Aging ain't for Sissies

From Mushroom Coffee to Magnesium: Navigating the Supplement Maze

• Marcy Backhus • Season 2 • Episode 10

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We dive into the confusing world of supplements, examining what actually works for aging bodies and what might just be expensive urine producers.

• Exploring the trendy mushroom coffee phenomenon and its claimed benefits for focus, stress reduction, and immunity
• Multivitamins serve as general nutritional insurance but may not address specific needs
• Calcium supplements are ineffective without vitamin D to help with absorption
• Magnesium acts as the "relaxation mineral" helping with sleep, muscle cramps, and mood
• Turmeric's anti-inflammatory benefits may help with joint pain but can cause digestive issues for some
• B vitamins, especially B12, become increasingly important as we age for energy and nerve function
• Get bloodwork done before starting supplements to identify what you actually need
• Many expensive supplements are literally flushed down the toilet if your body doesn't need them

Remember that supplements aren't substitutes for eating well, moving your body, and laughing at life's nonsense. Check out my other podcast "Inside Marci's Mind" where we're discussing siblings this week.


Speaker 1:

Hello and welcome to Aging for Sissies. My name is Marci Backus and I am your host. Well, welcome back to Aging for Sissies, the podcast where we're making fun of aging while secretly Googling all of our symptoms. Today's topic is supplements. Yes, I said supplements, reason because one of mine's giving me some issues. But yeah, those shiny little capsules of hope that promise us energy, youth, strong bones and maybe even a better memory, which is ironic because half the time we can't remember if we already took them in the morning, which I don't know about you, but you know, those little boxes with Monday to it all is helpful. But uh, I thought you know I've I've been taking more supplements than I used to and I thought maybe we should look into them. I'm not a doctor. Take all of this information I'm going to give you with exactly what it's intended for, just information. Look it up, talk to your doctors, don't do anything I say For God's sakes, don't listen to me, but listen to me. Anyways, what's up with me leaving tomorrow? I'm doing this podcast today, on Thursday, but it will be released on Friday. I am flying to Arizona. I'm going to my nephew's house and hang out with them for four days, going to look at a few properties while I'm there. Yes, I said that properties. I would really like to have a place in Arizona. I just don't know if it's possible. You know, you get a little bit more gun shy making financial decisions when you're looking towards retirement or in retirement, because it's a lot of finality, it's a lot of final money things. Maybe next week I'll do a money one anyways, um, yeah, yep, that's happening. So I'm going to do that. I will just be there four days.

Speaker 1:

Fly home Monday. It's going to be first time flying with my new medical directives from my hematologist. I am now prone to blood clots, as if you've listened for a while. You know I have another issue that doesn't allow me to take blood thinners, but we are going to take them when we fly. I will take a half a dose an hour before I fly. It lasts in your system 12 hours and we just pray to God that nothing goes crazy with my veins during those 12 hours. But you're not going to keep me on the ground and my doctor agrees. So that's it. This can be my first flight with my new regime. I'm looking forward to it. It's going to be early tomorrow morning. It is a packed flight and I don't understand that. Where is everybody from Chicago going to Arizona in the middle of August? Usually the flights are not this busy, so I don't know. I'll have to ask whoever's sitting next to me. All right.

Speaker 1:

So supplements, what are they? Why are they? What are some of the common ones we take? Why do we take them? Do they really work? Who knows? Is it a more of a placebo effect? I don't know, but we're going to talk about it. So hang in there and I'll be right back with you. All right, all righty, welcome back. We are going to talk about supplements.

Speaker 1:

But before we get into supplements, totally, I don't know about you, but I have been getting a ton of hits on my social media in my spam for mushroom coffees and they do sound like they're a magic bullet, but I know they're not and I have resisted buying them. But I'll tell you, it's not for lack of them trying and it's not like I haven't been tempted to buy them. So what is all this about mushrooms? And these aren't the mushrooms, like you know, we know mushrooms. This is not that kind of mushroom. It's not a magic mushroom. So they say that it may improve focus, potentially reduce stress and boost the immune system All the things we want to hear. Right, like that's everything we want to hear.

Speaker 1:

Some individuals may experience digestive issues. Here is my problem, one of the things reasons I don't want to do it. Okay, or other side effects. In general, considered safe, but it's wise to consult with a doctor before incorporating it into your diet, especially if you have any health conditions, pregnant or breastfeeding. We know all that, but it does sound like the magic bullet. So some of the benefits are antioxidants. Mushrooms are rich in antioxidants, which helps protect against cell damage and inflammation.

Speaker 1:

Inflammation is a key thing for me right now Inflammation. It doesn't cause blood clots, but it's a contributing factor, so I need to keep my inflammation down. So it's one of the reasons I kind of it kind of perked me up my inflammation down. So it's one of the reasons I kind of it kind of perked me up Immune system support. Some mushrooms like I cannot read the names of these mushrooms, it's C-O-R-D-Y-C-E-P-S and Reishi R-E-I-S-H-I may have properties that can help boost the immune system and that's, according to a report from UCLA Health, improved focus and cognition. Certain mushrooms like lion's mane have shown potential for improving brain health and cognitive function, including memory and focus. So that's something that appeals to most of us or all of us, I would say.

Speaker 1:

Reduce stress and anxiety. Some aptogenic mushrooms, like reishi, may help the body better cope with stress and promote relaxation. May reduce caffeine jitters. Mushroom coffee contains less caffeine than regular coffee, which may be beneficial to those that are sensitive to caffeine. All right, digestive issues. Some individuals may experience digestive discomfort, such as gas, bloating or nausea. None of those things do we want, and that is what I'm worried about, why I haven't bought it. If you're allergic to mushrooms, obviously this is not a great thing. There's very limited research on it and, in conclusion, mushroom coffee may offer some health benefits, but it's essential to be aware of potential side effects and to consult with a health care professional before incorporating it into your routine. So that's, if you're getting all this stuff on mushroom coffee and then again, if you've tried the mushroom coffee and you have some good things, can you just email me at Inside Marcy's? Oh no, that's my other podcast, aging 8 for Sissies podcast at gmailcom, because I'd love to know Aging 8 for Sissies podcast at gmailcom. I would really love to know somebody that's taken this mushroom coffee, taken it like it's a drug. Marcy just drank it. Drank, drank, drank, drank, all right. So let's move on to some other supplements.

Speaker 1:

The multivitamin, the participation trophy of health. The multivitamin is like a swiss army knife of pills. Does it do everything? Not really. Does it make you feel like you tried absolutely what it's supposed to do. Fills in nutritional gaps when your diet looks more like potato chips and wine than leafy greens. Basically, it's the adult version of taking Flintstone vitamins, which I know my sister takes. Cindy, I'm pretty sure you take kids vitamins, if I remember correctly. Correct me on that. But only now. They're horse-sized pills that could choke a walrus. So a multivitamin, it's better than nothing. But is it really doing everything? No, does it do a lot? Not really. Again, I don't take a multivitamin, I fill in. I'll tell you as I go through things what I take.

Speaker 1:

So the next one we'll talk about is calcium and vitamin D. We call these the bone insurance of supplements. Calcium and vitamin D. We call these the bone insurance of supplements. After 50, apparently our bones are auditioning for a brittle cracker commercial. Isn't that sad? I'm sorry. I thought it was funny when I wrote it.

Speaker 1:

Calcium helps build and maintain bone density. If you haven't had a bone density test. You should. I have and I have to keep taking them now because the pill I take for my breast cancer can mess with that. But right now I have good bones, so calcium helps build and maintain bone density. Vitamin D helps your body actually absorb that calcium. So I do take calcium and I do take vitamin D.

Speaker 1:

Without vitamin D, that calcium that you're taking just cruises through your system like a tourist with no GPS, like somebody down there on Wacker Drive and lower Wacker, and it just gets lost. It's useless. So if you are taking calcium and you are not taking vitamin D, again, I'm not a doctor, I am just giving you information that I've gotten. It's doing nothing. So you might want to think about that vitamin D. I actually get my vitamin D prescribed to me by my doctor because my vitamin D was low. I take it once a week Without vitamin D. That again, remember calcium not helping you. So if you're down in a ton of calcium, it may not be helping you at all. Or if you've had a bone scan and you get another one and you've been doing all kinds of calcium without adding vitamin D to your diet and you're wondering why it's not getting better. That could be the reason doctors love to tell us to drink milk for calcium. Yeah, because nothing says hip and cool like being 64 and chugging a glass of milk at a restaurant. Well, craig does drink milk. I know a lot of you do drink milk. We have yogurt, we have cottage cheese. There are a lot of places for us to get that calcium. But again, make sure that your vitamin D is good.

Speaker 1:

The next one we're going to talk about is omega-3 slash fish oil, heart, brain and the great Burt problem. I don't take fish oil because of this problem. I've tried all kinds of omegas and fish oils but they do not agree with me. Supposed benefits keep your heart healthy, lowers inflammation, may even boost brain function. All right, because clearly my brain needs to remember why I walked into the kitchen. Side effect reality If you've ever taken fish oil, you know the burps. Nothing like tasting tuna at 10 am to remind you of your commitment to health. There's a lot more out there now. I do know that. Do not cause that problem. So I'm sure there's a lot of you that are taking fish oil. It is really good for you heart and brain. We want that. I do not take it. I didn't realize it worked with inflammation, so I may try taking it again. We have a big giant bottle in there from Costco that Craig takes. I could always chuck in a couple of those into my daily routine.

Speaker 1:

The next one I do take magnesium. This is the duct tape of supplements. What is magnesium good for? Well, it helps with sleep, muscle cramps, mood, blood sugar control and about 300 other functions in the body. So if you've been sleeping on magnesium no pun intended you might want to think about it. I do take magnesium Basically. If your body was a car, magnesium would be the duct tape holding the bumper on. I started taking it for leg cramps, but apparently it also is the relaxation mineral. Now I need one that stops me from yelling at my TV during the news. I'm telling you, anyway, it's a good relaxation mineral. So keep all of that in mind. If you are having leg cramps, magnesium is your friend. Also, water is your friend. We did a whole episode on dehydration and you know dehydration is going to cause you those muscle cramps. So make sure you're hydrating and getting your magnesium.

Speaker 1:

Probiotics, the gut cheerleaders. What they do balance your gut bacteria, help digestion and may boost immunity. Probiotics are like the bouncers of your stomach keeping that rowdy bacteria in check. And you know you're getting older when your dinner conversations with friends involve phrases like gut health and bowel regularity. I do not take probiotics. I don't have any good reason why, because I take so much other supplement. You know you can just supplement yourself to death. But I do know I take, I've taken them when I've been on heavy doses of antibiotics, when I had a really bad infection, but I haven't continued on with them.

Speaker 1:

The next one turmeric and curcumin. The golden spice of hype. Ok, I took turmeric probably seven years ago. Caused me gastrointestinal issues like crazy, but it's an anti-inflammatory. So two weeks ago I went back on turmeric. I still can't. I can't take it. I quit. I'm going to have to return it to Costco. Its claim is an anti-inflammatory, it might help with arthritis pain, might protect against heart disease. I love all that it says that it does, but I can't take it. Basically it's supposed to calm your joints down so you don't sound like a Rice Krispie commercial when you stand up. No snap crackling and popping Again. It has great claims. I just can't do it. But be careful, too much turmeric will stain your countertops forever. Trust me, I've got an orange spot that laughs at bleach. You got to be careful with it. It comes in all kinds of. I've tried so. I tried pill form, I've tried capsule form. For me the intestinal issues are not worth it. I can't deal with it.

Speaker 1:

Collagen, because we want our knees and our knees and skin to match collagen. The benefits support skin elasticity, joint health and maybe your hair and your nails. They say that collagen helps reduce wrinkles. I, at this point I would need to drink a gallon a day to erase the ones I have. Anyway, some people put it in their coffee. Nothing like sipping chalky latte. To feel like you're aging backwards. If I don't do collagen, if you are I, people swear by it. Don't take it from me. I don't take that one, but people do swear by it.

Speaker 1:

I do do vitamin B vitamins, the energy squad. I do vitamin B12. I get it from Trader Joe's. It's a sublingual. You just put it under your tongue, it dissolves. It supports energy, nerve function and red blood cells. B vitamins are basically the cheerleaders for your metabolism. Go, team, burn those calories. Too bad, they can't burn the ones I had from pizza. I honestly I wish it really did, but it's. It doesn't work that hard. People. A lot of us are low on B12 as we age, which explains why all of us are dragging ourselves around like zombies before 10 am. So that is why I do the B12. I do it to keep up my energy, keeping me going to the gym, giving me the zoomies like a dog. No, it doesn't do that, but it does work. Okay.

Speaker 1:

Ashwagandha this one's been come quite in fashion. The trendy stress fix. What it claims? It reduces streps, may help with sleep and boost energy. I don't know how it helps with sleep and boost energy. That is an oxymoron to me. Sounds like a miracle calm but energized. That's not a supplement, that's wine, and you know I don't drink, so this you can. If you are like me and you do not drink, this may be a substitute for that. The name alone, ashwagandha, sounds like either a yoga pose or something you yell when you stub your toe. Totally right Like ashwagandha. It's fun to say, but if it helps you, awesome.

Speaker 1:

So here's the reality check and here's the truth. Sublimants aren't magic. They help if you need them. They're useless if you don't. So you should get a good blood panel from your doctor to find out what you actually need, because if you are taking things and there's some that can be dangerous if you overdo it and there's some that just don't get along with you, like turmeric and me, we're not friends. It gives you all the things that I need, but I can't take it and, yes, a lot of that expensive stuff just comes out the other end, which means we're literally flushing money down the toilet. So, congratulations, you may not live longer, but your plumber will thank you.

Speaker 1:

This is just a little brief talk on supplements. I know we all take them. Some take a lot, some take a few. Make sure, if you're taking them, you need them. Make sure that, like we talked about, if you don't have one, the other one's not going to help you. Make sure that you are balanced. Don't have one, the other one's not going to help you. Make sure that you are balanced. At the end of the day, supplements can be great, but they're not a substitute for eating actual food, moving your body and laughing at life's nonsense. Take what makes sense for you, skip what doesn't, and please talk to your doctor before starting the new miracle pill you just saw on Instagram, hence the mushroom coffee we just talked about.

Speaker 1:

I want to remind you that I have another podcast called Inside Marci's Mind. This week that's going to be siblings Did. We even grow up in the same family? So if you're wondering about that, check out my Inside Marci's Mind. You'll find that on my website, inside Marci's Mind. You can find it, where you find all your podcasts Apple, google, spotify, amazon you name it. You can find my podcasts anywhere. You can find this one Aging Ain't for Sissies. Or you can find Inside Marci's Mind, or you can find Inside Marci's Mind and because aging ain't for sissies, and apparently it ain't for people who don't own a pill organizer the size of a suitcase. I want to thank you for listening. Friends, now go take your vitamins, or don't Just remember laughter is the cheapest supplement of all. Now go out and do something positive. See you next week.

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Marcy Backhus

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