brought to you by
Nature Cure
Keith Spaulding ND LAc
|
Four Essential
Supplements |
The following article is copyrighted to the publisher (Nature Cure). Article can be used for informational purposes only but please contact the publisher for permission.
(Taken from the monthly Nature Cure newsletter, by Keith Spaulding ND LAc, sign up at www.naturecureco.com)
A complaint people often
have of the natural medicine industry is that there is always too much
to take. You read an article of a supplement that seems to fit you
perfectly and you must do it. Then you read another article the next
month and you must do it. And then 1 year later you are taking 20 pills
per day, spending $200 per month, and you think you have more energy.
First I have to preface, if you have been prescribed something by a
qualified practitioner, I am not suggesting stop, this is just my
opinion. We live in unique times. We have any food we want from anywhere
in the world, yet our diets are very limited (wheat, sugar, dairy,
repeat). The foods/supplements listed below are the foundation that
ensures a
certain amount of nutrition, can gradually help with numerous
conditions, and with few exceptions, can be taken by almost everybody.
On a regular basis I do not do all four. I may do three of them for a
few months, then take a break from one and start the other. Personally I
think it is a good idea to regularly take a break from any
supplement/medicine occasionally (obviously not including life
threatening conditions). We live in allergic times, taking a break keeps
people from developing any allergy to the supplement, also it prevents
any compensation and loosing the therapeutic benefit. Also if you stop
something and you notice a difference you know it is worth the money and
you start again.
Here are my basic recommendations (with doses as suggestions only).
1. Essential Fatty Acids
I'm sure no one is surprised. Omega 3's in particular are sorely lacking
in our diet, and seem to be beneficial for a lot of people, even if they
eat fish. Fish Oil (2 g/d more if there is obvious inflammation)
provides more of the needed nutrients than flax oil, but some people
dislike them if they burp it up (try taking just before food). If flax
oil is taken then you need to take more (4 g/d).
Benefits inflammatory conditions (anything with an itis), anxiety,
depression, ADHD, cardiovascular conditions, high cholesterol ...
Contraindications: the only
one that I have heard of is a study (which has
been debated) of fish oils worsening arrythmia.
2. Fiber
Our bowels take a beating from the not so perfect foods we eat, and
the chronic stress that is modern life. Most people benefit from bouts
of regular intake. It is cleansing, makes you more regular, can improve
some bowel conditions like irritable bowel, and may help lower your risk
of forming colon cancer.
I recommend ground flax seeds. Using a coffee grinder
grind enough for about one week, put in a jar, and refrigerate. Flax
seeds also have a muciliagenous texture that can help with gastritis,
colitis, and other bowel inflammation. Add 1 - 2 Tbsp of flax seed to
juice and drink, put on salads, put in yogurt, or put in your morning
smoothy.
People also use psyllium for fiber. Psyllium expands
greatly with water hence causes bloating in many people. If using
psyllium, use 1 - 2 tsp per day.
With any fiber you should increase your water intake.
3. Probiotics
Chronic stress (that thorn in the modern life), poor diet, and long
term antibiotic use will affect the intestinal flora. Probiotic
supplementation can benefit a host of problems, but particularly
allergies, any bowel troubles, and food sensitivities.
If you aren't familiar, probiotics are lactobacillus acidophilus etc.
When looking for probiotics, don't skimp. Good probiotics are expensive.
It is better to do one month of the expensive stuff then 3 months of the
cheap stuff. Probiotics particularly should be done regularly for awhile
(1 - 3 months), then you can take a
vacation. The length is determined by how bad your digestion is in the
first place.
Dose: A maintenace dose is 1 - 5 billion per day. Also the amount in
yogurt is not really therapeutic. It is good but if you feel you need
the probiotic buy the product.
4. Greens/Multi - Vitamin
Last, but certainly not least, is nutrient supplementation. I take
and recommend a daily greens drink over a multi. Multis are mostly
synthetic vitamins, flooding the intestines daily, and the body doesn't
have to work hard to absorb them. That's good right!
Well there is more and more research that the nutrients from food is not
the same as from a vitamin, so it is better to take in a food form,
hence greens!
By greens I mean the wheat grass, barley grass, spirulina etc. There are
many top quality products that have good combinations. Many products
have greens with probiotics so you hit two of your daily foundation with
one spoonful.
Warning: Of course if you take something for a particular disorder
contact your health provider before stopping.