Saturday, September 15, 2012

Megadosing vs. Overdosing

I recall conversations I have had with multiple people asking me how they can feel better. I am not a trained naturopathic doctor, nor do I have any sort of credentials in nutrition, homeopathy, etc. I do have my MBA in business only, but have studied about alternative medicine since I was in my teens, so that would be at least 20 years ago when I started reading and studying about how to make a body healthy.

But nonetheless, when people know I am into health and natural remedies, they ask me for advice on certain things.

And I give them advice. Most don't listen -- lifestyles are so hard to change -- but some are willing and want to change their life to feel better.

One thing that is important to do when you are getting your health back in order is to "mega-dose" on some vitamins. If you have adrenal fatigue you need to supplement with Vitamin C and B vitamins, along with other things. There is no way when you are at that point, you will be able to get what you need from the food you eat. Mega-dosing, in lay-men's terms, is basically taking 10x the "RDA" for that particular nutrient. I actually don't take any stock in what the RDA is, since that is the recommended daily amount for you to take to not be deficient in that particular vitamin or nutrient. Is being on the verge of "deficiency" where you want to be? Nah, I don't think so. I eat a lot of foods that provide nutrition, but I also supplement with a greens superfood supplement, and I take an additional vitamin D3 (5,000 IUs). I also supplement with a B-complex, and take a K2 vitamin, and last of all, I take Protandim. Oh, I also take a fish oil supplement a few times a week. That sounds like a lot, but I don't think so. I live in an area where we have harsh winters, so I need my D3. I have O negative blood type and need my K2. My dear friend gave me protandim to try, and so I tried it and like it. I have continued taking it because I think it just gives me that extra little boost that I need.

But, if you are sick, or deficient in something, megadosing for up to a month is totally fine and a good way to get your nutrient levels back to where they want to be. Of course, I wouldn't take megadoses of Vitamin C on an empty stomach, or for that matter, I wouldn't take vitamins at all on an empty stomach. And, for the fat soluble vitamins, I would recommend taking them with a meal containing fat. That helps the absorption rate.

How is this different than overdosing? Overdosing on a specific nutrient probably won't happen unless you consistently take that supplement at 25x or GREATER than the RDA, for weeks at a time. It is most worrisome if you take fat soluble vitamins, as your body stores the excess vs. water soluble vitamins that you just pee out the excess of. It is rare to overdose on any nutrient, it is much more common to be deficient.

What do I recommend taking? I recommend an organic greens formula or whole food supplement. They usually are big green or brownish looking pills and you take more than one or two usually, in a dose. Many times they will have spirulina, chlorella, barley grass, kelp, and other "whole green foods" usually sourced from seas off of a northern Canadian coast or some other untouched place.

The next thing that I do is take mineral supplements. I take clay (bentonite or french green clay) every day, and they are filled with tons of minerals. But I also take OxyEarth and OxyFlush on a nightly basis. And, when I make smoothies or drink V-8 juice, I put a capful of Clark's Minerals in it. This is something that doesn't happen more than once a week, as making smoothies is too time consuming for me (what a way to rationalize! hah!). Mineral deficiencies can cause so much disruption and illness in your body, moreso than vitamin deficiencies. And when we sweat, sit in a sauna, or use a foot bath, epsom salt bath, etc minerals along with toxins come out, so we have to make sure that if we are exercising a lot, or using a sauna or specific baths, that we replenish the depleted minerals.

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