SPECIFIC DRUGS & SUPPLEMENTS
		Updated: 10/17/04
	(Go to www.immunesupport.com store, do a complete printout for any supplements you are or might consider taking.  It will tell potential benefits, ingredients, contraindications, drug interactions, and possible side effects.)  You  can even go to their "store" and search by type of help you need; such as energy, cold and flu, etc. to get a list of vitamins and/or supplements they sell which will help improve your energy, etc. There are other sources for interation between drugs/herbs/vitiamins; such as The Natural Doctor at www.naturdoctocom,  Body and Fitness at www.bodyand fitness.com, Life Balm at www.lifebalm.com, and drugs. com at www.drug.com.  Or, you can put drug and "herb interaction" in any good search engine such as yahoo at the end of our website section. Remember, each of us are individuals whose body will react differently as well as your "level" of CFS can and will change hourly, daily, weekly, etc.  Under energy, they currently list Ultra ATP+, CFS/FM Energy Formula, HADH, Mitochrondria Ignite with NT Factor, Pro Energy, Double Strength, Pro Engergy, Ultra ATP+, Malic Acid, ENADAlert (form of NADH, and Adrenal Energy.  For another example, as mentioned under energy and B-12 earlier, B-12 shots helped us function in the early days of CFS even though the shots got stronger and more frequent.  However, we reached a point when they did not help at all.  My muscle pain benefits from amino acids, but amino acids makes my wife's stomach act up badly.  You will need to experiment along with consultations with your doctor what might work and not work for you. MULTIPLE VITAMINS WITH MINERALS: No one eats the regular daily meals that will “naturally” provide all the basic needed vitamins and minerals a person needs to maintain a healthy lifestyle, especially people with CFS/CFIDS.   Therefore, every person should take a top quality multivitamin with essential minerals daily.  Take advantage of sales and do some research to keep costs down, but watch quality. ANTIOXIDANTS: Antioxidants are alternative medicines’ answer for a longer and healthier life.  What specific benefits they present to people with CFS we’re not sure.  We do agree to some of this.  Vitamin E has been shown in numerous studies to help prevent heart attacks at the 400 IU to 800 IU level.  Grape Seed Extract is supposed to enhance immunity and strengthen the body’s defense system. Ester-C (Vitamin C) has been an effective protection against free radicals and alleviates cold symptoms at the 1000-mg level.  Selenium studies indicate it might help reduce the chance of cancer. Antioxidants play a helpful role in our health.  We need to keep use within reason, budget, and doctor’s oversight. AMINO ACIDS: There are 28 amino acids that are the building blocks to the proteins that make up the human body.  Body-builders/weight lifters use complex amino acids to aid in building muscle during their workouts.  Several specific amino acids are often suggested to benefit CFS.  L-Lysine is supposed to aid the immune system.  N- Acetyl Cysteine is an antioxidant.  L-Phenylalanine boosts mood and helps ease pain.  L- Tyrosine is a mood elevator.  L-Glutathione helps detoxify and protect body cells.  L- Glutamine supports brain function.  L-Carnitine delivers fat to cells for energy production. Do they work? Not that we have been able to tell.  However, I take an amino acid complex called Amino 1000 which I have found does help ease and reduce “muscle pain”.  That beats taking pain pills all the time. B-12/B COMPLEX: In our early days of CFS, we found a 2,000 or 3,000 mg shot of B-12 once or twice a week was helpful in boosting our energy.  However, after a few months, it was no longer helpful at all.  We’ve tried it off and on numerous times over the last 8 years or so and have found it to be of no help.  However, with fleeting hope, we do still take one 1,000 mg tablet twice daily along with a B-100 complex that is helpful overall in endurance and energy production. It is said that B-12 is essential for the metabolism of carbohydrates, the formation of red blood cells and nerve tissue, and for energy production.  Despite the lack of significant evidence of increased energy, we feel these are helpful to our overall health. COENZYME Q10: CoQ10 is said to help maintain healthy cells; thus, it improves your immune system and assists in developing energy.  CoQ10 has proven to strengthen heart muscle cells and has proved helpful in treating congestive heart failure.  We do take this for our hearts, if nothing else.  It may assist in helping the immune system, but we don’t notice any help with energy.  Some people feel that it has been helpful in providing energy for them.  Generally, each person should determine its benefit.  Your doctor might suggest it for “heart conditions”. DHEA: DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) is said to be an important prevalent hormone in the human body.  They believe DHEA can help your body maintain “the energy levels of youth”.  Some studies believe it useful in maintaining overall health and immune levels as well as relieving symptoms of CFS.  We have not found it to be helpful in energy development or relief of symptoms. GINKGO BILOBA: Ginkgo has shown in several studies to assist people in being more alert and help mental abilities such as concentration.  This is one item that we both take daily and have found to be helpful with our ”brain fog”.  According to our doctor, ginkgo is about the best treatment available without getting into powerful drugs. GINSENG: There are various types of ginseng such as Siberian, Korean, and Panax.  There is also much discussion as to which is the best.  Ginseng has been in use in the Far East for thousands of years as a general tonic to combat weakness and as an energy booster.  We have found ginseng to be of help, and it is among our regulars. IMMUNE SUPPORT: People with CFS are among the first to agree that immune dysfunction is a major problem.  The immune suppressants that I take to reduce rejection of my new heart, has made my CFS worse than it has been in years.  There are numerous herbs and pills listed that “help boost your immune system”.  Here is a definite case of not knowing what really works for and helps you because there is no way to quickly measure results.  Some of the ones from our research are Super LEM (shiitake mushroom), Echinacea (which does help cold and flu, but must be taken no more than 2 – 4 weeks at a time), and Astragalus.  We’re waiting for more input. MELATONIN: Melatonin is said to assist in overcoming insomnia, fatigue, and combat jet lag.  Many people truly believe in its benefit when taken as a sublingual (under the tongue) upon going to bed at night to help get to sleep without a morning drugged feeling.  It does react to some medications; so make sure you check with your doctor and pharmacist before using. NADH:  There is a FDA study that has stated that NADH (nicotinamide adenine    some people with CFS over a 3 to 6 month period. Some people report feeling better within a few days. For the last year, we have done our own testing of NADH at both 1 and 2 tablets per day on an empty stomach and have found no evidence of NADH helping either of us and are no longer taking it, which is saving us about $60 per month.   Whether it works or not may depend upon how ill you are.  We are currently in what we call a “maintenance state”.  Thus, everyone should try this starting with 2 tablets per day for 30 to 90 days.  Chart your progress in your journal.  If you don’t notice an improvement, discontinue it.  We have decided to try again at double the recommended dosage. POTASSIUM CHELATE: Potassium is said to play a key role in many body functions including a healthy nervous system and heart rhythm.  However, too much potassium can create a problem with heart rhythm; so, make sure your doctor agrees before use.  We have not found it to be helpful. ST. JOHN’S WORT: St. John’s Wort is the poor man’s Prozac; so it is said.   However, there seems to be some good studies that support that it is a mood enhancer.   Where CFS IS NOT DEPRESSION, it does get even the strongest of us down every now and then.  We do use it once in a while when we seem to be going through a “blue frustration” period, but not on a regular basis.  We have tried Prozac at various dosages for at least a 90-day period off and on over several years and have never found it to be helpful in reducing our CFS.  But, if you do need a little mood enhancement every now and then, St. John’s Wort might help. ULTRA ATP/MALIC ACID: Malic acid and magnesium hydroxide are considered essential in promoting proper muscle function which in turn lessens muscle pain and firbromyaglia.  It is also said to aid the conversion of fats and sugars to produce energy.  We have not found it to be helpful in developing energy, but it does help my muscle pain that is often very severe, especially when used with an amino acid complex. VALERIAN ROOT: Valerian is an extremely popular medicinal herb to help alleviate general anxiety, nervousness, restlessness, insomnia and sleeping disorders.  It is extremely mild, and we find it not to be as useful as a mild tranquilizer, such as tranxene.
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