Following on from my previous post about diet changes (read here) there are certain supplements I now take that have definitely improved my health, improved my skin’s ability to cope with what I make it do (Roaccutane, retinols, peels, life).
I have never really believed in supplements, I was always of
the philosophy that if you are deficient in something then your diet must be
unhealthy.
I still believe this to a massive degree, e.g. vitamin C, iron,
magnesium etc but there is no in harm in giving the body a hand in a helpful
way especially if you are going through a time that puts physical stress or you
have done something/going through something which alters the body in some way
e.g. roaccutane, antibiotics, chemotherapy, colonic hydrotherapy, diet changes.
After my first colonic session, Jackie recommended various
things to me to improve the health of the gut. It is important to say that
colonic hydrotherapy does not “strip the gut of bacteria” or wash out
everything. Quite the opposite, it simply removes all the crap (literally) and
allows a clean and neutral environment in which you can introduce good helpful
things without the unhelpful things getting in the way. Before I started
looking into all things diet, I took a combined multivitamin and probiotic.
The problem with this as it turns out is that 1) the
probiotic was not in the right form, the right bacterial count or in the right carrier to actually do
anything 2) multivitamins are pretty much pointless.
The issue with multivitamins is that your body processes it
like a drug. Anything taken orally is already absorbed at a very low level
because of the digestive process, add into this a foreign capsule shell and a
load of chemically synthesised vitamins and the amount you absorb is
negligible. Effectively you just pee it out.
So…I now take a probiotic
with 7 or 8 different strains of gut bacteria with 30 billion bacterial count
at expiry. The expiry bit is important as many probiotics will state they have
significantly more than this but then do not state how stable the carrier is
etc. Yes they are expensive but yes they make a massive difference AND MOST
IMPORTANTLY do not need to take them every day until the end of time unless you
are on long term antibiotics. 30 days is enough to colonise the gut with enough
bacteria for them to then continue to multiply by themselves (as long as you
are eating well, minimal alcohol or medications etc).
The second thing she recommended was something to replace
the multivitamin aspect. I now take either chlorella
or spirulina ( you can get a huge pack for about £5 on ebay – I have linked
some below). These provide all the vitamins and nutrients a normal healthy
(ish) person will need on a daily basis. INCLUDING the buzz word of the moment “magnesium”
– which everyone seems to herald as the miracle cure for everything. Both
supplements are made from green leafy plants which have simply been dried and
crushed. For this reason your body processes it from food, so not only does it
contain everything you need, your body actually stands a chance of absorbing
it. Interestingly they have more iron than beef, more potassium than bananas
and more calcium than whole milk as well as protein, zinc AND Vitamins B1, B2,
B3, B5, B6, B7, B8, B9, C, D, E, k AND all 8 essential amino acids that the
body does not synthesize. Sold yet?
I also take hyaluronic
acid capsules which helped immensely during my roaccutane treatment. I
bought one bottle and could not see a massive difference, I then stopped taking
them and within a week my flaky skin had upped its game and the dry-PVA-glue
skin was back.
Vitamin D3 is a
new one. I thought I would give it a go after Dr Sam Bunting recommended its
use especially being on Roaccutane and avoiding the sun like the plague. Vitamin
D is a tricky one as the levels set for appropriate levels are a cause for contention.
In the UK where we see the sun for about 3 hours a year, pretty much EVERYONE
will be vitamin D deficient compared to these levels yet only a small
proportion will have symptoms of deficiency. This being said, I found myself in
February feeling ill, sluggish, unmotivated. Whilst I have days like this
sometimes, I am very much a bounce-off-the-walls-with-energy kinda girl, and
this awful feeling had been going on for months.
A week into taking D3 and boom, I was back to having to jog
on the spot in work to release the extra energy I had. A month later and I
still feel that way (much to my nurse’s annoyance as she has to careful work
around my jogging with the dirty instruments)
As I say, not everyone will need it, but I leave the house
at 6:45 in my car, go to a leisure centre until its time to go to work, drive
the 2 minutes from there to the hospital, work in a basement level in said
hospital for 8 hours, then drive home. Whilst I am very active, little of this
activity takes place outdoors, so my vitamin d levels were probably rock bottom
despite my efforts to eat well.
Omega 3, 6 and 9.
This was especially important during Roaccutane treatment as it hammers your
liver risking change to fatty acids and triglycerides in the body. My good
cholesterol levels were 3 times the level of a normal healthy person and were
even slightly higher by the end of treatment. Now yes you can get these from
eating fish, but my boyfriend hates fish so while I still eat it, it is not at
a level that will provide enough.
I prefer getting mine from vegan sources (flaxseed etc –
which I also add to my porridge), see below
Heliocare care ultra capsules
are my latest addition. Sun safety is obviously hugely important but with
Roaccutane treatment your skin is extremely sensitised so while I am now
careful in the sun and wear my high SPF’s etc, anything that can boost the body’s
ability to protect and repair from UV damage is obviously a good thing.
What NOT to take
Separate tablets for every nutrient. Unless you have severe
dietary restrictions then you really do not need as many nutrients as Instagram
tells you you’re missing.
Your body cannot absorb collagen through tablet form, the
molecule is too large, so don’t bother taking those .
Vitamin c to prevent a cold – absolutely no evidence for this,
there is some anecdotal evidence that increasing vitamin c intake during illness
might help speed up recovery but you are FAR better doing this through food
than you are through supplements
Please DO NOT BUY COD LIVER OIL. The liver is the filtration
system of the body. The sea is full of the rubbish that we have put in there,
including the much feared mercury, so the liver will also be full of this. Concentrate
this down a few hundred times to give the potency of a cod liver oil capsule
and you’re doing far more harm than good. Krill oil is far better, you want the
oil that has come from the flesh not the liver.
Perfectil. Biotin is the only proven supplement that will
increase hair and nail growth/strength. This issue with this is that it makes
ALL hair grow quicker and stronger. Your upper lip wax will be getting moved to
weekly rather than monthly. That’s all I’m saying. If you don’t suffer with
this, just buy plain Biotin rather than spending your life’s savings on
Perfectil or branded ones. Whilst this is the only supplement that alone will help hair and nail growth, having the right amount of amino acids and fatty acids will also do the same job. You're covered there by the chlorella/spirulina and the omega oils
Food substitutions –
just a quickie.
As I found I was intolerant to most sweeteners, but did not
want to use sugar, I found this was the best to use. It takes the same as
sugar, is not gritty, does not have an after taste like pure stevia, and causes
no bloating.
Natvia All Natural Sweetener
Protein – my first blood test for Roaccutane showed my
albumin was towards the lower end of the range, and having not scored low on a
test my whole life, I wanted to fix this. I REFUSE to take the disgusting stuff
they have in the gym and fitness shops. It is absolutely loaded with garbage –
sweeteners, enzymes to break down the protein, flavouring etc etc so eventually
I found this. I use the soy one, but they also do a hemp and a brown rice
protein too in case anyone has soy allergies . Please note, these do not taste
good, hence why I use sweetener. The plain soy is completely inoffensive, it
just does not taste of anything. The cocoa brown rice one STAY FAR AWAY.
Pulsin Soy Protein Powder
https://www.hollandandbarrett.com/shop/product/pulsin-soya-protein-1kg-60006973
I also now use almond milk in my cooking etc as I needed a
dairy free alternative. Its also great to use in curries etc as well as in the
obvious porridge. I have tried several that taste like actual soil but this one
is great
Alpro Almond Roasted Unsweetened Fresh Milk
Alternative
https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/275067782
Supplement links
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Udos-Choice-Super-8-Probiotics/dp/B0036E5KG6
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hyaluronic-Acid-Capsules-250mg-High-Strength-and-100-Pure-Supplement/112813220964?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vitamin-D3-5000IU-x-150-Caps-MAX-Strength-Bones-SAD-Immune-System-Lindens/322481059234?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649
https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/255431548
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Suma-Bagged-Down-Organic-Linseed-golden-organic-1kg/182948960066?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649
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