# Health and Supplements



## thaller1 (Jul 13, 2009)

Curious for personal and business reasons.  What do people take for supplements and why... Thanks!

T


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## mondeo (Jul 13, 2009)

Women's fertility drugs here, for a personal health issue.


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## thaller1 (Jul 13, 2009)

mondeo said:


> Women's fertility drugs here, for a personal health issue.





how's that workin' out for ya?


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## RootDKJ (Jul 13, 2009)

_Glucosamine_ / chondroitin.  Triple strength.  Take 1 in the morning, 1 at night.

I also take a multivitamin that's I also take 1  morning/night.


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## Geoff (Jul 13, 2009)

81 mg baby asprin (reduces stroke risk), multivitamin


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## WoodCore (Jul 13, 2009)

2 multivitimins daily.


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## Marc (Jul 13, 2009)

I eat eggs.  And broccoli.


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## andyzee (Jul 13, 2009)

Eat right and forget the vitamins and supplements. People are too dependent on pills, you eat right, there should be no reason for supplements unless there is a medical reason.


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## drjeff (Jul 13, 2009)

A multi vitamin, an Omega fatty acid supplement(I know I should just eat some salmon but I REALLY don't like the taste) and a Chondroitin/Glucosamine supplement.

Whether all this makes a REAL difference or just a psychosomatic effect I'm not sure


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## o3jeff (Jul 13, 2009)

Multivitamin


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## GrilledSteezeSandwich (Jul 13, 2009)

Thinking about taking Cherry Flavored Extense..so I can walk around with a raging hardon..


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## severine (Jul 13, 2009)

andyzee said:


> Eat right and forget the vitamins and supplements. People are too dependent on pills, you eat right, there should be no reason for supplements unless there is a medical reason.


Agreed. Both my doctor, as well as the kids' pediatrician, recommend this. Get your vitamins/nutrients from food, not pills.


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## campgottagopee (Jul 13, 2009)

Sometimes I'll switch from Blue Light to Bud Light but that's about it for me.


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## marcski (Jul 13, 2009)

Ibuprofen....otherwise, I just try to eat a well-balanced diet with lots of fruits and vegies, a lot of hard exercise and stretching.


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## deadheadskier (Jul 13, 2009)

I'll load up on C, E, Zync and Echinacia if I feel a cold coming on.

B if I'm worried about booze flu in the morning

other than that, nada


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## powhunter (Jul 13, 2009)

geritol...with a metimusil viagra chaser


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## WWF-VT (Jul 13, 2009)

Daily multivitamin


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## mondeo (Jul 13, 2009)

thaller1 said:


> how's that workin' out for ya?


Well, the boss found out so I got sidelined for 50 work days. Knocked me out of the employee of the month contention.

In all seriousness, I try to take a multivitamin. Better to get it through food, but the way I look at it, if I get it through food, great, just a little extra, if not, then at least I took the pill.


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## thaller1 (Jul 13, 2009)

GrilledSteezeSandwich said:


> Thinking about taking Cherry Flavored Extense..so I can walk around with a raging hardon..



now we're talkin'..lol


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## tree_skier (Jul 13, 2009)

Sardines, fish oil from the source


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## thaller1 (Jul 13, 2009)

Good stuff, thanks!    I got rid of all the pills and take Ageless Xtra now, a liquid supplement that's all natural and tastes great.  I've started a business with the company Univera and was curious as to what people are looking for...looks like a lot of joint issues among the skiing community.  I have arthritis and have felts worlds better since starting this product..16 advil to none!!!  

I agree with the comments about getting our vitamins from food, this is a food concentrate basically a juice... different from pills.  Now I don't have to cart my pharmacy to Utah every year.. LOL

Thanks everyone!


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## TheBEast (Jul 13, 2009)

Daily Multi-Vitamin, Vitamin C and Glucosamine for the joints (which has really helped with overall knee soreness).  

Like Radio Ron says, if it does half of what it says it's supposed to do, then I'm ahead of the game!!


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## gorgonzola (Jul 13, 2009)

Chondroitin/Glucosamine
fish oil omega 3 tabs
multi vitamin
STOPPED all anti-inflammatories

I've got neck/shoulder issues and have felt better than i have in years and attribute alot of it to the last item. after seeing a segment on prolotherapy (flyers fwd simon gagne between periodsof a hockey game) and seeing a buddy go on dialysis from ibuprofen, i decided to stop regular use about a year ago and hve felt much better. my wife has since been doing prolotherapy treatments.it makes sense that the inflammation is a healing process of the body.


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## thaller1 (Jul 13, 2009)

gorgonzola said:


> Chondroitin/Glucosamine
> fish oil omega 3 tabs
> multi vitamin
> STOPPED all anti-inflammatories
> ...



thanks for this information!!  I have neck/shoulder issues as well due to injury and have been a regular user of Advil for many many years...it concerns me about the kidney issues...  I


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## bigbog (Jul 13, 2009)

*...*

Multi-Vitamin & as healthy foods as possible.
Glucosamine/Chondroitin - (1 pill every ~3rd day) enough??  Feels enough, but increase when the snow starts falling.
Liquids:  Water(>bottled, as clean as I can find), Grape juice, and Celery+Apple juice from my _Power Juicer_..!;-)
Trying to limit the coffee....
Keeping up with the daily exercises/walks(sprints), and try to keep a weekly paddle/hike schedule..
$.01


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## wa-loaf (Jul 13, 2009)

Have you seen the Radio Ron special feature in the Wanderland DVD? :-o


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## noski (Jul 13, 2009)

Herbs from the acupuncurist three times daily. Amazing how well I feel overall. Cured a whole list of ailments I didn't know I had.


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## mlctvt (Jul 13, 2009)

Glucosamine / chondroitin. Triple strength-  2 per day
Multi-vitamin
Vitamin D 800mg/day
Selenium,  I think it's 80mg


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## frozencorn (Jul 14, 2009)

C. That's it. And especially on a night when I've been imbibing a bit too much. Takes the next morning's hangover right away. 

Otherwise, the answer about getting your vitamins from food it the right one.


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## Marc (Jul 14, 2009)

Don't get too hung up on all natural.  Arsenic is all natural, let's not forget.


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## severine (Jul 14, 2009)

I will add that if I remember, I take cod liver oil but that's only because we don't eat fish so I feel I should supplement there.


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## RootDKJ (Jul 14, 2009)

Lots of Glucosamine / chondroitin users here.  My doctors told me to try it to relieve creaky and stiff knees.

When you run out and forget to re-stock, how long does it take you to notice the difference?

For me, it's 3-4 days and I feel (the lack of it) in my knees.


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## severine (Jul 14, 2009)

Marc said:


> Don't get too hung up on all natural.  Arsenic is all natural, let's not forget.



What's do you mean by that, Marc? Natural products tend to be better absorbed/used by the body. That doesn't mean that all things natural are good for you (as you noted, arsenic is natural) but generally speaking, if you ingest foods or even supplements that are natural, they're better for your body than synthetic, non-food stuffs.


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## mondeo (Jul 14, 2009)

severine said:


> What's do you mean by that, Marc? Natural products tend to be better absorbed/used by the body. That doesn't mean that all things natural are good for you (as you noted, arsenic is natural) but generally speaking, if you ingest foods or even supplements that are natural, they're better for your body than synthetic, non-food stuffs.


The point is there's a ton of stuff out there that's natural that's complete crap. Natural vs. synthetic is useless, because there are good and bad for both. There's probably more natural things out there that are bad for your body than synthetic. Plus humans have the benefit of science that enables us to specifically address certain issues as needed, rather than relying on food which is healthy for the population but possibly non-ideal for individuals.

Focus on how effective something is, not where it came from.

(Plus I don't see how man-made stuff isn't natural. People are natural, things made by other animals are considered natural, why isn't man-made stuff natural? But I digress.)


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## ERJ-145CA (Jul 14, 2009)

A Centrum multivitamin with dinner everyday.


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## thaller1 (Jul 14, 2009)

Here is the product data for Ageless Xtra by Univera for review and discussion...


Supplement Facts
Serving Size 1 fl. oz. concentrate or
3.3 fl. oz. (one bottle) ready-to-drink
Amount Per Serving % Daily Value
Calories 20
Total Carbohydrate 5 g < 2%*
Sugars 3 g
Vitamin B3 (niacinamide; niacin) 18 mg 90%
Vitamin B6 (pyridoxal 5-phosphate) 4 mg 200%
Serenix™ corn extract (Zea mays; leaf; 2:1) 250 mg †
Green tea extract (leaf) 220 mg †
(70% polyphenols; 25% EGCG; 5% theanine)
Rhodiola crenulata extract (Ultrin TG®) 150 mg †
(root; 3% salidroside)
OKG (ornithine alpha-ketoglutarate) 150 mg †
Protectin™ Proprietary Blend 125 mg †
Scutellaria baicalensis extract (root)
Acacia catechu extract (heartwood)
Cordyceps sinensis extract (mycelium) 125 mg †
Fruit Concentrate Blend 6g †
(grape, cranberry, blueberry, cherry)
Aloe vera 200:1 powder †
(leaf; inner gel) (ACTIValoe®) 51 mg
Ginkgo biloba extract (leaf) 10 mg †
(24% ginko flavonoids; 6% terpene lactones)
Alpha lipoic acid 10 mg †
MaxCell™ Proprietary Blend 2.5 mg
Jujube extract (fruit) †
Black Pepper extract (fruit) †
Aloe vera (dried gel) †
Chinese Licorice (root) †
*Percent Daily Value based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
† Daily Value not established.
Other ingredients: Purified water, sorbitol, beet juice, Lo han guo extract, sucralose, citric acid, sodium benzoate (preservative), potassium sorbate (preservative).
Suggested Use, concentrate: Mix with 3-5 ounces


tanyahaller.myunivera.com

Have fun!

T


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## severine (Jul 14, 2009)

Sucralose is not "all-natural." Not by far. It's chemically engineered in a lab by chlorinating sugar. IIRC, it is metabolized into formaldehyde. Gives me NASTY migraines (and it's not psycho-somatic...I discovered this data after I couldn't figure out why Fruit2O was giving me migraines--stopped ingesting sucralose and they went away).

This isn't the best source for info, but here it is, nonetheless:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sucralose


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## JerseyJoey (Jul 14, 2009)

Univera rules!!!!

Buy as much as you can get your hands on. Really.


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## Marc (Jul 14, 2009)

severine said:


> Sucralose is not "all-natural." Not by far. It's chemically engineered in a lab by chlorinating sugar. IIRC, it is metabolized into formaldehyde. Gives me NASTY migraines (and it's not psycho-somatic...I discovered this data after I couldn't figure out why Fruit2O was giving me migraines--stopped ingesting sucralose and they went away).
> 
> This isn't the best source for info, but here it is, nonetheless:
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sucralose



I'm actually agreeing with you, in my previous post, in a wierd sort of way.  And mondeo too.  Not all things natural are necessarily healthy; and one of the big problems is, good luck nailing any food producer down on what constitutes "natural."  Remember those inane commercials by the corn lobby claiming high fructose corn syrup is "natural?"  Yeah.  Not quite.

I'm not trying to split hairs on terminology here, but I'd say it's more important to focus on whole foods, and little processing.  That has perhaps a slightly less arbitrary meaning, or perhaps at least more people have correct associations with those terms.  Hell, even with fish oil that's minimally "processed;" is anyone really sure the omega 3's are just as beneficial to our diet in the absence of the proteins and myraid of other compounds found in the fish flesh?


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## severine (Jul 14, 2009)

mondeo said:


> The point is there's a ton of stuff out there that's natural that's complete crap. Natural vs. synthetic is useless, because there are good and bad for both. There's probably more natural things out there that are bad for your body than synthetic. Plus humans have the benefit of science that enables us to specifically address certain issues as needed, rather than relying on food which is healthy for the population but possibly non-ideal for individuals.
> 
> Focus on how effective something is, not where it came from.
> 
> (Plus I don't see how man-made stuff isn't natural. People are natural, things made by other animals are considered natural, why isn't man-made stuff natural? But I digress.)


There are a lot of man-made products that are pretty detrimental to health, yet approved by the FDA: aspartame, sucralose, and high fructose corn syrup come to mind initially. And it isn't natural; it's not found that way in nature, hence not "natural." Any company that claims something is "all-natural" yet includes genetically-altered/chemically-altered ingredients isn't "all-natural." You'll see a lot of things out there with the "all-natural" claim that have HFCS, for example. NOT possible! Wrong use of the term. 

I agree somewhat on what you're saying but I do think that food formulated in a lab is not food at all. 

Marc, I see what you're saying on the supplements, fish oil in particular. That's a case where I make an exception because I figure at least one component is better than none. I don't like the taste or smell of fish, it is not appetizing to me, I have tried and cannot get past this. Since it's supposed to be so healthy for me, though, I'm willing to take a chance. I get a cod liver oil supplement that is supposed to be minimally processed and one of the best out there (again, that's subjective but I hope for the best there) because I figure I should try to get at least some of the benefits than none.

Whole foods are, ideally, the best source of nutrients/vitamins/etc. However, I will _selectively_ choose all-natural over something that's a run-amok lab experiment. I speak on this largely from the food industry perspective because I do have a vested interest there with the company that I now sell for, but I don't eat something just because it's "all natural"--I investigate further.


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## thaller1 (Jul 14, 2009)

severine said:


> Sucralose is not "all-natural." Not by far. It's chemically engineered in a lab by chlorinating sugar. IIRC, it is metabolized into formaldehyde. Gives me NASTY migraines (and it's not psycho-somatic...I discovered this data after I couldn't figure out why Fruit2O was giving me migraines--stopped ingesting sucralose and they went away).
> 
> This isn't the best source for info, but here it is, nonetheless:
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sucralose



I'm prone to migraines and my first question was about the sucralose and the amount is so little that is has no affect on me..however, I have suggested that just put out an "unsweetened" version...  I don't mind mixing it with my juice.

Anyway, the benefits of the product for me far outweigh the issue.

T


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## severine (Jul 14, 2009)

I wish more companies would skip that little bit of sweetener. Heck, it's on most cold medicines that you swallow whole, so I don't see the sense in it.


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## thaller1 (Jul 14, 2009)

severine said:


> I wish more companies would skip that little bit of sweetener. Heck, it's on most cold medicines that you swallow whole, so I don't see the sense in it.



I agree, they do have a tablet form which has no sweeteners..my Mom is taking that and likes it... I think that will be the wave of the future.. 

I'm pushing for it, but for now, I take so little I'm not worried..and I'm taking a couple of other supplements by Univera I like..... metagreens and sleep enabler...awesome.

T


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## Moe Ghoul (Jul 14, 2009)

B-complex, C, D- had a D defiency, B + C for overall
CoQ10- counter some Lipitor side effects, heart
Chromium Picolinate- metabolism
Gingko, Ginseng, Flax seed & Fish oils-circulation/brain
glucosamine/chondroitin- joints

Drink 48oz of homemade decaf green tea with fresh mint and honey every day. Take an 81mg aspirin as well.


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## ERJ-145CA (Jul 14, 2009)

severine said:


> Sucralose is not "all-natural." Not by far. It's chemically engineered in a lab by chlorinating sugar. IIRC, it is metabolized into formaldehyde. Gives me NASTY migraines (and it's not psycho-somatic...I discovered this data after I couldn't figure out why Fruit2O was giving me migraines--stopped ingesting sucralose and they went away).
> 
> This isn't the best source for info, but here it is, nonetheless:
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sucralose



No sucralose is not all natural but it does not metabolize into formaldehyde, that is aspartame (Equal or Nutrasweet).  Even the wikipedia entry that you linked to shows it to be largely safe.

Here is the entry on Aspartame (which I completely avoid):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspartame

If you go to the Center for Science in the Public Interest (a public food safety advocacy group) it considers sucralose the only safe artificial sweetener.  Interestingly enough Stevia or rebiana, a natural non-caloric sweetener may not be safe, again natural does not mean safe.  Scroll around the link below and read the entries on Sucralose, Aspartame and rebiana.
http://www.cspinet.org/reports/chemcuisine.htm#hfcs

I'm not saying your migranes were not caused by sucralose but I am saying that it is Aspartame that metabolizes into formaldehyde, and that natural does not always mean that it's harmless.


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## severine (Jul 15, 2009)

I already agreed that natural does not equal harmless. But created foods/sweeteners/etc. should be used with caution. Consider your sources. As I stated, wiki was not the best source to substantiate my statement but I was in a hurry and had 2 kids to chase around. There are many sources out there about sucralose not being "safe". They vary from alarmist to not, but it is documented.

http://www.splendaexposed.com/articles/2005/11/the_hidden_chem.html



> The FDA states in their Final Report on Splenda that sucralose is “produced at an approximate purity of ninety-eight percent.” The other two percent does not have to be reported to the FDA, nor listed as added ingredients. So what’s in the other two percent? The chemicals used to synthesize sucralose in the five-step process:
> 
> 1. Acetone
> 2. Acetic acid
> ...



http://www.holisticmed.com/splenda/

http://www.holisticmed.com/splenda/research-adverse.html

http://www.naturalchoicechiro.com/r...-of-splenda-sucralose-an-artificial-sweetener

The thing is, there have been no long-term studies on humans. There weren't on aspartame either before it was approved. There have been other examples of chemicals that have passed FDA only to be determined to be harmful after the fact. I'd rather not risk it even if some feel it is a small risk.

I am not perfect, I do not have a perfect diet, but I do avoid artificial sweeteners. I would be interested in seeing the data on stevia, though. Other than scare tactics that were used before it was approved as a sweetener (when it could only be sold as a dietary supplement in the US, though it was approved in Europe & Japan as a sweetener long before), I haven't read anything credible. I don't use stevia either. If I want to have sweet, I either use less sugar (preferably raw sugar), fruit juices or purees, honey, or agave nectar.


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## ERJ-145CA (Jul 15, 2009)

severine said:


> I already agreed that natural does not equal harmless. But created foods/sweeteners/etc. should be used with caution. Consider your sources. As I stated, wiki was not the best source to substantiate my statement but I was in a hurry and had 2 kids to chase around. There are many sources out there about sucralose not being "safe". They vary from alarmist to not, but it is documented.
> 
> http://www.splendaexposed.com/articles/2005/11/the_hidden_chem.html
> 
> ...



The reason I used wikipedia is because you did.  The reason I used The Center for Science in the Public Interest is because they are an unbiased food safety organization.  They don't accept money from any commercial interests.  For example before Stevia (rebiana) was approved they said to avoid it because there was evidence that it may be harmful, and now they say that it may be safe but more study is needed.  A quote from the end of the article: _"If consumers find the taste acceptable and future tests do not find major risks, rebiana may well be the elusive natural non-caloric sweetener that industry has sought for decades."_

The sources that you linked to all have an obvious bias against any non-natural sweetener.  One can find a site on the internet to support ones own point of view, for example here is a link to a site showing possible dangers of stevia:

http://safety.lovetoknow.com/Dangers_of_Stevia

or

http://ezinearticles.com/?Dangers-Associated-With-Stevia&id=1467205

and

http://ezinearticles.com/?Sucralose---Risky-Sweetener?&id=2191451

I understand that you don't use stevia but I was just giving an example of something blindly endorsed by sites and people who are into natural foods.  In fact the last two links have articles that the dangers of Stevia are probably overhyped and that there really isn't any evidence that sucralose is very harmful either.

A quote from the third link above: _* Much of negative claims against sucralose revolve around the issue of chlorine. While it is not evident that the elemental chlorine is released from sucralose, consider that chlorine is part salt's chemical structure (NaCl) and is in thousands of other foods that contain some form of chlorine.

* No scientific data links sucralose to negative effects -- just observations. Two case studies have been published regarding the relationship of migraines and sucralose:

(1) Bigal ME, Krymchantowski AV. Migraine triggered by sucralose--a case report. Headache. 2006 Mar; 46(3):515-7 
(2) Patel RM, Sarma R, Grimsley E. Popular sweetener sucralose as a migraine trigger. Headache. 2006 Sep; 46(8):1303-4

Flawed -- ALL patients in these studies had a variety of other possible migraine triggers. The writers were not researchers rather physicians writing about their observations in patients they were treating for migraines. No cause and effect was established with a single subject and only two were found who reported that sucralose might have been a trigger._

I'm not looking for a flame war, I was just trying to state some facts that I believe about sucralose, which I have been using for a few years without any acute effects on me.  I don't know about long term effects, if any, but I do know that after a few years of use I still feel just as good if not better than I felt before I switched from sugar to Splenda.


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## Nick (Jun 21, 2011)

I'm on blood pressure medication since earlier this year  At one point I was up to 160 / 120. Now it's down to about 120 / 80. Its a low dose. I do a lot of exercise too, I think it's just a genetic thing. 

Other than that, I try to take a multivitamin but don't always get to it. Nothing else, really. I'm not really a big believer in pills / supplements for the most part outside of getting what you need from your diet. Then again, sometimes my diet is, shall we say, "lacking" a bit :lol:


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## ctenidae (Jun 22, 2011)

When I feel my blood pressure going up, I take bourbon.
When I feel my cholesterol levels dropping, I take bacon.
When my hop levels are out of whack, I have a beer.


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## deadheadskier (Jun 22, 2011)

Probably is genetic Nick, if they still have you on BP medicine.

I was put on it a few years ago and didn't care for it.  Made me tired. Decided to go the exercise route instead and lost 20#.  Brought it down to 110 over 70 last I checked.


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## gmcunni (Jun 22, 2011)

Nick said:


> I'm on blood pressure medication since earlier this year


does your doc know you are now running this place? that can't be good for your BP  :wink:


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## Nick (Jun 22, 2011)

Among other things :roll:


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## Warp Daddy (Jun 22, 2011)

Better living thru chemistry !!  Having trained beaucoup pharmacists  and with 3 in my immediate family and being 68 and a heart attack survivor i am into minimalist approach  for  prescription drugs ( take one for heart and  one for BP but am NOT an advocate of self medication as an alternative to the real deal ,

 I do take a few well documented supplements that have stood the test of time and address some chronic issues that result from aging and overuse ( exercise related ) issues. 

These include saw palmetto , lycopene , pygeum africanum , Vit E  & B6,, zinc , selenium and copper  pumpkin seed and nettle ,ALL wrapped up in one neat little pill taken once daily . Daily childrens aspirin and Potassium .


Works great, lost 40 lbs , exercise in the gym 3/4 days week plus walking daily, golf , skiing etc.

 BP runs. 100-110/55-65 with a pulse rate in the mid 40's . My  resting pulse rate goes as low as 41 - due to conditioning  AND having had a triple bypass 2 yrs ago


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## powbmps (Jun 23, 2011)

1 1/2 years ago I found out my triglycerides were higher than they should be.  Don't really eat that poorly, so not much I could do with my diet.  Started taking D3 and fish oil.  Blood test a year later showed significant reduction, so I'm sticking with it.

Also, I managed to avoid any serious colds this past winter.  That's a first.  I believe the D3 is supposed to help boost your immune system, so maybe that's the case.


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## Geoff (Jun 23, 2011)

Warp Daddy said:


> These include saw palmetto , lycopene , pygeum africanum , Vit E  & B6,, zinc , selenium and copper  pumpkin seed and nettle ,ALL wrapped up in one neat little pill taken once daily . Daily childrens aspirin and Potassium .



What is this one neat little pill?

I pop an 81 mg asprin every day but anybody much over 40 should be doing that.   I do a multivitamin though it's probably unnecessary.


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## Nick (Jun 23, 2011)

Awesome Warp. 

Despite the crappy blood pressure I do hav ea good resting heart rate - I think it's around 45. My wife has a real high one for some reason (could it be me??!!) - I think around 70 or something. :lol: of course her blood pressure is almost nonexistant.


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