Fun With Fibroids 2: Fun with Supplements

When I first started working with my naturopath, we tried to work on shrinking the fibroids naturally without drugs. I cut sugar out. Completely. This was not fun. Caffeine was out too. I drank and ate out of glass (no plastic or Styrofoam). I did my best to eat organic food and organic, free range, grass fed meat. I went on a whole slew of (expensive) vitamin supplements, and some of them really helped. My favorites are:

• Polyphenol Nutrients by Pure Encapsulations: This is a plant-based multi-vitamin, and it is the best multivitamin I have ever taken because it energizes me. I take a half dose daily (3 capsules instead of 6), and it gives me enough energy to make it through my 10 hour workday WITHOUT caffeine. I discovered that if I took a second dose after about noon or 1 p.m., I am too energetic to sleep until about 2 a.m. This is why I generally take a half dose. Cost: about $50 for a 30-day supply at full dose or about $85 for a 60 day supply) https://www.pureformulas.com/polyphenol-nutrients-180-vegetable-capsules-by-pure-encapsulations.html

• Slow Fow by Vitanica: This is a supplement with Vitamins A, C, K1, and Calcium, but it also contains bioflavonoids and herbs like ginger, yarrow, shepherd’s purse, cranesbill root, periwinkle, and lite root extract. I’m not sure what all of these herbs are for, but they are supposed to provide “menstrual flow support,” whatever that means. So, does it actually slow menstrual bleeding? In my experience a tiny bit, but that’s not why I love it. I love it because it greatly reduces my cramps without needing to use ibuprofen. Now, I still experience cramps, but they are bearable and minor (about up to a 3 or 4 on a 1-10 pain scale, and sometimes I feel nothing). This is a huge improvement over the debilitating ones that make me throw up, faint, and lie in agony on the bathroom floor with hot and cold flashes if I leave them untreated. I take two in the morning every day, and I take two three times a day during my cycle. Cost: $18-23 for 60 capsules https://vitanica.com/all-vitanica-supplements/slow-flow-menstrual-flow-support/

• Ferrasorb by Thorne Research: Since I am anemic, I must take an iron supplement. This is the one I take, and it also includes folate, and Vitamins C, B6 and B12 to help with absorption. In case you didn’t know drinking orange juice or taking Vitamin C with Iron really helps you absorb more of it than taking iron alone. On that note, do not take iron with a supplement containing calcium. They counteract each other, and make you absorb less of both of them. Since I definitely feel weak and a lack of energy if I miss a dose of my Ferrasorb, I would say they most definitely work. Also, they are much more pleasant than taking a liquid iron supplement, like Floradix, which tastes like grape juice-flavored blood to me. Although, truth be told, I prefer Floradix in a pinch because it works a bit faster, but my energy fades faster than with Ferrasorb. Cost: $18-23 for 60 capsules of Ferrasorb, about $35 for 17 oz. of Floradix. Both products are vegetarian https://www.thorne.com/products/dp/ferrasorb-reg

Disclaimer: Please do not take any of this as medical advice. I’m not a doctor, just a patient who is sharing what worked for me. Please consult a qualified physician before taking these or any other supplements.