying to fix that problem by balancing out with other vitamins and supplements (seems like maybe I had high cortisol due to prolonged stress and this sent it over the top?). But of course, at a certain point, you want your body to be healthy on its own, and it gets hard to even know what's causing what if you're taking too many vitamins and whatnot. It seems like there's a lot of potential life-enhancing and curative effects in vitamins, amino acids, herbs, etc. (not talking about pharmaceuticals here, though obviously the difference sometimes may be small), but that also one can go overboard and screw up a natural balance.
I guess I'm trying to figure out for myself to what extent it may be good to continue to (carefully) experiment and research in this area as a means to treat lingering mood issues, food cravings, etc. and to what extent I should just try to go "all natural" and rely on a balanced diet (and Advanced Yoga Practices, of course).
The poll, should you choose to accept it, is:
How often and why do you take vitamins/supplements/herbs?
a. Complex regimen almost every day: I take my own special blend of vitamins and/or herbs every day to keep myself feeling great.
b. Simple regimen almost every day: I take one multi-vitamin or vitamin C, or maybe just a cup of green tea every day, but otherwise I rely on a balanced diet.
c. As-needed: on most days, I don't swallow any pills of any kind, but sometimes, if I feel I'm getting sick or stressed, I have a few go-to herbs or vitamins that make me feel better.
d. Almost never: the body has everything it needs for vibrant health inside it already. There is no need to add anything other than a balanced diet, and adding things usually does more harm than good.
Thanks! |
Edited by - tamasaburo on Aug 16 2013 10:45:54 AM |
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HathaTeacher
Sweden
382 Posts |
Posted - Aug 16 2013 : 12:37:28 PM
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Hi Tamasaburo!
I think it's best to be cautious with pills, even natural medicines (beer for example is a completely natural B-complex vitamin source, but a medium to high dose tends to undermine mediation and other practices ;-))
I'm near b+c, but I prefer very small doses of many supplements (rather than large doses of few - and where only high doses are available, I take it once a week instead of daily), but I think foods & superfoods are best - see even the last paragraph of this post:
http://www.aypsite.org/forum/topic....12976#111092
I use more (and more regularly) during travel. |
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bewell
1275 Posts |
Posted - Aug 16 2013 : 2:55:34 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by tamasaburo
How often and why do you take vitamins/supplements/herbs?
Hi,
I do take near-daily caffeine, normally via green tea, sometimes via one cup minimum of coffee. Other than that, I live on a simple, balanced near-vegetarian diet. I do not consider vitamins/supplements/herbs harmful when used in moderation and according to the recommendations of the distributors, but they are expensive and they are not "simple" -- edible plants without processing.
Thanks for you inquiry!
Bewell |
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crazymandrew
USA
121 Posts |
Posted - Sep 09 2013 : 07:39:05 AM
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I think I'm in the A group. I take a LOT of herbs. I only take TWO vitamins, Methyl-B12 (sublingual) and magnesium (Epsom Salt), those two supplements are really cheap luckily!
I take the King and Queen of herbs in Chinese medicine!
Chaga Mushrooms (king of herbs)
Reishi Mushrooms (queen of herbs)
These two herbs have a pretty powerful effect on my health. Chaga is more body and Reishi is more mind/body/mood. Reishi was considered one of the MOST SPIRITUALLY beneficial herbs on the planet in the past. You can dramatically improve your health with these two herbs. Chaga is practically a cure all.
I'm also a long term Green Tea drinker. I love the taste, the taste seems to relax me. Can't live without it. It definitely helps my health but Chaga and Reishi are much more powerful in my opinion. Green tea has a mood enhancing chemical called L-Theanine in it. L-Theanine is a caffeine suppressant. Very relaxing.
Lastly I take some Chi/prana and detoxification herbs. Schizandra is a great Chi/prana herb and is also great for liver and detoxification. Gynostemma is a great chi/prana herb I take. Tulsi is similiar to gynostemma if you want an ayurvedic herb. I also take white peony for dexotification. |
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tamasaburo
USA
136 Posts |
Posted - Sep 12 2013 : 09:03:26 AM
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Thanks for the input, guys.
Crazymandrew, have you heard of this concept of "overmethylation" and "undermethylation"? I'm currently trying to wrap my head around it. I self-diagnosed as "over-methylated" and started taking niacin, manganese and a few other things that were supposed to help with that, and it seemed to be helping, but last night I freaked out due to too much niacin, which made me feel extremely spacey and depressed.
I'm feeling very frustrated and confused right now because, ever since I had a bad experience with one herb, I feel a sort of compulsion to research all these other vitamins and supplements to try to sort it out, but sometimes they hurt more than help. At the same time, taking nothing didn't seem to work very well either, sigh... though maybe I have to take nothing for longer than a day to see where my new equilibrium point may be. At the same time, I shouldn't change things up so frequently! Any guidance would be much appreciated. |
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crazymandrew
USA
121 Posts |
Posted - Sep 17 2013 : 06:14:24 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by tamasaburo
Thanks for the input, guys.
Crazymandrew, have you heard of this concept of "overmethylation" and "undermethylation"? I'm currently trying to wrap my head around it. I self-diagnosed as "over-methylated" and started taking niacin, manganese and a few other things that were supposed to help with that, and it seemed to be helping, but last night I freaked out due to too much niacin, which made me feel extremely spacey and depressed.
I'm feeling very frustrated and confused right now because, ever since I had a bad experience with one herb, I feel a sort of compulsion to research all these other vitamins and supplements to try to sort it out, but sometimes they hurt more than help. At the same time, taking nothing didn't seem to work very well either, sigh... though maybe I have to take nothing for longer than a day to see where my new equilibrium point may be. At the same time, I shouldn't change things up so frequently! Any guidance would be much appreciated.
Taking high doses of niacin is actually a form of detoxification. Search youtube for "niacin flush". Maybe that gave you problems.
I think I'm an under methylator because b12 makes me feel super good.
I had very little success with isolated vitamins in the past. I rely more on herbs now days. They seem to work much better. Chaga is loaded full of b-vitamins. I also rely a lot on fasting.
My advise to you is try "Tonic Herbs". It's almost impossible to have a bad reaction to them. They are extremely safe. Tonic is like a holy status in the herbal world. You can take them at high doses for a lifetime with no side effects.
My second advise to you is to maybe try more whole food vitamin supplements, they seem to work better. For example they have whole foods vitamin c, it's dehydrated fruit that is very high in vitamin c, and they powder it into gelcaps.
I take methyl-b12 cause it's isolated from food sources. Most vitamins are made from coal.
I was thinking about adding Goji berries cause they are loaded full of nutrition. That could probably help you too. Like taking tons of vitamins.
I'm not trying to discourage you from experimenting with isolated vitamins though. Everyone is different. |
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_shakti_
Canada
48 Posts |
Posted - Sep 17 2013 : 3:07:43 PM
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Hey tamasaburo, interesting topic. I've experimented with different herbs and vitamins over the years. My diet has also changed pretty drastically in the last two years, I am now vegan and have never felt better.
Years ago I was taking a medication that was very hard on my system, almost unbearably so. I had a dream one night and woke up with 'gotu kola' in my head. I had no idea what that was, so I looked it up. It's an Ayurvedic herb, renowned for its adaptogenic properties and improving memory.. neither of which really sounded like they would target what I was experiencing. But, I decided to trust the 'inner physician' and took it. It literally eradicated every side effect that I was having! I felt human again and was entirely grateful. I take it now mostly if I am feeling low energy.. the tincture is especially powerful and can almost make one feel 'stoned'. I love it, but.. I have noticed that if I take it for too long, it starts to make me itchy and can give me headaches if I accidentally take too much.
When my diet is good, and I am juicing, I don't usually bother with vitamins. If I'm not able to be as diligent in that regard, I take a vegan specific vitamin, which has been great.
I've recently gotten into vega one- a vegan protein shake which is a meal replacement and also has things like maca powder and chlorella and much more- I love it. In fact, I get a definite rush off of it. So lately I've been drinking those for breakfast and lunch and then eating a healthy supper. It's perfect for a busy lifestyle. Lately I've been adding matcha powder (special concentrated form of green tea), cacao (raw cocoa) and shilajit (Ayurvedic supplement) to the shake, and again.. I feel fantastic.
I noticed your comments about the effects of niacin.. it reminds me of when I took a B12 sublingual supplement- wowsers! It put me into an instant migraine. I will never do that again, and only did so because I was concerned about what my vegan diet may lack. But I recently got blood work done and am perfectly fine. And I eat my nutritional yeast like a good girl, lol.
I guess my answer to your poll is that it depends. |
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Poll: Vitamins, Minerals, Herbs, Supplements...
