Supplements often get a bad reputation from the FDA and the media. I sometimes see articles stating that a research study has proven them ineffective. Articles and studies like this must be put into a larger context and investigated to find out what the parameters of the study was and exactly what supplements they were using. One thing that is true is, not all supplements are created equal. Finding a trusted brand of supplements is important.
The supplement industry is not regulated by the FDA as the pharmaceutical industry is and that is why you will see the disclaimer on the back of a supplement bottle, "These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease." Also, many supplements are made of natural herbs that cannot be patented, and therefore not a lot of money can be made on them, as in pharmaceuticals. There is a push, therefore, from the pharmaceutical industry, who stand to make lots of money by selling you their drugs, to do their best to discredit supplements. Being someone who avoids pharmaceutical drugs, I find a lot of value in supplements. Supplements are used to substitute for missing nutrients. You may have heard about how our soil today is depleted of many trace elements and minerals necessary for health. Even organic food today is not as nutrient rich as it was a century ago. Supplements can stand in the nutrient gap and help us get the full amount of vitamins and minerals that we all need. Another great benefit of supplements is that they are able to stimulate various functions of systems in the body. For example, if you are constipated, you can take an herbal tea or an aloe supplement that will stimulate the bowels to get waste moving more smoothly but is gentle and will not put strain on they system as laxatives. As you move through life, you may have various system functions slow down and using supplements to stimulate that function is a great way to get back to your best health. Supplements are important to support vital voids or for temporary support when a system is lacking normal function. Anyone who has had parts of their body removed could greatly benefit from taking a supplement to give support to the body where that missing body part would have been working. Anyone eating a Standard American Diet is most likely experiencing digestive issues because of the highly processed foods and lack of nutrients in the diet. For people eating that way, digestive enzymes and healthy levels of hydrochloric acid are often missing from the digestive system for normal gut function. Those two supplements would be great to support the digestive system function as the person works to heal their gut and change their diet. Finally, supplements are great for self treatment of pathogens and relief care when someone is trying to avoid pharmaceutical drugs like me. Herbs have been used for thousands of years to bring people back to health and relieve painful symptoms. In fact, many pharmaceutical drugs are based on herbs and plants, but the active ingredients have been isolated and removed from the natural state of the medicine. Herbs are beautiful because they are balanced in their natural state. The active ingredient does not have negative side effects because the rest of the plants properties, balance its effects in the body making it much safer than drugs. Supplements have many uses and are valuable additions to a healthy lifestyle today. At a minimum everyone should be taking a multivitamin & mineral supplement, a probiotic, an antioxidant and an omega supplement. These four supplements support overall health of the body and all its systems to prevent dysfunction from occurring. I hope my thoughts have shed some light on the confusion around supplements. If you or anyone you know is struggling with poor health and looking for answers, schedule a free consultation with me, to gain insight and a few practical tips that can give you a health breakthrough!
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AuthorJessica Mutunga is passionate about good simple living that focuses on relationships, food and creating a supportive healthy environment. She is The Light Way Coach. Archives
May 2022
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