What advice do you have for someone who does not absorb vitamins/minerals?

[Bansaw]

I have been found to have poor absorption.
This means that regular vitamins, minerals, pills do not work with me too well.
I find teas, drops, tinctures, sublinguals works best.

What advice do you have for someone like me who has absorption issues?

I want to try Moringa leaf powder but I am not sure whether this will be a waste of money since I am concerned that the nutrients in Moringa won't be absorbed well.

 

[Beyond]

Digest Gold by Enzymedica, I´d say. Best digestive enzymes I have taken. I bet they boost absorption considerably. If your digestion/absorption is impaired, this supplement is the most important IMO to begin with.

Moringa? Just a recent fad. No, get a kilogram of Yaeyama Chlorella if you want a true, top.notch superfood in a realistic quantity.

 

[Bansaw]

Moringa? Just a recent fad. No, get a kilogram of Yaeyama Chlorella if you want a true, top.notch superfood in a realistic quantity.

Don't know if the area of Japan that comes from is free from the effects of Fukushima. The Japanese govt lab says not, but I'm ot sure if I want to trust the Japanese govt.
I am using Essiac tea which is helping me.

 

[Mary]

I have been found to have poor absorption.
This means that regular vitamins, minerals, pills do not work with me too well.
I find teas, drops, tinctures, sublinguals works best.

What advice do you have for someone like me who has absorption issues?

I want to try Moringa leaf powder but I am not sure whether this will be a waste of money since I am concerned that the nutrients in Moringa won't be absorbed well.

You could be low in stomach acid, many of us are. I had to start taking HCL with meals - digestive enzymes alone were not enough, and it helped a great deal. I take betaine hydrochloride with pepsin from Swanson Vitamins. you take it before a meal. A doctor told me to work up to a dose where I felt "acidy" and then back off by one. So I ended up at 4 capsules before a meal before I felt "acidy" - you'll know it when you feel it - and then backed down to 3.

 

[Bansaw]

You could be low in stomach acid, many of us are..

You could be right there. I was going to take the baking soda test. My doc did mention Betaine last time but opted to give my Zypan instead as she said Betain was strong. I might do the baking soda test actually.
Thanks for reminding me.

 

[Mary]

You could be right there. I was going to take the baking soda test. My doc did mention Betaine last time but opted to give my Zypan instead as she said Betain was strong. I might do the baking soda test actually.
Thanks for reminding me.

I was taking the betaine HCL for many years and backed off gradually the last year or so and recently have had some problems related to low stomach so am going back on it. I was talking to my chiropractor about this and he said that betaine HCL is a salt, implying it wasn't like taking straight hydrochloric acid. Anyways, I've never had any problems with it. I was nervous when I first took it, thinking, oh my - HCL - it sounded a little scary - but it's not. And it helped so much, and besides helping to digest food, it helps the gallbladder and liver work better too. So I don't know what your doc meant by "strong" - it certainly works but it's not dangerous unless you would take a whole bunch more than you need, which of course you wouldn't. And it helps with gut dysbiosis too - low stomach acid can cause an overgrowth of certain bacteria which will cause problems (what I'm going through right now - I shouldn't have stopped it!

 

[Beyond]

Betaine did not help me. Enzymes did. Everyone has a different case. You either discover with expensive testing or via trial and error.

Green Tea is helping me as well. Its super healthy!

 

[helen1]

@Bansaw, several folks here are having good results using their supplements transdermally via footbaths or mixing with an oil and applying to skin. @ahmo especially has had very good results this way. You might want to PM her for details or check her signature links and posts.

 

[rosamary]

I take it that you have been investigated for coeliac disease. Just a thought as it is the main disease which is mistaken for ME I understand.

 

[Bansaw]

So I don't know what your doc meant by "strong"

She said it might upset my stomach. Zypan is milder.
Can I ask Mary, what brand do you use?

 

[Mary]

She said it might upset my stomach. Zypan is milder.
Can I ask Mary, what brand do you use?

This is what I've taken for a long time: http://www.swansonvitamins.com/swanson-premium-hydrochloric-acid-pepsin-250-caps
Although it says it's unavailable from the manufacturer, which I've never seen happen before.

But if you look at the Swanson website (or iherb, etc.) you can find comparable products which have betaine HCL with pepsin.

 

[ahmo]

@Bansaw As Helen said, I use footbths for many of my supps. I started using them for bicarb, but now put most of my powdered supps into them, including Vit C, Ca, potassium, aminos. I often empty capsules, like Z, Se into foot bath. Works great, spares my gut from having to deal with things. I don't seem to need any more, the absorption is great. I also put supps into enemas when I'm in that mode.

 

[Bansaw]

@Bansaw . I don't seem to need any more, the absorption is great.

Wow, I knew you could absorb things through skin, but I didn't know it had anywhere near the absorption capabilities of the gut. the gut is made for that purpose. I thought part of the skins job was to protect from too much environmental toxins?
You mentioned Bicarb, I'm guessing its Bicarbonate of soda. Are you using the footbaths for detox?

 

[ahmo]

Are you using the footbaths for detox?

Yes, that's part of my detox practice. At times I've used activated charcoal and clay, at times I've added chlorella. I've written a blog re my footbaths, you can find them by clicking on my avatar/name.

 

[Bansaw]

Yes, that's part of my detox practice. At times I've used activated charcoal and clay, at times I've added chlorella. I've written a blog re my footbaths, you can find them by clicking on my avatar/name.

@ahmo What if someone was already mineral deficient (like me) who is wary of footbaths since they also pull good minerals from your body too?

 

[ahmo]

I don't know how they'd pull out good minerals unless you were using distilled water or something designed to attract/pull out minerals. When I was using clay and charcoal, I did a first FB with these, and a second with the minerals and aminos. Although I put bicarb into the 2nd, I understood it as if I was pulling things out in the first, putting things in with the 2nd. Not entirely true, ie bicarb, more like I was cleaning my feet from the clay and charcoal.