Which Supplements Should You Take?

I’m asked about supplements pretty often: people want to know which ones they should take.

Here’s my answer:

I have no idea.

Unfortunately, we’re all different, and we all need to supplement with different things in order to optimize our levels of nutrients, anti-oxidants, hormones, and all the other chemicals in our bodies.

If you take something you don’t actually need, you can do serious damage to your body, even something as seemingly benign as vitamin D or B vitamins. I’ve learned that the hard way, especially recently.

The only reason I take any supplements at all is because I know that I have a deficiency or an excess of a particular thing, and I’m trying to fix it.

So to start with, I’ll tell you what I’m taking and why:

Vitamin D: I take 2000 iu per day of vitamin D3 because my levels are not optimal. They’re fine, but I’d like them to be a little higher.

Iron: I was found to be extremely iron and ferritin deficient about 5 months ago. I started taking Perque Hematin Anemia Guard, as well as some other iron supplements, and my levels have gone up quite a bit. I’m still taking the iron because I’d like my ferritin to increase from 40 to around 60-80.

SAM-e: This is a precursor to serotonin, which is one of the neurotransmitters responsible for keeping you calm and content. I’ve been struggling with depression, and SAM-e keeps me from having such low lows. I take 400mg per day.

Fish oil: I have a specific inflammatory marker called MMP-9 that’s pretty high. This is one of the parts of your immune system that typically increases when you have a biotoxin illness, like I do from mold exposure. This marker responds well to fish oil, so I’m taking about 3g of Arctic Oils OmegaPure per day.

Probiotics: I take a Renew Life Ultimate Flora capsule every day, which contains 50 billion live cultures of beneficial bacteria per capsule. I take these because I’ve struggled with leaky gut/food sensitivities for, well, my whole life I think. Probiotics are one of the most important factors in gut health and having tight junctures in your intestinal wall.

DHEA: A few months ago my blood tests revealed that I had “no detectable free testosterone” in my body. So that was cool (sarcasm). I started taking DHEA to help my body produce some testosterone. Low testosterone is another repercussion of the mold illness, and it can contribute to depression, joint pain, hair loss, and all kinds of other stuff, much of which I’ve been dealing with. I find out tomorrow if this supplementation has been working. Fingers crossed!

Things I’m NOT Taking

I recently overdosed on B vitamins.

It was awful. I was told to take astronomical amounts of B12, methylfolate, B6, niacin, and others to help with the depression. I did that, but I did it for way too long, and pretty soon my B12 and folate levels were off the charts (i.e. normal B12 is up to 900 and mine was >2000).

The symptoms were that I had WAY worse tingling in my body and the worst panic attack I’ve ever had. I felt (sometimes strong) electrical shocks almost all of the time all over my body. As soon as I figured it out and stopped taking the B vitamins, the shocks calmed down and I stopped being quite so anxious. It was intense.

So while I used to recommend that most people take B vitamins, I don’t anymore.

What Should You Take?

Like I said, I don’t know for sure, but there are ways you can test yourself for deficiencies (and excesses). And there are certain things that you should be aware of to ask your doc/naturopath.

I talk a lot about supplements in general, plus ways you can test yourself, and things you should talk to your doc about in my program called Primal Beauty. I also go over in great detail how to eat in order to improve your nutrient levels.

My Primal Beauty Program Teaches You All About This

I’ve spent a lot of years experimenting with myself, testing my blood, working with naturopaths, and studying supplements. I recently wrote a whole program about natural health, including everything I know about supplements, called Primal Beauty.

I talk about:

Potential supplements for hormonal balancing
Bioidentical hormone therapy
Potential supplements for weight loss
Which testing you can do on your own
What to ask your doctor to test for you
What kind of doc is best for you
A LOT more – it’s a huge program

You’ll learn all of this in the Primal Beauty Program, which includes:

The Primal Beauty Manual
The Hormone Handbook
The Primal Beauty Snacks and Shakes Recipe Guides
The Primal Beauty Top 100 Beauty-Building Superfoods Guide

This is all being sold right now for $20. Yes, only $20… for real. I’m not sure if we’re raising that price soon or not, but for now it’s very affordable!

I know this resource will help you take steps toward realizing your own, true, natural beauty and health