Under the Weather

[jodee]

Under the Weather

It's that time of the year again - germs abound and I'm getting one cold after the other. We are supposedly trying for baby no. 2 but neither of us feels up to much, one or both of us feeling rough on the days when we should be 'trying' so going to bed means sleep and not much else.
Can anyone recommend some supplements to perk up our immune system and help ward off the germs? My only concern is what I should/should not take if I am trying to conceive - any ideas please? (I'm already taking folic acid of course.)

Tech, when I create a new conversation, I don't get my message, just the title appears, and I have to go back and cut and paste the message again??

Hi Jodee, sorry about that - our fault. It should be OK now - you should be able to create the conversation and add the message at the same time.

Hi Jodee, good supplements to take are Hoefel's ginger and ginko, and/or rosehip and echinacea. The ginko is said to stimulate blood flow with the ginger helping this too. Echinacea has been raved about by me on another thread - I swear I've not had a cold since taking it! Garlic is meant to boost immune system too - you can get odourless pills now... Another thing you could take is ginseng, meant to be v good for enhancing your sex drive, was just reading all about it in mag yesterday... Who knows if you take everything you may be heralding some news by next week
Good luck...

I would warn against ginseng, apparently it stimulates you and is very good for energy levels but can deplete your immune system even further.

I have started taking Elderberry extract for my non-existent immune system, as well as echinacea and loads of B and C. I have started to feel loads better.

One thing to be wary of when taking vits and trying to conceive is Vitamin A, apparently large doses can cause birth defects.

Thanks Lizzer and Enid -
Lizzer, my sex drive needs more than a boost, how about waking from the dead! I'm in two minds, then, about ginseng -
Enid, do you know in what way it depletes your immune system even further? I mean, can some supplements counteract against each other in a bad way?
I will definitely get Elderberry and Echinacea, I will go back and find your thread about it Lizzer.
Also, should I get the most expensive brands I can afford - are cheaper brands just as effective as the pricier ones?

Thanks Tech. I also think the new layout is great

Try taking a vitamin C after your main meal, it will help absorb the natural iron in your food and so increase your energy levels and the vitC will improve your immunity.

Red wine works for boosting your sex life

Hi again Jodee, I would err on the side of the slightly more expensive brands or at least those that show the active ingredient of what you are taking on the label. Those that are v cheap usually are for a reason. As far as echinacea goes I'd expect to pay £5-7 for a month's supply, the Hoefel's ones are about 6.50 and you can get them everywhere (ie supermarkets) Bioforce is also a trusted make. If you have a small and friendly health food shop nearby you should pester the assistants to tell you the difference in all the brands they stock, they will know...

Curious to know the facts on ginseng Enid, like I said I'd only just read an article on it which omitted any downside...

Another thing you might want to try especially for the sex drive aspect is using amino acids supplements to boost your brain's own chemicals. I got into this over the summer and I swear it has helped me so much. I was feeling terrible for well over 2 months and with balancing the right nutrition (yes, boring veg I know!) and using the aminos - it definitely helped. I felt fantastic by the end of the course. Its good as you don't need to continually take them, just until your brain's 'boosted' back up to its original levels that get depleted in stressful times. I would certainly use them again if I had cause (probably after xmas no doubt!) Its a long explanation to work out which amino's are best suited to you. So I would suggest running to the library and getting a copy of either 'The amino revolution' (can't remember author, sorry) or 'The diet cure' - by Julia Ross - the 2nd being my personal favourite as its less scientific and really shows how what you put in your body can affect the way it works...
Sorry if this info is surplus to requirements but I wouldn't have believed it myself if someone hadn't recommended it to me - and yes, there are specific amino's you can use to aid your sex drive, but you also have to look at the complete picture.
Once again, good luck Jodee

re ginseng: a friend of mine who is a chinese herbalist and nutritionist (and who is disgustingly glowing and healthy) told me to lay off it for a while. She recommended 'mending' my immune system first with echinacea and elderberry, eating lots of 'hot' foods like ginger and chili and trying to cut down on dairy and wheat products. When I am finally free of the sore throat thats dogged me for months, THEN I can take the ginseng to give me an energy boost if necessary. So I am no expert but I'm taking her advice.

Hi Lizzer, thanks for all the info - I see what you mean about amino acids, there are so many of them, aren't there.
Well I'm in a quandary now - I went to a chemist near to where I work yesterday and picked up some supplements containing Echinacea and ginger/ginko. After reading on the back a warning about consulting a doctor before taking if you are pg/planning a pg I spoke to the pharmacist and he wouldn't sell them to me! He said I should speak to my gp. So I thought I would ring NHS Direct first. They couldn't give me any advice on Echinacea as not enough tests had been run on it so far. As for other supplements, eg. garlic, ginger, they wouldn't recommend taking these in capsule form as one was never sure what else had gone into the capsules, but as they were a culinary herb, to use them in cooking so you could see exactly what you were getting.
They did suggest taking the Pregnacare multivitamins.
I did an internet search and found a warning against using Echinacea, St John's Wort, ginko biloba when trying to conceive.
I don't know - there is always such contradictory information about everything. If I wasn't trying to conceive I don't think I would hesitate in taking any of these supplements, particularly Echinacea for getting rid of the colds, but as I am, I have niggling doubts. I definitely need something though, besides the veggies, to get myself fit.
Has anyone used any of these or other alternative herbal supplements when pregnant/trying?

Hi Jodee, I see your point - its so true, when I was pg I took the safe side on any argument over food, drink and supplements, so I imagine its the same when you're trying too... Its a shame that there isn't more research though, hope someone here has some ideas...

Be careful with echinacea, taking too much or taking it for too long can totally crash your immune system. I have also been told it is not good to take echinacea when pregnant or trying to conceive.

Also be careful of Vit C as too much (even just taking supplements added to your dietary intake) can lead to birth defects.

I know this is much harder than just taking a supplement, but can you get more sleep? Lack of sleep is a sure fire way to run you down! Taking drugs ("natural" or otherwise) is really no substitute for eating properly, sleeping well and getting regular exercise. Much easier said than doen, though, I know. I am hardly a model for good health! It just concerns me that people seem to think that "natural" remedies are harmless and can fix all, while things "invented" in the name of medicine/science are all evil and doing us harm.

Jodee, have you looked at the Zita West website? She's an excellent and well-respected private practice midwife, with an emphasis on natural/holistic care for mums and babes, and she has launched some new vitamin ranges for parents from pre-conception through to postnatal. It includes a product for men in couples trying to conceive.

Chelle, I've bought Echinacea drops at the pharmacy today for DD and myself and mentioned the possibility of crashing your immune system with overuse. But they said that doesn't happen and it can be taken permanantly. Now I'm really confused!

Yes Suedonim, I've just done the same myself - how spooky! But on one of the echinacea bottles I checked out it stated to take for 8 weeks followed by a break of 2 weeks, yet on others it doesn't mention it at all. It would be nice to have a comprehensive answer on this issue. I'm wondering if they actually don't have a clue at all...

Weird coincidence, Lizzer! The ones I've got (Bioforce) don't mention a time scale, either. I think it's reasonable to be alert to the possibility of bad effects. Just because these things are 'natural' or 'herbal' doesn't mean they're good for us - we wouldn't eat Deadly Nightshade or Death Cap fungi, yet they're both natural, lol!

Chelle, you are so right about getting enough sleep - I am my own worst enemy, very rarely getting under the duvet before 11.30pm - I put it down to trying to get all the cooking/cleaning/etc. done when ds has gone to bed, but I'm sure I would feel much better if I had a couple of early nights and left the housework for a couple of days.

Marina, thanks for the link to the Zita West site. Just wondering - have you used any of her products yourself?

Chelle, do you mean Vit A causes birth defects, not vit C? I didn't know that Vit C does too...

The echinacea thing (about crashing the immune system with overuse) is definitely true! My Dad is a clinial biochemist in a large city hospital and has warned me about taking echinacea (I was dead keen on it for a while there) on several occasions following him doing testing on people who were in very bad shape from overuse/extended use of echinacea. I don't know the liklihood of it happening, or how much they had been taking, but I know it has happened on more than just a few occasions!

My GP told me that Vit C can cause birth defects if taken in large doses (for some people this can mean any supplement if they have enough vit C in their diet already). I have also seen this in several pregnancy books in Australia and all my pregnant friends know of it too.

That's very worrying, Chelle, if producers of echinacea are going round saying their products can be used indefinitely. Surely they are laying themselves open to being sued?

It is worrying but, like I said, I have no idea how much and for how long the people my dad told me about were using. It does concern me that "natural" remedies claim to be perfectly safe and OK to take daily forever but I'm sure there would be more than a few raised eyebrows if someone were recommending taking two paracetamol or aspirin tablets every day forever and not expecting the possibility of complications down the track. Even the contraceptive pill, many women take this daily for very long periods of time with little or no ill effects, but then there are some women who can not take the pill at all. It is not really established beyond doubt that there are no long term effects on long-term users for most of the remedies we use, either "natural" or otherwise.

Chelle Are you sure about vitamin c? I was always told it was water soluble and if you had too much it just went down the toilet so couldn't do you any harm? Also I've just been looking on medline and the first couple of dozen references I turned up searching on vitamin c, birth and defects are either irrelevant or about beneficial effects of vitamin C on pre-eclampsia and the like. There was also a study about lower rates of pediatric brain tumours in mothers who'd had vitamins.

For anyone concerned about alternative therapies I've just discovered www.wellaware.co.uk. It has information on alternative therapies, tries to separate fact from opinion but is reasonably open minded.

I thought it was Vitamin A you had to be careful with - they used to say eat lots of liver for the iron, now they say don't eat any because of the Vitamin A. And all the multi-vitamins etc have a warning on the label about limiting your intake of A if you're pregnant?

Checked with my GP, and she definitely said too much vit C could be a problem. She wasn't concerned about citrus cravings, however, just supplementing a diet already containing enough vit C.