Disclaimer: I am sharing information about my current vitamin/supplement plan reviewed and suggested by my naturopath. Please see your/a health care professional(s) before taking anything new or changing your supplementation plan.
I used to document every minute of my journey of learning to live with MS. The appointments I was going to. The healing modalities I was trying. And then I just stopped. No real reason. I probably thought no one was really paying attention to these posts. They started for my own benefit, using my blog as a journal.
And then I checked my Google Analytics and realized they were some of my highest read posts. Over the years, I’ve received countless messages from friends asking if they could connect a friend or a loved one with me because they had recently become diagnosed with MS. I can’t personally connect with every single person so I would share the link to all blog posts tagged with MS content. So I’m guessing that’s where my MS content blog readers have come from.
Regardless, I’m back in a sharing mindset as I move through my healing journey. My functional medicine doctor that I see here in Ottawa is going on mat leave starting this month. I very rarely see her. Maybe once or twice a year to take a look at blood work and optimize based on health pain points. But before she went on mat leave she gave me a list of other supplements I’m not on so I could research them further and decide if I needed to add to my current supplement protocol. I then asked her based on my health now, was it possible to actually reduce the list of supplements versus adding to it. She said, “I actually recommend most of the supplements that you take to other patients.” So it’s great to know I’m still on the right track in optimizing my health.
Since my 2016 optimization post things have changed slightly but many of the supplements my Toronto Naturopath Dr. Rachel Corradetti put me on back in 2015 have been consistent. Here’s a look at my current supplement protocol with the reason behind why I take what I do.
I took all my supplements with me when I traveled to Bali this year in ziplock bags. Once a week (I was there for 3 weeks), I would put them in my pill organizer and leave this on my bedside table. I’d grab my breakfast does before heading down for breakfast and same for lunch. It was the easiest way for me to stay on track because I visually need to see the pill case to remember.
Current Supplement Protocol
- I take LLV twice a day at breakfast and lunch
- I take 8,000 IUs of Vitamin D3 daily as I can consistently be low when we blood test
- I take 1 CoQ10 (100 mg) once a day at breakfast
- I take 1 NAC ( once a day at breakfast
- I take 2 Zinc/Copper supplements at lunch
- I take 2 EstroSmart at lunch
- I take 1 scoop of Glutamine every time I make a smoothie/shake.
- I take 2 Magnesium BisGlycinate each night before bed
- I take 1 ALCAR each night before bed
Why I Take Each Supplement
- I take LLV as my base level multivitamin, whole food nutrient base, and essential fatty acid, and combats oxidative stress.
- I take Vitamin D3 because I’m deficient and this may have been one of the contributing factors to my MS development.
- I take CoQ10 for cardiovascular health, it promotes immune system function and is an antioxidant.
- I take NAC for glutathione production (which is another antioxidant).
- I take Zinc/Copper for immune system function and connective tissue formation. I take the zinc-copper balance for optimal absorption.
- I take EstroSmart for estrogen dominance. My functional medicine doctor put me on EstroSmart in 2016 as I was dealing with a painful day 1 period. Based on a few blood tests we discovered I was estrogen dominant. So after a few liver cleansing protocols and consistent EstroSmart, I’m slowly getting to a place where my day 1-period cramps are less intense.
- I take Glutamine for digestive health and to help heal muscles
- I take Magnesium Bis-Glycinate for energy production, proper muscle function, and nervous system health. I take this form of Magnesium because it’s gentle on digestion and was recommended to me for the greatest bio-availability for absorption.
- I take ALCAR for cognitive function and cellular energy production.
I have Amazon links to all the supplements I take over in the supplement shop…
