Questions about supplements

[Pebbledash]

Hi all,

During my current flare-up I am avoiding supplements, though, historically, I do take quite a few for multiple reasons. I am taking calcium and vitamin d still, as I believe them to be non-inflammatory (and, in the case of the former, even slightly bulking).

I wonder though, does any one have any thoughts on the following:

Glucosamine chondroitin MSM (slow release, better for tummy)--very bad for IBD? To be avoided?
L'Arginine--facilitates nitric oxide release in body, which, according to an online medical article I recently perused, could be associated with MC, but I couldn't understand whether the article was arguing for or against the use of L'Arginine!
Zinc?

Also:
Boswellia (like glucosamine used to treat inflammation such as ostearthritis)
Turmeric (as boswellia)

And what about the shell coating that the last two are encased in--any thoughts?

Finally, I am guessing that the rule of thumb would be to avoid supplements where possible, and desist during flare-ups as much as possible? And that they are best taken with food?

Thanks!

[tex]

I've been taking glucosamine with condroitin for over 10 years (I don't use MSM, and don't know anything about it). I don't know if glucosamine is bad for IBD, but it is very good for maintaining the health of cartilage in knee joints.

Ever since they discovered that nitric oxide is associated with IBDs, researchers have been arguing over whether it is bad (produced by IBDs), or good (produced by the body to fight the IBD). So whether it is good or bad, depends on whose opinion you are following. Since those guys are obviously lost, and don't understand the issue well enough to be able to even talk intelligently about it, I just ignore the whole issue, and I don't worry about nitric oxide, one way or the other.

Zinc is fine, if you need it. If you don't need it, it will tend to suppress your sense of taste and smell. Most people get enough zinc from their diet.

Boswellia seratta sounds like a good idea, but it is such a weak anti-inflammatory that it requires relatively large dosages in order to provide noticeable benefits for most people. We have at least one member who spent a lot of money trying to control his MC symptoms by using boswellia in addition to diet changes, but he eventually had to give up and resort to Entocort.

Turmeric is claimed to have anti-inflammatory properties, but like Boswellia, I have a hunch that it takes more than most people can stand to ingest, in order to provide any measurable benefits. Still, it shouldn't hurt to take it.

Shell coatings depend on the brand of the product, and personal sensitivities. We have to make our decisions based on the ingredient list.

I control my osteoarthritis by strictly avoiding gluten and casein.

Tex

[Pebbledash]

Great response! You answered all my questions.

As a follow-up, I did some more surfing on L'Arginine, nitric oxide and IBD and came to the conclusion that research tended to be arguing that excess nitric oxide was a bad thing for IBD.