Get Real Benefits From Your Supplements

Many patients ask me what supplements to take. Not all supplements are the same. Quality and price are not necessarily related. There are costly supplements on the market that are very poor quality.

If you are a person who is going to spend the money to buy the supplements, and take the time to take them, my recommendations are as follows:

Buy those that are prescribed to you by a physician who is an excellent clinician and is trained specifically in treatment with natural medicine. Naturopathic physicians are the only physicians who are educated, nationally and state tested, and state licensed in natural medicine. Supplements are considered natural medicine. The supplements that are prescribed in this office are not available at health food stores or over the internet. It is our general office policy not to sell supplements to people who are not clinic patients.

“Why?,” you may ask. These supplements are biochemically active. This means that they cause physiological changes in the body. This is the whole purpose for taking a supplement. If a supplement is therapeutically prescribed, the desired effect should be manifested. In some cases, however, there may be interactions between the supplements and the prescribed medications. These reactions may in fact be very serious and dangerous to one’s health.

Often I hear new patients on their first visit say, “I stopped taking all my vitamins that I bought at the store. I thought I would feel better taking them but I didn’t so I stopped. I still don’t feel well. What is wrong with me?” Over the counter supplements must be “safe” for the average person. This means that most people will have some or no improvement, and very few people will have negative side effects. There are many companies that take advantage of a consumers’ lack of knowledge about their own body’s specific needs and its individual physiology. A trained physician will diagnose and treat each patient individually and with specific formulations and dosages.

A quality supplement enhances and supports the body’s functioning in say, the immune system, the digestive system, the hormonal system, and/or the neurological system. For example, take two patients of Preventative Medicine Clinic. Their supplement regimes will not be identical. This is because each person is an individual. The doses and types of supplements and length of treatment are chosen and prescribed according to the individuals health issue and needs. And yes, too much of a good thing is dangerous. For example, not all patients need iron. Yet, for most multi-vitamins/mineral supplements over the counter contain this ingredient. There also may in fact be other ingredients in the over the counter products that are not healthy; e.g., carnauba wax. The supplements prescribed in this office are of highest quality. If you are prescribed and take them as prescribed, your health will in fact be positively impacted. My patients often hear me say, “the proof is in the pudding.” There is no ambiguity. That is the power of the proper prescription and use of supplementation. If you would like Dr. Brust to review your supplement program, and/or you would like to refer a friend or family member for this service, please call (541) 383-3424 to schedule an appointment.