My experiences with Supplements & Health Gadgets

I’ve spent entirely too much money on supplements and health products over the past couple years. All of them had “scientific evidence”, were supposed to be amazing, get fantastic results, etc but very few of them were worth the money. What have I tried? Vitamins, Fat burners, Muscle Builders, Cognitive Enhancers, you name it…

• Multi-vitamins? No noticeable improvement in any area and pretty sure I pissed most of it out. Better to juice with kale, ginger, and nutrient dense vegetables if you want extra vitamin insurance.

• Fish Oil? Slight improvement at mega-dose levels (I literally took 80 pills/day for a month as an experiment). Omega 3 rich grass-fed meat and grass-fed butter (Kerry Gold brand is my favorite) work much better.

• Fat Burners? Some improvement, but with side effects. Generally not worth it – although insulin management supplements (particularly PAGG mentioned in 4 Hour Body) can help avoid fat gain.

• Muscle Builders? The basics (pre-workout supplement, whey protein, & creatine) work without much side effects. No noticable effect from anything else I’ve tried – keep reading though.

• Testosterone Boosters? I took a stack of Natural Testosterone Booster Stack - Tribulus, Fenugreek, Aspartic Acid, DHEA, etc. Each of these is supposed to result in big increases to free testosterone levels. I took it for 30 straight days and saw no improvement, ended up returning it.

• Steroid Precursors? aka Prohormones? Tried it. I took Finaflex 1-Alpha + PCT Black. There was a little bit of improvement – by far the most I noticed compared to everything else.

• Cognitive Enhancers aka “smart drugs”? The best stuff requires a prescription (I’m not referring to adderall – there are better options, like Modafinil). Non-prescription supplements (like nootropics) provide a small bump in performance, but aren’t worth the cost in my opinion unless your diet is already optimized. Bulletproof coffee is a much better option for most people. But, if you’re really interested… I’ve combined Artichoke 500 mg with Forskolin 250mg and caffeine for a nice boost in mental clarity.

My conclusion on supplements: The best stuff is illegal or requires a prescription. (Almost) everything else is best obtained via a proper diet/nutrition.

But… there are some simple things that DO work.

One cool supplement I found this year that works is a powerful antioxidant, Viva Labs Premium Astaxanthin, 5mg, 120 Softgels (#1 Super Antioxidant). Based on my experiments it gives you approximately twice as long in the sun until you get burnt (at 4-6 pills 30 minutes before you go in the sun) and – if you do get burnt – helps you heal about twice as fast with 4-6 pills in the evening.

I also can feel a difference with SOME vitamins – like Vitamin C when I feel a cold coming on (plus lots of D3 – though I prefer to get it from sunlight). I’ve felt good, but very inconsistent, results from probiotics. I haven’t found a good brand for these yet.

Like all guys, I enjoy my gadgets…

A Christmas present from my Dad was a Nightwave Sleep Assistant. I am one of those people that struggles to fall asleep because my mind races as I lie in bed. The nightwave emits a pulsing blue light, which you time your breathing to, and helps to slow your heart rate and mind to fall asleep. It actually helps me fall asleep faster. If you have trouble falling asleep, I recommend trying it out.

How do I know that it helps me fall asleep faster? Because I have a device that wraps around my head and records my sleeping patterns – how long it takes to fall asleep, how long I was in REM sleep, times I wake up throughout the night, etc. Yes, I’m a weirdo! It’s called a Zeo Mobile Sleep Manager. This thing is pretty neat, but is only really interesting if you are trying different things to improve your sleep and need to see what’s working.

Chris Parsons

I'm the Husband.

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