One of my favorite things to discuss with patients is how the supplements that they take can benefit them in the long run. How making sure their body is getting all of the different vitamins, minerals and nutrient that it needs can help boost their energy levels, their immune system, and in some cases, it can help diminish side effects from other prescription medications.

Sounds great right? But before you run out to your local drug store or grocery store to buy all kinds of supplements, you want to be able to judge the quality of the supplements you are buying.
Many grocery stores carry a variety of supplements, but keep in mind that many of them may be full of synthetic ingredients that your body cannot use, and therefore end up not being worth the money you spend on them. Many of the supplements you find in your local grocery store are also what are called isolates. An isolate is a vitamin that has been derived or synthesized and is one individual vitamin that has been concentrated on its own. While this sounds like a great idea, any vitamin that your body requires and uses generally works in partnership with another vitamin or mineral.

My favorite supplement choices are mostly herbal and whole food based, which means they start out as herbs and fruits and vegetables, that are then dried, ground or distilled to create a high quality supplement in a fairly natural state to fuel your body with. They also tend to be blended together with other vitamins. The only vitamins that I currently take in an isolated form is vitamin D. This is because vitamin D goes through several stages in your body, and is still highly usable in any form, both on its own and combined with other vitamins.

But how do you recognize a good supplement from a not so good one? I start with the purpose of the supplement ie, what do I want to accomplish with it? Once I decide that, I start comparing ingredients. I look for supplements that are made in the Unites States, and then from there I look for ingredients that are easy to read and that I can recognize as being derived from a food source. After that I look to see if the vitamins and nutrients listed are listed as what are called Methylated versions. A methylated vitamin is in the form ready to grabbed onto by your body and used!

The best part about whole food vitamins is that they very often will not interact with prescription medications, unless there is a specific food you should not eat with your medications (heres looking at you grapefruit). In that case, I sit down with a patient and go over what goals they are trying to accomplish and what medications they are currently taking so that I can help direct them towards safe and effective supplements and foods that they can add into their routine to help reach their health goals.

I have a selection of protocols that I recommend in my fullscript dispensary, as well as providing custom protocols for individual patients upon request.

Let me know if you have questions about supplements, I love sorting through questions with patients! I can always find budget friendly recommendations to fit everyones lifestyle.