This morning DH and I were consuming our daily OMMs, along with our daily dose of microbes. We started taking these a few weeks ago when DH was on a course of antibiotics, which I figured would well and truly mess up his digestive system by killing all the Good Guys along with the "germs." Anyway, a day or two ago, I suggested that when the current supply ran out, we might quit taking them. So he asked, quite reasonably, how do we know if they are or are not working?

This question applies--and I have often asked it--to the whole range of supplements I've been taking for years. These include a multi-vitamin, fish oil, CoQ10, glucosamine/chondroitin (for joint health), calcium with Vit D, chromium picolinate, alpha lipoic acid, magnesium. That's a boatload of pills, I'll tell you! Do they actually do what I'm hoping they do? Am I practicing "complementary medicine" without a license?

Coincidentally, one of my feeds this morning has a discussion of a recent paper dealing with CAM--Complementary and alternative medicine--as sold in retail stores. It's efficacy (or not) and ethics. You can find the page Here.

There's really no way for me to know whether I'm happier or healthier now or in the future because, for instance, my joints don't hurt, and I do not see signs of progressive osteoarthritis, except in my toe joints where it's always been. I do not know, currently, whether I have osteopenia--but suspect yes, because, well, I'm almost 70 years old. Does a calcium supplement help? And so on and so on.

Since I can afford these supplements, and since they appear to do no harm, I will probably continue to take them. My doc has the list, and has no objection, or no comment.

We'll probably continue taking the gut bugs, too. I suspect they die in my stomach and never reach the intended destination. But never mind. Maybe it's all in our heads. All of it. And I feel pretty good about it.