Supplements: An Overview

There has been a lot of interest in the supplements I take for my various conditions. I have decided to write several posts on the different supplements. I will try to divide the supplements into several categories to help give order to them.

In general, always consult your medical team before taking anything. Most medical professionals know very little about most supplements. I have had some support and some resistance in taking the various supplements. If a doctor is familiar with Mitochondrial Disease, I have had more support and sometimes even suggestions on which supplements to take. Always ask for advice. If you have support, take it. If you encounter no support or resistance, do your own research and seek out others familiar with supplements.

Some general guidelines:
Not all people respond the same to all supplements. Some people have great success with Co Q-10, while others may see no difference in taking the supplement. If something does not work, move on to something else.

Be patient. Some supplements may take a month (or more) to see the benefits. In general, supplements will not give instantaneously relief. They often take time to work. 


DO NOT TRY MULTIPLE SUPPLEMENTS AT ONE TIME! This is a big mistake people make. They get excited about supplements and decide to try three different supplements at one time. Do not do this! Try one supplement for about 3-4 weeks, making notes if any symptoms are better/worse. After this time, you can choose to continue/discontinue with the supplement and/or start taking a new supplement. If you try more than one supplement at a time, it is difficult to know if the improvements in your symptoms are from supplement A or B. It can save a lot of time and money if you start by taking one supplement at a time.

Not all supplements are create equally. Supplements purchased at the grocery store, in general, use inferior ingredients and often are coupled with many binders and fillers. Seek supplements from reputable companies. A very good company is GNC. In general, the GNC brand supplements use good quality ingredients. Sign up for their email promotions and receive emails on their sales. Most of their supplements can be purchased for 50% or less of the regular listed price if you shop their sales.

There are many other supplement companies. I have had good and bad experiences. Some companies have endless different combinations of their products. If more than one supplement is effective, using the combination supplement can help reduce the number of pills to swallow. In general, I tend to stay away from most combination supplements. The combinations in the supplements are often not in the ratio I need. Also, buying the supplements individually allows me to increase/decrease dosing for each supplement if my symptoms change.

Some companies have the same product with various quantities of pills in the bottle. Occasionally, if you switch the quantity in the bottle, the supplement may be different. Sometimes, companies use several manufacturers to produce their products. Supplement A with 30 pills in the bottle might be produced by one manufacturer and Supplement A with 100 pills might be produced by another manufacturer. Different manufacturers may use different ingredients and often use different quality of ingredients. This can lead to different efficacies of the same supplement sold by the same company. Always check the product label ingredient list for every supplement.

Most importantly, read product reviews before purchasing anything. Reviews can be very helpful in deciding what to purchase. Read the good and bad reviews and use them as a guide in helping you purchase the best supplement for your health requirements.