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Some questions that I am often asked are; "Why do I have to take these supplements? Aren't supplements all the same? Can't I just get these at Walmart, Rite-Aid, or CVS?" In response, I would like to create some reality out of all of the hype over supplementation.
First of all I want you to recognize a concept that I think that we can all agree upon; "the best way for us to get our nutrients is from food." The problem comes in when you become so deficient in a specific nutrient or group of nutrients that you simply cannot get sufficient quantities from the foods that you eat, to make that deficiency up. At that point you have become what I call hyper-deficient, and you simply can't eat enough of the foods that contain that nutrient to bring your reserves up to sufficiency again. This is also leaving aside the fact that most people worldwide either don't eat the right foods by choice, or because in certain areas of the world they simply are not available. In this instance you simply must supplement or you will suffer the negative health consequences of this extremely deficient state.
The question then becomes "what type of supplement should you use?" In order to answer this question you will need to understand the difference between a synthetic supplement, and a whole food supplement. Let's explore this distinction further.
Synthetic supplements are those that are synthesized in a laboratory process from surprisingly strange initial substances that are refined into the end product. What you must understand about the "end product" is that it is reduced to only a small component of what the whole food nutrient really contains. As an example "vitamin C complex" is just that, a complex of all of the constituents of vitamin C. This is unlike synthetic vitamin C which is just "Ascorbic Acid". This substance arguably is largest component of vitamin C complex, but not the entire molecule. In other words synthetic vitamin C is just ascorbic acid and not all of the other essential components of vitamin C complex. In addition to Ascorbic Acid, vitamin C complex contains Rutin, bioflavonoids, factors j, k, and p, Tyrosinase, and Ascorbinogen. These are essential components to the entire vitamin C complex as it is found in whole foods such as spinach, green peppers, oranges, and tomatoes.
When the synthetic ascorbic acid is consumed the body needs to "steal" the other constituents to "manufacture" vitamin C complex. As an example of this, in one study of breastfeeding women of infants who were deficient in vitamin B1 (thiamine) it was demonstrated that after having the moms supplement with "synthetic vitamin B1", their B1 levels in breast milk rose. However it was interesting to note that this synthetic form of the vitamin did nothing to raise the B1 levels in their deficient infants.
Here is another thought regarding consuming synthetics rather than whole food supplements. Calcium, which we can all agree, and the media continually reminds us, is very important for proper function of many of our body's intricate systems. I also think that it is fair to say that millions of people supplement with synthetic calcium every day. Yet, it must be remembered that there is a delicate balance between calcium, magnesium, vitamin D, vitamin K, and other vitamins and minerals in our bodies. Understanding this balance is essential to recognizing that if these nutrients are out of balance then the body becomes ill. An example would be an imbalance of calcium and magnesium which creates a tendency for muscles to spasm. Understanding that the heart is in fact a muscle will help us to understand how an imbalance between calcium and magnesium can cause cardiac abnormalities. The heart's left ventricle requires a great deal of magnesium in order to function properly. Therefore, if there is a deficiency of magnesium, the heart will steal the magnesium from other areas of the body. When this is the case muscle and nerve function in other areas of the body can become diminished. When too much calcium and not enough vitamin K2 is taken in, then calcium can accumulate in the soft tissues, such as muscles, tendons, and even arteries.
These are just a few simple examples of why in our current hustle and bustle society that when we simply don't "Eat Right" we need to supplement our diets with specific nutrients in which we may be deficient. The question is, when this is necessary, will we get the required nutrients in a reduced, synthesized, and unnatural form, or will we make our best attempt to get those nutrients from whole foods, or at a minimum from "whole food supplements"? In the case of the latter scenario it is necessary to determine just what form of whole food supplementation is required, and at what quantity? This is where "Targeted Functional Nutrition" comes in. With this form of nutritional evaluation, and counseling, we can determine where the deficiency lies, how deficient you may be, and what, and just how much of the whole food source of the nutrients you will require to attain sufficiency in these deficient nutrients. In this way you can attain the level of proper nutrients that you require in order to reach your "Maximum Health Potential"!
CLEANSE PREVIEW NIGHT
is August 16th at 7:00 p.m.
Don't Hesitate Again!
It Will Be Here Before You Know It!