Flax seed oil, which only contains ALA – the lowest member of the omega 3 family, will only convert from .05% to .5% of the total to long-chain omega 3s, like EPA and virtually NONE to DHA. What your body needs in abundance are the long-chain omega 3s and flax oil can’t deliver. In other words, why take something your body has to convert – and very poorly at that – when you can take fish oil omega 3s that your body can readily use – without a difficult conversion process.

Could the flax oil be causing your leg problems to persist? I’ll leave that up to the scientists BUT I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt on my part that flax seed oil isn’t helping.

The fact that fish oils cause you stomach problems may have to do with taking poor quality fish oil products. Nearly 95% of the brands on the market give you more non-omega 3, unlabeled fish oils than they give you of the omega 3s. These non-omega 3 fish oils are difficult for many people to digest. I suggest you upgrade to a better brand that provides ONLY omega 3s. Also, you can try freezing the capsules and taking them in the evening after dinner. This slows the digestion process down and makes it easier for people who have difficulty. I don’t know if this works for all brands but it does work for Salmon Oil Plus (http://www.omega-3.us).

Best of luck! – Michael