(See also the separate FAQ on Cod Liver Oil)
- Azomite
- B12
- Vitamin D
- Filters Removing Minerals
- Glyconutrient pills
- Soy in vitamin E supplements
- Do store-bought enzymes work?
- Does Frontier yeast have added vitamin B
- Bio-K Plus CL1285 probiotic
- Iron Supplement
- Protein Powder
- cortico-adrenal extract
- creatine
- formula for 1 year olds
- vitamin, mineral supplements
- potassium
- drinking ketones
- freezing liver
- liquid vitamin supplements
- magnesium
Supplements
Q. Is azomite a problem because of the aluminum, etc?
A. Yes, I get a lot of questions about Azomite. It is safe for human consumption. I recommend it because it is a natural, inexpensive mineral supplement. Tests have never been done on humans and won’t be because the FDA won’t allow it. There have only been studies with animals and it is a good mineral supplement for animals. It does contain aluminum, but it is also rich in silica, which counteracts the aluminum. People have been eating clay and dirt as a tradition for thousands of years and all clay contains aluminum and silica. Here’s some information on minerals that may answer your questions. This being said, I don’t feel this strongly about it. You can also get lots of good minerals from sea salt, raw milk, bone broths, etc.
Q. What type of vitamin B12 should I take?
A. Pure Encapsulations is a good one–not sublingual but it is the right form of B12. This is recommended by Dr. Dommisse, who spoke at our 2005 conference. Or you can try Jarrow sublingual methylcobalimum for B12.
Q. I am in the sun every day, do I need to supplement with vitamin D? I am having vaginal dryness and am looking for relief.
A. Being in the sun every day is not going to supply you with adequate vitamin D unless you have most of your clothes off and the sun is directly overhead. Also, you won’t get vitamin A, the best treatment for vaginal dryness from the sun. You can still take cod liver oil and I suggest a high vitamin one from Radiant Life (888-593-8333) or Green Pasture. This should help with the vaginal dryness. Take a dose that provides at least 20,000 IU vitamin A and 2000 IU vitamin D.
Q. Please explain what levels of Vitamin D cause hypercalcemia. A. Vitamin D does not need to cause hypercalcemia to result in soft tissue calcification. It has been used to produce kidney calcification in chickens at doses that did not result in hypercalcemia, and there were recent human case reports of bone-loss with accidental overdosing at levels that did not result in hypercalcemia (which was not rigorously proven to have resulted from the vitamin D, but evidence strongly suggests it did). The idea that vitamin D can only result in toxicity at 40,000 IU definitely is not sound, and is based on the idea that hypercalcemia is requisite for toxicity, which isn’t true. Optimal blood levels are at least 32 ng/mL. There is some support for 45 ng/mL, but the benefit of going from 20 to 30 ng/mL is huge compared to the benefit of going from 30 to 40 ng/mL. To my knowledge there is little evidence for any advantage of going up to 60 ng/mL, but this is the level found in people in sun-rich living conditions (who have 20 times higher risk of kidney stones than the general population!), such as Israeli lifeguards and Puerto Rican farmers. Heaney’s group found that supplementing for the six coldest months of the year in Omaha for two consecutive years with 1,000 IU led to 30 ng/mL; 5,000 IU led to 60 ng/mL; 10,000 IU led to 85 ng/mL. The first dose reached a full plateau, whereas the latter two doses came very close to reaching a plateau but did not. So the dose that leads to 60 ng/mL in Omaha when used for the coldest six months of the year is probably somewhere between 4,000 and 5,000 IU per day. 10,000 IU per day leads to 85 ng/mL, right around the level associated with three times the risk of heart disease in India (greater than 89 ng/mL) – not proven to produce heart disease, but associated with it. And given the role of soft tissue calcification in contributing to heart disease, there seems at least to be grounds for caution in achieving a blood level greater than 60 when there is no scientific evidence that it is any more beneficial than 40-60 ng/mL. To convert these numbers to nmol/L, multiply by 2.5. A recent large double-blind placebo-controlled trial published in NEJM found 400 IU plus 1g calcium carbonate to produce a 17% increase in the risk of kidney stones. This can’t be blamed on the vitamin D alone, due to the presence of calcium carbonate, but again, kidney stones are the first thing to come up before hypercalcemia in animal experiments, and there is quite a bit of evidence connecting excess vitamin D to kidney stones as summarized by John Cannel here, under the second heading: http://www.vitamincouncil.com/newsletter/2006-aug.shtml
Q. I have heard that reverse osmosis filters remove minerals, is that true?
A. Yes, RO filters take out all the minerals, but they also are the only way to take out all the fluoride. So if you have fluoridated water, use an RO filter and then add minerals back in via mineral drops.
Q: What do you know about glyconutrient pills?
A: I don’t know a lot about this product, but ask yourself–how did humans get along before glyconutrient pills? Because the body makes them, as even their literature admits. Much more important for you to spend your money on is cod liver oil. See our Guide to Super Foods.
Q: I would like to use a whey powder for my recipes, is that okay? It includes: Whey protein concentrate (milk), whey protein isolate (milk).
A: Whey proteins are very fragile and easily messed up by processing. You should make your own whey, it is not difficult especially from a good quality store-bought yogurt. There is a recipe in Nourishing Traditions.
Q: How is oral vitamin D is made and what it is made from? I have been told by someone that checks all labels for vitamin D and that some are made from swine (pig) skin.
A: My understanding is that vitamin D3 is made by irradiating sheep’s lanolin, and vitamin D2 by irradiating yeast. I have never heard that vitamin D3 is made from pig skin, however, lard is an excellent source of vitamin D.
Q. I would like to know if I should avoid a supplement that contains vitamin E from soy?
A. Nearly all the vitamin E supplements derive from soy, so it’s very hard to avoid. Unless the person is extremely allergic to soy, this isn’t a problem as the quantity is very small.
Q. I have been wondering whether or not store bought enzymes really work?
A. This is a huge subject for which I have few answers–it is not my area of expertise. I do think that certain brands do work, these are brands that have been freeze dried. But it is always best to get one’s enzymes from fermented foods.
Q. Does Frontier Yeast have added vitamin B?
A. The company states that there are NO added B vitamins but it does contain naturally occurring B vitamins including B1, B2, B3, B6, B9, B12.
Q. What is your opinion about a probiotic in Canada called Bio-K Plus CL1285. It is like a 3.5 oz kefir drink. Ingredients are: water, skim milk powder, whey protein concentrate, active bacterial cultures L Acidophilus and L Casei, 50 billion. The sales approach is that one container is like drinking 200 yogurts, it is human derived and that it supports the immune system, especially for someone fighting cancer. Do you have any concerns with the ingredients? www.biokplus.com
A. I would have great concerns about the skim milk powder and the whey protein concentrate. These are highly artificial, probably full of nitrates and damaged proteins. Plus this beverage is too high in protein. Better to make your own yoghurt or kefir from whole milk.
Q. When someone is low in iron, what supplements do you recommend?
A. First of all, cod liver oil as you need A to absorb iron. We would recommend foods first. Iron-rich foods include meat, liver, egg yolks, beets. But if taking a supplement, I understand that ferrous citrate is the best.
Q. If protein powders are harmful, what do you recommend using instead?
Q: You list on your page of nutrition dangers to avoid protein powders. Can you say more about this or if there are any protein powders that are acceptable? My wife and I use whey protein powder before and after we lift weights as we have read this helps with building muscle. I have also read that grassfed is not vital with whey. I am willing to pay more if there is a product that you suggest. My wife is also a vegetarian, so we don’t have much meat in the house and will also use these as meal replacements at times–perhaps more important for her. She is obviously not vegan, though is vegetarian. Again, is there any kind of protein powder that is acceptable?
A: I really don’t recommend any of them–all of them result in taking in too much protein, and that can be very depleting, especially of vitamin A. You actually only need a small amount of protein–can be cheese or eggs, as well as meat or seafood–what is really lacking in our modern diet is the good animal fats.
Q: I read part of the article “Further Experiments on Cortico-Adrenal Extract: Its Efficacy by Mouth,” thanks very much for posting it. Would you have any suggestion where to buy a good brand of adrenal cortex extract?
A: Unfortunately, I don’t think it is made any more. As soon as synthetic corticoids hit the market, the real stuff disappeared.
Q: I was just wondering what your thoughts are on creatine as a health supplements? Do you see it as beneficial for people?
A: No, it is very artificial and not necessary. In fact, it could be harmful to the kidneys.
Q: Is it still necessary for one-year-old babies to consume the formula recipe, or does it suffice to just give them the milk? They are on a nutrient-dense diet as well.
A: No, in fact, your children should now be consuming whole raw milk along with a variety of homemade foods including pureed liver, egg yolks, meats and vegetables with butter, bananas, etc.
Q: I was directed to your website by multiple sources. I was hoping to find what is truly the recommended range of vitamins and minerals for one’s age, body mass, etc. and how to go about ascertaining these amounts through the diet versus supplementation. Then, where this may not be possible, to have some reputable brands of supplements recommended.
Ultimately, I am looking to continue my journey where my family and I strive to eat healthy and become less and less dependent on supplements, and more educated on how to go about getting these important items from our food.
Is this something that if I am a member I could be guided with? Or is this currently posted on your website and I just have not been able to find it? Or, if you know where I could find this info, either one would be incredibly helpful.
A.We basically recommend getting most of our nutrients from food. We recommend cod liver oil (which is a food) for almost everyone (except for those who can’t tolerate the omega-3s) to get adequate vitamins A and D. The other nutrients should come from nutrient-dense food such as liver, egg yolks, shellfish, butter, raw whole milk, raw meat (for B6), etc. People with exhausted adrenal glands may need extra vitamin C, and many can be helped with additional B12 as they age. But we cannot formulate specific vitamin plans. You may wish to consult with one of the practitioners advertising in our journal Wise Traditions.
Q: I need to increase my Potassium intake. What foods do you recommend?
A: The best thing is a potassium broth made from potato skins–when you peel potatoes, save the skins and boil them in water. Then strain and drink the broth. This is a great tonic!
Q: I have a friend who says that drinking ketones has revolutionized her health. She claims that her family and clients are having amazing results with it as well. I cannot find much info on it. Has WAPF researched this at all?
Several people have sent me this link: http://www.easy-keto.com/
A: I think it is always risky to take these laboratory-formulated powders and drinks. Mankind is designed to exist on real food.
Q: I am considering consuming raw grass fed liver in the form of frozen pills. Your website indicates the safety of doing that if the liver has been frozen forfourteen days. I have found other information that states freezing actually preserves some of the parasites and bacteria? Do you have any thoughts or different data to dispel that concern?
A: I was told this by someone from FDA–that freezing for fourteen days kills all parasites. This is what they are required to do for the fish used in sushi.
Q: We have started taking liquid Vit A drops, Vit D & K2 drops and calcium/magnesium supplements. We have also re-started taking a teaspoon of FCLO every day. I hope that this is going to be enough to protect our bones and teeth but I am not sure, whether it will. My daughter is seeing a nutritional therapist, who said that she thought this would be OK but she did not seem too sure.
A: We do not recommend the drops or supplements. The best thing would be to take the cod liver oil plus a good source of vitamin K2 (high-vitamin butter oil, emu oil, cheese, duck/goose liver, duck/goose fat) plus consume raw milk and cheese.
Q: What is a good source of magnesium in food without phytic acid or if there isn’t, do you recommend a supplement?
A: You get magnesium from lots of foods, including meat, fish and dairy products. I really can’t answer about the supplements.
🖨️ Print post
FAQ-Supplements
My wife has a sensitive stomach and can not take cod liver oil so she has been taking vitamin D3 supplements, 1000 mg per day, for some time. My wife has lost a lot of weight in recent months in spite of a good nutrient dense diet, all home cooked. She recently had a thorough checkup which had all normal results except for low vitamin D of 14.8.
The doctor recommended taking vitamin D3 supplements, 50,000 mg per week, for 4 weeks and then retesting. No mention was made of the need for additional vitamin A, calcium and magnesium which we know is needed.
What is your opinion of the consequences of taking such high doses of oral vitamin D3, with or without additional Vitamin A, calcium and magnesium?
I was allergic to vitamin D and didn’t even know it. I got it cleared by a NAET practitioner and I’m no longer allergic to vitamin D.
If you allergic to vitamin D or anything for that matter,then the body doesn’t absorb and assimilate the given allergen. The allergy can also cause stomach aches and many other symptoms.
I think it safe to say your wife is probably allergic to something in the cod liver oil.
No kind of fractionated or isolated or synthetic nutrient can sustan or restore health. For allergies or any kind of food sensitivity the liver is congested, the kidneys are in trouble & the allergy or sensitivity appears as an elimination or hehe omer action to restore homeostasis (balance). If you can’t ride out the “allergy” I would start by subscribing to Bruce West’s Health Alert (healthalert.com) & getting the Cleansing package with the SP (Standard Process) ingredients, or write them about your situation & get the things suggested. This is the best & I agree with most of it except for the emphasis on dinner & lack of focus on breakfast. The food combining & metabolic typing & blood type things are not so important with WAPF.
acne
What supplements do you suggest for adult acne? I am 28 year old female, blood group B. I was on Yasmin birth control for many years and since coming off ( 8 months ago ) my period had not returned and my skin is breaking out. I also have a simple cyst on my right ovary.
Gallico’s “Hidden cause of acne”
It is flurodated water.
Probiotics
Do you recommend a brand of probiotics? I’ve been looking for a good probiotic to help heal my digestive system, but I’m not sure what the best kind would be. I’ve looked at “Bio-Kult”, which is recommended by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, but it contains maltodextrin, hydroxypropylmethylcellulose, and magnesium stearate, which are of some concern to me. Is there something that is just probiotics without any added ingredients?
Standard Process alone works. No other. Subscribe to healthalert.com Dr. Bruce West & call them for help in your specific case. Meanwhile “Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper,” (Adelle Davis) if at all.
JC
Vit D3 does not come in prescription form or 50,000mg. I was given a prescription for 50,000mg and it turned out it was D2 which is a degraded vitamin D. D3 is an over the counter vitamin 5,000mg., or less. This information via pharmacy.
Vit D3 supplements
I’m also curious about Vit D3 dosage, especially along side clo/butter oil therapy. I went for blood tests recently and got a result of 21L (apparently extremely low, range should be 75-250 according to the doctor). Problem is I’m struck with chronic fatigue, I can’t cook, I’m too tired to bother making kefir etc. I’m doing the clo/butter oil therapy but I’d like to know if it is worth it taking Vit D3 cholecalciferol tabs alongside. I’ve been advised by the doctor to take 2000lU daily. I am so tired and desperate to fix this. Advice will be appreciated. thx
I’ve also been advised to take calcium and some magnesium with the Vit D3 tabs.
Standard Process is the way. Dr. Bruce West is the guy. Subscribe at healthalert.com and get yourself healthy. Exception: focus on breakfast & skip dinner instead of vice-versa.
I just tried healthalert.com but it will not go to the site. Must be too much good stuff there
Dear Sufferer:
You must take vit D3 liquid drops made with olive oil in it for some 7 mos/yr daily about 4000-8000 IU. They’re sold in a tiny bottle made by Clarkson, each drop contains 4,000 IU (international units). You need 1-2 drops a day. It’s easy to drop it on your tongue. With that taken, many of your health problems will either disappear or become milder.
low iron
hi my 15yr old daughter has extreamly low iron face white tired etc please any help would be great thanks
Read over the counter natural cures by Shane Ellison. 5 to 10 supplements that works. My lab works has reflexed it three separated times. This book is my Bible. Look up brewer yeast non-gmo and non fortified. Synthetic vitamins do not worked. Our bodies want real vitamins. All are vitamins should be food base and plant base. The People’s Chemist talks about the dirty dozen ingredients to avoid in our pills. Titanium Dioxide, Magnesium Stearate, Carrageenan, Silicon Dioxide , Calcium Carbonate, Sucrose, Dextrose, High Fructose corn Syrup, Chromium Cholecalciferol (Vit D ), Soy. These additive may vitamins absolute worthless. Good money wasted.
I’m really wondering if azomite is safe because at their site http://www.azomite.com/index.p…&Itemid=11it shows it has lead at 6.2 ppm. I mean alright the aluminum can be taken care with silica but what about lead??Mercury was .01 ppm, Arsenic 1.1 ppm and Cadmium 0.3 ppm. I’m pregnant and don’t want to play Russian roulette with what I ingest with my baby.
Go with Standard Process only. Royal Lee. Still the only real working whole food supplements. Subscribe at healthalert.com for a pittance & call them for further help.
@Talina
Silica has a chelating effect on all of the toxic elements you listed. This is why diatomaceous earth works – it too has some aluminum and possibly other toxic elements, but this is countered by the much higher proportion of silica. That being said, the only toxin I know of being in diatomaceous earth is aluminum, so that might be a safer option for you than azomite. Apologies if this info. might have been more useful months ago…
Azomite
Hi,
Is this the kind of azomite that can be consumed by people, not only to be put in the soil? http://viewitem.eim.ebay.se/4-…78504/item
Hello TIm
I have arthrits in several places in my body, including the knees , hips and fingers. Please explain what you did to rid your body of it
Thanks very much
Gaura
Gaura, I don’t have arthritis, but this website refers to people who got rid of it with Water and Whole celtic Salt… along with reading this AWESOME info, then look up testimonies… http://www.watercure.com
I used to run cross country 3-5 miles a day which gave me sore knees and hips. My husband worked at Chrysler plant with his arms up in the air working on cars. He had a sore rotater cuff (shoulder area). He took 800mg IB Profen 2 times a day for the pain. We decided to start saving all our bones and making broth with them. Simmering them in a pot or crockpot 48 hrs, then straining them and refrigerate overnight, letting the fat float to the top. Next day take the hard layer of fat off the top of the broth and save for cooking, and use broth within a wk or freeze. It is great if you add onion flakes, garlic powder, and parsley for sipping it down or adding to recipes that call for water. The more it congels in the refrigerator the more collagen it contains and the better it is for your joints. In fact people over in Europe use pig’s feet to make rich collagen broths for older people with joint problems. Pig’s feet sounded digesting to me but to my surprise the broth was delicious. All you need is 4 pig’s feet and 1 hamhock. To this day I do not struggle with sore joints or arthritis and that was almost 20 years ago. My husband did not have to take anymore IB Profen either. God showed me this in a dream. He had a doctor examining my body and he touched my knees and hips and said you need collagen. Looked it up, and I saw supplements, but I knew in my heart that there was a food source, so I did some digging and found a chiropractor talking about bone broth and collagen. Later God gave my husband a dream of Hawthorn University which teaches on the Weston A Price Principles of eating. This is my go to place when I want to learn something about health. Thank you for all your hard work, and may God continue to bless your efforts.
I swear by the Shane Ellison(Over the counter natural cures). I went against my holistic doctor. My blood work was very bad. My clotting factor were very high. My holistic doctor put me on 4000 mg of fish oil, 400 mg of vitamin E and a baby aspirin. I did what my Holistic doctor said to do and drop my clotting factor only 61 points in a year. I finally decided to do what the People’s Chemist said to do. I took Swanson’s Hawthorn berries 565mg every day and dropped my clotting factor 140 in a 4 month period. That is Hugh! I am out of the woods. When your labs have improved over 3 separated times. I know I’m doing the right thing. There are so many books out there that have the wrong information. It’s really sad. I am not a Doctor. My Hawthorn berries cost me only $9:99. So cheap and it worked.
I am an 18 year old male who is 6’3 190 pounds. I was wondering what the best supplements for me would be. I am currently taking ancestral supplements beef liver and was wondering if the complex of all the organs would be better. I also ordered Oyster max because I think I am deficient in Zinc. But what should I do about magnesium? I also think that I have a vitamin a dificiency and was looking into cod liver oil but did not know what the best thing to take that with is. I am worried about arachidonic acid deficiency and not getting enough vitamin k. Which is better for preventing these two deficiencies, emu oil or high vitamin butter oil? Financially I cannot afford more than one.
I drink a lot of distilled water. I need to find an effective way to remineralize.
I have been considering Azomite.
I know it is is considered safe for human consumption and it has been recommended as a natural, inexpensive mineral supplement.
One time I tried stirring some into my drinking water, but it’s too gritty and then I avoided drinking my water. So now I was considering putting the powder into gel capsules.
But I am afraid to use Azomite; because, isn’t it fine ROCK powder? How can my body digest a teaspoon of rock dust everyday… won’t rock residue build up in my organs and give me kidney stones?
Sorry I am asking this question here – its about a very recent article that Sally Fallon wrote that Dr Mercola just published about a process called High Pressure Processing (HPP). PLEASE help me understand how to determine if this process is being used – particularly in my pet’s food. The brand called SMACK pet food says it uses a dehydration process to preserve the raw cat and dog food and the Dr Marty’s brand says they freeze-dry their raw cat and dog food. Neither talk about the HPP process but maybe the terms freeze-dry and/or dehydrate in these instances are “code” words for this process. The issue is when I am gone and need an easier method than my normal raw food feeding for my dog and cats. Any details would be appreciated.