TIPS FOR TAKING Vitamin/mineral SUPPLEMENTS

1. BEGIN SLOWLY, particularly if you are taking any sort of medication, in which case it is especially important to inform your doctor of your plan so that you can be appropriately monitored. Start with one supplement type at a time, at the lowest dose. Increase dose and/or add a new one every 3 or 4 days or as required for necessary monitoring, watching for any adverse reactions. If you experience adverse reactions, discontinue for several days or until symptoms disappear. Then, if you wish, begin again at half the original amount.

2. Build dose amounts for specific supplements SLOWLY, over a period of several weeks, until you feel a benefit OR you have reached maximum dose. (One of the tasks of supplements is to help your body "detox" the toxins it has been forced to deal with over the years. The faster you increase dose amounts, the more toxins get flushed from their hiding places - and may actually make you feel quite ill! This is known as the "Herxheimer reaction" or "the healing crisis." To minimize the severity of this, go slow but understand you may take a bit longer to achieve benefits.)

3. If you have been taking supplements for a " targeted or special needs" category you can work your way down to your basic dose category once you notice a definite improvement in the way you feel. Start “cycling” in your supplement to monitor your response. This will be a process by which you will be able to reduce and hopefully ultimately eliminate the need for it altogether. (This process is dependent on your specific, individual needs and responses, however you will very likely need a minimum three months of full supplementing. It also excludes anyone engaged in extreme physical and/or mental activity since your basic dose is in the "special need" category - at least until you decrease your activity.)

4. Supplements should ideally be taken with meals to promote increased absorption (and to decrease feelings of nausea or illness).

• Fat-soluble vitamins (such as A, E, beta-carotene, and essential fattys) should ideally be taken with the meal which contains the most fat.
• Since fiber can decrease absorption of minerals, it is best, but not imperative, to take minerals away from high-fiber meals or supplements.
• C can be taken on an empty stomach. You can achieve higher absorption faster, which can be especially desirable when fighting an infection. But C taken with a meal will be absorbed more slowly and over time more of it will be absorbed that way.

5. Whenever taking an increased dosage of an isolated B vitamin, be sure to supplement with a B-complex.

• In general, a safe practice would be to take a single B in no more than 2 to 3 times the amount of B-Complex you are taking. So if you take a B-100 complex, it would be generally safe to take 200-300mg EXTRA of B-6.

6. Take digestive enzymes with meals to assist digestion. (If you are taking enzymes for other therapeutic reasons, be sure to take them on an empty stomach between meals.) And/or drink fresh-made juice, preferrably vegetable (or a high quality, enzyme-rich veggie drink), or take 1 tablespoon raw unfilterred apple cider vinegar with raw honey and water or, especially if you have a blood pressure problem, try fresh lemon juice with water.

7. Free-form amino acids such as glutamine, if taken as a general protein supplement, should be taken with meals to maximize utilization. However, certain aminos - such as phenylalanine, tyrosine and lysine (if taken to target specific conditions such as allergy relief or headache, etcetera) must be taken ALONE, on an empty stomach. 

• Whenever taking an increased dose of an isolated amino it may be a good idea to supplement with an amino blend, such as low-heat, non-acid whey. Increasing protein and good fat intake should eventually eleminate the need for these kinds of supplements altogether.

 8. It is preferrable to take supplements in at least two doses per day. If you are on an intensive plan or are addressing “targeted or special needs” you should make every effort to take your supplements in at least three doses per day.

• Be sure to take all supplements with adequate, but not excessive, amounts of liquid to mix with digestive juices and prevent side effects.

9. If you become nauseated or ill within an hour after taking nutritional supplements, consider the need for a bowel cleanse or rejuvenation program prior to beginning a course of nutritional supplements. This can include a gentle cleanisng diet focusing on vegetables both cooked and raw, herbal remedies, and/or juice therapy, steam saunas, or mineral baths.  Also as an alternative try supplements in liquid form, diluted in a beverage.

10. Last, but not least, remember the most important nutrients which include a good quality cod liver oil, healthy doses of “good” fats and best proteins and liquids such as naturally sparkling mineral water, raw milk, veggie drinks, and raw, naturally fermented drinks like kefir and beet Kvass

Partial list of SOURCES:

Our favorites are currently out of print: Superfitness Beyond Vitamins: The Bible of Super Supplements by Michael Rosenbaum, M.D. and Dominic Bosco, and also The New Supernutrition by Richard Passwater, Ph.D. It would in our opinion be worth the effort to seek out copies of these two books.
As a good crosscheck:
The Right Dose by Patricia Hausman, M.S. (somewhat dated but still useful, read the intro)
Also see the following:
The New Nutrition  by Michael Colgan. M.D.
Alternative Medicine: The Definitive Guide, compiled by the Burton Goldberg Group, appropriate sections
The Real Vitamin and Mineral Book by Shari Lieberman, Ph.D. and Nancy Bruning
Earl Mindell's New Vitamin Bible, revised edition  by Earl Mindell, R.Ph., Ph.D
A Beginner's Introduction to Vitamins by Richard A. Passwater, Ph.D.
Dr. Atkin's Vita-Nutrient Solution by Robert Atkins, M.D. (a bit complex and directed to the already ill, but still useful)