Nutritional Supplement products review and health benefits, and side effects, how safe are these products and how well do they work?

Nutritional and dietary supplements continue to be used by more and more people as consumer confidence grows that many of these natural products have a number of health benefits. For instance, many individuals now use fish oil supplements for heart and vascular health. Lutein is used for vision health. Glucosamine and chondroitin are used for arthritis and joint health. Saw palmetto is promoted for prostate health. Research continues to advance in these topics. The goal of this website is to update new research in herbal nutritional supplements and provide you with practical guidance so you can improve your health and wellbeing and use pharmaceutical medicines, which has a higher incidence of side effects, less frequently.
   Vitamins, herbs, minerals and other products are sold on their own, but are increasingly being used as ingredients in beverages and other foods. Common ones include ginseng, ginkgo biloba, vitamin E and echinacea, acai, maca, among many others.

How often to use a nutritional supplement
There are so many factors that influence your need or response. These factors include your age, sex, overall health status, activity level, climate you live in, diet, types of fluids consumed, alcohol or caffeine use, body weight, whether you are currently on prescription medicines, quality of the herbal products, your sensitivity and tolerance, whether the herbs are whole herb or extracts, whether the supplements are taken with food or on an empty stomach, the time of day they are used, and the dosage of the supplements. However, since may people who email us are frustrated that their doctors have no clue, we will provide some general guidelines that you can adapt to your own unique situation. There's not enough space to cover all the supplements in one newsletter, therefore I will begin with the letter A, and in subsequent newsletters proceed further along the alphabet. One point we would like to emphasize: When you take a supplement you have never been exposed to before, do your best to try it a on day when you are not using other supplements or medicines. This way you can better tell what kind of effect this new pill has on you. Also, if you are sensitive to herbs or supplements, at first use a portion of a capsule or tablet to avoid any potential harmful effects, particularly if you are taking pharmaceutical medicines or are taking hormones.

Medical doctor formulated products
The following are natural formulas developed by Dr. Ray Sahelian, M.D., one of the world's leading expert on natural medicine. They include:

Diet Rx is an effective and safe natural appetite suppressant that helps people lose weight consistently. Almost everyone who takes Diet Rx notices appetite suppression. Diet Rx has green tea extract, cinnamon, garcinia, ginger, and with hoodia weight loss herb.
Eyesight Rx is a nutritional supplement for better vision, the visual acuity enhancement is often noticed within a few days after starting Eyesight Rx.
Good Night Rx for better sleep. Helps you relax and fall asleep faster. Good Night Rx helps you get a deeper and more relaxed sleep. See insomnia cures for additional suggestions regarding nutritional supplements that help with sleep problems.
Joint Power Rx for joint health with glucosamine, chondroitin, MSM, CMO. Joint Power Rx contains turmeric and several other important joint supplements.
Mind Power Rx for better brain function, concentration, focus, and mental clarity. Mind Power Rx is a potent brain enhancer.
Multi-Vit Rx for daily multivitamin and mineral supplement. MultiVit Rx is a powerful energy booster that will provide natural energy enhancement.
Passion Rx is an excellent sexual enhancement product for men and women. You will notice improved sex drive, sensation, stamina and performance within a few days. There are hardly any effective pharmaceutical drugs for enhancing libido and sensation. Passion Rx enhances sex drive, genital sensation, erectile function, lubrication, and sexual stamina. A complete approach to sexual healing
Prostate Power Rx for prostate health with pygeum and saw palmetto. Prostate Power Rx also has sexual enhancement properties.

You can find these high quality products at Physician Formulas, a reliable and trustworthy online nutritional supplement store.

Nutritional supplement vitamins
In the past, nutritional supplements comprised mostly of vitamins and minerals. However, the number of nutrients and herbs available to the consumer has grown tremendously. Health and nutritional supplement stores now carry hundreds or thousands of products. There are more than 10,000 health food stores in the US that sell nutritional supplements. In addition, people can buy herbal and nutritional products in tens of thousands of retail outlets, pharmacies, and grocery stores. Another growing source of nutritional supplements is the internet. Often the prices on the internet are at a discount compared to the stores since online business have less overhead.

Bacteria
Probiotics have been defined as live microorganisms that (when ingested) have a beneficial effect in the prevention and treatment of specific medical conditions. See probiotic and prebiotic for more information. Probiotic bottles should be kept refrigerated whether the bottle is open or sealed. Many digestive health problems may benefit from probiotic pills. We hope more doctors and specialists, such as gastroenterologists, discover the potential of these beneficial bacteria in treating various GI disorders such as irritable bower disorder, and other conditions such as allergic rhinitis, asthma, etc.

Enzymes
Several nutritional supplements are in the form of enzymes such as digestive enzymes, nattokinase, Serrapeptase, Wobenzym, and others.

Safety
Some consumers assume that anything natural is safe. This is not true. In high dosages, herbal nutritional supplements can cause side effects including insomnia, excess stimulation, and heart rhythm disturbances.

Liquid nutritional supplement
Some products are available in liquid form. We don't see much advantage to taking herbs and vitamins in liquid form since supplements in capsules are easily absorbed. However, there are some people, the elderly, or children, who have difficulty swallowing capsules or tablets.

Information resource
The internet abounds with nutritional supplement information websites. It is difficult for the consumer to decide which web site to trust. A good nutritional supplement review source is Dr. Ray Sahelian, M.D.

Dog nutritional supplement
Many dog owners like to give vitamins and herbs to their pet. It is sometimes difficult to know the proper dosages for a dog. One option is to use a weight ratio compared to humans. For instance, if you weigh 150 pounds and your dog weighs 50 pounds, the dosage for your dog would be a third of your dosage. Nutritional supplements for pets are sold at many stores, but not enough research has been done to determine whether some of these products are appropriate for your pet. Some companies may place products for sale without much thinking into product development.

ADD or ADHD natural therapy
Some children with ADD or ADHD benefit from certain nutritional supplements.

Ideal or best nutritional supplement for health and program
There is no such thing as the best nutritional supplement that would apply to everyone. Each person has a unique biochemistry and metabolism, and a unique diet. What works for one person may not work for another. The best way to determine what product works for you is by trial and error.
   Many people think the more pills they take the healthier they will be but this is not often the case. If you find that you are becoming restless or having difficulty sleeping, then perhaps your program includes too many stimulating vitamins and herbs and it is time to reduce the number of pills you take.

Body building
Of all the natural nutritional supplements sold in stores or online, the best ones for body building are creatine and protein powders. Everything else is not as effective as these two.

Sport nutritional supplement
Many supplements have been studied to find out which ones improve sports performance. Creatine certainly helps with body building and strength. So do protein powders such as soy protein or whey protein.

Antiaging nutritional supplement
There are certain supplements touted as having antiaging potential. One such herbal extract is resveratrol. There is, as of 2008, no proof in humans that taking any nutritional supplement has antiaging potential. There is a high likelihood that scientists will find such a supplement or several of them, but no long term human studies have yet been done to make us very confident that taking herbal pills will lead to improved longevity.

seniors in hospitals
The general health of elderly hospitalized patients improves, along with their physical and social functioning, when they are given oral nutritional supplements in addition to the normal hospital diet. Dr. Salah Gariballa of United Arab Emirates University in Al-Ain gave hospitalized patients with conditions such as cardiovascular problems, lung disease, fractures, or infections a 995-calorie nutritional supplement twice daily for 6 weeks. The nutritional supplement provided 100 percent of the Reference Nutrient Intakes for older adults for vitamins A, C, D, E, B1, B6, B12, folic acid, niacin, biotin, and pantothenic acid, as well as the minerals potassium, magnesium, calcium, phosphorous, iron, zinc, iodine, copper, manganese. After 6 months the patients given the nutritional supplement showed significantly better quality of life scores compared with patients who got the placebo. Measures of physical and social function were better, vitality was better, and mental health improved among the supplemented compared with non-supplemented patients. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, December 2007.

Online stores to buy or purchase
A good resource for nutritional supplements on line at discount and of high quality is Physician Formulas. There are several dozen medium and large stores oniine, and hundreds of small internet vitamin stores. Cheap nutritional supplements can be found at some of these online stores since their overhead is less than a stand alone health food store with high rents.

Nutritional fiber supplement
There are several fibers that are helpful for human health . These include psyllium, glucomannan, and pectins.

Wholesale
If you are a health food store owner or a health care provider, you can purchase nutritional supplements at wholesale.

Nutritional weight loss supplement
Quite a number of herbs and nutrients can be helpful as weight loss nutritional supplements. These include green tea extract, hoodia extract, garcinia cambogia, different fibers, pectins, and others. See Diet Rx for an excellent appetite suppressant. Diet Rx nutritional supplement is all natural with 26 herbs and nutrients. This product helps you eat less.

The age limit, how old do you have to be to take these tablets, pills, or capsules?
As strong believers in natural remedies, we are constantly recommending that people turn to nutritional supplements to help them fight disease, stay healthy, and keep their brains and bodies strong. Recently, a 65-year-old wrote: "Is there an age limit on taking the herbs, hormone supplements, or amino acids?" The simple answer is that there is no age limit - you can take supplements into your 80s and 90s and beyond. However, you should reduce the dosage of those nutritional supplements as you grow older. This is because many herbs (including ginseng and many sexual enhancing herbs) can stimulate the heart to beat rapidly, which can cause problems for those with weak hearts. In general, nutritional supplements such as fish oils, garlic, and most vitamins and minerals are fine no matter how old you are. Hormones, on the other hand, can be dangerous unless used in tiny doses of less than five mg. Individual amino acids such as tyrosine and phenylalanine can also cause heart rhythm problems in high doses, and so can SAM-e, a nutrient used for depression. As a rule, as you get older, you should take a portion of the suggested dosage, perhaps half the amount recommended on the label of the supplement bottle - at least initially - to find out if there is any untoward effect. You should also be cautious about using supplements while you are taking prescribed pharmaceutical drugs, because we don't fully understand their interactions.

Nutritional supplement use by children
There have been few studies with children and supplements. As a rule, except for low dose multivitamins, whole vegetable and fruit extract, and fish oils or cod liver oil, it may be best to be cautious in giving them to children for prolonged periods except when necessary to treat a medical condition. We rather have children get their nutritional needs from whole foods.

Q. Our daughter of 11 years old, currently has anxiety disorders, can not go to school and has separation anxiety from being away from one of us (parents) She has also been diagnoses with ADD, Audio process disorder and sensory integration disorders. Every one we go to, has a different diagnoses and recommendations. We are now doing all the research ourselves to look for natural nutritional supplements for children. We are focused on the neurotransmitters etc., diet and therapy. Are nutritional supplement remedies for children safe for an 11 year girl weighing about 70 pounds?
   A. Natural supplements have not been tested as much in children. If her doctor approves, the dosage used would be a third or half of the adult dosage in general, but this is a rough guideline.

For teenagers and adolescents
I have a 15 year old athletic teen age grandson. His eating habits are irregular and sometimes strange. My daughter wondered what would be a wise supplementation program.
   There are many different opinions in regards to the necessity of using a nutritional supplement by teenagers. Some doctors don't think any are needed, whereas other doctors recommend multivitamins. One option is to use MultiVit Rx one capsule three or four times a week if their doctor approves. Some doctors may also recommend fish oils.

Ingredients
Q. I have noticed that there are many products with the following extra ingredients Hydroxypropyl cellulose, dibasic calcium phosphate, stearic acid, modified cellulose gum, colloidal silicon dioxide, and magnesium stearate. What are the effects of these? Why are there so many?
   A. In order for the herbs or supplements not to clump together and form a had gel, softening agents are used to keep the material apart so that it can be manufactured easily and the raw material placed in capsules without clogging or clumping.

Q. I recently read an article in regard to taking too many nutritional supplements and possible side effects. I am currently taking two nutritional supplements: bee pollen and magnesium aspartate. I change supplements when the usual 90 day supply is depleted. My question is this. Because the average jar of nutritional supplements come in numbers of 90 - 100 capsules, am I correct in assuming once the entire jar has been ingested the improvement of the physical purpose for taking it has been met, or how long should I replenish? I guess what I am trying to say is how long should nutritional supplements of one kind of another be taken to reach optimal benefit of the intended supplement?
   A. There is no straightforward answer to this question. There are tens of thousands of different nutritional supplements on the market and each person has a unique biochemistry. Sometimes some nutritional supplements are only taken for a few days, other times they may be helpful if taken for a few weeks, or a few months, or a few years.

Regulation and enforcement
The Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act, approved by Congress in 1994, defines nutritional supplements as products that: Are intended to supplement the diet; Contain one or more ingredients such as vitamins, herbs, or amino acids, or other nutrients; Are intended to be taken by mouth; Are labeled as nutritional supplements.
   The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) once regulated nutritional supplements the same way it does foods, but that changed as of August 2007. The FDA's new good manufacturing practices ruling ensures that supplements: Are produced in a quality manner; Do not contain contaminants or impurities; Are accurately labeled; If a claim is made, the manufacturer must notify the FDA.

Q. I am a long time user of nutritional supplements, and am carrying out a survey on worldwide sales of specific nutrients. Can you guide me as to where I can carry out such searches?
   A. You may wish to contact Nutrition Business Journal.

Q. Dr. Sahelian had an interesting article in his newsletter relating to regulation of nutritional supplements, and personal responsibility in use of supplements and foods. The question I'd like to ask, via an example, is: why are
substances that are clearly deleterious to health appearing in the American food supply, and should we expect "personal responsibility" to get rid of them? It came to my attention recently that bromine is a substance that has
no positive function in the body, and ingestion of too much can cause schizophrenia. Yet, the PepsiCo corporation sells a beverage named "Mountain Dew" that contains brominated vegetable oil. This product is apparently very popular among youth in the American south, and there are known cases of high consumption (e.g. 5 bottles per day) leading to behavioral disorders. There are of course many examples like this. I feel as though the FDA is no longer performing the function for which it was formed. On the other hand, perhaps this is nothing more than a matter of
personal responsibility. How do you view this?
   A. Each case has to be evaluated separately. There are few black and white answers, many fall in the grey zone and a full understanding of each topic has to done before giving an opinion as to weather it falls in the regulation or personal responsibility category. See below for the full except from Dr. Sahelian's newsletter.

Q. Given that you personally feel that high dosages of tyrosine or DHEA and certain other nutritional supplements cause adverse affects, is there any regulation or FDA recommended dosage? I have had enormous problems with tyrosine in the past that are too dramatic to even begin to tell you. Where, if anywhere are the dangers of supplements mentioned or how are they regulated?
   A. You ask a good question that deserves a somewhat philosophical answer. There are no official nutritional supplement dosage guidelines (except for certain well-known vitamins and minerals) since many such guidelines would be somewhat arbitrary and open to significant differences of opinion among various scientists. And how do we know that government officials are any more knowledgeable (or honest) than certain doctors and nutritionists who have first hand knowledge of these nutritional supplements in their clinical practice? There are thousands of herbs and individual supplements, and tens of thousands of combination formulas. How can any independent or governmental organization ever keep up knowing the appropriate dosages of these supplements, herbs, and combination formulas?
   If strict governmental guidelines are placed on nutritional supplements dosages (whether it be tyrosine, alpha lipoic acid, curcumin, mangosteen, noni, coq10, melatonin, and others), why not then follow the same logic and limit hard liquor bottle sizes to only six ounces and forbid the sale of more than one bottle at a time since there are serious risks in drinking excess alcohol? What about limiting sales of sugar-laden sodas that cause obesity and diabetes? Drinking more than one soda a day is associated with an increased incidence of metabolic syndrome. We live in a society that should accept the fact that there are risks to some of the products and foods we consume. If we were to tightly regulate every little detail of a citizen's life and what or how much they can ingest of a food, drink, or supplement, we would no longer have the freedoms we currently enjoy. Each citizen is responsible for their own health and to learn as much about a food, drink, or nutritional supplement before they ingest it.

North American consumers purchase more supplements, data from 2008
A higher proportion of consumers in North America take dietary supplements than in any other region of the world. More than 50 percent of people in North America take vitamin and other pills, compared with 43% in Asia, 30% in Europe and 28% in Latin America. In terms of individual countries, the highest levels of usage were found in the Philippines and Thailand, where 66% of consumers said they took vitamins. The primary benefit of taking vitamins and supplements, according to more than 60% of those surveyed, was to boost the immune system, a response most common in Asia. In the US, 62% of respondents said they took vitamins and supplements to ensure a balanced diet. France and Spain were the countries were usage was lowest, with just 17% and 13% of consumers, respectively, saying they took supplements. The primary reason for not taking vitamins was that their diets were already balanced and they saw no need to take them. Many consumers in Poland, Russia and the Baltic states, meanwhile, told researchers they didn't take supplements because they felt it was "too difficult to understand which product to use."

Q. I take True Food nutritional supplements from Higher Nature, and they say vitamins / minerals etc have been bio-transformed into natural forms our body is designed for. "The method literally grows a vitamin or mineral into a 'food'". They use a process of culturing and fermentation. I want to know if you know of any evidence, as they say, that this type of bio-transformed vitamin is better absorbed by the body than a synthetic one. These bio-transformed supplements also contain less vitamin values then synthetic ones because they say more is absorbed. But I will start buying the synthetic ones again if you don't know of such research to exist or come across.
   A. We have no idea what Higher Nature company means by bio transformed nutritional supplements. It makes no sense to us.

Nutritional supplement products
Now Foods amino complete product
Now Foods branched chain amino acids supplement
Now Foods L Norvaline supplement
Now Foods L Proline supplement
Now Foods True Calm supplement
Now Foods True Focus supplement for better mental focus and alertness.

Q.  Many people report on health forums they cannot digest the nutritional supplement tablets or pills or capsules. Would it be alright to put nutritional supplements in a blender and mix the nutritional supplements in a fruit smoothie or does blending the vitamin pills; tabs; or caps; negate there nutritional value in any way ?
   A. As a general rule, we suspect there would not be a problem in putting nutritional supplements in a blender. However, some supplements are more effective when taken on an empty stomach. Therefore there is no one answer that would apply to all supplements.

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide is abbreviated as NADH. It is an activated form of the B vitamin niacin. In high school biology class you probably studied the Krebs cycle and how energy in the form of ATP is derived from sugars, amino acids, and fats. Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide is the coenzyme that helps in this complicated process of energy extraction.
Norbixin is a carotenoid that has antioxidant benefits.
Oenothein B is found in willow herb
Obestatin is a peptide hormone
Orexin act as regulators of many functions including the control of sleep-wake states
Ostivone is a trademarked form of an isoflavone, and marketed as a nutritional supplement to treat osteoporosis
Paeonol is a phenolic component from the root bark of Paeonia moutan
Perillaldehyde is one of the major oil components in Perilla frutescens
Platycodin is a major constituent of triterpene saponins found in the root of Platycodon grandiflorum

Q. I've been taking nutritional supplements to help heal problems. The nutritional supplements i was taking basically helped a lot until i hit a wall. I used to have really had anxiety/depression and over symptoms from over-masturbation / over-ejaculation along with marijuana use which basically fried my nervous system. I have detoxed and healed myself the best i could. now i was taking supplements with DHEA, 5-htp,valerian, hops, eurycoma, inositol, b vitamins, vitamin e, gaba, yohimbe, dong quai, st-johns wart, vinpocetine, l arginine, fish oil, saw palmetto, black cohosh, ginkgo biloba, ginseng, tribulus terrestris, mucuna pruriens, horny goat weed, maca, damiana extract, along with various amino acids and minerals basically to stimulate sexual healing and health they are all in multi vitamin form not individually. These nutritional supplements helped me a lot and i have been taking them off and on for about 2 years. But now i realize i have a problem and i think it has to do with the nutritional supplements i was taking everyday for an extended period of time, along with physical stress i imposed on myself through weight lifting. Now i see that 5-htp and yohimbe in conjunction with DHEA is a bad idea which is what i did everyday. I currently am having "heart pains" i say this because it is over the left breast; along with stomach pains (feeling of nausea/sour stomach) and feeling a shortness of breath which i don't know if it is because of the bad allergies which my whole family is experiencing along with social phobia in a minor form (self diagnoses) along with minor anxiety/depression. (I'm 22 and a male btw) Now what happened was i stopped working out about 3 months ago due to my heart pains. While i was weight lifting i was taking the nutritional supplements for the sexual healing. I since have stopped working out and taking nutritional supplements because i actually went to the emergency room for heart pains, shortness of breath, and high blood pressure. While i was working out and taking the nutritional supplements i had an above average blood pressure for my age of 140-155 in the systolic but under 80 in the diastolic for about 6-8 months. Since i stopped the nutritional supplements and working out my blood pressure only gets to 130 at the maximum and usually stays under 120. Recently on occasion i feel my heart pain come back but it isn't as sharp or as bad and doesn't last very long. I went to two cardiologists and they found nothing abnormal with my heart except one found an minor sinus arythmea which the doctor said was nothing to worry about.
   A. Excess use can lead to a host of medical problems and dangers including high blood pressure, heart arrhythmias, fatigue, insomnia, etc.

Q. I am a male that is 6 feet tall and is currently 184 pounds. Four Months ago, I was 208 pounds and I have lost alot of fat and have built some muscle. So I have been working out at the gym religiously for 25 hours per week this last 3 months. At the gym I do cardio for about an hour- bikes and treadmill, and I lift every bodypart twice per week. The bodyparts include: Traps, Lats, Upper Back, Lower Back, Forearms, Legs, Calves, Biceps, Triceps, Obliques, and Chest. Here are the supplements I take:
BSN Nitrix- 1 Pill (3 Times Per Day)
All The Whey Protein Isolate- 1 Scoop (4 Times Per Day)
Dymatize 12 Hour Protein- 1 Scoop (2 Times Per Day, Waking and Right Before Sleeping)
CVS Mega-Multivitamin- 1 Pill
Sci-Fit Kre-Alkalyn- 2 Grams (2 Times Per Day)
Nature's Way EfaGold Flax Oil- 1 Pill (3 Times Per Day)
Schiff Multi Mineral Complex- 1 Pill (2 Times Per Day)
NSI 42 Fruits & Vegetables- 1 Pill (3 Times Per Day)
NSI Antioxidant Complex- 1 Pill (3 Times Per Day)
NSI Chromium Picolinate- 1 Pill (2 Times Per Day)
Bionutricals ZMA- 3 Pills (1 Time- Right Before Sleep)
Bionutricals Tribulus- 2 Pills (3 Times Per Day)
Nutrabio Ribose- 1 Serving (2 Times Per Day

I have an extensive past medical history including an undiagnosed illness with many varied symptoms which began following a knee surgery in 2002 (though most of these original symptoms have improved) and a strong history of head injuries including approximately 30 concussions. I have seen many doctors and have tried many medications though none seem to be very effective. Most recently I received 45 treatments for neurological rehabilitation of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy. None of the facilities have been able to heal my condition, and I am in a desperate situation. My ultimate goal is healing, but I will be happy with a reduction in symptoms at this point so that I can function on a day to day basis. The supplements that I was prescribed, more specifically Gaba, provided a small amount of relief, but two surgeries in the fall of 2009 led to a substantial decline in this relief. I am experiencing several significant neurological problems. I am including a summary of my current symptoms / problems. These symptoms either started or dramatically increased when I began tapering off the medication Lyrica. I should also note two months before discontinuing the Lyrica, I had stopped a seven month regular use of Valuim for sleep. These symptoms are all connected, in that when one is worse they all get worse. Symptoms in order of severity:
Constant but varying degrees of panic attacks ranging from 6.5-10 (10 point scale) these can last anywhere from 4-5 hours to days at the full 10 before they drop to a 6.5. They never fall below a 6.
Narcotic type withdrawal feeling-pain and overall body aches, pull/draw on body especially below the waist, creep crawly weird feeling, general malaise/flu-like feelings
Mind races and jumps from thought to thought
Mind dwells on various thoughts continually
Mind and body never relaxed
Sleep difficulties
Thoughts that normally wouldn’t bother me have a shocking feel (feels like I have just been notified of the death of a family member)
Bad feelings of dread with 2/3 of thoughts
Feel numb emotionally like a zombie
Over production of saliva - up to approximately 24 ounces a day
Unusual pain / inflammation in areas of recent injuries that should be healed
Difficulty controlling urges such as urination, bowel movements, hunger etc.
Feet and hands overly sweaty
Skin and senses overly sensitive
Headaches
Weak and tired
Physical feel of electric current flowing through body
I feel like my entire insides are “jumping” or going berserk. I constantly feel like going into a non stop rage and wrecking everything around me. At the same time my mind is like a hamster on a wheel, going constantly. I can’t stop it. It goes at an uncontrolled pace even though I try to stop it. I can’t control my thoughts; even when I can keep my mind manageable. They always are chomping at the bit wanting to take off. My mind races, it is repetitious and obsessive, it dwells on thoughts. All of this is happening at the same time and sometimes even happens in my dreams. I have to constantly try to keep my mind clear. Any stimulation both good and bad thoughts cause me to loose control of my thoughts. I have to concentrate on keeping blankness in my mind and keep a zombie- like mental approach. As for the panic attacks, I feel like I am having some sort of seizure, sort of paralyzed, like my entire body is in a grip. Sometimes it is hard to move, and I feel like an elephant is sitting on my chest. I feel like I go numb inside no matter what is going on around me. I feel like if I do not escape I will die. I have had several near death experiences and felt no where near the degree of panic then that I have felt at numerous times in the past year and a half. I feel like I am going crazy. There are days that I have to stay locked in my room because of these feeling. Some symptoms I can tolerate, but most of these are not tolerable. If they can not be repaired or dramatically improved I would rather not be alive. They are that severe. To make a comparison, I have had over 30 concussions, 30 broken bones, been in a coma, had 18 surgeries, been temporarily paralyzed, had two skull fractures, and the list goes on with the amount of physical trauma that I have endured. All of these things together do not compare to what I am dealing with now. The only other time I have experienced symptoms like the above was after a severe head injury in 1999 which improved by 80% within a year and then again in 2002 following a knee surgery. After noted symptoms started in 2002 they were constant until I underwent chelation treatment in 2004 which reduced the severity of the symptoms. I should note that in 2006 all symptoms were either absent or much lower two and a half months after discontinuing a two year course of daily prescribed pain medication for chronic pain syndrome. I had to go back on the pain meds due to severe knee pain three and a half months later. After having three additional knee surgeries I discontinued the narcotic medications in march 2008. The withdrawal like symptoms continued and did not improve for the next five months. The use of Lyrica seemed to make these symptoms worse. When I tapered off the Lyrica in August 2008 all the above symptoms became unmanageable. In addition to the above, which are the most important symptoms I also have other issues and symptoms including many head injuries. I have had approximately 30 concussions, the first at age three, most of which occurred during a motocross racing career that ended in 1999. In 1994 I suffered four concussions in a six week period and a skull fracture. I also suffered a severe closed head injury in 1999 which resulted in loss of consciousness, some paralysis, memory loss, my facial muscles were drawn and I walked with a shuffling gait for several weeks. I also had difficulty remaining awake. After a week of inpatient care, I was diagnosed with post concussion syndrome. Some of these injuries have left permanent problems. I still experience problems with short term memory, balance, coordination, visual perception, problem solving, speech and communication. I still have migraine headaches, and trouble with my mind feeling slow, like it is in a fog. It is very difficult to start and maintain concentration and focus. I cannot think of correct words or thoughts many times per day. It takes vast effort to perform average mental tasks. It takes effort to stay within lines while driving. I have slower reaction/response times with mental activities. I also have substantial trouble with reading comprehension. I have also been diagnosed and treated for numerous GI issues, chronic pain syndrome, psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, heavy metal poisoning, pseudomonas, and fungal infections. All of these issues are manageable, it is the symptoms listed previously that have caused me to seek help from your facility. I am currently taking: 5250mg Gaba 3600mg Fish Oil 120mg Gingko Multivitamin B vitamin Complex 1500mg Glucosamine Allergy Shots bimonthly Remacaid every 10 weeks Toradol 100mg once weekly Ibuprofen 8000mg once weekly Oxycodone 70 mg 6 times a month.