On the basis that I can't be assured of having all the right stuff, I'm thinking quite seriously about vitamin tablets. They could well prevent possibly-lethal scurvy from happening. They don't take much space (one pill/person/day, 4 people for a year should not be much larger than five litres or so). However, I'm not sure as to what exactly I should get.

Multivitamins seem to my uneducated point of view to be the best. The name says it all; lots of vitamins.

But are the more specific tablets better? Should I have lots of A, B, C, D, etc, tablets? Any specific vitamin I should bolster up on? Any good wholesalers for getting several thousand tablets from?

-- Leo (lchampion@ozemail.com.au), March 10, 1999

Answers

Hi Leo, sorry I accussed you of turning into Alex P. Keaton.

Wholesale sales of vitamins direct to the consumer are pretty unlikely, They make so much more money selling them in little bottles one month at a time. I've tried to find wholesale vitamins even pre-y2k-GI, but to no avail. Yes, vitamin pills are a very good post-y2k asset. Get lots, check the useby dates. The best brand for Multivitamins are Suisse, don't know if they have them in USA. The single best health store product, IMHO, is colloidal minerals. Search on the net. The product sounds like snake oil and tastes like sump oil, but believe me, that's one of the best things you can buy, y2k or not.

-- humptydumpty (no.6@thevillage.com), March 10, 1999.

Watch the expiration dates!

-- Anonymous99 (Anonymous99@anonymous.com), March 10, 1999.

I found big bottles (300?) at Sam's Club for $9.99. They have a 00 and 01 expiration date on them. Based on the dates, I expect there must be a two-year shelf life from when they were manufactured (my guess, not to be considered a fact). They also have C and E and a couple others available.

-- Jim Smith (JDSmith1@hotmail.com), March 10, 1999.

My suggestion is even better, IMHO. Get yourselves a sprouter, and learn to sprout seeds. You will have all the natural vitamins and minerals you need from the source of all those pills, and it only takes a minute or so a day to rinse the little suckers. Much easier to store than vitamins, and seeds have a longer shelf life too.

-- housemouse (jgj@nevermind.net), March 10, 1999.

Hi Leo, hope the journalism is still coming on

yes vits are a good idea, multi and vit C mainly should get you through eating only processed and tinned food

-- dick of the dale (jcooney@figroup.co.uk), March 10, 1999.

Best prices for vitamins that I've found are at The Vitamin Shoppe at www.vitaminshoppe.com (1-800-223-1216) They have monthly specials that can really be confusing for comparison shopping. Also try Frontier Natural Products CoOp. (1-800-669-3275) They have name brand vitamins half price + 10% if you're not a member. They also carry things like dehydrated cheddar cheese, dehydrated onions, lots of bulk herbs & spices, and homeopathic medicines. The prices on the small quantities of dehydrated cheese, sprouting seeds etc. aren't great, but they have the stuff, ship quickly, and everything is packaged for long shelf life.

-- mostly lurking (mostly lurking@podunk.texas), March 10, 1999.

Costco has a house brand of multivitamins & minerals/herbs (ginko, kelp etc.), trace elements, that expires in Dec 2001 (uh oh!) Kirkland brand, about $10.

-- Fred Flinstone (jerkenbeck@aol.com), March 10, 1999.

Leo,

There are a couple of brands of vitamins that are microencapsulated and will store well for protracted periods. Skipper Clark (who posts here from time to time) mentions them in his book, but I let a friend borrow my copy so I don't have the name at hand right now. Help, Skipper, if you're still out there!

And the vitamins are a good idea indeed, imho. Need to get some more myself, since you mention it.

Cheers,

-- nobody (nobody@home.org), March 10, 1999.

Leo, I loaded up on multivitamins, vitamin C, and vitamin E. I read a study in Prevention mag about vitamin E being a good immune system booster and people who took E got fewer colds, and the colds they got were less in severity. I read this before flu season and I started taking E. Wouldn't you know, everyone around me caught a terrible flu with very high fevers (4 people in our area died of the flue - makes me wonder about post y2k flues) and i just got the sniffles. I don't know if it was the E but I'm not going to stop taking it.

jeannie

-- jhollander (hollander@ij.net), March 10, 1999.

My specialty has been in Y2K & nutritional supplements. Been teaching health seminars for over 2-3 years now. I don't claim to be an expert, but I have a few thousands who have called me from all over about health questions. The best multivitamin & minerals is Sp2 & you can get it at deep discount from 650-634-0308. Their price on most products sure beats all health food stores & most mail orders. I'm stocking up on their Thymic protein A,( a natural antibiotic)recommended by Julian Whitaker, M.D. They also just released a brand new Winter wellness which has perhaps the best cold-fighting nutrients in one tab (Echinacea, mushroom, Ester C, Zinc, I think Propolis, etc. Beware of hype & even potentially harmful stuff like colloidal mineral, Melatonin ( night herb is much better), DHEA, oyster shell (Calcium)... There's much misinformation, even I was taken in by some of th above hype. Get the crancherry Aloe for Y2K (75% of Aloe are fraudulent or diluted stuff). Also, Joint support for arthritic help, Acidease for acid stomach, eye support, Pollenenergy & colostrum ( from New Zealand) to boost immune system & gives more energy.Also, there's bone Calcium, much better than Calcium carbonate. CMO to help arthritis, Lupus, prostate enlargement. Aller-Bee-gone to relief different kinds of Allergy. I do not own any business nor do I receive commission from these products. Some people think the stuff they sold in Costco-price club ...are the same. No! Most of them are synthetic vitamins. One way to tell is look at their Vit. E. If it lists dl-tocopherol, then it's synthetic & I won't touch it! Natural E is d-alphatocopherol. My mom had dangerously high blood pressure, & nothing helps. Then she tried this special Co-Q10 (raw material from Japan) & today her level is way down & stayed down. I've seen hundreds get & stay well. But we are so brainwashed by the media, which receives much Ad $ from big drug co. There are natural answers to almost every ailments. Anyway, if anyone likes free info. & if it's not lengthy questions, try email me. Can't promise to get back to you right away. My college degree was in Nutritional science. I was asked to be a company's nutritional consultant, but I just don't have much time. I don't cure any illnesses. Please consult with your Dr. before trying anything. No medical claims are made of any aforementioned products. If the body is getting the right tools & nutrients, it can heal itself. I heard an expert confirm my belief, if one takes sufficient supplements, you won't need too much food. Most Y2K teachers fail to study the importance of natural supplements. Hope this help.

-- Ray Kwong (kcorner67@hotmail.com), March 11, 1999.

Ray, thanks for this lengthy post with some new information I did't know. I too have tried some the these hypes & they caused me problems. On the other hand, as a nurse, I too know personally many friends and patients who have great successes using natural medicine. Too bad most Americans are so uninformed or biased.

I too am preparing at least 3 months of supplements & I just ordered several of your suggestions from that mail order place. You're right. Their price is the lowest I've seen if one compares apple for apple. Thanks a lot.

-- Henry (henw23@juno.com), March 11, 1999.

Ah, alternative and natural remedies - now you'll have a tough time shutting me up!

Concerning "acid stomach," this is a good place to bring up one of my pet peeves! There is a common misconception that that burning sensation in your stomach we call "acid" and which people take acid blockers for, is actually acid. Nine times out of ten, esp. if you're older, it is from insufficient stomach acid, which tends to lessen as we get older. The sensation is much the same as excess acid.

So before you go and stockpile Pepcid AC and the like, test yourself. Next time you want to reach for the antacid, test yourself with some HCl (optionally with digestive enzymes) from the health food store. It is important to test yourself, because a small number of people do have excess acid or a developing ulcer or some other condition, for which they need a doctor's help, and this won't apply to them.

(If you're not accustomed to eating beans, you may be sorely tempted to use antacids.)

There is a test available mostly from alternative M.D.'s, called the Heidelberg test for gastric acid production, if you want to spend the money to be positively diagnosed for this condition. But usually a trial of HCl is just as revealing. It worked wonders for me. My DH was tested and found to have close to zero acid production. After starting on the HCl, in a few days, stomach pains he'd had for years cleared up. Lest it sound like this is going from one crutch to another - well maybe. But one is a drug that ruins your digestion, whereas the other is orthomolecular (i.e., a substance that's in your body anyway, you are just replacing a deficit), and is great for your health. Taking acid blockers is a terrible habit because it eliminates the stomach acid, which is there for a reason.... to digest food! It is especially important in absorbing the minerals from food. (If I hear one more time that Tums is a good calcium source, I think I'll scream!)

Does anybody really think pharmaceutical companies had our best interests at heart when they took Pepcid AC and Zantac off prescription and began bombarding us with TV advertising? To me, this is criminally negligent misinformation (and putting "consult your doctor" as a footnote to the ad is no excuse!). In the case of so-called "acid" stomach, the remedy is (many times) the exact opposite of what TV advertising leads you to believe.

(If you were already wise to this - good!)

* *

Another effective remedy for stomach distress is DGL tablets ("deglycirrhizinated licorice"). This is licorice herb, with the component removed (glycirrhizin -sp?) which can contribute to high blood pressure.

-- Debbie (dbspence@usa.net), March 11, 1999.

You just reminded me... I wanted to get these 10 year storing vitamins to be taken only after my regular vitamins and stored foods start thinning out.

-- Dancr (minddancr@aol.com), July 05, 1999.