Brad Wardell's views about technology, politics, religion, world affairs, and all sorts of politically incorrect topics.
Published on September 15, 2009 By Draginol In Medicine

As I get older, I am becoming more aware of how the body seems to change from a position of “must make sure this organism lives so it can reproduce” to “meh”.  At 38, I am definitely seeing the transition from “must live” to “meh” which is not uncommon for people my age from what I’m learning.

Being the ungraceful kook I am, I’m learning about dietary supplements that might provide if not a reversal of the negative trend at least some sort of decreased in the rate of decline.  Of course, there’s a lot of info out there and a lot of it falls well into quackary in my opinion.

Having spent quite a bit of time online there remains a considerable amount of debate over whether dietary supplements are worthwhile or simply create “expensive urine”.

I haven’t gone whole hog on dietary supplements from from simply using Juvenon and Fish Oil I can say with certainty that yes, they have a  noticeable effect and it is a good one.

After having to go on Statin drugs for Cholesterol I decided to look further into this and ended up taking a few more supplements and the difference, again, is significant and yet subtle.   The most noticeable change (for me) is that my flexibility is noticeably better which is not something I had anticipated but is noticeable enough that I can’t attribute it to anything else.

So I fall firmly in the camp that yea, dietary supplements can be beneficial. But I also am very skeptical about how much impact they can really have since there’s a lot of nonsense out there.

There’s plenty of people that think it’s all nonsense such as this guy. While I think the jury is definitely out on supplements for cancer prevention, I think they can be very useful for cardiovascular health.

So where to start?

In no particular order:

Phosphatidycholine. General cellular health.

Policosanol. Lowers LDL cholesterol and raises HDL cholesterol.

Read Yeast Rice. Improves cholesterol.

phosphatidylserine. Improves memory.

CoEnzyme Q10. Useful if you’re taking a Statin drug.

Vitamin D.

Vitamin E.

Vitamin B12.

Resveratrol.

DHA.

Grape Seed extract.

Melatonin.

Juvenon.

Alpha Lipoic

These are just the tips of the iceberg.  I am only looking at this. Some people, like Ray Kurzweil, take over 200 supplements per day. I don’t think I could even remotely imagine consuming that many supplements.

But as try different things, I’ll let you know what I find.

Ones in bold. I am trying presently.


Comments
on Sep 15, 2009

I"ve been playing around with dietary supplements as well, paying close attention to their affects and trying to keep a skeptical attitude as to their effectiveness (to help potentially minimize psychosomatic effects).

 

From what I can gather, the ones that I've, at least for myself confirmed as useful are:

Calcium with vitamin D

DHA

Melatonin

Vitaimin B12 (sublingual as MethylCobalamin for better absorption)

Acetyl L-Carnitine (helps you focus)

 

Jury is still out on (have only been taking these for a couple of months with no as of yet noticeable effects):

Tonalin CLA

Phosphatidyl Serine

Coenzyme Co-Q10

 

No noticeable effects from:

Vitamin C

Vitamin E

 

Produces an effect, but not a positive one:

Ginkgo Biloba

on Sep 15, 2009

What effect have you had with Ginko?

on Sep 16, 2009

The Ginkgo gave me a feeling of light headedness.  I've taken it by itself to make sure it wasn't just some weird interaction with something else, but I got the same thing.  It's nothing major, but any positive effects it may have certainly don't, in my opinion outweigh the negative effect.

The Acetyl L-Carnitine helps me focus and supresses my appetite somewhat.

The vitamin B is good for general energy levels, though I recommend taking a time release pill so that you can maximize useful intake.

The fish oil is really good when used for a while.  Makes me feel all around better, and mentally, best way I can describe it is to make my memory a bit less volatile.  Like when you are holding numbers in your head when doing a multiplication, it's easier to do so.

Melatonin is a great sleep aid, I seem to have more fulfilling dreams with it, though I make sure not to take it for too many nights in a row, for I fear my brain adapting so that I'd become almost reliant on it to sleep.

I still take vitamin C because it's pretty cheap, and so while I might not be able to notice anything, it doesn't seem to hurt, and I'll take a vitamin E pill every few days.  

on Sep 17, 2009

I just updated the article with the ones I"m taking.  They're pretty low dosages (except the omega 3 which I take 2000mg or so a day).

I am noticing significant improvement to health overall that I don't think is the placebo effect because I usually notice the difference after the fact of doing something that previously would have made me feel more fatigued.

My mood has definitely been better too.

on Sep 17, 2009

I have tried a lot of different supplements over the years, but I only take a few on a daily basis.

Melatonin

Combination of calcium/vitamin D/magnesium

Fish oil

A liquid multivitamin which includes Co-Q10.

I noticed neither of you mentioned magnesium. http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/magnesium-000313.htm

I have found zinc to be very good for the libido.

*edit* I'm not completely sure about this, but for me Co-Q10 seems to improve the health of my gums.

on Sep 23, 2009

One good, fast way to health is to make smoothies a nightly ritual in the home.  The kids love the taste of them, and the health benefits ramp up really quickly. We started these quite some time ago, but I recently read where Don Bradley says they are more important than ever since our factory farmed fruit/veggies are becoming mineral and vitamin depleted.

My current favorite recipe: (I change the fruits around every few nights to add variety) Dump it all in a blender and let it go.

1 Banana
6 Strawberries
10 Raspberries
1 Medium Kiwi
1 Medium Apple
2oz of Pure Aloe Gel (inner)(Aloe is an important power food and helps take in other nutrients)
1Tsp of Greens+  Wild Berry Burst
8 ice cubes (purified water)
2oz Half and Half (makes it creamy)
1 "Dash" of Organic Stevia (1 dash = 1 cup of sugar in sweetness, with zero cals, all natural)
3 Drops of Holy Water (this makes your aura shine, and kicks out any poopy entities)

Greens+ is through the roof on ingredients that are delicious and good for you.  The kids will never know they are getting massive amounts of healthy stuff.  Your body will love you.  After you get used to these, when you eat McDonalds you will probably vomit. (I do, my body rejects toxic food and I support it's position, hehe)

http://greensplus.com/product_info.php/cPath/84_21_23_148/products_id/130

These have become fun family events at night, the "Lets add this, and see how it tastes" thing kicks in eventually, and the kids really get into that.  Some nights you can add ice cream as a treat to make it an official "Shake".  We do that a couple nights a month.

on Sep 26, 2009

Draginol,

Maoshing has some really good books on health and longevity.  He taps into quite a lot of ancient wisdom, not kook stuff, but practical stuff. His "Secrets of Self Healing" is expansion, a tremendous reference book or nearly 600 pages.  I'd recommend both of these, he doesn't take sides about anything, he just tells you very directly - how to be healthier, and live longer.

http://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Self-Healing-Ailments-Vitality-Wellness/dp/1583333371/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1253992254&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Longevity-Hundreds-Ways-Live/dp/081184949X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1253992049&sr=8-2

Also I recommend careful evaluation of the power of thought.  That is, how our mind helps shape our health.  Try to examine this without becoming too metaphysical or strange about the matter. There are many books that address this. I don't recommend any type of vaccination, there is evidence out there - from reputable scientists that prove they suppress immune response and increase various conditions such as high blood pressure.

http://www.wired.co.uk/wired-magazine/archive/2009/10/features/the-placebo-problem-big-pharma%27s-desperate-to-solve.aspx?page=all
Ironically, Big Pharma's attempt to dominate the central nervous system has ended up revealing how powerful the brain really is. The placebo response doesn't care if the catalyst for healing is a triumph of pharmacology, a compassionate therapist, or a syringe of salt water. All it requires is a reasonable expectation of getting better. That's potent medicine.

In other words, one way that placebo aids recovery is by hacking the mind's ability to predict the future. One of the most powerful placebogenic triggers is watching someone else experience the benefits of an alleged drug. Researchers call these social aspects of medicine the therapeutic ritual.

One group was simply put on a waiting list; researchers know that some patients get better just because they sign up for a trial. Another group received placebo treatment from a clinician who declined to engage in small talk. Volunteers in the third group got the same sham treatment from a clinician who asked them questions about symptoms, outlined the causes of IBS and displayed optimism about their condition.

Not surprisingly, the health of those in the third group improved most. In fact, just by participating in the trial, volunteers in this high-interaction group got as much relief as did people taking the two leading prescription drugs for IBS. And the benefits of their bogus treatment persisted for weeks afterward, contrary to the belief - widespread in the pharmaceutical industry - that the placebo response is short-lived.

By evoking such uplifting associations, researchers say, the ads set up the kind of expectations that induce a formidable placebo response.

on Sep 29, 2009

You may find this interesting.. The most conservative estimates put this guy at 150 years old, but most people feel he was quite a bit older than this.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Li_Qing_Yuen

Born 1677 (purportedly)
Szechuan, China
Died May 6, 1933 (aged 256?)
Szechuan, China

Note, he promoted Reishi (and other ancient shrooms) as his longevity tonic, along with other ones I mentioned, like He Shoul Wu, Gotu(Goji/Wolfberries) and others.. I totally believe in the effectiveness of herbs, and have reversed many effects of my own aging with them.