Do I Need to Take Supplements FOREVER?

Do I need to take supplements forever?  This is a common question that I get when I speak at events and from clients.  It’s a fair question and one that I enjoy talking through.

The quick answer is: Yes, most likely.  But this post will discuss the why around this topic as well as some nuances that may reframe your thought process on this common question.

Trust me.  I would love nothing more than to be able to eat so clean that I didn’t need anything else.  As Hippocrates said, “Let food be your medicine, and medicine be your food”.  Although I agree with this generally speaking and believe it’s a good place to start, there is a time where the food won’t be enough… when Dr. Hippocrates was around, the circumstances were much different.  The soil, the stress, the chemicals…you can’t even compare then to now.

A couple of distinctions…

First, let’s talk about why we are resistant or reluctant to take supplements in the first place…there are usually 3 main reasons:

1. We mistakenly think all pills are the same.  Perhaps you’ve seen your parents or grandparents sit down with a bunch of medications and you don’t want to be associated in any way with the type of health status that they had.  I hear you and understand.  But good quality supplements are not the same as medications.  It’s like saying all food is the same.  Different foods produce different outcomes.  The same is true for different “pills”.
2. That said, even within the supplement world, there is a difference between good quality supplements that resonate with healthy cells (like what we use here at the clinic) and so many sub-standard low-quality supplements that are loaded with fillers, dyes, preservatives, anti-caking agents and other junk.
3. Food isn’t what it used to be.  Due to commercial farming, chem trails, subsidized crops and a load of additional factors, the soil is depleted and therefore the nutrients in a given plant are estimated to be much lower (as much as 52% lower) than they were 50-100 years ago.¹
4. Finally, often we resist taking supplements because it’s expensive or inconvenient.  But remember, YOU are the treasure.  You are worth the time or “inconvenience” and your health is worth investing in.  It’s more convenient to take supplements than to be sick, tired, not be able to sleep well, deal with mood swings, headaches, etc.

Here’s the deal…if you live in the Garden of Eden with NO STRESS, lots of fresh air, bare feet on the ground, sunshine, clean spring water, growing your own food…you get the idea, then you can probably reduce or eliminate your supplements…but…I’ve never met such a person in my 15 years of clinical experience.

You see, there are certain factors such as: where you live, lifestyle habits such as diet, exercise and stress levels, that make it so you will either not get a certain nutrient very efficiently or that you will need more of a certain nutrient.

For example, if you live in southwest Michigan (or any other cloudy state), where the sun only shines about 4 months per year, you will for sure need vitamin D.  Most people need to supplement with vitamin D anyway but especially if you live in a low sunshine area or even if you life in Florida or Arizona, if you’re not getting outside much, you’ll need to supplement.  

Stress…there’s so much to say about stress.  It’s a jerk.  The more of it you have, the more supplements you’ll likely need.  Stress comes in so many forms…losing sleep over a new baby who wakes up a lot in the night, intense exercise, lots of travel, a boss or job that you don’t like, loss of a loved one, constant worry, financial struggles and so many other burdens.  All of these things, create an increase for nutrients in the body.  The more stress you have, the more nutrient depletions you will likely have.

Even good stresses, such as exercise, use more fuel, more quickly.  Running a marathon is no problem if you know what you’re doing and how to replete effectively.  But if you don’t, you may be doing more harm than good and will likely just be driving yourself into the ground.  Your exercise, which you intend for good, can actually be harming you if you don’t understand the importance of repleting not just your carbs, fats and proteins, but also, your micronutrients (vitamins, minerals, etc).  Of course, the answer isn’t to stop exercising but rather to get tested and coached in how to make sure you’re meeting your nutritional needs.  In the same way, if you drive your car longer or faster, you need to stop for gas more often and change the oil more frequently.  Your body has changing needs too!

Healing from illness or injuries also requires more nutrients.  If you’re getting sick often, first, seek to learn more about why your immune system is struggling to keep up (Building a Bullet Proof Immune System: Corona Virus Concerns: Alternative Health Care and COVID-19 Defense: Coronavirus Facts: Alternative Health Care).  But then, know that illness and injury require more protein, vitamin C, zinc and vitamin D just to name a few.  The same goes for frequent injuries.  If you’re getting hurt easily or often, explore what’s really going on.  I’d love to help you figure this out!

Blood doesn’t lie…well, at least not the blood in the intracellular micronutrient test.   Click here for more details on this test, but the bottom line is that this test will let you know what nutritional deficiencies that you have inside your cells.  If you are low in a given nutrient, depending on several factors, you can usually replete it in 4-12 months using good quality supplements, depending on the specific nutrient and how low it is.  If you wanted to replete using food alone, you’d have to eat a TON (probably more than you could physically eat for some nutrients) and it would still take 2-4 times as long.  And during that time, your body would be dealing with the consequences of that deficiency.  

Here’s the bottom line…Although you don’t have to take supplements forever (it’s really your choice), if your goal is optimal health, longevity and vitality, it will be hard to have those things without supplementation unless you can somehow get to that Garden of Eden situation that I mentioned above.  

If you understand this but just aren’t sure what supplements to take or how to ensure your nutritional needs are being met, we’d LOVE to help you!  Reach out to the clinic today to schedule a consultation.  269-204-6525

Reference:

1. Mayer AMB, Trenchard L, Rayns F. Historical changes in the mineral content of fruit and vegetables in the UK from 1940 to 2019: a concern for human nutrition and agriculture. Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2022;73(3). doi:10.1080/09637486.2021.1981831

Nothing said or implied in this post is intended to treat, cure, diagnose or prevent any disease.  It does not take the place of a qualified health care practitioner and is intended for educational purposes only.