Both Flaxseed and Fish oil?
 

I have dry eye well not exact but similar. Anyhow the eye doc said omega 3 can help with the oil glands but not to mix the fish oil and flax. He suggested flax seed supp. I know Mrs D told I think Silverlady to have both flaxseed and fish oil supp. So how much do you take of each? They are 1200mg for fish oil and 1000mg of flaxseed oil. Or should I just stick to either flax or fish?

this is how it works...
 

Flax seed contains alpha linolenic acid...this is the essential EFA omega-3 our
bodies need EVERYDAY to function properly.

This ingredient goes thru many changes and uses, and if all works well one of the results is EPA and DHA (like found in fish oils).

Women convert pretty well, ALA omega-3 because we are genetically programed to have babies and deliver DHA to the developing brain of the fetus.
Humans have the highest DHA ratio in brain tissue of all land mammals.

So females can convert about 20-24% of ALA from flax oil to EPA and DHA.
Males only convert 8-10%.

The omega-3 series of fatty acids make up the skin, lining of the gut, heart,
you name it. So people with very dry skin can benefit from flax. It doesn't matter if you do the seeds ground up, or buy the oil, or EAT it in carefully chosen foods.

Severely deficient people need oils...and restricted them seems arbitrary to me. Flax oil will soften your feet, prevent calluses, reduce or eliminate dandruff, and soften your skin.

This is an ESSENTIAL OIL...meaning you cannot live without it. Just like Vit C has to be obtained from food, you cannot live without ALA.

EPA and DHA are important for the brain, but they do not do what flax does.

I think EVERYONE needs BOTH!

Thanks always. So if I take the supp from a pill how much daily flax should I take. It is 1000mg tablets.

Do you need to crush the flax seeds for them to work if you are taking the seeds?

crush...grind. otherwise they come out whole. :eek:

trying to each and everyone....takes a longgggggggg time. ;)

Hmmm maybe the seeds are not worth the bother . was going to try em on salads and yogurt. Dont really want to be watching for em though the other way :eek:

i buy bread with flax seeds. i know i really chew most of them. yogurt...hmmm...don't think i'd end up chewing them.

Yeah was gonna try with yogurt fruit and granola. Thought I could just throw them in with the granola but now that I need a morter and whatever it is I might just do the oil :p

We have
 

We have done fine on the flax oil for a decade now. It even suppresses my husband's psoriasis!

I only buy quality, and keep in the frig for storage.

K-mart had buy one get one free last week. I used my NatureMade coupon for $7.00 (earned with wellness points) and got 29.00 worth of flax oil (exp 2010) 360 caps for a final price
of ....drum roll..... 7.99 !

You can really save $$ by watching the circulars!

I'd start with one capsule daily...and if no response in a couple of weeks, increase to 2. Start slowly so the atrophied systems can wake up and handle the oils.
Highly deficient people, need time to respond.

Thanks Mrs D.
Shelly if you buy ground flaxseed it is not too bad in oatmeal or yogurt. Dr Oz said that if you eat it whole you only benefit from the fiber but not the omega

Flax Seed
 

I grind flaxseed in a coffee grinder that I just use for it. You don't have to grind it very fine - doesn't take long at all. Just a couple pulses. Then I keep the ground flaxseed in a small jar and put a heaping teaspoon on my oatmeal along with my raisins and some water. Pop it into the microwave and it's ready. I only grind what I will use in a few weeks or less. The whole flaxseed is kept in another jar in a dark cupboard where it is cool. It will keep there for probably six months or so I believe. This works out great:)

Kitt

:confused:
I have dry eyes as well. I'm not suppose to take Fish Oil due to low platelet level. I do eat salmon and those Omega 3 eggs, etc. Would flax seed oil be safe for me or is it too similar to Fish Oil?

Flax oil
 

is not a drug.

It is the first building block our bodies need to make all of our components.

High dose fish oil, becomes like a "drug" in that it skews our fatty acid
metabolism. In nature we don't eat high dose fish oil in food.

Females convert to EPA and DHA about 20% ...the rest of the flax oil ALA
goes to other systems doing other work.

I think if anyone has a platelet disorder, where they are low, then flax oil is the better bet. Males however, are a different story.

Would you stop consuming Vit C in foods/supplements?
Flax oil is the same degree of being essential as Vit C.

Salmon and Omega-3 eggs provide only the EPA and DHA which are at the END of the fatty acid chemical tree. They do not go backwards to other places.
The remain long chain forever. Our bodies make EPA and DHA under ideal circumstances providing you eat the beginning ALA found in flax oil, walnuts, canola etc.
Now if you eat Smart Balance Peanut butter you will get flax oil from that.
Some foods have flax oil added (or canola) and other foods only the long chain EPA and DHA. You have to read the labels.

I use both flaxseed and fish oil.

Flaxseed - I buy the "oil" and use 2 tablespoons once a day in a fruit smoothie or over veggies.

I am not a very good writer...
 

So I found a website, Barlean's, to explain this better:

http://www.barleans.com/literature/f...ing-fishy.html

When we started EFAs over 10 yrs ago, I used 3 of them.

1) flax oil
2) evening primrose
3) fish oils (later getting the high DHA version for my son)

I found that the evening primrose (or borage) is not that necessary after time so we dropped it. I don't recommend it anymore unless people don't see any benefits to taking flax. It is an Omega-6 and only needed in small amounts.
I do recall 2 people on the old old format OBT on the Tourette's board who had fatty acid analysis tests done on their children, and found very low levels of GLA and who had to take primrose/borage.

I take a Flax Oil supp, plus a cod liver gel cap.

My DH's Dr told him to take a Fish Oil supp plus the Cod liver one, so I started :)the CL myself.... What's your take on that mrsd???

Plus, thank you for all the info you supply here.... It's soooo interesting and I appreciate it....

Cod live oil is okay
 

as long as you don't increase doses (thinking to get more EFAs that way)

If you plan on becoming pregnant, the vit A content in some cod liver oils,
should be considered. Especially if you take other vitamins containing A.

High dose A (retinol) is not recommended during pregnancy.

Since toxins are concentrated in the liver of the fish (more than the body),
make sure you buy a quality brand that guarantees no contamination (that they test for toxins).

Used properly cod liver oil is safe.

Flax Seed
 

I did a little further digging concerning flax seed. Whole flax seed will keep in a covered jar in a dark, cool cupboard for about a year or longer. That's because it has a hard hull that preserves the goodness. When it's ground it will keep about 90 days. Whole or ground have the same nutritional content but you get more benefit from ground flax seed. That's because it's hard to crack that shiny seed.:winky: Flax seed is good for you in so many ways. Hope this helps:)

Kitt

Thank you for all the ifo. I appreciate it so much.On my bottle of flax 1000mg it says take 2 to 3 daily. I have been taking 1 like you said but see nothing so can I just jump up to 2 and then 3? I didn't think there was any issue with too much?I am sure with my past I am severly deficient with omegas.Also I was reading amount walnuts be very good with omegas. There is this site worlds healthiest foods the website is www.whfoods.org and it gives such good info on healthy foods and what they do for you. You should check it out all they have recipes too.

Hmmmmm I would like to get an analysis of my fatty acids.

On a side note...MrsD....you are right about that metformin...I know where every bathroom is :p

Hi! I've got another question... Whenever I take Fish Oil or Cod Liver Oil gel caps, I (for a lack of a better word) BURP a nasty fishy taste. It's awful and even happens when I take it w/a meal. Anybody else deal w/that or have a solution? Yuck....

The Flax supp doesn't have any affect on me... Just the other two....

:eek:

i don't know dm...i have seen the mixed caps with both fish and flax..maybe that would help.

i'm seeing better results for what i wanted with the flax.

i have those problems with b-complex. almost gags me. so...i stay clear of the mixed b's. :p

I get lemon coated nature made fish oil which makes it for no burbs. You can also put your reg in the freezer and that is suppose to help too. Also are you taking it with food?That helps as well.

there are
 

enteric coated capsules now, that don't break down in the stomach at
all. So no burps.

Daisymay,

I take Lovaza (prescription fish oil) and have had no burps as of yet. And it said on the prescription insert not to take flax oil and I would assume flaxseed. It may have something to do with the strength of the fish oil though.

Hi Kathy,

:confused::confused: I have a presciption for Lovaza as well. Got it a couple of weeks ago. I missed that in the insert and now dont have it. :mad:

Mrsd can you weight in on this as I have also been supplementing with Flax oil. Hope I have not been doing anything dangerous.

DM I have tried the enteric coated fish oil and had no burps. And I have had no burps with the Lovaza either.

This is what the recommendation is:
from http://www.rxlist.com/cgi/generic/lovaza.htm

What this is saying....is this:
This dose of Lovaza was used in trials to show a of lowering a triglycerides (the only thing tested for in studies). In order to achieve this one cannot substitute other things and expect results. It also says use OUR product only so we MAKE the MONEY we expect to. Like all brand name companies spending $$ on sales people and advertising...they want to protect their product from competition.

I lowered my triglycerides 50% with only one fish oil regular strength daily, along with 1 flax oil and evening primrose. (we dropped the primrose later).
Now people with horrendous triglycerides over 500 need a more dramatic dose schedule. Mine went from 385 to 170-180-- and have never returned to the previous #. I have had techs tell me they draw blood from some people with elevated triglycerides, and watch the fat rise to the top of the tube in a separate layer! This is when the range is over 800.

My personal take on EFA supplementation, is that it is better to take the flax oil because the benefits include more than for EPA synthesis. Males have a problem with lower conversion rates to EPA and therefore are more needful of fish oil.

Right now I use a double strength enteric coated capsule daily, some times two, for anti-inflammatory effects for my arthritis and allergies.

Taking flax oil in ADDITION should have no effect IMO. For people with EFA deficiencies, there are OTHER benefits besides just lowered triglycerides.
Your whole body will benefit.

Mrs D.,

Lovaza was prescribed by my heart doctor. It is the only FDA approved fish oil. Dollars and competition are the very least of my worries although some people may take issue with it. I simply don't. I tried regular fish oil capsules and the kind or type that was recommended by my GP a long time ago. They didn't help and I belched all the time. With Lovaza I don't have that problem. Quite frankly I am glad my insurance covers it...less money out of my pocket or searching and spending dollars on something that may or may not help.

Hi guys,

Thanks Mrs D. I will continue to take both for now at separate times fo the day. And i will also ask my doc next time i see her.

Kathy my insurance also covers and my doc gave it to me because my triglycerides were high at 398.

So we'll see how it performs in the next blood test in a month or so.

Thanks guys!

Ok I was due to refill my Lovaza and so I made sure I asked the pharmicist about flax seed. And they told me this product is based in flax seed so I don't need to take.

And I wanted to say do you know MrsD? Cuz I think you may be wrong. :rolleyes: (meaning my pharmacist is wrong and MrsD rules!!!)

I even then read the pamphlet and no where is ther flax seed in this med.

nothing surprises me anymore!
 

http://www.rxlist.com/cgi/generic/lovaza.htm
partially hydrogenated oils = transfats

I don't expect any flax oil in there. I think the carrier oils are all Omega-6's like soybean, sunflower, corn, who knows, since they don't say in particular.