For convenience (mine and yours!) I’ve put together a list of supplements that I often recommend for specific conditions. There is a big difference in supplement quality, and if you’re going to invest the time and energy to take supplements, at the very least, you want to make sure you’re taking high-quality supplements. The ones that I’ve listed are brands that have a good reputation. The links here are mostly to Amazon, and some do contain affiliate links*. Some of the products you can easily find locally as well at places like MOM’s, Whole Foods, Wegman’s, etc. and I’ve noted that as well.
Inflammation:
Tumeric is well-studied, and so is curcumin, which is an active anti-inflammatory in tumeric.
The two kinds of tumeric with the best research are Meriva and BCM-50
- Thorne research-Meriva
http://amzn.to/1NyEg7h
- Source Naturals: Meriva
http://amzn.to/1WKM9Nj
- Life extension: BCM 95
http://amzn.to/1aWcHpe
- Progressive labs: BCM 95
http://amzn.to/1aWcHpe
Another commonly used anti-inflammatory is Zyflemend by New Chapter. It’s on Amazon, and you can also often buy it locally.
Digestive help:
Tummy troubles? These are a few to try. The kinds listed below are also low FODMAP. Most can easily be bought locally.
- Florastor technically not a probiotic, but a yeast called S boulardii with good research for GI disorders
- Align
- Culturelle: Choose this one specifically for a low FODMAP diet
VSL #3: best bet with Ulcerative Colitis and c diff. It’s expensive, and needs to be refrigerated. It is cheapest locally through the Costco pharmacy, and if you are going to buy online, make sure you’re buying from the manufacturer, Sigma Tau, like this one, to make sure it was properly refrigerated.
Other supplements that may be supportive with some GI conditions:
- Iberogast: Helpful for reflux or slow motility
- IBGard: May help with IBS
- Partially Hydrolyzed Guar Gum (PHGG) a slow-digesting prebiotic fiber that can be supportive for a range of tummy troubles.
For fiber supplements, psyllium husk often works best, and the easiest way to find that is just to get Metamucil, which you can find anywhere.
Digestive Enzymes:
Enzymes help us break down food. There are some studies showing that enzymes help with digestive symptoms, but not many, so that typically isn’t my go-to. However, some people do see improvements in symptoms, so once you’ve tried the strategies with better research and they haven’t given full improvement, it may be worth experimenting.
Kinds without fodmaps:
Methylation issues:
This doesn’t apply to everyone, and without going into lots of detail here, some people have difficulty converting folic acid into an active form of folate because of common genetic mutations known as MTHFR. Here are a few brands with absorbable folic acid:
* Some parts of my website have affiliate links for products, mainly on Amazon. Your cost for any of those products is the same; I receive a small percentage of the cost if you click through my website.
I choose not to sell supplements directly because I feel that it’s unethical to both recommend something and make money from selling it to you. There’s a bit of an incentive to over-sell products, and I don’t think it’s an appropriate practice in health care. I like Amazon because it’s a convenient way for me to collect and organize links, and you don’t feel any direct pressure to buy from a particular place, because you’re perfectly free to get them locally or look on other sites for the same products elsewhere.