Proper diet and supplements. I saw an ad for dog food for older dogs that helped them to improve mentally and physically. Why can't we do something like this for humans? I need to understand how much and what to give my husband. Anyone got a suggestion where to go and who to talk to? Health food stores are full of suggestions... but I need more than a clerk suggesting this supplement or that food supplement. I really need guidance for someone that understands dementia etc. I also need to know what to give him for low energy and when to give it to him
I see changes but I need help with dosage. I give him coconut capsules, COQ10, magnesium, B12 a neuro-optimizer... I do vegetable drinks with kale, spinach, turmeric, ginger and whatever vegetables/fruitsI have on hand. I have seen improvements but I need to know dosages, interactions etc.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I am not giving up!
Most elderly adults stay inside a lot and require D3. We give 2,000 I.U.'s a day to my father in law and 500 micrograms of B12, the lowest dose we could find. Higher doses do no good, as it has to be bound to the protein made by the stomach and the stomach only produces, at best, enough protein to bind about 10 micrograms of B12. Anything else is just passed on through.
Certainly smoothies with fruit and vegetables are always helpful for everyone. Lots of nutrition in an easy to swallow form. There are some good premise ones out there or you can make your own. Fruit juices help to make it more palatable and, if my father in law is any guide, elderly people seem to love sweet food. Add some powdered supplements, like nutritional yeast and chia seeds for more nutritional boost. It is easier to swallow than pills, though if you add too much of the powder and it does not dissolve well, it can become gritty and not pleasant. Always be sure that any powdered supplement is well mixed and dissolves well.
Turmeric should be taken with pepper. The pipeline in the pepper increases the absorption of the anti inflammatory molecules in the turmeric by about 100%. It makes a huge difference in the activity of the tumeric.
Coq10 is always good for everyone. As we get older our bodies make less of it and it is also anti inflammatory. Scientists are now discovering that inflammation and oxidation are at the root of many problems, such as heart disease. If you keep the fats from oxidizing, they don't stick to the arteries and if they are already there, inflammation is what sets the process of a heart attack in motion. Use lots of antioxidants and antiinflammatories!
Husband has dementia. My Dr. suggested for mood swings,(anxiety, sun downing, etc.) rather than antidepressant, 5htp 500mg twice a day, L-tyrosine 500mg twice a day, phosphatyl-serine 200 mg. instead of starting all these at once. Try 5htp first. It could cause drowsiness. Then you could add l-tyrosine, then phosphatyl-serine. I'm taking all these supplements myself, I need calming (stress) too. These are supplements and the doctor was comfortable recommending them. I don't notice any drowsiness, but I don't have dementia.
You can increase the use of coconut by using can coconut milk in recipes or mix half with regular milk if it's too much change, to use in everything.
Also use coconut oil, for cooking and even on toast. It's really delicious. Be creative and try new ideas! Very healthy with many benefits for you and your husband.
CoQ10 usually 100-200 MG is a standard dose. I have never heard a doctor say not to take it.
For B-12, use foods rich in B vitamins and no need to worry about doses.
Vitamin D3 4000 mg. After Breakfast
Aspirin 81 mg. After Breakfast
Multivitamin 1 tab After Lunch
Fish Oil 600 mg DHA 3 PM, Break open Mix in yogurt W/ blueberries
Vitamin C 1000 mg. 3 PM, Break open Mix in yogurt W/ blueberries
Colon Health Probiotic 1.5 Billion Cells 3 PM, Break open Mix in yogurt W/ blueberries
Stool softener stimulant free 100 mg. Bed Time
Stool softener W/stimulant 100 mg. Bed Time, if no BM for 24 hours
Always check with the Doctors and make sure they have a record of everything your doing.
Ended Cholesterol Medication to help retain memory in 2015
Mom has gotten sick only once in 7 years.
Good luck and God bless, Gary
I think you have great intentions but you are going about it with too much gusto. Just because something is natural and claims to do this and that doesn't necessarily mean it is good for him. He may need more protein or good carbs. You just don't know and experimenting with supplements doesn't help. You don't know what you are doing. Like others here I suggest using coconut oil and olive oil to your cooking and taking coconut oil orally once in the morning and once in the evening will benefit with memory loss, digestive problems and a whole host of others. Olive oil can be used on the skin to help exfoliate dead cells, helps keep the moisture locked in and has antioxidants along with vitamins A and E.
I give her 500 mcg B12 and 400 IU E each day. I give her 2000 IU D3 three times a week. D3 is stored in fat tissues, so I don't want to give her the dosages recommended on the bottle. I suspect it would cause a buildup.
I much prefer the suggestion of a balanced diet supplemented if blood panels show there is a deficiency. We don't really want to start adding chemicals that aren't needed to the diet.
- I understand that ubiquinol is a more bio-available form of CoQ-10.
- Sublingual B-12 would probably be easier to absorb than other forms.
- 3 tablespoons of coconut oil are good for serious cases. You can cook with it, put it on food like you would butter, or take it by the spoonful if you're tough! It's more economical to buy it by the jar, although capsules are convenient for some people.
youtube/watch?v=km2cqQNFtEs
then you will know why you will not leave the Drs office without a prescription
As other had suggested, have your husband's primary doctor run a blood test for the vitamins [make sure hubby hadn't taken any for awhile or that would throw the test off] and if the doctor says he is low on a certain vitamin, then get that supplement. Many of us are low on Vit D because we aren't outside in the sun much any more... cable TV and computers have us hunkered down inside.
There are medical doctors who are Board Certified in Holistic medicine that one's insurance might take. Worth looking into. Check before you go.
Having a ND can be helpful ,,,but no guarantee along that path.
Some people can't absorb regular B-12 or folic acid/folate and have to take the methylated version. There is a genetic mutation called MTHFR. Testing available through 23 and Me or just buy the methylated B's.
What kind of neuro-optimizer are you buying? It sounds like you are on the right track!
Do you have any naturopathic physicians in your area? I don't think the supplement store clerks are trained enough to know what to tell you, even if they can tell you about the individual items if you come in asking for them. If you can't find a naturopath, I'd suggest looking for a medical dietitian who has experience with nutrition for the elderly.
In terms of knowing interactions, there are some good drug interaction checkers around online, try searching for "drug interactions checker" and see what you can find.
Now, amateur opinions here: The veggie drinks sound fantastic. I wish I could get both of my parents to drink that kind of thing! Not a chance. The only other suggestions, based on my personal experience, would be to drop the coconut capsules and instead use organic coconut oil (fry eggs with it, put it in coffee, use it in place of other oils whenever you can) and find a magnesium that isn't magnesium oxide. Citrate, orotate, or some combination of those, would be much better than oxide. I have seen a lot of improvement of stability of mood with my dad after beginning him on magnesium, though, and he's on the oxide version because it was all his doctor would prescribe and the pharmacy would provide.
Good luck and stick around the board, I'm sure other people will chime in!