Nature Made SAM-e Gives Me a Smile!
If you've read my blog for more than a week or two, you know that I go through a lot of emotional ups and downs. I've been feeling like something's been "off" for awhile now. I've written it off as stress from my parent's divorce or the struggle with my weight.. I haven't found a doctor that's willing to help, aside from wanting to prescribe me some really expensive Rx only medication.
It's not that I don't believe in medicines to help people, but I honestly feel that there should be a natural alternative, and if those don't work, then perhaps a prescription. One night, when I was having a late night pity party, I happened to stumble upon a WEDU special called "Change Your Brain, Change Your Body
Since I've received this book in the mail, I've been researching a lot of natural supplements that encourage healthy moods that Dr. Amen recommended in his program and in the book. One of these supplements are SAM-e. When I was approached to review Nature Made SAM-e by Mom Central, it felt like a divine appointment, an answer to my prayer.
It takes about a week for you to feel the effects of SAM-e, but I can honestly say that before that week was up, my husband had already begun to notice a difference in my mood. My fuse was getting pretty short.. I was getting to the point that I would 'tweak' out about the littlest things.. and those same things were not bothering me as much. I was still aware that my son and daughter were fighting like cats and dogs, but I wasn't ranting and raving, and 'tweaking out' as much as I was earlier in the week. I was able to take a moment, breathe, and then come up with a solution, instead of barking out orders to head to time out without blinking.
The best part is I didn't feel like I was "on" anything. I tried an anti-depressant when I had post partum depression, and it made me feel spacey. I tried a mild anti-anxiety a few years ago, and that made me feel exhausted. I've tried multi-vitamins, and have never gotten the result my body longed to have. The SAM-e did not make me feel like this at all, in fact, the website claims that "Generally speaking, SAM-e supplements have been shown to be very safe, with no known side effects. One reason for the low level of side effects is that SAM-e is a naturally occurring molecule in your body, and a SAM-e supplement simply replenishes your body’s own natural supply."
Some of the reviews on the site mention that they had experienced better mobility, less joint pain, etc. and I was hoping that I would experience that as well, but as of yet, I have not. I did notice that I felt more "in control" of my environment, and even signed up to go back to college during, which I've been putting off for years. I really feel like taking the SAM-e contributed to the jump start that I needed to truly start taking care of myself again.
I did increase my dosage to two 400mg pills every day, and feel that that is definitely closer to what my body needs. I am still playing with the levels to see what I think works best for my body. Dr. Amen's book suggests that the recommended dose is 200-400mg 2-4x's per day. He also writes that taking SAM-e may be good "For craving and willpower, weight, focus and energy, sleep, ADD, and passion".
I would recommend to my friends and readers that if you have been feeling "off" with your moods or your attitude lately to try SAM-e and see how it is. Keep a journal, if you can, so you really can see the progress.
Nature Made SAM-e has teamed up with The Dream Factory to help put smiles on the faces of kids in need with the Give a Smile campaign. You can help donate $10 RIGHT now by doing the following!
For every image uploaded, Nature Made will donate $2; if you install the widget on social media outlets, they will donate $5; tweet using the hashtag #giveasmile, and they'll donate $1, and if you become a Facebook fan of Nature Made, yep, another dollar, and if you leave a comment or Like a Give a Smile update, another $1 will be donated. That's $10 in total!! I've just completed all of those steps, by publishing this post, so join me and help spread the word. (Our widget is in our sidebar!)
In the mean time, our friends at Nature Made have offered one of our lucky readers a 3 month supply of SAM-e, a journal to record your feelings, and a reusable water bottle!
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR WINNER!!
This giveaway is open to residents of the US. This giveaway will end on August 15, 2010 at 11:59pm EST. The winner will be chosen using Random.org, and all winner information will be posted on our WINNERS PAGE and on this post. Any unclaimed prizes will be redrawn accordingly and at the discretion of 4BabyAndMom. Special thanks to Mom Central and Nature Made for allowing us to review this product. As always, what you have read is strictly the opinion of 4BabyAndMom. Please conduct your own research, contact your doctor, read your own books, and stalk the internet to make your own judgment call before trying any supplement.
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