A ONE WOMAN EXPERIMENT
6 Supplements That Have Actually Helped Me Feel Better
Not all supplements are created equal — these are the ones that have actually made a difference in my everyday health.
Over the last three or so years, I have self-experimented with a lot of different supplements to help manage my chronic illness (ulcerative colitis with a smattering of other issues: Lyme, unbalanced hormones, etc).
It has definitely been a learning process, and I’ve discovered that just because something works for you once doesn’t mean it’s going to work forever — our bodies change all the time.
But there are definitely some supplements that have consistently helped me over the long term — so much so that I’ve actually felt a difference when I take them, or when I don’t take them.
What helps me is not necessarily going to be what helps you, but I encourage you to do your own research and see whether a supplement or vitamin could help you to feel better every day.
1. Vitamin D
I’ve already told the full story of how restoring my vitamin D levels basically saved my life last year when I was going through an ulcerative colitis flare, long-term prednisone withdrawal (secondary adrenal insufficiency), and as a result, severe depression. Normalizing my vitamin D levels brought me out of that depression, and I was able to start taking more concrete steps toward improving my health.
Since that crisis period in my life, I’ve been able to maintain an optimum vitamin D level and I believe it continues to help me heal and help my body function as normally as possible.
So many processes in the body rely on vitamin D to function, and most people are deficient because we primarily absorb it from sunlight through our skin.
Unless you live in a climate that is regularly sunny and you go outside and soak it up every morning, you probably don’t get enough.
After ramping up my levels by taking 50,000 IU capsules, I now take it in the form of oil-based drops, which is much easier for your body to absorb and use.
I’m now at the point where I can maintain my levels by taking 6,000 IU per day, but you should consult with a naturopathic doctor or functional medicine practitioner to determine what dosage is right for you. This is critical, because prior to seeing my ND, I was taking way too little, so it wasn’t helping me at all.
2. Choline
Acetylcholine, of which choline is a part, is the most abundant neurotransmitter in the brain. It plays a role in activating muscles, attention, learning, cognition, and memory — obviously all very important functions for the everyday operation of the body and brain.
Before I started taking choline, I had a huge issue with brain fog and a lack of motivation. Besides obviously being fatigued and not sleeping well from the prednisone withdrawal, everything just seemed very pointless because I was so sick and had been sick for a long time. I knew there were things I could be doing to help myself, but I just didn’t have the energy or motivation to try.
It was actually my chiropractor who recommended that I take choline, along with inositol, partly for the energy reason, and partly to encourage normal gut function.
I decided to order them in powder form, so that I could adjust the dose as needed and not have to deal with opening capsules. Fortunately, they are both sweet-tasting, so I was able to just mix the powders in a glass of water each morning and send it down the hatch. I worked my way up to one teaspoon of inositol and half a teaspoon of choline.
It took about two weeks, but suddenly there was a week where I had this burst of energy. I felt motivated and focused enough to call several naturopathic doctors in my area, set up consultations with each of them, and then over the next few days talk to each of them to explain my situation and what I was looking for in a provider.
For me, this was a massive change! I literally went from being unable to get up from the couch for most of the day to coherently talking to people on the phone, taking notes, and processing the information they gave me.
I knew it was the choline that did it because I had taken inositol by itself before and it didn’t have the same effect. Eventually, I was able to stop taking the inositol and just continue with the choline by itself.
3. Magnesium
I’ve had an on and off relationship with magnesium for a couple of years, but now I’m taking it more consistently and I do think it’s helping my gut and my brain (arguably the same thing, but that’s a whole other can of worms).
Magnesium, along with calcium, is essential for bone health and is most abundant in your bones, but it’s also another nutrient that is involved in every cell in your body.
Among other things, magnesium helps change food into energy, create new proteins, create and repair DNA, relax and contract muscles, and regulate neurotransmitters.
Because of the lack of magnesium in modern food, it is estimated that only half of the people in the US and Europe get the recommended amount of magnesium. Considering the number of processes it supports in the body, that is a concerning statistic.
For me, I think it has most notably helped me relax my body and mind before bed, as I use a magnesium oil spray on the bottoms of my feet (I am an unfortunately tense person.) I also take it in powder form, sometimes in the afternoon, sometimes in the evening since it tends to make me sleepy. I do think it has had some positive effect on my gut function as well.
If you have problems falling asleep and/or getting restful sleep, taking magnesium or using a spray before bed might help.
4. Zinc/Copper
Along with vitamin D, I’ve discovered through lab work that my zinc and copper levels are low, so for a few months now I’ve been taking this zinc/copper supplement.
Zinc is a critical nutrient required to maintain your immune system, so it’s no surprise that I was low since I have an auto-immune disease.
The right zinc and copper balance is also essential for hormone balance, mood stabilization, energy production and a healthy heart.
Copper also helps the body maintain and form new red blood cells, maintain nerve cells and absorb iron. Also, according to Medical News Today, “Too little copper can lead to neutropenia. This is a deficiency of white blood cells, or neutrophils, which fight off infection.” I know from my labs that my neutrophil counts are historically low, so adding copper to my regimen makes a lot of sense.
I started out taking two capsules (30mg zinc, 4mg copper) and now only take one. It’s hard to say exactly how effective it has been, but I’ve only gotten sick once this winter, and it was only for a few days, which for me is amazing. I used to get colds that would hang on for weeks before my immune system finally kicked out the invaders. Hopefully, those days are over!
5. Vitamin C
Speaking of my immune system, I’ve recently upped my daily intake of vitamin C and have noticed a difference in my energy levels, and as I mentioned before, I’ve barely been sick while people at the office drop like flies.
Vitamin C is essential for adrenal function, which I am still normalizing after my bout with prednisone last year.
Vitamin C is also great for moving the gut, wound healing, eye health, and healthy skin.
You can’t overdose on vitamin C, so finding out what your personal tolerance level is may be the best way to determine how much you need. You’ll know you’ve hit your limit when your tummy starts feeling a little rumbly.
My ND recommended this powder form, which I just add to my water bottle every day and drink throughout the morning. It’s nice to have one less pill to take, and the lemony taste is delicious. I have also used a much less expensive powder, and it seemed to do the trick.
6. SAMe
SAMe is a newer supplement for me; I’ve been taking it for about a month, but I noticed the effects within the first week.
Like choline, SAMe has drastically improved my mental health, and it all comes down to dopamine.
My ND recommended taking SAMe based on the results of my 23andMe genetic health profile, which was then analyzed by a program called MTHFR Support.
We’ve only just begun to dig into all of the useful information that the testing has provided, but one thing that jumped out to him pretty quickly was my impaired dopamine pathways. There are several genetic pathways your body can use to produce dopamine, which is the neurotransmitter that makes you feel happy and motivated to take on the day. If you’re a habitual coffee drinker, it probably gives you a nice little dopamine hit each morning.
However, my dopamine pathways are a bit wonky. Based on the genetic testing, only around half of my available genetic pathways for producing dopamine operate at 100%. The rest operate at 50% or less.
Taking extra SAMe helps improve my dopamine production to the levels of a normal human.
It took a while to build up in my system, but after about a week of taking it consistently, I noticed improved motivation and focus for writing and at my 9–5, and what I can only describe as “happy energy.” Really, it was remarkable to realize how much more I was feeling content and happy. I have bested you, wonky dopamine pathways!
Find What Works for You
Not all supplements are created equal, and not all supplements are appropriate for everyone. So the trick becomes to find out what works for you, and to continually reexamine whether you might need to switch to something else according to your needs at the time.
For me, these six supplements have made a noticeable difference in my health — particularly the ones that have lifted my mood.
If you’re curious to see if any of these can help you feel better, and you’re starting from scratch, I would suggest trying Vitamin D and C in the morning and maybe magnesium in the evening to start, and see how you feel. Pretty much everyone is deficient in these because of daily stress, environmental toxicity, and nutritional deficiencies in our food, so odds are you will notice a difference when you begin taking them regularly.
If you want to go a step beyond that, find a naturopathic doctor to work with that can recommend a supplement regimen for you based on your individual health and goals. It has made all the difference for me.
Thanks for reading! Here’s my article about my experience with vitamin D if you want more info. :) None of the links to products above are affiliate links, just products I have used. Cheers!
