folic or folinic?
- :-) I recently asked for folinic acid and was told by the store clerk that it was pronounced "folic acid", even after I told her I have the MTHFR gene mutation and can't convert folic acid so I need folinic or calcium folinate, she spoke slower and louder... "it's pronounced F-O-L-I-C acid". Then when I asked for some Diflucan for candidiasis from antibiotic use, I was told that Diflucan was a probiotic, and not to be taken with antibiotics, when in fact, it is a broad spectrum antifungal. I usually shut ignorant clerks up with "Doctor said..." as my intelligent doctor and I will have indeed discussed this purchase at some point in time.
- —Guest catlicious
Kelp for Hashimoto's
- I was advised that thyroid conditions are caused by iodine insufficiency, and told to take kelp, and it was even suggested that I could wean myself off my thyroid medicine if I took the proper supplements. Fortunately, I knew better. Also, at a different store, I was looked at as though I had three heads when I suggested that my endocrinologist didn't prescribe the treatment that worked best for me. One extreme to the other... it's best to inform yourself and not count on people who are not necessarily experts on health issues.
- —Guest JP
Why??
- I am absolutely puzzled as to why people seek advice from health food store sales people. If I want vitamins or supplements I will visit my pharmacy and speak to my pharmacist who has trained in the field for 7 years and is qualified to advise me as to what is suitable and what is not.
- —Guest Cara
Using Common Sense
- Personally, Mary Shomon's website has helped me for years. I had tried taking Synthroud years ago but each time I had awful side effects. I became frightened to take any medication from that point, so I control my condition with a kelp supplement a few times a week, eating one or two Brazil nuts a day for selenium, consuming a good 3-6-9 balanced oil as well as coconut oil in small amounts, and avoiding soy altogether. Don't expect the pounds to just fall off. It takes a lot of perseverance, but when you do lose, you automatically lose inflammation which helps your thyroid considerably.
- —Guest JoAnna
vitamin store clerk question
- Please tell people to remember to ask about the qualifications of the health store clerk...a simple question to ask first. These days most health stores have a professional available for a reasonable fee, by return appointment. Just ask! They also refer to specialists. They are excellent networking places from my experience.
- —Guest Green Angel
Soy Extract for Hot Flashes
- I was going through menopause and had horrible hot flashes, health food clerk told me soy extract would take care of the problem. Turned out soy extract was very bad for my thyroid condition. When you think about all these claims to cure just about anything is simply ridiculous, people should just stop and think before they get sucked in.
- —Guest Willa
Iodine for Severe Hashimoto's, Etc.
- I was born with a compromised immune system which manifested as goiter, among other things, when I was 10 in 1962. At that time I was misdiagnosed as hypothyroid and put on Proloid. When the proper tests were run at age 31 and I was correctly diagnosed with Hashimoto's, I was in severe, even grave, danger of thyroid storm. I did the "ask for suggestions" route at health food stores, trying to get supplements to augment my medical care and build up my system. Often I was told that all I needed was iodine or the latest thyroid extract. At that point and for years, iodine would have totally pushed me over the edge. Many times I have just walked out of the store when they just wouldn't let it go and believe that I knew something about my body. Best advice I ever got from a medical professional was in the mid-80s when I was told it's critical for me to become an informed consumer and do my homework about what I need, not what everyone else is taking.
- —Guest Nancy
Too many supplements harmful
- I have referred to the books and pamphlets found in health food stores for advice on how to treat the symptoms of my hypothyroidism. Now I realize through blood tests that too many supplements or the wrong ones could possibly damage my liver. Now I pick and chose carefully which ones and how many I take daily. I remember a nurse telling me that ANYTHING we put into our bodies can have side effects. I also feel that as we age it becomes more difficult for our body systems to process supplements, medicine, etc.
- —D2727
Store Clerk Advice
- I worked at a health store as an in-house consultant and as a private consultant. People would come in expecting a quick I-saw-it-on-TV fix and get annoyed when I kept asking questions. Instead of working from the symptoms (like weight gain)I worked through body systems and what was needed to support them (like the endocrine system). Whenever possible I would collaborate with their physician or at least work with the person's diagnosis. Unfortunately, if a clerk is hired to move stock off the shelf and the customer starts getting ticked-off because the clerk won't just hand them something, the clerk may go with the "customr is always right" way of keeping their job. That clerk does not want to have to answer to the employer because of a customer complaint. All this being said, some people are hired to move stock off the shelves. As a consumer, the customer should appreciate that a clerk or consultant cares enough to get to the core of the situation.
- —aw9540
Don't Listen
- I have been gaining weight and told the clerk about my hypothyroid. He recommended that I not take my thyroid medication and loaded me up with $150 worth of vitamins, and supplements. One weight loss supplement was supposed to have T3 & T4. For over a month I followed his recommended regimen and did not loose a single pound. When I had my thyroid blood work I had gone from perfect to 14. I was also beginning to get the heart palpitations back, loss of memory, tired all the time, etc. I went back on my thyroid meds. I am still trying to loose the 20 lbs. I have gained. If I do loose the weight it won't be because I stopped taking my medication.
- —Guest Jacque
Potassium Iodide
- I got a thyroid support vitamin formula from a vitamin store and found it had Potassium Iodide. Then I read on the internet that is the supplement people would take if there was ever a nuclear incident to stop the thyroid from absorbing the radiation or some such. It inferred it stops or slows the thyroid which is the opposite of what I need with hypothyroidism. So I threw the supplement away.
- —Guest Marilyn Coates
Told me to take glandular for Graves'
- I had Graves' disease, and I went to the health food store to see if they had any ideas on something that might help. The guy told me that I should take a thyroid extract -- it had actual thyroid gland in it. That would be adding MORE thyroid to my system, which I definitely did NOT need. Needless to say, I didn't take his advice.
- —Guest Kellyann
Previous16-27 of 27
