Off-the-shelf Vitamin

Question: is brand name vitamin better than generic? I'm pregnant and i was taking a off the shelf prenatal vitamin, but a friend of mine said her dr said they are not as good and do not absorb into your body like the prescription prenatal. My dr's nurse said they were the same though.

Answer: generic most of the time are just as good as prescription. somtimes there are differences, and if ur doctor was worried she would have given u a specific brand name, but since she says they are the same, she's prolly rite, u can always get a second opinion

Question: goldfish and vitamin c? i have a recovering goldfish and i was hoping to give it an immune system boost. would it be safe to just crush of a regular vitamin c tablet (like the ones humans buy off the shelf) or should i get something more fish-specialized, if such a thing exists?

Answer: "Vitamin C is an antioxidant that positively affects the immune system of fish and possibly some marine invertebrates. Vitamin C is naturally occurring in the marine environment (in seaweed, for example), and there is strong data from scientists and mariculture professionals, that dosing vitamin C has many positive effects on marine life. Some marine aquarists absolutely will not dose anything for which they cannot test, and while it is possible to test for vitamin C in the water, such tests are not very realistic for the average hobbyist. There are several vitamin C products on the market, such as Kent Marine’s Marine-C vitamin supplement. Because vitamin C is water soluble (vitamins are either water soluble or fat soluble) it is effective when dosed directly to the aquarium water. Fishes and coral then take in the vitamin during normal respiration. Vitamin C can also be used to soak food before feeding. Soaking food in vitamin C may be a more effective vehicle for the vitamin as long as the target animal(s) ingests the food. The recommended dosage for Kent Marine’s Marine-C is 1 ml daily for every 50 gallons of aquarium water daily. Even though most vitamin C products intended for aquarium use are buffered, it is wise to monitor your system’s pH, as even the buffered supplement is somewhat acidic." http://fishinsects.suite101.com/article.cfm/do_fish_need_their_vitamins

Question: In Seattle Washington has anyone heard any news rumors about a problem with undigested centrum vitamins? Someone told me that some vitamins do not dissolve in your digestive system and that hundreds of centrum vitamins clogged up a septic system in Seatle an i never about this on the news.it sounds like a strange story and if were true should there a product recall to take them off the shelf? Not at one household only but the place that collects the whole citys septic waste.

Answer: LOL well it is true that they do not dissolve thats the reason people will say when you take cheap vitamins you just have expensive pee and poop. The clogging od the septic systems story has been going around for years in every town and state. They wont recall the vitamins even though city sewage companies report that they will not dissolve because centrum, one a day and companies like them that are name brand are actually owned by pharamcutical companies and only made as a ploy to scam the public out of money and one day prove to the FDA that vitamins should be taken off the market because they do not work and only pharmacuticals should be used. They intentionally put bad products on the market to use the citizens of the world as a lab rats for later use when they want real vitamins taken off the market.

Question: Hi please answer I am tired of getting sick so often I am young its too much.? Well I get sick every time weather changes. Two weeks back I was sick with congestion and fever My Dr. Prescribed me Z -Pak, I went back to work. After two weeks I am again sick with worse congestion and fever running high up to 104, I am done .This time my Dr. Prescribed me clarithromycin. I still have fever not that high 101,nasal congestion, cough , sinus pain , and headache. I am not able to get up from bed bad body ache. Do you guys know any home remedies or any off the shelf vitamins to build my immune system so I don't get sick that often. Or maybe any food or health drinks to help me recover fast. Please only serious reply’s.Thanks

Answer: It could be sinus allergies. However ,check to see if there is alot of mold in your house.I have known people to get sick from mold growing in their homes or apartments. Also try checking the side effects of any medication you have been on. Alergic reactions to medications could be a cause also. Home remedy I would suggest:( I take it also for my sinus allergies or colds).Been in our family since my great grandma's day.:) In a large pot boil in water, with skin seeds and all! 2 red onions(cut in pieces) 1 whole grapefruit(cut in pieces) 2 lemons (cut in pieces) 1 large orange(cut in pieces) Boil and then turn down to medium and let it cook for an hour at least. Then pour the stuff(seeds peel and all!) into a cup and drink and chew the peels etc.You can save the rest or drink it all. Tastes terrible but works fantastic!!You can add some honey to lighten the taste if you want. It's a natural antihistimine. But first and foremost check to see if mold is the cause or an alergic reaction to medicines. Hope this helps.

Question: Does anyone know about those otc fertility drugs? Those fertility drugs that they were selling over the counter at places like GNC and Vitamin World were suddenly pulled off the shelves. Does anyone know why? Has anyone tried them before men or women?

Answer: I think because you have to be under doctor supervision to be on them. I know that you can take herbal (Lydia Pinkham) ones. It has never been pulled and it have been available for a long time!!!!

Question: I do have ibs,poor digestion and a sensitive stomach Hom many Billion Grams of Acidophillus shoot i start w? The Gimmicky Vitamin Shops try to sell you Very expessive Acidophillus . What Kind,Cold /Off the shelf.. How much, how often ..When shoud I notice a diiference etc . Any other suggestions..PLEEEEEEZE Thanks !!

Answer: Probiotics like acidophilus and Lactobacillus are found in yogurt. I would recommend getting it that way. The amount isn't as important as getting it regularly and getting live cultures. The point is to get it to colonize your digestive system. Once this happens, it will grow on its own, but will need constant "refreshing". Interestingly, Walmart brand yogurt (Great Value) has active live cultures of both Acidophilus and Lactobacillus, and, in my opinion is pretty tasty. There was a study recently in the news using lactobacillus that showed some positive results ( http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4938020.stm ). I'm not even sure the pills would have live cultures. The stuff is no good to you unless it is living.

Question: Anyone take vitamins? Does anyone know of a vitamin that will make your hair grow? Something that i could be off the shelf at a walwart or kmart, or something?

Answer: yup GNC Ultra Hairnourish

Question: What's your favorite breakfast cereal? I'm serious. Is it oats or wheat? Rice or corn? Fruit on top or not? Crunchy or mushy? Sugared or plain? Fortified with vitamins or not? Hot or cold? Wet or dry? Microwave or stovetop? Milk or half and half? In the morning or the evening? With the newspaper or not? There's a lot to be considered when choosing a cereal, you don't just pick up what fell off the shelf. I need to know fast because I'm in my car with my laptop and I'm almost at the grocery store now. Thanks.

Answer: Froot Loops, P-Nut Butter Cap'n Crunch or Honey-Nut Cheerios. p.s. I remember back in the day when there was a prize in every cereal box, just like Cracker Jacks....

Question: Multi Vitamins............Good or Bad? I have been contemplating taking vitamin tablets and I know that you can just buy them off the shelf in any supermarket or chemist. But I have heard that it can be bad for you to take multi vitamins or vitamin tablets without proper instructions from your doctor. Is this true? I feel that I need to take vitamins because I dont eat any type of vegtables at all. I cant stand them and have made many attempts and different ways over the years to intruduce veg into my life but I just cant.

Answer: A multivitamin is a good health supplement to take but it is a supplement only and can never be regarded as a substitute for a healthy diet. You need a healthy diet as well for good health. By not eating any vegetables you are missing out on a lot of good nutrients such as enzymes and antioxidants that you need for good health. Hopefully you do eat some fruit every day. That way you will get a few antioxidants and enzymes into your system but you really need vegetables as well every day. Instead of vegetables you could always get some tins of V8 which is a blend of 8 different vegetable juices comprising something like tomatoes, beetroot, carrots, lettuce, spinach, watercress, silverbeet and broccoli. The ingredients are stated on the tins and the 8 that I have listed may not be correct but most of them are.

Question: What pills can I take to increase appetite? I weigh only 87 pounds : (? I look sickly. I am desperatly trying to gain weight. I weigh only 87 pounds and have for the past year. I am tired of it, to the point that I just want to give up hope for myself. I am short to make matters worse and so I look like a 13 year old when im actually 19. I am wondering what pills can increase my appetite? I had my wisdom teeth removed this summer and one of the drugs they perscribed me had a side effect of increasing appetite or weight gain. I went up to 92 pounds in a week. I was happy but now im back at 87 pounds and its really really depressing. I look horrible in clothes which lowers my self-esteem even more than it already is, which I didnt think was even possible. Any help would be wonderful. Thanks 8 minutes ago - 4 days left to answer. I have tried protien shakes and some vitamins and pills off the shelf that had the appetite increase side effect but nothing has worked but those pills the doctor perscribed me for my wisdom tooth removal.

Answer: Eating foods with MSG (monosodium glutamate) typically make you want to eat more of them. Things like potato chips and noodles in chinese food allow you to eat more because of the msg. Empty starchy carbohydrates allow you to gain weight as well, but the weight will be fatty weight. You should run/lift weights and drink lots of protein shakes to gain some muscle weight at the same time. Just simply eating more when you are bored or aren't hungry expands your stomach and allows you to eat more over time. You should be happy most people have the opposite problem. I know you probably don't want to resort to this but smoking marijuana also rapidly increases your appetite (and I don't recommend this because it is illegal).

Question: This is probably a stupid question? I was wondering if prenatal vitamins had to be prescribed by your doctor or if you could buy them normally, off the shelf? & if you can by them normally what are the names of some different types. I'm sorry, its probably a stupid question, but everyone suggests if you want to get pregnant, to take prenatal vitamins. I dont want to have to involve a doctor just yet, which is why I was wondering if it had to be prescribed. Many thanks & baby dust!<3

Answer: hey hun, they dont need to be prescribed but you can ask your doctor which one he recommends. or the people at the chemist would know aswel.. Also There Baby Gold - $35. for a bottle. That one did make me sick so i stopped. Also Pregnancy Platnium - $28 for 60 capsules. Which is pretty good. Im so far pefering this one. Pink box. And also yes they are right on suggesting that you take prenatal vitamins before pregnancy as, if pregnancy does occur you are already recieving vitamins that baby needs to develop etc/. God Bless xx wish you all the best xx

Question: Are these good ingredients for dog treats? The treats are called "Healthy Edibles" and the package says that they are all-natural, gluten free, and vet assured. Here are the ingredients: Ingredients: Wheat starch, glycerin, cellulose, lecithin, potato starch, roast beef flavor, chicken powder, natural bacon flavor, natural flavor, oat fiber, calcium carbonate, soy flour and rosemary oil Vitamins: Thiamin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, vitamin B-6, folic acid, vitamin A, vitamin E, biotin, choline, inositol and PABA (:?) Minerals: Calcium carbonate, ferrous carbonate, magnesium oxide, dicalcium phosphate, potassium chloride, sodium selenite, calcium chloride, zinc oxide, copper oxide, manganese oxide and sodium molybdate Guaranteed Analysis: Min. crude protein: 1%, min. crude fat: 0.5%, max. crude fiber: 8%, max. moisture: 15% My dog really loves them, but I only want to give her the best. Not something cheap off the shelf and full of fillers. Are these treats healthy to give my dog in moderation?

Answer: The ingrediants should list REAL food. Here is what the treats I buy my dog has: Oats Barley Chicken Glucosamine (for good bones) Vitamin C Carrots Garlic Rosemary Parsley Now THAT is a healthy dog treat. I live in Canada though, and you can only get them here. But I'm sure you can find some holistic treats at a pet store near you. Just ask the people who work there. Holistic is the only way to go to a healthy, happy animal.

Question: am i killing my dogs? since the food recall i really dont like trusting food and i know they are supposed to pull them off the shelf they havent had all of them pulled my friend had a dog die from trying to buy safe dog food they thought they pulled them off teh shelves. and besides i heard that its alot better for the dogs to have raw meat in there diet anyway. She is also a wolf hybrid if that helps. i also give my dogs vitamins everyday like i have chicken,steak,roast,deer meat,etc. I dont feed them alot and they LOVE the meat also. Is This healthy for my dogs

Answer: It will not hurt them. In fact because they are wolf hybrids it is probably better for them than most dog foods. And they are not in the house lap dogs. They are large dogs and need the proteins and minerals raw meat and bones give them. You don't believe me. You a try putting your hunting dogs on a diet of dog food, dry canned chimerical, hi dollar, it doesn't make any difference. Then hunt them and see how much it hurts their stamina. They'll be give out before the morning is half way over. That stuff might be alright for poodles and other house and lap dogs but not for large dogs. they need the raw meat. Dogs and wolves are carnivores they need meat. You might also try mixing in some sardines a couple times a week for their coat and skin. Get the kind had has real sardines with real sardine oil, not that soy oil junk, if you can if it where you live. Also if you feed them chicken it is a good idea to get the bones out first unless you are feeding them whole chickens. You don't there is a danger they will get a bone stuck in their throats. And you will get your arm chewed up getting it out.

Question: If your under-aged............? can you go buy vitamins.. like just off the shelves. because i want to buy some natural bounty vitamins for hair, skin and nails. i know i probably sound REALLY stupid. but i have no idea. lol fyi i live in washington STATE.

Answer: You can buy vitamins at any age in any state. :)

Question: does this annoy you like it does me? i work at a retail store/pharmacy the other day these people came in with a bag full of vitamins and wanted a store credit for them. the reciept said that they paid with a credit card so the cashier asked the manager if we could give thema store credit. my manager checked the videotape and they took the receipt out of the trash went and stole the items it was like 200 dollars worth of stuff. the other day a girl wanted to return weight loss pills that she said she bought from our store but the product had a sticker saying it was from a dif store. my manager called the other store and they said all those pills were stolen the other day. then yesterday a guy that gets prescriptions from our store came in an employee tried to keep an eye on him but he walked out. he stuffed boxes of advil and listerine and stuff like that in his bag. hes in our stor everyday so i cant imagine how much we lost because of him. i just hate that i work 35 hours a week and go to school and pay for everything i want. its no far that i have to work for everything and these people can just take stuff off the shelves and make money. doesnt that annoy you why dont the stores try to crackdown on these people ?

Answer: I agree with you that's not right

Question: I think my Hamster might be Pregnant ...Am I handling this the right way? Hello, 2 weeks ago we purchased what we thought were 2 female Syrian Hamsters one of which was a Teddy Bear "Hammy" and the other a short haired "Suzy". I was told at the store that "Suzy" had a litter of pups 8 weeks ago. I made the mistake of not doing my research on Hamsters before purchasing them and compounded my mistake by placing both of them in the same cage. I was fortunate that the Hamsters were able to coexist and didn't notice any problems until "Hammy" started breeding with "Suzy" yesterday Dec. 30th 2009. I immediately did the online research that I should have done in the first place to find out what to expect. I purchased another habitat for our male hamster "Hammy" and separated the two of them. Just in case "Suzy" is with child, I completely cleaned her habitat and added a burrowing maze/nesting area, placed new bedding, and started adding vitamins in her water, and I plan on giving her a slice of boiled egg and a small piece of boiled chicken with her food every other day. "Suzy" has a habit of jumping off the shelves in her 3 story habitat, instead of using the tubes, so I made up some wooden ramps to help her get around, and so she wouldn't hurt herself or any pups that might be on the way. I plan on moving her habitat into my room from my daughters if it looks like the happy moment is near, so she will be less stressed and have a quiet environment. I know I sound like an expectant father running around in circles, but I am afraid I have missed something. I am also concerned with her present location of her bedding area, which is at the top petting area of her 3 story Habitat. If she was to have her pups where her nest is now, they could fall down the tubes. Anyway, If you have any other advice we would be of great appreciation. Thank you. She would only be pregnant for 2 days now, She does seem a little lazy, not as active as she was 3 days ago. I also removed her bedding material from the top of the cage where she had it and cleaned that area. The next morning she had rebuilt it in the same spot at the petting area at the top of her 3 story cage. Shouls I block this area off so she will find someplace closer to the bottom of the cage?

Answer: It sounds like you got it all covered for now! If you notice her nipples becoming more prominent like already mentioned and her body starting to take on a pear shape, then she is for sure with child. She may even sleep a lot. Syrians are pregnant for 15-17 days. Try to clean the cage a couple days before she is due because you won't be able to for the next 2 weeks. This won't stress her too much, no worries, she will just prepare another nest. A little box is perfect, I like to use tissue boxes. Just cut out one side of the box so you can have a clear view of the little ones so you can check up on their progress. Adding extra bedding, tissues, or even an old sock will be appreciated too. If I were you I would block off all access to the top floors so that she is just on the ground floor. Blocking off all access to the top floors will force her to build her nest on the ground floor, and that's exactly what you want. When the pups are a little over a week old, some will sneak away from the nest and you don't want any babies falling from the highest floor. Feeding foods high in protein is important for both pregnant and nursing mothers, which you've got covered! My hammies used to LOVE tofu, even the babies. See if she likes that too. After you clean her cage take the wheel out. Some mothers will become distracted and will run in their wheels when they should be nursing their pups. As I'm sure you have already read, mother hamsters are known to cannibalize their young. A diet low in protein is one reason. It is also caused by distress. That's why it's important to leave her and babies alone at all times and keep them in a quiet room with the least activity. Your daughters can go in for a little peek here and there but quietly and briefly. As already mentioned before, DO NOT touch babies, even though it may be very tempting. If they have a different scent, she will abandon them or eat them for the purpose of obtaining protein. Fill up her food dish so you don't have to keep going in to refill it, and keep giving her nibbles of protein, which she will be much thankful for. Don't let any excess egg or tofu sit around to rot, so you must keep going in to feed her a little bit at a time. Do this often, a couple times a day. The babies will start to eat solid food the seventh or eighth day so be sure there is plenty of food. Give them nibbles of protein too, they will love it! Now, you can finally start handling babies when they are 2 weeks old. By this time they will have fur, their eyes will start to open, and they will be exploring about the cage getting into any kind of trouble they can. This is also when you can clean the cage. It is safe to move mom and babies to a different location while the cage is being cleaned. I like to keep a handful of the old bedding, and sprinkle it over the new bedding so it still smells familiar. You can put the wheel back at this time, they will have a blast! Just be sure it's a solid plastic one, not a wire one, since there will be maybe 5 babies on it at the same time. Don't be afraid to handle them all you want, this will make them easier to tame. Be sure your daughters are gentle, and when handling them sit on the floor so that if they attempt to jump they will not be far from the ground. The babies should be weaned between 20-21 days (3 weeks) of age. I like to do it gradually. Start taking mother out of the cage and giving her some alone time, like putting her in her ball if you have one, then placing her back in with the babies. This will get the babies used to being on their own and not totally freak out mom. Separate the sexes as soon as they are weaned as well. Syrians reach sexual maturity as early as 30 days old, sometimes sooner. If you haven't already found good homes for them by 8 weeks of age, they should be separated individually, as fighting will break out. Once Syrians reach adulthood they will become aggressive and territorial which will lead to fighting and possibly death. When you do give them or sell them away, be sure their new owners are aware that Syrians are a solitary breed and must be housed alone. It is loads of fun raising hammy pups and I wish the best of luck to you! Have fun with your hammy family!