My mom took peppermint essential oil to calm her stomach, on the advice of a nurse. Yeah, don’t do that. Turns out it strips lining from your esophagus and makes you vomit. Peppermint oil is fine, but essential oils are highly concentrated, and none of them should be ingested. Just use them for aromatherapy, which has more scientific support than these crap supplements.
@DVDBZN You learned something new today. This the first line in Wikipedia:
An essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile (defined as “the tendency of a substance to vaporize”) aroma compounds from plants.
@DVDBZN@simplersimon Essential oils are produced by distilling them from their source material. Unless the seller diluted them after the fact, most are pure.
Source: I’ve done this in organic chemistry lab.
Edit: I think I accidentally responded to the wrong comment.
I said they’re a con, thinking of the “nutrition” that seems to be a craze these days, but I don’t think vitamins for people who aren’t getting them or iron for anemic people is bad,
i take a multivitamin. tbh, i just like being able to eat a couple gummies after dinner. (if i bought regular gummies i’d eat the whole bag.) i’m not sure if they’re doing anything.
i also have taken melatonin and valerian root in combo as a sleep aid in the past but didn’t like it. it either didn’t work at all or would make me feel like i was simply unconscious for awhile vs actually being well rested.
currently i am trying a 5htp supplement to regulate sleep. it really works for me - if i do my part and get in bed and ready for sleep, it doesn’t just knock you out which i like - i fall asleep fast and wake up without the alarm feeling well rested and actually able to get up and do simple things like make the bed and take a shower. (depression can make that stuff impossible some days.) and accomplishing small tasks is important to give me momentum and thus ability to do other tasks. it also causes vivid dreams, which i’ll take over no dreams because i can’t sleep, or nightmares/stress dreams. i also find that i easily fall back asleep after getting up in the night to pee, rather than laying in bed progressively crushed by intense anxiety over not being able to go back to sleep/get enough sleep/that time you mis-introduced someone ten years ago/etc.
i’ve long had 5htp around to use once in awhile when recovering from, ahem, ~partying~ but taking it regularly has problems. the brands that actually work leave me feeling dizzy, lightheaded, and vaguely nauseous after only a few days if taken as directed. (i.e. too much.) i’ve yet to unlock the magic dosage routine for me yet. i’m also concerned about potential long term effects on my body’s natural ability to produce seratonin on its own. there really aren’t any useful/large enough studies out there right now to look to.
@medz Protein bar: depends. Is the protein added whey or other stripped protein or is it a component of the ingredients, like nuts? Snickers bar: nope.
I assumed that @flooners meant protein shakes made with protein supplements such as whey or casein. These are supplements because they are proteins that have been stripped out of more complex foods, just like vitamins are. Like vitamins, protein powders added to protein shakes and bars are used to supplement the nutrients obtained through the consumption of whole foods. Using protein stripped from whey to supplement the protein in your diet is no different than using vitamin c stripped from citrus fruit to supplement that part of your daily nutrient intake. It’s all Frankenfood, really.
AFAIK, Snickers comes by its protein honestly, via the protein naturally found in the whole food ingredient peanuts. That doesn’t mean a Snickers bar is better for you than a supplemented protein bar, it’s full of unhealthful stuff. But whole food advocates would argue that a handful of peanuts, and some chocolate with natural oils and sweeteners would be more healthy than either a Snickers or a protein bar.
I have taken melatonin to help me sleep, turmeric for inflammation (recommended by my PCP) Vit D, CoQ10 and fish oil to help reduce cholesterol. Never taken one not recommended by my Dr. DO NOT ever take anything with “proprietary blend” listed as an ingredient. Those ingredients don’t have to be disclosed, are not regulated or tested by FDA. At best, they don’t help, at worst they can be harmful or lethal. Always check with your doctor or pharmacist for possible interactions with meds you are taking.
Why protein isolate for the gym (getting the needed protein from only food sucks) and a daily multivitamin after researching a fair amount for one that was safe/complete.
I take a multi and a D when I remember. When I have a busy evening planned I take a B complex, C and D in the afternoon to give me energy to carry through . When I travel, I use Airborne plus a multi in the morning and B, C and D in the afternoon. That’s a bit of overkill but my incidents of getting sick at conventions and on cruise ships radically diminished since I started with it, and when I do get con crud or norovirus it’s shorter and less severe. I just got my labs done, and even though I occasionally take a multi and a D supplement, I’m still vitamin D deficient. My doctor wants me to make sure to take that multi everyday. As you get older, your body starts to lose bioavailability of certain vitamins, chiefly vitamin B. Vitamin supplements are necessary for a lot of people over 50.
I take St. John’s wort when I am too sad for too long, and I have a sublingual elixir of herbs that I use once in a while when I can’t sleep. I find both to be effective and preferable to clinical pharmaceuticals. I was initially highly skeptical of the sleep solution which I bought at a local Farmer’s Market. I’d tried all its components in the past without result. But the guy told me that it wasn’t supposed to make me sleep, just quiet my mind. And it does, I can feel it kick in, my busy, self destructive brain spins down into silence, and restful sleep follows.
I take melatonin for sleep, absolutely love it. The crap Meh is selling today scares me. It’s the pumping iron industry"s answer to sleep aids. Be afraid.
@Fuzzalini kinda weird to me. It’s like get all jacked up taking pre-workout, during-workout, post-workout /recovery supplements and your body is so freaked out that you have to take this crash stuff to be able to sleep. Maybe just don’t take all the other stuff and see if that helps you sleep.
Edit: it would be like if Monster energy drink came out with a sleep aid.
@medz Yep! The label is ridiculous. It looks like it should say something like Burn! or Extreme! No, Crash, because sleep isn’t possible for those kinds of people.
Food is a supplement, right? Helps ya not die for a day or two if used as directed?
I think supplements stay fresh longer if you store them in the refrigerator.
Like those other things.
@shahnm
Ice cubes, right?
Is soylent considered a supplement?
@christinerenee Only if it’s green.
@christinerenee No, it’s a meal replacement.
My mom took peppermint essential oil to calm her stomach, on the advice of a nurse. Yeah, don’t do that. Turns out it strips lining from your esophagus and makes you vomit. Peppermint oil is fine, but essential oils are highly concentrated, and none of them should be ingested. Just use them for aromatherapy, which has more scientific support than these crap supplements.
@simplersimon
I thought people didn’t like essential oils because they are too dilluted.
@DVDBZN You learned something new today. This the first line in Wikipedia:
An essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile (defined as “the tendency of a substance to vaporize”) aroma compounds from plants.
@DVDBZN @simplersimon Essential oils are produced by distilling them from their source material. Unless the seller diluted them after the fact, most are pure.
Source: I’ve done this in organic chemistry lab.
Edit: I think I accidentally responded to the wrong comment.
Are vitamins considered supplements? What if they are the gummy kind?
@hchavers those are my faves too
I said they’re a con, thinking of the “nutrition” that seems to be a craze these days, but I don’t think vitamins for people who aren’t getting them or iron for anemic people is bad,
Doctor told me to take Vitamin D. So I do. Therapist said to take Fish Oil and a Multi-Vitamin. So I do. That’s the extent of my use of supplements.
@sanspoint came here to say this. Also the extent of my supplement intake but technically normal-sounding vitamins like this are supplements
supple mints are better than rigid mints
I take glucosamine to help my gimpy knees. Seems to help.
if it feels good, do it. ask snoop…
Alpha-Lipoic acid really helps my knees. The one time I went off it I started limping in two weeks. Now I’m on it for life.
@dptalia It’s good for repairing nerve damage too.
@lseeber huh. I had no idea.
I took a multivitamin for a bit. When I remembered to.
i take a multivitamin. tbh, i just like being able to eat a couple gummies after dinner. (if i bought regular gummies i’d eat the whole bag.) i’m not sure if they’re doing anything.
i also have taken melatonin and valerian root in combo as a sleep aid in the past but didn’t like it. it either didn’t work at all or would make me feel like i was simply unconscious for awhile vs actually being well rested.
currently i am trying a 5htp supplement to regulate sleep. it really works for me - if i do my part and get in bed and ready for sleep, it doesn’t just knock you out which i like - i fall asleep fast and wake up without the alarm feeling well rested and actually able to get up and do simple things like make the bed and take a shower. (depression can make that stuff impossible some days.) and accomplishing small tasks is important to give me momentum and thus ability to do other tasks. it also causes vivid dreams, which i’ll take over no dreams because i can’t sleep, or nightmares/stress dreams. i also find that i easily fall back asleep after getting up in the night to pee, rather than laying in bed progressively crushed by intense anxiety over not being able to go back to sleep/get enough sleep/that time you mis-introduced someone ten years ago/etc.
i’ve long had 5htp around to use once in awhile when recovering from, ahem, ~partying~ but taking it regularly has problems. the brands that actually work leave me feeling dizzy, lightheaded, and vaguely nauseous after only a few days if taken as directed. (i.e. too much.) i’ve yet to unlock the magic dosage routine for me yet. i’m also concerned about potential long term effects on my body’s natural ability to produce seratonin on its own. there really aren’t any useful/large enough studies out there right now to look to.
@jerk_nugget I’m pretty much in the same boat. Taken melatonin and Valerian. It helps if you need sleep never tried 5HTP. Thanks for sharing!
I take a few different ones but I never start taking any until I’ve researched the science and clinicals (not paid by the company).
Do protein shakes count as supplements?
@flooners yes
@moondrake what about protein bars? or snickers bars?
@medz Protein bar: depends. Is the protein added whey or other stripped protein or is it a component of the ingredients, like nuts? Snickers bar: nope.
I assumed that @flooners meant protein shakes made with protein supplements such as whey or casein. These are supplements because they are proteins that have been stripped out of more complex foods, just like vitamins are. Like vitamins, protein powders added to protein shakes and bars are used to supplement the nutrients obtained through the consumption of whole foods. Using protein stripped from whey to supplement the protein in your diet is no different than using vitamin c stripped from citrus fruit to supplement that part of your daily nutrient intake. It’s all Frankenfood, really.
AFAIK, Snickers comes by its protein honestly, via the protein naturally found in the whole food ingredient peanuts. That doesn’t mean a Snickers bar is better for you than a supplemented protein bar, it’s full of unhealthful stuff. But whole food advocates would argue that a handful of peanuts, and some chocolate with natural oils and sweeteners would be more healthy than either a Snickers or a protein bar.
I have taken melatonin to help me sleep, turmeric for inflammation (recommended by my PCP) Vit D, CoQ10 and fish oil to help reduce cholesterol. Never taken one not recommended by my Dr. DO NOT ever take anything with “proprietary blend” listed as an ingredient. Those ingredients don’t have to be disclosed, are not regulated or tested by FDA. At best, they don’t help, at worst they can be harmful or lethal. Always check with your doctor or pharmacist for possible interactions with meds you are taking.
Why protein isolate for the gym (getting the needed protein from only food sucks) and a daily multivitamin after researching a fair amount for one that was safe/complete.
I take a multi and a D when I remember. When I have a busy evening planned I take a B complex, C and D in the afternoon to give me energy to carry through . When I travel, I use Airborne plus a multi in the morning and B, C and D in the afternoon. That’s a bit of overkill but my incidents of getting sick at conventions and on cruise ships radically diminished since I started with it, and when I do get con crud or norovirus it’s shorter and less severe. I just got my labs done, and even though I occasionally take a multi and a D supplement, I’m still vitamin D deficient. My doctor wants me to make sure to take that multi everyday. As you get older, your body starts to lose bioavailability of certain vitamins, chiefly vitamin B. Vitamin supplements are necessary for a lot of people over 50.
I take St. John’s wort when I am too sad for too long, and I have a sublingual elixir of herbs that I use once in a while when I can’t sleep. I find both to be effective and preferable to clinical pharmaceuticals. I was initially highly skeptical of the sleep solution which I bought at a local Farmer’s Market. I’d tried all its components in the past without result. But the guy told me that it wasn’t supposed to make me sleep, just quiet my mind. And it does, I can feel it kick in, my busy, self destructive brain spins down into silence, and restful sleep follows.
I take melatonin for sleep, absolutely love it. The crap Meh is selling today scares me. It’s the pumping iron industry"s answer to sleep aids. Be afraid.
@Fuzzalini kinda weird to me. It’s like get all jacked up taking pre-workout, during-workout, post-workout /recovery supplements and your body is so freaked out that you have to take this crash stuff to be able to sleep. Maybe just don’t take all the other stuff and see if that helps you sleep.
Edit: it would be like if Monster energy drink came out with a sleep aid.
@medz Yep! The label is ridiculous. It looks like it should say something like Burn! or Extreme! No, Crash, because sleep isn’t possible for those kinds of people.