I've been doing a little research into fish oils and I know that some of you use it to enhance your protocols.
I've read that a theraputic dose of Omega 3 for RA is 3 grams per day. The capsules I have say Fish Oil 1000mg per capsule but each capsule contains only 300mg of actual Omega 3 which means I would have to take 10 capsules per day to achieve a theraputic dose.
I also have read that one wants to purchase fish oil that is expressed from the actual flesh of the fish as opposed to it's organs. There is nothing on this bottle indicating where, on the animal, the oil is coming from, so I call the company and the consumer advocate (not a big enough laugh-0-con on the list to insert- with con being the key word here) states that she has never had that question before, has no idea and will get back to me. I didn't expect her to and she never did.
Then there are the superior kinds of fish. It is my understanding that salmon is the best as are a few others...something about the coldness of their environment? Can't remember the rationale and this is getting much too long just BS'n about fish oil.
Whats the best? Where do you get it?
K.
The best source is probably wild salmon. I buy the real thing and grill it with some olive oil and butter...very tasty...defintely superior to the pills! I also eat a lot of tuna. I'm sure I don't get a "therapeutic" dose but I do think it helps...and it is certainly an important part of a healthy diet.
Alan
One more comment: I've always been a bit skeptical of suplements. It's how much your body absorbs that matters, not how much you consume. Often, supplements just pass right through...other nutrients from real food are important to facilitate absorption into your body.
Alan
Alan, I agree with the wild salmon. Of course, I live in Washington state on the Columbia river so it is easy for me to get We eat it any time we can. Yum, yum!Thanks, Alan. Totally agree and am salivating just thinking about it, perhaps with just a hint of dill for my taste.
K.
K.
Justsaynoemore, even though we live in WA, my brother goes to Alaska every year to fish for salmon. He is very generous and shares it with us. Yum, yum again. There's someone on here who puts fish oil in their signature, maybe they'll answer your question. I just asked my DH, who is a commercial salmon fisherman, where it comes from and he said there's a plant on Kodiak, that cuts off the fillets and then they process the heads and backbone into oil, he thinks by cooking it and skimming off the fat. Salmon heads have ALOT of fat in them, I hate the smell when he's boiling fish heads. They sell it in 55 gal. drums, you could just take a swig everyday.salmon sounds great. and fishoil is the new miricle cure, studies and all, read of a man coming out of a coma that should have died. I went with my ex boyfreind a few years back to get his stress test. Talked to a guy in the waiting room, he used to be healthy till he got into a health kick with supplements and herbs. Well he ruined his heart in a way they could not fix or medicate. I needed some vitamin c today. just a bad day. Pain was awful stomache couldn't handle the pain or the meds. Got some veggetable drink. Even my tummy is a litle better. the pain a little better also.I take a liquid fish oil that my rheumy started me on at my first visit.I take 15ml of the liquid oil each night. Its Melrose Omega fish oil EPA18/DHA12 They are the numbers that are needed for the best inflamation relief. This oil is sold through pharmacies and also through the australian arthritis foundation. Taken the right way it doesnt cause reflux. Sometimes I get lazy and dont take it for a while. Thats when I really know it works.
Deidre - I remember the first time I was served fish head soup. I about puked, but I did it. And I send a check to friends in Homer about March every year, then put out a mukluk telegraph to all my friends cleaning out their freezer fish to give to my friend (she worked at Icicle before the ammonia blast blew up the plant on the Spit). She now works at a tourist shipment house and gets everything all together for me, then expresses it by UPS dog team to Florida. The things we do to get fish LOL But there are always goodies of crab, mussels, clams, everything. My husband still cannot believe that this box shows up every spring and that it was just going to get wasted.
Mary - you are lucky to have an inside source :) Salmon is terrific food. We cedar plank it on the grill here, its FANTASTIC.
I will supplement with my Udo's 3/6/9 blend every day because it I am doing 100% better than I was, and as long as I continue to improve, I won't change my vitamin/alt routine.
I try to take 10 capsules a day of enteric-coated fish oil. I say "try" because I can't fit 10 of them per day into my favorite pill reminder , so I have to remember to take them from the bottle. I keep a bottle at work and at home, to help me remember. The enteric coating prevents the fishy aftertaste, and also allows better absorption because they aren't released until they hit the small intestine. It has made a world of difference for me. When this whole mess first started out, I could barely put my feet on the ground; holding a pencil was agony; I barely got out of bed because of the pain and fatigue. I did a couple rounds of Medrol dosepaks, and tried a few different NSAIDs. The Medrol offers almost immediate relief, but of course it's best to avoid taking it long-term if it can at all be avoided. The NSAIDs help somewhat with the pain and stiffness, but they have their own nasty side effects. The fish oil, on the other hand, relieves the pain and stiffness, helps greatly with the fatigue, and even tames "Aunt Flo" when she comes to visit once a month.The above link is a summary of some studies in Norway comparing whole fish consumption to fish oil supplements. I think the conclusion is that whole fish, particularly Salmon, is the best source of Omega-3 as evidenced by the actual level in the blood, but supplements can still be effective if taken in sufficient quantity. By the way, I think farm raised salmon is a much poorer source of Omega-3 fatty oils than wild salmon. My approach is to adjust my diet first to make it as healthy as possible then add supplements if needed, rather than adding supplements to an unhealthy diet. I hope that makes sense. But I don't want to say anything to discourage anyone from trying fish oil supplements; they can certainly help reduce inflammation and have other benefits as well.
Another note: it's important not to over-cook salmon if you want the maximum benefit. It's fine to leave it a bit rare in the center.
Alan
Recipes Alan, I want recipes Many tribes here in WA can fish for wild salmon during certain times of the year, when others can't. We always look for trucks parked along the Columbia during that time when they are fishing and will sell it to you freshly caught.Alan its mouth watering thinking about raw salmon with dill and lemon juice.
I normally wrap a bit of salmon in tin foil, cover it with lemon pepper salt, butter and lime juice, close the foil put it in the oven for about 10 mins. Its a little pink in the middle, you can see the white fat... just delicious. When I do it for my hubby and son, they like a fine sprinkling of garlic salt on theirs too... I cant I'm allergic to garlic.
Don't have a recipe...I just grill outside with some olive oil, garlic, and lemon...nothing fancy.
Is canned Alaska salmon ok? I love it with a baked potato and peas. My Grandma and Mother always served fresh salmon, potato and peas from the garden on the 4th of July. Not sure why they did that on the 4th, but I always looked forward to it.
Here is a link to ASMI, the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, they have lots of good information on Salmon with recipes. I think mostly what you get in the grocery stores is pink salmon, which is considered really low budget, skin-on/bone-in is better nutritionally.
http://www.alaskaseafood.org/health/experts/pages/chart-nutr ition.html
We personally like king salmon the best, it's moister than red, but we started buying canned silver because it's cheaper. Memorial weekend when the rivers open up for kings is the beginning of summer here. Grilled king salmon just caught that morning is incredible.Alan,
I don't much care for fish, and since I live in the Midwest, it's not like there's tons of fresh, good quality seafood around.
Anyone know how the salmon they use in most sushi's would compare?
I LOOOVVEEEE salmon sushis!
[QUOTE=arriscolwell]Anyone know how the salmon they use in most sushi's would compare?
I LOOOVVEEEE salmon sushis!
[/QUOTE]We just returned from Sushi Birthday dinner and the birthday boy had the Sushi Boat for one. Oink. Oink.
Drain a can of smoked salmon, mix with cream cheese and a little lemon juice. Let it set up refrigerated overnight if possible, or make early in the day and let it meld in the refrigerator. Terrific salmon spread for sandwiches or a chip dip.
I can visualize the termination dust :)
Oh Kelly, come on! Live a little!! Just open up and dump it in. It's way better than it looks, I promise!!!!!