Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About Supplements

Do supplements work? 

Great question! That really depends on a few factors. (1) Is your problem largely in part because of a nutrient deficiency? If so, a supplement would be a quickest and most convenient way to replenish a certain nutrient.

(2) What brand or quality supplement are you using? As you’ll see below, not all supplements are the same quality and the overwhelming majority of them are such a poor quality they will provide ZERO benefit. If you do in fact need a certain nutrient, and you have a quality supplement, then yes, it will work – every time.

If it doesn’t work to make you healthier, you either don’t actually NEED that nutrient, or it’s a bad quality and it is doing nothing for you. 

Aren’t supplements a waste of money? 

Well, it depends! If you’re getting a supplement that is a bad quality, then yes – it’s a waste of money and not doing anything for your health.

Similarly to the previous question, do you actually need the supplement? If you don’t actually need it, you are basically wasting your money. The body isn’t going to utilize a nutrient if it already has adequate levels of.

To sum up this one, if your body truly needs it, and it’s a good quality supplement, you are never going to be wasting your money. 

Should people take supplements all their life? 

No – ideally not. We should always seek to get our nutrients through our food.

We can do this by learning and understanding what nutrients are essential for every person, what foods have those nutrients, and how much and how often you need to eat them!

On the rarest of occasions, someone may need to be on a supplement for their whole life. This would be the case if someone is unable to get enough of that specific nutrient through their food or through nature. Iodine, for example, can be challenging for women to get enough through food. If you live by the ocean, however, you get plenty of iodine through breathing it in.

Another scenario would be if you have had an organ removed from your body and you need supplement to help support that organ system for the remainder of your life — such as is the case with many thyroid patients.  

Purpose of Supplements

Before we get into supplement quality, my recommendations, and where to buy, let’s first remember the purpose of supplements…

Supplements are meant to supplement specific nutrients, compared to getting a nutrient from natural foods. The advantages here are great in the case that you can’t get a lot of a specific nutrient easily through foods — whether because it’s a convenience thing, you want to increase a nutrient as quick as possible, or a combination. 

Ideally, we are seeking to get all of our nutrients through our everyday whole food sources. I do recognize though, that this requires people to learn about foods and what healthy balanced foods to eat everyday. 

What this means is that supplements are not meant to be taken forever. If you need to take a supplement for the rest of your life, you either have internal health problems causing a nutrient deficiency, or you simply need to improve your everyday food choices to increase much needed nutrients.

Quality

You have likely heard that “not all supplements are good quality.” 

This is absolutely true. 

Many supplements, most in fact, are a very poor quality due to either poor quality food sources used to make the supplement OR due to poor manufacturing processes used to make the supplement.

When supplements come from poor quality food sources or they’re ruined in the manufacturing process, the supplement really won’t do anything for your body. 🙁

SO – how do you know if the supplement is a good quality or not? As a natural doctor who does a biofeedback technique, I have used or come across many different supplement companies working with patients. Because of the technique that I do, I am able to test specific supplements for patients to determine if the supplement will work or not. If it doesn’t test for a patient, either they don’t need it or the supplement is a poor quality.

Below is a couple of lists of supplement brands that I know from clinical experience are good quality OR that they are poor quality and should be avoided.

My Brand Recommendations

If it isn’t on either of these lists, either I am unaware of it or I have simply never tested a patient for it and therefor have no experience with it. Also, it is important to note there are some companies here and there that I will use in office with patient’s. These listed here, however, are the overwhelming majority.

If you have any questions about a supplement company you use, feel free to contact me anytime.

Where To Buy Them?

Check out our online dispensary below and have them shipped directly to your house!