Foundational Supplements
I wish I could say that we don’t need supplements and we can get everything we need from food or our environment. Unfortunately, things aren’t that easy. Even with a perfect diet, the combination of many things–less nutrition in the soil, food transportation, individual genetics and epigenetics, exposure to toxins, digestion and absorption issues, and other factors–make it increasingly hard to get everything we need solely from the foods we eat.
Supplements, high quality supplements to be more specific, are an incredibly important tool in my functional medicine toolkit and are personalized for each individual’s unique needs. Supplements, combined with living a healthy lifestyle, are truly life changing. I’ve seen it with my own eyes.
Working with a certified IFM practitioner is going to be the best first step at helping you choose what supplements are right for you. However, there are a few that most everyone can benefit from.
These include:
High-Quality, High-Potency, Complete Multivitamin – A great place to start. Nearly everyone can benefit from a good multi that provides a variety of nutrients that are hard to get through diet alone. You can’t possibly supplement with each and every nutrient individually—so a good quality multi is helpful.
Vitamin D – Supports overall health. No other vitamin can hold a candle to vitamin D when it comes to importance and influence on health. Since vitamin D is fat-soluble, it acts more like a hormone than a vitamin by regulating hundreds of super important pathways in your body. It is pretty impossible to get enough vitamin D from food and sunshine alone. Supplements are used to maintain strong blood levels of vitamin D throughout the year.
Magnesium – Supports better sleep and mental clarity. Magnesium is a crucial mineral needed for over 300 essential biochemical reactions in your body, including the regulation of neurotransmitters. Most deficiencies come from a poor diet or gut problems that interfere with magnesium absorption.
Probiotic – Supports a healthy gut. The gut is the foundation for almost all aspects of your health – regardless of whether you are having digestive symptoms or not. While it is important to include probiotic-rich foods into your diet (give kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, and kombucha a try). If you struggle with permeability in your gut, a probiotic supplement may be the best supplement to take.
Omega-3 Fats – Supports brain and hormone health. Your brain itself is about 60 percent fat and healthy fat is essential for optimal brain health.
While these are a few of the most important supplements, further supplement needs really depend upon what you are working on as far as your health. Your individual health status, health goals, history and lab testing help to inform what additional supplements you might benefit from. From a functional medicine perspective, I take the whole picture into account.
Do you need digestive or detoxification support? What about anti-inflammatory nutrients or herbs to aid in symptoms and healing? Do you have specific nutrient deficiencies that require higher levels of specific nutrients? Are you facing an acute illness that requires targeted immune support? These are just some of the questions that I ask in my practice to help inform any supplement recommendations.
If you’d like to schedule your own clinical assessment and have personalized guidance in this area, come see me at my office located inside The Medicine Man (2416 Dawson Rd., #4 Albany, GA 31707).
The content provided is for informational purposes only and does not intend to substitute professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.