Posted on 12/04/2009 10:28:15 PM PST by neverdem
Patient Money
WHEN I stock up on ibuprofen (my painkiller of choice), I typically buy a 500-count bottle of a store brand like Kirkland or Rite Aid. After all, ibuprofen is ibuprofen. Each pill costs me about 3 cents — or only one-third the cost of 9-cent Advil.
Yet, when it comes to vitamins — which I take only when I feel run down — I turn to name brands like Centrum or Nature Made. My thinking has been: Why mess around with quality when it comes to the essential ABCs?
But now that I’ve done some research, I might soon change my vitamin-buying ways. Read on to find out why.
Americans love vitamins. About half of adults take a daily multivitamin, according to industry data. And according to some theories, the economic downturn has inspired them to fortify themselves by swallowing more.
Sales over the last decade had been growing by about 4 percent annually. But this year, as more people are taking their health into their own hands, perhaps hoping to stave off doctor bills, vitamin sales are expected to grow by 8 percent to a total of $9.2 billion, according to Nutrition Business Journal, a market researcher and publisher.
About 42 percent of shoppers purchase their vitamins at natural and...
--snip--
But what if you don’t eat well or are chronically stressed out? Then, Professor Rimm says, there may be some benefit from taking a multivitamin. “Certain subgroups, including women of child-bearing age attempting to get pregnant, may need specific supplements, like folic acid and omega-3,” he added...
--snip--
FIND A REPUTABLE SOURCE Vitamins and minerals are commodity items, and every manufacturer has access to the same ingredients. For that reason, researchers and scientists say paying more for a name brand won’t necessarily buy you better vitamins...
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
I’ve had to have several stomach resections due to Crohn’s disease which, as I poitned out in previous post, takign vitimins that ‘boost the imune system’ is Not a good thing for peopel with overactive imune systems wherte the body goes wonky and attacks itself by mistake- boosting hte imune system in my case very likely caused the body to attack itself more than it woudl have had I not taken imune system boosting vits and minerals and herbs
I also have no lower itnestines, and only part of my upper/small intestines, and have had to have stomach rerouted, resected (had to have a Ruyan(sp?) ‘Y’ done to bypass diseased sectio nthat couldn’t be removed and was closed up and non functional because of hte Crohn’s
I’m suppsoed to be o nthe shots- I did try them for awhile, but it didn’t seem ot be helpiung, so I quite a few years back, but I’ve developped peripheral neuropathy over hte years that has left me weak and causes muscle ‘burning pain’ (I liken it to when you overexcersize, and your muscles begin to burn, and you have to stop to let that burning sensation stop before you can go on again- this burning pain happens to me with very little muscle stimulation now- causing excersize intolorance and making life kinda miserable)- looking into the issue, there’s a condition caused by B-12 dificiency that causes neuropathy- from what I understand, it’s irreversible, and the only hting you can do is take B-12 to keep it from getting any worse.
I’ve ordered some B-12 methylcolbalmine which is suppsoed to be a more absorbable form for people with isntestinal problems- we’ll see how that works-
Yeah, Another good mineral is magnesium and calcium for cramps- but I can only take 1/2 a mag or else it causes thigns to get too loose- also, I wouldn’t really recomend it because it’s a pretty controversial treatment, but quinine works very well for cramps- you’ll have to do research on this as it’s kinda not a very nice substance for some people- but a lot of people use quinine in tonic water in mixed drinks- but again, if you’ve got a condition, it’s a good idea to research if quinine will cause problems. I take it just because I get cramps a lot and don’t really care what happens to me healthwise lol
I guess we go through them too fast for storage to matter. I can’t take narproxen because of my stomach. I do use a tens unit when the pain gets too bad. I also have a heated mattress pad which helps me quite a bit.
I often take a Pepsid AC and antacids a few minutes before taking naproxen.
How difficult is it to learn how to set up a TENS unit? Does it require a prescription?
Centrum is not quality.
I explained in a FReepmail.
That was the B vitamins. like my ex party buddy Dr. Fred Bell used to say when he would try to get me to keep taking his vitamins, if you aren’t peeing yellow then you aren’t getting enough B vitamins.
I give him the injections when I’m home - I travel a lot for work - and he goes in to the doc when I’m not home. They do make a difference.
I hope you find that either the 1MCG supplement or the shots help. It’s an awful disease. I wish someone could find a cure or at least something that isn’t toxic that will help the recurrences.
Good luck with that Cott. It sounds pretty tough and I wish there was something to help with the neuropathy. That has to be very discouraging for you.
[[Good luck with that Cott. It sounds pretty tough and I wish there was something to help with the neuropathy. That has to be very discouraging for you.]]
Thanks leapfrog- I accept it as God has allowed it (although at times I do question it- but mostly I accept it- life is what it is for a reason- even if it looks liek it doesn’t make much sense at the time)
Yeah, the neuropathy is the worst- the Crohn’s- operations, were no big deal- the pain always stopped at some point- but ongiong pain that doesn’t stop is tough to deal with sometimes, but again, one day it will stop for good & it;’ll seem like just a blink of hte eye in time.
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Have recently added additional vitamin “D” since I've had health issues resulting from a deficiency. (Taught in a class room with NO WINDOWS, therefore no sunlight from Oct - March)
My health and energy level are 180 from where they were eighteen months ago. And I'm gradually loosing weight.
Vitamins are perfectly regulated by industry competition, consumers, mavens (like we see on this page), tort law, and liberty. No need for more regulation.
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