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I get this question a lot: “what supplements should I take?” Here is my answer 99% of the time: “It depends.” That’s because supplements should be individualized to your own health needs. They regulate different biochemical mechanisms, which can up or down regulate genetics, digestion, hormone secretion, neurotransmitter production, muscle relaxation, enzyme secretion, etc. There is no magic bullet that works perfectly for everyone. Your individual health history and environmental factors ultimately determine what you need.
Yet, there are some supplements that tend to work well for a lot of people. Today, I want to share with you some of my favorite supplements and herbs and why.
To clarify, the supplements I’m sharing today are used in my own regimen and are evaluated and tested by my doctors. I’m not just taking things “to be healthy” because there are millions of varieties of supplements, and you need to make sure you’re taking what’s best for you. Sometimes the right type of food is a better option than vitamins and minerals. I would recommend you work with a functional integrative provider who knows your history and can guide you in your health goals.
Here is what I take and why I love these products:
1. B vitamins-There are different types of B vitamins. Some can be inhibitory (calming) and some can be excitatory (bring up energy). B vitamins support cellular health. You need them for almost every single process in the body. You need them for detoxification, brain health, hormone stability, nervous system health, etc. However, you need to take one that’s right for you. Most B vitamins are sold separately, not as combination. For example, on store shelves you will often see B6 or Biotin (a favorite of women for hair growth). Despite the way they are often sold, B vitamins are best when taken in combination with each other. Personally, I take a B complex that’s calming and relaxing, as my life can be very busy and it helps me not only wind down but also helps support healthy hormone balance and brain health.
2. Magnesium-Another heavy hitter. Mg has gotten a lot of publicity recently and it deserves the attention. Mg is involved in over 400 various processes in the body, from detoxification, smooth muscle support, hormone detoxification, teeth health, digestive health and many more. There are various types of magnesium though. Different types have different functions in the body. When I take Magnesium, I take one that’s relaxing but also supports other functions that I’m trying to encourage in my physiology.
3. Adrenal support-Most of the time living in this crazy world we need a form of adrenal support, whether that’s an herb or supplement. Adrenals are like your back up generators. If you have a “storm” roll through, your adrenals make sure the functions in the body don’t shut down. They regulate inflammation, blood sugar, water/salt balance (those of you feeling bloated towards the end of the day), how you respond to stress, etc. While taking adrenal support I also work on the root causes of adrenal fatigue such as diet, stress support, toxic burden, etc. Adrenals, when low, also seriously impact your thyroid. I personally have a strong family history of thyroid issues, I often see impaired adrenal function with thyroid issues. Without addressing the adrenals, the thyroid will continue to suffer, even if you are taking medications.
4. St. John’s Wort-This is one of my favorite little herbs I take on a semi-regular basis. St. John’s Wort is historically an immune herb. It helps with microbiome regulation and is fantastic for autoimmune issues. It’s great for sleep, for mood support, for pain management, and many more conditions. I give St. John’s for variety of various needs in my practice. St. John’s Wort has recently gotten a rough rep for being an herb which interacts with many medications; however, the most recent research and literature doesn’t support this notion. In fact, recent research demonstrates better mood support even compared to SSRIs (mood stabilizers), which is incredible! Unlike medications, St. John’s Wort, isn’t addictive, so you never have to worry about having to wean down from it, unlike the over-the-counter medications. I would recommend working with a health care provider though, as it can impact the way your medications are working. I’ve taken it for years for an underlying autoimmune condition I manage, and I’ve found it positively impacts the way that I feel.
5. Cod Liver Oil-I strongly feel like fish oil (high quality) doesn’t get enough of a spotlight. Cod Iiver oil, along with having anti-inflammatory properties, contains both vitamin A and vitamin D, in food form. Often I see people supplementing with the wrong types of Vitamin D and not seeing the response they are looking for. In order to be fully utilized in the body, Vitamin D needs to be paired with Vitamin A (which is another type of fat-soluble vitamin). I like to give cod liver oil, instead of simply giving Vitamin D to my patients, because the type of cod liver oil I use is food source, so I know it will absorb well and have the best type of utilization in the system. One caveat I would say about fish oil, you cannot get 10-dollar retail brands and think you’ll get the same result. Just like with most supplements, you get what you pay for. If you pay 5 dollars for supplements, you’ll get 5 dollars’ worth of results.
This leads to an overall point I should make. Unfortunately, if you are supplementing using standard over-the-counter products, you cannot verify that in fact what’s on the label is what’s in the bottle. In 2015, the NY AG did research looking at supplements sold at the largest retailers. From all the supplements sampled across the main stores, many actually did not contain the active products advertised on the bottle. So, when patients bring me over-the-counter products and are frustrated by lack of results, it's because they aren’t often taking what they think they are. Solution? Buy supplements from a reputable provider which has vetted and ensured that the products you’re buying are screened for quality control. The scary fact about fish oil is that most of the fish oil on the shelves you buy is rancid. One way to know if you bottle is rancid: you get fishy burps.
This is a quick summary about supplements I regularly take. There are more but these are five of my favorites. And as you can see, I do not have a multivitamin included. Why do you ask? I find that multivitamins contain too many products at too little of quantities to really produce any therapeutic effect.
I hope this has been helpful. I have other blogs on various types of supplements and how to evaluate supplements before taking any and why not all supplements are created equal.
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.