Few comments made about starting a thread on health with PED's and what can be done to mitigate the chance of a serious health issue.
Caveat before we get started - ever watch Brooklyn Nine-nine...same comment, "not a doctor" but I take health seriously and read a lot on medications, supplements, herbs etc.
I hope this thread will keep going and we can have civil conversations/disagreements which foster growth and knowledge. We have older members who have forgotten more than most know about health issues/PED's and old/new ways to protect your body. We have young members, and many have been there so no judgement, who don't get blood work or take supplements to prevent issues now or in the future. If you fall into this group, keep an open mind and consider without your health you have nothing.
You could spend more on supplements/herbs than you do on PED's/private blood work if you wanted so I'm asking what do you consider essential/most important?
If you are going to take PED's and especially if your going to step in the gas, you should at minimum:
1. Take your BP EOD or 3 times a week. If it is high - fix it with a visit to your doctor and known supplements that can do the same. I have opted for the latter because there are a few I use that typically keep my BP under 120 systolic and my RHR in the high 40's to low 50's:
2. Two items I concentrate on - keeping inflammation as low as possible and providing anti-oxidants with food and supplements increasing your antioxidants to fight free radicals. In particular, keep your glutathione in a healthy range. Once it is depleted - damage is most likely going to occur.
3. Drink enough quality water.
4. I hate boring cardio but it is essential - so find something you enjoy so you stick with it as a part of your regular life.
5. Get regular blood work and if your doctor won't check your kidneys, liver, hormones, lipids, inflammatory markers, and a CBC - find another one or pay for it yourself. I'm sure I may be missing some important ones so maybe @Bignate can comment. Try to foster a trusting relationship with your doctor who will allow you to check off the items you are concerned about but be prepared to back up why you want these monitored.
BP - if you have high BP and want to lower it consider the following (if your not on medication) - fish oil up to 10,000 mg of combined EPA/DHA and titrate down as it lowers. Fish oil also is also anti-inflammatory so it has a two prong benefit. I like Nigella Sativa - decreased BP and has anti-inflammatory properties. Ubiquinol and Q10 are long known to be helpful. I use to take an enteric coated low dose aspirin at night for BP - stopped for stomach issue reasons so now I use a quality curcumin product. Pick your favorite but I like theracurmin by NF's because it is one of the few that has any studies backing it up. You do not have to take all these - maybe try one for a week or two and see if it helps. If needed add in another but if your dangerously high don't self treat - get to your doctor.
Kidneys - NAC (increases glutathione as well) and there is contradictory reports on its ability to protect the kidneys. It has been used as a prophylactic measure for people injected with dye prior to imaging with mixed results. Regardless, this is a great supplement. Astragalus - not only is good for your immune system but it is known to help the health of your kidneys. Ginger (one of my favorite daily herbs - raw) has some evidence behind it to protect your kidneys against specific toxins and it has anti-inflammatory properties. Sam-e - one of my favorite products. It is used for depression in some countries, did very well in arthritic studies compared to Celebrex, is reputed to provide kidney protection and increases your glutathione to help protect your liver. Glutathione is essential to a healthy liver. R-ALA or ALA as Bignate mentioned in another thread is a supplement I take periodically but not all the time. There are anecdotal stories of doctors saving patients in liver failure with IV ALA and nothing else.
Liver- already covered above with Sam-e, black-seed oil, ALA, NAC, and ginger. I would throw phosphatidyl choline in there as one of my favorites but there are endless products for liver health. It is a resilient organ but every part of your body has a breaking point.
Lipids/heart - covered off above with fish oil. Never had this issue before which may be a product of not using oral PED's. Regardless, watch your cholesterol and lipids and don't ignore it if they are off.
Immune system - vitamin D, C, some minerals are known to help fight off viruses and disrupt their ability to replicate like selenium and zinc.
Anyone who disagrees, speak up as the goal of this thread is to get people thinking and talking - don't take my comments for fact / research it. I'm just mentioning a few and there are others that work better for some. @Sorbate likes Hawthorne tea for BP if I recall correct.
It is all too easy to end up taking handful of supplements hoping for the best but I prefer to get what I can from food as much as possible for antioxidants / natural anti-inflammatory foods. That being said there are a few that I take everyday. I just noticed by BP took a jump and I don't know why, so I am working for a few weeks to get it down with some of the aforementioned items. If it doesn't drop, I will see my doctor.
Before I write a dissertation I will stop there. I'm missing a lot I like to rotate in for a month periodically but I'm not a guy who steps on the gas so in general my blood results are pretty good. I did have fatty liver issues which I have treated with herbs/supplements with success. Repeating myself again - not a doctor, others here know more, I'm not a Naturopath, and this is what works for me and a little knowledge I have gathered over the years. As with everything - what is supposed to be healthy this decade, may not be next decade so be cautious, research and talk to your doctor or a good Naturopath.
GR
Caveat before we get started - ever watch Brooklyn Nine-nine...same comment, "not a doctor" but I take health seriously and read a lot on medications, supplements, herbs etc.
I hope this thread will keep going and we can have civil conversations/disagreements which foster growth and knowledge. We have older members who have forgotten more than most know about health issues/PED's and old/new ways to protect your body. We have young members, and many have been there so no judgement, who don't get blood work or take supplements to prevent issues now or in the future. If you fall into this group, keep an open mind and consider without your health you have nothing.
You could spend more on supplements/herbs than you do on PED's/private blood work if you wanted so I'm asking what do you consider essential/most important?
If you are going to take PED's and especially if your going to step in the gas, you should at minimum:
1. Take your BP EOD or 3 times a week. If it is high - fix it with a visit to your doctor and known supplements that can do the same. I have opted for the latter because there are a few I use that typically keep my BP under 120 systolic and my RHR in the high 40's to low 50's:
2. Two items I concentrate on - keeping inflammation as low as possible and providing anti-oxidants with food and supplements increasing your antioxidants to fight free radicals. In particular, keep your glutathione in a healthy range. Once it is depleted - damage is most likely going to occur.
3. Drink enough quality water.
4. I hate boring cardio but it is essential - so find something you enjoy so you stick with it as a part of your regular life.
5. Get regular blood work and if your doctor won't check your kidneys, liver, hormones, lipids, inflammatory markers, and a CBC - find another one or pay for it yourself. I'm sure I may be missing some important ones so maybe @Bignate can comment. Try to foster a trusting relationship with your doctor who will allow you to check off the items you are concerned about but be prepared to back up why you want these monitored.
BP - if you have high BP and want to lower it consider the following (if your not on medication) - fish oil up to 10,000 mg of combined EPA/DHA and titrate down as it lowers. Fish oil also is also anti-inflammatory so it has a two prong benefit. I like Nigella Sativa - decreased BP and has anti-inflammatory properties. Ubiquinol and Q10 are long known to be helpful. I use to take an enteric coated low dose aspirin at night for BP - stopped for stomach issue reasons so now I use a quality curcumin product. Pick your favorite but I like theracurmin by NF's because it is one of the few that has any studies backing it up. You do not have to take all these - maybe try one for a week or two and see if it helps. If needed add in another but if your dangerously high don't self treat - get to your doctor.
Kidneys - NAC (increases glutathione as well) and there is contradictory reports on its ability to protect the kidneys. It has been used as a prophylactic measure for people injected with dye prior to imaging with mixed results. Regardless, this is a great supplement. Astragalus - not only is good for your immune system but it is known to help the health of your kidneys. Ginger (one of my favorite daily herbs - raw) has some evidence behind it to protect your kidneys against specific toxins and it has anti-inflammatory properties. Sam-e - one of my favorite products. It is used for depression in some countries, did very well in arthritic studies compared to Celebrex, is reputed to provide kidney protection and increases your glutathione to help protect your liver. Glutathione is essential to a healthy liver. R-ALA or ALA as Bignate mentioned in another thread is a supplement I take periodically but not all the time. There are anecdotal stories of doctors saving patients in liver failure with IV ALA and nothing else.
Liver- already covered above with Sam-e, black-seed oil, ALA, NAC, and ginger. I would throw phosphatidyl choline in there as one of my favorites but there are endless products for liver health. It is a resilient organ but every part of your body has a breaking point.
Lipids/heart - covered off above with fish oil. Never had this issue before which may be a product of not using oral PED's. Regardless, watch your cholesterol and lipids and don't ignore it if they are off.
Immune system - vitamin D, C, some minerals are known to help fight off viruses and disrupt their ability to replicate like selenium and zinc.
Anyone who disagrees, speak up as the goal of this thread is to get people thinking and talking - don't take my comments for fact / research it. I'm just mentioning a few and there are others that work better for some. @Sorbate likes Hawthorne tea for BP if I recall correct.
It is all too easy to end up taking handful of supplements hoping for the best but I prefer to get what I can from food as much as possible for antioxidants / natural anti-inflammatory foods. That being said there are a few that I take everyday. I just noticed by BP took a jump and I don't know why, so I am working for a few weeks to get it down with some of the aforementioned items. If it doesn't drop, I will see my doctor.
Before I write a dissertation I will stop there. I'm missing a lot I like to rotate in for a month periodically but I'm not a guy who steps on the gas so in general my blood results are pretty good. I did have fatty liver issues which I have treated with herbs/supplements with success. Repeating myself again - not a doctor, others here know more, I'm not a Naturopath, and this is what works for me and a little knowledge I have gathered over the years. As with everything - what is supposed to be healthy this decade, may not be next decade so be cautious, research and talk to your doctor or a good Naturopath.
GR
