To watch this week’s blog, click here.
I get a lot of questions about what supplements to take. Lots of my patients are trying different ones that have certain health claims.
I have patients who get their supplements from different websites, Costco, various nutrition retail stores, and of course our favorite, online retailer, Amazon.
The problem with doing so is that for one, online retailer giants like Amazon do not have strict standards when it comes to storage control.
Storage and Manufacturing Affect Quality
For example, during the hot summer months, their storage facilities do not have temperature control. If you were to purchase from them, the active ingredients might have become deactivated by high temperatures.
This is especially true for probiotics, as the organisms need to be refrigerated in most cases to keep the live cultures live.
As for others like fish oil, they can become oxidized and rancid.
Taking such altered supplements may cause the opposite effect that you want to have in your body.
I used to be someone who shopped at Costco for supplements in my efforts to save a buck.
The Difference Between Nutraceuticals and Conventional Supplements
This was before my exposure to pharmaceutical grade nutraceutical supplements that have optimal potency in order to have the most impact.
I learned that in some cases, such supplements and herbals can be not only as effective as medications, but also help your body heal over time.
Such professional grade supplements are beneficial because they are more bioavailable, meaning that the body can more easily and readily absorb them.
Often conventional supplements are not bioavailable, or contain fillers and other materials that prevent them from being absorbed by your body.
Supplements are a big part of my health regimen and have played a huge role in my health recovery from Lupus.
What Makes Supplements High Quality?
So for those of you who have an interest in quality, here’s what you should look for:
1.Scientific Formulations: Because supplements are powerful tools to improve health, they need to be based on strong science.
2. Rigorous Research: Supplement manufacturing companies should participate in research on a regular based and should be indexed on PubMed.
3. Proprietary blends formulated for various medical conditions that supplies the nutritional need that is not met by normal diet alone
4. Constant financial efforts toward product and development which shows their dedication
5. Medical and clinical board of directors that are at the forefront of their research team
6. Active patents for their formulations
7. Affiliations with top notch Universities for research
8. Quality: Label accuracy and transparency by testing products and raw ingredients to meet label claims
9. Certified gluten free to ensure it meets the needs of all patients and customers
10. Contain no artificial sweeteners, additives, or preservatives
11. Non GMO ingredients
12. GMP Certified: They follow good manufacturing processes and standards, certified annually by independent organizations.
Above lists the few criteria I’ve found to be very important, because the truth is that the supplement industry is a multi billion dollar industry with no FDA regulations.
Whatever supplements claim on the labels may not be what you’re getting because the quality standards are low.
So if you’re taking supplements or are in need of some, it’s a good practice to do your due diligence on the company before choosing your supplements.
Health Status Matters
Also something to consider is the state of your health. If you struggle with various symptoms, chances are that you have some degree of gut permeability.
This means that whatever you’re taking may be leaching out as opposed to being absorbed by your body.
So priming your body by changing the way you eat to optimize your gut health is a good way to ensure that you are absorbing the supplements.
It’s a known fact that food isn’t as nutritious as it once was so science has proven that we all lack necessary vitamins, minerals, and supportive antioxidants.
This means that we all have gaps in our nutrition and supplements are a great way to fill the gap.
The goal isn’t to replace food with supplements.
Rather, take the least amount to meet your needs to bridge the gap between your nutritional need and your nutritional deficiency.
We can help. We have pharmaceutical grade supplements that are only available with our practitioner code. Email us for this code if you are interested in purchasing.
Our branded line of supplements are also in development as we speak.
If you need guidance, please email us at info@alkalinewellness.com or call us at 678-335-5566.
Thanks so much. See you next week.