What Supplements Do I Take?

Many of my patients will ask me what supplements I take. So today, I thought I would take the chance to describe what I take as part of my daily regimen. Keep in mind that I don’t recommend to my patients anything that I am not prepared to take or things that I don’t think have adequate evidence for their support.

So, first, the product that forms the cornerstone of my supplement is Immunocal, and you’ve heard me talk about this product before. It’s a protein powder that supports glutathione production, and glutathione is your body’s most powerful antioxidant. I typically use two pouches of Immunocal daily. I shake it up either with water or a thick kind of a juice, like high pulp orange juice, and I drink one of those pretty much every day. It helps to support my immune system, and it’s an excellent detoxifier.

The second thing I take daily is vitamin D. In the summertime, I take about 2,000 to 3,000 units per day, and in the wintertime, I increase it to 5,000 or 6,000 units per day. I use a little liquid dropper bottle of Vitamin D made by a company called Genestra. One drop is 1,000 units, so it’s easier than taking a handful of tablets.

The third thing I take daily is omega-three fish oils, and I aim to get about 2,000 milligrams per day of EPA plus DHA. I don’t have a favourite brand, but it is important that you look carefully at the label because it’ll say that there’s a certain number of milligrams of omega-three, but you have to read the fine print to see how much EPA and DHA is in there in terms of milligrams. You want those two things to add up to about 2,000 milligrams daily. Keep in mind that you don’t need to take omega-three, six, and nine because your body can make the sixes and nines. You can’t make the threes. So look for an omega-three, about 2,000 milligrams per day of EPA plus DHA.

The fourth thing I take daily is a prostate supplement. I recommend this to all men over 40 for as long as they own their prostate. You’re aiming for about 320 milligrams of saw palmetto daily, but it’s nice if it also contains a few additional ingredients like zinc and lycopene and stinging nettle. So the product I recommend is one made by a company called New Roots, and the name of the supplement is Prostate Perform; I take two capsules a day.

The final supplement I take daily is a substance called DIM, which stands for Diindolylmethane. It’s a derivative of cruciferous veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, bok choy, and brussels sprouts. The way DIM works is it helps you to eliminate a little bit of excess estrogen in the urine. So you see, because I’m on some testosterone replacement, some of my testosterone is going to convert to estrogen, and I want to keep my estrogen in a reasonably narrow range, a healthy range. We don’t want too much estrogen in the system, nor do we want too low of estrogen in the system. So the DIM helps me to keep my estrogen at a suitable level to maintain my health. You would need to have your blood levels checked to see whether this would be a relevant product for you to be taking. It’s not one that I necessarily have a blanket recommendation for everybody to take. Still, I hope I’ve been able to give you a bit of an idea today about the type of supplements I take and the dosages, and I’d be happy to discuss your requirements with you further if you wish.

To discuss your health with Dr. Pagdin, please call the office at 250-717-3200.