Though many people want to poo poo vitamins I because of my father have always been a firm believer in them. And likely because I was raised to be a lacto Ovo vegetarian it was very important that I learned to take them almost from birth because of my father. He had my mother take around 90 vitamins a day while she was pregnant and I was the biggest baby ever born in that hospital in Seattle at 24 inches long and around 10 pounds.
One of the reasons I believe that some people don't recommend people taking vitamins is that most people don't do enough research into which vitamins might be helpful to them and what companies do the best job of providing useful vitamins. So, what vitamins you buy and who makes them is often as important as buying vitamins at all.
One vitamin that appears to increase lifespan and health in general among the over 50 crowd is:
Centrum Silver Multi-vitamins. My wife prefers the chewable Centrum Silver because it is easier to take than just a tablet.
The second potentially very important vitamin for anyone over 50 is a sublingual B-12 which will tend to prevent panic Attacks (I just had this amazing experience realizing I had gotten out of the habit of taking my under the tongue directly into the bloodstream bypassing the stomch B-12s I have been taking from Trader Joes for about 10 or more years already.
Recently I started taking a more expensive B-12 from Whole Foods by Superior Source at 5000 mcg per dose. If you take a 1000mcg per day under the tongue from Trader Joe's likely it will be enough the closer you are to 50 whereas I'm now over 65.
People's stomachs over 50 often can't process B-12 anymore so when this happens and they don't get it through a shot or through sublinguals because they can't get it through their stomachs they get senile dementia because a human brain cannot function right without B-12.
So, for many if not most people to have your brain working right you need sublingual B-12s to keep your mind working right over 50.
Another helpful thing to keep your mind sharp over 50 is Phosphitidal Serine. I presently take one or two a day from MRM of PS 1000mg capsules. This will help your mind be sharper and clearer.
Another helpful thing to take daily is DHA which is super purified Fish Oil which has been found to help prevent heart attacks and strokes by cleaning your arteries from gunk. So even though these things sort of upset my stomach sometimes I try to take them (at least 1 or 2 a day). (However, since I'm taking heart medicine and a diuretic sometimes the combination upsets my stomach too much unless I also take a Tums along with it.) So, you have to see what works for you.
Another helpful thing especially if you are still working after 65 is a Timed Release B Complex tablet. By having it be a timed release you can take one in the morning and still be able to work 6 to 8 hours during the day without feeling as fatigued as you would ordinarily feel. However, B-complex sometimes upsets people's stomachs too. But, if you want to be calm and not go off on people so much a good timed B-Complex and a morning dose of sublingual B-12 should be very helpful. My cousin is over 70 and still working at his business and swears by Nature Made Balanced B-100 complex timed release tablets.
Also, if you are having panic attacks (especially from taking heart medicine or asthma medicines, B-12 sublinguals and a good B-Complex might just calm you down, stabilize you and clear your mind up.
IF you are a man over 50:
Bioresponse DIM 150 (this product strengthens your prostate and reduces your chances of cancer). My doctor also takes these and says this is the only maker he has found of this product that actually works. (This product I buy online).
Now Prostate Support(you can find this last one at Whole Foods)
I have been taking 1 to 2 of these softgells for about 20 years now since I was 45. And partly as a result whenever I have a prostate exam my doctors are usually impressed how well I'm doing at this age.
(My father was diagnosed with prostate cancer around 1980. But, because he was very attached to preventative medicine thought he could cure it with a macrobiotic diet. This didn't work and he passed on around 1985). So, there is something to be said for using whatever medical treatment might work for you even if you are attached to only one way. It just might keep you alive if you want to live any longer.
I recently had an exam where they stick a scope up your urethra into your bladder to check it out and found out I was perfectly healthy and okay.
The next medicine I took for about 5 years during a particularly bad divorce and custody case that was very expensive trying to get custody of my daughter to keep her safe.
It is Mega B Stress from Solaray. I don't recommend taking this type of product unless you really need it. But, the kinds of stress like Divorce, losing a relative or lover, or other really bad things in your life I might recommend taking this instead of an anti-depressant. I didn't want to take an anti-depressant because I had had to administer these things to emotionally disturbed teenagers in a facility I was working in and found most of the effects of anti-depressants on these kids pretty horrific to witness. Enough so that I quit this job feeling this was a bad thing going on there and that I couldn't participate in this anymore in good conscience.
So, when I divorced I went to find Mega B stress tabs and I also tried St. John's Wort starting around 1994 when this all happened.
Another thing to keep on hand if you have potential for heart or stroke problems is a low dose of children's aspirin for emergencies.
There is another vitamin you can get at Whole Foods and similar places that is called 5-HTP which is a part of the Serotonin sequence in your brain.
However, some people can take this and some can't. For example, when I was having trouble with depression when my daughter wasn't living with me and my new wife I sometimes used this once a week to keep me from going over into being clinically depressed because that is based upon chemicals in the brain. But, I tried not to use it every day because the brain works on balance so anything you take all the time the brain gets used to and then might not be able to function right without it all the time and to stay in balance. So, things like Coffee (with caffeine) I reserve for the times late at night I want to stay awake driving or any time I think I might fall asleep at the wheel driving a long distance). The same is true of 5-HTP and have only used it very very rarely when something in my life isn't working right and I'm very depressed or upset about something real like a friend or relative dying or being very ill and close to dying or something like that.
Common sense is important in using any of the information above and it is also important to tell your doctor what vitamins you might be taking in case any of them conflict with any of your medicines.
For example, I can't take minerals because it might give me too much potassium which might cause my heart to stop because of a diuretic I'm taking to prevent edema ongoing. So, I can have a banana only about 3 times a week and be okay because they contain potassium.
So, all these vitamins are very helpful in my life and one of the reasons I'm still alive and doing pretty well at 65. However, it is important to know that I researched all these things, asked friends what worked for them and tried many different things to find out what worked for me the best. And I'm constantly looking for things that might be helpful now and into the future for myself and my family and for anyone else who is interested in learning what actually works for most people to keep their minds and bodies working and healthy along with enough fresh air and exercise and healthy organic food whenever possible.
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