What daily supplements do you take?

During the chemo I took B complex and extra B6, as well as D2.

Right now I take D3 (3,000 UI/day), echinacea and complex B (adding some B6 in days I'm fatigued) and DIM.

Also, food-wise,  I am sure of eating at least 4 cups of Brassica plants (cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, etc) a day, 2 tbsp of ground flax seed, 2 tbsp of wheat germ and 1 tbsp of raw honey. the meat I eat (still not even 2 weeks from my last surgery so I still eat meat, otherwise I'm a flexitarian) is usually 1/10 of my total food intake daily.

Acidophilus, 1200 Calcium with 400 IU D, 1000 IU D3, 500 MG Acetyl-L-Caritine, 5mg Biotin, multi vitamin, Probiotic

Also considering adding fish oil, iodine, additional K, B6

I took the Biotin too... my legs were a nightmare to keep shaved... so I stopped it - my hair growth slowed to almost nothing now though.

I was taking biotin for several years before my diagnosis do to some  hair receding by my temples. Looks like those areas are growing back. Guess chemo woke up my hair follicles. I'm using women's rogaine one a day too but also using that for several years as well.

Interested in the Biotin, as I've had a recent hair loss (don't think it's related to my BC treatment), and my hair has thinned by 1/3.  It doesn't appear to be growing back, so would like to know if you think Biotin is impressive regarding hair growth.

As for my supplements:

1 Mult-Vit (WF brand)

1 Iodine from kelp

2 Magnesium (am pm)

1 Calcium Citrate

1 drop (2000 IU) Vit D3

I dropper B Total Sublingual

1 CoQ10

1 Turmeric

 I went to a very interesting speaker the other day. She is a doctor, nutrition specialist, and an eleven year breast cancer survivor. Here are some of her tips for staying healthy:

1. We all know we should eat more fruits & veggies, whole grains, less red meat, processed food etc. so I am not going to go into any of that.

2. EVERYONE should be taking a multi-vitamin. Make sure it says ‘Complete' on the label. Make sure it contains iodine, Vitamin K, selenium and folic acid along with all the other good stuff. Interesting facts about why multi-vitamins are important:

* older women with the lowest levels of vitamin B-12 were at the greatest risk for breast cancer

* taking acid-blocking medications make you less able to absorb B-12

* she recommends 400 mcg of folic acid a day. It works with the B-12 (studies have found that folates may help to make chemo more effective and decrease side effects)

* B 6 is important in lowering the risk of breast and colon cancer

* she recommends 90 mg of vitamin C

* 30 iu of E

3. Omega 3.....either eat oily fish twice a week or use fish-oil supplements (make sure it says EPA and DHA approved) 1000 mg a day. It's associated with decreased risk of cancer, heart disease, inflammatory disease, depression and more.

4. Vitamin D....a big deal.....she recommends getting it tested (should be between 40-50 ng/dL). She recommends 2000 iu a day to maintain a good level. Many, many conditions are associated with low vitamin D; heart attack, cancers, rheumatoid arthritis, muscle weakness, asthma, diabetics, multiple sclerosis etc. etc. etc. There are over 200 different body tissues that have been identified so far that have receptors for the vitamin D hormone and they need it to work properly.

* adequate Vitamin D levels has been shown to reduce the side effects of taxol based chemotherapy

* Adequate Vitamin D has shown to reduce the side effects of aromatase inhibitors

* start with a multi-vitamin, drink milk, eat yogurt (check and make sure it has vitamin D added), and most people will also need a supplement to keep that high of levels

5. Vitamin K, should get 100 mcg a day. Check your multi-vitamin, not all of them have it added.  Inadequacy leads to an increased risk of various cancers, hear disease, osteoporosis and kidney problems.

vmarie-

Check out the LIfe Extension Super Bio Curcumin - they have a formula that is 7x more absorbable  -  so you only need two caps a day.

Beth

vmarie:

I take the following supplements daily, as recommended by my IM MD:

Natural Vit C w/ Bioflavonoids - 3000 mg

Magnesium Glycinate - 300 mg

Vitamin E - 800 IU

B12-Folate (sublingual) - 1000 mcg

Selenium - 200 mcg

DIM (with curcumin, green tea & wasabia) - 300 mg

Norwegian Seaweed - 500 mg

CNCR-Support - multiple vitamins, minerals, whole food extracts - 3 per day

Juiced fruit & vegetable capsules (equiv to 34 servings of fruits/veggies) - 8 capsules

Green Tea - 1 cup per day

I start my day with a smoothie:  8 oz almond milk, 4 oz. water, 1-1/2 tbs ground flaxseed,  1 tbs vegetable powder, 1 scoop non-soy protein powder, 1/2 sliced frozen banana, frozen organic raspberries & blackberries.

I also have an Alkaline / Acid Food Chart - I try to eat foods from the alkaline side.

I have been taking Standard Process Whole Food Supplements.  3 Trace Mineral B-12, 3 organic minerals, 3 Black Current Seed, 4 Vitamin D-3, 6 Cataplex, 1 Tuna Omega 3.  I don't know how many of you are familiar with this products but it has been around since 1929.  I may be wrong, but I believe that you have to be a health care physician or a nutritionist to purchase these products.  My husband is a chiropractor and is able to order it.  We have been using these products for at least 15 years.  The most amazing thing about the product is that my hair and nails grow very quickly.

nckick-Do not be afraid of Lugols. The iodine protocol is one of the most important things I do. Read Dr. Brownstiens books on Iodine and Thyroid. They are a life saver. Iodine deficiency/thyroid issues are a leading reason for breast cancer. We have a whole thread of links on this. I will use the salt loading according to the protocol if needed, but I seldom have problems anymore with detox symtoms from iodine, as I have been on it over a year.

After fishing around for two years with this and that, I have finally found a supplement protocol that works and is easy for me.

In the morning I take iodoral(iodine) with the companion nutrients that are essential which are included in Usana's chelated minerals and megaantioxidants.

At lunch I take take the rest of my dose of Usana's essentials with other Usana products such as Visionex (for my eyes), extra Vit D (some is already in the megaantioxidants), Hepasil (a liver support which contains tumeric, milk thistle, etc.), and Biomega (which is guaranteed to contain no traceable amts of mercury, and proflavanol (vit c/grape seed extract combo). Since Usana has done such a great job of combining companion nutrients, I take a lot less pills than I use to.

The reason I only use Usana now is that they are one of only a handful of companies that are manufactured according to pharma, not food grade standards. They assure that what is on the bottle is actually on the bottle, and they have been tested by third party critics and are one of the highest rated every time.

Those of you taking calcium, be careful. Unlike most supplements, that tend to just not absorb if we take too much. Calcium can actually accumulate in joints and cause more problems. Do more research on this.