# Natural Health



## dogcom (May 23, 2009)

You hear so much about vitamins and different stuff until your head hurts but what is good to take and get results.

Tommy Chong takes Hemp oil to get rid of prostate cancer.
http://canadianawareness.org/2012/08/tommy-chong-cured-his-cancer-with-hemp-oil/

Magnesium is needed for muscles and such or you could die of a heart attack because the heart is a muscle.

Serrapeptase taken with an empty stomach is an enzyme that can eat artery plaque and dead tissue in your body.

http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/health-benefits-of-serrapeptase/

Take vitamin D3 and you won't get sick very often in the winter because of the lack of sunlight.

I am sure there is natural help for everyone for every problem and I am also sure the big drug companies don't want it out so they can make money. So do you know of natural stuff to help us that you have seen or heard or do you have a problem that natural stuff can help?


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## indexxx (Oct 31, 2011)

I'm big on magnesium and take 750mg/day. It's vital for over 350 metabolic functions (serotonin and HCL production, muscle and nerve transmission, heart rate and blood pressure, insulin regulation, etc etc etc) and about 60% of North Americans are deficient, as in a modern diet we do not eat enough dark, leafy greens- Mg is in the chlorophyll molecule. Deficiencies do not usually show up on blood tests as the body requires a constant ratio of Mg in the blood to perform those 350+ processes; so if your diet is lacking, magnesium is drawn from your cells to maintain plasma levels. The deficiency is intracellular, which is difficult to test for and not regularly considered. Vitamin C is also on my regimen; again most do not eat sufficient fresh fruit and veg to get the C that our Palaeolithic ancestors would have. And I take Vitamin D as well, more so in winter as I'm a pretty active outdoor guy in the summer.


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## Jim9guitars (May 5, 2012)

Being that I am "of a certain age" I signed up to the e-mail list for http://www.realage.com/. You don't have to be a senior citizen to benefit from the knowledge they send out about nutrition and exercise.


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## brad (May 22, 2009)

This is one of the best sources I've seen for recommendations on vitamins, from the Harvard School of Public Health:

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/vitamins/

Bottom line: a store-brand multivitamin supplemented by extra vitamin D if necessary is best; avoid megadoses and super supplements of anything. 

For a few years, researchers were suggesting that even multivitamins were risky because there were some linkages to increased cancer rates among people who took multivitamins, but those fears have been largely laid to rest.


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## Spudd (Oct 11, 2011)

I take zinc & vitamin C at the first sign of a cold. I think it helps.


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## jcgd (Oct 30, 2011)

I see big differences with vitamin D and fish oil. One makes my mood better and the oil makes my joints feel better as well as my dry skin isn't so bad.


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## MoneyGal (Apr 24, 2009)

Fish oil is *amazing.* It isn't a supplement, though, is it? It is a food. I use fish oil with D - but I get D even in winter as I am outside a lot. 

Also, you can take magnesium topically. I put it on my kids and on myself (you can put magnesium flakes in a bath or use "magnesium oil" [not actually an oil] on your skin).


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## brad (May 22, 2009)

My understanding is that even Canadians who work outdoors all summer don't make enough vitamin D naturally -- it's worth taking vitamin D all year round. We're too far north to get the full benefit of the sun and we can't make enough vitamin D. The high level of multiple sclerosis in northern countries like Scotland is thought to be related to vitamin D deficiency, although there are other possible causes.


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## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

You don't get enough Vitamin C? It's difficult to not eat >100% of RDI of Vitamin C. For instance, 1 red bell pepper has about 250% your recommended vitamin c. Beyond that, a lot of processed foods are fortified with vitamin c.

What is amazing about fish oil, MG?


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## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

If you drink milk, you are already getting Vitamin D supplements.


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## brad (May 22, 2009)

True about milk, but you'd have to drink a lot of milk to get the 1,000 IU that is widely recommended. We don't drink milk in our house, so we take vitamin D supplements.

The recommended dose of vitamin D is still a source of much controversy. The Institute of Medicine (part of the US National Academy of Sciences) concluded last year that 600 IU was good and anything higher might have health risks, but a lot of experts have criticized that finding and it seems 1,000 IU is better. Here's a well-researched article on the subject:

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/vitamin-d/


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## dogcom (May 23, 2009)

Interesting stuff here and it seems many look to magnesium which is good and vitamin D but really why does it have to be D3. Three it seems is the magic number in vitamin D.

Andrewf fish oil is supposed to be excellent because of the Omega 3 fatty acids. I find when we blend fruit and add some fish oil like Barlean's Hugh Potency fish oil because it doesn't give a bad fish taste 
http://www.barleans.com/omega-swirl.asp#.html and add some of the Greens powder and some Chia and then drink it with all the fiber still there it really charges you up and you feel good all the time. Most people take out the pulp for juice but it is best to leave it all in.


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## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

I think the government was considering raising the statutory required vitamin D level in milk. IIRC, 250 mL of milk has 100 IUs, so I doubt many people are drinking 10 cups/day.


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## dogcom (May 23, 2009)

Another one I hear about for heart health is CoQ 10. You take it with triple lecithin so it works the way it is supposed to. I hear with calcium you need the magnesium with it so it absorbs properly and that is why you see it together quite often in a health food and vitamin store. Apparently you need to make sure that what you are taking has the right combination to make sure it is effective when taking it. Also be careful buying the cheap vitamins in a drug store because they coat them with wax or whatever and when you take them they just pass right through you giving you little to no benefit.


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## dogcom (May 23, 2009)

Andrewf I talk to some doctors on the health kick and they don't like dairy and all processed foods and such. Milk supposedly leads to lots of problems for many people from what I have heard.


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## brad (May 22, 2009)

dogcom said:


> Interesting stuff here and it seems many look to magnesium which is good and vitamin D but really why does it have to be D3. Three it seems is the magic number in vitamin D.


If you read the link I posted just above to the Harvard School of Public Health site, they explain why you need D3. Actually it's directly answered here: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/vitamin-questions/#what-type-of-vitamind


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## brad (May 22, 2009)

dogcom said:


> Also be careful buying the cheap vitamins in a drug store because they coat them with wax or whatever and when you take them they just pass right through you giving you little to no benefit.


I'd like to see the evidence for that.


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## dogcom (May 23, 2009)

Thanks brad


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## humble_pie (Jun 7, 2009)

brad said:


> I'd like to see the evidence for that.


no, you wouldn't, not really


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## brad (May 22, 2009)

Yes, I would, really! I'm skeptical that there is evidence, but if there is, I'd love to see it because what I've read from reputable sources suggests that cheap store-brand multivitamins are every bit as good as the more expensive stuff, and if that information's wrong it's important to know!

Edited to add: here's what the Harvard School of Public Health says: "The good news is, you don’t need an expensive “designer” supplement or a name-brand kind to reap health benefits. A standard store-brand multivitamin-multimineral supplement is fine. Look for one that contains RDA-level amounts and that also has the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) seal of approval on the label." See http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/multivitamin/


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## humble_pie (Jun 7, 2009)

brad said:


> Yes, I would, really! I'm skeptical that there is evidence, but if there is, I'd love to see it because what I've read from reputable sources suggests that cheap store-brand multivitamins are every bit as good as the more expensive stuff, and if that information's wrong it's important to know!


think about it each:

maybe somebody will explain (hint) it's sort of a play on your words


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## humble_pie (Jun 7, 2009)

one needs to take dog's remark into consideration too


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## Toronto.gal (Jan 8, 2010)

hihi, think of the 'evidence' brad; what is it that u would see with ur own eyes? :biggrin:


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## brad (May 22, 2009)

Most vitamins are coated with something. That doesn't mean the coating doesn't dissolve in your digestive tract and release the vitamins. That's the evidence part I'm looking for: do we know that the wax or other coating actually prevents us from getting the benefits of the vitamins? A lot of produce is coated with wax, but it doesn't mean we don't get the benefits from that food.

Edited to add: okay, now I get the joke, right I wouldn't want to have to hunt for the evidence that those vitamin pills passed through my digestive tract without dissolving. ;-)


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## dogcom (May 23, 2009)

I have heard of doctors doing x-rays for a different problem and then asking if you had taken a vitamin or something because they can clearly see it is not digesting. Cheaper stuff can be fine it is just that you want to look at the ingredients and the pill itself to make sure that it will digest.


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## junior minor (Jun 5, 2019)

I've been looking these up and noticed mostly that only some brands have no additives. Western Family, namely, webber naturals, and Jamesons. So it has to be done carefully, elsewise you indeed get useless, if not downright harmful, chems shoved down your throat. 

Recently(as in now) figured that the d2 is from vegetable source and d3, animal. From what I could read and trials(namely on myself) confirmed by other studies,the first is not that useful while the second is rather safer. I used to work in the hospitality industry as a night cleaner and would chew on vitamin C with blueberry extracts (not the actual fruit) and D3 and never got sick, even during the winter. 

These articles might enlighten you on the matter. https://www.verywellfit.com/which-form-of-vitamin-d-is-better-d2-or-d3-2507730


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## Prairie Guy (Oct 30, 2018)

I've eaten a healthy and varied diet all my life and never taken supplements or vitamins other than the occasional protein shake when I used to work out hard. But now I'm 57 and have been considering taking one multi-vitamin a day.


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