Folks often ask me what nutritional supplements we use. People are confused because there are a lot of supplements today in stores, on-line, etc. We subscribe to the Hippocrates quote “let your food be your medicine.” What is alarming is that 99% of supplements today are synthetic. It makes sense to me that your diet should provide your nutrients. If it does not, then I believe you should use whole food supplements rather than synthetic ones. Therefore, all the products that we provide in our office are from companies that use only whole foods – nothing synthetic.
There are three areas that I see people are consistently deficient in. This even goes for the folks that are eating clean healthy diets. The first area is a multi-vitamin, with a twist. What I suggest is a whole food supplement called Catalyn. This is different than a multivitamin, because multi’s are a base of 32 synthetically made substances. I like Catalyn because it comes from whole foods like vegetables, herbs, and fruits. The second supplement that I urge most to use is an omega-3. Omega-3 fatty acids help you avoid pain, decrease inflammation in your muscles and joints, support brain health, and help your heart by lowering cholesterol. Frequently this helps kids with issues like ADHD and autism. When I see one of these kiddos my first move after checking their neurology is getting them on fish oil. We recommend a fish oil made by Nutrametrix which is neutriceutical grade. This means that it’s 83% pure omega-3, rich in EPA and DHA. In fact, it’s one of the few fish oils that does maintains the natural EPA:DHA ratio.
The last thing that most folks need as part of their supplement regimen is calcium. Calcium is tricky because it’s hard to absorb into your body and is best taken at night on empty stomach. Calcium carbonate is the cheapest form and only about 10% of this will actually get into your body. The best sources of calcium are citrate calcium and calcium hydroxy appetite. In these forms you absorb closer to 30%. Most folks don’t start with the calcium until they are in their 40’s or older – that is a common mistake.