I really want to take a particular vitamin called Omega XL which is an Omega 3…

 

Continued:

I’m in a lot of pain and have been for a number of months in my back, foot, leg and hip, the pain is totally getting in the way of my every day life. The vitamin provides anti inflammatory benefits and is way more powerful than regular fish oils. The issue is that it contains green lipped muscle (a shell fish).

Is there anyway to get permission to take it?

 

Answer:

If the Omega XL pills have no taste, then in your situation it would be permissible to take.

If they have taste, they should either be consumed by first wrapping them up with tissue paper or they should be crushed and put into a liquid. Refuah Sheleima Bekorov.

 

A brief discussion on the topic:

It is a Rabbinic prohibition to eat something non-kosher, even if not eaten in the normal way of eating. However, swallowing pills which may be non-kosher is permissible for a person who is unwell, for a combination of two reasons: 1) because the pills are swallowed whole, and 2) because they are tasteless. Regarding this Halachah, illness is defined as a general feeling of malaise, or what is termed Miktzas Choli, a minor sickness or pain. (The Halachah is different for a child; anything a child needs is considered an illness.)

However, if an alternative kosher medication is available, the Heter does not apply. If a pill has a taste, a solution would be to enclose it in a kosher capsule or wrap tissue paper around it before swallowing it.

Healthy people may not take non-kosher vitamins or supplements to strengthen their bodies in any way, as the Heter only applies in a case of illness. (Halacha2go,com #180)

 

Sources:

See S”A Y”D 155:3, Pri Chodesh OC 442 and Shut Tzit Eliezer 6:16.

 

 

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