WHAT YOUR DOCTOR IS NOT GOING TO TELL YOU ABOUT VITAMINS .

The 5 most important vitamins and minerals you must take.Some others you should take and a few that are worthless..

Where you should buy them,Vitamin World,Vitamin Shoppes or GNC.

First some general information:

There are water soluble vitamins and there are fat soluble vitamins. You should use them in accepted dosages. Using water soluble pills in higher dosages than recommended are very unlikely to give you side effects. Using fat soluble supplements in higher than recommended dosages will quite likely cause side effects . Buyer beware!

Do not take the word of a clerk or owner in a health,vitamin or alternative foods, retail or Internet outlet. They are salesmen, not nutrition experts.

So who do I advise you to trust for the info you need?

Your number one source should be people , like myself, who have used these supplements for an extended period of time without any side effects at all. I recommend you do not believe anyone who has taken them less than 5 years and preferably much longer.

Most of the items I tout in this post will be products I have used for over 30 years. If I have used them for less than that I will specify the time frame.

I make no outrageous claims for them but will tell you my personal experiences.

Before we start let me distinguish between individual supplements and multi-vitamin and mineral products. I have never taken any multi-vitamins. I feel they are a waste of money. Billions of dollars go down the drain each day. There is not enough of any specific product in a multi to achieve the results they promise.

You should make an exception for children under 10; trying to get them to swallow any pill is difficult enough for a parent. The multi's will not help them much but won't hurt them. Starting them at a young age will introduce them to a healthy routine which may serve them well as adults.

Here are the top 5 you must take for your entire life:

The dosages listed are what I personally have settled on after decades of adjustments,see the labels for recommended dosages. Another important caution. If you are scheduled for upcoming surgery cut down on all these products for 2 weeks before.

Selenium

The MOST important of them all. If you only take one of these products,this is the one to take. Take no more than 200 Mg daily. A famous radio nutritionist, Carlton Fredericks, way back in the 1960's praised this product as the most powerful anti-oxidant.

I started taking it that time and have never stopped. Which disease scares you the most? Selenium is not a mineral which you can take for immediate benefits. In order to ward off life threatening cell destruction and possible malignancies, it must be taken all your life in small doses. I am sure medical science will establish this in the next few years.

B-50 Complex

Very crucial for your nerves. One tablet daily.

To prove to yourself this one works, ask any one over 70 to extend their right arm all the way out and see if their hand shakes or is steady as a rock . Mine is very steady

If it shakes, and assuming they do not have a nerve disease, you can be pretty sure they are not getting enough B-50. Ask them anyway. Put your doctor through this test as well.

Calcium

1200 mg daily for men, 1800 mg for women. This is the most vital supplement a woman can take. The surgeon general should be doing more to warn woman about calcium deficiencies.

When you see a woman stooped over ask her how many years she has been taking calcium. Very likely none. I recently took a bone density test. The nurse's aid who administered the test said I had the bone density of a man in his 20's.

Omega 3 Fish Oil-

Dosage depends on your age. I take 1000 mg daily but if you are middle aged, you can get by with 500. This is an important heart supplement. Even doctors recommend this so you know it is safe. Md's do not go out on a limb. Ask eskimos; even ask Sarah Palin.

Zinc

No more than 15mg a day. The immunity pill. Discredited recently in double blind studies but at this level it will do you a lot more good than orange juice and it's a lot less expensive.

Second tier of recommendations, again based on my personal experience only

Saw Palmetto -

For men only. After age 45 men should take about 250 mg daily, increasing to 500 after 60 and to at least 1000 after age 70. I have been taking 2000mg a day for last 10 years, substantially less when I was younger. I do not have to get up at night to go to the bathroom. All older men have enlarged prostates and could benefit by taking saw palmetto. I believe most doctors take this herbal extract but they could never admit it,not even to their wives.

Cranberry extract-

I take 500 mg daily but 100 is enough for most men. Women need a little more. Prevents bladder infections and relieves symptoms if you already have an infection.

Magnesium-chelated amino acid

Lots of controversy about this one so be safe and limit intake to 5 mg daily. At one time I took 20mg but when a supplement is involved in any controversy at all I err on the side of caution.

Chromium Picolinate-

Regulates blood sugar. Five years ago I tested borderline for high blood sugar. I started taking 400mg of this mineral daily and have been fine since; my blood is tested yearly.

Vitamin E-

No more than 200 iu daily. E has been discredited but I don't believe the data. In any event, at 200 iu dosage, it will never harm you.

Two new "wonder" pills. These are too new to confirm results after long term use but I take them both and can still write a blog post 4 to 5 times a week so go figure.

CoQ-10

A heart pill you will be hearing a lot about in the next decade if the pharmaceutical lobby doesn't hush it up. I take 50 mg a day;some people I know take a lot more but they have had heart problems. I walk 4 miles a day and have never had angina.

Quercetin

A bioflavenoid FOR MEN ONLY. Women and children should not take this until further studies are completed. It works for men by activating saw palmetto and reducing prostate enlargement.I take 50 mg a day but no dosage established as yet.

MSM and Glucosomine-

Both are for age related joint pain.i take small dosage of MSM but have side effects from glucosomine so i don't take any. Its the only one my doctor recommends I do take and the only one I don't. I think its no better than a sugar pill and too expensive for me anyway. Remember doctors are human and very much influenced by pharmaceutical detailers.


SNAKE OIL:

These are unproven "rage of the month" items. Don't waste money on these. Go out and buy a good brandy instead. You will feel just as energized.

Acai,ginkgo.milk thistle,red yeast rice,garlic (except in pasta).All work only as placebos.

All herbal teas. They will eventually render you comatose. See my recent post from the archives about the benefits of a dark,bitter,strong,bold coffee. Life is short. Why sedate yourself with these deadening ,life sapping witches brews. You might just as well take anti-depressants or tranquilizers if you want to sleep your life away.

Where to shop?

Vitamin World is where I have shopped for 30 years. Definitely the least expensive of the major chains.

Vitamin Shoppes has the largest supply but overcharges customers for the one stop convenience.

General Nutrition Co, GNC may be the oldest.They are very sparsely stocked,very very expensive and they cater to the pumping iron set.

I would never buy any of my stuff at drug stores or supermarkets. This is serious to me.You wouldn't buy your dog's food at a gas station would you? Humans are just as important as animals.

Hope I have helped you. If not, take two aspirins and call your doctor in the morning.