I take a number of supplements myself and over the years have come across a couple of others which I recommend people to take. Some of these supplements may not be that well known but with 17 years and counting of experience I think they will have a significant positive effect on health.  I have prepared a top 10 supplements and over the next couple of blogs I will run down the list.

1. Coenzyme Q10

I first came across Coenzyme Q10 September 1997.  I was training in Rochdale in Lancashire, England and attended a talk by a Pharmacist called Denis ‘The Chemist’ Gore.   I was fascinated by Denis.  He was an expert in supplements and had built his business on this fact. He had a regular radio slot on local radio where people called or wrote in (this was before texting and e-mail took off).  A born salesman Denis was able to talk the talk and walk the walk.   What struck me most was Denis had a lot of evidence for how effective supplements were if taken regularly in conjunction with a persons regular medicines.

The jewel in the crown from his talk was Coenzyme Q10.  An important enzyme in energy production in the body we can all benefit from more Q10.  Q10 is good for energy, for your heart, for you gums if there is a problem with gum disease.  Statins which are a class of drugs used to reduce cholesterol block production of Q10 in the body. Therefore if someone takes statins, their Q10 levels are probably low and supplementation is recommended.  Doses of Q10 vary from 30mg to 100mg and I take 30mg myself every day. Also it is recommended to get Q10 in capsule form rather than tablet as the capsule form is easily absorbed. We stock two brands of Q10 – the Pharmanord  and Sona versions and it was the former which Denis Gore recommends.

2. Selenium and Zinc

These are two separate minerals but the brand we recommend is Bio-Selenium & Zinc from Pharmanord.  Zinc is good for your immune system and Selenium is a powerful antioxidant which means it neutralises fee radicals caused by pollution in the air. Our soil is low in selenium and to get the recommended daily allowance we need to eat an awful lot of vegetables. Selenium is important for men as it is useful if they develop prostate problems later on in life.

Taking the two minerals together provides a very strong boost for your immune system and in the Pharmanord brand there is also some Vitamin C present. I didn’t take any selenium and zinc last winter at all and I have several colds and sinus infections, the most I have had for years. I started taking the combination this spring and throughout the summer and intend going all the way through winter with it.   If I could recommend one product to take for winter this the one.  I have taken it and seen the benefits and not taken it and seen what happens.

My next blog will feature two of the newer vitamins I have started to use over the past few years — Vitamin D and Omega-3.