Alrighty then, here we go!! I have had a few requests as to which supplements I am taking and am always happy to share if it helps! Remember, though, I am not a medical doctor, I do not play one on TV, and I do not want medical school debt – so these are just MY personal supplements. Anything you choose to do with them is between you and the fence post. Ok, so 3 years ago when I was at my sickest, I was taking the standard “protocol” for Lyme + friends plus about 40 different supplements.  It was crazy and to be honest, I could never tell if anything did anything because I was on SO many!! It was intense and after 13 months of this madness I wanted to get back to basics. The supplements listed below are my “must haves” and are the ones that I either KNOW I need for gut-healing and overall well being or are ones where I directly FEEL the positive results. They are listed in no particular order.

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GELATIN I do my best to drink bone broth regularly which I make at home but to be sure I am getting this gut-supportive supplement into me daily, I also take it in powdered form.  I have posted about how not only is this helping me with leaky gut but it also has helped me with “Hashimoto’s hair” as well as skin and nail health.  Keep in mind this is not the same thing as the red/orange can which is used to make gummies.  I put this green can straight into my coffee in the morning as it dissolves well. It can also be mixed into smoothies, water, tea, or even soup.  To find out more go HERE… If you are interested in making gummies, which are also gut-protective, you can find that product HERE…  

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LAURICIDIN Lauricidin is the brand name of a Monolaurin product made into tiny pellets that are taken daily. Lauric Acid/Monolaurin is considered so safe that it is even found in breast milk and is immune supportive in many ways.  After researching online extensively, I have discovered that it kills bacteria, yeast overgrowth, and even viruses by destroying the envelope around certain viruses so they are incapable of replicating further.  This is great news for those of us with chronic infections and/or viruses like EBV, HHV6, CMV, and even Mycoplasma Pneumoniae, all infections which can affect those with chronic illness including autoimmune disease.  It also helps keep candida in check which is a major issue among those of us with leaky gut. This supplement is one I plan to take over the long haul and find it to be really effective as illustrated by both my labs and overall wellbeing.  You can find out more HERE…

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MULTI VITAMIN For a long time I resisted taking a multi vitamin because I chose to focus on specific nutrients that  I was missing (based on labs). I have since changed this perspective when I am feeling “depleted”. There are certain times when I am more stressed and feel like I am burning through minerals more, eating less nutrient dense, and need the additional support. I found this vitamin and have become friends with the maker of it since finding on Amazon. It is a small batch product and I LOVE it. It comes in a big bottle (I bought the evening one too which has additional magnesium and other nutrients) and have been taking them both daily. I have really appreciated having this in my daily routine and love her other products. Check them out HERE! The reviews speak for themselves!

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FERMENTED COD LIVER OIL (NO LONGER TAKING!!!) Vitamin A is a true immune supportive vitamin which most people do not get regularly anymore.  Historically people ate “nose to tail” and received nutrients from organ meats and everything in between. Today’s people have become deficient in so many of the nutrients that once were part of our regular consumption.  To make sure I am getting Vitamin A (+ D), I take fermented cod liver oil daily.  I had an orthomolecular MD tell me that when his patients supplement with Vitamin A they cut WAY back on annual communicable diseases including influenza.  I take the Cinnamon Tingle flavor which does has some flavor but really I am so used to swigging it back it doesn’t bother me at all anymore.  It’s not super cheap but has lasted me a long time. In fact I wonder when I will have to buy a 2nd bottle! Find it HERE…

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B-COMPLEX with FOLATE During my research on Lyme, Leaky Gut, and Autoimmune disease, I also starting peeling back the layer and learning about METHYLATION.  If you’ve seen the letters MTHFR thrown around, this is what that is.  I am homozygous 677t which basically means a few things like: I might need more folate and B vitamins than someone who doesn’t have this. And it also indicates that I absolutely should not be taking folic acid in that form.  There is a lot more than this and a lot of other SNP’s to be considered but for the sake of keeping this short and simple to read, I take THIS product.  I like liquids because I feel like they are absorbed more easily. This B complex has a folate I can tolerate well and also helps with other SNP’s like MTRR and MTR. If you have more questions about methylation, you can look into the 23andme test which I did and find a practitioner who understands how to supplement properly and in the correct order.

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MAGNESIUM Magnesium is needed for over 300 processes in the body and because our soil is so shoddy we rarely get everything we need from food, even when eating properly.  Combine that with poor digestion or leaky gut and you can almost bet you are deficient.  I take IONIC MAGNESIUM because according to The Magnesium Miracle it is the most easily absorbed.  Ionic mag does not cause bowel intolerance because it is absorbed at the cellular level.  It is always best to start low and go slow as they say but Magnesium can be very helpful for sleep quality, anxiety, restlessness, nervous system health, and cardiac rhythm.

UPDATED!!! I still really like the Ionic Magnesium but I have been taking this other brand by Jigsaw and prefer it. I have realized that in my quest to increase Mag RBC, that my potassium may have been off as well (tingles/cramping especially in arms and feet at night) and this seems to help more with the potassium.

 

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LIPOSOMAL VITAMIN C I love lipo c because it doesn’t effect digestion in the way that other vitamin c supplements can. I take this for overall wellness and immune support and liposomal is great in the sense that you can basically get IV levels of vitamin c in your blood without the expensive hook up.  A lot of lipo c’s are soy based which is a bummer but THIS ONE is sunflower based and a better option in my opinion.  I do not like buffered C for daily use. It still is hard to digest for me. So this lipo C is a great option for me.

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QUERCETIN Quercetin is a newer supplement I’ve added to this list though I have taken it in the past (not sure why I ever stopped). It’s a natural anti-histamine which is great for those who have histamine issues but it is so much more! It is also a helpful supplement in healing leaky gut AND in treating autoimmune disease. While it’s not a magic pill (nothing is), it is a great addition to any immune supportive protocol, especially if a sound diet is already in place! I like THIS one because it also has bromelain and vitamin c.

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TAKUNA This is a newer supplement that I have taken less than a year (as of Sept 2015) but I am hooked. My HHV6 viral titers were some of the highest my integrative doc has ever seen and said if we could get those down I might really get over the last hump of my healing. She recommended Takuna and said some people swear by it and I have personally witnessed my IgG drop from over 22 down to 4 in 7 months. I am hooked. If you have chronic viruses including HHV6, EBV, or others in that same group, this might be something to try or talk to your doc about. I will stay on this indefinitely and take 2 droppersful a day.

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DIGESTIVE ENZYMES This is something I probably should have been taking all along and didn’t, despite my history with leaky gut and a long 13 months on aggressive oral antibiotic therapy. I find that it really helps with overall feelings of wellness and like my food is properly being broken down despite the fact that I do not experience digestive distress. I take this one and like that it is food based.

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PROBIOTICS I have never posted my probiotic brands before for a few reasons but the main one is that I like to rotate them. I find it very important that probiotics are rotated every few months to give variety and balance in beneficial bacteria. For this reason also a multi-strain probiotic is more desired than a single strain (in my experience). Of course I am not administering medical advice, but this is what has worked for me. Here are 3 of my favorite probiotics: Digestaguard, Garden of Life – Mood, and Ultimate Flora. I also rotate Prescript Assist which is a different type of probiotic, but another good one in my book.

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Binders – You can read more about binders in my post HERE, but in the meantime, I heart binders so much. I take them pretty regularly but ALWAYS if I have been exposed to a bad food (allergy or spoiled) and if there is a stomach virus going around. Life. Saver. Swear.