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Excellent Vitamin/Supplement brands?

MindLibMindLib Registered User regular
edited July 2011 in Help / Advice Forum
So I've heard a lot of people say that there are only a handful of really decent supplement brands. Could anyone suggest good brands for the following:

Vitamin D-3 2000 IU
Omega Fatty Acids 3-6-9-7
St. John's Wort

I'm also interested in any specific supplement advice that anyone might have who is experienced, maybe there's an expert out there?

MindLib on

Posts

  • Skoal CatSkoal Cat Registered User regular
    edited July 2011
    Did [strike]a[/strike] your doctor tell you to take these?

    Skoal Cat on
  • MindLibMindLib Registered User regular
    edited July 2011
    No, I can't afford a doctor. This is for general health.

    MindLib on
  • ceresceres When the last moon is cast over the last star of morning And the future has past without even a last desperate warningRegistered User, Moderator Mod Emeritus
    edited July 2011
    St. John's Wort should really only be taken under the supervision of a doctor. Really.

    ceres on
    And it seems like all is dying, and would leave the world to mourn
  • Skoal CatSkoal Cat Registered User regular
    edited July 2011
    MindLib wrote: »
    No, I can't afford a doctor. This is for general health.

    How did you determine that you need vitamin supplements, specifically these?

    Skoal Cat on
  • MindLibMindLib Registered User regular
    edited July 2011
    Skoal Cat wrote: »
    MindLib wrote: »
    No, I can't afford a doctor. This is for general health.

    How did you determine that you need vitamin supplements, specifically these?

    Appreciate the challenge but I'm not really into debating this, just looking for an answer to my question.

    This wasn't my only sources but there is this:
    http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/visualizations/snake-oil-supplements/

    MindLib on
  • Skoal CatSkoal Cat Registered User regular
    edited July 2011
    I'm no challenging you, vitamin supplements are just a very weird and often scam filled field and I want to make sure you know what's right and wrong. Look, at the end of the day, a vitamin is a vitamin. Take a multivitamin if you're concerned, but the special stuff not found in a major vitamin should probably be avoided.

    Skoal Cat on
  • MindLibMindLib Registered User regular
    edited July 2011
    ceres wrote: »
    St. John's Wort should really only be taken under the supervision of a doctor. Really.

    Thanks for the concern. I'll make sure that I'm taking a small amount at first to see how it affects me.

    MindLib on
  • MindLibMindLib Registered User regular
    edited July 2011
    Skoal Cat wrote: »
    I'm no challenging you, vitamin supplements are just a very weird and often scam filled field and I want to make sure you know what's right and wrong. Look, at the end of the day, a vitamin is a vitamin. Take a multivitamin if you're concerned, but the special stuff not found in a major vitamin should probably be avoided.

    Thanks. I won't be buying any snake oil.

    Vitamin D-3:
    http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/questions/vitamin-d-and-chronic-disease/

    Omega 3
    http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/omega-3-fats/

    St. John's Wort
    http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7015/4/14

    MindLib on
  • ceresceres When the last moon is cast over the last star of morning And the future has past without even a last desperate warningRegistered User, Moderator Mod Emeritus
    edited July 2011
    Yes, that's a lovely chart, and you found it posted on a site with a store attached, but you should never, ever take St. John's Wort without the advice and supervision of a medical doctor, because a) it varies wildly in quality from brand to brand and even pill to pill; b) IF you get a good brand and pill it works very differently on everybody and can have adverse effects as well; c) you should never self-medicate for depression for a whole host of reasons; and d) it has all kinds of very serious drug interactions associated with it.

    ceres on
    And it seems like all is dying, and would leave the world to mourn
  • HewnHewn Registered User regular
    edited July 2011
    There's no regulations on these vitamins, so the information you're looking for is going to be cloudy. And testing them is difficult, as contents can vary from package to package. Quality assurance is difficult.

    I do remember reading that the major brands, i.e. Centrum and One A Day, did contain a far closer accuracy to what they described. Meanwhile, the generics varied wildly.

    Hewn on
    Steam: hewn
    Warframe: TheBaconDwarf
  • MindLibMindLib Registered User regular
    edited July 2011
    ceres wrote: »
    Yes, that's a lovely chart, and you found it posted on a site with a store attached, but you should never, ever take St. John's Wort without the advice and supervision of a medical doctor, because a) it varies wildly in quality from brand to brand and even pill to pill; b) IF you get a good brand and pill it works very differently on everybody and can have adverse effects as well; c) you should never self-medicate for depression for a whole host of reasons; and d) it has all kinds of very serious drug interactions associated with it.

    Thanks ceres, maybe I'll hold off and consult a doctor first. I appreciate it.

    MindLib on
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