In North America, we tend to take more medications as we age. Quite often seniors will have a family physician and will also see several specialists for other physical ailments. Most or all of them may prescribe different medications. Beside those, quite a few of us take vitamin or herbal supplements. Most of these aren’t prescribed but we feel that they help us. The average senior these days may be on more than 10 prescriptions at any given time. Some of these may not be needed and a lot of them may not work well in your body when taken together. Most supplements aren’t needed. Unless you have a specific disease or you are taking medication that causes you to lose vitamins quickly, there will only be a couple of vitamins that you should take.
Multiple Vitamins
Since there is not much chance that your body will need every vitamin that is in a multi-vitamin capsule, these are not helping you. They may even be hurting you. Take only the vitamins you need and no more.
Vitamin D
Many of us do not have enough vitamin D in our bodies. Vitamin D is needed for healthy bones and it’s also good for your heart. We can get vitamin D from the sun but too much sun is not good for us. Certain auto immune conditions also respond well to extra vitamin D, however, for certain diseases it can be toxic. Speak to your doctor before taking.
Vitamin B-12
A deficiency in this vitamin is also common. It’s needed for neurological health and it prevents anemia. Get tested for your levels before taking it and speak with your doctor.
Before taking any supplements decide with your doctor if you really need them. Do your medications cause a lack of certain vitamins? Do you have a condition that responds well to more vitamins? To read more on vitamins and find out which ones you really need, click here.
