I’ve seen L-Tyrosine in the stores before, along with a dozen other supplements that I’m really not sure their purpose is in the human body, and it can get really confusing as to what supplements you should take, what you already have enough of in your diet, and what is just plain overkill it seems.  You could take every supplement under the sun and still be missing some “important nutrient”, so I wanted to dig a little deeper and see what L-Tyrosine is typically used for, both as a supplement to the diet, and as a part of the body’s natural chemical makeup.

First of all, most people get enough, or synthesize enough, L-Tyrosine, just by eating their regular diet, so supplementation is usually not recommended unless by a doctor for a particular syndrome or health issue. However, that does not mean that this amino acid is not important to your body.

Some of the therapeutic uses that people have used tyrosine for are depression, chronic fatigue syndrome, ADD and anxiety disorders, parkinsons disease, and even weight control.  It is a precursor to several neurotransmitters that are important to mood and energy levels though, so the depression and fatigue syndrome theory may be partially on base.   These neurotransmitters include dopamine, epinephrine, and norepinephrine.

It’s difficult to say whether it helps with any of these for real, because most of the evidence that it has helped people is anecdotal and no real studies have been carried out that I could find, but it certainly may be worth more research if you’ve been investigating this supplement for some particular health symptom you are experiencing.

Some people swear by it, that it has helped them with all the above mentioned disorders, so that makes me think there is something to it. I did not find any reported negative side effects, so if you have any of the health problems mentioned, you may want to do some further research on your own and see if maybe L-tyrosine may be a good supplementation for your diet.  It also may assist with proper thyroid function, as some claim.

As an added health and wellness supplement, there is still one best seller, which will probably continue to be the best seller as long as we live, and that is the omnipresent multi vitamin. That little multipurpose wonder that gives us a little bit of each important vitamin, like B vitamins, iron, folic acid, vitamin C and other essential ones that some diets may be lacking so that we can have an all together more well rounded nutritional intake. However, some people forget that just popping a multi vitamin does not make up for a diet lacking in these essential minerals and vitamins, but that’s for a whole ‘nother conversation on a different day.

Over the past few years, since the benefits of omega 3 fatty acid supplements have been so well publicized and realized through anecdotal and study evidence for their health benefits ranging from cosmetic improvement to better mental function and heart function, fish oil has actually surpassed other formerly popular supplements, and has garnered a number two slot behind the ever present multi vitamin. It’s really no surprise at all to me and other alike who have experienced what a difference a high quality omega 3 supplement can make in their lives on many levels.

One of my favorite benefits of taking my omega 3 supplement is that I really feel that it has helped to improve my mood and my ability to focus on a task at hand, whereas if I forget to take it for a few days, or I take a week off because I run out, I can really start to feel the difference in my mood and my sharpness.

I think this is the reason why they call fish “brain food”, because the omega 3 fatty acids in certain fish, and supplements, actually help to stabilize your blood sugar longer. This is also why fish is an excellent dieting food, because it keeps you full longer, and keeps the brain from sending those “feed me” signals to your stomach.

I also love what omega 3 supplements have done for my hair and my skin. My hair is glossier and stronger, and my skin is visibly healthier looking when I’m taking them. There are also of course, the more intangible, but incredibly all important benefits that omega 3’s have on helping to lower blood cholesterol levels and helping with circulatory health, which benefits the heart and helps prevent heart disease and strokes. If you don’t yet take a good omega 3 product, then it’s well worth looking into, I’d be surprised if you don’t notice several benefits within a few short weeks.

After my most recent bout with a pretty severe cold that lasted for DAYS and DAYS after we returned from our Las Vegas vacation, where incidentally my husband and I were married, I decided that I would take some precautionary measures that I didn’t usually take in order to not get sick – at least not that sick, for that period of time – again, this winter at least.

I should probably correct “days” to weeks, because I swear whatever bug it was that I picked up either in Vegas or at the airport, it lasted for at least a week at it’s most severe, and for several weeks after that, as a sort of watered down, less severe, but stil rife with easy exhaustion and a general lacadaisical energy level on my part. It started as a sore throat and general sluggishness, and evolved into a full bloan, coughing your lungs up, head about to explode cold in the next few days.

I decided that I would try Emergen-C over this past week, just to try it out because I had read good things about it and heard good things by word of mouth as well. Some people, who take it religiously every day, swear that they do not get sick, or rarely ever get sick when taking this Vitamin C fizzy drink. It’s also got other vitamins in it, but the highest concentration is vitamin C, which is over a 1,000 per envelope.

Emergen-C also contains electrolytes, which are great for rehydrating the body and helping with headaches associated with dehydration, and alertness, and also to help with alertness and immune function, there is alpha lipoic acid, an antioxidant, and quercetin. There are also a ton of B vitamins in there as well to help with energy levels, and I swear I get a little boost almost immediately after drinking my “shot” of Eemrgen-C.

There’s a modest amount of calcium – about 5% of your daily value, in each envelope, which is good to know, even thought it’s a small amount, because I’ve read that calcium is more easily absorbed when paired with vitamin C, it definitely eases my mind to know I’m getting more calcium as well, as I do feel like my diet might fall short in that area sometimes, and I am a woman, so bone density will become a concern for me as I get older. I use a little Dixie cup and just fill it up – it’s probably only like 2 oz. of water, and down it.

I’ve found this is a great way to get my vitamin C in, especially in the winter when so many germs are floating around to get you sick, as I have always believe, no matter what science says, that vitamin C boosts my immunity and prevents me from getting ill. I really enjoy the pep and energy I get from the Emergen-C, although I will say it is short lived. Most of all, I like that I’m getting vitamins and an energy boost from a little, 25 calorie, good tasting powdered drink. I actually look forward to my Emergen-C every day now. I’ll let you know if I get sick – so far, so good!

I used to take the supplement DMAE religiously for a while. Why? Not really because I knew a whole lot about it’s chemical composition or what it’s nutrient quality was to my body, it was so because I was a total devotee of Dr. Perricone’s prescription for healthy, unaged skin. I had just read his Perricone Prescription book, and a lot of what he talked about really appealed to my supplement0-taking self.

I went out and bought a couple of bottles and took it for quite some time. When I took this, along with a cocktail of other vitamins, I did notice that my hair and skin seemed to look better, but what does DMAE really do for you, on it’s own, as a nutritional supplement?

Although to my knowledge, the principle use of DMAE in supplement form is by people like me, who are looking for a good way to help support firmer skin for a longer period of time and keep the effects of aging at bay, there are some other potential benefits to DMAE that I wasn’t aware of before that are definitely helpful to know if you are considering adding this supplement to your regimen, or simply want to know a little more about it.

Studies have shown that DMAE may also product a positive influence on the mood and your state of awareness or alertness, so this could also be a good supplement to add if you are concerned about increasing blue moods or apathy toward life occasionally. DMAE is typically found in the skin of certain types of fish, which is it’s most abundant organic food source, so if you eat a lot of fish you may get some of it, but you’d have to eat the skin too, so it may be wise to supplement your diet with this occasionally, maybe not every day, but maybe a couple times a day if you want to see if it can benefit your mood or alertness or even help your skin in any way.

DMAE is also popular in topical facial creams, gels and serums. There are some products that combine this nutrient with other vitamins, like one of my favorites, which happens to be one that combines vitamin C esther, DMAE and hyaluronic acid. It is used primarily for topical firming and tautness, not really so much to refresh the skin like many exfoliating agents are, but rather to life and tone the facial features.

Oh, Five Hour Energy, how I love thee. The way you pick me up almost instantly, without drinking a ton of calories, and without that jittery, weird feeling I get from other types of energy drinks or stimulants. I will say, that I only drink about a half a bottle of it at a time, and that seems to give me plenty of a pick me up to get me through the next several hours of my day.

Not only does it just “get me through my day”, but it also puts an extra kick in my step, and seems to light a fire under my butt to actually get motivated and start working. For example, the last time I drank a half a bottle of this stuff, I ended up cleaning out our referigerator. I NEVER do that without an extreme reason why I’m doing it, like say having company over or something like that.

Not only did I just clean the fridge out, but I also cleaned it out with an intensity and quickness that I don’t normally have – esepcially when doing unsexy, boring things like cleaning out a storage place for food! Five Hour Energy is a small bottle that contains a concentrated energy drink in it. It is 2 fl. oz, to be exact. It has a slightly metallic taste to it, like many other energy drinks do, I suspect that is from the taurine content,
but I’m not sure.

The only flavor I will drink is the mixed berry flavor. There is also a citrus flavor, but it tastes absolutely unpalatable to my senses, so I stick with only the berry one. The berry flavor is no prize winner taste wise either, but it beats the lemon lime one by far in my book.

Five Hour Energy’s whole schtick is that it is a tiny little bottle that you can take around in your purse or on your person without worrying about it, and what it really promises is an energy boost that lasts, and also doesn’t kick you in the pants with that typical energy let down when it’s warn off. I did notice this with other energy drinks, I’d suddenly feel totally deflated when they wore off, worse than before I drank them, and this sudden total loss of energy made the burst not worth it. Five Hour Energy really does not do that to me, anyways.