In many ways it can be downright dangerous to decide yourself what nutritional supplements to consume. You may read an article or an advertisement that is imploring you to take a specific herbal supplement. They make it seem like without said supplement there is no way you can lose weight or improve your energy. You may listen and heed the advice of someone that has very little knowledge in nutrition, supplements, herbs, etc. (health food store clerk or even some medical doctors). Most medical schools require no formal education in the field of nutrition. Yet, patients ask their doctors everyday on that very subject. Why?
Most of the supplements on the market are over-hyped garbage. Some pills can increase atherosclerosis (hardening of your arteries), calcification of your joints, destruction of your intestinal/gut lining, or a major electrolyte/mineral imbalance, especially taken by the people that don’t need them. At the very least, many people are wasting tons of money on supplements that they don’t need.
There are a multitude of factors for determination of the appropriate nutritional and herbal supplements for you. These factors include the following:
- Age
- Sex
- Stress levels
- Gut/Digestive health
- Current food senstivities
- Current medications (can interfere with certain herbs and vitamins, plus can cause deficiencies in vitamins/minerals)
- Dietary & exercise habits
- Lifestyle habits
- Current medical conditions (diabetes, heart dz, cancer, etc. changes your entire metabolic and biochemical dynamics).
- Quality of supplements (unfortunately, some supplements do not have what they say they have).
- Specific forms of supplements (certain forms can be nourishing in right context and other forms can be destructive to you).
- Synergistic components (all vitamins and minerals work in conjunction with each other. For example, adequate magnesium and B6 is needed to bring up sufficient levels of zinc).
- Getting regular lab tests done – blood, tissue (hair) mineral analysis every 6 months to 1 year. Hair analysis can tell help tell us your current levels of minerals and heavy metals in your body. Blood tests can determine Vitamin D levels, inflammation, liver health, kidney health, cardiovascular health, etc.).
In most cases, I find people completely disregard #s 10-12 when purchasing supplements at the grocery or health food store or online. These are vital when considering the right ones.
Dr. Paula Howell and myself, Dr. Robert Shane Howell, have gone through an extensive post-graduate nutrition program (Diplomate in American Clinical Board of Nutrition, DACBN). We did this in order to be able to understand all the above factors and provide our patients with the most comprehensive advice on the appropriate nutritional and herbal supplements for them. Call us at Alternative Health Management when you are ready for a nutritional protocol precise to your needs 713-722-2580.
