"You may think supplements are a waste of money because you have not noticed any benefit when you have taken them, but the truth is… maybe it’s just your supplements that are worthless."
In an attempt to offer the most comprehensive approach to holistic health, I always review any supplements and medications our clients are currently taking. From our consultations, symptoms and review of their blood chemistry and labs, I will gain insights into the imbalances present and areas that need to be addressed. As I review each client’s supplements, I will usually divide these products into three groups.
Group #1: The first group are the supplements that are of a good quality and the clients should continue taking them. Perhaps we need to adjust the dosages they are taking but overall, the product is good enough.
Group #2: The next group are the products that aren’t really great, but also aren’t too bad. These supplements don’t contain harmful ingredients, but at the same time, often contain low-quality ingredients or are formulated in a way that will result in poor bioavailability. This is the group I suggest they continue taking until they are out, then we will replace it with a much more effective product. Usually, we need to adjust the amount they are taking.
Group #3: The last group are the products I suggest they stop taking right away. These may contain harmful ingredients, fillers, and artificial chemicals that are linked to health hazards. It may be hard to wrap your head around the idea that supplements that are typically taken to support your health actually contain ingredients linked to pathologies… but very true, and unfortunately, very common.
My guess is that probably only 25% of all the supplements people bring in for me to review are in the first group. This means the other 75% are either sub-optimal, poor quality, or just downright harmful. Of the products that are not harmful, so many of these offer such low active ingredients and as a result, will be very low in therapeutic value.
Just the other day, I was reviewing a new client’s supplements. She was taking fish oil which had a label that made it sound great. The serving size for two capsules offered about 300 mg of the main active ingredients. She was only taking one capsule per day. She commented that she wasn’t sure the fish oil was doing anything because she had not seen a change in her lab work or how she felt since she started taking it. Based on her blood chemistry lipid panel and inflammatory markers, as well as other symptoms she was experiencing, I suggested she should be taking at least 2500mg of fish oil to start to see some therapeutic value. She was only taking 150mg. I explained to this client the value of an accurate therapeutic dosage based on her specific needs. I also explained that if she desired to continue with the fish oil she already had she would need to significantly increase how many capsules of this fish oil she was taking from one capsule per day up to sixteen! Taking sixteen capsules of fish oil per day sounds a little ridiculous, but that is because that specific supplement sucks. A much better option would be to take two capsules of a much stronger fish oil that yields the same active ingredients as sixteen capsules of her product.
Unfortunately, this is a VERY common occurrence.
To feel therapeutic changes when taking supplements, you simply must take adequate therapeutic values of the supplements. This client was taking 1/16 of a recommended therapeutic dosage. No wonder she wasn’t seeing any therapeutic benefits.
So how is a therapeutic value determined? Good question. A required therapeutic value for any given supplement must be custom tailored to each individual’s needs. This is why in my clinic EVERYTHING is ALWAYS custom tailored to meet your specific individual and unique needs. One client may need a specific supplement, while another may need something very different. While there are several supplements that most people could really benefit from based on current agricultural and environmental factors, there is no one supplement that everyone needs all the time. The supplements you need to support your health at this time will vary a great deal from person to person. The supplements you need may also change over time based on how you change and are influenced by all of life’s circumstances. One person’s medicine is another person’s poison.
Your personal recommended supplements and necessary dosages will be determined by many factors including- your current state of health, main concerns, blood chemistry lab values, goals, signs and symptoms, age, size, metabolism, diet, lifestyle, current medications, family history, and many more factors. Without considering these factors many people end up taking products that often don’t support their health or with products they don’t even need. In some cases, people will take products that even negatively impact their health.
You may think supplements are a waste of money because you have not noticed any benefit when taking them, but the truth is… maybe it’s just your supplements that are worthless garbage. And that is not your fault. Most supplement companies know you probably don’t know what products or dosages you actually need. Too many companies make sub-standard products with fancy wording and pretty labels at a good price point and release supplements that sound valuable, but the truth is, so many of these products are simply worthless.
At The Center, we partner with each client to determine what products you actually need and in what dosages based on the factors listed above. We 100% only offer “clean” products free of harmful fillers, colorings and chemicals often found in many other products. We are not attached to any one company and carry only the best products we have researched from dozens and dozens of companies.
There is no need to guess what products you need. Don’t believe the hype of some shady product your read about on the internet with fake reviews. Don’t buy into whatever the latest “health expert” is peddling. Don’t assume that a product that is generally beneficial for a specific condition you are experiencing is the right one for you at this time. Don’t be one of many people who unknowingly buy fake knock-off products from online.
Allow us to help you create a plan and supplement regime composed of trusted high-quality products that will support you in feeling great, live with ease and be happy.
That’s what we do.
Article by Quinn Akira Takei, Doctor of Oriental Medicine(NM), Licensed Acupuncturist, Chinese Herbalist, Functional Medicine Practitioner, and Holistic Health & Wellness Coach.
The Center: Natural Health Specialists, 8404 Six Forks Road, Suite 201, Raleigh, NC 27615. (919) 848-0200. www.TheCenterNHS.com
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