Healthcast 694 - Why take supplements

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You can convince yourself of a fairy tale that the US government provides us with excellent advice on how to be healthy—for instance, what the percentages of each food group should be, like the food pyramid or the food plate. However, time has shown that they aren’t focused on our health with their recommendations; rather, they are attempting to promote the food produced in the US. It’s all about money.

We now understand that the government-approved food pyramid has contributed to an increase in obesity, illness, and diabetes over the last 60 years, primarily because its main goal was to promote grains in the form of cereals to children. This has led to the unfortunate situation we face today, characterized by rising rates of diabetes and obesity.  To make matters worse, iodine has been removed from bread and other foods, leaving many Americans with hypothyroidism.   The allowed food additives extend shelf life (and profits) but diminish human longevity. Ultimately, the government should not dictate our dietary choices!

Supplements are substances like minerals, vitamins, peptides, and glandulars intended to enhance the inadequate American diet; however, medical societies and the FDA do not endorse their use. Nonetheless, we need them to improve nutrition, prevent disease, and provide the building blocks for bones and muscles, as well as to counteract the chemicals present in our water, food, and air mandated by the government. Supplements help protect us from the poor advice and environmental pollution we encounter in everyday life.

Environmental regulations and processes have resulted in increased illnesses, such as hypothyroidism, due to the addition of fluoride to our water instead of solely to our toothpaste.  Fluoride depletes iodine levels in our breasts and thyroid, contributing to conditions like breast cysts, breast cancer, and hypothyroidism. Regarding water—are you aware that the water treatment managed by our local governments incorporates harmful chemicals into our drinking water, which may be carcinogenic, in an effort to prevent lead from leaching from very old pipes? This system is outdated because most of the population uses copper or plastic pipes, and lead has not been used in construction for more than 50 years. The anti-lead chemicals that are added can adversely affect our health.

That is just the tip of the iceberg. Other examples of how our government prioritizes profit over the health of its citizens include allowing big pharma to price necessary medicines beyond the reach of the average person, all to enhance the stock value of these companies. The price of the same drug from the same manufacturer in other countries is significantly lower than for its own citizens. It should be the other way around. Even then, we are sicker and heavier than any other first-world country.

Since you are not here to learn about politics, this serves as my segue into discussing the current denigration of the importance of vitamins and mineral supplements for our health. Just consider this:  the average diet consists of processed foods lacking any nutritional value. Fast food contains additives that encourage us to eat more rather than less; portion sizes have increased, and the consumption of whole foods has declined over my lifetime. These are the most compelling reasons I have for taking nutritional supplements that we used to get from our diets before the 1960s.

Since we know our patients are consuming chemicals that harm their health, my goal as a preventive medicine doctor, along with my nurses and nurse practitioners, is to keep our patients healthy, even when the government does not!   You should heed our recommendations for specific supplements tailored to your individual symptoms and future health. Public health aims to make the group generically “healthier” by governmental standards, but medical care should prioritize our patients, striving for each individual to live a long, disease-free life. However, we face significant misinformation in this battle!

Why don’t mainstream medical groups recommend supplements? Their reasons include a focus on illness rather than wellness, making them more reactive than preventive in perspective. Additionally, most doctors lack training in nutrition and are often unhealthy and overweight. Another factor is that they primarily deal with medications and surgeries, which is what they typically recommend.

In the twenty-first century, we all need supplemental nutrition.  I don’t have a single patient whom I believe is getting everything she needs from her diet without supplements. Supplements include minerals, vitamins, herbs, select foods, and animal glands that help maintain health and prevent illness by compensating for what modern food may lack. The supplements recommended by your BioBalance Health doctor and NPs are tailored to meet various individual needs, so please read about why we prescribe these supplements specifically for you.

Supplements add to the nutrients that are missing from our modern diet.

 

What health benefits can supplements offer?

• Act as alternatives to medication
• Enhance the activity of deficient hormones as people age
• Stimulate the production of hormones
• Provide the right form of a vitamin that you need and can’t get from food
• Replace the minerals that are lacking in locally grown foods and water
• Supplements can replace the natural components of drinking water
• Supplements provide minerals and vitamins that prevent diseases like hypothyroidism.
• Supplemental animal glandulars are successful at reversing deficiencies that are not available in FDA-approved drugs.

Preventive medicine physicians recommend supplements for various reasons:

1. To improve your nutrition
2. To mitigate genetic abnormalities such as elevated homocysteine levels.
3. To counteract chemicals in the environment
4. To treat medical conditions with no known medications
5. To supply certain minerals that are deficient in your area of our country
6. To treat abnormal hormone levels like low thyroid
7. To treat certain symptoms and conditions that have no other solution
8. To prevent future disease
9. To stimulate the production of certain hormones to take the place of a prescription drug
10. To detoxify your liver and gut
11. To improve the absorption of nutrients in the gut
12. To supply minerals and vitamins for osteoporosis
13. To improve your mental health by improving the bacteria in your gut
14. Assist in weight loss

My goal is to educate people honestly about the tools they can use to maintain their health and extend their lifespan.  A few words of caution should be added to complete this lesson.

Please avoid using the cheapest vitamin or mineral supplement on Amazon unless your doctor has prescribed that specific brand.  Many supplement companies are not “Medical Grade, ” meaning they are not tested and approved by agencies that ensure you receive an effective supplement with your purchase.  Amazon has been found to sell vitamins packaged in reputable brand bottles that contain capsules with none of the expected supplements inside!

BioBalance Health and BioBalance Skin provide tested medical-grade products, ensuring you take the right supplements for the desired effect.  We cannot expect the same quality from most supplements available online. Avoid taking a supplement just because someone else is using it; you might not need it, or worse, it could have negative effects. Trust experts to evaluate what you truly need and what you can do without.

When you have a consultation with a BioBalance doctor or NP for your yearly visit, please bring a list of your medications and supplements to discuss with them. Please do not call our RN or email your list for their opinion. Evaluating your needs and aligning them with your supplements requires time.