If you don’t notice effects over time, would you just stop or continue out of habit if you’re not feeling worse or better? It’s like a reassuring blanket though, to think you’re trying to upkeep your health.

Any thoughts on this and which over-the-counter supplements have really worked for you? Thanks!

I am one of those people who like a simple life, which includes fewer “overheads”, especially in terms of time, memory and attention (also cost, though I am willing to pay if I feel it’s necessary). I just find it a bother to have more items to keep in stock and remember to take! I’ve also been blessed to be generally healthy with no chronic ailments - I know that I am fortunate and I know many people don’t have that privilege. But that’s the perspective I’m speaking from.

Up till my 40s, I pretty much didn’t take any supplements. I’ve always preferred to just watch my diet and lifestyle instead. During pregnancies, I did take calcium and vitamins, but that was pretty much all. When feeling a cold/flu coming on, I take Vit C and a Chinese herbal drink that I find helpful to stave off colds. My husband feels like I do, but does take a couple of supplements which he finds helps, so those have become part of our regular “stock”.

In my 40s and 50s, I did try glucosamine/chondroitin for joints and calcium (though I often forgot to take them anyway). I took them for over a year but didn’t notice any appreciable difference. I found that stretching and exercise did more for joints than supplements, and stopping the supplements hasn’t brought the aches back as long as I keep up the movement. I haven’t had a bone density test for years, so maybe I might regret stopping the calcium, but I think my diet is fairly OK in that respect.

That’s my experience. Now that I’m in my 60s and I’m supposed to see my Healthier SG clinic for a checkup (if they ever get round to returning my call), I don’t know if things may change. In terms of general life, I can still get up off the floor, carry my groceries, do my housework, walk for a couple of hours when travelling etc, so I’m not too worried (yet).

https://moom.health/products/the-peri-meno-pack

I’m quite skeptical about supplements, so I ran the ingredients through chatgpt and the advice was to try it 2x a week, rather than daily. But that also means any effects are less obvious.

I’ve been taking Moom’s vegan omega since around 2023/24 — this I think is good for hair growth, as i can see some regrowth along my hairline.

I also take their probiotic product: https://moom.health/products/synbiotic — for this, I can’t say for sure if I’m better off with it. But I feel like my gut health is poor and like you say, maybe it offers reassurance.

I used to be quite particular about checking products on Labdoor to make sure they contain what they’re supposed to:
https://labdoor.com/

There used to be many more brands listed on Labdoor, which we could then purchase via Amazon/iHerb, but now it seems a bit limited.