I’ve also used omega-3 oils therapeutically (I’m vegetarian so I used hemp and flax w/DHA), and they also seemed to help with fluidity.

Another product I’ve tried is 5-HTP. One theory holds that FMS is essentially the side effect of a sleep disorder, and I feel that to be true for me. I tried the 5-HTP and did feel that it helped me A LOT, and also with some postpartum depression. Unfortunately, I tried it again a while ago and didn’t feel that it had the same effect.

Oh, and B vitamins, definitely, and several herbs are helpful as well.

Okay, went on about that a bit. Being a chronic illness with no cure, FMS is a good candidate for alternative treatments, and I’ve had some luck with them, so I thought I’d share that. Good luck.

And it seems to have improved my skin significantly

Very few pimples/acne (when I get them I know exactly why and where I did)

And it’s just a good supplement, in my opinion.

Vitamin D is a good idea if you live in a northern climate. I herd my kids outside every time there’s sunshine and we rarely use sunblock. We all have good levels, but we’re light-skinned and we live in a sunny area.

I think multi-vitamins are a complete waste of money. Some of those nutrients cancel each other out if taken at the same time and they tend to not contain many minerals, which is the real concern for most people.

If I get sick, I double up on vitamin C and zinc, but more important than that, I focus on garlic, greens, fermented foods, and fruit. I prefer to have whole foods instead of isolated nutrients.

I have given my daughter borage oil because she has a skin condition – it helped a lot. And when I’m really stressed, I’ll take a multi-B stress complex, along with some herbs. I’ve seen definite benefit using a B complex for short periods. So I’m not anti-supplement, but I don’t think there’s much use for them continuously, long-term, for most people. I will take herbs before I’ll take nutrients. We should be getting nutrients from foods and using plants as medicines when necessary, for most self-limiting illness – that’s my opinion.

I used to work in the holistic health department at Whole Foods and after a while I really felt like a pusher. I used to get this one regular customer who would bring in a bag of empty bottles and have me replace them. He’d spend over $300 a month on those pills and he absolutely reeked of cigarette smoke. Somehow he’d become convinced those supplements were going to save him from himself. That was sobering.