Magnesium (and other supplements)

[CtResident]

My mother said Dad was having "nerve pain" and she gave him magnesium and now he's better.

She went on to say my sister was having jittery legs at night and she gave her magnesium and now she's better.

She continued by saying that she will give me some magnesium. I have a Mom who swears by her vitamins and minerals, and yes, she's in pretty good health for 72 years old.

However, I have never been one to take pills. I gag on them. Taking a spoonful of sugar as recommended by Mary Poppins does work, yes, it's true. But it seems counter to good health to be chasing my pills with sugar!

I know Mom has some magnesium ready to give to me, along with the calcium w/D (even in the minipill formula just for my narrow throat!) I think there's folate in the cabinet, accumulating dust too.

Bottom line: shall I be a good daughter and take these things, are they of any benefit to me? I eat my fruits and vegs but am not up to the 9 per day recommendation.

Frankly, I find vitamins to be expensive and seeing Mom's mini-pharmacy on top of her fridge is not something I want to copy. Then again............she's in pretty good health!~

What say ye?

Suzanne

[LLWB]

I am probably going to be in the minority, but I don't favor vitamins, UNLESS you have bloodwork that shows a deficiency in a particular one. I have read sever respected scientists' articles saying thta most vit go right thru your system.And you are right, they are very expensive. Food tastes much better than a pill. I also have trouble swallowing anything, and gag big time. When I tested anemic they gave me an iron pill, took about 1 week and quit, couldn't swallow the darn things, way too big. Funny, next blood test the comments how great I did on bringing it up. I love liver & onions! Good luck and getting the right answer, there alot more people on here that are much more knowledgable about nutrition..........Maggie

[doublevision1]

The more I learn about nutrition, the more I've become convinced in the benefits of supplementing with Vitamin D, particularly for those living far from the Equator, who lack exposure to sunlight; and also, for those who don't get enough of it in their diet (which most people apparently do not).

I take 2000 IU of D3 every day, which is the safe upper limit.  This amount is recommended by Dr. Paul O'Connor, who is a Canadian MS specialist/ researcher/ author.  I also take a calcium supplement daily.  I am less disciplined about other supplements, but try to take a multi-vit and Omega 3-6-9 daily as well.  Generic brand vitamins are just as effective as brand-name ones, and a lot less expensive.

I'm very interested in the research into the link between Vitamin D and apparent lowered risk for auto-immune disorders, due to its immune-response suppression properties.  There have been several published studies on this topic and more currently underway.

It's too bad it took being dx'ed with MS for me to get really educated about nutrition.  I had 38 years of blissfully ignorant perfect health till this came along....

db1

[monotreme]

Hello Suzanne,
   First, thank you for your kind thoughts on my post about Craig.  

   Since Craig became sick, I have done alot of reading on alternative medicine.  I have also gone with Craig to a research endocrinologist  at UCLA .  I like his position on vitamin D.  He recommends everyone get a blood level drawn.  That is how I found out I had a severe vit D deficiency. He believes that keeping vit D levels at a high level (39 to 100, but the traditional level is tops at 39)  will keep away many degenerative diseases, including MS and cancer.  The upper limit for daily use can go to 5,000 International Units if you are aggressive but definitely can go to 2,000 IU daily.  Your body can make about 50,000 IU worth in 15 mins of unprotected sun exposure.  Craig takes 5,000 IU daily and his level is still within the normal old limits.   So yes, I think vit D cannot hurt, along with some calcium.

   The magnesium can help with muscle spasms in a normal healthy person.  In MS I believe they may help a little, but spasms are caused by the brain sending wrong messages to the nerves and muscles, so the mag helps a little bit but not as much as in a healthy person.  Tonic water works better for spasms.  craig takes magnesium glycinate with not much help in the spasms.

    I think sublingual vit B12 in the methylcobalamin form is good for people with neuro problems and is very inexpensive.

   Craig takes St Johns Wort daily for his depressed moods.  He also takes Acetyl L-Carnitine and ginseng for his fatigue.   All of these supplements help somewhat, but of course are better as a complement to real drugs, not as stand alone therapy.

  Elaine