Yes, I detailed very specifically what I take and why.
People have different priorities and I'm trying to recover from an accident that almost killed me and caused a lot of catastrophic tissue damage, followed by a year's worth of very dark anxiety and depression. During that time, I really let myself go physically and me making an attempt to get back in shape and improve my physical health is kind of a last ditch effort for me to try to work through my depression and improve my mental health as well.
I'm sure that my supplement regimen is more extensive than most people's and I'm sure that its more costly than most peoples, but it goes back to priorities. For the last year, I've ate like crap and I can guarantee you that I spend less money on supplements than I spent on pizza and junk food on a monthly basis.
Some people may prioritize a golf course membership, some may prioritize going out to the club every weekend - for me, I'm a single dad with a special needs daughter and I'm trying to prioritize my health.
I'm sorry if that seems so unreal for some reason.
I took the time to be so detailed in order to answer the OP's question and also in hopes that people suffering from one or more of the issues that I am may find a part of my supplement regimen that may help them.
But to be more precise:
Cardiovascular and Heart Health Supplements:
I had explained in the post that I have a family history of high blood pressure and cholesterol problems, and I already had some issues with these and that was before letting myself completely go last year after the accident. So yes, I've started back taking a pretty extensive regimen of cardiovascular support supplements to try to support overall cardiovascular health and to try to get my cholesterol numbers back right and my blood pressure down.
- Cardiovascular Support XT
- Blood Pressure Support XT
- Cholesterol Support XT (the ingredients themselves as the finished product isn't in yet)
Liver Support Supplements:
My autoimmune condition contributes to my liver enzymes being high anyway and that was before letting myself go after the accident and putting on a lot of fat, so fatty liver is definitely a concern. Right now, I'm in the process of trying to lose a lot of fat to address that and also taking liver support supplements to help the process.
- Liver Assist XT - NAC, Milk Thistle (80% Silymarin), Curcumin (95%), and Artichoke Extract
- TUDCA
- L-Ornithine L-Aspartate - which in my opinion is the most underrated liver support ingredient on the market
Joint, Tendon, Ligament, & Tissue Support:
I'm 44 years old and have led an active lifestyle with my share of injuries through the years plus have an autoimmune condition that when it flares up causes extreme swelling and pain in the connective tissues and tendons and ligaments around pretty much every single joint in my body. On top of that, I got hit by a car last year and broke my shoulder and my leg in 3 places including my tibia snapping and coming out thru my calf muscle. So yes, I take several supplements for this purpose. I answered the OP's question about supplements for general health and antioxidant, but there were a couple of things I didn't mention in this category that I forgot to mention.
- Joint Support XT
- Cissus XT
- Elite Curcumin
- Recovery Fix (Muscle Addiction) - is amazing for muscle soreness and has been a tremendous help with pain related to learning how to walk again from the accident and also with flareup pain from my autoimmune condition.
- CurcuPrime Gel (Xtreme Performance Gels) - I forgot to mention this, but I use this on my shoulder and the area of my leg where all the tissue damage and inflammation is.
Cognitive & Mental Health - Mental Focus, Clarity, Concentration, & Memory:
Let's see, where to start on this part - I was first diagnosed with anxiety and depression in 6th grade and have always struggled with it and especially with being able to stay motivated and getting overwhelmed easily. I've always handled it pretty well, but not in the last year - the last year has been the most challenging year of my life and I sunk into a deep depression. That's part of what I'm trying to overcome by focusing on health and supplementation.
In addition, I have ADD (didn't have the luck to have the hyper type, I stay tired and can't focus) and had a concussion and a lot of post concussion symptoms from getting hit by a car. Then, as they were finally seeming to get better, I got Covid and the after effects of Covid for me have been extreme fatigue and brain fog.
So yes, I take several things to help me with stress, anxiety, mental health, and focus:
- Focus XT (ALCAR, Tyrosine, Choline, Taurine, DMAE, Huperzine, etc.) - mental focus, concentration, memory, motivation
- Huperzine A 99% - 1 capsule twice per day - memory
- Gingko Biloba - memory
- Stress & Anxiety Support (Bacopa, Rhodiola, Theanine, & Sensoril) - this product is great for stress and anxiety to begin with, and a lot of people recovering from traumatic events report a lot of success with it.
- Inhibit-P - I take this for my endocrinology condition during periods when my prolactin would go up, but I've been using it since I started back on my supplement regimen because it helps me overall feel better and be in a better mood.
Testosterone, Estrogen, etc.
I've talked openly about having a rare endocrinology condition and how its been life altering and have been to multiple specialists and even been used in 2 research studies. I share my experiences in hopes that it will help others. I've long talked about my supplement regimen which is M-Test as a daily use supplement and then I added Optimize-T to it. With my condition, my estrogen levels have always tended to go up when I'm super stressed and depressed, and I would add Inhibit-E in during those times.
Epi-Plex:
I've stated here on AM for years that I use Epi-Plex year round as part of my daily supplement regimen. It's the best thing I've ever used for muscular endurance, which is something I struggle with, not just during my workouts but as part of day to day life because of my autoimmune condition. I slacked off of taking this in the last year just bc I was depressed and the difference was very obvious - just basic day to day stuff was causing muscular fatigue again. Plus, it has some great immune support and cardiovascular health benefits.
Elite Curcumin:
This could fall into any number of categories - joint health, cardiovascular health, or cognitive health. I use it primarily for pain and inflammation, but its other potential benefits are wonderful as well. This is one supplement that I definitely consider a longevity/anti-aging supplement.
Api-Plex (200 mg. Apigenin):
I use this for improved sleep quality and relaxation. It's very hard to sleep when you hurt 24/7 and I've found that this helps with sleep and also that it helps lesser sleep feel like more sleep bc it increases restful sleep. Sometimes I take an additional capsule during the day for relaxation.
Vitamin D:
Similar to what the OP said about himself, I have very low Vitamin D levels and 5,000 IU barely puts me in the low end of normal range. I get an additional 2,000 IU from Cardiovascular Support XT. (My doctor tells me to take 5,000 IU or more per day).
Vitamin C:
It's pretty common for a lot of people to supplement with Vitamin C year round and especially in people that have autoimmune conditions like myself. (My doctor tells me to take 3 grams or more per day).
Vitamin E:
Vitamin E has a lot of overall benefits. (My doctor tells me to take 400 IU per day).
Beta Carotene:
Immune support and eyesight benefits. Both my eye doctor and my rheumatologist tell me to take this.
Algae Oil:
I'm not saying that Algae Oil is better than Fish Oil but I'm saying that its better for me because I hate fish and I have come to accept that I just absolutely will not take fish oil correctly bc of the taste and also it hurts my stomach. Algae oil is more expensive mg. for mg. but I'll actually take it consistently .
I said in my very first post in this thread that a regimen like this thread is about needs to be individualized, and mine is. Not everyone needs to take that extensive list of supplements, but my hope had been that by me sharing mine that people reading could take ideas from it and adapt it to their individual needs.
