Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion #1 AS Web Support Group My Rheumy visit + Omega 3 Fish Oil

Hi Curt
I also use that kind and the minimum doseage is ten per day. If you have any problems with bleeding or clotting you need to be cautious. Always tell your doctors, this will think your blood and decrease your clotting time. I notice when I check my blood sugars it takes me much longer to stop bleeding from a finger prick.

Janet

i've been eating flax seed as well, i like it in applesauce, mix in a few tablespoons and munch. someone told me that to get the benefits, i had to chew the seeds or they'd just pass through my system, do you know about that?

sue

Sue,

Several have told me the flax seed does not do the same as the fish oil so if you have any luck please let me know so I can try it. Even if it help a little bit it would be worth doing over a period of time.

Brent

Applesauce is a good idea! I'll have to try that one. Flax seed needs to be ground up before you consume it. You can chew till the cows come home, but I'm not sure how well you can grind it yourself to extract the oils out of it (at least as well as if it is pre-ground). Any coffee grinder/mill should do the trick.

Incidentally, I do see here on another website a warning to people with IBS to be especially careful starting out with it...it is so very high in fiber, and those with IBS are more likely to have problems with that. So anyone dealing with that, start out slowly!

~medmommy

Brent, here is a link that talks about it a bit more. Here's the pertinent snippet:

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http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/whattoeat/a/flaxinfo.htm

Flax seed is Rich in Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Omega-3 fatty acids are a key force against inflammation in our bodies. Mounting evidence shows that inflammation plays a part in many chronic diseases including heart disease, arthritis, asthma, diabetes, and even some cancers. This inflammation is enhanced by having too little Omega-3 intake (such as in fish, flax, and walnuts), especially in relation to Omega-6 fatty acid intake (in such oils as soy and corn oil). In the quest to equalize the ratio of these two kinds of oils, flax seed can be a real help.

Most of the oil in flax seeds is alpha linolenic acid (ALA). ALA is an Omega-3 which is a precursor to the fatty acids found in salmon and other fatty cold-water fish (called EPA and DHA). Because not everyone is able to easily convert ALA into EPA and (especially) DHA, it is best not to rely solely on flax for your Omega-3 intake, but ALA also has good effects of its own, and definitely helps in the Omega 3/6 balance.
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So it sounds like it depends on each person's ability to break it down from ALA into omega-3. Interesting stuff about the balance between omega-3 and omega-6 and inflammation. I'd not heard that before. I'll have to look into both of these things more and see what I find. I hope this helps!

~medmommy

brent,

i'll let you know.....though since i'm starting both fish oil and flax seed at same time, if anything happens, i may not know which it is. but i'm also doing these things for my cholesterol just as much. i really want to prevent having to take yet another maintainence drug if i can avoid it.

sue

medmommy,

thanks for the article link, very interesting.

thanks for the info on grinding them.

thanks for the warnings about all the fiber, i'll start off slowly with the ground stuff. i'll probably be ok with the fiber but i'll be careful. whenever i track my fiber against the recommended daily suggested requirements, i'm always well above. fiber is good for my blood sugar and keeping my stomach satiated.

sue

Hi Brent,
I am curious how long you took the Fish Oil before the diarhea started. The stomach lining starts to produce an enzyme to digest the fish oil after about three weeks of ingestion. I prefer the liquid Fish oil. You woul dhave to eat fish at least three times per day to get the benifit. In Iceland that was there main diet.This is how these studies all started. These people didn't get heart disease, stroke etc. Then when they took a look at their joints they also didn't have arthritis pain, even when tested and were positive for rheumatoid arthritis.

Janet

Hi Sue,
I was thinking about you when I made this post, because if you respond I would gaurantee you have some type of arthritis. The doseage which worked in three different studies my rheumy quoted was 750 mg omega 3 oil (Epa 350mg DHA 250mg )If you can find higer that is ok as well. The minimum dose is 8-10 capsules per day. I really would question the use of Cod liver Oil, it breaks down very differently in the body, also the vit D in cod Liver oil could be toxic at these dosages. I also noticed the link which was included came froma nutrionist,so am careful with that data. I would stick with something which has lots of science behind it. I also would question Flax, I think the amount needed would be impossible to consume. Also the
flax seed articles alwasy seem to be written form non-medical articles. I would fear big time the flax will get your GI into a big flare.


Janet

vitacost.com has the Carlson super omega 3 fish oil at $13.06 for 130 capsules. They also have 4.99 shipping on all orders so if you were consuming 10 per day 3 orders would be a 39 day supply, that would run you $44.17 or $1.133 per day.