TOO MANY SUPPLEMENTS?!
- Dr. Thomas J. Lewis
- 2 minutes ago
- 4 min read
Why are you taking supplements and how did you come to take too many?
I get the complaint about taking TOO MANY supplements daily!
Is there a solution? YES!
I use and suggest supplements for specific treatments based on client health complaints and lab values. There is a major difference between:
taking supplements, and
using supplements as part of a treatment.
IMHO, we do need a few supplements, in general, because of deficiencies in our diets. That's what supplementation is for.
HOWEVER, MORE IMPORTANTLY, high(er) doses of specific supplements or combinations are useful to treat health problems or conditions.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SUPPLEMENTATION AND SUPPLEMENTS AS PART OF A TREATMENT? There are 3 major differences.
Dose: Treatments with supplements usually involve MUCH HIGHER DOSES.
Duration: In some instances, the high treatment dose is done for short periods. This is referred to as "pulsing" the dose. In other cases, the duration is long-term and is based on bona fide clinical studies.
Combinations of supplements with consideration of dose and duration. For example, a significant study on vessel health showed that the RIGHT dose and Right duration of nattokinase significantly improved key markers of vascular health. However, nattokinase is not the only "proteolytic enzyme" that can improve vascular health. Unfortunately, good studies seldom use combination therapies because they are most always trying to isolate the effectiveness of 1 type of treatment. Augmenting the treatment with other proteolytic enzymes that are not "contraindicated" is probably a better approach than using just one type, as they may function through different mechanisms or have different "pharmacokinetics," which simply means they can distribute through your body differently.
At the bottom of this blog, I list key supplements to address common deficiencies, but first, let's cover areas where "supplements as treatments" provide MUCH MORE VALUE.
Your data - you - provide insights into treatments that may solve hidden or obvious health problems. My order, by which I suggest "treatment" is as follows.
Optimize pathways of health. I'm not giving specific recommendations because treatments will vary by individual.
Immunity: This is the most critical pathway as it declines substantially as we age.
Detox: Make sure your liver and kidneys are functioning optimally. Consider doing a detox for both organs annually.
Metabolic/energy: Optimize your "sugar" levels with nutrient-dense foods and healthy fats.
Repair: Chronic disease, simply put, is when your repair pathway is less robust compared to deterioration (wear and tear).
Regulatory: How are your hormone/peptide levels (insulin is a peptide!). Most people are quite low, especially with sex hormones.
Treat based on 5 simple mechanisms of disease. This concept of mechanisms simplifies supplement and treatment approaches.
You are what you absorb: Proper micronutrient status is critical to essentially every pathway. Thus, almost anything you do to enhance gut function is in play here. However, it is not simply about "throwing" probiotics at your system. That's why I have developed a comprehensive gut optimization program called "8R."
Thrive vs. Survive: Stress is a major underlying driver of chronic diseases. And, there are supplement/treatment strategies that can make your body more resilient to stress. Some stress is good - for example, exercising a muscle. But too much is harmful. Make that muscle stronger, and it can withstand more stress. This is true beyond the "muscle" analogy.
Stealth Infections: This concept is highly under-appreciated even in Functional Medicine. Dental infections are well understood but seldom linked to arthritis, dementia, chronic pain, chronic fatigue, and vascular disease. These are "sleeper cell" organisms, well described by the founder of the Mayo Clinic, Charles Mayo, MD, over 100 years ago. He popularized the term "focal infection," aka a highly localized, stealth infection.
Inflammation: This may be due to food sensitivities, diet, gut dysbiosis, heavy metals, or other non-infectious toxins. The source(s) need to be identified. Also, anti-inflammatory supplements, foods, and treatments often resolve this type of problem.
Lack of Autophagy: Constant eating, lack of exercise, both aerobic and weight-bearing, and lack of sunshine and exposure to nature are key reversible causal factors.
Seldom do any of these mechanisms occur in isolation from the others. However, 1 or more may be the major contributor to your distress. A systematic approach to improving all of these is your best path to symptom or disease relief.
Here are some questions to ask yourself about the supplements you are taking.
Who recommended the supplement(s)?
What are they supposed to do?
What was the recommended dose and duration - and why?
Are there good studies on the supplements related to the problem you are trying to resolve?
Did the person recommending them understand how they work?
Have you seen an OBJECTIVE improvement by taking them?
Have you taken them as recommended? Are you consistent?
Are you getting a supplement from a reliable source (and how would you know?!)
This one is a bit more complicated, but I tried to cover it in this blog, and that is... What mechanism(s) or pathway(s) are the supplements supposed to improve?
What supplements or supplementation (from foods) should anyone consider?
This list is based on known deficiencies in our modern diets.
Magnesium: either the glycinate or chloride.
Multivitamin/mineral - preferably without iron but with boron, selenium, and iodine.
Fulvic/humic liquid (liquid is "pre-digested", so absorption will be optimized.
Iodine and selenium for thyroid health
Potassium (be careful!). Foods high in potassium are: beans, squash, mushrooms, avocado, and dark leafy greens.
Fat-soluble nutrients with emphasis on Vitamins A and D. The best source is cod liver oil.
Healthy fats, in general, including castor oil, beef tallow, butter, olive oil, walnuts, and pecans as examples.
Probiotics: Vary based on species and sources. Going outside and getting dirty is a better option!
Be bold and brave. Fight the dogmas!
