Photo Credit: Valerie Elash
See my first post on supplements (and why you should use quality supplements) here.
There is a big myth floating out there that supplements/vitamins/herbs/oils, because they are natural, are safe. That is just not the case. The reality is that every supplement impacts your body in a specific way. Why should you care? Well, let me give you a few examples:
· Iodine - while iodine is an excellent thyroid support, giving it to someone who has antibodies (aka Hashimotos Thyroiditis) could cause the person to flare up, making them feel horrible and possibly leading to severe consequences.
· Garlic - we can all agree that garlic is a great immune supporting herb. But did you know that if you’re taking blood thinners, garlic can also produce severe side effects if taken inappropriately?
There are just two of many, many different examples that come to mind when evaluating different substances. But let me give you a bit of an insight of what I do to evaluate and assess my patients when it comes to their supplements.
1. Take a look at diet - the first area that I look at with every patient when assessing their need for vitamins is their diet. Let’s be honest, not everyone has a perfect diet. As I always say, “supplements should be SUPPLEMENTARY to a good diet.” That means we should always strive to get as many good vitamins and minerals from our diet as we can. This is important because natural food is both absorbed and utilized BETTER by our bodies than any type of supplements. no matter how good they are. Therefore, I always evaluate and balance a patient’s diet first to make sure we have a strong foundation instead of giving them 10-15 different supplements, which, if they just altered their diet, they wouldn’t need or need as many.
2. Assess health history - this is critical. Even if supplements are natural, they can interact with your body in potentially negative ways. Also, certain medications require you not to have too much citrus in your diet as the medication will be processed too quickly through the system. That’s why assessing health history including any disease processes and any functional deficiencies is essential. For example, we have all come to know that most of us have adrenal fatigue, if you don’t, you probably should consider looking into it. But did you know that if you also have high blood pressure, certain natural substances (vitamins/herbs/supplements) should not be given? So, if you just go into a drug store and pick something off the shelf you can be making yourself sicker, NOT better. In the office, we evaluate for the underlying CAUSE of the disease, helping the body to heal by balancing health factors. If you do not have this proper evaluation you can be making yourself sicker by simply not knowing this information.
3. Evaluating blood work - this goes with number 2. If a patient has very obvious pathology/disease you want to be careful of the products that you are taking because you can make those worse not better. Getting regular blood work done, while it doesn’t fully evaluate the whole patient, is critical to ensure that you’re monitoring for trends in your health. For example, Vitamin D is a very important vitamin for our health. But if someone has liver/kidney stress, you want to be careful in giving it as it can also stress out those already stressed systems.
4. Drug/herb interaction -this is critical and needs to be given serious consideration. If you are on any type of medication you cannot simply say that taking a random vitamin is safe as it may not be. You could be causing a serious reaction without knowing it just by taking a very normally safe, natural substance.
5. Need/use - it’s important to evaluate all of vitamins/supplements/herbs/etc., not only on their safety, but also on whether or not a patient can metabolize and use them. While there are thousands of products out on the market, you, as an individual, do not need all of them, that would be so silly! It’s important to have a professional evaluate whether you need a specific substance or not. With my patients, I muscle test all of the products that they take not only to see whether their bodies need them but to make sure they can metabolize and absorb them because after all, if your body cannot metabolize and absorb a substances it’s a waste of your time to even take it. This is also why I recommend that my patients do not take multi-vitamins. We can assess your individual vitamin needs so you only take what’s necessary and don’t risk becoming sick from something you don’t need. I don't recommend or give multi-vitamins because your body should only have specific types of vitamins at specific times. Just like you wouldn't take a medication if you don't have a specific health issue, you shouldn't take a vitamin without a specific reason to take it.
Take away message:
Make sure you find a reputable Functional medicine doctor who can not only assess your health needs in general, but who can make sure to find the products that you need and your body can use. It’s important to have your health evaluated and treated by a licensed health care professional (please don’t take advice from someone who doesn’t have this training). who knows your health history, can evaluate any products in light of any medications/products that you’re already taking and who can make sure that it’s the product that will help you fight disease and promote health. You can find some of my favorite products in my online store, click here. As always, talk to your doctor to make sure anything you are taking is appropriate for your health needs.
If you are interested in learning more about your supplements and want to make sure they are helping to promote true health and healing, please click the link below to schedule your appointment.
If you are interested in further addressing this topic, please feel free to reach out and schedule an appointment. Dr. V is a Chiropractor and Functional Medicine Doctor in Elmhurst, Illinois who evaluates patients from the inside out, focusing on areas including hormone imbalance, digestive health, anxiety/depression, autoimmune disease, and many others.