The Best Time of Day for Your Meds

I’ve mentioned before how it’s a good idea to take a multivitamin in the morning, with breakfast. Why? Because it gives your body fuel to use throughout the day! Other medications work best when taken at different times of the day, too. If you suffer from arthritis (especially osteoarthritis), your best bet is to take your long-acting painkillers in the morning. If you’re taking Celebrex or another time-release painkiller, the AM is the way to go. That way, the painkiller will be working when you need it the most — while you’re out and about during the day. If you … Continue reading

The Best Time for a Multivitamin

Does it matter when you take your daily multivitamin? Yes, it does. Experts suggest taking a daily multivitamin in the morning: it gives your body vitamins and minerals it needs to get through the day. One word of warning, though — take your multivitamin with a meal. Certain vitamins (like vitamin A, vitamin D, and vitamin E) need fat and/or other nutrients in order to be fully broken down and absorbed. Taking your multivitamin with a meal also reduces your chances of feeling nauseous afterwards, or experiencing heartburn. Make sure you take your multivitamin after a balanced breakfast that includes … Continue reading

Do You Need a Multivitamin?

This week I threw out my multivitamin. It was partly due to the recent news of contaminants found in some vitamins. It was partly because if I don’t take them at the same time I eat a large meal they make me sick. It was also partly because I’ve been using them as a crutch. Let’s face it, it’s a lot easier to think “did I take my multivitamin today” than “did I have enough servings of leafy greens today”. You just swallow that little vitamin pill and call it nutritional eating for the day. Sadly, there really is no … Continue reading

Fifteen Weeks Post Partum

At twelve weeks post partum I wrote about being stuck in a rut of sorts. While my muscles were getting toned and my clothes were starting to fit again, I was not losing any weight. I made some changes by watching what I was eating more closely and keeping track of my food intake with my food journal. The biggest change has been cutting back on sweets. What I discovered was that I was going way over my breastfeeding caloric needs. I was eating when I was not hungry because whatever it was that I was eating tasted good e.g. … Continue reading

Tin in Your Vitamin?

I got caught up for a good twenty minutes at the drug store the other day, trying to decide on a new multivitamin. Usually, I take a vitamin B complex and a vitamin D supplement, and that’s it — the rest of the vitamin alphabet I can get from my diet, but I feel like I need some help with the D and the Bs. The problem began when the drug store was out of my usual brand of vitamin D. Oh no! Complicating the problem was the fact that all vitamins from the same brand were buy one get … Continue reading

Chromium Deficiency

Your body doesn’t need massive amounts of chromium, but it does need some chromium in order to function properly. The intestinal tract absorbs very low amounts of chromium — not much more than two and a half percent of the chromium consumed at best. What your body does manage to absorb gets stored in the liver, spleen, tissue, and bones. What helps improve chromium absorption? Vitamin C (found in fruits and veggies) Niacin (a B vitamin found in red meats, poultry, fish, and whole grains) You don’t necessarily have to stress about your chromium intake. The body needs very little … Continue reading

Low Vitamin D Levels Linked with Health Problems

An Austrian study took a look at the health problems that can come with low levels of vitamin D. Researchers followed more than 3,200 men and women from southwest Germany for eight years. Most of the participants had some form of heart disease, and the average participant age was sixty-two. During the study, the participants were tested weekly for vitamin D levels. Over the eight years of the study, 737 participants died — 463 deaths from heart-related problems and the rest from other causes. One of the vitamin tests showed that patients with the lowest levels of vitamin D were … Continue reading

Iron Deficiency

According to the World Health Organization, iron deficiency is the number one nutritional disorder in the world — as much as eighty percent of the world population may be iron deficient. As much as thirty percent of the world population may have anemia resulting from iron deficiency. Iron deficiency usually develops gradually. It starts in the body with a negative iron balance — when your iron intake doesn’t meet the body’s daily need for iron. At first, your body’s stores of iron are depleted but the hemoglobin level in your blood stays the same. Anemia develops when the body’s iron … Continue reading

Be Careful With Zinc — Especially During Cold Season

Think zinc is the answer to all your seasonal cold problems? Think again! Zinc supplements can help boost your immunity, but there is a down side. A recent joint study between American and European researchers found that there may be a link between zinc and age-related macular degeneration. Eye deposits in people over sixty with age-related macular degeneration contain high levels of zinc! So overdosing yourself with zinc in order to ward off a cold may cause vision problems later in life. More research into the exact source of the zinc in eye deposits is underway. Zinc supplements may or … Continue reading

Treating Whiteheads Naturally

Don’t get me wrong — I’m not opposed to medicine in situations where medicine is required. But in looking at my current whitehead expansion, from upper arms to forearms, I don’t think I need to take drastic medical measures. There are plenty of natural remedies for whiteheads that I’ll be trying over the next few weeks. I’ll keep you updated on my progress. Seems like the very best thing you can do for whiteheads (and blackheads) is be consistent with your cleaning. Wash daily with mild soap. Believe it or not, I DO already do this. However, I may switch … Continue reading