Supplement Sunday - 03/29/20
I will share my supplement deck with you. I am not a master of this science/art, but I am continuously experimenting and sorting out what works best for me. My goal here is to be a resource to help us optimize our mental and physical health. Moving forward, on Sundays you can expect supplement recommendations, breathing exercises, fun ways to move your body, foods, and things of that nature.
I went down to Atlanta in November to visit Amen Clinics- a mental health clinic that provides SPECT imaging. In short, they scan your brain in order to determine the parts of your brain that are healthy and the parts that may need some help. They then suggest natural supplements that will address the issues, and only prescribe specified mediation as a last result. I chose this as an alternative to traditional psychiatry because (1) I believe that a lot of the methods of diagnosing are antiquated and largely guesswork (2) I didn’t want to be given SSRIs, or similar unspecified and addictive medication.
A handful of these supplements were recommended by Amen- I’ll tell you which ones and what they were given to treat. I say all of this because you probably only want to try them if you have the symptoms they treat. Prior to these scans, I spent a lot of time online and in Whole Body trying different supplements mainly to curve anxiety and dissociative feelings I had. It's now turned into a bit of a hobby and a way to optimize my conscious and physical experience. It's definitely a game of trial and error, but I hope to be the guinea pig to save you some money and time.
Ultimate Omega Fish Oil - Fish oil was one of the very first supplements I began taking and noticed results from. I’ve tried a lot of different brands, but this one is by far my favorite. It doesn’t make me burp nor does it upset my stomach. Fish oil has been shown to support heart, brain, joint, eye, and mood health. For me, fish oil helped clear my brain fog and ease many depressive symptoms. I was originally taking the suggested amount (1280 mg), but after my Amen Clinic visit, they recommended taking 5,000 mg. This is because, if I’m remembering correctly, the fatty acid of the fish oil mimics that our your brain composition and promotes rapid brain restoration. I would recommend that everyone takes fish oil.
2. Athletic Greens - an incredible green powder that covers all your nutritional bases. I linked the ingredient deck. I’ve spoken about this in a Formal Friday post before and told way too many people about it haha. It greatly increased my energy and I haven't been sick since I started taking it a year ago- not once.
3. GABA - This was recommended by Amen Clinics. I had pretty intense experiences with anxiety over the past two years after losing my dad, some traumatic experiences, and leaving school. I tried so hard to make it stop. In the process, I learned to let it happen and welcome the anxiety instead of resist, and found help through therapy, mediation, and this supplement. It’s honestly crazy how much GABA has helped me and made me believe in natural supplements so much more. I take 500mg every night before I go to bed. Note: I take Solargear, but I just found one made by brand called Now that is only $6. I will note that the latter also has B6 in it. I would start with one that only has a one ingredient so you know how it affects you.
4. Magnesium Citrate - I take every night. It’s great for going to sleep and staying asleep. Melatonin knocks me out so hard, gives me horrible dreams, and I can’t wake up the next morning. So, this is a great alternative for me. I wouldn’t take more than 120mg, however, because it can also serve as laxative and will keep you on the toilet versus in bed if you take too much.
5. SAM-e - recommended to me by Amen Clinics. SAM-e can be an effective alternative to SSRIs. It helps with energy and depression. I take this one. I’m about to try this one though, because it’s less expensive. Will keep you posted.
6. L-Tyrosine - an amino acid that improves alertness, attention, and focus. I use this as an alternative to my ADHD medicine and it helps. I’m finding I need a little more boost though to get completely off of my ADHD medicine, so I will be trying several new focusing supplements in the next week or two and will let you know how it goes.
7. Creatine - one of the oldest athletic performance supplements in the game. Here’s an article that gives the history and benefits. In short, it (1) increases energy (2) improves mitochondrial function and (3) builds muscle mass. I’ve gotten so much more defined and built from creatine. It increases my endurance in exercise and my flexibility. I only do things that feel like play to me- yoga, riding my bike, hiking, playing basketball, climbing occasionally- but it still helps with all of those. And makes me look purdy :)
8. BCAAs - I was looking back at some shirtless photos of me, like these two (i take them to keep progress and because of I’m probably a tool). Fortunately I'm still defined, but was like “dang! Why am I so much bigger / more defined in at this stage?” I realized it’s because I was taking BCAAs and am now getting back on them. According to healthline.com, Branched-Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs) (1) increase muscle growth (2) decrease muscle soreness (3) reduce exercise fatigue (4) prevent muscle wasting and (5) benefit people with liver disease.
This may be a lot if you aren’t currently taking any supplements. My advice is to start with one, see how you feel, and then add.
POWER RANKINGS BASED ON NEEDS:
OVERALL HEALTH:
Fish oil
Athletic Greens
DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS:
SAM-e
Fish oil
STRESS AND ANXIETY
GABA
L-Theanine - I don’t take this daily anymore because it made me dizzy when I took too much. It’s found in green tea and is great for modulating the release of caffeine.
MUSCLE MASS:
Creatine
BCAAs
FOCUS:
L-Tyrosine
I will have more to add in the next week or two
SLEEP:
GABA
Magnesium Citrate
I look forward to discovering and sharing more about my health journey, and hopefully grow with some or all of you :)
If you have any questions, please comment below, DM me on Instagram (@drainodrew), or text me 615.720.7468.