Vitamins/Supplementation
 

How do YOU feel about vitamins/supplements? There are many conflicting articles about the potential health benefits/dangers of vitamins. Also, if in favor, what vitamins/supplements do you take and why?

Vitamins are very important. Your brain is full of the toxic aftermath of your injury.

All of the anti-oxidants are good. also the B's. Some folic acid, Omega 3's, D3, the minerals, etc.

This has been discussed at length. Do a search on this forum for vitamins.

Vitamins and supplements need to become a long term/lifetime regimen. the benefits are very slow in coming.

My best to you.

Thank you Mark. I picked up a b-complex with vitamin c. I will be taking it daily in combination with DHA and a Multivitamin. Let me know your thoughts. It contains:

pdv - percent daily value

Vitamin C 150mg 250pdv
Thiamin 5mg 333pdv
Riboflavin 5mg 294pdv
Niacin 50mg 250pdv
Vitamin B6 5mg 250pdv
Folate 200mcg 50pdv
Vitamin B12 38mcg 625pdv
Biotin 15mcg 5pdv
Pantothenic Acid 25mg 250pdv

The supplements I have been taking are:

B-complex 100
Algal DHA (900 mg)
D3 (2,000 units)
Acetyl-l-carnitine (500 mg)

I subjectively feel that these have been very helpful, but I suppose it could also be placebo effect. Frankly, at this point, I don't care if it's a real effect or placebo effect as long as I feel better.

Eowyn's regimen is a great start.

lindberg's regimen is very weak.

A B-50 complex or B-100 complex is a good start. It is a somewhat standard complex of 50mgs (B-50) or 100 mgs (B-100) of most B's and 100 or 50 mcg's of B-12.

I take a pack of vitamins I get at Costco. It is called "Daily Multi Pack." I add a B-50 and 250 mcg of B-12, 100 mgs of B-6, 100 mgs of C, 250mgs of niacin, calcium, magnesium, and a few others.

I have been on this regimen for most of 30 years. It was prescribed by a MD when I was in a highly symptomatic state. My wife can tell when I have missed a few days. My demeanor changes.

Some people do a more intense regimen by spreading the supplements over the day. The nutrition forum has some info about this idea. I take it all at once after breakfast.

How is my regimen "very weak"? It seems like you have a very condescending attitude towards me.

Hi lindberg,

I didn't think he was condescending at all. You asked his opinion, and he gave it.

Your B complex does appear very weak compared to many. I take a B-100 complex (which is kind of "middle of the road" - there are also B-50, B-150, and a host of other B-complexes). By comparison to yours, mine has:

Thiamin 100 mg
Riboflavin 100 mg
Niacin 100 mg
Vitamin B6 100 mg
Folate 400 mcg
Vitamin B12 100 mcg
Biotin 100 mcg
Pantothenic Acid 100 mg

and some brands/complexes are even higher still in some of these.

I take additional:
B-12 5000 mcg
Pantothenic Acid 1000 mg
Vitamin C 1000 mg (more when stressed and/or feel something coming on)
Vitamin D 1000 iu (took 10,000 iu when I was tested low)
Vitamin E 400 - 800 iu

I also take a good multi with minerals, and several other supplements particular to my own conditions/needs.

Those % daily values they give are often old, out of date, and/or irrelevant for people with different conditions/needs, so I found it helpful to learn something about everything I take, and adjust accordingly. Some vitamins can safely be taken in huge quantities; others cannot, and as you say, can be detrimental. Some people may also have problems with absorption of some vitamins without even knowing it, so larger quantities may be in order. Of course the best way to get any/all vitamins is by proper diet & exercise, which gets tougher all the time in this culture/day & age.

There's a lot of good information on all of this in the Vitamins & Supplements forum, as well as in some sub-forums and "Stickys" in other forums, depending on whatever else you may have.

Doc

1,666pcd of vitamin c?

Too much vitamin C can cause diarrhea and gastrointestinal upset.* Some reports claim that* prolonged overdose of vitamin C can lead to birth defects, genetic mutation, kidney stones, oxidative stress and cancer, but these are not commonly accepted right now.

It's very, very unnatural to be taking such high quantities of vitamins in my opinion. You must have the most expensive urine in the world.

A healthy diet is way more important. Food is the means your body is designed to accept vitamins from, and in smaller quantities for a reason.

Yes, I said that.

Studies & claims can be found to support just about any argument/position one wants to take; it comes down to the veracity/reputation of the source, the science behind it, and what/who you choose to believe.

Folks here are quite knowledgable from years of research and experience, so again, I urge you to read what's in those pages, and ask any specific questions there.

No-one here has criticized you. We've just made observations that your B-complex is on the lightweight side of the range of what people are taking. What I take is kind of in the middle. Whether it's enough depends on what medical conditions you may have, what your levels are, and probably most importantly, how you feel.

Best Wishes,

Doc

Vitamin C is often taken to what ius called "bowel tolerance." That means one takes increasing doses until they start to have loose bowels. they then reduce their dose to proper bowel function.

An easy way to tell if you are peeing out vitamin C is by the color of your urine. Bright yellow urine contains vitamin C. You will notice that the same dose will not always show up ones urine. This is an example of how the body needs more vitamin C some days that others. Stress gobbles up vitamin C. Good health allows your body to expel some.

B-12 can be measured in blood as can folate. Many do not absorb B-12 well so they need the individually specific supplement.

As Dr Smith said, vitamins have been studied for years. My father was on a strong vitamin regimen since his early 30's. He passed away at 80 due to a neurological injury but with a very healthy body otherwise.

The Big Pharma's try to discount vitamins because they prefer to sell patented drugs to treat the same maladies. But lets not get into that controversy.

...and more.
 

Stress gobbles up a lot of vitamins, including the B family, which are often dubbed (along with many others) as "stress vitamins". Pain is stress, so it's no wonder that many/most chronic/intactable pain patients take ample/liberal dosages. Vitamin D is another that is now being researched and associated with chronic pain.

Some B complex caplets can also brighten urine, but that may be the result of dyes in their formulations and/or insufficient hydration.

Doc

I'm just taking Optimal Whey Protein shakes and Vit D3 5000.

I was doing spirulina & chlorella, but don't want to keep spending $ on them if they don't make a difference (and make me lose weight).

Trying to budget for a possible Neurofeedback (or something else) session.

Why are you supplementing with protein shakes Jeffrey?

Also, I am curious to see any scientific literature on vitamin supplementation as it relates to recovering from brain injuries. I see a lot of statements about vitamin this or vitamin that on this board being helpful for recovery, but I haven't actually come across any rigorous, non-animal scientific studies backing up these assertions. Can someone point me in the right direction?

Dr. Blaylock MD has used supplements for neuro injuries for many years. He is now retired and has his own line.
http://www.russellblaylockmd.com/
He has many YouTubes also, and they are worth watching.


But you don't have to buy his products, just see the ingredients.

I think Omega-3s are necessary for membrane repair. B12 also is a helper for remyelination of damaged axons. These two at least IMO.

I'd be leary of blue green algae products after this recent discovery that a toxin is in them that causes brain damage!
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/sh...ighlight=algae

I'm a bit over 120 lbs. I'm trying hard to gain weight so I can take bumps & mishaps better by having some meat on my bones. Despite utmost caution, coordination has been off since the TBI.

And being this thin can be dangerous- I've been like this my whole life, but it seems more of a problem since the TBI. Never been able to get much over 130 in my life.

Supposedly, the stuff repairs injured cells & helps w/the immune system.
$120 for a 3-pack, though. Hmm.

Hopefully this Vit.D is helping.

Not to completely derail this thread, but what are you doing for exercise Jeffrey?

I do stretching & go for walks. Sometimes 10 lb weights.

Don't want to do anything to extreme to trigger the head pain.

Don't have a car, so walking home w/2 bags of groceries is a good workout.

And taking the laundry up & downstairs, washing a lot of dishes by hand.

Hope everyone's supplements go well.

I'm thinking about Brain Repair Formula, but it coud be snake oil:

http://www.newportnutritionals.com/whats_in.html

You are wasting your money. You don't need the protein supplements.

At your activity level and if the rest of your diet is typical, all the protein from the supplements is probably ending up in the toilet. Excess protein intake is extremely hard on the kidneys as well.

Just eat (more) real food in a balanced diet if you want to get bigger, and exercise as much and as hard as you can without triggering your symptoms or otherwise hurting yourself.

Protein supplements may be useful when it is inconvenient to prepare and eat real food. For example, there is an alleged "protein window" that last for about 30 minutes after a hard workout -- the kind that leaves you sore for days afterward -- where your body is said to optimally absorb protein. So for someone interested in building muscle and who believes in that window, it's much easier to gulp down a protein shake right after a workout than to prepare and eat a real meal with the same amount of protein at the gym.

For sure, the protein intake requirements for a highly active athlete are much greater than for the average person, and it may be difficult to satisfy those requirements with real food.

But nothing replaces the nutrition you can get out of real, whole, unprocessed food in the end. Besides, real food tastes better and (I bet) calorie-for-calorie, cheaper.

If you can get the protein from a steak, ditch the protein shake.

Source: lifelong competitive athlete in weight-classed sports.

The Brain Repair Formula is way too expensive.

Start with some decent supplementation as I and others have posted previously. My whole handful costs me less than $1.00 per day. Dr Blaylock adds some other things but you should be able to get these others for much less. They may have value but the basic supplementation regimen should be your first start. Remember, it will take a few months before you start to notice a difference.

Your brain has to flush the toxins before it can start the repair process.

The past post about having greater body weight to better withstand impacts is hogwash. Despite what Dr Cantu said, body weight has no impact AT ALL on the damage done to your brain when your head is impacted. If you were to wear a heavy helmet, it would only work if the surface/object you were impacting your head against deformed more from the extra weight. It is a freshman college physics 1A question.

Dr Cantu may have some anecdotal evidence to back up his claim but he is likely misinterpreting the evidence

One way to add body mass so your body has more strength is to do weight reps at close to you maximum weight slowly. This creates a greater level of muscle cell tearing and strain thus causing the body to repair/build that muscle stronger. This will build muscle but not aerobic capacity.

Thanks for the input.

Since I don't have a regular income, I try not to waste my money.

Feel free to communicate w/my boss, though.

My housemate & boss who runs the house I live & work in told me I have to buy it. Wasn't my idea, and he told me to take it for the rest of my life.

But I'll try phasing it out when it runs out.

Not my house & kitchen, and I'm not a cook, so no steaks unless I eat out.

I eat all-natural large meals as often as possible.

Hope everyone's brain healing goes well.

Thanks for the tip on the Formula. I'm sceptical of potential snake oil myself.

OK. My one supplement are: Vit. D3 5000.

I could try Vit B complex again- not sure if anything else helped.

I wonder in there's a way to know what supplements help if any.

Body weight not having anything to do w/recovery- I know.

Still- you probably don't want to weigh 120 lbs for health reasons anyway.

Yeah- I never took Physics in school, so thanks for the crash course.

Used physics a lot in animation. Not w/head impact details.

Cantu? Wrong? OK. Cool.

So far weights haven't worked for the past few decades, but who knows- God may allow a miracle to happen in the next few weeks, months or years of lifting my pair of dumbells.

Peace of the Lord be with you always.

Hope everyone enjoys their supplements.

Hope eveyone heals from their injuries.

Let's all be cautious to not get repeat injuries.

And have a good Labor Day.

Back to work-