Thanks to a lot of help and guidance on this forum I am now trying to take control of my own health as it is now becoming more clear to me that the doctors are just leaving us out to dry with little or no help from them!
Having had recent blood tests done, B12 at 313, I have just started to take a high dose B12, 5000mcg, along with a B complex but I have done a lot of reading from various sources about the importance of supplementing other minerals, zinc, magnesium, selenium, calcium etc. and the vitamins A,C,D, E, K etc.I was wondering if anybody can suggest the best way of supplementing these? Can anybody recommend a good multi - mineral/vitamin supplement out there or do we need to take these as individual supplements. There are a lot of supplements out there to choose from but I seem to be going round in circles with which would be the best to choose/buy.
I had a Thyroidectomy and only on Levo. I thought that I would try to balance my nutrients before trying the T3 route.
Thank you.
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Suesews
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Suesews There isn't really a good multivitamin/mineral. Multivitamins tend to contain not enough of anything to help, usually the cheapest and least bioavailable form of ingredients, and just not worth the money. If it's a multivitamin/mineral then if it contains iron that will cancel everything else out as iron must be taken at least 2 hours away from anything else. Also, if it contains calcium and/or iodine we shouldn't supplement with those unless we have been tested and know we are deficient.
So best forget a multivitamin and supplement where you know you are low or have a deficiency. You've got B12 and a B Complex covered, the only other to test is Vit D. You shouldn't supplement that unless you've been tested because taking it (or taking too much) when not necessary can cause excess to be stored and it could reach toxicity level.
If you take Vit D there are important co-factors needed which help it work properly vitamindcouncil.org/about-v... K2 is important because D3 aids absorption of calcium from food and it directs calcium to bones and teeth where it's needed and away from arteries and soft tissues where it can be deposited and cause problems.
Magnesium tends to be low in most of us so as well as being a cofactor of D3, it's a good supplement to take.
Zinc and Boron, other cofactors, can be found in a good multimineral.
Vit C is a good general supplement which we probably all should take, recommended is 2000mg in divided doses daily, more if you wish. It helps support adrenals and is needed alongside iron to aid absorption and help prevent constipation.
A good multimineral is a pretty good idea as long as it doesn't contain iron, iodine and calcium.
A decent probiotic is always a good idea for gut health.
If you want recommendations for decent brands, say what you are looking for and I'll let you know some that I use myself or would be happy to use.
Hi SeasideSusie, thank you for your comprehensive reply.
I was looking to supplement the minerals, zinc, magnesium, boron and selenium. My recent blood test for magnesium was 0.77mmol/L (0.70 - 1.00) so at the lower end of the range, I think? I did not get any results for the other minerals.
With regard to Vit D and Calcium I am unsure? I know there is a risk of toxicty if you overdose on these, I have taken 1mcg of Alphacacidol daily in addition to my Levo for the past 12 years because I also had a parathyroid gland removed at the same time. But despite this, my recent blood test results, 2 weeks ago, for these are:
When I asked the GP about these she said they were all in range so do not need to be supplemented - but she also said that about my B12!! To me they look like they are at the low end of the range but I would appreciate your opinion/thoughts on these.
The other vits A,C & K as you say as cofactors, so would probably benefit from adding these to the list!!
My iron levels I think may be ok with the recent blood test result of 22 umol/L (9 -30)
I do also take a probiotic supplement, started this about 3 weeks ago.
Any recommendations for decent brands and combinations, if applicable, of the above supplements would be greatly appreciated as I seem to be going round in circles trying to find the right ones.
I am fast approaching the big 60, don't know where those years went, but I would like to get the most out of whatever years I have left.
The recommended level for Vit D is 100-150nmol/L according to the Vit D Council. You really need to supplement to bring yourself up to within that range. I always suggest Doctors Best D3 as being very good value for money and an excellent supplement with only two ingredients - the D3 and extra virgin olive oil bodykind.com/product/2463-b...
With your level of Vit D you could supplement 3000-4000iu daily for 3 months then retest, when you reach the recommended level you could reduce to 2000iu as a maintenance dose. To ensure you keep within range, it's recommended to retest once or twice a year, you can do this with a home fingerprick test with City Assays vitamindtest.org.uk/index.html
Now I've reached the recommended level, I use this supplement as maintenance, it has the cofactors K2, Vit A and Vit E (all in their correct forms) along with 2000iu D3 amazon.co.uk/Allergy-Resear... Nutricology and Allergy Research are the same so you could compare prices for the best buy.
I don't know anything about parathyroid removal and calcium levels, but supplementing D3 will increase uptake of calcium.
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Magnesium is generally low for most of us, and it's recommended to supplement along with Vit D. Choose which form is best for you naturalnews.com/046401_magn... I personally use Natural Calm Magnesium Citrate Powder (natural) and make a drink with orange juice.
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Selenium is a good supplement generally for us Hypos, you may want to get tested but a nice supplement is Cytoplan cytoplan.co.uk/selenium - a nice small 100mcg tablet that doesn't have the unpleasant odour a lot of selenium supplements have. It's on 3 for 2 during October and I use this one.
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Personally, I take a multimineral which contains boron, zinc, selenium (100mcg which is half of what is recommended for Hashi's patients where selenium helps reduce antibodies) yournutritionshop.com/produ... You can get it from Biocare direct when they have the large tub in, currently they are only showing the 30 capsule size
Thank you so much SeasideSusie for all your advice, this has been a great help to me. I have now ordered the different supplements. Looks like I will have to make room in a kitchen cupboard to accomodate them all!!
I would send you a bunch of flowers if I knew where you lived xx
It's the thought that counts Suesews, and that's very nice of you
Start your supplements by taking just one, give it a week or two and if no adverse reaction then add the second one. Wait another week or two and again if no adverse reaction then add the next one. Adding them individually like this means that if you do have any reaction then you'll know what caused it.
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