Recent studies shows 67% of people take at least one vitamin or mineral supplement per day. But less than 3% of people are getting any kind of professional healthcare advice before they start taking these supplements. Do you think there’s a problem here?
Most people understand diet alone isn’t enough in today’s society to rebuild your body to a healthy state. There are just too many obstacles getting in the way. Processed foods, pollution, stress and misinformation are just a few of the daily obstacles that come to mind. So how can you be informed to know exactly what supplements you need and don’t need? Let me give you some basic guidelines.
First, any vitamin, mineral or herbal supplement you put in your mouth must come from an unprocessed natural plant or animal source. The vast majority of the supplements on the market today are man made synthetic forms of vitamins and minerals. Your body was never designed to digest and absorb these forms of vitamins. Remember, it’s only been about 100 years since humans have been able to isolate any specific substances in the lab. Do you think your digestive system, blood and nervous system have evolved that fast to be able to utilize these substances? Not a chance!
Second, water soluble vitamins, such as, all B complex vitamins, Vitamin C and trace minerals must be taken daily. What you don’t use immediately, you excrete later that day. You must also take supplements just like you eat. If you’re taking supplements just once a day your body will use what it can then excrete the rest. Your body is designed to take nutrition in several times a day in small doses. There is no such thing as a mega dose in nature. Splitting up your supplement and taking them throughout the day will give you a much better effect.
Third, fat soluble vitamins, such as Vitamin D, E and F are stored in your tissues for later use. These vitamins have a profound effect on just about every system of the body. They fight cancer, build bones, increase immune response and keep your cells from drying out. The best sources of all these fat soluble vitamins are cold water fish oils, green leafy vegetables. But you would have to eat pounds and pounds of green leafy vegetables to get enough of these vitamins. That’s why fish oil supplementation has become so popular.
Finally, herbs should be used for a short term then replaced with a specific vitamin or mineral supplement to continue the rebuilding process. Herbs enhance biological systems. In other words, they make your body work better. Vitamins and minerals supplementation helps to rebuild biological systems. So if you know what you’re doing, you can take care of symptoms quickly by combining herbs with vitamins and minerals then over time quitting the herb once the biological system is rebuilt to stand on its own.
Sincerely, Dr. B